Chapter 59

Stars.

Rippling waves.

Dancing lights flying through the air above.

Trees littering the land around, forming partial shade.

It was all too mesmerizing for little Wynn as she looked around in awe, this was the first time seeing an area untouched by man or war.

Gently she swayed back and forth, being rocked by the tiny boat she was riding on, ever so slowly moving down the river.

The water was clear yet held a silver shine to it that reflected the world around it, allowing Wynn to see her own reflection in the water.

"Careful, don't want to fall in here." Shade calmly comments, making Wynn jump a little.

He'd been silent this entire ride, not so much as uttering one syllable until now.

"Why not?" Wynn cautiously asked, though not daring to look back at the swordsman behind her in case of gaining his ire.

"These waters are deeper and more vast than anyone knows, if you fall in you might be washed away to another world." He replies with a slightly amused tone, taking enjoyment in watching her eyes widen as she looks back in disbelief.

"Do they really?!" She asks with excitement and wonder brewing, a light in her eyes that'd been absent until recently.

Shade nods with a soft smile. "There are many worlds outside of the one we reside in, the pathways to them hidden away in plain sight… such as the depths of the river we travel along, or even something as simple as a book can hide the path."

"How many worlds are there then? Two? Ten?" She asks while trying to picture it all.

"More than anyone could ever count or know, I've only seen two myself." he calmly says as he rows the boat up to a dock, gently coming to a stop.

"You've been to other worlds?!" Wynn practically yells, astonished at the mere thought of this.

"Yup, I brought back many things with me." He calmly states as he steps out of the boat, then turning and helping Wynn out. "Most of my equipment comes from those other worlds, I needed it to help with my mission."

"Even your sword is from another world?" Wynn asks, cautiously eyeing the blade hanging from his waist.

"Yes, even my sword is from another world… and this is as well." Shade says while producing a necklace from inside his armor, removing it and holding it to Wynn so she could get a better look.

It was a simple thing, just a ring hanging on a dark chain, though the ring was beautiful.

Bright silverish blue with a deep blue gemstone that seemed endlessly deep.

In the next moment, before she could even react, Wynn found it hanging from her neck.

Slowly she looked up at Shade, confused as to why he'd give her such a thing.

"The path up ahead is dangerous, too dangerous for someone like you, this ring will protect you though… all you have to do is believe in it, alright?"

Wynn tears up a bit, a big smile forming on her face. "Alright! I'll believe in it with all my heart!"

This was the first time in her life she'd been entrusted with such a precious item.

Even if it couldn't protect her.

Even if it didn't come from another world.

Even if it was just some cheap jewel.

This was more than anything she'd received before.

It was more than she'd ever been trusted before.

After this she couldn't let him down now.

The land the two had come to was just as strange as the river, the trees grew in strange twisted ways that Wynn had never seen before.

Their white bark looked almost like paint as it stretched up higher and higher, up towards the swirling sky above.

Where were they?

Was this place real?

It felt more like a dream than anything as they moved through the starlit passage.

How could such a place even exist?

Soon little orbs of light began flying past, laughter filling the air as it did.

Shade sighed a bit but kept moving, seeming only slightly annoyed at what had just appeared.

Upon closer inspection the orbs looked like little people with wings, each one happily soaring through the air.

Fairies?

This place had fairies?

Wynn was shocked as she watched them fly past, all the magic creatures in the land were supposed to be dead or in hiding, so how were there so many here?

Though as soon as she stops she's met with Shade's voice.

"Keep moving, you don't want to get mixed up with fairies… those closely tied to the fairies are doomed to live horrid lives." Shade sternly says, making sure the child was still following him.

"But why? They seem so nice…" Wynn curiously asks while walking by his side, watching the fairies in the distance.

"Fairies are cursed creatures, they don't wish to bring harm to those around them but in the end that's just how it is." Shade responds calmly, carefully watching the fairies fly by. "That's why they were chased away in the first place."

"So if someone were to travel with a Fairy…."

Shade's eyes darken a bit, a palpable despair and sorrow lingering on them. "They would die before their prime."

Wynn looks down, a bit saddened by this, even creatures that seemed as kind as the fairies had been cursed? For what reason?

Why?

Why was the world like this?

