The Longest Journey [Done!]

Prologue

Somewhere in a snowy, windswept landscape, a welcoming blaze flickered amidst the wooden boards – a hut so aged it was a wonder it stood upright while the storm raged mercilessly around it.
Despite the raging tumult, a solitary old lady can be seen inside, oblivious to the surroundings...

A young man and a woman sat on the rugged carpetting beside the fireplace. 'You have lived so long, seen so much. Please do tell us a story.' began the woman, her voice almost pleading.

'So kind of you to remind me of my age child,' chuckled the elderly lady. 'A story? Why of course, the tale of the Balance perhaps?' She smiled meekly. 'But that tale would be too long to venture at this hour of the night...'

'Please tell us a true story, a short one will do,' the woman said.

'All my stories are true young one, there are enough fairy tales in the worlds already. Let's see... the story of a warrior princess who single handedly restored peace to the worlds? Who later reunited both Stark and Arcadia?'

'Yes! That sounds like the story we want to hear.' said the man. 'Please do go on.'

'Very well. Like all good stories, it all begins where it ends, a tower in a realm that is no more...'

-------Chapter One------
Penumbra

'…after years of abuse by her father, April Ryan left her foster parents at the tender age of 18 to pursue her dreams in the Academy of Visual Arts in Newport, Venice or VAVA for short. She left her past and with it, embraced a brighter future, but the brightest of days have the longest shadows...

The clock was ticking incessantly and sweat trickled down April's cheek as she tossed and turned in her bed. It was 3am. The ticks slowed down, and time seem to trickle one painful second at a time until everything was motionless, except a lone figure on the bed – April.

Then things happened in quick succession, the walls vanished and the bed crumpled into nothingness. The world was a swirling vortex, then it ended almost as suddenly as it started.

April gave a yelp of surprise and stared at the impossible scene around her – jagged moutains and distant rivers flowing with black muck. The sky was jet black and sinister, its clouds like tendrils, stretching into the lifeless land like some hungry monster. Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a low rumble and the ground shook with an unseen force.

'Where... where am I?' she stuttered, 'Don't tell me I'm dreaming again...' She shook her head, desperate for the 'nightmare' to end. 'It'l be great to have just one decent night's sleep instead of waking up screaming at 4am!'

But it feels so real. Dreams can't be this vivid, can they? She thought.

Confused and scared she inspected her surroundings, taking every detail into consideration. Behind her stood a massive tree, or rather what's left of it.

So I'm now stuck on a cliff in the middle of nowhere with a dead tree for company. Oh joy!

Suddenly, she felt a presence. A dark foreboding chill crept up her spine. She stiffened and turned around slowly, fearing for something she could not conceive.

She gasped. Her pupils dilate and her mouth fell agape, for what stood before her was a beast so majestic, so beautiful yet so terrible. A … a dragon … it can't be.

'It is you. You have come.' The voice was strangely feminine, and motherly.

'You know me?' April said rather bluntly.

'April, daughter. I have been waiting for you.'

'Waiting. Why?'

'Because it begins here, with you, as it always has.'

'What do you mean?'

'The breach and the mending, the pain and the joy, the end of the old and the dawn of the new. A different world. I am the Mother of what is, but you April, you are the Mother of a future that may yet be.'

'How will I know what to do? I'm scared...'

'You always were April, my daughter. Do not be afraid, I will guide you and I will protect you, as much as I can.. but in the end you are on your own.'

Having said that, the white dragon or rather the apparation faded away. It's silvery outline glimmered feebly for one last lingering moment before a hideous roar shook the mountain.

'Uh oh. That is probably not a good thin-'

Her words were cut short when a monstrous lob of black substance rose from the depths of the chasm, lined with protruding fangs and in the centre, a horrendous hole. It pulsated with an unearthly evil. April started backing away, she slipped and fell into the darkness behind her...

'Ahh!' she woke up, her shirt drenched in sweat and the familiar scent of her room pervaded her senses. 'What a nightmare...' she said to herself, 'I'm completely exhausted. I must have been tossing and turning all night.' April sighed.

'It's so hot in here, no wonder I keep having these weird dreams. I'm basically simmering in my own sweat for this past few weeks. Well, it's a good thing the studio has some proper air-conditioning, I promised to spend most of the day working, and I don't intend to break that promise – not this time.'

