Islands of Fall

Who they were, no more

Along the docks the fleet of boats rocked back and forth, the waves slapped against their hulls. The wood seemed to shine from the moonlight in the early hours of morning as a man ran up to a group of guards sitting in front of the bar.
"Oi!" One of them called getting up to greet the man. "What are you doing running 'round Tom?" The man, Tom, look worried. "
Ahhh," Thomas ran his fingers through his messed up hair. "Aaron went for a walk." The other guards were now next to the pair, muttering about Aaron and how stupid Tom's youngest brother was.
"Knowing Aaron, he could be anywhere," the first guard shook his head.
"Come on guys, we gotta find him before he does something Aaronish."
The guards laughed before grabbing flashlights and began calling for the missing boy, walking away from the docks.
"Thanks for your help Jeremy." Tom shook his head almost in disbelief.
"Yeah yeah," Jeremy frowned. "Keep an eye out at the docks yeah?"
"Uh sure.."
Jeremy walked off, to check the farmers place. The kid who lived with the farmer was one of Aaron's friends. The docks were empty besides Thomas now. "Guys it's clear." Aaron appeared out of nowhere to hug his eldest brother, Aden stood silently to the side. The others revealed themselves.
"Thanks for your help Tom."
"Quickly, now," Pete warned. "We don't have much time before Jeremy comes back." They quickly made their way onto one of the boats. It was one of the many boats that would've been part of the fleet that was to leave at noon tomorrow. Tom waited on the docks as they left. Straight out of the harbour. Little did he know, it would be years before he saw his little brothers again.
Footsteps were echoed behind him soon after the ship was out of vision.
"There was a boat here!" Jeremy shouted. Thomas remained still and calm.
"I thought so too," Jeremy was fuming. "I walked over here looking, you're one ship short." The other guards showed up.  None had seen Aaron of course. Fuming over where the boat should have been. "Aaron's friends are also missing." One of the guards told them. "Checked all their places, from Jericho to Sonja except Ethan."
"They could've taken the ship, sailed out without our knowledge, when we changed guards.."
"We'll tell the King and have a search sent out at sunrise." Jeremy warned. "They won't get far in a few hours."
Only they did, the searches came up with nothing, the ports had nothing to offer. At least, until, Port Jackson. One of the King's ships had made port there several months back. There was a river opening not far from the port that they had turned down. The ship wasn't seen again. Jeremy, Tom, and siblings of the other missing folk along with Ethan's brother, Hamish, took the path down the river. They found the old ship, washed up on shore. Only, it look centuries older. The whole clearing too.
Looked as if no one had been there for centuries.
It did look like people had been there before though, the place was set up with rotted tools and huts.
A women waited for them in the centre.
"Hello," She smiled softly, "I am Lady Aquaria, I have come with a warning." The siblings looked uncertain. "A demon is rising from the Vortex, your brothers and sister have gone to where you cannot to stop him, Kassel is a fool and believes he has long before such a God returns."
"Why can't you stop this God-like Demon?" Ailey sneered.
"My domain is dying," the Goddess warned. "Do not look for your siblings any longer, most will return on their own."
They took this in for a moment.
"MOST?" Tony was fuming with anger.
Some of them wouldn't return.
"Some will turn to the Old Kings rule, some may die, others will disappear into the first realm, the Forest."
The Twilight Forest. It interconnects with every realm in existence. The God of the domain is the same in every realm although the Kings and Queens of the Forest, the Rangers, often play the role of Lord Muriel, following his orders whilst he is at war.
"If their siblings were here not long ago then why does this place look centuries old my lady?" The goddess looked at her follower sadly.
"Dark, Dark magic wielders came after your siblings left, in rage too, knowing they were to late, they destroyed this place."
Thomas raised his hand as if he were is school with a stupid question.
"Why did all of the guys go and leave Ethan behind? He was their friend right?"
Lady Aquaria nodded thoughtfully. In a year he'd leave to. Although, why Ethan didn't leave the city that night with the rest is known best by Fate or the Dreamers, Human oracles. Once retuning to the town of Roxamor, Jeremy stopped looking, Ailey and Tom went back to Brisden with Tony and Pluto, Daniel the farmer went back to his farm of course, Hamish and his brother were summoned by Lady Aquaria.
Why they were summoned? To fight a war. As they left, none of the others knew it would be the last time they saw Ethan for a long time even though he would be among the first to return.
There is a saying of sorts you know, the last to arrive is the first to leave.