The room was bright. Every lamp was flicked on to fight against the warriors of night, although peach walls already barricaded their every way in. Sophie, sitting crisscrossed on her uncomfortably sturdy wooden chair, gawked at the next few heavily worded word problems sandwiched between the dust-inhabited covers of her new workbook. Her heavy head sagged onto her hands as she, once again, imagined a separate world in her mind, where everything was opposite.
But immediately, a rough voice tore through her frolicking thoughts.
“Sophie! Honestly, get yourself down here! Ten minutes ‘till school starts!” her mother screeched.
Sophie grunted and climbed down the stairs but was secretly relieved to escape the large brain-boggling monster. “I just did ten pages, Mom!” she gloated, only to be instantaneously shot back down with the crushing words, “Only ten? You know there are plenty of others your age doing great things out there in the world.”
Sophie narrowed her eyes, as she suddenly regretted saying anything. She always was being crushed, put down, her one strip of glory suddenly seemed like a bone that was thoroughly chewed through by a dog and then abandoned. It wasn’t just that constant reminder of the lack of intelligence she had. No, it was the amount of “perfection” she needed to achieve to “bring honor and glory” to their eternally chaotic family. That night, when Sophie was curled up in her bed, trying to radiate warmth to body on her bare mattress, she didn’t even need to strain her ears to hear her parents bellowing at each other, shooting nasty retorts to whatever the other said and arguing over practically anything they could.
She felt a twinge of annoyance at them for disrupting her rem state of sleep, but a minute later a pang of disappointment shot through her heart. I can’t ever bring them closer together for them to be happy.
Shivering under her paper thin blanket, Sophie whispered to herself, “Why can’t everyone just get along?” No matter how childish and idealistic that wish sounded, she couldn’t believe how hard it was for people to abide by it. Why do idealistic things have to seem childish anyway?
I can’t even get my own mother to approve of what I do to please her. She envisioned her days for the past week. Day one. Endless washing of clothes. Day two. Endless cleaning of dishes and choreographing dances for my dance group. Day three. Practicing violin for five hours, then writing a paper for the local town newspaper. She stopped counting. Am I that desperate? ‘Pathetic.’ It’s no use anyway, she breathed. Nothing could satisfactorily win my mother over.
Thinking of this, Sophie’s cheeks involuntarily glistened with wet droplets. Stop it! She fought against her emotions and tightly hugged her torn stuffed panda until her last ragged breath ceased, and her red face became dry and crusty with tears.
What if, she thought in desperation, what if everything that happens to me is just “fake”? Can all the people I know and all the events that happen be just plays in a game of life? Am I the only conscious person who knows what they’re doing? Say that, the people I know just say the things that they do because I thought they did. Could it be, in someone else’s mind, that same person said something different? Sophie grasped onto this idea because it seemed more concrete than anything else in her life right now. She wanted to immerse herself in it, for the world she lived in right now shouldn’t have to be a real one. Satisfied with the idea of her new “world”, she wrapped her coarsely woven blanket around her ears, muffling the shrieks of, “No, you did it!”, and drifted into a deep and wonderful slumber, the kind that only comes once a month, but for Sophie, once a year.
**
Sophie breathed a sigh as she stepped out of her house and onto her creaky porch and gazed at the dewy morning horizon. “Come on, Odysseus,” she whispered into her golden retriever’s invitingly large and floppy ear as she affectionately scratched his back. Odysseus yawned, his rough pink tongue lolling. “Let’s go, boy.” Sophie gently tugged at the leash as she started onto the sidewalk.
After thirty minutes, the two had strolled out of the neighborhood and into the sleepy main villa. Storekeepers were just rising and setting up their sales signs, and the pungent scent of pre-work coffee filled the air.
“Good morning, Mr. Putnam.” Sophie smiled at the withered but experienced hat storekeeper. She ran over to help him rise from his bent position, for she knew his back had been bothering him lately. The old man dusted off his slacks and fixed the wilting collar on his sole professional white shirt. He smiled, his wrinkles only accentuating his genuinity. He was one of the few people whom Sophie felt relaxed around.


“Sophie! What a nice surprise! And Odysseus, what a good boy,” the old man cooed as Odysseus wiggled his tail and let his pink tongue flap in delight as if to say, “That’s nice of you to say, but do you have treats?”
“Have a nice day, you two!” Mr. Putnam smiled and then returned to arranging the fedoras on the shelves. Sophie waved back and kept walking.
Suddenly, a glint on the dusty road caught her attention. It was a watch, but it wasn’t like anything she’d seen before. Curious, she peered closer, only maximizing her excitement. It was made of what seemed to be the finest gold, and thin, sleek diamonds formed the two hands playfully chasing each other across the silver clock face.
“Wow,” Sophie whispered, delicately draping the watch over her wrist, afraid it would break. She held her wrist in front of Odysseus, who barked his approval. Sophie made sure not to hold it too close to his muzzle, for by golly has she experienced the troubles of a hungry dog who’ll eat anything. “I wonder who it belongs to. I mean, it wouldn’t be right if we kept it.” Sophie flipped the watch onto its back. Encrusted in tiny letters were the words, “Property of Hyu Pine. Passed down from Mr. Quiren.”
Hyu Pine? As in the Pine family, the richest family in town? Sophie’s eyes bulged, for suddenly the watch’s shining elegance felt wrong placed on her scrawny wrist. I could just leave the watch here, she thought, staring at the spot on the pavement where she had picked it up. But it seems more than just a normal watch.
“Passed down from Mr. Quiren.”
Not the slightest bit intrigued, Odysseus impatiently nudged Sophie’s leg, and in seeing no response, he knotted the leash around Sophie’s legs, barked, and then sat on his rump while he stared angelically at Sophie.
“Just one minute, Odysseus. I promise to walk you as soon as I get this sorted out.” She held up the watch again.
How in the world can I get to their mansion to return this, then?
Odysseus shoved her leg until she almost dropped the watch. “Careful, Odysseus! Okay, okay, let’s get moving. We’re going to visit that nice Mr. Putnam again, okay, Odysseus?” He barked his relief and ran ahead, practically dragging Sophie behind him.
“Mr. Putnam! Sorry to disturb you and your work, but I have a question!” Sophie hollered as she stumbled to gain authority over the leash again.
Mr. Putnam looked up from his counting of the current state of top hats in the back trunk, and he chuckled as he saw Sophie returning, or rather, being returned by Odysseus. “Well, hello again! Wha’ you say, dear?”
“I have a question, but it’s okay if you don’t know the answer. Do you know where the Pines live?”
To her surprise, Mr. Putnam nodded his balding head. “They live righ’ down this here street, at the very end. As a matter of fact, I’ve been in there once before.”
“You have?”
“Yes, indeed. When I was a little boy, my papa used to be best friends with their family ‘fore their family became the richest in town. He used t’say that Mr. Quiren and he were the best troublemakers in town. When I was little, my papa used to tell me stories of how they would race down to the shops, steal all the gum, chew ‘em up and, when the teacher wasn’t looking, stick ‘em underneath them seats, jus’ to be rebellious.” He chuckled as he hung a duck-billed cap on the wall. “You wouldn’ expect any of that behavior coming from ‘em now.”
Sophie enjoyed listening to his faint, lilting southern accent that had only slightly faded away over the years. “Why not?”
“Well, now the Pines are some of the most uprigh’, self-centered folk in town! I think his name was... Paul Quiren. Yes, I think it’s him who now owns a large corporation of somethin’ or the other.” He hoisted a large brown package onto a stool. “They have somethin’ that needs to be done? Clothes to be washed? Food to be cooked? They have people for that! Oh, wouldn’ tha’ be nice,” Mr. Putnam chuckled. “Now, they wouldn’ be caught dead with us normal folk. Say, why do ya wanna know about ‘em anyway?”
Sophie quickly explained the situation with the watch. “I have to return this watch to them. It belongs to their grandfather! It must be special for it to be passed down the family line.”
Mr. Putnam sighed as he slid a sack down and stretched his back out. “I guess they would be grateful, but it’ll be mighty hard to go through those fancy iron gates withou’ someone with relation to the family with you. How ‘bout I go with ya? D’ya mind some old coot taggin’ along?”
“Not at all! Let’s get moving! And I’m sure Odysseus can charm anyone over.” Sophie smiled and held the door for Mr. Putnam.
After twenty minutes, they were witnessing the security gates of the giant palace-like mansion. Two identical fountains supported the white outlines of the water’s reflective hexagons, which were shattered and recreated continuously in the wind. The fountains spouted the purest and finest water in shining streaks. Statues of golden horses in mid-gallop scattered the finely cut lawns, each blade at the exact same length and yielding a sharp, precise lime color. Over to the left, heart-shaped bushes invited visitors to not walk, but dance through a vined walkway. Ivy curled up the traditional white fence, which arched over multi-grey stone plates. Not surprisingly, the walkway wound to a backyard garden, occupied by a twenty-foot long swimming pool, its clear water sparkling in the sunlight and cruised on by some lucky summer maple leaves.
The mansion itself was equally as impressive, but held a more authentic and earthier feel. It was built out of stone, each rectangular rock its own hue. The windows had gothic styled frames, and gargoyles perched atop the roofs. It reminded Sophie of the Notre Dame church she had studied about in school. Two tower-like structures stood to the side of the main house, and on them climbed a kind of ivy that sprouted what resembled lily flowers.
Mr. Putnam whistled his approval. “Wow… Now, wouldn’ it be nice to live ‘ere.”
Not able to take her eyes off the scene, Sophie nodded, her eyes still prying to see more of the backyard.
A static-filled noise tore through their quiet admiration of the mansion. The two clutched their ears until the noise revealed a boy’s grainy voice.
“You are at the Pine residence, 888 Habu Plum Drive. Are you of service to us? Certainly, I wouldn’t think we would serve you.”
Mr. Putnam nodded his head in the direction of a metallic rectangular speaker box latched onto one of the brick columns supporting the gate. Sophie tiptoed to it and pressed a red button.
“Yes. I am Sophie Limter. And I have something for someone in the Pine family, by name of,” she checked the watch to be sure, “Hyu Pine?”
There wasn’t any response for a minute, and Sophie was beginning to think that whoever there had just left the intercom, but then the boy’s voice broke through the static again, this time authoritative and clear.
“Well then, proceed. Tell us what the item is. A letter? Mail? A present?”
“Actually, it’s a watch.”
“A watch? I don’t recall that as a fit present for someone as significant as I.”
“No, no, it’s not a present.”
“Well then it’s not welcome here.”
Sophie thought she heard the click of the intercom going off, so she quickly interjected.
“No, I meant- I found it in town, and on the back, it has the words, ‘Property of Hyu Pine. Passed down from Mr. Quiren.’”
Only a second passed before the voice cackled, “Never heard of it.”
Sophie was taken aback. “But surely this must be of some importance to your family,” she insisted, “This watch had belonged to your grandfather! If you won’t take it back, then what use do I have with it?”
There was a muffle of exchanges between a high-pitched voice and the boy’s voice, in which Sophie thought she heard a “Do I have to?” from the boy.
“Are you with someone our family knows?”
Mr. Putnam smiled and stepped forward to the intercom. “You’re darn right she’s with someone the Pines know. I’m Mr. Putnam, son of Mr. Quiren’s old friend.”
“Alright… I’ll take the watch. Proceed.”
Sharply, the iron doors creaked open a centimeter as they vibrated off water from the thunderstorm last night. Then, with a slight hum, they slid apart, revealing the expansive main driveway.
Mr. Putnam gestured for Sophie and Odysseus to lead the way, and the three quickly scampered in just before the gates automatically started to slide back.
The large door of the house opened to reveal a slender boy donning his freshly ironed school uniform. His brown hair was gelled back and combed flat, and his brown eyes slid over Sophie and Mr. Putnam. As soon as he saw them, he wrinkled his nose and squinted his eyes.
Sophie was astounded. He’s wearing our school uniform! She gawked at the flying eagle sewn into the front pocket of the boy’s royal blue jacket. Does that mean that he’s going to go to school with me? But… he’s so rich!
The boy cleared his throat, for he felt uncomfortable under the girl’s gaze.
“Please do not stare at this… mere costume. My helper was just aiding me to see if my next semester’s uniform will fit. I’m new to not being home-schooled, you see.”
“Oh, sorry.” Sophie averted her eyes and coughed imaginary phlegm.
“My name is Hyu Pine. I’m the owner of the watch. Excuse me, I don’t quite remember your name.”
“It’s-“ Sophie began, starting to feel a bit unwelcome and misplaced here.
Before she could finish, Hyu snapped his fingers. “Oh right! I remember now, it’s Sophie, isn’t it?”
“Er, yes.”
“Well, nice to meet you. You … that is your dog, right? You do have control over it? Where is its leash?”
“Oh, leash? Odysseus here is the most obedient dog I’ve ever met. Isn’t that right, boy?” Odysseus barked and licked Sophie’s face until she broke into a smile. He then turned to Hyu and growled.
“Well, you do happen to have the watch, am I correct?” The boy impatiently folded his arms and looked expectantly toward Sophie.
Sophie’s cheeks turned tomato red as she realized she was still clutching onto the piece of cold metal as if it was hers. “Oh, right. Sorry. Here you go.” She stepped forward and held out her hand with the watch to Hyu.
Hyu seemed a bit uncomfortable being on the taking end of the exchange instead of having it being handed to him, and after he snatched up the watch, he held his chin up high.
Avoiding eye contact, he spoke a terse “Thank you and goodbye,” and sauntered back into his house. Their last glimpse of the boy was before he slammed the door with impeccable force.
Mr. Putnam chuckled. “See? Even the more modern generation of Pines is uptight like tha’. Sophie, ya jus’ needa remember that ya did a nice thing. Come on now, Odysseus.” He waved the growling dog back to the iron gates as he pat its head in an unsuccessful attempt to get it to calm down.
After taking one last glance at the house, Sophie wondered if she would see the boy at school. She turned and followed the two out the gates.

Sophie set a mission for the first day of the school year to discuss her new idea of a world where everything was “fake.” As the yellow bus, smeared with dirt and covered with peeling paint, coughed to a stop, she dreamily bounded off, lost in her thoughts. Clutching her black backpack, she wondered if anyone else thought the same way she did.
Target spotted. A girl, packing two thick textbooks into her a purple duffel bag, was standing near the bus bench in front of the shrubbery decorating the school. She seemed to be waiting for a friend. Sophie ran up to her and tried to seem as warm as possible.
“Hey!” she called, speed-walking and waving simultaneously. The girl didn’t turn around. Sophie tried again. “Hey, you with the purple bag! Can I ask you something?”
The girl to whom she had latched to preach her ideas finally faced her, but shot Sophie a look of “No, thank you,” and hustled away. The next boy Sophie had tried to catch with her net of ideas had just shoved her aside mid-sentence. He then swiveled around the hallway corner. To her relief, Sophie’s next few attempts worked. Curiously enough, no one had actually thought of the idea before she brought it up. She asked her teachers, her friends, and even people just waiting with her in the suspiciously long bathroom line, but not one had thought of a “fake” world before. They all just thought that she was being incredibly self-centered in her idea that she was the only one who was “conscious” and fully aware of the things that she did.
The end of the school day collapsed upon her, not to be wasted. As the bus doors swung shut behind her, Sophie jogged up the long, winding driveway to her house, consumed with thoughts of the stimulating new perspective of the world around her. She clutched onto this idea, so for the next few days, she continued her investigation for someone with the same ideas. Instead of solving more Calculus problems in her room at night, she plotted a route around the school on which she could find and talk to the maximum amount of people.
A week passed, and she was only a fifth of the way through talking to all the students. On her way from the music classroom, she swiveled around to the Latin classroom to search for her blue pencil case. Maybe it was a bad idea to put my wallet in there too. She sighed.
Finally, she found one. Not a pencil case, but a person who thought like her. Hyu.
With five yellowing books on the desk to his left, and one ancient book in his hands, Hyu was studiously trying to memorize a poem in Latin. That rich boy actually does go to this school! I didn’t know he loved reading so much. He seems... lonely, though. He didn’t move his gaze until Sophie tapped his shoulder.
“Hi, Hyu! Just a quick question. Have you ever imagined a world where you were the only conscious living thing and everyone around you was fake?”
Hyu didn’t set down his book, but turned his head with the least possible effort to face Sophie’s. “Yes, I’ve thought of that.” He shrugged. “But I’ve always thought that when I’m alone. I think it’s simply intriguing to think about life that way.” He paused to think for a while, and said, “By the way, my name is Hyu, only son of the Pines at 888 Habu Plum Drive. We own a four story mansion because my father and mother are both patented.” He shrugged again as if that was something everyone must have, and then he examined Sophie with his sharp brown eyes. His facial expression came to one that held no conclusion. “Who are you, exactly?”
“You what? You- you truly do?” Sophie blurted, unable to control her excitement. Idiot! He asked something! She uncomfortably shifted her feet. “Don’t you remember me from the other day? I’m Sophie! I gave you back your watch!”


Hyu gave her a blank stare.


“I had an old man and a dog with me, and you were trying on your new school outfit.”


Another vacant look.


Oh, please, Sophie thought, slightly annoyed. Prissy rich boy really doesn’t remember me. Sophie sighed impatiently. “Your house has gargoyles and fountains and a pool at back. There are many horse statues around your garden, and at the side there’s an arched -”


Before Sophie could finish her sentence, Hyu snapped his fingers and declared, “Oh right! You’re that girl with the old man and dog!”


“That’s what I just sa –“


“Yes, yes. I remember now.” Hyu beamed.


“His ego’s as large as his house,” Sophie muttered under her breath.


“I’m sorry?”


Sophie smirked. “I said, your regal manner is as elegant as your house.”
“I should think so,” Hyu remarked, leaning back down to study his concoction.
“Wait! I need to tell you more!”
“Well, what do you want me to do?” He looked slightly annoyed and still held his book stubbornly, but Sophie didn’t care.
She was bubbling with excitement and just had to make sure her plan was going to work. “Listen, none of this is going to make sense, but here I go: I want to try an experiment, and you’re the only person I have asked all month that has thought about this idea. So, would you ever be nice enough to do this with me?” Every inch of her wanted her plan to happen, even if her accomplice was a spoiled rich boy.
Hyu glanced up. “I need to know the experiment first,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“Well, since if everything is based on perspective, if we tried and truly believed that we were in a different world, say, a ‘no gravity zone,’ or a world where everything is opposite, it would turn out with those conditions, right?”
“What about a ‘forever happiness’ world?” Hyu was fully attentive now, his eyes boring into hers. “But how would we do that? Convince ourselves that nothing else could go wrong, that nothing could barricade our minds? How would we fully make ourselves believe in a different world?”
Sophie had expected this question, and after days of mulling over an answer, she confidently stated, “You just have to be willing enough to do this.”
Hyu nodded, his expression deep in thought. Now, only the sound of their breathing could differentiate between an empty room or not. Sophie could hear a clock heavily ticking at the back of the room. Finally, he shattered his glassy appearance by saying, “I will.”
Elated, Sophie quickly hugged him and just as rapidly, whipped out a glossy notebook she had been itching to use for a purpose other than sitting and gathering dust on her desk. Immediately, she started to scribble down words, for she wanted to graspideas and lay them down before they flew away. “Alright, so we already contemplated a no-gravity world, a world where the golden rule doesn’t apply, and a pure happiness world. How about... we each travel into one of these worlds to see if our idea will work with only our perspectives and imaginations. Of course, we’ll have to imagine all the consequences that will happen. However, first we have to pick... pick-” Sophie stuttered, “pick worlds.”
She realized that having the opportunity to experience the sounds, smells, and purely joyous feelings of a completely joyous world would be an entirely different galaxy apart from the world that she lived in now, or she thought she lived in. This way, she wouldn’t have to fall asleep with the roars of the day’s quarrels pounding in her ears, and her bed would be toasty and soft and plush, instead of icy and rock hard. Best of all, no one would ever think that she was “not good enough.” As painstakingly slowly as a racing turtle, the words of “not enough intelligence, ambition, and certainly not enough ‘perfection’” escaped their prison in Sophie’s mind and stomped across her consciousness. The last, and mockingly slow words were, “especially not enough to please her.”
Hyu clearly saw that Sophie was deeply sunken and anchored in her thoughts. Her naturally confident and wandering dark brown gaze had already naturally meandered over to some other world. Seizing this opportunity to think about his choice of worlds, he wondered how his family would feel if he left them. Probably not much. His mouth slid into a frown. True, he lived in a grand house, with parents and siblings. Everything of his was allegedly perfect. But it didn’t matter if everything was perfect if he didn’t think so. A happy family that got along pretty well, five-star chefs bringing plentiful food to eat, a four-poster bed to sleep in; what else could be better?
Everything.
But as Hyu glanced at Sophie’s torn shoes and slightly worn shirt and her embarrassed expression, he couldn’t help but feel a pang. Romans don’t feel empathy. But is this what it feels like?
Hyu considered carefully, and every thought he had concerning what world to pick, ended up with the conclusion that even though he loved the luxurious world, he had been taught his duty as a well-mannered gentleman. He can’t neglect the Code that Pines live by, or, at least, used to live by. Unwilling to abide by the Code, he sighed as he decided that he didn’t need another “happiness world.” Hyu wondered what Sophie would do if she had lived the life he had experienced for the past sixteen years.
Hyu quickly said before Sophie could stop him, “I choose the no golden rule world.” Sophie broke out of her trance and stared hard at him. She studied him for a while to make sure he wasn’t joking or planning a “Julius Caesar” moment. And then she took a chance, and shakily breathed, “Happiness world.”
Smoothly, Hyu grinned with satisfaction, piled his books into his royal blue backpack, and sauntered past her to reach the door. “Sorry, but I have to go now. My mother’s taking us to a French restaurant, Les Connisseurs, one of my favorites, really. You’ll plan out consequences, and I’ll plan, too. Even though you’re not me, you seem like a deserving girl for the ‘happiness world’ to receive. Meet here after school tomorrow to share what we’ve done. Good bye, Sophie.” Hyu gathered his books, waved, and strolled out the door.
I don’t care about the Code.
There was always something that he felt was missing in his life. He had everything there was to have, but he wanted to glow in people’s eyes. At home, it was just expected that people treat him with the utmost respect. But he never felt like people needed him, that people saw him as an other-worldly god. As impractical as it sounded, he wanted to be a Roman hero. Save someone, be someone’s only hope, feel worthy. And this new misery world might give him a chance to do so.
He was quickly pursued by Sophie, whose face flushed tomato red. She managed to cough out, “Bye,” before they parted ways, just like how they were soon going to part from this world into a new one.
**
Sophie and Hyu returned to their homes, each full of ambition, but also ambivalence. Could this actually work? each asked themselves. However, before long, both were scratching down long lists of possible difficulties they could imagine. After all, they decided that the more precisely you imagine the world, the more concrete the world would be.
After completing her ten pages of Diff. E.Q., Sophie went on to imagine the numerous situations that awaited her “happiness world.” Quite frankly, she thought, if anything bad were to happen, it wouldn’t really be a “happiness world,” so I guess that I should make the word “happiness” something more specific. Sophie laid on her brown leaf colored bed and placed her hand over her eyes as she tried to imagine something impressive, yet doable. A... a world that... has peace and comforts readily available to all. Sophie grinned to herself. That’s pretty generic, but that’s as good as my brain will get after doing Diff. E.Q. Half-asleep, she sluggishly slid off her cushioned bed and crawled to her feet to shower.


Meanwhile, Hyu focused on listing the possibilities of an “opposite” world. He was sandwiched between his mahogany desk and his green swivel chair. As he tipped back and placed his warm hands behind his head, his eyes fluttered and he felt the blanket of sleep drift over him. I can’t fall asleep. How about, everyone is cruel... but maybe one person is my friend. Only one, to keep me company. Hyu wondered who that “one” would be. He decided to just let things in his world happen, for if he didn’t like the world in which he was living, he could just return to the normal world by using his perspective. If everything was truly “fake,” then he would just have to use perspective to delve into both worlds to prove it true. With his head buzzing, he collapsed into an exhausted cocoon of sleep.

Sophie groggily opened her eyes, but an immediate wave of senses crashed down upon her to wash her off her feet. The usual tinge of burnt toast wasn’t lingering in the air, and the classical windows brimmed with a halo of bright, overflowing sunlight. Soft pink roses were laid out on the royal purple and white down blankets. Sophie’s eyes pricked up. Why do my blankets have feathers in them? And since when were they this color? My room doesn’t face the east, so why is the sun shining through my window? She glanced downwards. The wooden floor had clearly been polished until it shimmered, and the walls had been painted with soft hues of pink. The surrounding air spun a cocoon of warmth, unlike the frosty glacier that Sophie had always experienced. The next thing she knew, a woman with plump, red cheeks and a bright, jolly smile bounded into her room while balancing a tray of biscuits and milk at her fingertips.
“Good morning, my lady!” The woman cheerily exclaimed. Sophie was more than bewildered by this stranger in a maid’s dress serving her the most bizarre refreshments that Sophie only saw in movies set in the 19th century.
“Who are you?” Sophie demanded. “Don’t come any closer! Why aren’t I at my house?”
The lady seemed to lose her warm smile for a split second, but she returned to her normal merry state. “Why, dear, you don’t remember? I’m your maid, Lila! And, might I just add, one of your best friends?”
Sophie glanced at her “best friend” from her soft brown curls to her worn feet enveloped by brown slippers. Quite frankly, she was still a bit dazed simply from having woken, so she shook her head.
The maid instantly stopped folding Sophie’s bed sheets and placed a plump hand on her forehead. “Hm. You don’t feel warm. But, surely, you remember that you live here, at the grand castle, as the Princess of Rotham?”
“I... I what?” Sophie sputtered, unable to process anything that Lila was saying. Firstly, she still couldn’t take her eyes off the room she was in. Tall walls, encasing a massive room that held a slick wooden drawer engraved with gold accents, a soft, plush bear rug, and a King sized classical bed that spilled velvet sheets over the smoothly carved wooden edges. She wondered how much this all cost. This must be my happiness world, Sophie realized with excitement, but I never changed my perspective at all! This isn’t supposed to be happening yet - I haven’t even met with Hyu again! Her joy quickly slipped into a heavy coat of worry, but a silken voice melted through her thoughts.
“My lady? Are you alright?” Lila’s deep brown pools of eyes held a tinge of worry. “Oh my, she might have a concussion. I’ve heard of those, but I don’t quite, uh, know what to do. Jason!” she called, frantically pacing and tittering in the room.
Sophie tried to act the part she was supposed to.
“No, it’s fine, I’m quite alright. Thank-you very much, Lila, for your consideration. You may leave as I get dressed.” Sophie smiled, trying to look firm and commanding, yet kind. Still with a doting worried look plastered on her round face, Lila bowed and edged out of the room.
Relieved that she was alone again, Sophie reluctantly slid off her plush bed and placed her feet on icy floor. To the drawer she hopped, trying to keep herself warm by rubbing her arms as she hastened to get dressed. The drawer’s golden frames slid out, revealing a breathtaking assortment of silken undergarments, plush slippers, and luxurious tunics that she would have only seen in a dream. Sophie carefully ran her forefinger through the fabric, just to make sure it was real. Almost impulsively, her entire hand slid between the folds of the dress. The smooth silk felt as if water was being poured over her hand. This feels so different from my clothes. It surely is real, Sophie speculated.
Surprisingly, everything actually resembled what her old room was like. The shape of the room, the placement of furniture, but all of it was now remade into something golden or elegantly sewn. Even the curtains were lined with golden thread, and the rugs gave off a fresh detergent smell. The sound of birds twittering, regal shouts, and trumpet calls emanating from below the window drifted into her room. She grinned. No more pressure or chaos to face. Only this beautiful palace to explore and these new people to meet.
A hesitant, soft knock at the door tugged at Sophie’s wandering thoughts.
“Um...excuse me, sorry, but is the Princess in here?” a small, sweet voice called.
“No, the Princess-” Sophie halted mid-sentence as she realized that she now was the princess. She hastily covered her blunder. “Yes, I am! Who is it?”
“Oh, you don’t remember me. That’s ok...” the milky voice seemed to waver and fade and the sound of the girl’s footsteps started to recede.
Sophie was bewildered by how feeble the girl’s voice now sounded.
“No wait! I mean, I’m terrible at recognizing people’s voices. Please, come in!” she called.
Slowly, the sound of hesitant footsteps grew louder. The door creaked open as a young girl, about the same age as Sophie, stepped into the room. Curly, brown locks flattered and seemed to protect her small face. Her eyes sparkled with innocence and intelligence, which shockingly resembled those of Odysseus. The girl seemed to light up as she stepped into the room. She set her eyes on Sophie still in her night gown. “Rue! What are you still doing in your sleeping wear? It’s high past eleven o’clock!”
Sophie’s ears perked up. Rue? That’s my name here?
The girl flicked her soft green eyes toward the partly opened drawer. “Here, let Tia help you.” She gracefully moved towards Sophie’s wardrobe and started to ruffle through the countless blouses and dresses, but then paused and locked her hands to her sides to stammer, “That is, if you don’t mind.”
“No, no, you can if you want...Tia.” Sophie grinned at the girl and wondered if she was always this timid. Surprisingly, in a whirlwind of clothes tossing and rummaging, in less than ten seconds, Tia had expertly laid a plain green dress and white stockings out on the bed. Simple and practical, but still elegant. Sophie thanked her new friend, and as Tia beamed, Sophie scooped up her garments and quickly changed in her bathroom. She couldn’t help but marvel at the green and black limestone.
As soon as Sophie walked out of the bathroom, Tia gripped her softly by the arm and ushered her to the door. Her touch was so light that Sophie didn’t even notice until she felt Tia’s sharp nails poking into her skin.
“Quickly, Rue! We must get to breakfast! The Queen is going to make an announcement today!” Tia hurried the still dazed Sophie down the cascading stairs and sat her onto a velvet seat in a dining room, softly lighted by a chandelier that dangled over their heads. Sophie glanced to the right and left of her and saw a man and woman with jeweled crowns topping their heads buttering golden toasts. The man wore a gold studded royal blue jacket and held a steady but warm gaze.
“Good morning, Princess Rue! How did you sleep? Well, I presume?” the King’s hearty smile, twinkling blue eyes, and deep voice comforted her in her confused state. She nodded shyly, for she didn’t know much about proper royal etiquette. After all, she hadn’t been in any situation before that required it. I hope they don’t notice. Sophie glanced at the Queen who was politely conversing with her neighbors. She felt strangely enthralled by the Queen’s presence. The royal majesty’s natural radiance, coupled with her with the gold necklace lining her sapphire robe, her appearance was truly breathtaking. Her brown wavy hair framed her thin face, and her green eyes glittered in the chandelier light.
As Sophie ate, she noticed that the tulips arranged in a tinted glass vase at the center of the table swayed side to side by bending their stalks and opening and closing their petals. Through all the morning chatter, she also heard a shrill and quiet voice that seemed to grow louder as the flowers bent towards her. The flowers sing? The song was actually quite nice and calming, but it wasn’t in any human language, for the sounds were just too smooth and silky to be chunked into words.
Her attention was drawn away from the flowers when the Queen swiftly clinked her glass and stood to address the members at the table.
“Good morning, everyone! I have an announcement to make. Now, I know that some of the girls have been gossiping about a magnificent Kingdom’s Ball and some delightful princes who might be there.” The Queen’s eyes twinkled as the girls coyly grinned and whispered among themselves. “And I must say that you pick up news quickly.”
The rosy cheeked girls at the table blushed, but looked ecstatic as they squirmed in their seats and temporarily left their omelets to pay close attention to the Queen’s words.
“There is indeed a ball. However, the main point of the ball is to find a husband for the Princess.” Sophie almost choked on her omelet. A husband? The Queen turned to face Sophie. “Princess Rue, you will dance with each prince there to see which one best fits you.”
Fits me?
“Remember the etiquette and manners I taught you.” Sophie nodded by habit of command when someone was addressing her. She bit her lip as her pink palms started to sweat. I know this must be my “happiness” world and all, but I don’t want a husband, let alone a boyfriend! Reluctantly, she remembered her mother’s harsh words regarding boys. Of course, her strictly boy-opposed mother had made it clear that she never wanted Sophie to ever date, for it would bring misfortune later on in life. After all, Sophie’s mother and father had never really been close after they got married. This way of thinking had simply been built in to her.
The Queen turned back to the table and continuing her speech, “As some of you know, a man from the Kingdom of Interjio has already selected Tia as a wife. Starting tomorrow, she will no longer be living in this castle.” Even though as she heard those words, Sophie felt a chill, she could still see the Queen slide her eyes slightly in her direction. Tia shyly glanced away as to attract as little attention as possible.
“My friend is leaving?”
The Queen hesitated before confirming. “Yes. However, she will visit in time. She just has to get settled in her new castle.” With a fleeting look of sympathy on her face, she turned back to the rest of the already gossiping girls. “That is all.”
The clatter and clang of forks and knives commenced once again. After every person had finished their meal, Sophie half expected to be sent back to her own room, but the Queen clasped her shoulder with a surprisingly strong grip and lead her away from their bejeweled chairs. The Queen’s expression was still warm, but her lips tightened, which worked a grimness into her expression.
“Sophie. I know you are Sophie and not Rue.” Sophie choked on her saliva. Suddenly things started being less dream-like and more serious. Where in the world am I?
“Your majesty, I,” Sophie stammered, suddenly feeling small and vulnerable, “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
The Queen smiled, but the corners of her eyes failed to follow. She still held a worried gaze as she clasped Sophie’s clammy hands. “Sophie, I understand that this must be difficult to accept, but you must trust me. In your room, you will find a single pearl in the top drawer. Please, please take it and always keep it with you.” There was a hint of panic in her normal singsong voice.
“Yes, of course.” Sophie agreed, startled by the Queen’s sudden mood shift. What could a pearl’s significance be? Sophie mused. Certainly not because it would bring her poor family some wealth. There must be something else about it that the Queen isn’t telling me.
The regal woman nodded, squeezed Sophie’s hands, and laid a golden key carved with floral designs into her hands.
“Use this to unlock the drawer. Return it to me once you’re done.”
Before Sophie opened her mouth to speak, the Queen said, “I’m sorry, but I must get back to my duties. Be careful.” She smiled apologetically and then hurried off to a chamber in the far back of the dining hall to attend the trainings of the new pages before Sophie could sputter out one more word. Sophie meandered back to her room as she slid her hand across the chilly castle walls and still pondered how “real” things were now.

