Lia held tight on the dark feathers of the giant crow and closed her eyes as they pierced through the clouds. As the beast started flapping its wings wildly, she tucked her head in, quaked but still trusting. Crow would never let me go she comforted herself as the dark feathers brushed her skin. He never has.

As they rose and pierced through the clouds, she felt the moisture on her skin, making her clothes and hair wet. Amongst the deafening winds clashing to take her off the Crow’s back, she was disappointed. I dreamed the clouds would be fluffier she thought as she opened her eyes, but the books were right as always. They were not of cotton or wool. It was made of water vapor, only waiting to fall back to the ground as raindrops.

Soon after, the crow stopped flapping its majestic wings, but with their momentum, they kept rising high, leaving the clouds beneath and flying into the vast blue sky. As their speed slowly diminished, they reached the peak and stood hung in the sky for a moment, only to glide down to their destination afterward.

Now that the bumpy part of the journey was over, Lia had a chance to observe the surroundings. She raised her head and straightened her back, still holding tightly to the Crow, and looked around. They were alone in the sky with nothing to touch for miles. Stuffed between the azure sky, and a sea of clouds beneath their feet, covering the Nevran Desert like a white blanket. On the east, she saw the Lonely Island floating high up in the sky. The newly risen sun staying behind the castle made it seem like a silhouette, like an ink drawing from an old book.

As they glided down, forward, and took shelter in the island’s shadow, Lia could finally see what floated far away. It was like a giant rock, standing tall, drifting away in the air and slowly tilting with the air currents.

On the top of the giant rock, she saw a great tower and what’s left of a small stronghold. The tower loomed over the whole island, and with a small keep attached to it, it was the sole thing that stood up against the slow but destructive power of time.

The dark tower was located close to the cliff at the end of the island, looking at the west side, where Lia and the Crow were approaching.

Crow bowed after landing gracefully, accompanied with the song of winds rushing and dead branches crackling with the wind. Lia then carefully climbed down, using the long feathers as a ladder hold on.

As she set foot on the island, she felt like she was on a large ship. The Island wasn’t as stable as the others as she expected. Roots and branches of the Tree of Levis held the thousands of isles together, but this one was drifting far away from their reach. Without anything to hold on to but still affected by Levis’ holy power, it slowly floated in the sky like a raft in still water.

She adjusted the collar of her white button-up shirt and dusted her black pants. She fixed the blue cloak that coiled around her in the flight. She wouldn’t normally wear it but for the occasion, she felt like wearing it. She thought she looked nobler with it, but it was a hassle to deal with in expeditions.

After checking her clothes, she dried her clothes with a small spell of heat, and let her hair tied hair off before going to the tower. She took a few steps, only to realize that the crow was standing still, waiting on the edge of the cliff.

“Why are you waiting there, be quick and change. It would be easier to walk inside the buildings as a human.”

“I can’t my lady. The quest is yours alone, you are to wander and look for the man by yourself. I am nothing but a means of transportation right now.

Lia looked at his yellow avian eyes. They were full of determination.

“So be it then.” She said as she departed. “You can stay there as much as you want.” She had known him forever and knew it was useless trying to convince him once he made his mind. Though for Lia, he was far more than what he claimed to be, the rest of what he said was the truth. The mission was given to Lia alone, not to Crow. Alone but eager, she walked the narrow path, leading to the stairs to the tower.

On the two sides of the path, there were dozens of graves, some of which exceeding three to four meters in length. What the heck is even buried in these graves, she thought but quickly figured it out as soon as she looked at the gravestones. Most of them were molten, looking like they were made of wax instead of marbles.

On the bent and molten stones, Lia could see no names but only five rings, interlaced in a shape of a cross. The first time she had seen them, she had thought that they looked like the daisies she picked up playing in the outskirts of the capital. But now she knew. They were the Rings of Arym. Rings of the Wyvern riders.

Buried with their Wyverns she thought as she passed through the graveyard. With their companions.

After passing the dead, she started to climb the old and worn stairs. They looked like they were made of fine marble, but time had filed the corners down. With the dirt on them, they looked more like a slope than a stair.

As she climbed the stairs, she started hearing voices. Two men were arguing.

“It’s yellow!” One of them shouted. His voice was coarse and tough. The sounds coming out of his mouth sounded like coughs more than words “It should have been blue!”

“No, it’s not.” The other replied. “I am definitely sure that it is blue.”

“No, it can’t be.” The coarse voice replied immediately “Then it would be the same color as the desert, and they are not the same! You used different tubes of paint.” The same man continued

“What?” The younger and the clear voice sounded stunned. “The desert outside isn’t even yellow, it’s red! How long has it been since you went out?”

