The Invisible Planet

Part 12: Magic

Angeline trudged down the beach, tucking her arms around her waist as she followed after Shay's dark red cloak. "Wait up!"

He stopped for a few seconds, resuming as she caught up.

"I can't see a fucking thing," she complained, giving a worried glance back toward the fading fire.

"Give your eyes a minute. You're from Midelian, right?"

"I was born on Kespan, but I've lived on Midelian for a year and a half."

"What part of Kespan?"

"The worst part," she grumbled under her breath.

"You were in the orphan farms, weren't you?" he said, more of a statement than a question.

She didn't respond, but she knew that was confirmation enough.

"I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. My point is, it's quite bright on Kespan, being so close to the sun, and Midelian's light pollution is yet to be rivaled in the galaxy. It might take you a minute to adjust."

"Adjust to what?" she asked. "It's pitch-black. The moon's not even out."

"Serenia has no moon. In a way, we are the moon. Once every turn around the sun, we cross Glacia's orbit, spin once around them, and then shoot back into the stars. Anyway, I don't think I asked your name. You must think I'm terribly rude, but I— well, I haven't exactly met anyone new in the last century. What should I call you?"

"An— Angeline," she stammered, realizing as she'd started to lie that he would know. She held out her hand and he reached hesitantly to shake it.

His hand was warm and smooth, and his skin fair. "I'm Shay, but I suppose you know that by now."

"I gathered. Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe," he answered.

"What does that mean?"

"That I can leave you alone for the night and not have to worry you'll get eaten."

She stared at the darkness under his hood, hardly visible in the dim light. "Eaten by what?"

"There's a solid number of predators here big enough to hunt you. A few of them could even swallow you whole."

"What, are there fucking dinosaurs?" she retorted.

"Yes."

She paused. "What?"

"Yes," he repeated, glancing over his shoulder.

"But those are extinct," she said, catching up to him again. "They've been extinct for eons. The planet they went extinct on doesn't even exist anymore."

"Krin wished for them, and Serenia answered. I'm sure they're not the same as what they were on Old Earth, but they were close enough for Krin."

"It can just do that? The planet itself can just... create life? Because it wants to?"

"I told you; magic."

"Magic. A magic, sentient, invisible planet, that grants people immortality and superpowers and creates dinosaurs?"

"Yes."

She threw up her arms in exasperation. "They caught me. I'm sedated in a cell on Midelian, stuck in a fever dream while I'm waiting to plead guilty."

"Everything you've seen today, and you still don't believe me?" he asked as he took a step away from her, spreading his arms to gesture at the beach. "Look around you, and tell me you still don't believe this place is magic."

"What're you—" she blinked and stopped in her tracks.

Tiny shimmering stones littered the sand where they walked, giving off a faint green glow. The gentle ocean waves glittered with a soft blue light as they washed up against the shore. From deeper in, she could see floating lights — little creatures, like sea fireflies, swimming amongst fish with scales colored like rainbows.

She turned to the tree line, where hundreds of little blue flowers shone dimly across the forest floor. Glowing purple mushrooms sprouted from the tree bark, further illuminating the forest. The sky above was lit not only by the stars, but by a slow dancing aurora of blue and green and purple.

She looked forward to see that Shay was several steps ahead, and ran to catch up with him. "How is this possible?"

"According to Dekita, the planet was barren when Marius found it." He crossed the tree line, leading her into the forest as he spoke. "Don't step on the flowers," he warned.

"Why not?"

"Because they're pretty, and I'll be sad if you smash them."

She smiled slightly, admiring the soft light that lit their path as she carefully followed his footsteps.

"When Krin came along," he continued, "Marius fell in love with her. He tied her soul to the planet, like his, so they could be together for eternity. Serenia granted her the ability to create magnificent crystalline structures so that they could build shelter. Dekita was the third. Marius had a vision of her joining them, and so they made her immortal, too. She longed for the vegetation of her home world, and Serenia granted her the ability to grow any kind of plant she can think of. Red trees with purple leaves, flowers with petals that ease pain, pliable vines that are stronger than metal, plants that grow glowing crystals, trees with fruit that makes you drunk, mushrooms that taste like candy but with the nutritional value of a steak dinner."

"But she can heal things, too?"

"After Dekita spent years making the forests, Krin decided she wanted more life to share it with. That's when the creatures began to show up; things she had only ever dreamed of. But as I said, not all of them were pettable. One of them injured her pretty badly. Dekita was the first one to find her. She didn't know what to do, so Serenia gave her the ability to heal."

"What about the rest of us?" she asked. "Will we get magical powers from being here?"

"No," he answered. "Not unless Marius decides to tie your soul to the planet, which is highly unlikely considering how much he's grown to hate humanity."

"Does it have to be him? Why couldn't you do it?"

"Marius is the only one who knows how. If done wrong, it could damage the planet's heart, and that's the source of our power and life. If the heart dies, the planet dies, and then we die, and you'll all be stuck on an unknown chunk of ice with no atmosphere, drifting through space."

"So, dead."

"Very dead." He stopped so suddenly that she nearly ran into him.

"What?" she prodded.

"Shh." He held up his hand to motion her to wait. From several yards away, a twig snapped. "See that creek?" he asked quietly, gesturing toward the stream of running water ahead of them. "Take my cloak, and follow it until you reach the cliffs."

"Why? What is it?"

Still facing away from her, he swung the cloak off his shoulders to reveal a full head of crimson hair that fell to his ears in wavy locks. He wore a dark red collared shirt with loose sleeves that were cuffed at the wrist, and high-waisted black pants that clung to his figure and cinched the shirt.

"Now," he ordered, holding the cloak out to the side. "There's an opening in the cliff wall not far from where creek runs through. See if you can find it. I'll meet you there."

She took the cloak, leaning forward in attempt to see his face. All she caught was a glimpse of his fair skinned cheek as he turned his head away.

"Go quickly. And do not turn back," he said.

"What's out there?" she asked worriedly as she pulled up the hood.

"Something unpettable."