Adam stumbled back and rubbed at his eyes in bewilderment. When the Goddess quite failed to reveal herself as an illusion he pinched himself as hard as he could, hoping against hope that he had somehow fallen asleep in the middle of the day and this was all some strange dream. It hurt quite a lot, and he muttered some rather mild curses under his breath as he rubbed at his abused skin. But the Goddess still remained, watching his odd behaviour with mild concern. “Adam, what are you doing?” Confusion mingled with concern in her tone. “Are you quite all right?” “All right? Of course I’m not all right. First I’m chased through the streets by a great big glowy light, then I’m dropped smack-dab in the middle of a childhood fantasy! How could any of that possibly be all right? Is this some sort of hallucination?” His voice rose in pitch as he became more and more frantic. “What if I’m having a seizure? Dammit, what do I…?” “Calm down, Prince of Water. This is no dream or illusion. I have summoned you here, as I did so many years ago. Please, Adam. Calm yourself.” She gave him another smile, and he felt the warmth and calm it brought spreading throughout him… Yet even that bothered him. He could feel the smile easing his worries, but he couldn’t understand for the life of him why he should be feeling anything but worried. With an effort of will he turned his gaze aside, the strange calm vanishing as the smile left his field of vision. But before he could say anything else, the Goddess spoke again. “I can see you’re confused, Prince of Water. Come, walk with me. Perhaps it shall clear your mind?” Not knowing what else to do, Adam followed the goddess out of the marble hall and down a long flight of stone stairs to a throne room which he vaguely remembered spending a lot of time in. The stairs ended behind the five thrones, set upon a large dais at the head of the vast hall of grey stone. He absently ran his hand over the thrones as he took them in, half seeing and half remembering. Four were small, barely larger than your average armchair, and made of wood and silk. The worn, faded cloth on each throne was in one of the colours of the elements, and the symbol of the corresponding element was embroidered into the backrest of each one. But the middle throne was far different. It was a massive thing seemingly cast in one piece from pure silver, and its lack of adornment only served to make it more imposing. But grand as the room was, it showed clear signs of neglect. The once plush red carpet that ran the length of the room had worn thin and threadbare, and the large banners that hung from the walls and ceilings were drab and matted with dust. Still feeling rather shaky, Adam walked over to one of the large glass windows. Much of his view was blocked by the grey, bulky ramparts of the castle, but beyond them a sprawling city seemed to stretch on for at least half a mile, ending in a massive stone wall. Starhome, his mind told him. That’s what this city is called… Even from here, he could see hundreds if not thousands of people going about their business in the city below. “The seal is breaking, Adam. The evil is rising again. Those people out there will need your help.” “But this can’t be real. None of it can.” “But what if it is? There are fifty thousand people in this city alone, and millions more in the lands beyond it. If there is any chance that these people are real, can you really take the risk of abandoning them? If there is even the slightest chance that these millions of people are truly in danger, can you really turn your back on that?” The question struck Adam so hard it nearly knocked the breath out of him. He looked out the window once more, watching the people going about their day-to-day business. As far as he could tell, they just seemed like ordinary people, like him, or his family… Thinking about his family just made him more conflicted. What about his Evangeline, and what about Kaia? How would they manage if he stayed here to save the world or whatever it was he was supposed to do? What kind of father was he if he just left his wife and child behind like that? But then again, all those people in the city must have families too, families that might be split apart or destroyed without his protection. He mulled it over for what felt like ages, but in the end there was really only one answer. “No, no I couldn’t turn my back on them. No matter how much I just want to go home, leaving all these people in danger… It’s just not something I could do.” “Thank you, my prince. Come, we must retrieve your sword.” He followed the goddess through the dusty stone halls of the castle, going ever downwards by at least half a dozen stone staircases as they headed to the very deepest dungeons. He gasped as he saw what lay there, and for the first time he felt in his heart that all this might be real after all. First River, the sword of the ruler of Water, lay strapped within its sheath upon a golden pedestal, lit by its own faint glow. It looked a bit smaller than he remembered it, but otherwise it was just the same. The gilded grip and polished steel crossguard seemed to shine in the dark dungeon, and the droplet-shaped sapphire set into the pommel shimmered like the sea at sunset. He felt his eyes tearing slightly as he ran his hand over the leather sheath, feeling each of the familiar gilt patterns that decorated it. “I… I almost can’t believe it. It’s been so long.” “Take it, prince of Water. It belongs to you, after all.” He reverentially took the sword from its resting place. It wasn’t as heavy as he remembered, though of course he had been rather smaller when he last wielded it. The handle which had once seemed so large now only barely fit both his hands, and the 4 foot blade which had been almost as tall as him when he last held it now seemed far more manageable. But as he tried to draw the blade, he found that he could not. Try as he might, the blade remained firmly within the sheath. “I can’t draw it.” He said with a note of sadness in his voice. “I find it again after all this time, and I can’t even draw it.” “I was afraid this might happen.” The goddess replied, her voice sombre. “You were? Why? Why can’t I draw it?” “Water is the element of purity, and only those who are pure of heart can use its powers. In your time away, your heart has become muddled and unsure. Until your heart is pure and free of doubts or conflict, neither your blade nor your magic will avail you.” “And what am I supposed to do about that?” “That I cannot tell you, prince of Water. It is something you must find for yourself.” With a mournful sigh he strapped the sheath across his back. Even if he couldn’t draw the blade, the feel of its weight gave him some comfort. Still, getting whisked away to another world, being called to aid those who lived there, and now all this business with his sword… It was all getting a bit much for him. “I… I’m a bit tired. Can I have some time? Alone?” “Of course, my prince. Take all the time you need.” After the goddess had left, Adam found himself wandering the castle with no goal in mind. No matter where he went everything showed signs of neglect and disrepair, and he met not a single soul as he wandered the dusty rooms and hallways. The silence was so complete it was almost eerie. His memories of the castle were pretty vague, but he was sure it used to be full of bustle and activity. Now, however, it seemed completely abandoned save for himself and the goddess. The thought added itself to the myriad others plaguing his mind as he walked. After over an hour of wandering, he found himself back in the room where he had first arrived. He ran a hand over one of the banners with a small sigh, his fingers leaving tracks in the dust as they moved across the faded silk. “How could this happen… How could any of this happen? I’m a tailor! I’m not cut out to be a hero. What am I supposed to…?” He was interrupted by a flash of yellow light from behind him. Spinning around, he saw a woman landing clumsily on the stone floor. She had long blonde hair that looked like it was usually kept carefully in check, though right now it was a tangled, sweaty mess. Her icy blue eyes held a hunted, panicky look and her chest rose and fell rapidly with her heaving breaths. Adam narrowed his eyes. The woman, who was currently looking around with frightened, disbelieving eyes, looked vaguely familiar… Not exactly as he remembered, of course, but there was something about her eyes and the slight upward turn of her nose that seemed more than a little familiar. “Lily?”