The Elves

It was a warm, peaceful afternoon, the sun shining through to the countertop of the Gurfelt household. Among the few on the outskirts of the city, the house hold was not hanging like most closer to the core. The few that were out this far were kept suspended by ancient enchantments. These were not shaped like the other homes either, instead of the pear-shape, these were long width wise and short with no second stories. The Gurfelt place was one of the oldest in the city, the spell on it cast by an actual Wizard. Wizards have long since left this Earth for a safer haven in which the few that were left of their kind could retire peacefully. The purity of their race was dwindling and they believed their time on this Earth had come and gone.

[Sherassee Gurfelt had married the grandson of the wizard that built her home and therefore inherited the enchanted dwelling. Being the first to wed out of their species, both Faltrik and Sherassee were considered to be among the elite of everyone. Never before had an inter-species marriage taken place among Wizards and Elves. However, the marriage wasn't able to last long when Faltrik and his family decided, with the other wizards, to move to another land. Heartbreaking as it was, the Elves decided to stay and though Sherassee found it hard to move on without her husband, she soon realized she was pregnant. A young boy was her blessing for her loss and quite a blessing he was, for no one knew that he would be the answer at a much more desperate time to come.]

Sherassee ran into the room to silence the whistling teapot when someone rang her doorbell. Turning it off, she made her way to the door, teapot still in hand. When she opened it she was pleasantly surprised to see her nephew Darvol's gleaming smile looking back at her. So surprised, Sherassee dropped the pot unknowingly, but Darvol managed to stop it before it hit the ground, and placed it on the counter without so much as lifting a finger. Sherassee thanked him and gave him an enormous hug, "Welcome home! It's been so long! How's your mother? Mateny will be so happy to see you." Darvol gave a thankful smile to her and replied, "I'm just as happy to see him, and you of course Sherassee. It has, indeed, been too long."

"Oh listen to you, you're so old and mature now. Where did the time go? How is Serla, and her trip?"
"I'm afraid both of those questions are much more difficult to answer than you think. That's why I've come without any notice, which I apologize for by the way."
Sherassee eyed him, she hadn't noticed his face was weary, but now taking a closer look it was as if the life in him was slowly withering away. Her tone changed, more intensified, "Don't be silly Darvol hunny, you are welcome at any time. However, I don't quite understand what's going on."
"I'm sorry Sherassee but right now is not the time nor the place to discuss my intentions here further. Later, down by the Pool of Concerta, I can fill you in."
Sherassee looked at him prying into his soft eyes and became a bit rigid, knowing something must've gone wrong with her sister's trip. He took her in his arms returning her welcoming hug and said with a burst of cheerful energy, "Now, may I help you with dinner?"
**********
The wind silenced any gleeful thoughts as Mateny climbed on top of the Rock of Isle. Below he could see his entire small town and the mountains at its borders. The winds had been blowing like this for a few days now and no one knew quite what to expect. The last time this had happened...well no one was still alive since the last time it had happened, so the secret was thought to be nothing but an urban legend until now. The dawning of this age came about when the lands flipped. The sea drowned the existing land and the land that was once covered by water rose and became dry.

Mateny's thoughts were engulfing him when a cold hand grasped his shoulder. When he turned he realized it was only his friend Zachary.
"Sorry I made you jump lad. It's creepy out here, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Mateny replied.
"What are you doin up here anyway? It's dark, nobody should be outside right now."
"I couldn't sleep."
"Me neither. What do you think this is all about anyway?"
Mateny turned to Zachary with a look of despair in his eyes.
"You don't really think..."
"Yeah, Zach, I do. What else could it be?"
"But that's just an old wives's tale."

"Come on, you don't really believe that bullocks your mom tells you. Zach, this is exactly how things started to change. The feeling isn't our imagination. We were foolish to think.." Mateny paused.
"Foolish to think what?" Zachary wanted to know.
"Nothing. Just something Darvol used to say to me."
Zachary looked at him with a yearning to know. Mateny continued after slight hesitation, "Darvol used to say we were a foolish species. He'd say we may be exceptional but we're also exceptionally ignorant when it comes to underestimating fate." He looked at Zachary waiting for his reaction.
"Well that's the unfortunate truth put rather nicely. But you know our kind, it's not like us to leave anything to fate, if we have the power we don't see a reason to ignore it."
"Which is exactly our problem. Now that we've messed with the laws of nature so much it's come back to bite us in the ass and I don't think any of us are ready for it."
"That's for sure, I know I'm not."

