Twisted Destiny

Part 20 - Beacons Through the Shadows

They arrived at a wall that seemed even more decorated than the ones before. Intricate designs spanned the entire width of the wall, but it was completely bare besides that. No windows, tapestries, or any other decor that would pretty it up. El placed both hands, seeming to take extra care to place both palms on the wall, and started a strange incantation. In an instant, dark green tendrils of magic started to spew from her hands. They were wispy, and translucent, as if they were part of the air itself, but at the same time, they seemed to differentiate from it, and manipulate its own field. It was magic unlike any she had seen before, one that seemed unique to El herself. Odorata had her plant magic. Violet had the incredibly powerful rays of light at occasions, and then her portals. Eardwulf had his alchemy. But this, this was magic at its root, magic that had been performed on the Earth for hundreds of thousands of years, the one that was before all other magic forms had taken place. And then, the beautiful wall dissolved in front of her eyes. The hours of work, it all disappeared in an instant. Lantana couldn't stifle a gasp, for the sight of that, and then what it contained. Behind the wall, there seemed to be another world, that she was certain of. The exterior no longer facing other homes in the capitol, or even looking out into the dense woodlands. No more sight of the castle, or any of the hustle that had been going on in front of Lantana only moments ago. El turned back to her with a childish grin set on her face.

"Well, come along then princess! This is a safe location, one that we have let magic users live in before. Me' husband and I have spent years combining our powers to make it a stable, safe haven that can only be accessed by magic. You didn't think we were holding all of these people in the confines of our home, did you?"

Upon seeing all of them, Lantana didn't believe the claim at all. There were hundreds, if not thousand of magic users running around in this new village, entire families, new and old. Running around without a care in the world, as if they weren't about to go off into war. It seemed that what El had stated about it being a safe haven was true, as there were tiny children running across the lush, green, grass, shrieking with laughter. It seemed that a new world had been established here, away from all the chaos of loss in their old world. The land was unravaged by disease, or human impacts, and a new, better civilization had started. With the combined abilities of the many people living there, the structures seemed beyond Lantana's realm to comprehend. Houses that almost seemed like they were floating in thin air, on thin carpets of similar wisps of magic as El had just shown. Lush vegetation flowed through the land, with forests filled with tall, looming trees, and long grass that went part way up to her knees. Flowers of all sorts swayed in an imaginary wind, and wildlife roamed the land, interacting with the humans as well as their counterparts. With magic users, at least the good magic users, they could create so much more, and create something that almost looked like a... utopia. Lantana knew there was no other way to describe it, how majestic this new civilization looked, and how it would always be better than the world they were in today. As usual though, in an instant, El quickly snapped her out of her trance.

"As you can see, it's practically another world here! It's the safest place we know of to let them all reside though, but it seems to be efficient for the most part. If you want, I can show you around," Then, after a second of thought, she spoke another sentence, "There's also currently a meeting going on, if you wanted to hop on in. I don't think they would mind, but I know you have a busy agenda, being the princess an' all."

Lantana was tempted to take up on her offer, but she knew her time was running short.

"I would love to be introduced to these individuals, but as you stated, my time is running short, and I have places to be soon. If you would like though, sending up a representative or two into the castle, I could meet with them separately, and they could inform me of what you are discussing. But, it truly has been a pleasure, and I'm so grateful to you for taking this upon yourself."