Read The Fair Elf Princess Page 6

The Master of the Shrine

  Tenzin began levitating off of the grass until he was hovering above the head of the dragon which had not moved.

  "Wisteria, tell everyone their duties in our conflict with the Black Knights," said Tenzin as he took seat on the dragon. "You are the leader of the shrine in my absence."

  "I understand, my dear," said Wisteria, walking out from in between a group of bluish skinned individuals, turning to face the crowd of onlookers.

  The dragon lowered its head so that it was touching the grass.

  "This is Fai, my spirit companion," explained Tenzin as he pet the dragon's ears. "Please take seat on Fai."

  Elliot and Rosewielder looked cautiously at each other.

  "I assure you that he's no danger to those I do not consider my enemies," said Tenzin lightheartedly.

  Elliot climbed on board the dragon's neck, feeling the creature's rough skin rub against his clothes while Rosewielder hoisted herself on from the opposite side. They quickly elevated as the beast raised its head off the ground, and Elliot tightened his legs around the creature's long body, determined not to fall off. He felt Rosewielder grab hold of him as the creature surged forward with great speed, the wind slapping coolly against them. They rapidly increased altitude and, when Elliot looked back, he noticed that they'd already traveled a substantial distance as the shrine was now far behind him, seeing a large golden dome structure that he was sure was the outside of the chamber they'd been in when they arrived at the shrine.

  "I will now tell you the story of how I became the master of the shrine," said Tenzin as they flew above a large field peppered with Tibetan lambs. "I was born in Southern Tibet in the year 551 BC. As a child I would help my father and mother tend to the livestock and put food on the table."

  "550 BC?" said Elliot. "That would make you over a thousand years old."

  "Then you've consumed youth elixirs?" said Rosewielder curiously.

  "Yes, I do, everyday, in fact," said Tenzin. "The event that led me to do so occurred a little less than a decade after my childhood. I'd met a young woman named Yama from a neighboring village. She was sweet and compassionate. After all these years memories of her seem like nothing more than the vague indulgences of a pleasant dream. However, I do remember that we used to journey through the snake's belly as we discussed the tribulations of day to day living during that era. Life was often short and cruel. I believe that's the place," said Tenzin as they flew over a sublimely aesthetic mountainous region with a small flattened pathway that winded erratically through the surrounding terrain. "Yama had told me stories of how her family struggled merely to feed themselves. This was a reality which many people shared in the few surrounding villages," began Tenzin sadly. "It was a couple weeks after I'd met her, during one of our strolls, that she learned of her powers."

  "You mean she was a conjurer?" asked Rosewielder as they flew over a part of the mountain sprinkled with snow.

  "Yes, but she was a conjurer with a unique ability. Can you guess what that ability was?" asked Tenzin.

  "She was like me. She could tap into the otherworld through her dreams," said Elliot. "That's what you're saying?"

  "You are correct, Elliot. She was what I now call a dream conjurer. I recall the day when she brought me to a hidden area a small ways away from her village, surrounded by grass and bushes, and showed me huge pots of rice, noodles, soups and other foods, things that were considered delicacies back then. Naturally, I was dumbfounded as to how she'd acquired the items and that's when she disclosed to me that she'd retrieved them from her dreams."

  "Did you believe her? What did you think?" asked Elliot eagerly.

  "I was skeptical of such a claim, but, perhaps, not as skeptical as someone who'd never heard of the concept of the otherworld," explained Tenzin. "Back in those days, there was one particular village elder who my father claimed to have conjured a wooden staff right before his very eyes, apparently out of nowhere. His name was Dawa. I urged Yama to meet with Dawa to see the legitimacy of her claims and, after watching her sleep one night, he described how objects unexplainably materialized in her hands just as she awoke. Dawa believed her power to be a blessing and a curse, realizing that Yama's imagination was filled with the turbulence and emotions of a young woman inexperienced with conjuring. He offered to train her, but ordered her to wear a ring he'd constructed that would disrupt her aura, preventing her from accessing the otherworld while dreaming. She refused."

  "She refused? But why? I don't understand. He was trying to help her, was he not?" asked Roswielder.

  "I believe that having the power to feed her entire village was too much for her to relinquish," explained Tenzin just as they passed by a group of clouds. "It wasn't long after that when the black dragon came."

  "The black dragon?" said Elliot questioningly. "Do you mean she conjured a…dragon?"

  "Yes. In fact, it was right here, in this very location, where it happened," said Tenzin as Fai, the dragon, abruptly stopped above a flat barren impression on the mountain littered with rocks. "I'd been gathering berries a good ways away in preparation for a family celebration for my father's birthday when I heard it, a bone chilling sound. It was the roar of the black dragon and, upon looking up, I saw an enormous beast hovering over my village. The next thing I knew, a hellish fire descended upon my home. Everyone I'd cared for died that day, including Yama."

  "I'm sorry, Tenzin," said Elliot, staring down at what used to be Tenzin's home. "You're certain that the dragon came from Yama's dreams?

  "Yes, Dawa and I tried convincing her to let him teach her how to access the otherworld through meditation and focus but were unsuccessful," explained Tenzin.

  "May I ask what happen to the black dragon?" said Rosewielder compassionately.

  "It was defeated by my own hand six years later," answered Tenzin. "After seeing the powers of the conjurers I vowed to prevent other catastrophes by becoming a conjurer, myself, and using my abilities to destroy evil spirits and people who intentionally summoned them. I traveled the world in search of people like Dawa and met a foreign mystic conjurer by the name of William Flamel. We discovered that my aura was strong enough for me to become a conjurer. Under his tutelage I developed the skills of meditation, focus, visualization, the requirements necessary for safely tapping into the otherworld. Master Flamel said my aura was powerful, even for a conjurer. This became apparent when I conjured Fai without depleting my natural aura."

  "I understand. Larger spirit items require more aura from the conjurer. I learned that the hard way," said Elliot as Fai began moving forward again.

  "Yes, you are correct, but it's not just the size of the spirit item or spirit. Spirits and items that possess powerful abilities drain more aura from the conjurer," explained Tenzin. "I discovered that my dragon, Fai, was more powerful than Yama's as we both waged war on the black dragon, eventually defeating it after two days and two nights. Nevertheless, I knew my work was not done. I consumed youth elixirs from the otherworld which increased my lifespan, all the while taming my conjuring abilities through the centuries, until I was able to conjure my own shrine. The Shrine of Tenzin is a sanctuary for spirits in a world that is not yet ready for them."

  "Why isn't the world ready for us?" asked Rosewielder irritably. "This world is our home too."

  "I agree with you completely," said Tenzin. "However, humans sometimes fear what they can't control. As a spirit, you have powers that humans will never know unless they tap into the magic of the otherworld. Unless you are killed, you will live hundreds, possibly, thousands, of years."

  "So, what will happen to me?" asked Rosewielder. "What will happen to us a hundred years from now?"

  "Elliot will have to make the Conjurer's choice," answered Tenzin.

  Tenzin looked back at Elliot, his tranquil black eyes studying him.

  "He must decide whether to consume youth elixirs to contin
ue living by your side or to live a normal human lifespan."

  "Don't worry, Rosewielder. We'll figure something out," said Elliot, trying to convince himself.

  Tenzin gave him a hopeful look before turning back towards the front.

  "Elliot, when did you first learn that you were a dream conjurer?" asked Tenzin as Fai approached a high grassy cliff.

  "It was recently. About a month ago I noticed that I could take things out of my dreams."

  "You've never been able to tap into the otherworld before that point? Is that correct?" asked Tenzin.

  "Yes, before the accident I couldn't conjure anything."

  "Accident? What do you mean?" asked Tenzin.

  "A car accident left me with a concussion. I was in the hospital for a while," explained Elliot.

  "That's quite intriguing," said Tenzin thoughtfully as Fai began descending closer to the cliff, its enormous wings riffling the surrounding grass until eventually landing with unbelievable gentleness for a creature of its size.

  Tenzin quickly levitated off of Fai and flew towards the edge of the cliff before landing. Rosewielder and Elliot hopped off the dragon and walked over to Tenzin, looking around at the grassy mountain landscape.

  "What is it, Tenzin? You have something on your mind. I know you do," said Rosewielder, studying him.

  "Do you think my concussion gave me my conjuring powers?" asked Elliot.

  "No, I do not. I believe that you already possessed the potential to be a conjurer. It's possible that the accident may have simply warped your dormant abilities," explained Tenzin, still gazing ahead at the splendid horizon. "Conjurers naturally have stronger auras than non-conjurers. This allows them to access the otherworld. A concussion wouldn't affect the aura you possess but it may have modified your powers."

  "To think that I had these powers in me the whole time. It's unbelievable," said Elliot, looking down at his hands.

  "Tenzin, before we left, you mentioned something called the Black Knights. Who are they?" asked Rosewielder suddenly.

  "They are an alliance of rogue conjurers and spirits that the council has been battling for centuries now. We have reason to believe that they're responsible for the missing status of many people. Despite that, we've been unable to determine the identity of their leader. They are experts at hiding their tracks," explained Tenzin with disgust.

  "Maybe that's what we should be doing as dream saviors, Elliot. What if we should be fighting with the council against threats like the Black Knights," said Rosewielder.

  "No, your focus should not be on the Black Knights. You both have more important matters at hand. I have a request for you, Elliot," said Tenzin, turning around, giving him an earnest expression.

  "What is it?" asked Elliot.

  "I knew deep down that this day would come again, the day when I would meet another dream conjurer," said Tenzin, placing his hand in his robe and pulling out something small. "Over a thousand years ago Dawa failed to convince Yama to wear a ring such as the ring I hold in my hand. This led to a disaster. A millennia later, I ask you,Elliot, to wear this ring, preventing you from accessing the otherworld in your dreams. In exchange, the council will teach you our style of conjuring. You'll be able to control what you conjure into our world but it will require from you intense focus, visualization, and meditation. Do you accept my offer?"

  Elliot glanced at Rosewielder who was looking at him with the same earnestness that Tenzin wore.

  "I"ll admit that being a dream conjurer is rewarding at times. That's how I summoned Rosewielder and Mr. Winslow Jr. but I've summoned my share of evil spirits. It's time for me to clean up my past mistakes. I accept," said Elliot, holding out his hand.

