The Champion *ON HOLD*

Chapter 18- Vessels and Magic

A/N: In case any of you were wondering, Sidhe can be pronounced three ways, SHEE, SEE, or SIGH. It's up to you how you want to pronounce it. Personally, I read Sidhe as SHEE.  Also the above picture is SORT OF how I imagine Cian to look like. Mainly his hair, face, ears, and physique. Skin, eyes, weapon, and even clothing style is not how I've depicted him. It was the closest I could find. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the newest installment of The Champion.

"What?!" Avery shouted, shooting up. Her dogs jumped up as well, growling, looking around, not sure what it was that had caused their mistress to be upset.

"I said-"

"No, I know what you said," Avery interrupted, her voice hard and angry. "What I don't understand is why it would kill everybody!" She was beyond calm now. She was terrified. They were all going to die!

"Avery, sit down." Leovar said, moving toward her. Surprisingly, her dogs didn't try to keep him away. He gripped her arms and gently pushed her back into the chair.

"Let us just think on this for a moment, alright?" He reasoned. Avery turned to look into his clear blue eyes and something in her stilled.

"Yes, look at me; that is good. Do not worry about what the Sidhe said, all right? We will return you home safely, I promise. I give you my oath that nothing shall happen to you." His eyes bored into her own and after a few heartbeats, she relaxed and nodded. He gave her a small smile before pulling away and sitting back down in his chair. Taking a deep breath, Avery looked at Cian, who was watching them both curiously.

"I can see why it was never severe, what with you to calm her down," He stated, enigmatically. Leovar grunted in response. Avery sighed, suddenly exhausted.

"Okay, so if whatever is causing these fissures isn't stopped, the barrier will eventually break and everyone will die?" She asked. Cian nodded.

"How long until the barrier breaks?" Cian seemed to think about it for a moment before shrugging.

"That, I am not sure of. They are still new to me and they are...unpredictable, to say the least."

"How so?"

Cian nodded and explained, "Well, the fissures are not stationary. They move. One will open in one place for an indefinite period of time, then close and move somewhere else and open up there for an indefinite period of time. Also, the time in which it takes for a fissure to move from one place to another differs. It may take seconds, or it may take days." Cian shrugged.

"Okay, so from what it sounds like, we have time," Avery remarked. The Sidhe nodded.

"What did you mean about Avery surviving crossing through the fissures?" Leovar asked. His dark eyebrows were knitted together in concern.

"Ah, about that. Avery is not the first human or creature to cross from the Mundane Realm into the Magical Realm. Others have crossed over before and all of them have died." Avery paled at that.

"How did they die?" She asked. She remembered hearing about others coming through from Commander Baelegh and how they had died, but truthfully, she had forgotten about it until now.

"That is where things become interesting. I have a theory. When the Mundane and Magical Realms split, everything remotely magical was transferred into the Magical realm. Because of that, whatever leftover traces of magic in the Mundane Realm faded completely." Avery leaned forward; almost desperate to understand why she, and no one else, survived the crossover.

"I have had the chance to examine a few of the bodies of the humans who perished. From what I gather, their bodies were simply too different for this realm." Avery frowned.