Night had fallen upon the land. The forest was in utter darkness. Virginia was sitting down by a campfire that Charles had made for her. She looked around. The light of the fire made the trees look like giants towering over her, followed by a series of tall giants silhouetted in the continuing distance of the woods before fading into the darkness.
She pulled a blanket over her shoulders that Charles had left for her and looked back at the campfire, taking in its warmth. This is real.
She placed her hands down on the earth. This is real.
She pulled some grass out of the ground and looked at it. This is real.
She looked up at the night sky through the canopy of the trees. She saw the stars. They were the same constellation as back home. She even saw the big dipper. The full moon shone brightly down upon the tops of the trees and earth below.
They are all real.
She pulled out the dagger strapped around her thigh and looked at its blade in the reflection of the fire and moonlight. This is real.
She sheathed her dagger and continued to look around. This can't really be it, could it? Is this Alaythia?
She heard footsteps. Looking across the campfire, she saw Charles approaching her carrying a large pile of logs and sticks. He placed them down on top of another pile of wood that he had previously collected.
Amid its colorful blue, silver, and yellow designs, Virginia could not help but notice something curious about Charles's war shirt. On the back of it, running from top to bottom and parallel with each other, were two slits about a foot and a half long. Originally, she would have thought it to be two simple tears and nothing more; however, the edges of the slits were laced with leather straps, as if the shirt was designed to have two big, decorated slits on the shoulder blades. Distracted by more critical issues, she never bothered to ask him about it and continued staring at the trees until he walked over and sat beside her.
"Well, that should be enough for tonight," he said.
"Charles," Virginia began. "Do you remember the diary I told you I found?"
She was hesitant to hear his response. Last time, he got worried when she brought this up. Please, don't be upset with me.
He leaned his head back and looked up at the sky. "Yup."
Virginia leaned back on her arms and looked up at him. "It was written by a girl about my age named Rose Cohen. What do you know of her?"
Charles smiled. "She's a legend of Alaythia."
"A legend?"
"Yes, indeed."
"How was she a legend?"
"She was one of the greatest warriors ever to wield the metal of Oralmuti."
"The metal of what?"
Charles reached behind his head and grabbed the handle of the massive sword strapped behind his back. With a mighty stroke and a loud ring, he pulled it out of its sheath and held it out for Virginia to see. The blade was forged of the most unusual metal, unlike anything Virginia had ever seen. It was like glass, almost. She could clearly see her reflection in it. She reached out to touch it. The blade felt warm and crystal-like. She trailed her fingers down to touch the edge of it. Charles reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her.
"Don't do that," he instructed.
"Why?" she asked. "How sharp is it?"
Charles took a blade of grass from the ground, held it above the edge of the sword, and let it fall. The strand of grass fell gracefully, but once it came in contact with the blade's edge, it split in two.
"That sharp," he said.
Virginia quickly drew her hand away from the sword. Charles sheathed it back over his shoulder.
"It's unlike anything I've ever seen," she said. "It doesn't even look like metal."
"That's because it is not of our world back home," he said. "There are many things you will see here that may surprise you, but don't worry. The true warriors that carry this weapon fight for you, not against you."
"The true warriors?"
"Yes. The warriors of Elyamin."
Virginia closed her eyes and shook her head. "Okay. Back up. Who is Elyamin? How was Rose Cohen one of the greatest warriors in Alaythia? And who is this one I heard you speak of earlier? What was his name? Oralm…something."
Charles chuckled. "You have many questions, Virginia—good questions, I might add! And I promised you that all your questions would be answered if you came with me here. And that's one of the reasons why I'm taking you to The City of Gaal."
That doesn't sound like a very pretty name. "The city of what?"
"The City of Gaal. It is King Elyamin's city. It is where he trains his armies and teaches his students. It is a city west of here, beyond the Great Canyon and over the Twin Mountains. Many seek it; only those who seek it with all their hearts find it. There, you will find all of your answers."
Virginia was about to say that none of this made any sense, but before she did, she looked back up at the stars and moon. She felt the grass beneath the palms of her hands. She felt the warmth of the fire hitting her face. Everything was real. This place was real.
"I'm just having a hard time understanding it, I guess," she said.
Charles let out a little laugh. "You are not the first one. I've lived both on Earth and in Alaythia since I was a child, so I understood it with the heart of a child. Now, it has become a part of me. Here's one thing I will say that might help you: don't try to make sense of it. Just listen to the spirit of Oralmuti, and then you will understand it."
