._Skyeforge's Raevan

[Skyeforge]

June 1, 2019

The drowned out sound of familiar voices echoed within his head. Slowly, he came to. The frei opened his eyes to see nothing but blurry figures standing overhead. As his eyes slowly caught up to speed to interpret the images before him, he inhaled deeply, only to exhale with a slight cough. A scratchy throat bothered him and he was too weak to even move.

“He’s waking up,” a soft voice spoke, the first distinguishable sentence since he had opened his eyes.

“Ryder, gods, I’m so glad to see you’re finally waking up,” another soft voice spoke amongst the rustling movement.

“Can you speak?” A third voice asked.

“Y-yes…” Ryder said, his voice raspy and hoarse. “What is...going on?” he questioned, still confused, his head pounding.

“We don’t have to get into that right now, what’s important is you’re awake and able to speak. It’s been a little bit,” Reuben spoke, his voice soft. He patted Ryder’s hand with his own gloved hand before a sniffle could be heard.

“You...do not...need…” Ryder began to speak, his vision finally coming back to normal.

“It’s okay, you just rest,” Reuben said with a smile, his eyes completely bloodshot and puffy. It was obvious he had been crying and/or hadn’t slept in days.

“I’ll stay with him,” Alice stated as she crookedly sat at the end of Ryder’s bed.

“Alice!” Ryder exclaimed followed by a raspy cough. He turned his entire attention to Alice as she smiled at him, dropping her head to one side.

“Please, don’t speak. Just rest,” Reuben reasserted, getting up and patting Alice on the back before leaving the room with Evan.

“Feel better, Ry. We need you back at a-hundred percent!” Evan said with a slight chuckle, closing the door behind him.

It didn’t take long for Ryder to slowly close his eyes once more to sleep. He felt extraordinarily weak and he had no idea why or what was happening.

A few hours later, Ryder woke up again, this time to a tray of rotting wood beside him. Alice was still sitting at the end of his bed staring at him.

“Good, you’re awake,” she said with a smile.

“Alice...you...are here,” he responded groggily.

“Mhmm, in the flesh...which has been extremely strange to get used to I must say,” she said with a chuckle before her tone turned sour. “Ryder, you almost died. Luckily, you didn’t. Now I can tell you everything you’ve missed out on.”

Ryder slowly sat up in his bed, obviously hurting.

“Here, let me help,” Alice said, standing up off the bed and coming to her creator’s aid, fluffing his pillow and pulling the tray of bark over his ribbon-lap. “Eat,” she insisted. It was strange. He didn’t make much fuss over it, but it was obvious that she was a true entity now. She could interact with other objects which was never something his creations could do before.

Ryder slowly lifted his weak arm to grab a small piece of bark but noticed something was off before he had the chance. His freckles were dark brown. His skin looked very bruised, and he remembered the problems he was facing. Everything suddenly came back to him. “Erryd!” he exclaimed with his hoarse voice.

“Eat!” Alice shouted. “You need to get better, don’t think of that b*****d. You need nourishment. It’s why Reuben brought this plate in here. Now do me and him, not to mention yourself, a favor and eat first!”

Ryder was taken aback. He picked up a piece of bark and put it into his mouth. It was absolutely delicious. The tastes swirled around his mouth. It was like he hadn’t eaten in years. “Mmm,” he moaned. He then began to eat each and every delectable piece as though he’d never eat again, cherishing each bite until the plate was completely gone.

“Good, now that you’ve eaten, we can speak about Erryd,” Alice stated.

Ryder’s attention was instantly caught by her words. “What happened?”

“Well, I’m going to be blunt because you need to hear this from me instead of Reuben, who would no doubt try his best to sugar coat everything,” she began, taking a deep breath as she made her way to the bedroom door to ensure she locked it as not to be disturbed. “Erryd has been parading around here like he’s you for the past couple of months. He stashed you away underneath the floorboards and left you for dead. Luckily you had the courage and strength to come back from your dreams, where you saved me and Bastian from certain torture. Then, when you awoke, you created me right here in your bedroom.”

Ryder began to remember all of the little things that had happened to him. His nightmare, his finding Bastian and Alice and the three of them floating in the white nothingness of his mind before waking up.

“How do you know he was pretending to be me?”

Alice’s eyes narrowed. “I spoke with Reuben, who was quite surprised to see me by the way, since he hadn’t in over a year and a half. He said that you’ve been acting differently, and when I said that it wasn’t you, he didn’t believe me. Then, I told him to look under your bed and everything would be made clear.”

Alice paused a moment, allowing Ryder to digest what was just thrown at him. He was confused, but remembered the pain of Erryd’s escape into reality just before going unconscious and waking up in that dreamscape. It made sense, he was real, just like Alice was real because of his powers. He wondered what Reuben would have said about realizing Erryd was alive? What he was thinking?

“When we found you a week ago, you were gray and looked absolutely horrid. You were covered in dust and looked completely dead. Reuben realized that it was just a deep coma and he and Evan pulled you out, cleaned you up and have been by your side ever since.”

“A week ago?!” Ryder exclaimed the moment Alice stopped speaking.

“Yes, you’ve been in what they’ve called a coma for a week, recuperating,” Alice began. Then, her face fell. “I, on the other hand, have been doing some research and realizing that being a real person is absolutely disgraceful. How embarrassed was I to find that you have to use a restroom when one has to ‘urinate’, a disgusting habit of humans and full-bodied entities that I didn’t really care to think about.”

The imagining chuckled. “Reuben loves you, Ryder. So does Evan. We all do. We need you to get better,” Alice concluded.

“Where is Erryd now?” Ryder questioned.

“We have no idea exactly,” Alice said with a heavy sigh. “But he left over a week ago after a fight with Reuben and Evan. He hasn’t been heard from since. Though, it appears that his leaving was what gave you the ability to emerge victorious from your dreamscape. His power wasn’t keeping you held so tightly and you were able to overcome it,” the imagining began. “Reuben has placed a few calls to the police and they are searching for him as we speak. So far, no signs of him have even been found. Sadly, he's very smart and good at covering his tracks," she concluded with a sigh of distress.

Ryder thought a moment, Erryd was...gone? Where could he have gone? Ryder began to ponder the thought and something struck him suddenly. What if Erryd was seeking out the entity who gave him the ability to be free in the first place? The Trader. Ryder’s heart sank instantly. He had no idea if that’s where he went, but that was the frei’s best guess. After all, Erryd had been the only imagining which continued to creep up ever since the jailing of Alice and Bastian, meaning he was very aware of the Trader’s existence unlike his other imaginings.

“We have to go after him,” Ryder stated, determination strewn across his face.

“I agree,” Alice began, “but you must get well before we go on such an adventure.”

Ryder slumped with a nod. He knew he’d be no match against Erryd in this current state. He laid back down, rolling to his side and staring off into space in hopes of thinking of other places his shadow self could be.  

[Skyeforge]

July 5, 2019

Today, Ryder was feeling much better and had essentially fully recovered. His freckles were colorful again and his cream-colored skin was healthy once again. The one problem he seemed to have was with his magic. He barely had any strength to perform any sort of magic whatsoever. This weakness stemmed, he thought, more from the fact that Erryd stole most of it during his escape than anything else. Sadly, he felt as though he would never be as strong as he was prior to Erryd or the Trader.

Ryder's health the past month had really been everyone’s primary concern, but not his own. He was more worried with what Erryd was doing. He couldn’t rest easy knowing his shadow self was out there potentially running amok. He had to get involved. He had to do something. It was time to bring Reuben into the fold.

