Chapter 3

They arrived at the first realm. Ellemond, the realm of elves. Elves were known for their ability to shift in size. They also have extraordinary hearing with the help of their long ears.

Their horses quietly walked into the forest of Ellemond. They choose to be quiet and not attract attention. "It's nice to have some silence..." Novius said calmly.. "Yeah, It's nice to have silence like this..." Darius replied. "I always have fans following me everywhere, asking me questions, telling me to sign something, and asking me to show them my arrows... they follow me home too.." Novius said. Darius felt bad "Must be hard being a professional archer...". Novius nodded. "Whats the weirdest thing someone has asked you to sign" Darius asked with a smile. Novius smiled back before taking a moment to think "Hmmm.... oh, this one time, someone asked me to sign their baby's forehead" Novius said before laughing. Darius laughed as well.

They continued to talk as they continued making their way to the village.

Just then, a bush rustled nearby. Both Novius and Darius tensed up and turned their attention to the bush. They stopped the horses and drew their weapon. Novius brought out a normal bow and arrow, and Darius brought out a piece of paper with some symbols drawn on it. A small girl came falling out of the bush, she seemed to be an elf. The small girl rubbed the back of her head in pain. "Ow..." She groaned.

"Who are you?" Novius asked, still keeping his arrow pulled back on the bow aiming at her. "The real question is, who are YOU???" The small girl asked, pointing to them. "We asked first." Darius said. "Fine. My name is Aine. I'm an elf living in the small village nearby. Now you tell me who you are" Aine said before shifting back into her real size. She was a cute girl, her outfit decorated with cotton balls. "I'm Novius from the realm Cullodran. This is my friend Darius" Novius said as he put down his weapon. Darius did the same. "What's your business in Ellemond?" Aine asked. "We are searching for Helios, we need to speak to him" Novius said. "What do you need to speak to him about?" Aine replied with the question. "We want to know about the Aurecarpus sapling" Novius replied. Aine was taken aback. "the Aurecarpus sapling? I've heard of that plant from history... The one that steals powers right?" Aine asked. Novius and Darius nodded. "We heard he was the last survivor of the plant's effects" Darius said.

Aine nodded. "Yes that's true. My grandfather were one of the last people that survived the effects of the sapling. Why are you seeking information?" Aine asked. "Novius got his powers stolen by an unknown person shortly after a tournament he won" Darius said. Aine was shocked.. "That's where I know you from! My father went to your tournament! I had to come along" Aine said. "Let's talk somewhere more private, please follow me" Aine said before starting to walk off the road. The both of them followed Aine on their horses.

They arrived at a nice cottage in a small village near the road. They got off their horses and followed Aine into the cottage. "I'll be right back, take a seat and wait until I get back. Do not touch anything." Aine said before walking into the hallway. Novius and Darius sat on the couch and waited for Aine to return.

As they waited, they glanced around and saw a lot of flowers in vases, pots, and some growing on the wall.

Aine came back into the room a few minutes later. "My grandfather will join us in a moment, would you like anything while we wait?" Aine asked, being polite. "No thanks" Novius politely declined.

There was an awkward silence as they waited for Helios.

Aine broke the silence. "So uh... are your powers really gone?" Novius nodded. "It feels like a part of me just went missing... We need information before going to find the person." Novius added. "Do you know where they are? or are you two just blindly walking around each nation searching for this person" Aine asked. "Well... I guess you could say... Mostly the second option, but part of the first option" Novius replied awkwardly. "So you guys have a lead on where this person is?" Aine asked with surprise. "I mean.... We know this person is in the forest" Novius said awkwardly again. Darius just sighed while Aine looked at him with a mixture of confusion and disappointment.

Just then, an old man entered the room with a walking cane. Aine stood up and helped the old man sit on a chair. "So... Aine told me... you two wish to know something... that happened thousands of years ago... correct?..." The old man asked. Novius and Darius nodded. "I see... What do you wish to know?..." The old man replied. "If it's no issue for you... We want to know about the Aurecarpus sapling" Darius said. The moment Darius mentioned the Aurecarpus sapling, the old man's eyes widened... "I... What?..." The old man asked in disbelief... Novius and Darius were confused. Aine was surprised by her grandfathers reaction. "Grandpa? What's wrong?" Aine asked, worriedly. The old man just brushed her off and turned back to Novius and Darius. "The Aurecarpus sapling?...." The old man said again in disbelief.

