In Between

Phantaria.

The Realm of the Thayne.

Felicity stepped softly onto the soft, wind caressed grasses as she gazed out into the hilly plain. One or two trees spotted the landscape, but the bright and serene landscape was far more gorgeous than Raiaera’s rolling plains. Felicity was stunned, gazing up at the glowing lights of the sky, which felt quite different from the sun. This place felt like a dream, yet she knew it was one hundred percent real with the raw scents, tastes, and feelings surrounding her. Flowers far more diverse than any in Corone were in a rainbow of display as their sweet scents soothed her. The wind was gentle, causing her hair to slightly raise against the currents. She was so distracted by the new world she entered, she forgot who was next to her.

“Come.”

Felicity turned to see Gwenael, the Thayne of Time, walking forth with hasty steps. His speed walk was near a run as his ethereal eyes sparked in some sort of panic. Felicity darted after him, still unused to this strange being’s nature. This Thayne offered her the opportunity of a lifetime, to come with him to his section of Phantaria and further train her skills under him. This was the first time Felicity had a mentor since Ashla Icebreaker, and she was rather unnerved by the way this youthful being seemed constantly distracted yet calm and put together. Now, the cheeky Thayne was dead serious as he rushed through the plains. In the distance, Felicity could see a massive object sticking out from the ground, on a hill, surrounded by clouds and rainbow stardust. Gweneal eyed the object sharply as he raced without stop. Felicity started to pant as she attempted to keep up with his smooth speeds. “Gwen-Gweneal!”

“Gwenael.” He spoke without turning to face her, speaking as if he had rested for ages, “It is not Neal, like an eel. It is nael, like a-ell.”

“Sorry!” Felicity panted, feeling baffled by his inability to tire out, “But where are you-“

“My clock tower,” Gwenael spoke, his words echoing in his Thayneship’s divine energy, “Something is about to happen in the rest of Phantaria, I just saw it. And it is not for us.”

A sense of sudden foreboding flooded her as she looked up to see it. A bridge powered by multiple, purple clocks bridged the gap between a gapping gorge and a bizarre structure which reached to the sky. It was sort of like a clock tower, as Gwenael said, but it looked so much more like a fortress. This tower was huge, its sturdy base stronger than any tree and more powerful than stone. The ethereal, solid material glowed with a yellow energy as the multiple clocks, especially the massive one at the top, all moved at different speeds. The gothic architecture was powerful and demanding, with the structure and artistic design far greater than the ruins of Raiaera’s castles and cities. The base of the clocktower had a multi storied, double door far larger than the towering walls of a city. The looming tower was surrounded by walls, shadows and colors, sundials, and smaller clock towers. The courtyard was pathed with pure white stone, surrounded by grasses and elegant trees.

Felicity felt like an ant compared to it, especially as they drew closer. She eyed Gwenael again as he stared straight ahead, carrying a grim face of sad betrayal. “They said it has nothing to do with me,” he spoke with timid quietness, “They said to stay out of it…”

Felicity felt a pang of sympathy for this new acquaintance. She knew what he felt like right now…

As they approached the mile-wide bridge, Felicity struggled to keep up. They had run for what felt like ages, but Gwenael showed zero signs of exhaustion. However, he did stop and turn around. As Felicity’s shaking hands grasped her knees, he watched her with caution as the wind ruffled his long, white locks.

“We are almost inside.”

“Almost!?” Felicity looked up at him with hot anger, hotter than the burning in her throat. “We’ve been running for, like, hours!”

Gwenael turned to one of the clocks in shock, as if unaware of the time passed “Hours?”

Her anger grew as the girl barely rasped, “You’re the Thayne of Time, how do you not know this!”

Gwenael scoffed, amused as he turned to Felicity with a smile. “Time runs differently in Phantaria than Althanas, Rhyolite.”

Felicity let out an exasperated sigh as she looked down at the ground again. Shorter grasses, under the shade of the multi-colored clouds rolling above. She panted as sweat coated her body. “I need to rest…” she whispered as loud as her agonized throat allowed.

Gwenael made some kind of bizarre noise, as if shocked that she was tired that “quickly,” and turned to lean against the first pillar of the bridge. “Alright.”