“Six months ago, remember, we were together. The sky was blue and the desert was yellow as always. You painted the exact opposite. It looks like a sea; you even drew waves! And what’s that thing in the middle. It looks like a ship. Maybe you should turn it upside down. That way, at least the colors would be the at the right places.

“They aren’t waves, you dumbass, they are dunes. And they’re red. Also, that’s a city. Not a fucking ship. Have you forgotten Alesia? Look! I even drew the seven towers!”

“They look like masts to me, buddy. Here take this. This one is blue. You can still paint over the monstrosity you have created.” The coarse voice offered something Lia couldn’t see as she was almost about to knock on the door. She decided not to do so. After listening for a while, she was almost certain that these two were definitely not the ones she was looking for. Nevertheless, she waited. She was interested in the stupidity of their argument. If she disturbed them now, she would have lost the chance to witness such an act forever.

“Thanks for the compliment but no, that’s brown, Grizzly. Just like you are. Let me show you.”

“I am dark blue, you blind idiot! And don’t you dare paint me, I’ll…”

Just before the coarse voice finished his words, Lia heard a loud sound of flesh hitting flesh, and in a blink, the whole building shook. Something hit the old door and broke through it, hitting Lia and making them both tumble down the stairs, back to the graveyard.

“The number of eyes we both possess is two and the last time I checked I was the possessor of both.” Younger one claimed as he realized what was he standing on and got from it.

“I am sorry Lassie.” He continued to talk as he reached out to her, who was still shocked and lying down. “Look what he has done!” He complained to her like he was without a fault. “Yet you call me blind! I even didn’t mention arms.”

The man that just crashed on him looked around the same age as her. He had a brown scarf covering his neck and a coal dark cloth beneath, wrapped around his shoulders like a cape, reaching down to his waist. He had old trousers, with torn cuffs and an old, yellowish shirt. From head to toes, whatever he wore had paint on them. He looked like more of a failed painting than the man she was told to find.

“We have a guest!” The failed painting blurted out to the man inside and turned to Lia, holding both of her hands like an excited child. “I apologize for Grizzly’s warm welcome. He has some anger management issues you know.”

The young man had a bright smile and a pair of dark red eyes. The left side of his face was covered with three columns of runes, ancient and unintelligible to Lia. She could feel no power no mana, either from the runes or the man. He was like a soulless puppet, thrilled to meet a new friend.

“I told you not to paint me, Viran!” The man from the inside insulted and Lia backed down a step, getting ready to unsheathe her sword. It was not the voice, but the aura behind it. Contrary to the younger one, she felt like she was facing the whole sky. She felt his aura spread, making it hard for her to stand and breathe. Soon, she saw a blue silhouette with no arms coming out of the hole on the door which was just created.

“Never make me say something twice, human.”

What came out of the room was more like a beast befitting the aura it emitted. A blue creature out of the ancient books depicting the demons of Quati than a man. A vertical scar went from one temple to another, leaving him with empty eye sockets. He only had a purple cloth, wrapped around his hips, covering his crotch and thighs. He scoffed and puffed his chest as if he was parading his dark blue scaled skin. He bore two horns, one of which was cut halfway. His horns ornamented his forehead like a broken crown and as he stood tall on top of the stairs, he looked like a king looking down to his subjects.

Though the nature of his power was different, the sheer pressure of his mana reminded her of Yesui the Archmage. Just like this beast, she had no arms. He is as strong as her, she thought. The strongest mage in the Empire. Maybe even stronger.

Yesui was ashamed of her state. To her, it was the mark of her defeat in the Plains of Maesver. Everybody knew that. She covered her shame with robes and long cloth, even making hands made of ice, but this man, he lifted his empty shoulders triumphantly. Proud like a man who has never lost.

As he slowly stepped down the stairs one by one, Lia felt the unbearable pressure crippling her. She was not afraid of the beast, but her body thought differently. She was trembling.

“You are breaking my heart old man. Viran? Really? You could have chosen a better insult. Also, you are frightening our guess.” The younger man put his hand on her shoulder, and she felt the pressure disappear as he continued to talk. “If she runs away, she can’t be our judge and we would be discussing for an eternity.”

Suddenly, the stern look on Grizzly’s face disappeared and he sighed. “I can’t argue with that. But you must stop calling me Grizzly, I have a name. It’s Vir’ni.”

“Come on Grizzly, you could have chosen any name but Vir’ni? You lack imagination. Grizzly suits you better.

“Yes. I lack imagination. Hey girl, ask him what his name is.” The blue man ordered Lia. She didn’t like being ordered around but she was curious as well.

