Title: Story of Ether, Ch.1
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy
Words: 2000~
Summary: With the help of a mysterious book, two girls open a portal to another world in their bedroom. One remains.
Slight notes about this one, this is a bit of a shaky beginning (obv) and I was trying to shake the Good Omens writing influence the whole time (lmao), which mainly shows up in the beginning.
Learn more about Story of Ether here
Alicca and Catalina found that the circular rug in the center of Alicca’s dusty bedroom made a very convenient magic circle. They didn’t have candles to light around it, though, and Alicca had insisted that doing so would have been a fire hazard. In her mind, too many perfectly good wizards had probably burnt to death because of a similar oversight. But Catalina, in turn, insisted that they put something around the edges if only to add intrigue to the ugly vintage rug that, she made a point in saying, looked like it belonged to her literal great-grandma. So, after digging through her family’s holiday bins for half an hour, they managed to find a box of battery-powered candles.
This intricate ritual of properly candling a magic circle was only partially driven by aesthetics and was more so created to stave off the impending apprehension that surrounded the magic books Catalina had found. She said they came from the library, but Alicca practically lived in the library and had never seen any books quite so mysterious and, well, beaten up. Besides, there were no stickers or check-out cards to be seen. But Alicca didn’t push for an answer; she didn’t want Catalina to snap at her.
Finally, they settled at the edges of the circle across from each other.
“Which spell should we do first?” Catalina asked.
“You’re the one with the books,” said Alicca.
“And you’re the one with the witch mom.”
“Witch” was a strong word. Alicca’s mother was pagan, and Alicca had spent a lot of time observing her process. It was because of this that she had placed a crystal at four corners of the circle (“to represent the four directions,” she said). Alicca’s mother cast spells and partook in rituals, and this was partially to blame for Alicca’s obsession with magic. The other part came from books. Her mother’s magic was the closest thing that Earth had to offer to the kind Alicca wanted, but after a while, it stopped feeling authentic. It’s not really magic, a little voice in the back of Alicca’s mind told her. Not like I want it to be.
But these books could be. The stuff inside sounded like it was written in another language. It read like English, but the spells it described rarely made sense, except for the few that didn’t mention ingredients or places that could have been cherry-picked from a fantasy epic from the ’70s. Catalina flipped between the comprehensible spells, which they had marked.
“Well, we might as well go big or go home.”
“I’m already home, Kitty,” Alicca smirked. “Besides, they all sound interesting. It’s magic.”
“Nah,” Catalina squinted. Her face lit up and she turned the book so Alicca could see the page she chose. “This one,” she said with an evil grin.
“To Open a Gateway.”
Alicca hesitated. She was all for casting strange spells in the middle of the night without an experienced supervisor, but she had learned from her books that being too foolhardy only ended in tragedy and magical destinies. Some of those took years to fulfill. “That sounds… complicated,” she said. “And dangerous.”
“Well I’m complicated and dangerous, so the wizards had better get used to it.”
“Kitty, I don’t know if--”
“Alicca,” said Catalina, suddenly serious. She put the book face down on the ground and stared intently into Alicca’s eyes. Alicca blushed and wanted to look away. “Isn’t this what you want? To find something amazing, to go somewhere? Or at the very least, to see something?”
Yes, Alicca thought. That’s everything. She didn’t say anything. Catalina picked the book up again.
“Besides, this one actually looks pretty simple. We don’t need anything fancy. Just a proper focus, a circle, and the magic words. Take a look.”
She passed the book to Alicca, which was heavier than it seemed. The leather cover and pages had gone soft with age, and Alicca was worried that it would disintegrate with one wrong move. The page Catalina had chosen was covered in writing scribbled around the text. The letters were totally unfamiliar; they looked more like runes than alphabet. Par for the course, Alicca thought. There was a sketched diagram on one page showing a magic circle that was surrounded by candles (Alicca tsked) and crystals. The instruction was actually fairly brief, just a couple of sentences and a list of materials. Alicca frowned at the rest of the text, which didn’t make much sense, but sounded like a warning or directions for post-casting.