Hyu was jolted awake by the booms of a furious thundercloud overhead. He tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but found, to his alarm, that it was surprisingly difficult for him to use his muscles. His chest squeezed in an attempt to painfully force air in and out of his body. Hyu flung off his thin blankets and climbed to his feet. He glanced at his body. His feet were disproportionate to his scrawny legs which were barely able to support his frail upper body and protruding ribs. As Hyu tried to move his limp arms, flickers of pain shot through his joints. What is happening to me? Sweat beaded his forehead as he scanned his dusty and dark surroundings. I don’t understand! My family’s right downstairs - they can explain, and then everything will be alright, right? But... Where’s my golden grandfather clock? My smooth silver table and my birchwood drawer aren’t here either! And... Hyu wrinkled his nose in disgust. What is that smell? It’s so musky in here. After struggling to push open his chipped door, he scrambled down the sagging stairs while wary of the countless wood splinters littering the floor. He spotted a dim light at the left of the stairway and slowly edged toward it.
A disheveled room, attacked by scattered newspapers and piles of litter, sunk where Hyu stood. He heard a gruesomely long snore coming from a man in the corner of the room. Hyu inched towards the stout, sleeping man, lying with his head resting on the back of a wooden rocking chair, which could barely support the man’s weight. Several faded yellow magazines covered his burly stomach. The man’s beard was only a faded stubble and his nose was shiny with sweat. The pungent stench of fermented pizza struck Hyu’s crooked nose. He coughed in a feeble attempt to rid himself of the odor, then quickly clamped his mouth shut to muffle the sound. The man shifted. Hyu froze, his eyes locked on the man’s movements.
After a tense minute, the man started to stretch and yawn; his moist, leftovers-perfumed breath almost coldcocked the boy. Hyu pulled a face and had half a mind to wake the man up to instruct him on the proper way to brush his teeth. Instead, he tiptoed to the nearest couch to blanket himself with a ripped piece of cloth laying on the ground. For the next ten minutes, Hyu plotted a way to escape the house through the back door, but he waited to see if the old man would wake. Sure enough, the man finally awoke with a grunt and thudded over to the couch that Hyu was hiding behind. He didn’t dare breathe. The man stopped to nab a wrinkled magazine off the two and a half legged table that laid next to Hyu. Hyu felt increasingly warm as he lay prostrate underneath the double blankets, but he kept quiet.
As soon as the man had grabbed the magazine, he peered over the couch, right where Hyu was laying. Hyu breathed as shallowly as possible, but it was all in vain. The man reached over the lump of blankets and whipped off the layers. An underweight teenage boy lay shivering at the man’s feet.
“Oh, Dan, good mornin’!” the old man roared with his deep booming voice. “Why are you hiding over ‘ere, eh? Stand up straight like a real man! I thought I adopted you for a reason!”
Hyu hesitantly lifted his eyes and stood up from his fetal position as he peered into this strange man’s brown and green eyes. How does this man recognize me? Well, he technically didn’t ‘cause he called me Dan. Should I act my part? Hyu frantically thought.
“Well,” stammered Hyu, confused and terrified, “I... I...”
The man abruptly cut in, “No stuttering, boy, you sound like a pesky parrot. Now say what ya mean and say it like ya mean it!” He grinned broadly, as if he had said something incredibly brilliant. Hyu winced at the sight of the man’s crooked pale-yellow teeth, two, of which, seemed to have been knocked out. The man’s obnoxious handlebar mustache was speckled with green bits, which caught Hyu’s horrified gaze.
Hyu must’ve gawked at the man for a second too long, for the man narrowed his puffy red eyes, drew up his thickly dirt caked hand, and thoroughly whacked Hyu’s cheeks until they shone beet red. At every smack, Hyu was shocked at how short the man’s temper was, and then marveled at how much his cheeks stung and now reeked of day-old pizza. He fought back tears, for in the presence of a man who wanted him to “act like a man”, crying probably wasn’t a bright idea. No one, except this maids who washed him, had ever laid a hand on him, even when he misbehaved as a child out of respect. Now, Hyu’s withered frame couldn’t prevent the blows from feeling like crashing waves. “Ow! What’s your problem?” Hyu edgily placed his hands on his hips.
The man laughed, but through his smoke filled breath, the laugh sounded more like a wheeze. “My, what sass you’ve got there, ma boy! Let me show you mine!” The man broke into a gruesome smirk and effortlessly lifted Hyu from the ground by the neck. Hyu’s feet dangled inches off the floor. He ambled to the loosely shingled door, and, with a grunt, tossed Hyu out onto the bitterly cold gravel sidewalk. He took one last haughty look at Hyu, as if to say, “Boy, you’re too much trouble,” and slammed the door shut, leaving Hyu sprawled on the ground.
Hyu groaned and rolled onto his side. His neck throbbed from pain.Then his senses struck him. Oh god - I’m on the ground - there are bugs. He ignored his pain and leaped to his feet, brushed himself off as briskly as possible, and glared at the door which was already slammed shut - but with all the loose hinges and falling nails, it was hard to call the piece of wood a “door.”
He sighed. I might as well look around. The sky was a dirty grey color, as if pollution had finally taken its toll. Every few seconds, he could hear the whoosh of cars chugging past. The crushed grass where he had landed had already drunk their last drops of water, for they now hopelessly wilted. The flowing streams harbored an amalgam of littered cans and compressed plastic bottles filled with mysterious liquids. Only two trees stood in this “forest,” and just a few weeds were a healthy shade of green. A fierce gust of wind blew by, as if to push the horrid scene toward Hyu.
At that moment, there was no other thought crossing Hyu’s mind: this had to be the “parallel” universe.
He tried to picture this world as a dream, but he couldn’t. The strong winds, the pungent odors, and the stinging pain of his twisted ankle all convinced him that this was definitely not a dream. Everything was too real - in fact, a bit too real for his taste.
A dull soreness still throbbed in his right leg, and eruptions fired in the corner of his eye. Why can’t my doctor, my maid, or at least my personal suitor be here? Hyu thought. He almost fainted at the glimpse of his bent swollen ankle which was red with blood from scraping against the rough pavement. How do I get my ankle to stop puffing up! Where’s my personal nurse? I need a nurse!
Hyu tried to breathe steadily. Just don’t look at it. As his choppy breathing ceased, he realized that there was no twittering of birds, no chirping of crickets, and no rushing of water. The surprising silence sustained a void for no one to hear. It was a bane of space.
He wasted no time. If this really is the “alternate” universe, I don’t want to waste my chance to look around. Plus, I don’t want to let Sophie down. After all, she had been so excited when we had met. I’m the one who agreed.
Before Hyu had fully crawled to his feet, a cold, iron hand clamped his shoulder, and a bony finger jabbed the center of his neck.
The world cascaded into a firework-filled night.

The only sound that rang through the corridors was Sophie’s quick and light footsteps. What does a pearl have to do with anything? What did the Queen mean? Either way, this was the Queen’s bidding, so she hastened to complete her job. After this errand is done, not much more can really go askew. I mean, this should be a “happiness” world. As she hustled to her room, she contemplated ways to record observations without appearing like, well, like she was a strange royal stalker. Strangely enough, her mind didn’t plaster this worry onto a banner and stick it in the front of her mind as usual. In fact, she didn’t feel any worries at all. She tried to run, but her legs failed to hurry. Suddenly hit with a drunken wave of happiness, she realized that the stone floor in front of her started to blink blue and black. Her knees locked and pulled her down onto the cold marble floor.
A merciless, wrought hand gripped the two sides of Sophie’s head and yanked it into an upward tilt so that she saw her assailant. Its massive, yellow eyes glinted down at her. As the creature smiled, it displayed an elegant array of crooked, sharp teeth, ready to pierce flesh of any kind, including that of Sophie. Thick green spikes stood erect on the back of the creature’s calloused hands, and an explosion of wriggling brown serpent-like locks twisted downward, draping the she-creature’s pale head.
Sophie wriggled in fright and squirmed under the icy grasp of this inhuman being, but the death-grip only grew tighter. Her mind barricaded by a gate of fear, she frantically hurled her bare fists and feet at her captor, but with every feeble punch, the creature merely furrowed its eyes and tightened its thin, sickeningly green lips. Sophie scrounged her pockets for anything with a point sharp enough to wound the monster. Her hands grasped a short metallic rod. Sophie pulled it out and blindly jabbed it into the creature. She stared at the slime-entrenched object in her hand. The key! Its previous glamor was adulterated, for the key was now splattered with a dark purple liquid. The creature let out an ear-piercing scream, one so desperate and vile that Sophie herself felt tears run down her cheeks because of the pain in her ears.
Its dark eyes dilated in rage. After breathing heavily, it let out another earth-shaking scream, and unfortunately, Sophie could tell that this time it was not in pain, but in fury.
Crawling to her feet, she practically flew towards a light that she had managed to spot in a corner of the dimly lit stone cave. The cold floor pressed against her bare feet, and the world seemed to be shaking violently, as if it was purposely trying to unbalance her steps. Sophie didn’t dare look behind her, for she knew the blood-thirsty creature was chasing close behind. The swish of the creature’s scaly snake tail was like a rapidly speeding beat, and its hiss grew at a frighteningly loud rate. She broke into a frenzied run, the kind that normally would zap all of a person’s energy. But in this case, Sophie’s energy was fueled by pure and utter fright.
Brown, decaying trees fell into a dark haze past her, and the light started to dim. The creature’s furious screeches were starting to fade.
Sophie’s breaths grew cut and ragged. She couldn’t help but let out a whimper as she scrambled over multiple sharp rocks to reach the diminishing speck of light at the end of the cave, but her legs failed to increase their speed, and she suddenly felt something tugging at her arm.
The tugs were accompanied by a sharp but worried voice. With difficulty, Sophie awoke, breaking through the heavy weights that seemed to be dragging her head back down. She tried to talk, but felt an odd sensation on the side of her mouth. After scraping it, she found that it was her dried saliva. Her throat was dry from screaming, and her legs were scratched from immobile running. Trying to focus on the person in front of her and attempting to break out of her horrific nightmare was all too much to accomplish at once, so she laid her head back down with a groan. However, she could still hear a strict voice crooning her back to the real world.
“Princess Rue, are you right? You must get up! How long have you been here? Did you hit your head? Did you break anything?” The blur of Lila’s frowning face formed before Sophie’s eyes.
She attempted to exert her vocal chords, but they only produced a scratchy sound from overuse. “Mmph,” Sophie grunted as she struggled to hold up her arm. “Help... up...” she tried to ask, but her voice abandoned her. As she coughed profusely, Lila swiftly guided Sophie’s back upwards and pulled her to her feet in one fluid motion. The exhausted girl staggered and clung onto the wall to keep her balance.
Sophie couldn’t believe how realistic that dream was. She had truly been terrified, and she could swear that the monster was real, that it was going to catch her. But... this is a “happiness world,” so why was that “dream” there? Why did I black out? Shouldn’t I feel constant joy living in a world of bliss? Something can’t be right.
I’m too tired to think. She sluggishly staggered back the direction of her room with Lila, who was supporting her and asking if she was alright every few seconds. Sophie gripped Lila’s hand more tightly. That creature had been the most horrifying monster she could have ever imagined. Just thinking about its sharp teeth and crazed look sent waves of shivers down her body, and she felt so prickly that several times, she had to glance around her to make sure the creature wasn’t lurking there to surreptitiously attack.
Why can’t they light the hallways with brighter lamps? Sophie reached towards her scarf to tighten it, but suddenly a tiny, fuzzy golden orb of light shot out and hovered over her hand. Startled, she hurriedly stuck the hand carrying the orb behind her back, where it was hidden from Lila’s worried gaze that was temporarily fixated on Sophie’s swollen ankle.
After she was escorted back to her room to recuperate, Sophie found that even though the golden sphere had disappeared, it had left a tingling, which still danced on her scratched palms. She felt both physically and mentally exhausted, so she laid her head down on the plush down pillow and then waved her hand to the left. Waving her hand again to the right, Sophie squeezed her eyes shut and pictured the same yellow light, starbursting and wiggling as if it was excited to fly off.
She concentrated, blocking out the sounds of the guards training outside. After opening her eyes, to her amazement, the slightly larger orb was now bouncing on her hand, lightly touching her skin as if to tantalize it. It bobbed as Sophie held it closer to examine it.
By waving her free hand through the enigmatic light, she found that it didn’t feel like anything at all, like there really was nothing in front of her. The shining orb of light immediately dissipated as Sophie let her hand drop onto the comforters.
Her head still spun from the hard fall, and her vision blurred the dresses in her closet together in a colorful mass. Unable to process a single thought, Sophie closed her eyes and yanked the blankets over her stomach.
Five minutes after Sophie fell asleep, there was a quiet scuffling outside of her door, and a light was put out. Before the final wisps of the light became ashes, the silhouette of a woman who was steadily watching Sophie glided across the door.

Fuzzy black shapes swam across Hyu’s vision as he struggled to open his eyes. Through his head, a severe voice boomed, vibrating his bones and sending shivers up his rigid back.
“I see you have awaken. However, I must say that you have been sleeping for quite some time.” The owner of the deep voice was a lanky man, who was towering over Hyu’s head. Wise pale blue eyes, a sharp chin, and an aquiline nose donned his face. He was clad in a black military style jacket, and he had tied his long, straggly hair into a ponytail. After musing for a few seconds and playfully swinging what looked like a metallic pole, he suddenly grabbed Hyu’s almost broken arm and hoisted him onto his feet. He attempted to shine a warm smile, which only reached the level of friendliness of bared teeth.
Hyu was more than bewildered by this stranger who had kidnapped him and transported him to a strange building. The aroma of the place wasn’t bad though. It kind of smells like rosemary. Not bad. Maybe I will manage to survive here. The air is also quite warm, definitely not as cold as it was in the old man’s house. After glancing around, Hyu noticed that glowing blue lights embedded in elaborate staffs filled every corner of the room. They cast odd shadows on the ancient pieces of furniture, which were lined with dust-settled doilies.
Apart from the all the dust here, this place is pretty nice, Hyu thought. But, of course, not as nice as my mansion. Where are all the glossy floors and chandeliers? I mean, come on, stone floors are so 1600s, and this blue lighting is a nice touch, but ridiculously impractical.
Scanning the room for other sources of light, he gulped.
Oh no. I can’t escape.
There were rows of thick, rusting bars barricading every stained glass window. To the right, a massive silver gate, bolted with a titanic lock, blocked the way to the rest of the world.
A hunched, old man wearing a white cloak that trailed behind him limped over to the first man, wordlessly handing the latter a tattered scroll. As if to avoid an upcoming event, he then bowed and scurried away.
The tall man hungrily examined the shimmering, mystical parchment. He lifted one skinny hand up to the scroll and lightly caressed it, as if he was afraid it would shatter into several pieces. Abruptly, his mouth snapped open and slackened, and the pupils of his eyes swirled into enrapturing golden gusts of dust. Horrified, Hyu squirmed and attempted to propel his legs forward to free himself from the glowing man’s iron grip.
I - I can’t move.
His entire body felt as if a thousand chains had locked his limbs in place. Panic raced through each nerve in his icy body.
He saw his own frost-bitten hand reach toward the scroll as the tall man’s eyes viciously glowed with an even brighter light. Hyu’s hand began to spark, and instinctively, Hyu tried to tug back, but failed to win possession of his hand. The flying golden sparks erupting from the scroll tingled his bones and prickled against his skin, as if wishing to penetrate it. Soon, the magical man seemed to have returned from his out-of-this-world state, for he was now squeezing his eyes shut. The sparking diminished, and Hyu’s hand dropped back to his side as it slightly tingled with leftover energy. He clenched and unclenched his fists. I can move again!
A tiny, milky-white pearl suddenly apparated, but the man’s eyes were still closed. Hyu grasped and pocketed it before the man could open his eyes and notice.
To escape now would truly be impossible, for ten more cloaked men had circled them. Each wore long, black, robes which pooled at their feet and draped over their shoulders, but more curiously, each one held a glass orb supported by a long, smooth, wooden stick. Staffs. Each had their own aura about them; some embodied ones as calm as the rocking waves of the sea, some had ones as fierce as a fire’s flames, and some had ones as strong, but as moderate, as an ocean’s breeze.
The newly arrived men were silent, and after what seemed like centuries to Hyu, the tall man finally opened his eyes, and said quite serenely, “Hello, Hyu. My name is Mae. I’m a mage, as you can probably tell.” Hyu noticed that his normal eye color was a steely gray. “These fellows here are my assistants.” He gestured to the solemn men around him who were averting their eyes, but occasionally sneaking glances at Hyu. Did I just see pity in their eyes? He forced the saliva down his throat.
Mae turned on his heel to face Hyu again. “In time, you shall become an assistant as well. I sense that you’ve come from elsewhere.”
Hyu’s eyes widened in fright. “Where’s my home? Where’s my sister, my brother, my mother, my maid? And...what was that?” Hyu tried to sound commanding, but his voice wavered.
Hyu didn’t think that anyone could have a grosser smile than his “foster parent”, but Mae’s smile was off the charts cold and condescending. “That? That was just a bin-,” Mae halted, but quickly recovered. “It was simply a welcoming spell, just to make sure that these men knew that you were safe and not just an imposter. We keep very strict regulations around here, for no one may know that this place exists.” At this point, Mae’s eyes bored into Hyu’s. “If you tell this to anyone, you won’t see another sunrise.” Mae gripped Hyu’s shoulders until the boy uncomfortably shifted and squeaked out a “Yes, sir.”
“So, I trust you enough not to take this information and simply run with it.” He paused to let the information sink in. “I have put many protection charms over this building, and so far no one has stumbled across it. You see, protection charms are my specialty, for my job is to control the World Gates. We select certain people to bring here, which is why you aren’t in your happiness or misery worlds. We have suspected that you are from a different world!”
Not knowing what to think of the magical objects and enchantments he had long believed were only in books in his classical library at home, Hyu stuttered and then fell silent. Nothing seeped in; it felt as though a cold blast of ice water was being thrown onto his face.
Oh, wait, no. That’s just from the apprentice who opened the door to the frosty air and snow-coated trees outside.
Hyu found his voice. “What do you mean by ‘certain people’?” He was on defense mode and wasn’t willing to let anything cross his shield. What if this stranger is collaborating with the fat man who threw me out before?
Mae grinned even more broadly, as if Hyu’s frantic question was just a mere joke. Hyu could tell and was taken aback. He wasn’t used to others not respecting him. Mae sighed before he spoke again in his gravelly voice, now with a hint of exhaustion in it. “Before I answer your petty questions, you must understand that everything here that I tell you, no matter how unreal it may sound, is true. Nod if you consent that you will believe, that you won’t just close your mind to something different. Children these days. So unimaginative,” he scoffed.
Hyu cautiously nodded, his eyes wide.
“Alright, then. Now, I must start from the basics. Every few millenniums, the Group of Rinan emerges to battle an evil. No one knows what the evil is until it strikes for the first time. For the past millennia, it has been said that there has been peace throughout the land. However, this year, my colleagues and I have all sensed a dark magic lingering in the air. It smells of staleness and bitterness, empties your heart, and coldens the soul. It is so impure, that one can always sense a hint of it, no matter where it is.
“Usually, we just find traces of it lying around, but for the past few months, patches of dark magic have been almost everywhere we turn. Glimmers have shown up frightfully near this castle - and, of course, I have made sure that our castle has been fortified with the strongest magic in the kingdom - mine. Our mages have trained endlessly to master this protection spell that no one can break. I often joke to prisoners that it is not so much a matter of when they get out, but rather a matter of when they give up trying to get out.
“You may ask why this involves you. Well, the Group of Rinan has selected you, because we sense magic in all the worlds since we take care of the World Gates. Whether the magic is in this world, a parallel one, or a future one, we can always feel it tingling. When you and your friend, Sophie, made plans to enter an alternate dimension, you made what is called a strigh, a magical pact. You were so intent on finding something special, that the magic radiating from your strigh gave our foregrounds a slight sense of who you were. That’s how I knew your name.” Mae scanned Hyu’s limp body. “Ah, I know that your altered appearance in this world may shock you, but that was part of your strigh, and you can’t turn back from it.”
He paused and stared at Hyu, all warmth left from his tone. Hyu shivered under his glare. “You are the only one who can defeat this ancient evil and banish it to where it can never disturb peace again. This monster has been growing, feeding on hatred and anger, and, I hate to say it, but it can certainly defeat every single one of us mages.”
Seeing Hyu’s troubled and defiant expression after hearing that, Mae quickly clarified, “The reason for that is because you are surely the one to defeat it.”
Somehow that seemed to make Hyu even more fidgety. But Mae didn’t notice. “Currently, the monster can devour you in one second, make no mistake about that. That is why our job, as part of the Rinan, is to prepare you for battle.”
Mae stood such that his powerful demeanor was in full effect. “There is not much else I can say now than that it is time for you to train.”
He held a determined gaze in his eyes that didn’t soften when he faced Hyu’s weary one.
Shifting uncomfortably, one of the mages whispered into his ear. Mae seemed to pull back and huff, but he said, “Well, I have been informed that you shouldn’t have to worry about all that today. For now, ah, your mission is to get some rest, and tomorrow we shall commence the training!” With a final flourish of his hand, he departed the room with five of his men.
The men who were left behind immediately rushed to Hyu and pushed him across the stone floor to a nearby chamber. Hyu couldn’t believe any of this, but somehow it comforted him that he knew he had a role in this strange society, he would have to figure this thing out one way or another. What does a “hero” really mean? He squeezed the tiny pearl even tighter.

After dinner, everyone was allowed a bit of downtime before bed. Most of the time, Sophie chose to wander the halls in hope of discovering new passageways and shortcuts to different places, especially to the kitchen. If she was lucky, there were a few jolly chefs with foreign accents there who would let her try some of “ze most delicious biscuits” they had been baking.
An ominous clang rose from outside her window. She peered out into the half-broken skies and spotted an immense bell tower striking seven o’clock.
Tonight, she had the task of memorizing an intimidating stack of papers instructing her on the proper greetings for different people. Do princesses really only perform dull duties like this? She let out a satisfying groan. Breaking into a smile, she thought, I’ll start training. Training with the orb, not the princess duties.
She took a short bath and threw on whatever garments she had in her wardrobe. Her foot pushed the wooden door to make sure it was closed, for it was slightly annoying that there were always palace kingsmen alert and ready to serve, as well as several dukes and ladies who chattered in the halls. I guess princesses have to deal with privacy, too.
By eight o’clock, she had successfully attempted to conjure a fan, a cup of water, and a scrunchie, for it was pretty warm in the room. The heat was making her sleepy, so she snuck out to the gardens. Along the way, she pointed and concentrated on a purple daisy. A second one now hovered above her hand as it effortlessly bounced like drops of water.
Her stomach grumbled. I wonder... She closed her eyes as she imagined a basket of croissants on a pedestal. Golden, glazed, and slightly flaking. Her eyes opened to see a freshly cooked loaf of bread descending into her hand. I see. I guess I get croissants at a different level.
She bit into the moist, warm bread as she rested on a nearby rock. Not bad. Almost as delicious as the castle chefs’ bread. After casting several more spells, her energy depleted, so she decided to walk back to her room.
Once she was in the building, she paused to straggle in the halls. Maybe there will be someone here for me to talk to. She recalled her conversation with the Queen, who had led her down this hall for the first time.
“Now, don’t go down this corridor. There’s a mean little grinch which likes to pop up every time a lad or lass passes by. Sadly, I never really got to know him except as a troublemaker.
“Ah, now, this corridor leads to a garden. It was created by our chefs who wanted more fresh ingredients. Nevertheless, it’s simply beautiful, don’t you think? You should come look at it every once in awhile. I heard that they were planting some reintreis this year. It’s heavenly to cook with garlic and chicken.
“Now, here is your room, and do watch the lock, sometimes it comes undone if you bump into it a certain way. Soph- Rue, do you want to take a tour down that hall?”
Sophie pictured herself nodding vigorously. Anything was better than being left alone.
“I felt like you would say that. Come along, now, Princess. Follow me.” Her steps echoed off the walls. She pointed to a green bolted door. “Here, you’ll find the palace creature collection.” Pausing before unlocking the heavy door, she looked directly at Sophie. “My dear, don’t panic at the creatures in here. It might be alarming for a newcomer.”
Sophie braced herself, but all in vain. Right when the Queen unbolted and cracked the door open, several colorful... objects flew over their heads. The creatures seemed to pulse like the beating of a heart, and when Sophie touched them, they cackled in high, squeaky pitches. Their feathers were almost transparent and their beaks seemed too large for their small heads. Spiraling claws swirled out from under their scaled bottoms.
Even so, Sophie thought they were beautiful as they basked in the sunlit room. The entire room felt like a greenhouse. That is, one that wasn’t maintained very properly. Vines and pitcher plants sprawled up the cement walls, and loose creatures hopped around on the tiled floor. She tried to observe each creature that slithered past her, but it was impossible to find a creature that wasn’t moving rapidly. Even the more slothful creatures weren’t recognizable.
Her majesty’s eyes sparkled. “You see,” the Queen coughed, “I have taken a bit of liking to creatures of all sorts, and so I volunteered to house the ones that are nearing extinction. But, I am pretty sure I am allergic to almost every animal here.”
“Then why-”
“I can’t help it, these creatures are just so wonderful. I can’t let them die.” She sneezed, “Oh dear! Well, there are more places to see.”
A monkey-like creature with two tails and a scythe-like leg crawled up to them, evoking a tinkling laugh from the Queen, as she, in rapid fire, sneezed some more.
“Bless you!” Sophie cried, laughing as the monkey-creature seemed to push them along, garnering them to their exit.
The Queen’s nose was red by the time she arrived outside. She pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose loudly. It was nice to know that the Queen was so down-to-earth. “Shall we go to our next stop?” The next place ended up being an ancient towering gate. Parts of the edges were dotted with green mold.
“This is the Library of Ancient Texts. You seem like the bookish type. You might enjoy this place.” She lifted the bolt up with an “oof” and led the amazed girl into the furnished room.
Sophie could remember feeling like she was the luckiest girl in the world. Her legs automatically took her to the library.
A shuffle rose behind her. Then silence.
Do I hear footsteps behind me? She was unsure, but she thought she heard faint footsteps trailing behind her which halted whenever the two stopped at the doorway of the library. When she had turned around, she was relieved to see that her guard was the only one who was following her. Even though she was relieved, she had felt a bit shaken and even violated by the guard’s steely stare and watchful eyes, as if the guard knew too much about her.
“You can look around here if you want,” the Queen breathed, already lost in a book which the librarians had set on display. She probably doesn’t have much time to read books, with her work and all, Sophie thought.
There was never a moment that she felt lonely in a room full of books. Especially now, even though she was surrounded by castle guards and maids and such, she had to constantly hide who she was.
But not here. Here she could be who she wanted to be simply by delving into a story. There was no restraint to being completely free and having a friendship with pirates, princesses, or even fish. Everyone would be jealous if they knew about these friends, she chuckled.
After wandering the rows of books and bookcases, she finally sat down on a plush chair and started to read. She flew through the second book, but as she set it down on the mahogany coffee table, she felt a prickling sensation. Someone’s watching me. Again. Several times, she swiveled around to check if anyone dangerous was there. But every time, only the castle guard stood behind her. She was like a shadow that never spoke. Sophie had tried to ask the guard for her name, but the guard never replied. Her armour glinted.
Sophie looked around, but no one seemed to be wandering the halls in the night. She stretched and yawned at the same time, feeling slightly dizzy from standing up too quickly, and decided to embark on a calming night walk.
Nighttime walks became routine for her. Dinner, room, garden. The peacefulness of the moonlit daffodils and grape vines took her mind off the castle, the Queen, her family, and Hyu.
It was only a few minutes before Sophie had reached the castle courtyard, which had just been freshly cut and watered. She didn’t care that her slippers were now coated with layers of mud from the wet fields. After passing the fourth cross in the road, she felt exhausted from her walk and collapsed onto a wide, flat rock, her personal guard a few inches away from her, sharp eyes needling every movement in the forest.
I feel... like I’m going to -
Sophie toppled over, her head almost smacking right across the rock, but landing in the soft soil below. Her vision darkened and was immediately filled with the sight of the same gruesome monster she had seen before, on the first week she had been here. Its cat eyes, yellow as ever, widened with greed as it slithered up to Sophie. As alarming as a whip, the monster’s bluish hand shot out, grasping her arm. Sophie shrieked and dodged the attack. Her legs and arms seemed to be stuck in a thick jelly when she tried to flee, but the feeling of the she-creature’s breath behind her propelled her burning legs. Her breathing became increasingly spasmodic, and she gasped when she knocked into something hard. Glancing up, Sophie whispered, “No... No, no, no...”
The underworld creature had somehow apparated directly in front of her, its glinting claws unsheathed, and its crooked smile edging closer to Sophie, who was shivering too much to move her joints. In a heartbeat, the creature sunk its teeth into Sophie’s back, the sharp razors penetrating anything that crossed its path - flesh, muscle, bone. Petrified, Sophie screamed as loudly and as ear-piercingly as she could with the little air she had left.
The pain was incomprehensible. But the monster was persistent.
She couldn’t move with the monster’s canines cutting so deep into her skin. Something wet started to drip onto her legs, and as she glanced downwards, she saw that there was a streaming violet-red river. My blood.
As the monster heard her shriek, its eyes narrowed and it struggled to work its bloodied teeth out of her back, each tug shooting searing pain through the girl’s body. She couldn’t cry, for it hurt too much.
A woman, about the age of thirty, fully dressed in armored plates and wielding a golden sword, crashed down upon the two. She held a fierce gaze, one that could cut through rock, and a bold stance, as if she already knew she was going to win.
The she-creature’s satisfied smile collapsed into a deep frown, as if in irritation.
Ignoring Sophie, the warrior swung her sword upwards, and brought it down, straight onto the already frightened creature’s head. Sophie tried to squeeze her eyes shut, but it was no use. The terrifying sounds of the monster’s whimpers and shrieks were incomparable to Sophie’s cries before. She could tell that these resonating howls were not just instinctive sounds of pain for the monster, but desperate pleads for the woman warrior to have mercy.
Finally, the warrior stepped back from the monster. She lifted her sword and cleaned it with a handkerchief, as if to signal that the fight was over and that she had won. Then, she turned towards Sophie, helmet raised, prudent eyes flashing, as she judged whether or not her efforts were worthy of this girl. Sophie, meanwhile, was still paralyzed with fear, her bones rattling in their sockets and her teeth clenching in a grimace. Currently, she couldn’t tell if the woman warrior wanted to help her or kill her.
However, the woman grinned and held out one calloused hand toward Sophie and helped her up. She spoke, her voice surprisingly sweet and soft.
“Sophie,” She spoke slowly, as if tasting the word on her tongue. “Sophie. How long have I awaited to say just that one name.” Her voice caught a little, thick with emotion. She had large dark eyes and straggled hair. Wrinkles and scars lined her face, aged from battle. “Have you been waiting for me? It’s been years,” her soft voice purred.
In horror, Sophie realized that the woman hadn’t moved her mouth, yet she could still hear her voice. Stunned and still in pain, Sophie couldn’t find the strength to reply, so she simply watched the woman walk towards her.
Despite the roughness of her appearance, the woman seemed kind and relieved to see Sophie. Her eyebrows parted, her wrinkled forehead smoothed, and her smile broadened. She looked oddly familiar, almost too familiar to be possible.
Mom?
“I wanted to come with you to your new world. I wanted to protect you. But I couldn’t.” Her voice broke as she pleaded, her eyes glimmering in an oasis of tears. She held her hand to Sophie’s face, and surprisingly, the hand felt chilled and hard, the opposite to what the woman seemed to be. Sophie shivered at the touch, but somehow, the blood from her back stopped dripping and her head felt clear, despite the blood loss.
The pasty white hands rose and clasped something in the air, then she steadied Sophie in her left hand as she sprinkled colorless, weightless dust onto Sophie’s trembling body. As she poured, she spoke softly.
“Promise, Sophie. Promise you won’t leave me. Don’t go back to the world, stay with me.” The words wrapped into a chant which rhythmically undulated.
But to Sophie’s ears, the words sounded foreign. What is she saying? I don’t understand... Just the comforting sounds emanating from the woman made her feel slightly broken inside, like she had done something wrong.
The woman’s image was slowly fading, for Sophie was receding back to the real world. Sophie was more than bewildered, but felt a strong urge to grab the woman’s hands as if they were a deeply sunken anchors.
It would be no use now, for the woman had completely disappeared, replaced with a blank, milky white surface surrounding Sophie on all sides. A few moments later, Sophie resurfaced and gasped and choked as the new air was being pushed down her throat, causing her to sputter like a fish. Her guard stood over her protectively, one hand around Sophie’s head, one hand grabbing a few first aid tools.
“Rue! Rue, answer me, please!” The guard’s face appeared pixilated and fuzzy. “Oh, thank goodness, you’ve come to.”
Sophie groggily attempted to widen her eyes and focus on at least one thing at a time, but she couldn’t help but vividly picture the broken tone in the woman’s voice and the shrieks of the monster as it gasped its last breaths of air.
The guard saw no improvement in Sophie’s torn and aloof state, so she swiftly hoisted her up on one shoulder, pack on the other, and sped towards the palace infirmary, her boots stomping as she worriedly muttered.
“I’m alright,” Sophie managed to stammer out while upside down and flat against her guard’s back. She rubbed the spot on her back where she could still feel the creature’s teeth. Surprisingly, she felt the indents of several marks in her back, but they were already crusted with dry blood and didn’t even hurt. She groaned as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. Oh god, this is awkward. “Sorry for fainting like that. What happened?”
“After you fainted, you fell onto the grass, not the pavement, thank goodness. Then you shouted, scratched the ground, and tried to run, so I had to pin you down a couple of times.” The guard still sped straight toward the castle, hoisting Sophie a bit higher on her shoulder. Sophie noticed that the guard didn’t use the honorific “Princess Rue” to address her. It’s high time people stopped saying that, she thought dryly.
The guard hesitated, but then asked, “What did you see in your dream?”
Exhausted, but now functional, Sophie croaked, “A... dreadful monster. Just like in one of my other dreams before. But this time, I also saw, I think, a woman warrior. She killed the monster, and then asked me to never leave her. But I did.” She didn’t want to tell this stranger about her dream, but it seemed like no one else would believe her if she kept quiet about it.
The guard halted mid-step and carefully set Sophie down. “Those dreams are now trying to tempt you. That woman was really supposed to look like your mother, but, of course, it wasn’t. She was just there to tempt you to stay in that world.”
Sophie held a blank expression. The guard felt a bit guilty for informing her now, what with the deep bags under Sophie’s eyes and the limp arms hanging by her sides.
Sighing, the guard explained, “I think it’s time I told you that there are people here who know who you really are. The Queen informed me that you aren’t actually from Rotham, and that you are from another world. You’re Sophie.”

