Nathan in the Realm

It had grown very quiet in the house. Aslan and Nathan had carried Severin to his bed where he was now sleeping and were sitting on the couches in the living room, their faces weary as the heaviness of what had just transpired settled upon their minds. Neither of them spoke but rested their heads on their hands, their elbows on their legs. Moira was sitting in the armchair, her brow furrowed, a tear rolling down her cheek as she felt the years of pain and struggle show itself. However, it was also of relief as now two of her closest friends, one a Terabikai, understood and could now carry that burden with him.

A long time went by and Aslan excused himself and went downstairs. Suddenly Nathan stood and spoke to Moira.

“I need to know the name of the man who gave you that power,” he whispered quickly.

“How come?”

“I would like to visit with him in the Realm; get his thoughts. I also want to ask him something. Can you tell me about him?”

Moira sighed and then spoke flatly but with care in her voice.

“Severin… told us what had happened. About the cold feeling he had, I mean. We didn’t really know what had really happened so we thought it was one of those things that people hang onto and refuse to let go so it festers and infects them. We were all affected by what happened but none so badly as him. He almost immediately had a terrible aversion to fire, even the word would set him off. He refused to leave his room when the lanterns were lit or when dinner was being made. We had no idea at all that he was cursed...

"We said the word to him- shouted it at him. We made him say it. My parents wouldn’t leave until he said fire 5 times. They held torches towards him. Of course he screamed but we thought that he would soon get over it when he heard it enough, but he just got worse. One day, about a year later, our dad cornered him and held him down, screaming the word over and over again. He began to act as he did tonight, screaming a horrible tortured scream, and then we saw the mark in his eyes and immediately we stopped. We didn’t know what to do but realized right then that this was more than some bad experience. This was a curse. There was nothing Severin could do to stop it. Saying the word or seeing a flame only activated the curse embedded in his Teracor that day, calling the monster to his presence.

"My father, being a ship captain, knew of a man who was a double master of Astronomy and also a local Terabikai so right away we contacted him. He came to our house immediately, rushing into the Realm to stop the attack before it consumed him but it had been lodged even deeper into him. He returned after a long fight, bringing Severin back to us. He couldn’t remove the curse but confirmed our suddenly realized fears- that he did indeed have a curse through no fault of his own. He then disappeared and reappeared, turning to me and telling me I was a very good soul and that Terabi had given him permission to bestow upon me an aura that would keep the beast away when Severin was in my presence. He also placed an aura shield upon our house so that he would always feel safe there. The only place he can be in the presence of an open flame and not be thrown into the curse is our home. This is why Severin is always at my side.

"People may think it’s odd but they don’t understand what could happen should you or I leave him alone. It strikes the most at night, when he is the most vulnerable. His first year of college was very unsettling for him and he spent most of his time in two buildings. I was not there but somehow he managed to go the whole year without an open attack… Anyway, the very kind man who gave me that aura was an older man. He died at the end of 2008 so he’ll definitely be in the Realm. We were all there for his ceremony of leaving. The man which you seek is named Rupert Freloch.”

Nathan looked at Moira, his blue eyes glowing briefly with the mark of Terabi.

“Thank you, Moira. I shall speak with him when I return home,” he said gently, shaking her hand and turning to leave. "I shall see you tomorrow. Severin should be fully recovered by then."

Nathan arrived back at his apartment about half an hour later and quietly went to his room. He knew he would need to take his whole body with him and not just his spirit so he made sure nobody would disturb him and turned off his light. Looking around at the walls, covered with pictures of friends, family, and serene scenes of nature, he took a deep breath and fell backwards. He did not fear as he began to race closer to the ground, and as he was about to land on the white carpet he heard the familiar whooshing sound, falling right through the floor, not feeling anything except warm energy. He was now appearing to fall upwards, as if he had fallen forward but in reverse, and stopped just as his body was once again level.

