Lord Raymond trained Nelson and Andrew so hard that he had killed them, in a training exercise.  Without knowing what he had done, he was furious at Nelson and Andrew’s motionless actions as he commanded them to stab each other again. 

“Get up you useless beings!” roared Lord Raymond. “You must fulfill the prophecy and DESTROY AHLARIA!!!!” Lord Raymond continued to stand there with his whip staring now at two corpses.  Confused at what just happened, he stopped to think.  “What did I do? Have I killed our only hope?  Have I left Cordova to suffer the wrath of Alharia?  WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”  Lord Raymond now feeling guilt and shame ran off to tell this horrible news to Chardric.

Over where the girls were at, Theresa and Christine were learning so much from Adia and Angelica.  They were teaching them how to heal every wound and how to survive in the worst-case scenarios.  It seemed like the girls were having much more success than their dead useless friends.  Though they did not know of their friend’s deaths, they merrily skipped, danced and sang around the healing pond. 

“Oh this is so fun Theresa!” Christine bellowed out. “This is so much better than living on earth!  Let’s move to CORDOVA!”

“I hear yah sista!” Theresa quickly replied. “I wonder how Andrew and Nelson are doing in their training?” at that that very moment, a loud eruption of lava, screams and evil spirits came up out of the healing pond.

“AH!” screamed Christine and Theresa.  They both now found each other holding one another in panic.

“What’s happening?” Theresa questioned. “Where is Adia and Angelica?  Hold me Christine!  Don’t let go!  Promise me you won’t let go!” 

Adia and Angelica vanished at the very moment all this disaster struck.  They abandoned the two girls who seemed to be having so much fun one moment then terrified the next.  After what felt like a minute of silence, but really just a few seconds, a voice that they found familiar spoke.

“I, Ahlaria, have come to disprove the prophecy!  No being from ‘earth’ will destroy me!  EVER!!!  Muahahahaha!  I will kill you two NOW!”

After a split second, Ahlaria breathed fire out of his mouth burning Theresa and Christine to their very horrible doom of death. 

Now that Cordova is indeed ruled by Ahlaria and his evil empires, Chardric and all the rest have been either murdered, or in exile.  Where they all are, no one knows.  Who is still alive, is a mystery to us.  But one thing we know is, Cordova…is finished. 

--Drop The T...

Thanks for reading, Fans!  (y)

Nelson and Andrew were led into a smaller room by Lord Raymond.  The walls were made of stones of various colours.  The intricate patterns and designs on the walls caused the whole room to look like a giant mosaic.  Every few feet, a large gold brace with a dragon’s head carved on the front would hold a lit torch. 

“We are now in hiding”, Raymond said quietly.  “The Men of another earth have made it clear we are their direct enemy and anyone not showing loyalty to them shall be put to death in a most horrible fashion.  At this moment, we are free from danger, for this castle is enchanted with many ancient and virtuous spells that our forefathers cast long ago.  We have become impenetrable, much to the dismay of our enemies.  You see, we are on valued land, situated in the capital city of Cordova.  In a happier time, beasts and spirits from all over Cordova paid homage by voyaging here every few years.”  Raymond paused for a moment and then added, “You can be sure though, that they are spending precious hours trying to find a spell or power strong enough to break through our defense.  And mark my words, they are close.  I can feel our safety and refuge is slowly diminishing and this is why we need to take action immediately.”

“Do the enemy know of the prophecy?” Andrew asked.

“Most unfortunately for us, they know all too well of the prophecy.  For at one time, when war had first broken out among Cordova, many Cordovians stood firm to honour and defend our world.  But as time passed and more and more died, more and more joined the enemy’s ranks.  Our advantage of knowing this prophecy was lost when these traitors told the Humans.  Now, it is certain they are equally preparing for this great Battle at the Rim.”

It seemed almost impossible for the four friends to ever be able to defeat such a vast army.  Nelson and Andrew were quite at a loss for words, for both were thinking of how crazed this whole idea was sounding. 

“Lord Raymond”, Nelson began, “I don’t doubt for a minute how serious this situation is.  But Andrew and I have never been in battle or even witnessed one.  We come from an earth where bombs and explosives dominate war.  We have never had to fight with our physical abilities.  I don’t see how much help we can be.”

