Standing in front of the family house of the Moonsilvers, Lua and Arc stood by side, with luggage in their hands, looking at the place they had called home for years now. Lua had been born here and raised here, and Arc had inherited his memories when he had been created. It was no doubt they both were feeling quite sentimental.
Across them were Daniel and Elizabeth - the parents of Lua. They also had mixed expressions, clearly unwilling to depart from their child this early. After all, Lua was only a 15 year old boy, not even legally considered an adult yet.
Finally, after a period of silence that could be considered too long, Daniel grinned and extended his arms to both sides.
"Come on, give your dear old father a hug."
Lua smiled, and began to approach him. But faster than he could approach Daniel, Daniel approached him first. They both went into a tight embrace.
Then, Daniel began to whisper something into Lua's ears, quickly and quietly, to make sure Elizabeth didn't hear any of it.
"Pretend you aren't hearing anything right now. Send me a letter every two days - detailing what you are going through and if you are alright. If you miss a single day, I will make sure to send a team to find you. And trust me, if you just forget to send a letter, you're going to regret wasting my and everyone's time." Daniel threatened Lua quietly.
This was to be expected. After all, he was sending his one and only son into the unknown - into the hands of someone he didn't know at all. He could only be cautious to minimize the damage done to his son.
He already knew that Lua's departure was irreversible. He had planned, but with only so much time, he could just make a plan like this. By having Lua send letters, he could make sure he was alright. And making the frequency so high, he would always be updated on his situation. He had knowingly made it so that Lua wouldn't have to do this every day, because real life was tough and Lua might not always have the time to write. He didn't want to waste everyone's time in such a situation.
"Are there no hugs for me?" Elizabeth said, pretending to be jealous. "That's no fair."
Lua and his father separated after their long "embrace", and Lua gave a warm smile to his mother. "Of course, mother. How could I not?"
He hugged his mother tightly, causing her to smile and hug him just as tightly back. There were no threats, just simple motherly love. "I'm going to miss you," said Elizabeth. "But I know my boy has to grow up some time.. Just make sure you write! I won't forgive you if you forget us and ignore us for all those years.."
Lua, remembering his father's threats, began to sweat slightly. "Don't worry. I'll write plenty."
And with that, Lua and Arc gave their final goodbyes, and departed for the bakery. On the way they saw neighbours, who promptly questioned where they were going with all their luggage, and they could only make up excuses. Telling this story of a "craftsman" to too many people would no doubt lead to someone discovering the holes, and calling them out for their lie.
After swimming through the swamps of people, they finally made it to the bakery. They saw Vision standing there, with his skin-tight battle suit ready to depart. He had his cloak removed from his head, revealing his black curly hair. It was the first time he had been able to see his face this clearly.
Seeing Lua and Arc arrive, he asked no questions, much to Lua's surprise. He simply asked,
"Are you ready?"
Lua nodded, but wasn't convinced by Vision's easy acceptance of Arc. "This is my friend, Arc. Do you ha-"
Vision interrupted him, not letting him finish. "I can tell he has a part of your soul. I'm fine with you taking him. Besides, we don't have enough time to argue about nonsense."
Lua sighed in relief, and he could feel Arc had done the same, just internally. Looking at his closest friend, both mentally and spiritually, he spoke.
"Let's go."
Vision extended his arm, showing his palm. "Grab onto me, and use your other hand to grab onto your friend. Make sure you are in contact with your luggage as well."
Lua did as he was told, ensuring he left nothing behind. "Ready."
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. At least, that's what it felt like to Lua. In reality, by the calmness of the outer world, he could tell only they were feeling it. The dust began to fly upwards around them, gravitating towards Vision.
Bwomp!
Lua felt like he was falling through the sky, and he couldn't help but yell. He saw Arc, looking calm, but internally he was just as frightful. The sky around them had shifted to a deep purple, swirling around as if they were in a pool of purple water, being drained by a massive drainage.
The world around them brightened, and Lua felt himself crash against hard ground. Looking up, he saw that he was in an unfamiliar environment. The sky was cloudy, as if it was about to bring about a great storm. They were in the middle of a forest, with the green of the grass being slightly lighter than normal.
Looking at Arc, he saw that he was in a similar situation - face planted into the ground. Vision on the other hand was standing upright, as if they hadn't just fallen down a massive purple tunnel.
That must be his skills as a Wanderer.. No doubt the organisation of the Lord of Secrets sent him.
"We're here." Vision said simply, ignoring the miserable situation Lua and Arc were in.
Lua got up from the ground, dusting off his golden trenchcoat. He looked around, confused. "We're in the middle of a forest."
Vision scoffed, and looked at Lua as if he was an idiot. "Do you truly think the organisation of the Lord of Secrets would be so open?"
Lua facepalmed, wondering why he hadn't thought about that. He watched as Vision lit a match, and threw it straight at a tree.
Suddenly, the tree became illusory and the forest around them began to disappear, as if gas vanishing to thin air. Some of the forest remained, while the other transformed into something truly magical.
In front of the three of them stood a castle.