Chapter III - Pulled into Elrodia

  "Art was so much fun today! Ms. Lyton said we’re glazing our clay projects next time." Isabelle said excitedly, her dark brown eyes lighting up behind her round glasses. She tucked a strand of short deep brown hair streaked with auburn behind her ear, practically bouncing beside Laura despite being the shortest in their group.

  "What do you think we’re doing today in social studies?" Helen asked, brushing her straight brown hair behind her ear. Her dark brown eyes blinked innocently, like she didn’t miss the teacher’s announcement.

  Laura raised her eyebrows. "Do you ever listen to Ms. Everett? We have a test today."

  "Wait, what?! I haven’t studied! Laura, help me!" Mary pleaded, her deep brown eyes wide with panic. Her long, light blond hair swished behind her as she turned sharply toward Laura. It was a big motion as she was the tallest in the group.

  Madelyn scoffed her dark brown eyes steady beneath a curtain of curly black hair. "Uh… you know that’s called cheating, right?"

  Laura laughed, smiling at Helen and Mary’s devastated face. "Sorry, Mary. Guess you’ll just have to wing it.”

  "Also, I wonder what all the shimmering things in our lockers are. I have mine in my pocket right now." Isabelle tilted her head, taking out the tiny crystal from her pocket.

  "I know, right? I grabbed mine too. It would make a really nice decoration." Mary agreed, holding hers up to the light.

  “We should use it for decorating Isabelle’s wedding!” Madelyn suggested excitedly.

  “Hey!” Isabelle said, hands on hips.

  Laura let out a small laugh. ‘It’s definitely not made for Isabelle’s wedding, but that is a funny idea.’

  As classes went into their classrooms, the boys in front of them giggled and shut the door.

  “Wai-. Ugh. They shut the door on our face. Again.” Mary sighed.

  "Come on, let's go in." Madelyn urged, pushing open the classroom door.

  But Laura paused.

  A warning pricked at her senses. A noise she never heard before. The atmosphere around. Everything told her “Danger”.

  “Guys, wait—" she started, but her friends had already stepped inside.

  Then—Whoosh!

  A surge of energy rushed through the room, and in an instant, they were gone.

  Laura’s heart pounded. ‘The portal must have opened.’

  She barely had time to process before she was pulled in, too.

  Some kids screamed. Some looked completely blown up. Others tried to process the situation.

  Light swirled around them, twisting the world into fragments. They could no longer tell what were the desks, and what were the chairs.

  Elrodia. Laura could see parts of it around them. The glowing capitol castle. A dark tower in the distance. A dragon flying in the sky.

  Laura steadied herself in mid-air, her mind racing. They had seconds before landing. She shouted, trying to sound confident:

  "Guys, calm down! This is a portal to Elrodia—a new dimension.”

  A voice spoke up. “Laura, you know today’s not April Fools.”

  Laura replied, annoyed. “Then how are you going to explain this situation? I’m not joking.”

  It seemed like the realization hit that she wasn’t joking around.

  Laura spoke again. “I’ll explain everything later, but right now, just answer my question. Do you all have the Starlight Shards with you? It’s the sparkly blue crystals”

  A chorus of frantic “Yes.” echoed back.

  ‘That’s one good news.’ she thought, breathing slightly easier.

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  "Alright. Once we land, use that to buy whatever supplies you need. Stay cautious. And most importantly—hold hands with someone near you. We have to stick together." With that she grabbed hands with Mary and Helen, who were closest.

  A final jolt of magic sent them spiraling downward before anyone could reply.

  In a flash, the portal threw them into Elrodia.

  Chapter IV - The Quest for a Dimension Transporter

  Laura hit the ground hard.

  The landing wasn’t soft—not that she’d expected it to be.

  She forced herself up, scanning her surroundings.

  A sharp groan came from behind. Isabelle sat up, rubbing her head. "That was definitely not fun."

  Madelyn came next. Then Mary, then Helen—one by one, they all stirred, confused but alive.

  “Dang it. Seems like the rest of the class landed elsewhere.” Laura muttered under her breath.

  Mary got to her feet, brushing dirt from her sleeves. "Ugh. Where are we?"

  Laura hesitated. There was no going back.

  "Elrodia," she said. "A world where magic replaced technology long ago."

  Isabelle narrowed her eyes. "And how exactly do you know all this?"

  "Yeah." Helen added, arms crossed. "This is way too weird for you to just be casually explaining it like some geography lesson."

  Laura sighed. There was clearly no avoiding it now.

  "I’m a Dimension Keeper." she admitted. "It’s my family’s responsibility to protect the gateways between different realms. I’ve trained for this my whole life."

  Madelyn, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke. "So... you knew something like this could happen?"

