Diaspora: Sevotharte§

Our earth is ancient and full of wonder. In many places there are remnants of ancient societies; there are temples, castles, pyramids, tombs, barracks, and hidden within each of these is the greatest of all: the libraries. The true legacy of our world is within the writings of our books. Every book is different and there are billions of stories, each its own writing. For example, one book could be about a leader that controlled thousands of men ages ago, while another could be about a venomous plant that feeds of the very flesh of birds and snakes in its area.

Some books even tell about our monstrous and catastrophic weapons, and another book from the same author could even tell of another world, hidden beyond the sight of the humans. Now when someone hears of another world, their mind instantly says “Fiction or Fantasy” or let’s simplify down to one word, imaginary. However, I tell you now, this story holds no lies, no fakes, no illusions; this story is the real deal, the beginning of a true hero, perhaps the end of another.

How about we get onto the story?

It begins in the modern world; a regular town called Sandy, it is January 18th, 2008. Up at Alta High School, the students rush to their classes as the final moments before the tardy bell rings slim themselves to a pint. Their blood boils, and their adrenaline flows through their veins, however, we’re going to highlight a more peculiar, and more prepared student, who just so happens to be the center of attention by the shadows.

To reach him, we must travel across the newly cleaned floors of hallway 200 on the second floor. Walk down the hallway, take the second left and follow the way to the corner room on the right. Here, in this very room, sits the boy of legends, of infamy and glamour.

Third seat from the front, second row from the left, sits a young boy. His right arm hung over the bar connecting his chair to the desk, tapping the back leg every swing it took back. His left arm was bent; holding his head up, the black shoelace tied round his wrist brazed his forehead lightly as he held there in the silence. His straight brown hair fell to his chin, parted above his left eye so his right eye was always in the darkness. There he sat, waiting for the dreaded class to start.

“Okay class. I need you to be quiet while Ethan calls roll,” The teacher tapped the boy’s shoulder and handed him the roll, “Ethan, would you please call roll?”

The boy raised himself, breathing in through his nose as he straightened his spine. Finally, at the peak, his shoulders dropped and he let out a short, quick breath from his mouth and nodded.

“Of course I will Miss Briggs.” The boy replied with a smile.

This boy is Ethan Barrows, the average high school student. He does his work, takes his tests, and leaves to go home and be a regular son. All around, he has lived a simple almost boring life. However, as all good things must come to an end, Ethan’s simplicity will be sent in to chaos; his average life will become extraordinary, his regular routines shot out of the window, and this will all be done by the wave of a finger. Until then, Let us continue.

The school day passed was almost finished with no surprises as of yet. Even now, Ethan waited for 2:00, and then 2:25 as 2:00 had finally passed. All he wanted was for the day to end so he could get home and do his homework, as crazy as that sounded. He stared dreadfully at the clock and whispered curses to himself as he could have sworn the minute hand slowed down drastically over the last 30 seconds.

Just as he was about to scream out of frustration a familiar voice called to him from the hall.

“Ethan!” Cade yelled with great enthusiasm.

Ethan looked away from the clock and with it his expression changed from anger to happiness.

“Cade!” He yelled back with equal or greater enthusiasm.

Ethan jumped out of his seat and ran at Cade. When he reached the classroom door, Ethan leaped forward to tackle his friend in a hug, but Cade had other plans. With ease, Cade moved out of Ethan’s reach to let Ethan fall humiliatingly to the ground behind him, sliding gracefully across the floor until a sudden stop by the brick wall.

“Sorry Buddy, I don’t like men. I especially don’t like the ugly ones.” Cade sneered as Ethan passed.

After contact with the floor and sliding to a halt, Ethan looked up at Cade and grinned deviously.

“How about I rearrange your face to fit in with the rest of us?” Ethan yelled.

Instantly, He pushed of the ground and flung himself into the air. Somehow, pushing off nothing Ethan aligned his body perpendicular to Cade’s, to execute the perfect hit on Cade’s cheek. At this point, time seemed to slow as Ethan drew in his front leg and then snapped it back at Cade’s face in the blink of an eye. Ethan grinned, thinking he had just smacked his friend across the face, not only with his foot, but with little effort.

