As the sun was beginning to set, Conner and the boys began to set up camp on the beach. They had agreed to have one last trip together before the summer ended. Of course, it was Conner’s idea to camp on the beach. He practically lived there anyway. Even though he was in a good mood, he couldn’t help feeling a little sad. This could potentially be their last Summer together before they went their separate ways. A few of them wanted to go to college, and Conner wasn’t even sure he wanted that…

He tried to shake off the sad thoughts, and focus on the task at hand. Which was setting up the tent. He looked over at his friends with a warm smile. “Come on, guys! Let’s get camp set up before the sun goes down. We’re gonna have a blast this weekend! Oh, does anyone here know how to start a bonfire? I heard there’s supposed to be shooting stars tonight!”

The sun was dipping low in the sky as Gray and his friends reached their destination. The scenic view of the beach was slowly becoming tinted in shades of orange. It would be nice to take in the sights, but time was counting down before the difficulty of their tasks would increase. Gray removed the overly stuffed old bags he was wearing and let them drop onto the sandy ground beside him. He wasn't exactly in a great mood, though it was hard to pinpoint the reason. His gray eyes turned to Connor when the tall boy began talking about quickly setting up. Trying to match Connor's chipper mood, Gray smiled back as he pushed away the gloomy feeling.

"I can do the bonfire," Gray declared as he picked up his one bag that looked oddly lopsided due to its contents. "I brought everything we should need for it. Good thing this beach allows bonfires. I'll start on it. Let me know if you guys need help with the tents or something." With that said, the eighteen-year-old found a spot nearby where they had decided to set camp. With swift movements, Gray began to scoop the sand aside to make a hole in which to place the wood for the bonfire.

And of course, Gray was the first one person to help set up the bonfire. Of course he did. Gray was one of the more responsible members of their group. If it weren’t for him, Conner likely wouldn’t have just barely graduated. Conner liked Gray, he always listened when Conner ranted about his family.

As Noah and Conner set up the tents, Noah announced he had brought beer. Conner’s eyes went wide. “Noice bro!” He threw a can to Noah, and then took one for himself. He popped the can open, and took a swig. Up until that moment, Conner had never had a beer before in his life. He was not expecting that taste, but he forced it down. He was not about to look like a whimp in front of his friends. A fit of coughing followed. “Ah yeah, that’s the stuff! My parents would be pissed if they found out I had a beer, but honestly, fuck em!” He exclaimed as he flipped his parents off.

The day had been great, so Eli had high hopes for the night as well. First was the mini road trip, hitting up a beach a little farther away from home than usual - what was the point in a camping trip if you were still in your own backyard after all? Eli had always liked being in the car, it always felt intimate in the enclosed space. With friends it was close, cozy, and casual and comforting way. All there was to do was talk to each other, sing along with the music, and feel the road go by under the wheels... and it was awesome. Naturally Eli had called shotgun, and when he wasn't dozing against the warm window with a dopey little smile on his face he was twisting around to chat with everyone in the back seats.

Second was the actual beach. Eli wasn't a connoisseur of beaches like Conner, so he couldn't say if this one was better or worse than any other. What mattered was there was plenty of sun and sand, and hardly any of those little shells that cut one's foot while they walked. Eli had parked himself on a towel, threw a second one over himself, and had been content to bake low and slow at 87 degrees; until being all but pulled into the water.

Third, and most importantly, was the company. The five guys he was with were probably Eli's best friends in the world. He'd gotten to know them all at different times and in different ways, and it was practically a miracle that they all meshed together they way they did, but it worked and it worked well. Eli was ecstatic that even Ciel had agreed to come along, so the entire crew was together!

Eli might have been the only one among them that didn't angst over what the future held for them all at that moment. He was simply basking in a fun day with friends, and the anticipation of a fun night.

"Dang, prepared as usual Gray," he said, grinning at the other boy. "I thought we'd have to salvage driftwood and skin a palm tree! Lemme know if you need a hand?"

Though it probably wasn't wise to let Eli set up a safe fire pit, he could at least help out. He did know his way around a tent though, so he made short work of setting their shelters up by chipping in with Noah and Conner. After that he gladly took Noah up on his suggestion, finding his way over the boy's bag to help himself to the stash. It was hardly his first time drinking, and it wasn't the only rule he usually broke. He cracked open the can, but ended up laughing aloud at Conner's reaction and subsequent outburst.

"Hell yeah dude," he laughed, raising his beer in a toast. From what he'd heard of Conner's family, his parents sounded like real hardasses. Eli's own mother probably wouldn't care much - honestly she probably expected it when he told her about the camping trip. She was one of those "as long as you're safe when you do it" kind of moms.