The frei and his companion, Alice, floated out into the dining area where Reuben was setting up the table for dinner. “Reuben, may I request we talk?” The frei asked, propping himself against the counter as Reuben sat a fork and knife down upon a white cloth napkin next to the plate.

“Of course, how’re you feeling?” Reuben asked, turning to Ryder with a soft smile.

“Much better, thank you,” he began. “But I feel as though Erryd needs to be dealt with.” Ryder finished, his tone firm and filled with concern.

“Yes, I agree. I’ve already filed a missing person’s report. All we can do now is wait until someone finds him.” Reuben replied, his smile fading into concern as he grabbed another set of silverware and sat it onto another napkin.

“No, I mean I need to go after him.”

Reuben chuckled and shook his head, thinking this a jest at first only to realize Ryder's face showed no signs of faltering from its stoic state. “Absolutely not. What if I ask Dr. Kyou to intervene? I’m sure he has some sort of henchmen or something that could take care of Erryd. Plus, I’m sure he’d be quite interested in figuring out how this all occurred in the first place.”

“No, we mustn’t involve him. I do not wish others that I barely know involved at all. The fact that you have already alerted the authorities irks me to no end. This is a problem that I alone must bear. Erryd is something I, like it or not, created. Thus, he is my responsibility.”

Reuben sat down another plate and turned his full attention to his charge and Alice, who hadn’t spoken a word. He sighed, taking a moment to think of how he should respond. “That’s very noble, Ryder; but you can’t be serious. You are in no shape to do anything. You’re still recovering. Plus, that is so incredibly dangerous. If he was able to plot this elaborate ‘escape’ in the first place, not to mention the fact that he kept you locked up for months under the floorboards with no one the wiser, who’s to say you won’t get hurt worse this time?" Reuben began, seeing still no signs of his charge faltering in his ideals, the guardian continued. "Nope, there is no way I will allow you to do anything of the sort. Go lay down, rest, and stop worrying about Erryd. He will be found by police soon enough. I’ll call for you when dinner is ready.”

Ryder’s eyes narrowed. His guardian didn’t understand how dire the situation truly was. He had no idea of the Trader, nor what Erryd was truly capable of with the power to create reality. Ryder had kept information to Reuben and Evan at the bare minimum.

The frei huffed a moment before turning around and floating past Alice into his room angrily. Alice followed behind, entering and closing the door behind her. “Do you truly believe you are ready for a meeting with Erryd? How do you even expect to win? Reuben does have a point," Alice said, concern apparent in her tone.

“I do not know, if I am to be honest. I have not the brute strength nor the magic to take him down. I would be a fool to try doing so alone. After all, if everything Reuben has said about Erryd in the months I was in a coma is true -- and he has been practicing a lot with that reality magic -- I fear we are in deeper trouble than previously anticipated. He even stole my spellbook. All of my notes on any magic I may retain in this shell of a frei are there. What can I even do?"

“Well, he may have your spellbook, but you still have the confidence you acquired in the dreamscape, don't dare lose it now."

“I shan't, but I also mustn't let my confidence turn into arrogance. I need to realize my weakness is the fact that I am basically a mundane being now. No poison, barely any magic. I just need some sort of leverage."

Alice looked at him with her wide-set eyes blankly. “Well, you have friends. You have me. That in and of itself should be leverage he won't have on his side. I know you want to do this alone, but you need support, especially since you have such little magic left within you."

“You are right. I do have you and I do have friends...which reminds me," the frei paused a moment, scratching his chin, "Xiu has dealt with the Trader before. Let me contact him, maybe he knows something that can help. If my original inclinations are correct, then to find Erryd, we must first find the Trader.”

The frei took out his cellphone and frantically began a message to Xiu, explaining the entire situation. From the Trader’s appearance, the fateful trade itself, to every aspect following dealing with Erryd and his coma. It was far worse than he feared. It was time to take down the traitors.  

[Skyeforge]

July 6, 2019 - Mid Afternoon to After Sunset

Ryder meets up with Xiu and Cesc in order to find and take down the Trader once and for all.

Trader Takedown

The time had come, Ryder was finally feeling completely fine after he had taken almost a month to recover. The frei had finally gained back all his color and the once dark brown freckles had sprung back to life in full, colorful bloom.

The toadstool raevan had secretly spoken to Alice and plotted a way to take down Erryd. But the first problem had already arisen. He had no idea where to start looking. It was high time he involved one of his best friends, and mentors, into the fold, Xiu. It had been awhile since the two had last spoke. Ryder was ashamed of how he dealt with the beast he had conjured all those months ago and it was high time to let Xiu in on everything that had happened, as he was blissfully unaware of all the troubles.

The texts were long, novel-esque pieces with valuable information. It was in these texts to his friend that Ryder spelled out everything to Xiu. His meeting with the Trader, the fact that it was supposed to be kept a secret, how the Trader had given him these “miraculous” powers to control reality in return for his poisonous skin trait. How Ryder took months honing in on the craft, eventually learned that utilizing the life of plants could potentially help him hone these skills and then exactly what happened with Erryd, his evil creation. The texts were detailed and very rough to write out. He felt ashamed, embarrassed, and worst of all, worried about what was to come from all of this. He hoped that his friend would have some sort of answers. At the end of the text, he asked the valsaros to meet with him in their usual meeting spot in the park, hoping that the two could come together and do what was needed to stop Erryd and the Trader from ever wrecking havoc again.

Ryder went back to the same clearing they had time and time found themselves in within the beautiful park that the two always met at. He needed it to be secret, as Reuben would never approve of such actions. Alice and Ryder snuck out of the house as they seemed to be under lock and key the past month. Reuben hardly let the two out of his sight since Ryder was found.

Though it was troublesome, this needed to happen. Ryder needed to take care of all the problems he caused with Erryd’s escape. Alice agreed that Erryd couldn’t be left to run rampant. It was time.

 

[Skyeforge]

July 6, 2019 - Just After Twilight

The iridescent armor glistened softly in the moonlight as Ryder soared quickly through the forest. The wind blew softly through the trees as he rushed by, rustling leaves, causing some to fall on the ground in his wake. The night was cold, but he was comfortable under the warmth of his magical armor.

The frei’s mind raced as he flew through the trees, he thought of how Xiu and Cesc had been extremely gracious not only in helping with the task of outfitting him in armor and giving him a weapon, but also in finding Erryd and being his support through the entire ordeal. Although he had been grateful for the help thus far, taking on Erryd, he knew, was something he had to do himself. Luckily, he had Alice to help now and the two were able to rest up before making their way deep into the forest.

Alice also seemed determined as she followed behind Ryder at a quick pace. Her golden breastplate and skirt sparkled as the moon caught glimpses of it through the trees. She had reason to hate Erryd, to want nothing more than to see him dead. She wanted her revenge on him for herself just as much as she wished it for Ryder. She couldn’t be deterred. Now, thanks to Rhedefre, she was Ryder’s living shield to help him on this journey.

The forest floor grew colder as they neared Erryd’s location. It was as if the tendrils of evil magic had changed the aura of the area in which it was being manipulated. Ryder’s nerves began beating on his brain. Did he really have the power to do this? The strength? He questioned himself multiple times, but knew what he needed to do and would not give up -- not now.

