20 Chapter Five - 3 || Entrance

Darren looked unconvincingly at her. She pursed her lips and thought for a second.

"Then pinch yourself," she suggested.

He looked startled. "You mean—"

Essairyn sighed and raised her palms to his face. Before he could back away, she slapped them squarely on his cheeks. He jolted at the sting of the slap and stared down at her dumbstruck. As the soreness quickly faded away, he felt only the pleasant warmth of her hands on his face.

"Do you believe me now?" she asked teasingly.

His mouth gaped open a little in shock, and she dropped her hands and observed him. He closed his mouth as he got his bearings again and glanced away in embarrassment.

"Yeah, it hurt," he admitted.

Essairyn smiled and reassured him. "It's not so bad here. This world is quite beautiful, and it has the most amazing creatures in it. And ah!" She clapped her hands in remembrance. "That reminds me, where did Akari go?"

"Hm? Who's Akari?" Darren questioned. "Another traveler?"

Essairyn shook her head and debated for a moment whether to divulge that Akari was a fox, and a talking one too. "Well, you'll meet her soon, enough. But first, let me show you something really cool. Don't be too surprised, ok?"

She lifted her hands in front of Darren and slowly formed a ball of magic. He started back at the initial spark but watched in awe as the magic ball ballooned.

She extended the sphere toward him, and he gingerly took it in his hands. The lavender light inside coruscated as if it were dancing, and his eyes sparkled in a similar fashion as he fixed his gaze upon the sphere.

"Is this..magic..?" he laughed incredulously.

"Yes," Essairyn murmured. "Everything is made of magic in Sol'h'meyr." She looked up at him tentatively. "It's almost like some fantasy video game."

"A video game, huh," Darren entertained. "Like one of those stories where you get stuck in one?"

"Yes, and yet at the same time, it isn't just some video game. There's a whole ecosystem, economy, physics, and history. It really is like we stepped into a whole other universe."

She gazed up at the sky. "It's both scary and exciting to think about that." She looked directly in his eyes. "There's even a chance we might not be able to return to Earth."

Darren stared deep into her eyes. Even though she said it was scary, she looked completely unfazed by the idea of being in an entirely different world. Her gaze almost seemed to be a challenge, as if testing whether he was strong enough to accept the situation.

He sighed and ruffled the top of his head, unsure how to respond. It definitely was a bombshell to be abruptly thrown into an unknown world. He hadn't seen as much of it as Essairyn had seen, so he couldn't clearly see the positives. And everyone and everything he had ever known had been tossed out the door.

But in spite of all this, he oddly felt calm in front of her. Perhaps he was comforted by the fact that he wasn't in this alone and that at least she was confident about the circumstances.

As he settled his jumbled thoughts into order, the school door flung open. The two jumped in surprise and looked at the middle-aged man standing in the doorway. He was a little taller than Darren and had graying brown hair, sharp hazel eyes, and pale skin.

He wore a slate blue vest over a charcoal shirt, a long cobalt coat with a gold double striped trim, and stone chinos with an umber leather belt and matching leather loafers. His appearance was a curious blend of some preppy, wizard businessman.

"I heard some voices outside and saw you both in front of the doorway," the man stated. He peered down at the lavender ball in Darren's hands. "Is that your magic, young man?"

Darren shook his head and handed the magic ball back to Essairyn. At the touch of her fingertips, the sphere shrunk, and she curled her hand as the magic circulated back in her body.

"So it is yours." The man studied the girl, mystified by the strange aura emanating from her. It didn't feel quite human or elemental. And the color of her magic was intriguing. Even though the color of one's magic often reflected the person, he had never seen lavender magic before.

He turned toward Darren and didn't sense any palpable magic coming from him. However, it was possible that the girl's aura was overwhelming his magical ability if he did indeed have some.

Looking at the two of them together, it was very apparent they weren't from around here. Thus, it was possible they had come to the school for the free lectures on Sol'h'meyr or some other information.

He inclined his head in greeting and gestured for them to come inside. "I'm Lachlan. I assume you've come to the Academy for a reason. Please have a seat."

The two entered the school and were led to a table by the window. It was a modest space and rather tiny for an academy, regional campus or not. The majority of the wooden walls were lined with bookshelves, writing boards, and paper diagrams. A few tables laid scattered about the single room. A mahogany door led to another in the back.

"Now tell me your purpose for coming here," Lachlan directed once they sat down and introduced themselves.

Darren looked at Essairyn as she spoke. "We're recent travelers from Earth; I arrived two days ago, and he arrived just today. I was told that the Knight Mage Academy taught people about Sol'h'meyr free of charge. We were hoping you could enlighten us about this world."

Lachlan nodded in understanding, fetched two slim booklets from a box, and placed them in front of the travelers. He instructed them to read this while he wrote other information on loose paper. The pamphlets were both entitled, "A brief history of Sol'h'meyr."