When he actually brought the can to his lips, Eli glanced up at the darkening sky. It was the middle of summer, so it was about the right time for shooting stars as Conner had said. What were they called again? Per... something? Something about Perseus.

"Oh yeah, so the meteor shower," he began, waving a hand to draw everyone's attention. Then he pointed up at the sunset colored canvas above them. "Pretty sure you're supposed to look at that constellation with the three bright stars in a line. Y'know, the belt one? That's the best place to look to see the most of them."

Gray was digging away with the help of a small shovel that he pulled out from his still lopsided bag. He was starting to feel the fatigue of their earlier activities slowly creeping into his muscles. The teen didn't get much physical exercise due to the final exams, graduation, and college enrollments these pass few months. It was almost guarantee that he would feeling much more tomorrow. But ignoring that, Gray focused on the task at hand. As he was examining the dimensions of the pit he created, he listened to the chattering of his friends. Noah seem to attempt at small talk before asking for then offering beer to the group. Both Connor and Eli accepted. Eli also offer helping the auburn-haired teen with the bonfire if he needed it.

"I'll let you know if I need any help, Eli," Gray called back. It was unlikely he would need help. He had looked it up, and it wasn't so arduous. The boy started squatting after determining the width and depth of the hole was correct. He went to the next step of constructing a small barrier along the edge with the sand he dug up. "Hmm... I'll get one after this. Shouldn't be mixing starting fires and liquor."

Gray casually took a slight raincheck until he completed the bonfire. His attitude toward drinking illegally obtained alcohol was neutral. This wouldn't even be the first time he had beer, as Noah had persuaded on several occasion to partake... He didn't particularly like it, but he got unusual feelings of excitement and defiance. Feelings that only arose whenever he hung out with one of his close friends... Feelings which will probably disappear forever after this weekend excursions.. Gray simply breath in the salty sea air as he notices the return of the gloominess. He needed to enjoyed this moment to the fullest, and he definitely couldn't let the mood be ruin due to him.

Back into concentration mode, Gray continued with his the bonfire building.

David ran along the beach as the sun began to kiss the horizon. Everything was to be savored in this moment: the warm sand beneath his feet, cool waves lapping at his ankles, the gentle breeze on his face, the crisp air in his lungs... it was almost like a movie. Of course, it was made even better with Milo at his side, the two boys racing sunset as they headed back to camp. Milo was an odd one, and at least a full foot shorter than he was, but he enjoyed his company. He brought an excitable energy the others didn't really have.

Everything had to be savored, because David wasn't sure how much time he had left. Every passing hour was one more hour closer to him shipping out to another state entirely for college, an hour closer to him maybe never seeing these friends, all together, ever again. He liked to hold out hope that maybe there would be another beach trip, one day, but nothing's ever certain.

He shook the thought from his mind. Now was not the time live in the future.

"Almost there," David breathed as they rounded the last corner, their little campsite coming into view. Conner and Noah were getting the tents set up, while Gray worked on the bonfire. Slowly, he paced himself from a run into a jog, then into a walk as he reached the others. "Thanks for the run," he said, giving Milo a quick pat on the back, "Always nice to have a running mate."

He grabbed his water bottle and sat down in the sand, enjoying the still ice-cold water inside. He didn't mind that the others were drinking, but it wasn't exactly his scene. Alcohol was never the right move after a run anyway. He took a deep breath, focusing in. "Y'all need help with anything?" he called out, "Or should I get working on setting up the marshmallows and hot dogs?"

With an almost alarming thump, Milo flopped down in the sand beside David as they returned to the campsite, dropping into the loose earth at full force and not giving a damn as the warm grains infiltrated his clothing from the impact. His jacket, like everything else he wore, was dirty already as it was, a little sand in the pockets definitely wouldn't make a difference, and besides, the sand would be there forever, as he saw it, he knew full well that the little granules were nigh-impossible to get rid off once they got down into various crevices. There would come a day, sometime after all this, when he and his friends had surely moved on in their individual lives...a time where he would reach into the pockets of his ratty old jacket and pull out what he could only think at that moment to be 'the sands of time,' as it were.
Rolling over from his near face-down collision with the ground, Milo only pulled more sand up and around him, grinning up at the darkening sky as he practically buried himself. It wouldn't be the first time that day that he had been nestled beneath the sand, though the previous time had been the work of his friends, by his insistence, of course.

