Characters
(Me-sha) Misha - A Lion
Zanus - A Tasmanian Devil
The Unknown
Part Four
"What do you mean? I talked to the book I mentioned earlier and asked if you could get a mark. Unfortunately, it couldn't do that, so I asked about lending mine to you. And this is the result."
Zanus was quiet for a moment. She was hesitant but wanted to say something. The only thing that came down her face was a tear. Misha approached her by putting his hands on her shoulder.
"Now you'll be able to see what my home looks like. It's the least I could do after you taught me about this place."
"But...but why? Why would you do something like this for me?"
"Well, I guess I've taken a liking to you. Is that bad?"
Zanus shook her head. She wiped the tears of joy and smiled gently at Misha. Then she hugs him, and Misha blushes. The hug lasted until Misha suddenly thought of Fray. Misha stepped away and scratched the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hug you for that long."
"It's quite alright. Ah, I think it's time I show you how to open the gate to The Garden. What do you say?"
"Oh wow? I can't wait! Do you think I can transform too?"
"Revert is much more difficult than you think. Besides, I'm not sure if you're capable of doing it. There is a special place in The Garden where one determines if they can do certain things, such as use magic or if they can even access it. Even if one has magic, it cannot be easy to bring out and use. I also feel the magic from The Patch and The Garden is different."
"That does sound difficult. Ok, ok, teach me how to open the gate then!"
Misha hasn't seen anyone this happy in a long time. In many ways or so, Zanus seemed to remind him of Fray. Some of him became sad about how things had gone between them, but he ignored it. "It doesn't matter now."
"Alright, so where is the mark on you, Zanus?"
"Oh, it's on my left side just underneath my rib."
"That was very specific. So, to use or rather activate Garden Gate. You need to focus on filling up that mark with magic."
"Magic? You don't expect me to be able to…."
"Don't try to fool me. I know you can use it. I felt something off about you when I first met you. Later I discovered both The Garden and The Patch use different kinds of magic. I felt magic, just not the one I'm normally used to feeling. Even now, it seems strange."
Zanus puts her head down as if she is ashamed for not being fully honest.
"I'm sorry."
"It's quite alright. Even now, I feel you still have secrets, and so do I. So we'll call it even."
Zanus smiled a bit while sweat dripped down her forehead. Misha delivered the same smile as well.
"Alright, let's get ready. Remember that when you do this the first time, you'll pass out just like I did."
"Misha, what if everyone finds out? What if it doesn't work?"
"Huh, do you not have faith in me?"
"No, it's just that something can always go wrong."
"Don't worry about it. The Book of Knowledge is never wrong. It got me here, right?"
Well, I guess you're right. Ok, I'll start right now."
"Right."
Zanus takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. After concentrating, it takes a few seconds, and she begins to sweat a little. Misha could feel something was off but decided to exclude it. "From the looks of it, it seems as if she doesn't have much practice with magic. But what is this feeling I keep getting from her? No, not just her; it's this whole place." He speculated to himself. He lets out a slight sigh.
Soon Zanus's left side started to glow. To Misha's surprise, it didn't glow green but a purplish-black color. Perhaps this is due to the user", he said to himself.
Zanus's eyes also change color from purple to a dark blue and then back to purple again. Misha squinted upon seeing this small and short change. "What was that just now?" He said with suspicion.
"Looks like you pulled it off. Now all you need to do is say the name, and you should hear a little whisper telling you the name. The gate should then open."
Zanus looks at Misha with eyes full of excitement along with exhaustion. She smiled at him warmly and focused her attention on an open space. She then heard the most gentle and beautiful voice ever whisper inside her head. She couldn't wait to say the words, so she took a deep breath and yelled as loudly as possible.
<:/>
><[_: GARDEN: GATE:_]><
<:/>
Flashes of purplish-black particles spun around in a circular motion. A white bone is then wrapped around the spinning particles in a snake-like action until it reaches the other end. The particles then halted their flashing and stabilized but continued their spun cycle. The bone turns black and grows thorns all the way around. They appeared as if it was a dead branch from The Patch.
Then a dark green light flashed in the middle. The gate was now fully stabilized, and there were no leaves to Misha's surprise. No life around the portal, just like Patch. He had decided it was due to the environment. The gate will look like this in a dead world and the form it takes when using this type of magic from The Patch. That was the only logical conclusion he could come up with. And oddly, he was satisfied with it, and a thirst for learning more about The Patch grew within his heart.
"Oh, wow, I can't believe I did it! Do you see that, Misha?"
"That I do, Zanus. You better get going as you only have a limited time on borrowing the mark I lent you."
"What didn't you tell me?!
"Zanus."
"Um, yes?"
"Let the mark guide you, and when you seem lost, focus on it. It will help you throughout The Garden. And don't worry about your appearance. If anyone asks, tell them you're from Branchville. It's a place that no one hardly visits, and some animals are usually much different from the other towns."
Zanus nods her head. She then looks at Misha for a long time and decides to run to him. She gives him a long tight hug.
"Thank you so much for doing this for me."
Misha, who became speechless, wasn't sure whether to hug her back or stand there. In his mind, at this moment, he could only think of Fray. So he decided to stand there.
"Alright, you better get going. Time works differently in The Garden as well as The Patch. So I won't be waiting for long. For you, it will be a long time."
Zanus then walks up to the gate and touches it. Upon touching it, her eyes turned dark blue. She turns around and looks at Misha. She smiled and disappeared along with the gate, and Misha stood there.
"What was that? When her eyes turned blue, I didn't feel that strange magic from her. All I felt was magic like mine."
It was then Misha felt the most robust and vile presence. This presence seemed to have been asleep for a long time. That's when he heard the rumbling. The ground shook. He then looked to the ground and saw a shadow rising behind him. Misha slowly turned around, and there was a strange-looking statue in the middle of The Patch.
"Ssssss finally one of my children has made it inside! My plans can finally take motion now."
Fear had taken over Misha for the first time in his life, and he now realized why it was dangerous to wander from The Garden.
"This place is the opposite of The Garden. It makes sense why their magic is different. Dark magic! The book, the book, tried to warn me the whole time.
Flashback.
"Book of Knowledge, just what is The Patch?"
"Origin unknown; the only thing from the records I have is that it's the opposite of what The Garden is."
"The opposite? Can you elaborate more on that?"
"I am sorry, but I have no more knowledge on The Patch. Have you a different question for me, Misha of Fern Lily?"
"Yes, how does one receive a mark like this one?"
"The Mark of the Boy can be received from The Boy himself. As well as from a female animal to their unborn child."
"I see, then perhaps it is still possible. Can one lend the mark to another or give it too?"
"The Mark of the Boy is sacred and should never be handed to another. However, it is possible to lend for a short time. But Misha of Fern Lily, I warn you to be cautious. Since my knowledge of The Patch is extremely limited."
"Seriously, so there is a way, after all. Tell me, how can I lend it to another?!"
"...."
"Hey, I asked you a question. Aren't you supposed to answer all of my questions?"
"Forgive me, I was thinking. Once again, Misha of Fern Lily, this is highly not recommended, nor do I suggest it. Perform this with caution. To lend The Mark of the Boy, fill your mark. Imagine yourself separating from it and passing it to another. It's best to prepare this beforehand. Then touch the animal you wish to lend it to."
Misha quickly did just that, activating Garden Gate.
Now.
"Beforehand, I wasn't thinking about anything or any warnings. Just what have I done? What have I awoken?"
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