Chapter 3.05 - Anomaly

*Warning: This blog contains bad language and a little bit of nudity (nothing explicit). If any of this upsets you, don't continue.* I have issues with the normal adult content warning, so I'm trying to sort that out. :)

 Alison had poured herself another cup of tea, and the silver spoon clinked against the fine porcelain as she stirred the aromatic fluid, dissolving the little sugar crystals hidden within. Lyra wrapped her hands around her own mug of rich strong coffee, grateful for the thoughtful gesture. She’d definitely need the caffeine if she was to listen to old bedtime stories and accept them as truth.

 “Before we begin,” Alison started mildly, her eyes focused on the swirling liquid inside her cup, “there are a couple of things that need to be established. The main thing: everything I am about to tell you, is the absolute truth. No matter how unlikely something sounds, or how unreal it seems, or how unlike it is from the stories you’ve heard, everything is true. You will get no twisting of facts from me, and I will not sugar-coat anything either. Everything you hear from me, is the absolute, unaltered truth. You are, of course, free to ask questions, but I would prefer it if you allow me to finish, before you do so.” She picked her cup up, and smiled invitingly at Lyra. “Now then, let’s start.

 “The first thing you need to be aware of – and you probably already are – is that there are an infinite number of different worlds out there. What you might not know, is that all of these different worlds, every single one of them, are the same physical world.”

Lyra blinked in confusion. That didn’t make sense at all. Alison seemed to realise this, as she held up a hand to halt Lyra’s question before she even had the chance to ask it.

“Rather than call them different worlds, it is more accurate to call them different versions of the same world, or in more common terms, different dimensions. They all started out exactly the same, but due to different histories they evolved differently, thus presenting us with the worlds we have today. This collection of different worlds, different dimensions, I will refer to as the ‘multi-verse’.

 “The next thing you need to be aware of is quite complex, and for that I will need to go back a step further. Tell me: have you ever heard the terms ‘Magic’ and ‘Energy’ before?”

Lyra frowned at the question, idly sipping at her coffee.

“Magic and energy?” she repeated hesitantly. “I’ve heard of both, obviously. But…I get the feeling you’re not referring to the conventional definition of the words.”

Alison smiled into her cup, as if the very idea that she was referring to a definition was greatly amusing her.

“Of course not,” she agreed. “I am referring to the forces. The Magical and Energetic forces which determines what kind of life a world sustains; the forces which makes out the very essence of the Balance.”

Mutely, Lyra shook her head. In all of the stories she had heard, there had never been any mention of forces.

 “Very well,” Alison replied. “I will explain. In the multi-verse, there are two different forces – Magic, and Energy. As I mentioned, these forces determine what kind of life a certain world sustains. The world you came from, a world we refer to as the Sunset Valley world, is an Energetic world. That means that only the Energy force is present in significant amounts. All life in the Sunset Valley world are of the non-magical kind – nothing and nobody is capable of the supernatural, of magic. This is true for all Energetic worlds. On the upside, Energetic people have better control over their minds. They are capable of more complex thought, so those worlds are scientifically and technologically much, much more advanced.”

“Hold up,” Lyra interrupted Alison’s explanation. “That can’t be true. My mom can touch ghosts, and my Aunt Mia developed a potion that can turn you into one for three hours. How is that not supernatural?”

 “And that, child,” Alison replied with mournful eyes, “is where everything went wrong.”

The reply was not something Lyra had expected. “What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

“If you’ll let me continue…” Alison reprimanded lightly, slightly tilting her teacup to the side. Lyra waved the woman ahead, rebuked by the mild reprimand.

“What I just explained was the Energy force. The other force is, of course, Magic. It works on a similar principle: on a Magical world – that is, a world that’s mostly surrounded by the Magic force – all life are of the magical kind. Everyone and everything is capable of the supernatural or magic in some manner. It is also on Magical worlds where you will find creatures such as unicorns, or dragons, like the ones our dragoneers command.

