Chapters 28-30

Chapter 28: An Island

Rienna gasped as the memories stopped flooding through her mind. She had seen the anger of a younger Jenni, from before she was Sovereign. She had seen herself as she traveled. She remembered all of the events they showed her as they knew them.

She knew what they wanted to do. And she couldn’t help but doubt their decision.

She looked around at them. "Are you sure?" she asked with wonder. "Even after what happened last time?"

You are worthy, they said. Their voice rang through Rienna's head. It was not like it'd been in the memories. It sounded like glass wind chimes were hitting against each other, only centimeters away from her skull. It is different this time. You will get your own power.

"What do you mean, 'my own power?'"

We believe we can increase your store of magic. By doing so, you will be able to harness your own power instead of relying on ours like she did. It will take time. The insects began scuttling around, making an opening for another group that was carrying a huge crystal. It wasn't as big as the centerpiece, the one that held their children, but it was big enough for a ten or eleven-year-old child..

Rienna stepped back, anticipating what they wanted her to do. "I'm going to hibernate in a giant crystal?" she asked.

Only for three days, they said. Combined with the magic of the crystal and our own magic, three days will be enough time.

"But what about Xio and Xia?"

The cats? they questioned.

"Yes! What about them? Where are they going to get food? They won't even know where I am!"

Should we lead them here? Will you enter the crystal after?

"Yes!" Rienna promised. "Please?" she added quickly.

Very well, they said. The walls of the room shifted as more bugs poured off them. A group of at least fifty scuttled into a newly formed tunnel, following on the walls and ceiling. You should go as well. The cats will follow you.

Rienna nodded and ran towards the tunnel, the bugs parting a path before her. She suppressed a shudder as she watched dozens of bugs crawl by on the walls.

After a moment, she started hearing confused meowing and growling. "Xio! Xia!" she yelled. "I'm over her! Follow the tunnel!"

"Rienna?" Xio called out. "What's happening?"

Suddenly, the cats turned a corner and were in her sight. "Xia! Xio!" she cried happily. She winced as she saw their fur standing on end and their eyes wide and watching the crystal bugs. "It's okay. The bugs are on our side," she promised. After what she'd seen in their memories, she was certain that they were.

The cats looked doubtful, but they didn't say anything as they approached Rienna. They began rubbing their heads and faces against Rienna's ankles.

"I so happy we finally find you," Xio finally purred.

"The bugs helped," Rienna said, trying to reassure the cats that the crystal beings were okay.

"Aren't them also probably who separate us, though?" Xio reasoned.

"Uh... I'm sure they were just confused," she tried to convince Xio. In truth, they were probably just oblivious. She wasn’t even sure the separation had been purposeful; they seemed to ‘see’ differently than most creatures. "Anyway, they have something to show us." She began walking back down the tunnel. After a moment, the cats began following her warily.

When they reached the central chamber, she showed them the crystal she was supposed to sleep in and began explaining to them what would happen. She told them that while she was in the chamber, she wouldn't be able to feed them; they would have to find the food themselves.

They were both skeptical of the whole idea, reasonably, Rienna had to admit. "What if the memories they showed you were tainted to make you like them better?" Xio asked. "What if something happen when you are asleep?"

Rienna struggled to find an answer. "I don't think they're lying," she said somewhat doubtfully.

"How do you know that?"

"I don't know! They just don't seem like... things that would deceive someone." Xio still didn't look convinced; she wasn’t either, but she wanted to try, maybe a little selfishly, to gain magic. Especially if it helped her bring down the Sovereign.

She tried a different tactic. "If I gain magic that can help me defeat Sovereign Jenni, then we can make it so that the Suppression no longer exists. You can have full powers and still be at home." She kept going once she saw Xio begin to consider what she was saying. "Once I get powers, I can probably make it so that we have quick correspondence with Jen, and you two can work on translating stuff."

"Really?" Xio asked, trying to hide his excitement. However, he was a kitten, so that was impossible to do.

"Of course!" Rienna said, "It'll be amazing!"