"Man," he breathed as he finally caught up with his breath and laughed as he released another breath full of words, almost too heavy to actually catch what was being said, "I needed that." He laid there, then, for a moment, just listening to his friends work and converse and do all they were doing. The sound of the waves washing ashore, the breeze rustling through the branches of nearby palms, and the steady work and prattling of the guys... it was enough to lull Milo to sleep at that moment, were he not fighting the urge with every ounce of strength he had left. Had he not continued playing with the sand around him, absently picking up handfuls before letting them rain down and slip through his fingers, one might even assume he really had nodded off, as it was so rare to see the young man laying so still as he was.

"I'll help with the food," he spoke out, "But only if y'all like your dogs and 'mallows black and on fire," he chuckled, "I make a mean charcoal~"

Eli pointed out where to look to get the best view of the shooting stars. “Good to know. I’ve never done this stargazing stuff before. I’m just expecting to see falling rocks on fire!” Conner said with a laugh.

“Oh please tell me you brought chocolate and graham crackers too!” Conner replied as David offered to set up the food. In all honesty, Conner was conflicted about David. On the one hand, he liked him as a person. On the other hand, if he had to hear from his parents that You should be more like your friend David.” Someone would be getting punched. What couldn’t David do? He was handsome, smart, he did sports, his parents actually support him…

Conner grinned as Milo played in the sand. “You can go ahead and make mine Milo. Burnt Hot dogs are great!”

Once the campsite was ready, they began cooking hotdogs, and toasting marshmallows for s’mores. Conner had a couple more sips of beer. He still didn’t care for the taste of it, but again, he didn’t want to look like a lightweight in front of his friends. As the sun set, the boys continued to have conversations around the campfire. There was the sound of laughter and conversations with the sound of waves crashing in the background. “Guys, I don’t want this to be sad. We’re gonna be buds forever, no matter where life takes us. Let us enjoy the night, k?”

The light of the stars illuminated the beach, and Shooting stars streaked across the night sky. It was a beautiful sight. Conner’s cheeks turned red as he took the opportunity to hold Gray’s hand. Out of all his friends, he liked Gray the most, in a more than friendly way.

But then, out of nowhere, something unusual happened. The stars seemed to shift and dance into a pattern, forming a swirling vortex of light directly above them. Conner gasped. “What is that?”

Before anyone had a chance to react, the vortex grew bigger, and tendrils of light shot out grabbing each one of the boys, and pulled them through the portal. In an instant, the boys were gone leaving behind the tent, and the campfire.

As the boys were pulled into the swirling vortex of light, everything around them blurred and distorted. It felt as if they were falling. It felt like an eternity and an instant all at once.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. The boys found themselves sprawled on the ground, disoriented and groggy. As soon as they stabilized, it became clear that they weren’t on the beach anymore. Or even on Earth anymore for that matter. The air was filled with an otherworldly energy, and strange, luminescent plants cast an eerie glow over the landscape. Above them, a sky of swirling colors, like a never-ending aurora borealis. The portal had deposited them in a clearing, and the forest around them was filled with unfamiliar creatures.

Conner looked around in disbelief. “Ugh, I know I did not have that many beers to be this wasted… Is everyone ok? And… what just happened?”

—-

Meanwhile, a small blue dolphin poked her head out from a small pond nearby. There were also several other pairs of eyes watching the new arrivals. “These are ones destined to save our realm? They look a little amateurish to me…” Chesi matter of factly pointed out. “What do the rest of you think? Should we approach them? Or observe them a little more?”

Throughout all of it, Milo had clung to the metal skewer he had been using to roast a marshmallow, holding the thing like a mediocre weapon, despite the fact there was no real enemy to be seen. Slowly sitting up, he looked around just the same as Conner, entranced by the strange world around them, and absently wound the fingers of his free hand through the grass around him.
"Man," he started, "I didn't even drink...and I swear I didn't pre-game on the brownies this time, and even I'm not sure what the hell is going on." Stopping, Milo drew his gaze away from their surroundings and looked down at the blackened marshmallow still on his skewer, before bringing it up to take a bite, "Don't know about if I'm all good," he mumbled, "But the marshmallow survived alright! Just a lil extra nutrients now, I'd say," he added the last bit as he plucked a piece of grass from the gooey mass, hesitated, then ate it without a second thought, somehow managing to smile and laugh despite everything going on.

_____

Sitting on the branch of a scraggly shrub near the pond, Vlinderbelle slowly opened and closed her wings as she watched the boys from afar. Specifically, she watched the one with the colorful hair as he ate the food that had been on the ground just moments prior and sighed, "I do not know if I even want to see anymore," she practically lamented, "I worry that these...beings may be their own demise long before we can even hope to succeed..." the oversized moth was silent for a moment, and then made a sound before speaking once more, "Oh...oh...oh no," her wings fell still a moment as she seemed to cringe back at the sight of something, "He ate the grass...he ate the grass."