  Tenzin walked forward, placing a simple silverfish ring in his hand but, as it touched Elliot's palm, he experienced a peculiar sensation which he could best describe as feeling like the energy in his body was being drawn to the ring.

  "It feels strange," said Elliot.

  "It could take some time getting used to but you must promise me to wear this ring whenever you're not practicing your conjuring," said Tenzin in a strict voice.

  "I will," said Elliot. "But there are two spirits I summoned that are on the run. I thought they would help me in my quest as a dream savior but they turned against me."

  "The council will search for them but if you wish to defeat them then it's imperative that you focus on your conjurer training. Fortunately, there is a fellow conjurer, a friend of mine, who resides near you. Her name is Elvira Springs and she lives in the states at a house in California with the address 3870 Wisteria Springs," explained Tenzin.

  "That's Julie's house!" said Elliot surprisedly.

  "Yes, she has a granddaughter named Julie, if I recall. It seems that you two have already been acquainted."

  "How do you know Julie's grandmother?" asked Elliot with interest.

  "Elvira is a distant descendant of the woman who has encaged my heart, Adelphia, but you two know her as Wisteria. She and I, both, have taught Elvira everything she knows about conjuring and the otherworld," explained Tenzin.

  "How long have you known Wisteria?" asked Rosewielder eagerly.

  "I met Adelphia in the year 150 AD. So, I've been blessed with knowing her a very long time," said Tenzin, his expression becoming dreamy eyed as his previous seriousness heavily dissipated.

  However, within seconds, his face sharpened once again.

  "She'd been a slave woman in Rome for several years after her country was invaded. She faced many hardships, being taken advantage of by those in power. It was often too much for her to bare and, after many fits of extreme rage, she unknowingly accessed the otherworld, conjuring a malicious spirit. Adelphia's conjuring was unintentional and this was reflected by creature's imperfections. It was grotesque, humanoid but beastly, and extremely dangerous. The Roman townspeople called it a golem. This creature killed many people," explained Tenzin.

  "That's horrible," said Rosewielder with shock.

  "Yes, it was an unfortunate occurrence. Naturally, upon hearing of this creature with inhuman strength, allowing it to destroy entire armies of soldiers, I visited the city and, with great effort, defeated it. However, I decided to remain in the city to determine the creature's conjurer and that's when I found Adelphia. I'd never seen such misery in one person before meeting her and, yet, I was strangely drawn to her. I took her from the place which caused her so much pain and she became the first of many students of mine as well as the one I loved. She vowed to save more lives than the amount of lives the golem had taken. She succeeded but wished to continue her work, preventing other evil spirits from harming this world."

  "Then she's consumed youth elixirs as well, hasn't she?" asked Rosewielder. "That's what's allowed you both to stay together for so long."

  "Yes, but make no mistake. We consume youth elixirs not for selfish reasons like romancing our hearts. We continue on to fulfill the duties that we each feel obligated to. If one of us dies in a battle with a spirit or a conjurer that is too powerful for us to defeat then the other will live on and continue with the council's work," answered Tenzin with resolve. "It is now time for us to go our separate ways. We will meet again."

  "What about my sword? Wisteria destroyed it," said Rosewielder just as Tenzin walked swiftly towards her. "My magic isn't working either."

  He held up his arm, touching Rosewielder's forehead with his index and ring fingers, causing a bright white light to appear accompanied by a soft chiming sound. Elliot curiously walked over to them.

  "Please think about what your sword looked like and any powers it possessed and I will conjure for you an exact copy," said Tenzin, closing his eyes.

  "Okay," said Rosewielder, closing her eyes as well.

  Within a few moments, a sword identical to Rosewielder's materialized in Tenzin's hands.

  "It is done. Here is your sword," said Tenzin, handin
g it to Rosewielder just as she opened her eyes.

  "Thank you, but what about my powers. How will we get back home?" she asked, examining the weapon before sheathing it. "I can't teleport right now."

  "I unblocked your aura, Rosewielder. Wisteria weakened your powers by manipulating your aura because she was unsure if you both were enemies of the council. I trust you and, so, I unblocked it. You should be able to use your teleportation," said Tenzin, finally stepping away.

  "Are you ready to go home, Elliot?" asked Rosewielder, turning to him and placing her hand on his shoulder.

  "Just about. I still have one question for you. Was it the council that destroyed the objects I had earlier in Lhasa?" he asked.

  "Yes, the council is aware of any spirits and spirit devices in the areas close to the shrine. Wisteria was following the rules of the council. Only under rare circumstances is it allowed for conjurers to give spirit items to those who don't know of our world. Spirit items may have powers that can be dangerous in the hands of humans unaware of their true nature. I will send a team to detain any items you've given to non-conjurers," explained Tenzin.

  "But I'm certain those items were just regular things. I don't think they had any magical powers or anything," argued Elliot. "The people I gave them to look like they needed them."

  "Even if that's true, we cannot risk this world being saturated with spirit items. If governments get possession of them then suspicion might spread. Our world might be exposed. It's simply too risky."

  Elliot sighed. "Well, alright, but the people I gave them to won't be happy," he said, turning towards Rosewielder.

  "Elvira informed me of a cat spirit that you summoned. We'll allow it to remain in her care but please know the council's rules stipulate that a conjurer can only summon a single spirit companion. You've already summoned many spirits into our world. Elvira will show you the ins and outs of conjuring so that you won't accidentally summon more spirits. Exercise great caution from now on."

  "I will. I'm ready, Rosewielder and I thank you, Tenzin," said Elliot, looking hopefully at him. "I'm no longer in the dark about my own powers and my path is clearer."

  Tenzin bowed. They both returned the gesture this time.

  "Farewell, dreamsaviors."

  Rosewielder then used her teleportation to transport them both and, after a short time, Rosewielder and Elliot were standing back in his room. It was 5:13 p.m. He untied the bag of jade from around him before sitting it next to his bed.

  "I guess I can't be robin hood anymore," said Elliot, sitting on his bed.

  "You heard what Tenzin said. You have to began your conjurer training," said Rosewielder, taking out her sword and placing it under the bed.

  She then walked over to Elliot, taking a seat beside him.

  "Truthfully, I am shaken by some of the things Tenzin said. I didn't know that I'd live so much longer than humans. I'm not sure I want to either. I mean, what would I do in all that time? Where would I go? Would there come a day when I wake up and my time with you be nothing more than memories, a dream?" asked Rosewielder, her eyes looking at Elliot as though expecting him to have the answer.

  "Do you want me to stay with you? I will consume youth elixirs for as long as I have to for you. We could continue being together for a very long time," said Elliot, gently placing his hand on her cheek.

  "No, Elliot, I would never support you keeping yourself alive just to satisfy my own desires. If I did then I'd be making a decision just as selfish as when you brought me into this world," she answered, placing her hand upon his, its saintly touch causing a blissful sensation to disperse through his body, momentarily erasing all other concerns. "You need to live a normal life with other humans like your family and friends."

  "No, Rosewielder. What I need is you."

  Elliot brought his lips to Rosewielder's and the two embraced warmly, peering keenly into each other's eyes, Elliot wishing he could sink into the amethyst oceans before him and remain there forever. He placed his hands softly on the sides of her head, gazing at her.

  "You are my spirit partner, my Fair Elf Princess, and I am your conjurer. Some of my aura is inside you. You may come from the otherworld but that which makes you you came from inside my dreams, my soul. I won't let you walk this world alone, without me, because…we are one."

  The Mystic Arts

  When the weekend finally came to a close, the reports of the other spirits he'd conjured, namely the snake monster and the giant stinkbug, were finally beginning to run out of steam with government officials appearing to remain tight lipped about any evidence they'd found at the scenes. However, on Monday morning upon coming down to breakfast, he learned that something else reared its big ugly head on the morning media.

  "Hello, honey," said his mother," busily whipping up a plate of scrambled eggs as he took his seat at the table across from Faiga who was hectically polishing the side of her violin. "Did you enjoy your extended weekend?"

  "Hello, mom," said Elliot, grabbing up a glass of milk on the table and lightly sipping from it. "Yes, it was a much needed vacation."

  "Hello, big bro," said Faiga before putting her instrument into its case. "Did you see the news about the dream saviors? People are calling them frauds."

  Elliot spat out his milk in disgust.

  "What?! What do you mean?" he said angrily, turning towards the television screen just as Mr. Clementine came walking into the kitchen dressed impeccably in a black suit and light blue tie.

  "Morning, everyone," he said, taking a seat across from Faiga. "Today will be a busy one at work. I have to attend another meeting."

  "They sure are making you go to a lot of meetings, dear," said Mrs. Clementine before bringing over a large clear bowl of scrambled eggs and placing it in the middle of the table by a plate of sausages.

  "Well, I can't complain. It's my job," said Mr. Clementine proudly.

  Mrs. Clementine finally took a seat across from Elliot who was trying to listen to the television over their voices, seeing several people he recognized as people he'd given his spirit items to with apologetic looks on their faces.

  "How about we try this, big bro," said Faiga, watching him, picking up the remote, and turning the volume up.

  "I have no idea why those gold coins disappeared after selling them to that guy! Beats me!" yelled a frizzy haired bearded man into the mic of an attractive red haired female reporter. "I know I had nothing to do with it! They can try suing me if they want! I did not steal them back!"

  "Well, it seems that the bizarre chain of events that started roughly at the beginning of this month are continuing. We have many reports of at least a hundred people who've claimed to have received these treasures from the group calling themselves the dream saviors, saying that the items simply disappeared," said the news reporter, putting the mic up to her mouth.

  So,Tenzin wasn't kidding. The council really did confiscate the spirit items that I gave to people. How will I salvage my image? But wait. I can't worry about that right now. I must focus on my conjurer training. Maybe the training will make me a better dream savior. Today, I'll go see Julie's grandmother, Elvira.

  Elliot reluctantly turned his head from the television, grabbing a large spoon, and putting eggs on his place.

  "What do you think, mom and dad?" asked Faiga once the channel went to a commercial break.

