The Doorway to 13 Realms - 001

Authors Note: First of all, thank you all! I was astonished to see how many views and followers I had gotten over the last week. I am up to 661 Views and have 37 Followers. Without each and every one of you, I could have never gotten there and I really appreciate your support! You are all amazing!

So, I took the time to polish the book up a bit. I am working towards actually getting this book published. I have re-written some chapters and am pushing to finally complete this book. I have a hard time staying motivated sometimes, that's my biggest fault when it comes to completing the books I write. But I am beyond excited to see where this one goes and cannot wait to share that with all of you! Thank you again for all of your support! Stay safe and make healthy choices! I hope to see you again in my next article! 🖤

Authors Disclaimer: I, Kaliyah Myers have published this on Vocal.Media and Wattpad. This story is my work and I have been writing this since I was about twelve years of age. I do not permit the use of my story outside of these publications that I have personally made and will seek legal action against anyone who steals it. This is not written for me but rather for my two younger siblings- because I love them both dearly and want them to have my favorite gift of all. A story.

Preamble

“Threads… In every world and in every realm, there is a fabric of reality made of different threads. Threads of color, threads of sound, threads of smell... Each of those threads made and corresponded with one another. Threads of thought, threads of action, threads of hope, love, admiration. But this story is much less about the threads, as it is of the fabric. What happens when that safe cushion of reality is ripped away?”

“What happens when that fabric of reality, so delicately sowed by our Mother Widow, is torn apart?”

“What is real then?”

“When some were children, they were told constantly that nothing is truly impossible. The word merely exists for itself... it is impossible for something to be impossible. The world these children grew up in, proved it every day. Man stood on the moon, people communicate through handheld devices, children turn away from their families, and media brainwashes the countries. Impossibility has been made possible for both forces good and evil.”

“. . . As I grew up, I wondered, if impossibility exists for itself, then wouldn't fantasy?”

“It’s fanciful to believe in a fantasy. But then, what meaning does that leave possibility?”

“What meaning does that leave reality?”

“I wonder then if those words hold the same meaningless meaning as 'The'. It is nothing more than a thread in a series of words to string them together. These thoughts often spilled through the strings in my mind. Often am I disappointed that even now, the simplest of things leaves me to wonder... hopelessly, like a hatchling.”

“If you are reading this... You must know something that is vital to this tale-- It may be locked away in the fiction section, or perhaps the Sci-Fi. You may read this and truly believe that it is purely for entertainment. You may read this and hope for yet another story to tear you from this reality to a fanciful world. Though, instead, you will be ripped from this reality to the next, with every word your eyes consume.”

“Before you argue, let me remind you; Every story has its truth... in more ways than you can imagine. Some of these worlds lay in plain sight, and some don't. However, what you see and what you hear, will only be real to those who chose not to ignore it. In some worlds, bees are like fairies, and humans are like werewolves. What is real, is what you see, feel, touch, smell, and if you don't want to if you don't believe... you never will. But enough of that, we all have things to do, places to be, and you... you, have a story to read.”

~ Xiao Pinkscale – The “Dragon”

My dreams were not always very special, though I did have what I liked to call my safe place. It was beautiful, it had a crystal-clear blue lake that covered most of the ground, and across the lake was a luminescent silver forest. The glowing trunks reflected against the water like a haunted memory. The silver leaves that endlessly fell around the empty trees, in a constant animated state, spiraling and swirling in a delicate dance. The ground never felt their touch, for when they finished their delicate spiral, they faded more and more in color until they vanished. Never once touching the floor of the forest.

I never really wondered where the leaves came from and even though the trees had none, to begin with- it still seemed normal to me. Below my assumed form, were thousands of pebbles and rocks, each smooth and perfect for skipping stones. Beside me, there was always a little boy with a fox head that almost blended into a sweater, he had never seemed to take off. Or at least, I managed to convince myself over time that it was a sweater... As if it were some sort of costume- but it functioned more like his actual body. In all honesty, he was so very shy, but after a while, he'd always talk to me before I'd wake from the night. He was so familiar; sometimes I wondered if I knew him outside of my dreams. Unfortunately, every time the thought crossed my mind, he would leave before I could ask, as if he knew I would.

Unlike every other night, my dream was interrupted. I was thrust from my dream, into a realm of mist and chaos. Everything felt different, my skin prickled with the odd electrical sensations of an approaching storm. Above me, the sky was dark with black and deep grey storm clouds adorned in its dark features. The world seemed unusually flat, my lake was gone and replaced with a thick blanket of bluish-white fog. From the corner of my eye, I saw a deep purple strike of lightning that forked across the light blue mist, illuminating the shadowed figures of people speckled throughout the fog's thick blanketing of the world.