The bonfire was ready to light after adding the precut wood planks, the kindling, and retrieving a bucket of seawater for later extinguishing. Gray then checked in with the people setting up the tent to ensure everything was correctly assembled and anchored. It took a moment for him to realize that he was falling into his typical caretaker motions of look after everything similar to when he was home with his younger siblings. Eventually, he settled down at the campfire. As everyone gathered around the warmth of the flame, the sun finally fully set. At this time, Gray was downing his fifth beer. The bitter taste was strong, but it went down pretty smooth... Five was probably not a good number to drink when the teen had only drunk two max before. But the friendly atmosphere and his weird mood encourage his drinking habit. His head was fuzzy, and he was blankly staring into the fire and watching it dance before his eyes. He was barely following any conversations or answering anyone halfway through this drink.

"Yeah... fffriendsss fffforeverrr," he suddenly slurred out as he snapped out of the void of his hazy mind and responded to Connor's statement. Gray's focus was pulled slightly from the orange illumination. "No matterrr where... lifffe takesss usss..." The repeated words absentmindedly slipped out of his lips. There was happiness in that statement with an undertone of sadness, but Gray smiled gently. The beginning of the meteor shower finally ripped Gray's eyes away from the fire. He stared up intensely. Someone grabbed his hand... Connor, he believed, was sitting on that side of him. There was no reaction. His surfer friend had always been more into skinship than most people, so this was something he was used to.

With each smear of light racing across the night sky, Gray thought he should make a wish... But every single one that formulated in his foggy head seemed... too selfish to wish for. A stray thought passed through that it wouldn't come true anyway... 'I wish...' he began hesitantly. Before he could complete the wish, the sky started transforming. The shooting stars spiraled. There appeared to be a growing black hole was opening up right above them. He didn't even get a chance to respond to any of his friends' shocked voices as strands of light reached out and began ripping them away from their spots. Gray felt Connor's hand slip out of his when they were grabbed and being pulled in.

After being dragged through... falling into a vortex of... time? Space? He found his surroundings had suddenly changed. The feeling of gritty sand on the palms of his hands and the sound of rolling waves was now replaced with the delicate, slick grass, fuzzy moss, and forest ambiance. A rainbow of colors danced in the sky above them, and some plants cast a pale light around them. Gray was definitely feeling considerably more sober. He wiped his hand across his gray eyes as if that would fix his vision, but it was still the same out-of-worldly place in front of him.

"I'm fffine," Gray still slurred his words a bit as he got to his feet. Staggering a bit before steadying himself, the eighteen-year-old immediately began surveying his surroundings. Look for dangers, safe passages, maybe something to defend himself with if it came to it. Blurry was his vision, but squinting made things a bit clearer. His eyes caught the end of Milo shoving something random and grass-covered into his mouth. "Lilac, don't eat random thingsss offf the ground. You'll get a ssstomachache." It was a firm yet mild scolding that he would give to his younger siblings. The realization sinks in that Gray wasn't talking to his little sister but to Milo. "Ah... sssorry Milo. Though it'sss probably wise not to eat weird ssstuff in a strange place." His stern brotherly demand turned into a soft suggestion of friend.
---------

"Great... my fate is in the hands of this... one might be somewhat competent." Reyenne, a black frog with brilliant red eyes, croaked. She floated just barely above the water's surface. But as she cast her eyes around her at the other creatures gathered nearby, the crimson spheres were equally disapproving. "Might as well just get this over with as soon as possible. Staring at them is not going to cure my curse faster." The ex-shadow witch bluntly stated with annoyance dripping from her tone. It was plain to see Reyenne didn't even want to be in this company either. But she was still committed in the expectancy that her torture would be over as soon as possible.

By the time David and Milo got back, the tents and campfire were all ready. They'd made it back just in time for the cooking to start, which the two of them gladly volunteered for. Eli smiled widely. It felt like it'd been a while since they all got together and let loose. He could tell that everyone wanted to make the most of the trip - hell, he did too - and so far so good. Before the fire really got going, Eli shuffled over to the pickup again and dug out a couple of beach chairs, taking one for himself and plopping it down close to the flames. Milo might be fine with getting sand everywhere (Eli had been happy to bury the dude and had half a mind to start doing it again, seeing as he was halfway back to being under the sand), but if he could help it Eli was going to save himself from waking up with a chaffed ass. So chair it was!

The next couple of hours were great. It turned out that setting marshmallows on fire made them super delicious, who knew? The boys competed at who could roast the best 'mallow in between eating real food, purposely blackened or otherwise. Good company made even the most badly burned frank taste fine. They cracked jokes and generally just enjoyed each other's presence. Those that drank, drank - some more than others. There came a point when it was clear Gray had gone over his limit, but Eli just chuckled at him. If this is what it took for Gray to relax, they'd have to do it more often.

