Part 2
The threesome studied the image closely...through Adrian's adjusted Scope, they saw people fighting...people crying...people whose lives have been shattered, torn apart, made useless.
"This is the effect of the energy imbalance," explained Darren. "Wars are breaking out, people are not civil to one another, the environment is on the verge of total destruction...this is a realm that is going to explode. It has too much energy. It's affecting the other realms."
"But how did this energy imbalance start?"
"Nobody knows for certain. It may be the result of one too many negative-energy charges running along its Ley Lines..."
"Ley Lines? They have Ley Lines there?"
"Sure they do...every Realm has Ley Lines, that is how they get their energy for the recharges. But the Earth Realm people do not believe in it anymore...only very few do, and they are not enough to offset the effects of the imbalance."
"So we have to come in and help."
"Precisely. Asha, is there more to that prophecy?"
"Well...there is a line at the end which isn't very clear...it says something along the lines of 'Their zodiac shall be connected, and the elements will get together...' then it fades off...sorry, Darren, but I do not know what it originally said."
"No matter. What matters now is that we get to Earth fast. We are running out of time."
"But there isn't a teleportation portal anywhere in this room! And we can't move the Scope because we can hardly see where it is!"
They were left in a dilemma. How were they to complete their quest...if they could not get to their destination? Just then, another memory flashed through Adrian.
"Wait - I have been working on a portable portal for a while," he said. "I have only tested it out on small distances. I do not know if it will work across realms..."
"That will do - that, and the herbs to supercharge it," replied Darren. "Just like I charged the Scope. Hurry; we are running out of time." Asha snatched the pouches from the mess that was the Study Room and handed it to Darren, as Adrian retrived his bag, taking out a medium-sized silver globe. Darren took a handful of the herbs and rubbed it onto the globe...he then asked Adrian for the next step.
"Just place your hands on the globe and announce where you are going," he replied. "Add a time limit for taking off if you want to!" All three of them wrapped their hands around the globe and repeated as Darren chanted...
"Visita la Realma Gaia! Visita se ou minita Gaia! Visita la Realma Gaia! Paria Incantina! Paria Incantina! Paria Incantia! Noa!"
"There - I've set a 15-minute Earth time limit on this portal, just in case we have some loose ends," stated Darren. "Grab your things and HURRY - we have not much time!" Adrian took his bag and box, while Asha grabbed a box filled with herbs and stuffed the Celestyne Prophecy in it. Just then, she had a question.
"How will we recognize each other there?"
"Good question...normally we should rely on our memories, but with this energy imbalance, memories can go awry."
"May I suggest we use last names? Therefore we can recognize each other - should we share the name with an Earth person - and we can blend in. Earth people are awfully fond of last names..."
"Brilliant idea, Adrian...what shall we name ourselves?"
"Well...since I do appear through mists and haze, I shall call myself Darren Hayes...also, it seems that Hayes is a respected name on Earth."
"All right then...maybe...since I work with silver, I should be Adrian Silver!"
"Too obvious, Adrian. May I suggest you change it a little?"
"To?"
"Maybe add another word...like 'da'...Da Silva...that could be it..."
"Good. Now all that's left is mine. But what name goes with the water?"
"Hmm...Asha Sea?"
"No, doesn't sound right...Asha Ocean?"
"Asha Octopus?"
"Not possible. I do not like that name!"
"Well hurry up and choose one...we are running out of time!"
"But...but..."
"No buts. Quick!"
"How about Asha Gill?"
"ASHA GILL? But..."
Blinding light exploded in the room, filling it for a few seconds. Swiftly the light disappeared...and everyone was gone.
Early the next day...Asha Gill woke up in a daze, the sunlight blinding her eyes slightly. She struggled to get her focus back...she wondered where she could be. The room didn't look like hers anymore...there was no Herb Cabinet, no Study Room. Instead, it was a small room, painted in shades of yellow...there was a chair here, a table there, some random items...nothing, though, that looked like her abode in Legerdemain. Nothing, even, that would help her make an Energize potion.
"Where am I?" she asked herself as she got up from her bed. "What...what happened?" She looked around and found a mirror. Tamely she stole a glance...and she was surprised at what she saw.
