Chapter 2 - Realization

~Lila~

Skye cowered on the ground behind Scarlett, and I stood speechless. There was an ebbing tension flowing around us. The claws and fangs were out, no matter what we did there would be no escape. I glanced around us; waves of armies covered every ounce of land. The grass under our feet was powdery grey. I watched Scarlett look around frantically for a way to escape. My heart tightened, despite my curiosity, I felt a horrible sense of anxiety crawl up my spine.

Azzeal screamed loudly and rushed forward, his fiery hair flowing like flames. One after another, all the other men engaged in battle, with us caught in the middle. The only one who didn't move was the man with indigo eyes. Scarlett acted quickly and wrapped her arms around us as if to shield us from danger, but the screaming stopped. A powerful wind pelted our sides as the undead creature knocked everyone to the ground with his magic. He wielded an indigo spell book with black pages that fluttered violently at his command.

"Where are your manners?" The man with indigo eyes spoke smoothly, "Do you not know who these women are?"

"Stand down, Alibel! Those three belong to Infernia as the first and original kingdom of Faewrath. Your shadow kingdom of dubious whereabouts has no jurisdiction here!"

Alibel retorted intelligently, "The kingdom of Shadire in which you will never know its whereabouts because you are too foolish to find it! I am your senior by thousands of years, Azzeal. I have seen your father and grandfather wither and die. In the blink of an eye, you will be dead too. These three women are special. I have lived long enough to pass along the prophecy of three angels that would decide the fate of Faewrath itself. Should you kill them, they will be your undoing."

My head spun as I tried my best to take in the information. Alibel gazed at me tiredly, his eyes were foggy and lost. Despite being thousands of years old, he only looked to be in his thirties. I kept quiet and took mental notes. Meanwhile, Scarlett was seething with rage and Skye cowered fearfully. Tears streamed down Skye's face, and her makeup began to run off her cheeks. Scarlett was great at showing she was not afraid, but I felt frozen to the ground. A deer stuck in headlights.

"I know of an ancient prophecy that was passed down by my elders," Abetmoph expressed vividly, while crossing his tan arms, "Our telling of the story says that fallen angels will form a phoenix. They will turn everything to ash, and it will grow anew."

"That's ridiculous! There is no such prophecy where some random creatures from the sky magically fix everything! Don't tell me you believe them, my lord?" Elfuric scoffed furiously as he directed his attention to Azzeal.

Azzeal's hair returned to a normal state. It looked flat and lifeless, full of frizz and singed ends. He narrowed his sharp yellow eyes at Alibel suspiciously. The air around us was eerily quiet. Scarlett, Sky and I glanced at each other briefly. We had a silent understanding; no words would be exchanged until a decision was made.

"There are other universes and realities separate from ours. There are ancient texts in our libraries that tell us about these things. Azzeal, as prince of Infernia, you should be ashamed. Therefore, I will lead my people into a bright future, while yours will be dying in the dirt," Geolin insulted coldly.

Geolin's hair tentacles moved and slithered like they were alive separately. The eyes on his body had disappeared, but he still had two on his face that were black and soulless. His face was long and sharp. He stared directly at me, and I looked back. I sighed in relief; his normal eyes didn't hurt me. I wondered why I even tested it in the first place. I was brought back to reality by an intense hissing.

"It doesn't matter what they are here for or why. I am crown prince, the rightful ruler. I will not concede! If there is a prophecy for their arrival, then it rightfully belongs in our favor!" Azzeal growled venomously.

"Enough!" Alibel roared firmly, "These humans have fallen on neutral land. If you choose not to heed my warning, your gods themselves will drag you down to Hell. You will suffer for eternity in the name of ancient law. No individual, army or lord fights on sacred land. Do you not feel fear? I have seen countless souls damned to the netherworld. Will you have it the same way?"

Alibel's words stopped them like a pool of acid. The entire group stepped off the grass hastily. The only man who didn't listen was Geolin. Yet after watching everyone else, he stepped back pridefully. His expression was stoic and calm, while the others were visibly anxious.

"Good," Alibel added convincingly, "These three will fulfill their true prophecy. Perhaps fate will see them leave as soon as they enter. Continue your pointless war all you want, but you will not impede the will of the gods. These three landed on this sacred land in a flash of light. That is no mere coincidence. You had best be careful in planning your next moves."

The black shadow next to Alibel smiled with his eyes. He hopped down and greeted us with enthusiastic movements and gestures. No sound came from his mouth as he tugged hard on my sleeve. He wanted us to follow him. Alibel stepped down stoically and guarded us carefully. His eyes darted back and forth at the armies of strange creatures. Skye and Scarlett followed behind me while the rest of the army bickered quietly, unable to process what was happening.

