Roland took several deep breaths, recovering from the ordeal within the reflecting pool, so close to the crystal at Aîrchal’s heart — the literal heart of the world, shattered in the Fracturing.
A song hummed through the cavern. Erika and Enrique looked at each other, and then at their shining crystals. “It’s… time for us to leave,” Erika said.
“There’s nothing more we can do here,” Roland said. “This was meant for us to learn, not to act. And now…” He turned away from the pool, but whatever he was going to say next died on his lips. His eyes widened, his heart tightened.
Standing before him with a kind smile was his Teacher, Alystair.
Alystair stood tall and strong, no sign of the wound Shureen had dealt him that had left him with a prominent limp after that horrific episode. His forest green waistcoat and burgundy breeches went well with his blue skin, and his large, bright blue eyes had the same shine of joy and intellect that Roland had known so well for so long.
But Alystair was also translucent. Like he wasn’t really here.
“Teacher…” Roland said softly, barely finding his voice.
Alystair chuckled, his craggy voice warm and rich. “It’s good to see you again, Roland,” he said. He nodded to Muirrach. “You as well, Muirrach.”
“You’re not…” Roland started.
“Really here?” Alystair asked. “Physically, no. But the body is long gone, as you well know. And with it, the pains and burdens of this mortal coil.”
“You’re…” Roland started, but he couldn’t grasp it. Communicating from beyond the grave… was such a thing even possible? He shook his head. “I saw you in Jurall’s Canon. He created an illusion of you.”
Alystair made a slightly sour face. “Of course he would do something like that,” he said with a grumble. “I’m glad you saw through it. But no, I am no illusion. Aîrchal is a place that brings us closer to all that we have lost. Muirrach, you have seen this. And Tock, is it?” He smiled at Tock, who nodded in reply. “You have both seen those who have departed from your lives. Don’t fret about where we are.” He turned his smile back on Roland. “It’s really me, Roland. I’m glad you and Muirrach have connected. He has always been a very good friend.”
Roland tried to reply, but emotions stole his voice.
“Roland,” Alystair said, serious now. “It’s very good to see you. But I primarily took this opportunity to make a request of you, if it isn’t too brazen of me. I… know what has become of Eilidh.” His voice trembled, and he took a moment to compose himself. “Roland. I wish for you to stay close to her. Don’t ever stop reaching out to her.”
Roland was taken aback for a moment. “I don’t know what to do for her,” he said, the encounter atop the Rig still clear — and painful — in his mind. “I barely recognize her. She won’t listen to me. She wouldn’t even listen to Muirrach!”
“I was never much good at reasoning with her,” Muirrach said, eyes on Alystair. “You were always the one with the right words.”
“But I didn’t dissuade her from this path, did I?” Alystair asked with a wry smile. “We have done our best for her, Muirrach — both of us. She has lost her way.” He turned his attention back to Roland. “But what is lost can always be found again. I will always be with you, in your heart. And Muirrach will be beside you. You needn’t try to save her all alone. But you finally see the other side of her. You finally know more fully who she is. Don’t forget who she was to you. That Eilidh is still a part of her.”
Roland didn’t know what to say to that. He wanted Eilidh to find her way, of course. But the idea that he could be the one to save her…
He trusted Alystair. Of course he did. But he wasn’t sure how much he himself should be trusted with such a grand task as the one his Teacher laid upon him.
“Are you… all right?” Roland asked at last. “Where you are… are things good?”
Alystair smiled. “I cannot speak of where I am or what it’s like,” he said, “except to say: all is well. Worry not for me. I’m glad I could have this moment with you. And now, I believe it’s time for you to depart.” He took a step to the side, and a door appeared before them. Alystair opened the door, revealing a veil of light. “You have done well. And you will do greater things yet.”
Roland’s heart was full of warmth, and light, but also ached terribly. He looked upon his Teacher, the man he’d never properly gotten to say goodbye to when he was still alive. And now…
How to say goodbye? Must this moment be so brief, this precious gift so swiftly used up? Could he really walk away now, when he finally had his Teacher before him again?
“Brave heart, Roland,” Alystair said in his warm, rich voice. “The world is not all cold and perilous. You’ve found wonderful companions. And we shall see each other again, when all that is broken is mended, all hurts healed, all sorrow turned at last to joy.”
