NOTE: 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙻𝙶𝙱𝚃𝚀+ 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 (includes relationships) [Rated PG-13]
Chapter 1
Spruce walked cautiously through the forest. He was trying to get home, where his comfy bed and warm campfire awaited him. The cold season, Winter, had arrived, and some of the earth monsters calmly had shifted into hibernation, ready to slumber away until a warm and rainy spring returned. The forest was…mercifully more quiet than usual.
Spruce wasn’t just anyone walking home; he was a wizard! Powerful and destined to save the universe! He liked thinking this way, but it seemed rather daunting and scary to know that it really did need saving from a horrible, mysterious powerful wizard the world had never known.
His parents, Evergreen and Magnolia were very overprotective of him for this. They knew he was destined to stop the world, along with four other wizards he would meet when he turned fifteen. This made him curious and afraid at the same time. Who are these other wizards? Will they train me, or will they be my friends or something? What if I let them down and they, along with the rest of the world, hate me? He shook his head, unwilling to let those demoralizing thoughts change his attitude. He was going to meet them soon; his fifteenth birthday was in three days.
He finally reached his cabin after turning down another cobblestone road. His residence wasn’t very big, and it wasn’t very special at all. It was just a wooden, hand-constructed house. The glowing light globes inside brightened the evening sunset, and the brown oak chairs and swings that were perched on the porch slowly oscillated in the wind.
“Spruce?” his mother called. He could hear the anticipation and relief in her voice. She sounded like this everyday, like she hadn’t seen him in weeks. He could hear the dishes clattering and the sink water running. “Are you there, dear?”
“Yes, mother, I’m fine,” he said, and just as he did, his father, Evergreen, came outside and gave him a hug. He smiled at his parents gleefully. “Hi, Dad.”
“Are you all right, scout?” Evergreen asked, his tone full of questioning. He helped his mother travel down the doorsteps and she beamed at him. “We heard you had a surprise test today in Herbology today. How did you do on it?”
“It was fine,” Spruce said. “I haven’t gotten my scores back, though.” He took off his backpack, which was heavy with books and notes, and set it wryly on one of the steps. He could hear tiny trampling, and he saw his little pet Sproot hurtled towards them, happily.
“Hi, buddy,” he said, and he picked his pet up. It licked him appreciatively.
“Son,” Evergreen said, the worry not diminishing from his voice. “We—got a letter from the Academy today.”
Spruce’s heart skipped a beat before stopping completely. Oh, no. What happened? Did I do something wrong today? He didn’t remember being scolded or pulled aside by any of his teachers today. Not even in the past month.
“The — academy wants you to — leave tomorrow with all of your things and go and continue on with them,” his mother, Magnolia, said urgently. She took out a tattered scrap of note and handed it to him.
Chapter 2
He read the note, and for the first time he noticed he had been dreading this moment. Spruce couldn’t think straight for that long moment before speaking. “But–I haven’t turned fifteen yet,” he sputtered, his voice cracking. This can’t be happening yet. I mean, it’s only three days early, but—I still could be enjoying them before we face the big bad stuff, right? This has to be urgent.
“Well, they want you to come tomorrow morning.” Evergreen looked into the forest, and Shades looked at them in amusement. “We didn’t argue with them, though. If saving this world is important, then we can’t be open to arguments.”
“Besides,” his mother added softly. “I think you’re ready for this. It’ll be tough, for all of us with you leaving, but—we’ll see you again. I hope,” she added, and that quite was unnecessary, Spruce thought, wounded.
“Why now?” he cried, his brain in tangled messes of anxiety and worries. I was ready to turn fifteen! I could be unprepared right now! Are the other wizards fifteen already, and is that why they want to hurry me up? Trees of trouble, this isn’t good. Why NOW? He started crying, his throat tightening.
“It’s going to be OK,” Evergreen said assuringly. He rested a hand on his son’s shoulder. "I know it’s earlier than we expected, but I think you’re ready. You know a lot about the plant element, son, so it should give you someplace to start. I believe they’re training all of you to master your elements, so they can help defeat this powerful wizard alongside you. Then everything could be back to normal, right?" His voice was calm, but his eyes were full of quiet hope and intense fear.
