Doorway to 13 Realms, Part 2

Authors Note- Hello, all! If you are a new reader, I would recommend starting to read the book "here"! If you are a returning reader, welcome back! I am glad to share my story with you! 🖤 (For those of you who would like to share feedback, my messages are always open! Just click the "Feedback" button and shoot me a message!) Apart from that, I hope everyone has a safe day and makes healthy choices! Thank you all so much for your time! (✿◡‿◡)

Chapter Three - Ailisalden

“ The crow's neck was flayed, and it had several bite marks on its head, but it didn't seem to be eaten at all. It was just killed for the fact that it was a bird and he was a cat... ”

"Before you go, I want you to know...”

“You're not alone..."

The voice echoed in her mind for a moment and then suddenly her vision snapped back, just in time for her to stop herself from running directly into a tree. Instantaneously, she skirted to a stop and wiped away the mud from her eyes. Mildly grateful she had stopped in time to miss the tree, she looked around herself to try and get a better grasp on her immediate surroundings. It didn’t take her much more than a moment to realize… there was no road. The road was gone and doing a quick one-eighty, she found that her house was gone too.

Where am I? She thought to herself.

With nothing to do, but look around once more, her gaze drifted from one tree to another. Long green strings of moss climbed these grand trees and dangled from the branches like leaves to a weeping willow. Letting her gaze follow the trunk of a tree to the floor of the forest she found that she was standing in a small circular clearing, outlined with oddly shaped and colored fungi. The wind suddenly brushed through the trees and Leilah’s hair sending bits of moss and silverfish leaves to cascade around her. Catching one of the silverfish leaves, she eyed the leaf suspiciously.

It was silver and looked like a leaf… ‘but it's shaped like a fish. What an odd anomaly…’ She thought precariously, but before she could set it down, the leaf suddenly wriggled out of her grasp causing Leilah to jump backward and clutch her hand as if it were injured.

Frankly, she was rather unnerved by the wriggling feeling still lingering along her palm. However, the leaf had her attention more than anything else at the moment, even as she unconsciously rubbed her palm and took half a step back. The silverfish leaf, she suddenly noticed, had veins that engraved the details of a fish. Its eyes… its fins… its scales. The engraved eye, that faced her, blinked as the fish released what, at first, looked like a small seed that quickly expanded to a bubble from the fish's mouth, into the air. As three distinct bubbles floated above the airborne silverfish leaf, they began to burst in order while Leilah uncomfortably starred in curiosity. The first bubbles pop had words emanate from it as it exploded.

“Another one!” The bubble had shouted.

“Intruder!” Followed the next.

Then the final bubble popped with a deafening shriek. “Scatter!” and jumping backward in alarm, Leilah dodged every which way to avoid all the leaves suddenly rising from the ground, wriggling and swimming away in mid-air, as if they were riding the wind as a current. With her gaze now dodging in every direction, she stared wildly around as fish after fish zoomed past her and into the forest. Then, she saw a black tail sticking out from one of the trees. At first, she thought it was a snake but then she noticed the fur.

Could that be Ragnar's tail, or is it the tail of whatever took my phone? Curiosity overtook her fear, so she walked cautiously and curiously around the tree. There, sat Ragnar. Who was happily, yet, curiously pawing at… Is that my phone?

He immediately looked up at Leilah, as if he had heard her thoughts and just as quickly as he had looked up, he gave her a sharp look as if he was lecturing her. On one hand, Leilah was relieved to see both Ragnar and her phone… But then, on the other hand, the dead crow beside Ragnar is what caught and unfortunately held Leilah’s attention. The crow's neck was flayed, and it had several bite marks on its head, but it didn't seem to be eaten at all. It was just killed for the fact that it was a bird and he was a cat... Leilah sighed.

"That crow must have been what made that sound…" She muttered under her breath, the sounds of screaming filling her mind once more, before disappearing forever lost in her memory. If nothing else, that would make sense of at least five percent of the situation at hand. Shaking off all thoughts of which flooded her mind, she instead focused on getting a signal, which meant help. Crouching down and picking up her phone, she turned it on. Then, petting Ragnar, Leilah glanced at the red flashing triangular symbol on her phone that said, much to her dismay; “No Signal.” Staring at this flashing symbol, with her mouth slightly agape, she eventually closed her mouth and grumbled what could have been words but… even she wasn't sure what they intended to mean.

When she decided to stand up again, Ragnar gave her yet another sharp look almost as if he were silently criticizing her and honestly, he probably was.

"Don't look at me like that!" Leilah shouted, her anxiety was kicking in as she raked her fingers through her hair. She looked up and around herself and began to pace. Eventually, she stopped and whirled on him.

"It's your fault we're...we're... WHERE ARE WE!?" Leilah yelled in panic, her head tossing from one direction to the next quite a ways slower each time she did so before she stopped, looking hopeless. Making it clear she was now quite aware she was nowhere near home.

Ragnar’s sharp look quickly turned into a harsh glare. His intensely dark coat shifted as his body began to grow. Before Leilah even had the opportunity to draw in a breath, Ragnar had already changed to a humanish form, standing up on his hind two legs.

"It's not my fault you're here! That's on you, not me.” Ragnar defensively replied, his eyes still holding their fierce felines' glow. “I'm just surprised you made it here...” He mumbled, more to himself than to her. But Leilah cared very little for passing blame at the moment and honestly wasn’t listening. She was too focused on the fact that her cat… just turned… into a man. His ears, shrinking and expanding in size, now had rigid edges that led to a small elfish point at the top. But not quite as pointy as mine… Leilah thought suddenly becoming quite self-aware of her own small but sharp ears, as she analyzed his appearance as quickly as possible.

His midnight black fur had faded into youthful mocha skin. His feline figure transformed to match the average athletic build of a fifteen-year-old boy. His hair spiked and became short. It was sort of messy and fun. His fur seemed to absorb into a black four-piece tuxedo. A pearlescent white ascot and cummerbund completed his look.

Ragnar folded his arms defiantly glaring at Leilah, who couldn’t help but smile as she noted his subtle but ravishing accessories. The cufflinks were a beautiful silver, in the design of an ornate letter S with two small spinning metal balls housed in the curves of the letter. A part of her wondered what the S stood for, while another found that to be the least concerning thought in these events. While it seemed her mind was fascinated, her body was very much responding in the exact opposite way, as she continued to take small, unconscious steps backward.

Ragnar, however, couldn't believe Leilah would be so quick to blame him. It's not his fault she was here, was it? Ragnar wasn't entirely sure, but if she were going to be here, he'd have to keep her safe and out of trouble... at least until he could find a way to send her back. His eyes glinted as he watched her feet walk further and further back. He could almost see the questions swirling behind her now forest-green eyes and wanted to find some way to help settle her, at least a little bit. But the thoughts of concern emanating from Ragnar were very quickly brushed over and replaced with panic and annoyance as Leilah’s ankle got caught on a branch and he watched her fall backward.