“What is your name?” Lia asked the man.

“Lad.” He said with a down voice, with an emotionless face. “But you can call me Lad.”

“Yes Lassie, you can call him Lad, he is a good lad.” Vir’ni laughed with a content smile as he went back in. “But he is a terrible painter.”

It was a wide room with close to nothing occupying it. There was a large dining table on the left with a chair lying right next to it. On the left, there was an easel with a canvas placed on top. She got closer to the painting as she was asked to and looked at it. It was more of a canvas that was dipped in mud than a painting. She could see strokes of brushes, but the colors were so mixed that everything was either black or brown.

“What was this supposed to be again?” She asked Lad.

“Ruins of the Ancient City of Alesia. The city with seven towers, the pearl of Nevra. Home of the…” Lad was going to continue praising the city, but Vir’ni cut him off.

“Home of the crimson dunes and many pitiful souls. It’s an empty city Lad. And a bad painting.”

Lad ignored Vir’ni’s comment and asked Lia again. “It’s great right?”

“Well… I can see the ruins.” She answered. “At least of a painting. It’s all brown, all the colors are mixed.”

Both Vir’ni and Lad looked at each other and then Lad threw the painting out of the door. It spun and flew, eventually falling off the island and Lad turned to Lia as nothing had happened.

“Hmm… Anyways. Why were you here again?” Lad folded his arms and winked at Vir’ni briefly.

“I am here to deliver a message from her Holiness Levis to the Master of the Tower. Where can I find him?” Lia ignored him messing with the armless man and focused on his task.

“Ohh… You must have misheard, sweetheart.” Lad said as he pressed his lips and tilted his head. “No master lives here for ages, it’s just us. You can think of me as a caretaker, and he is… Grizzly. Hey Grizzly! Have you seen anyone else around?”

“No.”

“Look! He agrees. “

“I can’t return empty-handed, Lad.” The worry could be heard in her voice. “Her Holiness has trusted this mission to me, and I have taken an oath in the name of Vaella that I would deliver the letter.”

“Vaella, huh?” He said as he scratched his chin. “Hmm… I guess you can look around a bit. We wouldn’t want an oath taken under the name of our almighty Lord broken in overnight, right?” He finished his words as he looked briefly to Vir’ni, but he was already leaving for the room next door.

After listening to Lad for a while, Lia decided to take the offer and climb the tower. Wooden stairs creaked in each step, some even broke, swallowing Lia’s feet. Eventually, the narrow stairway and the stone walls lead her up to an old door.

She closely examined the door. There were various ornaments carved on the wood and old and ruined runes covered the frame of the door. She checked the keyhole and the thin space between the door and the threshold but there were no light or sound to be found. With the reluctance resulting from the fact that the man she was looking for is not present, she reached for the door and slowly opened it. Just to make sure that it was as empty and abandoned like the others. Unbeknownst to Lia, what lied behind the door was far from abandoned.

The creaking door opened to a large, dim-lit study and a man scribbling something under the candlelight. The desk was full of books and papers, much more than what it could hold. If not for the precious-looking shiny stones resting on some of the parchments, they would have already fallen from the desk with the wind of the door.

The man continued writing with the company of the soothing sounds of candles wicks’ crackling with fire and his quill scratching the fine paper. As the man continued writing, Lia noticed the scenery behind the window. It was hard to miss. Contrary to the warm yellow air of the room, the outside looked cold with a dark shade of blue. The full moon stood high above the colossus tree of Levis, gently showering the leaves with its milky light.

The scenery looked familiar, but something was wrong. The mighty tree she knew soared through the sky. It didn’t belong to the ground. So did the tower she broke into. Also, she was pretty sure that it was not time for a full moon. There must have been days for it.

“I think your dad wouldn’t approve of you being here.” The young man spoke without raising his head as he kept writing. He had a young but deep voice.

Lia took a few steps forward and closed the door behind. She had come this far; she couldn’t have return now. There was only one thing left to do. To decide whether this man was the one.

She cleared her throat and eyed the bookshelves covering the large room’s walls, full of books, and painted a dark gold color under the flickering candlelight. The books she thought. They were new and dusted. As well as the whole room. With the false sense of warmth coming from the radiating orangish light, the room felt like a living beast, and she was right in its belly.

“I doubt he would ever learn I was here. Or anyone else.” The man was a stranger and yet Lia still spoke the truth. Her father was far away, busy with pleasing the whole empire, keeping it together. Even if he knew, Lia doubted he would have time to have a say.

