A Chant at the Bounds of This World: Part 1

“Time to get up, people. Can’t sleep forever, you know! There’s a lot we need to get done and even more to figure out,” Aria shouted, shrugging Mana and Lacia awake.

Brendan was the last to stir as he examined the fire, now just darkened coals. “Aria, did you…”

She shot him a look. “This isn’t the time, or place. Later,” she whispered.

Brendan nodded as he stood up and walked over to the leyliner, noticing the software update had finished, but the device remained void of activity. For now, it was just a useless metal cube. He’d assumed it was always online, not thinking about the mana-consumption something like that would take.

“Either way, I guess Licht is asleep,” he thought. “Should I just leave him be, though?” A gleeful grin snuck onto his face. “Nah!” He forcefully shook the leyliner. “Time to wake up, Licht. Rise n’ shine!”

The cube flared to life, hovering in front of Brendan’s face. Was it… glaring at him? Without warning, the cube smacked him. Rubbing the rightfully earned welt on his forehead, he reached for the device, prepared to prove he could hit harder.

“Tch. Was trying to have a little fun…”

“You shook the hell out of it, what else did you expect it to do?” Aria mused as she walked over, examining the object. “I saw you walk in with this thing, but you never told me what it does. Seems rather hostile towards you, though.”

“To put it simply,” he frowned, still rubbing his forehead, “the leyliner is a two-part system. It allows us to see and speak with each other over long distances by imbuing a small amount of mana into the device itself.” Hesitantly, Brendan picked it up again. “By flipping a switch, it can transform into an earpiece where it’s able to transmit audio-visual data back to Licht. In this mode,” he flipped the second switch, “it’s like a magnet, but it sticks to you if you focus your mana wherever you place it. Audio-only, though.”

“Hey, Licht isn’t awake, is he?” Aria blurted out. “There’s something we all—”

“Need to discuss?” Brendan interjected. “There’re a few things, it seems. Standing around won’t get us anywhere, though.” He flipped the switch again as the leyliner transformed back into a floating cube. “Licht, are you awake or not?”

“Yea, yea. I’m here,” Licht’s voice came through the floating cube. “We do need to go over some stuff, especially the Reverse World, but there’s something else we need to go over, first.” The leyliner fell silent for a moment before hovering over to Aria then off towards Mana and Lacia. “I’m just checking vitals right now. Aria, you said you were having trouble healing your wounds, but you seem to be alright now.”

She blushed. “I won’t ask how you know that, but you’re right. I feel better than I did, uh, last night? It’s taking some time still, but I was able to repair some of the internal damage when I woke up…”

“How much mana would you estimate you currently have, then?” Licht questioned. “Just a rough guess is fine.”

“Uhh… Maybe, like, thirty-five percent of normal or so? Not great, but I’m out of danger, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Something has suppressed the normal mana-recovery rate… Hmm… Alright,” he said, “just try not to use too much for the time being. Now, for Lacia and Mana.”

A wave of blue light washed over Lacia and Mana, still asleep, heads nestled on each other’s shoulders. Sequences of numbers and letters flashed across the screen in matrixes of data and illogical summaries. Mana was the first to wake, disturbed by the bright LED light.

“I’m not sure if waking up to this is creepy or just genuine concern, Licht,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “Either way, mind telling me what’s going on?”

“Yeah,” Lacia groaned, turning around to face the wall. “Let a girl sleep.”

“More surprises every day, I swear. Lacia,” Mana sighed, “you can’t sleep forever.” She knelt beside her, trying to turn her back over. “Lacia, come on. Why are you like this?”

“Because it hurts to move right now,” she whined.

“Oh? Is that right? I wonder what you should be telling me, then.”

Aria pulled Brendan aside as Mana and Lacia delved into a heated argument over who was going to tell the story of their adventures first. There was still a lot she didn’t understand about herself. How had she forgotten about two of the most important people in her life? Was it the metaphorical hand of fate that had brought them together again? But if that were the case, what explained her memory loss? She hadn’t willingly chosen to forget; there had to be another force at play, something working in the background.

Like the exposure on a camera, she felt like her memories needed a little more light to fully reveal themselves again. The longer she waited, the more light they could draw before she snapped the photo, preserving the moments forever. Still, an unwarranted feeling of dread poured over her. She knew that certain traumas could create a type of memory suppression, and that scared her. Was there something in the back of her mind that was so traumatic, so life-altering, that she’d subconsciously forgotten an entire part of her life?

