Dnaleri

Jacob groaned and leaned back against the building, banging his head against it in self hatred.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. After all this time and practice with meeting various women and charming them, the one time it would have mattered the most and he’d been as nervous as a school boy with his first crush. Jacob felt terrible for not giving her a proper goodbye. She probably felt hurt by his sudden running away. With a sigh, he pushed off the building and started off down the road towards home.

He opened the door to his medium sized room and plopped on the bed with a sigh. His body faded drastically, showing his true appearance. Since Jacob was made up of nothing but pure energy it was difficult sometimes for him to rest and regenerate. And though it was dangerous, he constantly generated physical feelings to be able to act like a normal human, just so that he could relax at times. He gazed up at the ceiling, thinking about Rebecca. How it had felt to hold her hand, the rush of energy that had grabbed the center of his being. He knew she’d felt it too, the look of shock in her eyes was unmistakable. After all this time, he’d finally found her.

After he had died, Jacob had been in a black abyss for a while before he was blinded by a bright light. When it had faded, he was lying in the middle of beautiful field on top of a range of rolling hills. In the distance, an enormous castle nestled in the middle of a valley.

“Where the hell am I?” he muttered. Wandering over to the castle, he was very aware that there was not another living soul around. It was eerily quiet. When he got close, he saw that the castle was decimated and by all accounts deserted.

“Hello..?” he called, his voice echoing off the blackened stone walls. “Can someone tell me where the Hell I am?!” he yelled.

“Don’t have to be so loud!” Jacob whirled around to see a beautiful woman leaning against the wall. He could have sworn she wasn’t there before. She floated over to him and then seemed to assess him. “Hmm…not what I had imagined…but you are strong in heart and spirit…”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but what are you talking about? Where am I? What’s going on?” The woman’s calm expression didn’t change a bit.

“You believe that everything happens for a reason, yes?” Jacob nodded. “Well, your death has a reason. You aren’t destined for Heaven, Jacob, you’re destined to be here in Dnaleri.”

“Dnaleri…” he looked around the castle then rubbed the back of his neck. “I…I’ve never heard of it.”

“You wouldn’t have. When Man was created, the other creations were persecuted and thus created a mirror realm of the time they left. This is where all the magic from Earth came to, where the true inspirations for legends and folk lore now reside.”

“Alright, but, what does that have to do with me?” Jacob asked. “I’m a man, I shouldn’t be here then.” Tamara sat down then asked him to join her.

“You are a rare mix of Man and Magic, Jacob. Your family line once merged with a magical family, passing down a great gift of intelligence and magic.”

“Magic is the Devil’s work!” Jacob protested. Tamara shook her head.

“Magic itself is neither good nor evil, it’s the persons’ intent that defines it.” She took his hands and a silvery light emitted from his palms. “See, you possess it even as a wondering spirit.” Jacob felt overwhelmed.

“I…must have a purpose, don’t I?” he asked. Tamara smiled.

“Indeed, you’re destined to come here and help spare Dnaleri from the same fate Earth has befallen. This castle, was once filled with peace and life. Then the Dark Magic spread and consumed it. This is what is left.”

“There’s a problem with this plan, how do I save a world when I am dead?” he demanded.

“I said you would help, you won’t be doing it alone.” Tamara replied sternly. “There will be a woman who possesses the same gifts as you do. She will be your other half, and restore what you’ve lost. When you are together, your combined power will drive all Dark Magic out of this world.”

Author: Katie (Crios) Editor: Elizabeth (Eala)

Patreon: patreon.com/ealacrios