Elias and the Leap

Elias stood petrified over the ledge; his brain was telling him to jump, yet his legs turned to stone as fear took over his body. Below him, the portal spun, whipping, whirling, roaring, and glowing a blinding light. Behind him, the patrol unit encroached, preparing to capture him. Running for so long, he had sat there in turmoil, wondering what to do. Be captured by the patrol unit, or dive into the unknown with no guarantee to see his world or loved ones again. It shook Elias to his core. The two choices he had planted his feet to the ground. Suddenly, he felt as if he were a tree rooting into the soil. Stuck between two decisions. He could feel power emitting from the portal, and it drew him in.

However, once he reached the ledge, he froze. The patrollers getting even closer. Preparing to take him in for his and his friend’s crime of stealing the Chalice of Life from the palace. Even though he agreed to go on the journey with everyone to bring it to the Land of Hope, he stood there uncertain that they’d make it back this time. They had used up all of their power just to get back into their realm. Plus, the portal had gone haywire when they opened it.

He remembered Ezra the Great speaking on this phenomenon before, about the portal sometimes acting uncontrollably and the potential of it sending them to a world they won’t get out of.

He witnessed Jason and Jeremy jump without a hitch. Even Lily jumped into the portal despite being nervous. But when it was Elias’ turn, he simply couldn’t jump. All he could remember was Ezra telling them the story of AV leaving through the portal and never coming back. Yes, the stories he told of magical worlds of adventure and dreams beyond anyone’s imagination were awe-inspiring. But he also told of the horrors of how the worlds lingering on you. And the nightmares of tragedy and sleepless nights living in fantasies and PTSD from experiences in other worlds.And the worst part, those that never came back.

These stories caused Elias to become overwhelmed with fear. Now, the Troopers were nearly within arm’s reach, and it was nearing time for Elias to make a decision. He stood there, as he always does, indecisive. Risk of being imprisoned forever? Or dive into the unknown and face death or worse on the other side. Because the probability of things going right was never a thought that came across Elias’ mind.

These fears forced Elias to stand still, looking in curiosity yet concerned for his own life. The other three adventurers left without a hitch. They did not like the thought of being enslaved. They’d rather take the risk than spend the rest of their days working for the Empire. Besides, they were the chosen children of destiny, to free the people from the Empire’s reign, and the only way to do so was to obtain the crests of life. The Chalice is the first of the 4. They knew the risks of this adventure and were ready to face them head-on.

Elias, always had trouble as he was the heavy thinker of the group. Troubled with thinking of possibilities and constantly coming up with negative outcomes. Never thinking positively, he always had issues with decision-making. Yet, he was always a leader in some capacity because of how calculated he was with every move. Even before coming to this point, he mapped out the group’s avenue to the Chalice and their escape route. However, He was always afraid of something happening. Of something going wrong and someone getting hurt, or worse. And now, that idea has become true to him, and he felt he led his comrades into a death trap. Thus he stood there, terrified of what was next. Trying to breathe and take the leap, he closed his eyes and remembered the last words Ezra said to him before he passed to the great beyond gifting his group their powers.

“Elias, You have the capacity and potential to become the vanguard who will lead the new era. Do not run from your light, for everyone looks to you to become the king to save us all. I believe in it; I truly do; embrace it.”

And with those words ringing in his ear, Elias let his feet off the ground and took the leap into the unknown.