The wind seemed to gust more violently, causing the trees to sway and animals to scurry into their burrows for safety. I have to go, whether I want to or not.
Chapter 3
The next morning, Spruce awoke in his bed feeling nervous. No, that was normal, but today it seemed to have an extra layer of anxiety piled with it, like a continuing pile of leaves in an autumn gust. He reluctantly walked into the bathroom, got himself cleaned and changed, preparing for his momentous day.
After a breakfast of magic cereal and warm cakes, his parents hugged him. It wasn’t just a normal hug; this one had a lot more emotion and love into it, like he was the best thing that had happened in their lives.
“Go and save the world, darling,” his mother said through tears. She wiped them away quickly. “I always knew you would and will.”
“Really? Just me, and not because of anything else?” Spruce asked, crying himself.
“Yes,” Evergreen confirmed. “I would be convinced no matter what goes on. No letter or anything would have convinced me even more. I’ve always known.” He kissed his son on the head and looked into his eyes. “It will be all right, son. Just keep learning. Try your best, and don’t let anyone discourage you. Believe in yourself. Always.”
After another long hug and goodbye, Spruce, along with a map his parents had given him, stepped outside into the forest breeze. It blew softly, and Spruce found that rather reassuring. He smiled. This is it. This is my moment. I’ll miss my parents, the forest, and everything else that I call home. But I’m meant for something bigger, and I’ll make sure we can fix everything wrong with the world. Forever.
He took a deep breath and began venturing toward his long destination.
Chapter 4
Spruce stepped gingerly into the Academy. The chandeliers and bright light illuminated the tapestries and paintings that decked the elegant walls. Torches alighted with flames indicated the halls and their directions, and busy students hurried around, exchanging books, speaking to their masters, and other noisy tasks.
Spruce took out the note from his pocket and looked at it again. It seemed to indicate that he needed to enter…the Academy Archives?
But…he couldn’t. The Archives were forbidden to go into. The academy had endlessly told students the once famous room of chronicles were not to be undertaken. The punishment was explicitly stated: suspension.
He glanced at the nearest merchant. What was its name? He had forgotten, but he mustered the courage to go and speak to him. Awkwardly, he walked over to the small, blinking merchant, who was busily sorting books and cloaks in a calm, quiet manner. “Excuse me,” he said, his voice cracking, and it took quite a moment for the occupied merchant to look up and acknowledge him.
“Yes?” it asked. It considered him silently for a moment, then gestured to the clothing and wands scattered neatly around its selling desk. “Are you here to purchase an item? Perhaps a potion or advice?”
Spruce deflated internally. “No,” he said. “I’m–I’m supposed to be going into the Academy Archives, but I wanted to ask if you happened–to know anything about it.”
The merchant’s expression transformed from patient to suspicious. It gave Spruce a sharp, calculating look. “The archives?” It finally managed to ask, with a raised eyebrow. “Why so?”
“Because,” Spruce said carefully. “I got a letter telling me I needed to go there, and I–just didn’t know if I should, you know?”
The merchant suddenly looked less paranoid. “May I see the letter?”
Spruce handed the tattered note to the merchant, and he noticed his hands were trembling. He had expected the merchant to be suspicious, and handing the note to it didn’t seem like a big problem. But something screamed no! Don’t do that! Ack! You’ll ruin everything and you’ll let the world down! Some things didn’t make sense to him, and this especially didn’t.
“Oh, you’re one of the Chosen Ones,” the merchant said, and its voice was filled with relief. It gave the jottings back to Spruce, and pointed sharply at the Archives. “You have permission to go. I wish you the best of luck, and please bring peace to our world, however you do it.”
Spruce nodded thankfully before slowly approaching the steps of the Archives.
Best of luck. I want that to be reassuring, as it should be and what the merchant intended, but this weird nervous feeling keeps bubbling to the surface. Spruce cautiously started stepping down the steps, and a magical, fulfilling aura and violet glow encompassed him. He was instantly swallowed into a vortex, and before he could scream, he was standing perfectly and free of harm in the first section of the Archives.