“Better late than never,” she thought. Aria turned her head to the side before returning her attention to Brendan. “I still want to discuss this more later, but… You did have the same dream I did, right? What do you remember… from that night?” Her cheeks flushed. “I’m afraid to be honest, of what I’ve become, and how I let myself be so easily manipulated,” she said in a low voice. “I’ve done so many terrible things you don’t even know about and—”

“That doesn’t mean I think of you as some kind of monster, Aria. I don’t care if we’re living in a dream or I don’t have the full story yet, I’m not one to judge you based upon what you’ve done or who you think you are.” Brendan reached for Aria’s hand, but she pulled away.

“There’s something else you need to know, but it’s better if—” She stopped, reordering the thought in her head. “It’s better if I show you.”

“Show me—?” A shrill beep from the leyliner cut him off. “We’ll pick this up later, ok?”

Displeased about being put on hold, Aria bit her lip. “That boy. He cares so much about those two even though we were the almost-somethings…” She pressed her hands to her cheeks. “This isn’t the time to be the jealous girl, Aria. There are bigger things to worry about.”

The leyliner had finished its scan of Lacia and Mana, still bickering about who was more obliged to share the details of their journeys. A matrix of data points ranging from blood oxygen level to red blood cell count was projected on the wall, providing a detailed summary of their health like art in a museum.

Mana’s numbers suggested relatively good health despite the debilitating MCS blackouts almost twenty-four hours earlier. Her blood sugar levels were normal, and her white blood cell count was within acceptable range. Surprisingly, the leyliner had mapped out a three-dimensional model of her brain as well, showing zero complications. Except for the slow mana-recovery rate, all of her other vitals were acceptable.

Lacia’s numbers, however, told a different story: her metabolic levels were significantly diminished, her red blood cell count was low, and an X-Ray showed multiple fractures ranging in severity from cracked ribs to her already-broken foot. Likewise, the bruises on her arms and legs still hadn’t fully healed from her run-in with Lucifero; purple ring-like bruises wrapped around her thighs, lower legs, and forearms.

“Wow,” Aria said, analyzing the data sets, “I knew I was cutting it close when I showed up but, again, wow.” She shuddered, chilled by the thought of how close Lacia had come to death. “I’d surmise that, when he when placed that curse mark on you, it was meant to slowly kill you—inadvertently. If he could wound you enough, his plan was likely to allow the curse mark to finish you.”

“Why should I have to tell— Wait.” Lacia stopped mid-argument. “What’s happening?” She turned around to face the wall, skimming the numbers from the leyliner’s scans. “Aria,” she said, surprise etched across her face, “I couldn’t say it earlier, and I still don’t completely trust you, but,” she paused again, regaining her composure, “thank you. You saved my life, and I know I’ve been ungrateful, not having thanked you until now. I realize just how close we both came to dying. Looking at these numbers, finally feeling the effects of that fight, I feel like I kind of dropped the ball…”

Aria bit her lip, taken aback by Lacia’s apology, still a little hurt by her lack of trust, but she understood. “Look, Lacia. I know we aren’t on the best of terms, but let me explain—”

“I’ll think about it,” Lacia blurted. “Give me time, Aria. Please.”

Dejected, Aria took a step back, balancing on the backs of her heels. She wanted nothing more than to explain why she’d treated her so terribly, and how she longed to mend their relationship, but what would something like that take? Lacia had made it clear that trust was earned, not gained.

“I guess I was an idiot, thinking that we could play pretend and forget everything that happened.” She gave a depressive sigh.

“We don’t have much time for reunions. Sorry,” Brendan said, cutting the tension in the air as he turned toward Aria. “Earlier, you said it would be easier to show me something.” He was careful not to share the details of their previous conversation, much less shared dream. “I know there are things you want to tell all of us, so I’ll just say this: if you feel like this is the time to tell-all, I’d say do it. We’ve all been gathered here for a reason,” he grabbed Aria’s hand, trying to reassure her, as she tried to pull away, “so let’s figure out why and get all of this baggage off of our chests. We have to stop whatever it is the Reverse World is hoping to achieve here.”