“…Be sure to always know where you are going and where you are coming from. Worlds are not laid out in a straight path. It is incredibly easy to lose your way if you are not explicitly careful. Never attempt to travel without a plan and sufficient insurance in case something goes wrong. Traveling is not something to take lightly…”
It carried on like this for several paragraphs.
A short list stuck out to Alicca, which she made a mental note of:
“If you must travel, you are bound by law to abide by these principles:
Never reveal yourself to a native as a traveler.
Never remove a native from their world.
Never influence the way of life on another world, and leave no trace of your coming or going.”
Alicca glanced over the material list. Catalina was right, it was incredibly simple. Their crude setup might actually work. Alicca wasn’t sure if the random assortment of crystals she had chosen would create a strong enough focus for the spell, but the instructions weren’t very specific anyway.
“Wait, there’s one more thing,” Alicca said, squinting at a line that had been partially covered by the haphazard notes. Haven’t they ever heard of margins? Alicca thought. “It says we need ‘an intention.’”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Catalina.
“I have no idea. Maybe we need a purpose in order to actually cast it?”
“We do have a purpose, and it’s to see what will happen if we open a Gateway.”
Alicca laughed. “Alright, well, I guess all there is to do is to read the incantation.” Alicca began to hand the book back to Catalina. For the first time, Alicca had ever noticed, Catalina seemed hesitant.
“Uh, actually, you should do the honors, witch kid.”
Alicca didn’t realize how much she had been hoping Catalina would refuse. “Okay.”
She read over the text a few times to make sure she would pronounce it right. The silence bit into her throat. For some reason, this felt important, like the books weren’t written by anyone known to humanity. Like something could actually happen if she managed to get it right. Alicca could tell Catalina felt the same. Everything in the room was still, Catalina, the crystals, even the candles with their programmed flicker. She took a deep breath and looked up from the book.
“[magic words].”
The light flickered. Not a weak flicker, but a genuine, split-second blackout. The girls stared at each other. Under any other circumstances, Alicca would have reluctantly passed it off as a coincidence.
“Say it again,” Catalina breathed.
Alicca did. Nothing.
At least, not right away. After a few tense moments, Catalina yelped and jumped away from the circle.
“Are you okay?” Alicca cried.
“That crystal almost burned me!”
The crystal didn’t appear any different. It was still dark, the faces flickering a saturated blue when the light caught it just right. It wasn’t moving or emitting light of its own. Alicca moved to Catalina’s side and carefully pressed her hand to the crystal. It was warm, too warm for there to be any logical explanation.
“Spectrolite,” Alicca said. “We need more of it.”
The girls shared a glance before dashing out of the room, to Alicca’s mother’s bedroom. Alicca scanned the haphazard pile of crystals on her dresser and picked out all the spectrolite she could find, handing each stone to Catalina, before tearing open the jewelry boxes. They crashed back to the circle, where Alicca shoved the excess crystals away so Catalina could spread the spectrolite around.
Both of them were too excited to sit. They locked eyes and shared a thought.
This has to work.
Alicca scooped up the book and, glancing anxiously between the fraying pages and the scattered crystals, read the words again.
“[magic words].”
The lights flickered again, stronger this time, and Alicca could have sworn the spectrolite rattled against the floor.
Please, thought Alicca, closing her eyes. Please, show me my adventure.
“[words]!”
The light went out, and a vrrrr rang throughout the walls as the generator shut down, leaving only the fake candles to light the room. The spectrolite clacked on the hardwood, and Alicca saw that the taller crystals had stood upright on their own. They were shining with a dim inner light, which dazzled off the strands of black that strung themselves across the blue of the crystal. A faint hum was growing in the background.
“Look!” Catalina gasped, pointing to the empty air above the circle. It looked like it was shimmering, morphing and twisting what little light remained in the room like the inside of the spectrolite. Alicca’s heart was pounding, and she tried to hold on to the desire that was sticking out in her mind. Show me my adventure.
