Saving The Old Land

Magic Portals

Zya's P.O.V.

I woke up the next morning feeling completely different now. I felt more alive. I lay in my bed looking up at the ceiling, not wanting to move from under the covers. All I could think about was the people I left behind and what they must be thinking about my disappearance. It was normal for me to be gone for hours, but no longer than twelve hours. Any longer and I would have had a group of people on my ass for not telling them. They were always worrying about my safety and whereabouts. I finally pulled myself out of my thoughts and sat up from the bed and looked out the large window towards the field. I quickly flinched and looked towards the door and a knock came after.

"Come in." I called, standing up finally.

"You're awake?" Rylie smiled. She walked in with another woman. "This is Mellissa. She will be helping you with everything. From clothing, to teaching you about the Changeling ways. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to." Rylie nodded her head before turning on her heel and walking out.

"A pleasure to meet you Mel." I spoke, walking over towards her.

"Agreed. Many Changelings were hopeful of your return or some information about your disappearance. I'm one of them." Mel smiled softly. She waved a hand and walked over towards a closet. "Place your hand on the door and wait a second." I placed my hand on the door and looked at her. "The magic in this world is so strong that closets or dressers change whatever clothing is inside to fit what the wearer needs or prefers. Touch one and it will recognize your preference for future use. Open it now."

"That seems very useful." I took my hand off the door and opened it up to see all the types of clothes I could ever want to wear or have ever worn.

"It is very useful and a great way to learn about a person. I will wait outside the bedroom door when you are done changing." She spoke. I could hear her leave but I was so mesmerized by all the clothes. I quickly chose an outfit that was easy to pull on and told others that I could be serious. Mel was right, a person's choice of clothes can tell you about them. Before walking out, I found a hairbrush on a vanity. Looking in the mirror, I knew I needed to brush my hair. I didn't realize how bad it looked until then. I pulled my hair into a ponytail before walking out of the room, seeing Mel rearranging some flowers on a table.

"I'm ready." I spoke, walking towards her. She turned around and nodded.

"Perfect. Here your mother had this made for you if you ever get lost. It is a map of the castle. The signs are still up from when we used to have visitors." Mel smiled.

"Used to?" I asked. The way she said that sounded weird.

"Yes, we used to get many from all over the world. From different countries, each one had their own type of person. We had contact with them for years until the fog came around and the portals were destroyed or broken into many pieces. We spent time trying to fix it but to no avail," Mel explained as we walked down the hall.

"Do you mean the one in the field?" I asked abruptly.

"Yes." She nodded. "Here in the castle we also have one and so do the Ulunneth. But all three are no longer in use."

"I wonder if the same has happened to all the other countries. I would love to learn more about this later." I spoke, placing a hand on my chin.

"I could help with that. Plus, I love being in the library." Mel piped up.

"That would be amazing. I could get to learn more about this world and see if there are any similarities to the one I was in." I laughed.

Mel and I continued to walk around the castle while she led me to the cafeteria for food. While walking I learned more about her and how she loves learning anything new. She also seemed excited to talk about how she would love to teach me anything and everything about this world.

Hours Later

I sat in the library reading one of the many books Mel had given me to read. This one told about all the islands and who lives there. All the species that I read about were ones that on Earth we believed were mythical, magical, or not a real thing. Here on this planet they are very real and not only that, there are humans here as well. The humans who do live on this planet live technically on a continent that they call Nebala. Nebala is the one place where everyone could go and not be attacked or judged.

When I reached the part about The Old Land I was amazed. Everyone outside believes that The Old Land once held all the Gods at once and they decided to live in peace. All the species decided the Ulunneth and Changelings got to live on the old land because of their ability to shapeshift into anyone or anything. The two species may hate each other, but they understand that the other is going through a different type of shift. And a different way to shift into other things.

I skimmed the other books to see if I could find anything about the portals but I found nothing. There was no story about them or anything to learn about them. They were mentioned but nothing else other than the portals connecting the other islands. So, if I was to figure out how to fix them, it could take months, even years to do so.

The longer I sat there thinking about the portal, the more I was flooded with memories of my friends and I fixed things that we thought would take forever. We did end up fixing everything we started and it worked better than we expected. What would I do to talk to them again? That would be my biggest regret, leaving them behind. I loved them and I still do, but everything else that was happening in the background when they weren't around, I just couldn't take it anymore. They tried to help fix those issues but they kept returning. Even my adoptive mom tried to help, but the issues returned and they never stopped being persistent.

"Zya?" I was pulled from my thoughts, making me look up at my mother. My real mother was now looking at me with curiosity and concern.

"Sorry, I was spacing. What's up?" I asked.

"I was curious as to what you were doing but then I saw the books." She sat down across from me. "Looking for anything specific?" She pointed to all the open books laid in front of me.

"Um, yeah. I was looking for something about the portal. I was thinking I could maybe fix it. But there seems to be little known about them," I answered, leaning back.

"That is kind of true. The only story that is known or told about them is a very short one. Long ago, when the Gods met up, they wanted their people to be able to commune and talk, so they made portals. One part that was always in question was who came up with the idea. One thing for sure, though, was that all the gods placed a piece to create the portal." I tilted my head. "I'll show you." She stood up and I followed her lead. "Each portal has different pieces attached with each species marker on a stone. The Changelings have a stone; Lycans, Banshee, Winter Lycans, and Ulunneth. But we can't seem to remember who we are missing and we dare not ask the Ulunneth in fear of a war if it is ours we are missing." She led me down to a dungeon-like area that quickly became a decorated room with a massive archway on the other end missing a large piece.

"I keep forgetting how big this thing is." I quickly pulled a pen and paper out, writing each symbol and their placement on the arch. "Is there no book with the symbols or markings?" I asked, looking back at her.

"None we can find." She shook her head. "We think the markings are so old that the gods never expected us to need to know what they meant or anything."

"That could be true. So, I know you and the council wouldn't want to talk to the Ulunneth about the portal. But could I? I want to be able to learn about them and their customs. Plus mend that peace that once existed between the people." I spoke.

"And maybe get to know Aziel better." My mother chuckled.

"Seriously!" I screeched, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment. That was another thing I wanted but I would never admit it.