Roland looked at Alystair, and fumbled for words to say. He couldn’t seem to find his voice.
Then Muirrach placed a hand on his shoulder. Looking at Alystair, tears shining in his eyes, Muirrach said, “We won’t disappoint you.”
“Oh, I know you won’t,” Alystair said with a soft laugh.
Together, Roland and Muirrach led the way. Into the light. Through the door.
Back to their journey. To all the questions yet unanswered, all the tasks yet undone, all the long, winding road yet before them.
The light faded, and the first thing Roland noticed was the ground changing from the hard rock of Aîrchal’s core cavern to soft, firm soil and grass. The air was cool — a bit chilly, in fact, and when Roland’s vision returned, that confirmed what he suspected.
“We’re not in the Mount Fuarain region anymore,” he said. No sign of a great volcano, no magma-carved plains, no fiery sky. They stood on a high, grassy plateau beneath a purple twilight sky. From here Roland could look out at a mountainous and forested landscape, with a U-shape carved through it by a great, glassy fjord, its waters painted purple and blue by the sky’s reflection. On the banks of the curve of the U was a sleepy city, smoke rising in cheerful puffs from numerous chimneys.
“Ooh, it’s Thadheine!” Tsubasa said, running up to the plateau’s edge and gazing out at the scenery. She took in a long, deep breath, then let it out with a sigh of joy. “Just breathe in that air! Clean and pure and cold. It’s so refreshing!”
“It’s beautiful,” Erika said.
“How far are we from where we were?” Enrique asked.
“We’re in Northern Wonderia, now,” Roland said, “and rather far north. It would have taken at least a week for us to travel here, and that would just be to reach one of the trains that travels this far north.”
“It does put us rather close to our destination,” Muirrach said, eyes on the city way across the fjord. “Thadheine is the gateway to Loch Reòsair.”
“Aîrchal’s helping you out!” Tock said cheerfully. “Taking you right where you need to be. That’s nice. So, uh… how do we get down to the city?”
“We don’t do it tonight,” Roland said. “The last boats crossing the fjord will be done by the time we get down there.”
“So we sleep under the stars!” Tsubasa said. “Oh, and this is a great place to do it. Thanks, Aîrchal!”
“We’re camping?” Tock asked, and everyone turned to her at the excitement in her voice, and the stars in her eyes. “We’re sleeping outside? Really?”
“Sure are,” Tsubasa said. “You a fan?”
“I’ve never done it before,” Tock said. “But I’ve always wanted to.”
“Well, let’s make your first time a night to remember!” Tsubasa said.
They set up camp as a group, Tsubasa and Erika in particular walking Tock through the process and making it as fun as possible. Roland, Muirrach, and Enrique worked alongside Maxwell, who clearly knew his way around a campsite.
“It takes me back,” Maxwell said with a smile. His nerves from when they’d first met seemed to have been fully washed away by the Aîrchal experience. “When I was young, I went on a journey across the world with my… friends.” He said that last word with a soft, warm gratitude. “We ran out of money almost immediately, and had to fumble our way through camping rather than staying in hotels or inns. None of us knew what we were doing, at first. But we figured it out, over time. Became quite good at it, I think.”
“Did you enjoy it?” Enrique asked.
Maxwell chuckled. “Very much,” he said. “It’s… strange. I’ve lived a very long life. The longest of us here, I’d wager. But…”
Roland realized what he was thinking. “Aîrchal showed you nothing,” he said.
Maxwell nodded. “It confronted each of you, even Tock, with things you’ve lost, or with reasons why you feel lost,” he said. “It looked into each of you and brought out what was within. As fascinating and meaningful a place as Aîrchal is, and as much as I felt the importance of that journey… it was as if Aîrchal decided, out of all of us, that I alone wasn’t worth looking at.”
Despite his words, Maxwell didn’t speak with bitterness or sorrow. He seemed more confused than anything, like he was trying to work out a puzzle he didn’t have all the pieces for — and the pieces he did have didn’t quite seem to fit together.
