The Astral Oasis Trail

"So, welcome to Astral Oasis." Embracing the sun-kissed walkway, Archie and Aurelia descended the pantheon stairs.

The surrounding breeze blew gently at Archie's face while he overlooked the ochre limestone canyons.

The oasis unfolded a verdant landscape of date palms, citrus groves, Sakura trees, plum trees and terraced gardens. The breathtaking series of Tufa lakes, interconnected by cascading waterfalls, form the heart of the oasis.

Nestled along the shores of the Tufa lanes, the waterside residents live in crystal houses bedecked with wildflowers, reflecting the colors of the surrounding landscape.

Rising from the water like a shard of frozen sunlight were crystal spires that were transparent, reflecting the hues of the surrounding lakes. The edifice reflected the moonlight and illuminated every part of the enclave as the sunset fell below the horizon and darkness descended over the lake.

"We just departed the Astral Hall; it's the Council of Astral headquarters. Right now, we are standing at the Astral Oasis Center, where students greet each other from all around Elysium. This is usually the place to meet before or after a class session. You will often find students gathering here to socialize, study and eat." As an alma mater herself, Aurelia explained the surroundings of her academy with pride.

"Eat here? On the ground?" Archie asked in surprise.

"Yes, like a picnic."

"You said this place is a student gathering center. So, only students live here? Students, professors, and the academic staff?"

"Yes, the Astral Oasis currently functions as an academy for beings with mana. We call ourselves mages, which include all four races who attend the academy."

"I thought it was a sanctuary for the four races to live in a safe place after the destruction of ANU." Archie questioned.

"In the beginning, it was like that. When ANU was destroyed, many survivors moved to the oasis and they created another safe haven. isolated from the rest of Elysium. It was how Astral was founded. But the original residence of the elves, phoenix and dwarves did not change, except for the human dwellings, which are currently infested by dark creatures."

"So, the people from ANU came here and created a sanctuary."

"Yes, so the permanent residents who generally live in the crystal cottages by the banks of the Tufa Lakes are the descendants of the ANU occupants. Some of them are professors, and some are retirees who provided their military service throughout the war for a thousand years."

"Wait, how long ago was the last war?"

"One thousand four hundred and sixty-three years. The war is ongoing because the problem was never resolved."

Archie, who was caught between both worlds, recognized the duality of existence, where the echoes of his homeland were similar, where some parts of the earth were peaceful and some parts were in the midst of war.

Here he observed that the people in Astral were sheltered and moved about their daily lives normally, where they laughed and had fun. Some children were running around the fountain at night. Their expressions represented their innocence and they were ignorant of the weight of war.

Archie knew that back on earth, certain regions of the world were at peace, like where he was living, and other places were in the thick of conflict. However, he did not think much about it before and was entirely focused on becoming a medical doctor and making a living out of it.

Now, he had a feeling that whatever decision he made in Elysium would impact the livelihood of everyone because he was a demigod.

Archie expressions were filled with thoughts of mana control and battling the wraiths overwhelmed him. He needed information to overcome these obstacles.

"So, where is the library?" Archie asked.

"We have a main library, which is the building nearest to the Astral Hall on your left, but in the academy, every department will have its own library that archives research materials."

"What do you learn here in the academy?"

"So, our academy is called the Astral Arcane. We have enchantments and incantations, alchemy, celestial arts, elemental arts, mystical creatures, the history of Elysium and ethics."

"Do I need to learn all the subjects or can I pick and choose?"

"The age of enrollment is 10 for every being in Elysium, but you are at the age where most of us graduated, so we will have a bootcamp for the likes of you. So, you can choose the subjects that you need for your mission."

"Who are you? I had a feeling like you were assigned to monitor me. What's going on?"

Archie's interrogation surprised Aurelia.

"I just like to be around you." Aurelia lied. When she was initially assigned to look for him, she was so reluctant to be dispatched and be the den mother of a human being. Now that she witnessed how powerful he was when warding off the wraiths, she believed that Archie was the chosen one to lead them in the battle against the dark creatures. But she cannot admit that to him. 

"Really? No hidden intentions?" Archie looked at her suspiciously while walking across the crystal bridge.

Aurelia was contemplating if she needed to come clean with Archie so there would be no bad blood between them. Besides, they just apologized. She wouldn't want their relationship to be sour. Their relationship had become awkward since Archie sincerely apologized, but Aurelia was hiding some information from him.

While on the inside, Archie was racing with anticipation. He stared at Aurelia intently for what seemed like an eternity, hoping for a response.

Aurelia took a deep breath and reconsidered whether the reason for her secrecy was valid at this point. Hence, she finally said, "Let us grab something to eat and find a place to sit and talk. I owe you at least a meal for saving my life."

Archie nodded. All that walking had made him very hungry.

It was now getting darker and darker as the sun had completely set out of sight. The edges of the Tufa lakes were stated to be illuminated by casting a light on the walkway so that people could go by without tripping into the water.

Archie started to follow Aurelia into a store. "Welcome to Easy Shop, where things you get here are easy, cheap and useful. How can I help you two lovers?"

"Oh, we are not lovers." Aurelia quickly corrected the shop owner.

"Well, are you here to get something to eat together?" The shop owner asked.

"Yes," Aurelia answered.

"I assume you need a picnic mat to eat outside at the center."

"Yes." Aurelia answered again.

"Then it is a date. We, here at Easy Shop, have the best date-on-the-go meal perfect for couples like you. All you need to do is just heat it with your fiery fire magic and the food will be ready within minutes." The shop owner gave a big, wide grin that caused Aurelia to shudder.

"It doesn't have to be a date package." Aurelia retorted

"It is just food; we will take it." Archie responded to Aurelia in a perfunctory manner.

The store owner was too excited over the extremely beautiful couple who waltzed into her store for a couple meal. She carefully chose a big picnic basket and placed a soft pink picnic blanket at the side of the basket.

Then she meticulously took out a bottle of bubbly rose champagne, along with an array of different berries and grapes arranged in a heart shape for extra touch.

"That wouldn't be necessary." Aurelia was trying to stop the shop owner from going out of her way to deck the plate with berries.

"Oh, but it is part of the package." The shop owner insisted and in no time she finished the decorated plate with magic and placed the berries in the basket.

Afterwards, the shop owner packed a variety of cheeses, like brie and camembert, to pair with prosciutto and salami roses on a small charcuterie board that fit in the picnic basket. Then, she included heart-shaped sandwiches with fillings like smoked salmon, eggs and chicken salad.

Finally, the shop owner prepared a bowl of melted dark chocolate dip for the strawberry.

"There you have it—a full-set dinner picnic basket. Oh! I almost forgot that this thermos has hot chocolate and this one has herbal tea. Since it is nighttime, the weather will be slightly chilly outside. The both of you need some hot drinks to keep you warm and cozy." The shop owner was overly enthusiastic about their non-existent date.

Archie automatically took the picnic basket and the thermos with a smile on his face and thanked the shop owner. He let Aurelia out of the shop to lead the way for their discussion spot.

"This is awkward." Aurelia mumbled while walking over the deserted, verdant field just in front of the fountain."

"You think this is awkward? We slept together." Archie replied, recalling their first encounter sleeping together in a nest that he made for the phoenix to recuperate in.

Aurelia's face blushed as pink as the picnic blanket. Her hands covered her face to hide her embarrassment.

"I even gave you a piggyback ride and you wore nothing but my jacket."

"Enough! I get it! Your skin is as thick as a lion turtle."

"Wait, are there lion turtles in Elysium?"