“Jackpot…” Ethan snickered.

It’s kind of sad when your mind tricks you.

Ethan looked down at his friend, and it was then that his eyes went wide as he realized Cade had stopped his attack not even a centimeter before contact with just his hand. Even more of a surprise, Cade hadn’t moved an inch, meaning his arm, more so his hand, took the entire blow and still didn’t move.

“H-how the hell did you stop that?” Ethan asked, frightened and intrigued at the same time.

“Hahaha, a lot can change in a year Ethan.” Cade chuckled.

“Yeah, with steroids, maybe.” Ethan laughed.

Ethan dropped back down and hugged Cade quickly, then let go and stood straight to face him a few steps back.

“Well then mister, where have you been all this time to have gained all this power huh?” Ethan interrogated.

“It’s a long… and exhausting story. I’ll explain while we train Saturday,” He paused for a moment to pull out a small book from his right pocket and held it out to Ethan to take, “In the meantime, read this. It will explain a lot.”

Ethan took the book and stared at it. The cover had all sorts of encryptions. They were a blend of Mayan, Egyptian, Japanese, Greek, Gaelic, even Celtic symbols. The details were so intricate and beautiful, it was almost impossible to describe. Truly, this book was made by the gods.

“Incredible… what is this?” Ethan asked, his eyes never ceasing to scan the book in his hands.

“They call it the ‘Sevotharte’.” Cade answered softly, seemingly entranced by the name itself.

“They? Who’s this th-? “Ethan tried to finish his question when he was rudely interrupted.

“Ethan! Get back in here!” Miss Manning ordered.

Ethan turned his head to the mass of students staring at him and his companion with wide eyes. Cade patted Ethan’s shoulder as he passed by and smiled.

“Looks like you’ve got more important matters to attend to my friend.” Cade joked.

“Very funny Cade.” Ethan sarcastically laughed.

Cade walked on to the stairs and Ethan walked back into his classroom as he was told by the teacher. He sat down and looked at the Sevotharte. He ran his fingers over the cover and stared at it for a moment. He reached up to the edge to open it when a soft voice spoke to him from his side.

“Ethan, how did you move like that?” Emily asked.

Ethan looked up at Emily and noticed Callie in the corner of his eye. She was still staring at him, only her eyes were a bit softer than everyone with the wide eyes.

“Oh that was nothing really; Darren and I can do way more difficult moves than that.” I laughed.

“Seriously? Wow. I’ve never seen someone move like that before, least not in real life.” Emily said still in awe.

Ethan was about to reply when he had the strangest urge to duck his head at that very moment. As he lowered his head, a long stream of water whizzed by and hit the student diagonal to him flat on the cheek.

“Oh damn! I missed!” Colby laughed.

Ethan looked up to see his buddy Colby McLane with his girlfriend Brianna standing outside.

“Watch it bro. The VPs will get you eventually if you keep pullin’ stuff like that.” Ethan laughed.

“He’s right you know.” Brianna added.

“Nah, they could never catch me when I’m with you.” Colby countered smoothly.

Their laughter began and it was met with the school bell. Instantly, Ethan jumped up, waved to Colby and Brianna, and then began his after-school routine. He made his way down the stairs by sliding down the rails and then headed for his locker. He turned the corner and stopped at the 3-way intersection where his locker resided. He knelt beside his locker and began the combo when Callie walked up next to him.

“Hey.” She said kind of softly.

Ethan didn’t respond, continuing his combo until finally opening his locker.

“Are you going to talk to me?” She asked slightly louder than before.

Ethan grabbed his things and swung on his bag as the locker closed, after which, he stood straight and held his face right in front of Callie’s so she could get a clear glance at his fiery eyes. Just as she was about to speak, Ethan turned away and walked on to the exit of the school. He made his way out, easily avoiding further contact with Callie by moving through the masses of students. After making it outside Ethan made his way to his car and got inside only to wait for Jaymie.

