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Mallory’s Dreams: The Coven of Mystical Arts – Chapter Two

“Hey, cut it out!” Achlys cried out as the child seated behind us kept tugging on her now disheveled long dark red hair.

“Pretty!” The child giggled and continued to play with it with no regard for Achlys’ visible displeasure.

Achlys groaned and stood up quite abruptly. She looked the child square in the eye and leaned towards him and whispered, “You know, Selkies like the one seated behind you are generally friendly, but if you keep moving around your chair and making noise, we don’t know what they’ll end up doing.”

Mallory did not hear what her friend whispered, but she saw the color drain from the child’s face as he slowly and quietly exited his seat. He walked briskly towards the dining compartment at the rear of the train, his eyes seemingly watery and his cheeks flushed. Mallory could have sworn she had seen little cat ears sprouting on the child’s head from afar but paid it no mind as she thought it to be simply her imagination due to fatigue.

“What did you say to him?” Mallory asked with a curious tone.

“I just told him there was a monster on the seat behind him.” Achlys responded matter-of-factly, then unfolded a worn-out map, its edges frayed.

Mallory shrugged it off and continued to stare at the scenery through their window. The vast skies were emitting a warm, orangey glow with hints of pink and purple, and the clouds were gently clearing up to make way for the rising moon. The ripe wheat fields beneath it swayed gently in the wind, glowing like a sea of amber.

The rest of the train was fairly quiet. It had been about one and a half hours since the train departed from the station in the girls’ city. There had been no stops so far.

“Lory, we’ll be switching trains in about half an hour, I reckon. Let’s just save sleeping for later so we don’t miss it,” Achlys instructed.

“Okay. Is there anything else I need to know?” Mallory replied, mentally noting her friend’s instructions in fear of getting lost if she was ever separated from her friend.

“Right. Once we get off at the next station, we’ll transfer to the line going to Amber Thorne,” Achlys continued.

“Amber Thorne?” Mallory asked with raised eyebrows. “I’ve never heard of that city before,” Mallory added, a bit dumbfounded.

Just as Achlys was about to respond, the girls noticed a tall boy approach them from a nearby seat. He was dressed in a scruffy jacket, tattered pants, and worn-in shoes; he had a slim build, perhaps due to hardship, shoulder-length wavy brown hair, and equally brown eyes. He exuded something of a gentle yet brave demeanor.

“Hope you don’t mind me asking; both of you are new pupils to the coven at Amber Thorne as well?” The boy inquired.

Mallory pondered upon hearing the word “coven.” She thought it could only mean one thing: that they are embarking on a magical adventure at this place called “Amber Thorne.”

Since they were children, Mallory had always thought something was odd about her and the Crowleys. After all, how else could she be seeing her visions if not from hallucinations? And why would Achlys believe her? Moreover, the Crowleys have a deep connection with nature and antiques, so much so that they stand out from the rest of the neighborhood.

“Yes, but I’ve already been to Amber Thorne and the coven. My friend here has yet to be informed of her invitation, as I wanted to surprise her.” Mallory’s thoughts were interrupted when Achlys responded.

“Well, you’re in for a few.” The boy gave Mallory an accepting expression. “Nice to meet you both. I’m Mateo.” He held out his hand and gave a warm smile. Both girls appreciated his friendly nature and each introduced themselves, Achlys being bright and cheerful, while Mallory was slightly closed off yet polite.

“Why don’t we all move to the dining compartment? Talk about what we need to do once we get there,” Achlys said.

“Thanks. I could use some help since I’ve never been there. I’m fully hum–.” Achlys cut off Mateo mid-speech and shared how hungry she was, so they should discuss more while they eat.

Mallory followed closely after her friend, leaving the boy behind. Mateo stood for a bit and thought to himself how Mallory must not have any idea at all about the place they were going to, not even the mystical energy they held as those who were selected to become pupils in the coven. He decided to keep Achlys’ secret for now, as she is clearly adamant against telling her friend about such matters.

Now caught up with both girls in the dining compartment, Mateo sat down and took out a wooden lunch box from his clearly weathered backpack, with several patches here and there. The inside of the lunch box, however, boasted a rich selection.

“Hey, that looks so good! Did you make it yourself?” Achlys exclaimed.

“No, my younger siblings made it for me. They woke up at dawn and cooked food that would remind me of our hometown; they said it would cheer me up while I travel alone.” Mateo replied, pride in his younger siblings reflecting in his eyes.

The lunch box was filled with an arrangement of mouthwatering snacks and a hearty meal. There were golden and crispy-looking chicken croquettes, black bean stew paired with fluffy, white rice, fried cassava, grilled corn, a tomato salad, and brigadeiro.

Achlys’ eyes sparkled, and her hands reached out to the chicken croquettes at the same time she asked, “Can we try some?”

Seeing as his siblings’ home-cooked gift was greatly welcomed, Mateo responded positively and let Achlys grab some food to munch on. There was more than enough to share for the trip anyway.

“You must really like your younger siblings,” Mallory said, noticing Mateo’s proud and happy face as he mentioned his siblings, something Mallory thought she could also relate to as she had always thought of Achlys as her own sister.

“Definitely. We live a humble life, but having each other makes things easier. We find fun in the little things and work hard together to get through life,” Mateo replied, reminiscent of his time spent with his siblings.

“Well, once you get the hang of things and find your specialty, you can get part-time jobs at Amber Thorne. They pay pretty well! I’m sure you can continue to support your younger siblings just as much from afar. There’s an easy trick to sending mail and packages that we can learn, too.” Achlys added with bubbling excitement for their adventure.

“Really? That’s good to know. So, uh.” Mateo struggled to think of switching the topic as he felt Achlys might just end up talking about what she’s been keeping a secret. “Right. Once we get to Amber Thorne, we are to visit the dorms first, no?” Mateo added.

