Enjoy!
Chapter 1- The Chamber
It had been three days since the mysterious, purple colored cardboard box was brought to the Calonian research facility, just a week after the Great war had ended. Egor and Anatoly would normally have discarded the box, but the mysterious purple fumes coming out of it compelled them not to.
Ever since the box had been brought to their chamber, Egor and Anatoly had kept a constant check on it; its sudden vigorous movements, the way the fumes fused with the air, the often light pounding noises coming from within...they noted down all of it. Every detail was to be recorded, for they couldn't risk the possibility of letting out a potential spying device. The end of the war didn't necessarily cancel out the chances of revolt attempts. They had to be a hundred percent sure before relieving it or discarding it.
That night, however, things took a sharp and unexpected turn. As the duo were about to pack up for the night, they heard loud convulsive noises originating from the box enclosure. They immediately dropped their bags and ran to the viewing gallery to see what was happening.
Just as they reached the viewing area and turned on the chamber's lights, the lid of the box violently shot up and a blurry figure emerged.
After the fumes settled, the scientists realized to their utmost shock what the figure actually was: it was a pixie.
It was as small as a clenched fist, and as soon as it came out, it started running around the whole chamber.
The scientists couldn't believe their eyes; pixies weren't real creatures! They were known only through fairytales, children's folk tales...but to see a real one right in front of them truly shocked them out of their wits. The chamber was separated from the viewing area by a one-way-mirror window, which is why the pixie couldn't see the scientists at all. It just repeatedly bumped into the glass and made squealing noises.
Anatoly decided to turn on the microphone to try and converse with the magical being, but before he could, the pixie spoke, "Greetings, Nina and Antin."
The duo, once more, stopped dead in their tracks. As if having a folk tale character jump out of a box wasn't enough, what's more; it just spoke to them!
However, Anatoly and Egor noticed that the pixie was addressing them by different names, and in the English language. Before they could turn on the microphone, yet again, the pixie spoke once more.
"I cannot sense your presence in this chamber. This chamber doesn't look familiar at all; in fact, it's so much worse. I would like to go back to your old room that we used to play in."
Anatoly couldn't quite understand English as well, so Egor took the time to translate what the pixie just said. Even after understanding the little entity's speech, the two had no idea what it was talking about.
Who were Antin and Nina? Did pixies usually speak English? Were there more where it came from? What room was it talking about?
This time, however, Egor managed to turn on the microphone before the pixie could say another word.
"Hello, this is Egor. I'm from Pentin, Calonia. I mean no harm, and neither does my friend, Anatoly. We just have some questions for you."
The pixie was bemused by the strange sounds of these men. He was only used to hearing the sounds of Nina and Antin, who were children. But, he replied, "Hello, strange man. I assume you are the twins' father. Could you please tell me where your children are, I must speak with them at once. The fate of my kingdom depends on it."
Egor was confused once more. He had no idea who these kids were, and neither did Anatoly. They decided to ask the pixie;
"We don't know which kids you are talking about, and are not their parents. Where have you come from? Were you sent by a Argenian spy? Are, the kids that you speak of, spies?"
The pixie replied, "Pardon me for thinking so; I am not a spy, and neither are Antin and Nina. They are the creators of my land...they haven't visited us in a while, and so I was sent to check on them. May I speak to them, please?"
Anatoly tried to clear his mind for a second...he found a talking pixie, who says he has a kingdom, and also claims that the creators of his kingdom are these two strange kids; what in the world was going on!?
Anatoly said, in whatever bits of English that he had learnt, "We understand that you want meet kids. Antin and Nina. We don't know them. Please tell more."
The pixie explained, "My name is Dobbie. Antin and Nina; the Gregory twins. They had created me, my fellow brethren and the lands of Anitia. However, they haven't visited His Majesty in about 10 days, and so the Royal Duke of pixies has sent me to check their condition. I request you once more to kindly allow me to speak with them. Once I confirm their well-being, I shall return to my kingdom."
It was almost dinner-time in the area, and the scientists thought it'd be wise to investigate further during the day. Egor said, "We trust your intentions, Dobbie, but due to the time of your arrival, we think it'd be better to approach the kids during the day, tomorrow. We request you to stay where you are, and wait for our arrival tomorrow."
The pixie seemed to agree, and stated that he would return the next day. And with that, he jumped back into the box. The lid flew back on shortly after, leaving behind the initial purple fumes, the mildly flickering chamber lights and the entirely confused scientist duo.