The lightning triggered the voices. The voices were like murmurs buzzing throughout my mind. Yet somehow, I remained aware that the voices belonged to the silhouetted beings. The shadowed figures speckled throughout the fog seemed to multiply until there were too many to count. I couldn't seem to control my dream like I normally could, and as I turned to leave, I was stopped by a huge white nothingness. No ground, no wall, just empty space, the world I stood on seemed to bleed into the nothing, the fog highlighting a drop off just before the vast empty space. I turned back to the silhouetted beings, unsure what else to do, beyond an attempt to communicate.

"Where am I?" I thought I had asked out loud, but there were so many whispering voices it was hard to hear even my own voice. As I strained to listen, the crowd seemed to silence, allowing a soft voice to rise above all the others.

"What if we aren't humans?" There was a strong emphasis on 'we', it was undeniable as the voice twisted in the air. The voice was distantly familiar, I still cannot shake the feeling of familiarity. The tone of the voice belonged to a young female. The child-like vibrancy still held the wonderment and melody that was very similar to that of any other little girl. Her voice was light and fuzzy and yet, it made my skin feel funny, almost electric. Although her voice sounded so familiar, even as I try to recollect it, I couldn't pin it to anyone I recall.

"What if... We all look similar... but we're different?" The voice continued. I remember, it was so hard to draw in a breath. The air began to feel thick and more humid. My throat became very dry, and my chest hurt as I struggled to breathe.

"What if... We're different, in a way we don't yet understand?" The world was starting to change, and with every attempt to draw a breath, my lungs rejected the gelatinous substance that was invading air's space. My vision began to blur, I watched as the silhouetted beings gained a fuzzy, and blurry appearance, but still, I couldn't find the source of the voice. Everything's so dark... The fog was tripling in thickness, and I couldn't see anything, no matter how hard I tried.

"What if what you know... what if what I know... is a, it's all a-"

I couldn't breathe anymore, my vision quickly becoming a haze as I struggled to stay conscious, let alone hear her.

"...A lie? If we weren't the same..." The voice grew more forceful, more commanding.

"The same? What do you mean by the same?" I tried to speak, but my voice only shrieked in my mind, and nothing seemed to come from my mouth.

"Ugh," I groaned mentally. Her voice immediately started echoing in my mind, louder than before, and growing eerier in tone and quality. My lungs seized in pain as I tried to draw another breath.

"Would we still love each other as equals among one another?"

"Or would the battle for equality rage on... forever?"

"Can I really make a difference?"

"Or would my help be ineffective in these unbarring circumstances?"

Wait, is her voice her... or is she really me and this is just a crazy bad dream? "Who are you?" I questioned my sanity. Could I be speaking to myself?

"I am..." She stopped for a moment as if pondering how to reply. "Someone who is like you, I want you to know before you go." She continued.

Go? Am I going somewhere? My mind was racing. No part of this other voice seemed to belong to me, but its familiarity was unbelievably close. I had that ridiculous feeling of having something you want to remember just at the tip of your tongue, and yet you cannot seem to speak the words.

"You're not alone." The voice became ethereal.

I'm not alone? What is that supposed to mean? I was surprised by the desperation in my mind. All of a sudden, the conversation had reached its finality and a great pain entered my chest as I realized I was trying to breathe again. "OWW! I feel like I just got kicked." I croaked as my head began to spin, and my stomach lurched. My chest hurt and sweat dripped down and over my eyelids. That's when the floor disappeared.

... I'm, I'm falling!

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"Ugh owe, my head." Rubbing her own head, Leilah opened her bright green eyes to see her grey fuzzy blanket hanging over the side of her loft bed. Strands of a carpeted floor pricked against her neck and her exposed shoulders, making it quite plain in her mind that the falling feeling she had experienced only moments ago, was in fact, her falling off her own bed. Slowly blinking, she had her eyes trace over her all too familiar bedroom. Sunlight gently streamed through her underwater skylight, lighting her room with rays of blue and shadows of bubbles from the water of the hot tub above the skylight. Normally she loved it but today she did not, the light made her feel dizzy and overly drowsy. Rubbing her eyes, she blinked a few more times, trying to adjust her vision as she continued to look wildly around as if she were seeing the place for the very first time.

A plush wolf lay over a beautiful crystal book a dear friend had carved for her years ago. A dying orchid sat squat in its pot, by her computer and hundreds of pages lay unorganized and stacked in mini towers along her floor surrounding her bedside table. Remnants of old writing ideas and lost stories. Her black carpet gently complimented her dark oak walls and a light oak roof that led upstairs. Crazy sketches of thousands of different plants were hung all over her wall as strange notations of the plants she found in the forest. Sighing, Leilah raked her fingers through her hair as she dragged her drowsy gaze back to her grey fuzzy blanket. Besides that very object, sat a cat, who was leaning over the side of the loft bed above her.