“Oh, yes! We’re going to the dorms first. It’s a beautiful place. Classes won’t start until the 10th of January, and…” Achlys trailed off as she noticed her friend Mallory tugging on her sleeve.

“Classes? At Amber Thorne? What about school? Don’t we have graduation coming up?” Mallory quietly asked her friend.

“Oh, Lory. What fun is there in the ordinary?” Achlys giggled. “Don’t you want to find out about why you’re having your visions?” Achlys added, holding her gaze on Mallory.

Mallory looked determined. This was a chance to find out more about herself and her visions. Perhaps even the chance to find out about her real parents. She wondered, would they have been from Amber Thorne as well, and could the ability to see visions have come from them?

Mallory’s quietness ensued as Achlys continued to discuss how they were to get to the dorms.

“Now, don’t be shocked, you guys, but the next train we’ll hop on is not your usual train, and it’s more like we’ll be warped going to Amber Thorne, but the sights will be amazing!” Achlys explained roughly, as if she were on cloud nine while imagining the trip.

“Sorry, what was that? Warped?” Mateo asked, flustered and doubtful of what he heard.

“Oh, right. By warped, I mean warped back in time! Remember, in total, it will have taken us about two hours riding this train before we transfer, so when we get on the train to Amber Thorne at the next station, we’ll arrive there at the same time we left on this train, which is five o’clock,” Achlys shared as if it were common sense.

Mateo stopped chewing his food and looked at Mallory, who, likewise, stopped herself from biting into the brigadeiro she had grabbed from Mateo’s lunch box, looking equally as flabbergasted.

Wordless, Mallory raised her eyebrows at her friend, expecting her to add a couple more details. There are so many things she has yet to figure out, and her friend has always been a bit secretive around her, especially about unusual things directly related to her that she cannot understand, building an emotion that is something more than just curiosity, perhaps even frustration at her ignorance on certain things that could actually matter so much to her.

“Anyway, so, once we get there, since we’re not carrying much in our suitcases and… a backpack for Mateo, we’ll still have some time to explore the town before dark! We can get some essentials before we go to the dorms.” Achlys continued cheerfully, disregarding Mallory and Mateo’s noticeable confusion.

Mallory sighed, giving Mateo a resigned look. The boy understood this to be a gesture implying that Achlys will not be speaking of anything more about the matter.

“Well, I read in the invitation that the dorm is not within the school grounds, but just below… the town,” Mateo said with an inquiring tone, looking at Achlys for clarification.

“Precisely why we’d still have time to go around town! And who knows? We might meet our peers in class by the town’s port,” Achlys added.

While the two continued to eat and talk about directions around Amber Thorne, Mallory excused herself to go back to the seat to grab her water bottle. Along the way, she saw the child that was playing with Achlys’ hair earlier, but now Mallory clearly saw a cat’s tail pop out from the child’s pants, waving around slowly.

Just as she was about to take a closer look, Mallory almost bumped into a boy in the aisle who was going towards the dining compartment.

“Sorry, excuse me.” The boy bowed his head quickly and walked towards the empty seat behind Achlys and Mateo.

Mallory glanced upon his features: light brown hair, green eyes paired with an oversized green linen shirt, dark brown cargo pants, work boots, and a large canvas bag slung over his shoulder. He looked a bit sloppy, and Mallory was worried that he was sitting right behind Achlys. She thought he might be a pickpocket. But seeing as Mateo was with her dear friend, she supposed he would help her in case anything happened.

Mallory quickly walked towards the passenger seats and picked up her water bottle. Though as she did, she accidentally locked eyes with the person seated behind them, whom Achlys teased the child with to be a monster. The person studied Mallory and gave her a bit of an eerie smile. Just as the person was about to say something, Mallory took her suitcase and put her water bottle inside, pretending to look busy.

She felt a spine-chilling sensation from the person and wanted to escape as soon as possible, looking anywhere but at him… or it. But before she could rush back to her friends at the dining compartment, the train came to a stop and people hastened their way to the exits. In the midst of it, Mallory got swept by the crowd outside the train, and she lost sight of her friends.

“Ouch!” Cried a familiar voice in front of Mallory.

When she looked down, she found the child again, now clearly seeing his orange cat ears as fluffy as his puffy and wavy orange hair.

Mallory had not been seeing things. Just then, the first thing that came to her mind was to ask the child about the train to Amber Thorne. For some reason, she felt he was the right one to ask instead of the information desk.

“Hey, are you also going to Amber Thorne?” Mallory asked, following the child walking towards possibly the right platform.

“Huh? Oh, it’s the big sister from before! You’re not with the angry red-haired sister?” The child asked.

“No, I got separated from her, but we’re both going to Amber Thorne,” Mallory replied.

“Of course you are, silly big sister.” The child giggled. “All of us possessing mystical powers around here only have one protected town. The Aeon dragon’s other protected locations are sparsely populated around the world,” he added, slowing down to walk beside Mallory.

“Let’s go find the red-haired sister!” The child grabbed ahold of Mallory’s hand, and they wove their way through the crowd to get to the underground platform.

The area seemed a bit eerie. It was dark and without lights, but the walls were glowing a ghostly greenish luminescence. Red fireflies added more brightness around the area and were gathering around those passing by; Mallory noticed some had more fireflies gathered to them while some had only a few.

“Wow, sister! A lot of fireflies are gathering around you!” The child smiled and played with the fireflies around Mallory, trying to swat and catch them like how a cat would.

Mallory turned to look at the fireflies surrounding her but noticed just as many of them clumped around two figures coming down the stairs.

“Lory! Is that you?” A familiar voice echoed from the stairs.

It was Achlys and Mateo surrounded by the red fireflies. Abruptly handing over her suitcase to Mateo, Achlys ran over to reunite with her friend, breathless.