Sophie choked on her saliva. This person who has always been trailing behind me knew who I was all along?
“We know that you had made a pact. I know that my brother, Mae, has met your friend, Hyu. They’ve already been training for a couple of days to defeat that very monster that you encountered in that dream, but the monster, I’m afraid, has grown stronger. No one now but you two can send it back to where it belongs.
“Usually, something less powerful than the monster, called the Tinar, can be trapped. There was an incident in which a foolish mayor thought that he could keep a Psychodemon - that is, a two-faced underworlder. No one spoke of the day on which the man disappeared.” She chuckled, but even Sophie’s sleep-deprived mind could tell she was laughing out of nervousness. “I’m pretty sure my brother Mae has been only minding his own reasons for trying to send the monster back,” she muttered to herself.
“What reasons?” Sophie automatically asked.
The guard shook her head, avoiding the question. “The fact of the matter is, you two have a huge task ahead to complete, and no one can do it for you. However, we, the Yolan twins, both born mages, were sent here.” Her voice now was a mixture of bitterness and she spat out words as if they left a foul taste in her mouth. Her expression changed inhumanly quickly, for she noticed that Sophie really was paying full attention. “Nevermind that, Sophie. Well, for now, all you need to know is this. My name is Mer. We have the very tedious, but imperative job of defeating the monster, the Tinar.”
Does she expect me to trust her? She creepishly stalks me and follows me everywhere. Sophie coughed purposefully as she mustered up as much energy as she could to place her hands on her hips to look domineering. “And why should I trust you to ‘train’ me and to guide me? How do I know you’re not just making up wild fairy tales?” She decided to keep her identity safe for now, for she never knew who would be out there, seeking to kidnap her now that she was the “Princess of Rotham.” However, there was something about Mer that seemed oddly familiar, but not familiar enough to really stand out. There was just a subtle feeling about her that made Sophie want to run up and joke around with her.
“Ah, I see. Testing to see I really am who I say I am. Well, how about this?” Mer produced an orb of light from her right hand, one that was larger than the ones Sophie had ever conjured. A weaved bouquet of flowers apparated in the other hand, and each item hovered over her hands as if air was supporting them.
Sophie was definitely bought. Wanting to impress her new teacher, and fellow mage, she held out her hand, pictured a bobbing light, and thrusted her hand toward the night sky, propelling an orb that matched the brilliance of the stars. It bounced a few times before gliding serenely onto her hand again.
Mer grinned. “I see that you’ve been studying a bit of magic yourself. Impressive for a poinser.”
“A what?”
“You’ll learn the mage lingo fast enough. A poinser is what mages call those who have just discovered their magical talent, not by training or magic school, but by themselves, by accident. Just like how you did a few days ago.”
“How did you know I’m a - a poinser?” Sophie didn’t think her capsule of light was that poorly oriented.
Mer grinned. “The way you’re keeping your hand away from the rest of your body, like you’re afraid that the orb will burn you. Don’t worry. Soon, you’ll be flinging light all over the place. You can tell that a person has been training with magic a long time by the way they handle it. In your world, I guess training with magic would be like driving a car. It just takes time to get accustomed. Right now, you have to control your light so it doesn’t bob the way it does right now. Here, let me show you.” She paused. “You’re feeling fine, though, right? I don’t want you to faint again. Sometimes I get carried away in my thoughts.”
Sophie blushed in embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Thus, they commenced the sharing of techniques and spell casting until the darkness hindered their vision. Naturally, Sophie brimmed with curiosity and uncontainable excitement. Finally - a friend.
“Training tomorrow?” Mer asked, wiping the sweat off her brow.
“Definitely.”
The next day, Mer and Sophie officially started training. At the earliest chirps of day, they strolled outside and found an isolated location. Usually, it was a hundred yards from the castle foregrounds, where no one would accidentally stumble across their magic working.
This is actually fun. Do others in the castle know how to work magic? I can’t wait for today. Mer had told her that today, they would conjure powerful fire or wind spells and possibly even a confusion spell. Sophie watched the painstakingly slow ticks of the wall clock until the black hour hand drew to the three.
The two circled each other, practicing the dance of magic putyil. This putyil, as Mer put it, increases your agility by making you think fast on your feet. One must decide what spell to cast at the right moment to catch the opponent off guard. Of course, since Sophie was just a beginner, they only held five minute, full-spirited games, where the winner blasted the loser to the ground with an element: light, water, wind, or earth. Fire was off limits. Usually, they both ended up breathless, but moderately unharmed.
This particular afternoon, the sun overhead beat down on their backs as they fought an especially dire battle. Sophie could see heat waves undulating in front of her eyes. They tried not to glance at the ground or at the sky, for the sand and the sun overhead were both blindingly bright. Even though the weather was harsh, each woman was brimming with energy and unwilling to quit.
Mer extended her palms in an attempt to flatten Sophie with an icy water strike, but Sophie speedily blocked it by conjuring a fire shield. The water sizzled and left a mass of greyish smoke. Both of their vision ranges were slightly shortened now. Mer saw a glint. It must be Sophie’s glasses, she thought. She lunged, muscles tight and eyes keen on catching her opponent off guard, but she was taken aback by a roaring war cry and a tornado of sand rising behind her back. Sophie had placed her glasses on a large boulder to reflect light and had simply snuck behind another tree. However, Sophie’s smug grin fell as the dust settled, revealing Mer's thunderous earth slide.
Mer now wore the same conquering facial expression she always wore when she knew she would win a fight, and four large chunks of soil flew onto Sophie’s arms and legs, pinning her down onto the scratchy, hot sand as tightly as possible without hurting her.
As Sophie crashed to the ground, shocked by the sudden turn of events, the pearl popped out onto the sand. She tried to reach it, but found it rather hard to do so as her hands were temporarily sandwiched between soil and ground. Squirming to gain possession of her hands and feet again, she thought, If the Queen had wanted me to have it, I had better keep it safe and not lose it.
Mer witnessed the desperate scramble and questioned somewhat accusingly, “What’s that? That pearl? Where’d you get it?” She frowned, despite her victory.
“This?” Sophie attempted to shrug, but instead her shoulders slid sand into her face. “Bleh! It’s just a pearl.”
Mer's eyes widened as she gasped. “I can’t believe it. That’s a spurite! They haven’t been seen for decades!”
“Er...I’m happy for your discovery and all, but can you...”
Mer looked up from the pearl. “Oh, sorry about that.” She grinned as she lifted her palms and loosened the sand. As Sophie dusted herself off, Mer explained, “A spurite is a strengthener of magic for necromancers. The reason why they are so powerful is that they each contain a demon, but they’re securely locked in there. All the spurites were gathered in a large pit to be destroyed.”
“Why’s that? The demons can’t get out, so there shouldn’t be any danger.”
“Well, decades ago in wars, the mages would use it to give non-magic soldiers magic powers, and then the mages would use those soldiers to fight battles between mages. This is outlawed, for you absolutely cannot reveal to a soldier that there are mages about. This is the number one rule accepted by all the mages.”
“Do mages have a grudge against non-magic people?”
Mer nodded gravely. “The non-magic can wield their swords with expertise, but sadly, most mages do not accept them simply because they cannot use spells. It’s just like an awful social caste. Some of the more ambitious non-magic once created a cult under a necromancer. Necromancers,” she clarified, “are those who take the power of other living things and use it for their own benefit. The drained object is left either dying or exhausted afterwards, which is why we mages so highly disapprove of them. We have also had many skirmishes with them in the past several decades.” She sighed, apparently unsatisfied with the current political state.” She paused. “Sophie, are you listening?”
Sophie’s curious eyes glimmered. “Yes, of course. I think that this is all fascinating.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Although, many people think that I’m not paying attention when I really am. My parents used to tease me at home for being so lost in my thoughts sometimes.”
A flash of sympathy crossed Mer’s eyes. “You miss them,” she said quietly.
Sophie smiled, hiding her ambivalence. “It’s alright. I’m sure everyone misses their parents. Please, continue.”
“Well, the whole point is that if one were to reveal magic to any non-magic people, one would be severely punished by the Group of Rinan, a group of mages who create magic laws. My brother is in the Group of Rinan, which is currently training Hyu. I’ve heard that he is your friend.” She raised her eyebrows. “For reasons I cannot reveal to you now, it is imperative that we defeat the monster before them.”
“He’s here? Where is he?”
“I’m sorry, Sophie, but I cannot tell you much more. Please, let me continue.”
Sophie sat still for a few moments and then blew the hair from her face. “Alright then. So those people were severely punished?”
“Unfortunately, yes. This is a very serious offense in the world of magic. I once heard about a man in his twenties, a very young sprout with so much to offer the magical world. Too late for that now, for he revealed magic to his son who didn’t possess powers. Even more outrageously, the man gave his son a spurite from his grandmother. Lucky for him - he didn’t accidentally unleash whatever demon was inside the spurite. He may not have unleashed the demon, but he did unveil our secret. Just like the mages disputed, the son began to whisper proudly, weaving a spider web. We ended up with an entire non-magic village that knew about magic!” She paused. “Have you heard of the Salem witch trials, Sophie?”
Sophie nodded, her eyes wide. “I learned about them back at home! Those people were truly immoral. How could people accuse innocent people of magic-working and slaughter dozens of them?”
Her eyes held a wistful gaze as she spoke. “I’m afraid I have to disagree with you on that point.”
“Huh?” Mer and I almost always agree. What could she mean? Killing people is right? Sophie tried to look Mer in the eye, but noticed that Mer’s gaze had wandered too far away to lock onto.
“You see, you and I understand that magic is something beautiful and intriguing. But one cannot really understand others’ minds, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions. That is one of the reasons why we cannot truly reveal magic. Once the news is out there that others have special powers, some may be crazy enough or jealous enough to put an end to it. We, the mages, don’t know what to do. Precautions are essential.”
Ah, Sophie thought. That’s what she meant. She nodded slowly as she patted the last of the soil off her clothes. “So what happened to the man?”
“A week after he gave the spurite to his son, the Group of Rinan rode into his house late at night when everyone was asleep, grabbed him and his boy, and whisked them away.” She shuddered. “His magic powers were stripped from him. But I don’t know anyone who feels sympathy for him, even though taking someone’s magic powers would be the same as permanently taking someone’s family away.”
“So do you?”
“Huh?”
“Do you think it was wrong?”
She stretched. “Well, I’ll put it this way. I think that both magic and your family are things you grow up with; they’re what you should desperately miss.”
There was a silence.
“I suppose you would want to know what happened with the village. Well, while it was still night, the Group of Rinan stole into every house in the village and wiped each person’s memories of the magic. I can still remember that long night.”
“All the mages knew that they had the difficult task of destroying all the extremely powerful spurites. So, as you can imagine, one of these precious pearls are almost impossible to come by. They are dangerously priceless!”
Sophie still didn’t comprehend. “So, you’re telling me that the Queen knows magic, and that she has one of the last spurites that she just happened to entrust me? Why would she do that? She barely even knows me!"
Shockingly quickly, Mer’s tough demeanor lightened. “Ah! Phew.”
There was a quizzical look on Sophie’s face.
“If the Queen gave you the spurite, it must be fine. I won’t have to bring you to -” she stopped, but then swiftly continued in the same tone of voice as if nothing had happened.
Her voice broke, but Sophie decided not to press for more. Sometimes, she just had to let go. How can she suppress her emotions so well? Sophie couldn’t help but admire her slightly guarded personality.
“Look, before you come to any conclusions about her, I just want to say that the Queen isn’t just a regular hoity-toity princess with a rich mother. She is also the Queen of Mages. She earned that title by winning the Great Mage Parthenian, a competition that is held every decade that tests one's wisdom, magic ability, and generosity. I’ve tried to find a comparison of the Parthenian to something in your world, but the best I can come up with is that it is like a mesh between presidential elections and Olympics. It is futile to try to find fault with her, for she has protected the mages and has created more spells than any other ruler ever.” Mer suddenly had a misty gaze, as if she aspired to become just like the Queen.
“You seem like you know a lot about our world.”
“Do I?”
“Yeah. You always try to connect things from this world to mine.” Is it because she wants to make me feel less alienated here? Suddenly, Sophie didn’t feel so alone. She rested her head on her hands and cast a few spells on a tulip so that it blossomed into a purple polka-dotted rose.
“Nice one. Well, as I was saying, the Queen is special. She is known to us, the mages, as Tempi, meaning ‘The Great One,’ but she hates that name. Instead, she lets me call her Tana.”
Sophie twirled the flower, unimpressed. “You her fangirl or something?”
“And that brings me to my next point.” Mer went on, completely unfazed. “Have you ever wondered why she always seems so perfect? Yes, partly because she was raised by royalty and had grown up to be respectful and polite, but also because she is under a guise.”
Sophie’s eyes widened. “Wait, woah, woah. So, she’s been tricking the whole kingdom?”
“No, no, no! Nothing at all like that!” Mer laughed at the girl’s incredulous expression. “It’s only a beauty guise that she created. Of course, Tana herself is naturally kind and generous. She is certainly a bona fide queen.” She clapped her hands and returned back to her former, instructor state. “Now, gather your belongings, I think we’ve had a thorough enough practice for today. I expect you to practice guarding. It was a bit early for you to get confident in the game, don’t you think?”
“You’re kidding,” Sophie mocked, “You’re the one who always has that creepy condescending smile every time you ‘know’ you’re going to win.” She held her hand to her chest, feigning offense.
The blazing red and bronze sun licked the ground at the horizon, and the sky had melted into a dewy pink and purple color. The wind had faded, and the original warmth of birds and frogs chirping and croaking their support for the two friends had dissipated.
Nonetheless, they grinned in each other’s company, hoisted each other by the arm, and clambered up the grassy hill to the castle.

“Three. For your body type, that’s how many times a day you must have bowel movements in order to be considered healthy for training. I expect that you log these throughout the day.”
Hyu sighed. While you’re at it, why don’t you also tell me how many steps to take every day? How many bites before I’m allowed to swallow? How many breaths to take?
How inconsiderate of these mages. Some “society” they are. They don’t even try to hold a conversation with me. Who could possibly resist having a banter with me?
During the night, when he was finally left alone in his room at the “Furmi,” the name of the institute, Hyu had just enough time to himself to read up on the creature that lurked in his future. There was a calming “old book” smell which flew into the air every time he flipped open the tattered covers of the blue book of magical creatures, spells, and mages. He couldn’t help but notice how much the books smelled like the Latin textbooks at home.
He ignored the dismayed pang he felt and began to read. “‘This horrendous creature has been sought for centuries, and yet no one has truly conquered it. One possible reason is that since it only appears in one person’s mind at a time, it can’t be reached by anyone else. That is - unless a special connection between the said beholder of the monster and another person who wants to help occurs.’”
So if I don’t have visions of this creature... that means Sophie does! He hurriedly kept reading, soaking up every bit of information printed on the thin pages as he heard Mae, next door, preparing the next lesson. “We shall start with these pages on Tyin! Oh no, what about the Tremopt exercise? We can’t possibly miss that, can we now? He might be a bit too green after that to try the next exercise, though.” As Hyu continued to read, he tried to ignore Mae’s musings on the best way to rub green coloration off of the skin.
Most of the time after dinner, Mae took Hyu out for a night walk in the gardens of the Furmi. Endless grape vines clung to the sides of the castle and numerous petunias shimmered under the moonlight. Despite the breathtaking walkway, Hyu considered this task the worst because of his allergies. All he could think about was keeping himself from sneezing snot everywhere when he was near all the devilish dandelions.
“And tell me one more time, what was your home like?” Mae’s eyes glittered with a cruel curiosity.
“It was comfortable.” Hyu took a wide step around a patch of dandelions as he eyed them dubiously.
Mae mimicked him. “Just... ‘comfortable’?”
Hyu shrugged and took out a handkerchief, just in time to catch a sneeze.
“There can’t possibly be anything else you can tell me? How did living there feel?”
“You know, very...er...home-y.” Eloquent, Hyu. You should get an award in English. He coughed. “We lived in a mansion. My sisters, brothers, and parents were all nice, I guess,” Hyu stated, hoping to curtail the ever so awkward conversation.
“Intriguing. I always wondered where those disgusting non-magic lived. We mages were sent to training schools the moment our powers arose, so I grew up around stone walls, instructors, and a couple of academic apprentices. The non-magic lifestyle.” Mae laughed as if just saying the words were genuinely silly. “I would hate it.”
How can he say that with such a happy face?
“Oh, it must be so very boring. I can’t imagine being powerless, Hyu. Aren’t you grateful that you came here? I pity them.” Mae clucked his tongue and turned a corner in the labyrinth of a garden. Hyu felt empty because of his instructor’s Cheshire Cat smile. I don’t care. But the apprentice nodded mechanically.
The darkness hid Mae’s smirk, but the whites of his eyes glinted as he gazed up at the folded black envelope of a sky. Hyu guessed that at least one piece of practical advice was sure to come before they left.
I know him too well, Hyu thought as his instructor whispered, “You must be assertive, Hyu. No matter what, get what you want, and whatever method you choose to use, I won’t care. Just get the job done.”
Why does he always talk to the sky? It’s not like there’s anyone up there to hear him. Hyu observed the dandelions on the ground.
Their training became more rigorous as Mae began to expect more and more of his new apprentice. He handed Hyu a new weapon, a new spell, a new piece of codex every day. Whether the outside held snow in white sheets, rain in plummeting heaps, or heat in pounding bursts, Mae forced Hyu to push himself.
“Your knees are fine,” Mae snarled, his upper lip curling. “Do not fall again.”
Spitting out sand and wiping his bloodied knees with a torn corner of his tunic, Hyu stood, shivering.
Before the boy could catch his breath, Mae walked to face Hyu’s back. “Minort.”
A shimmering outline of a creature about the size of a horse pranced onto Hyu’s spine. “Wha-”
“A new one. Part of my chimera collection. Most powerful one yet,” he shouted over the sound of the creature’s winneying. “Charm your way out of this if you want to live.”
“That’s all I get for advice?” He struggled to support the horse’s weight and combed his mind for a spell. Anything, anything! Black spots began to swim across his vision.
“Suborso!”
The creature let out a yelp as both it and the boy collapsed onto the sand. The weight of the horse-creature had been lifted off Hyu’s shoulders, but he still buried his face in the sand.
“Levareus deinceptiun.”
Hyu felt the world turn upside down. As he wiped his eyes, he knew he had consequences to face.
“Maybe you heard me wrong. I told you not to fall.” Mae’s eyes gleamed as he muttered another spell to lift Hyu higher off the ground. Currently, the boy was hanging upside down.
“Step it up,” Hyu spat, unable to control his temper. “No twirling? Just hanging by the toes? I know you better than that. Where’s the torture? Getting soft, are you? I guess it must be the old age, but I thought I shouldn’t say anything, even though, you know, absolutely everyone at the Furmi has been talking about the increasing number of white hairs poking out of that egg-like head of yours.”
Mae’s ears turned red, but not from the sun’s rays. “You talk too much, boy. Why talk when you can do this? Let mother nature take care of you!”

After a struggle, Hyu had managed to fall onto his feet. Triumphant, Hyu looked to Mae, but he had vanished. Great.
A sudden buzzing took to the air, accompanied by a massive, dark cloud amassing near the forest to the left. The glinting of shiny stingers and wings caught the boy’s horrified gaze.
The hornets swung from left to right. They look like they’re drunk flying. Hyu looked around for a boulder to hide under, but the training field was empty. He breathed and concentrated on the pond to the right. Hopefully, they’ll stop flying if I use water against them.

“Aqun!”
A wave rose from the pond, still carrying everything that had been spending the afternoon in the water. Helpless fish and panicked frogs fell out of the wave as it crashed down upon a group of hornets. Repeatedly, Hyu forced the water out of the pond, crashing the waves down on the insects, which were now sprawled in heaps on the ground and wriggling in a stubborn fight for life. Sweat beaded his arms as he guided each wave. Mae will pay for this, he thought as one of the hornets flew over to his leg and bit him. “Off! Get off!” He separated some water from the wave to pour onto himself.
Thoroughly soaked, he dropped his hands. “They’re,” he breathed, “gone.”
At night, the attack replayed in his mind, but now, his pillow felt as if a thousand wasps had prodded their stingers into his face.
After their afternoon practice, Hyu waited at the corridor between Mae’s room and the library and pretended to read a few books while he waited for Mae to leave. Mae didn’t leave everyday, but oftentimes he would grab his coat and start out the door without informing anyone. Hyu grabbed a copy of the encyclopedia and waited for the half-unhinged wooden door to open. The door only broke after Mae angrily slammed it for the twenty-third time. Quite durable for a door. Hyu instinctively brushed his fingers across his left knee.
The sun was setting, and already, the aromatic scents of roasted ham and English tea wafted through the air, signs of dinner nearing. From his loss of appetite, Hyu didn’t even have to resist. His straggled figure hadn’t become more buff even after all the training. He blamed it on his picky stomach. After a while, Hyu found that his stomach couldn’t even digest anything. It felt small and vulnerable.
I can’t believe that I’m not even craving the cook’s famous chicken and pea souffle. Instead, Hyu’s stomach grumbled for something lighter. There’s a ton of berries in the forest. Should I... No. It’s not dignified to go around picking berries off bushes like a caveman. A desperate whine left his stomach. But I’m so hungry.
Maybe drinking some water will help. Standing up from the velvet chair, Hyu stretched his back and worked some water down his papery throat. Finally, he heard the click of the lock on Mae’s office door.
Setting his dignity at rest, he scurried over to the doorway, watching as Mae, dressed in a cloak and clutching a scroll, lurked out the door. A few minutes later, Hyu watched as his instructor snuck past Furmi’s carriage, which was imprinted with the letter “F.” Has he ever taken the carriage?

Hyu waited for five minutes, then hastened through the back door of the castle, which, unfortunately, was situated near the dungeons. He had learned not to fear the prisoners, who looked half-dead and acted just as much.
“Hey, where ya goin’? Give us back some of ‘em keys, why dontcha?”
A laugh which was almost as eerie a coyote’s yips filled the cold air. “Kid, you might wanna free us. Ya know what we gonna do if ya don’t?”
Emerging from nearby cells, the voices echoed off the dungeon’s dirt-caked stone walls and were coupled with rowdy hoots and shouts. In the dim light, Hyu couldn’t discern walls from humans. Besides, Hyu had learned to ignore the voices after the first time he had been thrown down there as a punishment from Mae.
Once he left the castle to the foregrounds, he wandered from bush to bush. While looking for a berry that matched those berries he had seen in The Edible Guide to the Forest, his thoughts often flitted back to Sophie and her world. He took a branch from the ground and turned it over in his palms several times as he recited the translation of a Latin poem he was reading in before Sophie walked into the classroom. Swiftly, he traced the letters of the poem into the soil, trying to preserve the poem’s beauty.

Hyu smiled as he set the branch down and wiped his hands on his robes. For the first time in all the weeks he had been in this new world, he felt happy. Even if it was a simple joy, it felt pure, freshly sprouting from his chest.
He ambled over to a bush with branches which curved into the shape of a “Y.” “Ah!” Hyu spread the bush’s limbs apart and found a berry, as milky as the silver pearl he had nabbed the first day at the Furmi.
As he set himself down on a rock and popped the berry into his mouth, the words of the poem echoed in his head.
“Separated by walls of heaven and hell,
Falling, growing,
So love me faithfully,

Not with your heart,
But with all your mind.
I do.
Hope that you feel my presence
Even when I am far away.”
After licking the sweet residue off his lips, he picked up his woven basket and wandered further into the forest.

The vicious wind whistled through the cracks of the stone walls and nudged the branches with contempt. Hyu, desperate for some sleep, struggled under his bed covers, for his legs felt feathery, and his knees itched to run. After a few minutes, he gave in to the night, silently peeling off his bed sheets and slipping on his brown slippers. The light from the moon painted the eerie shadows of thin, strangled branches onto the walls of the bedroom. Hyu yawned and stretched, too exhausted to notice any of the alluring shadows.


Suddenly, he heard the creak of a door closing and deep voices angrily muttering to each other. Hyu silently placed one hand on the door handle and cracked the door open, just enough for him to see. One of the voices sounded like Pihn’s. Grainy with a faint French accent.
“I told you not to go again! We need your help cataloguing at the library, and you, being our master, should take the most responsibility! You should at least tell everyone where you are going every night!” Pihn’s voice rose to a pitch that Hyu had never heard from him before. The strength of his French accent grew concurrently with that of his temper. Pihn sputtered before continuing. “We are your dutiful mages, Mae, and if you do not recognize that, we will not-”
“Pihn.” Even from his room across the hall, Hyu could hear the raw dryness lurking in Mae’s deep voice. He had a way of forcing the words to lock up inside of people. Arguing with him felt like arguing to an alligator: you might as well scamper away before he attacks you.
Mae was standing a few feet down the hall, still wearing his formal long, black robes, which was strange for this late at night, but his hair was slightly mangled, and his eyes a bit pink from exhaustion. His arms were firmly folded, and with a great ferocity, he whispered a string of insults to the closed door in front of him. When no reply came from the other side of the door, Mae took a shaky breath and headed down the hallway, toward the direction of Hyu’s slightly ajar door.
Hyu swallowed hard and closed the gap between the door and the wall, shutting it centimeter by centimeter for fear of emitting a startling noise.
The sound of Mae’s heavy footsteps grew faint. Hyu breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door again to stick his head into the hallway. No Mae in sight.
He was about to step outside before his mouth flew open in a large and exhausted yawn. Yes! Maybe this is my chance to fall asleep. Must get back to the bed before the fatigue goes away. Steadily walking and already closing his eyes, he crawled back to his bed, relaxing each muscle in his body. He had read in a magazine that that method was a simple way to return to sleep.
Not surprisingly, after another hour, Hyu awoke again, cursing the fact that he was a light sleeper. Great... now that I’m awake, what can I do? His eyes glazed over the room and settled on the wall. Strangely enough, there were a few indents on the wall that fell in a wide, oblong shape. There, indents traced a protruding thin white line which made the beige wallpaper poke out, as if the wall were a relief. His half asleep conscience forced him to wander over to the wall and follow them with his fingers for a few minutes.
A sudden patch of dirt flew up into the air, for the pressure from his fingers had shifted the wall an inch. Snapping out of his trance, he narrowed his eyes, trying to study the wall under the moonlight.
He had to squint, for the outlined shape was hidden quite well. Unless he really focused on it, he would have never seen it.
Pressing a finger to his lips in thought, he wondered if the wall led to a tunnel that would be large enough for a person to crawl through. He tried to push the center of the shape inwards again. With a clunk, it moved an inch, the crevice emitting flying sparks of dust and dirt. Taken aback, Hyu held his breath and shoved the shape again, this time, more forcefully. Small pebbles and bits of dirt flew like fireworks out of the crevice, but Hyu resisted taking a breath and pushed even harder. He squeezed his eyes shut so that none of the residue could enter, feeling the brick sliding until at last, he felt like he was pushing air.
Narrowly avoiding the cloud of soot, Hyu scampered back to the bed as he coughed and rubbed his eyes. His face and pajamas were caked with dirt, which he hastily brushed off.
After the initial dreg had settled, Hyu caught a glimpse of a tunnel, small enough to be difficult to crawl through, but large enough so that he could spot the other end. I was right; there is a tunnel.
The tunnels’ edges were rough, as if someone hastily cut around it. He noticed that the inside of the tunnel was constructed of a slightly heated metal when he bent to touch it. Dirt was sprinkled on the inside as well, invisible in the dark, but at the other end of the tunnel, there lay what a lit room. Hyu squinted and thought he had spotted a woven carpet on the ground and a fallen book.
After taking a deep breath, Hyu stuck his head and arms through the tunnel, crawling as fast as he could before his air ran out.
The metal echoed the thumps of his hands and knees on the frozen pipe, giving Hyu the chills. It sounds as if I’m crawling with my feet and arms in chains... He shuddered and took a glance at his hands. They were completely covered with cobwebs. Hyu tried not to grimace as he focused on the lighted room ahead.
His lungs felt like they were about to burst, but Hyu finally reached the room. He gasped and coughed, breathing in as much air as possible and relaxing on the floor. After catching his breath, Hyu dusted his legs off and scanned his surroundings.
The walls were painted a pale yellow and the floor was carpeted with a plush royal purple rug. To his right was a table piled high with documents, and to the left stood a blue lava lamp. Curiously, the light was on, even though no one was there.
Hyu started towards the table, but almost tripped on something by his foot. Ah! He tried to muffle the sound of his fall by whipping his hands in front of him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked around for the object that had tripped him. What’s this? Hyu wondered as he flipped open the cover of a thick book on the ground.
Inside the worn leather covers were dozens of pages of scrawling handwriting. Ink blotches bled through each thin page, but the words were still readable. Hyu spotted dates at the corners of each page. A journal?
Naturally, with a book in his hands, he sat and started to read the first few pages.
“May 9,


I can’t believe Mer. The nerve of some people! Good riddance, I say. Now on to more serious business. I finally found that book today in that mess we call a library... I must get Pihn to clean it out. Anyway, the book had just what I was looking for. The spell that will make my name ring out over all the others. I’ve already commited it to memory.”


Hyu flinched at the words, “good riddance,” and “that mess.” This is definitely Mae’s journal. No one could really match Mae’s deadpan sarcastic tone.
Hyu was surprised to find the next few lines blank.


“I beheaded a pesky fly on that blank section, so I don’t particularly want to use it,” the journal read. Hyu squinted at the blank space, attempting to make out some sort of brownish ooze, but couldn’t.


“Ostendante!” he whispered, digging his pointer finger into the white parchment. Slowly, the white of the paper unfurled into inked words, ones that were previously hidden under a spell. The words curled into shape, and slowly, a few messy sentences formed. Hyu smiled. “Aha!”


The journal now read:


“Ubioego ambularent


poipulus inhorrescet,


nemotre umquam


tuos onterrogabo potesrimea


transfirmest moutrent!’”
This must be the spell! Hyu gasped. These words... they look like they have Latin roots! One more reason why Latin isn’t a dead language, Hyu chuckled as he started to decipher the mysterious words.
“Let’s see. ‘Where I’ … ‘where I walk’, ‘people will... shudder’... ‘no one will’... ‘question’? I think that’s it. So it’s ‘no one will question my power.’ And then it says... ‘transform me!’”
Whoever wrote this wants to transform himself into something evil and powerful. Hyu kept reading the journal, his heart now thumping rapidly from nerves.