***
The following morning, Anatoly and Egor rushed to the research center to find the pixie, but were left surprised. The pixie was nowhere to be seen, instead, there was a giant bird-like figure that looked like it had just arrived. And once more, as the dust settled, the men realized what fairytale creature they were looking at.
Before them, in the chamber of the box, stood a little yet majestic red phoenix, with a bright and golden beak and sharp talons. Before Egor could turn on the microphone, yet again, the mystical being beat him to it. It produced a scroll from its mouth and flew back into the box. Once the coast was clear, Anatoly rushed into the chamber to see what it read.
"Greetings, citizens of the overworld. The Allied Forces of the Phoenixes and the Pixies are growing restless due to the absence of Antin and Nina. We are once more requesting you to kindly bring them to our world, for our foes, ie- the Werewolves and the sea monsters are losing faith in our peace treaty. We cannot risk a war at this point in time, as the destruction would be unfathomable, and we could lose all contact with your world. Our world is at stake, but we believe in your kind.
Awaiting your visit,
The Phoenix-Pixie Council"
The duo shut the chamber, and got into their car. Unaware of the truths and dangers that lay ahead, the scientist set off in search of the missing twins.
Chapter 2: Portal Developments
Calonia and Argenia were two countries that were always at war. Now, the reason for this enmity was the very formation of Argenia. Calonia used to be a huge country...but due to some political and religious differences in the outlooks of the people, a lot of the states split up to form individual countries. Argenia was one of these newly formed countries, and what remained of Calonia, wanted its territories back.
Anatoly and Egor drove around eastern Pentin for about three hours, but to no avail. Although some people did tell them the locations of the people with the names "Antin" and "Nina", none of the sources located ones that were twins or with the surname "Gregory". The scientists were on the brink of giving up, but halfway through their journey back to the lab, the trunk of their car started to vibrate with sudden, loud sounds. They quickly pulled over to check what the source of the sound was.
As if they hadn't already been shocked enough, they found the purple box in the trunk of the car. And what's more, sitting next to the partially open box, was Dobby.
"Dobby, what are you doing here?"
"We've run out of time. If the twins don't enter through, war will be unstoppable. The sea dwellers and werewolves are advancing towards our fort, and we need to prove that there is faith in the treaty. Please, take me to the twins. Let me talk with them."
"Dobby, we've driven around half of the state, and haven't found a single trace that could confirm that the twins even exist. Could we both help you instead?"
Dobby then proceeded to become oddly quiet. He started to frown, and had a very angry expression on his face. He thought about his next move for a while, and after giving it a few seconds, he looked back at the scientists.
"I trust you two, but please do not betray us. This is the last resort. Hold your breath."
Egor and Anatoly were dumbfounded. They had no idea regarding what Dobby was about to do, but they found it best to listen to the otherworldly creature.
Dobby muttered, "I hope you understand, Your Majesty."
And with that, the box's lid shot off once more, and the purple mist started to ooze out of it. The scientists gasped as the fumes began to surround them all, and they suddenly felt as if someone had punched them in the gut. The fumes started to circle them, and within the blink of an eye, they were sucked into the box.
Calonia had managed to regain most of its territories, but except for Argenia, most of them were insignificant. The two nations had had multiple wars in the past, but by the end of each one, both nations were left terribly damaged, with no clear victor. Calonian citizens and Argenian citizens mutually hated each other due to their religious and political differences.
Loud ringing sounds kept attacking the scientists' ears, and only stopped once they realized that they were their own screams. As the mist settled, both of them dropped onto the rough rocky ground, and it was only a few seconds later that they realized they weren't on their planet anymore.
Dobby chuckled, "Phew, we're here everyone. Welcome to Pixland, Anitia."
Egor and Anatoly looked all around them. Despite being well accustomed scientists, they were still learning. And now they were in an alternate dimension, the lands of Anitia. They looked around them; Anitia was like any bright imaginary world that was aired on kids channels. It was bright, colourful, simple and full of different fairytale characters. There were phoenixes gliding through the clouds, gnomes and pixies roaming through little streets and some totally unseen creatures running through the green forests.
They were both rendered speechless, and Dobby guided them to the Royal Court, where the Dukes of the Pixland and Pheonia stood.
"Welcome, travelers. We assume you both are the ones Dobby was received by the other day." Pavlov the Duke of Pixies said, after which he turned to Ikar, the Duke of Phoenixes.
"We cannot let our foes see them, Ikar. They may mistrust us even more if they interpret it as us receiving help from the overworld."
