The group arrived at the village at sunset. They stopped there for a quick meal before moving on. For the night, they slept at the lake again. They left first thing in the morning. Nobody stuck around to bathe. Oliver certainly wasn’t going to.
They got as far as getting on the path, when a large lynx bounded towards them. Before Oliver could shout, it shifted into... Ran? Ran had been a shapeshifter, all this time? He looked to Shawn who looked more tired than anything.
Ran got to his knees, wiping dirt off his pants. “I was hoping I’d find you.”
“Is something wrong?” Jyri asked.
Ran shook his head. “I just wanted to see if you found them yet, because none of us have seen them.” Ran looked at Shawn, Oliver, and Jessica on the estin. “I take it you’re headed back to the portal?”
“Yep,” Faye said. “We need to see Corvin first. These two injured themselves.” She jerked her head towards Shawn and Oliver.
Shawn stretched his arms out. “I’m actually feeling a lot better today."
Oliver, however, still couldn’t walk.
“Corvin went back home, with Lavina and Kirsten,” Ran said. “I decided to try tracking you down. Give you an update.”
“Thank you for that,” Jyri said.
During the conversation, a memory surfaced in Oliver’s brain. Of a lynx in his apartment that mysteriously disappeared. He looked at Ran. “It was you! You were the giant cat I saw.” Oliver turned to Jyri. “And you tried convincing me I was hallucinating!”
Ran hung his head sheepishly. Jyri smiled. “Yes. You caught us.”
“And you weren’t part of any cult,” Shawn said. “You were from a parallel universe all that time.”
“Would you have believed us if we told you?” Faye asked.
Oliver furrowed his brow. Knowing other universes existed explained a lot about Jyri, Faye, and Ran. But before they found out they were real, he wasn’t sure if he would have. “I find the cult theory more believable.”
“I didn’t buy that cult story for a minute,” Shawn said. “I would have believed it.”
Oliver stared at Shawn. “Seriously?”
“Maybe not that first day. But after everything that happened afterwards, I’m not all that surprised.” Shawn looked to Jyri. “Why’d you even come to our world anyway?”
“Ever since I discovered the possibility of portals to parallel universes, I wanted to find one for myself. After a lot of research, I discovered the portal we went through. And we went through it. There was nothing left for me here at the time anyway.”
“Me neither,” Faye said.
“Nor me,” Ran added. “Though Jyri would have dragged me through whether I wanted to or not.”
They skipped the town, and went straight for the woods. At this point, Ran led them. He claimed to know how to get to Corvin’s house. About a half hour of meandering along a trail, they arrived at the entrance of a cave.
“We have to go in here,” Ran said. “There’s a secret lift.”
A lift? “Like an elevator?” Oliver asked, as they entered in the dark cave.
“Maybe?” Ran sounded as though he’d never heard the term before.
A light shown all around them. Startled, Oliver looked for the source, and saw a glow of light coming from Faye’s hands. “So you do know magic. Are you a witch?”
Faye was slow to answer. “A half-fairy. I only know a few small spells. Witches are about as common as wizards here.”
“Really?” Shawn asked. “Where’s your wings?”
“Under my shirt. Where do you think?”
Ran stopped them. “There’s a button hiding on the wall… Here!” He pushed a button that blended in with the cave wall. Part of the wall moved downwards, revealing a platform that reminded Oliver of an elevator. They all managed to squeeze in the alcove, Holger included, but it was a tight fit.
“Looks like an elevator to me,” Shawn said, watching the wall come back in front of them. “What’s it powered by?”
The elevator shot up fast. It felt more like an amusement park ride than a regular elevator.
“Magic,” Jyri said, as a door opened in front of them.
They all walked out into a large room. The walls looked to be made out of some sort of blue crystal material. There were a few couches. Holger dropped down, allowing his passengers to get off. Though Shawn had to help Oliver up. He led him to one of the couches, and Oliver sat down.
“You’re back!” Lavina walked into the room, accompanied by Kirsten and Corvin.
“And you found your friends,” Kirsten said.
“We did. But Oliver here needs his foot healed.” Jyri looked at Corvin expectantly.
Corvin walked over to Oliver. “Take off your shoe and sock. Let me get a look at it.”
Oliver did. It was swollen, and bruised.
“Gross!” Lavina shouted. Kirsten nudged her in the side.
“Never mind her.” Corvin squatted for a better look. “I’ve seen much worse.” He held his hand over his ankle, and foot. A warm feeling overcame Oliver, followed by a slight pain. The bruising went away. The swelling went down. And the pain was gone.
