"Are you kidding me?" Noah's booming voice echoed across the meadow as he rushed down the path to Luke's cabin. A line of their friends followed close behind.
Luke stood on the front porch with Scarlett, his face lit up with happiness. "Hello old friend," he said, chuckling as he stepped down to meet Noah on the grass.
They embraced with a crash, smacking each other on the back loudly. Noah lifted Luke off the ground and they laughed.
"How in the hell did you survive that blast, man?" Noah stepped back, still resting his hands on Luke's shoulders.
Luke glanced back at Scarlett before answering. "My parents saved me," he replied.
The others were all arriving now, each one just as surprised to see Luke as the last.
Luke quickly made his way around, hugging them all and exchanging laughter and small talk. He was quickly introduced to the second generation of children, all standing in awe of this strange man who had been living in this world all alone.
"So?" Noah prompted, once everyone had settled down. "What happened?"
Luke looked solemnly back at Noah. "I was here, in this meadow when the blast happened. My parents came to warn me that it was coming, but it was far too late to make it back to the gates by the time they found me."
Scarlett quickly walked over and took his hand.
"Before the power cloud hit, we said our goodbyes and prepared for the worst." He shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of so many people. "I thought I would die with them," he continued, his expression pained, "but my parents had other plans, I guess. They used up all of their power to form a shield around me, long enough for the cloud to pass. When I opened my eyes, the cloud was gone and so were they." He looked down at the ground, wiping a tear from his face.
"I'm so sorry, Luke," Eden said, wiping the tears from her own eyes.
"So, you've been here alone, all these years?" Riley piped up. He shrunk back when everyone turned to look at him.
"Riley, honestly," Poppy chided, "when are you going to learn the meaning of tact?"
Luke almost laughed. "It's alright, Poppy. You can't blame him for being curious." He turned his eyes to Riley. "Yes, I've been here alone. I've kept myself busy trying to get this place back to the way it was, but it's a lot of work for one man."
Riley nodded silently. Lucy could tell there were more questions just itching to come out, but he stayed quiet under the warning gaze of his mother.
"Well, you're not alone anymore," Scarlett replied, wrapping her arms around Luke. He looked down at her with so much love that the air around them shimmered.
"How bad is it up at the city?" Noah asked.
Luke tore his gaze away from Scarlett. "The city held. The blast came from under Arlo's home, just on the outskirts of the north side, but it did enough damage to make a mess of the place."
"Right," Noah said, rubbing his hands together. "Should we go and take a look?"
Luke nodded. "It's probably best. There isn't enough room here in my little cabin for everyone, but the old castle still stands, as sturdy as ever."
"Wait, a castle?" Riley's eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he quickly stepped forward, toward Luke.
Lucy and her friends all followed. "Are you serious?" Lilith asked.
Noah chuckled. "As you can see, we have a lot of young ones who are more than eager to see what this place has to offer."
Luke smiled. "Well, let's get going then."
He quickly disappeared into his cottage, emerging only minutes later with a pack, several lanterns and some food for everyone to share.
"It's not much," he said as he handed over two loaves of bread, "but it will do for now."
Jared's eyes lit up. He took the piece that Scarlett offered him and chomped on it. He looked over at Luke, his expression euphoric. "You made this yourself?" he asked, his mouth full.
Luke chuckled. "Yes. I did."
"It's good," Jared replied, patting Luke on the back before walking away to talk to Riley.
Luke smiled at Jared and then down at Scarlett, who stood beside him. "He's just like his father," he said.
Scarlett nodded. "In so many ways."
Luke's gaze drifted to Lucy, who was standing with Tristan, talking quietly. "Lucy looks like her father, but I get the impression there is quite a lot of Liz in there."
"You have no idea," Scarlett replied with a laugh. "Lucy has so much of Elizabeth's strength, although sometimes she does need reminding of that fact. She has a heart of gold, and she worries, all of the time."
"Poor kid," Luke replied.
"They've both been through so much," Scarlett said, biting her lip.
Luke wrapped a comforting arm around her. "You all have."
"We all have," Scarlett replied, looking up at him and touching the side of his face. "Some more than others," she whispered.
Luke smiled warmly at her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm just happy you're here now."
"Guys, maybe we should consider going back to get some of the things we left at the campsite, on the other side of the gates?" Caleb suggested, bringing Luke and Scarlett's attention back to the group.
Noah nodded. "You're right. We'll probably need most of it tonight at least." He turned to Luke with a resigned half-smile. "I guess we were a little over-excited to come home."
Luke laughed. "I can only imagine."
"Right then," Noah continued, "how about I take a smaller group back and we'll pick up our things, and meet the rest of you at the village centre?"
All of the men left with Noah, including Luke, to go back and pick up their belongings.