The cat's black silky fur had dark brown spots that were barely visible; He had an adorable patch of white fur on his chest and stunning golden eyes with a hint of brown. Honestly, his eyes could suck you in and make anyone feel trapped as if they were spellbound. However, as Leilah considered his magical gaze, she could only assume it was a normal feeling for felines to experience. After all, it seemed to suit any cat's overall look and demeanor extremely well. The cat stared down at Leilah, hardly blinking in his unnecessarily extreme attempt at expressing concern. His normally medium eyes, slowly enlarging to be a good quarter size of his own face as he steadily held his mouth open in a gaping sort of way. Leilah stared back for a moment before grimacing a bit as a bolt of pain shot through her chest. Hanging a paw over the side of the bed, the cat gently patted Leilah's head with his paw. Narrowing her eyes, she looked back up and held his gaze while the rest of her expression turned flat.

"No worries, I'm fine. It's not like you just bunny kicked me off the bed or anything." She sarcastically groaned at him, rubbing her stomach and ribs.

The only real response he seemed to give to this was to rub his nose against his own shoulder as he made a sound that almost sounded like laughing. As the sound settled, he jumped down and rubbed against Leilah's arms, purring while he gave her a casual glance with a guilty, yet apologetic look plastered across his feline features.

"No. There's no way I will forgive you that easy." She grumbled stubbornly, rolling her eyes. To this, he sat down, pulled his ears back, and curled his tail around his body, making the best 'sad' impression he could. Leilah raised an eyebrow and sighed, unable to hide the smile creeping onto her face and mumbling, reluctantly.

"Oh, alright I forgive you... but only this once!" And with that much spoken aloud, she picked him up and hugged him. "You are the most ridiculous cat I have ever met, Ragnar... and the most troublesome."

He purred at the hug, nuzzling his nose against her shoulder, and then proceeded to snap to attention and glare at her for her last remark.

"Ha... eh... But I still love you!" She quickly added, granting a cheesy smile, and rubbing the top of his head. Ragnar gave a snort of disapproval but nonetheless, perked his ears up and licked Leilah's nose leaving behind nothing more than kitty slobber.

"Gross!" She yelled, laughing, and setting Ragnar down on the floor beside her. Then, dramatically, Leilah rubbed the kitty slobber, and with it, the prickly tongue feeling from her nose, causing him to snicker once again. Almost indignantly, Ragnar leaped from the floor, not turning around once for so much as a glance while he headed out the bedroom door.

"There he goes again," Leilah mumbled. She had to admit no matter how ridiculous he was, Leilah was glad she had a cat who she could talk to... who understood her in ways that she couldn't have even tried hoping for with humans, and to make it better, he even had his own funk. Ragnar had a rare personality for humans and cats alike that Leilah had always admired. She loved his attitude and his style.

Leilah had always been a strange child finding more comfort in animals than she did in people. By no fault of her own of course! She just knew more animals than people. She didn't have her parents or any kind of blood-family. All she had was Ragnar and Oma. Even where they lived, she didn't ever really see people. Only in passing. Leilah lived in the forest of Casteel Creek, Colorado in a home that looked like it was one story and small on the outside. But really it was three stories tall. It was Oma's cabin, at least... what was above ground was. It seemed more like an underground base, to Leilah. Oma was an old woman of very few words, she was blind or at least, she claimed to be- (Leilah wasn't always so sure since Oma could find things better than Leilah could at times and Leilah could see.)

Smiling a little she thought about her Oma and what she used to say. 'A pet always mirror's its owner, don't forget that.' Leilah would never ever forget that, and if the impression her cat gave her is the same impression she left on others, then as far as Leilah was concerned, she had to be the most interesting, humorous and styled personality ever. If her cat really was her mirror then she couldn't be happier with who she is, because she knows that she couldn't ever be happier... with any other cat.

Jumping up, with a smile on her face, she instantaneously smacked her head on the bottom of the loft bed. Bending down, she winced and rubbed the sore spot in the center of her scalp as she groaned a bit.

'Was today really going to be one of those days? Where everything goes wrong? Why couldn't it go right? That always seemed like the better way to go... certainly less painful.' She thought to herself as she started steadying her stance, shaking her head to stop it from spinning and taking a step forward, convincing herself all the while, it was okay to be standing.

"Owe..." Leilah muttered under her breath, feeling a bit defeated before breakfast.

"Creepy dream, kicked out of bed, and now this!" She scowled before looking up at the ceiling for what was hardly even a moment. "Sometimes I feel like this world hates me." She grumbled under her breath. Wiggling a bit on the spot she let go of all of the negativity hanging onto her with this morning's events. "Good day, fun, adventurous, happy, academic-filled, day." She whispered seven times, believing every word more and more as she repeated it and when she finally felt ready, she turned to her dresser and nodded. "Let's do this."

