Magic resides in every organic and inorganic material. Magic is the core of all life and non-life. It's a power that is hard to harness, and even fewer can use it. Only those chosen by fate itself can wield it. And I have been picked, blessed by fate to wield the magic of nature. 

Standing as still as a statue, the bone-chilling water around me brushes against my chest, tickling my small breasts. There are many other shamans around me, all of them walking slowly in a circle in the outer ring of water. I can feel not only their movements but their magical presence as they chant and sing. Above them, servants take turns splashing cold water over their heads. Two of the most faithful and humble servants right behind me dump cold water over my head whenever heat steams off of me. Two others stand behind another Shaman next to me. Second Hand to the Lady Shaman, Silzia. 

Training together, living together, doing everything together we are as close as any person can be. I trust him with the entirety of my soul and magic. 

Together we are the conductors for the spell we are performing. The magic wells out of the other shamans, and in precise clean motions move onto the two of us. Hot coals pass from their hands to ours. With every breath I take more and more magic wells into me, and with every exhale I move that magic to a wild dance of webs high above us. A spider's web with an open eye at the center, looking down at us like a moon in a trance.  The threads thicken and strengthen. However, the magic inside becomes more delicate, wild, and impulsive, wanting to wiggle free from their confines. Only our two minds, strengthen over years of training, keeps them entrapped in webbing.  

There's a chilling wind, and a rush of magic escaping from the very center of the web. A portal is slowly beginning to bloom, a road to another world. Usually, Portal Masters would open the paved portal leading to other worlds using a Key. However, we are opening a portal to a Shadow World. A place for one reason or another, the portal's key was destroyed, and entrance is forbidden. It requires a lot more magic and involves many risks to reopen without a Key or true portal path. 

If we fail... we can destroy both planets. Or turn them into Shadow worlds. Even if we succeed there's that chance. This risk makes what we are doing illegal, and... morally incorrect. 

Anxiety bubbles through my chest. We have been practicing for years and years before we actually did this. And now, while doing this for real, I just realized how unprepared we truly are. Have we just... doomed everyone?

A magical presence, warmth, and kindness wash over me. I glance at Silzia immediately, my hammering heart slowing down and calming. He's always been the calm one of us two, perceiving delicate. 

A true, handsome elf. He is tall, even taller than me, with ear-tops that fall back two feet past his earlobes. They are lightly decorated in silvers and feathers up and down adding to their dippiness. His slim figure looks even more fragile alone in the water, waves of heat bouncing off of him just like me. His long black hair falls down like little threads floating against the surface. Sensing my eyes, he opens his butterfly-winged eyes. They are the most brilliant blue I have ever seen, clearer than water, smoother than the sky, and brighter than sunlight. He gives me a heart-fluttering smile before closing his eyes and going back to prayer. 

Able to focus better, I close my own eyes to pray. He is right. We have the oldest, wisest, and strongest shamans here with us today. There is no way all of us can fail. We knew the dangers when we embarked on the journey, there is no way we can fail. 

We are reaching the fifth climax of the spell, and the water already boiling around us. Servants rush in and out, turning on valves, and dumping buckets of freezing ice water onto us. Several shamans stumble, their tired flesh burning away.

Silzia and I are at the blunt end of the heat, I can feel all my hair fall away, pores opening, and even skin flaking off. There's this nervous energy weaving around us, and there's nothing I can do but keep the magic stable. 

To my right, a shaman collapses, the others staggering, stuttering, forgoing the chant entirely. Confusion erupts all over the room, a disharmony of magic screaming in my ear. The flow stops, webs breaking and popping. Magic exploding, water bubbling and erupting. The Flow!  

I grab the webs, entwining them into my fingers, reaching up and up holding them together by sheer will. My body burns, hair tingling, and drooping. I can feel my life slipping away as I burn through all my magical resources. I try to speak, but the weight of magic holds me down, paralyzing my body. I cannot let this fail, even at the cost of my life. 

Like a bird, I feel Silzia's magic fly through the room. He does not have my power, nor my strength, but a type of serenity that echoes through hearts. His words are soft and calm, able to ease even my soul's edges. "Shamans, do not fret. Do not allow this to shake your hearts. Listen to my heart, listen to my soul's words. Listen not to the fear that has reached into your mind. Fate is with us all. Remember our words, remember our teachings." 

His next words boom across the room, "Let fate decide our course. But choose our fate we must!' 

The fear inside all of us fades away. And slowly all together we fixed the messes, mending the webs and even making it stronger than before.

Silzia... Rumored to be the first male Lady Shaman to be. His magic is different from mine, and even the most present Lady Shaman. But his charisma, his kindness, and his ability to read the heart far exceed everyone else. This would be impossible without him. 

And it makes me envious. 

I take a long deep breath, calming my emotions. Envy and love. such complicated emotions that dwell deep inside of me. I love him with all my heart, much like I love Lady Shaman. But the envy and rage towards him are just as real. It makes me want him even more... if I can't be him, why can't I be someone who can have him... How un shaman-like of me.  