Andrew nodded.  “Do you have a plan as to what we should do or how we should even start?  Is there hope?” he asked.

It was a valid question, but Lord Raymond took quite a while to respond.  After a brief moment, he raised his arm, much like how we would do if we are swearing on a bible, and stated with emotion thick in his voice, “I, Lord Raymond the IV of Firenzia, was born a Cordovian and will die a Cordovian.  I am bound by the honour of my forefathers to defend our world against all forms of terror.  I know you four are from another world, with no business in ours, but for your assistance we will be greatly indebted to you.  You must believe, men.  If you do not believe, there is no hope.  If you do not believe, we shall perish in the hands of barbarian men.  Honour and righteousness are more precious than gold or diamonds!”

Nelson, who had once been so skeptical of the whole idea, raised his hand to Lord Raymond to signify his allegiance.  Andrew did the same, and all three of them swore an oath of solidarity to honour each other and Cordova.

The girls were much less ceremonial, though the mutual respect was apparent.  They were led into another room, similar in size to Lord Raymond’s room, but was more brightly lit.  It seemed as though someone had let in the summer sun, but there were no windows.  In actuality, pixies, fairies and other brightly lit beings were found flying to and fro, emitting bright lights from their bodies and wands. 

Christine and Theresa stared in awe at the amazing sight of all the fluttering wings and lights.  “This is so amazing”, Christine whispered to her friend.

“Yeah, everything is so beautiful here”, Theresa added.

“Friends, we are standing in the healing room of ancient times”, came the soft voice of Angelica.  “In this place, much good was done.  But as time has progressed in the hourglass, men started casting spells so powerful upon our people, that our healing processes soon became obsolete.  Adia’s skill of magic and my ability to heal have not been able to battle that of humans.  It is good that you have come, for we need your youth and assistance, but most importantly, we need your human aspect.  You must remember to think as you normal would, for though these humans are quite different in nature than you four, you all were born of the same lineage, and blood can never be replaced or erased."

A moment later Vidad, Chadric’s brother, arrived.  He was much larger than Chadric.  He stood around seven feet tall, and his wingspan was estimated to be twelve feet.  The four couldn’t believe that Vidad was Chadric’s brother. 

“Greetings Chadric!”  Vidad said as he flew in. 

“Hello little brother,” Chadric acknowledged,  “these are the four beings from Earth, who have come to train and save our world from turmoil.” 

“Ah, very nice to meet you all!” Vidad cheerfully said, “I guess you guys can hop on my back and I’ll take you guys to your training place, Galwin.”

Nelson, Andrew and Christine were very excited to ride on the back of a flying dragon’s back.  Theresa on the other hand, was afraid of heights and had a weak stomach.  She was not a fan of this form of transportation. 

“Oh man, I don’t want to get on him!” Theresa whined to herself.

“It’ll be fun, Resse.” Andrew added after over hearing Theresa’s comment.  Then took the initiative and ran and hopped onto Vidad’s back.  “Whoa, this is so cool!  Nels, you got to try this!  Come on!” 

After watching Andrew having so much fun, Nelson did not hesitate to Andrew’s invitation and followed.  Andrew was right, Nelson thought to himself.  This is so much fun!  Christine noticed Theresa’s discomfort and tried consoling her. 

Theresa and Christine were the best of friends ever since they were children.  They would always play with each other everyday.  They knew everything about each other.  Christine was the only one who could convince Theresa on the back of the dragon.  After a little pep talk from Christine, Theresa pulled herself together, and approached Vidad.

“You’re going to fly smoothly right?” Theresa asked for reassurance.

“Hahaha!  Of course I will.” Vidad agreed.  “It is an honour to have flown you to your training ground in Galwin.  I will ensure you arrive safely, your highness.”

Theresa blushed, and gave a smirk as she climbed onto Vidad.  Soon after, Christine hopped on, and Chardric gave the okay to depart. 

“Ladies, Adia and Angelica will be waiting for your arrival at Galwin.  And Gentlemen, Raymond will be ready to work you guys hard when you reach your destination.” Chadric said as he saw them off.  “Good bye earthlings, we’ll meet soon enough.  Take care.”