 “It is absolutely vital you understand that these forces cannot mix. Life in the multi-verse is very fragile, and the creatures that live here cannot cope with an incompatible force. If they are exposed to the wrong force for a prolonged period of time, they will fall into a downward spiral, losing their emotions and eventually, their minds, making them mere shades of existence, incapable of forming thought. This process is known as ‘Falling into Damnation’.”

Lyra frowned. Again, that was different from the stories she had grown up with.

 “It’s similar to the stories I know,” she admitted, “but I thought Damnation is something that only affects ghosts. When they linger too long, they lose themselves, and they become Damned.”

Alison’s lips tugged into an easy smile. “That is true,” she agreed, “but it is not the whole truth. Ghosts – who at the very moment of their deaths, become magical – cannot cope with Energy, so if they linger on an Energetic world, they will start to Fall. On the other hand, if a ghost lingers on a Magical world, they will not Fall. They will be compatible with that world’s force, so they will be free to linger as long as they wish. Damnation most definitely is not something that is limited to ghosts. The proof of that, my dear child, lies in you.”

 “What the hell do you mean by that?” Lyra asked defensively, a massive scowl on her face. It didn’t make sense. They were talking about ghosts and different worlds, so how exactly did she suddenly fall into the picture?

“Peace, child,” Alison deflected easily. “All will be explained. So, do you understand the link between Energy, Magic, and Damnation?”

At Lyra’s terse nod, she continued. “This link, this ratio, this delicate balance of forces surrounding a world and its creatures, is known as the Balance. Nothing more, nothing less. But since every single life in the multi-verse depends on these forces, you can understand why it is so vital that the ratio – the Balance – does not get disrupted. Are you still with me?”

At that, Lyra nodded slowly. “I think so, yes,” she agreed hesitantly, still trying to wrap her mind around the concepts.

 “Good,” Alison praised, an enigmatic smile on her face, “because this is where it becomes complicated. When the Balance gets distorted, things go wrong. The Balance is auto-corrective, which means that if everything is as it should be, every world will deal with small changes to the Balance on its own, and no intervention is required to protect a world’s life.

 “But sometimes, something happens in a world that causes its Balance to get out of sync. Over time, the distortion will increase, and eventually the Balance will be completely disrupted, causing the creatures of that world to start the Fall. To make it even worse, in worlds where the Balance is in serious danger, there are people or creatures who are born to a world they do not belong to. Magical creatures, born to an Energetic world, or Energetic creatures born to a Magical world. It goes against the laws of nature, and it is never supposed to happen. It is one of the biggest signs that intervention is required in a world. These creatures, we refer to, as Anomalies.”

Silence fell around them as Alison gave Lyra a chance to process her words. She felt numb, a little overwhelmed by the knowledge she had learned. The same words that had echoed through her mind the previous night reverberated now, repeating over and over.

Anomaly. Not Right. Balance cannot be kept.

Leneo had called her an Anomaly.

A Magical creature born to an Energetic world.

Lyra shook her head, desperately trying to deny it.

“That can’t be right,” she denied vehemently. “No. No way. Why would I be an Anomaly? What makes me so different from all the other people in my world? If someone was to be an Anomaly, wouldn’t that be my mother? She’s the one who’s always going on about magic.”

 “Your mother is Magic-touched, yes,” Alison agreed, “but in essence she remains purely Energetic. The amount of Magic that has touched her is far too minute to affect the essence of her being. You, on the other hand, are the opposite. You have been born to Magic, with only a minute amount of Energy affecting you.”

“That’s bullshit,” Lyra disagreed angrily. “How the hell would it be possible for me to be ‘born to Magic’? I wasn’t even born on Full Moon.”

“No, you weren’t,” Alison agreed, “but you are the result of a combination of factors. One,” she raised a finger, “your mother is Magic-touched. It means that from the very beginning, you were never going to be born completely Energetic. The same, of course, applies to your siblings.”

The words caused a chill to run down Lyra’s back, and she felt herself blanch. She had never even considered the fact that Arienne or Renard might’ve been affected as well.

“Are you saying my siblings are Anomalies too?” she asked softly, her voice filled with dread. To her utmost relief, Alison shook her head.

