The Quest for Normania #1: The Door of Andrios

24. Norin's New Mission

Norin Zura found himself in front of a familiar cottage.

Way too familiar for his own good...

The streets were quite deserted at this point in the night, since it was past dinnertime. Nobody on the island ever stayed out after dinnertime.

His knees suddenly buckled under him and he sank to the ground. 'Where the hell am I? What am I doing here? Didn't I want -' Sun dawned in his mind then. 'Oh dear - the last thought in my head when I walked through the portal was about home.' He sighed deeply. 'Should I go in and say hello to them? It's not like - No, I cannot do that. I have a mission to fulfil. I'm alone here and I don't know where Eurin Ayesha is. I need to get her safely back home.'

Something began tugging at him at the back of his mind, but it was so light, he didn't notice it at first. He struggled to get to his feet, but they were roasted-no wonder, since the battle the previous night on Earth was hard and then, he had no rest afterwards, as he sat beside Ayesha, waiting for her to wake up as well as for Mithra to make his portal work.

No, giving up now wouldn't do at all. He had to find a way back to the cave and start his search there.

He began to walk, took two steps, and then, collapsed. The tugging in his mind became more than noticeable now and the pain was excruciating. He bit his bottom lip to stop himself from crying in the dead of the night.

"No, no!" he mumbled to himself. "I cannot - I cannot... take this anymore!!" He clutched his head and sank to his knees on the ground. 'Holy deities of Ahala, this is how I'm going to die, ain't I?!'

And then, there was silence. The pain faded away, though a little of it still lingered.

"You're not going to die, silly," said a voice in his head. A soft, sweet voice ringed with tension broke into his thoughts. "It's me, Ayesha. I landed here in Ahala and I was wondering where the others have gone to. I think the portal malfunctioned. I just -" Her thought broke off and he suddenly felt a wave of anxiety and hopelessness... even if just for a moment.

'Hey, that's okay,' he thought back, sending waves of comfort and warmth. 'I'm all right. I just winded up in front of my house in Ashisa. That's all. I'm not hurt at all. It's just that... I mean, I happened to be thinking of this home when I walked through that portal.' He paused as another thought made its way through his head. 'In fact... I wouldn't be surprised if I learnt that all of us have landed in separate locations.' He paused to take a deep breath. 'Okay, I have an idea. Wherever you are, just stay there. I'll make sure to collect everybody and come there myself and take you home. Is that fine?'

There was a pause that was longer than he expected. "Er - o-okay. Norin."

He smiled. His name by her voice, even her thought-voice, sounded so elegant and gracious, he could listen to it all day. He just lay there, bent over with his forehead touching the ground, still and quiet, hoping and wondering when he would see that beautiful face again.

She sent a wave of affection this time. "Thank you. You do remember we met another time before this, don't you, Norin? This isn't our first."

At once, he got a flash of memory, just as she sent him one of her own. "Of course," his voice slipped out in a whisper. "Yes, yes, I remember."

"I have a good feeling we'll meet again. And soon." She paused. "I feel that Winter is soon to come. War is coming. There's going to be a death."

The words of the long-spoken prophecy came back to him, sobering him up. 'That's right. I'll do it as quickly as I can. I'll come meet with you, wherever you are.'

He waited for more, but there was silence again. A smile crept onto his face. He righted himself up and at once, felt the pain of the blood rushed from the top of his head to the rest of his body. He sighed.

Once he recovered, Norin perked up with determination. 'Yes, I'm going to find the others and go straight back to the cave! Then, I'll hand Ayesha over to her father and we'll only have the war to worry about. This is going to end.'

As much as he knew such a thought should make him happy, it had the opposite effect.

Norin got to his feet and took a deep breath of the fresh night air.

It must be midnight now, based on the position of the Moon in the sky. Like the Sun moved from North to South in the day, the Moon moved from South to North at night. It was directly overhead now, an indication that it was midnight.

There were several stars in the sky, but one shone the brightest of them all-the Reginum lumen. It was the star that shone in the same direction everywhere and gave all nocturnal travellers light and direction. And Norin needed that now more than ever.

'If the Moon is overhead and the Reginum lumen is beside it,' he turned to his right, 'then, I need to go East.' He headed eastward. 'Where do I go, though, to search for the others? I know Ayesha is in Ahala. I wonder if she knows where. She's likely somewhere in Normania. I hope. My next goal is to round the ones who came from Earth and gather them with me. I cannot leave them and go.

'So... what do I do? I wish I had brought my books with me! They give me some kind of answers!' He had expected the mission to be touch-and-go-bring back Ayesha and her friends-and leave. The battle was something he had been expecting, but then, he didn't realise how long of Ahalan time it would take to Earth's time! It was one thing to be told in passing by someone and a whole other matter to actually experience that himself.

Then, an idea struck him: 'Oh - ain't I in Ashisa?' He grinned to himself. 'There's just one place I can go to seek all my answers!'