SWNOVELS Chapter 35: Stepping back into time
We all stroll back into the main entry hall and head for the elevators. As we enter them, I look to Fenris as he motions for the pack to follow him up the stairs, seeing how I’m not quite sure how they’d all fit in here. Oh sure they could all fly into our shadows, however…I think they would still prefer the stairs given how many there are.
As we ride the elevator, I feel someone taking my hand. I pan over to see Kenji smiling to me. I grin softly, holding his tightly.
“I can’t get over how amazing you were, Ariko,” he says.
My cheeks burn softly as I smile to him. “Thank you. I…hope I didn’t scare you.”
He leans in closer. “You did a little. However, I knew what you doing after your sister explained it to me.”
I smile, feeling somewhat relieved. I know I’m conscious of how I am with everyone around me, however it’s with my boyfriend I’m even more so. Especially with what’s been happening. I sigh softly as I lay my head onto his shoulder as the elevator travels up.
We soon hear the chime, announcing our arrival to the second floor. As we all file out into the hallway, I find that we are greeted not only by the pack, but also the combat maids.
Arcturus looks to me. “How about I take your mother to my residence and you go to hers? There are also empty ones on this level you all can use as well.”
I grin to the both of them, wondering what they’re going to be talking about. Perhaps future plans? Mom merely smirks and flicks my ear as the pair, along with Abigale, heads down the hallway.
Orga looks to Kenji, “I believe it best if you came with me, young man.” Both Fenris and Leto stroll past them, nodding. My boyfriend looks to me a little nervous.
I grin, “Just go.” I’m thinking the boys are going to have a little “chat”. Heh, Fenris in particular.
He nods and goes with them as Lyra hands a suitcase to Orga. My aunts, Kateryna and Marie follow suit, heading for another residence not too far down the hall.
I turn down the opposite way, followed by Marron and Silvi. I grin softly as I glimpse Athena and Nelly walking behind us. I shake my head, loving that I have all of them with me.
We enter the residence, with me scanning around. It’s still the same as the first time was here, barely touched. Makes me wonder if the servants clean them while their owners are away.
I look up the stairs seeing a pair of doors on the second level. “Mom’s room is the first door. Mine’s the second.”
My sisters nod as we head up the stairs. I streak my hand along the railing, no longer feeling as nervous as I was the first time I was here. If anything, I’m not as over-exhausted say from traveling for over twelve hours by plane.
I step into my room with Bianca handing us each a suitcase as my sisters walk into Mom’s. I look around, seeing that nothing here’s changed either in nearly two years for me. It’s dark and grey as light filters in from the window. Athena and Nelly each stroll in, finding a corner and lie down. I smile, watching as the pair huddles together, groaning softly.
I walk over to my bed and open it, pulling out a fresh set of clothes. As I peel off the kimono, I carefully fold it, making sure not to tear something Yukari gave me. Once I’m done, I gently place it into a cube and stash it away, and then gets dressed. I simply throw on jeans, long-sleeved shirt and a light sweatshirt. After slipping on my boots, I close up the suitcase and plop onto my bed and sit there and watch the wolves, smiling to them.
I curl my tails around me, trying to make sense of the day. Not only did I call out Regulus, I ended a major leak. Not only that, I’ve been reunited with friends and family from Dewloura. So much has happened in an incredibly short amount of time. Now…now we’re about to travel to a place that I called home for four months, to where I may or may not have impacted history, a place the entire world now has its eyes set on.
I pull back on the bed, holding my legs to my chest, feeling anxious and nervous about what’s to come. I sigh softly, staring at my knees. I then feel tails wrapping around mine, looking up to see Athena and Nelly looking at me. I smile to them, leaning over on the bed and pressing my head to theirs.
I reach over and stroke their fur, loving my wolf mother and sister. It sort of feels like it did back in Dewloura, only with one of the wolves now being much bigger.
Nelly nuzzles my face, groaning softly. “Leto and I were always meant for you, Sister. Our parents spoke of us going to you once we came of age.”