Slamming the rickety windows shut, she grabbed a book and headed for the door. She looked at the cover: 'How to seduce the man of your dreams!, now if I can find a man to dream about, I'm all set!' giggled April. She tossed the book back where it belongs – on her bedsheet, before heading out and shutting her door.

'You are looking real sexy today babe' drawled a somewhat familiar voice.
'Hi Zack' replied April.
'Let's hang out tonight, there's something big happening at the Pavilion, we can pop some Raptures and do some close dancing. What do you think?'
'Uhm. No.' said April without a second thought. Going out with Zack? You must be kidding me.
'What. Do I offend you in some way babe? You have something against me?'
'No... I'm just... not interested.'
'Hey whatever. You will come crawling back to my door when you realize your mistake.' Zack slammed his door shut. (April's living in a boarding house, Zack lives right opposite her)

April stared at his door in disbelief for a few seconds then shook her head and walked down the stairs.

April sighed. She waved goodbye to her landlady and started walking towards VAVA.
She noticed a tall, eccentric looking fellow with long braids sitting on a bench just in front of the Border House (April's boarding house).
Cortez? I wonder what he does for a living, he sits there every single day, reading the same book over and over again.What a peculiar character.

'How are you this morning, senorita bonita?' The man, Cortez suddenly calls out to April.

April thinks for a few seconds and replied 'Hot.' Why is this weirdo talking to me?

'Ay, si. The summers in Newport are never pleasant. But this heat is not why you are unhappy, no?'
Cortez looked at April as though he is reading her mind.
'You are troubled by nightmares.'

April is taken aback and for a fleeting moment she thought Emma might have told him about her nightmares. 'What?!' exclaimed April.

Cortez calmly replied, 'You are afraid of them, you even fear that your dreams may be real.'
'Who told you about my nightmares?'
'No one. I can tell from looking into your eyes, I see the ghosts that haunt you.'
'I don't know who you have been talking to but from now on, stay the hell away from me and my personal life!'
'No peudo, senorita Ryan. You have a destiny.'
'Destiny...? What are you talking about. Leave me alone!'

April starts walking away determinedly but Cortez continues and she stopped momentarily.

'If you don't face them, I'm afraid your nightmares will continue. Soon they will appear to you even if you are awake...'
'That's it. I don't have to listen to this.'
'Perdoname, I've upset you. We didn't think you'd react this way, I hope we can talk again soon?'
'I don't think so. I have to go.'

April turns around and starts to walk away when Cortez calls out to her.
'Senorita...'
April turned around, her visage emotionless.
'Cuidado, be careful.'

----At the art gallery----
Great. April thought to herself. The exhibition starts in 2 weeks and my 'painting' – and I mean that in the broadest sense of the word – is not even close to being presentable. Hell! Even that's an overstatement, all I have is a blank canvas. While that may fool some people into saying Whoa! What an expressive statement of Nothingness! It's not going to fool my teachers...

She pondered on her predicament for a bit and prayed for some inspiration. With a brush and a palette, April started working on her painting. Several hours later ...

'April?' someone said behind her.
She spun around. 'Oh it's you Emma! You nearly gave me a shock. Duh.'

'You have a message!' Emma continued, a mischievous grin on her face, 'Cortez wants to meet you.'
April rolled her eyes in disbelief.
'Why does he want to meet you? Oh, don't tell me. You guys are having a secret love affair!'

'Wha-' exclaimed April 'Oh. Oh yeah. We're eloping and flying to Africa tonight, it's all been happening so fast... my heart's a flutter!'

'Oh how romantic... I couldn't imagine a better catch than Senor Cortez, the Latin lover.' said Emma.

They laughed, then there's a few seconds of awkward silence. Emma walked to the shelves and looks for something.

'Seriously now April. What did he want?'
'He said he knew something about my dreams... I had one last night and it's really starting to bother me...'
'There you go again with dreams.' said Emma 'You're obsessing April. They're just dreams! Sometimes a banana is just a banana.'
'Do you want to hear about my dreams or not?' April said, somewhat annoyed.
'Sure go on, like anything I say could possibly discourage you...'
'Well... there was a dragon. A talking dragon.'
'Ok. What did he say?'
'It's a she. It's a female talking dragon. She said something about me being the Mo-'
'What? You can tell from the skirt, high heels and lipstick?'