Her hair was a matt black, with some purple streaks in it, reaching only to her shoulders...her eyes were a deep brown, just like her skin. The Merwan charm was still there; but it was not as strong as it was in Legerdemain. It was then that a memory flashed through Asha...the memory of what happened last...
"The portal! We must have travelled! It's Earth!"
She looked out of a window and saw concrete and steel buildings stretch high up in the air...a huge bay to their side, its edges filled with boats and vessels...smoke coming out from here and there...this was truly Earth. But where on Earth was she?
Asha surveyed the room for clues to her location...she saw a map to Hong Kong, a tourist's guide to Australia, a Malaysian passport...which one was it? She wanted to cast a spell to find out, but she was lacking enough energy to even think. She turned around and saw a black box sitting in a corner...Asha recognised it as a Long Distance Image-Sound Projector; or what the Earth people refer fondly to as the television. She turned it on and saw someone singing...she was surprised to see who it was...
"Turn the lights down low...take it off, let it show...my love for you insatiable..."
It was Darren. Darren the Protector who got them into this situation. Only now he was Darren Hayes, and he was singing.
Why?
Asha sat in wonder as she saw Darren singing to a beautiful lady...the lady was obviously someone else's property, but Darren did not seem to care...Asha wondered why; surely Darren would have enough sense to not lust after someone who was not his? Before she could decide, though, the song had ended...and the two people who appeared on screen made Asha jump.
It was her and Adrian. But how?
Asha paid full attention to the image of herself on the screen...it seems that she and Adrian were presenters; two strange people who go around talking about other people's musics for people to view on the television. Immediately Asha felt surges of memories coming back to her...memories of her new life now, as a television presenter. She had to learn this. Just then, she heard something ring...it came from a white contraption on a table. She picked up the handle and was surprised to hear the voice on the other end...
"Hello, Asha?"
"Adrian?!"
"Yeah! It's me...how are you..."
"I'm okay...goodness, what happened to our speech?"
"Dunno...I guess it's what happens when you transfer to another Realm."
"Right...where are we anyway?"
"Earth..."
"I KNOW that. But where on Earth?"
"Hong Kong. Peninsular landmass as well as island. We are on the peninsula...we are situated by the bay."
"Whoa! How did you know that?"
"The portal is with me...I programmed it to name the location. Oh, and I saw an envelope with my name on it and the address. And your phone number. So I called you."
"Oh okay...say, where's Darren?"
"I don't know...I just saw him on the Image-Sound Projector..."
"The TV! So did I! And we're on it now!"
"I know! This is odd. But why didn't Darren follow us?"
"Who knows? Maybe the portal sent him off somewhere else. Anyways...did you feel a sudden surge just now..."
"No...oh wait...there, I feel it. Hey, suddenly I feel like I know who I'm supposed to be..."
"Oh? Who are you supposed to be?"
"A presenter...with you...also, I play music...not sure what though."
"Ah okay...I only get the presenter memory. I wonder where we work?"
"Well...I saw a name card here that says "Channel [V]"...that would probably be it..."
"Okay...and it seems we work together...maybe we will find Darren there."
"Maybe. But what relevance does music and TV have to rebalancing energy?"
"Who knows? I don't even have any energy myself. And I can't make an Energize potion..."
"Don't need to. On Earth they have something called Coffee...I just found it. And it's pretty good too."
"Coffee...ah! I remember. There was a big craze in Legerdemain some years back."
"Exactly. Well, talk to you later."
"All right. Bye Adrian!"
"Bye!"
Asha hung up the contraption...she had figured out by now that it was what the Earth people called a telephone...she had heard of it, but she always thought it was myth, legend...now she was proven wrong. And now she knew that if she didn't have any of the magickal Coffee substance, she won't be able to survive much longer.
She went to the kitchen area of the room - she figured it was the cooking area from all the food - and looked through the packets until she saw one marked "3-in-1 Coffee". She read the instructions and followed them, gamely handling the electric kettle and its electricity. After a few minutes, the coffee was done...she took a sip...and was energized immediately.
"Aah...all right...time to get to work."