“No, they’re not,” she confirmed. “They are Energetic – barely – but Energetic nevertheless. But your idea was right: they could’ve been Anomalies. The second factor,” she continued, raising a second finger, “lies in that very potion you mentioned earlier, the one your Aunt Mia created, and the fact that it was used on your father. That potion, dear child, was the very reason the Balance in Sunset Valley started to deteriorate.”

Lyra’s mouth was completely dry, and she tried her best to swallow the lump in her throat. Her coffee sat forgotten, cold from being ignored for so long.

“How?” she whispered, forcing the words around the lump in her throat. How could something so innocent as a simple potion have an effect that was so big?

Alison sighed, the slight smile still on her face as she fiddled around with the fresh pot of tea Sionann, who had so far simply been listening patiently, placed on the table.

 “The core concept of the potion is flawed,” Alison admitted, daintily holding the lid of the teapot close as she poured herself another cup. “It doesn’t really turn the user into a ghost for a short time. It simply mimics the effect, by enveloping the user in a field of Magic. It tricks the brain, making it believe that it can recognise Magic, which it cannot do. The maintain the ‘trick’, Magic is needed, so the potion causes Magic to be constantly drawn to the user. This causes the Balance to distort, as it cannot get rid of the excess Magic. The potion causes that Magic to be trapped around the user.

“So why would the fact that it was used on your father, have an influence on you being an Anomaly?” Alison asked. “Do you think you can answer this, considering what I’ve told you so far?”

Lyra frowned, deep in thought, idly playing with her mug of cold coffee.

“I suppose…if my mom is ‘Magic-touched’, and the potion caused Magic to be drawn to my dad, that would mean…” Her eyes widened as things started to fall into place, especially as she considered what Alison had said about her siblings, “…that we, as their children, would be affected by the Magic as well? Is that right?”

A satisfied smile played on Alison’s lips. “Yes. Exactly. The difference being, that while your mother got touched by the Magic at birth, you and your siblings were touched before birth. ‘Magical creatures born to an Energetic world’. Now the third factor,” Alison continued, raising a third finger, “and the thing that distinguishes you from your siblings, was the fact that you were born at home, and your siblings not. At the time of their births, they had not been exposed to any additional Magic, while you, being born in a house build right next to the Rift, was bathed in it. You, were born Magical.”

Lyra stared mutely at Alison with wide eyes, completely overwhelmed by the things she had learned.

“The Rift?” she asked, a bit confused. “The one Charlotte apparently opened last night? That thing that brought us here? Why would that have an influence? Isn’t the Rift closed normally?”

Alison inclined her head. “Indeed,” she agreed. “But Charlotte has been opening that Rift for many, many Full Moons. Consider that with the fact that for a very long time, the house you lived in was inhabited by Magical creatures – ghosts – and then, by your family. Your family, which we have already established have a unique link with Magic. Magic has been drawn to that house for many, many years, and when your family moved in, it couldn’t escape the effects of the potion. It continued to build up and linger around the house. Have you never wondered by people tended to avoid your house?”

Lyra shook her head. She hadn’t. She’d only been glad that people avoided their house, especially after her dad had died.

She wrapped her hands around the warm coffee mug in front of her, freshly replenished by Sionann. The things Alison had said…she desperately wanted to ignore it, deny it, but deep within herself, she knew she couldn’t. Everything Alison had told her, was the truth.

Anomaly. It felt utterly unreal. She finally understood though, why she had never felt like she belonged in Sunset Valley, and that no matter how far and how long she looked, she would never have found anywhere she felt at home. It was daunting, to think that if she hadn’t followed Charlotte last night, she would never have found out, and she would have been doomed to live a drifting life, never belonging anywhere. What a horrible thought.

 “So what,” she asked hesitantly, “will this mean for me? I get that I can’t go home, that I will never belong there, but…” She looked down, unable to form her thoughts into words. Plumbob. She was never going to see her family again. She was never going to see the bonds in her family repaired, and she was never going to see Renard be a dad, and…and…

A soft touch on her hands drew her out of her thoughts, and she stared at Alison with tears in her eyes.