"I agree, but what's our next act? The twins haven't arrived yet, and the Were-Aqua troops are advancing with speed enough to bring them here in less than three days. We have nothing to show them."
"Hmm. Perhaps these two said scientists know where they are, then?"
"No...they don't know their location. We have little to no hope now, and our own courtiers are beginning to lose faith. Our solution lies in the Overworld, and dangers are nearer."
Ikar asked the two men, "You two, have you looked everywhere for the twins? Are you sure there's no trace of them?"
Anatoly said, "Not everywhere. Not confirm."
Ikar then paused midway through his reply and said, "Wait. The twins knew about the Were-Aqua pact...they knew how much destruction it could bring about; they wouldn't refrain from coming here unless they genuinely couldn't. Maybe, and I really hope I'm wrong, the twins could be in danger themselves."
Pavlov nodded in agreement, and turning to Dobby, he said, "Could be true, we mustn't tarry any longer. Dobby, take them back to the overworld and find the twins within 2 hours. Make haste here if you don't or when you find them. Godspeed."
Before they knew it, the scientists were back on the road, next to their car. As they regained vision, they saw the purple fumes dissipate into the air, leaving just them and Dobby. Dobby told them that he'd join them on their search for the twins, and they weren't about to complain.
They quickly resumed their search and drove in and out of every neighborhood, asking questions to the random passers by if they had had any sightings of kids that matched what Dobby had described them to be; but they're efforts were in vain.
Calonian military continuously attacked Argenia; they bombed residential buildings, defense bases, protest camps, and even schools. The political leader of Argenia was on the verge of surrendering the nation to their cold blooded and brutal counterpart. As if that wasn't enough, Calonian military took war prisoners and held them captive at concentration camps, where the victims would reportedly be forced to carry out strenuous tasks. They were kept in unideal conditions, and were treated very harshly.
These unfortunate war captives consisted of children as well.
It had been an hour and forty five minutes since they'd returned to the overworld. Hopeless, exhausted and hunger-stricken, the Anatoly and Egor decided to give up. Dobby, too, had lost hope, but noticeably didn't look tired at all. They pulled the car over at a bar that was located on the outskirts of and decided to take a break. Having told Dobby to remain in the car, and as they headed towards the door, a tall and muscular man walked out. Anatoly immediately recognized him as one of his closest friends; Yvon, a well reputed man who'd worked in the army for 3 years now.
The two embraced and Egor questioned who the man was. Upon hearing Anatoly's reply, Egor immediately said, "That's actually great...we need some help, if that's okay with you."
Yvon agreed, but told them he could only give them ten minutes of his time.
"Could we use your directory to locate these two kids we've been looking for?" Egor asked in his rough but understandable Calonian. Yvon nodded, and asked them the names of the kids.
"Antin and Nina Greogory, twins."
Yvon almost looked like he remembered something, but immediately reverted his expression and said, "Haven't heard of them."
Egor said, "Look, kind man. We've been looking for these twins for a long time now. We'll appreciate any help we can get."
Yvon started shifting on his feet and looked detached, all of a sudden.
"They're your kids?", he asked them, almost sounding worried.
As Egor was about to say no, he decided that a little lie wouldn't be a sin if it'd help him find the innocent children.
"Yes. They're my relatives, do you know where they are?"
Yvon started to protest, "Look man. I didn't know better okay, I really needed the money, and I was given orders."
Anatoly sensed the obvious, and knew something felt off. "What happened to them...what did you do?"
"I'm really sorry...please....go away. You should go. I didn't know they were Calonian."
"What are you talking about?"
"Please go...I cannot do this.", and saying so, Yvon started to walk away.
Just as he took 2 steps forward, the Egor jerked forward and held the man in place.
Egor said, "We've spent an entire day looking for the twins. Tell us where they are, now."
A trembling Yvon gazed at Anatoly to try and convince him to put off his friend. But Anatoly asked, "Yvon. Where are the twins."
Yvon decided to make a run for it, but as he passed the scientists' car, he caught a glimpse of Dobby inside and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Wha- wha- what is that? What is that!"
The duo lost their patience and firmly pinned Yvon to their car. They asked him once more,
"Tell us where the twins are."
Yvon seemed to accept his situation and waveringly replied in what was a series of sentences that included where the twins were and also his own justification for it.
Although the duo barely heard anything after he said "concentration camp".
