The Enchanted Realm: At Journey's End

A Final Return

 Orion pushed the box under his desk. He dropped his backpack over it, concealing it the best he could. Someone knocked on his door. "Come in." Orion answered, sitting on the edge of his bed. Anna entered the room.

"You don't look so good." She noted. "How much sleep did you get last night?" Her hands rested on Orion's shoulders.

"I got enough." Orion answered. "I've been working on the—uhm... project." He pointed to the work-in-progress contraption on the desk. "Besides, I can just get a cup of coffee from downtown." Anna sighed.

"Darkheart, you need to take better care of yourself. You can't just get two hours of sleep every night of your life."

"Tell me something I don't know." Orion returned.

"I'm worried, Orion." Anna answered. "Not just for what you're doing now, but what you'll do in the future." She sighed again. "I was paired with you to help stabilize your problem."

"Which one? My severe depression? My lack of sanity? The anxiety that keeps me from getting close to literally anyone?" Anna pulled him close.

"All of those." She whispered.

"I can figure it out myself, Anna." Orion stated. "I've done it before. I can do it again." Another person knocked on the door. "Your brother, maybe?" Orion wondered.

"I doubt it." Anna replied. She opened the door wide. Before her, stood a large, anthropomorphic fox. His fur was a shadowy black, his inverted eyes glared down at her.

"I'd recommend you move, if you please." He spoke. His voice was hoarse and deep. Anna slid out of the way as the fox moved into the room. He approached Orion.

"What the hell do you want?" Orion seethed.

"The Realm needs you, Orion." The fox explained.

"I made an oath." The teenage boy answered. "The second I left, I was done with that place."

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Anna asked from the other side of the room.

"Our conflicts don't concern you, human." The large fox answered. He turned back to the teen below him. "The Realm needs you."

"Like I said; I'm done with the Realm." Orion returned.

"But your past isn't."

"The only thing the Realm gave me was an end to my life! I had friends, then. People who liked my company. Now my mom's dead, my dad's in an asylum, and everyone else has moved on and away! I don't want anything to do with that place anymore, can't you understand that? Or are you too stupid?" The fox put his hand around Orion's throat.

"Orion!"

"Pick your next words wisely, Orion." The fox growled. "You can either come with me and save an entire dimension, or you can go back to your purgatory." The fox dropped Orion on the ground. The boy fell to his knees, a hand softly wrapped around his throat. "Choose quickly." Orion looked towards Anna. She was frightened. The teenage boy looked down at the ground.

I have a choice. Go back, or stay. Orion thought. What will happen if I go? Will everything return to me as if nothing ever happened? A part of his mind wondered. If I stay, I can live an average life. I can actually be normal for once. Anna slowly crouched by Orion's side. Her arm fell on his shoulders.

"Go, Orion." She recommended softly.

"I..." Orion began. "I'll go..." He exhaled.

"Good." The fox looked towards Orion's desk. "Get everything from the box." Orion looked towards his backpack. He moved it, dragging the steel box out of the darkness. The teenage boy hesitated to flip open the lid. He pulled the lid off, and there it was. The tome. Orion hesitated to take it. His hand rested on the dusted leather cover. The rough texture of it brought back every memory, all at once. He grabbed the book, lifting it out of the box. It seemed smaller than it first did, in his hands. While the tome was still fairly large, it felt smaller. It weighed less, too. Beneath the tome, there was a golden ring, with lined paper drawings depicting a fiery orange eye with a slit pupil. With the book tucked under one arm, Orion grabbed the ring. He stood up, turning around and exchanging glances with Anna. The shadowy fox walked out the bedroom door, into the living room.