“However, I’m getting fairly fatigued now from recruiting and training new apprentices. (But quite frankly, they need the work in order to become my future servants.) So, I shall end with a final word: I used to be fairly unsatisfied, but now, this spell will make everything better in more worlds than one.”
Mae’s apprentices are just servants to him? Hyu thought with a pang of realization and disappointment. Despite the fact that Mae was always cold and cruel, he was still, sadly, the closest thing Hyu had to a friend. No. I shouldn’t be so pessimistic. He was simply in a bad mood when he wrote this.
But he’s always in a bad mood.
Hyu half-heartedly flipped the pages and found that all of them had been smudged. Why is Mae’s handwriting so bad? Annoyed, Hyu sighed and placed the book back where he had found it.
It doesn’t matter. I’m just training to be his future “servant.”
The book had barely returned to its resting place on the floor before Hyu heard the thumps of footsteps rapidly approaching. He scrambled over to the hole in the wall, inhaling sharply before noisily scampering through the tunnel, not caring about anything at the moment besides getting to the other side, where his bedside night light shone a bright yellow.
He heard a thud, certain that Mae was behind him, reaching in to grab him and throw him into the dungeon as punishment. But as he shifted his eyes to the left, trying to look back in the tight space, he saw that the wall to Mae’s room had closed up.
There’s no time to be freaked out about this!
His knees sped so fast that they were colliding with his forearms. Hyu blew the hair from his face. He could hear Mae stopping at his doorway, probably to find his keys.
The sound of Mae’s door creaking open and the shuffling of footsteps almost gave the boy a heart attack. Barely moving his lips, Hyu whispered, “Levareus deinceptiun.”
Sharply, Hyu’s legs jolted upwards and rocketed him through the tunnel. What have I done? Loud bangs, which Hyu was certain Mae could hear, rang every time his head and arms ricocheted off the pipe walls.
“Ow, ow, ow!” Hyu tried to position himself in a more upright position, which, of course, landed him in a state worse than his original one.
Meanwhile, in the other room, Mae thought he heard a crash coming through the wall. He pressed his ear flat against it and listened. No sound arose. Fatigued and testy, Mae dragged himself to his bed, where he immediately dozed off.
After the last jolt through the tunnel, Hyu was out, falling into the comfort of his own room again. Unfortunately, his spell was still quite potent. He was bouncing off his flower-patterned walls and furniture. He slammed against a vase full of flowers, sending it down to the ground with a crash. In between boomeranging off the front and back walls, he cursed the previous owner of the room who had a fetish for glass vases.
How do I stop? Hyu tried to concentrate the best he could with his legs ten inches higher than the rest of his body. “Obturia, descinent!”
With a sudden snap, his legs violently shot downwards, inciting a yelp from Hyu.
Groaning, Hyu rubbed his back. I thought spells were supposed to make life easier. He huffed.
After brushing himself off, he sluggishly crawled to bed, regretting ever leaving its warmth and comfort. As he started to drift off to sleep, he could hear the beating of the tree branches against his window and the rush of the rain droplets in the thunderstorm. Through the room, lightning furiously sparked in anticipation for the next boom of thunder.
As his thoughts started to wander and his consciousness began to blanket, he wondered what Mae’s journal meant by, “That makes everything better in more worlds than one.”

Hyu was just taking his final break from practice, when he noticed the sharp and majestic sound of trumpets drifting through the dense forest. He grabbed his equipment pack and transported his staff back to his room.
While he strolled into the woods, his ears could still catch the faint notes of a royal song, so Hyu quickly rustled through bushes and trudged through the fresh spring mud puddles. Gnats swarmed around his head as he leaped over tree roots and rocks, faithfully following the noble trumpets’ sounds.
The fun of his quest to find the source of the music seemed a bit tainted after he slipped on the wet moss for the fifth time and walked straight into a patch of spiderwebs, but after crossing a river, Hyu finally caught a glimpse of a castle. It was composed of white marble and held four towers, one on each corner of the main building. A royal flag fluttered gracefully on one of them. The castle was surrounded by heralds and brass trumpeters, each standing in line, ready to serve. Each one was dawned with plumed blue hats lined with gold, silver buttoned royal blue suits, and polished black boots. Their gazes never drifted. They stood, feet forward, in a severely straight line.
Hyu slipped around back, trying not to step on too many leaves, and tiptoed to a wooden back door. He assumed it was a baker’s door, for packs of dough were piled out front, and an apron lay drying on the flour covered barrels.
Of course the doorknob would be covered with flour as well. He tried the doorknob, and found that it released with ease. Must be the olive oil. A grin spread onto his face. He slipped through and looked out for any passersby.
The inside the room was littered with numerous stainless steel pots and pans filled with freshly cooked carrots, turnips, red meats, and thinned dough. Five wooden tables were filed in a row in the brick room, but none too close to the traditional red brick fire oven. The smell of fresh bread and cookie dough tingled in Hyu’s nose, despite the fact that he was kneeling next to a plump, roasted turkey sitting proudly on the center table. I haven’t smelled anything this great in a while. The stone floors felt cool against the thin slippers that he had worn after his afternoon match to soothe his aching feet. A chef’s hat lay in the corner, wilting from being left there too long. Hyu waited for a few minutes. No one came.
It’s about lunch time, so the chefs must be out serving food. Well, lucky me, thought Hyu. Hopefully, they won’t notice if a cookie or two vanish.
After indulging a little - after all, the boy had just finished practice - Hyu peered through the next pair of doors. Not a single person walked in the halls. He rushed through the stone hallways and didn’t stop to admire any of the fresh flowers or noble paintings that were placed around the castle.
In reality, Hyu didn’t really know where he wanted to go, but he had felt a strong pang the moment he saw the castle. He knew that something here was meant for him to see. Maybe that “something” was just the pile of cookies in the kitchen.
“Excuse me!” yelled a girl wearing an elaborate golden gown which jingled with every step. Her necklace swung at her neck as she hoisted her head high and sneered at Hyu disdainfully, pointing her nose to the side. “Who let this... peasant boy in?” she scoffed. Does she think that I’m a rotten apple? Hyu had to tilt his head at an awfully sharp angle to see the top of her braided hair piling on top of her powdered head. Is this the new trend? Oh, it’s simply awful.
“Sorry. I’ll get out of your way,” said Hyu, gritting his teeth. Are nobles always this fussy?
The girl huffed and brushed past him, careful not to get in a foot in diameter of Hyu, her sequined blue shoes clacking as she haughtily marched down the hall.
He had searched through half of the castle before he finally spotted another person. From her crooked crown, he could tell it was a noble girl, but she didn’t act the way other noble girls did. She was wearing a slightly tattered brown tunic, black traveler’s pants, and thick soled shoes. Her hair simply fell loosely at her shoulders, stubborn strands sticking to the back of her arms and dress. Hyu rushed under a nearby table in order to avoid her, but his cumbersome pack hit a nearby table with a clang.
The girl spun around, her eyes flashing like lightning and trained in catching spies. Suddenly, she stood rigid and stared at Hyu as if he was a ghost.
“It can’t be. You... you’re not supposed to be here.” From under the table, Hyu heard the familiar sing-song voice, the curious gaze, the flushed cheeks.
“Sophie!” Hyu climbed out of his hiding position, sighing with relief that it wasn’t some dainty princess. In his scramble, he knocked over the table. He laughed, but not because of the table.
Sophie helped him up and hugged him as tightly as she could. “Hyu, I’m so glad that you’re okay! I was wondering if you felt the same way, waking up in a strange, unfamiliar place.” As she hugged Hyu, she noticed that his body was a bit different. Stepping back, she swallowed hard as she witnessed the full extent of Hyu’s changed shape.
“Hyu, I - what happened to your body? You seem... different,” Sophie stuttered. It hit her. It’s because he volunteered. He volunteered to go to that horrible world, while I just vainly agreed to go to the happiness world.
She bit her lip, glancing at his scrawny torso and his thin, weak legs. His body was lanky and bruised, his eyes were too big for his head, and his arms were limp. His figure was anorexic, his head disproportionately large for his thin body. She tried not to stare.
“What’s wrong?” asked Hyu. He had gotten used to his different body.
Oh, Hyu. I’m so sorry. Sophie stammered, “Oh... um, nothing.” She paused, fully realizing the situation. “Why are you here? Not that I’m complaining, but I thought that you were in a different world. How can the happiness and misery worlds be the same?”
“I don’t know,” Hyu whispered, still cautious. “But someone told me that he had sensed the power of our pact and had transported us here. We fell into a completely different world.” He saw Sophie’s disappointed look. “Nonetheless, at least we got to change worlds, which is what we aimed to do in the first place. Isn’t it so difficult to distinguish between something real and something that is from our perspective?”
She silently nodded.
“I was sent to a mage and we trained every day. What are you doing in a castle like this? I hope that girl was not your friend. She seemed awfully rude to me.”
“Don’t worry about it. She’s one of those ‘I’m too good for you’ souls which wander through this place. Apparently, I’m the Princess of Rotham. Weird, right? Well, I was also sent to a mage, Mer. She trained me in magic, and - I don’t know. Everything’s just moving too fast, you know? Just yesterday, I discovered that the Queen of Rotham is also the Queen of Mages.” She stopped to breathe. “It’s just so confusing,” Sophie said, clutching the fabrics of her tunic. “A different world isn’t as great as I thought.”
She uncomfortably stole another glance at Hyu’s crumbling figure and couldn’t help but wonder where his “prissy-boy” attitude went. He’s been broken.
“There wasn’t much to do where I was sent either. I wanted something real to hold on to. I hate to admit this, but I was selfish.” He blushed and rubbed the nape of his neck. “I wanted you to be there as my friend.”
“Ah, so I see. ‘Prissy-boy’ has been replaced with ‘lover-boy.’” She smirked and met his eyes.
“You must have definitely missed me,” he teased. “I mean, who wouldn’t?”
Sophie’s face reddened as she tugged at her sleeve, but the muscles around that made her smile were permanently stuck. A warm, fuzzy feeling grew inside of her. It was as if the ball of light had sunken into her stomach and sat there.
Suddenly, the recognizable sound of the Queen’s light, yet authoritative steps echoed off the hall’s stone walls.
Hyu and Sophie exchanged a frantic look. Sophie silently mouthed the words “The
Queen” and motioned for Hyu to hide in a nearby study. Hyu took the hint and scampered away. Panicking as he heard the Queen’s voice, Hyu barricaded the door with a combination of a chair and a few heavy books, blocking anyone’s way into the room.
“Sophie? Is that you talking in there?”
Sophie swiveled and pretended to straighten the flowers. But, seeing that the flowers were thorned roses, she decided to just stick her hands in her tunic’s pockets.
“Yes! I was just talking to myself, thinking aloud, you know... things like that,” she answered, trying to hide her smile. Why am I so bad at hiding things? Pull it together. Think about dead puppies. Dead puppies. Dead puppies. Stop smiling so ridiculously!
The Queen glided down the grand staircase. She stood close to Sophie and spoke with a voice that was just loud enough for the two of them to hear.
“I heard that you are training with Mer. Is she doing a good job? Can we trust her?” The wrinkles around her mouth deepened into a tight frown. “Many necromancers are trying to capture you. You are a valued object in these days now. Since you have enough power to defeat the monster, even this castle is a dangerous place for you to be in. Those who stand with the monster will stop at nothing to capture you. We can’t trust anyone.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Seeing the Queen’s confused look, she clarified, “Mer is wonderful; she teaches me magic and shows me sword tricks and -”
“Good. Sorry that I had to cut you off - I’m quite busy today! Now, don’t forget, there is a ball coming up next week! I have heard several maids complaining that you refuse to wear gowns, and I know how itchy and scratchy they can be, but pretty soon, you’ll need to wear one. Here.” From a pocket in her large duffel bag, she pulled out a delicate silk scarf of the sheerest material Sophie had ever laid eyes on. It floated in the air, showing off its deep red fabric and thin golden thread for a bit before the Queen snatched it. She lightly wrapped the scarf around Sophie’s neck. Her voice dipped into a pleased whisper. “It’s a traditional scarf that only women mages receive right before they marry. Soft, right?”
Sophie nodded obediently, almost afraid to touch it, for the scarf slid in a circle around her neck to fit itself comfortably.
“I got it from The Magic of Mages, a store in Inporburgh. It’s specially designed to be comfortable. Well, you’ll soon meet your future husband! Excited?” The Queen nudged Sophie with her elbow, a mischievous glint in her eye, for the omniscient Queen knew that the girl absolutely despised the prospect of a ball.
A porter called from the top of the stairwell. “Your majesty? You’re needed in Carolie! Please come to the carriage quickly!”
“I’m sorry, but I have to get to a meeting. Keep up the training!” She nodded in approval and smiled apologetically as she rushed off.
After a few tense seconds, a small, muffled voice rose from the corner of the wooden door.
“You’re getting married?”
Sophie waited before unlocking the door and grabbing Hyu’s hand, leaving all the books previously barricading the door to fall on the study’s carpet. Blatantly ignoring his question, she lead him to the garden to catch up. Even though he was being dragged along the hallway after hallway, Hyu persisted in asking. “When are you getting married?”
Sighing, Sophie pulled up before the door and pecked Hyu on the cheek. His face grew red and he shut up.
Satisfied, she spoke. “Look, prissy-boy,” she explained, “I’m not getting married. They want me to find a husband. But I won’t - for obvious reasons.”
What? Hyu mulled over her answer until they reached their destination.
Sophie switched the topic. “I don’t feel like I’ll ever be ready to fight the Tinar. I mean, are we really the only people who can defeat that monster?”
Nodding, Hyu added, “It’s not like we have a choice, either. They’re forcing these things on us. We aren’t going to be heroes out of our own wills. But tell me about your life here at the castle.” He eyed her suspiciously. “Princess? I can’t imagine that.”
She swatted his arm as they turned towards the garden.
They ended up explaining their journeys and trainings as they walked through the boulevard, only stopping once they were deep in the castle gardens. “Show me what you’ve learned,” said Hyu.
“Well, I’ve learned how to do basic spells like this,” Sophie said, extending her palms. A single bright light appeared. Next, she cast a routine of water, earth, fire, and wind spells that cascaded through the room.
When Sophie was finished, Hyu’s eyebrows were raised. “Impressive.” Then, he bent his knees and crouched low.
Sophie smirked at the awkward stance, but then almost was almost blown onto her back by the amount of wild magic that flew from his hands. The gust of wind that he had conjured flattened the petunias around them.
“Woah! Where did that come from?”
Hyu simply grinned and rubbed his head. “Mae, my coach, is pretty strong, so I guess he would mold me to exert a lot of energy.”
“Wait, your coach is Mae?” Sophie wasn’t sure, but she thought she had heard that name before.



“Yeah, he’s... alright.” Hyu brushed the hair away from his face, then squeezed his palms together out of habit.


Sophie cocked her head to one side. “‘Alright’?”


“I don’t know. He has this outward image of ‘I can destroy you with my fingers’, but sometimes I feel that he’s hiding something from me. I even found his notebook, and it shouldn’t have been a surprise to me that he just thought of us as his slaves.”

Sophie didn’t reply, for she was lost in her thoughts. Mae, Mae, Mae... Where have I heard that name? Sophie gasped. Suddenly, it clicked. Mae was Mer’s brother, one of the members of Rinan.
Forcing a smile, Sophie slid the thought off. “Well, you’re here, and he doesn’t know right? So come on. I’ll show you around the castle.” She motioned for him to follow her.
“But what if someone sees me?” I don’t want to be sent back to that horrid place! So cold and dreary all the time. You’d think they’d get some heating. After all, they’re mages.
“Just pretend that you’re... a new busboy. We’re always getting new ones, because the chefs are so picky.” She shrugged. “Now, come on! Don’t stand there all day!”
“Okay, okay,” he started. Then he noticed the same pearl he was given on her table.
“What’s this? I think I have one too.”

Sophie froze, remembering Mer’s words. There are only a few left, and they are extremely valuable. You must defeat the monster before my brother’s minion does. You don’t know what might be in store if he succeeds before us.
“Erm... nothing,” she stammered, trying to change the subject. “Now, come on! You’ve stalled long enough. Or are you just scared to get caught?” Sophie smirked, trying to break his stony appearance. I know that the prissy-boy I knew before is in there somewhere.
“Oh no, I am not scared,” Hyu swiftly ran out the door and to the garden, leaping onto a gust of wind he had cast to speed him.
“You aren’t beating me with that spell!” Sophie cast a stronger wind spell that enveloped her and sent her floating towards him.
They chased each other down to the garden, where they finally collapsed next to a large oak tree to catch their breaths. A gentle breeze caressed their cheeks and lapped at their pant legs. Breathless, but smiling, they lay next to each other, their noses running a bit from the cool air as well as from the pollen from the countless dandelions that deftly poked through the grass blades.
"Sophie! Since you trained so hard this week, I thought we could have a break today and go on a picnic! What do you say?" Mer's voice cut through the two's peaceful silence.
Sophie saw Hyu’s eyes fly wide at the sound of someone’s voice. “Yes, Hyu, you are definitely not scared. But don't worry. Remember? You're the new busboy," Sophie whispered to him.
Hyu obediently nodded and sat quietly, trying to smooth down his clothes and look as calm as possible.
"Soph, I just brought -," Mer stopped abruptly when she saw Hyu. As usual, with alarming speed, she smoothly recovered. "- some jam and some bread. Who's your friend here?"
Sophie glanced at Hyu and stifled a laugh at his awkward, uncomfortable smile.
"Mer, this is the new busboy, Hyu, and Hyu, this is my coach and friend, Mer." Sophie side-stepped to let them shake hands.
"Greetings, Hyu. Good to see that Sophie, here, has actual friends." She looked at Sophie, who mocked being offended. “I keep telling her that fictional characters do not count as real friends. Ah, is this a bad time?" Mer shifted her picnic basket around, and tapped it four times with her forefinger, a sign that only Sophie could recognize.
Mer wasn't actually bringing picnic foods, but was instead bringing more equipment for training. She sighed. Typical Mer. "Hyu, you can go back to the room. I'll be there in a couple of minutes." She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt for leaving Hyu alone, for his thin shoulders slumped and his wide smile dropped. I hate to admit it, but his lost puppy act is kind of convincing.
Seeing Hyu's dismay, Sophie caved. "Alright... Hyu, you can stay."
"But, Sophie, erm... We can't be keeping him from anything important, can we?" Mer’s eyebrows were knit together tightly and her tone suddenly sharpened.
However, Sophie laughed at her serious expression. "Don't worry. Hyu has been training with your twin brother, Mae. He knows all about magic and can do some pretty cool tricks." Seeing her instructor's still bewildered expression, she clarified, "He's not the busboy."
Meanwhile, Hyu was casting spells on a fallen branch from the nearby oak tree so that the stick transformed into a boomerang. Once or twice, he looked up at the two women, who were now scheming to capture him and have him train with Mer instead of Mae. Not knowing what to do, he bowed politely, which only received a snort from Sophie.
Mer’s expression was still grim. Silently, she set her picnic basket down on the soft grass and tightened her jacket. “My brother... We can’t take Hyu in,” she muttered.
"But what about your brother is so bad?" Sophie whispered back, having a knack for hearing people even when they lowered their voices. No one could blame her, for she had a bit of practice. On free nights at home, she would always eavesdrop on her parents’ conversations.
Mer was silent for a while, but then spoke aloud for Hyu to hear.
"The thing about my brother is that he will use whatever is in his power and use it recklessly at his will." She turned to Hyu with a soft look in her eyes. "He's been training you like a mad man, hasn’t he?"
Hyu nodded obediently, his wide eyes focused and his ears pricked to pay close attention to their conversation. “I can’t say that he has been a very caring teacher.”
"Well, what will happen if he finds out that we took his student? Won't he get angry?” Sophie wasn't sure why, but she was trying not to have Hyu train under the supervision of Mer. Maybe because then, Mer would see how much better Hyu was at magic than she was. No, not that circle again. But she couldn’t help but despise the thought of someone not approving of her, of someone’s eyes filled with sympathy for her failure.
"Don't worry. My brother and I have been on surprisingly good terms this year. Usually we're at each other's throats." She laughed deeply and heartily, but without the same jovial expression in her eyes, she wasn’t fooling Sophie. "No, but really, it's... it’s alright to have him here."
In a soft voice, Hyu suggested, "Mer, if you're so sure that your brother is a nice guy, why didn't you guys both train me and Sophie at the same time and the same place? Wouldn't that have been a lot easier?"
Mer tilted her head towards Sophie as if to avoid the question. The only sound one could hear now, was the sound of grasshoppers chirping. Then, she said so quietly that Hyu thought he had mistakenly heard the words, "He doesn't know I'm still alive."
Sophie and Hyu exchanged glances. Both thought they heard wrong. How in the world can your brother not know that his sister is alive?
"Ever since we were little kids, we weren’t real brother and sister. We never played together. According to our neighbors, if one of us came too near, we would bat each other away. Even when we were babies, people said that we were constantly sending death glares at each other. Some said it was kind of cute. They didn’t realize that just because you’re a kid, doesn’t mean that your feelings are invalid. But now, it’s kind of sad to realize that we had learned to hate before we even learned to walk." Her cheeks were red and her eyes became glassy. She cursed her red nose that was starting to sniffle.
"We always used to push one another, tease one another, do all the things that normal siblings would do. But our mother picked favorites and actually encouraged the rivalry. She would always pick sides. And she always chose my brother over me." Her voice caught, as if it got tangled in a web of emotion that she was always so careful tiptoe around.
"I despise my brother. He always got the attention, and always got more food than I got. I would train for hours in the backyard with a borrowed sword and bow from a nearby training school to which he was sent, and not me. It was hard to train with the hot sun and the flying mosquitoes when you knew no one would ever encourage you, no matter how hard you worked." She laughed again, but this time it was merciless and full of hatred. “My brother, on the other hand, with all his teachers and his personal cheerleader always there for him, well, you can imagine. Sometimes he would purposefully lock me in my room for hours just to see what I could really do.”
Her eyes were watery and red, but not in a blissful way. Sophie wanted to reach over to comfort her, but somehow she felt that Mer was untouchable, the strongest case of them all, now so willing to break.
“One day, he and I were dueling. He cast a spell that should have killed me, but I reflected it and replicated myself. I placed my duplicate on the ground and disapparated before he could notice what I had done. I had been practicing that disapparation spell for months, and I had only perfected it a week before. I bet he thought he had the glory of finally getting rid of the one thing that stood in his way.
“In the course of my training, I learned how not to feel. There is pain too great for a human to bear, so you choose not to bear it at all.” The words stung Sophie. Wasn’t Mer always nice to me for a reason? Was it just fake? All of it?
“Even when our mother disappeared, I didn’t cry a single time. Is that wrong?”
She suddenly whirled around to face us.
"Can't you see?" she cried. "Can't you all tell what a disaster I am now?" Her knees locked, and she fell onto the grass, her knees spread apart. Instead of sobbing, she retched over the side of the hill, as if her memories made her feel sick.
It wasn’t a delicate sadness, the ones shown in books and movies where the loved one’s eyes were meant to glisten and the tears were meant to drop like raindrops - one at a time, calmly, beautifully. But as Sophie stood there, watching her friend coughing and retching, horrified at the sight and even more horrified by her own inability to comfort her friend, she realized that in other worlds, there was nothing beautiful about sadness.
Sophie was speechless. She had never seen the bold, all-knowing coach Mer like this before. It was expected for duality to exist, but seeing it now, the strong Mer as a helpless, crying child, who knew there was no way out, it almost brought Sophie to tears.
Breaking the dismal mood, Sophie ran over to Mer and patted her back. "No, Mer. You protect others - I know you care about the Queen. You’re caring enough to watch over me. Isn’t that why you’re a guard? You had the option of being a shadow, but you’re not. This person who feels sadness, who recognizes injustice, she didn't inherit the cold heart of her mother." Her words dipped into a soft whisper that could barely be heard over Mer’s sobbing. Even though it felt useless, Sophie hugged her, squeezing her tightly, trying to radiate warmth to her sagging shoulders.
The three huddled like that, a bundle of warm love and a vat of tears, both joyful and sad, until, once again, the trumpets sounded their horns through the misty afternoon rain.
**

“So,” Sophie chatted as they walked up a hill to find a sunny place to sit and have lunch, “What’s in that basket? Don’t tell me that it’s actually just peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.”

Chuckling, Mer lifted the woven basket lid and took out a small dagger. Seeing Hyu’s shocked expression, she quickly said, “Don’t worry, we aren’t going to use this on anyone - at least, for now, that is.”

The trainees were shocked, not because of the fact that it was a dagger, but because the dagger was one of the most beautiful pieces of art that they had ever seen. Hyu just couldn’t believe that there was something as beautiful as all the jeweled watches that he used to keep in his drawers back at home. Its blade glinted as Mer cleaned the hilt, which Hyu could tell was only slightly tarnished.

“Watch the hilt!”

Both Sophie and Hyu jumped back. “What was that?” Sophie leaned closer to the sword, and somehow it seemed to glow.

“A... talking sword?” Hyu inquired, his eyes still locked on the jewels that dotted the hilt.

“Dagger,” their instructor corrected. “This is Juniot, our most prized talking dagger. He’s a feisty fellow, though, so over at the Department of Magical Equipment, we decided to take him out into the fresh air. He’s like a puppy, but don’t let him hear you-”
“A puppy?” The sword screeched, its voice sounding like a thin tin paper had scraped across an iron pole. “You’re comparing the most powerful, the most worthy, the handsomest dagger in the equipment room to a slobbering animal?” The dagger left Mer’s hand and waved around in the air.
Sophie couldn’t help it. “The dagger’s a perfect companion to Hyu,” she whispered into Mer’s ear.
“Juniot!” Mer called, grinning at her pass with Sophie, “Point down!”
Letting out a sound that Sophie could only suppose was a groan, the dagger tipped itself upside down and then glided over to Mer’s hand again, pushing against the wind. (Sophie didn’t know what a sword’s groan would sound like, and was quite surprised to find that their groans sounded like the sound of iron rubbing against each other. The sound made her cringe, for to her, the sound of metal against metal was even worse than the screech of chalk against a blackboard.)
Mer slid the dagger into her sheath. “Juniot will be your companion on your journeys. Take care of him well, otherwise,” she shrugged. “Well, otherwise, he gets a bit cranky and rusty and sometimes will attempt to jab his hilt into your hand. And by ‘sometimes,’ I mean ‘whenever possible.’”
“Then how can you handle that thing so calmly?” Raising his eyebrows, Hyu accepted the dagger and placed it in his coat pocket.
“I’m used to it.” She rubbed her neck. “Now, where were we? Ah yes, you were right, Sophie. I don’t just have PB and J, but-” she paused for a dramatic effect, and then exuberantly pulled out a tray. “We do have blueberry crumpets!”
Sophie laughed and accepted Mer’s favorite food. Was it too much to wish for her friend to always be so happy, forgetting about her brother, forgetting about the Tinar? A dribble of fresh, gooey blueberry slipped down her chin. Maybe just for today we can accept pure and blissful happiness.
**

“You’re holding me all wrong!” the sword cried indignantly. Hyu had to grip the hilt tightly for fear that the sword would wriggle out of his grasp, after all, it did have quite a temper. “Oi! Loosen up, boy!”

The three companions had planned to train on the practice battle tournament grounds today. Mer seemed a bit worried when she saw Juniot screaming in Sophie’s hands, but the instructor had assured the girl that Juniot was all talk. It wouldn’t really harm Sophie or Hyu. But Sophie couldn’t help noticing that there was a bit of concern in her voice when she said Hyu’s name.

Since it was summer, the ground was constantly dry and dusty. The soil somehow always managed to work its way into all the crevices in Hyu’s shoes and tickled his eyes to no end.
He refused to talk back to a nonliving object, so he simply sighed, and dropped the sword into the dust of the training ground, Juniot humming incredulously and shouting insults that Sophie was sure it wouldn’t have said in front of the Queen.
“I told you to handle him delicately! He’s a bit sensitive is all.” Mer grabbed the sword, which was in mid-bounce, and shook off all its hot dust. Then she demonstrating to her students how to hold the hilt lightly.
“Now this woman knows how to hold a sword properly. Do we have to let them practice with me? How about that sword in the corner? No one cares about him. What’s his name again? Tal, was it? Anyway, why can’t those two use him instead?”
Mer looked at the blade fiercely, which seemed a bit odd to both Sophie and Hyu, who could only simply watch, scuffing their boots in the barren ground, and wishing that they didn’t have to use Juniot either.
With a strict, “You promised,” thrown at Juniot, Mer handed the protesting sword back to Sophie, who shifted her hand to mimic that of Mer’s when she was holding the sword. Immediately, the sword quieted and stopped glinting so furiously in the sunlight. “Well - this isn’t so bad, actually.”
“Huh,” Hyu admiring Sophie’s newfound dexterity with swords. “Why is it that magical things just don’t tend to like me?” It’s not like it matters, but it would be nice if... Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he still felt a bit left out.
Mer patted his back. “You must believe in the sword’s existence and the sword’s skill. If you do not, it is like someone else denying this world’s existence and denying your own existence. Hyu, sometimes keeping an open mind won’t kill you. Here, hold the sword again, and talk to it, right to the blade.”
Sophie handed the sword to Hyu, their hands slightly grazing as they exchanged the weapon. Instinctively, they pulled back, their cheeks reddening.
“Ju- Juniot,” he stammered, trying not to roll his eyes. It was hard to look at the blade, for it was glinting madly. “Juniot, will allow me to wield you?”
Delighted, the sword hummed, “Ah! Much improvement in manners. Keep this going, and I will say - yes.”
Even though he didn’t say so, Sophie could tell that her friend was proud. He just didn’t want to admit that he was wrong. She smiled as she noticed how Hyu’s face involuntarily lit up, his eyes suddenly sparkling in a way that she had never seen before.

A cold sweat ran down Hyu’s back as he lay on his bed. What if Mae found out where I am? What if he takes me back? What if I never see Sophie again? He shook the thoughts from his mind, stretched, and slipped on a simple tunic, for it was training day. He practiced the stances that he would need in order to cast a spell, spreading his arms wide and bending his legs slightly. Mae’s cruel voice broke through his thoughts unwillingly, barking out how the proper stance would maintain stability and concentration. His breathing settled into a steady pattern, but trembled a little as he switched poses. Right hand up, chest bent forward, right leg spread out. The energy around him seemed to glow in his mind, the auras of the objects around him thickening whenever he moved towards one.
Despite the fatigue, the morning exercises were calming. The window was open, letting in the scents of tulips from the courtyard and rosemary from the castle kitchen. To his disappointment, a knock on the door interrupted the serenity.
A terse, but muffled voice shouted, “Hey Hyu! Get up! Seven o’clock means that it’s time to go!” Mer tapped her foot on the floor, knocked three more times just to be sure that Hyu heard her, and then hurried to the dining hall, where they were serving fresh blueberry crumpets.
After taking one more deep breath, he rolled off his bed, forcing his aching muscles to obey him. He ambled to the dining hall and waited with Mer for Sophie to come down from her room.
“Why doesn’t Sophie get a private alarm?”
“Unlike some slow folk, she already ate and is waiting outside. Are you going to finish that blueberry crumpet?”
Hyu sighed and pushed his plate over to Mer, who tackled the crumpet with a vicious vigor.
"I suppose I'll have to cast a spell on him," contemplated Mer out loud between noisy bites.
“Huh?” Hyu was in the middle of his sugared tart, and despite the manners he had been taught at home, crumbs fell as he spoke.
“You know, Mae.”
"What if he finds out about my stay here and gets angry? He can still sense your specific type of energy even if he doesn’t think that you’re still alive. And, most importantly, what will he do to me?" He indignantly stabbed his fork into a piece of bacon.
"Alright, alright. It was just a suggestion." Mer stopped to think. “Then... I got nothing.” Shrugging, she returned to attacking her blueberry crumpet, a sight that could only be witnessed three times a day - breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Hyu rolled his eyes. “Why, thank-you, oh great, wise one.”
They heard a snicker from behind Mer. Sophie had snuck up behind them as they were eating.
“Prissy-boy taking a long time?” Sophie nudged Mer’s arm with a knowing smile.
**
Mer took Hyu and Sophie to the grassy pond at the side of the castle to help them with water spells, but it was hard because there was a summer plethora of fish and frogs swimming through forests of seaweed in the green hued water. Chirps of frogs and birds popped up within the dense red reeds that poked through the pebbles lining the water and the shore.
It felt refreshing to be in the slick water, which playfully lapped at Sophie’s khaki shorts. Even though it was pond water, she could peer straight through the water to her shoes, and she tried to catch a few large fish that circled her legs.
Standing at the edge of the pond, the two students closed their eyes in concentration. Water was the hardest to control since it was amorphous.
Seeing how only a few drops of water had risen from the pond, Mer sternly commanded, “You have to envision every single molecule of water in order for you to control it. How it flows, how it has a mind of its own, how it shifts. Whether or not it’s rushing down a waterfall, or slipping serenely over your hands and feet. Picture it pouring over your arms, dreamily, softly, delicately. Now, picture the water flowing upwards, in a rapid, authoritative, stubborn waterfall that falls upwards! Bring your hands up, now!”
Hyu took a deep breath and imagined water flowing over his body, encasing it in an imperfect bubble, a smooth feeling taking over his mind. He sharply raised his hands and focused the feeling at his fingertips. To his satisfaction, a wave of pond water was beginning to rise as his palm rose. Grinning, he glanced over at Sophie, who had a bit more water floating mid-air around her.
“Good! Now, try to control the stones. You should find this much easier than the water.”
The energy source in the rocks was just a bit harder to feel, but once Hyu found the energy, he could twirl several pebbles in his hand without having to touch them. Playfully, he shot them in a pattern in the ground and then deviously circled them around Mer’s shoulders.
Suddenly, Hyu flinched, and the pebbles scattered the ground. His head started to pound as if the stones had actually fallen on his head. Why did he feel like the ground was shifting, breaking his stance? He heard an ominous, dangerously silky voice calling his name.
The voice enveloped his mind, prodding Hyu little by little, compelling him to hypnotically obey.
“To the forest, my boy... go to the forest...That’s right... almost there-”
“Hyu, what are you doing?” asked a red-faced Mer, who had run forward to grab his arm.
How... how did I get over here? He was already five feet into the woods and was just about to step on some deer dung.
“Oh, sorry.” His face turned a scarlet red.
Sophie and Mer both eyed him curiously, but didn’t say anything.
He started back, but curiously, each step he took made him feel like he was walking with brick blocks on his feet, and his swinging arms felt like they were pushing through jelly.
“Hyu, come back. Baaack-”
The confused boy swiveled around, expecting to see Mae, growling at him and pointing his metal staff. Instead, only a few trees and a giant boulder lay around him.
Funny... I swore I heard... Better get back before they get worried, or more worried than they already are. An uneasy laugh escaped his chapped lips.
Mae... I wonder what he’s thinking right now? Would he come after me? We would be no match for him. Even though Mer is awfully strong, Mae’s magic was almost abyssal when we had practiced striking each other.
Didn’t he say something before? When I first came and saw a magic “welcoming” spell?
Hyu hated to admit it, but he remembered all of his conversations with others. Some had said that his uncanny ability to remember his talks with others was because he was one of the most experienced linguistics student at school. But in truth, sometimes it felt like if he could package and replay those conversations in his head, he wouldn’t feel so lonely.
Probing his memory, he finally recalled that night.
“That? That was just a bin-.”
Surely it was more important than just a welcoming spell if it was so obstreperous and powerful enough to take control of our bodies. The memory of his bones tingling returned. What words begin with “bin”?
Binder, binds, … binding!
That spell, that very first day we met - he cast a binding spell on me! That must have been why we both were under the spell, and not just me.
What a jerk! Hyu thought, smashing his fist against a nearby tree, setting off a wave of insects. He wanted me for his own power, and that’s why I’m having all these symptoms! The binding spell must’ve connected me to him, so that I wouldn’t escape. He knew this was going to happen, he knew that I would run off! I’ve got to tell Mer and Sophie.
“Hyu,” called Sophie, “We’ve been waiting! Man, you run slowly,” she teased. Then, she saw the grim expression on Hyu’s face. “Something’s wrong.”
“It’s Mae,” Hyu half-whispered, turning to Mer. “Mae has me under a binding spell. He wants me to come back.”
“A binding spell, huh?” said Mer. Her voice didn’t hold a hint of surprise. “Well, he always was a bit paranoid, but his instincts were, technically, correct.” Mer’s voice held a mocking tone of awe.
Sophie chimed in. “Wow, it must take some skill to bind someone to you.”
“Wha- why? Are you actually impressed by this?” sputtered Hyu, turning from Sophie to Mer, and then back to Sophie. “You know what this means? I won’t be able to do anything now that I’m bound. I’ll have to be stuck, training, for who knows how long he decides to keep me! I’ll be like a stupid puppy at his very command!”
The jocular air dissipated. Flinching, Sophie thought, That’s... that’s exactly what I was to my mother. A stupid puppy, a naive stray that just wanted to please others. She quickly brushed away the thoughts.
“What? Why are you laughing?” asked a panicked Hyu to Mer.
“Haha! You were right, Sophie, it is fun to tease him,” Mer laughed, nudging Sophie. In her famous split-second, her expression fell into grave seriousness.
“Well, I suppose... we’ll have to make sure your bond is broken.”
“Why, thank-you again. Your intellect is really something to beat,” Hyu drawled sarcastically, but fought off a smile as he watched the two girls laughing hysterically.
**

The green elixir bubbled in the cauldron, signaling that it was almost done. Mer pinched in a few droplets of aquaboren, a strange, spiked plant which only mages used for medicines. Chefs avoided aquaboren, for its natural taste held almost the same consistency, texture, and taste as horse dung. She had never tried the plant herself, but she’d heard about its unpleasantness from a couple of friends.
Hopefully this will help Hyu stay alive.
The warehouse was hidden deep within the Yiturn Forest, just off to the side of the castle. Ancient wooden tables leaned against the walls, but still stayed sturdy enough for her to pile on beakers, potions, and test tubes, not to mention several exotic ingredients, to say the least. The stained-glass windows filtered light onto the creaking wooden planks of the floor and painted an off-white color on the rotting walls of the warehouse. The only artificial light was manifested in four gas lamps hanging in each of the corners of the room.
Five of the beakers brimmed with the bubbling elixir, which held a slightly turquoise color. Mer spooned the contents from one beaker into her mouth and slid the liquid down her throat, tasting for any remnants of the boar’s heart she had stirred in. An old sage sold it to her at the market, claiming that it would increase the potency of any elixir. Nevertheless, Mer couldn’t help but feel a bit grossed out by the potion herself. But, seeing that she couldn’t taste anything too much like goblin toe, she plugged the beaker with a cork and placed several in her woven sack.
Perhaps I should tell Hyu that I put rose petals in this elixir. I should say that all the lumps in there are actually just clumps of rose petals.
Mer grinned, sealed her sack, and softly closed the door of the warehouse behind her.