"We have to be Zach."
"Um, how exactly do you plan on being ready for whatever it is that's coming when we don't know what it is that's coming? Explain that to me Mateny."
Mateny turned away and shook his head. "I don't know, but we do know what the legend says. We survived it once, we can survive it again."
"You're getting too far into this. We shouldn't even be involved, nor should we know as much about this as we do. There's a reason those town meetings are private Mat, we need to stop snooping around."
"So by the time they do tell us exactly what's going on it is too late? I don't think so."
"If you keep sneaking around those meetings sooner or later Dexel is going to find you out."

Mateny cringed. Dexel was nothing more than a king and nothing less than a hero among the Elves. Mateny praised and respected him as much as the others and would never wish to get on his bad side. Dexel was by far the most powerful and knowing of his kind as well as intelligent. He was one of the few that did not underestimate fate and Mother Nature in any circumstance nor another species.
"We deserve to know" Mateny replied.

With that, Zach let it rest. There was no fighting his best friend in this. The Rock of Isle shifted under them, turning them west to the Forest of Kalir beyond their boundaries. The forest had been forbidden since they'd been alive but they'd of course managed to venture in there a few times. It was rumored the creatures that existed there were the most dangerous in the world, exiled there when the lands flipped. The boys had been lucky enough to never run into any of the beasts, being caught within 5 seconds of entering the forest every time they had.

The Rock of Isle sighed under them when it settled itself. Without knowing it, the boys' minds simultaneously began reminiscing about the first time they'd found the Rock. They were trying to climb to the highest peak over their land to see it all from a God's point of view. When they reached the Rock and sat to rest they were amazed at the site before them, but before they could say anything it began to rise underneath them. Their excitement rose and they stood up as the Rock of Isle shot to the sky like a bullet. They were moving at an alarming rate when it suddenly stopped and Zachary's hair barely touched a cloud. They fell over in a state of shock, neither knowing what had just happened. Mateny reached up to touch a cloud and the rock suddenly dropped at what seemed to be an even faster pace. Unlike crashing into nothing but a cloud, the boys were worried what would happen to them if they crashed into the ground at this speed. And just as they locked eyes understanding their immediate danger, the rock slowed and 13 feet off the ground, sank surreptitiously five more feet into the ground.

Quickly, the boys jumped from the Rock and dove to solid ground. They brushed themselves off and looked back at the Rock.
"Whoa" was all Zachary could spit out, still catching his breath.
"I know what this is! I can't believe it's real!" shouted Mateny, "I heard about this, Darvol told me it existed, I didn't believe him of course, nobody I knew had ever found it."
"Well...what the heck is it?"
"The Rock of Isle."
"Isle? Who the hell is that?"
"A famous sorcerer, but the Rock itself is magical. They say it has a mind of its own, that it sees everything. They say it makes predictions."
"Predictions about what?"

"The fate of the Earth. Only problem is nobody understands how to read it. There was a Wizard once, known to be the most powerful sorcerer to walk this Earth, who made it. It's said to comprise all his powers and memories combined to make up nothing short of a crystal ball. Darvol told me there was but one man in each generation of Elves that is given the gift of understanding it, I bet ours is Dexel. I wonder if he knows about it."
They looked at each other, then started to sprint down the mountain.
"What if he does know about it?"
"I don't know, but we've got to make sure he does!"
Panting, they ran past the two elves outside Dexel's home who yelled after them. The charged through the door to find Dexel at his desk.
"Is everything alright boys?"

