As the sun rose from the horizon, everyone woke up and gotten ready in the Moon Nexus. But Lujanne had generously offered to make breakfast for everyone with the most tantalizing dishes to be seen.
"Elves and humans over here." Lujanne pointed to the garland-covered table. "And those with three or more legs can sit there, with Phoe-Phoe." Lujanne gestured to a nearby clearing with her pet moon phoenix was standing. Phoe-Phoe guarded four large bowls with her spread feathers, but Diana and Callum could both see that the dishes were healed with squiggling worms. Ava, Zym, and Bait hopped over to Phoe-Phoe and immediately began eating.
"You named your pet 'Phoe-Phoe'?" Ellis asked Lujanne in her eager voice.
"She's a moon phoenix," Lujanne said. "Her name is short for Phoenix-Phoenix."
Phoe-Phoe squawked and flapped her brilliant blue wings when she heard her own name.
"Can we try whatever we want?" Callum asked as he greedily eyeing an iced chocolate cake. Ezran and Ram had already helped themselves to a plate of cookies, but Callum didn't want to be rude.
"Of course, dear," Lujanne said sweetly. "The choice is all yours."
"You have amazing food up here." Ezran's mouth was full and he clutched pastries in both hands. "What's your secret?"
"Well..." Lujanne started. She tapped her fingernail on her tan cheek. Her lip twitched. "My secret is... that it's a fake."
"Fake?" Diana echoed suspiciously, her arms crossed over her chest and hidden amusement has started to creep up.
"You're actually eating grubs," Lujanne said, smiling sweetly.
Callum and the elves froze in midbite, and then placed their food on the table. Callum tried to stay focused on the flaky goodness, but now that he knew it was spell, he was starting to detect the writhing larvae that were apparently being disguised by the illusion. Both Runaan and Ethari looked at each other in slight amusement and disgust.
"Oh, you must mean 'grub'?" Ezran asked as he brushed a few dark curls from his eyes. "Like as in, 'Wow, this is some good grub!"
"Umm... I don't think that's what she meant, Ez." Diana looked somewhat amused at their predicament and a little sympathetic for them to accidentally slipping into the illusions again. "Have you've seen what our animal friends are eating?" Everyone looked at the animals who were all eating grubs. "Those are the same grubs that you all are eating right now."
Ezran and Ram clutched their stomachs. Callisto, Skor, and Andromeda covered their mouths. Runaan and Ethari both looked unnerved at the situation. Nearby, Ellis continued to chew what appeared to be a slice of blueberry chocolate pie.
"I don't care," Ellis said as she cut herself another slice as Ezran and Ram both quietly vomited onto the grass. "Worms. Flies. Yesterday's garbage. This illusion pie is the best I've ever had."
Diana bursted out laughing at their disgusted expressions, earning a few grumpy glares from her friends.
"Thanks for letting us stay here, Lujanne," said Ethari to the Moon mage.
"We'll stay here for one more day, but we must keep an eye out for danger," Runaan said. "Everyone stay on your feet." He looked intently at each member of the group.
Rayla's violet eyes landed on Zym and said, "You work on getting off those feet!" Zym yipped eagerly and seemed to be trying to flap his wings.
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By the afternoon, Diana accompanied Lujanne to a place called Moonhenge.
"Not impressed?" Lujanne said.
The two of have both climbed a huge number of stairs to see amazing sighting. Shimmering pools of water surrounded a collection of ruins — the remains of structures that had clearly once formed the perimeter of a moon-shaped building. A gushing, marvelous waterfall reflected the light of a faintly visible daytime moon. It was peaceful and supernatural.
"It's beautiful," whispered Diana. "Thanks for showing me around, Lujanne." Learning from a real Moon mage felt authentic, like she was a true apprentice.
Lujanne smiled at Diana's curiosity of moon magic and said, "Come on, this way." Diana picked up the pace with her. "This is the Moonhenge." The Moon mage gestured towards the ruins around them. "It's a special place that magically connects with the Moon Nexus at the top of the caldera." Diana smiled at Lujanne as she continued explaining. "Thousands of years of ago, when Xadia was one land, this place physically embodied a very deep magic. The architecture, the design, every aspect of this place was itself a magical symbol, like a massive intricate rune. The ancient ancestors of Moonshadow elves performed fantastic rituals here. Would you care to take a peek?" Diana nodded eagerly, her eyes bright with excitement and curiosity.
Lujanne chanted a spell: "Historia viventem." She traced a rune in the air as she spoke the ancient words and made a sweeping gesture with her arm.
Sudden, Diana felt an ice-cold wave run through her body. When she blinked, she was staring at the back of an ancient elf — it seemed like a ghost had just passed through her! Then the cracked ruins began to glow electric blue. Before Diana's eyes, the cracked ruins resealed themselves, and the ancient structures grew into their grandeur, though they were made of only faint ghostly light. Two moonlit chapels reached high into a dark sky. It was as if Diana was looking into the distant past, a spectator at an event that had occurred over a thousand years ago. Dozens of translucent elf ghosts walked through the phantom Moonhenge, lost in their own world.
"Legends say those ancient elves could use the power of the Moonhenge to open a portal through the Moon Nexus to another plane," Lujanne said. "It was a shimmering world beyond life and death. Or perhaps it was a plane between life and death? Beyond or between, either way, this was one strange plane, and very dangerous."