He now found himself in the peace and serenity of the Realm, swirling blue energy surrounding him. Everything was perfectly in order, the soft, blue light twinkling as it illuminated the otherwise sunless and shadowed place. Beneath his feet, the neat cobblestone floor stretched endlessly in every direction, not entirely even as it expanded almost like water on the surface of a lake. A low resonance hummed, the pitch changing slightly up and down, exactly in time with the flickering of the low light. The Realm stretched infinitely for miles and miles, the cobblestones finally meeting with darkness at the horizon. Every so often a small set of pillars- meeting ports- stood tall, made of white stone. Far off in the distance Nathan could see the blue-tinted shapes of Terabikai walking from place to place slowly, some with no urgency while others glided along with a destination in mind. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone appear, walk a few paces, and then disappear, knowing that they had just used the Realm to traverse.

Nathan stood for a moment, taking a deep breath as he marveled the simplicity yet power of the Realm that he was so privileged to enter in his own timing. He was no longer wearing the clothing he had on but was instead wearing long flowing black robes. His chest now glowed bright blue and this radiance illuminated his whole body. Turning his head slowly in either direction, he saw nobody nearby and held his hands over his heart. A moment later, a bright white and blue orb had appeared in the space. It grew larger as he slowly moved his hands apart and white light swirled around quickly in the center. Once it was no bigger than a large citrus fruit, he gingerly brought the sphere to his lips, closed his eyes, and whispered, as articulate as he could, “Rupert Freloch.”

The whisper echoed louder and louder and he threw the sphere gently into the air where it shot off a circular wave of blue light and then disappeared. Nathan watched as it disappeared, knowing what would shortly follow. A moment later the figure of a man standing tall appeared from the horizon and flew quickly towards him, trailing a tail of blue light. He came stiffly to a halt with a loud WHOOSH a few feet away from Nathan. Rupert Freloch looked as Jadali as they came: he had dark, wavy hair slightly less than shoulder length, large smiling eyes, a broad and square face, and a darker left eye. He was surprisingly muscular and stood about Nathan’s height and had a look of compassion on his face. He looked surprised that he had been summoned and, looking up at Nathan, drew his blade of Lovelight, a marvelous scimitar heavily ornamented asymmetrically with bites and flares, and assumed a stance of duel. Nathan responded to this normal ritualistic greeting by drawing his own weapon, a bow.

“Oh wow! You’re one of the rare ones with a bow!” exclaimed Rupert with a smile. Nathan pointed his bow upwards and fired an arrow straight up, catching the returning light nimbly on his fingertips before it jumped back into his bow. He returned his weapon to his chest and Rupert did the same.

“It’s not often that someone calls for me,” Rupert began, “in fact, you’re the first!” Nathan could see that Rupert was apparently not very famous as a Terabikai, probably overshadowed by the more widely-known Meiro Freloch that was present in Dr. Sorela’s young and cursed youth. “You obviously know my name, but who are you?”

“I am Nathan Surcaston of Sunway, but currently residing in Kennywood. Have you heard of it?”

Rupert looked slightly puzzled so Nathan swept his right arm out, causing a map of the world to form in the air next to him. He repeated the name of his hometown and pointed it out on the map. Rupert smiled and nodded.

“Wow, that’s really far away! Forgive me, for my sense of landlocked places escapes me. Who do I know who lives there?”

“Well he wasn’t born there but he moved there for school. I hope you find his name and the name of his sister familiar because they are why I’m here.”

“Hmm… who is it then?”

“Severin Lochgren. And his sister Moira.”

“Oh wow! Yes, Severin and his family… What’s he doing there?”

Nathan smiled and calmly went on, raising his eyebrows, hinting in his voice. “There’s an important Terabikai that resides in this area that you’re missing. Can you think of who that might be?”

Rupert thought for a minute before suddenly realizing who Nathan was talking about. His eyes widened as the excitement came upon him. “Oh yes, of course! How could I have forgotten! Our own Sorela is there! The man who has both gifts and who slew the greatest threat behind the false king!”

“Yes, that’s exactly right,” said Nathan, noticing that Rupert took a minute to remember things, “Can you think of what they might be doing so far away?”

This time Rupert had an answer as the details of his doings had finally come back to mind. “He thinks that Sorela can help him and protect him from his curse!”

“Yes, that’s right. You remember!”

“Ah yes, sorry about being slow to recall. You see, nobody ever talks to me here. Most people go to Meiro Freloch with questions. When I entered here for good I went right to the Realm of Spirits and only so rarely pop in Terabi’s Realm so I am not as sharp and up to date on these things as him. I just spend lots of time with my lovely wife and other members of my family and only come here when summoned, really. Come, let’s talk at the Gatherer’s Hall. Take my hand.”