Neither one could say anything because they hadn't caught their breath yet.
Mateny croaked out, "the Rock...of...Isle. We....found..."
"How do you know about the Rock of Isle?" Dexel rose and stated in a stern voice. Mateny straightened, concerned about what he had just said. Did the Rock of Isle contain evil powers?
"Um...Darvol told me about it once. We think we found it."
"Dexel looked at him for what seemed like an eternity before saying, "I'm aware of its location."
"Oh. Well we just wanted to make sure you knew." Zachary stepped in.
"Thank you boys for your concern. I have something to finish here but will you meet me later for a cup of Lea?"

Dexel knew how much the younger elves enjoyed the sweet green tea-like drink and Zachary replied quickly, "Yeah!" Unfortunately the plant it was made from was scarce and very hard to find anymore, so it was only for special occasions the elves drank it anymore. For this reason, Mateny hesitated before answering, "Sure," because he knew this must was going to be some sort of important meeting.
"Wonderful. I'll expect you boys back here in about 2 hours. For now, stay away from the mountains."
They nodded and walked out past the two angry elves waiting at the door. "Where are your manners!" one of them shouted as Mateny and Zachary left.
"I wonder why he wants to talk to us. That must mean there's something about the Rock we don't know. Why else would he tell us to stay away from it?"
"Well, Mateny, I mean the thing did go kinda crazy when we were on it. It's definitely not the safest place to be."
Almost completely ignoring his friend, "But why wouldn't Darvol have told me about that? He knew I would go looking for it, if he thought it could hurt me he would've told me."
"Mateny let's just go get something to eat, we can ask Dexel all about it when we meet with him."

Mateny shrugged and followed Zachary to the town market. The most beautiful array of crystals lined the square above the restaurants and pavilions. Diamonds from the sea lined the edge of the invisible blanket and beneath it Vysans and Polwallies swam, their purple and pink sequined backs shining through. Their market was unlike any anywhere else and they cherished it. Not only was it a place to eat but a magical center for social gatherings. Not like a flea market, or food market, the town square floated on a crystal clear blanket over top water. They went inside an egg-shaped tent of silver silk, one of the many restaurants hanging gently from an invisible yarn suspended from large Apolco trees throughout the city. The trees went deep into the water beneath them. There were cream stools everywhere on the sides of baby blue bar tables made of elephant tusks. Elephant tusks were a rarity and only used after an elephant had died, seeing as the elephants themselves were fantastic creatures.

The boys sat down and were greeted by a stunning, young lady Elf. She had long, jet-black hair that reached the back of her knees, a sort of sweet crooked smile, and glowing green eyes. Mateny lost his breath for a moment before ordering a small glass of Sprikler. She giggled at his stuttering and turned to Zachary who said he'd have some bread and a glass of Sprikler as well. Mateny watched her walk away, her long hair swaying behind her, the slit in her dress showing him just enough of her long legs to tease his mind. She must've been from another city, for he had never seen her before and all the families here knew each other. He tapped Zach, unable to take his eyes off the back of her head, "Who is she?"

Laughing, Zachary replied, "That's Arisa. Don't get your hopes up man, she's Derek's new fiancé. Apparently they met while he was doing some business in Avelda, that's where she's from. Rumored to be very high up as well, if you know what I mean."
"She's engaged?"
"Yep, to Derek Glider. Which is no surprise, he is one of the smartest elves I've ever spoken to. Genius with Igniting."

Igniting was one of the most difficult abilities the Elves had to learn. Once an ability is learned, it is the Elf's to control and use, however if it is not learned properly it becomes non-existent. Certain abilities were taught when the Elves were young such as Carvoling (the ability to walk on water), Patrificing (the ability to control the water) and Gavoling (the ability to hear the water). These abilities were taught at an age where they would be needed most. The city of Celbis exists on top a body of water therefore the Elves that live within it must be familiar with their abilities involving water. Celbis shines like a diamond under the sun, the water from beneath really lights up the city. There's nothing like the city anywhere, Elves flock from all over the world to Celbis just to see her body constantly floating. Igniting was not something the Elves learned until the age of adulthood, which was seventeen. Igniting is the ability to control fire, which to the elves is one of the most difficult. Due to their intuitional nature and gentle characters, fire is a very powerful and overbearing enemy. An Elf must be focused, and outside his/her natural character when dealing with it.

