Ravyn stood on shaking legs, the world pitching and twisting around him. His vision blurred, his ribs felt shattered and every breath rattled like loose glass.
Before Ravyn could exhale, a vertical line of white tore the space in front of him. The tear widened into a towering gate, etched with shifting sigils.
Ravyn staggered closer.
The gate opened and swallowed him whole. As he stepped through the other side, all the pain was gone.
He inhaled sharply and stood on a wide, circular marble platform suspended in a sky of swirling auroras. Gold and violet streams of light carved slow rivers across the horizon. Floating islands drifted lazily in the distance, connected by bridges made of mana.
Ravyn stared, stunned.
"This… isn't anywhere in Brenford."
A few steps away, other gates shimmered into being. And one by one, every Thrine walked in.
A familiar voice boomed behind him. "I thought you were dead, kid!"
Ravyn turned and spotted Kyrren walking over, Luna walking beside him with her arms crossed. Their eyes did not meet.
"You know, I've never been to heaven." Kyrren said. "But I'm sure it looks something like this."
"Really?" Luna scoffed under her breath. "Remember that people had to die for us to get here? This isn't heaven, it's hell with a better scenery."
Kyrren rolled his eyes, the moment of grace instantly shattered. "Please don't kill my vibe. I'm trying to appreciate the decor." He took a step, intending to walk a few paces and stopped dead, staring at a distant shape. "Oh, hell no."
Grazing an impossible distance away, stood a rainbow-colored pony with a horn that spiraled like polished candy.
"A pony? Now I wanna go back home." Kyrren muttered, his shoulders slumping. "I'm definitely not participanting in a save the princess game."
"Yeah, go back home."
Kyrren spun around to face the voice. And standing there was Alaric.
Luna reacted instantly and violently. Her fists clenched at her sides and they flared immediately with flames.
Across the vast field, the chattering and murmuring of the other forty-five Thrines ceased. Dozens of eyes turned, drawn by the sudden surge of mana.
Before Alaric could escalate, another figure swiftly approached. Lyra and she stepped between Luna and Alaric.
"Alaric." Lyra said. "What are you doing here?"
Alaric merely offered a careless insolent shrug. "I'm here to say hello to my Thrine. It's a proud moment. Come on, is that a crime?"
Lyra didn't argue. She grabbed his arm and began dragging the man away from the startled group. Alaric went with a theatrical sigh, shooting a inscrutable glance back at Luna.
"Uh, Luna." Ravyn began. "Who is that man?"
Luna's flames died down but her posture remained rigid. "He's the Instructor of our city."
"So you were so ready to fight an Instructor?" Kyrren interjected, completely forgetting his sparkly pony panic. "You must've had a death wish."
Luna finally relaxed, meeting Kyrren's gaze. "He's the reason why my brother was haunting Ravyn. Of course, I was ready to knock some sense into him."
Ravyn looked at her.
And just as the silence threatened to become awkward...
"Ready to fight an Instructor? That was bold. I like it."
A trio of young women approached. The speaker was tall and powerfully built, her muscles thick and evident.
Beside her, another who carried herself with a severe, poised dignity, gave a subtle shake of her head.
"Of course you like her." she said. "Because you once did the same thing."
Clutching tightly to the large arm was another young woman, who was small, nearly swallowed by her clothes and practically vibrating with shyness. She was whispering urgently.
"Hey, we shouldn't bother other people." she squeaked.
"Relax, Cyn. They're not bothered." The tall one extended her hand toward the Brenford Thrine. "I'm Leona. This is Aurelia and the shy one is Cynthia. We are from Cranston."
Leona's grip was firm as she shook hands. "Hope to see you guys in the battlefield." she finished, a grin splitting her face.
The Cranston trio then moved on to survey the environment.
Kyrren watched them go. "Gosh." he eventually sighed. "Shy girl is a cutie."
Luna smiled. "She reminds me of…"
"Ria." Ravyn finished for her. They looked at each other and they smiled.
Kyrren, spotted a crystalline slate that had materialized, displaying information on the first game.
"Ah, come on!" Kyrren said, staring at the names. "Northwood City and Wenstorn. Why weren't we on the first game?"
Luna gave a pragmatic shrug. "It's a good thing. We'll learn some things about other participants and maybe a strategy or two before our turn."
"That is boring." Kyrren lamented, already feeling the drag of inactivity. "I want the action."
Ravyn's eyes finally moved past the list of competitors to the immense, looming spectacle of the Arcane Realm.
"Sometimes, boring is good."