Leilah, unable to find any way to catch herself, fell into a ditch filled with tall squishy grey moss. The moss itself was slimy, wet, and released an odd orange fog into the air the moment her body made physical contact with it. The stench filling the orange fog was enough to make Leilah feel ill and as she quickly staggered out of the ditch, she could have sworn the stench was clinging to her.

Ragnar stared at her, panic eminent on his facial features the annoyance clear in his eyes and voice. This air about him only seemed to increase as he caught the smell of orange gas. Hearing a rustle in the branches above, he looked up and watched a large pair of pincers clipping over the trees.

“Where are w-“ Leilah tried to ask but Ragnar held up a hand to silence her and watched the pincers cautiously. Slowly looking back down at Leilah, he bit back a curse at the sight of the orange goo clinging to her clothes and the gas slowly rising in the air. If ANY creature around here got a whiff of that scent; they'd eat her. But especially the Formicae hominis manducans. Ragnar shivered, just the thought of those giant six-legged creatures made his fur stick up. Seeing them this close, with that smell getting closer to one of them, was simply terrifying.

"Get off the ground!" he hissed, with a hint of fear. But Leilah just stared at him with a clear hint of confusion in her eyes. Ragnar bit back a scowl this time and outstretched his hand towards her as he took a step forward.

“Get. Up.” He hissed again in the lowest tone he could muster. "You’re muddy enough as is I'm sure you don't want Formicae hominis manducans to find you because of your muddy garbage-like scent." He continued as his hair began to bend backward in an odd way... Almost like his ears would when he hissed as a cat. It was then that Leilah realized what he had said.

Formicae hominis manducans. Had she heard him correctly? Was that even English? Maybe it was Latin…

She stood up slowly, despite her quizzical look. Clearly turning human didn’t help him learn English. She sarcastically thought, still completely unsure as to what exactly she should make of his whole sentence.

“Now slowly walk towards me,” Ragnar whispered. “So, we can get out of here.” Leilah nodded and slowly began to walk towards him, her head turning to the left and to the right, not entirely sure what exactly it was that she was looking out for or being cautious of. When she got close enough, she whispered. “Okay, I just have three questions.”

“Wait until we get to the Estate.” He whispered back, but she was already asking her questions and ignoring his protests. “First of all, where are we?” She asked. Ragnar growled under his breath at the fact that she refused to wait, but answered her, nonetheless.

"Humans don't… Well, you did… Most humans, then, don't even get close to being here," Ragnar began. "This is Ailisalden, home of the Tauraen's. Here reside some of the most Honest, Noble, and Strong creatures in all of the Thirteen Realms.” When Leilah looked confused at this, Ragnar continued. “Each realm has its own Zodiac Protectors- All serving the Widow Queen Except, of course, the Thirteenth Realm, which is a Kingdom of its own…” Ragnar said thoughtfully before adding; “However, I am sure Lanaru will explain that later." Ragnar continued trying his best to explain what kind of world his human found herself in, in an attempt to clear up any confusion. But it didn’t seem to work, she just looked more confused and seemed to shake herself out of it to proceed to her next question. So we listened as they began to move through the forest...

"Secondly, what are Formic… hemi… dunkin… whatever's!?” She asked, becoming exasperated the harder she tried to pronounce it.

"They're man-eating ants, Leilah, considerably larger than the ones at home.” Ragnar paused and corrected, “Considerably larger than our home, itself. You aren't even a proper meal for one of those things." Ragnar said trying to come off as calm and honestly failing. Though he still wanted to answer her questions as quickly as possible, so they could get out of there. While he may have been epically failing in disguising his fear and nervousness with calm, thanks to his suit physically ruffling the way his fur would have if he were a cat, in moments of fear. He was rather successful in answering her questions quickly and efficiently. At least… he thought so.

Leilah, noticing his ruffling suit, began to wonder if the suit was actually a part of him like his fur was. But she pushed the thought aside, quickly gathering her thoughts and taking in what he had just said. As his words had sunk in, she had a hard time hiding the look of sudden fear. Did he just say I wasn't a proper meal for them, as in..? They would- would they eat me? She wondered.

"Oh... well if I'm not a proper meal then they won't be interested in me." She proclaimed as cheerfully and confidently as possible, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Although, she wasn't even sure if she said that much to comfort him, or to comfort herself... Whatever the intention, the efforts may as well have been useless, because his expression did not so much as a shift in the slightest and she still felt like a helpless bunny surrounded by predators in some unknown land.

"Eh-hem, so eh… question number three! How are you talking?” She asked, remembering that she was asking him questions and it was definitely something that she could use to distract her mind from the horrors, that was her imagination. But to this question, Ragnar just gave her a cocky expression and fired the question right back at her. This… was both unexpected and simply made her feel taken aback more than anything. Having the words;

“How are you talking?” fired at herself, made her feel weird, especially in the fact that she didn’t really have an answer. A voice box? He had one. A tongue? He had that too. A school? You never needed a school to learn to speak… but in the suit he was wearing, she was sure, there had to be some kind of cat academy nearby… Maybe he was like the Principle or something. She could imagine that… Ragnar leaning back behind the Principal's desk, his feet now adorned in those fancy shoes kicked up on the desk. His smug expression and sarcastic “answer a question with another question” responses at every problem or inquiry. Sounds like him...

"For now,” Ragnar said, effectively interrupting Leilah’s thoughts. “Let's get you cleaned up and fed... you haven't eaten anything yet today." He muttered the last part under his breath. Which only scared her more, he was whispering! Did that mean that whatever could eat her was close by, now?

How did I even get myself into this mess!? She mentally screamed at herself as she sat down on a branch and held her head. There she was, drinking her coffee and minding her own business when a blood curtailing scream filled the air. She slipped in the mud in the attempt to get to her cat, absolutely terrified that the screams were him… and now, she’s here. In a Realm apparently called Ailisalden. Had she fallen in some sort of mud portal?

What does one even learn from that situation? Don’t slip in mud? Don’t help your cat? Maybe it meant that next time it would be better to run away from the terrifying screams instead of straight towards them. Perhaps all of the above? None of the above? Despite all of these questions she had, there was one that she found deafeningly more important than any of the others. How will she even begin to get home, now?

"Are you coming or are you just going to stand there all day?" Ragnar asked obviously not trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. Frankly, she was very confused… and a bit scared…. But following Ragnar was probably her best bet, so that’s exactly what she did. Standing up, she shoved her phone into her back pocket and began to walk over a few more tree roots and branches- All the while losing herself in thoughts and memories far too easily, all the while, barely listening as he spoke.

She knew, for one thing… that she knew, trusted, and very much loved Ragnar. She could still remember when she had first gotten him. It was a little over two years ago. Leilah’s father had gotten Ragnar from the pound, a gift for her mother. Ragnar… was the most adorable and curious kitten anyone could have ever imagined-

“There are all kinds of creatures in this realm. Think of each realm like a map, housing certain creatures, monsters, oddities… and every realm is completely alien to the next. There are millions of realms all over but we only have access, so far, to thirteen.” Ragnar spoke, only barely being heard by Leilah as she continued to think.

