The Chronicles of Another World: Elsamira

Chapter 1: Elsamira

I opened my eyes and saw only white. I caught the faint scent of cherry blossoms and fresh apples. I heard a faint cough and turned and saw a woman sitting on a bench made of the white.

"Where am I? how did I get here? Where is Celeste and Mei?" I had more questions but she silenced me with a raised hand.

"Not so fast young one, all will be answered in time. But to answer some of your more important questions. We are in your subconscious. Now I do not know where these Celeste and Mei are, a darkness blinds me from them, but I would have to guess that they are in Elsamira, as your body is. You came here through a portal. I summoned you and others here to help me fight and ancient evil." she said.

"Elsamira? I never heard of that before. What is it?"

"Elsamira is a land full of magic. You'll be able to accomplish things beyond your wildest dreams, if you're able to live and grow strong enough."

She was beautiful, but scary. She had a flowing blue dress, that had golden embroidery. She had light blue elbow length gloves and long flowing white hair. Her face was flawless but her eyes said that she had infinite wisdom. She reminded me of a mother who had tried her best and succeeded with everything she ever did, but made one mistake she had never forgiven herself for. It might have been the way she looked at me, but I had a sense of recondition, like I saw her face before, but it was of someone I saw when I was very young.

"Farewell Axton, I'm sorry I had to send you away, and I can not explain more right now, just seek out Cecil Whitewolfe, and she will explain." She brushed her hand along my cheek, and it was like she stuck and ice cube there instead of her hand.

I jerked back as my vision went blurry. When it came back, I was laying in a large bed with someone laying next to me. I jerked to the side and fell out of the bed, revealing that I was just in my underwear and that I had a tattoo-like thing on my chest in the shape of a diamond and blacker the the blackest night. Apparently when I fell out of the bed, I woke up the person that was in the bed as well. At least I thought it was a person until the body sat up without a head.

"Ahh, so you're awake now," a feminine voice said from the bed, as the body picked up a head. I found her fascinating but terrifying at the same time. She had light blue skin, like she had a severe case of frostbite. When the body held up the head, I saw that she had long white hair that was still in a state of bedhead. While her eyes were partially closed, I saw that they were stormy grey. She got up and I saw that she was still clothed. She seemed around my age, and her apparel was leather armor that reminded me of the game: "The Ancient Books: Earthdome."

"Wha- what are you?" I asked before I could stop myself. I Stood up, rubbing my rump from falling on it.

"Not the nicest thing to say to someone who let you sleep in the same bed as them." She said, in a sleepy but semi- teasing tone.

"Sorry, I just never met anyone like you before," I said, sincerely apologetic.

"Hmmhm," she said in a sleepy tone.

"Can we start again?" I held my hand out " My name is Axton Whitewolf"

She took my hand, "Nice to learn your name love, Mine's Winter Duskbreeze, and to answer your question, I am a Dullahan," She stretched then asked, "did you say Whitewolf?"

"Yes, I did, but where am I? All I can remember is some lady with white hair saying that she summoned me to a land called Elsamira," I sat down on the bed, facing Winter.

"You're in my camp of mercenaries. The Storm Ravens, we are about two weeks ride from the border between Gallione and Lazarius" she paused, a semi concerned look on her face, "How do you feel?"

"I'm not really sure. I feel fine, but I feel like I could sleep for a year." I said as she got up, and walked to the tent door.

"Hurry up and get dressed please. I'll be waiting out in front of the tent when you're done. Clothes are in that chest there," her body pointed to a chest at the foot of the bed, as she left.

I opened the chest and found the said clothing. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to put them on. They were coarse and smelled slightly. I felt like a peasant out of a fantasy book, and I didn't like it. I walked out of the tent and saw Winter, sitting on a chopped down long.

She got up when she noticed me, and waved for me to follow her. I knew I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't, so I followed her to a large tent with benches surrounding an object that looked like a crude makeshift forge.

Winter motion to me to stay where I was and walked to the front of the tent, where she yelled into it "OI! TINY, WE HAVE SOME FRESH BLOOD THAT NEEDS TO BE ARMED AND TESTED!" And before she was finished a mountain of a man came from the depths.

"Oh shut your gobbling, I was right in the front, so there was no need to yell," Tiny said. He had a childish demeanor for one so large, "Now who's this fresh blood?"

"I am," I said. Even though I was an even 6 foot, I had to look up to meet his eyes.

"Oh? The Pretty is the fresh blood?" I shot a questioning look at Winter, " Now what are you proficient with?"

"Nothing you have here, that's for certain. But I have always wanted to try a war axe."

"A war axe? That saves us some trouble of finding new swords." Tiny went back into the tent and when he came out he was carrying a simple axe the looked like a firefighter's axe.

He offered it to me and when I took it it was lighter than I expected. Winter gestured towards a few dummies and I launched myself at them. After about five or ten minutes, Tiny called me back.

"You definitely need a teacher, and training. But you're good enough to keep from chopping your damn head off...." And he went off on a lecture of proper weapon care.

He both showed and had me practice properly sharpening my new axe. He told me the benefits and cons of using linseed oil verses rendered animal fat to waterproof the metal and protect it from rust. He showed and had me practice replacing the leather on the grip, so the axe wouldn't slip when I might need it the most. And by the time he was finished, it was time for dinner.

"Axton, Tiny, it's time for dinner," Winter said,as she walked up to us, " Tomorrow Axton, we will find out what kind of Affinity you have, then I'm going to take you to The House of Whitewolfe. Where hopefully I can be welcomed back..."

"What's an Affinity?" I asked, sliding the hilt of my war axe through a belt loop.

" It's hard for me to explain. From what I've heard Nymphadora, our battle mage and healer, explain is that there are five types of manas, that are called Affinities. The three common are Fire, Water, and Earth. Having an Affinity in one, boosts your skills in that particular area, but makes it harder to use the other two. Now I've only heard rumors of Light and Dark Affinities. And what the rumors say are that if you have an Dark affinity, then mastering it will be as easy as breathing. But you wouldn't be able to use any Light and visa versa. And you wouldn't have any benefits nor penalties when using Fire, Water, or earth." After saying that, she sounded slightly winded, as if she wasn't used to speaking that much.

"Ok, that kinda makes sense, but why would me going to this house, make this group welcome you back?"

She put her arm around my shoulder, and she was actually pleasantly warm, " Don't worry about that one, Love, let's get some grub and you'll find out when we get there" and with that, she steered me towards the cooking fire and to food.