The shaking earth

Roland's mind was wiped nearly blank as he watched the flower from his dream open in front of him. Larger, certainly, but unmistakably identical in every other respect. The shock of deja vu was momentarily too much for him to process. Judah appeared by his side with an uncertain chirp, looking tense and crouching low to the ground.

Tom fled, with Agatha close on his heels. Did halflings feel fear? The king only had the passing thought as they disappeared behind him and his mind refocused. 

Roland's knees were weak, and his hands shook. No, his knees were shaking, too. No, it was the ground! The ground was shaking!

"Serafina, take the children and run," He said sternly, then turned to Gwen. "Help us. Which direction is safest?"

The Fae did not answer, her eyes fixed on the flower with something akin to awe in them. Finn ran, herding the triplets with her, but they would not get far before the situation intensified. Their faces were conflicted storms of fear and curiosity.

"Gwen!" Roland had never intentionally shouted at a Fae, but he needed her attention. She turned her head only slightly towards him to show she heard, but she did not look at him.

The earth's tremor's intensified, and startled screams rose up from the valley. Between the journey into the mountains and the encampment here, everyone was familiar with the ground quakes and movements that preceded portals, but no one had been prepared for one in the midst of the people.

Roland's heart skipped a beat as the roar of the earthquake reached a fever pitch. The rumble and boom of its protests would be heard for miles, or more. There would be no hiding for humanity after this event broadcasted their location to all the world.

Gwen's face was still amidst the chaos, her stance steady as she gazed at the air above the flower's dazzling petals. She looked expectant and humble, like a king's servant watching their master's arrival.

"Behold, he comes." She said simply. Though her voice was barely above a whisper, the weight it carried reached Roland's ears and threw his mind into turmoil.

"Who? Who comes?" He demanded, though in his heart he knew the answer already. The ground beneath the flower shuddered and grew, but before it even had a chance to come to the size of some of the larger portals the refugees had come across, the sky seemed to split in two, cracking and breaking.

Out of the breach and onto the surrounding mountains flowed something like cloud and white, pure fire. Riding on it like dolphins playing on a breaking wave in the sea were all manner of things Roland had never beheld before, and a few he had.

Judah rose to his full height and let out a deep, staccato call that Roland had never heard. It was echoed back in full measure as at least a hundred copies of him of varying hues reached the ground with a bounding flourish.

The great cat leapt into their midst, and for a moment Roland was enamored with the scene of reunion he observed. At first Judah blended in seamlessly with his kind, but as the enthusiasm settled, he could tell his friend's silhouette apart from the others. A bit taller, a tad leaner, and his eyes confident and authoritative. The others' faces held a sort of startled curiosity that would be natural for any being suddenly thrust into a world not their own.

Tearing his eyes away from the familiar creatures, Roland watched as the sky continued to pour out around them. It looked not just like a portal high above the flower, but more like a torn veil that had held back all manner of unseen things from his view.

Creatures vast and unspeakable cascaded down, perching on peaks and looking with intense gazes down upon the gathered remnant of humanity's free people. Roland wondered what they thought, and if they were a threat to his people's survival.

With purple, liquid eyes that seemed deeper than time, the enormous, flowing limbs of the great animals–if they could be called animals–breathed deeply and exhaled tongues of white fire like a vapor of breath on a cold morning.

Their great, gleaming teeth shone brightly as the sun disappeared from the sky, eclipsed by the ripping of the heavens above. The natural light was gone from the world, but the light of these creatures made up the difference. 

Roland's pupils dilated as he continued taking stock of everything that poured from the seams of reality, the vastness of this supernatural army, the only word he had for the regimented grouping that covered the mountains surrounding their sheltered valley encampment. 

If these should be enemies, what horrible end had he brought down upon his people? What monumental mistake had he made?

Judah returned to his side, his throat warbling in excitement. No, this was not a threat. This was not extinction. This was hope, terrifying and glorious and overwhelming.

This was humanity's best chance of surviving the merging of the worlds. This collection of beings from countless places hovered above them.

A purple and gold bird he remembered from Pink Sky World dove from the sky in a grand flock, crying out in unison, a war song, beautiful and haunting, like a trumpet's call before a battle. His eyes filled with tears as he listened to the melody, a song of battle and victory that gripped his heart with unspeakable emotion.

Following on their trail were creatures of the sea, swimming through a mist that supported their great forms. Strange whales, Leviathan, sparkling beasts with spines of gleaming metal, more and more beings poured from the opening until Roland was sure their world could hold no more.

There were creatures with many eyes, wings, and feet like a great lizard's. There were animals like lions, and some like fiery horses, and others that looked almost human. Countless lesser creatures poured across the landscape, varied and beautiful and terrifying. Amongst them were Fae in their glory, and one, large figure obscured by light in their midst.

The figure rode a great white horse, with hooves of shining gold and a mane that threw light so blinding Roland had to look away. The sound was as a rushing of wind or a mighty river, and the king fell to his face, overwhelmed by the presence of a being so far beyond his capacity to comprehend.

He was powerless to do anything but press himself to the ground in humility before the shining figure. He worried for his people, what they would do, how they would react. He knew instinctively who this was at the leadership of the unimaginably awesome force, but his people, would they recognize their creator?

Would they know in their hearts the One who had orchestrated everything? Or would they flee in fear before the awesomeness of an incomprehensible force?

He turned his face to see. The valley was plunged into a state of panic. Most were frozen in terror. Some fled, others stared in awe. Serafina, his beloved wife, knelt with their children gathered close around her, Ivan had collapsed in her arms, likely with the sun's disappearance, while Lily and Roen stood beside their mother.

Her eyes were round and lit with surprise and wonder, but her expression was fearless.

Because of course, she did not know fear. A smile tugged at his lips. In the midst of these terrifying, amazing, unbelievable beings, she wouldn't know a moment of hesitation. He was only surprised she wasn't running towards it, but of course she couldn't do that and hug the children at the same time.

"Do not be afraid," The great figure of light proclaimed. The world seemed to stand still, and some unfamiliar feeling flooded Roland's soul.

"The Sorcerer," He whispered, and glanced to Judah. The great cat's head was lowered, his ears flattened, mimicking the posture that he had taken at his first meeting with Roland. A bow.

One of the brightest Fae stepped–floated–forward, in front of the rest. Gwen's came to meet him, her face glowing as she caught flame to match her glorious kin.

"The worlds are the Sorcerer's, and all who dwell in them." The strange Fae intoned.

"He established them on the oceans, his Will is to be praised," Gwen answered.

The newcomer turned to Roland, and spoke again. "You have done well. Your faithfulness will not be forgotten."

He bowed at the waist, unsure of how to respond to such a being. Was it time for the final battle? Were all these magnificent beings to fight alongside humans, or on their behalf? The meager remnants of humanity all fit within this valley, less than a million, and less than half that were capable of military service of any kind.

"The day has come," The Fae answered his thoughts, and turned its fiery form toward the people of the valley. "Prepare for battle."