Eventually, Conner made a comment about being friends forever. Eli crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the sky. "'Course we will," he said. Then he cut a glance to Noah, who was about to make a cheeky reply. Eli was definitely going to poke fun at him and get him to admit he was feeling mushy, but the universe had other plans.

"What the—" he started to say, before being snatched by the wisp of light and literally sucked into the sky.

He must have blacked out after that. At least he thought he did. No, he definitely did. If Eli wasn't hearing his friends' voices, he could have thought he was dreaming. Whenever he opened his eyes, all he saw was swirling colors. Was something wrong with him? Did he hit his head after... whatever had just happened? Eli blinked again, then finally tried moving his limbs. He realized he was laying on his back, and the colors were the sky. Welp. That's not normal.

Trying to sit up turned his stomach, so Eli flopped back down and threw an arm over his eyes. He had to stop his head from spinning before he could stand. He knew he wasn't drunk, but the alcohol probably wasn't helping the vertigo.

"Guys. I think we might have been abducted. Like, by aliens," Eli wheezed from his spot on the ground. He certainly hoped they weren't going to die, as Noah said. He could probably deal with some weird tests if the little green men just dropped him back off at the beach afterward, preferably with his friends all intact too. His arm slipped down so that his hand now covered his mouth. "And worse, I feel like I might be sick."

And from a little distance away, another pair of eyes joined those that were appraising the situation.

...these were to be the heroes of their land? It couldn't be. This was preposterous.

"One of you did the summoning wrong," a brightly colored bird chirped, as close to a harsh whisper as possible. She was glaring, looking between the boys from another world and where she knew her compatriots to be hiding. She could feel her elemental connection to one of the boys, as she knew the rest of them did, and she wasn't thrilled about it.

"Denali. You will switch with me," she said to the other bird. The group observed for a little longer, but things weren't getting any better.

"Yes yes. No more stalling." Though, no one moved. They all remained in their hiding places, observing. They all talked of getting it over with, but not one lifted a... well, they didn't really have fingers anymore so that saying was moot, wasn't it?

Basically, Fenghuang realized that none of her fellow sorcerers were going to confront these boys. Yes they were subpar and immature, untrained, probably worthless in the long run humans, but they were all they had. She clicked her beak, putting her wing up to her forehead in semblance of a facepalm. Fine, if no one else was going to greet them, she would handle it herself.

Fenghuang walked out of the brush, hopping over to the group of boys. She appeared to them as a bird, her plumage giving even the colorful sky a run for its money. Once she was close enough that they would have to be blind not to notice her, Fenghuang flung both of her wings open wide.

The sudden, unfamiliar voice startled Eli. He rolled over onto his side, mumbling something like "did that bird just fucking talk?" Said bird ignored that comment, continuing to speak after a dramatic pause for effect.

"No need to prostrate yourselves before me, though please feel free if the need compels you so. I am sure you all have many questions!" She tucked one wing in and the other she gestured toward the small pool of water nearby, fully intending to foist the responsibility of explaining on everyone else. "It is fortunate then that my friend Chesi is here to answer them for you."

“That’s not possible. We all participated in the summoning, Fenghuang…” Chesi responded, her tone dripping with irritation. “Like it or not, these are our heroes…” Most of the others said they should make their presence known. While Chesi agreed that the sooner they got through with this the better, Chesi wanted to observe a little more. Maybe there was some hidden potential she just wasn’t seeing.

And then that foul bird had gone off to greet them herself. Chesi rolled her eyes, and floated to the human she felt the elemental connection with.

—-

Everyone seemed lost and confused. None moreso than Milo, who was determined to not let that Marshallow go. “Ugh, I dunno. Maybe we should explore this place, and figure out what’s going on. Gray, Dave, you two are future doctors. One of you has some survival skills right?”



Conner jumped at the sudden loud voice. “Noah! What was in that beer?” He exclaimed at the sight of a talking bird.

As if that weren’t enough a small blue dolphin swam through the air and sat on Conner’s shoulder. “Fenghuang, you could have waited for us to be in agreement first! Anyway… Yes yes. I am Chesi. One of the Guardians of this realm.”

“Realm? You mean we’re not on Earth anymore?

Chesi slapped Conner’s face with a fin. “Does this look like Earth to you?” Anyway,you lot have been summoned to Arcanum. Magic is the lifeblood of this realm. Humans and magic exist in harmony. But as with all things, that harmony can be disrupted. An entity of unimaginable darkness seeks to consume and corrupt the magic that sustains us.”

