"Damn the Elders ripped us a new asshole." Don quipped, strutting out of his portal. A sullen Kyren followed behind him like a mutt with his tail tucked between his legs.

"We lost one of the four Lucharians, The Elder Council should've grilled us moreover it." The Wielder traipsed forward into the foreign, grassy plains in front of him.

Don rolled his eyes. "The Elders have denied you every opportunity to learn about the other magicks when they know it could help your understanding of light magick." Don swiped at the green featherlike plants that tickled his nose. "It's finally getting obvious to those pricks that Malena isn't fucking around, it's not like they could lightning her ass up."

It's not like I could do that right now either, Kyren thought. I just wish I wasn't the sole user of Light Magick--that the Soul clans hadn't been completely eradicated. 

Kyren didn't know how to express his loneliness, so he didn't.  He noticed there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the two suns above them caused sweat to condensate on his brow in mere seconds. "This is the main world for Reality Magick? For some reason, I thought it would be more..."

"Flashy?" Don interrupted. "Nah, Eldoranos isn't like the light worlds. It's not about opulence and pomp. Reality users can manipulate the world around them in various ways, which makes it tricky to understand what's real and what is not. People would go crazy if they were constantly questioning what's real."

"So they choose to live mundanely so that they can be sure of their sanity?-"

Don wrapped his arm around Kyren's broad shoulders, armpit sweat hugging his shoulder. "I would call you a quick learner but everyone knows I'm a great teacher."

Kyren shrugged off Dons affection and sweaty pits, rolling his eyes. "Sure, Don, whatever you say. How do people handle this heat? Give me a couple more minutes and I think I'll dry up".

Don laughed, explaining a potion that they use to lower their body's internal temperatures. After drinking the blue concoction Don wrestled out of his gear, they headed down a dirt path that wove through the stalks. After a bit, a village made of bright clay huts came into view, Kyren froze in his place.

Don ran into his ward's back, head aching from contact. "Ow. Why'd you stop, the tribe's Squalla is expecting us?"

"And his daughter, the Reality Lucharian, will be there?" Kyrens squeezed his fist together, nails digging into the scabbed over cuts on his palm.

"Gods, I hope so." The burly guardian rubbed his hands together. "It's been a while since I've gotten a glimpse of Freiya."

The innocent boy internally cringed at Don's lusty antics. "Could I meet with them later? I've never explored a Reality world before and---and--"

"--and you need a moment to process Mae's kidnapping before trying to protect another Lucharian from an imminent attack."

Kyren gulped thickly.

Don understood, surpassing the Wielder. "Have at it, kid. Just don't go swimming and you should be fine. The marine life here is mostly carnivorous."

Don marched proudly towards the village, his dark long hair kept tightly in a bun. He fit right in amongst the rest of the villagers that came out to greet him. Their skin was incredible, luscious, and tanned. The bright blue tribunal tattoos that raced up and down the length of their bodies mesmerized the boy. They were a beautiful people unlike any Kyren had ever seen. It warmed his heart to see his mentor so at home, but somehow it also made Kyren's stomach fill to the brim with loneliness.

The Wielder turned on his heel, marching into the unknown fields before him. The colorful foliage was odd to him. Not a metallic, shiny thing in sight.  However, even the strange dancing plants couldn't brighten his mood. Kyren felt like an empty can, useless loitering around the plains. The suns began to set as the sky birthed into the night, the temperature dropping considerably. A twinkle of light swirled around a small oasis he stumbled upon.  Steam quickly rose off the water, a fog draping the landscape paired with the daunting moonlight. A rhythmic buzz whispered into Kyrens ear, a symphony of insects crafting the music of the night. He stared down at the calm reservoir, only the moon's reflection there to greet his own.

"How am I supposed to save the universe if I can't protect anyone!" Rage starting to boil at the surface. "I couldn't even protect Mae."

He watched angry hot tears peter over the edge of his lashes. The sight was shameful to him as he turned away, embarrassed by the loss of control. If anyone saw the Wielder like this, they'd lose all faith in me.  Kyren felt useless, like the burden on his shoulders would never be something he could bear on his own. He attempted to make his way back to the village but a strange orb flew past his face. Transfixed by the bulb, he turned back around to follow it just as it wafted up into the fog above the oasis.

An explosion of energy ripped through the sky, making it impossible for Kyren to see what happened. Don's warning echoed in his ears as a huge splash drenched the Wielder.

"HELP!" A girl screamed. Her heavy dark cloak was weighing her down. "I can't swim!"