The threesome studied the image closely...through Adrian's adjusted Scope, they saw people fighting...people crying...people whose lives have been shattered, torn apart, made useless.
"This is the effect of the energy imbalance," explained Darren. "Wars are breaking out, people are not civil to one another, the environment is on the verge of total destruction...this is a realm that is going to explode. It has too much energy. It's affecting the other realms."
"But how did this energy imbalance start?"
"Nobody knows for certain. It may be the result of one too many negative-energy charges running along its Ley Lines..."
"Ley Lines? They have Ley Lines there?"
"Sure they do...every Realm has Ley Lines, that is how they get their energy for the recharges. But the Earth Realm people do not believe in it anymore...only very few do, and they are not enough to offset the effects of the imbalance."
"So we have to come in and help."
"Precisely. Asha, is there more to that prophecy?"
"Well...there is a line at the end which isn't very clear...it says something along the lines of 'Their zodiac shall be connected, and the elements will get together...' then it fades off...sorry, Darren, but I do not know what it originally said."
"No matter. What matters now is that we get to Earth fast. We are running out of time."
"But there isn't a teleportation portal anywhere in this room! And we can't move the Scope because we can hardly see where it is!"
They were left in a dilemma. How were they to complete their quest...if they could not get to their destination? Just then, another memory flashed through Adrian.
"Wait - I have been working on a portable portal for a while," he said. "I have only tested it out on small distances. I do not know if it will work across realms..."
"That will do - that, and the herbs to supercharge it," replied Darren. "Just like I charged the Scope. Hurry; we are running out of time." Asha snatched the pouches from the mess that was the Study Room and handed it to Darren, as Adrian retrived his bag, taking out a medium-sized silver globe. Darren took a handful of the herbs and rubbed it onto the globe...he then asked Adrian for the next step.
"Just place your hands on the globe and announce where you are going," he replied. "Add a time limit for taking off if you want to!" All three of them wrapped their hands around the globe and repeated as Darren chanted...
"Visita la Realma Gaia! Visita se ou minita Gaia! Visita la Realma Gaia! Paria Incantina! Paria Incantina! Paria Incantia! Noa!"
"There - I've set a 15-minute Earth time limit on this portal, just in case we have some loose ends," stated Darren. "Grab your things and HURRY - we have not much time!" Adrian took his bag and box, while Asha grabbed a box filled with herbs and stuffed the Celestyne Prophecy in it. Just then, she had a question.
"How will we recognize each other there?"
"Good question...normally we should rely on our memories, but with this energy imbalance, memories can go awry."
"May I suggest we use last names? Therefore we can recognize each other - should we share the name with an Earth person - and we can blend in. Earth people are awfully fond of last names..."
"Brilliant idea, Adrian...what shall we name ourselves?"
"Well...since I do appear through mists and haze, I shall call myself Darren Hayes...also, it seems that Hayes is a respected name on Earth."
"All right then...maybe...since I work with silver, I should be Adrian Silver!"
"Too obvious, Adrian. May I suggest you change it a little?"
"To?"
"Maybe add another word...like 'da'...Da Silva...that could be it..."
"Good. Now all that's left is mine. But what name goes with the water?"
"Hmm...Asha Sea?"
"No, doesn't sound right...Asha Ocean?"
"Asha Octopus?"
"Not possible. I do not like that name!"
"Well hurry up and choose one...we are running out of time!"
"But...but..."
"No buts. Quick!"
"How about Asha Gill?"
"ASHA GILL? But..."
Blinding light exploded in the room, filling it for a few seconds. Swiftly the light disappeared...and everyone was gone.
Early the next day...Asha Gill woke up in a daze, the sunlight blinding her eyes slightly. She struggled to get her focus back...she wondered where she could be. The room didn't look like hers anymore...there was no Herb Cabinet, no Study Room. Instead, it was a small room, painted in shades of yellow...there was a chair here, a table there, some random items...nothing, though, that looked like her abode in Legerdemain. Nothing, even, that would help her make an Energize potion.
"Where am I?" she asked herself as she got up from her bed. "What...what happened?" She looked around and found a mirror. Tamely she stole a glance...and she was surprised at what she saw.
