Phasma Phase 1

Damien gave Sebastian and Dorin white tunics to wear before leading them out of the burrow. They trekked for a while until they came upon a clearing where huge deer were grazing in an emerald field.

"We will meet with your aunt by the edge of the Dark Forest," said Damien as he gestured to the majestic creatures. "from there, you are to travel back to your university." The deer looked larger up front, with antlers of gold.

[Are these golden elks?] Sebastian asked as one of the animals approached his outstretched hand.

"Yes," replied Damien. "they can take us there in no time." He made some sounds. The golden elks lowered themselves, their golden antlers touching the ground.

[Is it really okay?] Sebastian asked, a little hesitant. He looked at Dorin who was already mounting his elk.

"Is there something wrong?" Damien asked, walking close to Sebastian, "Have you never ridden a horse before?"

[No... Not really] wrote Sebastian, [Only in a carnival once, and there was someone leading it around a pole]

Damien smiled at this and called at one of the does in the field. It came closer and bowed its head before Sebastian.

"Do not worry," said Damien, "she will be gentle with you. There is no danger of falling."

Finally, Sebastian mounted the doe that gently raised itself as soon as he sat on its back. Sebastian held on tightly at the base of its antlers and closed his eyes as it leapt in the air and landed right beside Dorin's bull.

"Ready?" Dorin asked him with a grin. Sebastian simply nodded with his eyes still shut.

He kept his eyes closed for a while, until he gradually got used to the movement. He finally opened his eyes and gasped as he watched the forest flash before his eyes.

The fleet footed elk ran through brambles, over bushes, and under low laying branches. He watched as Dorin and Damien's elks ran side by side before him, his own mount just a few paces away. Soon, the trees thinned out until they came into a clearing and saw a low brick wall crossing the horizon. They came nearer to the wall and as they did, he noticed two people standing on the other side.

They alighted when they neared the wall. Sebastian's legs felt like jelly when he hit the ground and almost lost his balance, but the gentle doe nuzzled him and helped him stay on his feet.

"Are you ok?" Dorin asked, suddenly beside him. "That's normal on your first ride, especially when you travel that far." He held his arm and assisted him until he finally got his bearings back. "C'mon, aunt Agate and Marcus are just beyond the wall.

"Okay, I think I can walk on my own now," he wrote.

Damien was already at the other side of the stone wall, busy talking with Agate and Marcus. The wall was only about three feet high and was missing pieces at some parts. Wild plants and lichen were growing all over it, and it didn't look like it could keep anything in or out of the Dark forest, but as Dorin and Sebastian went over it, it felt as if their body had gotten heavier.

Suddenly, Sebastian wanted to get back beyond the wall.

"You felt that didn't you?" Dorin asked him.

Sebastian looked at Dorin who was looking at him seriously.

[Yes] he wrote, [It is as if the atmosphere here is heavier]

"Yeah, it's the same back in my mountain," said Dorin. "There's a wall there too, much higher though, with watch towers and soldiers to booth. As soon as I got over that wall, I felt the magic lessen," he told his friend. "It was as if the wall was keeping the magic from seeping out of the forest."

[Or rather, the outside is eating up too much magic] wrote Sebastian.

Dorin looked at him, his eyes wide open.

"I never thought of that..." he said.

Before the two can discuss it any further, they were approached by a very worried looking Prof. Althea, followed by a frowning Major General Muller.

"Dorin!" called the professor who threw her arms around him. "Thank gods you're okay!"

"Aunt Agate..." said Dorin in a muffled voice, "Sorry to get you worried..."

"Are you two okay?" she asked, looking at Sebastian and pulling him closer. "I was told you had to stay longer since your injuries were fatal!" she turned Sebastian around to look him over.

"Don't worry, aunt Agate, we're both okay now," Dorin grinned. "Damien and his brethren took care of us." He looked over at Damien who had returned to the other side of the wall. Beside him were the two hairy creatures he saw on the night of the failed abduction.

"Damien," Agate called to the games keeper, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for keeping them safe."