He did scream, however, when a figure suddenly careened into him, squeezing him tight.
Chapter 5
Spruce screamed and dropped his tote bag he was carrying and fell hard to the floor. He wasn’t injured still, but he had suddenly gained a sharp, painful headache that made his brain feel like it was being poked with tiny shards of glass.
To his surprise, someone gasped apologetically and loomed over him, inspecting him. Her expression was suspicious briefly, but then turned into an avid burst of excitement.
“SPRUCE!” she yelped, and she cannoned into him again. This time, he did not scream, and instead he somehow managed to sneak out a confused “what?”.
“You’re here! You’re finally here! This is AMAZING! Wait…” she suddenly arranged her face to look sad, which was kind of hilarious, if you asked Spruce. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to whack you like that, or whatever I did, but it’s SO EXCITING to see you’re finally here!”
She extended her hand to help him up, and he did. Spruce examined himself again. Nope, no injuries, he noticed with pleasure. He brushed himself off and gave his company a confused, yet very suspicious look.
“How do you know my name, and that I was coming?” he demanded.
The girl didn’t seem to lose any of her excitement. “Oh, that! Whoops. I probably should’ve started by introducing myself. I’m Galaxy, the master of the shadow element, if you were wondering. Um. So. Don’t freak out! I can read minds and see the future.”
Spruce didn’t have an immediate reaction. He just stood there, still not processing completely with what she had said. He let the words sink in for a second, then jumped.
“You–what?” he said.
“Don’t worry!” Galaxy exclaimed. “Don’t worry, I promise. I can stay out of your head really easily, but sometimes I can’t help hearing what others are thinking.” She looked at the endless shelves of bookshelves. “I can see the future, though, and that’s how I knew about you, and—I know lots of other things.”
Wow. That makes sense, how she knew my name and everything. But seeing the future and the inside thoughts of other people? It would seem fun and cool at first, but sometimes people think very disturbing things, and seeing the very dangerous things in the future and what people think….that can’t be easy for her. I wonder how she’s this bubbly and excited, knowing all of these things.
Galaxy was looking at him intently. She uprighted herself with an apologetic expression. “Sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t help hearing that, but I understand. You’re right, some things I see are pretty dang scary, but I know we can do this and we can prevent all of the bad things from happening. Right?”
Spruce didn’t know how to respond to this. What was the reassuring thing to say, without saying it wouldn’t be that easy or simple? He thought, and after quite some moments, he knew what to say.
“Um, right? Yes, absolutely?” Hm. Yes, that wasn’t quite as majestic or super reassuring as he had intended.
Galaxy giggled and started tugging his arm. “Come on, you need to meet the others.”
They ventured down a vast hallway, which was alighted by flames on torches. Emblems and pictograms were engraved into the walls, history you could see and touch freely. Every now and then, an opening would appear in the walls and one could float into a room that was stocked with bookshelves and studying tables. Some rooms even had billboards with old notes scribbled on them, and papers were ransacked on the floors messily. One room even had a podum with lots of seats, where students could give presentations based on their findings for student presentations.
Spruce and Galaxy then came to a dead end.
“Um, is this the end of the hallway?” he asked, a little nervously.
“That’s what they want you to think,” Galaxy said excitedly. She tapped lightly on a brick that was slightly darker than all of the others and pushed it out then in, and a door suddenly appeared, revealing a large, domed room filled with papers, bookshelves, studying tables and comfy chairs, and chatting strangers.
Spruce walked slowly into the study hall, gazing at the organized shelves of literature. Each was marked neatly with scrolls and books, with maps being pinned to the walls with more pins marking certain locations of the island. The tables were made of warm, tempered glass, and he could see his reflection as clearly through a super-reflective mirror. Mobile lights illuminated the room, and fancy-looking tapestries and paintings of wizards and monsters added depth and illusion to the place.
“Um…hello?” he mumbled, and all at once, the others turned and considered him and Galaxy.
“At last,” one of them said, and he looked like a storm-type wizard. “He has arrived.”
“FINALLY,” a louder voice said, and her clothing was dripping with cool, blue patches and ice emblems. Ice. “I can talk to SOMEONE else besides this boring lecturer.”
