The Witch, The Wizard, and The Out-Worlder

A Portal Opens, A Journey Ends

"So this was all your plan? You changed Felix into a boy. You had us seek out the Out-Worlder. You knew he would send us to Celia. When she left with us, you stole her magic artifacts." I started thinking of everything out loud.

"Yes." He spat, growing irritated, "And I was to kill the Out-Worlder before you got here, then I would have all the magic this world has to offer, and I alone would rule. I still will though." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a candlestick, immediately raising it toward the Out-Worlder and blowing on the wick.

Flames came spewing out directly towards him. This time he didn't have his shield to protect him. His eyes widened as he looked helplessly at his impending fate. Just before impact, the flames slowed to a stop, inches away from his pale face. Celia was absorbing the flames with her orb.

"Do not make me regret this Pharian." She strained to say as she was saving his life.

"This is your chance you two!" He said, looking me dead in the eye.

I quickly kicked the shield his direction and pulled Felix and myself to the newly descended portal. Dirth saw me make my way to the portal and stopped his attack on the Out-Worlder.

As soon as I got to the portal, I released Felix to stand on his own and examined the wall closely. I knew what we had to do, but I also knew there would only be a small window for Celia to leave. I turned to find her briskly walking towards us.

"If I cant have what I want, neither can the lot of you!" Dirth yelled as he raised his sword towards the ceiling. Red bolts crashed into the stone, shaking the entire tower.

Celia raised her orb to absorb his magic, but the damage was done. Large chunks of the roof were shifting, trying to find their new balance, only to slip through the cracks, falling all around us. The bright beams of sunlight pierced through the cracks and newfound holes. Soon, the small rays of light would grow, and the entire ceiling would crush us all.

There was no time left. I looked to Celia just as she was looking towards me. We both knew it was time.

She raised her orb to the sky, releasing a dark smoke that filled the room in darkness. A loud wind began circulate, like being trapped int a tornado. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel Lute clutching for dear life on my shoulder, and Felix squeezing my hand tightly.

After a few moments, the wind stopped, the clouds dissipated, revealing a bright moonlit night. Felix wasted no time, he quickly pressed his good hand against the stone portal. We waited a few seconds, but nothing happened.

"I'm so sorry." I could feel the disappointment in his voice.

"You tried, we all did," I tried to console him, "But hey, at least now we life a life in this magical world together. We can make the most of it, cant we?" I tried to cheer him up. Though his eyes were watering, he gave me a wry smile.

I didn't have time to talk anymore though. It was now or never.

"Make this all worth it." I called to her through the crashing sounds all around me. I slammed my hand against the portal.

The stone portal dissolved into a blue magical vortex. A large chunk of stone crashed down just beside me, knocking me off my feet. Luckily, I did all I needed to do already.

"NO!" Dirth screamed in rage, "You are ruining everything!"

I turned to Celia, but she wasn't paying him any attention, she had started at a dead run towards the portal.

Seeing her running towards the portal, he pointed his sword at her, ready to take her out. His sword began to glow red, and his eyes were piercing. Just before he let loose his magic, Lute flew directly into his face.

The impact staggered him, buying Celia a few precious seconds. There was a flash of red and a loud crack. Lute crashed to the floor and slide between myself and Dirth, unmoving.

"Lute!" I yelled as I ran to him.

I could see Celia about only a couple seconds away from the portal, but Dirth was ready to attack again. His sword began to glow, and Celia wasn't paying any attention to him, "You lose!" he yelled, just before a sword pierced chest, knocking him against the wall. His sword dimmed as it fell out of his hands. He let out a choking sound as blood slowly trickled out of the corner of his mouth.

I turned to the Out-Worlder for answers, but he too was shocked, only he was staring at Felix. Felix was standing straight, his good arm extended towards Dirth, no spoon in hand.

"Felix." I whispered. He didn't respond, only stood there, breathing heavily, staring directly at the now lifeless Dirth.

The witch noticed the deceased wizard, paused just before walking through the portal, "Thank you." She said softly to me. I heard a tenderness in her voice that I didn't think she had before now. Without a chance to say anything in return, she vanished through the portal.

The moment she was gone, the portal turned to stone once again. Only the sound of stone falling around us filled the air. Not wasting another moment, I grabbed Felix's good hand and lowered it to his side. There wasn't much left to be said.

The entire tower started to tremble. The force of the collapsing ceiling was knocking the entire tower off balance. Soon it was going to come crashing down.

Felix looked down at Lute, who was lying still in my hands, "I wish I had given him more of a chance." He said as he stroked Lutes fur. I held back the tears, we didn't have time to grieve just yet.

"Do you have anything to get us off safely?" I called out to the Out-Worlder, holding back my emtions.

"I have an artifact that can safely lower one person through a large bubble, however, there is no way to transport the three of us." The wizard said softly, causing Lute to squeak rather loudly, "Excuse me, the four of us." He said with a slight smile.

There was an awkward pause, no one knew exactly what to say.

"I think you should use it Keiko. You saved everyone here from a plagued eternity. Life can resume the way it was intended now, and it's thanks to you." Pharian held out his hand and turned over his palm. A small emerald bracelet was revealed.

"I don't know what to do here. You need to lead these people. They need you." I replied, not taking the enchanted jewelry.

He shook his head, "They do not need me, nor would they listen to me. They have had enough magic. It's time for them to move on without it, without me. Take the bracelet, please, you don't have much time."

I stretched out my hand, shaking like a leaf on a windy fall day. As soon as I clutched my hand around the bracelet, I found that felt nothing. My hand went right through his.

Shocked, I lifted my hand to reveal a transparency that was racing from my hand, up towards my shoulder, "What's happening?!" I cried out.

Pharian was taken aback, "Celia..." He whispered, "She must have hidden the mirror when she returned to her timeline. You were never here, this never happened!"

I reached for Felix with the one physical arm I had left and grabbed his. I didn't know what to say with what little time I had left.

"I don't want to forget you. Thank you for everything." I started to sob. Tears were running down my face. I didn't know what was coming over me. Everything was hitting me at once.

"I'll be there when you get back. I have always been there and always will be." He said with a soft smile and a small squeeze of my hand.

"Thank you so much for returning this land to normal. Every soul here will remember you, and every soul will thank you." Pharian said as he gave me a smile.

I could no longer see my arm, even my chest and legs were transparent. As I was bracing myself for a total vanishing act, I squeezed Felix's hand one last time and gave him a hug with what little of a body I had left. After a few brief moments, I felt a burning sensation on my ring finger. Before I could look down to see what was happening, everything faded away.