Felicity collapsed, finding herself lying on her back as she looked up. The shadowed landscape was completely different than the grassy hills where they just came from. It was as if the clock tower’s dominion was in its own little world. The clouds contained many colors, sparks almost like starlight, and bizarre shapes as the entire cloud slowly congregated around the very top of the tower in a heavy spiral. As Felicity breathed heavily, she could hear deep throated birds landing on the top of the bridge’s beams and overhangs. On the cool ground, Felicity felt her magical sense bounce and shake at the insane levels of magic surrounding her.

… Then, it screamed again.

Felicity sprung, sitting straight up as she turned to see a figure standing ahead of the clocktower, from the way they came. She was hooded, cloaked, and wore deep blues as she slowly stepped forth. Gwenael walked past Felicity, standing to face her as his wings twitched. “What are you doing here?”

The woman was insanely tall, and even compared to Gwenael her ethereal energy and power she boasted was off the charts. She was far from human, and far larger than either her or Gwenael. She carried a sense of authority, despite the light and gentle tone of her voice. “Gwenael, boy. I have come here to simply let you in on some things.”

This is another Thayne! Felicity was awe struck as Gwenael crossed his arms, his wings pulled back like a cat’s ears. Why the hostility? “The Great Ones tell me it is not my concern.”

The woman scoffed, “You will learn your potential someday, child. But for now,…” She lowered her arms as her shadowed face was lifted, “My Champion comes.”

Gwenael scoffed, his wings starting to rise above his head. “This will not end well for you, Am’aleh.”

Am’aleh shrugged, turning herself away from him. “Your predictions have been wrong before, this one will be wrong now. I shall succeed.”

Gwenael sharply turned his head to the side, “I have nothing to do with this boiling point, old friend. I respect you, but leave me and my mortal be.”

Am’aleh laughed lightly as she faced the edge of this territory, “You will hide?”

Gwenael scoffed, his wings stretching to the side and lowering, “I wish to remain on the outskirts, I have my own affairs.”

“As if!” Am’aleh chuckled, “You are Jomil’s little dog, errand boy! When will you learn you are so much mo-“

“-Get out of my realm.” Gwenael spat in a threatening tone.

Am’aleh turned to see that whatever face he had, which Felicity could not see, it was dead serious. Her shoulders sank as the light around her frame dimmed by the smallest percentage. “Very well, Gwenael.”

And just like that, she vanished.

Confusion and bewilderment slammed in Felicity’s mind as she looked p to Gwenael. His wings drooped and slapped the ground, sending up dirt clouds. His arms fell to his sides as he slouched. Felicity had just seen Am’aleh, the shepherd off the seas, with her own eyes. She could hardly believe any of this as Gwenael turned and trudged towards the bridge. The interaction was bizarre, and left her head spinning. Who or what was Am’aleh’s champion? Was this what Gwenael said they needed to rush to his tower about? Why was Gwenael so stubborn and hostile when all of his previous interactions with Felicity were kind, even if awkward? Gwenael was a Thayne, yes, but he was nothing compared to Am’aleh. Even then, Am’aleh was “Lesser” herself. Panic flooded her rapidly when she tried to imagine what the Great Thaynes were all like…

“Rhyolite,” Felicity looked up to see Gwenael eying were with a face of raw melancholy and fatigue, “Time to go.”

The walk across the tower was slow, compared to the insane race that was their journey here. Felicity was taken aback by Gwenael’s new mood. He was no longer fidgety and swift, but slow and depressive. His wings had just dissipated after a while of being dragged on the ground, and he was running his hands along the elaborate side of the bridge wall as he seemed lost in thought. His amber eyes were glazed by multitudes of stars and shapes, all covering even his irises from clear view. His light was dimmer, and he even seemed older, his skin wrinkled like he was in his late middle ages.

Felicity shuddered as they made their way across the cool, dim landscape. She noticed that the louds had changed. Their shades were deeper and it sounded like a great thunder rumbled within them. The very energy glowing around the tower was weaker, slower, and the colors were far more natural than before. Even the pavement of the bridge was black. Was it that Gwenael’s mood shifted the setting of his entire realm?