Back at Mae’s castle, rage was seen and heard at every corner.
“Where in the world did that boy go?” Mae roared, his eyes flashing shades of dark red and green, his teeth clenched, and his fingers digging into his palms.
“Was I not generous to him? Did I not teach him? Did I not give him a room, food, and warmth?” He swung his arm in the air wildly to motion his distress, but ended up accidentally conjuring up torrents of sand that knocked over scrolls and mages with the same excessive force.
“I taught him everything, and what does he do? Sneak off! The likes of that boy! Can you fathom that?” He spun to a mage who averted his eyes and stood stone still in a corner, trying to appear invisible so that he wouldn’t have to answer his master’s famous rhetorical questions.
“What about you?” He whirled to another one of his apprentices. “Do you think I did anything wrong?” Mae demanded.
The mage seemed to shrink and waver as he shifted his feet and began to reply dutifully, “N-”
“I didn’t think so! That boy must be mad! No one can possibly know what goes on in a teenage boy’s head,” he answered to himself, leaving just enough time for the terrified mages to scurry away in haste.
Only one of Mae’s apprentices remained. He coughed, breaking the tense silence.
“Um, Mae,” the friend began.
“What, Pihn? You can’t possibly be foolish enough to try to console me now.” Mae hissed, not even facing the weary mage.
“Could it be that Hyu ran away because you were trying to teach him too much?” Pihn hesitantly said, “Don’t get me wrong, I think the things you teach him are certainly important, but... wouldn’t it have been better to pace the magic training?”
Mae looked incredulous, as if Pihn just suggested that Mae throw himself on the ground and lick the floor. But, Pihn was used to his fiery temper by now and calmly continued.
“I see Hyu slouched and exhausted every time he returns from training. He stares at his feet and whispers to himself. He never gets a break, he has to wake up every day to practice, performing spells that are hardly at the level of an apprentice. Bear in mind, Mae, that Hyu is still just a boy. He can’t handle the intense training that fully developed mages can endure. Keep on treating him like one, and this is what happens.”
He didn’t pause to see if Mae had calmed yet. “I usually agree with your tactics, Mae, but here, I vehemently oppose you. You always have to imagine how elements feel when you are training with them; use that skill and imagine how Hyu must feel. He just discovered that he is the one to defeat one of the most powerful monsters mages have ever encountered. Even you, as a boy, no matter how magically talented you were, couldn’t have handled that much after just being admitted into the Group of Rinan.
“But one thing strikes me as odd, Mae. Usually, you can plan everything, you can practically sense what things will come next. So, why did you train Hyu so hard if you knew he wouldn’t have lasted? That he would’ve escaped?”
Mae slowly turned, his shoulders no longer tensed, and his nostrils no longer flaring, and replied, “That monster... Mages like you have no idea what this thing really is. Of course I was well aware that Hyu would eventually scamper off like a coward. If he was going to be a coward, I wanted to make sure that if necessary, Hyu would be able to at least amuse the monster with some of my tactics. But I see that even now, when he’s wandered off, my efforts were in vain.
“So, I am regretful that I had to give him so much work, and at such a prospering age, too, but there was no choice, you see?” Pihn didn’t see. His master’s tone was as bland as water. “I couldn’t have just let the monster destroy what we worked so hard to establish: a town, a city, a place where we’re safe.”
Pihn looked confused. “I don’t get it sir, then why-?”


“I put a binding spell on him,” Mae curtly replied, as if it was something he said every day, along with, “Pass the jam, please.”
Pihn froze, the pile of scrolls that were in his hand now scattered on the floor. “A binding spell? Master, you know that a binding spell is permanent, right? You took an awfully risky chance! Trying to resist a binding spell will surely kill Hyu, won’t it?”
“No, no,” Mae said, shaking his head, “I’m quite sure Hyu has heard the persuasive calls to come back, and he will return by tomorrow morning at the latest, avoiding the danger of death. I know Hyu, and despite his strong willingness to learn, his weakness is his loyalty. Only fools are loyal, and he is a fool who is especially loyal to his friends, his family, to all the people he has known who have helped him in some way. I have taught him. Thus, he must come back.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
Mae didn’t answer. He combed his hair with his fingers and heaved a sigh. Absently, he rubbed a faint scar on his back.
The quick motion was nothing to escape Pihn, who had recently been training with spells to heighten his vision. “Where’d you get that scar from?”
Mae was startled by the sudden change of topic, but answered, nonetheless, glancing down at the gash marks. “It’s just a bite.” But his thoughts flickered back to that journal entry he wrote of the day he was bitten.
Exasperated by the lack of progress his persuasion had, Pihn forcefully placed his hand on his master’s shoulder to turn Mae toward him.
“Sir,-”
“Pihn.”
The apprentice stopped, words still trying to form in his half-open mouth.
“I’ll handle it, one way or another. As I recall, I did not assign you a duty to help me in this.” Mae smirked and then strolled back to his room to retire for the night.
Echoes of his footsteps resonated back towards Pihn, a worried look in his blue eyes. No matter how horrible his temper was, Mae was still a friend.
Right?
As Pihn stood there, watching Mae leave, the stone hallway suddenly seemed to be awfully cold and small.
An air of dismay wavered around the apprentice, who worried for the future of Hyu and for the future of the world, which now seemed to be entwined.
**

After his conversation with Pihn, Mae turned back to his room. Still thinking about the scar on his back, he picked up his leather-bound journal from the velvet floor and flipped to the entry on January 15th, which was right after the entry on May 9th. When he was young, he didn’t believe in keeping things in order, so he used to pull pages out. But this page belonged in his current journal, for it defined his existence. Drained, he climbed into his chair and read.
“Today, Mommy brought me to this scary place. And I didn’t wanna go. It’s my birthday, you know. There was a scary monster in the dark in the shop and it bit me and it hurt more than when Isis bit me. I wasn’t sure, but I think that that’s what it is going to feel like if I die. I called for mommy, but she didn’t come. I couldn’t breathe either and it felt really bad. And after that, the man who gave me to the monster told me that I was a “necaromancer”? A necromancer. He said that I am that. I think that mommy knows. I saw her bowing to the man and the monster after the bite, and I told her that I felt bad, but she ignored me. I know that her eyes are blue, but when she bowed, they looked gray and scary. She didn’t seem very happy.
Does mommy love me anymore? Why’d she send me?”
The light near Mae’s desk started to dwindle as the wind violently gusted into the room and the gas light dimmed. A hollow anger bubbled inside of his chest. He sighed and summoned a winterlight. The invisible ink glowed in the darkness of his room, the windows only streaming the faded yellow light of the moon through the branches of the hemlock trees.
“I don’t wanna tell Mer. She’s a wimp. She’ll get scared of my story before I even tell her. But mommy... I don’t like it when she keeps secrets.”
Mae grinned cruelly and closed the journal, feeling a bit drowsy. “Hyu, you’ll come back. You must aid me.” To gain my rightful position over the Tinar. I’ll have control over all the other necromancers. No more orders from that wretched monster. It doesn’t seem right that the leader of the necromancers has a brain as small a mouse’s. Ah, well. That will soon change.
Mother... even though I knew that you secretly loved Mer more - I still remember how you were so upset that day at the shop. If it was because of the monster - I will gain revenge for you.
He flicked off the winterlight and slipped into the night, meeting the Tinar again, hopefully, for the very last time.
Pihn heard the Furmi gates squeak shut, and watched as Mae flew off, his coat flying in all directions behind him. This occurrence wasn’t rare to Pihn, but tonight, there was definitely something bothering Mae. He snuck up into his master’s room. “Lorimo.”
No one knew that he had been studying a spell that would allow him to access all the rooms of the castle. The spell was like a magical picklock. He switched on the winterlight.
In the center of the desk lay a notebook of sorts. Pihn picked it up and started to flip through the pages. One page was blank. Curious, Pihn heightened his vision. “Ah!” he cried in his discovery. There was some words written all over the blank page in invisible ink.
As he read, Pihn’s eyes widened. Quickly, he summoned his telegrihm. “Hyu ibi,” he whispered as his winterlight flickered.
**
The mouse frantically scurried across the tabletop as Mae tried to corner it with his hands. “Disgusting pest,” he spat, finally grabbing the squirming rodent by the tail and yanking it off the table. “It must be so very boring to be a mouse. Isn’t it?” He grinned devilishly at the mouse and laid it down into the filthy metal cage, not even flinching at its bites and squeaks.
“Interficlio,” he whispered with a certain intensity that carved a powerful dark emptiness inside him. The words felt foreign on his tongue - it was a word that he had never been forced to use before, but it felt like a new dawn was rising these few years.
The spell didn’t seem to have had an effect on the mouse. There was just squeaking. But slowly and inevitably, the mouse’s whimpering quieted and its fur curled back in lumps. Mae grimaced as the stomach of the mouse pulsated slowly and then quickly until it abruptly stopped and shot upwards, towards the mouse’s back. It opened its mouth to squeak one last time, but its trachea and lungs were compressed, its throat tightened. Oh, please just die already, mouse. I just needed to practice a bit. He shoved the rodent onto the ground with a nearby box, but waited until its movements completely halted before standing up from the wooden stool and promptly dusting the mouse outside.
As he closed the door behind him, he felt a wave of nostalgia hit him. It had been eons since Mae had stepped inside this room as evidenced by the dust and rotting wood still clinging to the sides of the warehouse. As he glanced warily around the room, flashes of childhood memories flickered in his mind.
“Come on, little Mae.” His mother smiled, almost too brightly. “Let’s build a warehouse for you and Mer!” She leaned in so that only he could hear her words. The scent of fresh blueberries hung around her. “I’ll let you have extra special rights to use this warehouse. You’re truly gifted, little Mae.” Straightening, she spoke to both Mae and Mer, only glancing slightly at Mer, as if she genuinely worried that she would get diseased if she stared too long at her daughter.
Mae stared at the small, rusty hammer sitting innocently in a corner of the room. The walls in that corner were covered with scattered small handprints underneath the abundant layers of spiderwebs. Echoes of his family member’s voices rang through his head.
“‘Mae, let me have a try!’ Mer whined, stomping her foot impatiently.
‘No. You’ll just mess it up.’
‘No I won’t! Mom, make Mae stop!’ Mer tugged at her mother’s skirt, but there was no response.
‘Mom?’
‘Let Mae use it. He’s right. You probably won’t be able to anyway.’ There was a slightly bored, but purposeful lilt in her voice that Mae only heard when she conversed with Mer.
Nevertheless, Mae had managed to grin that signature grin that followed him to today.
One of the charred pots hanging in the fireplace looked as though it still contained a morsel of green potion. A slightly damp and slender wooden spoon rested on the edge. No one knows of this warehouse, though. How could these items be used? He brushed the thought from his head. I’m being paranoid.
He ignored the pot and pinched a small amount of blood from his finger into a clean vial. One bothersome aspect of a necromancer’s life was that they frequently had to use his own blood for spells and potions. He even reserved his left thumb specifically for pricking, so there was a thin scar on the tip where he always drew blood. He sighed as he squeezed harder, the drops of blood dissolving slowly, almost gracefully into the water which diluted the solution. His hand wavered over some horned berries that hung overhead near the torn light that now seemed to be the perfect house for flies. No, no. This is a bit too strong. Hyu will likely die if he eats these.
The drops of light that cast through the vial caused the sensitive solution to bubble and sizzle. Never was there a moment where the mixture simply sat. He diluted the mixture once again with water. This must simply be strong enough to knock him unconscious.
In quick, clean strokes, he dusted off the counter and wiped the furnace, and then sunk the dirtied spoon in a vat of water and hoisted the pot up onto the counter to dry. Because he found cleaning rather dull, Mae levitated each object that he needed to wash with his mind. To an outsider, it would have seemed like he was flaunting his power, but to him, it was just another form of amusement. When all was clean, he curled his lip in satisfaction.
He was just about to place the new mixture into his sack, but he paused and spectacled at something that was still floating about. Somehow there was still a bit of the branch that he mixed in that refused to break down.
Mae swore. “Where is that darned dissolune?” He rummaged through the endless stacks of newspapers which coated the tables and the ingredients hanging at a dangerous angle in fishnet sacks.
Something sharp pricked his finger as he felt around the bags under the table, but his expression did not change. The glint of something cold and metal winked from the darkness. A bracelet? The object felt foreign and rough against Mae’s pale skin. Burned sloppily onto the silver was the letter “M”.

The fresh scents of ham and turkey wafted through the hallways of the castle. Servants and chefs milled about the halls, carrying silver platters and long lists of errands to run.
“What’s the big occasion?” Sophie asked, pursing her lips.
“Ah, I keep forgetting you guys aren’t from here. Tonight is the Festival of Ingone. It’s a night where we celebrate the crowning of the first Queen of mages. The non-magic celebrate for the crowning of the first Queen. Either way, it’s the same thing. Music, food, celebration! Oh, and it’s just with the people in the castle. You won’t realize how much a relief that is until you get to see the ball.” Mer shuddered.
One would expect people to be excited for dinner, but Hyu was practically jumping over the issue of breaking the binding spell. At every ten minutes, he would raise the subject of freeing him to Mer.


Mer nonchalantly brushed off the question, but couldn’t look him in the eye. What would Hyu do if I told him that binding spells can’t be broken?


A block of guilt sank to the bottom of her stomach for letting Hyu’s hopes rise, but she always returned to thinking, It’s all for Hyu’s benefit. In this case, saying that a binding spell can’t be broken unless you kill the person who placed the spell is almost like a death spell! Not for the first time, Mer felt a bit sorry for the two trainees, who had to endure all this training to defeat a monster that they didn’t even know much about. She sighed. A great pressure weighed on her shoulders too. How can I train them and keep myself secret from my brother simultaneously? He’ll sense my magic. But still...


Mae... why did you have to be Mom’s favorite?


Hyu’s shout broke through her thoughts. “Hey, Mer! Er... have you found a way to break the binding spell yet?”


Mer shook her head and smiled. Behind her mask, no one could really tell that she was trying to forget painful memories that still haunted her.


“Let her have a break!” Sophie exasperatedly sighed. “You’re practically wearing her down with your constant nagging.”


Grinned evilly, Mer innocently commented, “Mae does have quite a temper. I wonder what he’s planning right now?”


Sophie chuckled, but then fell victim to her own thoughts. Her dream last night of the absolutely petrifying monster still left her quaking. Surprisingly, she hadn’t dreamed of it in more than a month, but now, the dreams were climaxing to a point where she could feel the pointed claws of the monster, and she sometimes couldn’t escape, unlike before. Sometimes, there would be no bright light to guide her, or she couldn’t scream and was paralyzed.


Tired of being haunted by a creature she was here to defeat, Sophie called to Mer. “Mer, I had another dream of the monster the other night.”


The smile of her trainer’s face instantly dropped as she worriedly looked over at Sophie who was fumbling at her hands.


“And I’m tired of having these dreams! Can’t we find the monster and defeat it yet?” Sophie shouted in frustration.


“I’m sorry, Sophie, there’s nothing I can do about it, but believe me, you’re almost to the point where you two can fight. You just need a bit more assistance.” Mer’s eyes held an amount of emotion that Sophie had never seen before.
Sophie was tired of receiving the same old response she always got from her questions. This is it, she thought, I'll just do research on my own. Then, I'll be prepared to fight no matter what happens in my dreams.
A sudden trumpet call commenced the party. “All are now welcome to the dining hall!” called a herald, standing at the end of the hallway. “Drink some wine, play some music, listen to a troubadour, just come celebrate the anniversary of the first Queen’s crowning!”
“Shall we go?” Mer asked.
“Sure,” her two pupils echoed.
As they were walking to the dining room, a noisy room caught Sophie’s eye. “What’s this room for?”
A large, wide space filled with instruments of all sizes danced in her vision. A sophisticated nine-foot grand piano. A tiny violin and a robust bass. Silver flutes and lumbering baritones. The walls were painted with a rainbow of music notes, and inspirational paintings of waterfalls and volcanoes hung on the walls.
“My favorite room. The royal music room.” She stepped up to the piano and sat on the padded bench. Immediately, twinkling notes flew up into the air, weaving a beautiful melody. Violent chords fought their way to attention as they marched. A glissando rushed the playful melody to a final grand C, followed by the dark and mysterious bass note. She lifted her fingers from the keys. The story was over.
Hyu seemed impressed. “I used to play piano at home, and - “He looked a bit sheepish. “I was worried that I would see another one ever again. But tonight, since it’s a festival, can we play on this piano as long as we want?”
Mer nodded, still stuck in the trance of her song. Sophie glanced over at the two, and was surprised to see that both friends emitted a bright glow. Their life sources are so perfect, perfect for me to take, yes... Wait, what am I thinking? She shook her head.
“Can we really?” Sophie asked. “Piano was my hobby too! And Mer,” she said, turning to her smiling friend, “That was A-MA-ZING. You have to play more songs for us tonight. Do you know Chopin? Schumann? Rachmaninoff?”
And so the night wore on. It was midnight before the three friends exhausted from their musical expodentures.
Despite their late night’s sleep, the next day, Sophie woke up earlier than either Hyu or Mer, before the birds had begun their chirping and the sun its rising. She speedily dressed and breezed through breakfast alone, then gathered her notebooks and pencils and headed off towards the direction of the town library, determinedly speed-walking there as if nothing could block her way. The one in the castle was nice, but sometimes the books were all too ancient and dusty to be used.
The air was still nippy from the earliness of the hour, so Sophie ended up wishing she had brought a jacket. She tried to force her hands deeper into her thin pockets, and when she did, her fingers instinctively latched onto the same pearl she couldn’t help but take with her for safekeeping.
She scurried over the bumpy stone roads and whizzed past the wooden houses and shops. It was too early to display their “Open” signs. Instead, some of the shopkeepers sat at their booths, heartily enjoying buttered toast and milk while flipping to the next sports section in the village newspaper.
Finally, she reached the entrance of the soaring five-story tall library, its doors etched with angular patterns which were combated with swirls. It boasted rusty iron gates and ancient statues out front. The lawn complimented the already majestic library. There was a beautiful courtyard, brimming with flowers, spreading out from the left side of the library. Even the hedges were freshly trimmed and groomed to hold animal shapes.
Sophie admired the rustic stone structures on the library’s roof. There, lay a number of golden lined edges and domes which seemed to unify the architecture of the library.
The amazed girl spent a minute just standing there, soaking in the beauty of it all. Then, she came out of her state and pushed open the gates to the library with her free hand. Her left one was carrying some books she had borrowed the last time she had been there. Despite her previous encounter with the library, it never ceased to amaze her.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Hyu and Mer had long woken up and were in fits looking for Sophie.
"It's not like her to run off," said Mer nonchalantly. "I don’t think she’s in any trouble. So, let’s just have some breakfast and then go search for her. Take a rest, Hyu."
Hyu whirled on her. "But what if she's lost? What if Mae’s got her? You can’t possibly be giving up now!" His eyebrows were knit together and his back was slouched in dismay.

“Let me just finish off my blueberry crumpets.”
“You and your crumpets!” He stalked off in fury at Mer’s apathy of the situation. Hyu didn’t understand how she could always stay calm, no matter what predicament they were in.
“Sophie illuc!” The tracing spell formed small footprints in the soil that led towards the library. Somehow, a hologram appeared before Hyu’s face and wouldn’t budge, even when Hyu tried to bat it away with his hand. The blue screen wavered and flashed for several seconds, but before Hyu started on his way again, the screen displayed a slightly elvish looking man with white, straggly hair.
“Pihn!” Hyu exclaimed, nearly tripping over a nearby rock. “What- how are you-”
“Quiet! Hyu. I am here at the castle, and I need you to listen. I found Mae’s journal, and in it, written in invisible spell ink, he wrote about how he has been bitten by the Tinar and is now a necromancer who wants to take control of it! Hyu, do you believe this?”
The boy was speechless.
“He wouldn’t have just left his journal open though. He wanted you to know. He wanted everyone to know that he has a plan to become the number one necromancer. I have known Mae for years, and I still remember that day when he came to the castle, weary and clutching his back. I knew that something was up, but not something this big! That’s why he needs you Hyu - he needs you to kill the Tinar so that he can become the most powerful necromancer who will close the world gates so that no other powers can infiltrate his. He won’t let you go back to your world!”
Hyu could only gape at the pixelated picture on the screen. “This can’t be happening,” he muttered under his breath. “So what can I do? If I help him defeat the Tinar, I won’t be able to go home, and if I don’t help him, the Tinar is going to wreck havoc! Oh, Pihn, what do we do?”
Pihn looked at Hyu with sympathy. “For the first time, I don’t know, Hyu.” His voice was soft, despite the frequent blips from the holographic screen.
“I’ll inform Sophie,” Hyu said. The screen quickly dissipated, and Hyu continued following the tracer footsteps. His mind was deep in thought, and he only glanced up from the trasteps once he pushed through the front doors.
Meanwhile, Sophie was gathering her collection of books on the Tinar. She held about four books in her right arm and two in her left. Carrying the books in her hand just didn’t leave her with enough room. Hyu abruptly turned the corner.
“Ow! You know, you can just walk calmly around things and everything will be just fine -” Sophie could immediately tell that something was wrong. “Hyu!” she cried, setting her books on the large table next to her. “Are you alright?”
Quickly, Hyu informed her of Mae’s necromancy and quest for power.
“Pihn told me that Mae became a necromancer because he was bitten by the Tinar. That would explain his bitterness towards all the other mages. He thinks he’s better than them just because he’s a necromancer.”
Sophie didn’t speak for a while. Suddenly the rhythmic steadiness of the library checkout machine became the dominant noise.
She shifted uncomfortably, tossing a book between her hands. “Hyu, I’ve been bitten by the Tinar. I’m a necromancer?”

“No,” Hyu almost shouted. “No!”

A few passersby stared over at their corner. The librarians glanced over at the section that Sophie and Hyu were in, and put a finger to their lips to signal silence.

“The Tinar has been trying to communicate with me, and I think that other than to killing me, it’s hungry for me to obey it. A couple of dreams ago, I felt its claws snake around my neck, and then it bit me on my back.” She turned around and lifted the back of her shirt slightly to uncover the area on her back near her spine, where two purple-red spots were indented. They didn’t look like anything else Hyu had ever seen. The marks seemed to swirl around each other under her skin even when Sophie wasn’t talking or moving. She whispered, “Mer knew. She and the Queen both knew I would be able to use the spurite because I’m a necromancer.
“You would think that the bite would be the worst part, but it wasn’t. It was what happened next. it spoke to me.” She turned to face Hyu again and shuddered at the thought. “I thought I heard it say something, but I didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t want to feel that I had a language in common with that... monster.” Sophie smiled pathetically up at Hyu. “Face it Hyu, I’m a necromancer.
“I zap people’s energy and leave them to die. I’ve been trying to resist taking your power, Hyu. You don’t know how hard it is to control my craving for energy. It’s like I’m a vampire that can never gain its fill of blood.”
She saw Hyu’s eyes widen and was pained to see that he held a look of terror.
He’s afraid of me.
“It’s not like I’m going to let myself kill you or anyone else I care about.” She felt a twinge of disappointment and annoyance. “I see. You don’t trust me.”
“No, it’s - I mean-” Hyu scrambled for words. “Look, what I mean is this. It doesn’t matter if you’re a necromancer or not. You’re not under the control of that ugly, atrocious thing, so we have to do something quickly before it grows stronger, or worse - if Mae does gain power over all the necromancers, including you.”

She nodded, still steamed. “Sure. Yeah. You know what? Maybe you can find someone else who’s not a scary necromancer to fight the Tinar with you.” She stood as quickly as she could, slamming the books down onto the table and knocking over her chair. “If you don’t trust me, why don’t you go back to Mae? I’m sure he’d be glad to find a wimp like you crawling back to him.” Her hands on her hips, she spun on her heel and started to walk away.

“No, Sophie. Wait!”

Sophie felt a tug at her arm, but she shook Hyu’s hand off. “Get lost, Hyu Pine. Wouldn’t want to tarnish your freakin’ rich reputation. Who cares that you have a mansion, or that you eat at Les Connisseurs, or that you have a scary interest in Latin?”

“Wait, you remembered all of that?” I’d only told her that once, when we first met. How does she still remember?

“Of course I did, idiot!” Sophie stormed, her eyes flashing as she tore through the rows of bookcases.

Suddenly, she felt an iron grip on her shoulders that swiveled her around. “Wha-”

Hyu tugged her closer into a warm hug. She gulped. Not even her mother had ever hugged her before. It felt... nice. Fuzzy. She wrapped her arms around Hyu’s frail waist and pushed back some tears when she heard the whispered words, “I’m sorry.”
He could hear her breathing over his racing heart beat. “I trust you. I’ll let you take my power if you need to. What I said holds true. I don’t care if you’re a necromancer or not, ‘cause you’re Sophie.”
“Promise?” She murmured, breathing in his fresh scent.
“Nope.”
Sophie pushed him back as they broke out of their hug. “What?”
“Just kidding.” He smirked at her expression. “I promise.”
**
“One thing strikes me as odd. If the Tinar wants necromancers to bring under its control, why haven’t I transformed into one of those evil necromancers?” Sophie wondered. After their episode, the two had returned to their seats in the library. Some people around them eyed them after hearing their fight, but Sophie ignored their stares.

“Did someone place a protection spell on you to prevent you from following the Tinar?”

The warrior woman’s face drifted into Sophie’s mind again. She remembered how the woman had lifted her arms and caressed Sophie’s face. How she gracefully waved her arms above Sophie’s head, letting a light dust fall onto the girl’s head as she murmured. My mom? A warm blush bloomed across her face. She wanted to protect me. She loves me?

“So, has there been a protection spell?” Hyu seemed a bit confused at her sudden smile.

