Beyond Far Away

- Chapter seven -

"Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

****

To say that Michael wasn't thrown off of balance by the cackling woman would be a lie. However, he was not as astonished by the turn of events as one would expect. The hunter hadn't faced a medusa before, but he had heard tales of these beings and knew at least a dozen ways of how to annihilate them. Preparing his weapon, Michael glanced at his brother, then at the huntress. For a second, worry clouded his face. Sadly, there was no time to waste on anxiousness and he chose to lunge at the green clad being instead.

The medusa was on her feet once more, the amputated hand and bloody abdomen barely affecting her. The face, coated in crimson liquid dripping out of the gory sockets, had a hideous smirk as she attempted to reach out for the hunter. Luckily, the creature missed, saving Michael the trouble of turning to stone. The hunter, however, did not miss. He swung at the monster, stunning her as the blade made a deep gash. Then, without any ceremonies, Michael pinned the medusa to the ground and plunged the cold metal into her neck. One swing was not enough to remove the head, so he repeated the procedure. Finally the smirking face rolled away from the limp creature and the hunter wiped off the sweat.

Killing the medusa had been the easiest part of the mission, the young man understood. He had yet to face the ones turned to stone.

His brother, frozen awkwardly mid-attack was a demon – a fancy word for a hybrid – and had incredible resistance to poison. Michael was aware that in an hour or so his body would eradicate the toxicity. Sebastian had genes from a shape-shifter and a vampire, making him a strange, but not uncommon, mixture. It was a result of codominance in a handful of alleles. The younger Devin had a less intricate genotype, but it wasn't important at that very moment. Sebastian was going to be okay.

Instead, the black-haired man slumped to the lush grass, in front of his partner, fingers lightly grasping her stone shoulders. There was only silence and the rustle of clothes as he did so. Without realizing, Michael opened his mouth to speak.

"This is what you get for dumping me for another partner, Adriana," Voice soft, the hunter found himself wondering what to do. "I'll wait for Sebastian to demineralise and we'll get you back home."

With one last look at the fearful eyes, Michael ran a hand through his raven-black hair and prepared to wait.

Both suns had hidden behind the horizon by the time the demon's statue began fracturing. The younger brother was having trouble staying awake - the journey had been too stressful for a good night's sleep - although the full moon was almost at the highest point. It was a clear warm night, filled with aroma of deciduous trees and red night gladioli. Sebastian growled as his chest returned to normal and he could finally suck in a breath. The feeling was similar to waking up on the floor – every muscle ached, every nerve was irritated.

"I took care of the medusa." Michael murmured, when the last patches of his brother's skin regained flexibility and colour. The body was still on the forest floor, proving the statement.

"Thanks," The demon stretched slightly, groaning once more. "Did anything else try to take a chunk out of you?"

"No," The curt answer held frustration, powerlessness and worry.

"Has she shown any resistance to the toxins?" Sensing where the young man's thoughts were, Sebastian walked over to inspect the huntress.

"None."

The blond glanced to the sky and pressed his lips together.

"It's the full moon, she would have broken a spell. I'm not sure how her organism may react to toxic substances, however."

Michael sent a confused look at the fellow hunter. What did the phase of that celestial body have to do with anything?

Sebastian stepped around the statue. His eyes were focused on Adriana, but the mind was busy with recollecting all the information that he had about her. The lunar fae, named selenes, were a race of spirit-like beings that drew power from the moon. They were the strongest during the nights such as those and the weakest during the time of the two suns. It affected their mental, physical and magical states. However, what the Devin couldn't remember about these creatures was whether or not they were susceptible to poisons during the moonlit hours.

"Let's wait a bit, Mike," The blond settled by the girl, elaborating no further.

****

Asheron

Sebastian Devin decided that meeting Adriana was either a trick or a wicked illusion, as soon as she had disappeared. The demon's face was a battlefield for antagonistic emotions and so was his soul. He drilled his descendant for hours, searching for answers. Once he was done, Sebastian led him to the study, promising a way to figure some things out. More to himself than anyone else.

There the boy was startled by a painting, depicting a group of people.