Chesi then gestured to her companions. “The six of us were once its protectors. Masters of the Elemental magics. I, Chesi, could command the water with a mere thought. The seas bowed to my whim! I was also the most beautiful of the six.”

Chesi could feel some of the others staring daggers at her, and Chesi had to stop her story to address them. “What? I didn’t say I was the strongest, I didn’t say I was the most powerful, I didn’t say I was the smartest. I just want to be pretty. Let me have this! Ugh, anyway… The six of us tried to fight this entity. And for our efforts we were rewarded by being cursed into the forms you see now.”

Conner didn’t know how to react to all of this. This all sounded too fantastical to be real. Yet, here he was talking to a tiny dolphin… “Cool story… But how do we fit into all this?”

“Legends speak of six humans that would be brought here from another world to defend it from evil. We performed the ritual that brought you here just before we were cursed. I was not expecting children, but you’ll have to do…”

Conner rolled his eyes. “I’m not a child. I’m 18! I am not going to stand here and be insulted by tuna!”

“You’re all children to us… Now, we don’t have much magic left in us. This is all we can do. Now, close your eyes, and let the magic of Arcanum flow through you.”

Conner raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Look, do you want to have any hope of returning to your world? Then you’ll do what I say!”

“Fine fine…” Conner grumbled.

Conner did as Chesi instructed, while the dolphin waved her fins around. Conner felt a surge of energy rush through him. He was soon surrounded with water. His clothes disappeared, and were gradually replaced with his magical boy attire. His hair and eyes turned blue, and a trident also formed in his hand.

When the transformation was complete, Conner spun his trident around, and struck a pose. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about!” He felt powerful. And for once, he had been chosen for something. And not his annoyingly perfect sister.

“I know. It’s cool right!” Chesi clapped her flippers excitedly and started making dolphin noises. She stopped after a bit, and felt embarrassed that she had done that. “Anyway, you brought here to defend our realm from evil.”

Conner’s eyes went wide. “Nice! So, where is this evil so we can kick its ass?”

“Not so fast! None of you have any idea what you’re doing. You need us to train you! And teach you to hone your abilities properly. We need to practice first.”

And then, as if on cue, a large shadowy bear with constellations on its body came out of nowhere, and roared at the group.

“Ooh, an Ursa Major. Perfect! There’s no better training than actual experience!”

“Ugh, I dunno. Maybe we should explore this place, and figure out what’s going on. Gray, Dave, you two are future doctors. One of you has some survival skills right?” Connor's inquiry reached Gray's slightly hazy mind as he looked toward the two of them. That made the auburn-haired man turn his focus back towards him. Squinting ferociously, he identified Connor among the group.

"Connor... those two skillsss don't really relate to each other." Gray tried his best to inform his friend. His being a doctor and surviving in the wilderness, didn't truly relate unless they involved needing emergency first aid. "However... that way seems to have easier footing sssince it is a gentle slope and not too many ground obstacles..." He vaguely pointed in a direction on the opposite side of the clearing. This knowledge was gained from spending time with Eli and the many hikes they went on over the years. That statement was immediately overridden by a booming voice.



After that squawking introduction(?), there was a talking animal approaching- a bird with vivid feathers of red and orange. Its appearance seemed to resemble the descriptions of phoenixes that he read about in fantasy books. He rubbed his eyes again. Looking once more it was still there and now there appeared to be a dolphin and large moth joining the crew as well. The blue creature was going on a tangent and Gray was trying his utmost best to follow the conversation... Something about not being on Earth anymore, them being summoned, and being the most beautiful...? Even though he was sobering up at rapid speed his still mildly intoxicated brain was struggling to process what was being said... he pressed a hand to his temple as a headache began to settle in.

"What obnoxious, conceited, wretches..." A feminine voice reached Gray's ear from below him. "Hey you, in the worn-out rags." This made him look down at a spot of black and red contrasting against the more vibrant forest floor. It was a small frog around the size of his palms. Its bulging red eyes seem to be staring straight up at him.

The boy glanced at his clothing... His clothes were indeed well-used, and the colors faded but in no way these could be counted as rags... There were no stains, tears, and fraying- he had made sure of it. “My clothes aren’t that bad, are they? I take very good care of them.” He retorted back but still kept a gentle smile on his face. Gray definitely noticed the frog roll her eyes at him.

“Let's keep this meet and greet short.” she completely ignored his previous response. “I'm Reyenne. You have my magical affinity, so I’m granting you my powers of shadows. You better use it to keep me safe.” Without waiting for his name or any other input from the eighteen-year-old boy, her webbed foot whipped upwards.