A huge, decrepit building stood on the grey grass. It was a monochromatic stone shelter. It appeared to be some sort of fort on the outside. My feet crunched on the icky grass as we climbed into the building. It smelled like soot and dust. I sneezed softly as I entered.

Everything inside was the exact same color as the exterior walls. Devoid of color and life. Indoors there was a long empty space with simple doors. It housed roughly eleven spare rooms, but they were small inside. Barely enough room to fit a bed and a desk. Nothing remained here, but a huge empty space and tiny rooms. I could still hear the shouting of the men outside.

I let out a deep sigh and a sudden wave of fear and anxiety washed over me. All the delayed emotions of confusion were now coming to me. The realization of where we were and what was happening hit me like a missile. There was no way out of here, the tablet I read from disappeared. I clenched my fists tightly and felt pain shoot up my arm. I swore it was in my hands, but now, it was gone.

Alibel led us far away from the entrance and stood next to the far wall. He motioned his grey, clawed hand at us to come closer. Under his eyes were deep bags, and his expression was devoid of emotion. No color or life existed in his face. He seemed so exhausted.

The shadow creature ran energetically to Alibel's side and stood confidently. He waited for Alibel to speak with wide white eyes. There was no visible mouth for him to communicate, yet Alibel understood him fine. I tilted my head curiously and approached them first. Scarlett glared daggers at my back as I stood in front of them. I needed answers.

"Why did you help us?" I inquired candidly.

Skye sniffled softly as she wiped her face clean, "I thought we were going to die."

"It's okay, Skye, I'm here," Scarlett whispered quietly.

Alibel hesitated and replied vaguely, "You are three harmless humans who happened to fall from the sky. What else should I have done?"

"You know we aren't special, right? This was entirely accidental. I found a strange stone tablet and we ended up here because of it," I explained curiously.

Alibel sighed exhaustedly, "Yes, of course I know that. Do you think I was born yesterday? I do not believe in prophets, but others are superstitious. Every couple of thousand years, a human ends up here accidentally. Sometimes more than one. I have been around for this to have happened three times already. This, right now, is the third time."

"So, how long have you been around? If this has already happened, then why help us?" I bombarded Alibel enthusiastically with questions.

Scarlett shouted roughly at me, "Lila! Shut up! You don't know this stranger!"

"You ask too many questions. I will answer some of them, but then you will ask me no more questions. I am already exhausted," Alibel answered irritably, "Two times seeing humans get torn to shreds by those men's late relatives or ancestors is enough. As for my age, I'm 5,072. At least that's as long as I can remember."

"Wait! I'm sorry, one more question!" I stated frantically.

Alibel groaned softly, "What, now?"

"Your friend, what's his name? I want to address him properly. I have learned all your names except his," I inquired sweetly.

Alibel's plain expression shifted into surprise. He smiled slightly and nudged the shadow forward. The shadow gazed at me brightly, I could feel his soul communicating his emotions to me. His heart felt warm and pure like an angel. He reached out to me and hugged me tightly. My muscles tightened up; his shadowy skin was ice cold like a ghost. I shivered and awkwardly pushed him off me.

"A little touchy, I see," I coughed anxiously.

Alibel claimed calmly, "This is Inca Ghast, but he prefers to go by Inca. He is my royal servant from a long line of Ghast's before him. That is weird, he is usually much more shy."

"Well, it is nice to meet you Inca. I will remember you," I conveyed carefully, "As for you, Alibel, is it? Thank you for sticking your neck out for us. We will have to figure things out from here."

Alibel replied uncomfortably, "I helped you once, but the rest is up to you. I have been avoiding war and keeping my people safe for a long time. I do not intend to get involved. I check on the neutral grounds regularly and use this place to rest on long journeys. So, I will be around. Try not to get into too much trouble."

"We won't bother you. You can be sure of that," I agreed kindly.

"Good," Alibel stated shortly as he leaned against the wall, waiting for the loud shouting outdoors to stop.

I turned around and gazed at Scarlett and Skye who were sitting against the wall in exhaustion. Skye crossed her arms in frustration. Her head was buried close to her knees, while Scarlett leaned her head against the wall woefully. All our outfits were strangely burnt and dirty now. The sounds of bickering could still be heard outside.

Alibel waited in the building at the back. He closed his eyes and leaned against the stone wall. I took off my purple backpack and placed it on the ground in front of Scarlett and Skye. They both gazed up at me curiously as I sat down and tucked my feet under my knees. The scratchy ground dug into my socks and hurt my skin. I placed my hands on my bag firmly and stared directly into their eyes. Skye looked away and gazed at the ground with her foggy blue eyes.