A pit formed in Aria’s stomach. The feelings of isolation, abandonment, anguish— She swallowed them all, trying to understand her feelings towards Brendan and why he was so adamant about keeping her close, but it wasn’t Brendan she was worried about; her relationship with Lacia wasn’t where she wanted it to be, and that bothered her the most.

“Ugh. He’s right, though. I need to focus on what’s important now.” Taking a sharp breath, the chilly air sharpened her mind. “Ok, I’ll go ahead and start now,” she said, casting away her melancholic attitude. “It would be best if everyone stood back a little—everyone but Lacia.”

Lacia pointed at herself. “Me? Might I ask why?”

“Remember when we first met? How I told you I knew where you received that gash in your side? You could say that time has theoretically stopped in that world.”

She stooped down, fumbling around in her bag. With a glint of excitement, she retrieved the same knife she’d taken back from Lacia before they disembarked the ship. To everyone’s horror, she dragged the blade across the palm of her hand as a fresh stream of blood trickled to the floor.

“Aria! What are you—?”

A sudden gush of wind slammed into Lacia as her feet slid across the concrete floor. She shielded herself with her arms as rich magical energy filled the air, engulfing the empty border gate like a raging whirlwind.

“Lacia,” Mana shouted above the rush of wind, “What’s going on? What is she talking about? Some other world?”

Brendan echoed Mana’s questions, now directed at Aria. “I know you’re upset,” he shouted, “but a little explanation would be nice, you know! Like, what are you trying to say? Lacia and the Reverse are connected?”

“Be patient,” Aria shouted back. “There’s a reason I’m doing this.” She turned to look at Lacia, pivoting the job of explaining to her.

“Yeah,” she said, “just allow me to summarize the last few weeks into a quick two-minute explanation, she said, throwing up her hands before another blast of wind tore into her. “Hang on! Let me explain before you blast me again!” She turned her head so Mana and Brendan could hear her. “There’s another plane of exis—”

A stabbing pain erupted across her abdomen as if something had lodged itself into her flesh. She stumbled back, fresh crimson stains seeping through her clothes. Judging by Aria’s lack of concern, she assumed the return of her agony was part of the plan, but she was growing tired of everyone using her as a scapegoat.her time as everyone’s scapegoat was growing old.

Mana moved to intercept Aria, noticing Lacia’s discomfort, but was met with an abrupt hand as she approached. She protested, frowning. It had been nearly a month since the two had last seen each other. Watching Lacia grovel in pain was painful in of itself.

“Stay there, Mana,” Lacia said, sputtering trace amounts of blood.breathing heavily. “Just… let her do this. I know Aria has her reasons, and there’s no other way to explain everything that has happened to us to you.” She dropped to one knee.

Ignoring her warningdemands, Mana pushed forward. Her now-caramel locks reminded Lacia of the time she’d given her a makeshift haircut when they were children. She’d watched as locks of sleek, black hair fell to the floor, reflecting the overhead light with a glossy sheen. The renewed shade of her now-caramel strands fascinated Lacia just as her dark hair did back then, streaming in the light of the afternoon sun.

“Give me your hand,” Mana shouted over the wind, but it was no use. The shrieking air currents tore any sound other than its own howls to shreds. Determined not to lose the one thing she’d fought so hard for, she pushed on. She knew her stubbornness was her greatest weakness, but she refused to let that weakness define her. After all, her stubbornness had brought her this far. Just as the day had its night, her weakness also had its counterpart; the very same stubbornness that often got her into trouble was the very thing that led her back to Lacia. Her overprotective spirit hadn’t failed her yet, and she wasn’t about to end that streak, either.

“Like hell I’m about to lose you again,” she gritted.

Lacia turned her head, addressing the worried look on Mana’s face. “This“Look. I know you’re worried,” she shouted over the wind, “but this is something we have to do, and I know you’ll understand that,” she shouted over the wind. “. I won’t leave you alone, I swear.”

“How can you say that when you’re in as poor a shape as you are? You and Aria are keeping something from me, from us, and I— What am I supposed to do if I lose you again? And right after I just found you? That’s not fair!” After what seemed like the world’s longest shouting match, the wind finally began to subside; rich, magical energy lingered in the air. “Can’t we just—”

“You don’t know the meaning of what is and is not fair, Mana,” Aria interrupted, overhearing the last of her conversation with Lacia. “I don’t mean to be rude, just— Please. I’ll explain when we get there. For now, I just need everyone to take a breath.”