“Maybe if you were a bit more intelligent,” another voice said, sounding amused. “You wouldn’t be so bored. But no, your brain is the size of a green pea. Hello, new one.” His uniform was of brown and cafe colors, with emblems of physicality patched into his body. He was the physical one.
“Nice job, fighting in front of our new guests,” another one chimed. She had blue, long hair and radiated calmness and tranquility. She created a small bubble of water, which floated over to the ice wizard and burst onto her head. The ice wizard glowered at her, the erupted into giggles.
“Who are you?” asked another. He was so clearly the fire wizard, with clean, cut red hair and eyes the blazed warmer than the summer sun. “Don’t be afraid. We’re pretty much harmless.”
“Well, most of us are,” said the ice wizard.
“Really?” Galaxy said. “Truly?”
“Pretty much,” said the storm wizard. He was reading a book, half-listening.
“Well, I’m Spruce,” Spruce introduced himself. “I’m the earth wizard.”
“Yes,” Galaxy said. “I saw him in my vision. We’re all going to do wonderful things, essentially.”
“Nice to meet you,” the ice wizard said nicely. She pointed to herself. “I’m Diamond.” Cordially, she pointed to the fire student, then the storm one. “Ash, the fire wizard, and Raiden, the magical storm dude.”
“I’m Brooke,” said the water wizard kindly. “And this is Martial, the physical wizard.”
“Nice to meet you all,” Spruce said.
“We have two primary masters that will educate us,” Martial offered. He looked around the room, then looked disappointed as if he had expected them to suddenly pop out of thin air.
“They were here earlier, but they went to go collect some copper coins to get some food for us.”
“That was two hours ago,” Diamond pointed out. “And they still haven’t come back.”
“Give them a break,” Raiden said defensively. “You know how rare those things are. It’d probably take about five minutes to find a single ounce.”
“Precisely,” Martial said calmly. He considered Galaxy for a moment. “Did you break the news to him?”
“Oh! Yes, that. I did!” she said.
“Well, he doesn’t seem alarmed at all about it,” Brooke noticed. “I mean, isn’t it kind of creepy to hear what others are thinking? And see what’s bound to happen in their lives?”
“That’s not a fair way to think about it,” Galaxy whispered defensively. “Sure, it can be. I absolutely agree with that, but I didn’t choose to have those powers. It chose me.”
“Right,” said Brooke. “Anyway, let’s get to know each other more, shall we? If we’re destined to save thousands of thousands of lives, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page.” She produced a long, sheet of paper, and started scribing something on it with ink.
“What are you doing?” asked Raiden.
“Making a game,” she said excitedly. “Now, quiet, I’m making eight copies of these, so be quiet, or else I’ll summon some squids to squish your heads.”
“Pages of peril,” Spruce said nervously. “Can you actually do that? I’m guessing and hoping no.”
“She’s joking,” Martial said reassuringly. He put a hand on his shoulder, and he immediately felt more relaxed. “Brooke is always saying threatening stuff like that, but she’s actually softer than a cuddly kitten.”
“Two done!” Brooke exclaimed, then she handed one to Ash and one to Raiden. They both looked at their pieces of scroll with confused expressions, scanning the pages curiously.
After Brooke made a couple more, Spruce received his own and looked at the ragged handwriting. Galaxy had also received one, and she was humming to herself.
“So…you want us to write our names, our goals, and what we plan on doing when we get older?” Ash questioned blandly. “I hate to burn your bushes, but you already know, like, some of this.”
“Well, tell me again,” Brooke said voluntarily. “I might have forgotten, and it’s not just for me, you snail. Hurry up and fill it out.”
“Oh, that’s what it is?” Spruce asked. He couldn’t seem to understand, but not what it was trying to get him to do. “I mean, I can’t really read this…or make out this handwriting.”
“Ouch,” said Brooke.
“Sorry,” Spruce blurted. “I didn’t mean to be mean, but it’s just—I don’t know. I can’t really read this. It’s a good thing Ash explained it to me, though, so it’s good.”