  "As long as mother and those people at the Masonville Hospital stay as healthy as their claiming the dream saviors made them, I feel no ill will towards our invisible heroes," said Mr. Clementine before taking a large bite out of a sausage.

  "Although the news is upsetting, I agree with your father. I pray that both Ai and the people from the hospital stay well. That is all I ask from the dream saviors," said Mrs. Clementine.

  That's right! What about Grandma Wu or the people from the hospital! The council wouldn't reverse Rosewielder's magic! Would th
ey?

  "Big bro, are you okay?" asked Faiga suddenly.

  Elliot looked up, seeing his sister studying him with concern.

  "You've done it again. You've zoned us out."

  "I'm fine. I'm just thinking about how strange the situation is. I agree. It would be extremely cruel if the dream saviors reversed their deeds on the sick people they helped cure. I would never forgive them if they did," said Elliot adamantly.

  "I hope Grandma Wu stays the way she is too," said Faiga worriedly.

  "That's all we can do, Faiga," said Mr. Clementine.

  They continued breakfast with Faiga and his parents resuming to study the news while Elliot purposefully tuned it out. Before long it was time for him to go to school. After saying their farewells Elliot grabbed his backpack and followed his father out the door. He waited for him to back his Buick out of the garage as he drove to work before he headed to school. After waiting for nearly a minute for old Ms. Kline to hobble across the neighborhood street with her cane, he took off, letting the window down and turning to the classical music channel, now playing Orff's Carmina Burana: O Fortuna. As he sat there, relishing the music and driving through traffic, he began pondering his choice, the Conjurer's choice, imagining how his life would be if he decided to use youth elixirs. Would he be like Tenzin, living thousands of years? Would he have to see Cody, Abha, and Ezzena…die?

  I know that mom and dad won't live forever. I know that most people eventually lose their parents but what about Faiga? Will I have to see her die before me? Will I live to see Faiga's mind degrade like Grandma Wu's did. No, I'm a conjurer. I could let them consume the elixirs I conjure so they could live by Rosewielder's and my side. But Tenzin said we can't expose non-conjurers to our world. Darn it! The more I think about the choice the harder it gets. I was so certain before and now I don't know. I just down't know.

  Elliot suddenly heard a loud honking sound from behind just as a red pick-up truck sped by his side, the driver furiously shouting something derogatory out the window, before zooming off. He looked around and realized he was sitting idly at a green light before putting his foot on the gas and continuing to school. Upon entering the building his attention became shared by both his academic studies as well as what his conjurer training would be like. He'd only been traveling for a short while when a familiar voice from behind caused him to look over his shoulder, seeing Cody striding towards him, his expression ecstatic.

  "Elliot, how's it going, buddy?" he asked brightly. "I'm glad to see you haven't been abducted by the aliens yet."

  "Aliens?" said Elliot confusedly as they turned the corner, approaching their lockers.

  "That snake thingy that abducted Mr. Martel and Mrs. Langway. I know it was an alien. I have a theory that it took some of their DNA and that's how it gave itself a human head," said Cody enthusiastically, putting his backpack in his locker.

  "You have some crazy theories, Cody," said Elliot. "We'll probably never know what that thing was or where it came from."

  He shut his locker door after retrieving the texts he needed and the pair made their way to chemistry class, Cody continuing to assemble increasingly weirder theories about the events at the school until they took their seats in the classroom. After a couple more minutes of half listening to Cody's crazy stories, Elliot decided he'd heard enough, claiming that he wished to look over his notes in quiet and suggesting that Cody do the same. It wasn't long until about half of the class had arrived, but Elliot noticed that their teacher, Ms. Rosenberg, who normally always came in before most of the students, had still not entered. About thirty seconds before the bell rang she entered the classroom, her red hair appearing slightly unkept as she held her head down and there was an immediate lowering in the voices of his peers. Elliot glanced around the room, noticing something odd. Nearly half of the seats were empty.

  "Hello, class," Ms. Rosenberg said in a depressed voice, placing a red handbag besides her teacher's desk and removing papers. "I will begin with the lesson in a moment."

  The rest of that class proved to be one of the oddest he'd ever experienced in his life as their teacher adopted an unnatural, almost robotic, way of teaching, only seeming to look at the students when someone raised their hand. She then responded with a monotone voice, but, Elliot had the distinct impression she was holding back an emotional outburst. After a lengthy presentation about Boyle's law, Ms. Rosenberg dismissed them five minutes early. Most people expressed their joy, sneaking glances at their mp3 players(which were prohibited during school hours) and yet Ms. Rosenberg didn't seem to notice. Feeling guilty, he purposefully took his time gathering his things, thinking to stay behind and cheer her up.

  "See you, buddy," said Cody, before heading towards the door.

  "Later, man."

  Elliot stood up and cautiously approached his teacher who was looking down at a yellow notebook. Her eyes were still.

  "Hello, Ms. Rosenberg, how are you?" asked Elliot nervously.

  "Not well at all, I'm afraid."

  "I'm sorry to hear that," he began. "The events of last week have been stressing for us all."

  She looked up, her brown eyes, surrounded by red.

  "You are correct, Elliot. I, myself, have been accused of sorcery by my church and, therefore, suspended. Everywhere I go people whisper stories about seeing my face on that… that thing," cried Ms. Rosenberg. "All I've ever tried to do is teach and help educate young people. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to continue doing that with things the way they are. Nearly half of those previously enrolled in my classes have been pulled out by their parents, and for good reason. Who wants some monster like me anywhere near their kids."

  "You're not a monster, Ms. Rosenberg," said Elliot reassuringly. "You are a great teacher and a good person. I know you had nothing to do with that thing."

  "Thank you, Elliot. You're one of the few people who believe that. I can only think of what demon is responsible for releasing such a foul creature into this world. It wouldn't surprise me if it was satan, himself."

  Elliot hesitated, opening and closing his mouth several times, before finally speaking.

  "I have to go, Ms. Rosenberg. I hope things get better," he said.

  "Thank you, again, and goodbye."

  Elliot soon learned that the same miseries reflected in Ms. Rosenberg had inflicted his AP History teacher, Mr. Bennet. His class, like Ms. Rosenberg's, had a significant portion missing and many students who did attend treated their teacher with suspicious apprehension. Mr. Bennett replaced his usual outgoing demeanor with an overly careful and nervous attitude, looking desperately towards the class as he waited for someone to answer his questions. Julie usually came to his rescue. In fact, the only two who acted completely normal in the entire classroom were himself and Julie who'd oddly taken a seat right beside him, repeatedly shooting dark glances over at him and shaking her head disapprovingly.

  "Okay, class. That's it for today. Remember to read the highlighted sections about the Byzantine Empire," he said anxiously moments after the bell rang.

  Elliot grabbed his books and took two steps towards Mr. Bennett when he felt a strong pressure enclose around his wrist, holding him back. He looked around and saw Julie grabbing him, her expression exceptionally serious. He looked worriedly towards Mr. Bennett before following Julie out of the classroom.

  "Do you see what you've done," she hissed angrily into his ear. "Your reckless conjuring could ruin people's reputations and lose them their jobs, Elliot."

  "I'm sorry, Julie," he said.

  "That's not enough. You are to come to my house today and you and granny will begin your conjurer training," she explained. "And bring…Rosewielder."

  "How do you-," he began before she spoke over him.

  "Tenzin told granny everything. She told me to keep an eye on you for now on," said Julie. "Please be there no later than 3:00 and try to stay out of trou
ble before then."

  Julie turned and sped away and, after examining his watch, he ran as fast as he could to his PE class, unwilling to suffer an extra lap due to being tardy. Elliot burst into the gym, panting heavily, and was met with a chaotic scene. Mr. Martel was getting in a heated shouting match with several boys who were folding their arms and shaking their heads resistantly.

  "THERE ARE NO MORE MONSTERS IN THIS SCHOOL!" roared Mr. Martel, his veins throbbing on his neck.

  "How do you know that? I don't want to end up being eaten by some dumb monster!" yelled Jason, running his hands through his short hair.

  "THE SCHOOL HAS BEEN CHECKED MANY TIMES! THERE ARE NO MONSTERS IN HERE!" bellowed Mr. Martel, shaking his finger at Jason.

  "I just don't know if I can trust you, man. One of those snake things looked like you," said a tall Latino boy, shrugging and throwing up his hands. "I don't mess with magic and voodoo stuff."

  "I DON"T PERFORM MAGIC!!!" roared Mr. Martel, infuriated, his face truly terrifying. "I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS CRAP ALL DAY! I"M SICK OF IT!! IF YOU DON"T WANT TO LISTEN TO ME THEN GET OUT!!

  About five boys, including Jason, stormed defiantly off towards the locker rooms to remove their gym clothes while Mr. Martel angrily blew his whistle, signaling for the remainder of the class, a total of about nine people, to perform their laps. The rest of that period went very smoothly as not one person pestered Elliot, him and the remaining students having carte blanche over the gym equipment. When it was over he tiredly changed and headed off to his AP English class.

  Upon arrival, he discovered his classmates were rowdier than usual and that's when he remembered the news claiming that Mrs. Langway had retired due to the previous incidents at the school. Elliot calmly opened his AP English textbook, deciding to review his homework. With great difficulty, he tuned out the frantic gossiping of his classmates for several minutes until a sudden deviation in the noise caused him to look up and discover a tall man with short dark hair, walking slowly into the room. He had a neat black goatee and was wearing a black suit and white shirt, decorated with a purplish tie. He turned towards them smilingly, looking around before speaking.

  "Hello, students. My name is Mr. Anghelescu. However, feel free to call me Mr. Anghel. I will be your new AP English teacher. I've been informed that you have homework due today. Is that correct?" he asked.

  Several people answered simultaneously and the class began handing up their homework. He walked to the front of each row, receiving the stack of papers. Afterwards, Mr. Anghel flipped open his teacher's edition textbook and began going over important literary terms they needed to know for the upcoming midterm exam which was now only two days away. As the class progressed, Elliot found himself entertained, watching Mr. Anghel's enthusiasm as he hastily responded to everyone's questions, creatively comparing art with English.

  "Every word has an explicit and exact purpose just as every stroke of the brush brings a painting closer to its perceived completion. The syntax and diction are the parts of your word puzzle. As an artist of words you must master the the rules to paint your perfect puzzle," he answered after someone had questioned him on the importance of the terms.