Novius and Darius nodded again, slightly confused by The old man's reaction. "Why do you want to know about that cursed plant..." The old man asked, a bit of anger in his voice. "I was attacked by it.. I need my powers back.. We are looking for information of this plant..." Novius responded. The old man stared at him for a moment.. "You're not telling me something... Something important... Half the reason for your journey...". Novius and Darius were shocked. Aine looked at them, confused. "There's another reason? Half the reason for your journey? What are you not saying?" Aine asked all the questions.. Novius sighed...

He then explained everything that happened to his parents.

After the explanation, Aine was shocked... "Your parents went missing because of that mysterious person?... oh my...". The old man leaned back in his chair. "I see... What do you wish to know about the sapling?..." The old man said. Novius lit up. "Is there a way I can get my powers back?" Novius asked desperately. The old man nodded. "You must snap the bracelet containing your powers". "We are already aware of that, there's one thing I'm concerned about... What happens if the person with the powers had passed away?.." Novius asked, nervous. "Then why else would you want to know about the bracelet and how to get powers back from it?..." The old man asked, slightly confused. "Novius wasn't born with the powers. It was gifted to him by his parents.... He is born human, so he doesn't have powers.." Darius said.

The old man thought for a moment... "I had this friend with me during the war... He was the same case as you. If you break the bracelet containing the powers you held on to longer than the original owner, then your powers will go to you. But apparently it doesn't work all the time... If you want more details, visit my friend in Naenotopia, realm of light and justice. You can ask for more details from him"

Novius was glad there was a chance he could get his powers back. "But.." The old man interrupted. "Snapping the bracelet is difficult enough... You cant snap it with your bare hands... You need a special mechanism created by the people of Yemongrail, realm of fire demons... The fire demons also have lots of experience in creating weapons and such... I have the blueprints in a chest... the chest is in my room. Aine, please be a dear and grab them for me will you?.." The old man asked, turning to Aine. Aine nodded and left the room.

Novius and Darius continued chatting with The old man while Aine went to grab the blueprints in his room.

Aine came back a few minutes later with some blueprints. She gave the blueprints to The old man and went back to her seat. The old man unrolled the blueprints and showed it to Novius and Darius. "Once you get to Yemongrail, find a blacksmith by the name of Draco. Show him these blueprints and tell him "The stars have aligned", Then he will know exactly what to do." The old man said with a smile. Novius and Darius nodded with a smile. "Thank you so much for helping us, we really appreciate it" Novius said with a smile. "No problem. I wish you nothing but good fortune for you on your journey" The old man said, genuinely speaking. Novius and Darius nodded before taking the blueprints and leaving the cottage.

As they were untying the leash of their horses off the post, Aine came up to them with a bag. Novius and Darius were confused. "Going somewhere?" Darius asked. "Yeah! With you guys" Aine said before running to the side of the cottage and started untying a horse from a post. Novius and Darius were stunned. "Wait- What??" Novius said, still stunned. "What? I'm going with you guys. I'm gonna help Novius find his parents and help you with whatever" Aine said, turning to both of them. "There's no way you can come along! What if you get hurt? or worse, What if you die?? What are we supposed to say to your grandfather?? "Oh I'm so sorry sir, but we brought your daughter along a potentially deadly journey and now she's dead. Please forgive us!" Are we really going to say that?" Darius said sarcastically.

"Actually, Maybe her abilities will be useful on our journey" Novius said to Darius. "You cant be serious!!" Darius argued. "Aw come on! Are you just afraid of having a girl on your team?" Aine said, provoking Darius. "You!-" Before Darius could say anything, Novius interrupted. "Please Darius? We can handle it! I promise! If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame!" Novius was practically begging Darius. Aine begged along with Novius.

Darius sighed in defeat after looking at both Novius and Aine begging. "Fine... But I'm not responsible if anything bad happens" Darius said sternly. Novius and Aine just lit up and jumped on their horses. Darius was just trying not to go insane at this point.

And so, they ventured off into the next realm. Aexetan, the realm of sirens.