The Glass Jar

The blinding light slowly disappeared. The mana in the air dissipated. The ground they stood on became firm but soft and gritty. They were on desert land. The dry wind carrying sand eerily floated between the scattered adventurers. The houses carved and molded from stone appeared everywhere around them. There were market stalls filled with different kinds of fruits and wares.

The Scholars of the Firefly are in the middle of the town square. The evening sky was dark red. The mountain erect in the distance can be seen. The red moon hid beside it, covered in ash colored clouds.

“Are we here?” Leon spoke. “I supposed we’re here. But it’s odd. Luca, Andrew go check with the Fireflies and see how everyone's doing. The crew's well-being is top priority, right now. Be careful Andrew and you too, Luca." Leon looked at Isaac at placed his hand on companion's shoulder. "Isaac, please take care of them.” Andrew’s eyes turned dark. He felt an ache in his chest.

The three left and went to the crowd of the Fireflies.

“Mary, Rhea, you two alright?” Leon asked.

“I’m all good, captain,” Rhea answered.

“I’m fine. But something is definitely weird,” Mary said and pointed out at the empty streets. “Where is everyone?”

"There's no one here but us?" Leon said as he looked at the surroundings. He glanced at Mary and she quickly understood.

"There should be a way gate device here. But I supposed they moved it up. But that can't be. Or maybe they placed it underground?" Rhea said. "Is Jerusalem that advanced to make this kind of feat? I've never heard of-"

"Andrew! Link me to everyone," Leon suddenly shouted.  Andrew linked the Fireflies to Leon. A buzzing sound echoed in the mind of the adventurers. But Leon's voice was loud enough to be understood. "Fireflies! In line!"

The commanding officer blew his trumpet but was immediately stopped by Leon. The bustling noises of the hurrying adventurers sounded throughout the empty streets. This time the adventurers were more at ease and their pattern systematic. Their captain, Leon, wanted to show himself impressed and proud of how his people just obeyed a single command but a pressing issue was more apparen.

After the adventurers had settled and stood at attention, Leon walked in front of them followed by Mary. Andrew and Rhea were on one side and Luca and Isaac were on the opposite. Leon glanced at Isaac. The latter nodded. The captain was about to speak when he sighed, stood at ease, crossed his arms and closed his eyes. In a few moments there was an unnerving silence throughout the streets.

Mary was shocked and was ready to reprimand her superior when all of a sudden she stopped in her motion. Both feet pointed towards Leon, her hands on hips and her face about to get angry.

"Captain!" Rhea shouted. "I can't move? Something went wrong. Captain, I don't know what I did wrong. Captain! Captain!"

It started with tense murmurs from the back line of the adventurers. Then it became clearer. The faint voices turned to scattered whispers and an intense commotion. The adventurers could not move their body except their eyes and mouths.

"What's going on? I can't move. Guys! What's happening? Help!" the panic stricken adventurers suddenly started shouting.

In the sideline Isaac slowly stooped behind Luca and whispered in her ears. "Don't worry, I'm here." Luca tried to move but Isaac stopped her with a spell. "Don't move. I'll release you, so please stay put." He removed the spell he casted on her.

"You knew how to cast a paralysis spell?" Luca asked as drips of sweat slithered down the side of her head. She was anxious. "I know you're a great fighter but I never knew you could cast a spell like that? But enough of that, what is going on?" Luca slowly wiggled her toes and her finger. Her mind was at ease. She could move. "I could move?" She slowly raised her arm but she suddenly couldn't. Isaac placed her once more in his paralysis spell.

"I'll remove the spell once more, so please listen and don't move," Isaac sighed and removed his spell once again.

"What's going on?" Luca asked.

"We're caught in a trap," Isaac said.

Chaos ensued among the ranks of the adventurers. Unbeknownst to them, the evening sky grew darker. The red moon blinked. Red clouds gathered across the sky and only the moon was untouched by the clouds. A hint of red hue blended in the dark horizon. The mountain that once stood in the distance can no longer be seen.

On the side, Andrew's lips formed a smile. Mary noticed and tried whispering to Leon.

"I know," Leon whispered, interrupting Mary.

"Fireflies caught should burn brighter  and make not a single noise but the flutter of their wings. Or have I made an error, are their mouths larger than their wings?"

The red moon once again blinked. The adventurers can once again move. The adventurers vaguely heard the voice that spoke. It was clear to the Firefly officials.

"I can move. I can move now. What happened? What's going on? Captain, what's your order? Captain? Look at the sky. What on earth? Captain?" the adventurers shouted.