The toadstool took a moment to glance down at the intricate golden dagger that Cesc had created for him before placing it delicately within his armor. It was an immaculate creation and would serve his purpose perfectly in destroying the imagining that overtook his life for so long. Revenge was sweet, and he needed it. That feeling is what drove him deeper into the forest with each passing moment.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the frei could make out a figure in the distance within a small clearing of the forest. It was dark but illuminated with a magical bright green and violet amalgamation of light. A signature color that Ryder was well versed in due to his own practicings with this specific type of magic.

As Ryder approached, he could make out what his shadow was doing. The abomination was warping a small bird and lizard together with his magic, a very disgraceful use of it, in order to build a new dragon-like creation.

Alice’s blood began to boil upon seeing the shadow. She had been a victim to his magic for what seemed to be an eternity just a month prior. Day in and day out, month by month she was forced to relive the same horrid day over and over in that blasted tower. Her anger festered within, but she knew she needed to allow Ryder to begin this approach. She would have happily went straight up to the b*****d and bashed him over the head with her shield without a second thought; however she was here to back Ryder up, help him in any way she could, not do things for him.

As the two protagonists made their way into the clearing, Ryder knew it was time to put a stop to this once and for all. “Erryd,” the toadstool called with a deep, unwavering tone. His eyes piercing and heart racing even faster than it already was.

The shadow twirled around in a fright, leaving his magical beast to progress on its own. An evil smirk grew upon his countenance. “Well, well, well. Look who finally woke up,” he said, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “And Alice, what a pleasure it is to see you out of your cage. Fancy getup you have there.”

“You did not expect to keep me in that state forever, did you?” Ryder questioned, clenching his fists, anger boiling inside as Alice stood behind her creator stoically, not feeding her anger with more of his words.

“Oh, not at all. I didn’t even have to keep you there, you did that all by yourself. But I must ask, how did you like my dungeon? Wasn’t it a wonderful imagining? It seemed so real, right?” Erryd chuckled, waving his hand outward as if to shove them off. He seemed perfectly fine to see Ryder and Alice here. No worry in his demeanor whatsoever.

“To be completely honest, I was not terribly impressed. I could do far better.”

“Yeah right,” Erryd scoffed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “Run along, little rainbow, before I snuff out your light. I’m giving you one warning and that is all you’ll get.”

Ryder’s eyes narrowed. “Well, I feel as though you should take your own advice, shadow. Light will always overcome the darkness.”

Erryd let out a laugh. “Do you really believe that the words your old video game spouted will help you in real life? ‘Light will always overcome the darkness’.” Erryd mocked, shaking his head. “Pfft, you really are daft. I am not about to play with you, boy. Run home to daddy before I get truly angry. I have had much more time to hone this magic and I can tell you now that I am far stronger than you ever were and ever will be,” he concluded turning to his little dragon-esque creation he was forming prior to his nemesis arrival.

Ryder did not waver, he floated there in confidence.

“We will not be deterred that easily, Erryd. You have to pay for what you’ve done,” Alice finally spoke, taking a few steps forward and standing tall and proud next to her creator.

Erryd turned around slowly, eyes narrow, dropping his half built creation onto the ground, which scurried into the nearby bushes. “Okay...fine. Let us have a little fun,” he said as he snapped his fingers. From the darkness of the nearby trees emerged a creature of vines in the form of a woman. “Meet Ivy, my own personal Alice 2.0,” he said with a chuckle.

Ivy glared at the two as she approached her own creator, her arms of vines dangling to the ground and dragging as she took each step. Once she arrived at Erryd’s side, she was met with a pat on her back. She did have an eerie resemblance to Alice in that their faces seemed very similar and they each had long limbs. But this girl, Ivy, her hair was made up of green vines hanging down her back, and a circlet of black roses upon her head which seemed to match Alice’s of red. She was crafted from all natural materials, that much was obvious. Even her dress seemed to be made from leaves and vines. It even billowed out much like Alice’s had.

Alice shook her head. “You really think that thing can compare to me?” she questioned, scoffing at the thought.

Erryd took a moment to chuckle. “Trust me, she’s better,” he began, “Ryder, let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Remember that primal you created when you were with Xiu? You do recall what kind of damage that did, right? That it took even Xiu, a valsaros, some time to stop it. Well, Ivy here is even stronger than that. I have been imbuing her with power for months which has kept her alive and growing stronger. Something you were never able to accomplish with this magic. I’m so excited you get to witness her power.” He laughed maniacally.

Ryder floated back a bit in surprise. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat. “Alice, be careful. If what he says is true, she may be more formidable than she looks.”

“Heh. I can take her, no problem,” Alice said with a chuckle, narrowing her eyes, her grip tightening on her shield. “You just make sure to kill this b*****d,” she concluded in a low tone, as to not let Erryd hear. Both kept their eyes locked on the traitor before them.

“No need to keep secrets, dear. We’re all friends here,” Erryd called from across the clearing with a laugh. “How about we have a little fun?” he asked aloud, pointing at Alice. His demeanor darkening instantly. “Go.”

Ivy let out a long screech which could be heard throughout the clearing before using her strong limbs to push her off the ground and high into the sky. Whilst at her peak in the air, she thrust her right arm down, which extended quickly, right at Alice in hopes of stabbing her with the point of her vine.

Alice reacted quickly, throwing up the shield Cesc had created for her and deflecting the vine, resulting in a reverberated sound as if a gong had just been hit. As Ivy fell towards Alice, she landed on the shield and was quickly tossed off in the opposite direction.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Alice stated, regaining her composure and turning to face her foe. “I’ll keep her occupied. Ryder, take him down,” she said, turning her full attention to Ivy.

“Take great care, Alice,” Ryder replied in a quick, hushed tone.

With a nod, Alice screamed as she charged at Ivy, bashing her with the shield, starting the battle of creations.

Ryder, however, floated forward slowly with clenched fists. He had not yet wanted to share his concealed weapon with his shadow self. Luckily, the magical armor Cesc provided had two useful properties. First, it protected him from harm. Secondly, it acted as an invisible cloak of sorts, able to hide things within itself without any visible trace.

“So, it’s just you and I, little rainbow? Oh, now I have the opportunity to have some fun with you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Erryd said, a ball of green and violet magic growing within his hands. He clenched the ball with his dominant hand, which formed into a handle and from it sprouted a magical strand, expanding to resemble a blade so familiar. “Do you like where I took the inspiration?” he asked, whipping the blade to shake off the pixelated magical dust, revealing a real replica of Xiu’s signature sword. It glimmered in the moonlight as Erryd grinned.

Ryder released his clenched fists, not saying a word. He floated firm in his stance. He wasn’t about to budge. “Let us see who really has all the power here,” he finally spoke.

Erryd nodded. “Gladly. AHHHH!” he screamed, charging forth as fast as his wings would carry him, sword in both hands at his side, slicing through the air as he flew forward.

Ryder could tell Erryd had taken his positioning from watching Xiu. But, it would never compare to the real thing. Just as Erryd brought the sword over his head and began to swing down at his foe, Ryder quickly unmasked the dagger which had been hidden away, sliding it out of its sheath and placing the golden blade quickly above his head, stabilizing his wrist with his free hand to help take the impact. As the blades met, sparks of molten metal, as though one were grinding a sword, flew off of the impact site. Within a blink of an eye, Erryd’s sword was sliced in half, the top half fell to the ground. Erryd was taken aback, looking at his sword as it disintegrated into magical dust within his palm.

“H-how?” Erryd said, looking down at the magical residue left behind, his hand twitching with a mix of nerves and anger.