“I thought you’d gotten lost, Lory! I’d forgotten to tell you about the underground station before we arrived. I couldn’t find you above and thought I could talk to the conductor to delay the trip.” Achlys exclaimed, checking Mallory’s face and body for injuries, treating her like one would a child.

“Hey, we’ve got to hurry! The doors will be closing soon, sisters!” The child held onto Mallory and Achlys’ hands and rushed to get on the train, right in the compartment behind the driver’s. Mateo followed suit.

Just as they stepped on, the lights in the train dimmed. Mallory held on to the nearest surface for balance. The doors closed, and a faint sound came from the driver’s compartment in the front. Rather than an eerie whisper, it sounded like several enchanting voices. In fact, it sounded so enchanting, Mallory thought it could bring life. Just then, she found vines crawling from the door towards all the compartments behind them.

Flowers sprung from the seats in their compartment, forming what looks to be soft cushions for them to sit on. The vines moved slowly to remove suitcases and backpacks and placed them in the storage bin overhead. Mallory’s eyes widened at the scene. Mateo was a bit startled but not as unsettled as Mallory.

Suddenly, the train accelerated quickly, causing the child to stumble. Mallory reached out to the child to help him up but was further shocked when he suddenly shapeshifted into a cat. She let out an audible gasp and turned towards Achlys.

“Okay, alright. I suppose I can’t hide this from you any longer, though I was hoping to reserve it for when we get there at least.” Achlys sighed and raised her arms in surrender.

The trio and the cat’s compartment were fairly silent. Only Achlys’ sing-song, honeyed voice bounced off the walls, with her friends listening closely to her every word. Achlys’ told them about Amber Thorne from the very beginning, the lessons they were taught at school about the separation of the mystical creatures from the humans, and the adventure they’ll embark upon as primordials.

In the olden times, those who mastered elemental weavings were called the primordials: the selected few who had overflowing mystical energy and could control the natural elements around them, with even fewer capable of creating elements from nothing but their own energy, while most needed catalysts. Achlys told them about various races as well, such as elves, mermaids, sprites, beastfolk, and so on.

“You and I, Lory, well, at least I’d assume the same for you, are demi-humans,” Achlys shared.

“I am of fairy blood, and you… I’m not too sure, but I think you’re special. After all, the Engkanto family living in the river by our house really dotes on you. I think they believe you are one of them because of your similar features: pale, beautiful, tall, and your light blonde hair looks very much like theirs,” Achlys said whilst counting her fingers as she enumerated Mallory’s features. Mallory’s cheeks slightly reddened at the sudden compliment.

“Personally, though, I think you’re of a bloodline more powerful than them. Your psychometric abilities are off the charts! It would do you even better if you learned how to wield them.” Achlys buzzed with excitement.

“Psychometry… That’s what it was. I’ve always wondered why you had easily accepted everything about me, including my hallucinations,” Mallory replied.

“They’re far from hallucinations, Lory. It’s a rare ability to be proficient without prior training, more so than primordial weaving.” Achlys responded with seriousness.

“She’s right, sister! So you guys are primordials. No wonder the emberglows were so attracted to you earlier. They don’t like beastfolk like us much, though.” The cat chimed in, hopping onto Mallory’s lap and curling itself into a ball.

“Emberglows?” Mallory asked.

“They’re the red fireflies from earlier. They are attracted to mystical energy,” Achlys answered.

“There’s quite a lot for us to learn, Mallory,” Mateo noted. “I tried to find more books on it, but there were too many mystical creatures to remember. The same goes for the areas of study, but I believe we’ll be taking specialized classes as the few primordials this year. We can do this,” he added.

“He’s right. Most years, they don’t even get any primordials at all. We’re the largest batch this time around. I think there are about nine of us, and we have…” Achlys counted with her fingers, deep in thought, “six mentors,” Achlys detailed.

The three indulged in deeper conversation about the mystical world and their abilities. Achlys briefly told them about what their classes might be: summoning, cleric studies, alchemy, brews and blights, psychometry, extrasensory perception, and, of course, primordial weaving.

“Now here’s the fun part,” Achlys continued with fervor, leaving the two listening with considerable anticipation. “The element you weave is dependent on the element of your star sign!” She added gleefully.

“Star sign… I’m a Sagittarius,” Mateo shared.

“Then you’re a weaver of primordial flame, like me! I’m a Leo,” Achlys replied. “You’re a Cancer, Lory, so you’re a weaver of…” Achlys trailed off, lost in thought. She remembered how Mallory had conjured vines out of nothing to save her from the raging river when they were children, but also weaving the water to be still. That means Mallory had woven two elements; Achlys was overcome with silence. She thought it was impossible… or at least it should be.

Stuck in her thoughts, Achlys had also realized how her friend Mallory had displayed cleric abilities far from an untrained individual; healing wounds and bruises in mere seconds is certainly not ordinary even for primordials with higher amounts of mystical energy.

“I am a weaver of?” Mallory raised her eyebrows and looked at Achlys expectantly.

“Well, I would suppose you’re a weaver of the primordial tides, Mallory,” Mateo answered for Achlys, who was still in confusion and doubt.

“Right… that’s what I was thinking too.” Achlys responded with a weak and uncertain laugh, seemingly only realizing how great a power her friend had displayed unconsciously.

Mallory paused and wondered what the hesitation was all about, but her worries were washed away as she caught a glimpse of shimmering light outside their window. Upon focusing her eyes on the bright skies, she found it was a sunny afternoon, perhaps an hour before sunset. She found endless fields of pastel-colored flowers and what looked to be pixies flying about, cohabiting with the bees and butterflies.

Above the soft and mellow flowers glowing with pixie dust, Mallory is in awe of the dolphins with unicorn horns swimming through the air as though it were water. The dolphins seemed to be happily playing above the fields with their friends.

“Those were Spiralfins. They’re gentle and playful.” The cat shapeshifted into a human again and knelt up at his seat to look outside the window with Mallory.

