Holy War: Two Worlds and an In- Between

Chapter 11: Mapped Out

The scene was so different. There was no field of grass for miles on end or a floating prism taunting me from afar. Instead, there was a circular glass dome that stood tall right in front of us as soon as we stepped through the door. Around us were darkness and a wet floor soaking my feet and the bottom of my sweat pants.

"Jack, are you all right?" I asked still holding onto his hand. I gave him a small squeeze with a tight smile.

I looked back at him, but he just seemed distant. His eyes were focused anywhere but me. His body was stiff, and his hand loosened around mine. I knew that he was trying to let go of me. I knew that he was trying to run.

I understood that he was afraid. If Arlow was half as much of a jerk he was on earth in Alexandria, there would be no question as to whether or not he made enemies. I was even half expecting Allioni to hate him.

All things considered, I still couldn't let him go. I had to be with him and help him through it the way he did with me. I cared for Jack, and I had to protect him.

I pulled him towards the dome and admired the intricate designs on the glass. The water rippled outwards from beneath our feet as we walked, but there was no sound of the water moving. I tugged Jack closer to me as we kept moving straight ahead until we came face to face with the glass door.

I felt Jack tug lightly on my arm, but I jerked my arm forward to discourage his cowardly behavior. The truth is; I was terrified too. We were walking into the unknown with nothing but each other, and I didn't know what we'd be facing. Regardless of how I felt, I had to stay strong.

I put my hand on the door handle that bore a striking resemblance to the one on my wardrobe and curled my fingers around it. I thought it strange but thought nothing of it. With a pull, the door opened with ease giving Jack and I access to whatever was inside.

"Allioni!" I called as we walked in. Jack trailed behind me as I marveled at the contents of the dome.

There were piles on piles of books sitting neatly near a table that resembled the one in Allioni's shack. There were bookshelves on every wall starting from the floor and meeting each other at the ceiling. There was a tall ladder that I assumed was used to reach the important books at the very top of the roof.

"Oh, your back," Allioni remarked. He appeared at the top of the ladder in short overalls with a white shirt beneath and a scroll in his hand.

His magic never failed to amaze me. Realizing that he could disappear and reappear wherever and whenever he wanted was something to behold. I couldn't help but imagine what else he could do.

"Allioni, is that you man?" Jack uttered his first words since we arrived with a bit of disbelief in his tone. He slipped past me and walked towards the ladder.

I watched as Allioni climbed down from the ladder and stood on his feet readjusting his glasses, "Yes, it is me, Allioni, keeper of books and protector of balance."

Much to my surprise, Jack dawned the biggest smile of the century. He wrapped his long arms around Allioni and squeezed him so tightly that I was sure the poor boy would explode. Laughter left Jack's throat as Allioni just stood there and endured the life-threatening hug. I was glad to see that he became more like Jack than Arlow, but I was not sure how he transitioned so quickly when he usually took hours, if not days, to revert back to his ways.

"I'm telling ya, Ally," Jack cried, "I really thought I lost ya, man!"

Jack put Allioni down. Allioni readjusted his glasses over his eyes, "This is quite a touching reunion," Allioni said straightening out his outfit, "I was quite certain that it would be a while before I discovered the location of any of you, but here you are now."

He walked over to the table in the center of the room and pulled out an old dusty scroll, "Things became a bit confusing. Everything past Harlequin asking me to wait for Diana is a bit of a blur," he pulled open the scroll and began to examine it, "you wouldn't happen to remember anything from that day would you?"

Jack laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry bud, I don't even remember the battle. I get lost when we charged into Valkyrie Valley."

I watched them in confusion while I made my way over to the table. They both seemed to ignore my presence as they spoke of things that passed. I didn't mind though. I was glad to get Jack back.

I looked at the pair for a while. Jack seemed to glow with joy, and Allioni seemed more natural than usual in each other's presence. I could tell that they were old friends just by the way they spoke to each other. I made a mental note to remember to ask about that later on in the day.

"Diana, have you decided to join us in the fight against the Holy War?" Allioni asked me.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice," I shrugged. I saw a pang of guilt flash over Jack's happy eyes, but it left as quickly as it came.

We all stood at the table with the scroll in the center, "So what are we gonna do?" I asked looking at the old sprawled out paper.

"We must go to Alexandria," Allioni explained monotonously.

He waved his hand over the scroll, and a hologram of a kingdom appeared. There was a tall castle with horses with carriages traveling in and out. There was a village below with people prospering in their community. Children played and houses looked like they were fresh out of a fairytale.

"There, we should recover and prepare for King Lenon's ball. This will give us enough time to recover both of our magic and afford us the opportunity to teach you how to use yours," Allioni explained.

"Wait... I don't have magic," I interjected, my heart skipping a beat when I heard.

"Of course you do," Jack said, "your bloodline is rich in magic."

"Ok, but what is happening at King Lenon's ball?" I inquired trying desperately to avoid the idea of me and magic.

"It's a time where the king throws a giant party where rich people socialize. They mostly do it to keep the peace amongst the kingdoms, but I suspect that there's something else going on," Allioni explained.

I sighed lightly but continued to listen to Allioni's instructions, "When we're strong enough, we can begin to look for the others, though I have no clue where to look."

I recalled what grandma said, "I know where they are. Gollum is in a chamber."

"You mean the Chambers of Purgatory?" Allioni asked. I shrugged my shoulders, "What else?" he asked.

"Dela is hiding within the Deldry waters," I continued, "Calypso is on the run somewhere between Nasar and Escanor," I saw Jack flinch when I mentioned the name Calypso.

There was silence amongst the table as everyone seemed to be processing what I had said. I was happy that my memory had served me well, but I didn't exactly feel good about dumping all of that on them at once.

"Where would we even start?" Jack asked anxiety etching in his voice.

"I suppose we search for Calypso. We won't be able to find Gollum without her help anyways," Allioni explained, "but we need to get to Alexandria quickly. I must warn you, neither of you will be able to access or magic for a while. I'm not even sure how much I can do."

"We should go," I choked. I always found it hard to digest new information like that. The idea of walking into a war with no defense seemed unappealing. We left the dome to go to the two doors leading to the two worlds.

We all looked at each other before I reluctantly held onto the door handle and pulled it open. As we stepped inside the door, the dome sank into the water beneath us. It was just then I realized that I had been walking on water.