"Kieran...?" I say, stumbling forward. After all I've been through, it doesn't even seem real.
"August!" he yelps gleefully, and springs toward me. I hold out my arms as he dives into me. I take him in my arms and spin him around before tackling him to the ground. I could care less that there's a crowd of people watching. My pupils dilate and all I want to focus attention on is my best friend.
We crash down together in the yellow grass, staring at each other.
"I thought I'd never see you again!"
"You can't get rid of me that easily," I tease.
I blink. As much as I savor the reunion, we have work to do. There will be time enough to spend together later. Now that I've found him again, I won't let him leave my side.
"We need to hurry to the earth shrine," I remind him.
"I know."
"I have someone who can help us."
We rise from the ground and get to our feet. There's a lot of commotion as the village guards try to restore order in the area. Adma approaches us slowly.
"The big old lady knight?" Kieran asks, peering over at Adma. "Nice find."
I grab Kieran by the wrist and drag him through the yellow grass, over to my traveling companion.
"Adma, this is Kieran," I say like a proud dad. "He's the 'goat'."
"Nice to meet you!" Kieran smiles. A smile that could light up the whole world. So peaceful. So amiable.
"The pleasure is mine, Kieran Summers. August Madera here speaks of little else but you."
I blush as she holds out her hand, still clad in her heavy gauntlets, to shake Kieran's. She throttles him about with her handshake before giving him a stoic nod and returning her hands to her hips.
"Our mission is complete, then," she says, her smile fading slightly, bein replaced with her typical knightly demeanor. "I shall be glad to escort you young men to Asteria, so that you might complete your quest."
Still holding his wrist, I turn to my friend. "Are you ready, Kieran?" I ask. I have a lot of questions, but they can wait. We must return to the moon, as quickly as possible.
He looks surprised at my eagerness. I'm sure he has many, many questions as well.
"Hey, hey, hey! You can't take Kiery away just like that! I found him first!"
We both turn to the side. A diminuitive girl is walking toward us - a Ferin, from what I surmise from her bushy tail and her long, tall, furry ears that remind me of a fox.
"I get first dibs on Kiery because I'm the one that fished him out of that nasty Manticore nest, AND saved his little teleporty device! Mhm! That's right!"
"Who is...?"
"You can call me Decoy!" she says, raising a hand into the air, doing a twirl on her feet, and then pressing her hand to her chest with a flourish. "Bestest, most fiercest Ferin this side of the Divide!"
Decoy? Like... Like a decoy?
"August," Kieran smiles nervously, "This is Decoy. She's a friend of mine. When I came to this world, I ended up in a pretty scary place! Thankfully she was nearby, found me, and brought me here to safety. I owe her my life."
"Mhm, that's right. So you can't leave already!"
Adma grunts. This turn of events is clearly not something she anticipated. Perhaps Kieran didn't either, but he's a smooth talker and just like always, he has a plan.
"Decoy, remember I told you I need to become a Vessel for a really cool and powerful Magician? Well, this is him!"
The little Ferin girl looks me up and down. She purses her lips and blows upward, blowing messy auburn bangs out of her eyes.
"He don't look any special," she says quickly, turning her face away and crossing her arms.
Kieran laughs. "I know, I know."
What do you mean you know!?
"I'll come back and visit as soon as I can," Kieran barters. "We just have to visit the earth shrine and make a quick trip home. Deal?"
She's still crossing her arms, holding her eyes tightly shut, pouting.
"Fine. But you both have to come back. And your friend's gotta play with us too."
I raise an eyebrow. "I gotta what?"
"And I still gotta introduce you to Mr. Sage, Kiery!"
Kieran takes a knee to be at eye level with the Ferin girl. "Of course, Decoy. As soon as we can. I promise."
The girl turns beet-red and buries her face in her surprisingly human-looking hands. "Fiiiine," she moans. "Just don't keep me waiting!"
"Wouldn't dream if it."
On that note, we resolve to leave the Ferin village, to Decoy's chagrin, although the promise of our impending return seems to get her all excited again in anticipation. She skips around us, telling us all the things she'll want to do when we return as we make preparations to return to Asteria.
We stop by the inn Kieran had been staying at to pick up his belongings - most importantly of all the Arcanic that will take us back to the moon. It's a curious device, shaped like a harp. But instead of where the strings would be aligned neatly, they are arranged in a web formation, and in the center of the web, a hollow orb filled with swirling smoke.
The, we return to the front village gate. Things have picked back up a tiny bit since the Harbinger attack, but there's still an uncomfortable chill in the air. Such a thing does not happen here - in fact, the last time an Encephalim had been that close to the village was a full seven years ago, and it was a much smaller one.
Adma leads us up the rocky cliffs ides, scaling the treacherous cliffs one step at a time. We had fun racing down this when we first arrived at the village, but going up was going to take a bit more work, as it was a more physical journey. Lots of climbing, pulling ourselves up to high ledges. Kieran isn't as athletic as I am, and not as trained as Adma, so we have to go at his pace.
And so we make it over the cliffs, gabbing about what's happened to the both of us. I go first, and tell him about waking up in the royal hunting ground, finding Larissa (but I do not mention the corestone situation. Not in front of Adma. Last thing I'd want is to make Larissa public enemy number one of Asteria.
I tell him about meeting Adma. About encountering an enemy in the earth shrine named Leoni. The conversation takes a morose turn as I tell him that Leoni had killed an Nephilim and taken their eyes. It's a chilling reminder to both of us what the world beneath can have in store for us.
And Kieran tells me about his last day or so. Perhaps a touch less eventful than mine, he woke up near something called the 'Manticore nest'. Some type of monstrous beast makes it's home there - something that is neither animal nor Encephalim, but rather a "Magical Beast". A creature of pure mana. Somewhat sentient. Incredibly hostile to outsiders.
Before I know it, we're over the rickety bridge. The wind has died down a bit, so the journey back was a touch less treacherous. And soon, the rolling fields of red spiny bushes are in sight, as is the city of Asteria. The sun is just beginning to set as we walk through the city gates.
Adma leads us through the crowded streets, quieter than she normally is. Our time together is almost up. Perhaps she's feeling a bit sad to see me go so soon.
We stay on the street to Adma's insistence while she goes into the earth shrine first. She wants to make sure there's no chance of another ambush. Respectable. When she comes back from within the earth shrine, she withdraws her sword and points it down to the ground, adopting a defensive stance and taking guard at the entrance to the earth shrine.
"I shall stay here and guarantee nobody will follow you into the earth shrine," she affirms. "Take all the time you need, August Madera."
And with that, Kieran and I descend into the earth shrine, finally. I am moments away from unlocking my true potential as a Magician.
We arrive at the statue. With our night vision, it's easy to see down here. I look to Kieran, his emerald eyes shimmer back at me.
"Lord of Magic, I name Kieran Summers as my Vessel."
"Very well. August Madera, I hereby name you as Magician of the Nephilim. Now, return."