Elise led Theo across the field and back towards her house. Once inside she took him through the kitchen and into the back of the house. This led out to a corridor with a single door at the end. Once Elise had opened the door Theo realised that there was a staircase the went under the house. The pair headed down to the basement, it turned out to be one large room. It was well lit and there were work benches dotted about the place all adorned with pieces of equipment that looked unrecognisable to Theo. There was even a bed in one corner of the room.

“What is this place?” Theo asked.

“This is my workshop.”

“You’ve got a workshop too?”

“Yes, well amongst other things I do research into phenomena. It’s as much a hobby as much as anything.”

“Why’ve you brought me down here?”

“Well, there’re a few things I wanted to find out. We need to do a test and… Oh don’t worry I’m not going to do anything that you aren’t on board with and I promise that none of it will hurt!”

She must have noticed the look of unease on his face. He had suddenly started to feel like he had been taken on a trip to the doctors or had become the specimen in a science experiment.

“O-okay. What do you want to do to me?” Theo asked a little nervously.

“Well first of all, I just need to take a little of your blood.”

It seemed his suspicions were correct.

“S-sure I suppose so. What do I have to do?”

Theo had instinctively begun rolling up his sleeve.

“Well you don’t need to do that for a start.” She said motioning at his arm. “I only need the tiniest amount, but you might as well come over and sit on the bed.”

“Okay.”

He did just as she asked and sat on the bed waiting for what came next.

“Hold out your hand. Don’t worry this really won’t hurt.”

Theo held out his hand. Elise took it in both hands whilst quietly whispering something under her breath that he couldn’t quite make out. The next thing he knew was that he couldn’t feel a single sensation from his hand. It wasn’t numb, not in the usual sense, he didn’t feel like it was attached to his body at all. Elise took a very sharp looking needle and held it under a flame for a few moments. She then took it out, waited for it to cool, before making a move on his hand. Theo braced himself for the pin prick, but he never felt a thing. She dripped the blood that slowly trickled from the tiny hole into a glass she already had at the side. Once she was done, she wiped off the remaining blood from his hand with what smelled like strong alcohol and said a few more words under her breath once more. Theo could feel his hand again and had no lingering pain from the prick. He couldn’t even make out where she had made the hole.

“See that wasn’t too bad was it?” Elise asked as placed the glass container on the nearest bench.

“No, it was fine.”

“I told you.”

“What do you need that for anyway?”

“This.” She said holding up a bottle of blue looking liquid.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a reactant. It lets me know if there is even the smallest part of the divine present.”

“The divine, what’s that?”

“It’s Part of the lifeforce from the infinite… On second thoughts, I think I’ll leave explaining that in detail for later. For now, just watch this.”

Elise carefully dripped a few drops of the blue liquid onto Theo’s blood. There was an immediate reaction, the blood fizzled, and the liquid quickly changed to a bright green colour. He knew before Elise even said a word that this reaction meant something, he could tell simply by looking at her.

“Interesting, I had my suspicions, but this really is…” Elise mumbled to herself.

“What does that mean?” Theo asked.

“I’m not entirely sure, I only know two things from the result. The rest I could only make guesses at right now, but I suppose that doesn’t explain anything for you. What I can say is this. There is no trace of a shard in your blood, it means that you haven’t passed the trials. That isn’t to say that your blood is entirely normal, or like that of a lifer. The test reacted to a trace of the divine in your blood, what that means, I don’t quite know yet.”

“I don’t understand any of what you just told me! Why would you be looking for a shard in my blood and what are these trials? I’ve heard you mention them more than once now. Then this talk of the divine… What is all this?”

“I’m not surprised you’re confused at all. I don’t expect any of what I just said would make any sense if you don’t even have a basic understanding of these things.”

“I don’t, it doesn’t!”

“I know, hmm it’s just difficult to know where is best to start with the explanation. Well I suppose if you are to understand at all then I should start at the beginning. Long, long ago, so the ancient story tells, before the world, before Iltira looked anything like it does now the divine beings, the gods, still lived down in the world with the rest of us mortals. This was a tumultuous time as the gods were split into many opposing camps. There was an almost constant battle between the various sides, this continued until there were only two deities left, Leve and Drex. The world had become almost desolate through the years of war, eventually they both realised that the victor could never be decided in battle between themselves, not without destroying what remained of the world in the process. Eventually they decided that their only option was to talk things out and come to an agreement. It was then decided that they would withdraw from the physical world. They decided that the balance of the world would be decided by the mortal races that still inhabited Iltira with no direct influence from either of them. Those deemed worthy would be left to watch over the world and struggle for either the will of Leve or Drex. Those who didn’t prove their worth would leave the world after one life span. To be deemed worthy one must pass the trials that I spoke of earlier. Those that pass the trials are given a shard of the divine granting them the power to live on through the ages with eternal youth released from the ravages of time. The divine is the essence of the gods and it comes from the infinite, I’m not going to try to explain what that is right now, just know that is their origin and the source of their power. At this point in time I have only a guess why you have a trace of it in your blood without having passed the trials and being granted a shard.”