We hit the peak when something strange happens. Everything freezes around us, magic otherwise gone. There's just this heavy feeling of emptiness and disconnect. It's so much that every shaman around us screams, clutching their head and wailing. I want to join them, but I whirl around demanding, "Who did this? Where are you?!"

A voice echoes around us, "Please do not fret, I have just paused time. That is all." It's a woman speaking, her voice inhumanly sweet and soft. 

I have never heard of anyone able to stop time and survive. Any shaman recorded doing so has been magically torn to shreds before re-entering their time, never to tell others what happened. And here we are in a fold of time. What's to happen to us and all the magic?! 

Flustered, I begin to open my eyes. 

The woman suddenly is right there blowing cold air into my face followed by an ancient pure magic, nearly feral. it's like a wild beast just went up to me and licked my nose. Shivers run down my spine, and instinctively I close my eyes. This woman is no mortal. She's not even immortal. A godling? A goddess? I never thought I would ever witness such a thing, much less be in the presence of one. 

Falling to my knees, the cool water kisses my nose. A deep sense of awe, fear, and even lust sways through my body. Who is she? And why did she stop time? Is she to stop us? I wait silently, and I"m sure Silzia himself is waiting too. I feel her move, the water flowing around her. She puts one hand on my head, I am sure her other hand must be on Silzia's. She doesn't push us underwater, instead, she kneels down between the two of us so that only we can hear her.  

"Allishea, Silzia..." She speaks our name cooly like frost. "I come with dire news. You both are opening a portal to the other world in order to acquire the Chosen One. You will not succeed. You both are far too weak to open it soon enough. You'll die of burnout before it can be completed."

Burnout... One of the worst deaths you can experience. it happens when someone uses magic for too long and without breaks, it happens more often to powerful magic users because of the strength of the magic unleashed. I nearly experienced burnout when trying to fix the web... I bite my lips feeling blood dribble down. What can we do now? We can't stop but if we continue the magic can unleash and wreak havoc... Not to speak of the chance to destroy our very home... What have we done?! 

She brushes my cheek with her light fingers, "Do not fret. I came here to help."

I speak rashly, "Help us?!" I quiet myself, biting my lips and lowering my head again. "Sorry Goddess..." 

I hear her chuckle, "Allishea, Silzia. The both of you are very important to us, you both have been chosen as her protectors. You both will birth her into her role as Chosen One." She pauses in her thinking before saying strictly. "Silzia, you will link the portals together while Allishea will go to Earth and bring the Chosen One to Eurthea." Suddenly there's emotion in her voice, "You see, a danger is growing on Earth and the Chosen One will die in three months unless you rescue her... You will meet another woman named Luna who will direct you to the Chosen One. Do I make myself clear?" 

We both say at once, "We understand goddess..." Under my breath, I add, "Let fate decide our course, but choose our fate we must..."

It takes all I can to keep control of my emotions. We have been picked as Guardians! Guardians! I cannot believe fate has given us this honor!

"I have one more gift for the two of you."

Another gift?

"You won't be able to make it to three months with the puny magic of yours. So I will bless the two of you."

Bless us! Just like that?

I feel her shift moving in front of me, her other hand now gripping my cheek and lifting my head up. "Shaman Allishea. You will guard her with your entire soul, you will guide her through her struggles, and lend her a hand for her duties. I bless you with magic." I can feel something dripping down my face. Blood? She tilts my chin up, her lips brushing against mine. She's soft at first, like a butterfly landing upon a flower. Then she stings, biting my tongue pushing me into her, and digging into my sides with her claws. I squirm, wigging unable to stop moving as the pressure keeps building deep inside me. I taste her blood, gulping it down. Wild, pure, and sustainable magic fills me. I want more, as soon as I taste it. I grab her shoulders, tilting my head into her hoping that somehow more magic will enter me if I'm completely docile. I can hear her giggle, and feel the vibration in her throat as she deepens our kiss. 

She releases me, magic tingling my bloody lips. I fall back unsure what I'm to feel. Her warm breath brushes my ears, "Use this magic, to open the door." 

She moves, and I'm sure Silvia is also receiving her magic. His soft sweet moans, I can feel them inside of me, my insides dancing. I want... I want so badly, to go to him now, and hear his panting breath. I want to taste his magic, to mingle with both him and the goddess... 

 She finishes with him, stepping away from us both. "Remember the both of you will protect her. Without her, the world... will end." 

Time resumes, magic flowing. Every elf renews their chants, more energetic and sure because a goddess is on our side. The magic she gave us, flows through the webs darkening the color, flashing and waving about. it is so powerful, I don't think we could have accomplished this in an entire year. 

I pray, lowering my entire self into the water. 

Thank you gods and goddesses of old, for bringing to us a powerful goddess. I promise not just as a humble shaman, but as the elf you chose to protect the Chosen One, I will spend the rest of my feeble life protecting her. 

The one person who will save the entire universe.