. . . His original name was Range, as granted by the pound. But Leilah and her family were hoping to change it, particularly because he didn’t seem to like it. As a family, when it came to suggesting names, it was a rule of thumb to stick to “R” names, so as not to confuse him too much. Eventually, Leilah named him Ragnar. It suited him, anyway. He was quite the leader, like Ragnar the Viking and at the same time… his personality was its own occupational hazard-

“As I said before, you have a Zodiac protector for twelve of these realms. You have Iterul, guarded by Aquarians, Arsidius guarded by Pisceans, Otori guarded by Ariens, Ailisalden guarded by Taurens, Neiftyriel’s Twin planets guarded by Geminians, Pierul guarded by Cancerians, Bezit en bewonder guarded by Leo’s, Astraea guarded by Virgoans, Croatia guarded by Libran’s, Marluto guarded by Scorpios, Jupire guarded by Saggitarians, Akkadian guarded by Capricorns.” Ragnar took a deep breath and continued; “Then you have the Arachnid Kingdom ruled by the Widow Queen.”

. . .He slowly crawled out from his box of doomy-doom. All the while, absolutely cautious of everything, and before long, he was bouncing around the house like crazy! Jumping from one chair to another to her dad's head and back again-

“So being here, the realm is abnormally large, but I’m not about to go into great detail about our solar system or editable foods or turn into animal planet of the new scary planet for you or much of anything else for the time being. If you want to know about that… read a book. Anyway, this is Ailisalden, not too far from here, where we stand, is the largest tribe of Taurens in the whole realm and it houses the Chief of them all. She… tolerates next to nothing and that's just east from here... You’ll meet her soon. Ahead of us, where we are headed, is well renowned as the Equinox Estate. An ever-changing, ever-revolving, beautiful gift of horror. Well… it isn't horrible, just a few citizens here and there… well, they don't come back the same, if they come back at all, thanks to Lanaru… or his lizard… but we blame Lanaru. He’s normally responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong. Because... he’s crazy. Uh, but the Estate! It is also home to the House of Element Alkaline. Protectors, destroyers, brilliant fools. It rather simply depends on… who you ask and what you experienced.” Ragnar paused and sniffed the air, before continuing, keeping his eyes peeled in every direction for something or anything dangerous.

No part of him seemed to realize that Leilah was being completely oblivious to his words as she wondered in thought. He just focused on moving forward, keeping both of them alive, and providing any information necessary. But what was necessary? She knew about the realms… the names, their protectors… but what use was that really, to her here? He didn't want to become an episode of animal planet and have to go off explaining half the animals he wanted to eat or the other half that wanted to eat him. But maybe… that's exactly what they had to do. Couldn't he just write a book and give that to her later? Maybe he could find one in the library… He’d still have to cover the main ones for now…

Soon, Ragnar took a liking to Leilah. Every night, he took her foot with his paws and licked it over and over as if he were bathing another kitten. Trouble was that, squirm as she might… he wouldn’t stop. She giggled and wriggled, squirmed, and writhed trying her very best not to kick him out of fear of hurting him. A one-sided fear, apparently, because every time she moved, he only dug his claws deeper and deeper into her foot so she wouldn’t move. So, all she could do was wait for him to believe her feet were clean… Was he still talking? She wasn't sure...

He did this every night for three months. It wasn’t long before Leilah’s mother gave Ragnar to her, although she insisted it wasn’t giving at all. As Leilah remembered her mother saying, only all too well; Cats… like Dogs, pick their owners and Ragnar had clearly chosen Leilah. Leilah, of course, respected her mother’s decision and Ragnar’s and was truly never able to see Ragnar as a pet. On a personal note, she was quite disgusted by the mere thought of such an emotion...

“There are Wisps, Foxes, Taurens, Brownies, Spiders, Wolves, Fish, Mages, Wizards… There is an assortment of predators, Demons, Undead, you have beasts that slip through the fabric of reality, you have Silverfish Leaves and poisonous berries… They’re alive, create acid to rise in your stomach and they eat you from the inside out. You have… Trees, big spruce-looking trees that will cause you to overthink things- They feast on your fears and devour your memories, often replacing them with twisted memories so that they may continue to feed on your fear and sadness. Most animals are not at all as they appear and here you keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Because the moment you forget how the enemy works… You’re dead- Are you even listening?” Finally realizing just how zoned out Leilah was, Ragnar rolled his eyes and kept walking. "No, it's cool. Not like I had anything important to say." He hissed.

She always saw Ragnar and any other Animal she ever had as a friend, brother/sister, or in Ragnar’s case: Her Familiar.

"We're here." Ragnar announced, trying to keep the natural growl out of his voice as he spoke. Not as if it wasn't well deserved as she had not been listening to his long but completely necessary speech! What a waste of breath. He thought, annoyed.

"Huh? I don't even remember moving." Leilah said, trying to recall if she ever actually did move. She sat on a branch… took a jog down memory lane… Leilah looked behind herself. How did she get from there… to here? In the end, she seemed to decide that she was just too lost in thought to really notice moving to begin with.

To this, Ragnar stopped and raised his eyebrow at Leilah in a questioning, and she could have sworn, judgmental sort of way. For someone who just turned from a cat to a human, he certainly had human expressions down. Then again, Leilah guessed, as a cat you would just watch humans all day. So, it's probably like second nature... literally.

"Well, you were awfully lost in thought... Or maybe you have short-term memory loss, Or maybe long-term memory loss, Or you were so scared you temporarily lost yourself mentally... Or- " Ragnar pondered out loud, obnoxiously, and quite sarcastically. At least his tone was- As Leilah watched him, however, she quickly found that his expression was rather stern and un-humorous which left her slightly offended and quite confused.

"Hey!" she said, cutting him off and lightly punching his arm while laughing. "I didn't go crazy if that's what you're implying!" She said, still laughing.

"I was actually implying that... Among other things." Ragnar laughed and then continued thoughtfully.

"Haha ...Wait a second." Leilah continued to laugh, before breaking off mid-breath to pause and catch onto what he was saying. But he interrupted her contemplation to carry on with their task, getting to the Estate.

"Never mind that. Let's get you something to eat." Ragnar said happily changing the subject, apparently not wanting to be scolded, even though he was just kidding... Probably just kidding.

"All right, FOOD! I can't wait! Whoa..." Leilah exclaimed not caring about the joke anymore as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings.

Enormous silver walls outlined a massive building. Ivy grew around the edges and draped from the terrace. A marble staircase led to the front doors with silver railings on either side. The grand black doors offered entrance, they were embedded with steel and gunmetal gears. Each gear reminded Leilah of a grandfather clock. The green ivy spiraled the handrails. Two massive towers rest on either side of this stunning building… It had two bay windows on both sides of the doors, and a thick forest surrounded the property.

Leilah looked up to what she expected to be the sky… But instead found herself looking up to the roof of a cave. Everything around her had a light blue luminance and all she could smell was seawater. The atmosphere was warm and moist, the grass covering the cave floor was dark seafoam green.

"Are you coming or are you going to stand there all day? Come on I thought you were hungry!" Ragnar said impatiently. Startled back to attention, Leilah spoke as she nodded and began to walk forward.