As they rose higher and higher, Chadric grew smaller and smaller and soon vanished.  Vidad flew unbelievably high up.  Andrew now got to see first hand just how high the ceiling was.  To everyone’s surprise, there was no ceiling at all.  But after a few more flaps of Vidad’s wings, they looked up, and saw their reflection.  At that second Theresa gave out a shriek.  Scared that Vidad did not know what he was doing and going to collide into what seemed like to be a mirror, the four screamed. 

“VIDAD!!  DO YOU NOT SEE THE CEILING?  WE’RE GOING TO BE CRUSHED FLYING SO FAST INTO THE MIRROR CEILING!!”  Theresa screamed out.

Vidad, hearing this had no response, and continued flying like a wild dragon.  Theresa now terrified started panicking. 

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” Theresa screamed out, not knowing what else to do.

The remaining three did not know what to do either but to hold on tight to Vidad’s slippery dragon scales. 

“HOLD ON GUYS!”  Nelson yelled to his friends. “THERESA!!  JUST HOLD ON!!  VIDAD KNOWS WHAT HE’S DOING!”  Nelson hoping Vidad really does know what he’s doing just held on as tight as he could.  As the four saw each of their individual reflection in the mirror, was afraid to find out what was about to happen.  They all gasped at the last minute as they touched their reflection.  The next second, they all realised that they were underwater, but there was a very refreshing feeling.  They were no longer flying they were swimming.  Christine, now holding her breath was starting to turn blue.  She looked around, and noticed that they were not going to be reaching a surface anytime soon, and panicked.  She closed her eyes and continued to hold on tight, and hope that they would surface somewhere.  She gripped the dragon tightly hoping to reach surface soon.  She couldn’t take it anymore, her heart pounding, her lungs wanting air, forced Christine to take a deep breath! 

“Eurk! Eurk!” Christine started gagging and coughing.  The three turned their heads back and saw Christine coughing.  Relieved to see her coughing, they quickly put one and one together.  They could breath!  Whatever this liquid was they were able to breathe it in. 

“WOO HOO!!” Andrew and Nelson cheered!  “THIS IS THE COOLEST RIDE EVER!!”  Andrew added.  “I FEEL SO ALIVE!” 

“WHAT IS THIS WE’RE SWIMMING IN?”  Nelson asked Vidad curiously, “AND WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US THAT WE COULD BREATHE?”

“GOOD JOB!  CONGRATULATIONS!  YOU EARTHLINGS HAVE PASSED LESSON ONE.  EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED WAS THE POINT LORD RAYMOND WANTED ME TO GET ACROSS TO YOU GUYS” Vidad replied.  “TO BE A GOOD WARRIOR, YOU MUST ALSO RELY ON YOUR TEAM AND WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM.” 

“Wow!” Theresa said in relief, “so what is this we’re swimming in?” she asked again.

“We are now in what we call zyphon” Vidad answered, “it is a very special form of liquid, it looks like water, but you can breathe under it, and it gives you a quick boost of energy when breathed in.  It cannot be drunk, but inhaled, as your friend experienced just now.” 

As they continued their journey to Galwin, the four friends just relaxed and enjoyed the view from the highest of heights.  Vidad taught them more about this new world that they were about to trek in search of Alharia. 

It took them what seemed like an eternity to finally reach Galwin.  Upon their arrival, Chadric, Adia, Angelica and Lord Raymond were standing there waiting for them.  As Vidad landed softly, they all took turns saying their good byes to Vidad and thanked him for teaching them so much.  When Vidad left, the four were standing single file side by side facing their trainers. 

“Welcome to Galwin!” Lord Raymond said, “Here you will be trained in each of your special abilities.  You will learn how to use them, how to handle situations, how to think and how to survive in my world!  You will not be pampered, you will be trained hard, and if you fail, we will not hesitate execute each of you.  Remember!  Work as a team.  If one fails, you all fail!  Don’t let your teammates down.  That is all.  Let the training begin!”

--Nelson

“Our beautiful earth was never inhabited by any of your kind.  We, Cordovians, mostly lived in harmony with the other worlds and wars were quite rare.”  The small dragon looked up at the white clouds and seemed to long for the great history of this ancient place to once again be established. 

