Laid Bare

Chapter 2

ARTHUR LEYWIN

The earthy smell of wood invaded my nose as I threw the last of the firewood into the pile before using magic to ignite my fire for the night. I sighed and looked up at the stars.

The night sky was a vast expanse, filled with a million twinkling stars. The moon was a glowing orb, hanging low in the sky, casting its silver light on the earth below. The air was crisp and cool, filled with the scent of pine and the distant call of an owl.

The stars seemed to go on forever, each one a tiny flame burning with a fierce and ancient light. The constellations traced their ancient patterns across the sky, their stories told and retold through the ages. The night sky was a canvas on which the universe had painted its secrets and its stories, a place of magic and mystery.

The events that had occurred yesterday were still fresh in my mind, replaying constantly in a loop as if my own mind wanted to constantly torture me.

The only person that stood up for me was Ellie. She tried to convince everyone I was still the Arthur they knew and loved. Ellie's cries fell on deaf ears and no one would even give me a second to look in my direction. After she failed to get anyone to acknowledge her, she herself broke down in tears. I didn't even have the guts to say goodbye to her. I just left a note on her bed that said "I love you. Keep Alice and Reynold safe. Goodbye Ellie."

After I left the note on Ellie's bed I ran to the Beast Glades. I didn't have a direction, I just followed the wind until nightfall came. Too physically and emotionally tired to continue on, I set up for the night here in the wilderness, the crackle of the fire and the light snoring of Sylvie being the only things to keep me company.

After a couple of minutes of staring into the fire, I was able to distinguish a noticeable hum of energy near my location. Curious as to what it could have been, I followed the sound as it grew louder and louder until I came across a portal.

The portal was a swirling vortex of light and energy, a swirling maelstrom of color and sound. It hovered in the air, pulsing and shimmering, a gateway to another world. Through the portal, I could see a lush and verdant forest, a place of mystery and magic, a world of unfamiliar fauna and flora.

The forest was a riot of color and sound, a tapestry of green and gold, red and brown. The trees towered above me, their branches reaching up to the sky, their leaves rustling in the breeze. The underbrush was thick and tangled, a riot of vines and flowers, ferns and moss.

I could hear the faint sound of animals, creatures with wings and claws, fur and feathers, and eyes that glowed in the darkness. They moved through the trees, hidden and unseen, their presence a reminder of the mysteries and dangers that lay within.

I could have sworn I saw a young girl around my age with navy blue hair and ruby-red eyes walking among the roots of the trees in the forest, but I was not sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. She was hidden from view after she had passed in front of the trunk of a girthy tree trunk.

The portal was a threshold, a dividing line between the familiar and the unknown. It was a place of possibility and adventure, a gateway to new and unknown places. But it was also a place of danger, a place where the laws of nature were different and the rules of the world were twisted and bent. It was a place that called to me, tempting me with its secrets and its mysteries, but it was also a place that warned me of the dangers that lay ahead.

I took some time to decide whether or not to go through it. After all, what type of idiot would just run into a portal to some unknown place without thinking? But before I was able to come to a decision regarding whether I should cross into the unknown or not, the portal's integrity weakened, fizzling out as if it had never existed in the first place.

The smoke of smoke, which reminded me of fried electronics back on Earth, permeated the air. I looked down to the floor just above where the portal had existed and noticed a peculiar device on the ground.

The device was small and sleek, with a smooth, metallic surface that was now blackened and charred in places. It had no buttons or visible controls, but it was clear that it had once possessed some sort of advanced magic capability.

AsI examined the device, I could tell that it was damaged beyond repair. It appeared to have been subjected to a massive surge of energy, and all of its internal components were melted and fused together. Despite this, the device still seemed to emit a faint hum, as if it were trying to power up.

It was impossible to tell how exactly the device operated before it was fried, the technology packed within it was clearly unknown and foreign. It was clear, however, that it had possessed some sort of advanced capabilities, and that it had been built with a level of sophistication that was beyond anything I had ever seen before. The fried device was a tantalizing mystery, a glimpse into a world of technology that was beyond my understanding.

Due to its proximity to the portal, I surmised that it was somehow responsible for the phenomenon that piqued my curiosity. But, why was it here? Where did it even come from?

I then recalled a conversation I had with Gideon around the time the other continent was just discovered. A spy artifact was found disguised as a bird no one would look twice at. At the time, people had thought that it was just the other continent trying to learn more about us before they initiated contact with us. But what if there was more nefarious intent behind this?

The fact that a foreign portal led to a never before seen land implied that they were already here in Dicathen making moves behind the scenes. And the fact that the council was not informed of this could only mean one thing:

The other continent was preparing for war.

My thoughts were in a state of turmoil, as I struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what I had just learned. The very prospect was almost too much to bear.

As the realization set in, I felt a wave of emotions wash over me. At first, there was a sense of shock and disbelief, as if this were some sort of nightmare from which I would soon awaken. But as the truth of the situation began to sink in, my shock turned to fear and dread.

I couldn't help but think about the implications of what this meant. Soldiers would be called to fight, families would be torn apart, and cities and towns would be reduced to rubble. The thought was almost too much to bear, and I felt a lump form in my throat as I struggled to come to terms with the news.

As I sat there, my mind racing with these thoughts, I couldn't help but wonder what the future held. Would my family be among those who were called to fight?

The weight of it all was almost too much to bear, and I found myself fighting back tears as I tried to come to grips with the reality of the situation. But I knew that I had to be strong. I took a deep breath and steeled myself, determined to do whatever it took to protect my family and my country.

Regardless of whether or not they loved me, cared about me, or considered me their own, I loved them. They had given me a childhood filled with love and joy, something I was so desperately missing in my past life.

I knew that I would rather see their hate-filled glares for the rest of my life than see their corpses in front of me. The thought of them being hurt or in danger was more than I could bear.

I would work to make sure they survive and be safe. No matter the cost.