“Hey… you haven’t told us your name yet,” Mallory quietly asked him.

“Oh, silly me,” he chuckled softly and responded, “I’m Lenki.” Purring, Lenki rubbed his fluffy head on Mallory’s shoulder, as if to leave his scent on her.

The vibrations from his purring sounds helped to put Mallory at ease as she studied their train compartment. She hadn’t noticed it before, but the floors and walls were partly covered in moss and the same pastel-colored flowers as outside. They carried a slightly tangy and sweet scent.

“It looks like we’re nearing the Silvershade Mountains,” Mateo said, looking at the foggy mountain ranges in the distance.

Upon hearing this, Achlys immediately reached for the storage bins in the compartment, the vines automatically assisting her with her suitcase.

“You guys better get your things. We’re almost here!” She yelped excitedly, a cheerful smile back on her face.

“Oh, I wish I had taken in more of the landscape from earlier, but I noticed it late.” Mallory sighed wistfully.

“It’s alright, sister. There are a lot more hidden gems at Amber Thorne! We can play there together when you’re free. I live in the town’s most famous pastry shop, Moonpaw Bakery!” Lenki shared with delight.

“That’s perfect, Lenki! I didn’t know you were Perrin and Poppy Whiskerford’s child,” Achlys exclaimed, remembering she had been to the bakery once and had fallen in love with their pastry.

Achlys made plans to meet regularly and have Lenki show them around town, as she had only been to Amber Thorne one time and at a very young age, hence the vague memories of the town’s layout.

Soon, the train wove along the Silvershade Mountains. It was foggy and cold, bringing an unsettling temperature inside the train. Nothing but mist can be seen through the windows, and Mallory dared not to look outside due to the creepy atmosphere.

“It’s best not to wander far from town deep into the mountains. I’ve read that there have been previous sightings of harmful creatures around these parts.” Mateo stated.

“Right. So, you must never go out alone, Lory. Always stick with me in case we have to go anywhere near the foot of the mountain.” Achlys added sternly.

“Alright. If possible, I’d rather stay far away. I don’t really have a good impression of the place.” Mallory replied, uncomfortable with the thought of having to venture to the mountains.

“Don’t worry, sister. There are elite guards watching over the mountains for any threats or lost human outsiders. They’re called the Aether Sentinels. They’re very strong and I’ve heard some say that they were even immortal. Some say they can even bend time for themselves,” Lenki pointed out.

The trio and Lenki had indulged in more conversation throughout the remainder of the train ride and got to know each other better, Mallory sharing the least.

The fog outside soon cleared up but the temperature remained cold. The skies boasted a warm orange hue, casting a soft glow over the scattered ivory poinsettias around the foot of the mountain.

“We’re here!” Lenki squealed as the train came to a slow stop on the river.

Birds with glass-like feathers were flying outside the window, reflecting the sun’s orangey glow. These birds were called shardwings, and they shimmered like broken mirrors.

While Mallory was looking at the scenery outside, the doors of the train opened and the vines creeped outside to form stairs for the passengers to cross over the river to the village’s path walk.

Unlike earlier, there wasn’t a crowd of people stampeding towards the exits. Rather, various creatures and demi-humans, big and small, got off leisurely, some flying, some slithering, and some walking.

The trio parted ways with Lenki after they got off, and the cat had them promise to visit the bakery in the morning before running off.

“Hey, why don’t you guys go around town without me. I’ll look for the dorm first to see if there’s anyone who got here before us and check in on the place,” Mateo said.

“Sure thing, Mateo. We’ll meet you there later!” Achlys replied.

After Mateo separated from the girls, Achlys turned to look towards Mallory and said, “You can breathe now, silly Lory. You’ve been plenty quiet during the train ride. Ask away now if you have any other questions!” The sentiment made Mallory giggle in response.

“You know I hate meeting new people, but I’m glad he seemed to be nice… for now,” Mallory added.

“Always the pessimist! Anyway, why don’t we visit the market first? I think they still have some stalls open. I want to buy clothes and trinkets!” Achlys said eagerly.

“I want to get some clothes, too… for the cold. I didn’t know it would be this cold,” Mallory replied.

The girls wandered off to the market with Achlys leading the way, clutching onto her best friend’s arm. It was a cold afternoon, and Mallory’s cheeks and ears were tinted with a light shade of red. Achlys, on the other hand, felt warm and cozy, perhaps due to her being a primordial of the flame.

The village was bustling with lots of different people: humans, demi-humans, and other creatures. There were a lot of water sources around town: rivers, creeks, streams, ponds, and even a huge lake somewhere around the center. Trees and plants of unknown species wrapped themselves around the village, in shops, taverns, and even in people’s houses. This reminded Mallory of the unique beauty of the Crowleys’ house standing alone by the riverbank. It did not seem so odd now that Mallory had seen Amber Thorne where everything seemed so beautifully entangled in nature.

The two girls finally found their way through the stalls, then Achlys turned to her friend and said, “Lory, everything’s on me today. It’s the least I can do considering I’d dropped the biggest bomb on you today.” She pleaded to Mallory with her siren eyes, trying to look like a puppy, hoping to be forgiven.

Mallory laughed softly in response. She found her friend’s physical features contradicting her personality. The girl was built to look fierce and a bit intimidating but is always the softest and silliest with her.

The pair eventually checked out more stalls as Achlys kept getting distracted by one thing after another. They ended up getting various items, especially Achlys. However, Mallory had also been keeping her eyes peeled for a good accessory with a protection charm. She was looking at a couple of amulets and bought the one with a red gem which seemingly glowed pink inside. Then, she suddenly felt a cold, scaly sensation tickle her elbow.

Upon looking at her arm, she found a serpent dark as a shadow coiled around her elbow trying to get a hold of her newly bought amulet.

