Ethereal Village Part 1

Christian Alexander Erikson stared out the window of the train, absent-mindedly watching as the scenery rushed by.

Across from him, his adopted brother and life-long friend, Trevor Scott Wayne, was slouched in his seat. He was in a deep sleep with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes closed as he snored softly. Christian rolled his eyes at him. The other shapeshifter could sleep anywhere.

Fin, Christian’s familiar, a bloodhound with big brown eyes, light brown fur with a patch of black on his back, and ears that were almost bigger than his head, lay beside him on the seat. Fin let out a pitiful whine and rested his head on Christian’s lap.

How much longer? Fin asked through their mental connection. I’m so bored.

Christian scratched Fin behind his ear. It’s going to be a while, buddy. Ethereal Village is far away.

Fin released a hyperbolic sigh, and Christian shook his head. The bloodhound was the most dramatic creature he’d ever met in his life.

Frost, Trevor’s familiar, a male cat with fur as white as snow and bright blue eyes that resembled the summer sky, curled next to Trevor, his eyes closed as he took one of his many naps.

Christian suppressed a bored sigh that wanted to escape his lips and continued to stare out the window. They’d been on this train almost all day and night and still had a long time before they reached Ethereal Village.

Christian and Trevor’s unit had been called to travel to Ethereal Village, the smallest territory of the Eternal World, and the one farthest away from Ocean Falls.

The residents of Ethereal Village had disappeared without a trace, the territory almost becoming like a ghost town. Friends and relatives of the residents of Ethereal Village made several reports of being unable to contact anyone from the territory, and when they tried to search the territory for themselves, it was empty, and a magical barrier was placed around it, preventing anyone from getting in.

Silas, the captain of Christian and Trevor’s squad, sent them to Ethereal Village to help with the investigation. Christian knew something wasn’t right about what was going on with the territory needed to get to the bottom of it.

He kept racking his brain the entire train ride since boarding yesterday morning. He wondered what on earth could be behind a whole territory going missing. Ethereal Village was small, and he’d never been there before, but he knew this wasn’t normal behavior. Every territory was different in its way; they had other ways of life, but he’d never heard of everyone disappearing without a trace and preventing outsiders from entering.

His phone suddenly went off with a text. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down at it.

Tara: Hey, just checking in. Wanted to see how you both were. Please talk to us soon.

Christian clenched his jaw, his anger rising to the surface as he stared at his sister’s text. The feeling of betrayal was still raw and made his temper boil out of control. He sent back a brief and to-the-point text, not wanting to talk more than necessary.

Christian: We’re fine. Can’t talk now.

He slipped his phone back in his pocket and took a deep breath, trying to rein in his temper. Fin watched him with knowing eyes.

You need to talk to your sisters eventually, said Fin.

Christian looked away, not wanting to go over this again. I will, but not now. Not when I’m still this angry.

I understand. You’re allowed to be angry and to have your space, but know that they love you and never meant to betray your trust.

But they did. They lied to our faces for a year and never spoke a word about what they did. They know Luna is the most wanted criminal in the Eternal World.

They don’t know your history with her. If they had, they probably would’ve decided on a different course of action.

Christian placed a hand on Fin’s head and rubbed it. I know you’re trying to help, but I don’t want to talk about this right now. Not with this mission coming up. I need to focus on that right now.

Okay, but I am here for you.

I know, buddy, I appreciate it.

Hours went by, and the sun lowered to allow the moon to rise. Trevor was still in a deep sleep and hadn’t awakened once the whole time. Frost only woke up once to stand and curl up in a different direction, and was back to sleep in seconds. Fin was asleep beside Christian, lying on his back, exposing his belly, paws raised in the air. He snored loudly, drool leaking from the side of his mouth. At least someone was getting sleep, Christian thought miserably to himself.