Damien simply nodded before turning away, the two creatures trailing behind him.

"Goodbye! It was great knowing you!" Dorin called, waving his hands.

Sebastian ran to the wall and raised himself over it. Damien turned around and read the message on his slate. [Thank you!] it said, [I'll look forward to seeing you again when the new school year starts! I'll visit again some time!]

Damien smiled at him and raised a hand to wave goodbye. "I will look forward to it."

With that, he mounted his elk and left with his companions.

Dorin and Sebastian watched them ride until they were swallowed by the shadow of the trees.

"Okay, boys, it's time to leave." Major General Muller went to their side and placed a hand on each of their shoulder. "We've still got a long way to go, Dorin."

"Are we going straight back to Monarch Forest?" Dorin asked Marcus.

"Yes," Agate answered, "you have already stayed here too long."

[You're not gonna say goodbye to Margarette and the rest?] wrote Sebastian.

"His proxy had already done that," Marcus retorted. "Besides, he should have left three days ago."

"What about my stuff?" asked Dorin.

"In my truck," answered the General "Now get a move on, we haven't got all day!"

Dorin looked at Sebastian, shrugged, and gave a deep sigh.

"This is goodbye then," he told his sworn brother.

[For now] said the slate. [Try to convince your mother] was added, [tell her about the University]

"I'll try." Dorin smiled sadly, as if he knew deep inside that it was a lost cause. "It was a pleasure to have met you." He went to Sebastian and gave him a tight hug.

"Write to me." Sebastian whispered to him. "Keep in touch."

"You know that won't work on me," Dorin whispered back.

"Still worth a try," Sebastian replied with a chuckle.

"We will always be sworn brothers," said Dorin as he let Sebastian go. "My first brother, we will surely meet again." He held the other's hand in a tight grip, not wanting to separate, not wanting to leave.

"Dorin, it's time to go," called Prof. Althea. "Sebastian, you stay with me."

"Coming!" Dorin ran after Marcus who was heading for his truck which was parked at the end of a dirt road leaving Agate and Sebastian behind.

"We're going to use a translocation spell," Agate told Sebastian. "but before that, I suggest you put your old clothes back on." She pointed at a duffle bag by the side of the wall. "It would look weird if you turn up in campus looking like that."

Sebastian looked inside the bag and reached out for his cloak first. He was about to take his robe off when he heard a whistling sound coming from the east. He looked up just in time to see something sparkling crossing the sky at lightning speed.

It was heading to where Major General Muller had parked his truck!

Sebastian quickly pulled his cloak on and ran to the direction the light was headed, Prof. Althea was quickly at his heals.

"That's a messenger!" she yelled as she overtook him, "It's heading towards Dorin!"

The two of them tried to reach their companions in time, but before they could, a blinding light suddenly flashed before them.

They both shielded their eyes. When the light finally subsided, an image of a tall woman with wavy, deep auburn hair appeared with her back to them.

"Dorin!" said the woman's image, her hands on her hips. "How dare you leave the house without my permission?!"

"Mother?" Dorin answered from inside the truck, his face going pale. "How did you find me?"

"You think I'm stupid to not put a tracker on you?!" answered the image, "What are you doing there in Aubrianne University?!"

"Didn't you see my note?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"I specifically told you not to go to that useless photography class! How dare you disobey my orders! Is this how you repay me for all I have done for you?!"

"With all due respect, mother, it was just a small request for a short period of time. It's more vexing that you couldn't allow me to do this one little thing!" Dorin stepped out of the truck and stood closer to the image of his mother. "I have always done everything you have told me!" said he, "I have never said 'no' to you before! Never disobeyed you, never let you down... until now..."

"Until now..." repeated his mother, "I have never thought you would betray me!" she hissed.

"Hermione..." Agate called from behind them. "Hermione, is it really you?" The image of Dorin's mother stiffened then slowly turned around.

"Agate." Hermione recognized her cousin.

"Hermione, where are you? How have you been, all these years?" asked Agate, "I have been waiting for you for so long! How come you never visited me again?"

