Chapter 11: Understandings and Misunderstandings: First answers

Peter:

“Can you draw those cursed doors opening?” Peter asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes. “Or better yet—just draw us already at home.”

“I’ll try,” Alexa said.

She opened the sketchbook again, flipping past the drawing of the shattered spider, and began sketching a new scene: the two of them standing before the towering, mirrored doors of the glass house, watching as they slowly spiraled open. She turned the page and drew the next image—both of them gazing out of her bedroom window, looking up at a normal sky, deep black and vast, with only one quiet moon hanging above the trees.

She held her breath, heart pounding. Then she closed the sketchbook gently.

The faint magical glow that had been surrounding her fingertips… faded. The air stilled.

Nothing happened.

Peter’s shoulders slumped. “This sucks...” he muttered, disappointment heavy in his voice. He kicked at the glittering glass dust near his foot. Then, trying to rally both their spirits, he added, “Maybe your powers just need to recharge or something. Like, a cool-down period?”

Alexa gave him a small, half-hearted smile, but her eyes stayed fixed on the silent, unmoving door.

"I don't want to make things worse, but I think we've done all we can here. I don't have the strength to fight another spider," Peter said, limping over to Alexa and placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Let's head back to your place. We'll rest, and tomorrow we can visit my house first, and then come back here. How does that sound?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan." Alexa looked him in the eyes. "Don't you want to see what your house and room look like today?"

"No. My house is quite far, and with this leg, I don't have the strength to walk that much," he replied.

"I understand. We could also try with one of the cars," Alexa started.

"...Lex, first of all, we don't have the keys to any of them. Second, neither of us has a license. And third, we'd probably draw too much attention to ourselves," Peter said.

"You're right." She nodded in agreement, and they both headed toward the exit of the glass garden.

As soon as Peter and Alexa stepped out of the shimmering, surreal glass garden, a sudden movement startled them both.

A few steps ahead, they saw a figure leaning casually against the stone wall, half-hidden in the shadows, as though he had been waiting there for some time. His presence was immediately unsettling, yet strangely magnetic.

Peter froze in his tracks, instincts kicking in as the figure's silhouette took shape in the dim light. It wasn’t just his appearance—it was the way the air seemed to shift around him, like something alive, something that didn’t quite belong.

As the figure took a step forward, Peter, still half-dazed from the encounter with the spider, reacted instinctively. Without a word, he swung the bat in a swift arc, almost blindly, the force behind it a testament to his adrenaline-fueled panic.

The man—no, the being—was quick, too quick. With a fluid motion, he sidestepped Peter’s wild swing as if it were nothing more than a passing breeze, and in doing so, he revealed himself in full.

He was tall—though not imposing in a way that suggested strength. Instead, there was something ethereal about him, something delicate in the way he carried himself, like the grace of a flower in full bloom. His hair was dark, a deep burgundy that shimmered faintly under the streetlights, and his eyes… amber, warm yet penetrating, as though they could see through to Peter’s very thoughts. His face, pale but radiant, held a hint of something both familiar and distant, as if he were not entirely of this world.

Peter blinked, still gripping the bat, his chest heaving from the sudden movement. The man smiled gently, though it was a smile laced with an odd sadness—something about it seemed knowing, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“I’m sorry,” Peter stammered, lowering the bat slightly, his confusion thick in the air. "I didn’t—"

The man’s gaze lingered, calm and unbothered. He gave a small, almost imperceptible shrug, as if the situation were nothing more than a momentary distraction. "No harm done," he said, his voice low and smooth, with an accent that seemed familiar, yet oddly timeless.

Peter, still unsure of what to make of the encounter, tightened his grip on the bat, taking a step back. "Who are you?" he demanded, though the question hung in the air, more out of instinct than genuine curiosity.

The man tilted his head slightly, as if amused by the question. His eyes gleamed with a strange light, unreadable yet oddly comforting. "A better question," he said, voice soft but deliberate, "might be why you are here."

Alexa stepped forward. “We’ve been lost for a while,” she said cautiously. “Who are you really?”