"Right, sorry! I guess I was just lost in the view." She replied anxiously as her stomach violently growled and she moved her gaze to anything else she could, pretending the sound wasn’t from her. But Ragnar didn’t seem to notice, or at least, he didn’t care.

"And I might be a little hungry..." Leilah tried to mutter, but honestly, it came out much louder than she had intended.

"All right well, come on in, and let's get you something to eat, besides you will have plenty of time to enjoy the view," Ragnar said walking up the marble stairs and turning to face Leilah as he got to the door, waiting for her to come up too. Leilah slowly and cautiously walked up the marble stairs and as she did, Ragnar turned back to the door.

Whose house was this? It couldn't be Ragnar's, could it?

Leilah wondered. As he turned around, he shifted only part of his physical form back to a cat, pressing a few areas on the door with his paws and tail at the same time. There was so much movement, Leilah couldn’t even begin to comprehend the pattern he used nor remember where these hidden buttons were if she should ever need them. It wasn’t terribly long before Ragnar finished his bizarre movements and took a few steps back, shifting to look completely human, once more. Now that Leilah wasn’t completely surprised by his ability to change his appearance, she had a moment to realize he honestly didn’t seem that different at all.

His silky black fur reverted to black hair, his skin was a dark brown that seemed to be highlighted with a light mocha color which complimented his golden eyes, his eyes gained the shape of a human's eyes but had the same glow as before, and he seemed to maintain his feline grace.

The gears rotated and unlocked the top, middle, bottom, and then there was a loud click sound as the handles opened, rotated, and revealed a stone sphere in the center of the doors, the stone sphere hovered out of its hole and towered Ragnar. Ragnar put his hand in the center of it, and the stone sphere began to ripple like water. It turned blue showing Ragnar's reflection as it rippled. Then it hovered back over its hole in the doors and began to spin at an incredible rate of speed. The whistling sound caught Leilah’s attention and sent her running back down the stairs she had just climbed.

Drops of a water-like substance ejected from the revolving sphere, the droplets flew about taking form. The form they made just before becoming whole ended up reminding Leilah of a flower. She remembered from her art class two years ago, the flower of life. Then one by one the droplets turned a royal purple and dove back into the sphere, turning it back to stone until a sound, thunderous and deep signaled it splitting into two and the doors swung open.

Ragnar walked inside confidently and turned to see if Leilah was following him. But she was just staring at the doors. He wasn't surprised this was her reaction, he had seen the same response from everyone else too. He would need to have a conversation with Xiao about that. The little pink creature needed to calm down on the technological effects.

"Don't worry, it's not broken. It will be whole again once the doors close." Ragnar said calmly in response to her big-eyed concerned face. Whether it was broken, had been the least of her concerns but she remained silent and slowly nodded in response. Leilah wasn’t exactly sure how she felt, but she was sure that she probably already looked like she just witnessed something crazy, like a UFO. Confusion and worry plastered across her face as she stared dumbfounded. Taking a deep breath and gathering what courage she had left; she took a step forward and cautiously climbed the marble staircase.

Stopping at the top, she looked back, but there was no sign of an entrance, nothing but weeping willows and a garden of flowers that she couldn't even describe. It was all so beautiful… Turning back around and walking inside she felt a slight breeze brush against her face. It was colder than a normal breeze, at least it felt that way. She was cringing slightly as she noticed the sudden tightness along the skin of her face, it was feeling crusty. She only wondered why for a moment and then remembered the mud. Lightly touching her face with the tips of her fingers, she felt the crusty mud covering her face, and inwardly groaned in disgust. She couldn't walk in the house now with all this mud! But Ragnar's glare convinced her feet to keep moving.

Hanging from the ceiling were three amethyst chandeliers with a candle on each crystallized arm. At the end of each arm, Leilah noticed they seemed to be carved like human hands holding the candles. Emerging from the candles were stunning blue flames that looked like dancing people. She watched as the flames danced around each other, flickering here and there with the utmost balance and grace. The floor was a beautiful dark brown wood, and so were the walls. The walls had many beautiful and very realistic paintings of different fictional creatures. Her eyes went from one painting to the next becoming more and more impressed with each one.

In one painting, there was a stunning silver dragon sitting in a cave of ember and gold with a gorgeous pond that reflected the dragon and its stunning scales. A magical purple mist seemed to flow and danced around the legs of the dragon, never entering the dragon's line of sight. In another painting, there was a small village in the night where the moon really glowed and the stars twinkled with starlight. There were werewolves, fairies, villagers, and elves that seemed to be friends exchanging baskets of food. Unlike the stories, she was so often told and had read about.

Leilah couldn't recall a moment in her life in which she'd ever seen anything quite as beautiful. There were many pictures of trolls, giants, little people with heads like mushrooms... there were vampires along with many, many other fantasy creatures, some of which she could hardly understand how to describe. Each painting had been captured in short, mythical films of which they told their story. Though, one particular picture caught her eye…

The strokes of the brush had been visible, as it danced in the water of a crystalline lake. Each highlight rippled the water with its determination to capture a story long forgotten. Beyond the water, the canvas was white. All blank, except the shadows of two boys. They stood, identical to one another, embracing each other's hands and gazing into their rippling black reflections. They neither said or did anything, unlike the many moving pictures surrounding their canvas. They just seemed contented, considering their own reflections, oblivious to all else around them. Then another walked into the painting, though this one taller.. Older… must have been an adult. The adult had many different colors unlike the shadow boys, and as the adult approached, one shadow boy vanished, likely to hide, having no intention to interact. But the other boy reached out in curiosity.

His small fingers twitching against the pale canvas towards the multicolored stranger. The stranger outstretched their own hand in return, caressing the boy's face. As the stranger did, the boy's shadowy skin began to ripple like the waves in the lake before them. Each ripple brings more and more vibrance and color to the boy. It was almost as if the color had been contagious. The adult took the boy's hand and left with the now bright and colorful boy, leaving the other twin… the other shadow boy behind. The shadow boy left behind, appeared again sad and alone. He lifted his hand, staring at it for a moment, wriggling his fingers as his brother had before. He looked up to where his brother vanished and back to the spot where they once stood together. Pain seared his features, but he resumed his spot, only this time, he resumed his spot alone. His hand rested at his side, curved to support another… Then the painting played again like a video.

She turned her attention back to Ragnar who was already walking around a corner. Leilah ran to catch up to Ragnar, who acted like he owned the place. It took a few seconds more than she expected… the hall was so much larger than it seemed when you wanted to get through it faster. Finally, she got close enough just to walk instead of run. Together Leilah and Ragnar walked down a few halls until finally, he stopped in a very dark room. Ragnar tipped a picture frame, and the walls, floor, and ceiling of the dark room began to light up.

He walked halfway down the now brightest hall of the building and shifted his hand to a paw, sticking his claw through a hole in the wall. He turned his claw a little bit to the left until he heard a faint click. The wall opened, revealing a purple carpet with silver linings that sat over some type of staircase she could see right in front of her but she could also see through it too. It wasn't like glass because it was moving like a gentle tide wave. Ragnar walked up the stairs until he found himself halfway to the top of the staircase. He turned around and glanced back at Leilah, almost seeming concerned before he spoke.