I grin, holding onto her. From the very moment I met them, they were always with me, always following me around. I loved simply strolling about the estate, listening to the pitter-patter of their paws as they barked and yipped at me. I still remember the first night they came to my room and slept with me. They’d do it often, simply thrilled to be in the same bed with me.
I sigh softly into her fur. “Sometimes I wish the Fall never happened,” I say softly. “That I grew up in Dewloura with you and everyone.”
She smiles, gently batting my head. “Leto and I wished that as well. We loved going to school with you. To see what you saw.”
I grin, nodding. The days I had them with me were great, granted Fenris and I did have to constantly make sure they didn’t get into too much trouble. I can still remember them watching me during combat training, getting worried if either a classmate or another student got a little too rough with me.
I still love my pack and how they took Fenris and I in. I really hope that one day I will see their parents and the rest of the surviving elders from the estate pack. I will have a home for them all prepared. Heh, I guess Serasfall and Rhea’s plans for me to become a caretaker of a pack are going to actually happen.
My ears flick as I hear the door to my room creak open. I look over to see Marron and Silvi walk over to my bed. Athena and Nelly both pull back as my sisters take a seat on each side of me. I feel them taking my hands and holding me close to them. I smile, clinging tightly as they rest their heads onto mine.
“Our little sister,” says Silvi.
“Our precious baby sister,” adds Marron.
I grin, wrapping my tails around them. We simply sit there in the dark greyness, listening to nothing but the breathing of everyone present. I sigh into my sisters, forever grateful they are a part of my life and the journeys we’ve been on together. Yet we face another, one I wish would just remain a distant thought for the moment.
“Our time is running out, Little Wing”
I nod, “I just wish we had more time.”
Marron plants a kiss to the top of my head. “What comes will come. I know you’ve been growing more and more worried about this.”
I smile, nodding then look to her, knowing much we’ve been through together since September. “Are you nervous?”
She sighs, nodding softly then looks to me. “I’d be a fool if I weren’t. This going to be bigger than anything we’ve ever encountered or dealt with before.”
I nod. We are so far away from our first meeting in Cedar Park, so far away from me first stepping into this entire world I’m a part of now. My entire life has changed so much since I was reborn and I never once thought it become this massive.
I feel Silvi raking her claws through my hair, the tips gently scratching my scalp. I giggle softly, loving it all.
“Are you going to be alright when you return to Dewloura?”
I nod, staring at the wolves in front of me. Their ice-blue eyes gaze back into mine, feeling their heart beating in chest, the connection through the kinship between wolf and man. It’s the ancient bond the stems all the way back to the founding of Dewloura, when my ancient ancestors first were drawn to where the city stands now. There they formed the pact that bound them to each other. A pact I unknowingly have been upholding from the moment Fenris and I bonded.
“I have to be.”
She smiles, pressing her head into mine as does Marron. I close my eyes, loving both of my sisters so much, thanking they’re here with me.
We then hear a knock on the door, turning to see Mom standing there, smiling to us. She’s fully changed and ready for the next leg of our journey.
“It’s time, girls.”
We nods and raise from the bed, with me grabbing my suitcase and we all head down.
When we exit out in the hallway, I find the entire pack lining the corridor in their smaller forms. I smile, and then see everyone ready along with the combat maids further down the hall.
I look to them as the wolves rise to their feet. “Everyone ready?”
They nod. I nod in return and head towards the elevators with Fenris and Athena once more leading the pack towards the stairs.
We exit once more out into the courtyard, with me throwing on my jacket and my backpack. The skies are still grey and ominous, yet I don’t fear them.
Standing in the center of the yard we discover and an entire host of people waiting for us. Le’nia, Viktor along with Alizia and huge group people, all emblazoned with the crest of Titalos. Standing with them are Tanith, Kerrigan and Andriy.
I smile to all of them, seeing that they’re also prepared to travel.
As I approach the host, Viktor and his house bow to me.
”Your Highness,” I hear them all greet in unison.
I smile, bowing my head to them. “Greetings, House Titalos. You honor me by being here.”
I can’t exactly greet them as I would with friends or family. I am their princess and therefore must conduct myself as such.