“Come on Jaymie, I don’t have all day.” Ethan said to himself, hoping that for some unknown reason his friend would pop up.

He looked out through the parking lot and let out a sigh of relief as Jaymie finally emerged victoriously from the ever growing crowd. The relief, sadly, vanished as quickly as it came, replaced with disgust as he saw Callie right behind Jaymie. As the two girls neared his car, Ethan changed his facial expression to a cockier look as he honked to scare Jaymie; it worked alright.

Jaymie opened the passenger door, ‘shotgun seat’, and got in, “Not funny Ethan!”

“Hahaha, yes it is.” Ethan laughed.

“Well as punishment, I’m bringing a stowaway.” Jaymie joked as Callie jumped into the back seat.

“Alright, alright,” Ethan shifted the car into reverse, backed up enough and then shifted into drive, “But no making out.”

“Ethan!” They screamed in unison.

He simply laughed and drove on and out of the school parking lot. He changed the radio channel to his usual favorite, punk rock, and sat back in his seat.

“Change it, I don’t like this music.” Callie commanded.

“Tough shit, I’m driving princess.” Ethan said bluntly.

“If I was a hot girl you’d change it in a heartbeat you shallow jerk!” Callie yelled angrily.

“If you were a hot girl, Jaymie would be driving.” Ethan countered, laughing all the while.

“Oh you Asshole!” Callie screamed.

“I got plenty names honey, but you can call me delicious.” Ethan countered once more.

Before any more could be said, Jaymie changed the radio station and blasted it to practically deafen everyone.

Ethan turned it down almost instantly and angrily announced, “Hey, hey, hey, mind the new stereo would ya?”

“I’ll mind your death.” Callie mumbled.

Ethan turned his head angrily to Callie and opened his mouth to scream when Jaymie yanked him back into position to drive and she raised her voice above the two of them.

“Shut the hell up! Both of you,” Ethan and Callie fell silent as Jaymie let out her evil wrath, “It’s been almost a whole year since the two of you got into a fight and the both of you still act like it happened just last week! Ethan, I’m sick of your non-stop talking about her and how unbelievable it is that you lost her! Callie, I’m sick of you saying how stupid all the girls he talks to are, I’m one of them! And Jaymie… well you’re just cute.”

Ethan and Callie blinked a few times in confusion and astonishment before they burst out laughing.

“You’re crazy Jaymie.” Callie giggled.

“And you’re saying we’re over active.” Ethan laughed.

The rest of the drive to Jaymie’s house was silent save for the radio and cars whizzing by, and the occasional shout from Jaymie of ‘Go Faster!’ but that was about all. Finally, they reached Jaymie’s house, she got out, and said her goodbyes as Callie jumped into the shotgun seat. Ethan began to drive away and he stopped the car.

“Yeah, I’m not even going to pretend I know where I’m going.” He said plainly.

“Go to 106th and I’ll show you the way from there.” Callie laughed.

Ethan nodded in acknowledgement and drove off. They rode in silence for a while, of course that only means the two of them didn’t utter a single word and only their breath filled the air, least until Callie broke the silence when she finally got the courage to say something.

“Is it alright if I change the station?” She asked.

“I can’t change it, you can.” Ethan replied.

“What about that Driver’s choice thing?” Callie asked.

“Yeah, that is called year old PMS. If you had noticed earlier, Jaymie changed it and didn’t ask, so you don’t have to ask either.” Ethan answered.

Callie smiled and reached forward to the radio. She fiddled with the tuner and ended on a soft rock station.

“So…” Callie said over the music.

Ethan looked at her for a brief moment then returned his gaze to the road ahead.

“All those things Jaymie screaming slash said… were they true?” Callie asked shyly.

“I should be the one asking that question, seeing as you know me practically front and back.” Ethan countered.

“Right…” Callie uttered looking down.

“Hey, no frowning or sadness in my car. This is the happy train mkay?” Ethan laughed.