Christian tried to sleep, knowing he needed to be rested for the big day tomorrow, but he couldn’t get comfortable. He tried readjusting several times, lay back, propped a pillow behind his head, and threw a blanket over him, but nothing worked. He’d tried to shapeshift into other animal forms to see if that would help, but insomnia had a fierce grip over him that wouldn’t relent. He settled on his human form, knowing it was no use.

Miserable, he kept staring out the window, bored out of his mind. His phone didn’t hold his interest. He’d been rushing out the door and hadn’t thought to bring a book or his tablet. Silas sprang the mission on Christian and the rest of the squad last minute and ordered everyone to board the train immediately.

He must have dozed off because when he opened his eyes, the train had come to a stop and the conductor was announcing their arrival over the intercom. Christian groaned, exhaustion crashing over him, and sat up in his seat. He winced as he stretched out the aches and kinks that assaulted his neck and shoulders. Fin and Frost perked up, instantly awake. Fin leaped to the floor, wagging his tail in excitement.

Finally! Fin exclaimed. I thought we’d never get here!

Trevor was still asleep, not stirring from the loud announcement over the intercom. Christian swore the guy could sleep through an apocalypse sometimes. He wasn’t sure the other guy had moved from his position once during the whole trip.

He leaned over and shook Trevor’s shoulder. “C’mon, we gotta go.”

Trevor snorted and slowly opened his eyes, staring at him groggily. “Hmm?”

“We’re here. Wake up.”

Trevor frowned and straightened, stretching. Frost purred and rubbed his head against Trevor’s chest, leaving behind a trail of white fur on Trevor’s black shirt. “Wow, that was fast.”

Christian shook his head, grabbed his suitcases, and walked out of their room, Fin trailing behind him. He squeezed by the other squad members on the train and walked through the exit. He quickly climbed down the steps and onto the waiting area, looking around at the early morning scenery.

The sky was murky and dull, gray clouds covering the sun. There was a musky scent in the air that indicated it would rain soon. There were a few trees scattered around that were devoid of leaves, the branches empty and bare.

The train station was empty except for the train he’d just ridden on. It was a historic building with old-fashioned architecture, and the concrete and bricks were slowly weathering away with time. There were several benches and a few vending machines that were scattered throughout. This place should’ve been packed and bustling with activity, but it was empty. Apart from Christian and his squad exiting the train behind him, there weren’t any signs of life.

Fin stood next to Christian, his head tilted back, sniffing the air. His eyes narrowed.

The air is wrong here, he said. Something sinister is occurring.

Christian narrowed his eyes and used his senses to observe the aura of this place. Sure enough, there was an air of unease and dread that was thick enough to cut with a knife. Something wasn’t right here. Something terrible had happened in this territory.

Trevor and Frost appeared beside them. Trevor was blinking rapidly, trying to wake up. Frost released a yawn and stretched his skinny white body. Christian saw his brother study the area with narrowed eyes. From the grim expression on his face, Christian knew his brother could tell something was off.

In a matter of seconds, the rest of the squad exited the train, and his team gathered before the train and their captain, Silas. The captain gave his orders in his loud, commanding voice that no one would dare to question.

The sorcerers were tasked with trying to unravel the barrier that prevented outsiders from entering the village. Everyone else was to look around the forest that surrounded the town to find any clues to what was going on. As soon as the orders were given, they were dismissed.

Everyone held their suitcases next to them. They’d brought their weapons to help with the mission. They had tracking devices, guns, knives, daggers, phones, firearms, swords, and crossbows. Christian and Trevor had brought everything with them since they didn’t know what they’d be walking into.

Christian and Trevor headed to the forest, Fin and Frost following. They reached the edge of the trees and summoned their familiars into their crests. They didn’t know what dangers lay ahead of them. Familiars were tasked to protect their companions, but Christian and Trevor wouldn’t take the risk of their familiars getting harmed during this mission. Neither familiar agreed with this and made it known that they weren’t happy, but that was too bad.

The brothers made eye contact before entering the woods.