Rucksacks were packed with all the necessary equipment for a long walking journey. Dried meats and other foods, flasks of water, clothing and blankets. There was a medieval substitute for a first aid kit packed in one, a map in another. There were other things buried deep, but Eli didn't remember what they were.

He had a sword in a sheath attached to his belt, an image he had dreamed and daydreamed of as a young boy. He played imaginary games as a knight, fighting against armies and evil kings and winning over princess's hearts. The normal things for a kid to do.

He never thought that one day that image would come true, even if it wasn't in the way he imagined it. There was no army, an evil Mage instead of a king, and there certainly was no princess. For that, he was grateful. He would have preferred a prince.

As he thought the words he found his eyes drifting to Korian, who was still sorting out the packs. There were two of them, one for each of them. When he saw Eli looking, he smiled and waved him over.

Eli wandered the two short metres to the little table Korian was standing at, watching the other man attempt to shove a badly folded shirt into a rucksack. He stifled a laugh, shaking his head at the man.

Korian shushed him, eyes narrowed jokingly. "How are you feeling?" he asked, face twisting in concern. Eli had been quiet the last couple of days since the funeral. Even Eli himself didn't know why. Part of him was still guilty, his self-hatred at letting Amos die felt like a rock in his stomach. Another part of him was nervous for the journey ahead, finding the sword, defeating the Mage and saving the realm. It was a lot to pile on the eighteen-year old's shoulders.

"I am..." he trailed off, struggling to think of the word. He hadn't been taught the one for overwhelmed. Maybe Amos thought he wouldn't have a use for it. "Tired," he substituted instead, finding that it didn't quite convey his feelings, but it was the best he could muster.

Korian stopped what he was doing, reaching up and placing a hand on Eli's shoulder. It was something he did a lot, and Eli was beginning to find comfort in it. "It will be okay," he said, hand drifting down Eli's arm before pulling away. "Nearly done. Then we go."

Eli sighed and nodded, turning away from his newfound friend. He needed some fresh air. He wandered outside, his sneakers squeaking against the wood. They were up in the tree base in the forest, had been since the funeral. It was safer there than in the village. For all they knew, the village was being watched by the Mage. The forest was also still mostly alright.

The Mage's attack had sapped some of the magic from the forest, enough to make some of the shrubs wilt and the leaves fall. It was not bad enough for them to need to move somewhere else, but soon it would be. The sap of the magic would spread and soon enough the forest would be as dead and dismal as the one Eli woke up in almost three weeks ago.

As far as he knew the village still wasn't going well. They had about two months' worth of food before they would begin to starve. Korian had told them that he would gather as much magic as possible on their journey. Mostly so that he could protect himself and Eli, and help the village as much as possible when they got back.

Eli had noticed how weak Korian was looking since the Mage had attacked. His skin was much paler than it normally was, and he was struggling to lift things. All Korian had told him was that he was unused to not having magic within him. Eli hoped that during their journey he would begin to feel better as they got to a livelier place.

He sat on the edge of the platform, looking out over the trees. On the other platforms buried within the leaves of the tall trees, he could see other people wandering around. There weren't many, as the base wasn't very highly populated. Korian had told him that most of them had run from the Mage's castle with him as the city was being sacked. They helped build the base from the little tree house it used to be.

He allowed the cool air to wash over him, blow his worries about the village and Korian and getting home away. He sighed in relief, closing his eyes and tilting his head up to the sky. He didn't know how long he sat there, feeling the wind on his face and listening to the leaves rush together. He jumped to the side when he felt a presence next to him and heard the thud of someone stepping on the wood nearby.

"I have finished packing. Here," he dropped a rucksack into Eli's hands, his arms dropping to accommodate the weight. There were others that were meant to go with them, but the loss of people and the food in the village meant that most of the men and women in the village and the tree base were sent out to hunt and scavenge. It would be dangerous for them to travel alone for days, but it was all they could do. The Mage was looking for him and most likely wouldn't stop until Eli was finally captured, or worse.

He shivered at the thought, pulling the bag onto his back. He ignored the concerned frown Korian gave him, instead asking "Is it time to go?" His lack of knowledge of the language made him sound like a child, but he had stopped caring about it at least a week ago.

He heard Korian let out a little sigh at his deflection, but all he did was nod and gesture for Eli to follow him. The nearest ladder was a couple of platforms over, meaning that they would have to pass the curious people who always stared kindly, but never trusted Eli enough to let him near.

He passed by a woman and her child and immediately thought of his own mother, who was sitting at home not knowing where he was. He missed her, he missed the life he had back with her, even if it was just school and friends and trying to get Kory to visit. It was better than hiding away and training and being scared for his life.

Turning away with a sigh, he followed Korian down the ladder and onto the grassy forest floor below. It no longer had the fresh smell it did when he arrived and instead smelled like wilted roses, like death. When the wind blew through the trees now, it sounded ominous, as if it was trying to tell them that something horrible was coming.

As if sensing that his thoughts were drifting to unhappy places, Korian gripped his hand tightly. Eli looked to him, confused, but all the other man did was pull him along. They headed in the opposite direction of the village, further into the dense forest. They walked in near silence, the only noise they made was their breathing and the occasional crunch of a leaf or twig as they walked.