They smile proudly as they stand. I watch Viktor looking proud and tall, ready to leap feet first into the coming fire, to fight for our homeland. I’m grateful they’re here, even though for nearly all of them, this is the first time they’ve met me. I hope to change that soon.
Viktor turns to me. “More of my house will arrive in Dewloura in due time, my Lady. They are gathering allies as we speak.”
I smile, nodding. Maybe they’ll be able to persuade people from the colonies to fight as well. I’d love to meet them.
“I will lead my clan to Dewloura,” says Tanith. “However it will take time, perhaps a day or two to arrive.”
I nod. His clan has longed to return home. I intend to have to open and ready it for them. Plus, I know we’ve planned to return to school together.
Tulther and Isolde look to me as Ddraig looms over us all. I smile up to my dragonic grandfather as he leans down and nuzzles my face. I giggle, stroking his. Marron reaches over and does the same. The ancient dragon smiles to both of us.
I then feel clawed hands resting on my shoulder, looking up to see his children smiling to me.
“We shall follow as well,” says Tulther, “and bring with us the full might of our clan.”
“As well as making sure to remain hidden of course,” adds Isolde, winking to me.
I grin, knowing our Coven won’t be too far behind them at some point. “Don’t take too long.”
They grin and then step back and fly off, instantly transforming into their full forms. With Tanith smiling to me.
“I shouldn’t be too long.”
I grin, “Just hurry all the same.”
He grins and flies off. I sigh softly as I see him go. What’s coming is a storm that I don’t even think a ryujin can quell. Now we will have the city’s sons and daughters returning to their home, only then be embroiled in a battle for it.
Ddraig looks to Marron and me, smiling proudly. The massive crimson dragon breathes softly on us, filling the air with his hot yet gentle breath.
“I will see you both soon, my precious granddaughters.”
I grin, “Love you, Grandpa.”
“Be safe, Grandpa,” adds Marron.
The old dragon smiles and turns, lifting off and soars after his children. I smile, still in awe of seeing such massive dragons, ones even bigger than Silvi. Of course…my sister is still the best dragon I know.
Le’nia steps close to me. “My family will also arrive in Dewloura on time. However, I wish to travel with you.”
I grin the glance towards the sky. “Is Tanith alright with you going first?”
“Oh, he is,” she replies. “The truth is that it doesn’t matter who gets there first. What does is that we’re going home.”
I smile, knowing that to be the truth. Home for me is many places, in many countries now. I am now returning to one of them, one I helped seal away from the world.
“By the way,” she continues, “how are we traveling there? We clearly aren’t by plane.”
I slowly hear the slow and soft chuckling of my family begins to rise as a smile stretches on my face. The wolves look to me in confusion as does Le’nia.
“What’s so funny?” she asks.
I grin, “We’ll be traveling there by fairy road. It’s an ability I learned last summer. It really helped keep me off everyone’s radar starting back in September."
Again she looks to me confused. I smirk; she’s not the first to be surprised I have this ability.
I hold up my hands, conjuring up the spell circle for it. It’s not like I don’t know where the city should be, more like I just need to make sure I come in close enough to it. I check over the floating symbols, making a few slight adjustments when the destination indicator rejects the first couple attempts.
Once done, I dissolve the spell circle and begin to once more summon forth the latent fae magic. All around me I watch as pink sparkles begin to coalesce in between my hands. The sparkles then graduate into full-on waves of magic as I’m creating a far larger portal than ever before.
“This might take a moment longer,” I tell everyone, grinning. The strain is even greater than when my family traveled here. Before I was transporting over a dozen people. Now…well over seventy if not more when you add in the wolves.
When the orb reaches its zenith, I slam my hands together and flung them apart, opening the portal. I stagger back from the immense strain, only to lumber into my mother. She smiles, keeping me upright as Marron passes me a potion. I grin, popping the cork and downing the concoction, feeling my strength return.
I smile, “Thank you both.”
They smile.
“Aria!” I hear a voice calling out to me. Geez, people sure do love yelling out my name lately.
I turn to see Tobias running to me, carrying a box. I tilt my head as he hands it to me along with a key. He smiles, “This was left behind for you by one of your ancestors. I wanted to give it to you when you returned here after your linage was revealed, seeing how this artifact only made its presence known to me again afterwards.”