Callie looked up and nodded.

Ethan then returned his attention to the road once more and passed through 106th and didn’t ask for any more assistance, as if he knew where to go.

“Yes.” Ethan suddenly blurted.

“What?” Callie said, regaining her attention.

“I said yes. What Jaymie said was true.” Ethan said quickly.

“Oh.” Callie mumbled.

The drive ended in silence as Ethan made his way through streets leading up to Callie’s house. Finally, he came to a slow stop and parked in front of Callie’s large house. He turned down the radio and stared straight ahead down the street, as if waiting for something.

“Well here’s your stop.” He announced.

“Yeah…” Callie mumbled.

“I’ll see you next week?” Ethan asked.

“Mmhmm.” Callie agreed.

She opened the door and slowly got out with her bag. She was about to shut the door when she turned and spoke.

“I’m sorry. If I hadn’t been so caught up in protecting myself, we might have had a chance.” She said, sorrow engulfing her voice.

“It’s not your fault Callie; I shouldn’t have given a reason for you to protect yourself. So lighten up, it’s really my fault alright?” Ethan said, doing his best to cheer her up.

Callie looked down and then shut the door. She walked across the grass and up the white steps of her front porch to her house. She opened the door and looked back at Ethan through the doorway. Callie was partially in shock as she saw him smiling, and she could only smile back. After a moment or two, she turned and entered her house, vanishing from Ethan’s sight.

Ethan shifted the car into drive and drove off. His mind drifted into deep thought, so deep he occasionally forgot his driving duties. His mind drowned itself with thoughts of Callie, and all the possible places they could possibly be by now, and then he was reminded of the Sevotharte resting on his dashboard.He had almost made it home when his cell phone rang.

“Damn,” He opened his phone and held it to his ear, “Hello?”

“Ethan! It’s Jessica.” His sister yelled in a panicked tone.

“Hey, what’s up?” He asked kind of confused by her tone.

“My ride ditched me! Can you come get me?” She pleaded.

“Yeah… I guess… but you owe me big time for this one.” Ethan replied faking disdain in his voice.

“Okay, but hurry! I need to be home in less than an hour.” She warned quickly.

“Oh great, not only do you demand things from me, but you want it done by a certain time!” Ethan yelled.

“Just like work huh?” Jessica laughed.

“Oh yeah.” Ethan laughed back.

He hung up the phone and put it down in his lap. Instantly, he gunned the engine and drove to the freeway. He drove at an average of 90 MPH and blasted his favorite music, singing along like an idiot as he went.

Ethan got his sister home with 18 minutes to spare and then took her to her friend’s house. All the while, Ethan’s mind was scattered between the Sevotharte and Callie. He had no idea what he would do about anything besides keep moving forward until eventually going to bed. Deciding against all the conflict, he went back home to try and clear his head. After about an hour, he finally grabbed the Sevotharte and opened it up.

As the front cover opened, a small note fell down with a short signature on the bottom.

“Ekenin? Cade… alright, I won’t.” Ethan said aloud.

At long last, Ethan turned the first page and began to read it, absorbing all the information it withheld. It spoke of the elemental balance, a god or higher power for each element, energy, even a power greater than a god. Many of these things had been discussed by Cade and Ethan during their sleepovers, but never had it been explained so well. Thoughts raced back and forth in Ethan’s mind as he read words that could potentially collapse religion, even society as he knew it.

He continued to read and read until he came across an unusual page. Written on the top were strange letters. He stared intently at the letters and slowly repeated the letters aloud.

“G-A-T-E? T-O-T-H-E-P-A-S-T? The Gate to the Past? I wonder if Cade has seen this...”

Ethan eyed the page and came across what he believed to be an incantation.

“Iri-ni-san-go-oui-tori-ken-ta-ky-la-re-me-tsu-no-“ Ethan stopped at the middle of the incantation when his cell phone went off again.

“Hello.” Ethan said in his usual tone.

“Hey, it’s Cade.” Cade introduced.