Throwing on her black tank top, black leather jacket, and dark blue bootcut jeans with light blue hues; she continued to put on her shoes and quickly make her bed. When that was finished, she swept her room with her eyes, nodded in satisfaction of its condition, and turned to run out of her bedroom door. There... she froze. Taking a few steps back and giving the mirror on her wall a quick glance. From the looks of it, her hair was messy, but not that bad. Still, she snatched the hairbrush from her nightstand and brushed her bangs out of the way, throwing the rest of her messy hair in a bun. Then, she continued to jog out of her room. In hindsight, she did have natural red tight curly hair and people always commented on how beautiful her curls were. She knew her curls were beautiful, although it had taken her an awfully long time to realize it... Nonetheless, she still preferred her hair straight most of the time, it was easier to handle that way anyways.

Leilah followed the wooden halls that matched her bedroom walls, down a hallway lit by something Oma liked to call Solar candles. They were powered by moonlight and starlight. How they reached so far underground seemed to be based on the little tunnels Oma had placed between the flowerbeds above ground. They led the light to peak just above the candles, by letting the moonlight reflecting from glass shard to glass shard all the way down the tunnel and charge the candles that always stayed aglow.

Leilah passed a few storage rooms on her way through the hall, as well as a big iron door that led to a natural freezer in a lower side room. Then, she turned to walk up the log steps and onto the second floor, where she could distinctly hear the grinding of metal. On the second floor, there were two greenhouses on either side that kept the second floor otherwise known as the living room, perfectly warm throughout the seasons and also retained heat to grow tropical plants like Kiwi and Lemons.

In one greenhouse, along the backside of it, there was a silo and in the other, which Leilah rushed to, there was what... may as well had been a mini blacksmith. Pulling on the ornate glass handle, Leilah opened the massive wooden door of the greenhouse, which looked like it had a fantasy tree carved into it with a blowtorch. She knew Oma could handle herself and she knew that she did this sort of stuff all the time, but when would the woman recognize that she was old and blind? She shouldn't be doing all of this on her own. Building weapons and welding- Oma could at least teach Leilah how so Leilah could do it for her. But no! The old woman was as stubborn as a mule.

Leilah was especially troubled about Oma doing these sorts of things because she loved Oma like family. How could she not? Oma appeared out of nowhere when Leilah was wandering through the forest alone and she helped Leilah survive and built this home all on her own. All Leilah knew before that was that she had been camping with her family at the beginning of spring. They gathered firewood and told stories around the fire... she had to have been four or so at the time- They all went into their tents, even Leilah. But when Leilah closed her eyes, she woke in a different place and at a different time. She was in a forest but one, she did not know or recognize. She stood in a clearing and the fall leaves had already turned. Wondering for hours, she could not find a single person. That was until Oma fell (or jumped, if you ask her) out of a tree and ran towards Leilah. She wore strange clothes as if she had lived in the woods her whole life and her eyes were pale and silver. Empty but powerful and succumbing with a beautiful pale fog in their irises. That's when Leilah learned that Oma was blind, and they had been inseparable since. Though, even today, Leilah has no idea where Oma came from. Oma swears she too came from a different time and that she was placed there for a reason. Maybe she was... but Leilah didn't want to even believe that she, herself, could be from a different time, let alone Oma.

It took a few years but eventually, they saw people in passing, claiming the mountain they were on to be Casteel Creek, Colorado. So that became what she familiarized herself with, Casteel Creek would be the name of her home, and to keep herself from being taken away, Leilah called Oma her grandmother. It didn't take long for that name to be true, to be exactly what Oma was in her life- A grandmother.

Working her way through the plants and brush, she made her way to the ground that mushed in gravel to keep the metal sparks from reaching the plants and speaking of metal sparks... Sparks flew across the room as the sphere rotated, kissing the metal Oma held. Oma turned the blade over the steel carefully. Then taking the blade, she flipped it in the air and caught it again. She held the blade out and then back to her chest, tilting her head, she switched hands and tried again. She flipped it, stretched it out, pulled it in, and scowled shaking her head in disappointment again. Then Oma turned and applied the blade to the grindstone once more. Her silver eyes stared blankly at the sound of the stone turning.

"About time you woke up." Oma chuckled, knowing Leilah was standing there.

Leilah watched carefully and tried to bite back her fear that Oma may hurt herself in the sparks. She had no form of equipment to protect herself. The old woman just pressed on as if it were as casual as polishing a nail. Taking the blade off the grindstone, Oma tossed it in the air again and grinned, "Better."

"How do you always know if it's done right if you can't see it, Oma?" Leilah asked, walking around Oma to pull some peas from their stalks in the corner.

"You don't see, child, you feel." Omareplied looking towards Leilah, her blank stare wandering around Leilah'sposition until they met Leilah's gaze and Oma smiled as if she knew they made eye contact. Like she could feel that too. Leilah couldn't help but smile back as she pocketed the beans in her jacket and turned to pluck coffee beans.