“Ah!” Mallory let out a small cry and stumbled backwards from surprise. Instead of falling, however, she felt a steady arm catch her easily from behind and support her around her waist.

“Careful, love.” A deep, sensual voice echoed in Mallory’s ears, and she found herself looking up at the stranger’s eyes. It was an enchanting pair of maroon eyes looking straight into hers, a cheeky smile tugging at both corners of his lips as he stabbed the serpent with the shop’s displayed hairpin, still holding his gaze on Mallory. Immediately, the siltscale unraveled itself from her arm and fell to the ground, slithering away wounded.

“Still need me to support you?” He said, moving a befuddled Mallory in front of him while putting back the crystal hairpin on display.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Achlys hurried from the other stall towards Mallory and found her friend held by a stranger. “Keep your hands off her!” Achlys separated the two and began checking on Mallory like a mother would her child.

“Are you alright, Lory?” Achlys touched her cheek and noticed her slightly reddened elbow.

Mallory only managed a nod and turned to look at the stranger again, clad in an all-black outfit. She noticed two other boys behind him. One was a bit taller with a muscular frame, also dressed in dark clothing and similar in appearance to the boy who helped her. Mallory assumed they were siblings. The other boy had an entirely different appearance, soft, with a smaller frame and stature; he had white hair, onyx eyes, and was wearing baggy clothes, which only accentuated his delicate size.

“Oh, please excuse him. He was only trying to help your friend here because of a siltscale.” The smaller boy explained, coaxing Achlys, who was clearly upset, to which she nodded in response.

“Oh, dear. You must have been frightened. They don’t usually cling to people; you must have picked up something very valuable. Let’s quickly head back to the dorms; I think we should retire for the day.” Achlys soothed her friend.

“I’m alright now,” Mallory replied and turned towards the boy who helped her and said, “I appreciate your gesture from earlier, um…” she added shyly.

“I’m Bane. You are?” He asked, stretching out his arms for a handshake.

“Mallory, but you can call me Lory.” Mallory extended her hand to shake his and was surprised when he brought it to his lips. Her cheeks and ears reddened even more when Bane met her eyes from beneath the tilt of his head, the corners of his mouth curling again in a faint and playful smile. Mallory looked away almost immediately. She found it hard to understand the wave of emotions surging through her mind.

Achlys looked at the scene with raised eyebrows and a questioning expression. Eventually, they all took turns introducing themselves and found that they were headed to the same place, the dorms. The taller boy’s name was Belial; he was the younger twin brother of Bane. And the smaller boy was Winter, a friend of the twins from the same social circles in their family.

After getting acquainted with each other, Achlys took the lead in navigating their way to the dorms, and she clasped her arms around Mallory’s and whispered, “What’s the deal with you two?” to which Mallory responded as softly as she could, “He helped me is all.” But her cheeks and ears reddened again, which Achlys strongly believed was not due to the cold temperature.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

The group arrived at the dorms shortly after the sun’s warm embrace faded beyond the horizon, leaving the world bathed in soft, silvery moonlight.

At the entrance, the area boasted a huge garden filled with beautifully arranged stones and plants and flowers of various kinds. There were low-lying trees with light blue and purple leaves overlooking a koi fish pond surrounding the entire structure of the dorm, wooden and antique. The sight of it made Mallory’s eyes briefly glow a shade of pink due to her connection with nature, Bane catching a glimpse of it.

“There you are.” A familiar voice came from the main entrance of the building. It was Mateo with another familiar person. Mallory recalled the boy she thought was a pickpocket on the trains; he might have actually just been listening in on them after he overheard them talk about Amber Thorne. Mallory felt a bit guilty for having judged him.

“A bit suspicious looking, the one next to your acquaintance, isn’t he?” Bane whispered closely to Mallory, evoking a bashful expression from her, to which he responded with a chuckle.

Mallory shrugged him off and replied, “It’s better to observe him more before we come to a conclusion.”

“Speaking from experience, Lory?” Bane teased. Mallory could not help wanting to slap or pinch his arm in response but kept it down to a tiny scowl, which Bane found a bit endearing.

While the two were busy playing around, Achlys and Mateo had already helped the others get acquainted.

“Lory, what are you doing there? Come here and meet Craven. I didn’t even notice but it seems he boarded the same train as us earlier,” Achlys motioned for her friend to come over.

Mallory came over to greet Craven, who seemed to be even more unsociable than she was. Perhaps being friends with Achlys had softened her heart a little when it comes to interacting with others, she thought to herself.

Bane greeted Mateo in a friendly manner, as well as Craven. After everyone got acquainted, Mateo showed them the common spaces in the dorms and brought Achlys and Mallory to their rooms.

“You know, the dorms seem a bit small, Achlys. Is it only for us primordials here?” Mateo asked, helping the girls with their bags.

“Yes, the students from other departments live in the dormitory located in the school grounds above town. We’re here because this place is supposed to help us get more attuned to our abilities as primordials,” Achlys explained.

“I think that’s true. I felt a tingling sensation when we stepped foot in here,” Mallory added.

“Really? I didn’t feel any different. I think Craven was the same,” Mateo responded with a curious tone.

“Well, it differs for each primordial,” Achlys noted, not mentioning how her friend might actually be a notch above the rest of them.

“Right. Well, I’ll leave you both to get yourselves sorted out and rest. Let me know if you need any help. I’ll be in the lounge until ten o’clock. See if anyone else is arriving before closing up,” Mateo stated.

“Sure thing, good night.” Achlys waved him goodbye before closing the door.

“Finally. This feels like a sleepover, Lory! Oh, we certainly have to pick rooms that are next to each other. Perks of arriving first, I guess?” Achlys said cheerfully.

The two friends arranged their clothes and personal belongings in their respective rooms and met up in the girl’s living room area again to explore their facilities.