“Hey Buddy.” Ethan welcomed.

“You weren’t saying the Gate to the Past incantation were you?” Cade asked.

Ethan paused and hesitated to answer. How had Cade known he was on that very page and was reading from it? Before Ethan had time to answer, Cade interrupted with his own answer.

“Take a look outside.” Cade invited.

Ethan stood up and walked to his window. He raised the blinds and stared up at a horrifically black cloud seeming to tower above his home, and only his.

“That cloud only appears when it is called by an incantation; it’s called the Cloud of Eternity.” Cade explained.

“Well what do I do?” Ethan asked.

“Well, you can finish the incantation, or you can wait until tomorrow when you understand the situation more.” Cade answered.

“I think I’m going wait until tomorrow when we’re training.” Ethan replied letting out a breath of relief.

“Alright, well then continue on with your usual things.” Cade addressed.

“Um, well what do I do with this black cloud above my house?” Ethan panicked.

“If the incantation isn’t finished within a set time, the cloud simply… dissipates.” Cade explained.

Ethan finally felt at ease and let out a long sigh of relief.

“Alright, I hear ya. I think you should finish reading and then head off to sleep.” Cade advised.

“Mkay, peace out bro.” Ethan ended.

He shut his phone, ending the call and Ethan lay down on his bed. There was so much going through his head, and now with the Sevotharte solved, there was only one thing that seemed to send his mind into a tornado; Callie.

Callie made his brain numb. She did so little on the outside, but on the inside, she could reshape the world. Just a few words from her would make Ethan change himself in a heartbeat, even though the two of them were fighting.

Ethan stared at the ceiling, and then tiredly raised himself to look at his clock. To much dismay, it read 7:30. Never in his life had Ethan gone to sleep before 9:30, but today was a mark in history for him. Slowly but surely, Ethan fell asleep and wavering slowly as the world vanished from his eyes.

Meanwhile, Callie sat alone on her couch, watching movies that could make any person, male or female, get emotional. She watched and watched, imagining different scenes in her head until finally she shut it off. She looked around and found her cell phone.

Callie began to reach for it, but suddenly jerked her hand back and closed her eyes tightly, “No. I’m not going to call him.”

She shivered at the thought, and stared at her phone once more. Slowly, she reached for the phone, picked it up, and she shivered.

“Here we go…” She prepped.

Callie pulled the phone back, and dialed Ethan’s number, and then put the phone back on her ear.

*ksht* “Oh no! I didn’t answer my phone! I’m obviously dieing! SOMEONE SAVE ME! Hahaha, leave a message.” *ksht*

“Hey Ethan, it’s Callie…”

~ ~ ~

Morning came slowly, Ethan didn’t really like slow mornings, seeing as he was already up and moving. Ethan was in his basement doing his morning warm-up. Beginning with his push ups, pull ups, and curl ups, then wall jumps, then round offs, then bar balancing, and so on and so forth. At this point, Ethan was at midway of his bar balancing.

“Hey Ethan!”

Ethan looked up to see his sister at the doorway.

“What is it?” He asked.

“It’s Cade. He’s on the phone.” She announced.

She held out her hand holding the phone towards him. Ethan lowered himself from his position and then grabbed the phone from his sister smiling.

“Hello.” Ethan said quickly.

“Hahaha, it’s almost 5:45 AM and you aren’t even here yet. I’ll give you 15 minutes to get here without the aid of your car. So take to the skies or above buddy.”Cade challenged.

“Who do you think I am? I can’t do that!” Ethan yelled.

“Well, let’s see… Get down here now!” Cade commanded.

Click.

Ethan instantly grabbed his training gear and put regular clothes on, grabbing his cell phone along with it. He flung on his training back pack and looked around for the best way to Cade’s house. Giving up finally, He began to run as fast as he could to Cade’s home. As he knew, he wasn’t making much progress. Why would Cade give him such an assignment unless he knew Ethan could do it?

“Maybe I can do it.” Ethan said aloud.