“I… I haven’t had a particularly normal life, nor a painless one.” Maxwell continued. He looked at Roland. “I, too, am an orphan. I never knew my parents. It’s unfortunately not uncommon for most peoples, but for my people, it’s very rare for someone to be orphaned. Even less so for no one to be able to determine who their parents are. A mystery unsolved. Even my name, ‘Maxwell,’ was given to me by Professor Hawthorn. Hawthorn Academy, where I grew up, was really an orphanage in disguise, in a way. The Professor had a knack for finding people who were… lost, you could say. And helping them find their way. Education is transformative.” He let out a long sigh. “Aîrchal saw in each of you your needs, your trials. The ways in which you are lost, the things that you have lost. But in me, it… perhaps…” Maxwell looked up at the darkening sky. The stars were coming out. A smile tickled at the corners of his mouth. “I have had ample time to process my own life, my origins, my trials and tribulations. I’ve… come to terms with a great deal. I was lost, long ago. Now… not so much.”
“Aîrchal saw that you didn’t need its help,” Enrique said.
“That may very well be true,” Maxwell said.
“Talking about Aîrchal, huh?” Tsubasa asked, as she, Erika, and Tock came to join the others. “We should probably talk about it all as a group. It gave us a heck of a lot to process.”
So they finished setting up camp, then sat in a circle around a campfire. Twilight turned to night, and the stars came out overhead, soft painterly swathes of twinkling color across the sky.
“There’s a lot to unpack with the last things Aîrchal showed us,” Tsubasa said. “Visions of the past, of the world before its Fracturing… and of… the Fracturing itself.”
“The Fracturing itself?” Erika asked.
Roland nodded. “Remember the three prevailing theories for how the Fracturing came to be?” he asked. “I think we saw evidence, in Aîrchal’s memories, for all three. As if each theory is only a part of the full truth.”
“One was that there was a war between the realms, Wonderia and Albia against Elysia,” Enrique said. He shuddered, almost imperceptibly. “That battlefield we were put on… that was a vision of that war. But then… we were in the sky, on this… this…”
“Dragon?” Tsubasa asked, shooting Enrique a sly smirk.
“I suppose so,” Enrique said, avoiding her gaze. “I mean, it was serpentine… somewhat. But it had wings. Feathered wings. Like… well, I was thinking a Songbird.”
“So was I,” Roland said.
“And like my grand-da tells the story, the three Divine Songbirds were Dragons, too,” Tsubasa said. “Dragons have wings. And feathers. Sometimes. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and forms. You really ought to visit Haruo sometime. I’ll make sure you see a real Dragon with your own eyes.”
“Anyway,” Enrique went on, “there was a song. A horrible song.”
“All it took was a single note, and I thought I was going to come undone,” Erika said with a trembling voice. “The Dragon, or Songbird, that we were on… it shielded us. If it hadn’t… that…” She looked across the fire at Roland. “That was the Hymn of Discord, wasn’t it?”
“A fleeting glimpse of it,” Roland said. The memory still chilled him to his core. “And along with those two visions…”
“Elysia,” Muirrach said. “We saw someone make a wish. And… the world split.”
“Someone?” Erika asked. “I know she didn’t seem like Lacie in her personality, but she looked just like her!”
“It could’ve been her,” Tsubasa said. “She felt different. But if Lacie is a centuries-old child who doesn’t age, sure. I could imagine her changing a lot since before the Fracturing — anyone who’s lived past the Fracturing would have been changed, possibly beyond recognition. There are plenty of tales about how Bandersnatch is changed. Should’ve left with the rest of the Old Hunters. I think only the Dragon Devas that formed and still protect Kisetsuryuu-En got by unscathed.”
“So maybe it was,” Roland said. “She made a wish that broke the world…”
He let that thought drift into the air with the embers of the fire. All were silent, letting the enormity of that idea sink in.
“So…” Tock started after a while. “You got some more pieces. Some more clues. But the full picture of how this world ended up the way it did is still incomplete. And, I mean, just because a girl looks exactly like another girl doesn’t make her the same girl. I know twin princesses around Lacie’s age who look exactly the same as each other. Their personalities couldn’t be more different, though.”
“And you two may be brother and sister,” Tsubasa said to Erika and Enrique, “but you sure do look an awful lot alike. Cut your hair the same, dress the same, and most people wouldn’t be able to tell you apart at a glance.”