Ryder held the dagger tightly, looking at it with pride as it glowed softly like the afternoon sun. “You can thank Cesc for that,” he said, resheathing the blade. “My friends, the ones you always told me hated me, the ones you always said would never truly care...those friends are the ones that came to aid me in my time of need.”

Erryd scoffed. “You do realize they only wish to see you dead. Why else would they have let you come here alone? True friends wouldn’t have. Had they truly cared, they would be here, fighting by your side.”

“No,” Ryder began. “Your words mean nothing to me, Erryd. You will never know the meaning of true friendship. They are here with me, regardless of the physicality. After all, sometimes you have to take down your demons alone.”

Erryd’s eyes narrowed and fists clenched in anger. He screamed and charged at Ryder with full force, quickly crafting a dagger seemingly out of thin air behind him as he lunged. He tackled Ryder to the ground and lifted the dagger over his head before bringing it down upon Ryder’s chest. To no avail. The dagger instantly disintegrated upon contact with the iridescent armor and continued to do so until the dagger was no more. The iridescent shimmer glowing outward as the impact ensued.

Ryder grabbed the collar of Erryd’s shirt and with all his adrenaline induced might, threw Erryd off of him to the ground beside, but not before Erryd tossed a few quick punches to Ryder’s face and the side of his head.

With a heavy thud, Erryd hit the ground. He quickly recovered and flew back a few feet to put some distance between them, albeit obviously winded. Physical fighting was never a forte of either frei, regardless, and in doing so, was tiring both of them out.

Due to the few punches Ryder endured, he was disoriented and left with a bloody lip as retribution. He couldn’t seem to find his balance to get back up. The frei laid on the ground, propping himself up by his elbow and open palm, wincing in pain whilst trying to regain control of his mind and the surroundings.

Both of Erryd’s hands began to glow with bright green and violet light. Within a moment, a small ball of magic floated before him. The surrounding foliage began to wilt and die as the energy harvested from them made its way to the magical orb held within the shadow’s hands, causing it to grow slowly over time. He then spoke, “You have no idea the type of power I wield. I will kill you, Ryder. I will take over your life, ruin it, and build my own in its ashes. I will take this magic and, with the help of the Trader, will empower my creations to rule over Gaia and one day the world. I will be the greatest mage of all time and my name will be plastered in every spellbook for all to see. You have no power, Ryder. I have it all. You are mundane and cannot do a single thing to stop me. I will show you the true power of what the Trader bestowed upon us. You failed to utilize it and I will succeed in making it stronger.”  

[Skyeforge]

July 7, 2019 - Midnight

The sounds of reverberating metal could be heard throughout the clearing. Most every time Ivy whipped and lashed out at Alice, the beautiful rose etched shield protected her from harm. The two both fought valiantly, making equal ground in who would potentially come out victorious. If one whip had fallen upon Alice, it was followed by a bash by shield to Ivy. They were truly equals, and both fought with zeal. They each knew they needed to win in order for their creator to come out the victor in their fray.

Ivy paid no attention to the goings on of Erryd and Ryder. She had no need to. Her goal was set. Kill or incapacitate the objective. She was trained from the start to have no feeling, no emotion. Just do whatever Erryd had set her out to do.

Alice, on the other hand, had been keeping a close eye on both situations. Her own and Ryder’s. She deeply cared for her creator and wanted to see him succeed not only for his own well being, but the well being of all his imaginings. Had she focused solely on the battle at hand with Ivy, she may have been victorious, but her worry got the best of her and she felt she needed to concentrate on Ryder as well in case anything did go terribly wrong, regardless of what Ivy was doing.

As the battle between the opposing frei paused for Erryd’s speech, Alice looked at the shadow with anger burning in her eyes. A fire she had built within herself every day since being locked away in that burning tower all those months ago. She noticed Erryd’s hands glowing with the reality magic and a ball being formed within them. Even she could feel the magical energy that was emanating from the mystic orb.

Taking her attention back to her own situation for the moment, Alice saw another vine whipping down at her from above. She threw her shield overhead to block it before lunging forward and punching Ivy in her throat. Then, with quick feet, she turned to bash the creature upside her head with the shield, causing her to fall to the ground unconscious.

It was at this point that Erryd’s orb of magic, which seemed to let off sparks of magical energy in small bursts, was about to blow up. Erryd himself couldn’t even contain his magical energy any longer and shook under the weight and power the magic held. “Die, Ryder!” he screamed with anger, tossing the magical orb up above his head before throwing it down in front of him and blasting it forward, straight towards Ryder.

“Ryder!” Alice cried as she leapt with all her might to Ryder’s aid.

As the magical energy came rushing toward Ryder, Alice had shoved her shield into the ground right in front of him and ducked down, pushing herself into the buckler to brace for the impact just in the nick of time.

As the magical energy collided with the shield, a small explosion of sorts occurred. Magical and physical dust along with the smoke created by the blast began to fill the air.

Erryd collapsed to the ground, completely fatigued from all that had just happened. He used up every ounce of his energy to blow up Ryder. He couldn’t even flap his wings. However, he was still conscious. He laughed in a hushed tone maniacally as the smoke and dust clouded the clearing. He had won. He had finally killed Ryder. There was no way he would have been able to survive such a blast. Now, when he was rested, he would be able to assume his place and truly take over Ryder’s life once and for all.

However, as the dust began to clear, Ryder and Alice both appeared making their way towards Erryd completely unharmed by the magical blast.

“Wh-what!?” Erryd said as he saw them nearing him. “How did you-” he began, cut off by Ryder.

“You lost your strength when you cut everyone out of your life, Erryd. Locking yourself away to practice this magic was not the answer. Look where it landed you; alone, weak, and helpless. I have friends to aid me, Alice to care for me, and myself to rely upon. So now I ask, who has all of the power now?”

“You fool!” Erryd shouted, his voice shaky, weak. He weakly propped himself up the best he could with what little energy he had left, adrenaline beginning to fade. “You’ll never amount to anything. I was your greatest creation and even then I became the superior being.”

Ryder reached into his armor and pulled out the intricate gold dagger once more. He unsheathed the blade to reveal the golden glow in the darkness of the surrounding night. Leaning down to Erryd’s level, he waved the blade about a moment and said, “You have absolutely no power here any longer, Erryd.”

“Go ahead, stab me, cut me, kill me even. I no longer care. Do away with me like I did away with Alice all that time ago. Kill me for her, your little pet. Kill me for what I did to you. What I did to your family. Please, go ahead, I will even revel in the moment,” the shadow replied with yet another maniacal chuckle, his head falling limp to the ground in his weakened state.

Ryder narrowed his eyes, his face cross with anger. Why was he baiting him to do this? Oh how the frei wished to dig this dagger deep into the flesh of his opponent, the one who had done so many horrible things to him and his loved ones. Oh, how he would relish the moment to take the life of the one who had caused him so much pain.

But, through everything, he couldn’t. The frei closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he slowly brought sheath over blade, tucking it away in his armor once more. “I will not do such a thing.”

“Ryder,” Alice stated as she took a few paces closer to the frei, tightening her grip on the shield. “Now is your chance,” she pleaded.

“No, I shall not do as he wishes,” Ryder stated firmly, straightening up over Erryd’s body.

Erryd became enraged by this. He lifted his head and spoke, “You are such a pathetic little worm, you idiotic rainbow! You can’t even bring your blade to finish your greatest foe!? You will regret that decision gravely, I assure you.”

Ryder shook his head. “I will not bring my blade against you or any of my creations,” he began, floating away from Erryd a moment to gather his thoughts.