“Woah, that’s a lot, that’s a lot to take in.”

“I suppose it is. For most people it’s just the story that they’ve grown up with, so it isn’t really anything surprising for them to hear, but if you were hearing it for the first time, then I can understand how you feeling surprised.”

“Is that all really true? About the gods and the eternal youth, I mean.”

“It is.”

“Gods really exist, and people can gain eternal youth?”

“Yes, well I believe so at least. I’ve never met either of the gods before so I couldn’t vouch for them, but through my shard I can sense the presence of Leve. As far as the eternal youth goes… I have already lived for many normal human lifespans.”

“You’ve lived that long…”

The unnatural feeling that Theo had previously when Elise spoke of events in her past over a hundred years ago was finally confirmed. He had been right, her life had already far exceeded that of a normal human. He now wondered how he had known that. Was it just instinct? He couldn’t tell.

“I have… From the look on your face, this must really be a lot to take in.”

“It is, but some of it makes sense, in a fantastical, unbelievable way. So, what about me? You said you had an idea.”

“I do, but I wouldn’t want to say anymore without testing to see if I was correct. It’s a very rare occurrence you see and realistically it’s unlikely that I’m correct.”

“Okay, what do I need to do?”

“Just lay down on the bed and pop this on your head.” She said passing me a circular metallic band with a hinge in the middle.”

“Right… What is this thing?”

“I believe it is called Nephliser. It was what I went to collect this morning. My friend, the one that gave this to me is an expert with this sort of thing, so I’m hoping this will work.”

“What exactly does this Nephliser do?”

“It will put you in a trance and if it works properly, will allow me to look over some of your memories. If they’re accessible that is.”

“You’ll be able to see my memories?”

“If this works, yes.”

“Does that mean I’ll be able to recall them as well?”

“Possibly, sometimes the process brings back the memories for the participant sometimes not. There’s no way to tell without trying.”

“Let’s do it then.” Theo said laying back on the bed and attaching the device.

“Are you sure? If this works it means I could potentially view every memory you have, it will be hard for me to control what I see at first. I could end up viewing something that you never wanted to see the light of day…”

“I don’t care, let’s do this. If there is any chance of me recovering my memory or you finding out more about my background I want to try it.”

“Okay then, let’s get this started! You just lay there and stay calm, I will do the rest.”

“Right.”

Theo did just as she asked and lay there still as he waited for the process to begin. Elise picked up a red crystal from the nearest bench and held it tightly in her hands.  She then began chanting something and he couldn’t decipher at all. It was in a language that he had never heard before. As soon as she began the chant, he was hit by a wave of fatigue that he couldn’t resist and before he knew it his eyes were closing all on their own accord. He took one glance at Elise and the look on her face suggested that this was exactly what she was trying to achieve. Seeing this he stopped trying to resist and simply went with the sensation, closing his eyes, letting sleep take him. At first there was nothing but darkness, then after some time had passed, a memory or dream began to stir.

 It was a quiet and warm summer evening. Theo could see a loan couple sat down together on the side of secluded hillside. As the sun slowly set and darkness crawled across the sky the pair could finally start to make out what they had come there to watch. There wasn’t a single person across the globe that didn’t know about the upcoming event scheduled for that evening, such was the scale of the spectacle that was about to unfold. Of all the places that the pair could have chosen to spend this moment they had chosen here, a place that was special to them both. Of all the people that they could have spent this moment with they chose to spend it together. He could feel the emotion as if it were his own.

The sky lit up as the giant space rock entered the atmosphere and burst into flames. The pair stood up both staring in awe at the unprecedented display. Smaller fragments of the rock broke off as the main body travelled towards the ground, they were sent flying off at all angles as they continued to fall. As the largest fragment hit the ground there was a blinding flash far in the distance, right on the horizon, then nothing. The couple returned to their seated position on the side of the hill and waited for what was going to come next. There was little time left now. Not long after, perhaps a minute had past when they began to see the glow creeping up from the horizon. At first it looked like the dawn of a new day, but they both knew this wasn’t the case. The sun had only set an hour before and besides, they already knew exactly what was going on.