Finally, the shimmering air started to form something else, something that obstructed Alicca’s view of her friend. It was like a patch of light, shifting and balancing, stabilized by beams of white light that had shone out towards it from the crystals. It grew to fill the space within the confines of the circle, extending to the ground and a foot or two above Alicca’s head. As the shape came into form, wisps of wind whipped out from the edges of the circle, whispering, dragging themselves over Alicca’s ankles and raking slowly through the ends of her hair. Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears, and she held her breath. She couldn’t move. She found herself utterly contradicted.
The crystals hummed with energy, a single low tone that blended into the background. The fake candles rattled quietly beside them, their light rendered unnecessary. The inside of the Gateway (it had been aptly named, Alicca decided) shifted still, the light fading from a brilliant white into a space with depth, bordered and secured by the light from the spectrolite. Alicca saw a landscape, and a blue sky, and she realized that the light from another world was spilling out onto her bedroom floor, over her. She didn’t hear Catalina calling her name from behind the Gateway. Her mind was racing, but it contained only one thought.
Through the Gateway, she saw craggy spires rising away in the distance, and clouds larger than any she had ever conceived of billowing up, up, into a sky that couldn’t possibly be that tall. A huge crescent moon easily three or four times the size of earth’s hung in the color of the sky over the strange, vertically reaching landscape. And in front of it all stood a person, with dark clothing and a cloak that drifted heavily in the wind, wind that Alicca could feel, and who turned suddenly and through a mess of blond hair flashed a look of surprise and then resolve. The moment their eyes met was like a physical blow as Alicca realized she was staring at someone from another world, someone that stared back with piercing green eyes which saw more than Alicca would have liked in just a glance. And very briefly, in a corner of her mind, Alicca saw, no, felt something else, a presence; but there was too much else going on, and she let it slip back into darkness. She was still in the moment, her eyes locked with those of the other-world. But that moment was over as quickly as it began because, without hesitation, the person reached a gloved hand out of the Gateway and dragged Alicca through.
Reblogs are super helpful! Learn more about Story of Ether here.
"Yes, of course. I know this place like the back of my hand."
"More like the back of your glove," Alicca jabbed.
"Psht." Nico threw a smirk back at her.
The grey-green overhanging trees thinned suddenly, and they entered an area that was made clear by the large tree in the center. Its bark was white, almost translucent or glowing, like it was made of frosted glass. Bunches of leaves covered edges of the thinner branches, all black. The ground about the tree was also white, with the exception of many scattered tufts of short, black grass. It was like they had walked into a 30-foot radius of negative space.
Suddenly, the leaves shifted and leapt from the tree, and Alicca realized they weren't leaves at all, but pitch-black crows. They moved almost silently and gathered around Nico, surrounding him and perching on him in a cloud of dark feathers. He laughed as they landed, each clambering for purchase on his shoulders and outstretched arms.
"I'm back, I'm back, I know! Yes!"
Now that they were stiller and closer, Alicca could see that there was a line of feathers on each of their wings and tails that glowed white, like they were made of the same light as the tree. She watched them in wonder and delight as Nico kept talking to them, with quiet yes!’s and I know!'s.
Then Alicca noticed a solitary crow hopping towards her. It was different than the rest, and not only because of the tall white mark on its crest. It had a curious nature about it, but even more so, it seemed questioning, almost suspicious. Alicca took a cautious step back. It cocked its head and blinked.
"Hold out your arm, Alicca," came Nico's voice from. He had thrown his head over his shoulder to see her. "He won't hurt you."
Alicca looked back at the crow at her feet. It hopped forward again. Hesitantly, she lifted her arm before her, and in an instant, the crow had flown up to perch on it. "Ow!" Its talons scratched her arm and she flinched but didn't let it fall. She bared her teeth until the crow finally found its balance. It was staring into her eyes, as if searching for something within them.
Nico had moved back towards her, bringing the flock. She feared for a moment how she would be able to manage more than one crow, but they hung with Nico as he moved to her shoulder. "Sorry about the claws. The gloves are helpful." He pressed something into her free hand. "Give him this. It's not very magical, but they love them anyway."
