Where?

Magic builds as a new portal starts to open. I don't want to go back just yet, but I do need to make sure I can help Vanir when the time comes. I won't tell them about this new bridge, I don't want them to know that I can go back if this works.

I wonder if Aiya slipped back before the other portal closed. I have no idea what's going on but if she was able to get here before the Council, I have a feeling her family had a hand in it. Just thinking about the way they treated me has my anger spiking.

They treated me like family, always smiling and offering their home to me as if they truly cared about me. Smiling to my face while planning my death. Holding my hand with one hand while holding a knife in the other. I feel like the whole house is full of poisonous snakes.

As soon as it becomes stable, I step up and look into the portal. Huh... It's dark. I can't see anything. I shoot a small string of magic into the portal, but nothing happens. After looking at the portal for a few moments, I decide not to trust it.

I don't want to go anywhere until Bolin comes back. I'm eager to hear his story and to better understand him and his actions. As soon as I lift my hand to collapse the portal, it suddenly takes on a life of its own!

It warps, sucking me in within the blink of an eye!

I'm suddenly tossed and turned, flipped and flopped before being spat out! I hit the ground hard with a grunt and roll to a stop while holding my left arm close to me. I landed on my left shoulder and now it was hurting.

The portal closes as soon as I'm spat out and I'm left lying in the woods. No, that's not quite right. I slowly sit up, looking around with wide eyes. It looks like a jungle!! A full-on tropical jungle! I hear birds chirping and singing as I look around with confusion.

Where the hell was I now!? I slowly stand up, trying to brush my dress off while babying my left arm. Suddenly the birds grow silent. I pause, looking around me with sharp eyes. I was being watched.

I try to call up my magic and watch in shock when several runes carved in the surrounding trees suddenly light up! They were magic runes to stop outsiders from using magic! Something comes flying straight at me!

I lean back, nearly falling as a crude-looking blade sinks into a tree behind me! It may look crude but the damn thing was sharp! My eyes grow large as I look around with my heart racing in my chest.

Now what!?

When I feel someone quickly approaching, I turn and barely block another blade aimed at my face! I block the blade and quickly kick out. A woman around my size grunts and returns the kick with amazing speed!

She kicks high, striking me in my left shoulder. I cry out, stumbling to the side and quickly blocking the blade once again. I clench my jaw, calling my magic to me and demanding it to obey. The surrounding runes light up again, but I don't stop.

I push out until I feel the strange magic snap. I spin on the woman, slamming her with my magic and pinning her against a tree! She cries out and struggles to break free with her own magic but she's not strong enough.

I try to catch my breath as I look up at the woman with curiosity. She was dressed... odd. She wore a short skirt and a tube top made of dark leather. She had markings all over her bare skin with face paint covering most of her beautiful face.

Her eyes glare at me as she tries to mutter another spell or something but it's still not strong enough to break my magic. What in the amazon...

Suddenly, an older woman's voice says, "Enough. Please release Minna." I turn and find a woman dressed in an oversized dress and long white hair adorned with charms and other things. She held onto a large walking stick that was as tall as she was.

Several women dressed like the first one stand behind her, all watching me with wary eyes. What in the jungle book did I just stumble into!? I turn to the older woman and say, "She attacked me first." The woman stands her ground in a calm manner while saying, "You trespassed first."

I blink and awkwardly clear my throat before lifting my hand and releasing the woman called Minna. Minna lands on all fours with the grace of a cat. She glares at me as she says, "She broke the protection runes." To the others.

The old woman chuckles and says, "So it seems. Do we have an intruder or a guest?" I look back to the old woman and say, "I was trying to create a portal home. This portal opened up but when I tried to close it, it sucked me in. I didn't mean to trespass."

The old woman smiles and picks up her walking stick. She says, "It seems we have a special guest." When she slams the stick into the ground, magic explodes! I cover my eyes as a wave of bright blue magic washes over everything including me!

As soon as it touches something, it transforms! When I lower my hand, I look around in awe. It was now dark, and nothing looked normal! The plants were glowing! Swaying back and forth in a breeze that didn't exist!

Magical glowing creatures suddenly take flight. Flying, fluttering, or just hovering in the air around us as the old woman says, "Welcome to Magia, sister of the night." The paintings on their faces that looked normal just a few seconds ago now looked as if they were glowing!

I stand in shock as Minna walks over to the others, rubbing her wrist. The old woman turns and says, "Follow me, child." I swallow hard, trying to understand what I just stumbled upon, but my feet move towards the old woman all on their own.

The other women part, allowing the old woman to walk away. They turn and silently stare at me, waiting. I hesitate for a moment before slowly walking past them. They watch me silently, taking me in from head to toe as I try to do the same as I walk.

When I walk past them, they all begin to follow behind me as I continue to follow the old woman. When I don't feel any hostility towards me, I turn and start looking around again. It seriously felt as if someone suddenly placed a large black light in the sky above us.

Everything was glowing and downright unreal. Did I accidentally faceplant into magic mushrooms!? Was I high!? As soon as I start questioning my own sanity, the old woman leads me to a clearing. When I step forward, I feel my breath catching.

The large ocean glittered with a million lights! It looked as if glowing glitter filled the entire ocean and every time a wave washed up, it left a trail of what looked like stars on black sand! The old woman turns to me and says, "Once again, welcome to Magia. The world of magic."