“My mother. In my dream. It may sound strange, but she really did cast a protection spell over me. Can you believe it? ” For the first time, she could allow herself to believe that her mother loved her.
Sophie righted her books so that they wouldn’t fall. “Well, hopefully, the solution is in here. I wanted to do some research about the Tinar. Bad news. The newspaper says it’s been growing each second we’ve spoken and has been spotted recently.”
“How can you say that with such a calm expression? It’s coming? Mae had told me that once it begins to surface from its lair and enters this world, its progression will speed up. It will soon be destroying cities and coming for us!”
“I know, I know, but from these books, I think I’ve found a way to stop it without using pure strength.” She handed a couple books over to Hyu. “The books are a bit, ah, delicate. Here. Let me show you what I mean.” Demonstrating, she opened a particularly thick book and lifted it upside down. The letters on the pages cascaded onto the carpeted floor and bounced before slowly wiggling and flying back into their original spots.
“It’s fine if you just hold it upright,” Sophie reassured.
“Why in the world do these mages charm these?” He shook his head as he carefully placed the books in his lap.
Sophie mischievously grinned. “It’s just -” she muttered a spell which caused the sentences in the books to unravel and wriggle like a snake. “Fun.”
She returned the sentences to the pages. “Well, as I was saying, I think I have a solution. Our theory before worked, right?”
“Perspective? You mean...” sudden realization struck Hyu like a ton of blocks. “You mean, we can change our perspective of the Tinar? Will that work?”
Sophie brimmed with confidence. “The book said that using perspective had worked long ago. And - it sort of worked for us, didn’t it? We’re in a different world.”
“But it only worked half-way though. We’ve traveled somehow, to different world, but can it really just be that simple? We don’t have our different worlds of happiness or despair, and our worlds merged into one.”
For a second, a breeze blew by, and only the twinkling of chimes and the chorus of nearby river frogs was heard.
Then, Sophie simply stated, “The last time, it didn’t work because we didn’t imagine the worlds enough to really delineate how our lives would be there. That’s fixable, right?”
Hyu couldn’t take it anymore, the constant training, not being to understand, having complete strangers tell him things he didn’t want to hear. But don’t friends always come from strangers? What if I hadn’t fought with Sophie? I don’t think I’d ever felt that touched when she said that she’d remembered the very first day we met?
“Alright,” he sighed, sliding closer to her. He didn’t realize how much he had missed having someone close to him. She’s like family. But my face doesn’t get red and warm whenever I sit next to my sisters. Why now?
Neither one of them said anything for a while, content with just being next to each other and reading, sometimes shifting, but not willing to separate.
“Hey guys!” At the sound of Mer’s voice, the two jumped apart. Their instructor had snuck up behind them when they’d been reading.
“Sorry for not coming sooner. Hyu kind of gave me a scolding.”
Sophie glanced at Hyu, who was avoiding eye contact.
“I should’ve taken care of you guys better. I know you guys still aren’t accustomed here,” she started, “and I’m sorry. I don’t know what if feels like to be you guys. But you know what? You have the support of many people here. The Queen, who gave you the pearl,” Mer motioned at Sophie, “and Mae, who wanted you to be able to train so hard, he gave you his all, and he even bound you!” she gestured at Hyu. “I mean granted, he was using you, but sometimes you have to look at things differently, you know?”
Her voice sounded distant, yet more powerful than Sophie had ever heard before from her. “Even if this isn’t real, you’re in it, and you’re witnessing everything here, so just wallow in it. No matter what, you are in what world you are, and nothing can change that. Be bold, take risks. From now on, I’m not going to let you two feel like you’ve lost your old world ‘cause you’ve gained a new one. You said you wanted to learn about perspective and how to change it. Do you still want that?” Mer shrugged. “Well, this is life. This is perspective.”
“Thanks, Mer,” Hyu said.
Sophie heard a faint noise. One of the palace kingsmen was calling her name from the castle field. She shot an apologized look at her two friends and scurried off to attend to whatever matters the Queen had for her, Mer’s words still echoing in her head.
It shocked her to see her friend so serious about something. I guess that underneath that sweet layer of blueberry crumpets, there’s no coating her childhood. But somehow, she’d managed it and I think... Sophie ran over the grassy hill, not even bothering to watch her step. She cares about us, so she wanted us to know.
Upon entering the castle to greet the Queen, her first thoughts were Oh no. Not this girly, fru-fru stuff. Beside the Queen were two overly optimistic maids, each holding up extremely lavish, and, in Sophie’s opinion, overly decorated, dresses. She tried not to look at the gowns, for the shine of the jewels sent her head swimming. But she ended up sneaking a peek at what she had to wear sooner or later. The maid standing to the left of the Queen was delicately smoothing down an emerald dress embroidered with gold. The other hoisted up a royal purple gown. She bet that both dresses cost over two hundred dollars. I have to admit, they are pretty... but they aren’t anything I would be caught dead in.
Sophie rolled her eyes at the Queen, who knew how much Sophie didn’t care for lavish dresses and accessories.
“Rue, the time of the royal annual Rotham ball has come. You must choose a gown to don that night, on which you will hopefully find a groom. Come. We have many things to do,” the Queen pointedly glanced at Sophie, “about... you, before the ball.” Her royal majesty swiftly left the room without looking back to see if Sophie was following or not. She knew that as easy as it was to simply disobey, Sophie was still a “Princess” of Rotham, which meant that she had to follow the Queen.
The maids trailed after the two women as they strolled into a changing room, fully equipped with tape measurers and ribbons tied around their arms and necks. The room contained a forest of corsets hanging row after row and a pile of brushes stacked on the desk. Sophie sighed, giving up on defending herself against the wave of girliness. She’d learned that the Queen always won. I might as well try on the dresses as quickly as possible.
But, to Sophie’s disappointment, trying on each dress proved more difficult and time-consuming than she had expected. Each one had to be tightly layered on her small waist and squeezed against her stomach until she thought her ribs would break. She waddled around the room, purple-faced and exhausted in her dress as the Queen hid a guilty smile and lectured her on what she needed to do at the ball.
“So,” the Queen started after ushering the maids away. There was a pause, for even the composed Queen couldn’t suppress her laughter as Sophie, who was now desperately tugging her collar and knocking tables over with her crinoline. “Sophie, listen to me! I meant, Rue, listen! Oh, come here, I’ll help you,” the Queen decided to stop Sophie’s torture and helped Sophie undress and put on another dress that wasn’t as obnoxiously flashy as the other dress. While she did so, she recited, “At the ball, once the herald calls your name, you must step up onto the red velvet carpet at the top of the balcony and wave to the guests. Remember to smile. They are going to be judging your every step. Don’t be fooled by their smiles. Keep your head up and slowly descend the stairs to the party. Oh, and be sure to greet every one of these people: King Oliver of Duland, Queen Linvy of Wiplore, Henry the Eighth of Oylin...”
Sophie tried to pay attention, but was soon lost by the swarm of names she had to remember. Oh well. I might as well greet every person there. After every few names, she nodded to hide the fact that she wasn’t at all paying attention.
The Queen finished with, “And that is all you will need to do. It’s not much, and we will practice. Come now, we’ve wasted enough time in this room, and we must look over the decorations in the main entrance.” She paused to see if Sophie was following. “Rue, are you listening?”
Sophie snapped out of her momentary trance, but couldn’t help but wish that Hyu was here with her. Will he go to the ball? I wonder where Hyu and Mer went. I should probably get back to them or else they’ll worry. Grinning, she remembered Hyu’s scent and warmth from their hug. Then, the Queen’s question registered in her head.
“Yes, I’m listening. Be polite and respectful, and greet a whole bunch of people who I don’t know.”
The Queen sighed, “Well, I guess that’s as much attention that I’m going to get out of you right now, so alright. You are dismissed. Oh yes, and tell your friend to come to the ball. He might be a possible suitor.” She mischievously winked her right eye at Sophie who was gaping like mad, and authoritatively strolled out the door, Sophie’s astounded gaze wandering after her, wondering how in the world she knew about Hyu.
She must’ve seen him. Well, I guess he could go to the ball, but prissy-boy’s definitely not going to be my suitor, Sophie thought, as she firmly placed her hands on her hips, or at least, tried to, for her crinoline made it impossible to reach them. He was probably just trying to be nice when he hugged me. Yeah, that’s it. He just saw how mad I was and wanted to be nice to me.
Briskly, Sophie threw off the dress, pulled on a tunic and a pair of trousers, and raced down the stairs in her riding boots in search of Mer and Hyu.
She trudged halfway to the opposite side of the castle, but soon grew worried, for neither Mer nor Hyu were anywhere in sight. They must’ve gone back to the quarters. I’ll meet up with them tomorrow at the ball. Sophie sighed and walked back to her chambers.

The day of the ball hounded upon Sophie. The heralds, dukes, duchesses, and their daughters within the castle fussed about, asking frantically if a pin was properly aligned with their blouse or if one hairstyle looked better than another. Sophie wasn’t quite sure, but she heard one lady ask a nearby guard if her gown looked “too blue”.
Of course, through all the excitement of preparing for the ball, Sophie slept in, only to be awoken by the sound of Hyu calling her to come out.
“Sophie! Get your lazy butt out of bed! It’s already high noon, and Mer is out here, too, waiting for you!” The voice sounded muffled through the swollen wood of the door.
“Shhh! Do you want everyone to know who I really am? My name’s Rue here, so keep it down!” Sophie hissed back, rolling in her covers, unwilling to get up. There was nothing to look forward to today, for the day was only composed of the utmost dullness of preparing for the ball. Her revulsion at the event was simply, as Sophie liked to call it, the opposition to the systematic domination and corruption of society. She grinned into her plush pillow.
“I’ll only keep it down if you come out!” came Hyu’s blunt response. “Even I didn’t take this long when I was a, as you must call it, a ‘prissy-boy’!”
“What makes you think you aren’t anymore?” Sophie heard Hyu grunt. “Okay fine, I’ll get up...” Usually, she was the one who got up first, but that night, she couldn’t help but replay her hug with Hyu over and over again in her head. Ugh. Why am I so pathetic. I don’t care. I’m hungry. Sophie yawned deeply as she pushed herself out of her bed. Black dots swam across her vision as she steadied herself. Stood up too fast, she groaned. When she groggily stumbled over to her wardrobe, the glint of the pearl caught her eye. Hmm... Maybe I’ll wear it on a necklace for the ball. I wouldn’t have to if only they’d let me sew pockets onto the top of my “crushing corset.” She slipped on her gown. She’d ended up choosing the emerald one since green was her favorite color.
“I’m tired of waiting. Can I come in?” Hyu asked from outside.
“Yeah, sure. I’m ready to go.” Sophie opened the door and immediately interrogated Hyu. “Where in the world did you guys go yesterday after the Queen called for me?”
As soon as Sophie opened the door, Hyu’s jaw dropped. She looked... breathtaking. He didn’t hear her question, so she repeated, annoyed.
Mer, wearing a sapphire dress for the festival, unusual for her usually tough look, replied, “I informed the Queen. We made arrangements for Hyu to sleep in my old chamber and for me to move in with another guard. Also, the Queen personally invited Hyu to the ball. Just in case you didn’t know.”
“I’m more surprised at the fact that you got them to hem pockets into your dress! How did you convince them?” At the back of the guard’s dress, two large pockets, each containing a sheathed dagger, were roughly sewn onto the fabric.
A sheepish smile escaped Mer’s lips. “Ah, they don’t know.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “Well, where did you go last night?”
“We were ushered in to prepare for the ball as well. Finally, something I can relate to. I miss my old home, you know, all that lavish palace stuff.” Hyu scoffed. “It was about time someone did stuff for me.”
Sophie slyly whispered to Mer, “Well, he’ll certainly be quite an addition to the party. Maybe he’ll meet another with the same inflated ego, with all those princes and such. I thought he’d been a bit toned down in the attitude lately, but I guess I was wrong.”
Mer snorted as she replied, “You ‘guess’?”
Turning to Sophie, Hyu held out a small silver box. “Here.”
To her surprise, the box contained a bracelet. But it wasn’t a silver or a gold one. The slim wooden beads were painted black and clattered whenever the bracelet moved. “Hyu, this is beautiful. Where’d you get it?”
“The market. They actually had silver pieces there, but I thought that you’d like something like this instead.” He shot her a smile.
Sophie grinned back and showed the bracelet to her instructor. Mer averted her eyes and sharply turned her head away, as if to avoid looking at the her. Then, she quickly murmured an excuse to leave and scurried down another passageway.
Oblivious to Mer’s sudden disappearance, Hyu ushered Sophie to the table. His arm thread through Sophie’s, but when he stepped forward to lead Sophie to her seat, a jolt of pain shot through his body, paralyzing his legs.
Sophie noticed that Hyu had abruptly stopped walking and had jumped back from her.
“What’s the matter? I can’t bite, you know.”
His legs almost crumpled, but he gripped Sophie’s arm, regretting how he was hurting her. But the only thing he could focus on was how his bones felt like they were shaking in their sockets, and how his head buzzed as if it was shocked with electricity. He saw his hand rise and form a fist that edged closer to Sophie’s head. A shocking impulse to fight Sophie flew through his brain. His blood boiled and anger pulsed through him.
“Nothing,” Hyu snapped, sitting on his hands at his seat.
She shrugged. To her surprise, Mer had returned, but Sophie had to slide to the seat next to the Queen, which was separate from Mer’s seat. A pang of disappointment hit her as she realized that Mer was still not looking at her.
Have I done something wrong? Did I accidentally offend her? Sophie wondered to herself as she gawked at the sight of Mer merely prodding some blueberry crumpets with her fork.
They had just started sipping their garlic chicken broths when an alarmingly loud clang issued from a corner of the table. Hyu had abruptly dropped his spoon and was now grasping his head in pain.
“Hyu!” Sophie rushed over to her friend, who was now gasping for breath and sweating profusely. She wasn’t sure, but when she glanced to Mer for help, Mer looked strangely guilty; her hands were curled into fists and her eyes seemed to be glued to her plate.
“I...” Mer stuttered, her arms locked at her sides, an unusual stance for an alarmingly swift guard.
“Please!” Sophie’s voice was so cracked out of desperation that she didn’t even recognize her voice.
Before the panicked girl could run to Mer’s chair to drag her over to Hyu, Mer shattered her glassy appearance. After grabbing a glass of water from the table, she tilted it to pour the cold liquid down Hyu’s throat, but since Hyu began to gag and cough profusely, it took several tries before the cup was empty. Most of the water had splashed onto her face, giving her bronze skin a slightly feverish glow. I should’ve known better. She gritted her teeth. It’s been several days since he ran away from Mae. This must be the effect of the binding spell. She examined his clammy skin, trying to avoid looking at his almost dead appearance. He’s lucky to have survived this long even with the medicine.
Hyu’s coughing started to produce blood, and his breathing came spasmodically.
“Everyone stand back! This is no place for little children, so please rush them away!” Mer shouted to the nobles at the table, who were frozen in shock, their children crying, panicked from the thick tension in the room.
When the area was clear, Mer lifted her hands and squeezed her palms together over her heart, muttering an incantation. Then, she carefully placed her right hand on Hyu’s heart to feel for the central string of power that connected Hyu to Mae. It was difficult concentrate, for the boy was writhing in pain. Painstakingly slow seconds ticked by. Mer felt as if she would never find the main string, but suddenly she felt a jolt in her hand. A power rushing slowly and steadily, like the blood in a body, was pulsing through Hyu’s heart, slowly enveloping it. Mer’s hand tensed. She could sense this connection was stronger than any other she had ever felt. Concentrated, she raised her left hand, still keeping her right hand over Hyu’s chest, and attempted to lower it to the stone floor, her palm facing downwards. Despite her efforts, her arm came down in difficult stretches because of the strength of the binding spell; it felt as if she was trying to press the palm of her hand through thick snow.
Finally, her wrist snapped downwards to the ground. The pulsing power was cut.
Hyu heaved a sigh. His eyes fluttered shut, and his purple complexion warmed up again as Mer fell back with relief and exhaustion. The guards who were called, as well as Sophie, were in a frantic state.
Sophie, haywired from the hectic scene, used all her leftover strength to ask, “Why... were you avoiding me? And what did you do... to Hyu?”
To her relief, Mer smiled at her and mimicked cutting a string, which, of course, Sophie didn’t comprehend.
“What?”
“I cut some of his bonds with Mae. Granted, the final bond is still on Hyu, but if he had kept all of his bonds, he would’ve felt that something was pushing him to fight us. Hyu’s medicine against the binding spell is starting to lose its potency, for he still is the enemy’s property. Well, not the enemy enemy, as in the monster in your dreams kind of enemy, but the enemy that is trying to defeat the monster first kind of... enemy.”
“...”
“Now, if you don’t mind,” Mer staggered to her feet, groggily lifted Hyu up, and meandered back to her chambers.
Sophie groaned, but dragged herself after them, relieved that she could see her friend’s crumpet-filled smile again.

The hazy sunlight filtered through the chilled windowpanes. Pihn squatted on the cold floor, trying to meditate, but he couldn’t focus on much else but stretching his cloak around himself more tightly. Mae sat in his dented desk, pouring himself tea while reading an ancient scripture. Every few years, the database needed to be updated, so he was currently tearing out obsolete spells. Pihn heard him repeatedly whispering one spell, but could only hear blips of what the spell was.
“Pihn! Did you feel that?” Mae barked, swiveling around in his wooden chair.
Pihn cautiously stepped over to Mae’s side. “Feel what, my friend?”
A silence wove through the air. Mae slowly asked, “How many days has it been since Hyu’s disappearance?”
“Three days.” Pihn raised his eyes to meet his friend’s distant gaze, wondering if his secret necromancy was something that only he, Hyu, and Sophie now knew about.
“I see... Something or someone has been helping Hyu, wherever that boy is. My power and control over him has been cut short.” Suddenly the rhythmic sound of the paper ripping out of the old scroll became furious.
Pihn raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t think it was possible. I’ve read your binding spells and the ones in the library. A double layer of enchantments seems especially difficult to break. Do you want me to send mages to find Hyu?” To warn him, he added in his mind.
“No, no. I will go myself to find the blocker of my spell. It is about time I stopped fearing the worst.” Mae avoided meeting Pihn’s eyes as he packed his sack with a few vials.
“I’m sorry sir, ‘the worst’?”
“He will not want to come back, and after all that you’ve said about me being too harsh, it is quite possible that he will run away from me over and over again until he finally escapes.”
“Sir, he won’t-”
“Of course he will, you buffoon, and you know it! It is alright, though. He cannot last for long. No, no. I know the effects of the binding spell. Sometime this week, he’ll shiver and simultaneously feel like he is burning under his skin. That poor boy won’t be able to escape his own body. The pain stay unceasing unless he returns.” Mae placed a glass over the candle and waited for the candle to quiver and finally extinguish. “That pathetic human better grovel on his knees for me to take him back and give him the antidote. Nonetheless,” Mae said as he slid on his cloak and pushed open the iron gates, “I will go. Instruct the mages to continue their training, and also that I will be back soon. Pihn, you are now in charge of the mages. Evidently, you, as an apprentice, do not know how to perform all the other duties.” He spoke in such a nonchalant tone that Pihn wasn’t sure whether or not he should feel insulted. With that final note, Mae spun on his heel and ventured out.
The bitter morning chill came unexpectedly, for it had been a while since Mae had stepped out of his castle.
He quickly got to work. Traces of magic where Hyu had stepped were still visible; Mae just had to track down enough of it to bring him directly to Hyu’s location. He swabbed some delicate spider webs into the vial and collected shriveled leaves. Just in case my plan doesn’t work. He bit his chapped lip and then placed his hand on a particularly large tree. The steady energy of the tree pulsed with its life and the lives of everything living in it, from the squirrels that leaped onto its branches to the aphids that crawled on its leaves. After imagining a vortex in his mind, he clenched his fist, sucking all the life energy from the tree and directing it into the vial. The aphids stopped moving and the squirrel’s tail switched slower and slower until its heartbeat finally stopped. The tree heaved a sigh as some of its branches fell into the snow.
Mae wrapped his fingers around the mouth of the vial and simultaneously pricked his finger along a branch to squeeze some of his blood into the vial. Grunting, he bent to the ground and pressed his pointer finger into the soil to transmit another magic force field. He sensed a trace of magic emitting from his castle and leading to the east, where the forest ended to give room for a bustling town. Let’s see how far Hyu has gone. Mae rose from his crouch and embarked on his journey to gain back his apprentice and his dignity.
**
There were many advantages to inheriting a familial library, one of which was that Mae could always depend on there to be a copy of an ancient text of spells and potions - those that were hushed over the centuries because of their cruel effects.
The town of Inporburgh seemed awfully familiar. He had passed by many times, his hand in his mother’s, walking along until they found the right booth to buy ingredients for their next potion.
Mer was never allowed to come.
As he heard the same hum of people murmuring to each other joined by the chimes of other’s laughter, it felt like he was back in time, engrossed in people-watching with his curious eyes, wondering why they didn’t have magic, wondering why they needed to buy things. Why they existed at all.
Non-magic people are so boring, he thought as he passed a few merchants in the town, hollering that their prices were drop-dead bargains. Annoyed by the vender who flung a trout across the street into a bloodied stack of iced fish, he muttered, “The only prices that people would really enjoy is zero dollars.”
His legs felt sore from the walk. Granted, it was only a few miles from his castle to the nearby town, but for someone who constantly sat in his library or flew from place to place, walking proved to be a bit tiring - another reason why he despised interacting with mundane humans. He pulled the spell recipe from his back pocket once more and combed through the market for the exact ingredients. Conjuring foods was always a bit tricky, for the appearance may be identical to that of real food, but the taste and the smell could often be comparable to those of rotten fish.
“Radishes! Over ‘ere, now is the time!” called a burly man with a slight scottish accent. “You, sir in the long robes! Swelterin’ idin’ it? Care fo’ some radishes to cool yourself down?”
After pointing to himself to verify that the merchant was talking to him, Mae checked the list. Radishes. Not wanting to stay too long, he curtly ordered, “Three,” and as the garrulous man chatted about the many varieties of ways radishes could be used in salad dressings, Mae tapped his spindly fingers on the booth. The irascible necromancer snatched the bag of radishes up before the man could heartily add a “Here you go!”
He didn’t get far before another vender stopped him. Ignoring the man’s banters, he glanced down at his list. Eight more items. He sighed.
The streets of Inporburgh were busy this afternoon. Rosy-cheeked children and pink-nosed adults chased after each other in the winter chill. The school trimester had just ended, initiating the holiday vacation. Inporburgh, particularly, was famous for its bustling shops that lean against each other, barely leaving enough room to simply walk in the street. The insides of the shops were just as packed with merry children, teenagers, and adults alike. Twinkling glass souvenirs and jolting acrylic paintings plastered the walls. Books of all sizes lined the stairwells of the shops and stuffed the bookshelves which teetered over chatting customers and giggling children.
An elaborate shop to the left contained excited children clamoring to see the cages of creatures that lined the walls. A new special delivery of pets had arrived just yesterday at the store, and the cages of the new Ishnues were stacked in a triangular display, with ribbons gliding down the sides. The Ishnues’ snub noses, stubby legs, and colorful fur elicited cooing from the crowd. Jingles from the store bells rung frequently to welcome each new visitor.
To the right lay the most popular clothing store in all of Inporburgh, The Ruckus. Displayed out front was a hologram of a brunette sporting the newest trend: cascading sleeves. Little did the non-magic know that there was a section at the back of the store where a small curtain pressed against the dark blue walls. Walking past, Mae caught a glimpse of a stout man strolling behind the curtain. He remembered the first time he was brought to The Ruckus. Behind the curtain, you only had to whisper “The Magic of Mages,” which was indeed the other shop’s title, and then wait a few seconds before being transported to a larger section of the store that contained an assortment of robes for mages. The current trend was black v-necks and slightly unhemmed robes to give a wild, daring look. Wooly sweaters and knit hats woven with the colors of the castle flags, green and purple, were hung out front.
A couple of kids giggled as they chased their newly bought Ishnue through the streets. Street venders hollered as the children knocked into their stands.
Flashes of Mae’s own childhood laughter rang through his head. Snippets of a hooded figure. A push towards the door. A final wave goodbye.
He gripped his head, trying not to attract anyone’s attention.
But Mae could still remember the fear that had raced through his veins.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. You’ll be better off here.” Her saccharine voice dripped dangerously of syrup, and her smile seemed too bright, too fake.
“Mommy, I don’t want to go. Today’s my eighth birthday. This isn’t a very good present. I want chocolate cake. Can we get some? Please don’t make me go with that scary man,” Mae whined, covering his face behind his mom’s black robes.
“Ah, Helen,” the man in matching black robes, a large hood masking his face whispered. He stood slightly in the shadows of the dark shop, the only one that was open at the late hour. “The master is waiting. Recall that you agreed to this before the child was born. You remember your husband. You know what will happen if you do not bring the boy. The girl, as we first agreed upon, is just as fine.”
The woman’s fists clenched together, but then relaxed. “Go on, Mae.” She gritted her teeth. She’d done it before. Lie. But this time she was lying to herself. Lying was easy, right? “Follow the man. I’m sure Mer would have obeyed. Now, go!” Mae was shoved forward, forcing him to stumble into the shop. The man’s iron hand gripped his shoulder as he leading the shivering boy into the misty depths.
Mae looked back at his mom, who was suddenly teary-eyed. “Mom?”
She silently shook her head and smiled.
“Mom?” He asked again. The stranger’s grip tightened as he yanked Mae out of his mother’s sight. “Mom!” He yelled, his throat tightening. “Mommy, come back!”
“Shut up, brat,” the stranger spat. “You will stay silent until the master comes. Afterwards, you can go back to your ‘mommy.’”
A dreadful silence fell upon them as they stood in the darkness, waiting.
**
The water vapor from his breath danced in front of Mae’s face, and a cold sweat dripped from his brow as he climbed through the forest, snow drifting to his feet. As he brushed the patches of snow off his sack and shoes, he was starting to regret his decision to leave the warmth of the castle. His fingers and ears were brightly aglow and chafed from his futile attempts to battle the icy air.
The restless wind rustled the snow once again, forcing fallen leaves to glide to Mae’s feet. He already gathered some more exotic ingredients in his sack and had painstakingly mixed them in his vial. With the vial in his hand, he picked the reddest leaves and thinnest twigs, the final ingredients for his potion. He grabbed a stick from the ground and mixed, gaining a bit of satisfaction from breaking the branches and tearing apart the leaves.
Swiftly, he knelt and tipped out the mixture in a wide circle. He pressed two fingers to the ground, sending out a sensing signal.
Mae’s arm jolted back, for something was disrupting the natural power of the forest with a powerful force, one that shook his arm back and forth as if his arm were a string on a harp. The wave of energy was so vigorous that he wasn't even sure that he would be able to defeat the source if he encountered it. The mage closed his eyes and blocked out the sounds of the forest, drawing a circle in the moist dirt with a lichen-covered branch. He muttered a spell, sending out an even stronger sensing signal. Since he had already suffered in the frosty air for ten miles, he was determined to find his apprentice.
Just as powerfully, the capricious force swung his power back at him.
What is happening? I've never encountered this kind of magic before, except when-
Mae's jaw tightened as he brushed his cloak off and grasped his sack again, heading off to where the glow of the force came from. Footprints led north from the land where the forest and the town met. The castle.

“The ball will start soon! But for now, come for a delicious dinner!” called the palace servants. The schedule issued for a luxurious dinner, which explained the heavenly scents which wafted from the kitchens since morning. Sophie longed to take a bite, for she knew that for special occasions, the chefs truly went all out.
She wasn’t disappointed.
The long table was lined with shining pot roasts, tarts that blushed crimson, and Mer’s favorite blueberry crumpets. Luckily, Sophie thought to herself, those nobles won’t eat much. They care too much about their appearance. But I - she bit into a crab apple strudel with the maximum amount of noise possible as ladies beside her gawked at her - get to eat anything I want.
After she wiped off her bread-filled smile, she joined the ball, which had promptly commenced. Attending guests flooded through the gateways, followed by their chauffeurs. Sophie trailed behind them into the room.
Immediately, she felt a grandeur that she had only imagined in movies. She had never seen this room before. It was lavishly decorated with carved ivory walls and soft paper lanterns hanging from invisible threads on the ceiling. To contrast the softness, a magnificently bright chandelier hovered overhead. Four massive windows lay on the walls, and through them, Sophie could spot even more guests being dropped off from their carriages. In the center, a brilliant waterfall cascaded noisily into the marble basin, surrounded by the most breathtakingly colorful petunias the girl had ever seen.
Her amazement was cut short when a man brusquely pushed by her without so much as a “Sorry.” As she ignored the rude man and turned to face the crowd, she noticed that almost every lady wore expensive, glittery jewelry, flashy dresses, and obstreperous shoes. A massive glitter glue company must’ve dumped their supplies on some fabrics and sold them. The men were a bit less "dazzling," but each one had his hair smoothed back with a bucket of gel, cologne sprayed on every inch of their body, and shoes polished until they could be constituted as built-in flashlights.
“Excuse me, mademoiselle. I have heard that I am to marry a dazzling girl, and I was immediately drawn to you. You must be Sophie, no?”
A man who looked about the same age as Sophie bowed as she turned. He smiled with his satin eyes and brushed off his deep blue tuxedo. In a deep, rich tone, he introduced himself. “I am Prince Marquet Pompadour. As you might have heard, my family is the richest in Northern Geniome. From Tia, your friend, I have gathered some stunning bits of information about you. She seemed quite taken by my presence, and really, who can blame her, but I refused to speak to her anymore. You see, I wanted to save myself for you.”
Is this guy serious? At this point, all Sophie could concentrate on what how dreadfully ridiculous his accent was, like a strange, convoluted mixture of British, French, and Spanish. All around her, noble couples were dancing, lightly touching their palms together as if in a sacred prayer. She guessed that “Pompous Pompadour” over here wanted to copy them, to feel mature she supposed, for he asked, “Say, would you like a dance, mi’lady?” Already, he had taken her hand with one hand and was fixing his hair with his other hand.
I wonder how many times a day he tousles his hair. Before she could stop herself, she quietly snorted, but he was too preoccupied with touching up his mustache to notice. Reluctantly, she followed him onto the already full dance area. This guy is so pathetic. Should I still spare his feelings?
She sharply yanked her hand from his grasp, trying to pass as apologetic. “Oh, I’m so sorry, whatever your name is, but I’ve no interest in gaining a husband.”
Being blunt with him is probably better for his health.
She forced a smile and walked away, leaving him filled with bewilderment. “Not used to being rejected, eh?” she whispered to herself as she strolled onto the hall, “Don’t worry, I’m sure you can find some way to date yourself.” Sophie rolled her eyes - their latest newfound exercise - and faced away from the scene to find Hyu, who was standing just behind her. His hair was unusually tame tonight, and his suit had been ironed until it shone crisp and clean. A pleasant smile spread across his face as he looked at her. He held out his arm. Sophie awkwardly slapped him a high-five and scurried away, flustered and head down, so that no one could see the massive blush her face now held.
Why did he have to be so nice to me and make me ... like this! I hate being so embarrassed without proper reason to be!
Still contemplating how to calm her beet red face, she ran into Mer, who had switched from her ball gown to her usual metal armor. Her mouth tore into a frown, and her movements were tense.
"What's wrong?" Sophie asked.
"My brother. He’s coming," replied Mer, clenching her fists, "I can sense him approaching fast. I know him. He will stop at nothing to regain Hyu. I guess I, too, will have to use everything I know to protect Hyu.”
Sophie gasped at the news. "When is he coming? Where is he right now? Will he be a danger to the guests?"
"I will not guarantee that everyone will be safe, but I do know that he is coming at a very rapid pace. Currently, he is using a flying spell interlocked with an air spell. If he keeps at his pace, it is only a matter of minutes before he arrives at the castle. We must lock the grounds." To a group of nearby officers, she barked, "Quickly, tell the Queen that urgent matters require that the gates be closed. Tell anyone who is still arriving that we must protect our grounds from an outside force, so usher them in as quickly as possible. Now go!"
Sophie noted that Mer had adopted the same unrelenting look she always wore during tense moments in their battle practices. But nothing could match up to the purely bone-chilling glare that she held right now as she instructed each guard.
"Wait, Mer! Hyu and I can help you fight against him. We have to stay by your side. You can't fight him alone! He might be too strong. You said so yourself that he is one of the most powerful mages!"
Mer started to shake her head, but Sophie persisted. "You have to let us help! I can't just stand here and watch my best friend possibly get hurt for us!"
Softly, Mer repeated, "Best friend?" She chuckled and looked away. "Sophie, I thought you'd have figured this out by now."
"Wha... What do you mean?” she stuttered.
The weary mage sighed. "This world, a world with spells, magic, things that in your old world, people would have thought were crazy; this place is the real world. This isn't your alternate universe, Sophie."
Thoughts swam through Sophie’s mind. This can’t be the real world. Mer is delusional.
… But what if it is the real world? What does that say? She immediately felt sickened, finally realizing why people in the 16th century didn’t believe that the solar system was heliocentric. Her mind could not accept that everything that not only she had known, but everything everyone had been living through was all fake. I don’t want to think about it. “Well... What does that have to do with us helping you?"
Mer broke out of her calm composure. “Don’t you see?” she cried. “You don’t have to help me, and I am not capable of being your best friend. In my world, there is no friendship, no love, nothing! My world is a cruel place, a place where no one wants to be!” Tears stung at Mer’s eyes.
“What do you mean?” Sophie couldn’t understand how a place as great as here would be considered cruel.
“You’ve gotten to be in a different world. You’ve gotten to know happiness. What have I received? Hatred, right from the beginning of my life!” She paused to take a few shaky breaths. “My brother and my mother both despise me. My father disappeared when we were young. What is left if I have no family? Best friends aren’t heard of here. I don’t understand why you would ever want to leave your world and try to penetrate mine!”
“No!” Sophie shouted. “No, it’s not true! After all you’ve gone through...” She paused, a hatred for the fight bubbling in her chest. But her chest was already occupied with her old feelings. “Have you considered what I have been through? Who here would care for me right now? My father isn’t even here now. My siblings? None. My mother? A …. a tyrant who just wants me to be smart to make her look good in front of the other mothers. Who had love for me there? No one! You aren’t the only one going through this, Mer. Gosh, I just wished you could’ve told me this sooner, I feel the same way, I mean, I-”
Right then, pieces of cement and marble - no one could differentiate between the two anymore - flew up around them.
The ground exploded.
Bits of glass in the massive windows shattered, causing deadly shards to rain upon the shrieking guests. In the dining hall, the nobles took each others’ hands and raced every which direction in a nonsensical way to try to escape.
Mer instinctively flew to protect the others in the room. She grabbed Sophie and flung her to the opposite hallway, away from the shards. Then the guard grabbed a nearby piece of cement and held it over her head to protect herself from glass shards as she ushered a few panicked duchesses into a basement.
“Run, Sophie! Get out of here! This is my duel!” Mer hollered over the commotion, trying to keep her balance as the ground shook with fury.
“No! I won’t let you fight alone!” Sophie stood her ground, or at least, tried to with the floor quickly transforming into a sea of overturned marble and bricks.
The guard didn’t hear Sophie’s response as a dark figure crashed through the roof, ceasing the earthquake, but sending dangerous blocks of cement down towards Mer. Mae stepped out of the dust and swiveled around to meet Mer, face to face.
Mer couldn’t stand it. She had to get Sophie out of the way, no matter what. “Sophie! Your mother was right! You aren’t strong enough to help, so go back to Hyu. ” She almost choked as she pushed those painful words out of her mouth. “Please!”
The room was collapsing like dominoes around their shoulders, yet Sophie still didn’t budge. Mer could tell that she tore something at Sophie’s heart, but for some strange reason, Sophie, already half-bloodied by the rocks scratching her skin, was still standing stone-faced next to her.
To her relief, out of the corner of her eye, Mer glimpsed Sophie’s dress swishing in the opposite direction, towards the main hall where the guests were situated.