Brooke smiled. “No worries, I was just joking.” She finished another scroll and handed it to Martial. “I do admit I don’t have the best handwriting in the world, but it’s fine, right?”
“Of course,” Spruce said, smiling back.
“All right, this last one is for me,” the water wizard said. She scribbled the same lines for the eighth time, then tore it off from the larger pad of paper, then threw it into the nearest bookshelf. Books that were tottering on the edges fell to the ground, crushing the pad promptly. Martial gave them a wistful look.
“Now, as Ash helpfully explained,” she began. “Write your names, your goals, and what you want to do when you become older.”
“Yeah, we knew this already,” said Diamond coolly.
“All right,” Spruce said. He began writing with his favorite green pen, confidently writing his sentences. His handwriting was good, naturally, and he had always received several compliments on how it was. He also always got good grades on all of his writing assignments in class, and even better ones on handwriting tests, where you filled out papers with predetermined topics and lessons to help with writing.
“You have really good handwriting,” Galaxy said loudly. Spruce nearly jumped.
“Thanks?” he said. That’s normal. Galaxy isn’t, which I like. She isn’t quiet or nervous like me, or most of my other classmates at the Cottage school, but she is sometimes, especially when it comes to….certain things. He couldn’t figure out what, but he could notice that from her.
“DONE!” Brooke shouted. “Ha, I beat all you slowpokes.”
“This was a race?” Ash said, his voice loaded with playful sarcasm.
“Yes,” she said. “And you still lost, even when I gave you all a head start. That’s disappointing.”
“You sure are competitive,” Martial said calmly. “I assume you want us to share our results? That sounds highly logical, even though you probably know some of the answers already.”
“I’ve known you for ONE DAY,” Brooke said. “I don’t know much, and besides, like I said, I’ve probably forgotten everything you’ve ever told me.”
“This suddenly seems like a huge potential waste of time,” said Ash.
“I’ll go,” Galaxy said. “I’m Galaxy, obviously, and I want to end this war and save everyone. My goals are to be an astrophysicist and help others learn how to use the shadow element properly. Because, frankly, all I’ve seen younger ones do is use it to scare their chameleons and turtles!” She giggled.
“Cool,” Brooke said spiritedly. “Me next!” She ahem-ed and began.
“I’m Brooke, the water wizard. My goals are also to end the world skirmish, and possibly help restore Shipwreck Shore from pollution. I want to be a teacher at the universities one day, or any other type of school where they provide education. I also want to clean up everywhere that needs cleaning.”
Ash went next. “I want to fulfill this prophetic dream. Save the world. All of that jazz. Really. And, when I have time, I want to study food and beverages and become a chef to serve everyone. In Bonfire Spire, we had so many chefs there, which is probably more than other location on this island. I want to feed the poor and hungry, too, and we can give them jobs and warm shelters to live in.”
Then, it was Diamond. “Ending the war is most important before anything. I want to become a designer, so I can do anything that has to do with infrastructure and fashion. I did study wizard care in Shiverchill Mountains, but there’s nothing really there to dress up besides sneaky Rukuses.”
“I’m Martial. I want to be a historian and study Prodigian history. Once I collect a certain amount of information, I will publish articles and books so any wizard can access this information. Besides this, I can be a regular writer, too, and write several stories and biographies so I can make gold. Free copies for all of you, along with special big discounts, if you want.” He paused, then remembered. “I want to stop this evil wizard, and probably teach self-defense as well to some wizards with the physical element. NOT to bully your friends or sisters, either, which can be dangerous.”
“I’m Raiden,” the storm wizard had said. “I want to do whatever you guys want to do with saving the world, whatever that takes. I want to be a meteorologist and study the weather, so I can predict natural disasters so we can modify our environment to prevent any big damage and save lives. I also want to be a biologist, study the earth and its animals, and then keep them protected.”
Then, it was Spruce’s turn.
“Hello, I’m Spruce,” he said nervously. Beanstalks, why am I so NERVOUS? “I master the earth element, or plant, more accurately. I love plants, and I would like to be a botanist, so I can grow plants and vegetables and fruits to feed our family and anyone else. I also want to be a doctor, and use medicinal herbs and healing techniques to make sure everyone is safe. I also want to end this war. It’s what I was meant for, and whatever I have to do will be done, and then things can be better forever. Too many lives are being lost, and we need to stop that.”
