Change of Pace

It was a conflict within another; friend and foe almost indistinguishable to him. Whatever tried to kill him he considered foe and anything else would have to be, friend, that was an uncomfortable choice. To so easily write them off as friends was a task for Michael. He did it out of necessity- desperation really and for his survival. At least that is what he had said to make himself feel better.

In truth, he lacked the luxury of choice; everything was trying to kill him or get him killed. Choosing which to align himself with was not easy. He had accepted Caster's hand only because the man, for unknown reasons, decided it fit to keep him safe. That too didn't last long, as a result, his weariness of strangers was turned up a notch. He already harboured trust issues and they had now festered into paranoia.

He sifted through the information on the spell. It was fascinating, the runes intricate and the casting elegant. The writings; by a miracle, had been translated into English. He puzzled over that outcome for a few seconds before giving up on the effort; for now at least. The descriptions explained how the magic worked. It went in-depth describing how mana flowed and had to be manipulated to weave out the necessary runes to cast the spell. Michael became fully engrossed.

He observed the details of the spell as if it was a memory he had once lived. It was hazy and the rest of the world in it, hazy and elusive but he could make out shapes. He saw a lake glimmering in the distance, and that was it. He also managed to catch a glimpse of a meadow; a vast field of green grass that shimmered in and out of existence. The parchment however remained detailed and legible, so he paid it more attention.

The fundamentals of spell casting involved mana perception and mana circulation; focusing the mana and drawing it out in a stream to weave necessary runes. It was mind-blowing for Michael, his heart skipping a few beats in disbelief.

The exhilaration of learning his first spell was muddled by the constant apprehension of the woman standing before him. The constant fear that plagued him as he walked the Nether for those few days, the uncertainty that shrouded his future, and many other tumultuous feelings that caused his heart to falter and mind sway in the darkness of all the mysteries.

In that state, he forced his mind to break through the wall of turmoil. By some miracle, he had managed to gain a grasp of mana perception; at least by Caster's words. Maybe the rest would come easy to him. It was unlikely but he allowed himself the thought.

He stood there frozen, his mind racing as he wondered what he should do in this situation. Jumping at the gift was out of the question, he was not acquainted with the woman to allow himself such a reaction, for all he knew she could be an eldritch horror of the Nether rearing to pounce on him at any moment. Also, he was not well versed in magic, the possibility of a tracker spell of sorts being embedded in the gift crossed his mind and stayed there.

Apprehension took root and paranoia replaced fear. He trained his gaze on the woman once more. She maintained the same demeanor, her smile radiantly illuminating her beauty as it shone to her eyes adding to her charm and enunciating her beauty. Michael felt his heart flow as his blood raced through his body, turning hot. In his mind, he knew it was mindless infatuation, yet he found it hard to resist her charm. He turned away with much labor. This wasn't the time to be taken by the otherworldy beauty of the stranger.

What was her reason for being here? Of course, how she got here took precedence but so did who was she and how exactly did she know of Michael. The taste of uncertainty was as dizzying as it was repulsive. The things he did not know far outweighed those he knew and the crippling feeling weighed on his mind.

She claimed that she would answer his questions, what should he ask first? what did he want to know?

His face had the turmoil raging within him written all over it and Galia noticed.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

She walked closer to Michael and placed her arm once more on his shoulder, he flinched on instinct stiffening under her touch. Then, they began to sink into the surface. It was a weird and unsettling sensation, akin to walking inside a pool of cool waters, only they did not wet his skin and it felt odd to his touch. Like he had placed his hand in a vat of heavy tar but he was hydrophobic and none of the tar latched onto his skin.

The woman felt Michael's discomfort but chose to remain silent.

His whole body slowly went under and he was momentarily submerged in total unyielding darkness. It was a familiar feeling, he had been in such darkness before and he could feel a nostalgia rise within him as memories he had thought stale turned fresh and vivid.

However, before his mind could linger, the world before him opened up and was flooded by a brilliant brightness that devoured all the darkness that suffocated his sight. He was stunned and his eyes stung from the sudden light. Galia showed no discomfort as she set her feet on the solid ground that was the surface of where they now were.

A green veil of lush green grass carpeted the ground and on its sight, Michael felt panic rise in him as raw primal fear sat heavily on his heart. His vision appeared to pulse as his heart thudded in his chest. For a second, he assumed the woman to be Amelia in disguise, it was the only conclusion that made sense to his panicked mind.

The world was illuminated by a bright white from a high-hanging sun in the empty blue skies. A few lonely clouds were drifting above and a breeze howled through the land rustling the leaves of a tree that stood behind them almost touching the skies. The place was silent and peaceful shrouded in a serenity that was unfamiliar in Michael's void. It was a clear contrast from the Nether too. The place is filled with a soothing atmosphere similar to that exuded by Galia.

They had landed on the top of a small hill on whose slop lay the densest green Michael had seen in a while. Everything was level, no bushes were in sight, no running animals, there were the occasional birds and butterflies, however. The slope fell into an open field of beautiful multicolored flowers that shone in the daylight with such brilliance adding to the beauty of this alien world.

Beyond the flower meadow lay a lake of glistening waters that broke and dispersed the light into its constituent colors making for a breathtaking sight. That coupled with the scents that permeated the air and the cool breeze enunciated the serenity of this otherworldly place.

"Welcome to the heart of my Domain," she said as she let go of Michael's shoulder allowing him to calm down.