"These," Carasan said, pointing to the mirrors, "are the portals. The ones upstairs are for show. They distract people from what's happening down here; actually, nowadays some kids are too careless, so common folk end up here many times. Those fake mirrors can wipe the memory of those who touch them, so they are used as a security method. These are the mirrors that can take you to places you cannot reach by normal means."
Ember's eyes widen as he steps closer to one of the mirrors. The surface shimmered as he approached it, and for a fleeting instant he thought he saw something around it. Another place, another time. His hand hovered just inches from the surface but did not touch it.
"Not today," Carlosan said softly. "We have another destination in mind."
Ember spun from the mirror, his chest thumping. He and Carasan followed the room to its far end. And there was a small, plain wooden door, melted into the shadow of the room. It was plain, without any markings about what existed on the other side.
Carasan pushed open the door and gestured for Ember to step out. Beyond the doorway, a narrow passageway led into dark, rock-hewn walls, so crude that it seemed almost a natural cave. The air was colder than in the cavern behind him, and the feeling of magic—the electrical charge in the air—was stronger too.
"We're visiting the Wind Obelisk," he said as they walked along. "One of the five ancient objects that govern Faus or as you and common folk call it, magic in this world."
Ember's thoughts were flying through his head, trailing him behind Carasan down the passageway. The Wind Obelisk? He had heard the mention of these obelisk earlier from Carasan, of course. But there was so much in this world that he didn't know.
And now infront of them were 5 ring-like vortexes of Magical energy: Red, Green, Black, Blue and brown, respectively.
The whole basement was full of portals, hidden behind the charade of mirrors—a whole network of hidden pathways that boggled his imagination. The past couple of days had been riddled with some strange things, but this was something else altogether. The air inside The House of Mirrors had nearly vibrated with magic, and as they stepped foot, Ember couldn't shake the feeling he'd just caught a glimpse of the tip of something vast, something ancient.
"Now follow me." Carasan instructed as he stepped through the green vortex, simply disappearing. And Ember too steeled his heart and Jumped through. Arriving in a rather ominous-looking parking lot, it seemed, and there Carasan stood by a car which looked like an exact replica of his.
"Welcome to the kingdom of winds... Now shall we get going?" He said said as he stepped in the car. Ember soon followed and they were off to the unknown. For a place of magic, this place certainly seemed normal; there were cars on road and people were socializing. Aside from the fact that the fashion sense was... extremely specific, some type of Airy cloth in lighter shades. Not too unlike the tunic that people would wear in deserts.
The wind obelisk was yet to be in sight.
"Don't worry, we have to take the tunnel of winds to get to the Obelisk." Carasan explained as they continued on the road.
The gentle hum of the car filled the silence as it wound itself through roads that went further away from the heart of town. Outside, twilight deepened, casting the landscape in soft purples and blues, while the final light of day seemed to flicker on the horizon like dying embers. Ember sat in the passenger seat, staring out into a world that was blurring past him with a hopeful attempt to put everything he'd learned into perspective.
"Well, Carasan," he said, breaking into the heavy silence between them, "what's really an obelisk? I mean, okay, I know you mentioned them one or two times, but. I don't really get it. Why are they so important?
Carasan said nothing for a moment; he kept his eyes forward, his gaze fixed on the road. He seemed to be pausing, as if unsure of how to begin to describe something so immense and something that had undeniably reshaped the world long before Ember had known it to exist. At last, with a small exhalation, Carlosan spoke.
"The obelisks," he began slowly, "are the foundation of everything you know. Long before humans ever set foot on this earth, before even the concept of time as we understand it, the obelisks were here. Ancient beyond comprehension, predating civilisation, even predating what we call the natural world."
Ember straightened up a little in his seat and leaned forward, as though hanging on every word. The weight of Carasan's tone told him something: this wasn't just fairy-tale nonsense. There was truth here—being made aware of very deep, unsettling truth.
"They're the origin of all Faus," Carasan continued, "which is the magic that flows through everything. It's not just a tool or a power to be used; it's the very essence of life itself."
He took a deep breath "Faus is in the air we breathe, in the water that runs through rivers, in the fire that burns, and in the earth that cradles us. What are the obliques? You ask. Well They are what makes that possible. Without them, there would be no magic, no life as we know it. Well at least as I know it... Their branches arched above their heads, a tunnel of green seeming to stretch into the twilight. Ember's heart quickened as the surroundings began to alter and became increasingly surreal. He could feel it in the air—an unseen force humming just beneath the surface of reality. It was the same energy he'd felt inside The House of Mirrors—only stronger now, more focused.
"There are five obelisks," Carasan continued, his voice low and steady. "Four of them are connected to the elements: wind, earth, fire, and water. These four obelisks are spread across the globe, each one situated at a cardinal point, as if to anchor the world's magic in balance. The Wind Obelisk, which we're going to now, lies in the north." He explained, "The south location is the Water Obelisk, the western location is the Earth Obelisk, and the eastern location is the Fire Obelisk. All of these control the flow of magic for their elements."