STAGE SIXTEEN: RETURN TO CELESTIA
"Master Freyja, here's the room." A runemaster led Freyja to one of the tower's isolation rooms. The room's walls, floor, and ceiling are purely made of crystal and glass, a design to amplify a delicate spell. "This is the best one for transmission. Please use it however you like. I will be just outside if you need me." The runemaster excused himself and left Freyja to do her spell.
Freyja took a deep breath, before focusing her aura in her mind, and projecting it to the six bounds of the crystal room. Freyja drew a circle in the air, before blowing her breath into it. Slowly, the circle materialized into a gigantic mirror. Freyja smiled in satisfaction.
"Van…" She called. "Van! Can you hear me?"
Slowly, the mirror showed a lady, with long, straight, dark brown hair. She's wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of room shorts. "Hey!" She cheerfully greeted.
"F— FREYJA!?" Van fell off the bed, hitting her head on the floor. "W-Wh… WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE! Don't just HEY me, where are you!?"
"Sorry, I can't transmit this longer than I need to, so I'll have to be quick. I am here in Kirin's world, in the runemaster's tower. And I need your help. You, Skar, and Aya." She said, explaining as tersely as she could. "Listen Van, I will be heading to Celestia in a few days. We have finally found the gate, and I've gathered all five guardians."
"How about Kirin? Is he okay?" Van asked, excitedly. Freyja looked down. She's tempted to lie, but decided to answer her truthfully instead. "He's run off to Celestia. Kirin hurt our friend Alaric, and as far as the evidence we have is concerned, he tried to kill me too."
"WHAT!? That—"
"Anyway!" Freyja cut her off. "I'll make sure to tell you the details soon. But I need to head to Celestia and see what he's up to."
"So, what can we do?" Van asked, eyes straight at her. Freyja felt her heart leap. It's been so long, and still she hasn't changed. Freyja was relieved.
"The past years, phreinians and the Aethelmaers have been trying to mess with the barrier. They've damaged a huge part already. And because of what Kirin did, the barrier has become even more unstable. When we head to Celestia, there is a big chance that the disturbance will aggravate the damage and it might really shatter the dimensions. Remember the monsters popping out of nowhere? It will be chaos in that world too if that happens!"
"I understand. The past years have not been peaceful here either. We were able to hold off some, but more would be bad news." Van shared, worrying Freyja even more.
"So, here's what you need to do. You, Skar, and Aya. Be vigilant. Over the next days, there may be monsters appearing there more than usual. Phreinians, even. But to stop that, you can help strengthen and stabilize the barrier on that side. Use the portal from our old house. Channel your aura into that rift, constantly reinforcing it." She instructed.
"Got it. For how long and how frequent?"
"At least 3-4 hours a day. You can take turns, just don't let it collapse. But depending on the magnitude of the spacetime quake, you may need to work together. I will do my best to finish this in a week, but…"
"It's okay!" Van cut her off, with a wide smile. "Leave it to us. Do what you must do, Freyja. And make sure to drag Kirin back and give him a good smack!" She grinned, melting Freyja's heart in an instant. Freyja giggled. "I sure do. I don't have much time. I'll have to cut off, Van. Please take care."
"Freyja, wait!" Wan called. "I… I'm glad to see you. We'll be waiting."
Freyja grinned, and gave her a thumbs up. "Of course! I'll definitely do that. I'm glad to see you too." Van grinned, before the transmission was cut off. Freyja took a deep breath, with a smile on her face. "I'm glad."
She headed out of the room, where she met Alyon standing by the door with the guides. "Alyon, how did it go?" She asked.
"Great on my end, Lenfiare. I have around twenty phreinian sorcerers who can help support the dimensional barriers. How about you?" Alyon sounded happy and optimistic, much to her relief. Freyja grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, a gesture she doesn't normally do in front of Alyon. "I have three, but with the power of a hundred. They'll do great." Alyon mimicked her gesture in confusion, making Freyja chuckle.
