reunited at last

"Kieran...?" I say, stumbling forward. After all I've been through, it doesn't even seem real.

"August!" he yelps gleefully, and springs toward me. I hold out my arms as he dives into me. I take him in my arms and spin him around before tackling him to the ground. I could care less that there's a crowd of people watching. My pupils dilate and all I want to focus attention on is my best friend.

We crash down together in the yellow grass, staring at each other.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

"You can't get rid of me that easily," I tease.

I blink. As much as I savor the reunion, we have work to do. There will be time enough to spend together later. Now that I've found him again, I won't let him leave my side.

"We need to hurry to the earth shrine," I remind him.

"I know."

"I have someone who can help us."

We rise from the ground and get to our feet. There's a lot of commotion as the village guards try to restore order in the area. Adma approaches us slowly.

"The big old lady knight?" Kieran asks, peering over at Adma. "Nice find."

I grab Kieran by the wrist and drag him through the yellow grass, over to my traveling companion.

"Adma, this is Kieran," I say like a proud dad. "He's the 'goat'."

"Nice to meet you!" Kieran smiles. A smile that could light up the whole world. So peaceful. So amiable.

"The pleasure is mine, Kieran Summers. August Madera here speaks of little else but you."

I blush as she holds out her hand, still clad in her heavy gauntlets, to shake Kieran's. She throttles him about with her handshake before giving him a stoic nod and returning her hands to her hips.

"Our mission is complete, then," she says, her smile fading slightly, bein replaced with her typical knightly demeanor. "I shall be glad to escort you young men to Asteria, so that you might complete your quest."

Still holding his wrist, I turn to my friend. "Are you ready, Kieran?" I ask. I have a lot of questions, but they can wait. We must return to the moon, as quickly as possible.

He looks surprised at my eagerness. I'm sure he has many, many questions as well.

"Hey, hey, hey! You can't take Kiery away just like that! I found him first!"

We both turn to the side. A diminuitive girl is walking toward us - a Ferin, from what I surmise from her bushy tail and her long, tall, furry ears that remind me of a fox.

"I get first dibs on Kiery because I'm the one that fished him out of that nasty Manticore nest, AND saved his little teleporty device! Mhm! That's right!"

"Who is...?"

"You can call me Decoy!" she says, raising a hand into the air, doing a twirl on her feet, and then pressing her hand to her chest with a flourish. "Bestest, most fiercest Ferin this side of the Divide!"

Decoy? Like... Like a decoy?

"August," Kieran smiles nervously, "This is Decoy. She's a friend of mine. When I came to this world, I ended up in a pretty scary place! Thankfully she was nearby, found me, and brought me here to safety. I owe her my life."

"Mhm, that's right. So you can't leave already!"

Adma grunts. This turn of events is clearly not something she anticipated. Perhaps Kieran didn't either, but he's a smooth talker and just like always, he has a plan.

"Decoy, remember I told you I need to become a Vessel for a really cool and powerful Magician? Well, this is him!"

The little Ferin girl looks me up and down. She purses her lips and blows upward, blowing messy auburn bangs out of her eyes.

"He don't look any special," she says quickly, turning her face away and crossing her arms.

Kieran laughs. "I know, I know."

What do you mean you know!?

"I'll come back and visit as soon as I can," Kieran barters. "We just have to visit the earth shrine and make a quick trip home. Deal?"

She's still crossing her arms, holding her eyes tightly shut, pouting.

"Fine. But you both have to come back. And your friend's gotta play with us too."

I raise an eyebrow. "I gotta what?"

"And I still gotta introduce you to Mr. Sage, Kiery!"

Kieran takes a knee to be at eye level with the Ferin girl. "Of course, Decoy. As soon as we can. I promise."

The girl turns beet-red and buries her face in her surprisingly human-looking hands. "Fiiiine," she moans. "Just don't keep me waiting!"

"Wouldn't dream if it."

On that note, we resolve to leave the Ferin village, to Decoy's chagrin, although the promise of our impending return seems to get her all excited again in anticipation. She skips around us, telling us all the things she'll want to do when we return as we make preparations to return to Asteria.

We stop by the inn Kieran had been staying at to pick up his belongings - most importantly of all the Arcanic that will take us back to the moon. It's a curious device, shaped like a harp. But instead of where the strings would be aligned neatly, they are arranged in a web formation, and in the center of the web, a hollow orb filled with swirling smoke.

The, we return to the front village gate. Things have picked back up a tiny bit since the Harbinger attack, but there's still an uncomfortable chill in the air. Such a thing does not happen here - in fact, the last time an Encephalim had been that close to the village was a full seven years ago, and it was a much smaller one.

Adma leads us up the rocky cliffs ides, scaling the treacherous cliffs one step at a time. We had fun racing down this when we first arrived at the village, but going up was going to take a bit more work, as it was a more physical journey. Lots of climbing, pulling ourselves up to high ledges. Kieran isn't as athletic as I am, and not as trained as Adma, so we have to go at his pace.