Along with the gesture suddenly shadow exploded upwards and began to enshroud Gray. The shadowy energy was cold yet comforting like a calm summer night. When the darkness dispersed his gray faded clothing was replaced with a black hooded cloak. His hair was also black and his calming gray eyes were dyed a piercing red. Gray stunned just looked at his new outfit... it seemed under the cloak was be garb of a ninja and the new weight in his hands were sickles attached together by chain. "Huh...? An assassin, reaper-style outfit? ...!!! What is that?!?" His thoughts about his new outfit were immediately interrupted by a roar and the appearance of a bear. The starry pattern on its pelt was similar to the skies at night.

"Great... an Ursa Major... Rags, you should hide and wait for those scrubs to take care of it." The female frog suggested as she turned to move away from the creature.

"Absolutely not, these guys are my best friends!" Gray forcefully spoke back as he immediately perished the thought of just hiding away and abandoning his friends. Despite being afraid, a few of them in the group weren't even prepared to battle this beast, yet. His hands clenched the sickles tightly as he tried to think of what he could do.

"Ugh, a sentimental self-righteous one." She groaned but she looked back with what seemed to be a smirk of kind. "Though if you have the power of shadows... I wonder how righteous you truly are." With that snide remark, she bounds into the shadows of the trees, hiding and watching from the darkness.

Gray just pushed the frog's departing words aside as he swiftly positioned himself a fair distance away from everyone. His plan was to attract its attention and lure it away. The weapon in his hands would be the best way to accomplish that goal. With some pretty good accuracy, he landed a strike in the beast's left flank with his weapon. With a swift yank on the chain, the bladed weapon flew back towards him though it landed on the ground rather than returning to him completely.

"Over here, you oversized teddy bear!" He taunted and as it turned to aggressively glare and snarl at him, Gray's fear increased exponentially. Never one for confrontations or violence, being the focus of something so threatening caused his body to quiver. His heart wildly pounded in his chest as he shakily took a couple of steps away from it. Realizing he wouldn't be able to run and lure it away in his current state, he stood his ground. Steeling himself with the thought of keeping his friends safe, Gray put his trembling hands up in a somewhat defensive stance.

In fury, it came rushing toward him faster than Gray could have ever anticipated it would move given its size. As it raised its claw to strike, the teen flinched his hand upward to block and wall shadows rose up between them. The bear’s attack collided and bounced away harmlessly upon impact. The protective wall surprised him even in his frightful situation.

“Did I create that?” His terrified and shocked voice came out afterward.

Conner was impressed with Gray’s display of magic. “That awesome Gray!” Conner shouted. He gave his friend a thumbs up of encouragement. “Chesi, how do I do something like that?”

“Magic takes discipline and focus. Something I know for a fact none of you have… strong displays of emotion can also trigger a magical outburst.”

The bear roared, angry that her attack had failed, and tried to strike Gray again.

Conner did not listen to a word Gray said. “Hey! Mamma Bear! Over here!” Conner shouted.

The bear turned her attention to Conner, and Conner stuck out his trident. “Come on water… Do your thing…”

There was a moment of awkward silence where nothing happened. Then the bear just roared in Conner’s face.

Chesi facefinned. “Boy! You have to feel something. You can’t just point the trident and expect water to come out.”

Conner frowned, feeling a bit frustrated with himself. “Right, right. Feel something… Got it.”

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment to focus. In an instant all sorts of emotions came flooding in. About how he was never good enough for his family, his perfect older sister and how he could never be on par with her. His fears, his insecurities, and how his friends supported him through all of it.

As he did, he felt power coursing through him. When he opened his eyes, he saw his trident was glowing with blue magical power. Conner pointed his trident forward again, releasing a powerful jet of water in the bear’s face that sent the bear stumbling backwards.

“Whoa… Did I do that?” Conner exclaimed.

Chesi nodded approvingly. “Yes, you did. Remember, magic is as much about what you feel as it is about what you do. Let your emotions guide you, and you’ll tap into powers you never knew you had.”

Conner threw his fist up happily.

“Don’t celebrate yet. It hasn’t been defeated.” Chesi replied, pointing to the angry, wet bear. “In fact, now it’s even angrier… But something is wrong… Ursa Major’s are gentle creatures. They usually only get violent when their young are threatened… Or…” She turned her attention to Milo. “Oi, windy boy! Did you touch a baby bear around here? You seem like the type that would touch unfamiliar things...”

Watching the scene unfold, Milo couldn't help but sit in awe as he watched his friends wield what could only be described as magic. From Gray with his shadow wall, to Conner with his blast of water, it was like something straight out of a movie, and he cheered with each display of power, laughing excitedly all the while. The freaky moth had mentioned that he had some kind of wind power, but what did that actually entail? Before he could think long on it, however, the weird ass dolphin was calling over to him. He jumped at the sudden attention for the creature, staring over with wide eyes. At the implication of the attack being his fault though, he frowned, and carefully got to his...well...wheels?

