“Another dimension” Brooke whispered “Even with all the magical wonders i’ve seen through the years, I never would have thought such a thing would be real”

Brooke sat on a short office chair behind her grand desk, next to her stood the elderly man who had opened the gate. He had introduced himself as George and was the assistant caretaker of the preserve.The large red bird sitting on George’s shoulder was introduced as Kasha. Josh and the other team members were spread out on the different pieces of furniture crowding the room. The group had gone within the house and were now talking in Brooke’s office. Josh had finished explaining being sent to this world to complete a certain mission and how it led to them coming to the property. Only leaving out that they knew about this world through movies.

“I don’t know if I would believe it if I didn't live it” Josh said with a chuckle “So we really have no idea about how this world works. We were under the assumption this world held no magic, we would really appreciate some explanations”

“Magic has always been a part of this world” Brooke began “Humans existed with magical creatures in the beginning of our history. However humans developed a veil that blocks them from seeing the creatures that created our myths. Magical creatures in return saw humans as insignificant, seeing their lives no different than seeing an ant’s. The constant expansion of humans threatened the homes of magical creatures. In order to keep humans and magical creatures safe from each other the preserves were created. Safe havens for magical creatures to spend their existence unbothered by humans. Using ancient magic to create boundaries and rules so all can live in peace. Concealed Roots is one of these preserves.”

“So these woods hold all the creatures from myth and legends?” Crystal asked

“A small amount from around the world” Brooke answered “Preserves have been built across the globe so the inhabitants can live in their preferred environment”

“So you guard this place?” Elijah asked with a sneer

“Among other things” Brooke nodded

“Why would you let a group of strangers come here?” Elijah questioned

“There is a large network of people who know about that magical world” Brooke said calmly “Our preserve is not a secret and you are far from the first guest we had who we weren’t familiar with. I’ve had many friends call and say they have a friend who wants to come to the preserve. Mickey wore an amulet that would heat up if there was any aggression directed towards him. If you seemed to be a threat things would have gone very differently”

“Is Dr.Riley aware that this is a preserve” Josh asked curiously

“No he is unaware like most of the world” Brooke answered “I thought maybe a friend was trying to contact me through him. I was shocked to hear a stranger’s voice over the phone”

“What if we had no idea about the magical world?” Crystal asked

“We had prepared a fake story that the ruins were covered in a landslide” Brooke explains “The idea that you would be able to see the magical creatures but be unaware of the magical world was not something we planned for”

“Milk from a milch animal is the only way people can see magical creatures” George said “It’s odd some of you can see them and others can’t. What have you three done differently?”

“We haven’t done anything differently” Skye said, the only one besides Josh and Eve who could see the fairies

“I have a theory” Eve spoke up “In our dimension we can change ourselves at a genetic level, taking on the powers of magical beings. Josh and I both have blood related to elves and gods. In this world we may be considered magical creatures, so the veil doesn’t affect us.”

“What about me?” Skye asked before suddenly gasping

“Do you have witches here?” Skye asked excitedly

“Witches can become magical creatures” George asked “If they delve deep enough into their magic”

“I have really strong witch blood” Skye said proudly

“Lance and Logan should be able to see through it too” Josh pointed out

“Matt as well” Eve nodded “ This could be useful for our time here”

“It could also be a hindrance” Brooke said solemnly “Humans have the most freedom on these preserves. Very few barriers or boundaries block humans from entering but all block some form of magical being. Not to mention the protections.”

“What protections?” Elijah asked

“The terms of the treaty that founded Concealed Roots guarantee a persons safety on a preserve” Brooks explained “As long as a human does not cause harm though physical or magical means no magical creature can cause harm to that human”

“So nothing can hurt us here?” Louie asked

“No!” George and Brooke said at the same time

“Many creatures on the preserve have territories where they are free to kill any intruders” Brooke explained

“Not to mention just being in the presence of any undead would kill you” George added

“Do you have many undead here?” Josh asked

“No we don’t” Brooke said “Lucky for you our preserve is quite mild compared to other preserves. Most of our occupants are forest creatures that prefer solitary lives and don’t want any interaction with humans. They make dangerous predators though”

“Now that we understand the basics” George declared “Why did you come here if you didn’t know it was a preserve?”

“Well we knew we were likely coming somewhere magic” Josh said “We discovered a magical mask while we were on our mission. We tracked the mask back to Dr. Riley and he pointed us here”

“One of the artifacts we sent?” Brooke asked “That’s impossible George and I checked those artifacts personally. All were tested and held no magic within them”

As Brooke spoke, George moved to a bookcase behind the desk and pulled a large binder out.