“Every imagining of mine is a part of who I am. You, Erryd, just so happen to be one of the largest parts. You are my insecurities, my desperation, my fears, anxieties and anger. But,” he took a breath, turning to see Erryd lying on the ground staring at him with fiery anger in his eyes, “you are also my passion, desire, and dedication to my craft. Even though you always brought me down, I knew I needed to get back up and try again harder. Even when you caused me to doubt myself day after day, I learned to believe that, with a lot of hard work and dedication, I can achieve my goals. You also taught me another valuable lesson through all of this.”

Ryder floated back over to Erryd’s side, leaning down to his level again, a genuine smile growing on his face. “You have taught me to love myself for all of who I am. My strengths and flaws, the magical and mundane, the good and the evil. To believe in myself when nobody else will. And for this reason, I will never forget you.”

Ryder placed his hand on Erryd’s forehead, who was physically shaking with anger. “Plus, I would much rather you suffer for eternity than be taken out of this world completely. See you in the tower.”

Erryd grabbed onto Ryder’s arm quickly with what little energy he had left, fueled by anger. “Why you little-”

“I renege the deal!” Ryder called into the clearing as loud as he could, utilizing what little magic and every ounce of energy he had left to steal back the magic that Erryd had stolen from him, draining Erryd of all his color just as he had done to Ryder all those months ago.

“Nooooooooooooooo!”

Erryd’s scream echoed with an almost electronic dissonance throughout the clearing, his pitch heightening with each passing second as the color drained from his skin. Once completely depleted of magical energy and color, Erryd began to dissolve into Ryder’s palm in a majestic pixelated form. Ryder closed his eyes and with a smile on his face, for the first time in his life, he accepted himself for who he was. He felt the power that he once wielded, long ago, before the Trader entered his life. Before even Erryd first emerged. He had finally realized that these imaginary powers were perfect just the way they were. They were what he wanted, even if he had to accept himself with his biggest insecurity of all, his poisonous skin. It was all worth it to go back to the beginning.

Behind him, Alice, with a tranquil look upon her face, began to disperse just as Erryd had, her armor and shield floating ever-so-softly to the ground. Ivy, too, began to disintegrate into pixels and float up into the air. Even the damage that had been done to the surrounding foliage from the absorption of magical energy to the blast and both battles had slowly dissipated into the sky, leaving behind the perfectly tranquil clearing from which Ryder had entered to begin with, without the looming magical force of Erryd. It was as though everything either frei had ever created in reality, was now imaginary once again.

It was sudden, but Ryder felt a tightness and warmth around his chest. Opening his eyes to see the magical energy below his chest just above his rune glowing red. Before he knew it, the luminosity dimmed and there it was -- a stomach.

After admiring it a moment, Ryder felt invigorated with all new energy. He took in the tranquility of the scenic clearing before him, taking note of the fireflies advancing from the forest and moonlight which enveloped the area. With a happy, fulfilled heart, he gathered Alice's shield and armor along with the things Erryd had stolen from him and quickly left the clearing to seek out his friends in hopes that they had finished off the Trader once and for all.

As he left the clearing, had anyone been there to witness it, a small creature could be seen in the center of the clearing, glowing wildly with bright, expressively cheerful eyes conveying the pride he had in Ryder’s growth as he was greeted by fireflies all around.

 

[Skyeforge]

 

[Skyeforge]

July 7, 2019 - Sunrise

Ryder meets back up with Xiu and Cesc after Erryd is taken care of to show off his new stomach and tell them of his encounter.

Curtain Call

Hours had passed and Ryder was still searching for his friends. Unluckily for him, he had gotten himself lost. This time, there was no sign of anyone, anywhere. With a huge sigh of frustration, he floated over to a large boulder and leaned upon it, admiring his belly once more by bringing up his shirt just a smidge to see the muscles and skin that had never been there before. His frustrations were lifted upon that sight. It was amazing. He had grown! He felt his belly, rubbed it, and it felt like everything he had imagined. A smile crept up on his countenance as he leaned against the rock.

It was here that he had a moment of reflection. His life, up to this point, had been about gathering power, practicing magic, and learning control, losing it, and then regaining it back. Ups and downs, twists and turns. But one thing was for certain, he knew that everything he had lost to the Trader was back. His imagination abilities and his poison. Having to take back his poisonous skin was a small price to pay to have Erryd dealt with and out of his life.

The morning was upon him as twilight began to creep up over the horizon through the trees. Dew glistened on the ground as the sun’s rays began to peek over and spill out over the landscape. Sunrise was a beautiful sight, especially in the forest, Ryder thought as he leaned his head up against the rock.

It kind of hit him at once, however, a feeling he had never experienced before. His belly made a sound, a rumbling sound, a sound that he had only heard from the adults in his house after many hours of not eating. On top of that, it was almost painful. Hunger pangs, the only explanation. It was definitely a different type of hunger than he was used to. Before, he felt drained and tired, lethargic when he didn’t eat his mushrooms or rotting food. This hunger, however, this was a painful hunger, one that came in waves as time passed. It was a strange sensation, one that his older counterparts would surely know how to fix...if he ever found them.

After taking some time to admire the morning sunrise, the new sigel found himself floating aimlessly through the forest. He hoped that eventually his friends would turn up. He began to worry about what the Trader may have done to them, and he also was dealing with the hunger pangs from hell. This new sigel life was certainly not starting out on the right foot, he thought. The only thing he could do is hope and wait.

 

[Skyeforge]

July 7, 2019 - Midmorning

The Trader had been dealt with, Erryd was taken care of, and the three raevan were free once again, safe and sound. After the three had a bite to eat, utilizing Ryder’s new body part right away, they decided to say their goodbyes and Ryder headed home. He had been gone overnight, and had told Reuben he was going to be with a few friends for the night, which Reuben agreed to after some convincing. He had no idea the battle that had transpired.

When Ryder approached the Rothmore estate, his heart began to race. He had to explain to Reuben everything that had happened. He floated silently at the front door more nervous now than he had been fighting off Erryd. He stared at the door knob, debating whether or not he even wanted to enter. He knew he would be in trouble, especially when Reuben found out the previous nights occurrences.

Suddenly, Ryder felt the warmth of a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Alice in her normal attire, a large smile strewn across her face. She was there for him, and with her, he could battle anything. With his self-assurance renewed, he opened the door and floated in. The living room was empty, meaning that Reuben may be out at the shop or by the gazebo. He quickly floated into his room, deciding it was high time for a shower before trying to explain anything to Reuben. Had his guardian seen any signs of a struggle on Ryder, he would be much more concerned. If, however, Ryder explained that it was all fine and no real harm had come to him, maybe Reuben would be more understanding.

Ryder locked the bathroom doors and turned on the warm water. He continued to think about how he would explain the previous night to his guardian without setting off too many alarms. As he washed himself, he felt his new stomach, it was truly real and his ribbon stemmed downward further than before. It was a magnificent sight to behold. He was proud of himself and proud of his friends for what they had done as well. His mind couldn’t stop spinning however, all the possible things Reuben could say or do. It wasn’t going to be completely over until Reuben knew everything.

As he exited the bathroom into his room, he had a towel wrapped around his shoulders as he picked something out to wear. It was a nice, long-sleeved button up with a nice collar with which he could adorn some fine tie to. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he realized that the bottom of his belly peeked out just a little bit under the shirt. He realized that he now needed new clothing that suited him better. He took off the long-sleeved button up and put on a long t-shirt he normally used to wear to bed.