With these last words he withdrew a small blue orb and held it out for Nathan to touch. “This will take us there quickly. I bet you’ve only seen this place a handful of times.”

Nathan put his left hand on the orb and was gently but quickly thrust with Rupert through the vast space of the Realm, coming lightly to a halt at the entrance of what appeared to be a long alleyway in front of a massive castle. Nathan knew this place from his initiation so many years ago but had never been to this part of it looking for people to talk to. Where there was usually a vast and endless open space, here stood several tall buildings, looking as if they had fallen through the earth to the Realm just as he had. He knew that this was the main city that enclosed and surrounded Terabi's throne where important meetings and initiations took place. There were people all around, both men and women, those that had died long ago as well as living Terabikai who were there as their bodies slept, having some alone time or talking with friends.

Nathan followed Rupert as he held out his arm, opening a wooden door without touching it. Like everything else in the Realm, all of the structures had a glowing blue appearance, illuminated not from lights but solely from this glow of energy. They both stepped in and Rupert undid the claps of his cloak. They had entered a sort of pub- quiet, solitary men sat alone, sipping figuratively on beverages composed of different auras and emotions while fingering through the pages of old books copied from the world into the spirit matter of the Realm. A bit ahead, a man was floating in the air reading and studying some written newspaper in a language Nathan could not read. A man and woman sat at a small table engaged in flirtatious conversation, a spot on their ring fingers both glowing the same color of white signifying their bond of marriage. In the corner, eight men- two Terabikai and six the souls of those who had died and were visiting from the Realm of Spirits- were playing cards, laughing and enjoying their time together. Finally Rupert led Nathan to an open table and they sat facing each other.

"What is this place?" Nathan asked, marveling at all of the people around him.

"Ah! This is the City of Terabi's Palace. Those who have died are permitted to come here if they so choose from one of the four doorways nearby. Of course Terabikai always come here too. This is where they talk to the dead. They can also go to the Hall of Windows where they can speak to the dead and contact those through Osai's Realm. You'll find lots of men and women here. Every book of record, journalism, story, and history is copied here, free for us to read. Whenever a work gets destroyed, it becomes more solidified here, where it rests forever. Every painting in here is one that was lost on earth. Lots of people prefer this Realm to the Realm of Spirits and are known as regulars. We're at the local pub where people can order drinks meant to give the feeling of their favorites back on the earth. It's also a very popular spot for conversing as you can see. So what is it you want to ask of me?”

"What I want to know is simple. I understand that it was you that used your powers of Aikada to know for certain that Severin had the curse. You gave a protecting aura to his sister and to his household. He is fine in both of our presence. All I ask is if there is a way to remove a curse completely."

Rupert's eyes grew wide as he heard this and excitement filled his face for a moment. He leaned over the table and in a low voice began to whisper.

"When Sorela killed the demon of highest power almost fifty years ago, he caused many things to happen. Sure, everyone knows that he completely obliterated it, being left with its dormant soul fragment in him, and freeing all from its grasp, but the one thing he did that is so overlooked, and in my eyes the greatest act of all, was he forged the ability for Terabikai to remove curses completely. It's rarely been done because a bond of pure friendship must be forged in order to have enough power to do it, but it has been done. You seek to relieve Severin from his fear of fire. It will take great study to master this high-level art but I am willing to teach you. Just be aware that it causes great physical harm, just like killing that demon has scarred Sorela's body and slipped a rock into his wheel, if you will. Is this what you want?"

Nathan, his wide eyes shining brightly with the mark, looked at Rupert and nodded. "Yes. I sense you have studied this skill and this is what has moved me to seek you out."

"Very well then! I shall meet you soon again! Fare thee well, Nathan Surcaston, your heart is pure and you are strong. Come here any time to talk with any of the dead and all of the Terabikai."

With those words, Rupert pulled another orb out of his chest, whispered into it, and was drawn into the orb which then dispersed. Nathan was very happy to hear these words and as he made his way back to his room on the earth he knew that he had just made a very good friend who would prove to be a wonderful teacher.