Oliver moved his foot with ease. “It’s healed!”
“Magic,” Shawn said with a grin. “And you can walk?”
Oliver easily stood up. And, just as easily, walked around. “Yeah. It’s back to normal.”
“As it should be,” Corvin grumbled. “Anything else you all need?”
“No,” Shawn said. “We’re ready to go home.”
“It was nice meeting you,” Jessica said to Corvin, Lavina, and Kirsten.
After a round of goodbyes, Jyri, Faye, Ran, Shawn, Oliver, and Jessica returned to the elevator. It shot down as fast as it shot up. Very much like an amusement park ride. They all stepped out back into the cave. Faye conjured up light.
It was a long walk, and there were a couple of forks in their path. The cave grew narrow, forcing them to walk single-file. At one point, Oliver feared they had gotten lost. But they finally reached an area with lit torches. A large, purple, swirling mass the size and shape of a doorway was against the wall.
Jyri waved his arm out at it. “Here it is.”
“And we just walk through it?” Shawn stepped directly in front of it, chin rested in hand.
“That’s what we did,” Faye said.
Ran eyed each of them carefully, then surprised them all. "I’ve decided I want to stay here."
Jyri turned to gape at him. “What?”
“I don’t like it there,” Ran said. “I want to stay here. With Lavina. I’ve already talked to Corvin about it, and he says I can live here with him. I can even guard that portal exit in those woods, in case anyone else comes through and gets lost.”
That would involve spending a lot of time near Jasper's secret cabin. "What about Jasper?" Oliver asked.
"I'd be a lynx. He doesn't know about that."
“Ran…” Jyri set his hands on Ran’s shoulders. “Are you sure about this?”
Ran nodded. “I can always go back through to you, to visit.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Jyri said, sounding rather reluctant about it. He stroked his jawline, deep in thought. “If you’re going to stay... I want to stay. Being back home, has made me realize how much I miss this place.”
“I had a feeling you would,” Ran said. “Corvin told me you and Faye can stay here too. Though, he’d want you to do work for him.”
Jyri nodded and looked at Faye. “What do you think?”
Faye rubbed her chin, eyes darting to each person until they settled back on Jyri. “If you and Ran are staying here, I’d rather stay. No offense, Oliver.”
“None taken.” A weight lifted off of Oliver, and he nearly sighed in relief. Finally, his apartment would no longer be crowded. Although, now he’d have to go back to finding a new roommate. Then again, Shawn was single. Maybe they could live together again, like old times.
“I guess this is goodbye,” Shawn said. “It was nice knowing you all. Sorry for being a pain in the ass sometimes.”
“Yeah,” Oliver said. “I hope we weren’t too annoying.”
“Just a bit,” Faye said.
“We were just as annoying, I’m sure.” Jyri smiled. “Maybe we’ll all pay you a visit some time.” Though he looked at Jessica as he said it.
It was hard to tell, but Jessica might have been teary-eyed. “Would it be a problem if I were to stay here too?”
“What!” Shawn and Oliver stared at her.
“I really like it here,” Jessica said, avoiding their shocked expressions. “I can dress how I want. And Jyri was telling me all sorts of things about this place. I love the food, and some of the people I’ve met. Life seems easier here than there. Not only that, but I’m not sure I even have a job anymore.”
Oliver had opposite feelings, though now he also worried about his job. He’d been so focused about getting home, that he’d forgotten about work. He looked at Shawn. “What about you?”
Shawn looked at Jyri. “Do unicorns exist in this universe?”
Jyri gave him a blank stare. Ran tilted his head to the side.
“What’s that?” Faye asked.
“A horse with a horn sticking out of its forehead,” Jessica said.
“And somebody made that up?” Jyri asked. “That sounds lazy.”
“There’s a lot of mythology behind them,” Shawn said defensively.
“Regardless, no, they do not exist here.” Jyri leaned against the cave wall. “I take it you’ll be going back then?”
“Definitely,” Shawn said. Oliver nodded.
“I’ll come back if I ever change my mind,” Jessica said. “Later I’ll venture out to make up some story about moving far away, so that my friends and parents won’t worry. But right now, I’m staying.”
“It was nice knowing you too then,” Shawn said, though he didn’t sound all that sincere.
Traveling with Jessica hadn’t been terrible. In fact, she’d started growing on him. Oliver was almost sad to leave her behind. “Good luck making a life here.”
She smiled. “Good luck making a life with Shawn there.”
Before Shawn could come to some sort of defense, Oliver grabbed his hand. Giving a last wave goodbye, the two men walked through the portal, back home.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRZchWIqil
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