"I'm curious to see what it looks like over there now," Luke said as he quickly kissed Scarlett goodbye and followed the others. Noah clapped him on the back as Luke walked up beside him. The girls could just hear Noah chuckling as they walked away.
"Well, we should make our way back to the village and wait, I guess," Scarlett said as she quickly turned to go and close up Luke's cottage.
The girls slowly began walking across the meadow, and Lucy waited behind for Scarlett.
"There's something I wanted to ask you about," Lucy said when Scarlett finally emerged, holding what looked like one of Luke's coats.
"Sure," Scarlett replied, looking at Lucy with a worried expression. "Is everything alright?"
"Oh, yes, everything is fine," Lucy said quickly. "I just wanted to ask you about what happened with the gates, before they exploded."
Scarlett nodded. "Of course," she said, "I know exactly what you want to know."
Lucy frowned.
"We didn't see it until it was too late," Scarlett continued. "When we realised that the gates were being held closed with something much stronger than the other four elements combined, we ran to try and stop you, but..."
"They blew up," Lucy finished.
"Yes. Exactly," Scarlett said, her expression dark. "By the Goddess," she sighed, "we thought we'd lost you all." She stopped walking, taking Lucy's hand.
"What was it, Scarlett? What was the final seal?" Lucy stared into Scarlett's sad eyes.
"The fifth element," Scarlett replied simply. "Spirit."
"Spirit?" Lucy repeated, confused.
"It's not an element that we call upon often, because it takes quite a lot of strength to control it. We didn't think of it at the time, obviously, but thinking about it now, it makes sense why our parents used it to seal the gates. It would have taken something very powerful to withstand the explosion that happened here." She stopped and rubbed her forehead. "Spirit, combined with the other four elements is the most powerful form of magic we can wield, and our parents would have been desperate. With enough of them together, they were able to call upon spirit to become the final seal in the gates. Something that was guaranteed to keep them locked, forever."
"So then, how..." Lucy began, but she did not finish her sentence because Scarlett's expression changed to something so bright that it shocked her.
"Because you and your friends are stronger than anything any of us has ever seen before." Scarlett raised her eyebrows at Lucy. "We've been trying to tell you all for some time. Maybe now, you'll believe us." She smiled at Lucy and reached over to pull her into a hug. "You have no idea how proud I am of you and your brother," she finished with a whisper.
Lucy didn't say anything for a moment. She was thinking about the moment they tried to break the spirit seal and how strong it had been. Then she thought about seeing her friends, scattered on the grass after the explosion.
"We were lucky it didn't kill us, weren't we?" Lucy asked with a tinge of guilt.
Scarlett stepped back and put her hands on either side of Lucy's face. "Don't you dare feel guilty, Lucy. There was no way any of us could have known it was there until it was too late. We should have taught you more. If anything, it's our fault for not training you better."
Lucy took Scarlett's hands in hers. "If I'm not allowed to feel guilty, then neither are you. If there was no way anyone could have known it was there, then there's no reason you would have needed to teach us."
Scarlett stared at Lucy for a moment, guilt and sadness rolling off her, before she finally settled and a smile pulled at the side of her mouth. "You're too smart for your own good sometimes, you know that."
Lucy laughed. "Come on, let's catch up to the others." She took Scarlett's hand and they walked across the meadow toward the forest.
"You know what else I realised just now?" Lucy said as they walked toward the forest.
"What's that?" Scarlett replied.
"The surprise that Mom and Dad were talking about, on my birthday, the one they said was just for you."
Scarlett looked across at Lucy, confused. "Yes?" she questioned.
"It had to be Luke," Lucy said with a grin. "They must have known he was alive."
Scarlett's eyebrows pinched together for a moment before her face lit up with laughter. "Oh my! I think you're right," she said, still laughing.
Lucy threw her arm around Scarlett's shoulders, giggling as they walked into the forest.
Lucy could just hear the sound of laughter as they made their way through the trees. The girls had stopped by the side of the river to watch several stunningly graceful white swans – the size of small boats – floating along on the water.
"I don't believe it," Scarlett whispered, putting her hands over her mouth. "How did they survive?"
Eden walked over to stand beside her. "It's a miracle," she said, slowly shaking her head in disbelief.
"They're so beautiful," Rachel gushed as she quickly rushed along the riverbank, following them.
Lilith was struggling to hold on to Teddy, who was leaping about, barking. "Settle, little man, you'll scare them." She placed her hand on his head and he quickly laid down in the grass, still watching the swans with his head resting on his paws.
Emily quickly followed her daughter, taking Rachel's hand while they watched the swans disappear around the bend. When they returned to the others, Emily had tears in her eyes. "I honestly didn't think we would ever see any of the creatures of this world again. What a wonderful surprise."
"Creatures?" Rachel questioned. "Do you mean that there are more animals like that?"