Quickly, she tucked away her guilt and focused all her attention on her brother, who was now muttering under his breath, unsurprised to see Mer.
“I thought I had finally erased you from existence. I guess I was wrong. Oh well. More fun for me.” He shrugged as he twirled his staff. “What’s the matter?” asked Mae, grinning devilishly, circling Mer, who was now grasping her sword. “Afraid your little friend there was going to become close? Just like you were afraid all those years back of the friendship between your mother and me?” He continued, even though Mer was visibly shaking out of fury and fear. “Huh. Pa-the-tic.” The brother spat out each syllable. “I don’t need something as pesky as love. I knew you were weak, but being afraid of love? Even after all these years? You thought you were going to be at least someone worth my time after twenty years, but I guess I was wrong.” He chuckled as he drew closer and whispered, “Our mother was right. I am better than-”
Mer spun with such ferocity that it caught Mae off guard. A shimmering, white ball spun wildly between Mer’s two sweating palms, streaks of lightening bouncing off it as it pulsed larger and brighter until it became the size and color of a snowy owl.
“Face it, Mae. Even though you were a … better,” she spat out the word, “mage than I was, doesn’t change the fact that you are an awful, immoral person.”
Mae laughed. “Is that the best you’ve got? ‘You’re an awful person!’” He imitated her facial expression and sneered and chuckled, even though no one else’s laughter followed.
“You know that spurite our mother always wore? You wanted it, didn’t you? I saw your eyes darting towards it, and how you played with it constantly. Am I mistaking this for your affection for jewelry pieces?” She found an inner cruelty that she found surprisingly pleasing. “It’s gone.”
With just those two words, Mae’s expression faltered, but someone who knew him well, like Mer, could tell.
She smirked. “Come, brother.” Somehow her voice that she had suppressed for so long wanted, not just to talk, but to attack.
A venomous air hung in the room. A few people darted through the halls, gawking at the twin brother and sister.
Mae’s eyes widened for a second, but then went back to their original, confident state. “Go ahead,” he taunted, opening his arms out wide, “Strike me.”
Furious, the guard flung the sphere of energy at her brother’s chest, propelling both of them backwards with the amount of force the spell held. Dust swirled around them, but when it settled, Mer was bewildered to see Mae still standing, holding the sphere.
“You know, if you are going to throw geishae at me, you might want to consider that I taught you that spell. Dummy. I know how to reflect it.” Grinning psychotically, Mae pounded his fist holding the sphere into the ground, sending an avalanche towards his sister. She flew off her feet and fell unconscious onto a pile of cement. “What’s wrong, sister? Afraid of my prowess?” He laughed maniacally, and then sent another earthquake toward her. An endless chain of his spells lit up her skin, destroying her inside and out, churning her blood and heating her skin until it reached a feverish red glow.
“Stop, Mae!”
Mae swirled around to meet Sophie, who had unsheathed Juniot, which was humming in her hand, for it was unable to control its excitement. She had run to call Hyu, who now stood beside her, his hands folded in a spell position behind his back. Surprise was on his side.
His former master worked his grimace into a tight smile. “Hyu! My apprentice, I see you’ve come to your senses. Come, we have work to do.”
“I’m not going anywhere, you monster! You...” Hyu suddenly caught sight of Mer, groaning in pain, twitching every time wind gust by. “What did you do to her?”
“Mer!” Despite Juniot’s protests, Sophie threw the sword onto and rushed to her guard’s side. She wasn’t responding. “Mer! Mer, please...” Sophie wept. Her heart felt like there was a boulder sitting on it. “No, no, no.” She fumbled to clean her coach’s bloodied head and bandage her hands. The girl fell into hysteria. “Mer, Mer, come on. You’re just faking. Wake up and tell me you’re still alive. You’re definitely alive... Please.” Now she wasn’t sure if she was talking to Mer or to herself. “Don’t leave me, Mer!” She choked up, not realizing how tightly she was gripping Mer’s wrists. You can’t die, Sophie pleaded, I need you. We need you. Not now, Mer, not ever.

Mer’s eyes stirred. Slowly, painfully, she opened her blood-red eyes, irritated by the dust. “Sophie... You’re not my best friend... because I have none,” Mer gasped, her voice rough and scratched. A whisper barely escaped her lips. “But you are my family. Because you’ve built one.”

The girl wiped tears from both of their faces, accidentally adding a layer of dirt to their cheeks as she watched Mer in horror. Her former guard attempted a smile, but winced and lay still, her eyes still open, but now staring into heaven.
Meanwhile, Hyu narrowed his eyes and kept his guard, watching Mae serenely float over to him.
“I only did what I will do to you if you don’t come with me.” Mae stated, raising his staff. “Not giving in, eh? You know, you must be proud. Not everyone can withstand my binding spells for more than a day or two.”
From the other corner of the room, Hyu heard Sophie’s wavering voice.
“She’s dead,” she whispered.
At those two mere words, Sophie’s shoulders sagged. She broke off a part of her gown and wiped the grime off of Mer’s face. Sophie’s shoulders shook as she turned her head away, her arms still clutching Mer’s wrists as if they were anchors that would somehow keep her friend’s spirit and life from floating away.
Hyu whipped his hands into sight. “You monster!” he cried, charging at Mae. Without hesitation, he grabbed Juniot from the floor and shot it deep through Mae’s chest. Even though he had watched movies in which people were stabbed through, he had never anticipated how wrong it felt to be moving his sword through another person. The thickness of Mae’s body caught him off guard.
Shockingly, Mae slowly lifted his right arm and pointed the palm of his hand towards Hyu, softly muttering as the sword sunk deeper and deeper into his stomach. But he never once stopped reciting the spell that he had practiced many nights at the castle.
Hyu couldn’t let himself get distracted by Mae’s spell, so he took a deep breath and held out his hands in his signature spell position.
“INTERFICLIO!”
His hands shook as he held them out. Mae staggered back, and fell, right next to the spot where his sister had, seconds before.
“Hyu!” Sophie gasped, wide-eyed. “Was that a death spell? Where did you learn to do that?”
Hyu walked over to Mae, examining his former instructor’s body to see if he really was dead. After he was satisfied that his job was done, he whispered. “Mae’s castle has endless amounts of information in the library, so I took a trip there. I found a book lying around with a torture spell on it. He must’ve been planning on using it all along when he found me. On the next page, there was a death spell.” He sat, his legs and arms shivering, but not because of the wintry air blowing through the shattered windows. The floor was now rough with crevices. Hyu tried to avoid it, but glanced over at Mer.
“Is she really gone?”
Sophie grimaced and nodded as she knelt and sat next to him. Hyu threw Juniot on the ground and slid it far away from them. The entire sword was still sickeningly slathered with Mae’s blood. It refused to talk. There was a certain stench that added to the moisture in the room, making the air thick and suffocating.
For a while, the two sat in silence, soaking in all that had happened, unwilling to believe anything.
Hyu placed his hands over his eyes and knelt. “This isn’t right. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t want this to happen.”
As she remembered what Mer had said to her, Sophie looked down. Finally, she broke the silence, her words cutting through the air. “Sometimes something happens and you feel that the worst has happened. But sometimes the worst is inevitable. But you can’t let joyous illusions guide you. You can’t fear the worst.” Mer’s words still rang in her ears. “I’m not your best friend!”
“You must head into it.”

It was strange to see so many people all wearing white that day. Usually all the nobles wanted to look as fashionably unique as possible, and, by all dressing in white, it seemed like they were uncomfortable and insincere. Sophie didn’t want anyone else who didn’t know Mer to come and pay their respects. They don’t have respects the way that Hyu and I do.

There seemed to be a misty haze that glazed over everything Sophie saw, but as she reached up to rub her eyes, she realized that the mist was just from her teary eyes. She was disgusted with herself. I don’t want to cry. It brings too much attention. It’s Mer who should be shining under the light. She’d protected all those people at the ball. Not for the first time since she had left her world, she felt like she was drowning in frustration. She had been angry before, she had been sad before, she had been lonely and frustrated before. Then, why did she feel so deserted this time?

Wandering the courtyard where the funeral was taking place calmed her down. As she watched the mourners carry flowers to the polished coffin which sat so serenely at the front, she couldn’t help wondering: do they know?

The Queen had set special arrangements to halt all activities in the castle. Sophie could see her, head down, in a line front of the coffin, waiting for her turn to stand next to the coffin to pay her respects. Currently, there was a woman who was dressed in the most sequined white funeral dress that Sophie had ever seen. The woman coughed and shifted uncomfortably in front of the coffin, but nevertheless, closed her eyes in the act of prayer.
Sophie narrowed her eyes, partly to keep tears from pouring out of her eyes, and partly because she was disappointed that the whole funeral suddenly seemed so structured and fake. She fell into a seat, not even glancing at the chair.
Do they know what it’s like to solely depend on someone and to have her taken away? Echoing her thoughts from when she was back at home, she couldn’t help but wonder, Do people feel in this world?

As if he could read her thoughts, Hyu, who was sitting beside her, held her hand. Sophie almost didn’t notice because his hand almost didn’t apply any pressure. It was as if he knew that she just wanted this moment to be for Mer and for Mer only.

This definitely isn’t the happiness world.
**
Sophie swarmed to her books that had just been plopped on the desk in her castle room a day before. Some of the edges of the pages had curled upwards because of the humidity. Nonetheless, the girl ravenously flipped the first book open and started to read.
Instead of feeling like she was holding the books, it felt as if she was buried under them. Seeing that she was alone in her room, she allowed her chest to heave, for wet drops to dot the pages to which she flipped.
I can’t let her down. If Mer had died for us, we have to defeat that monster, if not for the good of the people here, but for her. For Mer.
“Hyu!” Sophie briefly wiped her eyes and then ran her palm along two lines of the second book she had borrowed from the library, rereading it, just to make sure her tired eyes weren’t tricking her.
Hyu’s room was straight across from hers. Sophie felt a twinge of guilt for calling him in so early in the morning. She could tell he had been crying. His eyes and nose were slightly pink, and he had unknowingly brought a wad of tissues in his hand. He ran into the room. “Yeah?”
“I’ve been doing a bit of research,” Sophie started, “and I found this. Take a look.” She dog-eared the page and then pointed to a line.
“‘This monster may be destroyed, but at a price. The chosen ones must venture out to the east of Greyham forest and find the old, but well reputed, wizard Proliath. Before he helps anyone, he requires that he be given a present. Now, what that present is differs, so one must be prepared to give him anything, for he is known to be extremely picky, for some wizards have reported that he is quite picky. However, once the gift exchange is complete, he will grant you one wish. The chosen ones must wield that wish to defeat the monster. Proliath himself will not perform the deed for the chosen ones, but he will give the chosen ones tools for their difficult quest.’”
Hyu exchanged looks with Sophie, and all at once, they both knew what they were going to do.
After they had left, a castle servant knocked on the door. “Is the princess in there?”
There was no answer.
She shrugged and opened the door. A large pile of books teetered at the corner of the table, and one particularly dusty book had been flipped open. Pulling a face, the servant quickly dusted the books and closed the one on the table.
On the cover, etched in gold, was the letter M.
**
“You know,” squeaked the boy, currently drifting above the battlements and towers of the castle, “We could have just taken a horse.”
The two travelers flew, the wind breezing over their shirts and hair. Sophie squinted down upon the merchants and commoners who were gossiping about this week’s bizarre events. Many of them were making wild gestures, lifting their arms over their heads and opening their eyes wide.
Chuckling, she said, “Come on, Hyu, doesn’t it feel great to be able to fly?”
Hyu coughed with great difficulty, for flying always pushed unwanted amounts of air into his nose and mouth. “Technically, we’re not flying. Plus, I’ve seen better in my private jet.”
Spinning like a wheel on its axle and stretching her arms out wide, she mimicked the calls of a bird. “Flying versus an air spell, not much of a difference.” Laughing, she performed another loop. It’s nice to feel free from everything.
Their flight was slightly dampened by a flock of birds that had flown by them. Hyu felt something wet hit his back. He felt a soft, slimy substance and soon yelled, “Gross!”
Sophie turned back to see Hyu as he tried to shake specks of white bird poop off of his hand. “You know, you never really hear about people getting hit by bird poop when they’re flying.”
Soon, they were flying over a grassy area sprinkled with brownish-green topped trees. Hyu was exhausted. His eyes were dry and his weakening air spell left him dangling dangerously close to the pine trees’ branches. Even Sophie, who had suggested the flight, was beginning to lower in height.
“Look over there!” Sophie pointed to a clear, grassy area. “We can land there!”
Hyu eagerly nodded and lowered his hands to direct his drop in height.
Sophie wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw movement in the woods. She shrugged it off and chased after Hyu.
Once their tips of their feet touched the soft grassy ground, the rest of their bodies swiftly followed. Lying on the grass, they both closed their eyes and tried to catch their breaths. There was an eerie rustling in the woods. Because her eyes were closed, her other senses were keen, especially her hearing. There it goes again, whatever it is.
She shook Hyu's arm and whispered, "Do you hear that?" The rustling was growing louder with every second.
Too exhausted to notice anything at the moment, Hyu grunted and rolled onto his back as Sophie hurriedly started to form a protective bubble to encase them by drawing a circle in the soft dirt around them with a fallen branch.
She had her back turned towards the forest and was just about to form an incantation, but was interrupted by a wheezing from behind her.
“Who’s there?” She whipped around, the stick raised threateningly in her hand.
"Well, how do you do, young lady and lass? You looking for something or someone? I was just out on my daily stroll with Fipley, here," said an old man, gesturing to his overly excited labrador to his right. His beard was wispy and unruly, but his eyes were sharp and held a deep brown hue. Despite the hot weather, he wore a long, rainbow-colored robe that matched his bright pink sandals. His erratic fashion sense wasn't helped by his wild hand gestures he used as he spoke.
Stunned, Sophie opened her mouth and closed it several times, as if her lips were magnetically drawn to each other. Meanwhile, Hyu had just recovered from his temporary coma of fatigue, for he was now was staring offhandedly at the newcomer, inciting a bump of the elbow from Sophie.
“Fipley, is that girl holding your stick?”
"Who are you? Why were following us?" Sophie eyed him. He looks like a mis-mash of the clothing you’d find in a flea market. What if he’s a crazy murderer?
The man smiled. "Ah, why, I thought that was why you came here! To learn about the Carthopsian treasure, right? That is your quest?"
"Er... I think you have the wrong people... We're here to find tools to help defeat the monster Tinar."
"Oh, my apologies. I see. I was just visited by a monsieur and mademoiselle just like you two; they were on a quest to find an ancient scroll. You know how it gets when you get older, you forget things and sometimes forget things.”
Sophie was just about to point out that he’d just repeated himself but figured it would behoove her to be polite. She didn’t say anything, but still scowled and crossed her arms in an attempt to look intimidating. After all, what if his curious looks were just a facade?
“My name is Proliath, but you can just call me 'the man,' as kids these days do."
This man is Proliath? Sophie grimaced. "Um... I'd rather not."
"Hmmm... What about a medieval touch? How about the name 'Sir Prothalot'? No? Would you prefer something more modern, like 'Pro-man'?"
"Thanks, but I think I'll just stick to Proliath."
The man shrugged. "Suit yourself. If you seek my help, come. My cottage is quite a walk away from here. Take your friend, too." Then, to his excited dog, which was tugging on his leash and nudging his master, he chuckled, "Okay, Fipley, we're going!"
The trio weaved through the forest with surprising speed. Trees curved and bent around each other, looping and sometimes bending so low that Hyu felt that he could walk on the tree as if it were a bridge. Curiously, the bark felt smooth and rivers flowed over the trees that were bent almost to eye level. Hyu marveled at how much the rivers seemed like mini-waterfalls. One had to be careful not to accidentally lean against a tree that supported a river. It was a curious sight to see a fish swimming over a bent tree trunk, but Hyu had experienced more erratic sights in his time here.
Sophie glanced through the dense forest of pine trees. All throughout, there were blue patches of water holes. Not even full out ponds or lakes, but small holes that seemed to have been dug into the ground centuries ago. Oddly, she felt a strange sensation to simply run over to one and jump in, but she froze as she realized that a few corpses lay near the edges of the water holes, some of the corpses’ clothes still blowing in the wind, as if to whisper the person’s existence. I’m still here. I’m still here.

The old man certainly was surprisingly agile for his age, for he lumbered over rocks and stones with surprising speed.
Despite the strange outfit and “modern” attitude, Proliath’s jolly demeanor reminded Sophie of Mr. Putnam. She sighed. Mr. Putnam, I wish you could be here. Odysseus too, she added as Fipley’s tail swished against her leg.
“Are we there yet?” whined Hyu. “My feet are getting sore.”
Sophie rolled her eyes at him. “We’ve only been walking for ten minutes, prissy-boy.”
“Just over there is a waterfall where I fish. Even though the fish are quite friendly, I have to string up a lot of them for lunch and dinner. What was that old expression again? Ah, yes. The stomach won’t sigh until the frogs die!”
What kind of a saying is that? Hyu wondered.
Proliath pointed to the right at a foaming waterfall cascading into a murky pond. He was just about to tell them about a story a fish once told him, when a flame burst through a bush, incinerating the leaves and nearly scorching Hyu, who had been lagging behind.
“Ouch! What was that?” The boy patted his pants to put out the flames that were licking his clothes. He couldn’t help but wonder, is this man, who talks to fish in his free time, really supposed to help us defeat the Tinar? He waded into the stream only to find that tens of horseshoe crabs were scattered about the rocky bottom.
“Make sure you don’t go near that stream! The crabs can be a bit mean, even to me,” Proliath carelessly called as he strolled over to the bush. Sophie chuckled as she observed Hyu trying his best to pry a determined crab off his foot.
Proliath ambled over to the bush, which was now a pile of ashes, and peered at the ground. “Well, hello there Otria! You look brilliant today!”
Bewildered to why their guide was now conversing with a pile of dirt, Sophie walked over, followed by Hyu. On top of the crumbling pile of dark brown ashes sat a tiny lady dressed in baggy red clothes. Her brown hair stood on end and her eyes flickered. Most surprisingly, her back sprouted delicate wings, ones that looked like thin wax paper but also looked powerful enough to conjure scorching forest fires with just a single flick.
“Hello, Proliath.” The fairy waved a tiny hand. Her voice sounded musky. “Who are your friends here?” As she stood, Sophie noticed that she was just about as tall as her thumb.
“Oh, I’m Sophie! Nice to meet you, Otria!”
“Delighted to meet you, Otria. I am Hyu.”
Proliath stood straight again. “So sorry to leave so soon, Otria, but these are another group of busy heroes on a quest. See you at the Autumn Festival!”
Otria nodded and smiled slowly, looking directly at Sophie and Hyu. “Good-bye, friends.”
Finally, after listening to two tiring and long fish stories from Proliath, they reached the cottage. It was constructed of light brown wood that helped it blend in with its surroundings. Since a heat wave had struck the kingdom, the evaporation from a pond that lay directly next to the cottage made the air slightly misty. Frog-like creatures with slimey lime green wings croaked as the three entered the cottage.
The inside held a pleasing scent, almost like a tangy, fresh maple syrup. Hyu inhaled deeply to capture the scent and pictured his summer home. There was a mahogany wooden table in the center of the room on top of an obnoxiously pink carpet. Trinkets and baubles hung from woven strings from the ceiling. Proliath walked over to a cabinet that was hidden from Sophie’s and Hyu’s view and pulled out three delicately carved cups that said “Pink is my middle name!” on them.
Sophie thought she caught a glimpse of a dark and hirsute shape inside of the cabinet shifting. Glancing over at Proliath, she was shocked to see his face turning stony as he peered into the darkness of his cabinet.
Immediately, though, a hearty smile broke across his face again as he reached into the cabinet, pulling out a box of hot chocolate packets. From the pink color, Sophie could tell that it was strawberry milk.
“Oh, goodness, I had a shock there. I wouldn’t be able to live without this.” He tapped the box. “Ogra’s Flaming Hot Chocolate. I say, this old brain of mine,” he muttered as he stepped down from the stool.

After mixing them a special blend of hot chocolate, Proliath pulled up some chairs and sat the two down at the wooden table. Oddly, the cups were glass and had small, white marks on them, as if someone had written on them but tried to wipe the words off. Hyu sniffed the drink before his thirst got the better of him. After downing his drink, he laughed at Sophie, who had unknowingly gained a milky mustache.
As they savored their drinks, the two informed him of their quest, from the part where they came to a new world, to the death of both their trainers and the realization that Proliath could help them.
“Hmm...” The old wizard’s face creased in thought. “The book was right. I do require a present first. What do you have for me?”
Sophie and Hyu exchanged conflicted looks.
“Don’t you have to tell us what you want first?” Hyu asked.
Proliath chuckled, but the sound was wrong. The noise he made was just a sharp rumble in the back of his throat. “You can just show me anything you have that is valuable. Then, I’ll judge whether it passes my standards.”
“Alright.” Sophie scrounged her pockets. She took out her watch. “Will this do?”
Proliath leaned in to examine the watch, a smile plastered on his face. After ten seconds, he turned his head away and stated, “No, doesn’t pass standard number six. Next.”
Hyu was next to be rejected. He had pulled out the only thing he had in his pocket: a paper clip. After a few minutes of contemplation, Proliath proclaimed, “Interesting, but not it.”
Each time they thought he was impressed with a present, he would reject it. But Hyu remembered something quite useless to him that lay in his pocket. “I’m not sure if this is anything special, but will this do?” he asked, pulling out a milky and smooth pearl.


“Ah, now this is more like it.” Proliath cautiously took the pearl from Hyu’s hand and held it up to the light, leaving a bit of darkness to spot his face. “Such good condition. So many uses. This is more than I had ever expected.”


“Well, if it’s over-the-top, then... you could give it back.” Sophie said hopefully, shifting from foot to foot, afraid that they would need the spurite for something more important later. Hyu glanced over at Sophie quizzically.
The two had never spoken about the pearl before. Is it a crime that I didn’t tell him about the spurite before? But I just wanted the spurite to be something between Mer and me. She coughed as she jostled his leg under the table.


“No, no. This will do.” The wizard hastily stashed it in his robe pocket. “Now, for your quest. Let me see.” As Proliath staggered to his feet, he pressed his hands onto his knobby knees. Strolling over to the cabinet door, he stood and contemplated for a second. “I keep everything in here. I can’t trust myself to remember the different places that I may put different things.”


A magic spear? thought Sophie. Maybe an ancient scroll that hasn’t been used for over a millenium!


Will he give us a magic ship that will bring us to the monster at our command? Hyu thought. What’s taking him so long?


Finally, the wizard’s overly delighted remark came. “Ah! Here it is! It’s quite a bit grumpy today, I’m afraid. Fipley, heel! Otherwise, no macaw heart for lunch today!” Fipley, who had been jumping over the new item that Proliath was producing, scrambled to please his master, but instead knocked over piles of books surrounding them as he eagerly sat his brown and white spotted rump onto the smooth floor.
Proliath gruffly hoisted a small, black cat out of the dark cabinet. It immediately started to groom its sleek figure. As it licked the back of its paw, it glanced at Hyu and Sophie. A giddy Fipley barked and hungrily gazed at the cat, making the feline squirm.


“A cat?” Hyu exclaimed, unable to believe that they had traveled all this way for a measly house pet. “That’s what is going to help us defeat, I’m assuming, a ten foot creature with razor teeth? We traveled all the way from Rotham to your cottage, rainbow-man. What can a cat do that could help us?”


I beg your pardon, you weakling, but I am plenty powerful, despite my looks.


“Oh yeah?” Hyu snapped. Then, he realized that the cat had just sent him a message inside his head. Terribly confused, he turned to Sophie and pointed to the creature, which was now grinning wickedly. “Did you … just hear the cat talk?”


“What? You’re imagining things. Maybe it’s the heat.”


Hyu turned back to the cat, licking the fur on his back with a devilish glint in his yellow eyes. “What are you?” He tried to lift the cat from the table, which elicited a scowl and a swipe.
The cat yowled and then spoke aloud this time, his voice sounding almost as scratched and hoarse as the fire fairy’s voice. “My predecessors call me Mosthram. Remember my name, for I shall not say it twice.”
“Well, Mosthram, better tone down that attitude of yours. Fipley, here, is waiting for lunch.” Hyu held one hand to his hip and the other out to pet the dog, who was sitting in a puddle of sticky drool that slathered his paws.
“How dare-” the cat sputtered, raising its claws.
Proliath quickly interrupted. “Mosthram, here are Hyu and Sophie. They need your help in order to defeat the Tinar. This is one of the most important missions we have ever tackled in a century, so no matter what, do not leave them.”
Was it just me, or did Mosthram just give Proliath a look at the last few words?
“I won’t if that boy,” spat the cat, pointing his sharp clawed paw at Hyu, “stops criticizing his only hope for victory.”
Sophie coughed. “Er, hi Mosthram. I know you don’t have to do this with us, so thank you for being our guide to defeating this monster.” She held out her hand instinctively to shake hands with the cat, then realized that cats had sharp claws, in place of hands. Blushing from embarrassment, she corrected her mistake by bringing her hand up with a flourish and bowing deeply, her head sinking below the table on which the cat perched.
A smug look crept onto the cat’s face. “Ah, now this girl, Sophie, was it? She knows how to respect those who are important. Proliath, these are fine workers, but we might need to fix up Hyu here.”
“I’d like to fix up that cat alright - as a meal for Fipley,” Hyu murmured under his breath.
Proliath ushered them to the front porch. “Alright, you three, get started on your lessons and preparations. I’ll be waiting for the defeat of the great evil. Good-bye!” And with a final overly-cheerful wave of his hand, he curtly shut the door, his rainbow outfit and flamboyant hat still burned into Sophie’s and Hyu’s minds.
As he watched the door closed, Mosthram shook its head. “I don’t know how he lives like that.” His thought-absorbed expression quickly changed. “Now, you two, gather front!” the feline commanded, although it was difficult to look fierce when it was only a foot tall.
“Hyu, your left shoulder is slightly tilted at an 100 degree angle. Fix it. Sophie, you’re fine, just tilt - ah, yes, that’s better. Now, listen. You’ve seen the monster through your dreams, right Sophie? So, we need to find a way to -” The cat paused, for Hyu was holding up his hand mockingly, as if they were in a classroom.
“Yes, Hyu? What is it?”
“We still don’t know why you are teaching us. How can you talk? Why are you a cat?”
“Why, isn’t it obvious? I’m talented.” Then, regretfully, Mosthram added, “Unfortunately, it is also true that all animals talk, for they do have souls and, it might be hard to believe, but they do have brains. Why not talk? I am a cat for the same reason that you are human.”
Now it was Sophie’s turn to feel surprised. “If that’s true, then how come I’ve never heard other animals talk?”
“Most animals only talk on their birthdays. It’s a special occasion for them, but other animal companions sometimes make fun of them for it. They would never speak in front of a human. They’re too shy to. Once or twice, a dog, foolish creatures, has done it, but their voices sound so foreign to the human that the human becomes anxious and overwhelmed. So really, animals have spared you humans from insanity.”
“So it’s your birthday today? Then you can only communicate with us once a year! How are you going to teach us everything?” Hyu sounded incredulous.
“Did I say we only spoke on our birthdays? We also can communicate with our minds. Telepathy. Am I right, Hyu?” He grinned at his apprentice, showing all his teeth and curtly flicking his tail. “Anyway, I am considered more special than most animals. And since there aren’t many humans around these parts, I’m free to speak as I please.”
“Please,” Hyu huffed, “if it makes you comfortable to keep quiet, knock yourself out.”

“Hey Mosthram,” Sophie inquired, ignoring the cat’s scowl, “I was wondering, how much do you know about this pearl?” She held up the spurite, which glinted in the sunlight.

Mosthram’s eyes widened, but Sophie couldn’t tell whether its expression was from greed or fascination. “Oh, oh yes, my dear. Where did you ever find something like that?”

“First, answer my question. There’s so much hype around just this one object.” She toyed with Mosthram’s awe as she pretended to crush the pearl by curling her fingers. The cat gasped, but she chuckled, for she opened up her palm again. “I know that it’s for necromancers, but why do we need it specifically for our quest?” She remembered Mer’s warnings, but why was there such a hype around it? So far, it hadn’t helped them on the quest.
“You can’t possibly know how valuable that spurite is!” The cat’s pupils dilated, and the coarse fur on his back and legs stood erect. “Give it to me!” he hissed, with surprising venom. Sophie screamed as Mosthram’s claws flicked outwards, the blood red tips elongating with each second.
“Sophie!” Hyu quickly cast a glowing white shield that was slowly encasing his body and the some of the ground around him. “Get over here before Mosthram attacks us!”
Despite Hyu’s calls, Sophie couldn’t move. Her legs were locked. The only thing she could hear was the dreadful greed in Mosthram’s rough voice that grew increasingly incomprehensible as the crazed animal half-purred and half-hissed.
Mosthram was in mid-leap when he choked and started to cough severely, pawing at his throat with his withdrawn claws.
“What is that wretched commotion?” Proliath’s pink sandals poked through the door. “We were having a pink tea party. We had pink food-dye and every - Mosthram!”
The cat’s head snapped backwards, its mouth emitting a bright mist that followed a path to the wizard’s coarse hand. There was nothing that Hyu or Sophie could do, but stand with their mouths agape.
After a few seconds, Proliath snapped his fingers and wandered back into his cottage as he muttering loudly, “Will that cat never learn?” and “Where’s my vial? I seemed to have misplaced it. Ah, here. No, that one’s already full. Clutter? I don’t have clutter. I have necessities.”
Slowly, Mosthram’s frightful demeanor softened, and it stretched its back in a yawn. “Why, I feel so worked up all of a sudden. What were we talking about?”
Proliath came to the door with a vial clutched in his old, withered hand. “Mosthram, you must behave yourself. That’s no way to act in front of Sophie and Hyu. Apologize.”
“No way, old man! What do I have to apologize for? What did I do?”
Sighing, he explained Mostham’s sudden spasm. “I know that it has only been a year from when you first left your job as assistant to the necromancer Mae, but you must learn to control your thoughts.”
“Wait,” Hyu interrupted, “Mosthram was an assistant to Mae? I knew Mosthram was bad news, but pretending to help us is just low! Why is it helping us?”

“Now hold on, Hyu,” growled the cat, taking a hiatus from cleaning every possible spot on his fur. “If I may,” it started, glancing at the nodding Proliath for permission. “It is true that I have had a record of helping a few evil necromancers. But I left for a reason. I’m not crazy. I knew what they had planning - to shut all the gates of the worlds. I didn’t want to be a part of that - that’s one of the most stupid plans I have ever heard of! The other worlds supply the interconnected worlds with energy. Without those worlds, we would burn out. Those necromancers think they have invented a spell that will prevent destruction from happening. All just nonsense. Spells can’t last forever. A cat like me wouldn’t have stood up for it.” He resumed his grooming as he comfortably drew out a dramatic pose.
“Granted, I have had some difficulties with controlling my old self, as I’m pretty sure you got a good dose of just now, but old Proliath, here, has been giving me an elixir every morning for nearly a year. I can’t say that the potion has completely cured my, as I like to call it, ‘hairball disease,’ but at least I can look at humans without hissing.”
Abruptly, Mosthram’s tail flicked up and the black hair on his back stood as if it was electrocuted. Frantic, it yelled, “Dog! A dog is nearby!” His tail twitched so many times in agitation that it looked like a white blur.
“Ah, so you catch your hairball disease when dogs are nearby. How noble,” Hyu snorted. “By ‘dog,’ do you mean Fipley? He’s inside, he can’t chase you. Although,” he added wickedly, “We could let him out.”
“No, no, no! I mean in the forest! I sense something coming!” The cat began to climb the cottage door all the way to the top of the roof.
“Mosthram, come back down here! There’s nothing in the forest, at least, I think there’s nothing... I don’t see anything moving there.” Sophie squinted at the lush trees, but the only thing she noticed was an awfully desperate panting noise that seemed to grow louder.
“There’s a lot of things that one can’t see, but are there. No, no, I will wait up here. However, that’s not an excuse. Our lesson must begin. So, I have read that the monster,” he darted a glance behind his tail at the forest, “will have some weak points, but sadly, many more strengths. It has the ability, as you have experienced, Sophie, to connect to a person’s emotions and persuade her into staying in the dream by using mirages. You must be able to separate what is real from what is fake. Alright?”
Hyu and Sophie were in the middle of nodding when a bone-shaking yowl erupted in the woods.
“Dog! Dog, dog, dog,” repeated the cat, now prancing on the shingles of the house. “It’s coming closer!” Sophie braced herself against the attacker, generating her energy into a ball. She was backed by Hyu, who was busy conjuring an air spell.
Out of the woods bounded a massive, thick-coated creature. At first, Sophie thought that the animal really was a dog, but when she looked closely, the creature actually had the head of a dog and a long, spotted tail. When it growled, she was surprised to meet sharp fangs instead of canines. The creature’s pointed ears rose as it opened its mouth. A leopard-dog? What in the world?
Nonetheless, Sophie propelled her ball of energy into the ground, sending the leopard-dog off its feet. As it sniveled in anger, the animal staggered up, the same fierce demeanor still donning its thin lips and angular eyes. With a saliva-filled growl, it leaped towards Sophie, unsheathing its piercing claws. She shrieked and dodged, slicing her hand downward to create a last minute protective barrier. The leopard buffeted against the new force field, indenting it so that it nearly bent to graze Sophie’s forehead.
Hyu sprung into action and blasted wind around the whimpering creature to lift it and throw it to the ground. It landed across the field, right underneath the cat, whose tail pricked straight up in fright.
“GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!” Mosthram shrieked at the top of its lungs, its eyes dilating as it scampered up to an iron weather vane at the top of Proliath’s cottage.
At once, Hyu conjured up several ice shards towards the leopard. He purposefully aimed the shards near the animal’s ear, but never at its heart. Even though he had a new fetish for threatening the cat, he couldn’t watch any living creature die. He had to scare the leopard-dog off.
The leopard-dog’s ears flattened, and it scowled as if to say, I’ll get you next time. Then, it leaped back into the forest.
After a few seconds, the cat climbed down, his head still held high. “Hmm... impressive. You both have more power than I had expected.”
Hyu and Sophie were just about to smile and thank their new trainer, but he continued, “However, there is plenty of room for improvement. Sophie, your energy must be contained and controlled. Hyu, you need more power and fierceness in your actions. Oh, and your aim is terrible. Now, to our first lesson. I will each set you up with something you love, and you will have to convince yourself to that it is something you hate. You first, Sophie. Stand right here.” Mosthram pointed to a spot in front of a tree. “Now, go!”
The oak tree’s branches bent downwards and the trunk slimmed. The leafs thinned as they gathered into black strands. The tree had dissolved into Sophie’s mother. Her hair was just the way Sophie always saw it; it was slicked back into a severe bun. Her face was grim, but she knew that when it wasn’t, it was the most beautiful smile in the world. Sophie’s mother started speaking to her in a light, dewy voice. “Sophie, where did you go? I know I push you to your limits, but it’s all for the best. Did you... did you run away because of me? But I truly do love you Sophie.” Her mother’s eyes began to sparkle with laughter. “Come here. Let me see you clearly.”
In a haze, she stepped toward the image of her mother, who was holding her arms out wide. This isn’t my real mother. The voice, the words; they’re all wrong. But... she looks so much like her, the dark clothes, the straight hair, the same face. Is this my mother? Does she really miss me?
“Sophie! Snap out of it! Focus! Remember your task!”
She could hear the cat and Hyu shouting instructions behind her, but the sounds were all blocked out by her urge to run into the hologram's arms and to stay there forever. Forever and ever, she thought, smiling. But...
In one sharp movement, she slashed through the hologram with a blade of wind as she bit her lip.
Her mother’s voice didn’t sound dewy and soft. It was rough and scratchy, which she loved about her. Her mother would never admit wrong; she was always tough and strong. At the last minute, Sophie had pictured her mother as the snake-like Tinar. No one can replace my mother.
“Good, good. You found the hologram’s faults and suppressed your desire. Next, Hyu. Stand where Sophie stood.” Mosthram held his paw out to another oak tree.
The tree shifted again, but this time, its trunk widened into a large cave filled with gold and precious stones, ranging from blue topaz to rubies to glistening emeralds and aquamarines. The scene sparkled so brightly that it was difficult to stare into it without feeling dizzy. Even Hyu’s eyes, which were used to judging pieces of jewelry, narrowed.
They’re the most beautiful gems I’ve ever seen.
“Hyu, you can do it!” Sophie shouted.
Sophie. He remembered seeing her at practices, her ponytail mussed and her bangs tousled. And then he recalled her in her emerald ball gown. How come I don’t feel the same way about these gems that I do for her? If I like both the gems and her. But if really loved these jewelry pieces, I would get the same feeling I get when I look at Sophie’s smile. So... do I care about this stuff anymore?
He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, imagining long walks that tired his feet. The image of the jeweled cave wavered to now mirror the image of the road that Proliath, Sophie, and he took to get to the cottage. Once the image stopped shifting, he blasted the picture with an icy sphere of water that erupted through his hands.
“Nicely done. Maybe there’s more hope for you than I’d thought.”
Sophie scoffed. “You imagined a long, tiring walk as what you hate?”
“Well-”
“Sophie’s right,” the cat instructed, “In real combat, you have to imagine something you truly despise, otherwise you might not even be able to kill the enemy.”
Sophie elbowed her friend. “We can make sure that part of our training is jogging five miles in the morning, just for you.”
Something scuttled out of the woods. A tiny man with a long beard and an oversized head came strolling out. He tipped his green archer’s hat at them and spoke in a deep, gravely voice. He seemed to glower at them, but maintained a dreadfully cheery look which was slightly reminiscent of Proliath’s awkward smiles. “Well, hello. Proliath didn’t mention he had visitors.” With a tattered deep green cloth, he wiped his hunting bow, which was flecked with red. “Welcome to our forest. I’m Grinly, the neighborhood dwarf. I work at the local creature pound. They’re running wild these days.” He grinned. “Say, have you seen a leopard-dog running about?”
Annoyed, Hyu whispered, “Have we? We practically got eaten by one,” to Sophie as she automatically pointed to the east. “It went that way. I really do hope you find it.” Which made Hyu and Mosthram chuckle.