  Although he was still ashamed of causing Mrs. Langway's retirement, Elliot was deeply impressed with his new teacher and, apparently, so were many others as many girls giggled admiringly every time Mr. Anghel made a reference to art. Even several individuals in the back who always slept through Mrs. Langway's lectures were watching Mr. Anghel amusedly as if they were at the movies for free.

  "Please read pages 109-118 and answer the questions under the section Your Thoughts?" requested Mr. Anghel after the bell rang.

  They were then dismissed. Wasting no time, Elliot hastily traveled to his locker, and after getting his supplies for the following day and squeezing through the crowd of other students, headed out the school's entrance and to his car.

  So they want me to bring Rosewielder during my training? I wonder what for? Will they be training her as well?

  Elliot hopped in his corvette and began his ride home, his mind wandering uncomfortably to his teachers for some time before he turned on to Riverdale Road.

  I can't believe those spirits caused so much trouble for my teachers. I didn't summon them on purpose. People really think Ms. Rosenberg is a witch? That's just crazy. She's a victim, a victim of my mistakes. I must find a way to correct the damage I've done.

  Elliot turned into Rhodesia Paradies, carefully decreasing his speed as he approached a petite woman walking a large Golden retriever, before hastily backing into the garage. He quickly got out and went through the side door, seeing Faiga, standing by the counter, eating a pink frosted chocolate cupcake.

  "Hey, big bro," she said, setting the cupcake down before hugging him tightly. "You didn't see any monsters in school today, did you?"

  "Nope," he said as she released him. "Where'd you get those from?"

  "Our orchestra teacher gave them to us as a reward for a good performance. Feel free to try one," said Faiga, picking the cupcake back up.

  "I will," he said, removing one of the cupcakes from a crumpled piece of aluminum foil before heading towards the stairs.

  He headed upstairs and, upon opening his door, saw Rosewielder standing across the room, looking out the window. He closed the door behind him and Rosewielder turned towards him with a lonely expression.

  "Hey, Rosewielder, are you okay?" he asked, bringing the cupcake over to his desk.

  "I don't know, Elliot," she said, sitting down at his desk. "For some reason I've become fascinated with watching the people and animals of your neighborhood live their daily lives."

  "What's so fascinating about that?" asked Elliot, checking his watch.

  "It's difficult to put my finger on it," she said, turning her head towards the window again. "When I look at that bird perched on the branch a feeling of envy courses through me when I see it fly away and return, undaunted of being seen. I'm not making any sense," said Rosewielder, looking back at Elliot and placing her hands on her forehead frustratingly.

  "No, I understand what you're feeling," said Elliot, studying her. "You feel caged. Is that it?"

  She sighed.

  "Yes, I do," said Rosewielder, watching him shamefully. "I know I'm a spirit but I feel so…shackled. The thought of those fairies playing carefree in Tenzin's shrine keeps gnawing at me."

  "Would you rather live in the shrine?" asked Elliot slowly.

  "No, I would not," answered Rosewielder. "I wish to stay here with you."

  "I'm afraid you've lost me," said Elliot, scratching his head.

  "I dislike being cooped up in here alone. It's fine when you're here but during the day it's… abhorrent," answered Rosewielder. "You're not caged in a box by yourself all day when you're at school, are you?"

  "Ah, now I get it," said Elliot, smiling. "Video games and television no longer do it for you, do they?"

  "No, they do not."

  "Rosewielder, why don't you just visit Tenzin's shrine during the day and come back here whenever you're ready," suggested Elliot.

  "I could really do that?" asked Rosewielder in disbelief.

  "Why not? You're a spirit after all. You should get to know other spirits at the shrine. Just use your teleportation," explained Elliot. "You might even find other elves up there."

  "That would be a pleasure. The problem is that I have no idea how to get to the shrine. If you recall, we were both swallowed by that dragon," explained Rosewielder, shrugging. "The next thing we knew, we were in the shrine."

  "Yes, but remember what Tenzin said? The council can detect any spirits that are close to the shrine. If you teleport to Lhasa then I'm certain they'd know you were there. Maybe Wisteria will have another dragon gobble you up," laughed Elliot. "Tenzin did say his shrine was a sanctuary for spirits."

  "Very funny, Elliot," said Rosewielde
r, blushing. "You have convinced me to check it out on my own though."

  "Very well, but we should get going in a short while," said Elliot, noticing that it was now 2:45.

  "They desire my presence as well?" asked Rosewielder, aghast.

  "Yes. They may want to train you too."

  "Do you wish to use my teleportation or would you rather us ride in that snail-mobile of yours?" she asked before laughing.

  "Snail-mobile. That's a good one. You're practicing your sarcasm. I don't think Julie's grandmother wants us there while we're invisible and it would look suspicious if we just appeared out of thin air in Julie's neighborhood. We drive," answered Elliot. "But before we go I have something for you."

  Elliot picked up the chocolate cupcake and gave it to Rosewielder who held out her hand, taking it, and examining it.

  "This is a sort of pastry? Is that correct?" she asked, bringing it to her nose.

  "Yeah, it's for you."

  "You mean that it's for us," said Rosewielder, using her hands to break the cupcake in two. "We are half of one whole. Remember?"

  She then gave one half to Elliot.

  "Thanks," he said, surprised.

  Each bit into their half, watching the other, and Elliot felt as though his cheeks had turned just as red as Rosewielder's joyous face. He couldn't help it. Her godly gaze had long unclouded the windows to his soul, rendering them transparent. She was the one person he could hide nothing from.

  After their snack they carefully journeyed downstairs, grateful that neither his parents nor Faiga had yet arrived home, and got into Elliot's car. The pair embarked to Julie's house, Elliot allowing Rosewielder to delight in many loud rounds of rock music while he yearned for classical. They were nearing the halfway point when Elliot's ears were unexpectedly soothed by Mozart's Marriage of Figaro Overture.

  "Rosewielder? Are you okay? I didn't think you liked this type of music," said Elliot, palming the steering wheel.

  "I thought you would."

  "Thanks."

  Elliot savored the classics for the rest of the drive while Rosewielder looked out the window, possessing the keenest interest in the day to day minutiae of suburbia, studying the other drivers, watching the pedestrians, and pointing at the countless passing buildings. They finally pulled into the driveway in the nick of time. It was 2:58. After ensuring Rosewielder's pointed ears were hidden by her hair, and that she looked relatively normal, they got out and walked to the door. Elliot reached for the door when it opened before he'd made contact. It was not Julie who stood before them but a very old woman with a thin nose, long gray hair, and earrings resembling half moons. She wore a long jet black robe.

  "You are here for conjurer training?" she questioned, her eyes jumping from him to Rosewielder.

  "Yes," said Elliot.

  "Come in," she said shortly.

  They stepped inside, Rosewielder creating a ringing sound as the top of her head grazed the metallic half moon and star shaped objects which dangled from the rack by the front door.

  "You must be Julie's grandmother, Elvira?" said Elliot just as the woman hastily closed the door.

  "Yes," she said. "Please follow me."

  Elliot and Rosewielder were led through the front hallway and pass the living room. They approached the same hall he'd traveled through with Julie during his first visit but continued passed it until reaching a doorway that was concealed with black curtains. Elvira pushed open the curtains, beckoning them into a room that smelled of incense and was filled with many white candles strategically placed in such a way that they formed a circle around the jam-packed area. There were several wooden tables weighed down with numerous black books with golden writing as well as oddly shaped metallic devices that Elliot had never seen. Towards the corner of the room, occupying one of four brownish pillows upon a grayish carpet, was Julie. She was sitting with her legs crossed with her hands in her lap in a similar fashion to the statue of Tenzin in the shrine. Her head jerked in their direction as they approached, Elliot noticing Julie's eyes freezing on Rosewielder for a fraction of a second longer before turning away.

  "Please sit down," said Elvira, holding her hand out towards the pillows.

  Elliot and Rosewielder took two pillows beside each other and in front of Julie while Elvira sat in front of them, facing the group.

  "Elliot, I will teach you how to master your conjuring using the mystic arts. Rosewielder, you will learn to enhance your magical powers and protect yourself from evil spirits and conjurers," said Elvira calmly. "Julie, train Rosewielder to fend off vanquishing orbs. Elliot will work with me."

  "Vanquishing orbs?" said Elliot questioningly. "What are those?"

  "That is not our focus right now. You will learn in due time. Do as I do," said Elvira, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees.

  Elliot glanced over at Rosewielder and Julie who'd traveled to the corner diagonal from them before copying Elvira's posture.

  "Take off your ring. Close your eyes, and clear your mind of your daily concerns."

  Elliot grabbed the ring Tenzin had given him and yanked it off before slipping it in his pocket.

  He took several deep breaths, and tried his best to follow Elvira's words when he suddenly felt something lightly touch his forehead. He peeked open one eye and saw Elvira with her eyes closed, touching him on his forehead in the same manner Tenzin had done to Rosewielder.

  "Elliot, your mind is not clear and your eyes are still open," said Elvira impatiently. "Please follow my instructions."

  "Sorry," said Elliot, trying his best to clear his mind.

  "Picture a silver key in your mind's eye and allow that image to replace all other thoughts."

  "Okay," said Elliot, trying his best to obey.

  Elvira was silent for a good two minutes before continuing.

  "Now relax your body and feel its aura."

  Elliot attempted to relax his muscles. The two remained there for a good seven minutes, Elliot seeking out his aura, until a light tap on his knee made him jump and open his eyes. He stared in shock at a silver key which laid on his knee.

  "I did it!" he screamed. "I conjured a spirit item through meditation."

  Elliot reached down, swiftly picking up the key, and holding it up to his face.

  "That is not a spirit object," said Elvira calmly.

  "What?" asked Elliot just as he felt a strange dissolving sensation in his hand.

  Elliot gasped as the key dematerialized before his eyes, and within seconds, it had vanished entirely.

  "What happened?" he asked, perplexed.

  "You created an aura summon. You did not access the otherworldly material you needed to create a spirit object. That would have been the final step. Aura summons are merely condensed pieces of your own aura," she continued. "Let us begin again."