“Lory, you won’t believe what I found here. We have an amazing outdoor bath! You have to get changed. Here, I’ve got us both matching robes.” Achlys handed Mallory a dark-colored silk robe with eastern dragons etched on it.

After the pair got changed, they dipped into the warm and cozy bath outside their rooms. Mallory felt the same energy she had earlier surging in her body. She looked at Achlys, and when her friend turned to meet her gaze, she saw the reflection of her eyes, glowing a shade of coral pink. Achlys was equally in shock at the sight, remembering her friend from ten years ago when she had saved her from drowning.

It was at that moment when Achlys decided to tell her friend about what she saw when they were children. She confessed the secret she had been keeping and told Mallory about her exceptional abilities. Achlys had also warned her friend against telling it to others for now while they observe and figure out who can be trusted.

“It’s too early to tell, Lory, but I think Mateo’s not such a bad guy. Maybe just a bit serious,” Achlys noted, and Mallory agreed.

“Anyway,” Achlys drawled, looking at her friend mischievously, “What is up with you and Bane, darling? I mean, seriously? Only I get to call you Lory. When have you ever let others do that?” Achlys sulked.

“Oh, stop it. As if I have any other friends besides you,” Mallory replied, crossing her arms.

“No, honey. You cannot make that excuse. Why didn’t you ask Mateo to call you by your nickname then, huh? I’d like to believe you shared more words with him than that brat.” Achlys retorted.

“Well…” Mallory found no words and was instead filled with so much embarrassment that the water around them started bubbling up in heat.

“Hey. Hey! Ouch! Are you doing that on purpose?” Achlys exclaimed.

“Doing what?” Mallory refused to turn back to face her friend, unaware of the boiling temperature she had caused.

“Ouch! I’m seriously getting out of here.” Achlys got up from the bath and went around to get Mallory’s attention.

“Look, dear. See all those bubbles around you? This is what I mean when you unconsciously bring out your primordial abilities! Changing the water’s temperature is surely no easy feat for someone who hasn’t learned to weave her element yet.” Achlys pointed out the bubbling water for Mallory to see.

“Oh, good heavens! What is this? Am I doing that?” Mallory gaped at her friend in disbelief.

“How could I be doing that? I can’t just manifest fire without a catalyst, Lory! And so should you! Well… normally. I mean, it’s best not to show this to anyone to avoid attracting unwanted attention, dear,” Achlys remarked.

Mallory concentrated on her inner turmoil and calmed herself. She then found the energy dying down and the water returned to its standard warm temperature.

“Well, I don’t know how to teach you because we have different elements. And I’m not very skilled yet, Lory. Father always told me that weaving an element comes from within, though I’m not too sure what he means. Is it from moods? Your goals? Motivation? I don’t know. But what I do know is I’m exhausted. I might head to sleep first. We’ll be needing that energy to venture around town again tomorrow.” Achlys babbled and yawned at the end of her sentence.

“All right. Good night, Achlys,” Mallory replied.

“Good night, Lory,” Achlys replied before closing the door to her bedroom.

Mallory stayed a bit longer in the bath and tried to feel her energy. “Weaving…” she murmured. Then, she tried playing with the water and shaping it into something as though one were weaving it. To her surprise, she was able to lift up blobs of water from the bath. Mallory was curious about her abilities, which she had never thought to have other than psychometry.

Mallory’s eyelids soon grew heavy after a couple more times experimenting with her abilities; hence, she decided to retire for the night. She imagined lifting the water off her body and robe and surprisingly achieved it after a few moments. She thought to herself, all this time she had been so attuned to different water sources; it turns out it was due to her being a primordial of the tides.

Mallory headed over to her room and settled down before going to bed. She wrote a few lines in her notebook and scribbled a couple of her favorite scenes from the day, not noticing she was slowly drifting off, and fell asleep on the fluffy sheets of her quilted mattress rolled on the floor.

The primordials in the dormitory slept under what seemed to be peaceful quiescence and calm, the absence of chaos. Yet beneath that stillness, one of them harbored different intentions, something that could wreak havoc in the midst of the serene atmosphere, a blaze smoldering behind their eyes, awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike and sink their fangs in without mercy.

“Hush, now. You’re in good hands.”

#creative writing #writing #coming of age #fantasy #fantasy novel #magic #fantasy story #fiction #friendship #mystery #novel writing #novel #magical #friends #astrology

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genri911 · 16 days ago

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Mallory's Dreams: The Coven of Mystical Arts - Chapter One

Mallory desperately gasps for air as she comes to her senses in the middle of class. “What was that?” She whispered anxiously to herself, quickly separating her fingers from the antiquated statue in the museum. Mallory struggled to bring her focus back to her surroundings but soon found her attention pulled towards their professor’s voice.

“Yes, Ms. Evergreen, are you feeling alright there? We were just about to discuss the history of that statue beside you. Any ideas about what it may be?” Professor Martin asked.

“Sir? Um… I’m alright. I’d like to guess it had something to do… with the rift between humankind and the mystical beings.” Mallory replied, startled by the sudden question.

“Correct! A fairly educated guess. Now, class, take note that this statue, along with many others in this museum, is a remnant of mystical beings who, rather than being sculpted by humans, were actually petrified by gorgons. It happened only a century ago.”

Professor Martin continued to discuss the history between humankind and mystical beings. He told the class how the Aeon dragon sympathized with the humans’ predicament and decided to have all mystical beings live separately from them.

“Though there were plenty of amiable mystical beings, the concentration of their mana, when gathered in a singular location like a city or a town filled with humans, attracts dark creatures who feed on human flesh or souls.” He added and motioned the class to follow him towards another artifact.

“Hey, are you really okay?” Mallory felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced back.

“Achlys.” Mallory looked around and made sure the class was far enough away before whispering to her friend.

“I saw something when I held that statue. It was so vivid and dreadful.” Mallory shivered and held Achlys’ arm for comfort.

