The village of Alleria was surrounded by lush greenery and an abundance of trees. There were huts, cottages and shophouses made of straw, wood, hay and tree bark. A long, gravel path sat in the middle of the houses that stood across each other in the streets.
The place was absolutely beautiful. It was a far cry from the city of Springton, where buildings shot up into the sky, noise polluted the environment and nature was scarce.
The mossy and mildewed smell of mother nature invigorated Wyn. As he walked the streets of Alleria with Lorin, his eyes bounced across the quaint little island in wonder. Everywhere he went, there was magic in every corner of the village.
He could only stare open-mouthed as he watched, awestruck, at shoes that mended themselves while cobblers sat at a corner, waving their hand in the air as if controlling a marionette, at sewing needles that stitched their own scarves and sweaters without the need of a hand, and at the people in the village who procured and obtained items they needed with the mere flick of a hand.
This is remarkable. This is unbelievable. This is…this is magic.
Dumbstruck with amazement, Wyn turned to Lorin in seek of answers.
"Magic is real," Wyn's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Of course it is," Lorin chuckled at the wonderment on Declan's face.
"So, tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"How can magic be real? How is it possible? How does it exist? What is magic made of, exactly? How…how can these people...and you and Henrik, how can you have magic? And, why did you and Henrik speak of apes…humans, that is, as if they are outsiders?" Wyn spoke with the fervour of a curious child.
Lorin looked at Wyn, surprised by his great zest and curiosity.
"You must have had a nasty incident for you not to remember anything at all," Lorin remarked. "Well, first of all, if you want to know how magic is possible, how it exists and what it is made of—" Lorin scrunched his nose, amused at that particular question "—you'll have to check the history books. But I can answer your last question, and the reason why we speak of humans as outsiders is because they are. Alleria is a safe haven for magical beings like us, Wyn. Apes, that is, mortals, who some call humans, are not allowed in. This island was literally created for us to hide away from the apes, who are an ignorant and evil bunch."
"Did…did you just say magical beings?" Wyn frowned.
He had become even more stunned and befuddled than he already was.
"Yes," Lorin nodded his head. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you completely lost your memory so you might not know of magical beings as well. We are magical beings. Witches, Elves, Goblins, Trolls, Centaurs, anyone with magic lives in Alleria. This is our home, our sanctuary, away from the evil apes. It is our own little world."
Wyn struggled to collect his thoughts and absorb the information he had received.
Lorin's explanation seemed rightfully insane, but somehow, Wyn believed him. How could he not, with the irrefutable display of evidence right in front of his eyes?
"Are you a magical being?" Wyn asked carefully.
"Yes, yes I am," Lorin smiled pleasantly. "Everyone is. You are too. A witch, I suppose."
"A witch..." Wyn mumbled to himself.
He had a thousand questions that he wished to ask, but he did not know where to begin.
"Why do you call the apes evil? What did they do? But…how do you keep the humans out? What if they just wander in? What if everyone sees…magic? How is it possible that the human race is unaware of magic? I mean, there's a whole island full of it!" Wyn blurted out, perplexed and dumbfounded.
"Ah, yes. I forgot to tell you about that. You see, Alleria is protected by a magical barrier that keeps us safe and hidden. Invisible. It can only be seen and entered by those with magic," Lorin explained.
"Humans can't enter? What if someone wanders in?"
Wyn thought about himself. He had no idea how he ended up on Alleria, but he was positive it was a mistake.
Lorin laughed. "That's a fancy thought, but that will never happen. The magical barrier is powerful. It protects all of us. No one can enter and no one can leave, magical beings and apes alike."
"What?" Wyn exclaimed. "But if no one can enter…then how…"
A puzzled frown fell on Wyn's face. If no one could enter, then how did he?
"So, no one can leave? No one at all?" Wyn asked.
"That's correct."
Wyn breathed heavily. He was beginning to see the ridiculousness of his situation, for he was a human in a land inhabited by magical beings that for some reason, found humans evil. Panic slowly grew inside of him.