"Would you like Coffee as well, Oma?" Leilah asked, knowing full well there was enough beans ground upstairs already. But she enjoyed picking the harvest and setting it aside, she enjoyed grinding the beans once a week while Omaskinned whatever hunt she returned with behind her. She enjoyed prepping the meals for the week ahead of time.

"Yes, please." Oma nodded, as the grinder went on again and she began sharpening her Machete. Leilah made a soft hum of affirmation and went towards the door opening it and making her way up to the first floor. Emptying her pocket of beans in the sink, she made her way to the counter and pulled out ajar that was full of fresh ground coffee beans. Putting a kettle on for heat, Leilah looked at the package of filters Oma must have gotten from a nearby store, it made the coffee process a lot easier, that was for sure.

Using the filters to hold the ground beans, Leilah waited for the water to boil before adding it to the beans in the filters, letting the coffee it made drain into the mugs. Oma, however, moved ever so silently behind Leilah and aimed her crossbow through the window while Leilah mindlessly watched the coffee drip from the filters into the mugs. Leilah did not hear the crank as Oma loaded and set the crossbow, but she did hear it fire, and in that moment of fear, she could have sworn she heard the deer gasp as well. The arrow pierced straight across the yard and hit the deer grazing in the grass, straight through its heart.

"Hm... Did I hit it?" Oma asked quietly. "I didn't hear the arrow pierce flesh, you gasped too loud." Leilah didn't realize she gasped but she didn't have time to answer either. The deer's body hit the ground with a soft thud and Omasmiled, proudly. Her blind gaze still focused where the deer stood. "Ah... So, I did. Still got it." Oma said softly, praising herself. "Leilah, bring me my hunter's knife when you've finished the coffee, please." Oma continued, opening the front door, and walking across the yard. Leilah just shook her head and began to add cream and sugar to the coffee.

Moving across the yard, Oma listened to the wind and the birds. She turned a blind eye to the sky with a slight smile. "Even a blind old woman can see the magic in the air today. Where have you come to take the child this time?" She asked the atmosphere as if she would get an answer. But all she heard was what was unmistakably the proud prance of Leilah's giant cat, Ragnar. Even blind, Omaknew Ragnar was unusually large for being a house cat. There were times she pet him and wondered where his days as a kitten went. Long gone for sure, since he was easily half the size of the deer and well-toned.

"That is my hunt, Rag." Oma scowled under her breath, knowing that he was headed straight for the deer. Ragnar only purred in response and pranced around her before belly-flopping on the deer, hugging its torso with his front legs. Omashook her head. "Bigger than I remember, you've become. Could have taken that deer on yourself, couldn't you?" She asked softly, receiving a proud purr in response. Rolling her eyes, she picked up the deer's hoof and drug the deer and Ragnar behind her with minimal effort. "Yet, you still make an old woman work in your stead. Shameful."

Hearing her remark, Ragnar's ears fell flat as he pouted before getting up, snatching the other leg between his teeth and hauling the deer towards the shed where Oma could skin it. "That's more like it..." Oma said, dropping her hoof and watching him carry it off while she walked behind him slowly. "I know you can still hear me, Ragnar. Take her with you this time. Don't let the bend take her from us both, she already lost one family. No need to lose another."

Ragnar looked back at Oma and his eyes narrowed as his mind raced. He couldn't take her because humans can't go where he goes. Besides, if the bend hit before he could come back for Oma then he would be unable to get back to her. Oma would have to find her own way to meet them and that was likely impossible. But Oma knew those things, a bend is what took her and Leilah both here to begin with anyway. The bend of realms... They have been happening so often now, it was like the realm was threatening to shatter. Lost or dead, neither was worth ignoring Oma's heed. So, for her, he would try. It was as though Oma felt him settle on the thought because once he did, she said "I thank you." And moved ahead of him to open the shed doors. Leilah, now making her way across the yard as well to the shed, with a hunter's knife on her hip, and two mugs of coffee. Ragnar however, had already dropped the deer with Oma and was watching the clouds growing in intensity above Leilah. What was a perfectly clear sky and beautiful spring morning on the mountain had become a still, quiet forest with intense storm clouds threatening to swallow it.

"Now or never," Oma said soft enough, only Ragnar could hear her. Ragnarfocused all his energy on the ground and laid his ears back, closing his eyes. The grass behind Leilah began to glow, in a perfect circle big enough to swallow the deer Oma shot. But it wasn't for Oma or the deer...

"I accidentally added a little too much sugar to yours Oma, so I thought we could just switch cups," Leilah said, and Oma blindly nodded from inside the shed, while Ragnar leaned back and wiggled his back end like a kitten ready to pounce, a soft purr building up while Leilah made eye contact and shook her head. "No. No, Ragnar, I am holding coffee. Ragnar!" But he ignored her, running out of the shed and over to Leilah in two bounds before putting his paws on her shoulders and leaning his body weight forward, pushing them both into his portal. Leilah gasped and tried to keep from spilling the coffee on herself, but it was too late. The coffee was all over her and her head would not stop spinning. The whole world around her seemed to meld back into itself, fading off to deep darkness. She could feel her consciousness slipping while electricity seemed to buzz all along her skin. All that was left was the voice from her dream...

