The Other Side: A Second Chance

"Spark!" The fire spark leaped from Varis's fingertip and twirled through the air in front of us before landing on the small pile of leaves in the center of the rock ring I'd built. Swiftly, the tiny bits of kindling I'd formed ignited a small, roaring flame.

I looked at my brother and smiled when I saw his eyes closed. As he slowly opened them, he looked at the small fire with a perplexed look. A few seconds of contemplation went by, and suddenly, his eyes widened immensely as a smile formed across his face.

"Yes!" He shouted, and I quickly brought a finger to my lips and shushed him.

"Quiet! Or Momma and Papa will hear us!" I hissed.

"Yes!" Varis repeated himself, though much quieter, as he giggled and bounced. "I did it; I lit the fire!" He said. "I finally did it!"

I nodded and flicked my wrist, silently casting a gust to snuff the flames. A day has passed, and the weekend has arrived, leaving Varis and me plenty of time off for the next two days. My mother, father, aunt, and uncle still had to work, so Varis and I were home alone.

As for where Isa was, she had gone on her date with Dr. Kegan. Leaving both my brother and me in the perfect environment to practice his magic. Looking at Varis, I smiled as I watched him excitedly bounce up and down. "Yes, you did!" I said happily, "You're doing wonderful, Varis. Give me just a moment, and I'll set the fire pit back up—" Suddenly, my ear twitched, and over the sounds of the city, I heard what seemed like a distant, lifeless howl.

I straightened up and turned in the direction I had heard the noise. Varis continued to dance and giggle as he joyously celebrated his victory. "Did you hear that?" I asked.

My brother stopped. "Hear what?" He said this as my ear twitched again, and another deathly howl reached my ears. It was a pain-filled cry, like that of a grown man, yet at the same time, it felt hollow, and with it, my blood ran cold.

Up above, far into the sky, my eyes widened with fear as all color drained from my face. Descending from the clouds, I could see hundreds of giant Rusivite airships descending upon the city. Around us, civil defense sirens began to wail as the entire city fell into a panic.

Screams of panicked citizens and striders began to echo as automobiles blared their horns and crashed. I rushed over to grab my brother by his hand when suddenly, the building behind my aunt's house exploded into rubble as a fighting machine barreled toward us. My brother screamed as I pushed him towards the back door.

"Run!" I shouted and turned to the machine, my heart ramming against my chest as my hand reached for my wand. Yet before I could pull it from its sheath, the machine lashed out with one of its metallic tendrils and battered me to the side like a toy.

The wind forcibly ripped from my lungs. I rolled across the dirt and stopped on my side, facing the house and my brother, who stood on the back steps. His eyes filled with fear, rage, and tears. He screamed my name, thrust a hand towards the machine, and began to speak the incantation for spark, yet it was useless.

A clawed tendril shot towards him and snatched him off the steps. Gasping for air, I reached out towards him and tried to call for him, yet no words left my lips as the machine took my screaming brother. Hopelessly, I watched as it turned away from me and began to stomp away just as the flying dreadnoughts unleashed an unholy salvo of missiles upon the city, reducing everything to rubble.

 

---

 

"Luna! Luna, wake up; it's just another dream!" I heard Isa's distant voice as she shook me awake. I gasped and squirmed beneath her touch as I kicked the bedding off of me, rolled onto my back, and looked up to see my mentor learning over me in the dark. "It's okay, I'm here," she said softly. "There's no need to worry." She smiled.

I sniffed and blinked as I reached up to wipe my damp eyes. "I-I'm sorry…" I said, sniffling still. "I-It was a really bad dream…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Isa asked softly as she sat on the side of my bed.

I sniffed again and glanced around the dark room and towards the window. It was still dark outside, yet when I glanced at the clock, I saw it was only an hour before sunrise. I released a shaky breath and said, "I dreamt that the Rusivites made it to the city… A fighting machine took Varis, and those airships, the ones that destroyed our home, began to flatten the entire city. We were both alone… I tried to protect him but couldn't; I was too small and weak."

Isa's expression fell slightly as she looked at me with pity. She reached out and gently began to run her clawed fingers through my hair as she brushed it. "I understand," she said, keeping her voice calm. "I've been having similar dreams myself."

"You have?" I asked, and she nodded.

"I worry for you and your family; every moment we spend here fills me with worry. It's what keeps me going." She chuckled. "But we are safe, Luna. The Rusivites are held at the river, and they are far, far away from us. Even if the Rusivites cross the river, we'll know days in advance when we need to go; no more surprises this time," she said as her fingers continued to comb my hair.