  Elliot sighed and the pair commenced, going through all of the previous steps, as Elliot struggled to tune out Rosewielder's and Julie's whispering voices from across the room. With a tremendous effort Elliot reached the third step once again, focusing on his aura and the image of the key.

  "Imagine the aura collecting into a single point in the center of your forehead," said Elvira.

  Elliot paid attention to his blood as it pumped through his veins, pretending that it was his aura, and visualized it gathering in his forehead. It wasn't until a few moments that Elliot saw an ever-changing luminous substance gradually swell from a single point in his mind's eye. It was as bright as the sun and, yet, he was able to gaze upon its splendor, flowing as though it was both gas and liquid.

  "You see part of the otherworld. Now take your image of the key and sculpt it using the spiritual energy you see before you," said Elvira.

  Elliot studied the moving light, simply using his mind to sculpt an exact replica of the image in his head, becoming astonished as the otherworld easily yielded to his imagination's
intention.

  "Now open your eyes and keep your mind focused on the image."

  Elliot obeyed, seeing the key floating before him, wondering if it was real. He held out his hand which the key fell upon. It was warm to the touch.

  "You have successfully conjured a spirit object, Elliot," said Elvira, removing her fingers from his forehead and opening her eyes. "You've learned quicker than any student I've taught before you. Perhaps it's because your subconscious stored away the feeling of accessing the otherworld while you were conjuring up things in your sleep. It took Julie about four months to summon spirit items instead of aura summons."

  "Julie is a conjurer too?!" asked Elliot.

  "She's far from being an expert, but yes," said Elvira. "Now, tell me the steps of conjuring a spirit item."

  "Right. First, I clear my mind. Second, I visualize the object I want to conjure. Third, I focus my aura into a single point. And lastly, I use the otherworld to sculpt the image in my mind," explained Elliot.

  "That's correct. Please hand me the key," said Elvira, holding out her hand.

  Elliot proudly studied the totality of his hard work again before giving it to Elvira.

  "I want you to conjure three more keys like this one as practice for our next session Wednesday. These objects are small enough that they will not greatly affect your aura," she said, placing the key in her pocket. "Wear your ring when not practicing your conjuring."

  Elliot slipped his hand in his pocket and placed the ring on his index finger.

  "Your training is done for today," said Elvira, getting to her feet rapidly for a woman of her age and walking over to Julie and Rosewielder.

  Elliot followed her, his eyes widening, as he saw Rosewielder with her eyes closed, seemingly in a meditative state. The atmosphere directly around her was warping as her clothes and Julie's blew. Julie had adopted a similar pose as Rosewielder and, floating between her hands was the same glowing orb-like object Wisteria had used to destroy Rosewielder's sword. It continued bouncing back in forth between Julie and Rosewielder until Elvira held up her hand.

  "That is enough, Julie."

  Elliot saw the ball of light between Julie's hands shrink and then vanish.

  "We're done," she said, standing up.

  The distortion around Rosewielder abruptly died as she looked up at them before standing to her feet.

  "She is a powerful spirit," said Julie to Elvira. "Her resistance to my vanquishing orb was superb."

  "Good. Please bring Rosewielder to our next session as well," said Elvira, folding her hands behind her. "I need to rest my back."

  Elvira then led them back through the house and towards the front door.

  "Same time Wednesday. Don't be late," she said before opening the door for them.

  Rosewielder and Elliot bid Julie and Elvira goodbye before heading to his car but they both were startled when Julie followed them down the the faded brick pathway.

  "Hello, Julie," said Rosewielder, stopping in front of the corvette. "Is there something you needed, fellow maiden?"

  Julie, however, ignored Rosewielder, turning her attention squarely on Elliot.

  "Elliot, can we talk for a moment… alone," she said, eyeing Rosewielder.

  Elliot glanced at Rosewielder before studying Julie. He pulled out his car keys and unlocked the door, walking over to Rosewielder.

  "Rosewielder, do you mind if I talk to Julie for just a sec? It's kind of personal," he said, leading her towards the car.

  "Oh. Well, okay," she said, her eyes looking curiously over at Julie before getting in the car.

  Elliot walked over to Julie who was standing with her arms crossed, observing the evening sky with a sad expression.

  "What was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked, approaching her.

  "Elliot, even though I'm still angry with you I've been thinking about your situation. I'm sorry for storming off on you without explaining the reason for my feelings," began Julie, her face turning pink. "I'm going to be blunt. What is your relationship with Rosewielder. Tell me the truth or our friendship ends right here."

  "We're more than just friends."

  "I suspected as much," said Julie. "You didn't summon her by accident, did you?"

  "No."

  "Why did you summon her?" asked Julie.

  "I wanted a partner to work with me as a dream savior. At first, I thought it'd be nice to have a spirit on my side that would follow me. It was about power. I was curious about the abilities of spirits. However, as time went on I grew closer to her. I discovered that she was just as human as you or I," explained Elliot.

  "But she isn't human, Elliot. That's just it. Didn't Tenzin tell you about the Conjurer's choice? Don't you know how long spirits live?"

  "We'll figure something out. We will," said Elliot.

  "Don't you see the error in your ways? It's like you're playing…God. Will you forsake your time with humans for spirits?"

  "No, of course not," answered Elliot.

  "What would happen to us if everyone could summon their perfect partner?" asked Julie, clear streams flowing down her face. "What value would life have if we could summon perfect replicas of those we've lost?"

  "You're talking about your family, aren't you?" asked Elliot softly.

  "It's just that when I'd heard you conjured a spirit in the form of a person it shook my guilty conscience. There hasn't been a day that goes by when I haven't thought about conjuring spirits in the forms of my mother and father and my older brother," said Julie. "However, granny told me something that's kept me from doing it."

  Julie looked down at the grass, sniffing her nose as the tears rolled off her cheeks.

  "What did she say?" asked Elliot.

  "She said that if I conjured replicas of my family then I'd be disgracing their memories because I'd be replacing them just as one does with a common appliance. My family will not be replaced as one replaces a car!"

  "I see why she said that. In a dream I met with a relative I've known to be dead. It was my Great Uncle Baum. Well, actually, he was my imagination's recreation of him. He said that even conjurers like us cannot bring back the dead," explained Elliot, staring into Julie's grief-stricken eyes. "I've never felt the need to try because I know that a piece of him still exists inside of me and it can manifest in my dreams."

  "Yes, I do dream about the happy times I had with my family. Sometimes when I find myself hugging my mother right after she's read me a bedtime story a feeling of desperation overwhelms me. The feeling comes from the realization that it's just a dream," said Julie, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Then I wake back up into the real world and she's not there."

  "Julie, what if we look at this from a different perspective?" asked Elliot.

  Julie looked at him curiously.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You believe that where we are now is the real world but it's the people of this world that go away and don't come back," explained Elliot. "Those that exist in your dreams can always return to you because they exist inside your heart."

  Julie looked at Elliot for a long time before her eyes gazed up at the sky, the sunlight still present, but barely. She then stepped towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

  "Thank you, Elliot," said Julie. "I think I'm beginning to understand that. Granny will be expecting me to return soon."

  "I know and I'm glad we're on speaking terms again," said Elliot.

  "Elliot?" said Julie.

  "Yes."

  "Before I go I just wanted you to tell me something about Rosewielder," she said, turning her head towards his car.

  "What is it?"

  "I know this is going to sound bizarre and out of the blue, but why do I keep thinking about video games whenever I see Rosewielder? Is it just me?"

  "Oh, well, that's because I designed Rosewielder to look like an Earth Elf," ans
wered Elliot, scratching his head.

  "A what?" said Julie.

  "An Earth Elf. It's one of the playable avatars from the Fantasy Lotus video game," responded Elliot embarrassedly.

  Julie's mouth hung open as she looked from Elliot to Rosewielder who was now watching them from behind the window.

  "You designed your spirit to look like a video game character?" she questioned, flabbergasted.

  "Um, yeah."

  "I'm being nosy, but did she really believe she was who you designed her to be?"

  " As a matter-of-fact, yes, she did," answered Elliot.

  "Please tell me you told her the truth!" said Julie, placing her hands on her hips.

  "Yes, I did! I told her that Fantasy Lotus wasn't real."

  "She couldn't have been too happy," said Julie.

  "No, she was furious, but that's when I vowed to help her make this world her home."

  "That's noble of you. And it was during this time that you two became…"

  "Yes, it just sort of happen. I can't explain it."

  Julie's eyes darted down to the grass.

  "I have to go, Elliot," she said, walking towards the door. "Take care until Wednesday."

  "Goodbye, Julie."

  Elliot got into the car, turning the engine on, before backing out of the driveway. The classical music channel was still playing, but Rosewielder quickly turned the volume all the way down as they drove out of Wisteria Springs so that it was quiet save for the buzzing engine and passing cars. He saw her turn her head towards him from the corner of his eye, remaining silent for a good two minutes, before looking forward.

  "Julie seems nice but I feel that she has much pain in her heart," said Rosewielder. "I had the feeling that I made her uncomfortable."

  "I'm the reason for that. It's not your fault. When I summoned you it reminded her of the family she lost," said Elliot, stopping at the intersection.

  "I wonder if Julie and I could become friends," said Rosewielder, watching a youth skateboard down the sidewalk.

  "Anything's possible."

 

  Duel of the Conjurers

  The next few weeks proved eventful for both Elliot and Rosewielder. Elliot had taken the long awaited midterm exams, gratefully getting them out of his hair. He'd also tested out the powers of Tenzin's ring, making sure that nothing from his dreams could come back with him into the real world, the dark thought of Pema's catastrophic black dragon still fresh in his mind. He watched as countless spirit items dissolved in his hands mere moments after he'd pulled them out of his dreams, causing the ring to vibrate with alarming intensity. The absence of anymore snake monsters brought the atmosphere of High Prince High School to one of relative normalcy as the classes of his A day teachers, at least, partially replenished. However, there still existed an apprehensive fascination amongst his peers regarding the teachers whose heads appeared on the snake monster spirit with many proudly proclaiming their school to be run by either aliens or witches. It seemed that the world was torn between their opinions of the dream saviors. Some decided that they were frauds, mentioning Elliot's infamous disappearing spirit treasures, but what had once worried him most of all had been settled as Rosewielder informed him that the council would not reverse her healing magic on Grandma Wu or the people at the hospital.