The others were startled into silence for a minute, each letting his small speech soak in.
“Wow,” Galaxy breathed, gasping for air in amazement. “How committed. I want do be like that, too.”
“Great job, Spruce,” Brooke grinned at him. “Now, let’s discuss our favorite foods! Mine, is salmon.”
As they all talked and laugh, Spruce felt less nervous and more comfortable being around them. They all had interesting backgrounds and personalities. They genuinely seemed to like him, too, which was great to him. Maybe they would all be great friends. He especially liked Ash. He was very open-minded.
Then, suddenly, the brick wall burst open, and two tall wizards loomed in, one with a beard longer than a giraffe’s tail.
“Students, hurry! You need to hide.” One of them said, ushering them down into a secret valve.
“What? Why? What’s going on? Spruce asked, his nervousness rushing back like an impending tsunami.
The wizard looked into his eyes, his eyes were bluer than the sky, and spoke into his ear, his voice sending a calm yet anxious vibrance into Spruce’s veins.
“The evil one…is coming.”
Chapter 6
Spruce’s heart pounded with fear and he and his new friends crowded desperately into a designated evacuation space. They all moved so calmly, but the urge to stay alive added more of a rushed and hurried vibe to their escape.
“We can hide here,” the other master said softly. She had golden hair and astral emblems all across her wardrobe. She carried a yellow, durable staff, and Spruce could see the magic pulsing through it. It’s kind of comforting to know that she has something at least.
Behind him, he could see Galaxy, her eyes scrunched shut and her forehead contorted in agony. She looked like she was concentrating on something but not knowing completely how much she was.
Then, it hit Spruce. Galaxy was a mind-reader. She could hear the thoughts of all of them right now, and he couldn’t guarantee they were calm, collective thoughts. They must be blasting her with panicked, screaming pain and death ones, and she looked like she was crippling in pain.
Before he could ask if she was all right, Diamond spoke.
“Can you hear anything?” she asked softly, helping her walk with the rest of them.
Galaxy shook her head. “No, not yet, but I can hear some of yours, and there are a lot of new, confusing visions seeping in. I can’t completely tell what they are, but they aren’t good.” Martial gave her an apologetic look.
“Keep listening, but remain quiet,” the neutral master said. “Aurora, stay in control of yourself. We don’t want you blasting astral spells around everywhere, and we’re trying to maintain a low profile.” His aquamarine, teal-colored hair and eyes glowed with genuine worry and trust.
“All right, Sage,” Aurora said. “Make sure you have your rejuvenating abilities intact, because if anything happens to these students…”
“Shh…” Ash said, and abruptly they all fell silent just as they heard voices.
“Where are they?” an authoritative voice boomed, and Spruce’s bones shook.
“We don’t know, sir,” another voice said warily. Spruce could seem to practically hear the servant squirming.
“They were supposed to be HERE!” the voice shouted, and the walls seem to shake with fear themselves. “I even asked the merchant where they were, and it said it had no idea!”
“Well, what if it’s lying?” the servant asked.
The Evil One paused, considering. “Well, it’s too late, because I killed it.”
Spruce couldn’t even describe how he was feeling at that moment. It made him sick, but he felt to blame for even speaking to the merchant. If he hadn’t been such a coward and followed the map, the poor, little seller would have still been alive. He could feel the warmth of Ash beside him, and also his soft breathing beside him. It kind of comforted him, but by a little.
“Can you hear anything?” Brooke whispered to Galaxy.
She shook her head. “I can’t read the evil guy’s mind, but the poor servant’s one is blasting all of these worried, confused ones. He has no idea where we are and is starting to wonder if he is going to kill him.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter,” the Evil One snarled. Spruce and Galaxy both jumped when the Evil One had seemed to respond to what she had said. Thankfully, he didn’t continue by stomping around with rage to find them and then ripping apart their hiding spot and then began doing something even worse. Instead, he seemed to crush something between his hands. “They were here, but they’re gone now. They can’t stop me. Anyone who does will face a fate similar to the little merchant.”