April was washing away in the sink. 'Don't mock me Emma, she said something to me, something about being the Mother of the future.'
'She probably said, It's time to get up and go to school April.' Look, are you working at the Fringe tonight? If so, we'l meet there. There are some cute guys coming.'
'Yeah I'm-'
'Great! See ya!' Emma walked away, leaving April lost for words. She felt angry and confused, but somehow there is a feeling that something is not quite right. How did Cortez know about my dreams? Why is he so interested in them? April continued washing her brush and palette in the sink.
Suddenly, she sensed someone or something behind her.

'Who's there?!' She turned around quickly, fear gripping her heart. For a split second she thought she saw Emma's sculpture leaning towards her and then immediately springing back to its original shape. April stood there, staring at the sculpture, confused and afraid. She then remembers what Cortez told her this morning, if you don't face them, your dreams will appear to you even if you are awake. She shuddered and hoped that was merely a hallucination.

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The Fringe Cafe, a humble coffeehouse in Newport, cramped with tables and supposedly stocked to the brim with Newport's finest delicacies. Some say it's the best place to be at night, some say it's a haven for the drunk. Either way, it is the only place for a decent paying job in the slums, and April happen to serve as the waitress there.

Later that night, as April entered the bar, she overheard a conversation between Charlie and Emma, Charlie being one of her closest friends since she arrived at Newport months ago.

'...don't know that much about him, but he's been around for as long as I can remember. I never really talked to that man. Why do you wanna know?' asked Charlie.

'Because he's showing some serious interest in April lately... Do you think he is as crazy as most people think he is?' said Emma.

'No, he's not crazy. Just eccentric. He doesn't give a donkey's ass as to what people think or say about him and that's cool.' replid Charlie.

April decided to join in the conversation at that point.
'Talking about Cortez?' she asked.
'Yeah.' said Charlie 'Emma here's telling me of his interest in you...'
'Yar right. My Latin lover...' April said sarcastically.
'I don't know. I have a feeling that Cortez knows more than he wants us to believe, he must have led an eventful life, I'm sure.'

Emma suddenly remembers something and blurted out, 'Have you spoken to Zack today April?'
'Why?' said April.
'He was upset, called you a stuck-up bitch.'
'Oh yeah... we had a little misunderstanding...'

'Hey you!' someone yelled over the counter. It was Stanley, April's boss. 'You are getting paid. Get to work!'
'Sorry guys, got to go.' April hurried off to serve more drinks.

Yet another uneventful day at work. Thought April. She was adjusting her apron when something jumped out of the jukebox. There was a gasp and the bar fell silent. Everyone had their eyes trained on the mystifying creature.It was playing a flute but then it stopped. Startled, it leaped back into the jukebox and vanished. There was silence and a lot of muttering, people are bamboozled by the inexplicable event.

Stanley was rubbing his eyes, apprarently he thought he was dreaming, then he noticed the sudden inactivity of the bar and yelled 'Chop chop. Back to work!'. There was a scurrying of feet and everything was back to full blast, but that moment lingered in April's mind and she knew that somehow, Cortez is the answer, the missing link.

'I need to find Cortez' said April the next day in the wee hours of the morning. She had a restless night.
'You want to see Cortez?' asked Charlie, he looks worried. 'It seems like I don't know you anymore April, I thought you were afraid of that guy.'
'Well, I'm not anymore... right now, I kinda need his help, he's the only one who can explain all these things that have been happening...'

Charlie kept quiet and drank some of his coffee. 'So you are a “true believer” of the crowd, then?'
'What do you mean?'
'What I mean is, a lot of people who were at the Fringe last night refuse to admit they saw what they saw. They blame it on hidden holographic projectors, drugs in coffee or mass hallucination...'
'That's as good as any explanation, don't you think?' replied April.
'Is it? Amongst all the alternatives, you'd prefer to believe in conspiracy?'
'What? And face the fact that we might all be going mad or something really bad is happening?'
'Who knows April, sometimes it's better to embrace the mystery than trying to explain it...'

She thinks it over for a few seconds and said, 'If there is someone who might have an explanation for it, I want to know... do you know where I could find him?'