Virginia looked at Charles with a raised brow. "Charles…that did not help me one bit."
Charles laughed again and smiled. "In time, I think you will know what I'm talking about."
Virginia looked at the forest around her. "Where in Alaythia are we, exactly?"
"That I can answer," said Charles. "You are in the Southern Woods of Earth Stars. Several tribes like mine occupy it."
"Do they all get along alright?"
Charles stirred the embers of the fire with a stick lying beside them. "No. Not all of them."
Virginia could see something eating at him. "Why? What's wrong?"
Charles took a deep breath and stared at the flames. "There was an event that took place generations ago called The Great Division. There was once a great warrior who fought for Oralmuti and his people."
"His people?"
"Yes. The people of Oralmuti were known as the nation of Amyah, but more commonly known as the Waters of Alaythia."
He touched the dagger strapped to Virginia's leg. "This great warrior wore the Dagger of the People of Amyah, a gift from Oralmuti, like this one you and I carry. He was blessed incredibly by Oralmuti, so much so that his spirit fell upon the warrior and made him one of the greatest, undefeated fighters in the land. The opposing armies of Skal Galmudaretz tried to claim his life, but he was unstoppable. But then, something happened that no one—not even he—saw coming. A terrible threat divided the tribes and the lands. The people he was fighting for—those behind him—were fighting against each other, while the armies in front of him advanced even more because of everyone's disunity."
Virginia squinted her eyes as if trying to read a word in front of her. "Okay, you completely lost me in all of that. And what was that weird-sounding place you mentioned? Skal Gal…Geh…what?"
Charles smiled. "Skal Galmudaretz."
"What's that?"
"It's a kingdom that exists in Alaythia, far off near the Eastern Bounds. A place full of every kind of darkness known and unknown to man. They say that the land is so barren of anything good and true that you can feel the emptiness in your spirit the closer you near its borders."
Virginia sat closer to Charles. "And the warrior. Did he fight off the armies of Skal Gal…" she shook her head and gave up, "of this evil kingdom? Was he able to unify the people once again?"
Charles shook his head. "No. Not entirely, anyway."
"What happened to him?"
"When the Great Division took place, chaos flooded the peoples of Alaythia. Nation was against nation, neighbor against neighbor, and tribe against tribe. Yet, he was one of the few who kept his mind and heart pure—he and his tribe with him. Instead of following the tide, he followed through with other obligations."
"What other obligations?"
"Before the chaos hit, he had rescued a beautiful young woman from the clutches of an opposing tribe. He took her into Alaythia, to the ancient city of Oralmuti, called The City of the Lion, where she discovered who she was and what she was meant for. She became one of the greatest warriors of Alaythia and fought by his side to the very end. But, once the chaos broke loose, he knew it was too dangerous for her to remain in Alaythia. Too many people wanted her dead. She needed to leave before things got worse. He needed to protect her."
"Who was she?"
Charles looked into Virginia's eyes. "Rose Annemarie Cohen."
Virginia's eyes lit up. "What about the warrior? What happened to him?"
"Well, long story short, he got her home safely, then returned to Alaythia to help restore the balance. The plan was that after the balance had been restored to a better level, he would return for her, and they would both return to Alaythia to further the mission together."
Charles lowered his head. "However, things did not go as balanced as he had hoped. He returned for her, keeping his promise, hoping they could still do something together. But when he arrived back at her house, she was not there."
Charles stirred the fire some more. "Her family unexpectedly returned to their home overseas, and she was forced to go with them."
Sorrow filled Virginia's eyes. Burning Eagle! "That's terrible."
"Yes, and he was depressed, too."
"What happened to him next?"
"He went back to the only life he knew. He went back to Alaythia. The years passed, and the two warriors that once fought side-by-side became all but a legend. But it was not the end. The warrior married another and had two sons, becoming the ruling tribes—the two ruling kingdoms if you will—of the Northern and Southern Woods of Earth Stars in Alaythia."
I'm ninety-nine percent sure, but I have to ask him. "The warrior. Who was he? What was his name?"
"He was known by the tribal name that the people gave him once the spirit of Oralmuti consumed him. He was known as Burning Eagle."
Virginia's eyes weighed heavy with guilt. The Diary! It was true! Everything that Rose talked about was true.
She lowered her head and stared into the flames of the dying fire.
"Here," said Charles, "let me see your wound."