"What business did he have in Avelda?" Mateny asked.
"What? Oh, Derek? Um, I don't know my father said it had something to do with the tides. Maybe they're coming early this year or something."
Mateny thought about it for a moment, the tides? The tides haven't been a problem for years. What made them change? Something big must've happened for water to change its scheduled course, especially the Lake of Consolo on which Celbis rested; there hadn't been activity in its waters for all of Mateny's life. What did it mean if the tides were changing?

Zachary had stopped eating and been staring at Mateny trying to read his thoughts.
"You don't think the tides are changing because of..."
"Maybe. It would make sense wouldn't it, before the winds changed and then the mountains shifted and then the water. Even though it's not in that exact order, things are starting to add up."
"Oh man." Zachary said stuffing his mouth with another handful of bread.
The Merfolk

Beneath the sea dwelt a much different species, though no less ignorant or intelligent than Elves. Merfolk existed alongside Wizards and Elves at one point when the entire Earth was covered in water and cities only existed inside it. However, now there was much less association between the races. When land began to rise above the water, Elves took it upon themselves to civilize it and become familiar with the territory. Wizards saw no harm in this and lived harmoniously both under and above the oceans. Merfolk were the only species that did not do well outside the water, not only were they limited by fins, but their gills did not conform to air as the Elves' and Wizards' did. What was once an elite, advantaged race under the sea became incredibly disadvantaged on land and they had no ability to stay. Therefore separating the species changed more than they had hoped for. Elves began to see land as their own and did not care that Merfolk were confined to the sea.

Not only did the Elves civilize land, but another race came forward due to failing explorations. When the Elves first came above land they decided to explore what other lands could have risen above the waters and sent out a team to scour the Earth. In doing so the team got lost and landed on what was thought to be a nearby land, that was in fact halfway around the world. With little familiar resources and no way of getting home this small group of Elves began to adapt using simpler means. Soon, all magic they had known and learned was forgotten. Their children began to look less Elf-like and so came forth the race of men.

Meanwhile, the Merfolk had adapted to the sea and taken control entirely. The wizards foreshadowed nothing less than war coming and wished upon both Elves and Merfolk to settle their disputes. However, both races being quite egotistical, they reached no such conclusion and the war began. Soon men were involved from an entirely different side, and proved to be just as power-hungry as the next race. Wizards defended Elves in an effort only to end the war quickly and without too much loss. In doing so, too much magic became involved at once and men escaped to a city built to stay afloat the waters, for fear of becoming extinct. One thing led to another and as the war reached its peak, the lands were flipped. Water flooded the lands and destroyed anything that had pushed them up as well as anything that had been built atop. In turn, everything under the sea diminished in the unbearable oxygen including much of the Merfolk species. Men somehow managed to survive alongside Wizards and Elves but immediately distanced their lands. Wizards tried to help rebuild what had been destroyed but soon after decided to leave this Earth altogether, they had no trust in Elves nor men, and the little left of the Merfolk weren't expected to survive.

Three hundred years to the day the legend of the lands flipping had happened, and three hundred years to the day the Merfolk were alive and prepared for nothing less than vengeance. Maircrolo was the only living survivor of the war. Merfolk lived much longer than the other species, and Mermaids even longer than Mermen. Maircrolo was one of the four Mermen survivors alongside his wife, Carista, and two other Mermaids. The others had passed on but Maircrolo managed to refuse death in an effort to seek revenge one day. That day, he believed, had come.

The Humans
Scarlett's braid unraveled in the wind as she sat on the banks of Cheslerfine River. Her mother was calling her name for dinner and she waved in the direction acknowledging her. She looked out over the water and wondered what it would be like to live under it. Her favorite stories were of the beautiful Merfolk women and their pearl necklaces. Pearls were so rare because they weren't believed to be made anymore, when the Merfolk died off, the other living creatures under the sea were thought to have died off as well. Any pearls still around were ancient, they were a delicacy believed to have immortal powers which were passed on to whoever wore them. Scarlett's mother told her stories of the Merfolk every night when she was younger, and although she wasn't that naive child anymore, she imagined them just as vividly and hoped just as strongly that they were real.