Ian emerged from the stairwell into a vast open space. The room had been created from an intricate weave of living tree branches. The branches formed the beamed ceiling, floor, and unadorned walls of the space, weaving together in the most intricate jigsaw puzzle Ian had ever seen. Along the ceiling were dozens of floating orbs casting a soft yellow light. The globes drifted in a lazy manner, moving to gather where the light was needed. Some, even now, followed along with Ian’s exploring gaze. If he focused on the lights he could make out a rotating crystal at the center of the glow, presumably their source of power. Off to the right, an open balcony gave way to a sprawling sea of twilit green.

In the center of the room sat a large desk surrounded by a crescent of bookshelves. Books fluttered through the air like birds in flight. Their pages rustling as they headed either toward the desk or back to their homes on the shelves. As Ian watched, a bookcase sank into the floor once filled by the bird-books. Another bookcase, this one empty, rose up from the floor to take its place, and the cycle continued.

As Ian gawked, Vale went towards the desk and the figure seated behind it. She spoke a few words that didn’t register as Ian his feet reflexively followed on a kind of numbed autopilot. There was no way for him to explain away everything he was seeing. No way to chalk it up to strange bioengineered plants, or a trick of the light, or even his exhaustion. No - this was undeniable magic. As that fact sunk in, he felt rejuvenated by the genuine excitement it brought. He felt like a kid opening every Christmas gift they’d ever wanted. Magic! Real magic!

He came to a dead stop as he passed by a set of shelves, this one housing various objects rather than books. A glass globe of, what appeared to be, the universe in a vine crafted cradle sat at eye height. The view inside the glass was constantly shifting, and even zooming in and out on various cosmic happenings. He watched as galaxies collided, stars went supernova, and nebulas swirled and expanded or collapsed into new stars. All set to the background of the all-encompassing void of space. He had never felt so small in his entire life as he did standing there staring at the vast infinity of the universe. His attention was eventually drawn away to the center of the room by the soft clearing of the throat. It wasn’t harsh or threatening, yet somehow it demanded Ian’s attention.

An old elf cloaked in dark blue robes with silver trim sat at the ornate desk. He looked thin and frail behind the monstrous wooden desk. Yet he sat unwaveringly with perfect posture and an air of authority. Thin proficient fingers roamed over the pages of the endless tide of books that flowed towards him. The Arcane Seer scanned a page or two and then dismissed the book, sending it flying back to a shelf. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ian watched the book. Though it lacked a face or any way to convey an expression, Ian would have sworn that it moved in a snooty manner.

The Seer glanced at the book with a paternal look of patience and the snooty book rustled its pages and continued its journey. A warm smile graced the old elf’s lips as he turned his attention to Ian. Long silver hair framed his tightly drawn face. Runes were tattooed onto either side of his cheeks, pulsing with soft blue light from within. Ian tried to study them, but they were so intricate that his eyes quickly started to water and burn. He averted his gaze to The Seer’s eyes instead, which sent a twinge of fear shooting up Ian’s spine.

Power, both ancient and unknowable rested in The Seers’ eyes. His irises were the same pale blue as the runes, but they glowed more steadily. Their gazes locked ever so briefly, and a flash ran through Ian’s mind.

Chaos. Endless battle. Death. Unbound evil. Flashes of grisly machines of destruction tearing through men on horses. They were tossed into the wind with the same ease as a breeze setting free the seeds of a dandelion. Armies clashed in a field of endless slaughter that continued as far as Ian could see. The rush of thoughts did not relent, throwing Ian off-balance until he managed to force his gaze away.

“What did you do to me!?” Ian demanded between deep breaths.

The Seer cracked a grin, displaying a row of perfectly straight and perfectly white teeth. When he spoke, his voice was soft and deep, but it resonated in the vast space. “I did nothing to you, Ian, son of Daniel. Though I should warn you not to look into these eyes of mine again. Regardless of my wishes, they do strange things to those who are unprepared to see.”

Was that a hint of amusement I heard? And did he- even if Vale could have told him everything I said, I never mentioned my father! Ian shook his head, trying to clear away the after-effects of looking into The Seer’s eyes.