"I want you to know, before you go..."

"You're not alone."

My dearest Sister,

I wanted you to know that I have taken what you said into account... I know things have been hard lately. The struggle is asphyxiating. The warnings are evident. With your recent concerns, my dreams, the rumors among the servants, something is coming, and we cannot afford to overlook it. The Widow Queen is preparing a war larger than one we have ever seen. The Arachnids are calling it the Dark War. I cannot disclose what this war is against as I cannot guarantee this letter would not be intercepted. But I can say that if we are not careful, this war will destroy realms leaving nothing behind. Not even their threads.

Furthermore and on a more lighthearted note, I do not look forward to the blame Xiao will undoubtedly place on my shoulders or the disappointment you'll have in this decision. But understand that if this is done properly, the answer will come soon. If we don't act fast, we'll be swallowed along with everything we know and love, between two crashing realms. Yes, to make matters worse something is eating or destroying the widow webs, causing realms to collapse or otherwise collide. Neiftyriel's Twin planets; Castor and Pollux are already beginning to morph and collide with Cancer's domain, Pierul. House Mercury is working on slowing the process and trying to have the arachnids mend the damage and House Mercury has made several attempts at calling on our return. I expect you wont answer- I know I won't, though I will make my presence known, it shall be equally evident I will not partake in their cause. I instead need to go to Xiao's base, the Equinox Estate. Hopefully, our library their will provide more answers and I will simultaneously be able to seek out the advice of the Taurean's Chieftain.

I hope this letter finds you before I must enact the spell that will alter our fabric of reality. I wanted to stay behind and wait for you, but at this point, time is of the essence. I pray that the spell will reunite us together, but I can make no promise of security. What I can say is that I am doing the only thing I know that can give us a chance at survival. I love you.

- Aroo

The moment she unfolded the parchment, a necklace fell into her hands. She held the chain in her right hand as she read the letter twice over. The flames began to consume the edges of the letter, taking with it the message the moment it was clear she'd finished reading it...

His sister would never return to that room... Even she knew that, as she watched the pages curled under the heat of the flames. Each crack of the fire voiced it's appease in devouring her books... the bright temperature of the unrelenting flames consumed her beautiful library. She couldn't help the burst of bitter laughter, as she realized that her brother knew where she was. He did it regardless of the danger it held for her, and he intended the letter to be warning enough, the necklace to be her salvation... No, this time his foolish and rash actions had it's reasons. The tall decorated windows of the library burst letting in the east wind. It pressed gently against the embers of the devoured books, feeding the dancing flames. Everything happens for a reason, even her brother's weird whims, that much was decided.

Several floors of the castle were left, inundated by the deafening screams of the poor souls who had been surprised by the fire that erupted into the night. In the library his sister sat in a large comfortable chair, her feet tucked under her, and the book she was reading before this disaster, sprawled out across her lap. The burning sensation of breathing in the smoke had woke her, but there was nowhere to flee. Another agonizing scream shot across the hallway, as she turned to find the flames leaping up the bookcases behind her, effectively trapping her in fire- flames surrounded her. Yet, she couldn't have looked calmer. Disappointed, yes, but calm. Holding the necklace in her hand, she whispered her spell to the pendant. She laughed again, softly, and bitterly, as she waited for the proper energies for this spell to ignite. Her laughter led to the burning in her lungs. It was an excruciating experience that almost left her consumed with the idea that her end was here, surrounded by the books she loved so completely. But her instincts knew better, this was not her end, it was merely a new chapter. But where would this chapter lead? She tilted her head slightly, as spots dotted her vision. It was then that she realized her body was failing as the smoke had filled her lungs. But she had to stay focused, she had to keep her mind on the task at hand. The Dark War, they call it. The Arachnids always had a poetic sense, didn't they? But what did that mean?

If they wanted to kill anything, all they had to do was cut their webs. They were gods in themselves, one web was a new reality. They could weave pockets from one realm to another. These pockets could be opened and closed at a whim or be designed to be triggered by something, like an eclipse. These were normally referred to as wormholes or dimensional tears. Sometimes, when a young Widow does it incorrectly it could form a black hole... But her brother's letter, he said that something was eating the threads. Impossible, only widows could access them. Could that mean that there is something that exists outside of these webs? Was there life beyond the threads? She looked back at her hand where the letter was.

