Part the First

Magic.

Just the word can conjure a load of different things for people.

For some it might be the fun tricks that someone does at a party, for others it might be what their level 20 Wizard does best, and for others it might be a dark ritual of evil.

For years, people have fantasized about doing things that defy science, such as levitating things with their minds, shooting fireballs out of their hands, or simply making their bed faster, and though it certainly is fun to think about, I'm betting that most people know that, if magic were real, it would probably be bad.

"Not to say that reading about it isn't fun though," thought Trey, sitting on his recliner.

"This is so boring," said Stacy, Trey's younger sister. "I want to go to the park!" Stacy had, in Trey's opinion, the most confusing personality ever. One minute she would be practically dying to go outside, the next, she would be messing around on her computer for hours on end. It was something he just couldn't wrap his head around.

"Stacy, would you quiet down," said Trey, "I'm trying to read."

"Whatever," Stacy made a weird popping sound with her lips. "Hey dad, can I watch some T.V.?"

"No, you can not watch T.V. You grabbed the computer without permission yesterday, remember?" Their father passed by the recliner and sat down on the couch next to Stacy. "You have to wait until tomorrow." Stacy moaned and shoved her face into the couch armrest. Trey sighed and decided it was a good time to go upstairs.

Trey sat down on his bed.

"Finally," he thought. "A chance to read quietly." As he settled down to resume reading, he heard a loud thump from right outside his room.

"Well that's weird, "Trey put his book down and opened his bedroom door. "Whoa."

Instead of his hallway, there was a swirling spiral outside his door. He reached out to touch it, but his hand disappeared when he touched it.

"What the?" He frowned and looked out his window. The window was normal, but his door was obviously not. Something strange was going on. His mother had always told him that if something looks dangerous, it probably is. She also told him not to mess with things that seemed demonic or evil, and this weird portal was right up on that list.

"But," said Trey, "there's no such thing as magic." He glanced around his room. "So this is perfectly safe." Still, it would be wise to test it. He went to his closet and grabbed a stuffed toy that had been sitting there for quite a while.

"Sorry to do this to you," said Trey, pretending to talk to the toy. He tossed the toy into the portal and counted to ten. Nothing happened. "Sweet." He grabbed his backpack and started shoving in a couple changes of clothes.

"Can't wear the same clothes forever." After he finished packing, he grabbed his book and gave one last look at his room. He didn't know when he would be coming back, after all.

"Oh, wait," Trey rushed over to his bed and wrote a note explaining where he had gone, just in case this portal wasn't like the closet to Narnia.

"Now to bravely go where no-one has gone before," said Trey. He stepped into the portal...and into whatever was beyond.

Part the Second

It had been three years. Or at least, it felt like that. Maybe it had only been two and a half.

"What was I thinking?!" Thought Trey as he slammed down two coins and grabbed a piece of bread from the stall. He shoved the bread into his pack and thanked the vendor. He walked over to the nearest bench and sat down.

"Hey there Trey," Oswald waved at Trey and walked over to him. "Why the angry face?" Oswald sat down next to Trey.

"Can I unload on you for a second Oswald?" Trey looked over at his friend. Oswald had been Trey's first friend in this strange world he had entered, and had never failed to help him when times got tough.

"Um, sure. Just make it quick," Oswald was a Catalina, a sort of cat person thing that was not known for it's attention span.

"I don't know what I was thinking when I stepped through that portal! One minute I'm at home, the next, I'm in the Fae Woods running from a gang of angry trees!" Trey scratched his head and took a sip from his canteen.

"Are you going to bring that up again?" Oswald said. "You talk about it every day. Just forget about it. Also, for the last time, those 'angry trees' were Treants!" Oswald sighed. "Look at it this way, if you hadn't gone through that portal, you would never have met me or Drake or Eldra, or gotten the Sliver Blade, or fought the Heart of Darkness. You wouldn't have had any of the adventures you've had! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Trey looked at Oswald and flashed a small smile. "I guess your right. I just miss my family." Oswald wrapped his arm around Trey's neck.

"Hey, we'll find you a way back eventually. Don't think I've forgotten my promise," said Oswald determinedly. "But, on an unrelated note, Drake and Eldra are currently waiting for us at the tavern. They're saying that some guy wants to hire us for a job. You in?"

Trey shook his head and smiled. "Well, tell them that I'm coming. Just go ahead of me, I'll be right there."

"Okay then, see you later!" Oswald got up and walked away. Trey leaned back on the bench and reached into his backpack. He pulled out the book he had gotten from the Heart of Darkness' lair. That was over two months ago now.

"Maybe I missed something. Maybe there's a way back in here." He flipped through the pages quickly before closing it and shoving it back into his backpack. He stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking towards the tavern.

"But I've got plenty of time."