“Where are we going now?” he asked, curiously.
The Evil One seemed to smile wickedly. “First, we’re going to Firefly Forest. We need to conquer them, first. We’ll plan a siege or capture in three days.”
“If you’re sure…” the servant started.
“Oh, I’m sure. We’ll attack…in three days.”
Chapter 7
Spruce’s heart was pounding even more than ever. They’re going to attack Firefly Forest, where my family is, my school, my home, and everything else I’ve loved. He can’t. I have to go there. I have to get back to them and warn them and make sure they’re all right. I have to go there RIGHT NOW.
“The coast is clear,” Sage said. He nodded at Galaxy. “Right, moonbud?”
“Of course, we should be safe. I don’t hear their thoughts anymore, so we should be good. Is everyone all right?”
“Yes,” Diamond said.
“Yeah, I think so,” Martial and Brooke said simultaneously.
“Absolutely,” admitted Raiden.
Ash didn’t answer. Instead, he looked confidently at Spruce, and his eyes said, Are YOU all right, because you know I am.
“Spruce?” asked Aurora, worriedly. “Are you OK?”
“I have to go to Firefly Forest,” Spruce said, not answering. “I have to. If the Evil One plans on attacking my home, I have to go there.”
Sage didn’t answer immediately. He considered Spruce for a moment. “I completely understand, Spruce. I have family there, too, and a lot of people I know there that have helped me along in my life, but it’s not a good idea to go there now. We’re going there eventually, especially before the Evil One strikes, but we can’t go right now.”
“It’s not safe,” Aurora added. “I’m sorry, but we’ll wait three days. There are some things we want to teach you, and you can’t go there without knowing any of it.”
“I think that’s what he wants us to do,” Ash said. “The Evil One, I mean, about us going there early. He probably knows we’re hiding in here, listening, and he expects us to know. He thinks we’ll try and help the Firefly Forest wizards and pets evacuate early, and then he can go and capture us and them. He wants to get us anyway. It’s best if we wait, then go slightly before then, so we can be prepared to help and defend.”
Spruce wanted to argue, wanted to tell him that was a bad idea and the Evil One COULD still be lying, but Ash’s calm voice wasn’t something he felt like arguing against, and he was just very exhausted and traumatized to disagree.
“All right. Fine,” he said, and he looked at Sage. “What do we do now, then?”
Sage unlocked the ledge they were hiding behind. “We’ll stay here and learn some things. We’re not going to go to Firefly Forest just yet, as I’ve said. We’ll help them eventually, but it’s not safe now. Get to know each other and we’ll let you know what’s going on next.”
“But…what about–?”
“Please, stop worrying, Spruce. I’ll send a message to Flora and Florian, and Gerald can probably protect them until further notice. I know you’re worried about your family, but as long as we let them know ahead of time, they’ll be safe. Don’t worry about it too much.”
Spruce stopped pleading abruptly. He surrendered, not because he was tired of asking, but because he knew there was no way to change their mind. He walked awkwardly out of the crowded space. He didn’t feel completely comfortable leaving his parents’ lives in Gerald’s hands. He was literally an enchanted pile of rocks who had once been summoned by a long defeated evil wizard’s magic all those years ago. What if that happened again, and Spruce wasn’t there to protect his family, and his home?
Just stop worrying. Everything is going to be alright.
Chapter 8
No matter what he told himself, he always knew he’d end up worrying later on. But for now it worked.
He went to his assigned room, which he, immensely appreciated, was sharing with Ash.
Ash was busy writing and reading something, whistling casually to himself. His bed was on the right side, Spruce’s on the left, with earth decorations and a piece of paper with welcome greetings on it. He had a duffel bag with clothing, books, papers and pens; everything Spruce would have needed for an entire school term. Some of the books were ones he personally liked, and he wondered if his parents somehow messaged the masters and told them.
He had a sack he had brought with him himself, and he casually unloaded his items from home: even more books, his magic laptop, some cool toys and items he liked playing with, and a small photo of him posing with his family in a picture. He smiled sadly at it, and set it on his own drawer, which was wooden and reminded him of the porch of his cabin.