Upon hearing the voice of an unknown woman, the man quickly raised his head. Shocked, he laid back on his chair and left the quill into the ink bottle. After a while, the surprise on his face left its place to inquiry and he started to play with three golden earrings on his left ear. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties with his short dark hair but his eyes had a weary look that could only come from an old man.

“You are from the Arym; you bear the golden earring.” Lia continued as she knitted her eyebrows and pointed at the earring he played. It was the proof that he was one of the four generals or Rasz of Arym. The Wyvern riders of the Empire. You are not one of them she thought with a face full of discontent. I know all four of Razs, the ring must be a fake, and he an impostor.

“Indeed, I am. Yet you invoke our name like it is a blasphemy. Is it a crime to ride our wyverns with the will of the mighty Rasaz?”

“No, but the ring… It belongs to someone else. You are not the Rasz of East. That title, it belongs to my brother.”

“Oh,” The man gasped, looking at the notebook he was working on. “It is normal to react harshly when you think someone stole what is yours, or your friends’ and family’s. It may, young lady, belong to someone else where you come from. But in this very room, I am from the Arym and I am the Rasz of East. I have personally taken the rings from the Rasaz himself.” He had a look like he finally understood what was going on. “Perhaps, we both are right? You look so sure, and I know that I speak the truth” The smile on his face was like a teacher waiting for his student to figure something out.

“Perhaps.” Lia answered. “Maybe you can answer how is that possible. I can see this is not the same tower I climbed; in the window. It wasn’t supposed to be this green, or low.” She continued as crossed her arms. “Now, tell me. Where am I, or under what illusion.”

“What was it supposed to be then?” The man inquired and ignored Lia’s question as he got off his chair and turned his back to Lia, having a look at the outside from a small window.

“Sand” Lia answered. “Red sand. Covering as far as eye can see, and even beyond that. Islands, made of what’s left of once-great continent Nevra, floating in the sky held together by the thousand branches and roots of the tree of Levis.”

“Hmm. Unexpected. I thought that this very city would be alive until the end of time. But to think it left its place to a desert?” He sounded like it was impossible for the city to be in ruins, and the land being wasted. After a while, accepting the grim news, he gently tapped the marble sill of the window, like patting the back of a loved one. “Years haven’t been so kind to you huh, my old friend.”

“I answered yours, now answer my question.”

“The question is not where, young lady. It is when. And you don’t have to worry about it, it’s nothing of harm. The illusion will dissolve in a few minutes.”

I knew it. She thought. He put me under some illusion. But to think that I didn’t feel it. Also, the craftsmanship was exquisite. To be able to make this much of a detailed illusion and sustain it with magic without breaking a sweat, he either had to be the master she was looking for, or a spirit, haunting the lone tower.

I need to make sure she thought and gracefully bowed before the man. It was an act of courtesy. It didn’t matter which one he was. He was talented and Lia thought it was worth her respect. But even that respect didn’t stop her from satiating her curiosity.

“Are you a mage, or a spirit, sir?” She asked bluntly, leaving the courtesy behind.

“Maybe a mage, maybe not.” He answered with a wry smile. “The lines these days are as thin as a hair, and it is hard to see where one stands. Maybe, I am a spirit but only as much as you are a mage.”

“So, you are a spirit.” She blurted out as she was confident in her skills. If it weren’t for them, she would be rotting away at the capital, buried under the gazes of a thousand curious eyes trying to find her a suitor.

The man let out a laughter. “You have no idea how much of a good answer that was. Alright, that’s enough of small talk. State your business, I have things to write.”

“I was looking for someone. I heard a lone master lived in the ruins of the tower. I carry a message from Her Holiness Levis.

“Me?” He laughed again. “A master? No dear no. I am still far from being a master and as you can see I this place isn’t exactly in ruins.”

“I can sense it. You possess the might to call yourself one. After you are done with the wish of our Lady I would even like to learn a few things from you.”

The man let out a burst of louder laughter. “You flatter me young lady, but the world is wide and you look like you are rich enough to find a better one than this humble servant. Though I have to admit, you try not to look like one. Old clothes, washed many times, carrying the wrinkles of overuse. A squire I would say if I had to guess. Hands roughened from swinging the sword you carry on your belt. If not for the dark Yrridian Steel in that sheath, I would have taken you for a commoner.”

“How? The sword should have been impossible to sense. It bears no power, there is nothing to feel there.”

“Exactly. Sometimes being unable to find something we look for, means that there is something greater than us hiding it. What could blind the senses of a mage better than the Yrridian Steel? Made from the dark ores of the east, unyielding to the magic, the nightmare to us mages. One could give the worlds to have what you blatantly parade on your belt.” Lia could see the desire in his eyes. It wasn’t ill willed, but she was sure that to the man blade was priceless.