“Imagine young humans, a land where creatures of all shapes and sizes lived in harmony.  Where dryads, naiads, sprites, elves, imps and all harmless beings lived without fear.  Imagine lions befriending deer, tree nymphs entertaining dwarfs, spirits prophesying, unicorns healing the sick, dragons aiding the needy!” He ended in such a climactic way, that two gray puffs of smoke emitted through his large nostrils.

“I can’t believe all of those creatures we thought were mythological are actually real!” exclaimed Andrew in excitement.

“Yeah, but I suppose anything is possible!  I’m so excited to leave this place so you can show us the beauty of this world, Chadric!” Christine said excitedly.  “I’m sure it is far more beautiful than our earth.”

“Aye, young human, I am positive that at one point in history, Cordova was far grander than all the other earths combined.  Now, sadly, it is only a shell of its former self.  Cordova is flat, you see.  There have been many great Cordovians who have tried to get to the rim and look over to the other worlds, but sadly, none have ever returned.  Whether they have reached the rim and do not want to return, or they have perished in their great expeditions, nobody but those lost souls can tell.  There have been great warriors and noble princes of all types, including many strong dragons, who have attempted to reach the rim to no avail.”

“What do you think is at the rim of the earth?” Nelson interrupted.

“Well young sir, a few centuries past, when I was still a young prince, a beautiful Sylphe (this is what we would call a spirit prophetess) traveled from beyond our world to warn us of imminent danger.  She was terribly vague, for often Sylphe prophetesses do not want to foretell too much.  They consider their knowledge far superior to that of stealth and magic.  The only reason she appeared to my father is because she is bound by the code of her kind to prophesy.  She only told us to heed her warning.”

“What was her warning?” Theresa asked eagerly.

Chadric looked straight into Theresa’s eyes and recited the phrase he had undoubtedly repeated numerous times before.  His booming voice echoed throughout every inch of the enormous room as he said “Peace in Cordova is impermanent!  Young will die, widows will be born, families will be shattered.  An evil unlike any other shall surely reside over Cordova and, listen oh Land of Peace, take heed!  Only unspoiled fruit which grows from the vine shall be potent enough to destroy the vineyard.  The conclusion of the age old battle of ____ shall be resolved at the rim of the earth, south of Mount Siantra.”  At that moment, King Chadric’s eyes filled with tears.  His small stature and his century-old leathery skin caused him to look much more fragile than he actually was. 

“Has war and destruction already come to be in this land?” Andrew asked, though he was almost sure of the answer.

“War and destruction has been upon our land for two and a half centuries!  Humans, as you four are, though much larger and stronger, have come upon our world and worlds like ours with such a vengeance.  We have no means of defense, being primarily a land of peace.  Not many of us are skilled in battle, and many of our kind, seeing no hope, have joined forces with the enemy!  Imagine, Cordovians fighting Cordovians!  Oh what my father would say.”

“So why do you trust us to help you when you say Humans are evil?” Nelson asked.

“I see you are still in your youth, young sir.  You must forgive me for overlooking details in my old age, but did you not listen to the prophecy of the ancient Sylphe?” Chadric replied.

The four friends looked at each other.  None of them recalled anything in the prophecy relating to four young people traveling unexpectedly into another world to defeat some unknown human race.

“Could you tell us what it means, Chadric, sir?  We don’t quite understand.” Theresa said.

Chadric sighed, “You children are the fruit!”

“Hey, we’re not children man, I’m not even a teenager anymore!  And we’re not fruits either!” Nelson replied defensively.  Now that his pants had fully dried, he was feeling more comfortable to speak his mind.

Chadric remained patient and spoke the prophecy once again.  “ ‘Only unspoiled fruit which grows from the vine shall be potent enough to destroy the vineyard.’  You children are unspoiled fruit, meaning you were not raised in this world.  You shall destroy the vineyard, the kingdom of humans which is now set up in Cordova.  My worthy brother Vidad knows a great deal of undiscovered magic and has been working on bringing you chosen ones into our world.  The queer music you heard earlier was one of the spells he had discovered while visiting the good witches of Kaymar’s Cove.  It was our signal for help to those whom are most capable.  And you four were brought into Cordova to save it from the hands of these most obtrusive barbarians.”

They stood in awe, trying to grasp the concept of being called from one earth to another.  They stood looking down at the small dragon standing in front of them and actually believed.  There was not the actual act of believing, for it was not something they had to do, it was an innate belief that somehow everything was real. 