He looked up into the trees and only caught a glimpse of a sturdy branch before leaping up and taking to the skies. This way of travel was much faster, and in no time, he caught sight of Cade’s neighborhood. He picked up speed, swinging harder and faster on each tree branch. Within a few minutes, he caught sight of the park near Cade’s house. He was getting there rather quickly to his surprise. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He landed on a tree branch and just held there, to read his phone.

The screen flashed and read ‘New Voice Mail’. The time was 5:55, so he still had time before he lost Cade’s challenge, so he decided he’d listen to the message. He dialed his voice mail and raised his phone to his ear.

*ksht* “Please enter your security code” *ksht*

*click, click, click, click*

*ksht* “Two new messages, First message, sent, Yesterday at 8:23, Pm.” *ksht*

*ksht* “Hey Ethan, It’s Callie… Um… I called because I wanted to talk to you, I mean, I miss talking to you. You were always so kind, helpful, and I threw that all away. I’m really sorry for what I did, and I can only hope you can forgive me. Ethan, there were so many things I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t because I was afraid. And then my friend told me you were flirting with some other girl, so I held it off even longer…” *ksht*

*ksht* “End of message, to erase press-. “ *ksht*

*click*

*ksht* “Message will be saved for, 100 days… Next message, sent, Yesterday, at 8:26, Pm.” *ksht*

*ksht* “Ethan, I just wanted to tell you… I Love You, I really do… and every day I regret not telling you, not letting us be truthful to each other… And now you know Ethan. Please, call me; I need to talk to you.” *ksht*

Ethan instantly hung up the phone as the message ended. He bent his legs and took off to his current task simultaneously. He didn’t know what to think, how to react, nothing, he just had to keep moving. If he stopped, he would surely get caught up in the wrong business.

As Ethan neared Cade’s home, he felt some sort of pulse emanate from his bag. He decided to ignore it for now, seeing as he had only seconds before Cade’s challenge was lost. He picked up speed, catching sight of Cade’s house, and gave a final leap into the air.

“No sweat!” Ethan called out.

He fell to Cade’s front yard and landed with grace. Looking around he saw nothing but cars, houses, and other inanimate objects.

“Uh… Cade? Where are ya buddy?” Ethan asked out loud.

He stood there silent, waiting to hear even the lightest of sounds, when suddenly the pulse emanated once more.

Ethan, running on pure instinct, bent his knees and opened his hands, as if to parallel himself to the ground. Suddenly, a long stream of water burst over his head like a cannon, and ended shortly after.

“Nice movements, but you were helped by the Sevotharte.”

Ethan jumped up and spun around in one swift movement, catching sight of Cade at the far end of his yard.

“What are you talking about Cade? You saying that pulse came from the book?” Ethan yelled, almost laughing.

The pulse waved once more, as if following a crest and pit motion. Listening to the pulse, Ethan dodged effortlessly by crouching and stretching. Moments later, the same stream of water erupted over his shoulder, where his head once was, and flew back to Cade. Ethan watched in surprise as Cade raised his left hand to the water and absorbed it all into his body.

“Heh, Water abilities were never my best.” Cade chuckled.

“What? Are you kidding me? That thing was intense!” Ethan cried.

“Oh really? Get a load of this!” Cade howled.

Cade fell sideways and clapped his hands together.

“Oishi-Earth Dragon Style…!” Cade Chanted.

He made a few hand symbols then slammed his fist into the ground. Originally, it appeared rather crazy to Ethan, but then horror struck his eyes as thin spear like rocks rose into the air and were instantly met by a spinning Cade at their full height.

“Spear Rain!” He howled.

Cade suddenly kicked the earthen spears, aiming them straight at Ethan. Ethan only had moments to think, moments to breathe or else he would be dead. Once again the pulse met his cry and he obeyed it, moving only slightly to the right and standing still.

“Move or you’ll die Ethan!” Cade cried, almost not realizing he had jeopardized his friend.

