Cerise Brewen's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

Cerise set the lightning orb on a flat stone and circled it three times. The blue sparks inside pulsed faster with each pass. She grinned and tapped the glass with one dark finger. The magic responded, crackling brighter. This was step one: learn how portal energy felt, how it moved, how it changed. She pulled out her dahlia and held it close to the orb. The petals spun wildly, glowing at the edges. Perfect. If she could read the flower's reaction to different portal types, she could map them. She could figure out which ones Rhommie had touched, which ones led where. Her horns caught the light as she leaned closer. The orb's lightning jumped to meet her skin, tickling her palm. She laughed and pulled back. This would work. She would learn the language of portals, and then she would find her way home. But storing all that power safely was the problem. The orb couldn't hold a charge forever, and she needed to test different amounts. Cerise spotted an old cabinet half-hidden behind a twisted tree trunk. Its door was carved with symbols she didn't recognize. She opened it carefully. Light escaped through the cracks, warm and golden. She placed the orb inside and watched the cabinet hum. The wood absorbed the lightning's glow, containing it. This would do. She could charge it, store it, and use it when she needed to test the portals. Next came the real work. Cerise needed a place to study, to watch, to write down what she learned. Through the trees, she found a pavilion with a metal frame and a glass dome. The posts were carved with more symbols, different from the cabinet's. She stepped inside and looked up. The sky stretched above her, clear through the glass. Perfect for watching how portals opened, how they changed with the stars. She dragged a sturdy table inside and spread out her scrolls. A map showing patterns in the sky went in the center. She weighted the corners with smooth stones. Cerise sat at the table and traced one finger across the map. The constellations matched the portal archway's glow patterns. She pulled out her dahlia and set it beside the scrolls. When a portal opened, she would note the flower's spin, the lightning's pulse, the stars' positions. She would build a chart, a guide. Then she would know which portal Rhommie controlled. Her three shadows danced on the pavilion floor as she worked, each one moving differently. She grinned and wrote her first note. This was how dreams started: one observation, one test, one step closer to home.