"Let's say, hypothetically, a human enters Alleria. By accident. What will happen to him?"
"Hypothetically, if that happens, we will have to turn him over to the Elves, our rulers. There's a strict protocol to follow if there is ever an intruder. I suppose the Elves will punish or banish him. I don't know, really. It's never happened before. But judging from the stupid Elves, they would probably kill him," Lorin chuckled before turning to look at Wyn curiously. "You seem really interested in this whole ape business, huh?"
Wyn's mind raced with thoughts. He was fascinated by the talk of magic and magical beings. It was akin to the fairytales in stories. But he was also afraid, for he had just learned that humans are forbidden. Why, he did not know, but he did know that death would be his next meal if he was discovered.
Yet he could not leave the island.
But if there is a way in, there is surely a way out.
Don't leave, the voice in his head told him. Magic! Stay and learn about its wonders!
Are you insane? The other voice in his head scolded him. Did you not hear what the wizard said? Humans are not allowed here, and you are a human. Staying would only jeopardize yourself.
But I can't leave. How can I leave?
Tell your two new friends. Perhaps they will help you.
You're mad, idiot. Did you not hear what the wizard said? They will report you to the Elves, the rulers, to deal with you, and you don't know what will happen to yourself if you are turned in.
So what? Do you intend to stay here, pretend you're magical, and live a life?
Why not? This is the life I've always yearned for. Something exciting and magical.
It is a dream.
Some dreams come true.
Wyn's battle with himself ended in a stalemate. He had no idea what to do.
When his mind returned to reality, he realized that Lorin had disappeared. Wyn glanced across the village, sighed in relief when he spotted Lorin's back, and ran forwards to join him.
"Lorin! Hey!" Wyn followed Lorin as he pushed himself into a mass of people that formed a circle.
They arrived at the front of the mass, where Wyn was met with surprise when his eyes shifted to the two individuals that stood in the center of the large circle of people who had surrounded them. The mass of onlookers was shouting, cheering and whistling for the two individuals, one female and one male, who each held a sword in their hands and wore a brightly-coloured mask—the female wore pink, and the male wore blue—over their face.
"What is this?" Wyn asked Lorin.
"It's a sword fight," Lorin answered. "One of the simple pleasures of Alleria."
"Sword fight? Why sword fight when you can use magic? Isn't sword fight a human thing?"
"Exactly," a mischievous glint passed in Lorin's eye. "We use magic every day. A little sword fight differs from our usual day and provides people like us with a different feeling, a different purpose. By not using magic, we have a fair game. We use only our strength and our skills, much like how the apes do. I guess you can say that despite how much we despise the apes, there are still aspects of their life that interests us."
Wyn made no comment beyond raised eyebrows.
Before he could ask another question, a shrill whistle blew, and the two individuals clanged their swords together to begin their fight.
Wyn watched with interest as their swords clashed and kissed and glinted under the sunlight. They moved at times, fast and swiftly or slow and unhurried. They studied each other's steps and moves before attacking the other with their sword. They swung and whipped their bodies around, fell and jumped up again, and panted and sweated as they circled each other slowly, biding their time before the other attacks.
Wyn glanced from the male to female in eagerness, wishing for one to make a move already, when his eyes interlocked with the female's soft, sparkling emerald eyes.
All of a sudden, the world stopped spinning.
It appeared as though time had frozen and left only Wyn and the female in normal time. As she stared into the Wyn's twinkling eyes, he felt an uncanny sense of familiarity and attraction to the female. The female's eyes drifted past him, and the moment she looked away, the world returned to Wyn.
The clanging of swords, the yelp of a woman, a thud to the floor, and suddenly, claps and whistles rippled throughout the crowd who dispersed as quickly as they had praised the winner of the sword fighter.
Wyn's eyes searched for the female and upon finding her, he grew numb at the sight of blood.