 “I know this is a lot to take in,” Alison remarked softly and gently, “but you are not alone. There have been others in the same situation as you, and all of them have found the place they belonged. The future probably feels very bleak to you right now, but that will change. In five years, you’ll get the chance to move to a different world, a Magical one. Until then, you are welcome here, and I’m sure you’ll be surprised by the amount of support you’ll find here.” She smiled, her eyes warm, but Lyra wasn’t exactly warmed by her sentiments.

“That doesn’t help me much,” she pointed out thickly, trying her best not to cry. She had lost everything. Her family, her home, her money, her photos, her camera, every single thing she had ever possessed. Everything. She had no way to get home, and she’d have to find a new way to get money to survive, as she was quite aware that her photography wasn’t going to cut it. The only reason she had been able to make do with it previously was because she had had the massive inheritance her dad had left her when he died. Now she was stuck in a strange land where there were dragons and fairies and fucking magic. How, exactly, was she supposed to be comforted by that?

 “You basically just told me that I have lost everything,” she continued bitterly. “I have nothing. Do you really think I care about something as vague as support at this stage? The only people I have ever cared for are as good as dead to me, and I to them. I care about their support, but hey, what do you know? That’s lost to me now.”

She jerked her gaze away, breaking eye-contact and trying her best to blink away the hot tears pooling in her eyes.

“Perhaps,” Alison agreed not-unkindly, “but nevertheless, life will go on. You can either try to make the best of your circumstances, or sit in a corner and sulk about things you cannot change. We will provide you with everything to make the transition as smooth as possible, but in the end, the choice is yours, child.” She stood up from the table, her every movement graceful. “However, for now, I must bid you farewell. Sionann will take it from here,” she excused herself, leaving Lyra to sit awkwardly with the fairy who had so far not exchanged a single word. She was very tempted to just stand up and leave, but she had nowhere to go. She was all alone; a stranger in a strange land.

 “As Lady Alison has mentioned, I am Sionann,” the fairy reintroduced herself, pulling Lyra away from her brooding. She was very soft-spoken, her voice as pure and sweet as an angel’s. Lyra almost pulled a face at the sound. Plumbob, it was annoying. Soft, gentle, dainty, pretty…nobody should be so perfect. She would be the perfect trophy wife, Lyra was sure. She probably had a husband who was rich and successful and handsome and all those bunch of lovely clichés. It made Lyra sick to just think about it. It didn’t help much that her mind traitorously provided her with an image of Edwin and Sionann standing lovingly by each other, staring adoringly in the other’s eyes.

Here was the wife Edwin should’ve had.

Completely oblivious to her thoughts, the perfect fairy continued talking.

 “Here on Howell Island, all of us serve a specific purpose,” she explained, drawing Lyra out of her unkind thoughts. “We have a duty to protect the multi-verse and the rest of this world from those who would harm it. We have a role to play not only to this world, but also to our community. I provide our community with fresh fruits and vegetables, and otherwise I serve as a Healer.”

“Right,” Lyra agreed flatly, already bored by the conversation. She was so over it. She wanted a shower. She wanted clean clothes. She wanted to get rid of the grime she could still feel on her hands and knees from where that arrogant ass had pushed her into the ground the previous night. She wanted to go home. She wanted clean teeth, but guess what? She couldn’t get any of it. She didn’t even have a goddamn toothbrush!

She was so, completely, and utterly, over it. But Sionann simply blabbered on, either oblivious to Lyra’s disinterest or simply just not caring. Whatever it was, Lyra just hoped she would get to the point.

“Due to the very nature of this island, we have a lot of people coming and going,” Sionann continued. “Those of us who prefer to serve a greater good stay longer, and we try our best to provide those who are stranded with a safe haven. To that end, I would like to offer you a place in my home.”

“I…what?” Lyra blinked at Sionann, completely blindsided by the offer. “Seriously, what? You want to offer me a place in your home? Why?” She had not expected that. To be honest, she didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been that. She suddenly felt horrible. Here she was, thinking unfavourable thoughts about the woman who had just offered her a place to stay. How low could she get?