When Korian wasn't holding his hand in that tight grip, he was holding the map and trying to figure out their place on it. The forest stretched out for hours and all of it looked the same, no landmarks to help them on their way. It would be a long trip.

Eli tried to pay attention to their surroundings, just in case they were going around in circles, but the tall brown trees with their lush green leaves all looked the same. It was thick with bushes and grass and colourful flowers that Eli forgot even had a smell back at his home. They were sprayed with so many chemicals that there was no smell anymore. Walking through the forest, it was almost overpowering.

"When we stop, I want to train you more," Korian said at one point when the sun was beginning its dip into the horizon. "You aren't strong enough yet, you need more practice with a sword."

"I know," Eli muttered with a frown. An idea sparked in his mind, like a light bulb switching on. "Can't you just use your magic? We're in a better area now."

Korian looked down at him, a little smirk on his face, "That is a good idea," he said and Eli felt himself brighten. "But I would not be able to do it around the Mage. I do not want to try and have you rely on it." I do not want to get you killed. The words were unspoken, but obvious nonetheless.

Eli felt his mood plummet as if it had been on a rollercoaster. He did not know how he was meant to defeat the Mage with only a sword and the help of a weakened mage. There were times, over the weeks he had stayed in the village, when he had questioned the 'prophecy', questioned the likeliness of it all. He had wondered for weeks how someone as weak as he was, was meant to defeat an all-powerful evil. While he wanted to help, wanted to get back home, he couldn't help but wonder if it was even possible.

He wasn't sure if Korian noticed the sour mood he had dropped into, but if he did he decided silence was the best way to deal with it. Eli couldn't help but feel grateful. He didn't want to explain his doubts to the other man, someone who believed completely that he was the person to save them all. He didn't want to bring him down too.

Hours passed in comfortable silence until the sun began to dip below the horizon. By then, the trees were thinning out, not by much, but Eli was now able to see more than just brown wood. At some point, Korian had grabbed his hand again and Eli had almost forgotten about its warm presence against his palm. It was comforting.

"We should stop soon," Korian said, looking up through the leaves at the darkening sky. "I will light a fire. We will train." Eli only nodded, unable to think of any words to reply.

It was another ten minutes before they finally stopped in the tiniest clearing Eli had ever seen. It was only a couple of metres across, trees surrounding it like guards around treasure. The grass was cool and soft and there was more than enough for him to lie down on.

Eli set their bags down against the trunk of a tree and watched as Korian moved about, picking at sticks and grass, pulling off a few branches from the nearby trees. Eli joined him and soon enough they had a large pile of fuel for the fire sitting in the middle of the clearing.

"Step back," Korian directed, gesturing at him to move. As soon as Eli was far enough away, Korian closed his eyes, spreading his hands out and tipping his head back. It didn't seem to be much of anything, the gathering of magic. Just a thin breeze and a warm feeling in his stomach.

The feeling was ripped from him as quickly as it came, and Korian was shooting his hands towards the pile of sticks and grass they had made. It went up in flames within the blink of an eye and straight away Eli was warming up.

"Did you know the Mage before all of this?" he asked as he stretched.

Korian froze and eyed him warily. "What makes you say that?" he said.

Eli shrugged. "You always seem so sad when you talk about him."

The other man sighed and gestured for Eli to stop. "We were friends, long before all of this," he said as he sat on the grassy ground. "We learned how to use out magic together. He seemed happy, for the most part. He was a good person. We used to play music together in our spare time."

"Then what happened?"

"I do not know. He went for a journey into the forest," Korian said. "A ritual the mages go through. I'd just done mine and was fine. But he came back different. He was angrier, more powerful. It did not take him long to take over. It was so sudden. I did all I could to get people out."

Eli looked down at the thin blades of grass at his feet. He hadn't expected it. Korian had been friends with the Mage in the same way he was friends with Kory. Some things were so similar across the two worlds, while others were the complete opposite. He still struggled to wrap his mind around it all.

"Do I remind you of him?" he asked. Something heavy settled in his gut at the words. To him, Kory and Korian were so completely different it was almost as though they didn't even look alike.

Korian shook his head. "No, you are so much better than him," he said and pulled Eli to the ground next to him. "You are nothing like him. I promise." He reached out and cupped Eli's face in his hand.

Eli scooted closer, the warmth of Korian's hand comforting. "Korian," he whispered and reached out for the other man. With a sharp gasp, the other man pulled away and Eli's face was left cold and bare.

The mage stood. "Warm up, then we train," he told him, bending down to sort out their bags and bedding for the night. Eli sat against the trunk of a tree, watching the flames crackle and pop. There was an odd comfort in watching the fire burn, a minute of relaxation from the weeks of training and confusion. He knew it wouldn't last long, so he might as well bask in it for as long as possible.

As long as possible turned out to be longer than he thought. He watched in silence as Korian picked up his sword and walked over to him. He pulled his own out, using an elbow to push himself up from the tree. He stood, and the first clash of metal rang out.