The man’s smile deepened, though it was still tinged with something like melancholy. He gave a soft chuckle, almost to himself, before his gaze turned back to Peter. "You don’t need to know everything right now. Not yet, at least.”

Peter, still wary, relaxed his stance slightly but didn’t lower the bat entirely.

“Oh, okay, so we’re going with the mysterious stranger routine now? What do you want from us?”

The man’s expression shifted just slightly, his eyes briefly flickering with something unreadable. But then, as if nothing had changed, he straightened again, taking a small step forward. “What I want…” he began, his voice trailing off, like he was contemplating the answer. “I want nothing from you, at least not in the way you think.”

Peter didn’t know whether to be reassured or even more unsettled. The air around the stranger seemed to shimmer with an almost imperceptible tension.

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Alexa’s curiosity seemed to push her forward, despite the uneasy feeling building within her. “So why are you here?” she asked. "What is it you’re doing?"

The man’s gaze softened for a brief moment, his expression almost wistful. “I am… just someone passing through. You might say, I am a reminder that not all things are as they seem.” He paused, his gaze flicking briefly to the horizon. "But then again, you already knew that, didn’t you?"

There was something in the way he spoke, something that seemed to imply he understood far more than he was letting on. But there was also an openness to his words, an unspoken invitation that left room for them to decide whether to trust him.

Peter looked at Alexa, uncertainty clear in his eyes. She returned his glance, and for a moment, they seemed to share the same thought. There was something about the stranger that was both comforting and unnerving, and they weren’t sure if it was safe to draw any conclusions just yet.

Without another word, the man turned slightly, gesturing for them to follow. "I’d offer you more answers, but answers, like everything else, are often more complex than they appear. Perhaps you’ll find what you’re looking for, or perhaps not. That is the nature of things, after all."

Peter still hesitated but nodded toward Alexa, as if silently deciding that they had little choice but to follow, for now.

With a final glance over his shoulder, the man started walking away towards Alexa’s house, his movements fluid and purposeful, as if he knew exactly where they were going. Alexa and Peter exchanged one last uncertain look before following him, the sound of their footsteps blending with the quiet rustle of the wind around them.

"I’m Phillip," the man said, pointing to himself and bowing gracefully. "You’re Peter, and you’re Lex." He pointed to each of them in turn. "Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, I must say, this alley has definitely come alive since you made your grand entrance."

"Are you from our world?" Alexa asked, hope in her voice.

"No, but I did have the pleasure of visiting it a few times, and I must admit, you've done a marvelous job with it," Phillip replied, continuing to lead the two of them toward Alexa's house. "You should know, young lady, that what you just did beneath that tower truly impressed me. Not everyone handles their talent so well without having established their own Domain, especially on foreign one. Oohh, really, bravo, bravo!"He clapped his hands sharply.

"I don't have control over it. I tried again, but it didn’t work," Alexa said, her eyes dropping to the ground with quiet frustration.

"What is a Domain?" Peter asked immediately after.

"Please, one thing at a time," Phillip said with a slight chuckle, his voice smooth and measured. He turned toward Alexa, offering a warm, reassuring smile without even breaking his stride. "I know you have a ton of questions, but I only have so many answers to spare tonight."

He paused, then continued, the tone of his voice shifting to something more informative, yet still laced with that effortless charm. "First things first, as I mentioned, Lex... this whole mirror garden? It's a Domain—whose, I couldn’t say, though I’m guessing it’s not anyone too important, given where we are. Still, it’s a Domain. And as such, it’s very much alive. It will do whatever it can to protect its core from you—whether that’s sending spiders after you, blocking your talents, or pulling out other tricks up its sleeve."

“Secondly, because deep down you’ve realized what you're capable of and why you're capable of it, establishing your own Domain is just a matter of finding the right place,” Phillip said with a wink, giving her two quick blinks. “What’s the phrase you use? ‘Home is where the heart is,’ or is it the other way around?” He chuckled lightly. “And once your Domain blooms, given the circumstances we’ve just encountered, we’ll have to part ways for a while.” He stopped, his gaze fixed on Alexa’s house, just a few dozen feet down the street. “But don’t cry for me. I’m certain we’ll meet again soon,” he added with a smile.

