Inexplicable

by everlasting_ambition

Summary:

The healer and the warrior have disappeared. The blazing star cuts off all her ties with magic. Opening Avalon not only strengthened the magic web, but brought forth a new type of magic, creating chaos and calamity to all of Aldenmor. A wanderer travels, to places unseen, trying to find something aspiring in her life and she discovers something absolutely remarkable.

Chapter 1

Notes:

A/N: Before you start reading this, if you're the type of reader who wishes to read a fanfic where the 3 mages appear a lot, this is not the story for you. But I still hope that despite reading this, you decide to actually give my fanfic a chance. (please, it's my first avalon fic)

Also, this fanfic is also originally from fanfiction.net
I hope you enjoy. :)

Tiny, white, flakes fall from the blurred clouds above me. The flakes reflecting a spectrum of pastel colours off of each other. It was a pleasant sight. One that brought peace and tranquility to your mind. Yet a feeling of anxiety as I stand there, watching the snow fall, thinking, "Is it really over?" I take a look at my surroundings, how white it seems. Like the world has come to an end, and time froze right there, right now. The figure of a shadow forms from the corner of my eye and I whip my head around to see just the borders of the figures. Of the people becoming clearer, yet fainter by the second. Until I was left standing there.

Alone. Desperate.

The fallen snow tainted with red.

Blood red.

And I'm falling, further and further into an abyss of never going back.

An abyss encircling me with the darkness from my past, and present.

Light breaks through the darkness in front of me and I wake up startled to see the sun. "Light." I think. Where I come from light was an unknown mechanism which only comes once every year. Above me, strange bird-like creatures with wings the colour of pink and yellow fly by, and luscious green treetops surround me.

Aldenmor.

A world I have only ever heard of from books and tales back home. Despite the sharp, prickly, pain in my back I sit up and analyze myself in the reflection of the pond in front of me, my eyes widening at the sight. I'm still wearing the blue hooded coat Mother made me back when I was young, and my black crop top still reaches midway on my front. But on my skin I see faint black splotches on my joints, and other various places on my body.

Feeling alarmed, I quickly raise my sleeve and drown one arm in the pond, praying that the coloured areas are just soot and ashes which have grabbed ahold of my skin. When they didn't go away, I drown it again, rubbing my hand frantically against my already wet skin but to no avail. The black splotches stayed, stubbornly onto my pale skin. I stare and ponder about them for a while. Analyzing what they could be with my clear, ocean green eyes. They don't seem to be causing me any harm, and I could have been born with these splotches as well. The only reason why I haven't noticed them before may be the result of the lack of my exposure to light. They aren't very noticeable either. On top of that, I have always wanted to have a birth mark so it might as well be this.

I sit back and stare up at the crystal, clear, sky, my eyes adapting to the new brightness of light however large it may be. I take a deep breath and calm myself down. My life is going to be different now. I can change it, turn it into something more inspiring. Something that I can really say was worth it when I lay on my deathbed in the far future.

My name is Gray. Gray, Gray, Gray, Gray, Gray. I say it over, and over again in my mind. Something about saying it repeatedly always reassures me that I will be alright, and I always am. I stand, stretch out my arms and legs, and look ahead into the forest I begin my journey in. The forest twinkling with magic.

"Gah!"

The sound a loud voice catches me off guard as I warily stare in its direction. I could already feel the goosebumps on my arms as my senses become more attentive. That loud, boisterous voice sounds again. Followed by a resounding crash and a cry for help. Curious, I run through the brambles and low-branched trees which seem to become lower and lower the further I run inside the forest. The plants becoming more bare as dirt and sand expand their territory. I begin to run faster when the voice yells again, gradually becoming louder until it suddenly stops.

Dirt flies into my face from suddenly stopping and I search around wondering where the owner of the voice had run off to. Around me were trees, shrubs, and three distinct dirt paths urging me to take one of them. I take one more look around, hoping that the voice would holler again. There are no creatures anywhere. Just trees. Trees and shrubs with wide gaps of dirt between them. It's strange; there are no magical creatures yet I could feel the forest's magic filling in inside me.