The sensation made me shudder and hum happily, as the simple action seemed to calm me. Isa smiled as she watched me visibly relax a little and nodded. "Y-Yeah, I think you're right."

"I know I'm right." She said it with a giggle and a wink. "Do you think you can fall back to sleep?"

I opened my mouth briefly, then closed it and shook my head. "I don't think so."

Isa gestured for me to scooch over on the bed, and I did so as she climbed on with me, and like before, during our days of traveling through the wilderness, she cuddled up with me. "Well, it's a little too early to start the day," she said. "How about we lay here and have some girl talk?" She suggested it with a smile.

"Girl talk?" I blinked, and Isa smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, let's chat about whatever; it'll help take our minds off things." She hummed as she pulled me close to her body, my head now resting on her upper chest. I nodded and nuzzled happily into her chest, draping my little arms around Isa in a small hug. As I hugged her, I could hear Isa's motor kicking on. She began to purr happily and pressed her forehead into my head.

We stayed like this for a moment in silence before I finally asked, "What're you planning for your date tonight?" I smiled.

Isa's purring faltered, and though I couldn't see her, I could feel her stare burrowing into my head. Finally, she sighed, and her purring resumed as she said, "I don't know, but I do know it's not a date." She said it with extra emphasis on the word "date."

"You can't fool me," I said deviously. "A late-night dinner at a fancy restaurant, just the two of you. It sounds like a date." I sang the last bit.

Isa sighed. "What do you even know about dates?" She poked me gently in the side with a clawed finger. "You're too young to even be thinking about that stuff."

"I read books." I lied. Most books I've read have never covered such topics.

"Of course you did," Isa said, sniffing my bullshit like always.

"It's true, though," I lied again.

Isa took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she smiled and said, "I don't know what's going to come of it. The doctor offered me free food, and I enjoy his company, so it seemed like a nice thing to partake in." She began to comb my hair again with her fingers. "I also wouldn't mind getting to know him more; that's all and nothing more."

I smiled and squinted up at her. "Sure." I winked.

"I'm serious, Luna," Isa said, though even in the dark, I could see the blush on her cheeks.

"Have you had any boyfriends in the past?" I asked curiously, and Isa's blush darkened more.

"I-I-I," she stammered, and I giggled. "That's a very personal question."

"You said this was girl talk," I said with a big smirk. "This is girl talk! Now tell me, I'm curious!" I beamed.

Isa sighed. "Of course I walked into this…" She smiled at me, and to my surprise, she shook her head. "I've never had a male partner; however, I did have a girlfriend once."

I blinked. Whoa, okay, I was not expecting that. "A girlfriend?"

Isa nodded slowly. "In my culture back in Kazora, we were open to any kind of relationship, and back in my home land, my partner and I were quite close."

I beamed. "Oh, that's super cute! What was her name?" I asked.

Isa hesitated, and her eyes shifted away from me. As her expression fell, I felt my heart deflate and realized I may have touched upon a sore subject. "I've spoken of her once before," Isa mumbled. "Her name was Pomni…"

"O-Oh…" That was all I could see before taking a deep breath and adding, "If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. I'm sorry."

Isa nodded slowly. "It's okay, Luna." She brushed my hair. "Our relationship didn't last too long, but what we had was nice." She smiled faintly.

"Well, that's nice." I returned her smile

Isa nodded. "Outside of that, though," she said, taking a deep breath. "I've always been traveling and doing odd jobs, but I never found the time to find romance." I nodded, and before I knew it, Isa changed the subject: "Speaking of friends, didn't you have plans to play with Anne today?"

I nodded. "Yeah! I've been wanting to introduce her to Varis," I said, glancing over my shoulder towards my brother's bed. "Though I don't know what exactly we were going to do, Momma doesn't want me using magic, and both Anne and Varis love it when I do tricks."

"Well, I'm sure you kids will figure out something. Anne has toys, doesn't she? You all could play with those; you seemed to really like it last time," Isa suggested, and I nodded.

"Yeah, though I don't know if Varis would want to. Based on the toy shop we saw a few days ago, he seems to like the cool stuff. I like dragons and whatnot, which I like too! But Anne didn't have those."

Isa giggled. "Well, I'm sure you three will figure something out."