“What do you mean by that?” Peter asked. “Why come to us at all, if you were just planning to vanish a moment later?”

Phillip gave a low chuckle, scratching his chin with exaggerated thoughtfulness as his gaze danced between them.

“I must’ve forgotten how terribly impatient human seedlings can be.”

“Seedlings?” Alexa blinked, raising an eyebrow. “You mean… kids?”

“Oh, yes, my apologies. That is indeed what I meant.” Phillip laughed, bright and easy, like the sun breaking through clouds. Then, with a spark in his eye, he added, “I was actually heading elsewhere—far, far elsewhere—but your dramatic little arrival caught my eye. And I thought, why not? My journey can afford a detour or two.”

“Uh… thank you? I think?” Peter said, still trying to make sense of the man’s strange charm. “So what Lex did—was that magic? Did she see what was going to happen?”

“Or… did I cause it?” Alexa asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Phillip’s grin softened into something almost fond. “Talents have their own rhythms, their own voices. I can’t say how yours will sing, Alexa. But once you’ve found your own Domain, I suspect many of your questions will begin to answer themselves.”

With that, he resumed his springy pace, shoes tapping lightly against the cobblestones as they moved toward Alexa’s home.

“Now, would you be so kind as to show me your sketchbook? I’d love to compare your vision to what I witnessed.”

Alexa handed it over without a word. Phillip accepted it with a slight bow, then flipped through the pages with impossible speed, each movement smooth and deliberate. His eyes scanned the drawings with almost alien precision, darting from line to line like a hawk in flight. Then, just as swiftly, he closed the sketchbook with a practiced flick and returned it to her with a knowing smile.

“I’d say your talent gave our dear Peter here—” he swept his hand toward the boy with the flair of a stage magician “—a temporary boost of strength and speed. And it certainly took the wind out of our arachnid friend.”

Peter tilted his head, curiosity flickering in his expression like a lit match.

“Why do you think it wasn’t just a prophecy? A glimpse of what was meant to happen?” he asked.

Phillip’s eyes sparkled. “Because I watched your battle. Every messy, glorious second of it. And it didn’t unfold quite like the sketch. Your blows landed differently. The spider’s legs shattered in another order. And in the drawing of your triumphant moment…” he paused for emphasis, “you’re still wearing your backpack. But the shadow knocked it clean off you when it struck your chest.”

Peter’s hand instinctively reached for his shoulder—and only then did he realize the weight was missing. Somewhere, in the chaos and adrenaline, the pack had slipped away. He looked up, his eyes a little wider now.

“You called the spider a shadow? Why?” asked Alexa, her brow furrowed. “Will my Domain look like that too?” she added, curiosity laced with a hint of concern.

“And you still haven’t really explained what a Domain is,” Peter chimed in, pressing for answers.

“Oh, dear children,” came the patient, almost playful reply. “In a way, everything in this world is a shadow. Merely a reflection of what exists on your side—altered by the way your world sees and feels it. How it’s changed… well, I’ll leave that for you to discover.”

Peter exhaled sharply, clearly unimpressed with the evasive answer.

“As for the Domain,” the voice continued, “it is a physical space shaped by the soul. The material embodiment of the authority of the one who manifests it. At the heart of every Domain lies the Core—a crystalline heart, pulsing with the light of change. Your ancestors once called this light Lux Mentis, Lumen Ideaa, or phos ideas. It cannot be seen in the ordinary way, and yet it casts shadows of its own—shadows that stir and shape the Domain itself. This crystal heart is bound to the soul of the one who has claimed the Domain… and in return, it grants them the power to wield their talents.” Phillip spun on his heel and locked his gaze with Alexa’s, his eyes deep and unwavering. “In your case, young lady,” he said, his voice rich with both humor and a touch of mystery, “judging by the talent you've already shown, I think the authority you'll one day wield will certainly have little to do with shattered mirrors.” He stepped back, fluidly spinning in a dramatic pirouette, then smirked, a devilish gleam in his eyes. With a sweep of his hands, he gestured to the world around them, as if commanding it to listen. “Oh, no, no, no. I believe your Domain will bring a magnificent transformation to this dreary autumn scene.”