“If you wish it so much, you can have it. It is a small price for her holiness’ wish. If you heed her call you can have it.

“It is very generous of you, young lady, but this is not a simple illusion, and I am not here at all, at least in your now. I am nothing but a ghost, a memory hidden between these pages. To me, at dawn, we will march at Beskra. I feared I would die tomorrow, so I left this diary and my memories in it, to give those who wait for me here at home one more chance to talk with me. To you, I am nothing more than history.”

“What is your name then history?”

“Dead soldiers bear no names lass. You need not know.” He smiled and the room darkened as he sealed his lips.

Lia’s eyes got blind for a moment and with all of her limbs numb, she fell on her knees. It was as if she was out of her body for a second and her soul had just returned. She felt nauseated and the world was spinning. Lying on the ground, she closed her eyes, trying to focus. She felt the power of the man in the illusion slowly leave her body, making her feel free once again.

After a while, she opened her eyes and got up on her feet. She dusted herself, this time actually to clean as the ground she was lying on was covered with an inch of dust. She looked around but this time there was no man waiting for her, or the orange light of the candles.

The room was dark. Some planks of wood were nailed at the frames of the window, keeping the sunlight out but the beams of light squeezing in between the poorly attached planks cut through that darkness. Just enough to let her see what was in the room.

All the candles and the papers were scattered to the ground. The jewels were gone, as well as the sense of warmth and welcome. The bookshelves on both sides of the room had also fallen, one of them collapsing on the table. The books on them were all around the place, it looked like an earthquake had shaken the room, not the enemy the man in the illusion talked about.

Lia focused and lifted the bookshelf with a wave of her hand, it would have been hard for her to lift such a heavy furniture with her arms, but she needed not to do so. Through magic, she could move things with nothing but a thought.

She checked all the books but to her surprise, they were all impossible to read. They were as if they had been written with another alphabet, one Lia had never seen before. Letters seemed familiar, but foreign nevertheless.

If it were someone else, they would have been disappointed, but Lia was happier than ever. She had the chance to read the words of the people from another land and another age. Of course, she was happy. She was the only one to have a chance to read those books other than those two, and considering how well they could see; it was quite possible that they had never even tried reading them.

The only problem was that she had nothing with her to carry them all. She picked the diary of the man, staying still on the top of the desk as well as a few more books that looked interesting. Convinced that she wouldn’t be able to carry them all, she bid her farewell to the books, ensuring them that she would be back soon.

As Lia was about to leave the room, she suddenly realized the mistake she had done. She hurriedly walked past the door and hastily climbed down the stairs. After entering the main hall Lad was painting when she first arrived, she checked whether anyone was there. Just as she expected, there was no soul left in the building.

Having lost the couple, she went outside, and closed her eyes, chanting a spell. The wind rushed to her aid and slowly raised her to air. She rose as high as the tower with a small tornado beneath her feet and saw Lad talking to Vir’ni on the east cliff of the island. She commanded the wind, and it took her to the master she was looking for. She remembered what the man in the illusion told her.

“Sometimes being unable to find something we look for, means that there is something greater than us hiding it.”

When it came to Vir’ni, she felt a power so overwhelming that it made her unable to breathe but Lad… He felt like an empty shell. He is hiding his power she thought. I must reach him.

Just as she landed right next to two, Lad was in a hurry, trying to convince Vir’ni to do something.

“Look! We could have escaped if you hadn’t been so stubborn. Now, she’s going to ask us to do something troubling!” Lad yelled at Vir’ni, furiously shaking his arms around. “Levis never asks for something easy!”

“Ask you to do something.” Vir’ni emphasized you with an expressionless face. Lia thought that the blue man would roll his eyes if he had a pair.

“It’s you, right?” Lia confronted the man. “Levis was looking for you.”

“Yes.” Lad sighed and looked at the emptiness down the cliff.

“She sent a letter for you.” Lia said as she tried to pull the letter out of her vest’s inner pocket. For some reason, it seemed like it got stuck.

Meanwhile, Lad raised his head, to Lia “She does so once every while.”

Just as Lia managed to pull the letter out, she faced Lad but what she saw wasn’t the face of some being embarrassed or angry to be found out. It was the face of a mischievous kid, smiling wryly right before doing something naughty.

Lia extended the letter so that Lad could take it and read, but Lad refused, pulling her hand down.

“Tell her I refuse.” He said his last words as a wide smile appeared on his face. Then he stepped back and fell from the edge of the island.