The letter was gone, swallowed by her brother's flames, sure to keep private messages private. All that remained was the necklace... It was laced in the thread of the blue moon and housed the silver pendant shaped like a wolf's tail in one direction, but if flipped, it showed a raven's feather in the other. It was their house sigil, for House Dalton. Created by her and her brother after they were exiled for leaving House Mercury. She knew what that necklace was, the power it would hold. She had limited use of it, though. Her brother was always more gifted... Her eyes shone gold while his was electric blue. He was meant to hold all Mage ability, he was gifted in every factor, but she was only gifted in the arts of poison. Sure, she had basic mage crafts. She could change into her totem, she could teleport, she could call things to her like objects. But those were simple, common, any Mage could do it. Her true talent was in Poison arts. Why give her the pendant? Was it for safekeeping? A promise perhaps that he would come to find her?

She wouldn't waste her time wondering why her brother would make such a rash, and foolish decision. Instead, she would consciously decide that she would make a decision, equally rash but certainly less foolish. She needed to find that girl from her visions, she needed to go to Earth. The one planet made by pure accident. Maybe it was fate...

The smoke-filled her lungs, almost completely and the necklace began to glow. Maybe Earth was created for this very reason. For her to find this very girl. Her brother often made fun of her for being consumed in the library and enthralled in books. But let him be the one distracted while she seeks out the savior. The only one who could end these Dark Wars the arachnids speak of. This... Leilah.

"Forgive me, brother, but I cannot let the spell unite us, yet. The east wind calls me elsewhere for now..." She coughed and heaved and with that, she vanished in the glowing spark of the necklace. Leaving the burning library, the screaming servants, and her reckless brother behind her, for the time being.

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You know this is a mistake! What about my computers! My tablets! What about your 'oh so precious and mighty' books!? Are you reading my mind again? Xiao mentally screamed as she picked up a goblet from the table with her webbed foot and mercilessly threw it at Lanaru's head, who ducked and turned his misty stare onto the pink creature. Laughter highlighted his face as he let the blue fog slip from his hand and gather his companion.

"Oh no! Of course, I wouldn't read your thoughts," He lied and softly added as they moved out of the crumbling building- "And I know all I need from those books. It's time we find a new story! My sister has the right idea." He looked down at Xiao and winked, but Xiao seemed to be less amused as she squeaked in rage and climbed his legs and torso- When arriving on his head, she began tugging angrily at his sandy, unkempt hair.

The library had massive silver pillars with golden vines of the ancient forest lapping around them. Gorgeous spirals of magic burst in each corner of the room, absorbing and spitting words through the air surrounding them. Between each pillar, branching around the entire library and even shrouding the ceiling, was shelf after shelf of books. The only gap in the shelves, being at the face of the room and that was for the massive double doors engraved in various runes and dripping with protective enchantments. The floor was soft and strewn with moss between the cracks of stone. The ceiling arched a few stories above the ground as if the place were designed for giants, rather than people. In the center of this massive construction were seven arcane circles. One a deep red, another a golden hue, the next was green, then orange, blue, purple, and finally, in the center of this articulate arcane design was an arcane circle made of the other circles. Its outline was a silver and black circle that released strands, almost threads of wispy-like creatures that zoomed around the room with pencils, quills, and books. These creatures silently haunted the air, writing, editing and, returning to the circle; vanishing as they came into contact with it.

"How do you know he is on his way?" A man, tall and shaggy, growled from his own purple arcane circle.

"The lizard sent a message through its watch thingy." An older man responded from the red circle.

"Don't let the creature hear you call it that! It's a Dragon, remember?" The man in the gold circle laughed. The other men from the orange and green circles erupted with laughter and made murmurs of agreement.

"Lizard, Dragon, Fish! Whatever it is, it loves to play tricks. We could just be draining our magic for its own entertainment! Besides, it doesn't talk. All it CAN say is 'Dragon.' How could it have told you anything?" The man in the purple arcane circle continued. The others fell silent to this thought until the man in the green circle piped up;

"Uh... It's this interesting thing called texting. And... The wisps did agree that he was coming." He said softly, though his voice steadily crossed the room just fine.

"They're dead. What's their confirmation really mean?" The man in the purple circle mumbled glaring, causing several gasps and glares from the men surrounding him.

"Dear me... claiming poor innocent Xiao a liar, disrespecting the spirits and their honest nature... How could you?" A taunting voice inquired, with the utmost sarcasm, as a man slowly climbed down one of the embroidered ladders that supplied ease of access to the miles of books slathering the walls. His blond hair shimmered beneath the light of the spirits, his robes billowed out around him and his chest, like the surrounding wizards, he also adorned the Royal Seal on his chest. But his Royal Seal seemed to be different from theirs despite their alliance with the very same Kingdom of Kingdoms. The six men in front of him, including himself as Guardian, made them The House of Mercury. The most powerful group of mages in any time, space, reality, or realm.

"Lanaru! You made it." The old man from the green circle burst forward and hugged Lanaru. "I knew Rejul was wrong. We didn't waste our energy, you did come!"