“You say we have stealth, strength, magic and healing in this world, is that not enough to defeat regular humans?” Christine asked.

“The humans which now inhabit our earth have learned evil magic and sorcery from other lands.  They have powers equal or greater to that of yours and you must not only rely on your physical strengths, but your mental capabilities.  Do not let your youthful energy be wasted on irresponsibility and ignorance.  You must realize the overall authority in which you are trying to defeat is completely powerful and have a wealth of black magic behind them”, Chadric said wisely. 

The four nodded in agreement.  Suddenly, the large black door on the east side of the room swung open.  The friends could not make out who it was, for the door was so far away.  As the figure approached they realized that whatever it was, it was huge.  As the large figure drew near, they noticed he was at least nine feet tall with arms as thick as small tree trunks.  His arms and legs were covered with coarse black hair but his face was smooth and fresh.  His dirty blond hair was slightly curly and he had two small horns protruding from the top of his head.  He had a sword hilt swung over his left side and in his right hand he held his shield.  His apparel looked like that of a warrior and his demeanor commanded attention. 

The soldier knelt on one knee in front of Chadric and put his left arm on his chest.  It was an odd sight to see a near-giant kneeling in front of a tiny dragon.  “Oh, please do get up Lord Raymond.  There is no time for such formalities.  This is why I summoned you here”, he said, pointing to the four who seemed to be much more intimidated by Raymond than by Chadric.  “Friends, this is Lord Raymond of Firenzia.  He comes from the North to help lead our army.  He is in charge of strategic missions, but is lacking in support and capabilities.  He has much wanted to meet you four.”

Raymond turned his handsome face towards the four and surveyed the scene.  Andrew and Nelson were in good shape, but were both wearing baggy t-shirts and shorts which made them look as if they were weak and could not fill in their own clothing.  Christine and Theresa also looked quite fragile at the moment and a slight hesitation crossed Raymond’s face. 

“Well, there is no time to waste,” Raymond said, recovering quickly, “let us start training you in your respective abilities.  I will take the men (Andrew and Nelson were happy to be considered “men” by such a mighty warrior) and the women will go with Angelica and Adia.  They are nymphs trained in the special arts of magic and healing.  You will learn much from them and their grace.”

Angelica and Adia were more beautiful than humans could describe.  Their long blond hair flowed almost to their feet and their skin was fair.  Indeed, their grace was obvious and Theresa and Christine felt the mixed emotion of inadequacy and awe.  They wore long white gowns that had the scent of lilies in bloom. 

It was an awkward departing for the guys and girls.  All four of them had so many questions, yet they knew that now was not the time to ask them.  There was a strange feeling about this place.  Like the feeling you get when you experience deja vu, only a hundred times stronger.

Before the guys followed Raymond into the other room, Nelson asked Chadric, “Did the prophesy say who would be victorious at the Battle at the Rim?”

The tiny dragon shook his head sadly, “It only states that the conclusion of the age old Battle of Cordova shall be resolved at the rim of the earth, but states nothing of the result.”

And so the four friends along with their newfound allies started to train for the Battle of the Worlds with a little hope and a lot of heart.

-- Christine

The very next moment a huge fire was emitted from behind a boulder in the cave completely lighting up all its contents. The flame continued to pour out behind the rock towards the ceiling of the cave and a shadow could be seen of an enormous dragon on the wall behind the huge piece of rock. The four of them could not believe their eyes and all they could do was just stand in shock and fear gazing at the image of the beast….except for Nelson, who really did pee in his pants. The heat coming from the flame was just too unbearable and if there was any moisture to begin with in that cave it would have been evaporated by now, which was fortunate for Nelson since his pants became dry really fast. The dreadfulness of this site coupled with the immense heat had begun to take a toll on all their bodies until finally they all fainted…..

Christine was first to wake, rubbing her eyes she began to regain focus. The rest of the gang was still lying unconscious next to her as she looked around to find that they were in some kind of cave, yet his cave was anything but ordinary. First off this place was enormous, the room was around the size of five football fields with walls higher than that of the C. N tower, there were also many openings found in this “cave” that seemed to lead to a great deal of places.  Another odd thing was the lack of a ceiling, as Christine looked up all she could see were clouds gently floating along the sea in the sky. Upon further inspection Christine noticed that this place looked more and more like a throne room, for not to far from where the gang lie was a monstrous chair fit for an abnormally large sized King. As Christine continued to admire the throne room the sound they had heard when they were in the woods began to play again. The soothing music had began to arouse the rest of the crew they soon were back to full consciousness. In reality they all would have been freaking out about now, but the calmness of the music just took all their fears away and left them wondering what exactly that sound was.  

