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Ilgnam ~ il-g-nahm
Dhandria ~ zhan-dree-ah
Cosdn ~ koz-deen
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GEMA & MARCELA

THEY both watched helplessly as the portal disintegrated into nothing in front of them. Marcela was about to push her good leg through when the ground trembled, causing Gema to drag the Emeraldine back.

Now they stood endless miles away from the rest of the group with nothing but themselves and silence as their companion.

"Why didn't it wait for at least me to pass through."

Gena frowned. "And leave me stranded here alone."

"You're a natural-born leader. You'll know what to do," Marcela said, pulling her arm away from Gema, whom she had been resting on.

"And you're the best survivor out of all of us. If anyone can make their way alone, it's you."

She was about to let out a retort when her mind drifted. "Oh, Jamie." She couldn't help the heaviness that rested on her chest.

"He's smart. He'll know what to do," Gema remarked. "We should get back to the Mansion and discuss with Lady Minerva. If I knew this forest like I knew the Mansion, I would have ported out of here at once, but it's dark and we don't have what Ryn had that made her find this portal."

Despite Gema's convincing words, her eyes revealed how uncertain she was about making their way out as they moved from tree to tree.

"This is my natural habitat. I can get us out of here," Marcela assured, settling the question in her counterpart's eyes.

"Oh, what would I do without you?" Gema cheered in relief.

As they trudged on, Marcela had her mind plagued by thoughts of the Sapphirian. Though Gema was right in saying that Jamie was smart, that gave him a tendency to overthink and get stuck in his thoughts, something she had witnessed over the years. Since they had left Wlerden, they had been together, never apart. Everything that happened to them, happened to them together.

This would be the first time he would be alone. Even though he had three other people with him, Marcela knew it wouldn't make much of a difference as Jamie found it hard to trust people. That was where they were both alike, but one thing that differed was their interaction with people they didn't trust.

While Jamie would particularly make it clear and would give them a hard time, she would go about it with a different approach. Her words would be kind, sweet, and alluring to the point the person would think they had garnered her trust.

"He could go out of his mind though," Gema started. "This is the first time we've split ever since we left."

"He'll handle it well. I trust him."

She felt Gema's eyes on her side. "How do you have so much trust? I mean, I know I always hammered on it—"

"And I took your hammering pretty seriously," she said with a teasing smile. "It's hard for me to place my trust in someone and when I trust someone, I do so totally, leaving no room for doubts."

"That's why you don't trust many."

"Exactly. You, Jamie, Dovelyn, and Grandma Terrwyn."

"You didn't trust your parents?" Gema asked with genuine curiosity tainting her words.

"Of course I did. But you can't place trust in the dead."

"Right."

Aside from the trust, Marcela had harbored deep love and pride for her parents, and her parents' death was never a touchy one for her.

Her mother was a spy who worked for the throne. She had been on a mission in Ulianph when a shootout broke out. Her mother got the package they had been there for and brought it sole-handedly back to The White Castle. But she had sustained fatal injuries and no matter how much they tried, they couldn't stop the bleeding.

Her father was the former Wielder of the Emerald gem and he had spent every day he could training her, like all Wielders did for their children. But he had to pass the Emerald gem to his daughter much earlier than he would have expected or wanted.

He was going through a bout of Ilgnam, a terrible illness that all Wielders experienced almost every year, which only worsened the longer they had the gem. The only option for him was to relinquish the gem, and its powers, hoping to get his health back, but it was too late and as twisted as it was, the gem that worsened his health, protected it at the same time. Because when he let go of the gem, he died instantly.

Marcela hadn't cried. She was already a warrior by then, having gone through all the trials required of one. From the air-starved mountains of Dhandria to the snow-gorged lands of Cosdn, to the twisting sun-burnt caves of Nertiva, she had conquered them all and did that even with no powers.

There were no tears, not because she didn't care, or because she had already mastered her emotions, but because she was at peace. She felt peace knowing that her father would no longer go through torture. She had been there when both her parents passed their last breaths and she could not only see but feel the relief in them. They were both at peace leaving this world, so she had no reason to be sad.

"And what of Ryn?"

"She seems trustworthy, but I can't trust her yet."

"Why? Because she's been in Emerfield for ten years?" Gema said, answering her question with a question.

"That's Jamie's reason, but if that were so, she would have shown signs of someone with an ulterior motive."

"You say that after the fight at the Mansion?"

At the question, Marcela recalled the humid atmosphere the training facility had become in an instant. She had sensed Karyn's frustration swelling as she accurately predicted and blocked her every movement. But when the switch happened, Marcela was not prepared.

Despite the image her mind had conjured up, when Marcela spoke, she did so with conviction. "That wasn't Karyn."

"Huh?"

