The Realm of Austur Episode 1: A New Light

As Elia began to wake up, she was vaguely aware of the fact that people were speaking nearby. She turned her head away from the direction of the voices, and opened her eyes, even though all she could see was a pale yellow wall.

Where am I?

"I can see that you're awake."

That voice was different from the one of the man that had been in the garden. The new voice exuded strength and confidence, to the point that Elia was very frightened by it.

Still, she turned her head to see her surroundings and found herself inside a bedroom, which was very luxurious compared to the one she had shared at the monastery. The sunlight coming from the window in the room confirmed her suspicion that she had been asleep for a long time. The window itself was alarming though, cast iron scrollwork on the outside of it formed bars, and all Elia could think about was how they prevented escape.

"Can you talk, or have you suddenly become mute?" asked the man standing near the bed where she was, snapping Elia back to the situation at hand.

"Wh-....where am I?" she stuttered as she sat up halfway.

"Shaldra, and you'd best get used to living here," the man said. He then turned to one of the other people in the room. "Darius, I trust you and your wife will look after her, and keep your end of the deal."

The man, Darius, nodded. It was then that Elia noticed exactly how different the people in the room were. Darius wore simple clothes, indicating that he was a commoner. A woman who stood on the other end of the room looked to be someone of relative importance. And the man who had the bad attitude and was leaving the room was wearing very ornate robes.

He... he must be someone really important. And somehow, he's responsible for this...

Elia sat up all the way up and just watched what was happening, and examining the room even though none of what was happening was really sinking in yet.

The woman, who seemed to be a powerful mage, walked toward Elia, and just examined her without a word. She could see a wide-eyed, distraught girl, who was shaking uncontrollably as well. But she was physically healthy, and everything else could be explained with some effort.

"Darius, you'll send her to the academy starting tomorrow," the woman said coldly.

"But what if she rebels?"

"Handle it," the woman snapped back before leaving the room.

W-what does that mean? What are they going to do to me!?

Elia scooted backward on the bed until she could feel a wall behind her. She then pulled her legs up to her chin and rested her head on top of her knees, before wrapping her arms around them, trying to block out the world around her.

Now that the others had left their home, Darius' wife walked into the room, and whispered something to her husband who then explained what happened. She looked at Elia, very conflicted about what they were doing. She started to walk towards Elia, to try and comfort her, but her husband held her back. Instead, he said only a few words before they walked out of the room, closing and locking the door behind them.

"We don't like doing this. So please, just do as they ask, so we won't have to hurt you. We'll keep you fed well and everything, but they won't be so kind if you make them mad."

Long after they had left the room, Elia started sobbing, not moving from her place in the corner of the room.

I'm some sort of prisoner, and they expect me to play along! I don't want to just give in, but... what if they really do hurt me because I won't? I-... I just can't let that happen... I... what will I do?

As Elia kept crying, her thoughts began to drift to the mornings spent in the chapel, listening to the teachings. But she didn't believe them, and they provided no peace. But as time passed, Elia was willing to try believing them, just that once.

I don't know if you're real. I've even made fun of you. But just... just this once, I want to believe the monks were right. That you're real, and you care. So Kryla... if you really show mercy to humans like me, give me a sign. Do something that might help me escape from this! Send an ally, or better yet... let me find a new friend here. Someone who will help me, if I can ever find some way to let them know what's happened to me. Do it soon. This week, actually, in the next two days. Do it, and I'll believe! I'll believe you're real...

"Mao." a grey tabby mewed as it walked in from another room.

It slowly walked up to Pearl and rubbed its side against her leg, purring softly as it did.

---

"Now pay attention class." a woman in her late-20s instructed as she pointed at a chalkboard. "Today, we are learning about transdimensional portals."

Finally. Been waiting for this.

"The transdimensional portal is different in nature from the slipspace portal that you all know and love." she continued as she pulled out a cloth and a needle. "A slipspace portal connects to points with weak spacial continuity via extradimensional means. These points have to be premade, or else you won't have a destination."

She demonstrated slipspace portals by folding the cloth in half and poking the needle through both sides.

"Now transdimensional portals bypass that extradimensional medium by bending space." she demonstrated this by folding the paper in half and grabbing a quill to stain both sides. "These can be created instantaneously, but require much more skill and have a very limited range. Also unlike slipspace portals, these can be placed anywhere, including the air."

"But Professor Alto!" one of the female students cried. "Wouldn't that make the portal extremely unstable? Couldn't that damage the space-time continuum?"

"Yes, they are unstable and prone to fluctuation," Professor Alto replied as she set down the cloth on her desk. "but it does not damage the space time continuum. However, there are certain dangers unique to transdimensional portals and some unique to slipspace portals. Slipspace portals may not always take you to your destination and require lots of concentration. A lack of concentration in creating these portals accompanied with a lack of testing and failsafes will result in death. A transdimensional portal's most prominent danger is if it collapses while something passes through it. This will cause anything that's partially through to be separated into two parts. Some consider this danger a feature instead of a liability and may collapse a portal on purpose to kill or cripple an opponent. To create one, you need to imagine a tunnel connecting the two points where the portals will be. Then, you must shorten the tunnel until it's like a doorway. Focus your mana on this doorway and make it reality."

Professor Alto formed a rectangular portal in front of her and another at the back of the class.