"Don't worry I guarantee it's safe, Lanaru perfected the spell this time… they’re called energy stairs, there are a few reasons they are called that, but the primary reasons are one; you use the energy around you to make it, and… Two; the positive energy that emanates from it heals you of any and all wounds, it relieves you of stress and pain, it cures illness and disease. It also restores your energy, so your mood improves and so you're no longer worn out." Ragnar said regarding her plain curiosity.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it," She replied confidently, then, taking a deep breath, she put her foot on the first step, followed by another step and another and another. It was a little wobbly at first because of its movement but she was getting the hang of it. The further she got up the stairs the better she felt anyway. She was no longer stressed or scared, she felt right at home and at the same time she felt thrilled and just happy- like she could accomplish anything and everything at that very moment, it made her feel invincible.

However, she didn't flaunt that emotion either, because she could remember multiple times in which her mother said that if you ever feel invincible, remember you're not and whatever is making you feel that way is dangerous. Ragnar assured her that the stairs weren't dangerous, in fact, he just said it was healing. But she also understood that everyone had a different definition of danger. Levels of which would or wouldn't be acceptable. Maybe to Ragnar, it was acceptable if he were used to places like this… but in this case, the magic itself is what was dangerous. That's where the emotion came from, but then she had to choose… it wasn't dangerous enough to be considered a danger to Ragnar, but would this kind of magic and more ahead, be too dangerous for her? Could she accept it as her own norm?

Leilah stood in the center of the stairs a moment fighting waves of emotion seeping from the stairs and bursts of doubt and fear from her own subconscious. Standing there was nauseating, but she was still there enough mentally to know that the choice was either behind her or ahead. She took another step.

She got to the top of the stairs with Ragnar and the hallway at the bottom of the stairs stopped glowing as the light died down and the wall closed. Ragnar turned to the right-hand side of the hallway and opened a door.

"This is your room," Ragnar announced. It was only two doors from the arch they just came through… She stared, memorizing the wood.

“No use,” Ragnar said, realizing what she was doing. “If you’d been listening before, you’d remember I said this place is ever-changing. Your room won't be two doors away by morning. You may not even be at the top of these stairs.” Nodding, Leilah just walked past him, as he held the door open and gasped when the room came into view.

"This is a bedroom? It looks like a whole new house!" She said, overly enthusiastic.

"Do you not like it?" Ragnar asked slightly confused; he had thought that the human girl would have preferred more space over less cramped space. He understood the room needed to be cleaned a bit more… eyeing the dust on the books, he sighed, he’d have to tell one of the brownies.

"Like it? LIKE it? Ragnar, I LOVE IT!! It's gorgeous! I mean look at this stunning crystal chandelier and the double bed, ohuuu!" She squealed and immediately jumped onto the bed, letting her body sink a bit into the cushions.

"So, fluffy!" She sang, sinking into the pillow's soft comforts, "And the closet is huge!" She jumped up, running to the closet.

"I could park a car in here!" she shouted, laughing as her voice echoed back at her. Then she ran to the windows and thrust open the purple curtains. "Just look at the view-" and it was at that moment that she realized the 'windows' were glass doors.

"Forget the view! I have a balcony!?" She asked happily, pushing them open a bit to test their movement, then she shut them and turned back to Ragnar.

"I love it, Ragnar!" She said, as she ran up and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" She loudly whispered in his ear.

Ragnar winced and patted her shoulder hard, growling with what air he had left. "AIR!"

"Oh, hehe, sorry..." She blurted releasing him. Ragnar laughed and rubbed his sore ribs.

"You’re welcome Leilah," Ragnar said, hugging her back, less violently than she had hugged him. Then he proceeded to lift his arm to point across the room at the door.

"Also, you have a master bathroom so you can take a-" He started, but Leilah cut Ragnar off by enthusiastically finishing his sentence as she threw her arms in the air.

"SHOWER!! Okay, go, go, gogo! Bye!" She said, shoving him out the door leaving the door shut behind him. Then, she rushed across the room into the bathroom and locked the bathroom door behind her. There was a brand new unused hairbrush and toothbrush on the counter. A blue towel that smelled of lavender and was softer than a thousand-wooly sheep hung on the towel bar.

She turned on the shower water and put her hand under running water to feel its temperature. It was so warm it sent shivers down her back as steam rose into the air. She watched the steam rise from the tub as she threw her muddy, cold clothes in the laundry basket. She stepped one foot at a time into the tub, enjoying the prickly feeling she received from the water as her body adjusted to the heat. She stood under the water and watched as the water went from clear to brown from the mud. The water ran thick with mud for a while. Eventually, the water changed from a sludgy brown to crystal clear water again.

Ragnar listened as Leilah scurried into the bathroom. Smiling, content with Leilah's enthusiastic joy, he backed away from the door.

Ragnar turned around looking down the long dark corridor. He transformed into a cat and ran full speed down the hall to Lanaru's study. Lanaru had just about every book in all of Ailisalden. If anyone knew how to get Leilah out of Ailisalden and back to Leilah's world, it was Lanaru.

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"You mean to tell me that somehow your human followed you here?" Lanaru asked, astounded. His overly large blue robes bellowing about his lanky form. Lanaru had just gotten home and while he did expect to find Ragnar lurking about somewhere, he did not expect a human to follow. Xiao stretched her webbed feet out from her spot in the bookcase and nudged her head forward. All I wanted was a nap and this stupid cat has gotta interrupt with his human creature! Ooh, the human creature isn't here? Xiao thought as she looked around Ragnar for the human.

Lanaru knew all to well what she was thinking and shot her a glare, but she ignored his glare and began sniffing the air. Giving her webbed feet another stretch and twitching her toes this time, Xiao yawned and forced herself up. I will find you human! You all smell! I will find you... Her eyes narrowed in determination as she snaked across the study floor and out the door. Lanaru wanted to stop her but at the same time he tried to think positively of their encounter, whats the worst that can happen, right? Besides, it's not like she would speak and startle the human. Maybe she would pose as a companion...

Ragnar was almost entirely absorbed in his own thoughts and concerns, but he managed to grant a slight nod while he stared intently at the floor, averting his glance from direct eye contact. The constant creepy mist emanating from the mage's eyes made conversation distracting. More than anything it ignited an urge in Ragnar to repetitively slap at Lanaru’s face in order to capture the mist, but he did his best to calm his inner cat and pay closer attention to other things. Lanaru, not wanting to be a cat tower, often let Ragnar pretend to be more interested in other things as they spoke.

"Fascinating," Lanaru muttered adjusting the glasses upon his nose. The blue mist moved with the frames of his glasses, avoiding being pushed into the mage's line of sight. "Do you think that maybe she's not human? If you know what I mean..." Lanaru asked Ragnar curiously, while he tried to keep his question subtle. Half-breed humans were not uncommon in their own stories. He was sure the two-legged creatures would be smart enough to guess why that was such a common occurrence in their own tales. But that didn't always mean that weird responses and abilities on a human's behalf meant they were half-breeds. Sometimes, there were logical reasons and other times it was left unanswered and later forgotten. Her arrival will not be one that may be forgotten... He thought to himself.