  Elvira's strictness as his teacher was a constant as she made him repeat the conjuring process many times, gradually increasing the size of his items. After he'd mastered conjuring keys and other small objects, he moved onto small vases and bowls, and then to large, albeit mundane, items such as chairs. He was thankful that his hunch about the shrine had been correct, relishing seeing Rosewielder's eyes brighten when she'd returned from the shrine with fantastical tales about the daily lives of the other spirits.

  "The fairies are such amazing people," she began, crossing her hands, and looking dreamingly up at the ceiling as they discussed the matter while playing a game of chess at his desk one Saturday morning. "I used the Eagle's Blood potion and we flew around the shrine, playing tag. Oh, how I wish I had wings."

  "Did they always live in the shrine with Tenzin?" asked Elliot, moving one of his knights forward.

  "No, they said that they'd previously lived in a woodland area until humans began tearing down the trees for development. They were forced to flee their homes," explained Rosewielder, fiddling with a white pawn. "They'd lived there for centuries."

  "That's horrible," said Elliot, studying the board. "No wonder why the shrine is so massive."

  "Yes, but not all spirits live there. Spirits are free to live everywhere but most find it safer to avoid humans."

  "Rosewielder, how are you and Julie getting along? Elvira always pairs you both up whenever we're training."

  "The only thing Julie and I discuss is our training and how important it is that I protect myself from vanquishing orbs," said Rosewielder. "Vanquishing orbs can send us, spirits, back to the otherworld. I can't let that happen if we wish to be together."

  "You don't have to worry, Rosewielder," said Elliot, taking one of her pawns with his knight. "I won't let any conjurer vanquish you."

  "I know you won't, Elliot," she said, picking up her queen piece. "And, likewise, I won't let anything come between us."

  She picked up her queen piece and placed it beside his king, knocking a pawn out from between them.

  "Checkmate. I win," she said excitedly. "And I think I deserve a prize."

  She stood to her feet.

  "What sort of prize did you have in mind?" asked Elliot, eyeing her inquisitively.

  "I'll show you if you close your eyes," said Rosewielder, smiling mischievously.

  "Okay," said Elliot, closing his eyes.

  He waited with his eyes closed for a couple quick moments until a brightness shined marvelously through his eyelids. It was fused with a familiar warmth he'd come to associate with her affection, and when he felt her lips grace his own he couldn't stop himself from enfolding her with his arms, feeling the sweet warmth of paradise seep into his soul. They stayed there, embracing and relishing their moment of oneness, for some time before finally releasing one another, knowing that it was nearly time for his conjuring training. Elliot looked at the alarm clock. It was 2:40.

  "Are you ready, Rosewielder?" he asked, walking over to his bed and picking up a silver shield that he'd manage to create the day before for his conjuring homework. "Mom and dad are downstairs. I think their listening to Faiga play her violin. Can you take us directly to my car?"

  "Here we go," she said, touching his shoulder and performing her teleportation, causing them both to appear in the garage beside Elliot's corvette.

  Once they'd fastened their seat belts and the garage door slid open Elliot hit the gas, driving them out of the driveway and onto the neighborhood street, watching warily as youths sped through the road in motor scooters, bicycles and skateboards while several college aged adults loitered aimlessly, seemingly still dumbed down by a heavy night of partying. Rosewielder and Elliot used the bulk of the car ride to eagerly discuss what challenges Elvira had awaiting them because she had claimed that they were both ready for active training in their previous session.

  "Perhaps I'll get to use my sword to destroy evildoers. I'd be a warrior again rather than just meditating day after day," said Rosewielder, relaxing her chin on her hand, glancing out the window at a plump boy falling off of his skateboard.

  "You're right, Rosewielder. Now that we've had proper training, we'll be better at being dream saviors," said Elliot. "And we can take down Lilith and Adam," he added sharply.

  "Yes, those cowards make me so angry! All they've done is hide. I do loathe Adam but I can't wait to get my hands on Lilith," said Rosewielder coldly, clenching her fist. "This world is my home and I will vanquish anyone who harms its people."

  "So, you have learned to consider this world your home?" said
Elliot thoughtfully.

  "Yes, I have. After seeing other spirits who no longer have their human allies I've learned to be thankful that I, at least, have you by my side. Also, I've talked with Wisteria when I visit the shrine. The stories she tells me about her time as a slave made me realize there are those who've experienced far worse than me," explained Rosewielder as they turned onto Wisteria Springs.

  "I'm glad that you can call this world your home," said Elliot, lowering his speed as they approached Julie's house.

  "Well, I wouldn't even get to experience this place if it wasn't for you. What I'm saying is that, although I don't like your reason for summoning me, I've learned to love just…being," she said, allowing her hair to dance in the breeze coming through the car window.

  "That means a lot, coming from you," said Elliot as he rolled into Elvira's driveway.

  Elliot opened the car door and retrieved the shield from the back seat before they both approached the door which swung open, Elvira standing before them with a grumpy expression.

  "You two are a minute late," said Elvira, standing to the side and letting them in.

  "We're sorry," said Rosewielder as Elvira closed the door behind them.

  She led them both through the house and into the curtained room where they'd performed all of their previous exercises. Julie was standing beside a wooden table cluttered with books, wearing a black robe identical to Elvira's, seemingly engrossed in a book in her hands. She looked up as they approached, slamming the book closed, before placing it on the table. Elvira's eyes traveled from Elliot to Rosewielder before gazing upon the shield in his hands.

  "Please let me examine it," she said, reaching out her hand.

  Elliot handed her the shield and Elvira studied it, turning it every which way, bringing it closer to her eyes and then farther away, until after appearing to find nothing wrong with it, handed it back to Elliot.

  "Your spirit weapon is very powerful. That is vital because, today, I will show you what you'll be facing if you decide to join the council. You and Rosewielder will duel with Julie, a fellow conjurer."

  "Rosewielder, I've been told that you have the ability to teleport. Is that correct?" asked Elvira, placing her arms behind her back.

  "Yes, Elvira. I can teleport to anywhere as long as I know where it is," answered Rosewielder.

  "Good. Please take us to a location free of non- conjurers. We need a lot of space. Things could get messy," said Elvira.

  Rosewielder's eyes turned up as she bit her lips. Then she smiled, staring at them eagerly.

  "Okay, I know where to take us to," she said. "Please just take hold of me and I'll get us there."

  Elliot and Elvira hastily grabbed onto Rosewielder's shoulders while Julie looked around, her cheeks turning pink, before placing her hand on Rosewielder's back. Rosewielder teleported. Elliot was use to the sensations, himself, but wondered how Elvira and Julie were fairing. It lasted for mere moments until Elliot found that they were standing in a familiar grassy plain that stretched seemingly infinitely on all sides. The only thing missing was the apple tree, and after looking around for a short while, he spotted a tiny object a great ways away upon a small hill.

  "This is an excellent location, Rosewielder," said Elvira, gazing around at the sea of green. "Well done."

  "Where did you take us?" asked Julie, grabbing a purple hair tie out of her pocket and tying her hair back so that her long bangs no longer obscured her eyes.

  "Well," began Rosewielder, her face going pink.

  "That matters not," said Elvira. "We are here to train and for nothing else. It's time, Julie."

  She turned and began speedily walking away, leaving Elliot and Rosewielder standing there, eyeing each other confusedly. Julie did the same, and soon the pair was standing alone. Elvira continued until she was about thirty feet away, her black robes sticking out like a sore thumb as they blew in the light wind, before facing them. Julie stopped at about twenty feet, before positioning herself towards them. Her eyes were closed. Elliot looked from Elvira to Julie, attempting to figure out what was going on.

  "Look, Elliot," said Rosewielder, pointing towards Julie who was taking her hands and placing them together as if she was praying.

  Elliot and Rosewielder watched, agog, and, after about five seconds, Rosewielder's hand clasped Elliot's arm as she stood, transfixed, as a very large golden object with a fiery outline gradually materialized before Julie. The scene was reminiscent of an artist painting their canvas as more and more detail became visible, large magnificent wings of vermillion and gold at least fifteen feet across, appearing before their eyes while a long thin neck with a head like a golden eagle commenced belching out flames. At last, the bird's long tail danced like a flame as the creature soared above its conjurer, its attention fixated fiercely upon Elliot and Rosewielder. Julie had conjured a phoenix. Elliot took off his ring and placed it in his pocket.

  "Prepare yourself, Elliot!" yelled Julie, lowering her arms, before pointing towards them.

  "Rosewielder, it's time!" yelled Elliot, using his free hand to hold up his shield. "Snap out of it and take out your sword!"

  The beast emitted an earsplitting screech before soaring towards them at break neck speed just as Rosewielder unsheathed her sword.

  "Quick sword of light, give me the power to vanquish this beast!" screamed Rosewielder before she vanished, leaving Elliot standing there as a large flame shot towards him.

  Elliot held the shield in front of him as a tremendous forced threw him off his feet, causing him to fall back and tumble on the grass as the shield fell out of his hand and landed four feet away. He immediately closed his eyes and, focused on the image of a stone wall appearing right in front of him, going through all the steps of conjuring a spirit object, and, within moments, a grayish wall had materialized between him and the flames of the phoenix. He felt a small drop in his aura. Only when he could no longer hear the flames of the phoenix did he crawl towards the end of the wall and look from behind. He gasped, seeing Rosewielder struggling to balance on the creature's back, swinging at it with her sword which now had its usual glow. Elliot dashed out from behind the wall, focusing intently on the beast as it flew recklessly, frustrated with not being able to catch Rosewielder.

  "First, I clear my mind of all distractions!" said Elliot, watching the phoenix. "What will I visualize? How about a cage? Then I'll feel my own aura as it courses through me," he said, imagining that his blood was his aura.

  He conceptualized his aura pooling in his forehead and waited until he saw a bright point in his mind's eye which he knew was the otherworld. "Now, I'll use the otherworld to conjure a cage around this phoenix!" he yelled, imagining a large cage forming around the creature.

