The Flower Chronicles

Chapter 6: The New World Order

Eulin

Well, I hope the kid is ready. He's the right age for training, but he lacks a certain spunk to him. This world seems to encourage a low self image; maybe it's the education system or the mindless television. The kid... wait...

"Hey kid, what's your name anyway?" I ask intently.

He responds as we exit the van, "Aaron... Aaron Warren."

Hmm... Well, the kid better man up. We don't have time for losers. We cannot afford mistakes, not again. The world is a tough place, and the Order is in shambles. Just look at this rickety shack!

Aaron Warren

Wow! This "order" sure looks like a chaotic mess. We are in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night, and surrounded by rotting, old trees. Dark pools of water splotches the dry ground. Some creepy grayish vines crawl up the small wooden structure and mesh inside the planks. The roof is made of thatch palm branches. A light smoke billows out of a raise hole in the middle. Growing sparkles glitter down from it. They seem more than fire embers... It's something magical.

We slowly approach the great, tall double door, elaborately carved with spiral designs and some strange symbols. Eye-popping figures engrave the upper corners, like some ones on some Aztec pyramid. When we make our final steps upon the threshold, the doors creaks open and a blinding light peers through the middle. My eyes slowly adjust and reveal a strange scene. We venture inside.

Furry animal skins blanket the wooden floor. I immediately feel the heat from the fireplace in the back, which causes the whole building to glow a faint red. On the walls are mounts of monster heads, some ghouly things, and others more like demented pigs. They remind me of the various goons in Kill'em Zombies 3. Maybe that game had some basis in reality after all. What is reality now? Anyway, seated on fluffy orange bean bags look like some estranged hipsters. These middle aged men, dressed in colorful silks and jean jackets, have the strangest beards and funny hats. I suppose there are about seven. They seemed to mostly ignore us as they were preoccupied with various tasks. One man is juggling rubber balls. A few men are reading old, dusty books. A pair are resting in the corner smoking some sweet smelling smoke from wooden pipes. The rest of the men intently discussed the politics of some otherworldly government. It is actually pretty crowded here and hot as the fire burns brightly. A storm is brewing outside. Are these really the mages Eulin told me about?

The crackling stone fireplace in the back illuminates everything and the heat beams intensely on my face. I wipe my brow and see the dark silhouette of a figure standing and warming himself by the blaze. He looks like a much older gentleman with a thick coat on. Eulin put his arm around my shoulder in a strangely affectionate manner, and then point towards the shadowy man.

"I have an appointment with an old friend of mine. Try to let me do the talking," he almost whispers. We take a few light steps forwards, but then Eulin stop suddenly, turns to me again, and says, "Actually, this is personal and I don't want things to get awkward. How about you... mingle for a bit? I think there's a boy here your age you can play with for now." I sigh in a bit of disappointment as he walks ahead. I guess I am embarrassment, that or I am not important enough for this whole mage business. I am just baggage I guess. It has been a pretty depressing thirty-six hours or so.

I suppose I should see about this other kid. I only saw adults coming in, albeit very strange adults. Well, they are all from a different world or whatever. Maybe they age differently and they are like ten-year-olds trapped in adult bodies. That would explain why that one is picking his nose in the corner. I don't know what to think. Reality is so different now. It seems like anything can be true. What about Kelly? Last I saw of her she was melting into a pool of lava. It's hard to think she will ever be herself again. I don't know though; I remember from an episode of Martian Marooners that the crew of the intergalactic Dark Horse 7 resurrected their captain by injecting him with ancient Vargeen DNA and gave him cybernetic arms with a built in pulsar beam rifles. Of course, that was just some hip anime, but anything seems possible now. I am in a whole new world.