Despite the extreme length and size of the bridge, they made it to the other side in a relatively short amount of time. She noticed that the clock hands had hardly moved from where they started. Did time itself speed or slow at Gwenael’s command here? So much was going on right now, Felicity raised a hand to her forehead as they traversed the dark gardens an yards. They passed what felt like a forest of time telling devices and withering trees before they made it to the hundred steps up to the door. Felicity was out of breath again as they made way up the steps. As they climbed under the shadow of the doors, Gwenael spoke for the first time since the encounter with the Thayne of the Sea.

“Things are growing hectic in the rest of Phantaria. Dangerous. And the Thayne have decreed that if I brought you here, I keep you within my own realm.”

Felicity was both disappointed and relieved about this. She had wanted to explore all of Phantaria’s heights until Am’aleh came along. That experience genuinely terrified her just by that Thayne being present. Turning to face Gwenael, he was eying her with a knowing expression. “I forget the impact most Thaynes can leave on mortals. We are a different breed than humanity, and we tower over all the Old Gods made.”

Felicity was delighted by Althanas’ history, and her family itself had casually worshipped the Thayne, but today brought a whole new meaning to them. They stopped in front of the door, and Felicity hugged herself as her fears grew.

“Do not worry,” Gwenael smiled, “In this tower, none of the others will come close to you. This is my home.”

Felicity gave him a small smile as he used a single hand to casually open one of the doors. Felicity peered into the darkness as Gwenael opened the other door. “Welcome to my Clocktower, Rhyolite.”

Inside the clocktower, it was… extravagant…

The tower was lined with many winding steps, spiraling upwards as the very perception of near and far bent looking it. It was dizzy. Felicity was enamored by the many runes, engravings, and designs on the walls and floor, The brightly colored tower was glorious, yet felt way smaller than it appeared outside. Felicity scratched her head in confusion as Gwenael’s wings grew again, much larger, and he flew above the pale floor. He turned, looking all around with a smile of nostalgic joy on his face. Felicity could tell that to him, this was home sweet home.

He looked down a Felicity with a beam, “Come on!”

He swooped down, taking Felicity by the hand. She gasped as he pulled her up, taking her along with him as he flew above the floors.

Floor after floor, they soared. The bottom floor was quickly out of sight as the Thayne veered to the edge and placed Felicity on a series of the steps. The steps lead to a small hallway with a door.

“Your room.” He said, still flying.

Felicity turned to face him, still overwhelmed by everything. He smiled, his features turning younger again, “I know it’s a lot to take in. Try to get some rest before we train, okay?”

She nodded, yet felt quite uncomfortable with the concept of, well, slowing down. Still, it was true, she was overstimulated and exhausted. And Gwenael seemed as if he was tired out himself. Felicity turned and walked into the door.

Walking in, Felicity found herself stepping onto a round, clear glass floor with an old clock ticking beneath. The walls were white, etched with intricate forms and shapes. A massive bed was tucked into the corner of the room, and large window, covering almost the entire outer wall, gave a clear picture of the courtyard below. With a sigh, Felicity walked up to the bed. There was a gold coated chest at the end of it. She opened it and threw her bags and weapons into it with zero organization. Slamming the bed shut, she walked to the edge of the rectangular room and watched the world outside. Leaning against the wall, she listened to the birds as they sang below. The sky was now completely dark, as if night had fallen in an instance. It was, however, illuminated with a swirling, multi-colored nebula in the sky. Stars and planets dotted the night sky as Felicity watched the world outside swirl and sway. It was breath taking.

Eventually, she was tired enough that she crawled into bed. During the night, haunting memories and nightmares took her…

Eventually, she awoke. The dreams were unpleasant, unfiltered with terror from the past. Yet, after who knew how long or short the time frame of frozen recovery, she finally got up and left the room.

The clocks were ticking all at different speeds. Some were fast, others slow, many somewhere in between. As the ticking and chiming commenced, Felicity looked up and down the long fleet of stairs going up and down. Seeing that the top of the bright tower was just up ahead, she resigned to climbing the roundabout steps. As her footsteps echoed, a clock began to chime. The many gears clicked and clanked between the spaces of the stairs as energetic, smooth light filtered through the entire tower. Soon enough, Felicity reached the top.