The sigel floated out into the living room, hearing a rustling and mumbling at the front door as he dried his hair with the towel.

Click. Creeeeeak. “We’ll find him, Reu, don’t worry so much. He’s probably-,” sudden shock stopped the man mid-sentence. “Ryder?”

“Ryder!?” Reuben exclaimed, pushing his lover out of the way a moment to come into the house first. “What the hell is going on!? Where have you been!? And why did I find your phone in the middle of the forest!?” Reuben questioned, pulling the phone out of his pocket to show to his charge.

"My pho-oh...” Ryder stated, realizing he hadn’t even checked his phone in hours. s**t. He didn’t even realize he took it to the battlefield and probably dropped it along the way. But...that didn’t explain how Reuben found it. “O-okay, pray, let me explain,” he began, "But first, how did you know where to find my phone?” he questioned.

Reuben shook his head. “That isn’t the problem at hand. The problem is you lied to me, now please...PRAY...explain. Now!”

The anger fumed, it was so clear. Evan simply stood back and closed the door behind them and slowly drifted off into the kitchen to grab a bottled water, only to reenter the living room with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. Here they went again.

“It was never my intention to lie, Reuben. I...needed to take care of Erryd, and I did.”

Reuben’s eyes widened further. “Y-you…you did WHAT!?” Reuben clenched his fists tighter around the phone in his hand.

“Reu, l-let’s just have a seat and let Ryder explain, okay?” Evan stated, almost afraid of the repercussions he would no doubt endure, however, he wanted the two to calmly talk it out and Reuben seemed far too fired up.

Reuben took a deep breath and walked around to sit on the couch. He sat the toadstool’s phone on the coffee table in front of him before staring back up at him with anger in his eyes.

Evan joined him on the couch and began patting his lover’s knee. He knew he had to be the mediary between these two, if not only to stop Reuben from saying something he’d regret later.

“Thank you, Evan. Now, let me start at the beginning,” the sigel took a deep breath and began to speak about the events leading up to this moment.

Reuben gawked in disbelief. His charge, his son, had been having issues utilizing his imaginary magic for months and became so depressed and frustrated that he was approached by some mystical evil being called “the Trader” who had lied to him and took his poisonous skin as compensation for this “reality power”, which explained why they had been able to touch him for the past months without a second thought even though Ryder had originally told them he learned to control it and after months of utilizing these new powers to no avail, Ryder had basically given up practicing magic altogether, which led Erryd to using this opening to come into reality and take over his life at which point Ryder fell into a coma and was placed beneath the floorboards to be forgotten about entirely. During that time, Ryder had to defeat his inner demons within a nightmare dreamscape and, when completed, that’s when he awoke under the floorboards and created Alice in tangible form utilizing this new power he was given. After recovering from everything he had little magic left within him and so he decided to team up with a Xiu and Cesc, which Reuben had never actually met but had heard about, in order to go off into the deep abyss of the forest and confront his shadow self and the Trader in order to bring balance back to his life. So, in the end, Ryder, along with the held of Alice, had just defeated this crazy, maniacal being who had some strange, otherworldly power to create reality and took back control of his life, which caused everything to go back to normal?

“...and the best part...is this,” Ryder stated, lifting his shirt to reveal a full fledged stomach, even with some definition in his abs and a “belly button” that was even shaped like a mushroom, an outie to say the least. Rainbow freckles speckled across his entire torso.

Reuben’s jaw, still agape, snapped shut as he covered his mouth in shock. He stood up and came close to inspect it, reaching out to touch his charge’s belly.

Ryder’s instincts kicked in. “Reuben, no!” he shrieked, jerking backward, pulling his shirt down quickly. “My poison is back. I mustn’t allow skin contact.”

Reuben jerked back also, “R-right, I’m sorry,” he began. “But...that is...amazing. H-how did that-”

“I defeated Erryd, that is how. I was able to overcome an issue and I believe that is what triggered this,” Ryder said, a smile growing on his face.

“Wow,” Evan started with a nod, eyes wide. “That’s all a little too crazy for me though. Congrats, kid,” he concluded with a chuckle, standing up as well and patting Ryder on his belly through his shirt as he walked passed to go into the bedroom. The whole raevan concept and Lab 305 shenanigans were too much for the bartender to comprehend. He was a man of a simple life. He hadn't the mind to process all of what Ryder had even gone through.

Reuben shook his head in disbelief. “I’m…” he began, “I’m so proud of you, Ryder.” Reuben’s eyes began to tear up, him realizing that his charge, the one that had been with him for over two years now, was growing up. He could take care of himself, granted he was getting himself into turbulent waters, but he was able to navigate it himself and make it through on his own. It was a ‘proud parent’ moment for sure.

“I’m just so glad you’re safe,” Reuben said, grabbing Ryder’s shoulders and wrapping his arms around the sigel’s covered torso for a hug. At this point, the guardian didn’t care if they came into contact, it would be worth it to finally show how proud he was of his charge.

Ryder lifted his arms and lightly pat Reuben’s back, being extra careful to not have any skin contact with his guardian, a crooked smile growing on the sigel’s face.

“But,” Reuben said as he pulled away. “That doesn’t mean you’re not grounded,” he said, a smile on his face, patting his charge's shoulders.

"I can understand that; however, you never did answer my question," Ryder stated. "How did you know where to find my phone?"

"Well, I guess I owe you an explanation. You...err...Erryd was constantly going out into the forest late at night and sneaking out. One night I placed a tracker on the phone so I could know where you...he...was off to. Though I think he caught wind of it all and stopped taking it out with him after a while. But luckily when you came back you continued to take it out. I just remembered I had it and decided to search for you, only to find that your phone's location was deep within the forest. It took us most of the morning to get there just to find it.”

Ryder shook his head. "I am grateful, Reuben. But I shall be removing the tracker from my phone now," he said with a smile, leaning down to pick up his phone from the coffee table.

"Fair enough," Reuben said with a smile. "Just promise me you'll keep me in the loop from now on? I just want you to know I care," he said, blinking multiple times to keep back his ever-growing tears.

Ryder nodded with a soft chuckle. "I know you do. I promise," he said with a soft smile.

It had been so long since the two shared an enjoyable moment of complete relaxation. It was nice, and both hoped it would continue from here on out.  

[Skyeforge]

July 11, 2019

Another day, another dollar. Reuben had been working all morning. His shop was full of customers. From the curious passerby to the few loyal patrons. He looked out of his shop window and noticed a few families walking along the sidewalk. A crooked smile appeared on his face. He wished to have that kind of reality one day. Evan, Ryder, and himself all walking (or floating) down the street together. A sight he’d love to be apart of. Sadly, his shop was too bustling for him to take much time off; especially these days.

When he first opened the shop he was able to close a few days here or there and no one cared. Now that business was booming, he seemed to never have a day off. One client wanted a potent potion while another was seeking a specific crystal and yet another wanted to look into buying a tarot deck. Another whole sect of customers wished to buy fresh herbs or specialty glass bottles for their own potions which Reuben would order from one of his importers. Reuben’s business had grown tremendously over the years and more and more people seemed curious as to what the Mystic Herb was all about.

Nowadays, however, the tarotist wasn’t as interested in the monotony of work. Yes, this was his passion, but ever since his fight with Erryd, the things the shadow had said to him, although hurtful, were true. He threw himself into his work day in and day out. He knew he needed to make a change. Now that everything with Ryder had seemed to settle, Reuben knew that his focus should shift. He hadn’t been there for Ryder nearly as much as he should have been. His heart ached for what Ryder must have gone through. Especially that he had gone through it all alone. And what kind of guardian was he to not even realize that his charge wasn’t really his charge? It was all an illusion. Erryd. Ryder. It was all a large confusing mess, but something he couldn’t ignore. Erryd was right, and Reuben knew it.