Emily laughed. "So many more, sweetheart. Although, I'm not sure how there could possibly be any left."
"Well, if the swans survived, there's still hope," Eden said, looking over her shoulder at Emily with a smile.
Emily smiled back. She turned to her daughter. "Our family used to care for all kinds of wonderful and magical animals in this world. If we can find them again, maybe it will be something we can do together."
Rachel's eyes lit up. "Really? Oh, I would love that," she said, wrapping her arms around her mother.
There was a whistle from the opposite side of the river, catching everyone's attention.
Noah was leaning against the stone bridge, waving a hand in the air.
"They're back. Let's get going, ladies." Eden headed toward her husband, and the rest of the girls followed close behind.
Rachel turned back one last time to look down the river in the direction where the swans had disappeared. "I can't wait," she whispered.
* * * * *
"Riley, what are you doing?" Lilith was standing with her arms crossed watching Riley stomp around the clearing near all of their broken-down cottages with his cell phone held high in the air above his head.
"I'm trying to get my phone to work," he replied impatiently.
Everyone was watching him with amusement.
Poppy was shaking her head. "I thought I told you, Riley, that it wouldn't work over here?"
"Did he say phone?" Luke asked, looking confused.
Scarlett smiled warmly. "Things have changed quite a bit since you were last in Blackwood." She waved at Riley, getting his attention and indicating to come over to them.
Riley approached with a huff. "I can access my photos and my music, but there's no reception." He handed the phone to Luke so that he could take a look.
"Just as I told you," Poppy said, rolling her eyes.
"This thing is amazing," Luke exclaimed as Scarlett took the phone from him and began showing him how to use it.
"Not right now, it isn't," Riley grumbled.
"Are you kidding me?" Luke argued. "This is incredible." He took it back from Scarlett and began poking at the screen.
"Ah, careful there, Luke," Riley said, wincing. He slowly pried the phone from Luke's hands and cleared the screen.
"What else does it do?" Luke asked, still very interested.
"Oh, here, you'll like this," Lilith answered, pulling her own phone from her back pocket. She quickly opened the camera and stood next to Luke, holding the phone up so that they could see the rest of their friends on the screen.
"It's a camera too?" Once again, Luke took the phone, his expression transfixed on the image of his friends waving at him on the screen.
"Just touch that button there," Lilith said, indicating to the button on the screen to take the photo.
Luke touched the button and laughed when the image flashed up immediately. "I don't believe it," he said, still laughing.
"You can make videos too," Lilith continued, taking the phone and making a quick video of the group before passing it back to Luke to hit play.
"Well, it appears I've missed out on quite a bit, haven't I?" Luke chuckled, passing the phone back to Lilith. "I can't wait to hear all about it."
"Same goes for us," Lilith replied with a grin. "I bet you have some amazing stories to tell."
Luke nodded. "I'm sure we all do."
"We just saw the most incredible swans on the river," Rachel said to Luke, her eyes bright. "They were huge!"
Luke chuckled. "Yes, they are quite beautiful, if not slightly temperamental at times."
"Did any other animals survive, Luke?" Emily asked, her face lit up almost as much as Rachel's.
Luke nodded. "Surprisingly, yes. I couldn't believe it myself, but it seems that I wasn't the only living being to survive the blast. I can't quite figure out how, to be honest. I thought maybe, if the animals survived, surely more Empaths did, too," he looked at his feet, "but sadly, that was not the case."
Scarlett stood beside Luke; her eyebrows pulled together in a frown. "That doesn't make sense," she whispered.
"They could have potentially been protected by their own magic," Emily noted. She was looking back toward the river, toward the swans. "It's entirely possible that they were able to get far enough away that they were able to withstand what was left of the blast once it hit the far reaches of this world." She looked back at the others and shrugged. "Possibly."
"Whatever the case, I'm incredibly grateful," Luke said. "If it wasn't for the animals, I'd have gone mad, and probably starved, too."
"What food have you been living on?" Noah asked. "Surely all of the crops were destroyed in the blast."
Luke smiled. "Not all of them. I was able to salvage quite a bit. I'll show you everything soon. First, we should get to the city."
"True. Let's get moving," Noah replied, hefting his pack over his shoulder, indicating for the others to follow suit.
Luke led the way and they set off through the village, heading south.
"How long does it take to get to the city?" Riley asked, giving his phone one last look before shoving it back into his pocket.
"On foot? Probably an hour," Luke replied.
"Ugh. More walking," Riley grumbled.
"Stop complaining, Riley," Lucy said as she walked up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Take a look around you and really see where you are right now. Look at this," she waved an arm at their surroundings. Everything was green and vibrant. Even though the cottages were run down and falling apart, there was still an element of beauty to everything. "We've been waiting for months to come here; we talked about it constantly. We nearly died for it. If now isn't as good a time as any to really stop and appreciate where we are, then when will be?" She glanced sideways at Riley and waited.