There was a stain glass, rainbow mirror, much larger than the window in her own room, that was round and had an elaborate clock ticking inside it. This was the one, major clock that made this clocktower a clocktower, and could be seen from below. The crowned jewel of Gwenael's realm. And oh, oh it was incredible. The rest of the room was bathed in white and gold light, brightened with a serene luminescence that rivaled the sun's joyful rays. The room was mostly empty, with only the clock taking up the massive space of the humongous square room.

Felicity found herself gaping at the room, her old memories briefly forgotten.

Eventually, she sensed a magical presence from the entrance of the room.

She looked towards where the stairs led down to see Gwenael swooping up to the room. His white clothes, long hair, and multiple owl white wings were accompanied by the otherworldly golden amber glow surrounding him. His face, however, was a brighter hue and his amber eyes seemed to burn. He was angry. As he landed on his powerful talons, Felicity grew quite frightened. Had she done something wrong? She had no idea how the rules worked, was she not allowed up here?

Yet, when he saw her, his bristled wings settled just a little. His face still burned, but he gave her a slow nod to show her that the anger was directed elsewhere. He walked towards her, the powerful talon steps echoing off the ethereal walls. As he approached her, he tried to smile. "Good morning, Rhyolite."

Felicity's fear started to die down as he tried to reform his tight, heavy body language. Yet, a strange form of compassion grew as well. She saw him disappointed at the "Great Ones" yesterday. His confrontation with Am'aleh was far from friendly as well. Felicity's curiosity, and sympathy, was stretched towards him. She could guess was this "Lesser" Thayne was riled up about.

"I don't mean to pry," Felicity tried to be tactful as she placed her hands behind her back, "But do the Thayne always treat you - well..."

The many stars and light in Gwenael's eyes briefly burned crimson before dying down again. He shook his head, "None of your concern, mortal."

Felicity felt herself rumble inside in a strange way, although she could not grasp it. Was she upset that he shut her off?

Nonetheless, the Thayne of Time offered another small smile, "Are you ready to start training?"

The clock chimed powerfully as Felicity's eyes widened. Training! Yes, Gwenael offered to bring her here to train her skills farther. Indeed, the reason for being here was fresh in her mind. Even then, at the back of her mind, she knew Gwenael was trying to change the topic. Yet, they were still casual and barely knew each other. Why would a Thayne open up to her on the matters of gods? Felicity decided to dismiss her concerns for now, smiling back as she clenched her fists and nodded.

Gwenael's features grew softer, his skin and hues, as his wings dissipated into the air. Felicity looked down to see that his talons became feet. Looking up again, she saw him entering an unarmed fighting stance. "Come, show me what you know so far."

Felicity smirked, "I thought the Thayne saw all? Don't you know what I'm capable of?"

Gwenael playfully rolled his eyes, "There's a difference between knowledge and experience, Rhyolite."

Felicity entered a closed, defensive karate stance, eyeing the Thayne carefully as she locked on his looser stance.

"Remember, Trisgen taught me." Gwenael smirked, "And Hromagh taught Trisgen. I am hard to beat."

"Oh, I bet!" Felicity darted towards him, aiming for his chest with a sturdy punch. Yet, in the smooth speed of a master, Gwenael batted her arm aside and aimed a punch of his own. Felicity grasped that fist with the palm of her hand. Felicity was shocked, although not surprised, that despite his lithe form, Gwenael's strength was an equal to her own. Yet, as a Thayne, he likely had more strength he kept locked from her. With both hands grappled, they started kicking at each other. Felicity aimed for his thigh, but Gwenael held fast and used his own powerful leg to completely off balance Felicity. In an instant, she was on her bum, looking up at the smiling Thayne.

"You are too tight and constricted," Gwenael critiqued, "You have solid form and battle memory, but you lack fluid motion."

Felicity nodded, attempting to stand. She was surprised when Gwenael bent down, extending his hand to her. The youthful pleasure on his face let her know he was enjoying this already. Felicity could not help but feel content that she helped him feel better after all.