Kyren dove headfirst into the lake, barely able to see the girl's outline. "Just hang on and keep kicking your legs!"

His strong strokes allowed him to rapidly reach her, and he would've made it too if not for the horrors below them. As the drowning girl struggled to stay afloat, Kyren watched a muddy tentacle shoot out of the water, wrapping itself like a python around her neck.

Time slowed as her body descended helplessly into the depths. Kyren didn't hesitate, fully submerging himself as his hands desperately reached towards the bubbles that trailed after the hostage. Her body had gone limp, her black cloak torn to shreds by more of the tentacles trying to cling to her. When the Wielder made it to the bottom of the lake, the plant was trying to rip her apart.  He couldn't see much so he ignited his sword. The light exposed her attacker as a Silencing Weed; an octopus like creature hell-bent on suffocating its victims before eating their organs.

Kyren managed to slip his arms around the girl's waist, her long brunette hair caressing the sides of his neck. He slashed wildly at the tentacles holding her neck. The weed shriveled away from the light emanating from his blade, wilting in submission. His legs burned as he kicked them back towards the surface, making his way to land before another attack could occur.

"Hey, stay with me!" Kyren shouted, her tangled hair like a dark halo enshrining her. He started chest compressions on her, hoping to expunge the water in her lungs. Her tiny frame seemed so fragile, he was terrified he was going to break her. A dead fragment of seaweed stubbornly clung to her neck. Kyren tore it off causing her eyes spring open wide in shock.

Onyx met Cerulean as their individual worlds collided, along with their foreheads since she abruptly sat up, the contact creating a painful explosion of stars behind their eyelids. 

"Oh Fuck, that hurt." Kyren cursed rubbing his head. "Are you okay?"

The soaking girl opened her mouth, but no sound came out from her lips. She seemed frozen, an incredulous look on her face. She backed away from Kyren, covering the black one-piece that she wore.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe." He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm the Wielder, I'm just here to help."

The girl remained silent, confusion and apprehension written across her face. The cogs in her brain were slowly processing, mouth opening and closing repeatedly. She decide her best approach to communicate was by pointing at the red strangulation mark on her throat.

"You can't talk?"

She nodded, looking down at the ground.

Kyren picked up the weed that had ensnared her. "My guardian warned me about swimming in Eldoranos. This is one of the reasons why. I've only ever read about Silencing Weeds, didn't think they'd inhabit this region though..."

The girl continued to stare at him, the lack of emotional response causing Kyren's stomach to do flips. He hated when things felt too quiet. Something about the dead atmosphere made him feel like he was responsible for filling it. While he was aware of this bad habit, he was incapable of preventing the word vomit that spew from him when faced with his ultimate enemy--uncomfortable silence. 

"They're a cannibalistic plant, but victims that do manage to get away suffer from a paralyzing venom effecting their vocal cords, hence the name. Speaking of names--what is yours?" 

She stood up, water dripping down her toned figure. She walked over to  a stick that was near the shore, carefully etching something into the dirt. He peeked over to see what she was writing in such a neat, clear manner.

"Ell--ery? That's your name?"

Another nod.

"That's a beautiful name, Ellery. I'm Kyren." He watched her cheeks grow crimson in the moonlight, goosebumps on her arms raising from the cold air he presumed, "You must be freezing. Hours ago this place was boiling hot."

The girl stared at him, the queasiness in his stomach only getting worse. "Sorry, I'm rambling.  Usually happens when I'm nervous--not that you are making me nervous! I just--"

Ellery poked his shoulder harshly, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, right. I'll shut up. Okay,  Let's head to the village. I'm sure they have a healer that can fix your voice, then we can talk more about how the hell you showed up over that Oasis anyway."

She agreed to go with him, the duo making their way back to the village. Kyren decided not to ask too many questions, like why she fell out of the sky. Whatever it was didn't matter to him. This girl was proof that he was able to save someone and pride was bursting out of him. The conundrum surrounding Ellery would have to wait until he knew she was okay.

Ellery refused to look him in the eyes, arms crossed. A fact that Kyren pointedly ignored. It seemed like the universe was laughing at her. The kind, rambling boy that just saved her life was also the life she was destined to destroy. 

The only thought in her head was that she was definitely and irrevocably fucked.

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And there's chapter 3! If you read this before you'll notice I changed like everything in this chapter because I wanted their introductions to be a lot different than the original. Let me know what you think in the comments (:

XOXO,

Clo