Chapter 5: An Unexpected Trip Through Time! The Present is Still Wild!

Image description: A look into the time portal which has a cosmic look to it. Red 3D triangles and some other abstract shapes float in space

The inside of the time portal was a tunnel that resembled outer space but with a colorful tunnel of trailing lights, and colorful abstract shapes. Aurora looked to the side and saw some of these fly past her. It was a great view but one she didn't have much time to appreciate.


Image description: A side view of Aurora on the carriage in the time portal

One twenty to one thirty years away, on the carriage there is a fugitive, catapulted forth in time, over and over...

The control panel on the time machine beeped and said "Error. Unauthorized user detected. Ejecting unauthorized user..."


Image description: Aurora is sent flying from the carriage; the 3D shapes and the glowing streams in the background are green
Image description: Aurora still flying through the portal; she is hardly in view, and the 3D shapes and the glowing streams in the background shifted to blue
Image description: A different view of the portal and the end of it that shows how it looks like a spiral. Aurora is flying towards the end of the portal; the 3D shapes and the glowing streams in the background shifted from blue to purple

Aurora was quickly ejected; she quickly flew past the red and orange colors of the tunnel to the greens, blues and then the purples at the end, where she quickly landed outside of the portal!


. . -- --- ------ * * * * * * ------ --- -- . .

Sometimes she felt she was dreaming, but when she opened her eyes and (regained awareness of her surroundings), she saw that the present is still wild! Yeah, the present is wild!

She landed close to a school that had many trees and bushes in the landscape around it.


Image description: A wide shot that shows three people standing on or sitting on the large branches of a tree

Meanwhile moments before, at a school that had many trees and bushes around it, Katt, Melody and Alicia were high up on one of the trees watching everything below them. This trio of friends were enjoying the morning view and some time before class was going to start.


Image description: Close-up of Katt

"I've could've climbed up here, but this is cooler!" Katt said. Her age was unknown but she was at least 18. She had a pale complexion with waist-length slightly wavy brown hair that was tied into pigtails with large purple ribbons that matched part of her uniform. Her left eye was orange and her right eye was pink. She was widely known as the school's resident stunt performer and UFO spotter, but instead of climbing the tree, she reached it a different way.


Image description: Close-up of Alicia

"From up here, now we're the rulers!" Alicia cheerfully added, reflecting her preparedness to rhyme on a dime. She was a 19-year old student from another school. She had a tanned complexion with chartreuse eyes, straight purple hair with short blunt bangs and with a few black ribbons in her hair. Her interest in goth fashion showed through with the black gloves, long socks and boots she wore with her uniform.


Image description: Close-up of Melody

"Thanks! It took a lot of time and effort to perfect this materialization spell!" Melody said. She was an 18-year old student from one of the country's noble classical mage families, and took pride in her talent with elemental magic. However, her family fell on hard times and she could've gone to the elite prep school across the river due to her connections, but she refused so she could stay with her friends. She had a tawny complexion with straight black hair that reached to her mid-back, worn in a braid.

She wore a canvas satchel with her uniform with pockets on it to store important ingredients. She wore brown loafers, and a long pink sock on one of her lower legs; the other was a metal prosthetic. Her most iconic accessory was her hat, which is orange with a green bow, and multi-colored rose decorations on it.

"Look!! Do you see that?!" Katt blurted out. She pointed towards a purple light surrounded by a small area of darkness that she saw ahead between other trees in view. "I've spotted many UFOs, but not this before!"

Melody and Alicia looked towards where Katt was pointing when they saw it...


Image description: The end of the time portal seen through the trees
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