Diana didn't care which description was correct; this place captured imagination. A world on the other side of life and death sounded like the type of place where she might be reunited with her parents.
She watched the sparkling elf illusions dance. Some were playing beautiful stringed instruments.
"But what happened here?" Diana asked.
Lujanne released the spell and the illusions evaporated, leaving only rubble, and said, "The Moon druids destroyed it themselves — when Xadia was divided in two. The Moon Nexus happened to be in the side of the continent that was designated for humans. So the Moon druids decided it was safer to disable this magical place."
The more Diana heard about fighting and war, the less sense it made to her. Now, because of the fighting, no one could enjoy this special place. It wasn't even worth thinking about reuniting wither her parents — this portal is closed forever.
As the sun started to set, the pair walked along a path that led up from the Moonhenge to the edge of the caldera. Lujanne's energy was boundless - Diana had trouble keeping up.
The two of them walked side-by-side, so Lujanne could could start to her. "Through primal magic is everywhere, it may be weaker or stronger at different times and places. The Ocean is strongest at a high tide. The Sky is strongest in a storm. And the Moon is the strongest when it's full. But there's more. There are six special places where the magic of primal energies is most pure and powerful in this world. Such a place is called a Nexus."
She gestures to the caldera spread out in front of them. It's an enormous circular crater filled with sparkling blue water. Diana gasped. The caldera was a miracle of nature. The clear blue water shimmered in pink and orange in the waning afternoon light. Something about it reminded Shira of the moon.
"The Moon Nexus reflects the moon perfectly," Lujanne continued. "When the moon is full, its light completely fills the lake. Moonlight is already a reflection, each and every ray of light reflected off the moon itself. Moon reflects sun, as death reflects life." Lujanne closed her eyes as if lost in deep thought.
Diana smiled softly at Lujanne and she said, "Thank you for telling me about the Moon Nexus."
"Of course my dear," said Lujanne with a smile. "I must say it pretty impress for you humans to create a primal stone that small. I couldn't seem to see that one you used."
"Oh, I don't have a primal stone," Diana said. "I learned how out to connect to the Stars arcanum a month ago and Callum learned how to do the Sky arcanum when he was younger."
"A human doing primal magic never thought I live to see the day," commented Lujanne as the two of them both smiled at each other.
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Much farther down the hillsides of the Cursed Caldera, Ezran geared up to give Zym a lecture on flying. Callum, Rayla, Runaan, Ethari, Skor, Callisto, Andromeda, Ram, and Orion had joined to watch the practice. Bait was there too, a stern expression on his face.
Ezran placed Zym on top of a small boulder and readied himself to give the baby dragon with some firm, but kind words.
Zym looked down at the crowd, wide-eyed and innocent.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Ez?" Callum asked him. "I mean, he's only a few weeks old."
"I'm sure." Ezran gave him a determined smile, but Callum looked concerned still. "Okay, Zym. It's time to buckle down and get to work." Ezran put his hands on his hips.
"Flying is a natural and beautiful thing," Ezran said. "Now, that doesn't mean it's going to be easy." Bait grumbled in agreement. "Ready, Zym?" The baby dragon watched on curiously. "Wings out! And... FLAP!" Ezran stretched his arms out and demonstrated flapping as best as a human could. "Come on! You have to flap those wings." He jumped up and down, but Zym didn't seem to be catching on.
The little dragon tilted his head to the side... and toppled over from the weight of his own head!
Everyone flinched. Callum stepped forward. Ellis laughed at the sight.
"Oh no — are you okay?" Ezran asked as Zym pulled himself up into a standing position and his head was being held up straight. "One more time. We'll try it nice and slow. Flaaaa...aaap." Ezran raised and lowered his arms in response as a demonstration, while Callum joined his side.
Zym slowly unfolded his wings and jumped onto Callum with eager yipping, he started licking Callum eagerly and making him laugh. The elves and Ellis laughed at the sight of it.
"That was a good try!" Ellis yelled.
A few minutes later, they returned to the flight practice boulder. Since Ezran didn't know how to fly himself, he thought he should find someone with real-life experience to guide Zym.
Ezran stepped forward with a smile and said, "And... we're back. This time we're here here with a special guest. She's mystical, magical, Moon-powered, and she knows how to fly. Please welcome: Phoe-Phoe!"
Ellis clapped and the others silently watched as Lujanne's moon phoenix stepped forward regally.
"Ready, Phoe-Phoe?" Ezran said. "Show him how it's done."
Phoe-Phoe spread her enormous blue wings and flapped. Almost effortlessly, she took flight.
"See?" Ezran said. "It's pretty easy." He felt a little bad saying that, not having any idea how to do it himself. But Zym tentatively opened his wings in imitation of Phoe-Phoe. He soon jumped off of the boulder jumped onto Callum with eager yipping, he started licking his dad eagerly and making him laugh.
"Easy son." Callum chuckled as he placed Zym over his shoulders. "I think that's enough flight practice for today. We can figure it out later. It's getting late."
Callum was right. It was clearly evening, but the stars started to sparkle brightly in the night sky. Despite the darkness of the sky, the stars were so bright and clear like distant diamonds sparkling in the night, while the sky is like deep sapphire blue velvet that sparkled with the beautiful constellations overhead. As the clouds cleared, a silver circle of the full moon had also appeared in the night sky and had casted its soft silvery beams of light over the forest.