"Hey!" he snapped a little, "I may be the only one of us who will happily jump into a puddle of unknown liquid in the wash," yes, he had done that, and yes, he had ended up in the hospital with a serious infection from the contaminated water, "BUT!" he held up a finger, "I am NOT a monster, and I would NEVER, hear me, NYEHVAH! touch a baby animal. Totally disregarding upsetting the mama bear," he gestured then at the angry beast, "You're likely to make the parents of the baby reject it! And that's just fucking cruel on the parents' part, like, what the hell?! That's your baby!" with that, Milo threw his hands in the air, nearly knocking himself off balance and having to right himself before he finished with, "So what if it smells a little funky? It's still yours!"

Nearby, Vlinderbelle cleared her throat lightly and gently said, "Mayhaps we could save this little opus for after you've dealt with this creature?" Just as before, she remained out of sight from Milo, speaking from behind him where he hopefully wouldn't freak out again.

Milo shivered at the bug's voice, but pushed away the lingering image of the moth and instead gave a nod, "Yeah, yeah," he said, "Fight the crazy star bear first, then argue with the egotistic floating dolphin, sounds good."

With that, he took a cautious stride forward, wondering exactly how well the rollerblades would, well, roll. This wasn't a sidewalk or the glossy flooring of a roller rink. This was grass for fuck's sake! Wheels and grass usually didn't mesh well. Even so, as he pushed forward, the blades of the skates glided smoothly, and, with a rush of wind, he was off, racing at the bear at a speed he had only reached once while riding his bike down the steepest hill in town. Turning sharply, he shot his arms out toward the ursa major, and just as he'd hoped, just as he'd felt would happen, a blast of cutting wind shot at the beast, and he let out a triumphant 'whoop' as he continued skating in a figure-eight, "Fuck yeah!" he cheered and laughed again, "I'm like the motherfucking Avatar! With skates!"

"Denali. You will switch with me," the other bird said to her, puffing out her chest.

Denali let out a tiny chuckle. "Not on your life."



A ringing in his ear began to pull David back to consciousness. Everything was a bit of a blur... he was on the beach, and they were talking about being friends forever, and then... a portal? Or a black hole? Or tentacles..? He took a deep breath and groggily opened his eyes. He blinked once. Twice. This was not the beach he was just on. The sky should not be those colors. Plants don't glow. Before he could react, a small bird popped into his vision.

"Oh good," the bird cheeped with a sigh of relief, perched on his chest, "You really had me worried there for a second."

"Wh-- Where-- Where am I?" David stammered. Talking bird. This might as well happen.

"Shh, there's no time to explain right now. My name is Denali, and I need your help. For now, though, I need you to get up and fight. We're in danger." She fluttered off his chest, nudging his arm with her tiny head. "Now go!"

At Denali's command, David stumbled to his feet and got a lay of the land. Not too far away, he could see his friends from the beach fighting a space bear. Alright! Taking a moment to get his bearings, he noticed he was not dressed the way he came in. Although, the new fit was quite comfortable, and came with... wings? Yes, he most definitely had wings now. He put his hand instinctively to his side and found the hilt of a sword. He pulled it from the scabbard and studied it. It seemed to be glowing... was he glowing?

David turned back to Denali, a worried look on his face. "Ah, miss Denali," he said, biting his tongue, "What, exactly, do I do here?"

"You'll figure it out, David," she said in her soft and gentle tone, "I mean no offense to your companions, but, you do seem to be one with considerably more discipline than most. Just feel the power within you, and you'll know what to do."

"Right, just feel it," David mumbled to himself.

At that moment, Milo breezed past him towards the bear. "Fuck yeah, I'm like the motherfucking Avatar! With skates!" he cheered. David watched him closely.

"Just feel it, huh?" he said. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, focusing on the new wings on his back. They felt feathery and light, and he could feel the leftover wind from Milo with every feather. David crouched a little, before leaping skywards. As if by nature, his wings took over, lifting him high into the sky. He could see the bear below, currently tangling with Connor. He lifted his sword and stared down its blade, right down at the Ursa Major. "Just feel it," he breathed.

David readied his sword, and slashed it in the bear's direction. As he willed it, a blast of light came flying from the blade, slamming into the Ursa Major's shoulder. "Woohoo!" he cheered, throwing his hands into the air, "I'm like... I've got the Master Sword! I, guess." He didn't take too long to celebrate, shaking it off and flying closer toward his friends.