Chapter three - The Hidden world of Aethoria

The morning breaks with a soft embrace, a golden glow on earth's wide face, the air is fresh, the sky is clear, and a brand-new day is drawing near, I felt my eyes getting lighter, and everything was double with a banging headache, and within some minutes it stopped and everything soon became clear.

I found myself in a familiar environment which I soon realized was my room, I looked around only to find out that my bag was fully arranged and packed inside my suite case, 

"Welcome to the land of the living, Lyn." That was when I realized that I wasn't the only one in the room, it was the jackass Emerald.

"What are you doing here? I asked why is my bag all packed?" I asked amidst the confusion. 

 "Chill, your mum got some explanations for you,." he replied.

Then I heard a knock at the door, "come in" I shouted.

"Hey pumpkin, how are you feeling?" she asked concerned.

 "Well, apart from the banging headache I think I'm alright". I replied. 

 "Mum, what's happening, mummy, and why are my clothes all packed?" I asked really curious.

 "Pumpkin, you're transferring to a special new school in Astoria; it's our mystical realm," she answered.

I paused for a minute trying to analyze what she said.

"What do you mean by I'm transferring to a new school in Aethoria? I asked.

 "You need to master your ability to be able to control your powers,." she replied calmly.

"But mum" .... 

"No buts," she said, cutting me off from what I had wanted to say. 

"Go take your bath, the arrangements have already been made, and Emerald will be taking you to Aethoria." She said. 

 I nodded in affirmation. 

"Alright, mum". I replied sluggishly walking over to the bathroom.

 I quickly dressed and went downstairs. Emerald helped me carry some of my bags that seemed heavy for me to carry. I dropped the bag at the entrance door downstairs and quickly rushed in to tell my mum that we were all set.

"Hey mum I'm done", I said as soon as I saw her. 

"Alright, pumpkin good, bye; I would miss you," she said, sounding so emotional. 

She escorted us to the car parked outside, and I got inside, emerald got into the driver's position and drove off. 

We drove for about 3 hours with an awkward silence until he finally broke the silence.

 "I didn't know you were this quiet, Lyn?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not comfortable with you". I replied.

He smiled and continued driving. I could sense in his acts that he wanted to initiate a conversation, but I wasn't comfortable in discussing anything with him so I always give him a negative vibe whenever he comes up with a discussion. 

We drove for about one more hour before we stopped. We stepped down and carried our bags to head into the forest. 

I was terrified and immediately, many things began going through my mind.

 I began to wonder what a whole city was doing inside a forest. 

"Uhhm what are we going to do inside a forest?" I asked in a confused tone. This was the only time I was the first to start a conversation since we embarked on that journey. 

 "Well, it's a supernatural realm where there are diverse people with diverse and great powers, hidden away from mankind; you can't actually expect it to be within the geographical landmark of the human world nor within their realm". He said to me, sounding more like a lecturer. 

 "But it has only one portal, which is located here, and only a supernatural can get through the threshold," he added. 

He further explained to me the reason why he followed me instead of Aunt Everson or even my Mum. 

"To open the portal, you would need a fire witch to cast the spell, which was why I was asked to take you to the school". He said. 

"I also attend here". He added.

I was amazed when I heard this.

"Wow, you also go here?" I asked.

"Yes, I do,". he replied.

 I asked with my usual curious tone to know why this place was hidden because we had been walking for some hours now.

 "Why what? He responded to my question acting as if he didn't get me right. 

I had to repeat myself. 

"Why is this place hidden so far into this forest? I asked again. 

He wanted to neglect the question, but since we had more way to go, he decided to discuss it as we walked.

"Long time ago," he began.

"During the 10th century, a war broke out between all factions, both the "supernatural" and the "humans," this was because the humans felt like it was unfair to them that we possess powers and abilities unlike theirs. They felt threatened, and some supernaturals who were power hungry used their powers to their own selfish advantages and to torment the defenseless humans and it got on that way for years until the humans couldn't bear it any longer and decided that it was time to fight back". He took a deep breath and paused. 

"How exactly did the humans start fighting back because they obviously don't have powers? I asked. 