Ethan simply stood there, closed his eyes, and lowered his head awaiting the spears. Cade watched in horror, as his favored technique was going to be the cause of Ethan’s death. He fell down to the ground and landed softly as the spears collided with the ground where Ethan stood, sending dust everywhere.

“Dammit… Peo’Luché won’t be happy about this…” Cade mumbled.

“Who’s this Peo’Luché? I’m pretty sure I’d get quite a show with him as well.”

“What? Who said that?” Cade yelled.

“Why… I did Cade.”

Cade looked around when the dust finally cleared, and Cade’s eyes opened in surprise and amazement as he peered into the eyes of Ethan. There he stood, unscathed and motionless except for his left arm which moved up to scratch his head.

“How did you dodge all those?” Cade asked.

“Same way anyone would; I moved.” Ethan laughed.

“Yeah, but you moved one time!” Cade yelled back.

“Don’t be so surprised, there were many spires, so it was easy to find a hole that none would hit okay?” Ethan said trying to ease up Cade.

“Well no matter, we have more important business to talk about.” Cade ended.

Ethan nodded in agreement and the talking began. They constantly moved throughout the neighborhood, not only practicing their abilities, but in conversation. Occasionally, the two of them met face to face and they’d dish out attack after attack on the other until they separated and began moving once more. Hours passed and they only continued this ritual, of course Ethan tiring much faster than Cade, but he continued, desperate to surpass his return friend.

Finally, nightfall overcame the valley and the two were left in the light of the moon. They finally settled down in a nearby park and stared up at the moon and the many stars high above.

The silence surrounded them like an endless bog, for a moment a dog’s howl or a bug’s hiss would break the silence, only for it to return moments later.

“So, you’re saying… if I read that incantation out loud, then I’ll disappear like you did? And then reappear as strong as you are now?” Ethan asked, quite seriously.

“That’s kinda how it works, but you’ve got the idea.” Cade laughed.

“Well then, what could possibly hold me back from doing that?” Ethan laughed.

“School, though I’m pretty sure you’d be fine there, Family, Friends, but I’m cool with it and I’m positive everyone else would be too, and maybe you could be held back by a girl…” Cade continued saying different possibilities, but Ethan had zoned out as he heard the word ‘girl’.

Ethan hadn’t thought about Callie, not since he heard her message, and now he was about to leave, not returning for some time. How would he deal with that, more importantly how would she deal with it? He stood up as Cade finally stopped naming possibilities, and as if in a trance began running. He had to get home right away.

Cade smiled, watching as his friend took the next step; leaving on a journey.

“Good luck my friend!” Cade yelled.

Ethan didn’t hear Cade’s cry, half because he was running and huffing, and half because of his flooding tears seemingly making him deaf from pure emotion. He didn’t know what to do anymore; 5 minutes ago he would have read the incantation right then and there, now that Callie returned to the picture, his mind was chopped up, mixed, and scrambled.

Ethan leaped back up into the trees, ten times faster than earlier that day, despite the tired condition he was in. He just continued moving, never looking back, and made his way home. About half way the Sevotharte pulsed from his bag.

“Hmmm? What now?” Ethan complained.

He looked down and saw a street, and down along it was a girl riding her bike in the street. Ethan wouldn’t have minded it, but then he caught sight of a speeding car the other direction heading towards the girl from behind. Judging by the occasional jerk, the driver was either tired, or very, very drunk. Ethan spun around, looking at the kid, seeing two white cords dangling from her ears.

“Damn… she won’t be able to hear me.” Ethan cursed.

Ethan dropped to the ground below and burst into speed towards the young girl. She wasn’t moving very fast, luckily, but the car was gaining ground on them. As Ethan neared the girl, he realized who she was.

“Callie!” Ethan howled.

Callie turned her head and looked right into Ethan’s eyes before Callie caught sight of the car right behind them. She instantly turned her bike off to the side, and Ethan felt as if a burden were lifted off his shoulders. To Ethan’s horror, the car’s lights then turned towards Callie, and he heard the engine rev up. Ethan now had only a split second before Callie was dead, as was he even if he tried to protect her, but he still had to try.