Once beautiful and magnificent towers turned to ruins, disfigured and mutilated bodies covered in the rubble. Eyes with neither tears nor hope left in them, and families and friends holding hands before turning into stone. Guardians were wailing at the loss of their masters. The sight could not have been any more devastating. Then, something pink glowed in the darkness.

“Dear, was it so? I simply can’t wait to tell you about the adventure I’ve planned for us to take. It’s quite far from here.” Achlys replied in an enthusiastic manner instead of comforting her friend, causing Mallory to sigh and let go of her arm.

“You know, I’m not sure if you actually believe me or if you’re just indulging my visions because we’re friends,” Mallory said in a subtly annoyed tone, her shoulders dropping.

Achlys turned to look at Mallory and held her gaze for a good few seconds before uttering her response.

“I believe you.”

The air went still. Silence ensued between the pair, yet the lack of words could not deny the sincerity and deep bond they had with each other.

Mallory shrugged and felt a gentle smile propping up her lips, feeling comforted by her friend’s clear eyes and unwavering conviction. The pair followed the rest of the class throughout the museum tour quietly, which soon ended as the skies began to glow pink and purple and the breeze became a lot cooler and dry.

The class exited the museum and boarded their school bus, rowdier than before, chattering about how excited they were to start their winter break. Mallory and Achlys boarded last, followed by their professor.

“Mallory,” Professor Martin called.

Not waiting for her response, Professor Martin continued, “How quickly you’ve grown in the time I’ve spent teaching you throughout high school.” He reminisced with a bittersweet look in his eyes, as if he were looking at his own child who has to leave home for college.

“I’m especially delighted to see how well you’d do with…” his gaze moved towards Achlys’ direction, “the adventure you’ll embark upon with Ms. Crowley,” he added.

“Oh, I–“ Mallory offered Achlys a curious glance, wondering why it seemed as though they’d be setting off on an extremely long and arduous journey. “Thank you… Professor Martin. It will probably be a short trip outside the city; we’ll see each other soon after the winter break. I hope you enjoy your time off as well.”

Professor Martin nodded and gave Achlys a bit of a knowing smile.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

The next day, Mallory bid farewell to her adoptive parents to go on a trip. She had been meaning to tell them earlier but could not find the words, as Achlys’ plans were quite vague and she was not sure how long the trip would last. Her worries, however, were unnecessary.

“Stay out as long as you’d like,” her adoptive mother said grimly, not even lifting her face to look at Mallory, her eyes glued to the newspaper without a care, sitting on the living room couch, a tobacco cigarette in her hand.

“Hmph. Much better if you’d bother staying out for good.” Her adoptive father mumbled just loud enough to barely hear, his face likewise covered by the newspaper he was reading. He was seated at the dining chair with his plate already emptied. No plate was set for Mallory for breakfast.

The room went dead silent, and only radio static noise could be heard. Nobody met her eyes when she shared that she was going to leave indefinitely for a trip. The house seemed as bleak as ever, she thought, dismissing her small expectations of her adoptive parents ever caring about her.

Mallory lowered her gaze, seeing as no one was interested in acknowledging her presence. She carried her small, cream, ragged suitcase and quietly went out the front door, taking one last look at the house she had stayed in for 18 years, not once having learned to call it “home.”

She walked down their neighborhood towards Achlys’ house in the furthest street, where their 2-story dark brown house stood alone next to the river. All these years, Mallory had always wondered why there weren’t any other houses down the Crowleys’ street, making it look a bit dreary and odd.

Mallory’s pondering was shortly interrupted by her friend’s voice as she popped up from the window in her room on the second floor.

“Hey! What took you so long?” Achlys exclaimed.

“Sorry, got up a bit later than usual,” Mallory replied, carrying her suitcase to the front door, where she found two goat gargoyle statues seemingly staring at her, curious yet without movement. Mallory thought she had even seen one wag its tail from the corner of her eye, but she shrugged it off. She was about to open the door when suddenly, a tall, thin, red-haired woman with a pallid look on her face opened the door from inside.

“Oh, Lory. Come in, come in. I just made breakfast; won’t you and Achlys have some before you go?” Mrs. Crowley appeared, her voice quite weak and faint.

Mallory went inside and felt like she had stepped into another world. The hallway was large, filled with antique furniture, mirrors of various sizes, and odd-colored stained glass windows with images depicting what looks to be fairies. Finally, they entered a golden archway with sweet-smelling herbs hanging from above before they reached the family’s dining room and kitchen.

“Oh, Lory, dear, do make yourself at home.” Mallory was greeted by a big, black-haired, bearded man with both arms fully covered in red tattoos. He was drinking a flower tea and eating jam-filled biscuits while reading the newspaper, soft-spoken and exuding a gentle demeanor quite opposite his appearance.

“Little girl’s been a bit too excited; she hasn’t shown her face since last night. She’s made her mother quite glum.” He added, motioning to his lethargic-looking wife, who proceeded to seemingly fry eggs in the pan with nothing in it, looking far outside the window, wordless.

“I’ll… make sure to come down with Achlys, Mr. Crowley,” Mallory replied politely, setting her suitcase beside the discolored, wooden cabinet containing various glowing crystals, plant vines crawling all over it.

Mallory had never once thought of the Crowleys and their house as weird. In fact, she had always taken a liking to how special it was and how she could always come over and think of it as her own home.

Climbing up the mossy, flower-filled, spiral staircase, Mallory was greeted with small, fluffy, brown birds chirping cheerfully and hopping about, following Mallory upstairs until she reached Achlys’ room. The dark, wooden door filled with vines was already half-open, and she found her friend extremely focused on the clothes sprawled on her blood-red canopy bed.

“Hey Lory, do you think I should bring along this one or this one?” Achlys asked her friend, eyes still glued on both clothing items to be chosen.