A week flew by, and finally, they were finished training with Mosthram. Naturally, the cat required that they be tested one last time on their newfound skills, so, that early morning, all three were whisked into Greyham forest.
“Are we going to fight another leopard-dog? Or a rabbit-hog?” Hyu interrupted.
“No. Now-”
“Are we going to combat each other?” Sophie inquired, a mischievous smile on her face.
Hyu stepped back and held his hands up in mock offense. “Hey!”
“No! Today, I am going to create our own course. It will be a test of both physical and mental strength, as well as strategy. Start at the house.”
Mosthram waved his paw, conjuring a treacherously rocky road, which rumbled through the ground, paving the grass and weeds. At the beginning of the road, near Proliath’s house, there lay two golden serpents that were covered with poison-dripping spikes. Next, dark violet crows with flaming wing tips circled a darkened area indenting the middle of the road. Quicksand. After that was an empty space and a tree, left to morph into a hologram of the item they cared about.
Sophie raced off to attack the snakes with an earth spell. She flung pointed spears of earthen rock onto the snakes backs as she leaped over to the quicksand. She examined the surroundings. No trees to climb. I’ll just have to fly to that-
A ferocious hissing sound came from behind. The snakes weren’t dead, in fact, they were more outraged than before.
I recognize those types of snakes, she realized. And I know just what to do with their spikes.
Grasping each one under the belly, where no spikes were, Sophie flung each creature into the quicksand, which quickly hardened up into cement.
Ha, I knew it! That snake poison mixed with mud makes asphalt.
She whizzed across the new pavement and untensed her shoulders at the end line, thinking she was done. Suddenly, she saw a vision of Hyu.
He was wearing the same suit he was wearing at the ball, but this one looked... somewhat glossier, and … perfect. His smile was crooked and his eyes had the same look, as if he was always in a constantly jovial mood. He held out his hand once again, and Sophie felt warm inside. She reached out to take his hand.
Wait! her subconscious yelled.
Sophie kicked “Hyu” from under his feet and stabbed his chest with a blade of ice. Then, she raced over to the true finish line, where Mosthram was waiting, smiling.
“Well done, Sophie! Substantial improvement from the last time we had to deal with mirages! Hyu is also doing pretty well, surprisingly. It must be the teacher.” The cat smiled smugly and continued to focus on Hyu, who was currently at the tree’s hologram.
He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to face the new enemy. After opening his eyes, he took a step back, whispering, “No, no, no, no, no...” over and over again.
“What’s he doing?” asked Sophie to Mosthram. “What’s he up against?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t set it up yet... something’s not right...” Mosthram’s proud gaze fell into a serious scowl. “I don’t know what’s toying with his mind! We must get him before it’s too late!”
They raced over to the boy, who now covered his eyes with his hands as he sank dejectedly to the ground. Hyu didn’t even seem to register the two’s presence, for he screamed, as if he was in pain. The tree should have transformed, but this time, neither Mosthram nor Sophie could see what he was up against, for the oak’s shape never changed.
When Sophie reached over and felt his wrist, she could tell that his heartbeat was skyrocketing, and his palms were sweating. What in the world is he face to face with?
Mosthram muttered a spell and quickly cast it over Hyu with a flourish of his paw. Luckily, Hyu promptly snapped out of his nightmare.
“Wha- it disappeared, thank goodness!” He started to breathe normally again, and light returned to his eyes.
“What was it?” Mosthram peered over him to check that everything was fine. “I didn’t set up your mirage yet. Something must have taken control of you!”
“It was the most horrible, frightening thing - It had fangs and yellow eyes, and when it smiled...” he shuddered.
“That’s the Tinar!” Sophie cried. “That was the monster that you saw!”
“That’s what you had to experience in your dreams all those times?” Why didn’t I ever ask her? “I had no idea.” The words sounded pathetic.
“I fear the monster has been growing stronger as we speak,” Mosthram explained. “Quickly, let’s get ourselves back into Proliath’s cabin. He’ll have something to cure all of our jitters in that awfully crowded cabinet of his. The most important thing to do right now is rest. However, having said that, I must inform you that your next exam will be after this break.” He ushered them in, flicking his tail at their legs to guide them forward.
“What are we going to do for our exam?” Sophie pushed the door open for them.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
After Proliath received a brief explanation of what had happened, he rushed to deliver them three steaming bowls of cabbage and potato soup.
“Mmm...” Sophie licked her lips and smiled. “I didn’t know you were so good at cooking, Proliath.” She guzzled the rest of her bowl’s contents with a speed unappreciated by the other duchesses at the castle.
“Thank you. Sadly, that was also made by my closet.”
“Then why did you say ‘Thank-’” Sophie shook her head in defeat and went back to licking the residue off her bowl.
After sipping the final drops of soup, Hyu turned to Mosthram. “You know, you’re a much better trainer than Mae was. We’re... lucky to have you.” Sophie gawked. Hyu is saying something to show his gratitude? “I’m sorry for teasing you so much on first day I met you.” He smiled that same smile that was so wide that there were gaps at the ends where his back teeth were.
The cat purred and went back to grooming itself.
There was a moment of comfortable silence, but it was quickly broken by Proliath’s news. “There has been another reporting of strange blue wildfires in Portholm and torrents of icicles striking New Delpin, I’ve heard.” He scanned the newspaper in his hand. “Additionally, there have been attacks of packs of black wolves in several villages since last month.”
“Let me guess, that’s all because of the Tinar?” Hyu asked.
“Yes. Which also means that your time is running up. You two must enter the monster’s world and defeat it by next week at the latest. People are getting hurt. They’re doubting your strength.”
Mosthram stopped grooming his paws after that. “Doubting the strength of my students? We shall enter that world tonight to defeat that monster.”
“I...” Sophie started, hesitating. “I remember this dream that I had a couple of months ago, and there was this woman warrior who saved me from the Tinar. She wanted me to come with her, but Mer, my friend, told me that the woman was just the Tinar’s creation. It’s supposed to lure me into that dangerous world.” Mosthram nodded knowingly. “But even though Mer warned me about the woman - I feel like I’m betraying her by saying this, but - I think that maybe if we change our perspective of her and see her as a woman warrior who will only help us, then she will help us defeat the Tinar.”
“How will we summon her?” Hyu nervously asked. Nothing else seemed to bend the way that they wanted.
“Please. I’m a necromancer and we have a spurite. This will work.” Sophie lifted the spurite and examined its crevices and indents while wondering how many times it had been used in the last century. This century has to be lucky. It felt as if it had been waiting to be used all this time. It was hard to believe that the pearl that used to be a piece of jewelry that she wore around her neck now contained the future of the worlds.
Hyu sighed, calming his nerves. He looked over at Sophie, hoping to see her empathetic eyes, but what he received was a warm, fiery stare.
Confidence burst from both of them. A month ago, they wouldn’t have known what the word “Tinar” meant, who in the world “Mer” was. But now, they knew what to do, and they didn’t regret it.
**
“Hyu, wake up!” Sophie yelled, panicked. The two were in Proliath’s cottage, for he had let them stay for the night.
“What?” Annoyed, Hyu only rolled in his bed covers. “Can’t a growing boy get his sleep?”
“Mosthram’s gone! He’s been kidnapped!”
Hyu flipped off his covers and jumped to his feet. “What? How? When?” He hurriedly pulled on his grey shirt.
“Proliath went into his cabinet this morning after breakfast, and when he called for Mosthram, he only found one of his hairballs and a note. The note had writing that I had never seen before - it looked like a bunch of squiggles and lines, but Proliath somehow understood. According to him, it said: ‘We have Mosthram. Return Hyu, and you will get Mosthram back.’”
“That sounds like Mae! But how can that be? He’s dead!” Hyu didn’t want to believe what he was going to say next. “Do you think... that the note was sent by the Tinar? Or another necromancer?”
“Let’s hope that there isn’t yet another person after us. But I don’t think that the Tinar can write - it has tentacles, not hands. We can find Mosthram with a tracking spell. I won’t give you up. Come on!”
Blushing, Hyu nodded as they grabbed their sacks at the back of the door. They explained their plans to rescue Mosthram to Proliath, and all they received was a grunt and a nod. The wizard’s gloomy expression was odd, for he was clad in especially bright colors today. Nevertheless, the two accepted Proliath’s noncommittal nod as an agreement. Impatient to save the cat, the two ran outside and gathered the leaves and branches for the spell, and then cast it as quickly as possible. They could sense Mosthram’s small but solid ball of energy.
“Good, we have time! His energy is still relocating in the forest. Come on!” Hyu stopped the spell after they memorized where the traces of the cat’s energy remained.
They ran for a bit and then stopped whenever there was a trace of energy that seemed especially strong. “It looks like Mosthram had fought the kidnapper here,” Sophie said, pointing to a red hazel tree with gashes up its sides.
Soon, the last rays of sun were starting to dwindle as the two strolled deep into the forest. The overwhelming scent of woods and flowers swirled around them as they walked. Hyu would have enjoyed the trip if Mosthram hadn’t been captured.
Towering lily flowers bloomed every which way, and massive, moss-covered tree trunks barricaded worn down, muddy paths. Hyu caught a glimpse of a flower that seemed to glint especially bright in its center, which pulsed open and close like a mouth. Are those teeth? Hyu shuddered and quickened his pace through Greyham forest.
The forest supported a plethora of wild animals and plants. Twittering, colorful birds flew about, not wasting any time to perch, for each one was on a constant hunt for food they could feed to their families. Sophie thought she saw several oversized rabbits clawing at the tree bark. She gasped as she caught a glimpse of a particularly menacing rabbit biting a tree in half, but after she rubbed her eyes, the giant rabbits were no longer there.
Finally, Sophie and Hyu were forced to stop at the bottom of a grey mountain cliff. They stood in a wide area covered by a blanket of damp soil and rotting leaves.
In a futile effort, Hyu tried to hitch onto the side of the cliff with his fingers, but he slid down immediately. “It’s no use. The rocks are too slick. We have to find a way to maneuver this thing. How about we-”
“For God’s sake, Hyu.” Sophie flapped her arms, mimicking a bird. “We can fly.”
They tightened the zippers and ropes on their sacks to ensure that nothing would fall out as they took to the air. Before they could commence the air spell, two oversized rabbits suddenly appeared, their fangs gleaming and their legs thumping so heavily that the ground undulated like a massive ocean wave. Falling with each step, Hyu and Sophie scrambled to the nearest tree and climbed.
“Who would’ve thought that bunnies could be evil!” Sophie whispered to Hyu, eyeing the rabbits. I knew I saw them when we were running! Are they rubbing their paws on the trees to sharpen their claws?
Hyu didn’t respond except with a slight nod of his head as he thrust himself downwards onto the ground. After adroitly placing one hand on the ground to support himself, Hyu yelled, “Hey uglies!”
The snide remark elicited a loathing look from the rabbits, who unsheathed their claws as they bounded towards him. Because an angry gust of wind blew through their coarse fur, the rabbits looked like they had been infected with rabies. Their red, blood-shot eyes didn’t help their nefarious and neurotic appearances.
Ignoring the wind from the rabbits’ thumping legs, Hyu tried to imagine how uncontrollable and stubborn fire was, how it teased coal with its flickers of flame, and how it could burst so beautifully, but hold so much destruction. He channeled the feeling to the palm of his hand until a burst of heat finally licked his fireproof fingers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sophie channeling a hurricane of ice shards at another monstrous, rabid rabbit.
“Just a little closer.” Hyu knelt, waiting until the bunnies hopped a few feet closer to him. He eyed a group that was hopping madly and stirring up the leaves on the ground. Hyu held both of his hands out, facing his palms at the creatures. The fire clung to their fur, which blazed and then scorched. But the creatures licked their paws with surprisingly thick saliva and patted the flames down to merely sparks. It didn’t take much time for them to lumber angrily towards the boy again.
Why didn’t the fire work? They should be dead by now!
He felt his vision blur a bit after a brown rabbit, whose right ear was ripped in half, swiped his paw at Hyu’s head with surprising speed. Not waiting for his vision to clear, Hyu jumped onto the nearest tree-like shape that he could find and climbed it. He glanced down at his torn tunic. “Half-ear, it’s just you and me!”
The rabbit turned on him with a look in his eyes that somehow said, Are you sure about that? Then, it swung his claws vertically down onto Hyu’s tree. He had barely enough time to leap on to the ground before the maple behind him split perfectly in half.
A howl of pain shook the forest, for Hyu had shot a waterfall right into the rabbit’s right eye. Even when it whimpered as it bounded away, he didn’t feel sympathy. It’s so ugly. I bet its fur has never been combed.
Meanwhile, Sophie was fending off her own giant forest creatures. She had chased away the second rabbit with her air blades and, relieved, she rested on a giant mushroom near the tree.
Without warning, the forest ground gave way to giant purple and pink polka-dotted mushrooms, each with a set of razor sharp teeth planted in the middle. They seemed to shine and glint, as if their chitinous cell walls were instead made of metal that could blade into an animal’s or a person’s flesh. Sophie shuddered as she pictured the thought, but realized that she needn’t simply picture the sight, for the mushrooms were surely coming closer.
They clumsily hopped around, a few accidentally jumping into the rivers and the water holes that Sophie had seen when she and Hyu had followed Proliath to the cottage. It was almost a humorous sight, for they occasionally bumped into each other, turned, and determinedly hopped another way. But because there was a dreadful amount of them, the same mushroom would just knock over another comrade. The whole scene would have been hilarious, but when the mushrooms finally found Sophie, she could only gawk at the blood-thirsty plants.
Is there red in their teeth? Sophie squirmed at the pieces of flesh stuck in between the canines of a particularly giant mushroom, but took a deep breath and gathered her energy together. What could help me fend off these creatures?
Before the monstrous plants could hop any closer to her, Sophie first swung her hand up to create a shield of earth from the ground. Then, she quickly centered her fire to her fist and then quickly lowered the shield to shoot her fire at the closest attacker.
The fire singed the mushroom’s outer umbrella-like curve, but did no more harm than char the fungus a bit.
The stupid plants don’t react to fire! Sophie knit her brows. Quickly, she raised her left and right hand, willing for earth to form at her hands. Then, as one daring mushroom waddled close, she thudded the chunks of rock into their mouths, or into the opening Sophie thought was their mouths. Gruesomely, the plant stopped its waddling and out of its mouth came a purple, spiked vine. She watched in horror as the vine twisted around the rocks, pulsed until it grew thick, and finally padded them deep into the hole, leaving a trail of sticky, transparent goop as it reentered the mouth.
Gross! She cringed but kept up the process of levitating and dropping the piles of rocks into each mushroom’s mouth hole in the center of their umbrella-like tops.
One by one, the mushrooms fell, exhausted by how much they consumed.
Sophie heard a soft bubbling noise. As she turned around, she found that the mushroom stems had burst, spilling slimy transparent goop in every direction. All the rocks that had been consumed rolled back out. Holding her nose, she dodged to avoid being sprayed by the secretions as the mushrooms deflated.
One of the mushrooms was still hopping around, looking slightly clueless as it hopped over all of its friends, or what was left of its friends. Hyu ran up from behind her and swung his dagger into the mushroom, which bubbled and then squealed as it died.
“Look! There’s a message that’s been clawed onto this mushroom.” Hyu held the mushroom up while trying to avoid the transparent fluid that leaked out of its “mouth”. Sophie read the message aloud. “‘Proliath captured me. Defeat him. Mosthram.’”

“Mosthram must have tried to carve this as he was being kidnapped to send us this message,” Hyu contemplated as he wiped his dagger.
“But how could Proliath...” She gasped in realization. “That’s why his face lit up so much when he saw the spurite. It helps him as a necromancer. That must mean that he may be working for the Tinar, too!”
“How could Proliath, a guy who wears pink shirts and flip-flop sandals, be a necromancer?”
“I guess not all necromancers think alike. Not all evil is the same.”
As soon as they reached the cottage again, Hyu flung open the door. Proliath cast a spell that hung Mosthram from his tail in the air. The cat yowled and clawed at the necromancer. “Give me back my power, you energy-sucking, pink-obsessed necromancer! You can’t do this to me! We had a pact!”
Hyu and Sophie exchanged glances and quickly spread to opposite sides of the room, channeling their energy into the one element that required the most energy, but produced the most power. Lightning.
Before Proliath could react to the two’s spell, a burst of lightning shook the house and tingled up Sophie’s and Hyu’s spines. Since Proliath lost focus on his spell, Mosthram dropped to the ground, hissing as he cradled his paw. Sophie and Hyu struck the house again, this time aiming more precisely at Proliath.
The pink shirt that Proliath was wearing suddenly burst into flames and his wavy hair stood up on end as he yelped in surprise and fell to the floor, his knees buckling from underneath him. A sickening crunching sound signaled the end of the lightning strike as well as the end of Proliath’s heartbeat. Slowly, the necromancer’s vision became darker and darker until it finally dimmed to a point of death.
The helpless cat gasped painfully. “You two,” he called, “get me some ice! Cast a healing spell! Anything, please!”
As much as he hated the snarky cat, Hyu couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Mosthram, who suddenly looked so powerless. He scurried over to Proliath’s cabinet, which seemed to have everything anyone could possibly need.
Sophie ran over to her trainer’s side and held out her hand to hold the cat’s paw. After a few spells, she could slightly see the slight fracture that ran down his leg.
“Got it.” Hyu held some ice to Mosthram’s cut and broken leg, and then he wiped off the blood on the cat’s matted fur as best he could with a cloth.
For the first time, he saw a glimmer of gratitude in the cat’s eyes. “My thanks to you, friends.”
Closing her eyes, Sophie concentrated on the pulsing of Mosthram’s diminished energy and felt the rushed rhythm of the cat’s bloodstream. Her magic wove through the blood and pushed the blood to clot quickly. She elevated her hand over the wound as she imagined the broken bones pressing together. The bones acted like a drawbridge that had the ability to close, but was locked in place. Sweat started to glisten on her shoulders as she strained her mind to radiate her energy out towards the wound. She had never performed a real medical spell before and had never heard or read anything about the overwhelming pain that would shoot up to her head as she performed one. Taking a deep breath, she focused.
But there wasn’t enough power.
There wasn’t any part of her that wanted to do this, but when she opened her eyes and saw Mosthram curling up from pain, she forced her inner mind to shut up. She imagined the life of the floral plants in the vase next to her on the table and imagined draining their energies. I can’t believe I’m forcing the life out of the flowers, but Mosthram can’t die. The flowers’ energies slowly merged and flowed into Sophie’s hand. Hyu gasped as he watched the flowers brown and wilt. He pressed the ice onto the cat’s paw more tightly.
As Sophie felt the last of the fracture closing, Mosthram spoke, his eyes still shut in pain. “Don’t trust anyone. I know that’s hard for you to hear at a time like this, but it’s true. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Granted, you don’t even know if I’m a good guy, and I don’t either.” He winced as Sophie gripped his broken paw. “But in the meantime, you can trust me, and whether you believe me or not - well, that’s your decision. Nonetheless,” he whispered as his yellow eyes flashed, “Thank you.”
Hyu a thickness in his throat as he summoned his energy and channeled it into Sophie’s hands, keeping a steady flow of energy and balance of power between him, Sophie, and the cat. They were in harmony.

The thunderstorm had subsided, leaving gorged droplets of water to drop in a soothing rhythm from the tree leaves. The air was still moist and dewy, and the soil was padded from the water. Whispy clouds drifted overhead, foreshadowing the gravity of the mission Sophie and Hyu were about to accomplish.
After gearing them up with swords and shields from the old necromancer’s cabinet, Mosthram, limping, led the two outside. Sophie and Hyu shivered, partly from the damp cold, but mostly from the importance of what they had to do.
“Alright. You know what I’ve told you over the past week and what your previous trainers have told you. Now, Sophie, clear your mind of all thoughts and lie down on the picnic blanket set there in the field. It has to be out in the clear because I don’t want you to knock into something while you’re dreaming. Hyu, you must envision yourself in this area that Sophie has described to you. Envision it fully and you will be there when she is. Okay?”
The two were especially silent, contemplating the tactics they could use to guard themselves against the monster. They couldn’t lose. Not when they had come this far.
“Okay?” the cat repeated, twitching his tail from left to right. Hyu could tell that even Mosthram was nervous, for he always jerked his tail when he was.
“Okay,” Sophie replied, already thinking of what would happen if they lost. If we lose, how long will it be before the Tinar kills us all? She saw Mosthram licking her broken arm. All these trainers suffered so much to help us.
Hyu found Sophie’s hand and held it. They each felt the steady rush of blood in each other’s palm. Then he broke the dismal silence, “Hey, you know what?” Seeing Mosthram and Sophie both shaking their heads, he continued, “We were chosen to perform this quest. They must have picked us for a reason, right? We are prepared, more than anyone else, to complete this mission. Don’t you remember, Sophie, that the reason why we came into this world was to try something new? We’ll know we can’t really fail. We’ve experienced something that no one else has before: venturing into a completely different world. If we die, at least we’ll know that we did something important.” He grinned boldly at his comrades.
Sophie couldn’t help but smile back as she silently nodded and ambled over to the picnic sheet to lie down. Feeling the cool touch of earth, the freshly cut grass, and even just looking at the skies overhead - all these simple actions made her content, no matter where she was. Even if she was caught in a never ending struggle to please her mother, or if she was stuck with killing a monster with an entire kingdom in her hands, well - there was always happiness out there, waiting for someone to recognize it.
She took one final look at the purple skies and freshly cut grass. Then her gaze lingered on Mosthram, who was purring loudly, showing his approval. As she squeezed Hyu’s perfectly warm hand, she took a deep breath and drank the sleeping potion, letting her mind relax into a deep slumber.
This time, it felt as if she was twisted and squeezed into the dream, for instead of falling into the Tinar’s cave, she had commanded it. The same dim lighting and tense air filled the cavern.
A rustle came from a bush nearby. Sophie snatched her double-bladed sword, anticipating the monster’s icy gaze and powerful hiss. Instead, Hyu emerged, a bit shocked to find Sophie with her swords raised.
“Woah now, Sophie, what did I do?” Hyu joked.
Sophie let out a sigh of relief and rushed over to hug her friend. “Hyu!” She thought back to the first time she met him. He used to be so arrogant and selfish. And now... He’s been with me this whole time and even ran away to find me. I’ll miss his perfect smile and his jokes and his fetish for Latin if I die. Then, she silently thought, I’m sorry, Hyu. For not telling you sooner.
Meanwhile, Hyu was blushing mad. The two friends hugged, not wanting to separate. It took him awhile before he stuttered, “Come on, Sophie, let’s find the Tinar.” But he still held her hand while they walked through the grey mist.
Their bright chatter was suddenly cut off by a soft hissing. Its volume rose until it became like an eerie groan.
Hyu shot Sophie a look asking, Now? With a nod of her head, she whipped out the spurite. Hyu summoned the energy that would fuel the spell. They two closed their eyes as they recited a chant in unison that they had learned from Mosthram:
“Umi kura toh sri
Mu parra toikka ru
Sora perea bique ne
Aq peri nogkit liquun gul!”


The last words slithered like snakes across Sophie’s tongue and sent shivers down Hyu’s back. The girl’s eyes began to glow until they reached a striking blue, her fingers still wrapped around the single, smooth pearl, dancing with energy. Suddenly, Hyu felt as if a boulder had been strapped to his shoulders to pull him to the ground. Then he realized.
In her necromancy, Sophie had unknowingly drained all of his power in order to pour more energy into the spurite. He had helped send his energy into her when they had healed Mosthram, but this time, his power had been taken without consent. Hyu had never felt so exhausted and empty and lifeless.


A roar shattered Hyu’s thoughts. The Tinar crawled out of the darkness, its prowling eyes and glinting teeth partially contoured by the dim light emitting from the spurite. With a snap of its claws, it swiped Hyu from his feet and examined the boy with its cruel beady eyes. After recognizing Hyu as its enemy, it thrusted him down onto the ground from five feet off the floor. A inky haze veiled Hyu’s vision as the sickening smack of his body echoed throughout the room.


Even though Sophie was still trapped in her spell, she could spot Hyu’s fallen figure, his face battered and his leg twisted in an unnatural fashion. She willed to scream out for him, to see his crooked smile just one more time, but she was stuck under the raven ribbon of her trance. She forced her tears back as she fought control the spell. I’m so sorry, Hyu. For leaving you on the floor, for bringing you into my dream. I’m coming.
Once the monster fully recognized that there was another presence in the room, it lumbered over to Sophie to display its bloodied teeth.
Ten steps away... Nine steps... Eight... Seven... Six...
“PERALITTE!” She screamed, her voice resonating against the stone walls. Her voice was so powerful that it felt as if a thousand voices were infused with her own to echo the spell’s strength. A blinding flash exploded throughout the cavern. As the light shone, Sophie scrambled to search for Hyu and covered her ears to block out the sounds of the monster wailing in pain from the light.
The light subsided, but Sophie could still see the red eyes of the Tinar. Where is the woman warrior? She’s... she’s not here! The spell didn’t work!
Her chest felt as if it a thousand pebbles rocked back and forth inside. This is it. There was no way out. Nothing could work anymore.
She heard a groan from the corner. “Hyu!” Startled, Hyu shook his head several times, unsuccessfully trying to clear his vision from black specks that fluttered across his eyes.
“Hyu, the woman warrior isn’t here!”
“If we trained so hard,” he gasped, trying to clutch the ground underneath him, “then there’s no easy way out. She can’t fight it. We have to fight it.” Sophie noticed that blood spattered to the floor where he spoke. He shouldn’t have been able to, but he staggered into a poor stance. What on earth is he doing? He can’t stand and fight in his condition!
After taking a minute to stabilize himself, Hyu reached into his back pocket and weakly shook the dagger so that it fell into his hand. He took a shallow breath and turned to face the monster. Then, after taking a long and shaky breath, he charged.
“No!” Sophie’s scream pierced the walls of the room. For the first time since she left her world, she truly felt abandoned.
In a swift movement, one that only lasted one second, sharp claws carved a red line down Hyu’s arm, through Sophie’s lifeline.
She could feel the darkness radiating from the Tinar and closing in on her. She could almost slice through the thick power lying stagnant in the room, but instead, she drew upon it. Her ears blocked out the Tinar’s screeches and Hyu’s dying groan. It was as if she had enclosed herself with a vortex that emptied the room and helped her barricade against everything and everyone.
The vortex she had created sucked in all the dark energy in the cave. Now, as she collected every drop of energy, she not only could hear the skin of the Tinar sizzling, but also grimaced at the horrible sound of Hyu writhing. There’s not enough energy. She glanced over at Hyu. He’s suffering so much. I... I have to end it for him. Before she could think about it any longer, she eased her friend’s life source out of his soul so that it gathered into her vortex.
She bit her lip as she continued the spell. The roars of the Tinar grew more faint as the spell wore on. When she had sacrificed her own energy into the vortex, she knew that it was gone. That everything was gone. The Tinar, my powers, and Hyu. Everything. The silence thickened with Sophie’s staggered breaths and occasional gasps.
Is that it? Is it over? She knew what she had done, but she wanted someone to tell her that she had failed, that she hadn’t come up with this idea. Quickly, she felt Hyu’s wrists, and after that, his neck, and after that, his chest, but the same result painfully emerged.
Biting back her tears, she hugged the corpse tightly and thought of her old home, her room, her mother, and the conversations she and Hyu carried in the old Latin classroom. In a flash, she thought of Mer, lying the same way Hyu was. A weight chained her to the floor, but even when she lay there, her face next to Hyu’s, her breath softly breezing past his hairs, the weight wanted to drag her lower, into the ground.
I should be happy. The Tinar is gone. But her lips wouldn’t part into a smile.
Not this.
I would give anything to go back to my old world. I can’t believe I was foolish enough to wish for this. I’m sorry, Hyu. I’m so sorry.
As she closed her eyes, feeling the draft of the cavern, Sophie emptily echoed those words over and over again in her head, not wishing to break the steady silence. She grasped Hyu’s cold, lifeless hand.

The light sound of birds chirping fluttered into the air, and the pungent smell of burnt toast wafted throughout the room.
Sophie groaned and rubbed her side. The ground felt warm, not anything like the cold marble of the castle or the rough edges of the Tinar’s cave.
The confused girl looked around.
The only thing that she fully recognized was Hyu, who was lying next to her. Everything else seemed impossible. A desk piled with books and a bookcase full of college reference guides leaned to her right. She glanced to the left. A bare bed with a sinking blue mattress.
Could it be?
Sophie almost cried with relief. It’s my room! I’m home! She laughed and inhaled until her lungs felt as if they were going to burst. The old scent of burnt toast made her happier than the buttery smell of the castle pancakes. She instinctively nudged Hyu to make him wake. She almost shook him before she realized that Hyu was gone.
Wet drops started to dot Sophie’s face, but as she defeatedly wiped her eyes, she noticed that Hyu no longer looked scrawny and broken. His arm was healed. And... his chest was falling up and down.
Hyu’s alive? Sophie bent her head down to his chest to make sure that he was truly breathing. Her heart swelled as she cried out of joy. He is breathing! I can’t believe I ever wished for anything else more in my life!
She shook her friend until he finally awoke, groggily opening his eyes.
“Sophie? Wha-” he started.
Quixotically, she kissed him mid-sentence, and smiled from ear to ear afterwards. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was.
“I don’t care about what’s real or what’s not anymore. Everything is so complex, which is why we make things simpler in our heads. So truly, it’s impossible to really tell what life is like. We can't judge our lives. But we can judge something: that there are bad moments and good moments and moments that simply encompass love.” She threw her arms around her friend. “And that is what I feel right now. We should just care about the fact that we’ve found happiness. The monster was just an entity of time and space, just like the things in life that bring misery. They are simply entities.”
“And when -” She broke off.
“When what?” Hyu gently prodded.
“And when you weren’t alive, but the monster was, I realized that maybe I have to figure out what’s important in life. I’ve heard once before that it’s the quality of life that matters, not the quantity. I can’t have both, that is, unless you change your perspective of the world. I guess that then, you’ll have the best simplistic life.”
Hyu smiled that crooked smile, the one that Sophie loved. “I, too, choose a simplistic life. I choose to simply love the people, not the things. When I saw you so worried, I almost couldn’t bear it. For the first time, I felt that I was needed. And that was all that I could have asked for. Not the different world, not the castle crumpets.” He reached out to cradle Sophie’s hand in his. “It was you who mattered most to me. Can you promise me that you’re alright?”
The necklace that used to hold the spurite glinted underneath the red wedding scarf the Queen had given her. “Don’t worry Hyu, everything’s alright,” Sophie echoed with a permanent smile on her face. “Everything’s alright.”