SheMana nodded, reassessing the situation. “Sorry, Aria, but I really need you to please explain what just happened. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re a little confused. And where, exactly, is ‘there??’””

“I can’t answer that question until Lacia imbues some of her mana into this.” A small key appeared in her hand, shimmering like a watery reflection in water.. “Her mana is all that’s needed to solidify this key.” She tilted her head back towards Brendan. “And, if I’m not mistaken, you and Mana also found a little something special on your adventure, right?”

Brendan folded his arms across his chest. “Alright. Now how did you know—?”

“That band is called a halifer. There are only two in existence,” she emphasized, “and, supposedly, they possess the power to open doorways to other worlds. When this key takes physical form and resonates with one of the doorways, you’ll hear it. Whether any of this is actually true or not is irrelevant. Clearly, you found one, and I have one of the keys.”

“So,” Lacia said, taking a seat on the ground, “it’s reasonable to assume that what you already know about this stuff is actually real.” She laid back, the cold concrete soothing her achy muscles.

“That’s a valid assumption, I suppose,” Aria replied. “When a halifer comes into contact with one of these doorways, once opened, they emit a certain frequency, and that resonance is what activates the doorway—what allows for actual travel between worlds.”

“Fair enough, but I’m not hearing anything right now,” Brendan shrugged. “More importantly, why does it have to be Lacia’s mana?”

“Listen carefully, Brendan,” Mana said. “It’s faint, but you can hear it, almost as if the key really is resonating….” She pulled the halifer from her bag and presented it to Aria. “How does Lacia tie into all of this, though? I think Brendan has a valid question here.”

With a small grunt, Lacia returned to her feet, but something had happened. Golden particles now floated in the air, dancing and twirling around her as she held her palms out, absorbing the shimmering cloud. She felt rejuvenated—the best she’d been since her life had devolved into innumerable injuries and fear.

The rush of rejuvenation reminded her of warm spring days, the renewal of life and reinvigorating energy that came with it. As soon as the feeling swept through her body, it was gone, a series of bright, golden flashes concluding the brief moment of bewilderment. She looked to Aria for an explanation who could only offer her best assumption.

“Lacia… Do you know what that power is? Have you any idea what just happened?” she asked curiously.

“Umm… Well— What’s the correct answer?”

Ignoring Lacia’s attempt at humor, she continued on. “I think what that might have been was an extremely rare type of magic, something that can only be wielded by someone of a certain bloodline. Uhh… What that basically means is that you do have a super special gift—we just don’t know exactly what it is and how it works.” She locked eyes with Lacia, studying her intently. “I think I’m beginning to understand what Lucifero was after.”

“And if we factor in the Erill Gate,” Licht added from the leyliner, “we have a very compelling argument that what Lucifero was really looking for had something to do with opening that gate.”

Mana and Brendan exchanged glances with each other as Lacia stood awkwardly in the center of the room. No one seemed to know what to do next, having surmised what it was Lucifero, and likely the other devils, wanted. Still, even if that were the case, there remained one problem: no one knew where the Erill Gate was or what it was, for that matter.

Aria’s eye twitched in response to a sudden growing pressure. Something in the air had changed; it clung to her skin like wet clothes on a hot day. Her magic was reacting to something, but she couldn’t place why it felt familiar, yet so strangely foreign.

“We’ve had it wrong this whole time,” she mumbled, “but something tells me we’re running short on time…”

Lacia’s vision pulsed in response to the same growing pressure that seemed to be affecting Aria. She dropped to the floor, legs sprawled out beneath her as she brought a hand to her head. As her body adjusted to the increased magical energy, something strange happened: a new, larger, golden orb appeared before, hovering several inches from her face.

“I feel like this one’s different from the last few… The magical energy with this orb is— I think it’s harmonizing with me?” She squinted. “Maybe it’s some kind of fairy? A spirit…?”

“No good guesses,” a small voice fluttered through her head.

“Did you just— Telepathy?”

“Much danger. Soon.”

Puzzled, she continued her questioning. “What do I call you? What are you?”

“I am Hika. Hika is an aurei.”