I nodded slowly, and we fell into a brief silence once again. "Isa," I said softly.

"Yes, Luna?" She asked.

"Where do you think the heart of the city lies?" I asked her.

Isa stopped brushing my hair. "That's something I've been wondering as well," she said quietly. "My gut tells me it's the center of the city at the Hothland Manor… The castle upon the hill," she clarified when I glanced up at her. "Yet, getting to such a place would be difficult, and also feels too obvious."

"The Master mentioned a place of power," I said. "He also talked about how the construction must be finished."

"I think he's referring to what your parents and relatives are working on," Isa said. "Perhaps tomorrow, you and I can do some scouting?"

"That might be for the best," I said. "I don't want to waste too much time nor test his patience."

"Well, then, it's settled. Dawn's Day, we search for the heart." She booped my nose.

I giggled and nodded. "Then it's a date!" I joked.

"No!" Isa flicked my nose, and I squealed with agony.

 

---

 

"So who's this Anne?" Varis asked me as we sat around the dining room table, eating breakfast.

"Anne is a friend of mine I met when traveling with Isa," I said as I chewed and swallowed my eggs.

"No speaking with your mouth full," my mother said, tapping me on the head as she went to the range to prepare herself a plate with a cup of coffee.

I rubbed the spot on my head, apologized, and said, "She was injured when Isa and I encountered her when running away from the Rusivites. She had gotten shot by one of the machines."

"She was shot?!" Varis exclaimed, and I nodded. "Ouch, that must've hurt."

"Oh, I bet it was," my father said as he and Uncle Aenorin were reading the newspapers.

I nodded. "Yeah, she was hurt really badly, but thankfully we were able to get away from the Rusivites and find a safe place."

"And you healed her?" Varis asked, and I nodded.

"Yep, though we didn't become friends right away. She was really quiet for a while; I think she was just scared and trying to process what was happening." I took another bite of my eggs and waited till I swallowed before continuing. "When we made it to the refugee camp on the other side of the river, that was when she really started opening up."

"How did she react when she learned you were our daughter?" my mother asked as she sat beside me with her breakfast.

"Oh, she went crazy, in a good way!" I said it with a giggle. "That's when she started asking if I knew magic and such, and it was from there that we started to get along really well."

"The two of them are really cute together," Isa said with a smile as Aunt Saria entered the kitchen.

"I don't mean to intrude on everyone," she said. I turned to see she was wearing a cute grey sweater and a white pencil skirt. Around her neck was a medallion bearing the symbol of the All-Father Church. "I'm going to be having guests over in a little bit," she said.

Uncle Aenorin lowered his newspaper and raised an eyebrow at my aunt before his eyes widened with realization. "Oh, it's Dusk Day, your church friends?"

My aunt smiled and nodded. "Somewhat, Lady Aussland and Doria are busy; Archbishop Vitalyevich is going to be stopping by."

My father frowned. "A Rusimian?"

Aunt Saria nodded. "He's an immigrant, yes, though from far before this blasted war began. He's a good man; he's recently been staying in Johanneson to oversee the church."

Uncle Aenorin turned his chair fully toward his wife. "What's an archbishop doing stopping by our home, though? Th-this is kind of a big deal, Saria; why didn't you tell me?"

My aunt smiled and held her hands up. "Because it's a surprise to me too, I was expecting Lady Aussland, but I received a message this morning that the archbishop wishes to pick up the supplies instead."

Supplies? I cocked my head like a confused dog as I popped a sausage into my mouth.

As if speaking on my behalf, my mother asked, "What supplies?"

My aunt smiled. "Oh, I make crafts for the church as well as provide them with magrite shards to power the lights and set pieces for their sermons. Sometimes I even donate food, like today. Though being blessed by the Archbishop's arrival is even a surprise to me, I wonder if he's coming to personally thank me." She said it giddily.

My family and I, aside from Varis, shared a look before looking back at my aunt, who beamed and said, "Don't worry, it shouldn't be a long visit. Though he may come inside with an entourage, just treat him as any other guest, and he'll be out here shortly once I make the donation."

As if on cue, a knock came from the front door downstairs. My aunt immediately shot to attention, turned towards the sound, and cursed, "Shit, they're already here. Excuse me, I'm going to go let them in."

"Alright," my father and Uncle Aenorin said as she turned and rushed downstairs.

Aenorin took a deep breath. "Oh boy… expect this place to get crowded," he said in a low voice, turning back to us. "Saria and her church friends always love to sit around and talk about the good book."