"Yes, I did come and yes, you did waste your energy. I came through the front door. No need for a portal, guys." Lanaru stated while Xiao poked her head out of Lanaru's robes and sneered at Rejul as he came out of his circle and growled.

"See? I told you! And you! You shouldn't have left in the first place! You become an apprentice to The House of Mercury, your sister and yourself! Our most prized students and you, Lanaru, gain guardianship and flee with your sister and your lizard. Gone! For years! And for what? What do you have to say for yourself?" He shouted, rounding on Lanaru. But Lanaru seemed unaffected by Rejul's words for all he did was shrug and walk past him to the library's doors.

I told you he was stuck up; would you just listen to him? "Our most prized students left without a word~" Oh, get a grip! It's not like nothing was said or that it was unexpected! Besides, who'd stay with someone who can't tell the difference between a lizard and a Dragon!? Xiao thought miserably, deciding to tune out the other mages as she shifted her thoughts. From what I recall... the last time we were here, the royal seal was nothing short of elegant and pristine. It was an artistic masterpiece, consisting of black, silver, and purple hues, the design was overall that of a massive spider with the wings of a dragon, encasing a royal purple sword that stuck from a pool of silver fog, so smooth, it looked like liquid. It was designed by a committee of Lyrek prophets, a gift, and a prediction. It was sacred, never to be changed. But now... the royal crest that lay on the right-hand side of these self-righteous mage's chests was instead that of a Human woman... her forehead rested against the hilt of the sword that stuck into the ground. Mirroring the Human, in the very same colored design, was unmistakably, a Black Dragon knelt with its own forehead rested the same way, from the opposite side. There were no Black Dragons. All Dragons were developed from my own kind anyway, who were always bright in color. Not to mention the Royal Seal! How could it have been so different now? Who'd have dared change such a sacred symbol? And was the arcane circle that connected the realms, always silver and black? Wasn't it just black before? And what about the wizard in the green circle!? Xiao leaned out of Lanaru's pocket slightly to get a better look at him. Was he always so fat? Wasn't he more... muscular before? Xiao fell back into Lanaru's robe pocket when he bonked her head lightly as he strode through the library.

"Be nice." He hissed softly.

I don't have to be nice! I'm a Dragon! You just have to stay out of my head! Xiao huffed and crossed her arms as they reached the doors. I know! She thought, curiously. I bet it's got something to do with Lanaru's spell! He messed up our whole world again! Like he did when he made the starless nights! I'll name this one though since it's so disastrous and he made one of his old teachers fat! It'll be called the Lanaru effect! Yes... Xiao chuckled, tapping her little pink fingers together. This is so much worse than Lanaru's Big Bang that created those disgusting human creatures my cousin has to live with...

"Will you stop... blaming me for everything? That wasn't me!" Lanaru said staring at the pink branches sticking from his pocket.

Sure, it wasn't you. That's exactly what someone guilty would say! Besides only you could make such a life-changing, realm-altering, catastrophic mistake! And no! Stay out of my head and you won't hear me blame you. Xiao thought. Sighing, Lanaru approached the doors.

"LANARU! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?" Rejul shouted, causing every spirit, and every mage in the room to stare at Lanaru for his answer. Xiao cringed and softly hissed from Lanaru's pocket, giving her first sign of annoyance with the mages. Smiling a little and releasing a smug chuckle, Lanaru flicked his wrist and let his fog open the doors. Stepping over the threshold, he turned back and shrugged again before saying, quite loud and very clearly; "I guess I should say... I'm back." And with a wink, he shut the doors.

"One day, he'll regret his arrogance," Rejul growled turning back to his arcane circle.

"And end up like you?" Sebastian asked as he returned to his own green arcane circle. Rajul snapped a glare at Sebastian who averted eye contact to hide his snicker. Then, whispering more to himself than anyone else... He said;

"If Lanaru has returned perhaps his feline friend should too." And with that, Sebastian released a touch of his own magic. A bolt of green lightning shot toward the arched ceiling of the library, as the bolt approached the top, the ceiling began to open, letting the bolt free and closing behind it. The moment the lightning left the library and kissed the sky, a murder crows took flight, chasing the bolt and vanishing behind it.

Xiao jumped out of Lanaru's pocket as he strode down the halls and began to waddle in the opposite direction.

"You'll be able to find me when you come back, right?" Lanaru called over his shoulder.

Yes, anyone will be able to find you in that ridiculous robe. Xiao thought sarcastically as she gave him a polite nod. He merely paused in his step and turned to lift his eyebrows at her. The blue mist playfully dancing from the ends of his eyes.

"It's not THAT bad." He said softly and to this Xiao irritably stomped her feet and shouted in her head; Stop reading my mind! And with that, she dramatically snapped her head to the side in dismissal before she stomped away. Her little pink feet making the softest pat sounds against the polished wooden floor with each dramatic stomp she made.

To that, he chuckled and continued on.