And so we make it over the cliffs, gabbing about what's happened to the both of us. I go first, and tell him about waking up in the royal hunting ground, finding Larissa (but I do not mention the corestone situation. Not in front of Adma. Last thing I'd want is to make Larissa public enemy number one of Asteria.

I tell him about meeting Adma. About encountering an enemy in the earth shrine named Leoni. The conversation takes a morose turn as I tell him that Leoni had killed an Nephilim and taken their eyes. It's a chilling reminder to both of us what the world beneath can have in store for us.

And Kieran tells me about his last day or so. Perhaps a touch less eventful than mine, he woke up near something called the 'Manticore nest'. Some type of monstrous beast makes it's home there - something that is neither animal nor Encephalim, but rather a "Magical Beast". A creature of pure mana. Somewhat sentient. Incredibly hostile to outsiders.

Before I know it, we're over the rickety bridge. The wind has died down a bit, so the journey back was a touch less treacherous. And soon, the rolling fields of red spiny bushes are in sight, as is the city of Asteria. The sun is just beginning to set as we walk through the city gates.

Adma leads us through the crowded streets, quieter than she normally is. Our time together is almost up. Perhaps she's feeling a bit sad to see me go so soon.

We stay on the street to Adma's insistence while she goes into the earth shrine first. She wants to make sure there's no chance of another ambush. Respectable. When she comes back from within the earth shrine, she withdraws her sword and points it down to the ground, adopting a defensive stance and taking guard at the entrance to the earth shrine.

"I shall stay here and guarantee nobody will follow you into the earth shrine," she affirms. "Take all the time you need, August Madera."

She places a firm hand on my shoulder before I go. "Keep your bond strong, and you'll survive anything." Her grip lingers for a moment before she turns and takes her post.

And with that, Kieran and I descend into the earth shrine, finally. I am moments away from unlocking my true potential as a Magician.

Each step echoes through the dim corridor of the shrine, my breath catching in my chest. This is it. Everything I've fought through, every tear, every wound - it all led me here.

The statue looms before us, its silent presence both foreboding and inviting. The air hums with energy, vibrating in time with my heartbeat. Kieran steps closer, his emerald eyes meeting mine with a mix of fear and determination.

"Are you ready?" I whisper, though the words feel like they're meant for me. Kieran just smiles back.

"Born ready."

I turn back to the statue, one final exhale before I speak in its presence.

"Kieran, I..."

My best friend shakes his head. Whatever I am going to say, he doesn't want to hear it.

Kieran steps forward, his gaze fixed on me, unwavering but almost... pleading. His hand lingers on my shoulder a moment too long before he speaks.

"August." he states my name firmly and turns me to face him. "I'm not afraid to be your Vessel."

It's not that I never considered it. I awoke to my destiny over a year ago. The elders gave me the luxury of choice, to decide who would become my Vessel. Whoever it was, I was destined to share my life with. To become as one soul in two separate bodies. Someone who would know and feel my every emotion. To shoulder my pain. To be my strength.

There is an intimacy involved with having a Vessel. It's not something I feared to share with Kieran - he is my best friend, after all. But as I think about Rylin, a girl who a year ago I promised someday I'd marry...

It was supposed to be her.

My stomach churns, bile rising in my throat. A torrent of emotions surges through me - grief, despair, hopelessness - all twisting into a single, suffocating knot. I feel sick. Disgusted. I ponder the girl I once told I loved and realize that our future together was over. Her future is over. And it would be by my hand.

"I can't do this." I turn around and look down the shadowy hall. I could just leave. We could walk out of here, and defy our destiny. Live in ignorance. Hope that somehow, someone else could take up the heavy burden we found on our shoulders.

But if I don't do this, everyone I know will die. The Encephalim will make sure of it. Our world is fragile, and going beyond the barrier is a death sentence. Without the barrier, Little Moon Town would be reduced to ashes and our people, the Nephilim, would become extant.

I close my eyes, the weight of my decision and indecision enough to crush me. Without words, I know that Kieran and Rylin both understand the pain I am going through. The choice might be easy for them, but to me it's impossible. I never wanted to be special, or chosen. Not if it means this.

I clench my fists, my nails digging into my palms as the words catch in my throat. Kieran's unwavering gaze meets mine, steady and resolute. "Very well," I whisper, the weight of the words sinking into my chest like lead. I speak so quietly it is as if I am whispering. "I name Kieran Summers as my Vessel. And I will seal Rylin on the moon where she will become the cornerstone of the lunar barrier, and ensure the safety of Little Moon Town."

"A wise choice," the effigy curls, hideous wings on its back beginning to unfurl mechanically, stone gnashing against stone. A sound that could rouse even the dead.

"August Madera, I hereby name you as Magician of the Nephilim. Now, return!"