“Just tell me, how do I get home?” Ian asked, wanting to get straight to the point. Besides, it was clear that a title like The Arcane Seer was not for posterity. Ian guessed he was some type of prophet, or shaman, or… seer. As he ran through the list of possibilities he had a derp moment when his brain stated the obvious.

Distracted, Ian didn’t notice the growing tension in the silence, until Vale let out a sharp cough. Ian jerked his head towards her as she made a subtle curtsey. She widened her eyes, silently screaming at him to remember what she’d told him earlier. Ian frowned, not understanding what it was she wanted. The Seer watched the exchange with mild amusement as it dawned on Ian what she wanted.

“Please, Sir,” He hastily added.

“You can’t,” The Seer said, mirroring Ian’s directness. He raised a hand and crooked a finger, gesturing at the shelves. A book wiggled its way out and flitted enthusiastically through the air towards Ian. It came to a halt in front of him and hovered in place as if awaiting further instructions. “At least not yet. I’m afraid that your world is beyond the reach of my magic.”

Ian was crestfallen. His shoulders slumped, and his lips spread into the frown that he’d been fighting back all day. He hadn’t realized until now how much of his hope for returning home he’d pinned on this meeting. Guess I’ll have to find some ruby slippers, Ian thought bitterly.

The Seer waved a hand and the book hovering before Ian flipped open, fanning past page after page until it came to an abrupt halt. “Look for yourself.”

At first, Ian saw only meaningless arcane symbols, a gibberish script, and a complex looking chart that he couldn’t hope to comprehend in his lifetime. Though the longer he looked, the more the ink flowed and shifted. Ian plucked the book out of the air as the symbols started breaking apart. Their pieces bent, stretched, and recombined into new, and familiar, shapes. As the text became partially legible, Ian was able to discern he was holding a chart of the various galaxies and their relative positions.

The notations and calculations rapidly settled into perfect english and standard mathematical symbols. He’d seen a few of the complex formulas before. Ian had dabbled in a few physics’ classes in college, but attempting the calculations laid out before him amounted to nothing more than a sudden headache.

The more he studied the page, the more the book helped him to understand his true location. The page on the left showed Paragore, and the sun that it orbited. The image flared and zoomed out even further. The word Kassan spread across the top of the page, below it an irregular galaxy swirled. To Ian, the galaxy gave the impression of the head of Medusa with trailing tendrils of stars emanating out from a central head-shaped cluster. Like the writhing snake-hair of the legendary monster. A green dot flashed pointing out Paragore’s location within the mass of stars.

The other page displayed familiar statistics about the Solar System and in turn the Milky Way Galaxy. The images on the two pages zoomed out again until Ian held a map with the words Known Universe across the top. A green and blue dot appeared and the two drifted apart as Ian watched. A number had popped up on the bottom of the Solar System page, displaying light-years of distance between Earth and Paragore. It ticked ever higher as the seconds passed. Another wave of hopelessness washed over him.

“So then, how do I...?” Ian asked, his voice trailing off as if he were afraid of what the answer might be.

“I am afraid that is not a question that I am able to answer,” The Seer said with a comforting tone. “I can make a reasonable guess as to how the galaxies might move, yes. But to reach across the great distance, one would have to travel the planes themselves. And those movements, I’m afraid not even I can predict. Something as complex as world jumping would be well beyond the skill of most any wizard.” He waved his hand once more and the book in Ian’s hands rose up, closed itself, and flew quietly back to its shelf.

“Valethalassa, could you leave us, please? See that a room is prepared for our guest; tell Reyli that it is at my request. Gent Ian and I have much still to discuss,” The Seer requested as he rose from his chair. The Seer put up a hand to halt the protest already forming on her lips. “Do not worry, child. Gent McClintoc is an honorable man.” He paused for an awkwardly long time, his head slightly tilted to the side. It gave the impression he was gazing at an invisible work of art and trying to discern its meaning. The old elf seemed to find what he was looking for at last and smiled, “Yes, I can see that clearly.”

Nodding curtly, Vale glanced once at Ian with a look that impressed upon him his need to be on his best behavior. Then she made her way out, leaving Ian on his own.