The captain of the fireflies stood still as well as Mary beside him. Isaac and Luca did the same. Andrew quickly ran towards the back of the crowd. Rhea went to her superior officers.

The adventurer kept talking while they took on a battle stance, ready for a battle to happen. The red moon blinked once more and the shadow of the adventurers turned darker. A few adventurers pointed towards the moon, they noticed it blinked. Others looked at their shadow, something was not right.  A slit opened in the middle of the adventures' shadows and pupils of red appeared. Once more, the adventurers were unable to move. It added more to their fear and irritation.

“The moon! It’s a giant eye! Look!” said one of the adventurers that noticed it blinked. Those who were looking up shouted in fear. While those not looking up prayed in fear. The Fireflies were afraid.

An ominous laughter came from the red evening sky. It was eerily vague at first but it grew louder as it descended and echoed in the crowd.

"What should we do?" Luca asked Isaac. She was shaking.

"Stay calm, the captain has a plan," Isaac said. “Look at the captain’s feet.”

She then noticed there was a white magic circle beneath Leon and Mary. It was glowing faintly radiant. Vague enough to be noticed. Luca slowly titled her and noticed they were also standing on a white magic circle. Rhea and Andrew were not standing on a magic circle.

“We’re safe inside,” Isaac said. “Please, refrain from moving.”

Rhea’s sweat slid down the side of her head and tears ran down her cheeks. She was crying, agitated that she couldn’t move. Her eyes were shaking.

“It’s all my fault, Captain,” Rhea’s voice trembled. “I made a mistake. I don’t know how. But I know I did something wrong. I’m sorry, captain, vice-captain. It’s my fault. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Leon’s eyes opened wide. He nonchalantly stomped his foot on the ground.

“Have you had enough?” Leon angrily shouted. The force of his foot cracked the fabric of reality on the ground. Fissure crawled across the ground beneath the Fireflies and climbed on to the walls of the houses and market stalls. Instead of going over the roofs, the crack immediately climbed on the horizon and straight to the sky. It was as if they were all trapped inside a glass jar. The shattering stopped before barely touching the moon.

“This is amusing. I didn’t know an Owed is among these insects. Or are you just human?” the ominous voice echoed.

Leon smiled. “Try me,” he shouted as he slammed the back of his fist in the air beside him. The ominous voice laughed, belittling the captain. A weak sound of cracking glass can be faintly heard. The captain removed hand and revealed a fissure in the air. He raised his arms towards the Fireflies. The white magic circle beneath them grew large and covered the entire ground his crew stood on. The Fireflies were then able to move. Mary immediately caught Rhea as she was about to fall on her knees. She comforted her as Rhea cried. “It’s not your fault, Rhea. It's not your fault.”

Andrew stood in shock.  He couldn't move. Luca and Isaac ran towards their superiors.

The fissure caused by Leon’s fist climbed up the sky and slit a crack across the red eyed moon. The pocket dimension they were trapped in shattered. Pieces of glasses were falling off the sky and disintegrated to dust then to nothing.

“Andrew!” Leon shouted. Andrew ran towards the adventurers. “Good job on prioritizing the Fireflies.” Andrew smiled and bowed his head. There was a sadness in their captain's eyes, both Mary and Isaac noticed. The younger brother’s eyes sparkled in glee. He was happy his older brother noticed him. But Leon knew.

“The little trickster appears all too happy, unaware of the consequences he lightly did. A spark, no matter how small, can cause even a great wildfire. We cannot have that, can we?” it was the ominous voice. It was angry. The air around the adventurers grew heavy.

The shadow beneath Andrew turned reddish. Dark red tendrils meterialized above his shadow. They were sharp as spears. Leon noticed and in an instant switched positions with Andrew. The tendrils shot up to the captain. Leon’s torso, right arm and left leg were impaled and his left arm was torn off. The arm that fell got swallowed by the ground.

“This is more than you’re ever worth, little trickster.” the ominous voice said as Fireflies were set free from the dimension they were trapped in.

The entire town square vanished. The horizon and the night sky changed. The dark night sky was filled with radiant stars and the pale silver moon. The mountain supposed to be distant was closer to them. The desert houses and market stalls around them were gone. Nearby an abandoned desert village can be seen beside the mountain.

Far beyond the sand dunes, lights and smoke glimmered and slithered toward the sky, it was Jerusalem. The ground beneath their feet was still sand and the shadows crawled as far as the moonlight illuminated.