"She is from Earth- she’s human," Ragnar replied, refusing to indulge Lanaru in theories. "I just want to know how we are supposed to get her back home," Ragnar added, hoping to get some direct answers. This wasn't always what he got, Ragnar never understood why wizards or mages wouldn't just give a direct answer, everything was a game with them or some hopeless riddle. Lanaru gave Ragnar a sad look as if Lanaru was disappointed, then his face brightened and Ragnar knew the mage was only playing a different angle to get the information he wanted. But this wasn't about the information that had Lanaru curious, it was about the information that Ragnar needed.

"Are you telling me you don't want her to stay for a while?" Lanaru teased, rising from his desk and slowly pacing around his study, his eyes intent on Ragnar.

"Are you saying you want her to stay?" Ragnar countered forcing himself to keep eye contact long enough to glare at Lanaru. Ragnar was most definitely not in the mood for THIS game.

"Of course not, I haven't even met her yet." Lanaru winked, pinching off the blue mist for an instant. Though, as soon as his eyelids parted again, it continued, as usual, playfully dancing from the brilliant silvery blue center of Lanaru's eye and then he continued.

"All I'm saying is that you don't think she's what I think she is, which makes her human! But, I mean… After all, it’s very rare for a human to get here, I mean SO... rare- It has simply never happened before! So isn't showing her the world she happened to stumble upon the most… Mmm… the hospitable thing to do?" Lanaru sarcastically said pacing the floor still, before pausing and glancing at Ragnar again. She had to have been human, being from Earth. But she made it here, that means she had to be something else. But what? Lanaru forced his smirk to mask his aggravation at the thought and at what that meant. Not even a whole day back and he already had to report back to the Widow Queen, who’d undoubtedly be expecting his report now. After all, nothing happened in any of her realms without her knowing, sometimes, she’d even know before its initial occurrence. But the one thought that rang louder than all the rest wasn't what Ragnar’s companion truly was- it was instead; Why did the Queen accept Ragnar’s companion to reside here? He couldn't let the girl leave, not until he knew the Queen’s true intentions. She’d be safe in the Estate and with Ragnar around, she’d be safer. But for now, as usual, Lanaru figured it was time to put his own back to a wall and work around the edges of the room, metaphorically speaking.

"Unless of course, you're afraid she'll realize what she is." Lanaru suddenly stopped and looked at Ragnar giving him a wicked smile. Lanaru locked Ragnar in his gaze. From the rims of his glasses, the blue mist began to flicker and flick with the hint of flames. Ragnars eyes flickered with annoyance. Lanaru was always a very playful mage. Flirtations, but arrogant. Smart but at times rather boasting. Wise but seemed to seek out trouble. Open but mysterious. He was like someone you knew you could never quite understand… for this, Lanaru's personality always had Ragnar on edge, unsure of what Lanaru's next move would be. Ragnar always struggled with his feelings when it came to Lanaru. At times Ragnar admired Lanaru's ability to argue his way out of anything and how he can make the bravest look ridiculous and the smartest look dumb.

Yet, other times, Ragnar wondered why he was even friends with Lanaru. Lanaru is crazy! He does the smartest things for the dumbest reasons. Then again that is one of the things Ragnar loved about Lanaru… Ragnar forced himself to calm a bit- No point in playing with Lanaru like a large mouse right now, even if Ragnar’s idea of playing at the moment, was to gut him.

"How do we get her home?" Ragnar asked again avoiding the riddle-like a question and the intensely animated deep blue mist, revealing much of Lanaru's emotions.

Lanaru rolled his eyes. He could feel Ragnar’s desperation for the answer, he couldn't stand turning his back on his best friend like this, but in the end, that was the best way to protect both of them. Protection… he’d been doing a lot of protecting lately. He wondered when he’d gotten so wrapped up in that. But there was still Ragnar’s question and he had to get Ragnar to leave so he could respond to the Queen's summons. She would any moment, he could feel it. The mist surrounding his eyes began to softly burn the way it did when she needed him.

“You're no fun, are you?" Lanaru replied playfully, His mist calmed going back to a constant smoke of light blue. But Ragnar’s glare made it clear that Ragnar was intent on the answer and would not let the conversation alter in the slightest. "Fine, fine, however, I cannot help beyond telling you where to go." Lanaru mumbled.

"And why not?" Ragnar growled. "Why do I get the idea you are tricking me?" Ragnar gave Lanaru a sharp look.

"Uh, put... tosh. Me? Trick you? Not a chance." He looked at Ragnar giving him a small devilish smile, and then he laughed mockingly. "Oh, lighten up, I'm really not tricking you. It's simple. I'm a mage, and she is 'totally' human." Lanaru's sarcasm couldn't have been more potent as he continued.

"But just in case, I should stay away from her. Anything I do could awaken who she totally could not possibly be and you don’t want that! Am I correct in this assumption? If so, the only help I can provide... is... the location in which you will be headed!" Lanaru said, looking sideways at Ragnar whose eyes could have burned Lanaru with rage. Oh, if looks could kill Lanaru would have just died a few thousand times over.

What kind of game is this mage playing at? Ragnar wondered, he straightened his jacket.

"Aww... don't be such a grumpy kitty, and I'll help you... just from a distance, you won't even know I'm there." Lanaru said, then he winked.

Ragnar rolled his eyes and snarled. "Will you just tell me where to go?"

"Right, right here you go." Lanaru flicked his hand as a silver-blue mist slid into the room from the window, it slid behind one of the elegant bookshelves that covered the walls within the chamber.

The luminescent glow skimmed over the bindings of the books from one bookshelf to another, until a big black book was shoved off the shelf, it flew across the room and landed gently on the table in front of Ragnar, and on the front of the book was the seal of the magic realm.

The seal had a blue flame surrounded by Celtic symbols representing each element. Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and the final; one purple waves in the center that represented Energy.

Ragnar shifted back into a cat and gently touched the book with his paw. The book flew open and flipped to a page somewhere in the middle where the silver-blue mist now sat on a map circling a portal closer to the end of the realm. Ragnar's eyes widened, and his ears perked up.

"That's the only way for her to get out of here?" Ragnar looked at Lanaru hoping he would laugh and say he was kidding, that it was just some funny trick, but this was not the case.

"Well unless you want to try to drag her through your cat portal that's her only way out," Lanaru said in a serious tone.

"But... that's all the way across the realm, and that's just a portal to the next realm! The only realm that holds a portal large enough to support a human is seven Realms away!" Ragnar muttered sinking back into the chair unsure what to do. She couldn't be here forever, but he can't risk her life through the seven Realms! "There must be another way!" Ragnar shouted slamming his paws on the table.

"Of course, there's another way. She has to learn what she is." Lanaru blurted.

"No! She doesn't need that! Not now." Ragnar grumbled loudly.