That night, after Reuben closed up the shop, he made his way back into the house. The place was dark and everyone had no doubt gone to bed. Reuben sat in the darkness of his living room with a cup of tea, dwelling on the days events. After what seemed to be an hour of sitting there sipping tea, he had an idea. An apprentice. He would hire an apprentice to help care for his shop! He could then have more time to spend with Ryder and Evan, and shift his focus from work to his family. A smile grew upon his face as he had the idea. He took his, now empty, cup to the kitchen and placed it ever-so-delicately down in the stainless steel sink.

Reuben retired to the bedroom, only to find Evan playing a video game on the television. “Oh, you’re still awake,” he said, taking off his shirt and tossing it into the hamper.

“Yeah,” Evan said, not taking his eyes off the screen, mashing buttons on his controller. “How was work, babe?”

Reuben slipped under the covers and wrapped one arm around Evan’s stomach, laying his head on the pillow beside him. “It was...work,” he said plainly. “I was actually going to ask your opinion on something,” he concluded, rolling around and sitting up next to Evan.

Evan paused his game and set down the controller. “What’s up?” he questioned, looking at Reuben with concern.

“I want to hire an apprentice,” he began, looking off into the distance for the right words. “I want someone who has just as much passion for this craft as I do and, in turn, can help run the shop.” He smiled as the thought progressed in his mind. “I want to be able to spend more time at home with you and Ryder especially.”

“That sounds good, babe. You should definitely do what your heart is tellin’ you to do,” Evan stated, wrapping one arm around Reuben’s neck.

Reuben pulled himself closer to Evan’s side. “Yeah, I think this will be really good for all of us,” he said with a deep breath and a smile.  

[Skyeforge]

July 18, 2019

The skies were bright blue with not a cloud to be seen for miles. The sun was bright and the grass was green. Heat radiated down upon the grounds of the Rothmore estate. Reuben was up early, as usual, to get things prepped and ready to go for the opening of his shop. He had printed out many fliers to give the patrons of his shop letting everyone know that he was opening an apprenticeship. He also called the local paper and placed an ad as well as put an ad up on his shop’s website. He hoped the more avenues he utilized to get some interest flowing, more people would step forward and want to apply.

As the day progressed, a few patrons had taken fliers and others didn’t, he hadn’t received any calls or emails about the position as of midday. He had expected a bit more enthusiasm in regards to the job posting, but to no avail.

The day turned into night and day one had been a complete flop in finding anyone or getting any feedback. He curled up in bed and fell asleep.

Over the next week, Reuben awoke to find a few emails inquiring about the apprenticeship. A smile grew upon his face as he went through the inquiries. A couple of promising emails, a couple of people he knew weren’t going to work the moment he laid eyes upon their resume. It was a guessing game at this point, but he’d decided to conduct a few interviews and see who was promising and who wasn’t.

When the tarotist went out into the shop one morning, he had a few letters on the floor at the front of the shop as he had a mail slot in his door for any notices coming after hours. He picked up the letters and brought them back into his office. He set them on the desk and began to open one by one.

The first letter had stains on the paper and scribbled handwriting very unprofessionally written and barely legible. Reuben sighed and placed it in the trash bin right away. The second letter was written well and typed on white paper, but the passion behind the craft wasn’t there, that much was for certain just by reading. Reuben could tell that they wrote it as though they just wished to have a job, not be involved in all of the process that was required. He placed the letter to the side and shook his head. Then the third and final letter crossed his path. He used a letter opener to tear back the dark brown recycled envelope and lifted the handwritten letter up to eye level. As he read the letter, he could sense this person’s passion and drive. Even by the choice of parchment for both the letter itself and the envelope was environmentally friendly. The words this person used were also very wise. He could sense the old soul through this.

As he got to the end of the letter, it was signed simply, Giselle. Reuben loved the way her name sounded, it rolled off the tongue so nicely. She also wrote with such eloquence, he had to at least request they meet. It was the first letter that stood out to him for all the right reasons.

There was an email as well as phone number written at the bottom in case he needed to contact her. He took to his email right away at his desk and began to write to her, requesting they meet whenever convenient. He hit send and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. He was completely stunned with this written request for an interview that he felt as though he’d give her the job right away. But of course, he couldn’t do such a thing.

The day went on, more and more customers came in and took more and more fliers. The second day had been a grand success. He even found a potential apprentice! As he closed the shop doors and locked them, he went back to his office for the end of day paperwork and recording. He took a look at his email and realized he had received a response back. This woman definitely had a way with words, as she wrote back extremely thankful for the opportunity and stated that she would be available the next day around three in the afternoon. With the confirmation email sent, Reuben smiled as he put his computer in sleep mode and stood up, making his way to the bedroom for a nice night sleep. Tomorrow would surely be a great day.  

[Skyeforge]

July 19, 2019

The morning sun crept into the room earlier than normal, but the tarotist was already awake and readying himself for the day. Nerves overcame him, it would seem, for he was fidgeting the entire morning awaiting the fateful encounter with his potential apprentice. He stood out under the gazebo, taking in the morning dew and seeing how beautiful the summer morning was. He sipped his tea as he thought about what kind of woman this could be. How would she act? What would she look like? She seemed to speak of a lot of experience with the tarot and told her story of self-discovery and how she wished to learn about the different types of herbs and what could be used medicinally. Everything pointed in the right direction and Reuben was fascinated.

As he made his way back to his shop, he sat his tea cup near the register and went around, watering the fresh herbs and making sure everything was clean and ready to start before opening. He went to the front doors and unlocked them, walking over to the window and flipping the sign to OPEN before walking back and overlooking the shop, making sure everything looked ready.

Then, the door opened. His heart skipped a beat, was this her? Did she decide to come early? An elderly woman walked in right away and began to stroll down the isles. It didn’t take long for Reuben to realize that this woman was a simple patron, not the woman he was looking for.

Once she left, an hour passed with no sign of any customers whatsoever. It was unusual on a given day not to have any patrons enter the shop whatsoever. This only perpetuated the anxiety Reuben was feeling about his upcoming meeting. He began to pace back and forth across the shop, looking over every crystal, bottle, herb and potion. Fiddling with most anything he could find. He looked at his Apple Watch and then at the door. It was 2:57.

Finally, the door creaked open. There stood a beautiful young woman, tall in part due to her 5” heels, slender with caramel skin and radiant light honey eyes. She shared a bright pearly white smile with a small gap in her front teeth as she entered the room. She had a few dark freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her long wavy dark to light brown ombre hair flowed down her back and was topped a floppy golden straw sunhat and a beautiful cream colored boho sundress with cut off shoulders. She adorned a long pendant necklace that held a rather chunky rose quartz stone that draped down to the middle of her person and a couple of beautiful handcrafted rings, one on each hand, which contained clear quartz crystal and a jade crystal. She was quite modelesque and held herself with poise.

“Hello sir,” she said spritely as she waltzed into the room, holding her hand out for a shake. “My name is Giselle.”

Reuben’s eyes widened, this was her? She spoke with such experience in her letter, he hadn’t expected her to be so young. “H-hi!” his voice cracked. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “I’m Reuben,” he said firmly shaking the girl’s hand. “I’m glad you made it, it’s wonderful to meet you,” he concluded with a smile.