I look over the box. It’s about the size of a small jewelry box, made of dark wood, with silver embossments similar to the Ze’criesch. It’s actually quite beautiful as I hold it.
I look up to him, “Who left it and how did they know that I’d be here?” Kinda eerie when you think about it. Well to be fair, a lot of things have been left in place for me over the years for some strange reason.
He smiles, “You have to find that out yourself. It’s been in the keeping of the leader of the Court for over 400 years.”
I smile, taking it, and then chuckle softly. This isn’t another Ze’criesch, I think as I stash it into my bag.
Tobias then steps back, “I wish you luck, Aria.”
I look to him, “Are you not coming?”
He smiles, “I will in time, along with Sabine.”
I smile, nodding, “Don’t take too long.” I think it’s becoming a new mantra for today.
He smiles. “We won’t,” he says as he steps back further.
I smile and turn back to everyone, all while as the portal hums in the background. “Let’s move out.”
They nod and step forward into the road. I look to my family and nod, as I want us to be the last through. Once over the threshold, I feel the opening shut.
We exit out of the portal, finding ourselves in a desolate wasteland. I feel the winds howling as nothing living appears within eyeshot. I sigh softly as I scan around, finding nothing at all. I pull out my phone and check it, surprisingly finding a connection and discover we are in fact in Ukraine, possibly well over two hundred miles even from the nearest city.
Andriy steps over to me amidst the howling winds, which slowly are quelled down, if only a little by Asha.
“No one has settled here in centuries,” he states. “Neither the modern Ukrainian government, the Russians, or even the Mongols ever attempted to settle here.”
I nod, wondering if it was either due the leylines being literally pulled from our world, or perhaps something else kept people away. Another theory could be that the seal acts as a magical deterrent. This is strange given how Dewloura rests on a perfect port on the Black Sea.
I do kneel down and stroke the barren soil, trying to feel out the leylines. I nod, not sensing any mana flowing. I do feel a deep and empty scar where they once flowed, or more like it’s merely been dammed up. Either way, it’s all still tied to the city itself.
“So how are we getting into the city?” asks Marron.
I look around, finding nothing to really suppose an entrance of any kind. I then pull out my Dewloura journal from my bag and open it. I read over the notes I took when Viktor activated the lantern last summer. What I actually saw were the coordinates of the city. I just didn’t know it at the time. It’s how we arrived here.
I soon strum through pages where Serasfall extensively grilled me on lore pertaining to the Xur’canah and its secrets. I finally discover the passages on unlocking the city, reading it carefully.
I nod and stash it away, retrieving the Xur’canah and shifting it to its full form. Andriy stares on in wonder as I hold it. I grin to him as I hold it up. The lantern lives up to its namesake as a light then shines into the void. To everyone’s surprise, a lone pillar becomes visible. At its heart is a hole similar to the one I found in the arch that brought me here in the first place.
I step over to it, pressing the crystal panels, hearing a chime as the sequence progresses. Once the final panel is pressed, the entire lantern lights up. I then insert it into the pillar and twist. Light then spreads out from the center, causing a light humming to be heard as a portal begins to open, gradually growing larger.
I smile, pulling out the lantern and collapse it back into its disc form and stashing it away in my bag. I take a deep breath and step forward, crossing over the threshold, finding myself in the middle of an immense, near-endless forest. I pan around, seeing hills and feeling a stale, dead wind blowing around me.
Further in the distance I can see aqueducts as that snaked their way through the enormous trees. Alongside them I can see the railways that all lead back towards the city. They never were close enough to us, I think.
My eyes follow the rail lines and aqueducts to the center of the city, where I can barely see the fringes and buildings. I sigh softly, gazing upon the sacred crystal as it miraculously is still floating after all this time and being caught off from the leylines. However it’s now dim, almost lifeless. I can’t even feel it calling out to me as it once did.
My ears twist and rotate, trying to locate any sort of movement or sound. To my dismay, I hear nothing as I continue walking forward. Once more I feel the cold, dead wind blowing against me. It stings deeply in my heart, remembering how vibrant the entire region once felt like.