"Well, then I guess you will have quite a journey through the realms." Lanaru laughed. "Stubborn, stubborn Cat... I tell you what, why don't you have her stay here for three days while I figure out another solution?" Lanaru suggested pretending to be innocent.

"Three days? That's the Widow Moon. You just want her to figure out what she is! Otherwise, you would already have the answer with that blue mist of yours!" Ragnar snarled. “We’re supposed to help each other, Lanaru! I know this is strange and it's different but please… if not her, help me.”

Lanaru stared at Ragnar for what felt like forever, in silence. Ragnar’s words playing in his mind and the guilt rising further each time. Finally, he moved, but it was only a flick of his hand, summoning a blue mist like the one that flowed from his eyes. It wrapped around Ragnar carrying him out of the room gently. “No, my dear friend, that's day one, of the Peruth’an Festival- The Starless Nights. The Widow Queen was most upset that her moon would be hidden for this season. As for helping you...” Lanaru said nothing more. He only struggled to keep his composure as the mist began to feel like hot needles pressing into the sides of his eyes.

“That doesn't mean the effect will be dulled!” Ragnar hissed and clawed at the fog demanding release.

"Stubborn but smart. I guess that's your problem now... Isn't it?" Lanaru whispered, and as the mist dropped Ragnar, the door swung closed.

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Leilah put on her clothes that had been laying on her bed neatly folded and clean. How they got there- how they were clean, she felt like she would never know... They were softer than usual and had the same lavender aroma that the rest of the room had as well as the towel. Running her fingers through her hair she sighed and turned around, letting gravity pull her body to the bed as she stared at the ceiling. The silence was peaceful, almost lulling as it teased Leilah into the depths of sleep. She had no idea that a large pink padded creature ran across her bedroom floor or hid under her bed. It's now silver eyes glowing in the dark. Before Leilah could actually sleep, a faint tapping sound startled her.

The sound clearly came from the balcony, but it ceased after a few moments, so Leilah convinced herself that it was just the wind, likely pushing the branch of a tree or something into tapping the glass of the sliding doors. Rolling over, she wrapped herself into a fluffy blanket, ready to sleep. Though, even louder than before, the tapping noise returned. Opening her eyes and positive the wind wasn't so rude, she got out of bed absolutely sure that someone was out there. Opening the curtains draped over the twin glass doors, she gazed through the glass without opening or even unlocking the doors. If someone was out there and they were expected or intended to be here, surely they’d have used the front doors, she thought.

'The Equinox Estate is ever-changing, it’s never quite the same.' The memory of Ragnar's voice came back to her, but Leilah shook it off. No matter how much the Estate could or could not change, who could honestly miss those giant, polished wooden, mechanically geared, magical doors at the top of the unmissable gorgeous marble staircase?

But even with all of her reasoning, as she looked out she merely saw no one except the bustling hanging branches of the willow by her balcony. No one was there. Becoming paranoid, she left the curtains open, sure she’d catch whoever it was tapping on the glass, right in the act, while she was safe in her fancy bedroom quite out of reach of animals and in screaming range of Ragnar who couldn't be far from her room. After a few hours of no action, no sound, not even a distant cricket- she decided it was simply the wind and finally drifted off to sleep.

The lock to the balcony silently turned and the doors gently opened, a person dressed in a black cloak stood at the glass door, purple mist surrounding their legs like a thick fog. Seeing Leilah asleep, they flicked their wrist, allowing the purple mist to drift past the cracked door carrying a basket and a book. The mist rose off the ground and took the form of a purple wisp-like fox who happily prance across the room, its phantom paws touching the ground with precise silence as it blew out a small cloud of fog that carried the basket and the book to rest on the top of her bedside table.

Letting out a triumphant chirp, the fox did a tiny dance at its completed mission. The sound almost woke Leilah, but being too tired to wake properly, she grumbled in her sleep and rolled over. Her sleeping expression now facing the phantom fox who immediately absorbed the fog it released and turned its flaming purple eyes to watch Leilah carefully. Jumping onto the bed, the fox gently poked at Leilah, anticipating if she would wake or not. When the only response was another soft grumble, the fox decided she wouldn't wake and thereby, it slyly jumped over her and onto the floor, heading to the balcony door without a sound. The figure almost turned away with its fox before visibly swearing in silence and pulling a note out of their pocket, whispering; “Quickly,” to the fox.

The fox ran through the room under the bed and immediately got slapped out. The pink creature under the bed shook its bristles and purred aggressively as it lunged for the fox again, but the fox bounced out of the way and onto the bedside table. The fox jumped up dropping the note in the basket and turned to a puddle of mist before hitting the floor. Drifting back to its master, closing the doors and curtains behind it and with as little sound as their original arrival, they both disappeared into the night. The wind gave a soft howl, pushing one of the willow branches too hard as it smacked against the glass. With a sharp gasp, Leilah shot up in her bed and looked around. Overcome by a yawn, she stretched and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It was very dark in the room suddenly, darker than it was before she fell asleep earlier. Wasn't the curtains open before she fell asleep? She wasn't sure, she just knew that normally, the darkness and silence was welcomed. Tonight, it just added to her paranoid thoughts.

Suddenly, the light turned on as if it knew Leilah wanted it on. But that only freaked her out more. The unexpected light stung her eyes, and unconsciously rubbing them to ease the pain, she tried her best to adjust quickly. When her vision finally did adjust, she looked around and noticed the basket sitting atop a book on her bedside table and sticking out of the basket was a note. Picking up the basket, her stomach rumbling as she touched it (giving her a sharp reminder she hadn't eaten anything yet) she set the note beside herself. Lifting the lid to the basket, she saw all kinds of berries. With every one her eyes glazed over, her stomach seemed to rumble louder and louder. Not bothering to think twice about eating them, she immediately devoured every berry in the basket as if she’d never seen food before. As she finished eating the berries, she picked up the note and unfolded it to read.

‘A gift for you.’ At the bottom of the note was a painting of a necklace with an amethyst crystal hanging from the chain. The painting was stunning like whoever painted it also painted the pictures downstairs. She touched the painting in wonder, but much to Leilah’s surprise, it felt like real metal, cold and hard. She yanked her hand back in startle and watched as the necklace fell from the paper into her lap.

It was beautiful, A silver linked chain with a teardrop-shaped sapphire crystal outlined with amethyst teeth hanging from the chain, six even spaces on either side. She picked it up and put it on. The silver chain was cold at first on her skin, but then the chain began to glow red and suddenly the chain wasn't cold anymore and after a moment, Leilah realized, neither was she. The chain turned back to silver but remained warm and seemed to keep her warm as well.

She was grateful for the warmth it granted, though, she hadn't realized how cold she was until the chain warmed her up. Turning her attention back to the book, that the basket was on top of, she picked it up and pulled it into her lap. Almost as quickly as she had touched it, the book changed from white to black with big gold letters rippling into sight just above a small pink dragon with black horns and long white whiskers.

“Whoa, that's some weird shit.” The pink creature had climbed out from under the bed and was staring at Leilah.