“An aurei? This is the first I’ve ever heard of you, but why are you here?”

“Lacia is Hika’s home. Hika has always been with Lacia, Lacia just not know it,” the aurei said through broken sentences. “We must go. Danger coming for Lacia and friends.”

A frown spread across Lacia’s face. “Hika, was it? I still have so many questions, though.”

“Umm, Lacia,” Mana said. “Are you talking to that ball of light…?”

Aria nodded. “I was going to let her continue. I figured maybe she’d lost her mind finally,” she silently giggled.

“I still half a mind to dump you in the snow, Aria,” Lacia said, unamused.

“I was kidding. Relax…”

“Questions later,” Hika urged. “Hold out hand for Hika so Hika can finish.”

Lacia did as instructed as she extended her arm. Hika swooped onto her palm, tracing dancing letters of light. Something inside of Lacia stirred—a sense of reassurance and calm. She took a deep, slow breath, allowing the rapid influx of mana to fill her with elation.

Coming to terms with the aurei, however, would challenge everything she believed in, and while the concept of gods and mythology wasn’t something she was keen on, the encounter with Lucifero had forced her to begin rethinking her approach.

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll find out the tooth fairy is real too,” she muttered.

A sudden wave of ominous dread sent chills through Lacia’s body. Goosebumps lined her arms as she shivered, unable to control her now-chattering teeth. She felt like she was on a rollercoaster, the subsequent feeling of falling was inevitable once the ride reached the top of the tracks. Her heart leapt into her throat, ready to flee whatever evil had wormed its way towards her and the rest of the group. Given Aria’s earlier thoughts on Lucifero’s motives, she surmised his defeat had sent shockwaves through the Reverse World; it was all but certain another devil was on its way to finish the job now that they were all tired and weak. She turned her attention to Hika who, with one final swoop, completed the letter tracing.

“We must go. Hika will take you back soon. Learn to use power soon,” the Aurei encouraged.

“Wait! How do I use this power? And what do you mean by taking me back? Back where?”

“Hika must go but will see Lacia soon.”

“Wait!”

A powerful tremor shook the corridor just as Hika vanished into a puff of golden light. The terrifying malevolence made Lacia nauseous. Booming laughter filled the air as if it were taunting her, knowing there was nowhere for her to run or hide.

“Hika said I need to learn to use this power, soon, but how do I do that? Do aurei not come with an instruction manual or something?” She pulled at her hair in frustration. “How am I supposed to use this ‘power’ everyone keeps telling me I have if I don’t know how to use it to begin with?” She looked at Aria.

“I can teach you, but I don’t think now is the time.” Aria bit her lip. “Guess we pray for a miracle? I mean, I don’t know what else we can do. You’re looking at me like I have all the answers.”

“Well,” Brendan and Mana said in unison, “you kinda do.”

Aria shrugged. “Think about what you felt when that golden light entered your body. Try to feel something different—anything that might lead you to a really fast understanding on how to use magic. There’s no way we went through everything we did just to die here.”

Lacia crossed her arms as she closed her eyes. “Even if, by some miracle, I manage to figure out just how to use magic, or whatever, I definitely can’t fight. Like,” she held out her arms, “do you expect these things to throw a punch? Why else do you think I elbowed you? These stick arms are useless.”

Devil or not, they had a couple minutes, at best, to figure something out. Aria and Lacia seemed to be the most affected by the growing presence, but even Mana, Brendan, and the leyliner had picked up on the intensifying evil. Unlike Lucifero, however, this evil was different: collected, precise, and nauseating.

Another devil was on its way, but its energy seemed rooted to a single point rather than emanating outward unlike Lucifero’s, which was chaotic and lacked control, flailing around like a garden hose. There wasn’t any time to think. One moment, everyone was rubbing sleep from their eyes; the next, they were standing at the precipice of an evil so monstrous that even the word “terror” felt hollow.

Ready or not, someone was going to have to step up. “I’m not a fan of sacrifices, to be honest, but how else do we win this fight?” Lacia pondered. “Hika must have given me something to work with, right? We’re all only here because of me. Would it be selfish of me to be the one to buy time if I can?” If the history books were going to write anything about her, she preferred they would write about her heroic attempts to save her friends from a devil. “Of course, to do that, I have to make sure I don’t get totally clapped first.”