Xio hesitated a moment, then spoke with his mother for a bit. Finally, he said, "Okay. You will get magic, then we hads a awesome time."

"Exactly!" Rienna said excitedly. She knew she was supposed to be doing this to help the crystal bugs, but she couldn't help but be excited about the idea of having magic.

Are you in agreement? they asked.

"Yes," Rienna said, trying to look completely serious. Like Xio, she wasn't very good at it.

Good. Step into the carrier. The bugs brought the capsule meant for Rienna to the front of the room where she was. It should be peaceful. We will monitor your unconscious thoughts, just in case.

"Okay," Rienna said. Slowly, she stepped into the giant crystal, shooting one last reassuring smile at the two cats. She lay down inside the structure, despite it not being that comfortable.

Good night, human child. You will awake in three days, they said. The bugs began clamoring into the hole in the crystal, making sure not to actually touch Rienna. She tried not to panic as the last critter climbed into its spot, finally sealing her off from the world.

Rienna lay flat on her back, endless ocean spreading out around her. The sun blazed high above her in a perfectly clear sky that was the color of the Suppression, tinting the world pink. There wasn’t a single cloud in sight; only the sun and the fragments of fractured, crystalline sky.

She lay there, drifting, for hours. The sun never moved, but Rienna could feel the time passing. She felt as if innumerable waves pushed her farther out to sea. Or maybe she could be getting closer to land and not realize it; she didn’t know where she was in relation to any.

Yes, there was an island in the distance. It was beautiful and green, like a bush had grown out of the ocean. As she floated closer, Rienna saw a white sand beach and swaying palm trees.

She felt herself being carried upwards by a large wave. It sparkled purple and blue in the sunlight. It began to froth as it got closer to the shore of the island. Crabs scuttled out of the way as the wave's shadow fell upon them. Gently, it dropped Rienna onto the warm sand and washed away, back into the sea.

Rienna yawned and slowly stood. She looked up and saw giant white seabirds carrying mouthfuls of food inland. She wondered how they got to the middle of the ocean in the first place.

She wandered for a few hours. Feeling the sand between her toes, and the ocean brushing up against her feet. She started into the rainforest that led up the steep slope. Sunlight shone through the branches of trees, and birds chatted above her head. She felt no pain as she walked barefoot across the twig-laden ground.

As she reached the top of the island, the trees began to disperse, leaving a large grassy area at the top. When Rienna turned around, she could see the ocean and the waves crashing against the beach shore.

Then, at the very top of the hill, there was a house. It was tall and made of stone. It was well kept and had a beautiful garden growing around it. There were even butterflies; it was a paradise dropped into the middle of the ocean.

Rienna began navigating through the garden. There were daisies, marigolds, and a bunch of other plants she didn't recognize. As she got closer to the house, a tall woman, maybe in her thirties, opened the door.

A name immediately popped into Rienna's head: Aya.

"Rienna! There you are! I've been waiting for you. Come inside," Aya said, opening the door further.

Rienna smiled and ran the rest of the way to the house.

Aya smiled back and shut the door behind her. "Go sit in the living room. I'll bring some snacks," she said, gesturing to a doorway to the right.

Rienna nodded and walked through the door, past the dining room, and finally into the living room. It was exactly as she knew it would be. A couple of floral-patterned couches sat around a low game table on which lay a half-finished game of Chatunuk and two woven coasters.

Rienna sat on the ground next to the game board. She had never played Chatunuk before, but somehow the rules played through her mind as she studied the setup. Come to think of it, she didn't think she had seen anyone playing Chatunuk back in Vieryen.

Aya walked in holding a platter of crackers and fruits as well as two glasses of orange juice. She set the glasses on the coasters and put the plate beside the Chatunuk board. "I also made a broccoli dip, straight from the garden," she said with a smile.

Rienna beamed and heartily scooped a cracker through the dip. She plopped it in her mouth and chewed happily. Aya made the best food. "When was Chatunuk created?" she asked after she finished the cracker.