My focus goes back to the path and the voice calling for my help. I close my eyes and reopen them, hoping that the decision I am about to make proves to be correct. Staring at the path to my right, I set my back foot deep into the ground to create momentum when that rambunctious voice yells again.

On instinct, I swiftly turn away form the paths, run through the trees ducking away from low branches trying to interfere with my mission. I swear I feel something scratch my leg but I ignore it and continue on running. My heart begins to beat faster and I can feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins until I crash my head into a large tree branch and do a front somersault digging my face into the dirt.

"Oh, great! My saviour was defeated by a dumb tree branch!" The voice irately exclaims.

I groggily get up, already feeling annoyed by whoever this person is, and I glare daggers into their soul. Although, my vision still isn't clear so I basically end up looking around frantically and glaring like an idiot.

"I'm over here goddammit!"

I look to my right, my vision finally becoming clear, and seeing a orange-gold coloured creature dangling upside down from a vine. I walked closer to the animal, taking a better look at him. He had a very loud mouth that was for sure, an annoyed expression, a tail and little ears. He was a weird little thing. Of course, I grew up in a place far different from Aldenmor so I probably have no right to judge appearances in this situation.

The animal opened his mouth to yell out something, when I grab ahold of the vine tangled with his foot and carefully undo the knot. The loud-mouthed creature falls with a thud and stood up, trying his best to look menacing.

The creature and I share our gaze for a moment. Him trying to shoot me down with those hazel eyes despite his small size, and me blankly staring back wondering what in the world he even was.

"You're a weird one aren't you?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"What's your name?"

"What's yours?"

I stare back at the orange little thing, making it clear that I wasn't about to let down my wall for some little animal no matter how huggable it looked.

He stared at me for a moment, sizing me up and down making sure that I'm not a potential threat.

"I'm Ozzie. Short for Ozymandius."

I'm bewildered and totally lost. "Ozymandiwhat?"

The creature lets out a large sigh (which I'm pretty sure shouldn't even be able to be classified as one because of how loud it was) and runs up my leg and onto my shoulder leaving my body twitching and trying to shake the thing off me.

"Hey! Simmer down over there!" He yelled in my ear making me jump back and almost fall over. When I calmed down, he spoke once more, but it felt louder as he was blaring his message right into my ear.

"My name is Ozzie. Just leave it at that. Now what's yours."

"Gray." I blurt out almost immediately, not trying to waste any more of my time. From the corner of my eye I take a glance at Ozzie, sitting on my shoulder, playing with the strands of my long black hair. Mother used to say it was even darker than midnight but I never believed her. Ozzie looked back at me, somehow he seemed less angered now that he was no longer dangling upside down by a vine.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Ozzie suddenly asks, eyeing me hard in thought.

I profusely shake my head. If I had ever seen such a strange creature I think my mind, however cluttered it may be, would remember it.

"I don't mean to be rude. But what are you?" I ask.

Ozzie gawks at me for several seconds before he makes a face looking as if his eyes were going to pop out. Seeing this, I can't help but smirk a little. "You mean you've never seen a ferret before?" The tone of his voice tells me that he is rather dumbfounded and shocked all mixed into one. I shake my head slightly, not sure of what I should say in return. "That means you're not from Earth right?"

Never heard of it. But instead of saying that I shake my head once more.

His eyes seem to bulge once more, making me giggle. "So then, you're from Aldenmor right? You're just another human from Aldenmor."

Human? I shake my head once more. I'm not exactly human, but I certainly look like one. "I'm not from here."

Ozzie stands up and ponders for a moment on my shoulder. I find myself amazed by his extraordinary balancing skills on such a small place. I gulp, because for a moment I get the feeling that he was going to ask what I think he is but instead he climbs further up and onto my head, pulling my ears in the direction behind me. "Well then I, Ozymandius, shall be your official Aldenmor tour guide!"