Riley looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, Lucy. You're right." Only then did he really stop and look at his surroundings. "I promise to be present in the moment – no more complaining."
Lucy grinned. "That's better." She gave him a quick pat on the back and then ran over to take Tristan's hand.
They followed the dusty cobblestone street through the village, pointing out little shops with old signs hanging off hinges out the front and overgrown gardens where the flowers had completely taken over and flourished. Every now and then there would be a break in the buildings where they could see the river rushing by.
At one of the little stores by the river, Sarah stopped and stared through the windows. Her expression fell and her body shook a little as she ran her hands over her face. Emily quickly stepped over to stand beside her, wrapping a comforting arm around Sarah's shoulders.
"What's wrong Sarah?" Lucy asked, letting go of Tristan's hand to walk over to where Sarah was standing.
"This was my parent's store," Sarah replied, slowly dropping her hands.
Lucy glanced through the window before replying. "What kind of store was it?"
Sarah managed a half-smile. "I guess you could say it was an apothecary of sorts. Or maybe it was something similar to what I have back in Blackwood. They supplied herbs and salves and medicines to the village – most of which they grew and tended themselves. I loved this place."
Lucy placed a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Sarah." She looked back at the store. "We'll do everything we can to help you get it back to how you remember it, I promise."
"Thanks, Lucy," Sarah replied, patting Lucy on the hand. "Who knows, maybe we can run it together." She turned her gaze to Lucy. "Although, something tells me you're going to be very busy doing so much more in the city." She winked and gave Lucy's hand one last pat before setting off along the street with the others.
Lucy stayed to stare at Sarah's family store for a few moments longer.
"Are you alright?" Tristan walked over and wrapped his arms around Lucy from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"I think so," Lucy replied, still staring through the shop window. "Just... nervous."
"Why?" Tristan asked, catching her reflection in the broken glass.
Lucy sighed. "I'm not sure. Fear of the unknown, maybe. Ever since our parents mentioned this world, it felt like this unreachable, made up fairy tale – one that I really didn't think we would ever get the chance to see. And then, once Eleos started to feel real, there was the worry of how badly broken down it would be if we ever did get here." She turned to look up at Tristan. "Now that we're here, it's so much more than I ever could have expected. Sure, it needs a lot of work to rebuild, but it's so beautiful. It feels like... home, I guess." She finished with a shrug.
"But?" Tristan added, noticing the reluctance in Lucy's tone.
"I can feel the pressure mounting again," Lucy replied, worry tinging her green eyes. "Like we're going to be expected to perform miracles with this place." She glanced at their families, chatting happily as they trudged along the road before looking back up at Tristan. "Or maybe I'm just overthinking things, as usual."
Tristan placed his big hands on either side of her face and pressed his forehead against hers. "Whatever happens, we'll handle it together – all of us. You're not alone." He looked around them and smiled. "Let's just enjoy it for what it is right now, and we'll worry about that other stuff later. How does that sound?" He softly pressed his lips to hers before stepping back at holding out his hand.
Lucy smiled up at him and dropped her hand into his. "Alright," she replied, letting him lead her down the road toward the others.
As they walked further out of the village, the buildings began to taper off and the road turned from cobblestone to grass.
They passed through sections of forest where the path was almost completely overgrown. Poppy, Emily and Judy took turns shifting fallen trees and redirecting thick vines till the path was visible again.
As they approached the city, the forest started to thin out and the grass road ran back into a cobblestone path.
"We're almost there," Luke called from the front of the group.
As they rounded a corner, the forest came to an abrupt end and there, stretched out in front of them was a spectacular castle, backed by gigantic mountains and a city of rooftops spread out in front of it. There was a waterfall cascading down the side of one of the mountains that dropped into a river that flowed from the city, back toward the village they had just come from.
Between the forest and the first of the buildings stood a vast, green expanse of land, and the path they had been following led right past what must have once been a park, shadowed by the largest trees any of them had ever seen. There were overgrown gardens and stone seats by a smaller section of river that flowed off into the forest, and a thick blanket of flowers scattered through the grass. It was stunning, if not a little wild. With some help, it would be a beautiful place to sit and relax.
It was impressive, but nothing compared to what was in the city.
Even from where they were standing, they could see the giant stone statue of a woman, standing by the gates of the castle, rivalling the imposing size of the mountains behind it. Her arms were outstretched in welcome, her waist-length hair flowing as though it was caught in a breeze. And her eyes were so green that they glistened in the light.
"Who is that?" Lucy whispered, but she knew the answer already. She could feel it in her very soul.
Luke looked back at Lucy and her friends with a proud smile. "Welcome, my new friends, to the city of Eleos."