The Enchanted Realm: At Journey's End

The Lost Isle

I'd never thought I'd return to this place. This place that caused so much pain and loss; curiosity and danger; romance and separation. I thought I was done with this place. But, as fate would have it, I needed to return to protect it. Orion wrote in the tome. The armor he wore was surprisingly light, despite its protective description by the Commander a day earlier. That very night, he was given the gift of flight. The Commander had told him the suit's capabilities. I put in an expanding cloth that acts like a glider, so you actually have a chance to catch your fall. The things on your wrists are claws, just pull the cord by your hand and show off. And yeah, dual swords to balance out the weight. Orion set the tome aside, looking at the thin plates across his forearms. The teen grabbed the small cords, pulling them quickly. In the blink of an eye, sharp, twin claws expanded from the plates. "Holy..." Orion whispered in secret astonishment. Moonlight's soothing whistle took the teen's attention. He looked over to her, watching while in a trance. Her song hypnotized Orion, as it did for the large creature taking the group to the presumed location of the 'target' they were searching for. Unknowingly, Orion mumbled, "You're pretty good." Moonlight didn't seem startled from it.

"Thanks." She replied in a whisper. There was a short silence between the two. "I've never been this far out, from the Isles, I mean."

"Do you think anybody else knows about this...other island?" Orion wondered.

"Who knows? Maybe they know about us, and we know nothing about them?" Moonlight daydreamed. She peered over the edge of the Lortac, her eyes gazing at the fogginess below. Many small islands came into view as the fog slowly began to clear. The creaking of a bow helped to fill the silence of the wind. Orion looked back to see J aiming an arrow into the sky. There was a lit match at the end of it, slowly running down the arrow to a collection of fireworks. The half-transparent man let the arrow fly into the air before it began to sink down, whistling its final tune as it drowned in the sea.

"Damn. Really thought I had the timing there." He muttered. Orion stood up, looking over the Lortac as the fog cleared. Just beyond the collection of islands and inlets, was a large island. There was a jagged mountain range to the northeast of them, with strangely red fields just south of that. A large forest opened up to a vast plain, home to many unseen townsfolk. J walked up to join Orion, staring off at the isle in awe. "What should we call it? 'Mystery Cove', 'Fog-Shrouded Island'?" He suggested.

"I've got one." Moonlight piped in. "How about the Lost Isle?" Orion and J both looked at each other, their faces of approval hidden behind their masks. Orion looked back at Moonlight, with a definite nod of acceptance. The Commander walked up to them, joining their gaze. "Then the Lost Isle it is, then." He murmured. His hand pointed forward. "Take us in." Moonlight nodded, setting her hands on the top of the Lortac's head as she guided it down. Orion could see another island, just off in the distance.

"Hold up." The teen interfered. "I see another island."

"Do you plan on...?" Moonlight wondered. Orion nodded.

"I'll use the glider. You guys get down. We'll meet up by the coast." Orion planned.

"If you plan on using the glider, then just fold out your arms. The cloth will stretch outwards as you glide, so you can guarantee that you won't fall." The Commander pulled a leather cord along Orion's chestplate. The teen felt his armor tighten around himself. Orion held his arms outward, seeing the dark web of cloth that would presumably grant him flight.

"Wish me luck." He chuckled, leaning over the edge. He couldn't feel the air against him due to the armor. His arms were anchored outward, the gliding cloth expanding across the void between his arms and his torso. The teen slowly pulled his body upward, maintaining speed as he aimed for the separate island. Orion could see a majority of the island much closer now. The boy felt a sense of empowerment while gliding above this new island. It was a hidden treasure. If only Izzylyn and Cory were here to see it. But they weren't. They were further south, somewhere in Indiana. Was it St. Louis? Orion couldn't remember. He was too focused on gliding. The boy's gaze locked onto the faraway island, positioning himself to glide straight there. In the distance, he could see the Lortac drop the group onto the sand and fly back to the Enchanted Isles. But that would surely take another couple of hours. Orion knew it would take time to get to the island. But certainly not as much as it would take to get back to the Isles, he thought. He flew over the Lost Isle, eager to explore it. After all, it had been two years since he'd had an adventure such as this. After soaring past the coast, Orion began to pick up speed as he continued onward.