"I was taught that Chatunuk was created at the beginning of magic to help teach young mages." Aya laughed. "Sometimes I think it was an excuse my teachers used to give my friend a lower grade."

"Why? Did they not like your friend?" Rienna asked. It was hard to imagine Aya being friends with someone a professor wouldn't like.

Aya smiled and popped a berry into her mouth. "My friend was a powerful mage, but she was wild and disobedient. She never had a care for rules." She looked upward, lost in the memory. Shaking her head, she continued, "Anyway, she was terrible at Chatunuk, so the teachers used it as a way to grade us."

"Your friend sounds funny." Rienna watched as Aya plucked a grape from the platter and ate it.

"She was..." Aya trailed off, looking out a window.

Rienna hesitated. "Can we play?"

Aya looked back at her and grinned, "Nope. We have studying to do!" She jumped up and grabbed a book from the shelf, and placed it on the table. A Beginner’s Guide to Magicka.

"What's magicka?" Rienna asked, peering at the book.

"That's what you're going to find out!" Aya flipped open the cover and turned the book cover to show Rienna the first chapter. "Magicka is what we use to cast magic," she explained. "There are two major types of magicka. One is what animals usually have: a special talent that they can use at any time for however long." She turned the page and pointed to two pictures. One of a flying squirrel, the other of a human casting a spell. "Then there's what we have. We can cast many different magics, but we have a limit. That limit is determined when we are born and never naturally increases. But you," she smiled, "You are lucky. You're going to be able to actually cast magic of your own. No human has had that chance in centuries."

Aya shut the book and pushed it to Rienna. "Read this book. You're going to need to learn a lot before you leave." She stood, taking one last fruit from the plate. "How about you meet me in the garden later? I have a lot of weeding to do today. I'll teach you some tips and tricks."

"Okay," Rienna said with a confused smile. "I'll find you." Something about those words sparked a memory in the back of her head. She didn't know why, but by the time she decided it was no big deal, Aya had left, and Rienna was alone with the book and the platter.

She glanced around the room. Finally, she picked up the platter and set it on the couch before sitting next to it with the book. Curling her legs up onto the couch, she began to read.

Chapter 29: Books of Magic

Rienna contentedly read the book on magicka for hours. Normally, she wasn't a fan of reading non-fiction books, but it was all so fascinating to her, and soon enough, she had polished off the crackers and dip and was deep into the fifth chapter.

She learned of the different magicka abilities everyone had. According to the book, those who could cast magic were either of minor, medium, or major magicka storage. The fretch had 'major' storage levels and could cast higher-level spells daily. Those with medium storage could cast higher spells weekly and lower spells daily, and so forth. Many beings with minor magicka could never cast higher-level spells alone. And those who couldn’t cast at all had minimal magicka storage; no living creature lived without magicka, even if they couldn’t cast it.

Currently, Rienna was on a part describing infusion, the process Jenni used to take magic from the crystals. It explained what it was, but never how to use it. She supposed that was purposeful on Aya’s part, though she didn’t dwell on why.

Once Rienna finished her chapter, she set the book down and stood up. She set the platter on the table and drank the last bit of her orange juice. Now she had to find Aya.

She wasn't exactly sure what Aya wanted to teach her, but after being given that book, she knew it had to be something with magic. She wondered whether Aya used magic on her plants and if that's what she was going to teach Rienna first. The plants certainly seemed to be in constant prosperity.

She found Aya in the vegetable garden in the back. She was expertly tending to the various greens and was harvesting tomatoes from the vines nearby. It didn't seem like she was using magic.

"Hi! I didn't finish the book, but you said for me to find you, right?" Rienna wrung her hands to try and suppress her nerves and excitement.

Aya looked up and saw Rienna. "Yes! Don't worry, you don't need to finish that book anytime soon. It can only teach you so much. Let's go down to the beach." She stood up and smiled, putting one last vegetable in her bucket.