Alicca opened her hand to reveal a tiny clear crystal, which was more of a shard than a crystal. The crow cocked its head again expectantly.
"Hold your palm flat so he doesn't prick you."
Alicca offered the crystal with an open palm. The crow glanced between her and the crystal for a moment before snatching it up with a click and taking off in a puff of wind towards the tree. Alicca glanced back at Nico. He nodded forward. "He's coming back, catch him!" The crow was already returning, black and glowing feathers glistening in flight, his wings spread out to slow his fall. Alicca reached her arm up quickly and he landed, sending Alicca backwards somewhat into Nico and his cloud of friends. Many of them lost their grip and flew upwards, only to settle again quickly as Alicca recovered.
"Ha ha, not bad!" Nico laughed. "See, I told you she was alright." With that, the crows all flapped their wings and cawed, flocking suddenly to Alicca, covering her shoulders and arms. She laughed as they all struggled for balance, rustling and poking playfully at her face and hands, wincing only slightly as their claws scraped her skin. The crow with the white mark turned purposefully toward Nico, and spoke. "Is she Shadowkin?" Alicca gasped and jumped, unsettling all of the crows into a flurry. Some of them (including the speaker) returned to Nico, who proved to be a steadier perch.
"That crow just talked!" Alicca cried.
"It's more of a telepathic thing," Nico replied. "Besides, how is anything surprising you anymore?"
"Fair point. But I'm still allowed to be startled when an animal speaks."
"They are not animals! They are very intelligent creatures-"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! There are animals on my planet that look just like them. That's what I was used to."
"I forgive the girl," the crow said. "Is she Shadowkin?" Alicca still had trouble shaking the feeling of strangeness.
"No, she's human," Nico said.
"She is traveling with you now?" The crow's voice sounded like a distant breeze. His beak moved nearly imperceptibly as he spoke.
"Yes. I'm not sure how long. Her name is Alicca and I trust her."
Something stirred inside Alicca. He trusts me.
The crow glanced back at her. "You would do well to avoid distractions, Arako."
Nico scowled. "She's not a distraction, she's very important. And she... she has nowhere to go anyway."
"I see..."
"Have you learned anything about Thane?"
The crow watched Nico thoughtfully for a moment. "One thing. A small thing. He was looking for somebody named Emrys. But I do not recommend you follow Thane just yet. We can sense a threat in that name that is quiet and dark."
Nico nodded somberly. "Show me how to get to Drusonn" The crow stared. Nico closed his eyes and moved the crow towards him, bowing his head until it met the crow's crest. After a few seconds, the crow lifted his head so that the top of his beak slid away until only the tip remained in contact. There was a small flash of light as that too left Nico's forehead, and Nico opened his eyes. They seemed to shine with new clarity.
"Thank you, Muninn," he said quietly. The crow stared.
"Be cautious in your progress, Arako."
Suddenly, two of the crows perked up their heads and took flight. Their wings flashed and they vanished with a silver flash of light.
"Where are they going?" Nico said.
"You forget. We have more friends than you, Arako."
"They don't come here, do they? I've never seen a trace of anyone else."
"How do you know they are not here at this moment?"
The crow turned and took off back to the tree, bringing the flock with him. Nico watched them and laughed quietly as he turned away.
"We should leave, Alicca. They're satisfied with our visit."
"That one crow didn't sound too satisfied to me."
"He just takes that tone when he wants to sound mysterious. I enjoy his riddle-speak."
"Riddle-speak is definitely fun," Alicca said. "At least, if you can make sense of it when you need to... That crow called you 'Arako.' What does that mean?"
"’Arako’ is my name to them. Muninn chose it for me. I think it means 'child' or 'lost' or something. I like it."
Color test for my next drawing! I’m really excited about this one! It’s a scene I’ve been imagining for a few years now but have never been able to draw until now :D
Preview for my first animatic with these bbs! The end card is about two minutes long (it’s a placeholder) but don’t let that discourage you. Check out the first forty seconds while it’s up! :D