I let out a laugh and turn around but the sight in front of me drops a heavy stone into my heart. The land is barren. Just dust and sand. This isn't the Aldenmor I've read about in books back home. It was something beyond what I imagined. Behind me, the rich forest beckons, assuring me that the Aldenmor I thought I knew was in there. But for some reason the desert is the only thing on my mind.

I stretch my arm out towards it, finger pointed. "Ozzie, is that Aldenmor?"

There was a pause. I know silence is supposed to mean no answer, but I feel as if this silence proves my judgement correct.

I hear a small gulp before an, "It is."

My heartbeat begins to race faster and the desire to know what happened to this place. No, what is happening overcomes me. I feel Ozzie shift around on my head before saying, "We should probably head back into the forest though. It's-"

I don't let him finish. I jump down from the cliff, landing on my feet and run faster and faster, my field of view increasing the greater the speed. I have to know what's happening. I need to know what's happening to Aldenmor. The place Mother always talked about. The place she first met Dad. I have to know.

Something pierces my head and my eyes look up to see Ozzie looming over me. "Hey, calm down! You can't just go running off on your own without knowing where you're going."

"But-"

He cut me off, and his eyes begin to soften, almost pitying me. "I'll tell you the truth."

And with one more gulp, he says, "Aldenmor is dying."

Chapter 2

I'm walking. Walking at a steadfast speed. Not giving a care in what will happen to me. Right now, all that matters is finding out what's happening to Aldenmor. And how to stop it. There is absolutely no way that I'm going to let the once place Dad and Mother never stopped talking about die. Even if it was the same place where they died.

I suddenly stop. Catching myself before falling on my face. Ozzie lets out a yelp, holding on tightly to my hood. I can feel tears streaming down my face, my throat clenching up and tiny hiccups building up. I immediately bring my sleeve to my eyes, wiping away the tears.

I'm not crying. I can't be crying.

I'm strong. Not weak.

But my heart says otherwise at it begins to beat at a tremendously large momentum. Ozzie climbs down to my face, staring me in the eyes. His own eyes puffy, and beginning to water, but he holds them back. Ozzie's stronger than I am. He's dealt with more.

"Hey. Listen," he begins. "I don't know what your connection is to Aldenmor but you're going to fix it."

Fix it? As if I could do anything. "Ozzie..I-"

"Can't?" He cuts me off. "Yes you can."

"As if a ferret would know."

He gawks at me again, his mouth opening and closing. "I wasn't always a ferret. I used to be an elf."

And so he tells me, of his adventures. His reaction of being transformed from an elf to a ferret in order to gather all of the mages so they could save the magic web. How they needed to find Avalon, the heart of all magic. But how a month or two they did find it, havoc struck, sending the mages and him through the portal but only two of them managing to return back home. Only for one of the two to disappear as well. The healer and the warrior mages were gone without a trace. And Ozzie, out of sorrow, stayed in Aldenmor, trying to find out what happened to this place. He doesn't tell me their names though, which doesn't particularly bother me because it's Ozzie right now revealing his back story.

It's funny how someone's appearance doesn't always match what they've been through. With that thought I quickly begin to wonder about me. What does my appearance tell others? I'm wearing a dark blue hooded jacket, a black crop top and shorts. This appearance was pretty plain back where I'm from. People wore things more flamboyant and lavish than me. Some covering more of their skin, and others did not.

I decide that it doesn't matter what others think of me. That all that really did matter is the current situation in front of me. Of how I can explain to Ozzie that I am, nor ever be, a hero. Ozzie jumped onto the ground, dust clouding up everywhere making both of us cough.

When the dust cleared, Ozzie stared right back up at me. "If there were saviours of the magic web, then there should be a hero to save the land." He looked at me with determination, hoping that I would agree. I pity the fact that he's so desperate for a hero, that he's forcing it down on me. But still, I don't think I could say no.

I could feel myself getting nervous, his hazel eyes not letting me leave his gaze. "I guess I could try and do something about this.." I lied. There was absolutely nothing I could do in my power to return Aldenmor and maybe even the entire magic web back to its original state. Ozzie's face quickly became that of glee turning into pride. He climbed back up onto the top of my head and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Alright Gray. From now on we're partners. Forward march!"