Freyja and Alyon headed to the 57th floor, where Alaric is currently recovering. Freyja has been supplementing his recovery with her aura for the past week, ever since he was critically injured. Freyja and Alyon entered the room, only to find the bed empty. "Alaric? Where is he?"
"I'm right here." He entered the room, clad in his runemaster's robes. He was wearing a specialized light armor, a proud creation of the Runerich tower. "If you think I'll still be sitting there, then you're gravely underestimating me." He giggled. "So, how did your preparations go? Alyon? Freyja?" He asked, gesturing his secretary to come closer.
"Lenfiare and I are both good. We were able to get people to support the barriers." Alyon explained. "Master Alaric, we have three hundred rune masters who pledged support to stabilizing the barriers. They should be of some help." The secretary added, handing over a list of names. "Alright!" Freyja was feeling pumped. "That's going to be a big help!"
"So, are we ready to head out?" Alyon asked, looking at Alaric and Freyja. "Your call, Lenfiare."
Freyja looked at Alaric, confirming his health another time. Alaric smiled and nodded. Urging her to continue with the plan. "Let's depart for Hawsdark tomorrow. We should be able to reach it by airship in about two days, with Alaric's fastest craft. Can we do that?" She turned to Alaric's secretary, who nodded proudly. "Yes, Master Freyja. Lord Arphad had the fastest airship prepared for your journey."
"Lord Arphad has my thanks, as always."
Runerich provided them with the best supplies and gears they could. Freyja, however, had one more request, which she made some days ago. She requested for a certain robe, a white silken robe with gold and blue linings, designed after the royal robes of the Leafen clan. Before they left, the seamstress and the head priest presented it to her, blessed it with the power of the runemaster's tower. Freyja held back tears, as she stared at the finished robe with nostalgic eyes. Just looking at it made her very emotional, remembering how she lived in Celestia, how she was exiled to earth, and how she desperately reclaimed her memories and her power, piece by piece. She remembered her friends in that other world, Van, Skar and Aya. She squeezed the robe remembering Keon and her promise to him. And in front of her, Alaric and Alyon, the five celestial guardians who never left her side, and all the people who worked to help her. She remembered Alfiore, and her mother Reyrah… and Kirin.
Freyja wore the robes, a symbol of her, fully embracing her lineage, her power, and her future as the Lenfiare of Celestia. "Let's go."
~ o 0 o ~
With the fastest aircraft from the Runerich tower, and the powerful booster crystals that Arphad gave them, it took less than two days to reach Hawsdark. Finally, after many months, Freyja is back to the place where they defeated Ahrin, the place where Kirin was sealed for a long time, and the place where she left Alaric and Alyon, in fear of losing Kirin. She clenched her fists, knowing that it was in that same room where Kirin almost killed Alaric.
Alaric put a hand on her shoulder, urging her to do it. Alyon too, held her other shoulder, lending her his strength and morale. Freyja nodded at them, before raising her hands up to the sky. "Gates of Celestia!" She called, the medallion embedded on her chest glowed radiantly. White aura started leaking out of her body, and the five celestial guardians appeared in their human forms, surrounding their master. "Freyja Lenfiare Leafen, commands you to open before me!" She shouted. Streams of white aura began cracking the sky like glass chipping off little by little. The sky turned dark, the winds around them violently swirled. The ground shook. Up in the sky, a swirling portal opened, the very same portal that took her away from Celestia, and the same portal that will take her back. The five guardians dissipated forming a thick cloud of aura around Freyja and her companions. A pair of white aura wings emerged from her back. She held Alaric's hand on the right, and Alyon's on the left, before she soared high, up, and into the portal.
She couldn't hear anymore the loud groans and cries of Alaric and Alyon. She held them tight. But her mind, is taking her back from many, many, many years before. It was taking her back to the day she left her home. She fled faster, going deeper into the violently swirling portal, desperately reaching for that tiny light at the end. To Celestia, her homeland, to the place she believed, she belongs. Finally, after a thousand years, Freyja Lenfiare Leafen, the sixth Lenfiare of Celestia and heir to the throne, is back.
~ o 0 o ~