Her hair was a matt black, with some purple streaks in it, reaching only to her shoulders...her eyes were a deep brown, just like her skin. The Merwan charm was still there; but it was not as strong as it was in Legerdemain. It was then that a memory flashed through Asha...the memory of what happened last...
"The portal! We must have travelled! It's Earth!"
She looked out of a window and saw concrete and steel buildings stretch high up in the air...a huge bay to their side, its edges filled with boats and vessels...smoke coming out from here and there...this was truly Earth. But where on Earth was she?
Asha surveyed the room for clues to her location...she saw a map to Hong Kong, a tourist's guide to Australia, a Malaysian passport...which one was it? She wanted to cast a spell to find out, but she was lacking enough energy to even think. She turned around and saw a black box sitting in a corner...Asha recognised it as a Long Distance Image-Sound Projector; or what the Earth people refer fondly to as the television. She turned it on and saw someone singing...she was surprised to see who it was...
"Turn the lights down low...take it off, let it show...my love for you insatiable..."
It was Darren. Darren the Protector who got them into this situation. Only now he was Darren Hayes, and he was singing.
Why?
Asha sat in wonder as she saw Darren singing to a beautiful lady...the lady was obviously someone else's property, but Darren did not seem to care...Asha wondered why; surely Darren would have enough sense to not lust after someone who was not his? Before she could decide, though, the song had ended...and the two people who appeared on screen made Asha jump.
It was her and Adrian. But how?
Asha paid full attention to the image of herself on the screen...it seems that she and Adrian were presenters; two strange people who go around talking about other people's musics for people to view on the television. Immediately Asha felt surges of memories coming back to her...memories of her new life now, as a television presenter. She had to learn this. Just then, she heard something ring...it came from a white contraption on a table. She picked up the handle and was surprised to hear the voice on the other end...
"Hello, Asha?"
"Adrian?!"
"Yeah! It's me...how are you..."
"I'm okay...goodness, what happened to our speech?"
"Dunno...I guess it's what happens when you transfer to another Realm."
"Right...where are we anyway?"
"Earth..."
"I KNOW that. But where on Earth?"
"Hong Kong. Peninsular landmass as well as island. We are on the peninsula...we are situated by the bay."
"Whoa! How did you know that?"
"The portal is with me...I programmed it to name the location. Oh, and I saw an envelope with my name on it and the address. And your phone number. So I called you."
"Oh okay...say, where's Darren?"
"I don't know...I just saw him on the Image-Sound Projector..."
"The TV! So did I! And we're on it now!"
"I know! This is odd. But why didn't Darren follow us?"
"Who knows? Maybe the portal sent him off somewhere else. Anyways...did you feel a sudden surge just now..."
"No...oh wait...there, I feel it. Hey, suddenly I feel like I know who I'm supposed to be..."
"Oh? Who are you supposed to be?"
"A presenter...with you...also, I play music...not sure what though."
"Ah okay...I only get the presenter memory. I wonder where we work?"
"Well...I saw a name card here that says "Channel [V]"...that would probably be it..."
"Okay...and it seems we work together...maybe we will find Darren there."
"Maybe. But what relevance does music and TV have to rebalancing energy?"
"Who knows? I don't even have any energy myself. And I can't make an Energize potion..."
"Don't need to. On Earth they have something called Coffee...I just found it. And it's pretty good too."
"Coffee...ah! I remember. There was a big craze in Legerdemain some years back."
"Exactly. Well, talk to you later."
"All right. Bye Adrian!"
"Bye!"
Asha hung up the contraption...she had figured out by now that it was what the Earth people called a telephone...she had heard of it, but she always thought it was myth, legend...now she was proven wrong. And now she knew that if she didn't have any of the magickal Coffee substance, she won't be able to survive much longer.
She went to the kitchen area of the room - she figured it was the cooking area from all the food - and looked through the packets until she saw one marked "3-in-1 Coffee". She read the instructions and followed them, gamely handling the electric kettle and its electricity. After a few minutes, the coffee was done...she took a sip...and was energized immediately.
"Aah...all right...time to get to work."