I can't help but laugh. I guess it wouldn't be too bad to have a friend on my travels. Even if the land is now barren. Something catches my attention from the corner of my eyes and I instantly turn to face the sparkles floating away from the ground only a small distance away. It intrigues me, the glimmers of light, so much that I can't keep my eyes of it .I stride on ahead and I can tell Ozzie sees it as well for his little paws are tapping impatiently on my head, filled with curiosity.

I extend my hand, making an attempt to touch a one of the sparkles but failing in the process. I glanced up at Ozzie, staring in awe at the shimmers. "Ozzie, I thought you said Aldenmor is dying."

Ozzie's jaw is hanging, and with a light tap of my finger it quickly closes. He grips tightly onto my hood and points in an ecstatic frenzy towards the rocks only a little ways ahead of me.

"Holy liver snap! What is happening?"

Confused, I take a closer look at the rocks. They were shaking. I can feel the pounding from the ground, cracks and trembles and I feel like I'm losing my balance so I crouch down low. Ozzie tumbling from the impact. I catch him by his foot before the ground starts to sway again making me feel sick. I stay there, crouched down low, hugging Ozzie tightly fearing that I'll lose him if I let go. The rocks and shrubs shake, a piercing sound cracks out underneath a nearby shrub followed by cracks in the ground. I can hear them clearly now. The ground cracking from all around, heading right towards me.

"We have to go." I state, trying to sound calm but there's gravel in my voice.

"Agreed." Ozzie squeaked, and he crawls into the inner pocket of my jacket as I fasten the buttons. I turn to run but it was too late. The earthquake had taken away any visible path and left me standing there, on a tiny platform, overlooking the darkness down below.

I gulp at the sight of the void below me. It makes me feel uneasy and I feel myself begin to sway back and forth. My foot slips, snapping me back into focus and I quickly stagger back into the middle of the platform.

Ozzie poked his head out from my jacket and pointed furiously behind me. "Gray. Behind you."

In a daze, I turn around seeing the path of other remaining pieces of the ground suspended in the air, looking as if they could break at any given moment. I know what I have to do, despite the large distance between them. I jump, bracing the landing and I jump again. This time landing on the edge just barely making it. There are more though. So much more to go before I reach the ground. I feel myself becoming lightheaded again. I know I shouldn't look down but I can't help it. Underneath me is a a void that can envelope you any second.

The platform tips and I find myself just barely hanging on. The ground begins to shake again, a loud tremor filling into my ears. I look down despite my inner voice's pleads to get of here as fast as I can. A gust of wind blows the hair out of my face and I feel myself struggling to hold on as I'm unwillingly flown upwards. My fingers are slipping, I can no longer feel Ozzie's grip on my hood, but what I can feel and hear is the sound of the powerful wind flinging me upward. But before it does I see a little twinkle of light, the same twinkle that lured me into this madness.

I'm in the air, the burning sun glaring into me, Ozzie, being lighter, just above me and out of my reach. My heart races as I'm at a height out of my comfort zone, the wind battering into my back. My eyes begin to droop, my vision getting blurred. And then it stops.

I'm floating there, no wind piercing into my back, Ozzie slowly being pulled down towards me and I hold him close to my body and for a second, I feel as if everything around me moved slower. I can see all around me, the desert, rocks, cracks in the ground, and then there's a light. Blinding me, but not harming me in any way. It felt cool against my skin and I clutch Ozzie tightly, praying to Mother that he isn't dead.

And then there was nothing.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

I wake up. The light blinding me for a moment. Green, luscious treetops tower over me kind of like the forest I first entered. It was like deja vu, except this place seemed to be more filled with magic. I can feel it. I see Ozzie walking in front of me, looking around trapped in awe.

"Ozzie, where is this place?" I stand up, brushing the hair out of my face. I can see my surroundings more clearly now. Trees young and old, some even towering over each other but all while looking rich and filled with magic. It flows into my veins and I constantly feel as if I'm breathing it inside of me.