“Me too,” she said with that same smile never leaving her face. “I didn’t know if you’d recognize me or not, but I am a huge fan of this shop,” she stated with a small laugh.

“Oh~” Reuben replied with a chuckle. “Is that so?”

“Quite,” She said walking past a small aisle of herbs and towards the bulk stones Reuben had imported. “This metaphysical store has been a huge influence on my jewelry,” she said with a smile, holding out both hands to show off the beautiful stones that were embellished in her rings and necklace. “Though I guess I should be honest.”

Honest? What had she already kept secret? Reuben almost held his breath, thinking this girl too good to be true.

“My name isn’t really Giselle,” she giggled. “I just go by Giselle. My name is actually Gabriela Flores-Garcia,” she concluded. “Name ring a bell?”

Reuben burst out laughing. He had never met her, but it was true; her name definitely stood out. “You order from my website,” he laughed. “A lot.”

“Yep! That’s me,” she stated with a chuckle as she tapped her nose with her pointer finger, winking at him. “I live kind of far away, so it’s just easier for me to do all my shopping online. Now you know what all those stones go towards,” she laughed. “I saw your ad for an apprentice on your website and decided to apply, which I’m very glad you found. I’m sorry I dropped the letter off so late.”

Reuben laughed. “I’m glad I finally get to put a face to the name. Don’t worry about the time, that’s why I had that mail slot installed. I’m just glad you were able to drop it off,” he said with a warm smile.

“Well good,” She said with a smile, walking over to some of the fresh herbs and flowers Reuben had for sale. She picked up a couple fresh herbs and smelled them. “I am very excited for the opportunity of being able to work in such a calming environment. I hope that’s alright to say, I just really appreciate the aura this shop gives and would love to be apart of it.”

Reuben smiled. “I believe we can make something work,” he said walking towards her and lifting a bundle of herbs and fluffing them before putting them back into the container. “Can you start first thing Monday morning?”

Giselle closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she said, turning her attention back to her new mentor. “Yes, of course, thank you so much.” Reuben didn’t even realize how badly she needed this position.

The two continued to talk and get to know each other little by little. Reuben was impressed by her experiences at such a young age and was already growing fonder of her. He saw her like a little sister, one that had the potential for greatness if she continued to apply herself the way she had thus far in her life.  

[Skyeforge]

August 1 - December 23, 2019

Summer turned into autumn and autumn to winter. The months were flying by and the Rothmore household had just celebrated their annual winter solstice traditions. Nothing had been out of the norm in the past half a year. At least not on the surface.

Reuben had officially hired Giselle as an apprentice in his shop, showing her the ropes of alchemy as well as the business side of it. She was given a kiosk to sell her jewelry made with precious stones that the Mystic Herb had to offer. She was also given a small workbench in the back room so she could work continuously whenever she liked there at the shop in her own designated spot.

One thing about Giselle, however, was that she is very private. Reuben would try and pry here or there to find out something about her, yet she was very tight lipped. She either didn’t like to speak about herself, or she really just hadn’t had much to say. She was always well dressed and full of her own handmade jewelry, so her home life couldn’t have been that bad, right? Reuben had discussed these things with Evan, yet the everwise Evan had always said to stop being so nosy and mind his own business. “Let her know you’ll be an ear if she ever needs to talk,” he would always say.

Reuben finally stopped pressing the subject and all seemed to be fine. Giselle had been an eager worker, always very willing to help out in any and all ways she could. Reuben was frankly quite thankful for the help, too, even if he was always itching to ask questions to find out about the apprentice he knew next to nothing about.

Meanwhile, over the past months, Ryder had been practicing his magic and having a grand time with Alice, who was much more present now more than ever. Not only was Alice always around, so was Bastian, a newer creation of Ryder’s that he vowed helped him during his time in the dreamscape. This Bastian character was either a large monstrous creature when outside, or a small fawn-esque creature the size of a cat who sat upon Ryder’s shoulder or head or walked along behind him throughout the house. It was all dependent upon his mood. Bastian would come and go as he pleased, popping in and out of reality whenever he felt like it. It was a surprising turn of events, but the Rothmore home was more than used to these random visitors due to Alice.

Alice, no longer being fully human, was so relieved. The fact that she could fade in and out of existence whenever she wished was so much better. Also, not needing to run to the bathroom or feed on any actual food for sustenance was the largest relief. She loved her life so much more and her own abilities would grow as Ryder became stronger.

Having all of these different personalities in one home was a challenge, but they all seemed to mesh so well when push came to shove. The inquisitive nature of Alice did tend to bother Reuben occasionally, but overall the entire family had been getting along very well. It was the quiet, quaint life that Reuben had always envisioned for himself. A home full of happy spirits living their lives and enjoying what they could.

Throughout her time at the Mystic Herb, Giselle still hadn’t had the chance to meet this fabled character of Ryder. She was either busy or away whenever Ryder did decide to visit the shop. Now that Giselle was helping to run things, Reuben hardly asked for his help, which in his mind was great and gave him more time to focus on the things he wanted to do. But Giselle was aware of Ryder and Lab 305 simply from Reuben’s descriptions of the raevan and their abilities. They seemed like they were fascinating creatures, but it wasn’t in Giselle’s personality to pry and ask too many questions; after all, she didn’t really like putting her own information forth, another reason why she never liked to go by her real name. Instead, it was just Giselle. It was easier, prettier, and just overall much more her than her real name. She preferred it and Reuben had been very kind to let her go by whatever she wished. She wanted to open up more about her home life, about her past, and Reuben had stated if she ever needed someone to talk to, the doors were open. That was something she always appreciated. Though she just wasn’t ready, it wasn’t a good time. She decided she would rather live silently and come to work to escape it all. This was her sanctuary. This was where she loved to be. She could be creative here, her inspiration abound. Everything was more simple and things went smoothly here whereas everywhere else there seemed to be chaos.  

[Skyeforge]

August 28 - December 31, 2019

Over the last year, business at the Mystic Herb was booming, everything was going so splendidly and the money flowing in was wonderful. Reuben had been able to get gifts for everyone in the home to enjoy. It was a wonderful time with friends and family at the Rothmore home during the holiday seasons. But something seemed rather inadequate to Reuben. It was always something with that man. He wanted to grow and build more in the new year. The new decade was a chance for him to start fresh with a new endeavor. His first baby, the shop, was booming after all and he wanted to keep going in an upward trajectory. So it was time for something new.

A thought kept creeping up in Reuben's mind; especially towards the end of August and the thought never left. When he originally bought the property all those years ago with the two buildings on it and spent time and money upgrading them, Reuben had always planned to, one day, build a swimming pool in the free area behind his home near the gazebo; but since there was a small stream just past his property in the forest, his thoughts shifted. It was here that he had the brilliant idea to go with the small studio instead.

With his business booming and with the extra help from Giselle, Reuben was able to undertake a lot of other projects in the garden and freed up a lot of time to make future plans for his property. So, over the course of November, he obtained the appropriate building permits and began sketching up floor plans. He went through multiple plans, and with the help of Ryder's imagination magic, Reuben settled on the perfect one.

With everything settled, Reuben planned for construction to start at the end of the year. He hoped for the best, but he knew that the construction was projected to take approximately three months. He hoped by April, he would have a tenant in the home or at least have the home completed. Though he knew these things often came with delays. He had hired the contractors and put everything into place, and by the end of December, the grounds had been leveled and construction had barely begun. The new year was certainly looking bright.