"So, we are stuck in some sort of alternate dimension, right?" I claimed awkwardly, "Uh, maybe we look at our bags and see what we have? I don't know what else to do right now, but we can't just sit around. There is a war right outside our doorstep. We must think smartly."

Scarlett yelled at me aggressively, "Wow, really? I hadn't noticed! Why did you go and read a random spooky tablet in the woods? Do you have no sense?"

"How was I supposed to know that reading something would do that? That's not a fair accusation, nor is it logical," I retorted nervously.

Skye shouted timidly, "Scarlett, it was your idea to take an alternate route! You always make bad decisions!"

"I just wanted to show you the end of the hike. That was not my fault!" Scarlett replied viciously.

I interrupted irritably, "Guys, stop it! This isn't helping anyone; we need to think. Empty your bags, let's see what we have."

Scarlett took off her bag swiftly and shoved it down in front of her hastily. It was a tall, red hiking bag with laces all the way up. She unzipped the bag and dumped the contents on the ground haphazardly. The objects banged loudly against the concrete. In front of them was a bottle of electrolyte filled tropical punch, an energy bar, a baseball bat, a pocketknife, a horror novel, a phone, and a flashlight. I was next to empty out my bag as I unzipped it nervously.

My hands were shaking as I pulled out the items in my purple bag one by one. I had a bag of trail mix, a bottle of water, a vivid purple scarf, a sketchbook, a wildlife guide, a science fiction novel, a phone, and finally, my Portigamer console. The Portigamer was a small handheld gaming console that played cartridges. It was black in color and was folded closed. I opened the console quickly to check the screen and battery. It was still full and unharmed. I powered it off and placed it back down in front of me with a sigh of relief.

Skye was the last to take off her backpack. She placed it in front of herself carefully and gently pulled out each item. Each was handled very slowly as Scarlett, and I waited in anticipation. She had cautiously placed a bag of candy, a diet soda, a plush dragon, a plush unicorn, a deck of playing cards, a fantasy book, a phone, and a blanket onto the ground. Scarlett and I exchanged strange expressions while we watched Skye shift about nervously. The noises of the men outside began to grow louder.

"Skye, why did you bring stuffed animals? How in the world is that supposed to help us?" Scarlett judged tiredly.

Skye replied defensively, "Well, sorry for not expecting we'd end up in an alternate universe today! I took them along for pictures. I was going to do some photography of them with my phone at the end of the hike. I also brought a blanket and playing cards so we could have something to do together."

"That's wonderfully thoughtful Skye! I kind of just took things that I thought would be good for the hike. I was excited to see all the different insects and animals, but I did bring my Portigamer and sketchbook just for fun," I expressed kindly.

Scarlett added coolly, "I took the necessities. I had a baseball bat from my last game, but the knife is engraved by my dad. It means a lot to me."

"Oh, but we all brought a book to read that's hilarious!" Skye giggled bashfully.

Scarlett, Skye and I shared a brief moment of respite as we laughed on the cold floor. Our giggling slowly faded into silence as the reality of our situation set in. I shifted nervously and held my knees with my arms. Skye avoided looking us in the eyes, and Scarlett made sure to keep her back to the wall. Tension flowed around us like crashing waves of water. Everything felt heavy and my stomach twisted into knots. Sweat built up on my neck and I could feel my skin turning hot. I was burning with fear.

Scarlett broke the silence between us as she asked nervously, "Did any of you see what happened when we fell? I remember closing my eyes, and then we were safe. How did we not hit the ground and die?"

"I didn't see anything. I blacked out, and I was terrified too," Skye admitted timidly.

"I don't remember anything either," I added curiously, "The tablet is gone too. Now I want to know why we are still alive. Also, if we can end up here, there has to be a way out."

"Do you think you can figure it out?" Skye asked softly.

I answered anxiously, "I don't know. We also don't know how time works here, or how it is relative to our own world. That's a terrifying thought."

"What are we going to do? I have a boyfriend at home with my roommates. They can't afford that place without my help," Skye conveyed frantically.

Scarlett agreed wistfully, "My dad is at home where I am. He's all I have left, and I'm all he has. I don't want to think about what would happen."

"We could die here or get trapped. No one would ever know what happened to us," I claimed frightfully.

The shouting and bickering outdoors suddenly stopped. All that could be heard was the whistling of the wind. Skye's face was painted with intense anxiety, and Scarlett looked miserable as she stared at the floor sorrowfully. I glanced around the empty room. Alibel seemed to be napping against the wall. His servant, Inca, was lying on the hard floor with his ghastly eyes closed. A mountain of fear and worries plagued my mind, but if nobody had answers, we would stay stuck. Something had to be done.

