The Prodigy Antaris - a secret World of magic #1
Chapter 3

What a strange feeling it is when you fly.

When your body is so light... like I was dreaming.

Without thinking, I jumped into this portal because it was the only way to escape. Whatever is on the other side of the Portal can't be worse than the monsters that just attacked us. And while I was floating, I didn't let go of Avery's hand.

I could do it for hours. ...to fly, holding his hand. But that journey was too short and after a few moments we reached the other side of the portal, which closed behind us as soon as we fell out of it. The exit seemed much more difficult than the entrance because we didn't arrived at our feet. Avery held me tight and caught the fall with his body so I fell on top of him.

" Are you okay, love?? "he asked me while we were lying on the ground and I was still holding on to him tightly.

I looked up at his eyes and smiled with relief.

"I'm fine, Avery" I answered.

He held me in his arms and studied my face. It was as if he wanted to make sure that I was really fine.

"Thank you Iris, you saved our lives", Avery told me as I was still lying in his arms.

His beautiful eyes looked worried as he watched me. His gaze traveled over my face from my eyes to my lips and back to my eyes again. I felt very shy while I was lying so close. I have never had a boyfriend or even a friend in my life who could ever be so close to me. His muscular body was relaxed while I was lying on top of him, his scent was intoxicating and incredibly masculine.And I was blushing because of that. The feeling was incredible as he held me close to him.

"And how about you let the girl get up?", Ava asked with a laugh.

I blushed even more.Avery rolled his eyes at his sister as she helped us.

"I just wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt", he said as he brushed the dust off his clothes.

"Yeah...right. Of course..." Ava mocked him.

"Thank you, Iris, for saving us", Noah added as he approached us.

"Yes! Girl, this was incredible. How did you do it? It's not like we see anyone who can stand up to The Reapers! "Ava stated.

"The Reapers? Who are they? And what do they want from me? And what is happening? And where are we anyway?! And ..." I started to ask, but I stopped when I turned around and looked in shock at the surroundings in front of me.

We were standing in a field of very strange pink flowers. The trees around us were in different colors and shapes.I also saw fruits on some of the trees, but I've definitely never seen fruit like that. Like huge green strawberries, blue mangoes and golden bunches. The sky had an unreal blue color. The butterflies that were flying were the size of eagles, and some animals that I had never seen were lying in the sun. I am not sure whether they are dinosaurs or some new kind of animal that no one has discovered yet. Huge dogs with two heads, miniature rhinos with huge tails, birds that were in various colors and sizes. I saw animals that were moving freely through the field. They looked like Winged Horses...Winged Horses?!

"Oh Dorothy, you are definitely not in Kansas anymore." Ava said with a laugh.

And how right she was! I was no longer even close to home, observing this place I landed in through the portal. Portal? What is going on here anyway?! Until yesterday, I was just an ordinary worker in a bookstore. I lived a boring life without anything interesting in it. The highlight of my week would be a good movie or an exciting book that I would enjoy on the weekend.

"Where am I? What's going on?! "I asked.

And while I was walking backwards under the impression and fear, I fell and was welcomed into Jade's arms. And for a moment I saw pictures..memories..like a flashback.

Children were playing in the yard of a huge house.A girl with blue curly hair was standing in the fountain by the House.She was making water balls with her hands and throwing them at the other children.They were screaming and laughing,they seemed happy."Quick Iris,I will protect us!",exclaimed the girl who was holding my hand while we were running.With her hands,she created a purple shield that should have saved us at the last moment before the water hit us.But it did not work and we were standing wet and laughing out loud. "What a loser you are,Ava "I heard myself say while we were laughing...

Then I looked at Jade, she smiled gently as if she knew what I saw. What was this? What did I see?

"It's a memory Iris. A memory that was erased from you. "Jade said.

"You really need to stop reading my mind. It's creepy!!"I answered as I straightened up.

"You saw my memory too, didn't you?" I asked Jade.

She nodded and tried to explain to me, "Iris, this place is called Antaris. Many beings live here that are magical or help the magical beings. You've obviously been here before. And if you don't remember, that's because your memory was erased..Or it was just blocked, I'm not sure. Someone very powerful did it and I can't see anything. I'm a descendant of a tribe of powerful witches. I should be able to remove such spells, but I am powerless with yours..."

I tried to understand what she was telling me, but all this still seemed to me like a dream.

"Iris, we need to go to my father. He can explain much more to you than we could. He can give you the answers you want. And maybe he can help you get your memories back. You have no reason to be afraid of us or this place...this is your home now." Avery said as he approached me.

Home? What kind of home is this where everything is unknown to me. Not only the people or the environment, but everything in this place is foreign.But as if I have a choice?! Avery had my trust, he risked his life for me. And Ava was in my memory, obviously we had some past.These strangers risked their lives for me, and so far they haven't done anything to make me doubt their good intentions.

Maybe I will replace answers to my questions if I follow them to their father. Maybe he can help me.I nodded my head in agreement to Avery's suggestion. And so I followed them in the hope that I would still get some answers.While we were walking through the flower field, I had the feeling that someone was watching us, and I wasn't thinking about the animals.

My gaze wandered through the trees, looking for something that I didn't even know what it was. I just knew that someone else was there and I stopped. When I stopped myself, Jade stopped as well, she obviously read my thoughts. The others continued to walk, engrossed in the story of the previous events.

"You have no reason to worry, Iris, no one will harm you here. It's probably just one of our residents who saw the portal", Jade told me calmly.

But I still felt someone's presence, I just didn't know who.

"Come, let's hurry to catch up with the others", she added with a smile, extending her hand.

I accepted her hand and we quickly caught up with them.Avery slowed to walk beside me, watching me as I looked around curiously.

"I know that this is all new and foreign to you. But this is the only place where you are safe. We can protect you here"he said, looking me in the eyes.

We walked for some time through the flower field and then through a forest, and when we came out of it we found ourselves in a village. The houses were of various sizes, from very small to wooden houses in various colors. Each house had its own garden, flower beds and gates.

"This is beautiful. It's like I'm in a fairy tale." I said through admiration.

They laughed happy and proud of my statement.But not only the houses were unusual, also the inhabitants. They all looked so magical and seemed polite as they passed us, smiling and bowing their heads in respect. I didn't know where to look first...At the beautiful girls dressed in the most beautiful dresses I've ever seen, the children who were playing or the men who looked like muscular models. Even through the windows there were faces watching us as we passed through the main street that ran through the entire village.

"This is the center of Antaris", Avery explained.

I turned to the place he was pointing with his hand and saw a huge mansion.The Mansion that was in front of us was huge, its white walls were overgrown with vines and flowers that had the most beautiful colors. The windows were big and there were a lot of them, which indicated the huge space behind the walls. The entrance door was wooden, which gave it even more elegance.

In front of the Mansion was a flower garden with cypresses and sculptures of some creatures that looked like warriors. And then I saw the Fountain.. the one I saw in my memory. Does that mean that I have really been here once before? We reached the front door and the guard who was standing bowed opening the door. As we entered I wondered what was waiting for me inside...