It's a wonderful sight, magnificent and powerful, all while giving you a feeling of security. Like it really is a sanctuary. I take a look at Ozzie, still looking way to familiar to this place, his mouth wording something repeatedly.

I finally catch it.

"Ravenswood."

Chapter 3

Ozzie slowly spins around, taking in the massive beauty of the woods. He gawks, jaw hanging open, and the sunlight reflecting in his eyes. A cool breeze washes over me, pushing my hood down and away from my head. The trees sway slowly, and I feel a sense of security in these woods.

The sound of little feet tapping the soft grass catches my ear. I spin around and see Ozzie dashing straight into the woods.

"Ozzie! Wait!" I call, and I find myself sprinting along after him. I should be faster than him, there's no way those little ferret steps of his can be faster than mine. But I don't see him anywhere. I can't see him anywhere. All I do see are multicoloured creatures staring wide eyed at me. Some of them quivering, others puffing out air and putting on a frightening demeanour in hopes of scaring me away. One of them was fairly small, with large webbed feet and a large snout. If I remember correctly from Dad's books, this creature quite resembles a duck but not quite.

Behind the duck-like creature, was a smaller blue one, with long ears, and it twitches its nose and quivers in fright. Among them was a large horse-like creature with colourful wings, huffing and puffing at me. I stumble backwards, feeling overwhelmed by how small my world is, and how there's so much else to see. But I'm filled with something else as well; fear.

I warily step back, raise my hands in attempt to show that I'm not any threat, but the creatures continue eyeing me. I gulp. The horse-like-creature now heavily prodding the ground, dust flying everywhere. Another rustling sound catches my ear, and I immediately aim my attention towards the bush just beyond the frightened creatures.

Two golden ears appear from the top of the bush, followed by the body. Ozzie's back in my sight. He runs again, stumbles on a twig, and continues on sprinting further and further into the woods. He definitely knows this place.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" My arms are in the air, waving frantically, and the creatures flinch back, startled by my sudden outburst. On instinct, I follow him. I can sense a slight throbbing sensation in my right arm, but I ignore it. Right now all that's going on in my mind is finding Ozzie. He can't just leave me here, I don't even know where or what this place is!

The woods grow dark, the sun is low in the sky, illuminating it with bright orange and yellows. My breathing quickens, and my knees sink to the ground, creating a little impression in the dirt. I don't know how long I've been here, I don't know how long I've been running, but I'm exhausted. I look up towards the glowing sky, a drop of water falls onto my face.

It rained recently. I should've known from how soft the ground is. The rustling of leaves catches my attention, but I'm too tired to even look at the direction it came from. I can hear soft footsteps, becoming louder as they approach me, and a low growling rang in my ears. Something was coming.

And from behind the trees a dark paw appears, followed by the figure of that of a wolf. The wolf stares at me through those deep green eyes of his, growling through his teeth and cautiously circles me.

"Intruder." I hear him say, but in my head. The wolf's growling ringing inside my head. The wolf continues circling me, his paws slowly resembling mist. I now know what he is. The wolf's green eyes lock with my own, and we both hold our gaze as I sit there and the wold circling me, ready to pounce at any moment. The wolf raises his hindquarters and bares his teeth.

I can easily kill him. Just one slash on the throat and he'd be a goner. But what I see before me renders me frozen. My right arm is stuck raised in the air, my hand ready to go for the kill but I instead I'm stuck; forced to stand and watch the sight before me.

The black wolf growls, baring his teeth, his glowing eyes staring right in my own. His claws grip tightly-maybe even tighter- to the ground and slowly forming into a swirl of dark mist. No, the wolf is transforming into the mist.

My heart is racing, and my mind is telling me, ordering me to move but I don't. All around me is nothing but darkness, but in the form of mist. I can feel my body becoming numb, my heart pounding as the growling becomes louder and louder by the passing second. I can't see anything, only hear the wolf's growling as I stand there helpless.

My arms begin to shake, and I feel a sort of energy running through my veins. It's fear, mixed with the want to live. I know what I have to do. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and concentrate on my surroundings.