"It's not all bad though… we may not be able to interact with them anymore but look how they thrive." Shade remarks, his expression never changing. "It's a life of solitude but at least they're still around, not all magical creatures have been so lucky over the years."

"Mr Shade?" Wynn pauses, looking up at the mysterious swordsman in front of her.

"What is it? If you've got something you want to ask, don't hesitate… if it's something I can answer I will." He doesn't bother casting a glance back at her as he clears the path, the grass growing ever higher.

"How do you know so much? Even the head mage didn't know this stuff." she meekly asks while walking up to his side, trying not to get lost in the grass. "And your magic seemed stronger than even a sage!"

"It's because I've had multiple lifetimes to build up my powers and knowledge, that's the secret to my powers and knowledge." He calmly replied before stopping dead in his tracks, lightly placing a hand in front of Wynn to get her to stop as well. "We've made it."

Before them was a strange clearing, the nature suddenly stopping as if it couldn't progress forward.

A shallow body of water acts as a line dividing the forest from the clearing, the same mystic water from the river being present in it.

In the clearing itself was a stone platform, a symbol for the eternal ice engraved upon it.

Surrounding the stone platform the grass was cut down to a neat level, yet could clearly be seen swaying despite there being no wind.

At the far end, just beyond the platform, was the barrier sealing off Resovult from the rest of the world.

Something about the barrier drew Wynn in, it was pretty, see through yet slightly reflective… like a bubble almost.

Carefully she raised her hand, drawn to it.

"Wynn don't-"

Yet before Shade's words can reach her she places her hand on the barrier, whatever negative reaction Shade expected didn't occur, instead a bit of frost forms around the area her hand touched.

As she pulled away from it the frost vanished, leaving the child confused as to what just happened.

Quickly Shade moves over to her side, trying to figure out what happened, and then an idea came to his mind.

"Wynn, come stand on the platform." He commands, his mind trying to piece this together.

Confused and a little scared the child cooperates, timidly taking her place on the platform in the middle of the symbol.

As she stands there the air begins to cool, frost forming at her feet as the symbol comes to life.

Yet despite the frost forming around her Wynn doesn't feel the cold, not like how Shade was clearly feeling it.

"Curious…" Shade mutters before looking at the barrier. "Now, focus on that, just picture it freezing over like it did before.

"I… can I really do that?" Wynn asks, unsure of herself.

"I'm sure you can, you just have to try." Shade remarks while crossing his arms, watching the barrier intently.

Wynn hesitantly looks at the barrier, swallowing her fears and worries as she raises her hand.

All she had to do was freeze the big bubble… how hard could that be, right?

Bubbles were the easiest thing to freeze after all.

With a deep breath she let her magic flow forth, the little bit of spellcraft she was taught in the cult shining as a frigid wind blew towards the barrier, freezing the ground it ran over.

It felt surprisingly easy, not like any of her other attempts at spellcraft… it was as easy as breathing for some reason.

As the frigid air hit the barrier it began freezing over, the bubble becoming ice in a matter of minutes.

Wynn could only stand in astonishment as she looked at what she had done, the entire barrier was frozen over, not even a small portion but the WHOLE thing.

Slowly a snowflake formed in front of her, drawing her curiosity, causing her to touch it.

At Wynn's touch the snowflake disintegrates, the barrier quickly mimicking the snowflake.

All that remained of the barrier was a gentle snowfall, coating the entirety of Resovult.

"Told you, you could do it." Shade says with a small smile before motioning to the path forward. "Let's go."

"R-Right!" Wynn replies, happily following after him, feeling confident for the first time in her life.

In another place though many were gazing up at the sky in astonishment and awe.

The barrier that'd trapped them was now… gone?! Replaced by a gentle snowfall that signaled their freedom.

Slowly Morgan reached a hand out, letting a snowflake land in his hand as he examined it with curiosity.

It never melted in the palm of his hand, none of the snowflakes were.

A wide grin grew on his face at this, his amusement only increasing.

"Truly this is one of the best dreams I've seen." He chuckles to himself, millions of possibilities racing through his mind. "To think the eternal frost would show itself… truly this can only end in tragedy." he mutters to himself while walking towards the castle, his shadow stretching long behind him, absorbing all the snowflakes within.

"It's time to see the next act unfold."