  Laura winced. "I thought I had it under control. I didn’t expect the portal to pull us in this fast."

  A long silence filled the air.

  Then Mary broke the silence. "Alright, maybe we believe you. So what now? How do we get back?"

  Laura ran through all she learned about Elrodia. "There’s only one way back—a Dimension Transporter. But it’s been shattered, scattered across Elrodia."

  Helen threw up her hands. "Fantastic. So we just hunt down some random lost pieces of a portal machine?"

  "That or you’re stuck here forever." Laura replied. "But there’s something else—an enemy. An evil lord named Zyrax who controls the northern lands of Elrodia. He hates Dimension Keepers. We’re the only reason he can’t conquer the multiverse."

  Another heavy pause.

  Finally, Isabelle sighed, stretching her arms. "Well. Looks like you have a lot more explaining to do."

  Laura forced a small smile. "We’ll have plenty of time for that."

  Mary shook her head. "So what do we do first?"

  "We need supplies. There’s a village nearby—I’ll go see what I can buy. Stay here."

  She turned before anyone could protest, heading toward the distant glow of the settlement. Behind her, her friends remained standing in the grass, still processing what they thought was impossible.

  But now, they were in Elrodia. And there was no other choice than to accept it.

  Chapter V - The Markets of Wonder

  Laura moved swiftly through the unfamiliar terrain, weaving between towering trees that cast long shadows over the forest. As she approached, the settlement revealed itself. Cottages built from smooth, glowing stone, shopfronts lined with magical wares, and cheerful townsfolk engaged in lively conversation. The scent of enchanted herbs filled the air.

  Luckily, Laura’s clothes fit perfectly with the villagers—her cloak served well as camouflage.

  "Weapon sets for beginners! Sturdy but easy to handle! Only 20 Shards per set!" A merchant called out.

  ‘Hmm, that seems like something I need.’ Laura thought as she approached the stand.

  "Hello! What can I get you today?" The merchant asked in a cheery voice.

  "I’d like to take a look at the weapons set you mentioned." She said.

  "Of course! Is this for you or someone else?" The merchant asked.

  "This is for my friends. They just started handling weapons. Now, can I have a look at them?" She replied.

  "Of course." He dug through a chest, pulling out a satchel. "Here you go. It contains a dagger, a few throwing knives, a bow and some arrows, a sword, a katana, and a magical staff."

  Laura took the satchel and inspected its contents.

  "Is there anywhere I can test these out?" She asked.

  "Absolutely! There's a practice field right there." He said, pointing to an empty field behind the stand.

  Laura walked over and drew a throwing knife.

  Whoosh. Thump.

  A satisfying thump sounded as the knife hit the bullseye. A few people stared as she collected it.

  ‘This is good enough.’ She thought.

  Next, she pulled out the bow and a quiver of arrows. Testing the bowstring, she felt its resistance before nocking an arrow and aiming.

  Thud.

  The arrow struck perfectly, and once again, that satisfying sound echoed. A hush settled over the practice field. Eyes followed her as she went to collect the arrows. She adjusted her stance, pretending not to notice, though the weight of their gaze pressed in like a challenge.

  Then, she unsheathed the katana and swung it around. With each strong swing, it made a sharp swish. The sword felt just as good in her hands. The staff seemed just as good.

  "Alright! This is what I need." She said to herself, gathering the weapons.

  ‘This satchel also contains food, water, and medicine. That’s perfect.’ She thought.

  "I’d like to have four satchels." Laura told the merchant, pouring out four teal shards—each worth 20 blue shards—onto the table.

  "Certainly!" He said, handing over three more satchels. "Anything else you need?"

  "Are there any good bows and arrows? And some maps?" Laura asked.

  "Sure thing! These are excellent items! That will be 30 Shards!" He replied cheerfully as he handed her more items.

  Laura placed more shards onto the table and left.

  “Oh my goodness, this is a lot heavier than I thought. Better send it to my friends.” She muttered, concentrating.

  "Hello? Can you guys hear me? It’s me, Laura! I’m using magic to talk to you."

  "Laura? It’s me, Mary. Everyone’s safe for now. What are you trying to do?"

  "I’m going to transport some items to you guys, so don’t be shocked." Laura explained.

  Focusing on the items, she imagined them appearing before Isabelle, Mary, Helen, and Madelyn.

  “Deporlannae.” She muttered.

  Poof! In an instant, everything vanished.

  "You got them?" Laura transmitted again.

  "Yeah, I got them! That’s so cool though! What are all these items for?" Mary replied.

  "I’ll tell you later. I’m just going to buy a few more things, and then I’ll come back."

  With that, Laura set off once more.