  He watched as an enormous metallic object materialized around Julie's phoenix. He saw Rosewielder vanish just as the cage's weight caused it and the beast to crash to the ground. The beast screeched ferociously, flailing its tail and wings as it opened its beak, coughing up a hail of fireballs in every direction. Elliot stepped in front of Rosewielder just as a large flame came shooting towards them, bursting as it violently impacted his shield.

  "Elliot! Look!" roared Rosewielder as she glared at the cage.

  Elliot stood in awe as the beast dematerialized before their eyes, diminishing into nothing save a radiant purplish color which traveled to where Julie was before unbelievingly sinking into her chest. She adopted the same stance she had upon conjuring the gigantic bird. Elliot saw a humanoid shape gradually appear in front of her, hovering as it flapped its bat-like wings. After only a few seconds, the figure flew towards them with otherworldly speed, its arms outstretched as it snarled grotesquely. Rosewielder held up her sword and swung, causing a long thin strand of white light to travel towards their opponent. However, it quickly dodged Rosewielder's attack, coming within forty feet of them. Rosewielder repeated the process, swinging her sword more times
in a few seconds than Elliot could ever count, causing a hail of light to cut through the air and earth. The bizarre creature danced in the distance, turning, twisting, and moving its body so that none of the attacks made contact.

  "I'm not done yet!" screamed Rosewielder, taking her sword and thrusting its blade into the grass.

  Elliot suddenly felt a warm vibrating feeling radiate from around them as the atmosphere within their immediate vicinity appeared to warp similarly to whenever Rosewielder trained herself against vanquishing orbs. A loud smacking sound filled the air as the creature slammed into an invisible barrier between itself and them. It growled angrily with a horned demon-like face and crimson eyes as Rosewielder strained to maintain the forcefield. Upon seeing it close up, Elliot realized it possessed an uncanny resemblance to the stone creatures which decorated the roofs of old fashioned buildings in well-to-do cities. It was a gargoyle in the flesh, using its elongated muscular limbs to hit and kick at Rosewielder's barrier.

  Here's my chance.

  Elliot pictured a large snake in his mind's eye and, within seconds, he'd summoned a bright green python which coiled itself around the creature's neck. It abruptly stopped its assault, dropping on the grass, struggling to free itself of the serpent that was now constricting itself around its body. After a few moments, the gargoyle dematerialized, leaving no trace accept for a purple light identical to what had came from Julie's bird. It also sped across the grass, before sinking back into Julie while Elliot's snake slithered aimlessly away.

  "Rosewielder, you can stop now. I think we've-," began Elliot before an onset of extreme tiredness afflicted him.

  He fell to the grass, quickly losing consciousness. When Elliot awoke he discovered himself lying on a grassy hill, looking up at both Julie and Rosewielder. Rosewielder was holding his shield and they both sported guilty expressions.

  "Elliot, I'm so sorry," said Julie, bending down an handing him a very small amber cup with a clear liquid in it.

  "What is this?" asked Elliot, languidly taking the cup.

  "It's mystic tea. It helps replenish your aura to its natural state," explained Julie. "You passed out because your aura dropped too low."

  "Why did my," he began before Julie pushed the cup up to his lips.

  "Just drink," said Julie.

  Elliot opened his mouth, allowing a very bitter liquid to slide down his throat. Its taste was detestable but its affect was vitalizing as he felt his energy rapidly return. He drank until there was none left.

  "Will he be okay?" asked Rosewielder, kneeling down.

  "Yes, he conjured too many spirit objects. That's what dropped his aura," said Julie.

  Elliot heard a faint noise from his left, and he turned his head to see Elvira walking towards him, her hands folded behind her.

  "If you can stand, please do," she said, her dark eyes surveying him.

  Elliot got to his feet along with Rosewielder and Julie.

  "Please follow me," Elvira said as Julie took the cup from him and pocketed it.

  "I don't understand!" said Elliot in frustration as they quickly reached a large field that he recognized as the site of their battle, seeing the enormous cage he'd conjured sitting about thirty feet from the wall he created for protection from Julie's beast. "I've been training all this time with conjuring. Why am I so limited?"

  "Elliot, look keenly at the site of your's and Julie's battle. What is it that you notice?" asked Elvira composedly.

  Elliot's eyes scanned the scene but he saw nothing but his own items.

  Wait! Where are the things Julie summoned? Did she reabsorb them?

  "Elvira, is it possible to reabsorb spirits and spirit items?" he finally asked.

  "No."

  He studied the field, searching every nook and cranny of his brain, unable to find an answer.

  "They were spirit items, weren't they?" he asked casually.

  "No, they were not," answered Elvira.

  Elliot scratched his head, looking repeatedly at the things he conjured and back at Elvira before asking his next question.

  "Were they aura summons?" asked Elliot, at a lost.

  "Yes, they were," said Elvira.

  "I think I get it now," began Elliot. "Julie was able to summon more things than I was because she was creating aura summons instead of spirit items. That's why they disappeared so quickly."

  "Precisely," said Elvira. "Aura summons don't use as much of the conjurer's aura and they can be reabsorbed. You've created aura summons as well."

  "You once said that aura summons are just condensed pieces of the conjurer's aura. Is that what allows the conjurer to reabsorb them?"

  "Yes, it is, Elliot," responded Elvira. "Whenever you summon something but stop just before you access the otherworld you create an aura summon."

  "Granny's right. This exercise was to show you how conjurers usually engage one another. Conjurers might bring their spirits and magical objects to a battle but they rarely summon them in the middle of a match. If they did then what happen to you might happen to them or worse," explained Julie.

  "Worse?" said Rosewielder questioningly with a terrified expression. "What do you mean?"

  "If a conjurer drains too much of their aura then… they die. It doesn't matter if their using spirits or aura summons. The advantage is that aura summons allow you to reclaim some of your aura," explained Julie, taking out her hair tie. "Spirits and spirit objects have small amounts of the conjurer's aura but remain separate so the aura is lost."

  "I understand. I will do better next time. I have to if I want to stand a chance against Adam and Lilith," said Elliot with resolve.

  "I'll be by your side, Elliot," said Rosewielder. "We will defeat them."

  "Despite losing to Julie you two fought as one on the battlefield. I think if you and Rosewielder continue on this path you will both achieve greatness," said Elvira.

  Elvira placed her hands together in the same manner Julie had upon conjuring her aura summons, an orb half the size of a car appearing before her, its brightness rivaling that of the sun's. It zoomed towards Elliot's cage, causing it to vanish, before splitting into two parts with one traveling to the wall he'd conjured, dematerializing it, while the other veered off to the side, landing in the distance. He'd a hunch that it had vanquished the snake he'd conjured. Elvira lowered her hands, turning to Rosewielder.

  "That is enough training for today. Rosewielder, please take us back home."

  They all grabbed hold of Rosewielder and were teleported back to Julie's house, the familiar smell of incense seeping into Elliot's nose.

  "In our next session you will learn how to create a vanquishing orb," said Elvira once they'd returned.

  Julie led Elliot and Rosewielder towards the front door, closing it gently behind her as they exited the house.

  "You two were truly great, considering how new you are to the mystic arts," said Julie as Elliot and Rosewielder turned to face her.

  "Rosewielder, Elliot is lucky to have you as a partner on the battlefield. I saw how you both protected one another as if the other was your own beating heart," said Julie, her eyes glassy.

  "Thank you, Julie, but you were mightier than us both. You emerged victorious, after all," said Rosewielder, stepping towards Julie. "You are a maiden not be trifled with."

  "Thanks, said Julie, nervously brushing her long bang behind her ear. "It's just that when I first heard of you I was intimidated." Julie looked down at her feet.

  "Please tell me why," said Rosewielder. "I would never swing my sword at an innocent."

  "No, it's not that. I knew that, being a spirit, you'd possess a level of perfection I could never obtain. You'd have a bond with Elliot that would be difficult, if not impossible, for me to match. You have his aura in you. What person could ever be closer to him than you?" asked Julie. "Me?"

  "I assure you that when I first arrived in th
is world I loathed Elliot. However, as we spent more time with each other, I realized how much we'd grown to care for each other. But I know that bonds as powerful as ours aren't only possible between spirits and their conjurers. There is someone out there for you Julie. I know there is!" said Rosewielder.

  Julie looked up at Rosewielder, her eyes watering, as she shook her head.

  "You are kind, Rosewielder but I can sense when I have a strong connection to someone. Their aura acts as a magnet would to my own. I felt this bonding towards my family and my granny but it was different. It wasn't as powerful as this force that draws me to Elliot, and even you. It's his aura. I just know that my aura and his have a very powerful connection. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be in this lifetime."

  "I'm sorry. Will that prevent us from being comrades, Julie?" asked Rosewielder.

  "You bet it will!" said Julie, watching Rosewielder sternly. "We're rivals from now on!"

  "What?!" said Rosewielder and Elliot simultaneously.

  "You heard me right. The three of us are like magnets. The weakest link will be repelled," said Julie, holding up her head proudly. "You'll be okay with a little competition, right Rosewielder?"

  "Well, if you insist! Fine!" said Rosewielder, folding her arms.

  "No, you two. This is not how it's suppose to be. Why can't you both be friends?" pleaded Elliot.

  "My heart will not be denied. It is like me, after all, mightier than you both," said Julie before turning around. "Our next training is monday afternoon. Don't be late."

  "I won't! I'll keep getting stronger until I can beat you, Julie!" yelled Rosewielder, raising her fist.

  "You'll need it," said Julie before going in the house and closing the door behind her.

  The rest of that day Elliot listened reluctantly as Rosewielder talked of her eagerness to fight Julie, explaining a long list of increasingly brutal tactics she'd use to dispatch with her aura summons. It wasn't until 5:00, when he was readying himself for dinner, that he finally had a break after promising that they'd train alone on Sunday.

  "Good evening, honey," said Mrs. Clementine once he'd joined his father and sister at the dinner table which was adorned with several large bowls, consisting of seasoned brown rice, teriyaki noodles, and mixed vegetables.

  "Evening, mom," said Elliot, watching his father take small sips from a teacup, studying the science section of the newspaper.

  "You know, I still can't figure out how they did it," said Mr. Clementine before folding the paper in half as he uncrossed his legs. "The dream saviors are beyond any science that we know."