“I say that’s enough of that, and let’s just go downstairs to have breakfast.” Mallory took the dark-colored clothes on the right and shoved them in her friend’s suitcase, closed it shut, and handed it to her with a considerate smile.

”Oh, you know what… you’re right. We can just get new clothes once we’re there anyway.” Her friend cheered up almost immediately and carried her suitcase towards the stairs.

“I don’t think I’ve seen my mother since last night. She must be listless by now. Was it alright coming up here?” Achlys added, both friends now descending the stairs.

“Oh, you know. Quite normally, she would have fried eggs to go with the bacon, but I think she’s eager to have you eat some air with it today,” Mallory replied.

“She’s acting bloody dramatic.” Achlys rolled her eyes. The pair laughed before reaching the dining room to join the Crowley couple.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

It was a peaceful and pleasant breakfast. Mallory and the Crowleys ate whilst reminiscing about the time when the girls first met. They recalled how ten years ago, when the Evergreens had just settled in their quaint neighborhood, Mallory always found herself by the riverbank near the Crowleys’ house.

She was very timid and quiet and avoided greeting or interacting with the Crowleys if she could, only nodding without a word if needed. She was an odd little girl: tall, with platinum blonde hair and green, doe eyes, always by the riverbank, touching the water.

Meanwhile, Achlys was a cheerful and adventurous young girl, equally tall but with fiery dark red hair and gray siren eyes. She had been genuinely curious about Mallory, always seeing her from her bedroom on the second floor but never gaining the courage to speak to a could-be friend due to Mallory’s unsociable and unapproachable nature.

There was a time when Achlys had been home alone playing out in the yard with their animals: birds and two baby goats. It was another usual day after school when she had to wait for her parents to come home from work. With no one her age to play with, and as Mallory had seemed impossible to befriend, Achlys found comfort in the company of their family pets.

She was about to set her picnic basket on the grass when the skies suddenly darkened. There was a flash of lightning, and thunder crackled loudly almost at once. Rain started to pour heavily, causing water from the riverbank to quickly rise.

In mere seconds, the area had been flooded. Achlys cried for help as she had gotten carried away by the forceful current, her animal friends likewise swept away by the harsh flow of water. She quickly held onto the branches of the small acacia tree next to their house, hoping to be noticed by anyone who could help, but her voice was drowned out by the heavy pouring of rain and loud thunderclaps.

Achlys’ voice became hoarse due to the yelling. She had been scratched and bruised by debris rapidly flowing towards her. It was such an anomalous and terrifying phenomenon that she cried and wished so desperately for someone to come and save her from getting swept away by the current and thereby drowning.

She felt her fingers lose strength by the second, as did her hope that she could come out of the situation unscathed.

But the little Achlys had seen an even more unbelievable phenomenon. She had seen their new neighbor, the timid girl always by the riverbank, in the middle of the fast-moving waters, still and calm, her once green eyes glowing pink. Mallory was seemingly reaching out her hand towards Achlys. The water around them stopped flowing, the trees and plants somewhat shedding a warm pink glow.

Achlys could not believe her eyes and thought she was dreaming. She reached out towards Mallory and immediately felt her wounds were soothed as she was pulled out to safety.

The next thing that little Achlys could remember was that she awoke in her room, the birds and baby goats sleeping on her fluffy brown faux fur carpet. It was as if she had the strangest dream that actually happened. The girl told her parents about it, but they persuaded her that it was but a silly dream.

The following day, Achlys summoned the courage to go down to the riverbank by their house to talk to Mallory about it, to which the timid girl had responded with widened eyes and disbelief, “I heard your voice… and I saw it too.” Mallory added tidbits of the story she could remember, including how she heard Achlys’ voice asking for help by the overflowing river, drowning. However, unlike Achlys, Mallory did not remember being at the river. She did not remember saving Achlys, her eyes glowing pink, the trees and plants glowing pink. Achlys decided against sharing it with her now talkative friend.

Mallory opened up to Achlys about why she had frequented the riverbank by their house. “I have these visions… when I touch the water. It feels so mystical. I see creatures of the unknown, places that seem untouched by man, bewitching ruins, and… so much more I’ve never seen.” The two, who had recently been strangers to each other, had suddenly found it difficult to part ways due to seemingly endless conversations, from lore to normal childish things like their favorite colors and food.

From that day forward, the two were inseparable.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

Mallory and the Crowleys had spent the entire morning until noon chatting away, but when the clock struck three o’clock, Mr. Crowley started to put away their dishes on the table and looked in his wife’s direction.

“Dear, it’s getting late. The girls must catch the train before evening so they can have some time to settle down in the…” Mr. Crowley’s voice trailed away.

“I know, Lucas. I just wanted a bit more time.” Mrs. Crowley replied, her voice shaking slightly, eyes a bit watery and melancholic.

“Mother, this will be an exciting adventure for Mallory and me! It’s not like we can’t ever come back to visit. In the meantime, I’ll be sure to send you letters while we’re there.” Achlys lifted the mood while lifting her suitcase, Mallory following after her.

The Crowley couple was glum. They hesitated to part with their daughter and Mallory but eventually let them go to find their own adventures outside of their quaint and mostly quiet little city.

It was December 31st; the two girls boarded the train at five o’clock in the afternoon, a train in which Mallory had neither the idea of where it was to go nor how long it would take before they were to arrive at their destination.

Mallory could not have expected that the following days to come would bring her feet, which have only ever known the riverbank by the Crowleys’, to places unexpectedly similar to the visions she would have by the river.

It was a place surrounded by foggy mountains, with water all throughout the land. A place a bit dark and dreary in the winters but with beautiful flowery meadows in the spring and summer. A place where everything hidden will unfold.

#creative writing #coming of age #fantasy #fantasy novel #magic #fantasy story #fiction #friendship #mystery #novel writing #novel #writing #writers on tumblr #magical #friends

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