Chapter 3: Disclosure
It was a special night. Nina and Antin's parents had cooked their favorite dishes for dinner; and it most certainly suited the occasion: the twins had finished their school year, Mrs. Gregory had been approached by a new client, and Mr. Gregory considered being alive a reason enough to celebrate. Especially due to the fact that they'd managed to be unharmed throughout the war, and today was the day it'd all end.
That night, dinner was attended by four humble smiles, each ready to begin a new phase in their life.
'This dinner was worth the wait', young Antin thought to himself as he was about to attack his borscht.
The past few weeks were exhausting for the family; they had to live in hiding. Brown paper plastered their windows, bullet storms curbed their freedom after the sun set, but most of all, they'd lost the privilege of delicious meals. They had to survive off of ready to eat consumables, but luckily, it was all over.
Just as a spoonful of borscht entered Antin's mouth, it was as if time slowed down momentarily; and not in the best of ways.
The window's cracked and shattered onto the floor in a million pieces. Bullets whizzed past the unhostile family, and not many made it to other side. The twins dived onto the floor and pressed their hands over their heads, their ears ringing with the music of the gunfire. And as pieces of their living room flew in every direction, they looked into each others eyes, each consoling the other. They had a special connection; they would often feel each other through a telepathic connection, and this meant either of them would sometimes know if the other was in danger, and could also feel his/her pain.
They held hands and closed their eyes, hoping that this was just a bad dream. But they knew it was one that wouldn't end.
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory didn't live to see where their children were taken that night.
Present
Nina quietly moved towards her brother's unit, her weary feet stained with blood. Her own blood, of course, but the wounds didn't hurt her anymore. She'd been at the concentration camp for a while now, and the Calonian generals made her and the other captives do all sorts of inhumane jobs. They were accustomed to laying out railway tracks in the freezing climate of the region, and quite a few even lost their lives in doing so. The captives weren't fed properly, and there were days when they didn't eat at all.
Halfway towards Antin's unit, Nina was spotted by one of the guards, and he immediately ran after her. Once he caught up with her, he pinned her to the ground and started yelling at her.
Then, he starting punching her back.
Hearing the screams of his helpless sister, Antin slipped out of his unit and ran in their direction. Upon reaching his sister, he saw the guard beating her with a cane, and her bruised back showed through her partially torn clothes. Antin felt his blood boil, and he grabbed a crowbar lying next to the construction gate. He firmly held it, and letting out all of his suppressed pain, he swung it hard at the guard's neck.
The guard immediately collapsed, and Nina started crying.
Antin and Nina had been beaten up a lot...after all, it's all that happened at the camp. Their wounds were never tended, and both of them had already been infected with the germs of the area, on top of the pneumonia that they'd developed over the weeks. Nina's condition, however, had been worsened by the guard.
She started gasping for air, and Antin started to panic. He had to think fast, or his sister could lose her life. He quickly started yelling for help, and soon, a few guards arrived at the scene.
They gathered around Antin and Nina, and saw that their fellow guard had fallen onto the ground, right next to Antin, who was holding a crowbar. One of the guards shrieked and grabbed Antin by his shoulders, and kicked him in his sides.
They left Nina in the freezing snow, and moved away with Antin and the body of their comrade.
The soldiers took Antin to one of the testing chambers and locked him in there. They then summoned their unit leader and informed him about the dead comrade. The general was furious, and demanded to be taken to the boy who had allegedly claimed the life of his friend.
Upon arriving, the general, who was called "the Lider", called for the local experimenter. And once he arrived, the Lider commanded him to test the new toxic gas on Antin.
The scientist loaded the vent capsules with specimens of the gas, and as he was about to ask the Lider for a final confirmation, a messenger arrived.
"General, two scientists from Pentin have arrived, and have requested a meeting with you."
The general said, "Tell them to wait, I have a matter at hand."
The messenger replied, "General, they seem to have an urgent matter. And they also seek two children by the names of Antin and Nina Gregory."
The general told the scientist to pause the experiment, and stepped outside the room, asking the messenger to escort them.
Antin came back to his senses, and realized that he was in some kind of testing chamber. Oh, just how he wished he could be with his sister. They used to have such a happy life before the "great war"; they'd play with their magic box all day, and dream about all sorts of imaginary characters. They dreamt of pixies, gnomes, phoenixes, werewolves and all sorts of sea monsters. Through their imagination, they'd build kingdoms, create pacts, make stories....it all felt real to them. They called their world "Anitia", a name created from their own names. Those were some great days.
