“So, as far as we know, there’s always been two sides to the world, a normal one that you know and the magical one that I know. There’s an old myth that some people came up with ages ago to explain how everything started, in fact. It’s actually become a sort of bedtime story over the years,” Fay began, leaning back and gazing up at the tiny patches of dark sky visible beyond the heavy foliage above.

  While he was curious, Lucas couldn’t help but be a little skeptical. “A bedtime story? Really? That’s supposed to help me understand all this?”

  Fay just tilted her head towards the young man, a grin on her lips and those emerald, green eyes shining with amusement.

  “Hey! It’s not a bad story. Don’t be so harsh about it when you haven’t even heard it yet. It was my favorite story that my dad would tell me as a kid,” She joked.

  Laughing a little, Lucas held his hands up in surrender, staying quiet and allowing Fay to tell her tale.

  “Ok, let’s see if I remember this right…”

  “Everything began with a rock floating in the void. It was barren, dark, and completely empty. But one day, a pair of lights found that empty rock and brought light and life to it. The gods of life and magic.”

  “Gods? So this is a religious story?” Lucas asked.

  In response to his question, Fay just sent him a halfhearted glare before rolling her eyes. “It was in the past, I guess. Our own myth on how the world ended up like it is now. Over time, it just became a story. People still respect the gods, but we’re not a very religious people. Now, where was I…”

  “The gods saw the empty world and decided to fill it. The god of life created plants and animals, filling the world with water, life, and greenery. The god of magic gave the world light to allow everything to live. The gods watched their creation as time passed, and they were happy. But they wanted to try to do more.”

  “The god of life made more animals, more plants, and spread them out across the new world. The god of magic, though, wanted to try for more. He used his magic to create a reflection of the world, locking it away from the other side by portals and filling it with creatures that he infused with magic or created himself. Those magics changed many of them in various ways, making many creatures that we see today that are the result of the god of magic’s work.”

  “Like the Direwolves?” Lucas asked, grunting as a finger was jabbed into his side.

  “Yes, like the Direwolves. Now stop interrupting me!” Fay replied. She sounded annoyed, but there was some amusement in her eyes when she looked at Lucas.

  “Eventually, the god of life came up with his most ambitious creation yet. Us, humans. He watched us spread across the lands he had helped create and become as numerous as the stars. But the world was a dangerous place. The portals were the only way between the two worlds, but it wasn’t perfect. Occasionally, magical beasts would find their way across and caused chaos for the men who were used to normal beasts. They weren’t ready for monsters and creatures.”

  Fay smiled as she recalled the tale, her gaze focused far off in the distance as she recalled memories from long ago. Lucas could only assume she was remembering the times her father had told her the tale. She seemed to be so relaxed and happy that it even surprised Lucas a bit.

  “The god of magic felt horrible. He hated that his creations were causing so many problems, so he offered a solution. And one day, many humans found themselves gifted with magic to fight back. At first, it wasn’t much. No one knew how to use magic and most found out they had it by accident. It was mainly just people using their enhanced strength and speed to fight off the creatures that stumbled through the Mirrors. But over time, they learned. They discovered how to use their magics and they fought back. But they couldn’t find the other side of the world. The god of magic wanted to see what would happen when they did, so he gave them their familiars.”

  Fay’s hands gently ran down the length of Dusk’s spine, her touch drawing a content little sound from the black fox.

  “He took a bit of their magic and gave it shape, forming a constant companion that could lead the mages to the Mirrors. And for many, once they found this side of the world, they chose to stay. Back then, magic was much denser on your side of the world. But still nowhere near as much as the magical side. And it was there that people encountered the god of magic’s first creations. The elementals.”

  Lucas opened his mouth to say something, only to stop when Fay gave him another glare. He shut his mouth, but then slowly lifted his hand up into the air. Fay’s glare lasted only a couple seconds before she began to giggle at the sight of Lucas holding his hand up like a kid at school.

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  “Ok, fine. What did you want to ask?” She asked between giggles.

  “You said elementals. Like from video games? The things made of fire, and earth, and wind, and stuff?” He questioned. Lucas hadn’t been into it much, but even he knew plenty of games where elementals were a common enemy.

  “Kind of. Elementals are beings made from magic. They aren’t like the Direwolves that were normal wolves before being gifted with magic. They literally are magic. And there’s more than just fire, earth, and wind. Elementals are made of magic and take on an element relevant to their creation. We’ve seen wind, fire, earth, water, lightning, storm, lava, and ice elementals. You’ll probably see one if you stick around here long enough,” Fay explained. “Now let me continue.”