"This is not the time nor the place for explanations," Hermione answered sharply. "Right now I just want my treacherous son to come back."

"Treacherous?" Dorin said hotly. "All I did was go to a photography class! In what way did I cause you treachery?!"

"Silence." Hermione looked back at his son, her green eyes glowing dangerously. "You will not speak to me that way."

Just then, Marcus came out of the truck, his hands raised in the air. "Now, now, you lot, this conversation is starting to heat up, why don't we all just calm down and talk this over like respectable adults we are?"

"Marcus?!" Hermione looked surprised, "You knew about this?!"

"I was just as surprised to see the boy in campus," the other replied, "I would have called you, if I knew how to reach you."

"Who else knew about this?" the image asked. "Damien? Is Damien there? Of course, you are at the edge of the Dark Forest..."

"Damien has already left, Hermione," answered Agate.

"Then..." Hermione looked around and noticed Sebastian for the first time. He had gone around the truck and now stood behind Dorin. "Who is that?" she asked.

Dorin looked behind him and saw Sebastian. "This is Sebastian," he took his friend's arm and pulled him closer. "I met him here, as well as a few others," he explained. "He is my friend, and a sworn brother top me."

Hermione looked at Sebastian, her eyes narrowed. "Sebastian..." she repeated. Suddenly her eyes opened wide. "You... are sworn... brothers?" she sounded uncertain.

"There are many things that I have learned here mother," said Dorin, "so many more I could discover. So many people I can meet. Why do you want to keep me away from them?"

"Did you tell him these?" Hermione addressed Sebastian who vigorously shook his head.

"No one taught me that, mother. I simply had to open my eyes and my ears, as well as my mind." He took another step closer to her mother's image, pulling Sebastian behind him. "Mother, even with all the books in the world, nothing could ever take the place of true experience. Nothing can compare to actual sights and sounds of the world I only read from the books you give me."

"The kid has a point, you know," Marcus piped in.

"Hermione, perhaps you should reconsider this..." Agate started to say.

"So, you are all in on this!" Hermione said indignantly.

"No, Hermione..." said Agate, but once again, her cousin cuts her short.

"You, boy." She addressed Sebastian. "What have you got to say?" Sebastian pulled out his slab.

[A mother would want nothing but what's best for her child] he wrote. [You may want to keep your child safe from all harm, but you can't give him both] he added. [The best you can do is let him be, as you guide him on the sidelines]

Upon saying this, Sebastian felt Dorin grip his arm tighter.

"Mother," he said, his steady gaze unwavering. "I would like to study here."

A moment of silence.

They all waited for Hermione's reaction.

"Very well," she finally spoke, and pointing at her son said; "Hear my words, Theodorin." she hissed, "From this day forth, until the time you graduate in this Royal Aubrianne Imperial University, you may not, can not, set foot beyond the university city walls. You will remain here until the time the title of arch mage is given unto you."

She drew a rune in thin air and directed it at Dorin who shivered where he stood.

"This is my geis! This you will obey until all conditions are met." Dorin's legs gave way at the weight of the geis. He fell on the ground, pulling Sebastian down with him.

Hermione then looked at Marcus who was now standing beside Agate. "I leave my son to your care. If anything should happen to him, you will hold full responsibility!" she glared at them, her green eyes as cold as ice, then at the boy who sat beside her son. "Flesh for flesh." She hissed. "Blood for blood."

Sebastian felt a chill run down his spine.

Hermione returned her gaze at her son. He still sat slump on the ground, but when he noticed his mother's gaze, he straightened and kept his chin up.

"Rejoice, my son," she spat out, "you finally got what you wanted. You finally got rid of your mother."

"Mother, it's not like that..." Dorin tried to explained, but his mother raised an arm to silence him.

"Enjoy your student life. I will see you when you graduate." She turned her back on him. "If you graduate."

Before any of them could say more, the image disappeared in another blinding flash of light. Everything was silent, except for Dorin's racing heart.