Behind me, I can the murmurs of House Titalos, some filled with excitement, others caution. I even glimpse as some the wolves that have gone ahead of me whine softly out of wariness. I smile to them, knowing I feel the same.
“Where are we?” asks Mom.
I look to her as I stop, “We’re in the western fringes of the forest of Murvol.” I smirk, looking back out onto the forest, “Granted, I’ve never been this far out from the estate.”
She nods.
I let out another sigh as I scan the horizon, trying to locate any familiar markers. My eyes then lock onto the sight of a set of hills I would know anywhere.
I turn back to Viktor, seeing him in sheer awe of simply standing here. I know the same feeling he has right now, the feeling of finally coming home.
I smile to him, folding my tails behind me. “I wish to thank you and your family for remaining loyal to my house for all these centuries. Even though the world thought Shyair was gone, you still clung to the hope of its return.”
He and his house look to me. A few bare a look of pride and excitement.
I nod softly, taking another breath. “Therefore, in order to repay such loyalty, I wish to restore you all to your ancestral home”
He looks to me, smiling warmly and on the verge of tears.
“I…I can’t thank you enough, my Lady,” he says. “This is far and beyond anything I could do to even dream of to repay you for this honor.”
I smile, knowing this is the bare minimum that I can do for them. “Just go home, Master Titalos. Go and see where your ancestors laid their heads down and walked with their feet.”
He grins and turns to his house. I watch as several pull out large vehicles from their bags, each the size of a small bus yet are more like armored transports. I shake my head and laugh at how ubiquitous that spell is. The “Holding” spell, a piece of spatial magic that’s really been handy during my travels, along with Mom’s cubes, which are for more specific use.
As I watch Titalos load up, Marie quickly runs over to me, carrying several handmade radios. I smile, looking to her. “Thanks, Marie.”
She grins, “Anytime, Young Miss. Figured we’d be needing something like this.”
I smirk and walk over to Viktor, handling him one. “Cell service here is obviously nonexistent. And knowing Marie, this thing’s range is easily over ten miles if not more.”
He smiles, taking it and nods. “Thank you again, my Lady. We shall keep in touch. Perhaps I could even send Alizia to you.”
I nod, liking the idea of having her over. Viktor smiles as he and his house then drives off down the road. Even in the past, this was a one of many roads that leads out and away from the city. This particular one leads straight to where I want to go.
Mom looks to me, “Where shall we head to next?”
I take a deep breath and turn towards the far off hills. “Home.”
She smiles and nods. She knows what I mean, a place I truly did come to call my home while I was here. Part of me feels relieved to just be standing here, despite only being a little over two weeks.
I feel soft fur rubbing against my cheeks as Fenris and Athena nuzzle me. I smile, stroking them. I then see Leto and Nelly standing close, both clearly excited.
I smile, nodding. “We should get going.”
They nod, wagging their tails, each bearing a massive grin on their faces.
I then feel a hand on my shoulder, looking up to see Le’nia smiling to me. “I’d like to go with you,” she says. “At least until my house arrives.”
I nod, “You’re more than welcome.” I then giggle to myself, thinking I never had any of them over.
She grins.
I then step back and hop onto Fenris. I look back as Athena kneels down for Mom. I grin to both of my mothers, happy to see them together. Leto strolls over to Marron, who smirks and climbs onto him.
Kenji is the most apprehensive as Nelly motions him up. I grin to him motioning him on. He nods and carefully climbs onto her back. Le’nia and Andriy are the last to do so as Bianca climbs on without hesitation. I pull my bag around and retrieve several maps, passing them around.
I then turn to Kerrigan as she stands without a wolf. She grins, “You know me, cutie.” She then unfurls her wings, which appear more like angel wings rather than a demon’s.
Yukari then slides onto Asha while Silvi takes off with my aunt following her along with Lyra and Marie as she now sports a pair of jet engines out of her back. Orga and Kateryna summon their wave-riders and hop on, flying off into the sky.
I smile and take a deep breath, gently tapping Fenris who nods, and takes off with everyone riding behind and near us.