Fellowship & Fairydust

CLAIR’S POV

Umi 14, 92 KA…

We had been on the ocean for a few days, and the two of us have had our share of misery and fun. I say misery because we’ve both had long exposure to the sun, and have gotten our share of burns as a result. My cousin was getting the worst of it to the point where he was as red as a boghudin fruit, but prolonged exposure was taking its toll on me too. I wish I had some sap that Grandpa would use on me from my childhood to treat my poor skin. 

Thankfully, Hina was with us, and the goddess kept using the light of the moon to heal us once the sun went down. Moana was also helpful, as she showed us how to operate the boats we sailed on so we weren’t a couple of incompetent fools. I could now tell the stay from the sheet, and she also applied coconut oil to us to try and help keep burns down. The sky was beginning to brighten, so Hina’s powers were going to start waning soon, and I was not looking forward to that. 

As the chief of her people checked the ocean’s currents with her hand, she said, “We’re getting close. I remember the stars and currents from the last time I was here. It makes sense that he’d be there.” 

“So, lass, where are you taking us?” Scrooge asked.

“It seems that Maui has gone back to Lalotai.” 

“Maui?” Looking at Hina, I asked, “Is that your husband’s name?”

“It is.” 

“But what is Lolly-time?” Jason asked. 

“Lalotai.” Moana corrected him. “Just the realm of monsters.” 

My blood froze at that. “Did you say, ‘Realm of monsters’?”

“Yes.” 

Before we could say anything else, we heard a series of booms, like explosions. The chief raised her eyebrow at the sound. “What is that noise? There aren’t any volcanoes this way.” 

“Explosions.” As he answered, my cousin looked in the direction they came from, determination replacing every other expression.

Standing on the boat she was on, Hina shut her eyes as if she was concentrating. To our surprise, the ocean swelled slightly around us and surged forward carrying the boats with them. “Hina, what are you doing?” I asked her. 

“Pushing the tide to carry us forward,” The goddess answered. “Maui is involved with those explosions, and I’m not waiting any longer to get to him.” From the strained look on her face, it seemed like she was forcing herself to be able to have this kind of power during the day. I hope she didn’t hurt herself. 

It didn’t take long for us to see a large mountain loom out of the ocean like a massive fin of some sea monster. This talk of this Lalotai place was making me nervous because I had no idea what to expect. The monsters my Grandpa told me about had always sounded like the stuff of nightmares, and I was afraid the monsters in this world might be the same. 

“Is that Laura-till?” Jason asked, pointing to the mountain.

“Lalotai.” Scrooge corrected him.

“Whatever. Is that the monster realm?”
“No. That’s the entrance.” The chief smirked. 

“That’s an entrance?” I asked. 

The old duck laughed. “Oh, I haven’t seen an entrance this challenging since that time I searched for cursed treasure in the lost city of–”
“Not interested,” Jason growled. Before Scrooge could retort, the boats ended up crashing against the shore of the island, throwing us into the sand. Spitting out some sand that got into my mouth, I looked around for this entrance that would take us to Lalotai, but I didn’t see it. And what was that strange sense of foreboding I felt? It felt… ancient, and powerful. And although it made me nervous, I couldn’t help but feel something inside of me was being pulled towards it, like it was calling me. I swear by Gri that it’s true. 

Getting off her boat, Moana grabbed a rope and tied it to one of the rocks jutting out of the ground all around. Following her example, Scrooge seized the rope from our boat and tethered it to rock as well. Hina joined them, though I noticed she had a hand pressed against her head, and she had to lean against one of the rocks for support. That stunt must’ve taken more out of her than she thought it would. “Hina, are you okay?” I asked.

“I’ll be fine once we get up there.” With that, the goddess began to climb up the mountain, undeterred by the height. Moana began to follow her, with the rest of us. After what felt like hours climbing up the mountain, I noticed I hadn’t gotten tired. All logic says I should have, but I wasn’t. That kind of freaked me out. It felt like I was still reenergized with one of the workout supplements back home, only on a more… spiritual level. Wait. This was magic I was feeling. I remember it from my first time.

 

Radiant Garden. Roba 18, 92 KA…

I was adjusting well to Radiant Garden. The clothes here were a little looser than what I was used to, but that strangely made them more comfortable. My cousin and I had to do things differently here, like opening doors manually and not having appliances be activated by voice command. All these things were irritating my cousin while, for some odd reason, I found myself enjoying them. Maybe it had something to do with this world having something I struggled with finding back home: Books. Not digital books to be read on a holo-screen, but actual real books, with covers and pages. 

I was looking through a book I had gotten even though I was still learning the language of this world. It was strange to be able to understand what everyone was saying but be unable to read the said language. This universal tongue thing had its shortcomings and major inconveniences. Still, it was proving to be a fun challenge. Much better than learning every stupid element in existence for the umpteenth time. 

While I kept trying to learn the language of this world, I paused in front of an old church building. It had gone through its share of trouble as the rest of this world had, and yet it still seemed welcoming. Today, though, something was different. I could feel something calling me from within. I can’t describe it, but it was like it was something I was missing, a part of me that I needed but did not have. 

Following the part of me that said to go inside the building, I found empty pews that were still in good condition despite the gaping hole in the ceiling and the pillar on the far side that was lying on the ground. A warm feeling filled my heart and soul, something I could only describe as light and peace. Tears came to my eyes because I felt like I had found a part of me that I didn’t even know had been missing. Going to the flowers growing in the middle of the room, I just stood there, taking a breath as I soaked in the wonderful feelings I now had. It was like I was finally whole, that I had stepped into the presence of Gri, and had rejoined my ancestors in the–

“Clair?” A voice asked from behind me, jolting me out of my thoughts. Turning, I saw Aerith standing there with a basket of flowers.

Clearing my thoughts, I said, “Oh, Aerith. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean–”
“How did you do that?” 

“Do what?”

“Make the flowers grow.”
“I didn’t… Gri’s beak!” I gasped because the flowers were now halfway up my waist, and appeared to be brighter than they were before. “What happened?”

“When I walked in, I saw you glowing, and the flowers grew.” Walking up to me, the woman added, “Clair, you have magic.” 

“Magic? But how?”
“There’s no way to explain the mystical in terms of science. Sometimes, the only way to understand something is to believe in it. Do you trust me, Clair?”
I had to think about my answer. “Aerith, you’ve been good to me and my cousin ever since we’ve arrived here in Radiant Garden. There’s a lot I don’t understand about this world, but if you say magic is real, then… I trust you.”

Those words made her smile. “You’ve taken a step in understanding. Let’s go see Merlin now.”

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