  Fay’s tone shifted, once again taking on that storytelling quality that left Lucas enthralled. The blonde knew how to tell a good story, that it was apparently quite relevant to the magical world was an added bonus.

  “When the early mages first encountered elementals, they were confused, of course. Most of the elementals aren’t very hostile and are rather passive. But some can be a bit aggressive. It took a group of mages bothering a powerful water elemental for everyone to learn just what the elementals were. They are nature incarnate, and the world reflects them as well. Every hurricane or tornado, every flood and thunderstorm, every eruption and blizzard. All of them are caused by elementals acting up or fighting on this side of the Mirrors.”

  Lucas didn’t even try to interrupt. He was too shocked to even think of doing so as his mind reeled from the new information he’d just been given. He wanted to believe that it was just an exaggerated part of the story, but the way that Fay had explained things made it seem like it wasn’t just a simple part of the story, but actual fact.

  Fay was able to notice the conflicting thoughts flashing across Lucas’ face. Rather than continue the story, she confirmed what she’d just told him, shattering Lucas’ view of the world even further. “Every major disaster caused by a massive earthquake, or an extremely powerful hurricane or tornado. They were caused by either a massive group of elementals, or a very powerful, very old one. The older an elemental gets, the stronger that they become.”

  Something about Fay’s previous words snagged in Lucas’ mind and he latched onto it. “You said they were the first things ever made? How is anyone supposed to handle something that could be that old?”

  It was terrifying, learning that there was something powerful enough to cause storms strong enough to devastate entire cities. Fay could clearly see the bit of fear that Lucas felt and tried to offer some comfort, resting her hand gently on his shoulder to get his attention.

  “Elementals are born all the time. And the oldest ones? There are very few that of them that are that ancient, and the ones that are still around aren’t much of a worry. The older an elemental gets, the more passive they seem to get, too. Most of the oldest ones usually hide themselves away so they won’t be bothered. And if an elemental starts causing trouble and doesn’t calm down, then a group of hunters are sent out to handle it,” Fay explained. For her, this was the life she’d known since she was a child. For Lucas, it was all far too new.

  “The world kept moving as people explored. Gradually, the magical and nonmagical separated over time. And as people learned to use their magic properly and communities grew, the Hunter’s Guild was established. It was made to help organize strong mages, send them out to complete tasks people needed to get done, handle strong beasts or elementals, and keep things on this side of the Mirrors safe.”

  There was a fond smile on Fay’s lips as she spoke next, her gaze locked onto the distance, to a memory long in the past.

  “My father would end the story every time saying that, if I grew big and strong, that I could be a hunter too when I was older,” She said wistfully.

  “That story. Fay, how much of that story is actually real?” He had to ask. He had to know what he was actually getting himself into.

  “Other than the parts about the gods? Pretty much all of it. That’s the quick and rough story of our world. We explore and enjoy the magical side of the Mirrors and the Hunter’s Guild keeps us and the Ordinaries safe.”

  That word again, ‘ordinary’. The way that Fay said it made it seem like it had some more meaning than Lucas really understood.

  “You called me that before, ‘ordinary’. What does it mean?” Lucas asked.

  “Ah, sorry. That’s another term that people tend to use nowadays for people on the other side who don’t have magic. An ‘ordinary’ person, thus, Ordinaries,” Fay explained.

  That… made sense.

  “Ok, but what about-“

  Before Lucas could even finish the next question on his mind, he was interrupted as a jaw-unhinging yawn exploded out from him. By the time he was done, Fay was giggling at him again.

  “I can tell you more tomorrow, I promise. But I think we should get some sleep,” Her gaze softened as she slid down the moss-covered log, resting back against it like a cushion. “You’ve had a long day, Lucas.”

  He knew that she was right. The yawn had started it, but Fay bringing up how long the day had been seemed to make everything hit all at once. Another loud yawn slipped past Lucas’ lips and he could feel the mental, emotional, and even physical toll of the day catching up to him. But with so many ideas racing through his head, Lucas doubted he’d be able to actually get any sleep.

  “We can talk more tomorrow?” He asked, sliding down and taking a similar position as Fay. The log was actually pretty comfortable, and he’d certainly slept in more uncomfortable spots with his dad in the past.

  “Yeah, we will. I’ll turn you into a magical badass by the time a month is over, promise,” Fay replied.

  Dusk padded her way over towards the dark-haired young man, curling up against his side. The warmth from her little body felt amazing, and Lucas tiredly brushed his fingers through her fur.

  Despite how hard he thought it would be to fall asleep, within a minute Lucas was sound asleep, resting in a world of magic he could have only ever dreamed of.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~