"Well they at first started by killing off unsurprising supernaturals, and that was the origin of the "MORTAVIANS", they were originally humans who sought out ways and went to get powers from an orb, I don't really know much about that, but their main power is stealing a witches or supernaturals power, and then attacking them".

 "It's more like a rebound, so when the witch attacks them, or when the vampires feed from them, they magically steal their magic; that's how they operate."

 "But there is one supernatural that they can't steal their magic". He added.

 "Who are they?". I asked because he sounded like he was coming in my direction.

 "Someone like you, a HERETIC they can't steal their powers basically because they are really powerful and have an endless loop of magic and infinite store". He said beaming a smile.

"You see, when witches cast magic or a spell they tend to become weak, when shapeshifters shift too many times they get weak and when vampires run out of blood and exhaust their strength they also get weak but a heretic is on a whole different level, they have endless loop of magic so when the Mortavians try to steal their powers they get weak and overwhelmed". He explained. 

Meanwhile, I was becoming full of myself and couldn't believe what I was made of. I began to imagine if there were more hidden talents yet to be discovered in me or if it was just this. 

"But why can't I discover this myself without being told?" I asked rhetorically. 

 "It's an overloaded system, and that's why they can't be able to steal the powers," Emerald added. 

He has to continue the story. I think I am getting fond of the story already, so I urged him to continue. 

"It got so crucial that your ancestor whose primary magic was to create dimensional magic, created our realm and was helping people get into there, and those brave enough were left to fight, the fight lasted for not more than 3years They were partially dominating over us in the war not until your ancestor transported them into their own realm and that was how peace was brought back. Soon our existence left the human world and that was how peace was brought into the world, that was how Aethoria, Mortavia and the humans became at peace" he concluded.

"You're going to learn all this in history class". He added.

 "Wow, that's one hell of a story" I exclaimed.

 "But what happened to my ancestor and what's her name?" I asked.

"I don't really know her name, neither do I know much of her, but there is this particular statement she made before she dies". He said.

"On her death bed" she said "whenne secundus hereticus nascetur, tunc princeps mortavianus, qui potentiam magnam habet, et facultatem supernaturalia delere, nascetur in mundus in magnum periculum indecetur, et destination supernaturalis in fato eiusdem requiescet" he said, now getting me confused. 

 As much as I acknowledge his knowledge of diverse languages, I am still confused.

He was smart to notice that I was in the midst of confusion, so he interpreted.

"It means, "when the 2nd heretic will be born, the princes of Mortavian, who will bear great power and ability to wipe out the supernaturals, shall also be born, and the world shall be plunged into great danger and darkness during his era and the only person strong enough to stop him is the heretic which the destiny of the supernatural will lie in her fate," he said.

And now I became scared, "I thought I was the first heretic", I asked. 

"Nope you're the second, your ancestor the one who brought peace is the first and...…. ohh God Lyn, he called,

"You need to seriously prepare". He told me. And for the first time, I saw a glint of fear in his eyes, which got me scared for a minute, and I was lost in thought. 

"We're here", he said, interrupting my thought. 

We halted in between a large rowan tree, where he drew a pentagram with a stick at each of the trees and told me to step back which I did, then he started muttering a spell saying "ignis in me,ignis extra me, ignis portalis aperi (fire in me, fire outside me, let it be known and let the portal open) " and he repeated it three times and then I heard a sound of a rushing wind, soon in between the rowan trees where he drew the pentagram rose up from the ground and then he ignited flame round it, as it opened joining the two worlds together. 

"Alright, back to Aethoria. I guess this is the part where we go into the world. Are you coming?" He asked.

"Yes," I muttered. 

"Lead the way "I replied. He stepped in first then I followed him into the portal which just opened as soon as I stepped into the portal it closed up immediately and I started feeling dizzy and felt my eyelids getting heavy and I felt a life force draining out of me and I soon fell into oblivion. Lyn's eyes flutter open to a glimpse of a dark, ominous landscape with twisted trees and glowing red eyes, then it hits her that Emerald is not who he claims to be.