“I won’t let you die yet!” Ethan bellowed.

Ethan shuffled his feet and lunged at Callie. He flew towards her, time slowing down in his eyes, and slowly wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly, and embraced for some kind of impact. His eyes were shut, and all he could hear was Callie’s screams, and the roar of the coming car. Then, out of a random silence, He heard a large crash echo from behind him. Ethan raised his head and looked back to see a field of some kind of prism-like shield; it was protecting them!

Time returned to its normal pace, and the car was stopped in its newly crashed spot. After Ethan and Callie sat up, the shield vanished into thin air as if it had never existed.

“What the… Callie, did you do that?” Ethan asked.

Callie simply shook her head and looked at Ethan, fearful, and happy at the same time. Ethan turned towards Callie and hugged her tightly.

“I’m just glad you’re safe.” Ethan whispered.

Callie struggled to get out a few words, but they were strong.

“I’m just glad you were here to protect me…” She whimpered.

Ethan’s eyes widened from a bit of shock, but then changed to borderline crying as he held Callie in his arms. There was no other place he’d rather be now. He pulled away and looked in her eyes and smiled.

“Come on, let’s get you home.” He whispered.

Callie nodded in agreement as Ethan slowly stood up and extended his hand to Callie. She wearily took his hand and stood up, looking at the trashed car, which had just let out its owner. When she stood up fully, her leg buckled as she winced in pain.

“It seems I hurt my leg a bit Ethan.” Callie whispered.

“Then I’ll just carry you.” Ethan said back, smiling.

Before Callie had a chance to respond, Ethan already lifted her up in his arms and he began to walk. He walked leisurely, taking his time, yet using it to enjoy it with Callie, even though she was resting in his arms, he still enjoyed it quite a bit. He had gone quite a distance when his mind drifted towards the Sevotharte; the magical book that rested upon his bed at home. What would happen if he left this world? How many people would miss him? Who would honestly care?

“Ethan?”

Ethan was suddenly ripped back into reality as Callie looked at him with concern.

“Are you alright?” She asked worriedly.

Ethan smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just spaced a little.” He laughed.

Callie smiled and then rested her head back down as if a response of ‘Okay’. Though his mind was scattered, Ethan’s heart told him that this was the right place. Sadly, his beating heart was dissatisfied as Callie’s house came into view. As he neared Callie’s home, she pulled herself up and smiled.

“I can walk from here.” She whispered.

“Okay…” He said calmly.

Ethan slowly let down Callie, but held onto her hand as they slowly made their way towards her home. Silence was all that could be heard, save both of their pounding hearts. They both seemed to be scared, yet they had both known they shared feelings. At last, the two of them gathered themselves enough to speak.

“Callie-“

“Ethan-“

The two had begun to speak at the same time, and almost instantaneously they both laughed.

“You first.” Ethan managed to say.

“Hahaha, well then… It’s about my message. I’m sorry if I bothered you, I mean, I’m sure you’ve found-“ Callie was cut off by Ethan’s lips pressing on her own.

They held there for a moment, both interlocked in their own perpetual bliss. Neither wanted it to end, but Ethan reluctantly pulled away.

“I think… I’d rather be with the woman that means most to me in the world… than with someone else.” Ethan whispered softly.

The two of them looked into each others eyes, and almost as if they had a full conversation just by eye contact, Callie burst into tears, and they embraced in a heart filled hug. They held there for a good amount of time, unmoving, just enjoying the feel.

“Come on, your parents are probably worried.” Ethan consoled.

Callie sniffed and pulled out of the hug, nodding and smiling at Ethan.

“Yeah… you’re probably right.” She cried half laughing between sobs.

Ethan smiled, enjoying just standing there. They began walking again, holding hands as they did, slowly edging across the front yard and finally reaching the front doorstep. There they stood, facing each other, not a word spoken, least until Ethan finally said something.

“I love you Callie, I really do. No matter where I am, I will always love you.” He said as strongly as he could.