Liam felt the rain pelting him in the back. His brown hair was falling into his blue eyes. His white polo stuck to his back from the water.
A distant howl could be heard. The pattering of paws could be heard from all around.
Then, the mud caused Liam to slip. His small medallion fell out of his hand. He started to search through the mud for the coin.
The snarls and growls became louder, more vicious.
Liam finally found the coin, held it close, and closed his eyes. He was ready for the bite of one of the wolves, but it never came. The rain seemed to have stopped. Liam opened his eyes.
He was no longer in the woods but was in a field. The grass was a beautiful green. A few orange butterflies were flying about in search of flowers. The sun filled the air with a pleasing warmth.
Hooves could be heard nearby. Liam didn't make a sound. Instead, he examined the medallion. It was gold in shade. A raven was embedded in the coin. Though it lacked in monetary value, it held a special place in Liam's heart. The coin was given to him by his grandfather before his grandfather's mysterious disappearance.
The hooves drew near, and Liam sat in front of a man on a horse. He appeared to be in his early twenties. The man was wearing a dark green hood and cloak. Liam could see strands of dirty blonde hair underneath the cloak. The stranger also wore a gray tunic with brown pants.
"What are you doing down there?" The stranger asked.
Liam didn't know what to say.
"You look like you need a place to stay," The stranger assumed.
"Yeah, I guess I might," Liam replied.
"Alright, grab my hand and come up here. I'm Ash, by the way, and this is Wildfire, my horse," Ash held out a hand for Liam.
Liam got up off of the ground, tried to shake the mud off of his blue jeans with minimal success, and took Ash's hand. Now on Wildfire's back, he could feel that she was very warm. Her dark red coat glittered in the sun.
"Right, let's go. Hold on," Ash gave Wildfire a gentle kick, and they were off.
The three of them, Liam, Ash, and Wildfire, zoomed through the woods. The trees looked as though they were magical. The grass seemed to sparkle.
After about ten minutes of riding, they arrived at a small town. Shops lined the entrance. Liam was trying to see what was in the shops but was quickly distracted by something else. Then, they arrived at a small house between a clothing store and a grocery store.
Ash hopped off of Wildfire, and Liam did the same. Walking into the house, there was an old couch, a coffee table which was on the brink of death, and two doors. Ash walked over and plopped himself onto the couch.
"I never got your name," Ash told Liam.
"I'm Liam Snowdon," Liam said without much thought.
"Snowdon, like Randall Snowdon?" Ash asked with enthusiasm.
"Randall Snowdon was my grandfather," Liam replied with slight confusion.
"That man was one of the best explorers and monsters hunters in the entire know world. He was even given the Raven's Coin," Ash told Liam with amazement.
Liam pulled the coin out of his pocket.
"Is this the Raven's Coin?" Liam asked while showing it to Ash.
"It... it is," Ash replied.
"What does it do?" Liam inquired.
"Supposedly, it sends the owner to wherever they desire. By that, I mean between realms," Ash answered.
"Sorry. What do you mean 'between realms'?" Liam questioned.
"Well, there are five realms: The Earthly Realm, The Forgotten Realm, The Magical Realm, The Heavenly Realm, and The Cursed Realm. We're in The Magical Realm," Ash explained.
"Am I from the Earthly Realm?" Liam asked.
"Yes, you are. Do you know how to use the coin?" Ash curiously questioned.
"Not a clue," Liam responded.
"I know a guy who might. Let's go," Ash commanded.
Ash turned and got off of the couch. He motioned for Liam to come with him as he walked to the door.
They walked for about five minutes through town until they made it to a pristine looking building. It was, by far, the most clean building in the town.
Ash took the first step into the building with Liam right behind. Inside the building was just as nice as the outside, if not nicer. It was all lined with white paint; not a speck of dirt was able to be seen.
A short man was organizing important looking books into shelves. Though there were no people in here, the building seemed to be a library.
"Ash, it truly is a pleasure to see you in our establishment," the man said at their arrival.
"Paul, do you have anything on how to use The Raven's Coin?" Liam asked.
"Possibly," Paul replied. He walked over to a bookshelf and started to look for something. Then, Paul pulled out a book.
"Is this all?" Ash questioned.
"Yes it is. Have a good day," Paul answered.
Ash and Liam walked out of the library with the book. It had no title or cover. Ash started to flip through the pages. Then, he stopped on one.
"Here it is," Ash announced.
"On how to use the coin?" Liam asked.
"Yes. It says that you have to focus on a specific point. You have to have pure focus of where you want to go. Wait. It says that to traverse realms you need to charge it at the universal center," Ash explained.
"Universal center?" Liam confusedly said.
"Center of magical energy," Ash clarified.
"Where is that?" Liam asked.
"It's on top of Mount Cyris. I'd be happy to take you there. That is if I get to come with you," Ash told Liam.
"Sure. If you bring me there, you can come with me," Liam replied.
"Then, we'll leave in the morning," Ash said.
After a short walk back to Ash's home, they both went to sleep, Ash in his bed and Liam on the couch.
———————————————-
Liam awoke to a popping sound. He looked to his side a saw Ash with a bag which appeared to be making the popping.
"What's in the bag?" Liam asked sleepily.
"Breakfast," Ash replied.
Ash reached a hand in and pulled out a steaming pancake on a plate. He gave it to Liam who inspected it for a second longer before dining.
When the two were finished their breakfast, they walked outside to Wildfire. Ash gave her an apple. Then, they were off.
The pair rode Wildfire into the forest. It was just as beautiful as it had the day before. They rode for a while longer until they came to a roadblock. In the middle of the valley that they were in, a large boulder sat in front of them.
"Perfect time for some practice," Ash announced.
"What do you mean?" Liam questioned.
"I mean that you can use your coin. You know learn how to control the power," Ash explained.
Liam pulled out the coin. He stared at it. Then, with it in his palm, Liam focused on the other side of the boulder. He could almost feel it. Then, a different popping noise popped.
Liam was shot at least twenty feet away from the boulder. He landed straight on his butt. Ash walked over with a grin on his face.
"Seems like you don't have it mastered yet," Ash said with a chuckle.
"Yeah. Yeah. How are you going to remove the boulder?" Liam replied, embarrassed.
"I've got it," Ash answered.
Ash walked over to the boulder. Then, he kicked a small chunk of it off, pulled out a little circle with some putty-like material attached to it. He stuck it in the small hole and walked away.
He held up three fingers, two, then one. A loud boom exploded the boulder in a purple, blue, and orange explosion.
The two got back onto Wildfire and continued on their way.