Screaming, Leilah jumped back and pushed the book away from her, only to hear a smaller, more slippery screaming mirror her own. Stopping she looked around and grimaced.

“Wow, your scream is so high pitched, it scared a scream out of me.” The voice continued as a pink foot slammed onto the side of the bed. “Look, I don't feel like hoisting myself up with my tail, so uh… little help? Y’know, human to Dragon?”

Looking over the side of the bed, Leilah gulped and tried to keep herself from screaming again, but the large pink creature with bushy pink branches surrounding its face merely glared up at her.

“Now would be awesome! Jeeze, I spent so much time waiting for someone smart and they sent the wrong person! I’m kidding, I’m kidding, I’m not funny. I’m a Dragon, and a short one too. Help.” She said, wiggling her little pink toes. Reluctantly, Leilah put her hands under the pits of the creatures first pair of arms as it seemed to have two pairs of arms and then a pair of legs with a very long tail. Hauling it onto the bed, she sighed and stared at it.

“You’re a Dragon?” Leilah whispered

“Yes, I am a Dragon… Name is Xiao, and you are Ragnar’s human, Leilah, right?” Xiao asked, in more of a statement than a question but she still accepted Leilah’s awkward nod. “Good.” Adjusting to have all of her legs starfished around her body, Xiao let her body lean in close to the bed almost like an army crawl and her eyes narrowed, "I found you!"

“But you look like an Axolotl. Uh... Did you… bring me the berries?” Leilah asked.

“What did you just call me? Berries? You mean the basket and the note with a necklace and the book?” Xiao asked again, “No, I just stalked your balcony stalker. They left though. Good thing too, because if Lanaru found another mage stalking his Estate we’d have another catastrophic event like the Starless Nights and Lanaru’s Big Bang and the newest, The Lanaru Effect it would be a growing problem like Lanaru’s old teachers waistline. And that's worse than you thinking you ate berries.” Xiao chuckled and plopped on the bed, muttering about how perfectly soft and fluffy it was.

“But I did eat berries…”

“Nope.”

“I’m pretty sure…”

“No. You were delusional, they were like berry-shaped crepes. There's no way you ate a berry.”

“Crepes have berries in them.”

“Cheap brand.” Xiao shrugged and nuzzled into the pillows, giggling. “If you ate berries you’d be trapped here forever. It’s like, the number one rule of entering other realms. Do not eat the food. It isn't real, it's a trap.”

Leilah stared at Xiao and suddenly hoped she was right about Leilah being delusional, but she changed the subject anyway. What are the Starless Nights and Lanaru’s Big Bang and The Lanaru Effect?”

“Ooh~” Xiao rolled onto her back and gave Leilah a wide gummy grin, not a tooth in sight. “You’ll see the Starless Nights soon, Lanaru’s Big Bang is a big mistake! Made humans, which is debatable, The Widow Queen and I often get into very educated debates over it- she claims its not real, I swear that nothing will stop me from blaming Lanaru, proceeds onto hours of ‘yuh-huh’s’ and ‘nuh-uhs’ It's pretty complicated. As for The Lanaru Effect~ The Lanaru Effect, I presume will be the process in which one reality and another reality begin to merge over a period of time. All of our facts and memories converge and some things, small things will suddenly be altered. Like a missing person, never being missing, or a logo changing beyond the point of recognition. Elves having short sharp ears rather than long batons hanging off the ends of their heads, Muscular teachers suddenly becoming obese and sad.” Xiao paused and mumbled, “Maybe he was always sad and I was simply too dismissive of his existence to care…” Perking up, she met Leilah’s eyes again and smiled. “Anyway! That’s the Lanaru Effect!”

“Uh-huh… So, if the Lanaru effect was real, then in a merging reality, you could have cared about the teacher? Or maybe he thinks you cared?” Leilah said, and Xiao immediately got large sad eyes and whispered;

“Oh my gosh, that's so sad. I’m a Dragon. There's no reason in any reality for me to care about his fat sadness…” and to that, Leilah bit back her laughter unsure what she could say as Xiao shoved the book into Leilah’s lap again.

“Anyways! Let's read what stalky the foxy left you!” Xiao exclaimed as Leilah looked back down at the book. The large gold letters above a small pink dragon with black horns and long white whiskers, read;

“Your Spell Book” Leilah whispered the words out loud.

“Whoa, you’re a witch! Can you make me bigger! Make me bigger! Please, please? Wait!” Xiao had been climbing over Leilah, her body tucked around Leilah’s neck and her paws scattered in Leilah’s hair before she suddenly stopped. Looking appalled, she whispered in Leilah’s ear, “Please don't make me big like the green mage, I don't want to be fat! I ate all my kelp!” Xiao whined.

Leilah squirmed and pushed Xiao off her neck, “No, I am not a Witch! I’m a Leilah.” Leilah stated and she opened the book, only to find various blank pages. “Weird…” Leilah muttered under her breath, closing the book. Suddenly one side of the book seemed to melt into itself. Inside the newly formed long crater in the cover of the book a quill appeared. Leilah picked up the quill and examined it. It looked like an ordinary quill to her, so she set the quill back into place within its crater.

“I’m not a Witch!” Xiao mimicked in a much higher tone than Leilah’s actual voice, before adding with a grumble, “But then you make the book eat part of itself to give you a pen.”

Suddenly the quill jumped up and stood upright next to the book. The book opened turning to the first page and releasing a gust of wind. The quill jumped up on the book and began to write;

Dear Leilah,

This is your very own spell book. I was instructed by the Widow Queen to give this to you promptly. Though I am not allowed to tell you anything too important... yet. A war is spinning itself into the threads of our reality. Be careful, the vibrations you may be tempted to answer for the energies are not quite their own.

I do so look forward to meeting you properly, though now would not be the time. You see, the species you have grown up with would be very alarmed by my figure. So, I shall wait until you know more and speak to the Widow Queen before introducing myself. The Queen predicts you shall meet soon. The berries are a personal gift from me, it will awaken you and rejuvenate your energy.

Sincerely,

Marpissa Pikei.

P.S This is a royal message; therefore, I must use my full name. However, might we receive the opportunity to meet in the vessel I prefer to be called Marp. Enjoy the berries. Until we meet again...

With each word read, the previous sentence erased itself from the page. Within a breath of time from rereading the final sentence,

Enjoy the berries. Until we meet again…

The page was once again blank.

“You got a message from the Widow Queen… and you did actually seriously get berries?” Xiao asked.

Leilah nodded and muttered “I told you I had berries.”

Xiao just stared at Leilah and continued, “And you actually seriously ate them?”

“Yes…”

“But you aren't dead.” Xiao said.

“Nope! Wait… why would I die?” Leilah asked, now worried.

“So you are a witch!” Xiao said, skipping off the bed and heading to the door, ignoring Leilah’s question. “I gotta tell Lanaru there's a witch who ate berries from the Queen and tortures books!”

Sighing, and shaking her head, she put the spell book on her bookshelf. Then, she set the basket on the floor and slid the basket under her bed. When Xiao left the room, and the lights turned off, it wasn't long before Leilah slid under the covers and fell asleep.