But all Antin had now were memories of his sister, and very little hope. So Antin started yelling, and started pounding against the walls of the chamber, hoping to attract the attention of some passing Samaritan.
Meanwhile
Egor and Anatoly waited patiently outside the chamber in which, unbeknownst to them, Antin was being held captive. The Lider opened the doors and asked the men what they wanted.
Once he realized they were authentic Calonians like himself, he decided to start a friendly conversation with the two. He told him his views on the "great war", and how much he respected it. He truly believed that one of the next wars would bring Argenia back under Calonian rule, and reassured the scientists by telling them that the army was more than prepared for an all-out attack.
Egor and Anatoly, however, were in a hurry. They excused themselves out of the general's conversation and requested him to tell them whether or not they knew where the twins were. The general said that he didn't know where they were, and claimed that he had no idea where they were. He then stated that he'd be back in a few minutes, and left for the gas scientist's chamber.
After the Lider left, Dobby the pixie made himself visible and said to the duo, "He's lying."
Anatoly immediately replied, "No. He participated for Great war. Respected man. No lie from him."
As Egor was about to protest, he heard the faint screams of a boy who seemed like he was around 10 to 12 years of age, and the sounds were coming from the room that the general just came from.
Curious, the trio decided to investigate, and gently opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, Dobby got hysterical; he'd seen his young friend after so many days, and likewise for Antin. A tear rolled down Antin's cheek, and he requested Dobby to let him out. He almost forgot that Dobby was just a figment of his imagination, and was only visible because of how powerful his and his sister's beliefs were.
The scientists were about to help, but that's when the magic cardboard box appeared in Dobby's hands, and immediately set ablaze. Dobby felt excruciating pain course through his heart, almost as if it'd been chopped in half.
The more the box was burnt, the more Dobby started to become more and more translucent.
When the fire was put out with the help of the scientists, only a half of the box remained, and Dobby had almost become fully transparent.
Nina was dead now, and Antin had felt it.
"Dobby! She's gone! They killed her, Dobby! They killed Nina!"
Dobby and the scientists were devastated on hearing this, but as if adding fuel to their fire, green fumes began to appear in the enclosure that Antin was in.
The doors burst open, and the Lider appeared, furious.
"I thought you both were of true Calonian blood! I should've known better than to trust your word, why are you freeing the enemy?"
Anatoly replied, "He is friend. We need him."
The general spat, "No, my brother. He is an Argenian! He deserves to die, one way or another. He possesses rebellious blood. Now step asi- what is that?"
The Lider was shocked upon seeing Dobby's ghostly figure, and before he could react, Antin started pounding on the enclosure's walls. He was starting to inhale the gas.
The box once more set ablaze, and Dobby felt the searing pain return. He felt to the ground, and clutched his chest. The scientists had no knowledge about curing a pixie and so they helplessly watched Dobby slowly fade away.
Then all hell broke loose: the lid of the box completely burnt off, opening the portal to Anitia. All magical creatures started to fly out of the box and were sent haywire all around the room. There were werewolves, pixies, phoenixes, gnomes, giants, all of whom flooded the room, but had no impact on it. They couldn't interact with the matter of this world, partially because it wasn't their realm, but mainly because Antin was dying.
Finally, as the dragons emerged, the Lider managed to shake off his awe and immediately requested help from the other soldiers.
By the time they reached though, it was too late. The creatures became fully invisible, and the once spritely young Antin now fell to the floor, never to get up again.
As the last few parts of the box burned out, the scientists and the general felt tears form at their eyes due to what they'd just witnessed. Killing off people in the name of securing their nation only resulted in the annihilation of innocent souls like the twins', who possessed whole worlds inside them.
There was a long period of silence in the room, and it felt as though it'd never end.
***
Message:
This whole series was a slightly different way of expressing that war could be a solution, but never the right one. Are wars really in the right? Would you feel proud about having won respect, if it was born out of spilled blood, and cries of agony? Is there any greater good, if you've sacrifice what you claim to have been in the wrong...by taking lives, don't you become what you sought to destroy?
Don't you enter a paradox?
These are the questions I had when I heard about the various wars that have been and presently are being fought by various nations. I decided to finally write something on the topic after I was made aware of the damage that was caused to the innocent citizens of some of the nations, who might not have had any say in having wars in the first place. War really does ruin lives; it seizes the lives of the defeated, and everlastingly tortures the hearts of the victors with guilt.
Thus, there is never a victor in war.
There are just those who survive.
- Armaan Kothare
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