“We believe it was one of the artifacts you sent” Josh confirmed “and we all personally saw the mask work some kind of magic on our team mate”

“Are you familiar with the term Genetic Constraint?” Eve asked

“No I’m not” Brooke said

“In our dimension all humans have a lock within our DNA” Eve explained “When pushed into life or death situations we can unlock this constraint and push ourselves past human limitations. The mask was able to force someone’s constraint to unlock further without danger or sacrifice”

“Except for a voice telling you to kill everyone you love” Elijah said cynically

“I’m not sure about a genetic constraint” Brooke said “but usually a voice offering power for killing is a sign of a demon.”

“Here it is,” George said suddenly, stepping over to the team. He opened the book to show a glued in picture of the mask.

“That’s definitely the mask” Eve confirmed

“This was a mask found within the ruined hamlet” Brooke said, taking the book from George “Including George and I several seasoned magical experts looked at the artifact and saw no magic within it”

“Could a demon have gotten a hold of the mask on transit?” Eve questioned “Making it magical after it left the preserve.”

“I don’t know any demons that aren't on a preserve or locked away” Brooke said with a shake of her head

“I know of a couple” George said, scratching his beard “but an enchantment like this isn’t easy for even demons to make”

“Could another creature be controlling the mask?” Josh asked

“Maybe a wizard” Brooke mused

“Recharge!” a shrill voice shouted. The large bird on George’s shoulder had let out a cry.

“That thing talks?” Elijah asked

“Thing?” the bird, Kasha repeated in an offended tone “I am a Scarlet Macaw. Not a thing”

“You can talk?” Josh asked in pleasant surprise

“Better than most of you” Kasha said proudly

“Kasha is one of the many talking animals we have on the preserve” Brooke explained “He works with us to protect the preserve”

“And tell us impossible ideas” George grumbled “Recharging an enchantment like this one would be impossible to do in such a short time”

“No one had a better idea” Kasha muttered

“Could we learn something from the ruins?” Eve asked “You mentioned a hamlet”

“The abandoned hamlet” Brooke nodded “Built before the preserve was established. It served as a base for the preserve founders on the west coast. After the majority of preserves were completed they stopped using the few buildings they had.”

“You never took over the buildings?” Elijah questioned

“They are built deep into the preserve” Brooke explained “Several deadly creatures have territories surrounding the hamlet. It's a dangerous journey to get there. It's easier to build new structures”

"How did the archeologist get there?" Eve asked

"He brought a team of trained adventurers with him" Brooke said “Only one member of my staff went with them and that was his choice”

“Could we talk to the archeologist?” Josh questioned “He might know something about the mask”

“That might be tricky” Brooke said with a frown “I’ve tried to contact him several times over the past few weeks but have heard nothing back. Very normal for him though, he pretty much comes and goes as he pleased”

“We’re still reaching out though” George confirmed

“While you reach out” Josh stated “We’d love to go take a look at the ruins”

“That might be a problem" Brooke said "Everywhere on this preserve is filled with peril but some places are more dangerous than most. The ruins you want to go to not only hold their own dangers but require passage through several territories that are hostile to humans"

"We just need a map to the location” Eve said “We can get there on our own just fine”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Brooke said solemnly, “I know there are several creatures skilled at making people abandon the safe road on the path to the ruins. You don’t even know what creatures exist here, how are you going to protect yourself from the unknown”

“Could one of your staff take us” Josh requested “I’m sure we could make it on our own but i’d like to stay as safe as possible”

"I am someone who believes in the freedom of choice" Brooke said resolutely "I don't force anyone to do anything. My employees are free people and can choose to help you or not. I know my people and they won't risk this journey"

“I respect that” Josh said honestly “Is there anyone on your staff we could ask?”

"Blake might do it" Brooke said

"He is probably the best candidate" George confirmed

“Who’s Blake?” Eve asked

"Blake is the groundskeeper for the preserve" Brooke answered "he spends his days walking the paths of the preserve, maintaining their magic. Most paths on our preserve are protected from danger, however this requires someone to walk the paths once a year”

“This leads him into some of the more dangerous parts of the preserve” George added

“Places where the creatures are skilled in convincing people to abandon the path” Brooke continued “He’s only been here a few years but he’s probably seen more of the preserve than most of my staff”

“Unlucky bastard” George said

“Could we talk to Blake?” Eve asked

“He should be nearby” Brooke said “I asked him to stay close for our meeting today”