As the vision continued more details became clear. The discovery of the giant space rock had been announced only a few weeks before. It had been clear from the outset that there was no time to stop it from hitting the planet and little time to lay plans for surviving the impact. The rock was large enough to cause catastrophic effects across the globe. No matter where you were living there was next to no chance that you would survive the initial impact and if you did the chances of you living through the aftereffects were close to zero. As it was, the area that this couple lived was close enough to the predicted impact that their chance of survival was considered nil. Knowing this much they had tried their best to accept the fate that had been dealt to them and spent their last days as well as they could. The culmination of which was the final observation of the world in which they lived ending together.

After a glance at a watch the pair laid down, side by side, on the hillslope ready for the next stage of the process. As the danger drew closer the local wildlife finally caught wind of what was approaching and begun fleeing the area in a last and futile attempt at survival. Birds flew as fast as they could in the opposite direction from the from the approaching blast. The pair noticed all kinds of animals desperately running away from what approached. The pair knew that no matter how fast or far they ran they couldn’t escape the danger that was approaching. The sense of sadness that welled up inside Theo from this sight was almost unbearable. As they watched the light increase from the horizon the wind suddenly picked up a tremendous amount. The couple held each other as they were blown against the side of the hill. Only moments later they could see the firestorm approaching, like a tsunami of fire rolling over the countryside frighteningly fast. They both turned to each other one last time. Even if they could have heard each other there was no need for either to say anything more, they both already knew what the other was thinking. Seconds later they were both engulfed in flames. For a second, Theo remembered the name of the person that was laid next to him. As the heat increased, he tried to call out to them one last time.

“L…!”

The name that had been on his lips only a moment before melted into nothingness once again and he could recall it no more. Only the emotions remained.

“Are you okay Theo? You took longer to wake up than I was expecting.” Elise asked worriedly as she leant over Theo laid on the bed.

Theo’s eyes opened and seeing Elise’s face, the memory of where he was and the events of the past few days flooded over him.

“I’m okay… I thought I could remember her name for a moment, but it’s gone.”

“Can you remember anything else?”

“Only vague glimpses of some sort of calamity unfolding, but I know for sure how I felt about, about…”

“Her?”

“Yes. You could see that?”

“I could.”

“Did you make out her name?”

“No, I’m sorry I couldn’t. I couldn’t make out any of what was being said. I could only see the scene.”

“What about any of my other memories, could you make anything out?”

“Only small fragments here and there. The only real coherent memory was of you and the woman on the hillside. The rest wasn’t clear. I’m so sorry I couldn’t gleam more of your past for you.”

“No, it’s okay, you tried your best and besides, I feel like I’ve remembered something important. Even if I can’t remember her name, I know just what she meant to me now.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Did you learn enough to prove your theory?”

“Yes, I did.”

“You could tell from that; you could work out what was going on?”

“I’m sure, from what I saw there’s very little doubt in my mind about what happened.”

“Elise, please stop beating about the bush and tell me what happened. I need to know!”

“Okay, it’s just, you’re going to find it hard to believe.”

“That’s fine, I’ll believe you.”

“That vision, it was the last thing you saw before you died.”

“I died!?”

“Yes.”

“And the woman?”

“She couldn’t have survived either.”

“But how am I here?”

“I don’t know how you were brought here. All I know is that this isn’t the first world that you were born into.”

“What do you mean?”

“The world in your memories wasn’t this one. Of that I’m one hundred percent sure. The things and the creatures I saw there, they don’t exist here.”

“But is that even possible?”

“It’s happened once before. A long time ago… It’s where I got my hunch from, the story is very well known throughout Iltira. I must warn you though it carries with it negative connotations, especially here in the old lands of Leve. It’s why I changed the subject last night when you were talking with List. The last thing you would want is people connecting you to that person.”

“Something that bad happened?”

“Yes.”

“But how would they draw the connection with me?”

“Because the first sign that something was different about them was their speech, mentions of strange animals and devices that no one had heard of before. That’s why talk of such things is only going to bring down unwanted suspicion on you.”

“Would List really hold something like that against me?”

“Perhaps not, she isn’t one to hold a grudge without reason, but she shouldn’t find out until she has gotten to know you properly. Her history with that person and their followers is rather complicated. Anyway, you need to get into practice at keeping it hidden.”

“Is what they did that bad?”

“Worse.”

“Okay, I’ll keep it hidden, even if I’m not entirely convinced about what happened to me.”

“Believe me, there is no other explanation not with the divine in your blood and those memories that were not of this world. I’m sure once they start coming back to you there will be no doubt in your mind.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you Elise… It’s just a lot to accept. The other thing is if I’m here, what about her?”

“I suppose it’s possible, if you were brought here then…”

“If it happened to me then she must have come through with me. I have to go back and look for her!”

