The Foreign Gates

Chapter:7- Him!

Uh oh! What did I do now? I turned around expecting the Guardian of Light to kick me out for stepping on a plant or something but instead, I found the Knight who I helped earlier.

"Are you here for a potion's ingredients too?", he asked inquisitively, smirking in a cute way.

"Um....yeah...a Lineage potion actually"

"Cool! That's an advanced spell. I'm here for a dragon burn salve potion-typical homework. Hope you know what your ingredients look like 'cause i'm not that sure myself."

Despair and frustration crushed me as I recalled Professor Heathrow's advice on showing the fairy the ingredients list....and I forgot it- she was to help me find the ingredients! Noticing my despair, my knight in shining armour offered to help me. Rejoicing about my newfound friend(in my head, of course), we walked around the garden. Imagine Paradise or the perfect heaven for nature where everything is in perfect harmony. Now, imagine that place filled with magic. That is exactly how the garden was!

Lined with shrubs, herbs, flowers, trees etc. of all kinds, the garden was like a rainbow forest. Each plant life was unique- some glowed, some sang, some glittered, while some even had real freaking gemstones on it!!

"So......you're Lucy right?", proceeded the Knight trying not to stare at my face. How cute.

"Yeah. And you are?"

"Oh....um....Liam.....Liam Masborn. As you may have seen, I am a Knight. Thanks for saving me back there!"

"It's fine. But why were they picking on you?"

I wondered why he didn't just fight back. After all, aren't knights supposed to be valiant and strong?

"Well, school rules state that no student can physically harm another student but it says nothing about mental torture.Some kids are like that though. I could have fought back but then I would get my third warning and get expelled....not that I am trouble or anything....um...just that...I am not the best Knight....at all"

As he said this,  realised how alike yet different we were. We had a similar personality and approach to life but still, we different by skill assets. We went to work picking our ingredients- Singing Wallaces, Glowing Amberfruit, Invisible Berries, etc. As we headed out, I crossed out all the ingredients except one-Magic Powder. I wondered where we could find some.

"Hey Liam, do you know where to find magic powder?"

"Yeah sure. It's with the Guardian."

Once Liam was done with his ingredients, we walked back to the exit to talk with the Guardian. As the doors creaked close, the symbols shone once again and the Guardian appeared. I asked her about the powder and without another word, she turned around, displaying her beautiful wings. Now, I was confused. Did she want us to adore her or something? With a few beats of her wings, blue powder fell from them. Clueless as to what to do now, I simply copied Liam, extending my hand outwards and collecting the powder in the palm of my hand. As soon as she came, the Guardian left, leaving me puzzled.

"So.....is this it?"

"Yeah its more than enough. Don't need to be too strong right?"

I blushed at the way he made it sound so obvious. Ugh! i feel so inexperienced. Liam and I walked to the end of the corridor and parted ways, heading back to our own dorms. When I reached back, the girls were all cuddling or chatting with their Companions. Noticing me, the girls jumped at me, demanding to know where I had gone. I told them of my experience with the Guardian and my orders. Thankfully,  they  agreed to help me in brewing my potion-I probably would have messed that us as well. Excusing themselves from their Companions, they took out a self-heating cauldron from a trunk as the Companions faded into a dim light.

We opened the recipe scroll and began to work. Turns out that brewing a potion is similar to making a smoothie and with this first-hand experience, I found out how Hollywood witches get their cauldrons so full- water. We had to add the the perfect amount of water for the density to be perfect for the potion. Then, as the water came to a boil, we added the ingredients while Lazuli stirred and I chanted the spell-

Warkli zrasdg grospm karjaf(in went the wallaces)

Zlack schwatyr kraamding xlas(now the berries)

Brisfr gresto linsdraft(the amberfruit)

Grostyur blachdfr quartlvr zweisd(Rest of them all in one go)

By now, the potion was a mass of sticky purple goo which looked like a mixture of snot and slime. Resisting my urge to throw up on the history of my ancestry, i decided to quickly get over with it. Nickie went on to hand me the magic powder. As the blue dust, trickled from between my fingers, the goo began to change into a rosy pink colour, changing its consistency to that of sugar syrup. As the last speckle left my fingers, there was a tiny yellow explosion of smoke from the cauldron which Michelle said signalled the end of the recipe. This school cauldron really was something!

We waited for a few moments but, nothing happened. Thinking that we were missing something, we re-checked the list. there was a note at the end.

"Alright, let's see", read Lazuli, "When the yellow smoke rises from the potion, the maker must add a piece of his or her hair to let the potion identify the family. Next, the maker must take one and only one sip of the potion which will cause immediate drowsiness and sleep where their ancestry shall be revealed.

P.S- More that one sip may prove to be fatal and cause DEATH."

Ew! I had to add my hair and DRINK IT? Moreover, I could die too? This really was some serious business. Well, I guess I asked for it. Taking a calming breath, I pulled a string of my hair off my head and let it get mixed with the potion. After this long day, it was already time for lights out by now. So we got changed and went to our beds, me drinking a spoonful of the potion already. Instantly, I felt weak, as if I was about to pass out. Guess that's why it's such a dangerous potion-don't want to be a sleeping beauty right? Somehow, I managed to make it to my bed at the perfect time, I immediately collapsed onto the bed, already seeing clouds in the distance.

Eventually, the view of my surroundings changed into a grassy landscape with a perfect and clear blue sky. I was standing in front of a cute little cottage with a thatched roof, its beautiful wooden framed windows shimmering orange and red due to the lights inside- maybe someone was there? Looking around, I realised that I was in some woods. Since it was my dream, I didn't think of any danger to me. So, taking a chance, I decided to and scout the house.....I wondered how i would find the answers to my ancestry here. I tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. My curiosity getting the better of me once again, I entered the cottage, and instantly spotted two things-

1) The lights were actually a sea of raging fire, and

2) My father stood before me.