They traveled a dirt path through the forest and down to the beach. Rienna breathed in the salty air with a smile. She wished there was a beach in Vieryen; she would visit it whenever she could.

Aya picked up a handful of sand and let it run through her fingers. "One of the first things a mage learns to do is detect magic," she said. "This entire island is magic. The sand is magic, the trees and rocks are magic. As you learn, you will be able to detect magic from afar. For now, you'll need to touch the object. Sit down and pick up a handful of sand."

Rienna quickly obliged, sitting on the top of her ankles and knees. The sand was warm, and her skirt flowed into a perfect circle around her. She held the sand in her hands with care, not letting any grain escape.

"Close your eyes and imagine the sand in your hands," Aya said. "Good. Do you see the sand?"

"I see my hands holding the sand. Is that right? It seems normal to me." Rienna's eyes scrunched in confusion. This was exciting, yes, but this wasn't magic. Nothing was even happening yet.

"Patience," Aya chided kindly. "Imagine the sand's magic. Feel its magic like you feel its heat. See the glow of magic in the sand."

Rienna imagined light blue sparkles swirling around the sand. It was beautiful, but once she let the image go, it disappeared, and she knew it was not real. "I don't get it. Everything I see is just my imagination."

"Perhaps... magic can look different to each person. Are you sure it is your imagination?" Aya prompted.

Rienna paused for a moment. "Yes... I can move the 'magic' with my mind. It does not stick to the sand."

"You've felt magic before. Do you remember what it felt like?"

"I do!" Rienna exclaimed, "I don't remember what it was, but there was a jolt."

"Use that memory," Aya encouraged. "Feel for the same kind of jolt from the sand."

"But I didn't have to try to feel the jolt before," Rienna protested.

"You were touching something that was stuffed full of magic. This is different; you have to look for the magic."

Rienna sighed and forced her eyes to stay shut. Her hands tensed as she searched for the feeling of magic. She imagined the shock that she'd felt, the feeling of light coursing through her nervous system. A sharp prick went through her palm and spread through her hand. She instinctively knew it was magic, but it didn't surge through her entire body like she remembered. It got to her wrists and stopped.

"You've found it," Aya observed. "What does it look like?"

Rienna extended her senses to include her eyes, still holding onto the feeling of magic. She pictured the sand in her hands, this time including the feeling of magic in the image. Slowly, she saw the sand begin to glow a soft pink-purple color. Like the Suppression. "It's glowing... pink and purple. It's not swirling around the sand like I thought it would. It just... glows." It took all her effort not to open her eyes to see what Aya's expression was. "Is all magic this color?"

Aya laughed softly. "No. All the magic on this island is that color, but each person is unique in their color. My friend, who was always getting in trouble, had a bright orange and yellow magic, like a hot fire." She chuckled again, even quieter than before. "Anyway, before we get into that, slowly let go of the sand. The light should slowly fade in your mind."

Rienna nodded and let the sand drain from her hands, like an hourglass. The pinkish glow fell with the sand, vanishing from her sight. As more and more sand fell, the glow got softer and softer in her hands. Finally, only a few grains of sand were left, and she easily brushed them from her hands.

She frowned and opened her eyes to look at her palms. She peered at them, looking for lingering bits of sand. There were none. She closed her eyes again and looked for magic in her hands again. She found the sense much faster this time and confirmed what she'd thought before. "How come my hands are still glowing from the sand?" she said. She looked up at Aya, who smiled.

“'That which is magic, will leave a residue of magic,'" Aya recited. "Chapter seven of that book I gave you, I believe. Everything that has enough magic to manifest a talent or cast spells, or would be able to do if it were alive, leaves its magic on whatever it touches. A mage's home is full of magic. Like cat hair," she said with a smile.

"Oh. I haven't gotten to that part yet."

"That's okay. You'll have plenty of time to read," Aya said. "Now. Before we go back, look inward to your own magic. I see you as a light blue, but sometimes I get it wrong. Especially on the island..."