He recognized four out of five adults and could have sworn that the little boy was his grandfather. The two women were without a doubt Adriana Vervloet and Penelope Devin – Sebastian's deceased wife. The huntress was dressed in an emerald green gown and her dark red hair, adorned by diopside accessories, fell to her waist in gentle curls. She had a playful smirk on her face and one hand on the child's shoulder. Penelope, Michael's great-grandmother, wore a beige dress, covered in lace and pink flowers. The woman had short white hair and a motherly look as she smiled at the child, dressed in white clothes and with blond locks. Behind each of them stood both Devins and, to the boy's surprise, Sebastian's brother did look exactly like him. More determined and exhausted, but him, nonetheless. It was incredible to look at the handsome hunter, who had one hand around Adriana's waist and smiled at him from the masterpiece. He wore a luxurious black coat, matching pants and a violet shirt underneath, embroidered the most intricate ways. Sebastian and the stranger matched his brother, the only difference being in the colour of his shirt – it was pale blue. The blond had his lips pressed against Penelope's shoulder, affectionate as ever. Everyone, except the white haired female, had swords that were more beautiful than the usual ones - mostly for decoration purposes. The fifth man was standing between the Devin boys and had a mischievous look on his face. He was the tallest with orange hair and light freckles.

"It was painted right after Jaromir's - my son's - fifth birthday," Sebastian explained, soaking in Michael's reaction. "Right before Adriana and my brother... died."

"Who's the third man?" The boy questioned as his great-grandfather began rummaging through the drawers.

"It is Zopyros. You don't recognize him? I thought you dreamt of Michael's past?"

"I haven't reached the point, where we meet," The black-haired man explained, not realizing that he spoke of the memories as his own.

"He was once a dear friend and your grandfather's personal tutor. Ah, there it is." The demon sat in an armchair, under the painting and started flipping through an old book.

Sebastian's study was a luxurious room. It had dark walls, a few shelves of books, a soft rug. The glass table was covered in various documents, similar to the ones that were tidily placed in the beautiful modern cabinet behind the table. A few chocolate armchairs looked very comfortable and were positioned to face the table. Many sculptures, statuettes and a beautiful vase of flowers found only in Asheron decorated the room. Two windows on each side were covered with heavy cream curtains. Michael took a seat himself and impatiently waited for his ancestor to speak watching his expression shift between frustrated and gleeful.

"What kind of book is it?"

"Well, since all I could gather from your explanation was that somehow you had a connection to the girl, I thought you could do research on that." Sebastian handed the book to his brother's look-alike and watched with increasing curiosity. "It has every bond covered - simple sibling connections, blood-mate relationships, elves' ways of interacting, etc. Study it and maybe it will help."

Michael nodded, grateful and, after a few minutes of discussing the subject of him and Adriana, decided that it was time to go back home. He said his good-bye and drove back to school. It was dark already when he reached his dorm, but curiosity burned with unfathomable fierceness. Therefore, he decided to begin his research.

Earth

"Tell me it is no longer there, please, please, please?" Adriana had her head covered with a blanket, unwilling to glance at the spot, where she had placed the apple more than a week ago.

Praying did her no good, however. She herself didn't know whom she was praying to. When the girl lifted her eyes and faced her surroundings, the blue fruit peacefully laid there. Its aroma had filled the bedroom throughout the days, making it even harder to write it off as an illusion. But Adriana was still certain that it was nothing but a figment of her imagination. How else could an apple as blue as that appear in her house? It hadn't withered or lost its colour, staying as unusually tempting as the first time she had laid her eyes on it. That night she didn't dare to taste it, as though something in her mind was telling her to avoid doing so.

However, that morning was different. It sneaked upon the girl, inducing a hunger for adventure. The dawn came and since it wasn't going anywhere, the red-head reached out from under the covers and took the fruit in her hand. It felt smooth to the touch and as her teeth sunk in, she blinked in surprise. She had partly hoped that it would turn her into a small rabbit or transport her soul to Asheron, yet it did no such thing. It stayed a fruit. The inside was pale blue and it was heaven to the taste buds. The apple was sweet and refreshing, as though the flavour had been intensified to the maximum. Adriana chewed it slowly, actually closed-eyed, completely engrossed in the feeling, yet still thinking about where the blue object came from - Asheron. She was completely unaware of anything happening around her.

"You always liked them," A voice, too familiar for comfort, but familiar nonetheless, slashed at the silence, startling the girl.

Adriana gasped as her eyes searched the room. He wasn't there, or at least she couldn't see the boy. Michael, however, was there. He used the invisibility to his advantage and reached out to grasp her shoulder. At first, his hand went through the red-head, making him frown. The boy needed to touch her, to keep the connection strong.

"I am trying to figure something out, could you concentrate on me?" Adriana jumped as the boy spoke right next to her, still nothing but a ghost.

"I don't think contemplating voices in my head would do me any good."

"We both know that I am anything but a voice in your head," Michael chuckled and elaborated on his plan. "I've been researching this connection we have and, although nothing similar had been noted yet, one thing is for sure. The more both partners focus on each other, the stronger the pull."