"I am no Avnar, but even I could tell her aura had changed. Something was different. When I look at her, I see someone who is struggling to find her feet. We don't know if being the princess is what she wants. She doesn't remember Wlerden and maybe to her, her life is Emerfield and we've robbed her of that."

"Does she have a choice?"

"Of course she does Gema. Never say no one has a choice. That's one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves. She does and there's a chance she may refuse. She has every right to walk away from Wlerden despite already being there."

"What would we do then?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that Karyn's a thoughtful person. She doesn't act on impulse. Unlike you," Marcela teased.

"They're hard to resist," Gema played along with a smile.

"She seems like someone who would make a wise decision after considering everything there is to consider."

"That's a good reason to trust someone, right? Knowing that they think thoroughly before acting."

"It may not always be a good thing. There are times one should act on impulse."

"You see! I knew you'd agree. Beneath all that calm is an adrenaline junkie waiting to rush into the world, unleashed!" Gema belted in excitement while Marcela laughed in response.

It was deep into the night when they had finally made it out of the forest of Louriville. All they had to do now was port back to the Mansion. Despite knowing they would only go as far as the steel gate, they could alert Henry to let them back in once they got there.

But at first, they had to walk. Some cars strolled down the road and they had to make sure there was no one in sight before they ported. Though they may never see the person again, Marcela was not one to take risks, unlike Gema, who would gladly port away and back even if there was traffic on the road.

Marcela could just visualize the adrenaline oozing from Gema in such a scenario. Funny as it was, that was one thing that made her an outstanding leader.

At the beginning of their quest to find the Silverein, Marcela had wondered what it was Grandma Terrwyn had seen in the Rubian to make her the one out of three of them to spearhead this mission. But over time, she had seen it. It was in the way she took risks. She knew when to take risks, which risks were worth the price, and which weren't.

She was an adrenaline junkie, but she knew exactly when to put it to use. When Marcela noticed this, she never once questioned her counterparts' decisions or Grandma Terrwyn's choice.

They were about to port when they saw a figure stumbling towards them, meaning they were coming into town. The only town that was in that direction was Emerfield. They knew because this was the same road they had taken.

The forests of Louriville and Emerfield both merged, but it was at some point the small sign stood on the side of the road. The sign on one side read Leaving Emerfield and on the other, Welcome to Louriville.

"Can we go now? I don't see any cars," Gema whined.

"But there's someone. They could need our help?"

"And what help could we give? We are also finding our way."

"Even more reason for us to work together," Marcela said before the person started waving their hands frantically.

"How can you be a warrior but still have a soft heart?"

"Being a warrior doesn't mean losing your heart. It means mastering it, controlling it. Not the other way around. Now let's see," she said before striding to the unknown figure that now crumbled to their knees.

As they got closer, the outlines of the person came into view. It was a woman with her black, frizzy hair jutting out in every direction, an unkempt mess of curls that appeared as if she or someone had tried to yank it off.

When the features were visible under the moonlight, the two Wielders slowed their walk. Gema registered confusion while Marcela held a look of doubt. She couldn't believe what—or rather, who the person was turning out to be.

When Jamie had told them about Karyn's aunt, they only took his word for it. For the few weeks before they resumed Emerfield High, they hadn't run into anyone fairly resembling the famed lady. But here, right now, under the moonlight, they couldn't deny it.

Her dark skin held little to none of the luster it did back at Wlerden. Her vibrant eyes had now sunk deep into their sockets and what little remained of her flesh now clung to her bones like a thin film.

"I... I need your help. Do you both know of the Mansion?" the woman asked. Her weak gaze held no recognition, and it did not surprise Marcela, as the woman appeared to be on the verge of passing out.

"You're in luck. It's where we are going," Gema said, trying to muster some cheer into her tone.

"This might feel strange, but I'm sure you're already familiar with it," Marcela said and placed the hand that wasn't in a sling on the woman's shoulder while Gema placed hers on the other shoulder. Then Marcela closed her eyes, and in her mind's eye, the steel gates appeared.

Marcela could feel the woman's gaze on her, even when the world swirled around and their sensations meshed. Once she opened her eyes, they gravitated towards the woman who remained on her knees, but this time, her eyes registered something.

Aside from the shock at the humongous steel gate in front of them, something else blossomed. And when the woman finally looked at her, she saw the recognition in her eyes as tears formed at the corners.

"Is she safe?"

"By all the powers the stars have blessed us with, we will keep her safe, Fran-Golder Olwyn."

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ITNC: We step into Wlerden, a realm where lands move and flowers fly; springs glow as sand drifts down from above. The sun can shine from below or not at all and where colors fill the sky and the land turns into glass.

Welcome to Wlerden!

Next stop: CATHURVA

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The Sparkling Authoress,
Mis. A
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