The wolf may be able to swarm me with darkness, but not my senses. His rumbling grows louder and fills me. And now I know. The wolf's right above me, and I'm standing right in the centre of the mist. He's approaching quickly and I feel the shaking energy in my body rise, I spot two glowing green eyes charging closer and would kill me if I didn't move.

I crouch, brace myself for the impact, and instead of letting the wolf finish me off before I could even see this world, I grab him by the neck and fling him to the ground. The mist fades and wolf lays there, under a tree, whimpering and panting.

The energy from before empowers me, and my instinct tells me to finish what I started. Immediately, I march towards the wolf; he stand up and scrambles back immediately and makes sure to bare his fangs. There's something in his mouth, more like his teeth are tainted with it.

It was blood, and I stare down at my shoulder. Two large bite marks lay there, the fabric from my coat torn. Rage fills inside me and I take a step closer to the wolf, and raise my hand for the kill but I stop. Staring into his eyes, those glowing green eyes, I see something I've never seen before in another living being. It's not fear, or else he wouldn't continue growling at me. But it was the will to live, and not for himself, but to protect.

I find myself mesmerized by what I see, and my hand reaches my side. So what if he took one big chomp off of my shoulder, he only wanted to protect this place, and I was the intruder. My world blurs and everything begins to spin wildly out of control before I find myself covering my ears and crouching on the ground, trying to hold on for my life.

And the last thing I see before the darkness breaks free from the sides of my vision, is a little golden ferret yelling out my name and rushing towards me.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

I wake up with light shining bright in my eyes. The fan above me spins and gently blows cool air towards my face and I close my eyes in order to embrace the sensation. I can hear shuffling in the background but I dismiss it for the fan or the movement of my own legs.

It grows louder, and I twitch my eyes to keep them closed and concentrate on letting the heavy sound of the fan hypnotize me to sleep. But right when I feel like I'm drifting to sleep, something soft and wet nudges the side of my shoulder followed by a,

"STOP! NOSES OFF THE LADY!"

I wake up, and quickly shuffle back to the corner of the bed feeling the cold rush in on the parts where my blanket no longer protects my bare skin, and I stare at the sight before me. The dark wolf from before stand beside my bed, his eyes still showing a sense of distaste for me but also pity. And there, sitting on his head, pulling his ears, is Ozzie. Looking frustrated as if he had already spoken with the wolf on how to not greet me. The wolf makes a sound somewhat like a snort and turns to look away from me.

We stare at each other, his deep green eyes glancing nervously back at me, and my own pair of blue.

"Oh, you're awake."

An old lady enters the room and begins to walk towards me. She's light on her feet despite being so old and her walks are brisk and steady. She has a gentle aura. Maybe it's her smile, I could see this little wrinkles around her eyes. I don't know why, but I start to feel relaxed because of her.

She sits down on the side of the bed and scratches the wolf behind the ear.

"How are you feeling?"

Confused, I scrunch my eyes purse my lips a little. As if reading my expression, she nods her head towards my chest. I look down; there are bandages wrapped all around my torso area and covering my chest. A rippling jolt of pain shoots through my shoulder.

"You look better than when you first got here at least." The lady says, gently, in her calm voice. "My name is Nakoda, but you may call me Gran. How about you?"

I want to answer. I really do. But the pain doesn't go away and I can't seem to find my voice. So I just sit there, staring wide eyed at the woman before me.

"This is Dreamer. He may seem like a big and tough wolf but he's really nothing more than a puppy."

Dreamer stares at me. I get the feeling that he no longer thinks of me as a threat. I nod, showing that I understand what she's saying, but I can't seem to bring my voice to work. Rather, I feel a gagging sort of sensation deep down my throat whenever I try to even make a sound.

"There are some of my grandaughter's clothes in the closet. See if any of them are to your liking. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

I nod and I watch as Nakoda's figure walks away from me and soon disappears, followed by Dreamer. I look towards the closet. Ozzie hops up and down, reaching frantically for the knob. He turns around to face me.

"Hey! Get up you lazy bum! You can't walk around in bandages and shorts forever ya know!"