"If you're not imaginary, what are you then?" Adriana's voice was soft, scared even.

She knew that there was no way to argue Michael's existence on some level. The taste of proof was still present on her lips, but how can a mere human comprehend the fact that she was communicating between worlds?

"I'm not sure yet how this is possible, but we are clearly connected in a way. I've been trying to reach you for days now and, although I have succeeded, the bond is very weak, I need your help."

The red-head sighed, defeated. It wouldn't hurt to think of something, now would it?

"What do I focus on?"

"I'm sure you had the dream about the medusa tonight," At the surprise on the woman's face Michael grinned. "We share those dreams. Think about what happened."

And so she did as told.

****

"What are we waiting for, exactly?" The black-haired hunter shifted uncomfortably.

"I guess I don't have a reason not to tell you," Sebastian sighed, aware that he was telling a very important secret. "Miss Vervloet is a selene."

"That's impossible." Michael argued. "Selenes all have the same characteristics: very light hair, dark blue eyes and are very vulnerable to sunlight. Adriana's a red-head and has no trouble staying under the sun for hours."

The demon nodded at this. His brother was right without a doubt. The lunar spirits were weak to the light of day – some would even get severely burned if exposed too long. They were also known for having hair the colour of the moon, nearly white, with very few exceptions.

"Miss Vervloet was born under abnormal circumstances. Her mother gave birth during the night of the blood moon."

Very rarely did such a phenomena happen. The true red moon would rise only during the night when it was full and the aeternus flowers were in bloom. The plants released chemicals and dust that were both the reason for the celestial body's colour and magical influence. It occurred every six centuries or so and had great influence over selenes. For a moon fae to be born on such a night would have meant unheard-of capabilities. Michael couldn't wrap his head around the fact no matter how hard he tried.

"That would explain her hair, why it is such a rich deep red, but what about the sun? "

"The girl is an extraordinary selene, I have no idea how it works, but the suns do no harm to her whatsoever. Her magic, however, is still dependant on the moon."

"Is that why we are waiting?"

"Yes, I believe that's she's recharging her energy to heal herself."

Both hunters looked at the woman's statue expectantly, waiting for a miracle to occur.

****

Suddenly, Adriana could feel a warm hand on her left shoulder. Michael smiled, able to finally touch the girl, though still invisible. He fell beside her on the bed, making it bounce lightly and laughed.

"Finally, I thought I was going to stay a spirit forever."

"I cannot see you still," Like a blind person Adriana reached to her left, feet curled underneath her body, and felt a thick material that wasn't her sheets.

"It will come, eventually. I think it also depends on how much magical energy we have and since it's no longer a full moon, you're weaker."

They sat in silence for a while, both ordering their thoughts.

"Why do you think this is happening?" Adriana rolled out of bed and started brushing her hair, leaving more space for Michael.

It was unusual for her to be so trusting of someone, so comfortable with a stranger. On the other hand, the girl felt as though she had known him for centuries. And she might as well have, thanks to the dreams she had been having for a while. Michael was also quite relaxed as he watched the red-head. Though he knew that those dreams did not belong to him, they both were so similar to Miss Vervloet and her partner that it did not matter. He knew Adriana and she knew him.

"I do not know for sure, but my guess would be that we may have had a spell cast upon us... This world is rather different, are you still able to do magic here?"

The question startled Adriana.

"I highly doubt it. I'm not the huntress, you know. It's just in the dreams."

"Those dreams are actually memories of a dead woman. And you should try, it isn't that hard."

The girl shook her head. Magic, dead people, really? But for the invisible boy's entertainment she decided to attempt a simple fire spell. She remembered how to accumulate a spark of energy from the time when Miss Vervloet was still in training. Both children fixed their eyes on a lone yellow candle, placed on a table in case of a black out.

"Come on, Adriana. Even Seigmond could do it."

Noting the challenge in Michael's voice she concentrated, reaching within herself for that energy that circulated like blood, yet was meant to be controlled by her mind. It took time. There was a tingling and burning sensation that seemed to travel to the tips of her hair. Adriana narrowed her eyes, collecting specks of the strange force and willing it to move the molecules around the whisk. The silence was urging her to give up, crushing the childish desire to be capable of something more than average humans, but she kept it up.

A slight flicker appeared out of thin air and just as Mrs Ellison, completely oblivious, opened the door to the girl's room, it became a weak flame.

Adriana had never seen anything so irrelevant yet so breath-taking.

"Good job," Michael whispered softly, his invisible eyes sparkling with delight of his own, as the connection was cut off and he faded away, back to his home planet.

She could do magic.

Hell yeah!