I packed all our items back into our backpacks as Scarlet stared at me with confusion. Skye stared off towards the door and I swung my backpack around my shoulders. It felt slightly heavy on my back as I reached out my hands to Scarlett and Skye. They both reached out to me, and I firmly pulled them up to my level. Skye was slightly shorter than me, and Scarlett was a little taller.

"I have a plan, but it's not great," I announced quietly, "Skye, I need you to do what you do best and learn what you can about the kingdoms here. Your job is to figure things out through word of mouth, but also win the favor of the townsfolk. If we maintain good relations, we can move about freely. Whatever you find that can help us get home, tell me!"

Skye hesitated before agreeing sheepishly, "Alright, I can try. I guess I am a good listener."

"As you work on keeping good relations with the kingdoms, I will try my best to seek out information and dedicate myself to finding a way home. There must be libraries or information that has something we can use!" I commanded clearly, "Finally, Scarlett, you have the most important part. You are the strongest of us three. I need you to be on high alert. Your job is to protect us and figure out potential threats to our safety. There will be a lot of digging and sneaking around, I'm sure."

"Yeah, that's what I do best. You can count on me," Scarlett replied nonchalantly, "Your plan is fine, by the way. We might have to change it later, but that's all we have got. Now we just have to figure out where to start."

I groaned softly, "Yeah, you're right. I don't know what to do."

Right as I finished speaking, the door burst open. Scarlett, Skye, and I all whipped out our heads and directed our attention towards the entrance. My heart pounded violently against my ribs, and I felt my knees wobble weakly.

Alibel startled awake. He shot his eyelids open and prepared his magical tome. He stood rigidly like a monument as the pages flipped rapidly in his tome. I could hear the fluttering of its pages, and Inca pulled an inky black bow and arrow out of his body. They both stood ready to attack the intruder. The thudding of footsteps and the clanging of scales could be heard echoing through the building. It was Geolin.

Geolin's tentacle hair slithered slowly like snakes as he stepped forward confidently. His pitch-black eyes stared directly at us. I watched as Alibel stepped forward. His hand hovered over his book. Geolin strolled towards us and Alibel raised his arm. Geolin shook his head, disapprovingly.

"I am not here to hurt them. I wanted to come and see your fated ones for myself. Your speech was very clever, Alibel, but I am not fooled. These are regular humans," Geolin announced intelligently as he approached me, Scarlett, and Skye.

"Take one more step, I dare you!" Scarlett bluffed fiercely.

Geolin smirked and told Scarlett coolly, "Trust me when I say you have no idea who you are dealing with. I suggest you sit down. You are no warrior. I see no battle scars on your skin. I should reiterate, I am not here to hurt you."

"You have one warning, Geolin. Do not cause trouble here," Alibel threatened firmly.

Geolin walked up to Skye and glared at her as she flinched fearfully. She avoided his gaze, and he took a couple steps back. His strides flowed like water with each step, confident and fluid. He extended his massive, torn-up wings as he examined me. I could hear the scraping of his armor as he cocked his head curiously.

"This is my first time seeing humans up close. How peculiar," Geolin muttered as he circled around us like a vulture, "I have many questions I want to ask. I am infinitely curious about you beings from an alternate dimension. I will introduce myself more formally then. I am Geolin Brine, the king of Eldreign."

I let my curiosity get the best of me as I greeted him warmly, "It's good to meet you, uh, more formally. I have to be honest with you. I'm surprised that you are curious about us. Look at those wings! The hair, your eyes. I've never seen anything like that in my life. What is your armor made out of? What about the spear?"

Skye rolled her eyes and Scarlett held her forehead in the palm of her hand. I felt embarrassed as I observed their reactions and I quickly shut up. Geolin chuckled mischievously in a smooth voice as he stopped in front of me. He scratched his chin and grinned widely.

"I like this one," Geolin expressed genuinely, "What is your name?"

"My full name is Lila Hall, but just Lila is fine!" I answered anxiously.

Alibel groaned irritably, "You'll grow tired of answering questions, Geolin."

"On the contrary, Alibel, I love to share information. As long as the exchange is fair," Geolin conveyed slyly, "Regardless, I have found the right human to help Eldreign. I only need the help of one. Should you want some answers to your questions, Lila, I will offer them to you for a trade. We can discuss that at another time, however, because our three kingdoms have come to an agreement. We are waiting for you, Alibel."

"What is the meaning of this? What agreement?" Alibel questioned venomously.

Geolin answered silkily, "It's nothing terrible, but you've spun yourself into a web, Alibel. I will watch as your lies come crumbling down on top of you. The prince of Infernia has come to talk."