Alba’s restaurant

This is a restaurant near a magic transit station. In order to explain, I have to dump some lore.

Centuries ago, humans were divided into those who could use magic and those who couldn’t. Those who couldn’t use magic viewed magicians with jealousy and suspicion. Tensions rose between them until one day an accident occurred resulting in the death of a non-magician.

This immediately sparked a witch hunt. While the magicians could defend themselves, they were outnumbered. The wisest and most powerful among them hatched an ambitious plan: if they weren’t welcome wherever they went, then why not create their own world?

Their exodus plan had multiple parts:

• Funnel the natural magic radiating out of the Earth into a separate world and contain it with a barrier so that it didn’t disperse
• Create portals to transport refugees and materials to that world
• Hide their existence in pocket dimensions with enchantments and charms
• Assist and direct Gifted to the portals
• Designate trusted sentries (such as the aos sí) to stay to check if it’s safe to return and to maintain the portals

Miraculously, the plan worked. The magic world was created, and non-magicians didn’t have to deal with them anymore. As time passed, the magic world became self-sustaining, and the anti-magician sentiment faded away.

All the while, the sentries guarding the portals kept in touch, and the bravest of the magicians eventually came back to test the waters. They were amazed by how foreign the world had become: the skyscrapers, smartphones, the speed at which people learned of news. Faced with a world with invisible rules, they strived to understand what they did not.

As more returned, the portals were repurposed into transit stations to allow for two-way travel and the exchange of goods. Thanks to that, stores and restaurants like Alba’s can exist.

The next part of Jane’s and Aislinn’s story features this restaurant and Alba, a character I have yet to introduce. I thought about waiting for Alba’s design and the story to be finished before releasing everything all at once, but I couldn’t wait!