Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven: Regrouping the Team

Third POV:

Lylan's head shot up, and his eyes widened in surprise. He took a moment to process what he was seeing before his face broke into a wide grin. It's been days since they arrived at Luminara but it felt like it had been like months since they had last seen Luna and Charlotte, and the relief of finally being reunited washed over him.

"Luna! Charlotte! You're here!" Jheall exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace them. But Luna stood there, her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face. Looking at Lylan as if there was something between them.

"Lylan," she said, her voice dripping with displeasure. "Do you have any idea what we went through after you left us in the enchanted forest? We were lost, struggling to find our way back to the rest of the gang."

Lylan's smile faltered, and he lowered his head in shame. He had been reckless, thinking that exploring the enchanted forest alone would bring him answers. Little did he know, his decision had caused his friends to suffer.

"I'm sorry, Luna," Lylan mumbled, his voice barely audible. "I didn't mean to put you all in danger."

Luna lifted her hand and a rock collided with the water shield, causing a loud crash and splinters of stone to scatter in all directions. Lylan's heart raced as he stared at Luna, his eyes wide with shock and hurt.

"What are you doing, Luna?" he demanded. Luna's eyes blazed with anger as she took a step closer to Lylan. "What am I doing? I'm showing you how it feels to be left behind, abandoned. You think your water powers can shield you from the consequences of your actions?"

Lylan's jaw tightened, his blue eyes flashing with defiance. "I never abandoned you. to I was just trying to find answers while guarding each one of you in your practice sites, to unravel the mysteries surrounding Luminara. I thought if I went alone, I could find a way to protect all of you better."

find answers, to protect us all. You know how important it is for us to discover the truth about Luminara."

Luna's eyes softened slightly, but her anger still simmered beneath the surface. "You're always putting yourself in unnecessary danger, Lylan. You didn't think about the consequences of your actions. We could have been seriously hurt or worse!"

Relieved Jheall and shared a knowing look. "But we're glad now that we know you're safe I replied sincerely. "We must find the others. Do you have any leads?"

"Luckily though, we met a kind elf that gave us these, and this." Luna presented her held maps and Charlotte showed their crystal ball.

"Ooooo! A map!" Zach wrapped his words with a wide sile and widened his eyes with excitement.

"Looks like we won't be needing that filthy map of yours Ly," Jheall sarcastically implied and grinned. Lylan just rolled his eyes, pissed off from what Luna said. "Tch."

But as Jheall gazed her eyes at what Charlotte is holding, she tucked a strand of her silver hair behind her ear, gazing intently at the mesmerizing crystal ball. Jheall's fingers twitched with anticipation, the desire to touch the crystal ball overwhelming her curiosity.

"Charlotte," she whispered, her voice barely audible, "What is that? That ball's so shy and sparkly! Can I touch it?" do you think it's okay if I just...I can't resist its allure."

Charlotte, the wise and enigmatic witch who had mentored Jheall in the art of divination, turned her piercing green eyes towards the crystal ball. A frown tugged at the corners of her lips as she assessed the situation.

"No, Jheall," she said firmly, her voice laced with caution and moved the crystal ball a little futher from Jheall's distance. "According from Dria, The crystal ball is a conduit for ancient magic, a portal into realms beyond our understanding. Its power can be overwhelming, even dangerous."

"Besides, I was entrusted and only I should use this crystal ball. This is not just any orsinary ball. This ball can take us anywhere we want. It's like a teleportation device. This is how we manage to find you whilst of being far away from all of you guys."

"Cool! I wish I had one." Zach filled with envy and jealousy.

"Sorry to interrupt but is there any place we can find to stay? I think I'm running out of flames from my hands. I can't create any more fire to heat us. I'm drained and hungry. We haven't been eating for days." He's been silent the whole time and just only lighting a fire besides of to giving light for them to be able to see in the snowy fog, but for also for them to keep warm but it keeps getting weaker and weaker.

"Do you have any leads to where Sheen and Ace might be?" Jheall shifted the conversation. 

Charlotte replied, "The last time we saw ace, she walked out mad and dissapointed. We haven't been able to track her after that. She went off to somewhere, alone. I don't know about sheen where could he have gone to? Lylan. When's the last time you saw him?"

"On our spawing point. I don't know where did he went to practice his powers. I have no single clue." Lylan answered.

"With the help of the crystal ball you, you can track their location, right? just like how you located and found us." Zach suggested.

"I can try, My first attempt was successful. I don't know for the second." Charlotte responded, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "But the crystal ball is unpredictable. Its powers are not always reliable, especially in these harsh conditions. It takes a lot of energy to track someone through the crystal ball, especially if they don't want to be found as I noticed from using it. However, given the urgency of our situation, I'm willing to give it a try. Besides, I'm new to all of these magic thingy and stuff. We all are, right? I'm not yet in the hang of being a magic user."

Zach nodded, his eyes flickering with a lingering glimmer of hope. "We don't have much of time and a choice. We need to hurry and find them and regroup. Our powers are weakening, and we're vulnerable out here in the snowy wilderness."

"Well, I'm not." intterupted Jheall.

"Well good for you, snowpuff." sarcastically implied Luna.

"I don't know if It's just me or what, but as if time's really slow. Weve been here for days and yet I have observed that it still isn't dark, it's just this cloudy mist of fog from the snow is making the environment dim, don't you think?" Will opened up a new conversation.

"You're right! I haven't notice it at all!" Jheall was suddenly filled with awe and wonder.

"For now, let's end our chit-chat conversation here, Let Charlotte do her thing now if we want to get out of this freezing place." said Luna.

Charlotte took out the crystal ball from her bag, a transparent orb emanating faint, ethereal light. The ball seemed to pulsate in her hands, as if possessed by a will of its own. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused her energy on connecting with its latent power.

Images began to emerge within the crystal ball, blurry and indistinct at first, like glimpses through a frosted window. Slowly, the scene came into focus, revealing a desolate landscape of icy plains and jagged mountains. Sheen's lone figure trudged through the snow, his face etched with determination but weariness apparent in his every step.

"I see Sheen. He must be near, I think." Charlotte whispered, her voice barely audible. "He's out there, somewhere... alone."

Zach's shoulders slumped, disappointment etching lines upon his face. "And Ace? Can you find her too?"

Charlotte's brow furrowed, her grip on the crystal ball tightening. "I... I'm not sure. It's hazy. There's a storm raging, obscuring my vision. It's as if she's intentionally blocking me."

"Perhaps she wants to be alone," Lylan interjected, his voice tinged with sadness. "After everything that happened, maybe she needs time to process."

Zach's gaze met Lylan's, understanding passing between them. They both knew that Ace's fiery temperament and recent outburst had been driven by frustration and disappointment. She needed space to find herself, to confront the doubts and uncertainties that plagued her.

Jheall broke the silence, her voice steady with determination. "We'll find them both, no matter what. We've come too far to abandon them."

The words hung in the frigid air, a solemn vow uniting the weary group. With the crystal ball in hand and dwindling flames casting elongated shadows in the snow, they set their sights on searching for their lost companions, praying that the flickering light of hope would guide them through the darkness that lay ahead.