“Well, you can’t very well stay here in the base, can you?” Sionann pointed out pragmatically. “The facilities are very limited, and I’m sure you’ll be far more comfortable in a normal house. You’re not here entirely by choice, and we have room in our house, so the least I could do is offer you that room. If not me, someone else would’ve offered you a place in their home. It is simply the way we do things here.”

Lyra ducked her head, trying to hide the tears that formed in her eyes from Sionann, overcome by the sudden gratitude that filled her up. It might not be home, but at least now, she had somewhere to go. Now, she could move on with her life. It was entirely unexpected, and definitely not the way she wanted things to go, but she couldn’t change the past. The only thing she could do was to make the best of it. It was like Alison had said. Sitting in a corner and sulking wasn’t going to change things.

“In that case, I will gladly accept,” she gratefully accepted Sionann’s offer.

_~…~_

The house Sionann took her to was a charming wood-and-stone cottage, nothing like what she’d been expecting. The grey light from the stormy sky above slightly dulled the golden stone, but the bright colours from inside were warm and very welcoming.

 “Welcome to our humble abode,” Sionann welcomed her, twisting the keys in the lock and opening the door for Lyra, graciously inviting her inside. “It’s not much, but it’s home. I hope you’ll enjoy it here.” She flicked on the switch, flooding the room with a bright light that drowned out the dismal light from outside.

“We only have a couple of house rules,” Sionann continued with a wave of her hand, placing her keys on the end table and kicking off her shoes. “Really, it’s just basic stuff. Keep everything tidy, clean up after yourself, respect each other’s space and privacy, you know, basic stuff. Keep your bathroom clean. We take turns to cook and do dishes, laundry is done on Fridays, if something breaks let A or B know…uhm. If we run out of something, let me know...and…yep. I think that’s it. Any questions?”

“A or B?” Lyra repeated sceptically. That could not be their real names.

 “Oh!” Sionann exclaimed, her expression sheepish. “I’m sorry. Adrian or Blaise. My boyfriend and his best friend respectively, you should meet them later today. We used to have another girl – Agneis – but she moved back to the mainland a coupl’a months ago, which is why we have room available. The rooms aren’t terribly big, I’m afraid, but we spend most of our time out here anyway, so I hope it won’t be a problem.”

“Of course not,” Lyra agreed mildly. It didn’t really matter how big the rooms were. It wasn’t like she was going to turn around and go ‘Fuck this. This room is way too small.’ She needed somewhere to stay. As long as she didn’t have to share a room, she didn’t really care about the size. It wasn’t like she had a ton of stuff to put somewhere. No, that was still in Sunset Valley.

“Good!” Sionann exclaimed happily. “So, directions. This is the communal space…”

 “…kitchen is over there…”

 “…my garden is out of that door – which, by the way, I’ll expect you to help me with.”

“At the end of the corridor is my and Adrian’s room, Blaise’s is the one at the start and yours is…” She led Lyra through the house, pointing out the different rooms before pausing in front of a door.

“…this one.”

She opened the door, revealing an admittedly rather small room. It was smaller than the room Lyra had had back home, but it held all of the essentials, so it would have to do.

Sionann turned around and pointed at the door right opposite Lyra’s new room.

“This is your bathroom,” she explained. “You have to share it with Blaise, unfortunately, so you’ll have to discuss details with him. Other than that there’s not much to show.” She gave Lyra a satisfied little smile before clicking her fingers.

“Oh, right,” she suddenly remembered. “Clothes. Agneis left some behind, so you’re welcome to have them, if they fit you. Otherwise we’ll have to go back to the base so you can search through their collection. We don’t have a lot of access to shops around here, so someone from the island goes back to the mainland every now and again to get the necessities and just drops them at the base. We share pretty much everything here on the island.”

 “Okay,” Lyra nodded, showing she understood. Great. Not only was she stranded in a strange world where they didn’t even have proper shops, she was going to have to wear some stranger’s outcast clothes. Just great.

