The Realm of Alagir

The Discovery

(Case's POV)

I was sitting in the main room of the house, eating dinner with Ianita. The sun was just beginning to set.
After dinner, we both sat on the couch.

"So, Ianite told me you're her champion. How did that happen?" Ianita asked, her violet eyes filled with curiosity.

"It all began in my hometown of Zverevo." I began. "My family followed Ianite. One day, after going to Ianite's shrine in the city, I heard her voice for the first time. 'Braxton.' She said. Confused at first, I left the city and started to rebuild a shack near the town. My family had acquired it recently, and my father gave it to me as a gift. I pondered Ianite's message, I had no doubt it was Ianite's message, until the answer fell from the sky."

I smiled, seeing that Ianita was eagerly awaiting my next sentence.

"One day I was standing outside when something fell from the sky. I ran to the crater and peered inside. Laying in the center of the pit, was a strange person with a skull covering half his face. After greeting him to the realm, I asked him his name. 'Braxton.' He said. We hit it off and served Ianite together, realizing that he was the one the message was about." I continued to tell my story, telling her of the old realm, Bridger, and my call to be Ianite's champion.
When I finished my story, the sun had long since set and it became rather cold in the living room. The fire had gone out in the fireplace. I looked over at Ianita who was looking at me in awe. "Woah." She said. "That's quite the story."
She made a face and raised her hand to her face.

"Aaa-aachuu!" She sneezed, beginning to shiver. I quickly removed my robe and placed it on her shoulders. She looked up at me, surprised.

"It's.... Really warm." She finally said. I grinned.

"It's enchanted to keep the wearer's body temperature comfortable." I explained.

"Oh, that's smart." She said, beaming up at me.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Startled, we froze as a cloaked figure strode into the room. He flipped his hood off. I relaxed as I saw Braxton's face.

"Case I-" he paused, looking at Ianita. "You never said you had a girlfriend, Case." He said, raising his eyebrow.

Realizing my hands were still resting on Ianita's shoulders from when I had put my robe on her, I jumped up and said, "Oh, hey Brax. You've been gone a couple days." I slyly glanced at Ianita. She was blushing wildly, covering a grin with her hand.
"I'll ask about that later, I've got news." Braxton said, becoming serious. I looked at him, my embarrassment forgotten. "I found it." Braxton said. "I found Jacob's base!"
"That's great news!" I exclaimed. Braxton shook his head.

"There was a book, it had steps for a ritual in it. It looked like a summoning ritual." My dream flashed through my mind. The battle, Dianite's newfound power....
I realized Braxton was still talking. "-completing the first step." He explained.

"For a spell of that magnitude, he'll need summoning stones." I mused. Braxton nodded.

"The book hinted at locations to four summoning stones. It also mentioned a Gold Cross." Braxton said.

"The Gold Cross? That's an old relic. I think it's currently located in Klazov City." I said.
"Mianite's fortress?" Braxton exclaimed. "Then we don't need to worry, Jacob couldn't possibly steal it."

"Actually," Ianita cut in, "The Gold Cross is one of the worst guarded artifacts in Klazov. I've brok-" Ianita stopped.

"Ianita?" I prompted. After a pause, she continued.

"I've heard that it's a common dare for teenagers in Klazov to break into the museum and touch the Cross. I think I can get in." She said carefully.

"If she goes, I'm going with her. I promised to protect her" I said. Braxton grinned.

"I could go and protect her." He teased. I ignored his joking tone.

"Absolutely not, Ianite asked me to protect her."
"I can't wait to hear this story." Braxton said. "But it'll have to wait." He said, looking out the window. I glanced at what he was looking at and saw a shadowy figure disappear over a hill, about a mile from our house.

"We better start planning." I said......