"Like so." she continued as she walked through it. "Be warned, unlike a slipspace portal, you will keep your momentum and your direction. If twist the tunnel as you create it, you may end up on your side or upside-down on the other side. Anyways, you are pretty much guaranteed to fail on the first few tries, so practice by throwing rocks through the portals you create to make sure you are getting it right."

Professor Alto had taken all the students to the inner courtyard to practice their transdimensional portals. Luckily, no one was injured, yet. Arcturus was practicing his portals, which took a circular shape, by throwing rocks through them. He chucked a small pebble through one portal and watched as it came out the other covered in ash. It crumbled to dust even before Arcturus could pick it up and observe it.

Damn. Okay, 37th time's the charm. There's tunnel bridging the spot in front of me and the spot three meters ahead of that. I could walk through it now, but I can also make it shorter. It's now a doorway.

Arcturus focused his energy on the imaginary doorway and two gigantic holes appeared, each in its respective spot. He tossed another stone through, this one making it out of the other portal unharmed.

It worked this time. Now to try it again.

He repeated the steps, creating a portal in front of him and another behind him, and threw a third rock at the portal. He felt it strike him in the back of the head, assuring his success. Arcturus slowly reached out his hand, extending his finger to just barely touch the portal.

I can't feel it.

He pushed his finger further through it, eventually causing it to reach his knuckles.

It's as if nothing is there.

He formed a fist with his hand and thrusted his entire arm through it, punching himself on the shoulder. He retracted his hand, shaking it as he loosened it and created a new set of portals, one in front of him, and the other in front of Professor Alto, and with a smile, he strode through.

Master? Oh, you mean Arcturus? That son of a b**** will pay dearly for forgetting to feed me this morning. However, I can forgive him if you feed me instead. 

The cat groomed himself as Pearl held him aloft.

Anyways, there should be some salted fish in the large cabinets. However, that's only for emergencies. The good stuff he keeps stored somewhere in one of his portals. Man oh man if I could use Magick. 

My name is Mr. Fuzzballs. And yes, I hate it. Anyways, he keeps all of his money in that pocket dimension of his. Denarii, Sesterci, Asses, and the other kind, all of it. He's not that great at taking care of other people, but he can cook, so I forgive him, somewhat.

Mr. Fuzzballs leapt out of Pearl's arms and onto the counter which housed the wood burning stove.

I wonder if I can chain portals...

Arcturus stopped as he was halfway out of the entrance hall of Grangold Academy to create a portal in front of him and another outside. After several hours of practice, he was able to make one in around a second.

If I can do a sprint non-stop home, then I'll call this a success.

He backed up a few paces and bent down into a sprinters position.

3...

2...

1...

GO!

He took off at full sprint and into the portal, as soon as he was out of the first, he formed another pair that connected to the top of a nearby portico.

This is amazing! I wonder what other tricks I can do.

After going for about half a minute, he tripped himself and made another portal below him that connected back to the ground. He fell through it soundly and came upright on the ground and kept running.

I can twist it on purpose!

Arcturus laughed like a madman as he sprinted downhill towards the business district.

---

"NOO! MY BEAUTIFUL LANCE!!!" Arcturus father cried as he came home and saw it stuck into the ground. 

His face turned from sorrow to rage as he spotted a beautiful woman with green hair wearing his son's clothes holding Mr. Fuzzballs.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" he shouted in Pearl's face as he ran up to her and shook her shoulders. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO NATASHA!?"

"YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU BROKE NATASHA!!!" he shouted after the woman passed him. "AND YOU TWO MR. FUZZBALLS!"

He turned to face the cat and picked it up by the scruff of its neck.

"You have betrayed my trust. You have betrayed my household, but you will live. However, you must face fifty lashes before you may eat again!"

---

"WAHOO!!!" Arcturus shouted as he jumped into a portal on the ground and landed on top of the "Mandragora's Root", the most famous bar in Shaldra. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop, smiling the entire time. 

This is going to be fun.

He stopped as he reached the end of the business district and the beginning of the crafts district. He closed his eyes as he dove off of the final rooftop, making a portal on the ground and another next to it. His freefall turned into a skyward leap as he passed through the portal, allowing him to see his house a few blocks down.

Next stop, home.

Arcturus quickly opened a portal beneath him as he began to fall back down again, and placed another above the roof of his own home. He felt the impact reach his head as he landed on top of the Galatine home.

"However, you must face fifty lashes before you may eat again!"

"Dad? What happened?" Arcturus asked his enraged father after going through another set of portals he made.

"Some woman broke into our home and chopped Natasha in half! That's what!" his father explained to him angrily. "And your cat was working with her!"

"Wait wait wait," Arcturus motioned with his hands as he approached his father. "Could you describe this girl?"

"Aye." his father replied as he slowed his breathing in an attempt to calm down. "Pretty face, long green hair, pointed ears, about your height. Why do you ask?"

Pearl.

"Where did she go?" Arcturus question his father further as he looked around. 

"She just walked past me, carefree as a daisy." his father answered as he sat down in a nearby chair. "What am I to do without Natasha? With your mother gone, she was my only comfort. How could fate be so cruel?"

Arcturus watched his father sink into a deep sob before heading out the front door.

"Pearl!" he called as he cupped his hands around his mouth and walked up the street towards the business district. "I'd like to speak with you!"