Daniel's Early Days

Ch. 20 Magical World-Before Daniel became a powerful Mage, he was just a boy. Follow him from the beginning as he receives his powers, embarks on many adventures, and learns what true power really is.

“The truth about what?” Daniel asked his mother.

“The truth about what’s in the forest.”

As if on cue, a flash of lightning lit up the night sky, followed by deep peals of rolling thunder so loud it shook the house. Daniel jumped up with a start.

The skies were clear and the weather was mild. A storm this sudden was not only unexpected; it was unnatural. Daniel knew it was his father. After Daniel had confessed to sneaking into the woods and meeting the hobgoblin Kobo, his father had strode off into the trees to speak with the creature.

“Dad!” Daniel cried. Eyes wide in shock and concern, he turned to his mother. “Something’s wrong!”

His mother moved to console him. “He’s fine sweetie. That is one of his normal scare tactics. It’s rather effective, as you can appreciate.”

The kitchen door opened with a bang. Whipping around, Daniel saw his father’s tall frame silhouetted in the doorway. A heavy rain was splashing around the edges of the front porch, but Daniel’s father was bone dry. Before he could even reach the table, Daniel ran to him and threw his arms around him. His face, which mirrored the storm outside, dark and gloomy, lightened considerably.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“It’s alright; everything’s fine,” he soothed.

After his heart slowed its pounding, Daniel ended the embrace. His father was stone still, and his eyes were locked with Daniel’s mother. They were doing it again; they were talking to each other telepathically, effectively excluding Daniel from the conversation.

His first impulse was to yell at them to stop it, but he held his tongue. He was already in trouble, and there was no reason to add fuel to the fire. After an uncomfortable moment, his father steered him over to the table.

As soon as everyone was seated, his mother started again. “It’s time you learned the truth about what is out there in that forest. Some of the magical creatures live here in our woods, but they’re not from here.”

“So, they migrated here?”

“Yes, kind of like that.”

“Ok, from where?” Daniel asked curiously.

“Another world; a magical world,” his father chimed in.

 “A magical world in our forest,” Daniel concluded, realization dawning on him. He practically jumped out of his chair in anticipation; he could barely contain his excitement. He couldn’t wait to explore this world of magic.

“Yes, there is a portal that the creatures use to cross from their world to ours and back again. But,” his mother paused here to give Daniel her most serious look. “When people in our world cross over to theirs, they lack the means to get back. They become trapped on the other side.”

“How do you know this?”

“It is written. Several members of our family have tried and failed. They became trapped in the other world.”

Daniel was flabbergasted. He thought he knew all the exciting family stories, but he had never heard about this. His parents had kept this a close kept secret. “Did you know about this?” he silently asked Pearl, who was still perched on his shoulder.

“Yes,” her voice sounded softly in his mind. “It was not my place to tell you,” she explained before he even had to ask. She already knew him so well.

“Have you been there?”

“I was born there.”

Daniel nodded absently. That made sense. She had once been a powerful dragon; dragons were not from this world. “What’s it like?” he wondered.

“More beautiful than you could imagine,” she said wistfully.

Daniel’s father suddenly cleared his throat, bringing Daniel back to the verbal conversation they were having. Daniel blushed when he realized his parents had been watching him hold a completely silent conversation with his dragon talisman, but his embarrassment quickly turned into satisfaction. His parents did the same thing all the time. Now they knew what it was like to be kept out of a conversation.

“Have either of you ever seen it?” Daniel couldn’t help but asking.

“I have,” his mother confirmed quietly. “In a vision.”

“Will you tell me about it?”

“Yes, I feel I must,” she sighed wearily.

“What do you mean?”

“Because in my vision, it was you who was trapped on the other side,” she explained, her voice immersed in grief.