Sionann clapped her hands together.

“Well, that’s all good!” she exclaimed happily. “I’ll leave you to get settled in then. You’re probably dying for a hot shower, so feel free to have one! You’ll find fresh towels and toiletries on the dresser in your room.” She gave Lyra another bright smile before she excused herself and disappeared off into the room at the end of the corridor.

Well, there was no time like the present. With a despondent sigh, Lyra stepped into her new room, studying the neutral colours with distaste. She silently vowed to get something pink for the room as soon as possible. Bedcovers, preferably, but at this stage she’d settle for anything pink. There was just far too little colour.

The clothes in the closet weren’t exactly her style, but they fit, and they were clean, so they’d have to do. She idly let her thoughts wander as she picked up the clothes, the towel and the toiletries, getting ready for that highly-anticipated shower.

So, she was going to share a house with three other people, none of whom she knew very well at all. Sionann and Adrian were the couple, while she and Blaise would be the hang-ons, all living happily in the same house. Plumbob. It sounded like some sort of cheesy TV-drama, the kind that had a gazillion episodes and faithfully ran every night for the last forever.

…Come to think of it, why did the name Blaise sound so familiar? She idly allowed her eyes to drift upwards as she tried to remember, a part of her brain very appreciative of the view presented to her. Those were some very toned, very good-looking legs.

Where had she heard the name? It was somewhere in this new world, she was sure. The name had been mentioned in an off-hand manner. Oh look, a six-pack. Edwin didn’t have those. Very nice. And those pectorals…hmm.

Wait a minute. Blaise. Wasn’t that the name of…

“Are you going to stare at my chest the whole day, or are you gonna get out of my way?”

…that ass who had knocked her out?

“Plumbob!” Lyra shrieked, dropping her stuff and abruptly averting her eyes. “Put some clothes on, you ass! Nobody wants to see you strutting around half-naked!”

He crossed his arms and glared at her, one eyebrow raised marginally.

“You’re the one who were staring,” he pointed out with a dangerous growl. “And you’re still standing in my way.”

She spluttered indignantly, staring at him in disbelief. No. This could not be happening. He was just here visiting. Who cared if he had the same name as someone in the house?! There was no way he could be her new housemate!

“What are you even doing here?” she demanded, stepping away from him and trying to create as much distance between them as the narrow corridor would provide.

 He shot her an incredulous look, as if he couldn’t believe she’d ask the question.

“I live here,” he confirmed, and fuck, there went all her hopes. He brushed past her close enough that she could smell the shampoo he’d used in his shower, and feel the heat radiating from his body. She hurriedly stepped even further away, almost stumbling over the clothes she had dropped on the floor.

 “Just stay out of my way, and we’ll be good,” he warned her with that same dangerous growl before entering his room and closing the door a bit harder than strictly necessary, leaving Lyra to stand awkwardly in the middle of the corridor. She stumbled back, her back hitting the wall, before she slowly slid down to the floor, burying her face in her arms.

Of fucking course. Her luck just never ended, did it? Of all the places she could’ve ended up on, she just had to end up in the same house as the one freak’n person she never wanted to see again. Why? Why was this her life?

Plumbob. The next five years were going to suck royally.

_~…~_

A/N: I know, I know, very cliché, but I couldn’t resist. XD

The sets I’ve been using so far is part of the world, except Sionann’s house. I built that one myself. I’m a little in love with it, but I will actively try to avoid shooting in that corridor again. It was horrible. Way too many walls with way too little space.

So, this chapter should have explained the main concepts that are important to understand Lyra’s story, but there are many other parts of the lore I have touched on before that I haven’t explained here. These parts are explained on the Lore Page. I will occasionally refer to these parts, so feel free to read through them. If, after that, anybody still wants a better explanation, drop me a comment and I will try to work it into the story. :)

Also: Plot-holes? What are those? XD Jokes aside, I’ve tried my best to cover all plot-holes, but I’m only human, so I’m bound to have missed a couple. If you notice any, just ignore them (or point them out, it’s entirely your call). ;)