"You say that like you don't play along with them?" Said my father.

"Slyran," my mother hissed.

"It's because I don't," Aenorin said. "My folks were always followers of Margon. I personally don't buy into the whole "one god" shtick, though Saria has never tried to force me into it, and it makes her happy, and that's all I care about. As for her church friends, though…" He sighs and rolls his eyes.

I listened as I chewed my food, remaining quiet as the front door downstairs opened abruptly. My blood ran cold. Out of nowhere, my gut tightened as I heard a bone-chilling voice come from down below.

"Lady Sartosi…" The heavily accented voice purred. "It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

"Archbishop Vitalyevich, it's an honor to finally meet you as well, " my aunt said, sounding star-struck.

"Please," the man's voice cooed, "there is no need to be so formal with me. Call me by my first name, Putinov."

My aunt struggled to stifle an excited squeal as I heard her say, "Ye-yes, Putinov, please come inside."

Once again, a chill ran through me, and my hair began to stand on end. My mother turned to look at me and asked, "Luna, is everything okay?"

"Something feels funny," I said softly.

"O-Oh!" I heard my aunt. "Who's this?"

To which Puntinov said, "Oh, my apologies, Lady Sartosi, this is my scr—"

"Bonjour, Madame, c'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer !" A new voice entered the scene, speaking a language I did not understand yet recognized.

A goddamn Frenchman. I thought. Is that who I'm feeling? But why? Where? How?!

My head snapped back towards the stairs, my eyes wide as my aunt giggled. "O-Oh my! He-hello, but wh-what language was that?"

"Maurich, Lucien," I heard Putinov growl with annoyance.

The new voice, Lucien, cleared his throat and said in accented Maurich, "Apoloiges, Madame, I cannot help but surprise such lovely ladies with the language of my people." He chuckled. "I'm Lucien, a scribe by trade; do not mind me."

"Do you work with the church?" My aunt asked.

"Sometimes, I work for everyone."

"He's a freelancer," Putinov mumbled.

"Well, okay," my aunt said, and I heard her begin to walk towards the stairs. "Please come in. My family is currently in the dining room having breakfast. If you'd like, the living room is open for you both to relax while I get the necessary items you requested."

"Please, take your time," Putinov purred.

"Thank you—Oh, wait! How rude of me. Would you two both like some coffee?"

"Oh hoho! Coffee, you say?" I heard Lucien say as the three of them came up the stairs. "I wouldn't mind a cup."

"I am good, but thank you," Putinov said as I saw the three of them come up the stairs.

I don't know why my heart was racing as my fight-or-flight instincts began to kick in. As the three of them reached the top of the stairs, I finally laid eyes on the two individuals, and my eyes widened. Before us was who I assumed to be Archbishop Putinov. An immensely tall, thin, and highly pale-skinned man with a black bowler hat and trench coat, his eyes were small but sharp and were a striking yellow. His face was bony, almost as if someone had stretched skin over bone with no meat beneath, and yet, what stood out the most were the four equally spaced scars that stretched from beneath his lower left eye down to his chin.

Behind him was another man, whom I assumed was Lucien, who had spoken French. He wore a bizarre outfit, from a kepi hat to a navy blue button-up coat with vibrant red pants and black boots. His skin was light, his blue eyes warm and inviting, and he sported a fantastic bandholz beard across his face. A large, black book and a pen in the other were held tightly in his hands.

"Bonjour la famille!" Lucien tipped his cap toward us at the dining table. "'tis a fine morning we're having, though a bit chilly, I'd say."

"Yes," Puntinov said slowly, and he smiled at Lucien. His head slowly turned to all of us, and I shrank as his yellow eyes narrowed. "A fine morning it is," he purred as he bowed and continued, "My apologies for intruding. We will not be here long." As he straightened up, his eyes focused on me again, and he smirked and finally turned away from us. "Come, Lucien, let us not bother the fine folk. Let us sit by his grace within the living room," he said, gesturing towards the All-Father symbol above the fireplace.

"Alright, alright, give me a few moments. I just need to finish jotting the rest of this down," the Frenchman said as his blue eyes flicked towards each of us.

"Are you writing about us?" Isa asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Just a bit; I'm documenting everything. It's a hobby of mine." He smiled. "Aaaand done! For now…" He turned away and went into the living room.

What the hell is happening… What is happening? Why do I feel scared? Why? Why?!