“That is the voice of Ahlaria”, spoke an odd voice that seemed to be coming from behind the throne.

All of a sudden a little dragon no more than a foot long flew out from behind the throne and landed right on the seat.

“Who are you?” asked Theresa. (Again, they all should be really shocked to see a dragon at this moment, however the music is still playing and seems to have placed them in a very calm state of mind….kind of like marijuana)

“I am Chardric, King of the Dragons and Lord over the flying country of Soarwind” responded the dragon in the most proud and thunderous voice one would not expect to come from a tiny little dragon.

“You, King of the Dragons?” said Nelson in disbelief.

“Yeah, you’re no bigger than my old dog Gregory”, said Andrew in agreement with Nelson, however in that very instant he said that memory of his parents flashed in his mind and his eyes began to tear.

“Indeed I do not look much like the King of Dragons, however it is the truth, for I always did not look like the way I am at the present time” responded Chardric in a sad voice. “I was cursed by an evil Lord and was turned back, permanently to my childhood self…..but now is not the time for sadness but for celebration for you four have arrived and things may finally be set right once again!”

“Set right? What do you mean? Asked Christine quite confused.

“This is all starting to sound and feel like the typical Good vs. Evil fantasy novel or something! Don’t tell me, are we supposed to defeat some all powerful dark entity that is bent on taking over the whole world.”, interrupted Andrew in quite a sarcastic, irritated manner. (The music had begun to die down and Andrew is starting to get a little flustered at where this is all going)

“Why yes, that is quite on the mark my friend.”, replied Chadric in a startled manner.

“But how are we supposed to stop this supposedly “Evil being”? I mean there is nothing special about us, we’re only human!!!” exclaimed Nelson (Remember, no more music)

“Ah, but therein lies the key” responded Chardric ”The fact that you are, how you say “human”, gives you the power for only those who come into our world of Cordova, and are blessed with certain “talents” unique to them. Come with me.”

They followed the little dragon to a room behind the throne which contained a fountain with a tree growing in the middle of it.

“I will be able to tell you what “gifts” you have in this world if you each take turns placing your hands in the water.” Said Chadric

They all kind of stared blankly at each other none of them wanting to make the first move…so they decided to play it out in a game of rock, paper, scissors….Nelson, lost, then Andrew, then Christine leaving Theresa the victor. (She was a pro at this game)

Nelson stepped up to the fountain and slowly placed his hands in the water. At first he felt nothing out of the ordinary, but a moment later his body started to get warm and he could feel a force coming from inside his body and to his hands. As Nelson looked up at the tree in the fountain before him he could see it suddenly fade away until it disappeared. The moment he lifted his hands out of the water the tree turned back to normal.

“Interesting, in this world you are blessed with the talents of an assassin, excelling in stealth and speed” said Chadric

Next was Andrew. He placed his hands in the water and the fountain all of a sudden started to overflow and the tree turned to stone.

“You have the talents of a warrior, excelling in strength and endurance” said Chadric

When Christine placed her hands in the fountain the water started to bubble and suddenly the tree suddenly burst into flames.

“You have the talents of a mage, with powerful destructive magic” said Chadric

Last was Theresa, and when she placed her hands in the fountain, the water began to ripple and the tree started to grow.

“You have the talents of a cleric, with healing and protective magic” said Chadric

“As you continue your stay here in this world your bodies will begin to change and grow more tuned to your powers” said Chadric “However just having these powers will not be enough; you will have to be trained in order to attain your true potentials. With that said we must get you to Galwin where you will be schooled in your respective arts. I will send my brother, Vidad, to fly you there once you are ready….I’m sure you must have some questions.”

“Indeed, Lord Chadric, first of all what exactly is the history of this place? Who is this Evil being, who is Ahlaria?” asked Theresa very eager to find out some answers.

            “Well, it all started a long, long time ago….”

-- Andrew