He started reading a book about healing spells for a while, and was satisfied doing that on his bed. Ash seemed to notice him and stopped what he was doing, then walked casually over to Spuce. The earth wizard didn’t look up to acknowledge him immediately, and he startled, looked up to see Ash’s grinning face. Do I smile that much? Have I ever? Do I really?
“Hey,” he said, his grin fading a bit. “May I?”
Spruce tried to process his question. Then, understanding, nodded serenely.
Ash sat down next to him. Maybe a little closer than he would have liked. He could feel his warmth spreading onto him, like a spoon by a fireplace.
“So… are you good?” he asked Spruce, looking completely serious.
“Um, yeah. Absolutely, yes. I am completely fine.”
“You sure?” Ash asked. “You seemed pretty frantic back there, but you seem OK now. Pretty funny.”
Me? Funny? Absolutely frantic, but not the slightest of funny at all. Not on purpose or intentionally.
“Hey, you know, I’m sure your family will be alright,” he continued, his voice full of compassion. “I know it’s scary, but when these things happen, hope is all you’ve got to have. Or you’ll have nothing left to hope for. It’s always better to hope for something.”
Spruce, not at all bothered, noticed Ash’s hand was resting softly on his. The warmth sent warm tingles through his body, but he didn’t even mind. It was….nice.
Ash, apparently looking indignant, quickly removed his hand from his. “I’m sorry,” he said. “If that was weird. I didn’t mean to—”
“No, you’re fine,” Spruce said. He looked into his eyes, which seemed to say anything but. “It’s all right. I didn’t mind at all…”
There was a little silence for a moment, which became uncomfortable promptly, then just before any of them could say anything more, Galaxy burst into the room radiating cheerfulness and joy.
“Hi, guys!” she said. Galaxy looked at them in embarrassment like she knew she was interrupting, but then there was a mischievous glint in her eyes, as if she’d figured out what had just been going on.
Galaxy planted herself right between the two of them, and grinned at both of them. “So…how’s it going you two?”
“It’s—going fine,” Ash muttered, nervously. “Um…we were just reading. Studying stuff, really.”
“I bet you were,” she said, and she winked at Spruce, which made him cringe in embarrassment. Ash also seemed to look resentful, but he managed to remove it from his face surprisingly quickly when Galaxy turned back to him. “Well, we’re having dinner in about ten minutes, so get ready!”
“Sure thing,” Spruce managed to squawk. Galaxy giggled.
Ash went to wash his hands in the bathroom, and Galaxy waited for him to close the door behind him. Then, after it locked, Galaxy turned to him, smiling more than he had ever seen her do before.
“OOOOOOOOOH,” she said. Spruce shrank back, unsettled.
“Oh my gosh, you guys are SO cute,” she said. Spruce couldn’t believe what she was saying. He actually wanted to deny it, anything he was feeling, but he knew here was no getting out of it. Galaxy could probably read his mind, if she hadn’t already. It started to worry him, that she could just hear it like that.
“You’re not in denial,” she said, less avidly and shifting to seriousness. “So you already know you do."
“Well, I can’t be—I just met him!” he said indignantly.
“I know,” she said. “But you know you do, don’t you? That’s cute. Anyway, I’ not gonna butt in and ruin anything for you, but I’m so happy for you.”
“Don’t make assumptions,” Spruce countered defensively. “We just met each other, and…I don’t know. Things like this are new to me, so don’t add to anything else to make me worry. We should be focused on saving Firefly Forest, along with the rest of this troubled universe.”
“You bet!” Galaxy said, beaming. At that moment, Ash had finished washing his hands and had started approaching them. Galaxy waved him off, gesturing towards the dining room.
“Go on, we’ll meet you there.”
Ash, blinking in confusion, started towards the kitchen.
“Don’t worry,” Galaxy said. “I’ll make sure no one else does the same, butting in, I mean.”
“You don’t have to. We–it’s fine. It’s nothing. Please.”
“Don’t worry!” Galaxy repeated. Then she leaned into his ear, and Spruce nearly strained himself trying to hear what she had to say.
“You two’s future together is very bright.”