“Twins…” Muirrach murmured. “It’s a possibility. Twins who were present before the Fracturing, knew the world as it was… and still persist after.”
“The girls who were talking at the end didn’t seem like they meant anyone harm,” Enrique said. “The first one was even wondering if what had happened was her fault. And they all said…”
The twins looked across the fire at each other.
“ ‘A harmony broken’,” Tsubasa recited. “ ‘A dream turned to a nightmare. A wish made in despair.’ Those things… they’re clues, more elusive than the visions we got, but they say a lot, if we can just figure them out. And then… well… they echoed what your mother said.” She smiled at the twins.
“The miracle… of New Elysia?” Erika asked. She shook her head. “I don’t know what that means. But she said… all those girls said… that we were the ones needed to ‘set things right.’ Did they mean that we’re going to… to fix the world? To mend the Fractures? That’s just… it’s way too big for any one person. Even for two. And we aren’t more than what we are. We’re just… children.”
“Oh, hey,” Tsubasa said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “The chorus of girls said ‘You aren’t mockingbirds — don’t let her call you that.’ Her. So there’s more than one girl involved. Lacie, and a… well, it’s gotta be a sister. And that chorus of girls at the end were all the same girl, repeated over and over. Twins. Or more? We just don’t know enough.”
“But we know a lot more than before Aîrchal,” Tock said with a smile. “That’s usually how learning the truth behind a gigantic, ancient mystery works, right? You know nothing, but then when you learn something, that also reveals how much more you still don’t know. It seems like it’s too much. But don’t lose sight of what you did gain. We learned a lot inside Aîrchal. We just need to keep going, and learning more. These pieces will help point the way to more pieces that form the full picture.”
“But you’re… leaving soon, aren’t you?” Erika asked. “When your ship is fixed?”
“That’s probably how it should be,” Tock said. She sighed, and pulled out the key she’d locked up her ship with, turning it over and over in her hands. “We’ll check on her tomorrow, when we’re in town. See what needs doing. And then… well.” She tucked the key back in her pocket and smiled. Roland thought it looked forced, just a little bit. “We’ll see what happens from there.”
“So!” Tsubasa said. “For tonight, let’s take stock of the pieces we’ve got, and start putting this puzzle together. The Fracturing is more complicated than even the experts believed. Each of the prevailing theories has some truth to it. The war, the Hymn of Discord, the wish that shouldn’t have been made… they’re all part of the bigger picture. Aîrchal is the heart of the world.” She smiled at Roland. “The world’s heart was broken. But the twins, and their crystals, could hold the answer to mending it.”
“But how?” Erika asked. She held her crystal in her hands. Its light didn’t shine. Its song was silent. “We’re just… us. And our crystals… they barely make any sense to us.”
“They’re still growing,” Tsubasa said, “their purpose revealing slowly, over time, as they grow closer to your hearts. Your crystal protected you from Lairah on the Rig. And now, both of your crystals helped you resonate with Aîrchal itself, to hear its song and help translate it for us. Your crystals may have been conceived long before you were, but they were born the day you walked into that symphonic vault. They’re still just babies, finding their footing in the world.”
“Then, considering everything,” Tock said, “it’s really good that Aîrchal brought us out here, right?” She looked aside, to the edge of the plateau and beyond, the fjord that couldn’t be seen anymore from their camp now that night had fallen.
“Yes,” Roland said. “We’re just a boat ride away from Thadheine, and beyond that, Loch Reòsair. Where more answers await.”
“We can see what answers might remain at our landing sight,” Enrique said. “Any clues our parents might have left behind… there might still be something. And retracing our steps from those early days may yield more clues. Things we never thought to pay attention to, little details that didn’t seem important at the time… there could be so much that was really pointing towards a greater truth.”
“And that adventure comes tomorrow,” Tsubasa said, hopping to her feet. “Tonight, we rest! And there’s no better rest than exercise!”
“Um, what?” Maxwell asked, raising an eyebrow. But Tsubasa had already gone off to a wider, open space, drawn her tonfas, and was starting in on some complex katas.
“I think she’s been a bit restless for a while,” Erika said, giggling.
