Astrals

Chapter 5- The Man

Nova had expected to hunt down the mysterious man after a few days, or even weeks. She did not expect him to come knocking at their doorstep. Theron made the enchantmobile fly as fast as it could, and finally, the wildberry fields were in view. The wide expanse of burning embers was a stark contrast to the green trees and luscious grass they had just flown over. With a swift scan of her eyes, Nova located the cloaked figure in the midst of the embers and smoke.

"Theron, I see him!" She pointed to where the man was standing still.

"I'm going to hover right above him; you will have to jump off from a few feet. I don't want our only method of comfortable transport to go up in flames," Theron said as the enchantmobile began descending.

"Oh my god, is that really what you care about right now?" Nova looked at him in disbelief.

"I mean, yeah. How else will we get home?"

Nova rolled her eyes and shifted her focus to the dark figure, who was still standing there suspiciously, as if waiting for something.

"Why do you think he's just standing there?" She asked Theron.

"I'm just wondering if his feet are made of ice. Doesn't he feel the burn? He's standing in the middle of a burning field for realms' sake."

The enchantmobile was finally at a safe enough level for Nova to jump off. "You're not coming?" she asked Theron.

"I'm the wildcard Nova. I will be your knight in shining armor when you need me."

Nova did not say anything; she was fed up with him. Assessing the distance between her and the ground, she leaped off the vehicle and landed on her feet like a cat, directly in front of the man.

The man did not move a single inch. She looked up at him and saw his electric violet eyes staring down at her. He had folded his arms across his chest as if casually waiting for a late friend to arrive so they could enjoy a nice dinner. Nova could see his face in detail; he looked well taken care of. His auburn hair looked shampooed and combed, his boots polished, the black cloak in perfect condition, his face lacking any signs of a stubble or beard that most men would have grown in his situation.

"It's you, isn't it? You're the cause of disturbance in our realm," Nova said accusingly, her hands pointed at him as a safeguard, ready to cast a spell if needed.

The man only chuckled. "It's good to see you too, Nova." His accent sounded abnormal, nothing like she had heard, he must have picked up their language.

Nova's eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

"That should not concern you. What should concern you is that your shoes are slowly melting because of the heat."

Nova looked down at her feet and realized he was right; the soles of her shoes were leaving sticky melted residue on the ground. She glanced up at him again, muttering an incantation that caused the ground around her feet to sizzle. Where there were once burning embers, it now looked like someone had poured a bucket of water with enough force to quench the fire. The rest of the field still burned, so she needed to figure out the best way to take this man to the King.

"I don't know who you are, how you know my name, or why you're setting fields on fire. What I do know is that you're under arrest. I am taking you into custody and delivering you to the Crystal Palace. King Alaric awaits your arrival," Nova said, a tone of finality in her voice.

The mysterious man just looked at her with amusement, as if he had not registered a single word she had said. "Nova, Nova, Nova. I am not the threat you think I am. I am here to aid your cause."