Charlie sighed. 'He mentioned earlier today that he was going to watch one of those old movies... at the Mercury Theater... but it's a dangerous neighbourhood, you'd do better if you just forget about it...'

'I can't Charlie... ' April stood up and packed her stuff. 'I have to find him, thanks for the help.'
'Be careful, okay?'
'I will...'

Moments later, April stepped out of the taxi. The streets are filthy and it gives an impression of a dangerous and sleazy neighbourhood, even the Mercury Theater itself appears to be derelict, and on top, a lopsided neon sign blinking lazily. As she entered the theater, she barely noticed the inactivity on the streets, and the pitter-pattering of wild rats.

Inside the theater, every single row was empty except the one occupied by Cortez. He was watching an ancient black and white movie, the sound barely audible.

'Hello, senorita. What made you come looking for me?'
April sat down beside him. She begins slowly, 'I think you know that...' She paused, unsure whether to continue or not.

'So tell me, I'm listening...'
She inhaled and continued, 'Well, something strange is going on and...' Suddenly it dawned onto her. 'Wait. You knew I was going to come back to talk to you again, didn't you?'

'I hoped... and I must apologize for making myself unavailable but I had to lie low for a while.'
'Why? Are you in some kind of trouble with the police?'
'No, senorita, not the police. There are bigger players than the police.'
'Well, I don't want to know. I'm not getting mixed up with mobs or gangs or anything like that.'
'There's not much you want to be mixed up at all, is there?'
'My life's complicated enough as it is Mr Cortez, I...I don't even know what I'm doing here.'
'Answers. You want – you need answers.'
'You keep telling me that, but you never gave me any real answers, only more questions. Like what's going with me? And how do you so much about me?'

'I plan to answer all your questions today, April. But by the time you go to sleep tonight, your world will have changed. And nothing will ever be the same.' Cortez said. He looks sad, as though trying to relieve a heavy burden off April's shoulders yet he can do nothing about it.

'Now you are just being cryptic again, it's like opera sex. Lots of boring dialogue and finally when they go to bed, everything's dark and covered by blankets.'

'You want the full monty, then?' He gets up and continued. 'Come with me, come outside. No more talk, I will show you the truth.' Cortez turned around and started walking slowly outside, April remained rooted. Not only until Cortez's back vanished from sight did she finally decided to go after him. Somehow, she knew the answers lie ahead.

Outside, in the dark alley, Cortez waved his hands on the wall splattered with graffiti behind him.
'So?' said Cortez.
'I'm not sure...' April replied.
'You will be.'

Cortez starts moving towards the wall and making long, deliberate motions with his hands as though he is trying to manipulate it with his mind. 'Step back senorita'

'What for? What are you doing?' Her heart raced. What is Cortez doing?
'Why, Alice, I'm sending you through the looking glass!' He beamed.

Unbelievably, amazingly, the wall dissovled and in its place, a large magical portal appeared. Light seem to radiate from the inside, so strongly it blinded her for a while.

'What...what is that? Please tell me it's a hologram.'
'It's a mirror, to reflect your dreams.'
'But I don't see anything... just light.'
'Oh, you have to step through it.'
'Step through that? Oh no, I don't think so...' she whispered.

'This is the moment of decision April. All time, past and present, revolves around this moment. The destiny of the worlds is in your hands. But you must make the choice on your own...'
'Destiny of worlds...? How do I know it's not going to... kill me if I step through that?'
'I understand, it is difficult for you to believe, but you came here looking for answers... you wanted the truth and here it is, right before your eyes. It is up to you April.'

April eyed Cortez suspiciously, but he betrayed no emotion.

'All right...'

As April stepped forth towards the portal, it hummed with energy and it grew louder every passing moment. She was afraid but more than that, she was curious.

'Good luck April.' said Cortez, but April did not hear him. As the light from the portal consumed her whole. Cortez smiled sincerely and added, 'Vamos, into the light.'

And so April Ryan took the first step on what would soon to be, the longest journey of her life.

-End of Chapter One-

-credits to Ragnar Tornquist (original writer for TLJ) and Thomas Nedved for compiling moments in TLJ in his work - TLJ Screenplay.

By Khoo Chung Ren (Monday 12th October)