“Whoa, she’s amazing,” Tock said, gazing in wonder as Tsubasa leapt into a trio of spinning aerial kicks, landing neatly and immediately launching into a complex series of kicks and strikes with her tonfas.
“She is,” Erika said. “Let’s go watch!” She and Tock went off to get a better spot to watch, and after a moment, Enrique went over to sit with them.
“Maxwell, come watch, come watch!” Tock said, waving Maxwell over.
Which left Roland and Muirrach alone at the fireside.
The silence was soon broken, when Roland bowed his head and murmured, “Alystair.”
“Aye,” Muirrach said softly.
Roland took in a deep breath. The cold, crisp air of Northern Wonderia really was refreshing, and it helped clear his mind, sharpen his thoughts. “Eilidh isn’t gone for good,” he said.
“If I thought she was, I wouldn’t still be trying to bring her back,” Muirrach said. “But… Alystair is right. If anyone will reach her, it’ll be you.”
“But why?” Roland asked, shaking his head. “You’re her husband. He was her brother. I spent far less time with her than any of you. And I never saw even a hint of this side of her, that both of you knew about for ages.”
“You’ve seen it now,” Muirrach said. “And Eilidh… she loves you like a son.” His voice cracked at the end, and he cleared his throat, pausing for a moment before speaking again. “Roland. The journey is far from over. We have ahead of us Loch Reòsair, and Aula Fantasia, and the Second Quartet. We will undoubtedly face Reunion again. Elysia lies at the end of this road we travel. Maybe only a wish will save Eilidh. But maybe, somewhere along that path, you’ll discover something else. Something within you that you never knew was there.” Muirrach rested a strong, gentle hand on Roland’s shoulder. “I’m a poor substitute for Alystair, I know. But I’ll help you in every way that I can, every step of the way.”
“You’re no substitute,” Roland said, finally looking over at Muirrach. “Alystair enjoyed maths.”
Muirrach stared at him. When Roland couldn’t keep up his straight face, and a smile broke through, Muirrach chuckled. “That he did,” he said, shaking his head. Roland laughed with him.
“You’re you,” Roland said. “And you’ve been amazing so far. Thank you, for everything you’ve already done for us. I’m truly glad to have you on the journey ahead. Please — don’t try to replace him. Just be you.”
Muirrach’s lips quirked, uncertain, before settling into a soft smile. Tears glistened in Muirrach’s eyes, and after a moment, he blinked and looked away. “Thank you,” he said softly. “I’ll do my best.”
“Whoa!” Tock cried with delight, and Roland and Muirrach looked over to see Tock and Erika on their feet, clapping heartily. Whatever Tsubasa had done, they’d missed it, but then Tock was saying, “Can you do a backflip?”
“Can I?” Tsubasa asked, grinning. And then she jumped into a perfect backflip, landing solidly and then popping up, arms overhead. “Ta-da!”
“You made it look so easy!” Tock said.
“That’s what practice does for ya,” Tsubasa said. “I’ve been doing all sorts of acrobatics since I was a little kid. As soon as I could get my feet off the ground, I tried to keep myself in the air as much as possible. Life’s more fun that way.” She jumped again, this time doing a stunning double backflip, landing perfectly. Tock and Erika burst into raucous cheers and applause. Maxwell and Enrique, though silent, were staring at Tsubasa with undisguised astonishment.
“You’ve made good friends, Roland,” Muirrach said. “I’m glad to be among you.”
“We’re glad to have you,” Roland said, smiling.
“You know,” Tsubasa was saying, and the look in her eyes as she looked over at Roland put him on guard, “Roland’s a heck of a martial artist, too. I bet he could do a backflip.”
“Can you, can you?” Tock and Erika asked, turning and looking pleadingly at Roland.
“Oh, no,” Roland said, laughing and waving his hands. “I’m afraid that’s quite beyond me.”
“Aww,” Tock and Erika groaned, pouting.
“Alystair spoke quite highly of your acrobatic skills,” Muirrach said in a whisper, just for Roland.
“Let’s keep that between us, shall we?” Roland asked, watching the embers from the fire dance up towards the night sky, as if to join the stars.
Muirrach chuckled. “Aye,” he said. “We can do that.”