1

Erick pulled the string of his bow back. The arrow was laid perfectly. All he needed to do was let go. He quickly pulled his hands off, and the arrow hit the middle of the target.

Erick had dark brown hair, bright green eyes, and had tan skin from spending time outdoors for a long time. Erick turned to look at his fathers mansion. He sighed, then put his bow down.

Erick was an elf. His ears were pointed and he loved archery. Many stereotypes were placed on elves, and most of them were true, except for the one that all elves lived in trees.

That was undoubtfully wrong, and always made any Elf mad if you asked them if they lived in a tree. Erick had been asked many times if he had, and he always replied with showing them proof that houses don't go in trees. It was too...unnatural, and could hurt the tree.

Erick walked up to the back door of the house and opened it. Laughter from his fathers 'man-cave' suggested that his father was getting drunk with some of his friends, or the people that were supposed to help run this nation.

Erick shook his head in disappointment and then walked upstairs. He looked out over the hills, until he saw the darker lands, were fire had burned down some of the forests, due to the war that so happened to be going on at this moment.

Erick walked over to his table. He had found it from a traveling antique dealer who said he had 'found' it in an old abandoned chamber. Erick remembered his father describing a table one day about ten years ago, when he had gotten back from a meeting, and he was telling his senior officer about it.

"I'm telling you, she's not as kind as they all say she is. She cracked the table in half. Thankfully it was a surface crack, but it drove the enemies away, saying they would start a war in ten years time!"

"Sir, I don't think that they will go through with this war plan that they have. It's insane."

"Gilles, you've never met Bulfred. You can tell when he's serious, and he was serious. He goes into thus wolf states and glares at you. It's beyond creepy."

The conversation ended there, and for a five year old, it gave Erick the shivers.

The table had a mahogany top laid with a special glaze, meant to keep any magic from harming it. The legs were from a red oak, giving it almost a blood stained look. The top was carved to show a map of their world. The places were someone sat was were their nation was. So if his father were to sit at this table, then he would sit in front of the Elven land. If the werewolves were to sit at the table, they'd sit in front of their land.

Erick was trying to fix the surface crack. It was bugging him, so he was trying to figure out the best way to fix it.

Erick turned to his bookshelf. He pulled back a book, and a secret compartment opened. He pulled out a book that was not allowed to any species but a magical one.

Erick had not known his mother for a while, but he knew she wasn't an elf. She was a runaway from another kingdom, presumably the magical one, as she could use magic native to them. Erick rubbed the cover, feeling the indents of the letters into the leather cover, and feeling how worn it was from hands handling it over the course of its life.

The books title was 'Advanced Magic: Authorized Personal only'. Basically, it meant that no one without a high enough education in magic should attempt to do any of the spells. Erick, was lucky enough to have studied and learned magic under his father.

His father told Erick that he would need the magic one day. Erick didn't know what that meant, but was eager to learn the magic.

Erick opened the book. With one hand be held it and the other he hovered above the crack. He read the text aloud. "Split in part, broken in two. Wounds do heal, but lives do not." Erick was confused on what this meant. It was the only one that seemed to be able to fix it.

The table didn't suddenly snap back together. It glowed a soft teal color, then stopped abruptly. Erick sighed. He was worthless with magics.

Erick put the book back and pushed the other book forward. Erick sighed and sat down. A crack of lightning split the sky in two and then rain poured down, hitting the glass like rocks, causing it to sound like gunshots. Erick felt tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered a rain much like this one.

"Sweetie, I'm right here. Nothing to worry about Erick."

"Mommy, I'm scared..."

Erick's mom smiled at him with her deep blue eyes. Her mouth was curved into a beautiful smile. Her skin was dark form spending time outside. Her hair was bleached blonde from the sun. She was wearing a dark green Dress with golden bands on her head.

"Sweetie, no need to worry...I'm right here."

Erick cried into his moms shoulder. She smelled like Christmas tree needles.

Suddenly, the was a loud boom form out side. His mom jerked her head back to look outside. She turned toward Erick. "Honey, I need you to do exactly as I say."

"Mommy, what's happening?"

"Nothing. Okay? Okay..." She started murmur to herself, until a faint golden bubble appeared around Erick.

"Mom? What's this..."

"Nothing, okay? It's just a shield."

"Mommy, I'm scared."

"Never fear my sweet darling. I am always with you. Whenever you are scared, think of honeysuckle, warm, freshly made bread, and your father and me. Don't forget, we love you with all our hearts."

Erick reached out to grab her hand, but as soon as he touched the bubble, there was a loud explosion. The force knocked the bubble against a wall, and Erick got knocked out. When he awoke, his father was staring down at him, tears filling his eyes. On a bed next to him lay his mother, her body broken and unmoving. Erick ran over to her, held her hand, and cried.

Erick felt a tear run down his cheek. He could never do things right.

Suddenly, the table began to glow. He walked over to it. The world borders showed someone standing on them. Well, eight of them. The elven, the human, the fairies, the hell creatures, the deceased, the werewolves, the vampires, and the trolls. The others showed someone standing in the middle of it. The magical, the water, the Giants, the wooden, and the mountain creatures.

Erick touched the one standing on the border of the magical and elven border, and was surprised to see a virtual image of his face there. Was he really that chiseled? No...it couldn't be him. He touched the one on the border of the Hell and Deceased one. A girl stood there. Her eyes were pale blue and her skin was almost translucent. She had dark black hair and black. She was also holding what looked like a pole.

He nervously touched the one in the werewolf and the vampire land. Two people stood there. A boy and a girl. The boy had stilts for pupils and yellow eyes. A eyebrows were peaked at the end, giving him almost and evil look. His skin was pale and his hair was brown. The girl had bright green eyes, fangs, and tan skin. Her hair was light blonde and she looked like a natural beauty. He looked at the one standing next to the girl from the hell and deceased border. He was standing mostly on the deceased side, but one foot was on the hell side. His hair was ghostly white and so was his skin. His eyes were pale gray and his clothes were clean white.

The one on the human and water side was a boy with golden blonde hair, sea blue eyes and tan skin. He looked like the perfect type of guy. The one on the troll side had grayish skin, ashy brown hair, and gray eyes.

The last one was on the borders of the fairy and the elven kingdom. It was a boy with yellow brown hair, green eyes and tan skin. His ears were pointed, making him look like an elf.

Erick rubbed his brow, trying to think of what was happening. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream from downstairs. He grabbed his spare bow he kept up here in case of an emergency, and ran downstairs. He pulled back the bow and pointed it at the person who was holding a knife to his fathers throat.

The boy there looked a lot like the guy standing on the werewolf and vampire side. His hair was dark, his eyebrows were pointed, and his pupils were stilts. "Move back form my father, or I will shoot you." Erick said, trying to sound demanding yet calm.

The guy scoffed. "What's an elf gonna do to a guy like me? I'm here to get this guy to join the fight against the allies, not get pointed at by a guy with sticks."

Erick shot the guy in the thigh. He howled in pain. "I don't think you heard me. I said back away or I would shoot you. You didn't listen. Would you like me to help you get it out?"

The guy mumbled something, then stood up, shaking. "I'd rather not bleed out on your floor."

Erick nodded. He looked to his father. "Get the military ready, in case something happens again."

His father nodded. "Thank you my boy. You saved me again. You could lead this country better than me, I'd say."

Erick nodded, then lead the boy up to his room.