“No, there is no way that she’s back there. If she arrived there just like you then there would have been a second burst of energy like I picked up from you. I only sensed one burst. If she’s here, then she ended up somewhere beyond the range of my senses, but I want you to know that it is only a very slim possibility that she was brought here. There has only ever been one case of this happening before in all history.”

“How is that even possible? If the vision was correct, then she was with me right at the end.”

“I don’t know. All I know for sure is that she was nowhere nearby. No one was.”

“What am I going to do? I have to find her.”

“And I’m still going to help you. I can’t promise that you will find her, but I can help you find answers.”

“Thanks, but how?”

“I know who you should ask if you want to find out. I have to warn you though, it won’t be an easy path.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to find her.”

“I knew you would say that.”

Theo laughed.

“Well, where do I need to go and what do I need to do?”

“Nowhere, for now at least. This is going to be no easy task. Where you need to get to, is off limits in your in current form. You won’t be able to reach it.”

“Then how will I ever find out what I need?”

“You’ll have to become one that can go to that place. To do that I’ll need to do something that I promised I’d never do again, not even for List… But It seems that the time has finally come.”

“What do you mean?”

“That I will take you as my student and train you to pass the trials. It’s the only way that you will be able to pass through to the region where those that have the answers you seek live.”

“I have to pass the trials first?”

“It’s the only way.”

“Then I accept your offer. I’d be more than grateful if you’d take me on as your student.”

“Maybe I should have made this clear before I made the offer, but there is no guarantee that you will make it through this alive, in fact the odds are against it. Knowing this will you still accept?”

“Yes. Anyway, if what you say is true, I’ve already died once, so what do I have to lose?”

“Your life! Don’t think it will be easier to die a second time.”

“I’m not going to just throw it away, but I know I have to do this.”

“Good.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“Of course, what is it?”

“Well, what exactly is it that you teach?”

Elise nearly bent over double laughing at Theo’s question.

“Sorry! It’s just… You agreed to become my student without knowing what I was offering to teach you?”

“Yes of course, and well, you never actually mentioned what it was that you taught. I already trust you and besides, I need to learn from you if I’m to pass these trials.”

“You do. What I teach is the use of Pneuma and my families fighting style.”

“You mean I’ll be able to use abilities just like you?”

“If all goes to plan, yes.”

“That’s great! When do we start?”

“Not now. Today I rest, we can talk about how we start tomorrow.”

Theo was excited and wanted to get started as soon as possible, but he knew Elise really did need to rest. Unlike him she had got up this morning after only a few hours’ sleep. There was no way she had recovered from the day before and the only reason she had got up so early in the first place was to help him. He wasn’t going to argue with her.

“Of course, whenever you’re ready.” Theo answered.

“Thank you. Oh, there is one other thing I need to you promise me.”

“What is it?”

“It’s List, I want you to take her with you through the trials. I want you to protect her.”

“I will, if that is what you and she want.”

“It is. If I am taking you on as a student, then there’s no way I can turn down List anymore.”

“She’s asked to be your student?”

“She has, many times.”

“Why did you turn her down but offer to teach me?” Theo asked without thinking.

Theo could see Elise wince a little as he asked the question. He almost regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth. He felt as if it wasn’t his place to ask, he could see from her reaction that there were strong emotions attached to her reasoning.

“Well… Because I made a promise to myself a long time ago, to never take on any new students. I just couldn’t face those events happening again, but perhaps with you, this time things might be different. So, I’ve decided to take the risk, even if it is selfish of me…”

“I don’t understand.” Theo didn’t want to press her for a further explanation.

“You wouldn’t.” She laughed. “Just promise me you will look after her no matter what happens.”

“I promise, no matter what happens I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s funny, because I got the feeling that List would be able to beat me to a pulp if she wanted.”

“She probably could. She was easily the most talented person that ever requested to learn from me. She had more natural talent than any of my previous students. She already has a good grasp of Pneuma use and is a master of more than one fighting style.”

"then why would you ask me to protect her?"

“Because you’re different and just like I suspected, there is already a trace of the divine in you. I could be wrong, but I think you have a special kind of potential. There is more to it than simply passing the trials, getting there for followers of Leve is almost impossible now. Don’t worry, if I you don’t live up to my expectations, I won’t be letting her go with you.”

“You wouldn’t try to stop me going?”

“Of course, I would, but I doubt that you would listen to reason, although I hope I’m wrong. Well the path is now laid out before us. I just hope that we can travel it to the conclusion we want… I’m going to take the rest of the day off, feel free to do as you please, perhaps List will want some help around the place. Just don’t tell her about what we’ve discussed here today. I want to be the one that gives her the news myself.”

“I won’t say a word.”