Rienna obeyed eagerly, slamming her eyes shut and looking for the feeling of magic. Deep inside her, she felt a pang of magic. She imagined herself from Aya's view. It was not what she was expecting. Her skin began to glow a light blue from within. The light wasn't super noticeable; she hardly noticed that her skin seemed a different color.

But then there was the (web? Nervous system? Root system?) of magic. Rienna couldn't put a name to it. It was a bright sky blue jumble of thread weaving through her torso and sending wisps of thread all the way to the tips of her fingers and the ends of her toes. It could even be seen in some roots of her hair.

It was fascinating, but also quite unflattering.

Rienna opened her eyes and made a face. "You're right. The magic is light blue, I think. It looks really weird."

Aya laughed. "Yeah, it does." She smiled at Rienna for a moment and then gestured to the sand again. "Let's keep going. I'll enchant a particular grain, and let's see if you can pick it out from the rest."

Chapter 30: Learning

Rienna didn't realize that Aya was looking for her until the woman burst into the bedroom.

"Rienna! I've been calling for you," she scolded gently.

"Sorry! I've been distracted," Rienna said, quickly finishing her last sentence and putting the quill down.

Aya walked over to the end table. "What's this?" she asked. She gently picked up the book so as not to disturb the ink and peered at the cover. Her face lit with recognition. "Jenni's old journal..." she said faintly.

Rienna worried that Aya was upset. "Um, yes. I found it in the library."

Aya smiled. "I see you have been continuing the journal. I think that's a great idea, Rienna. It seems right that you write of the aftermath of Jenni's reign."

Inwardly, Rienna sighed with relief. "Thank you," she said meekly. "What were you calling me for?"

"It's time for our next session!" Aya said excitedly. "Let's go back down to the beach."

Rienna immediately stood up, and they made their way back down to the shore and the lesson began. "Two very important things for a sorceress to learn are the creation of light and then diffusion." Aya grabbed Rienna's hands. "First, though, let's review. See if you can detect my magic."

Rienna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, searching for magic. The sense came quickly and sharply. Once she found it, she felt Aya’s magic all the way to her toes. Her image blazed fiercely in Rienna's mind. Her skin glowed a bright pinkish purple, like the sky, and her system of magic shone a summer yellow throughout her entire body.

Rienna gasped and withdrew her hands. "You—you're two colors?" she asked, confused.

"Yes. My magic is yellow, but I am bound to this island, my body made of their magic," Aya explained. "It wasn't always this way, but now I am no longer a true mortal being."

"Why are you here? Did you die? Were you dying before you came here?" Rienna couldn't stop the barrage of questions that flowed out of her mouth.

Aya smiled sadly. "No. I was not dying. We came to the caves, and I became enamored with the ecosystem. They offered me this, and I accepted. I stayed on Earth for many more years before the time came when I knew all I wanted to accomplish in my life was to study them.

At first, my friends would visit me yearly, but I know they must have eventually died. They never really wanted to stay here like I do. I remember my life, I remember the important stuff from my time on this island. Like Jenni. Like I'll remember you. Everything else fades. Time is strange here anyway; a day can turn out to be a year or a minute. It is all up to them."

"Aren't you ever lonely?" Rienna asked, trying to read Aya's expression.

"Not most of the time. They keep me company... and, like I said, time…" She trailed off before suddenly clapping her hands together, making Rienna jump. "Enough of this. The point was for you to see what someone with major magicka storage looks like. I suspect you'll have somewhere between minor and medium, meaning you'll have to be careful with more powerful mages." She picked up a nearby stone. "You will also need to learn diffusion. Here, I have emptied the rock of magic."

Rienna took the rock as Aya continued. "Find your source of magic. That bright blue web inside yourself. Stretch the thread through your arm and into the rock. Then, let the thread go, sealing your magic within the rock. That's it!" Aya finished.

"Uh..." Aya made it sound so easy. "Okay." Rienna closed her eyes and found her magic. She imagined the thread snaking down her arm and into the rock. Her invisible, mental hand pulled the thread down through her fingers. She pooled it into the pebble and felt a pressure in her hand like it was being gripped tightly. "How do I separate the thread?" Rienna asked, her voice strained. Somehow, it felt as though if she let go of the thread, it would be pulled back into her arm.