  "Of course they are, daddy," piped up Faiga. "But it's a shame we haven't heard anything else from them in a long time. I hope they didn't hop in their spaceships and leave our planet."

  "Aliens again? What is it with you and Cody and extraterrestrials," said Elliot in disbelief.

  "Anything's possible, honey," said Mrs. Clementine, placing a large plate of pork shish kabobs on the table before sitting down.

  "Elliot, your sister is performing with her orchestra at the Goodwill stadium on Branch Avenue on Monday," said Mrs. Clementine as she scooped up some rice and poured it on her plate. "It would be nice if you could join us."

  "I can't. I'm sorry, Faiga," he said, looking at his sister whose hands were crossed as she beamed at him with puppy dog eyes. "I have work to do."

  "Oh, big bro, what could be more important than seeing me perform. It's really important to me that you come."

  "I promise you that I'll attend your performance next time you perform. Trust me. I will. I promise," said Elliot, twiddling his chopsticks.

  "I'll hold you to it, big bro," said Faiga before putting a thick bundle of noodles in her mouth.

  "May we ask what work do you have to do? Don't tell me you'd rather play video games than see your sister's performance," said Mrs. Clementine before sipping from a white teacup.

  "No, that's not it. I just have a research project to do for school. It's my fault. I should have started it earlier," said Elliot.

  "It'll be okay, Faiga. Your brother is a man on his mission. He's busy, never idle. That's a true virtue, and so is keeping your promise," said his father, giving him a pointed expression.

  "You don't have to worry, dad," said Elliot.

  They continued their dinner, savoring every last bit of flavor from Mrs. Clementine''s talented cooking, enjoying the soothing affect of green tea upon their sinuses as they payed only minor attention to the evening news which was currently occupied with mundane stories: food recalls, exposed politicians, climate conflict, celebrity lives and a host of other topics. When they'd finished Elliot reassured Faiga that he'd attend her next performance before heading up to his room. He found Rosewielder's eyes glued to the screen as she scoffed at an overly exaggerated evening drama show. After watching her relish his mother's cooking, the pair decided to play a round of Fantasy Lotus together. Though still quite rusty, after about an hour of hysterically engaging other players(mostly with Adam and Lilith avatars) they joyously hugged each other after finally managing to to pull off a kill on a Lilith.

  "We did it, Elliot!" screamed Rosewielder.

  "Yes, we did."

  Deciding they'd better rest themselves for their training session the following day, Elliot and Rosewielder went to sleep earlier than usual.

  That Sunday morning Elliot awoke at 8:30 a.m. from a bizarrely nonsensical dream about Rosewielder and Julie, thankful for the powers of Tenzin's ring. The sunshine penetrated warmly through his window as he unzipped his sleeping bag, getting to his feet. He walked over to his bed, seeing Rosewielder still sound asleep, before softly calling her name.

  "Rosewielder, its time to begin our training."

  She stirred before tossing around, sleepily opening her tired but beauteous eyes. She sat up, flipping her hair out of her face.

  "Alright."

  The pair went through with their morning routine without fear because his parents and Faiga had already left the house to attend Faiga's orchestra performance. When they were finally ready to go Elliot removed his ring, putting it in his pocket, before turning to Rosewielder.

  "Should I take us to the same place were we fought Julie?" she asked.

  "Yes, we don't want non-conjurers to see us. That might raise suspicion," answered Elliot, touching her shoulder.

  Rosewielder immediately teleported, taking them to what, Elliot was certain, was the same apple tree they'd been to several times before, its beauty seemingly unfaltering as they admired the perfect weather.

  "This should be fun!" said Rosewielder. "It'll be the first time that we get to train directly with each other!"

  "You're right. I guess I'll focus on creating aura summons so I don't deplete my aura next time we duel with Julie. You can test your attacks against whatever I conjure," suggested Elliot.

  "You better prepare yourself, Grandmaster Swordsman," said Rosewielder as they began descending down the hill on which the tree stood.

  They backed away, placing a good twenty feet of open space between them. Rosewielder whipped out her sword, eyeing Elliot with fierce determination. He commenced with the steps of conjuring.

  "Okay. This is it," he said before putting his finger on his chin, pondering on what to summon. "Ah, I know. I have to try this!"

  Elliot closed his eyes and cleared his mind before visualizing a white lion he'd seen on the cover of an old movie box. He allowed his aura to flood gracefully into his forehead for a few seconds, only opening his eyes after he saw a tiny light in his mind's eye which he knew was the otherworld. Within a couple seconds, he saw the outline of a four legged creature appear in front of him, its appearance very simplistic, almost cartoon-like.

  "Come on," he said to himself, trying to remember the details off the back of the DVD box just as countless strands of snowy-white fur were painted onto the outline, the head becoming mo
re distinct as a cluster of longer hairs formed the mane.

  After the process was done Elliot watched his creation adoringly as it turned its head towards him, its electric blue eyes watching him as though wondering what to do. Elliot pointed towards Rosewielder but, within seconds, his mouth had dropped open after the creature seemed to evaporate into nothingness before his eyes, leaving behind a tiny piece of reddish light which flew into his chest.

  "Elliot, what happened?" asked Rosewielder, sounding discouraged. "It looked like you had it."

  "There must be something I'm not doing right," he said, scratching his head.

  Wait. If aura summons are merely condensed pieces of my aura then perhaps the more aura I put into them the longer they'll last. The aura Julie used seemed like much more than what I just reabsorbed. Maybe that's the answer.

  "Let's try this again."

  Elliot took a deep breath, repeating the steps as exactly as he'd done the first time, until he'd reached the third step, allowing his aura to focus in his forehead. However, this time, he simply kept focusing on collecting his aura until he sensed a strange energy that felt like it had oddly separated from the rest of him. That's when he opened his eyes, and began summoning the lion from his memory, feeling his aura drop slightly. He lowered his hands just as the creature produced a roar, stepping towards Rosewielder. Elliot pointed toward their opponent and the creature charged, moving much quicker than a normal lion, reaching Rosewielder within seconds. She lifted her sword and swung but Elliot's lion caught her weapon in its outstretched mouth, yanking it out of her hand before pouncing at her. Rosewielder, however, teleported, retrieving her sword before vanishing and reappearing above the creature with her sword raised. She swung, but her sword was, again, blocked by the creature's claws this time as it stood on its hind legs. It then swiped its massive paw at Rosewielder, scratching right through the tights which she wore, revealing red wounds.

  "That's enough!" yelled Elliot.

  He did not expect what occurred next as the lion froze in its tracks, looking back at him, before sitting calmly.

  "Elliot! I can handle it!" she yelled with her sword held high. "I can heal myself! These wounds are nothing to me!"

  Elliot stood, transfixed, as Rosewielder's injuries quickly healed. She looked towards the lion.

  "Are you sure?" he asked reluctantly.

  "Bring it on!" roared Rosewielder.

  "Okay," he said.

  The lion seemed to obey his every intention as it resumed its fight with Rosewielder, the pair, duking it out for close to six minutes. The fight only ended when Rosewielder jumped nearly ten feet into the air and teleported to the ground with her sword in hand and sliced the lion cleanly in half, causing the aura summon to vanish, releasing a golfball sized piece of red light which traveled into Elliot's chest.

  "Rosewielder, you were awesome!" said Elliot, approaching her as she panted heavily before sheathing her weapon.

  "Thank you, Grandmaster Swordsman. You were great too," she said, stepping towards him tiredly.

  "I know what you need, Fair Elf Princess," said Elliot, grabbing her arm and wrapping it around his shoulder.

  "What is it I need?" she said, still battle weary.

  "You need a prize for beating me again," he answered, supporting her, as they both walked uphill towards the apple tree. "But this time I want you to close your eyes."

  Rosewielder slouched down against the tree trunk, closing her eyes, wiping her face. Elliot admired the alluring excellence of Rosewielder's porcelain skin, and her shining strands of pink hair adorned by the sunlight as her supernatural beauty surpassed all that surrounded her.

  "You can open them now."

  Rosewielder opened her eyes and gasped upon seeing the small creature nestled comfortably in Elliot's hands. She scooped up a tiny bird, its soft feathers as majestically white as the lion's. It sang, whizzing its head around, grabbing Rosewielder's fingers with its feet. Elliot kneeled, smiling as he saw her eyes light up.

  "Elliot, it's so cute. Did you-," she began, beaming at the creature.

  "Yes, it's one of my aura summons. I created it just for you," he said.

  Rosewielder stood up, nudging the creature with her fingers before raising her hand, allowing it to fly away.

  "Did you not like it?" asked Elliot curiously, watching the bird become smaller and smaller in the distance.

  "No, I loved it, Elliot," she answered before kissing his cheek. "I understand that it doesn't have long in this world. I don't wish to cage it. I can watch it enjoy itself with no envy for I no longer feel caged."

  "I'm glad you feel that way," said Elliot, sitting down on the grass, watching the horizon as it stretched beyond his sight.

  Rosewielder sat down beside him, eyeing him.

  "What's on your mind, Elliot?" she asked.

  "The future. It seems unclear."

  "How so."

  "I don't know if I'll do the right thing when the time comes. If we see Adam and Lilith again I want to believe that I'll make the right choice, even if it means…destroying them, but I don't know if I can. Vanquishing monsters and beasts is one thing, but I don't know if I could bring myself to take the life of another person," explained Elliot.

  "If they harm others then we'll have no choice," said Rosewielder. "I'm sure this world would be a better place without them."

  "But they're still people and I summoned them. I summoned them for my own selfish purposes just as I did with you. They refused to join me so I kill them? Would I not be playing God if I destroyed them simply because they didn't turn out how I wanted them to?" asked Elliot.

  "They have their own will," said Rosewielder.

  You were right when you suggested that I didn't summon them," said Elliot. "No good will come out of it."

  "I agree, but everyone makes mistakes. Only someone truly arrogant would believe otherwise," said Rosewielder.

  "You once said that you'd kill Adam if you could but you've never killed another person before, have you?" asked Elliot, looking at Rosewielder, the sunlight reflecting alluringly off of her violet eyes.

  "No, but I will if need be."