"Let go of it," Aya insisted. "Release your control over the picture."

Reluctantly, Rienna removed her mental presence from the web. She inhaled sharply as the thread was abruptly cut off at her fingertip and the rest shot up to rest at her shoulder. She felt a moment of pressure and pain like her arm's blood flow was being cut off, then her magicka grew back to its original length.

"Yes! Exactly like that!" Aya exclaimed. Rienna smiled proudly before Aya continued. "I should warn you, your magic will not replenish itself that quickly. You will feel that missing magicka for much longer. It will also be painful when you overload yourself through infusion."

Rienna's expression darkened as she imagined an entire day waiting for her magic to grow back. "But doesn't Jenni overload herself constantly just to gain her magic?"

Aya hesitated. "She spent a lot of time getting used to the pain, and it got easier the longer she did it. To cast more powerful spells, you'll have to do similar. Fortunately, your magic will still be your own. You will never need to draw magic from others."

Rienna nodded understandingly. "Don't worry. I will never follow in Jenni's footsteps."

The hours and days passed both quickly and slowly. Rienna wrote her experiences in the journal, and Aya taught her magic. By channeling her magic into her hand, she could create an orb of light. By using her magic to manipulate the materials of objects, she could lift the quill in the air. She couldn't write well with it that way, but it was still pretty cool.

Rienna often wandered around the island practicing the various spells she learned. She could pick the highest fruits and lure birds down to the ground with them. Soon enough, she learned how to increase or decrease the temperature, create fire, and cast a shield. There wasn't much else she desired.

Aya, though, knew better than to assume Rienna would need only practical spells and started teaching her defensive and offensive spells.

"An important thing you'll need to know is how to dispel," Aya told Rienna one session at the beach. "The whole reason you need this magic is to help you stop Jenni's reign. Which means you'll likely come upon a time when magic is used on you."

Rienna nodded somberly. "Right," she said.

"Now that you can detect magic from a distance, you can also see when people cast a spell. Watch me." As Rienna closed her eyes and tapped into the realm of magicka, Aya began swirling her hands through the air, beginning to cast a spell. Rienna saw her yellow magicka spin out of her fingertips and form a flat disk of magic that she sent into the air, covering the sun for a moment before falling to the ground in a pile of magical dust that was absorbed by the sand. It was a mere spectacle, a firework, but it still excited Rienna.

Then the yellow magic resurfaced, and the sand began to shift under her feet. The yellow magic circled around the area where she was standing, getting faster and more intense by the minute. Rienna's eyes shot open, and she jumped to the side just in time to avoid the sand that began to shoot up from the ground.

Her heart beat wildly as she stared at the sand. She took a breath and calmed herself down as she realized that the sand was only spouting a few inches into the air.

"Good! You saw what was coming; that will also be useful. I'll cast the spell again. Try to dispel it by reaching out with your magic to cut the thread of mine." Aya waited for Rienna to catch her breath, but not for her to say she was ready. She began to swirl her hands in the air once more.

Rienna slammed her eyes shut and tuned into the plane of magic. She saw Aya's magic swirling through the air and instinctively shot out her hand and her magic. Her magic wrapped around Aya's, and she pulled her arm back and abruptly cut Aya's stream of magicka before she could complete her spell.

Aya staggered back as the spell was broken. Rienna herself felt a loss of magic as some of it faded away outside her body. She regained her composure, and Rienna saw yellow magicka quickly replace that which was lost.

"Wow," Aya said with a grin, "Not many people can learn to dispel that quickly. Maybe the manipulation of other people's magicka will be something you're good at. I knew someone like that. He could cause spells to backfire or mutate so well that he never had to cast a spell of his own, his opponent's magicka always drained, leaving them defenseless... I'll have to teach you such things before you leave."

"That would be great!" Rienna said. The idea of leaving the island daunted her. She knew magic wouldn't be as easy, and this comforting dreaming feeling would dissipate. She was aware that she would leave eventually, but she cherished the innocent happiness and peace that came with the place.

"Though I should teach you some attack spells first."

"Alright," Rienna said, unsure whether she wanted to learn how to hurt people, even if it was in self-defense.

Aya started guiding Rienna through various offensive enchantments and spells. "For such a spell to work, you must give your magic a tangible form. Start by using wind," she suggested. "Try casting with your eyes open; you won't be able to see things coming if you always rely on them being closed." She drew a circle in the sand. "This is your target; more important than the spell itself is the aim." Each time Rienna cast a spell, Aya had a suggestion or something else for her to do.

This went on longer than any other session had in the past. Rienna could sense Aya's hidden nerves and worries as lessons upon lessons were crammed into her brain. The end of her stay must be coming soon, she reasoned.

Yet it seemed that many days passed with only small moments of recovery between practices. Through the journal, she learned that even Jenni hadn't stayed on the island so long. Already, Rienna's section was much thicker than Jenni's. She had to admit, though, this was partially because Rienna's handwriting was bigger and she was adding more details anyway.

Despite the dreamlike feeling, she began to miss her cats. They had almost always been with her, especially during those last couple of weeks in the real world. By now, it had almost certainly been a month in Rienna's mind, and she was becoming more and more aware of real life as time on the island started to zip by, hours turning into mere minutes.

She started to recall the events that led her here. Jen, Rildie, and Måren, even Mina. She remembered floating in the ocean for hours before reaching the island. Yet she still knew there was some kind of gap between the Four Towns and the dream. Sometimes she remembered, but it usually fled from her within a couple of moments.

She remembered the most when she wandered the coastal cliffs. Something about the sheer rock faces that towered above her made her feel closest to reality. Sometimes she sought out the cliffs, wanting more clarity. Most of the time, though, she avoided the cliffs at all costs. They made her think about the possibilities that Aya was a creation of theirs. That she was never a real person. Rienna preferred not to think of that. It made her feel lonely.

"You seem distracted," Aya said to her once.

"I am," Rienna replied, "It seems to me as if this place is becoming less and less real."

Aya sighed. "I was afraid of that. Soon, you will have to leave. You are waking up." She looked out the window sadly. "I must show you something."

Rienna followed her out of the room and into the rainforest. They went off the path and towards the coastal cliffs. As she was led down into a small cave beneath the cliff face, Rienna had to shove any thoughts to the back of her mind and focus on what was around her to prevent the world from going fuzzy.

They reached an opening to the sea, and there was a small beach right at the edge of it. Water splashed gently against the shore, just inside the cave. Aya pointed to a shallow boat in the sand. "That was Jenni's boat. It was practical and quick, just like her. She left, and a few days later, her boat returned, a signal that she had left." She turned to Rienna. "You must build your own boat to leave. If you don't return the way you came, you may be stuck in an in-between state that you might never return from."

Rienna swallowed and took a deep breath. "How do I build a boat?"

"You don't need much to make a boat here. You use materials that float and use your magic to bind them together. This will only work here because of your unlimited supply of magic." Aya walked to the edge of the water and let the sea gently wash over her feet. "You will then launch your boat from here and sail back to consciousness. Or paddle, it really depends on how you build your boat. I wouldn’t worry too much about it; you’re dreaming, your imagination will keep it going more than anything else."

Rienna walked up to stand next to Aya. She looked up at the woman's elegant face. "What will happen to you?"

"I will remain here. Perhaps one day another young mage will be sent to me, and I will train them. Until then, I will wait."

"It'll be lonely, though, won't it?"

Aya looked down at Rienna and smiled. "Remember, time works strangely here. A day could pass for me, and a hundred years could pass for you. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I enjoy the peacefulness of nature." She took Rienna's chin to prevent her from looking away. "You have no such luxury. You must build your boat before you can no longer focus on this world. I can see it in your eyes. You must hurry."