A groan croaked out of Naerus’ throat, dry and parched like sand crawled its way down. His hand wandered across his body for injuries before it grazed a growing lump on the back of his head that sent waves of pain down his neck. A scent of metal and vanilla wafted through a small breeze like long and cold talons on his face that etched their scent into his memory. His hands trailed the goosebumps that rose over his exposed skin from a far more bitter cold than was to be expected from the air.

  The stone ground was unnaturally soft under his fingertips; almost like it was made of what someone would expect the clouds to feel like. A few blinks to keep his eyes from rolling into the back of his head and for his vision to focus to realise he woke in the alley; it was still dark. “Hestus strike me. Last time I drink that much without Reina there.” His words scratched their way out from the desert that replaced his tongue.

  He crawled to his knees, then the wall for support before finally, he pulled himself to his feet. Just then, a soft hum broke the silence that he wasn’t aware even existed. An ethereal song that was unfamiliar, but beckoned to be found called to him from somewhere within the blanket of abyss that laid before him. The stone street that was firmly planted under his feet was stripped away in the distance, followed by the walls and lanterns. A trail.

  Between his feet and his soul, he stood frozen in an internal battle of logic and curiosity for what is in the beyond. Was he dead? In between planes when the university roads shifted? There was something twisted - wrong about where he was; the familiarity recreated felt artificial, an illusion a mage might conjure.

  Inhale.

  A pause, a want for something to happen, to drive him to an answer.

  Nothing.

  Exhale.

  He took the pocket watch that thankfully still rested in his breast pocket, if he was indeed in a different realm this would give him something to go on at the very least. When in a realm all rings that were not the currently occupied one would spin to show the realm with a small sundial on each ring for the time. Whether by sunlight or moonlight, the watch could accurately weave its way through the magick of whatever realm to keep an accurate account of time and place. This time however each of the six rings spun wildly.

  “That can’t be…” He reset each ring to lay flat against his palm and clicked the small button at the top to get them spinning again. Once again, each of the rings rotated on their axis to create a solid orb. “No time. No realm. Fuck’s sake.” He pinched the bridge of his nose until it turned red and stung from his nails embedding themselves within his flesh.

  The scent of vanilla seemed unwavering and overwhelming, the air around him almost glistened in the right light. With a nervous swallow of saliva that began to come back, his watch tucked carefully into his pocket he glanced at his surroundings. Between the buildings that once stood at least two stories tall were chaotic, the stones and wood planks that once made them beautiful splintered and fractured away from the foundation. Once his eyes caught the nearest lamppost, slow to reveal the lantern that hovered a few inches above the top, his shoulders dropped and jaw wide open.

  Above him, as clear as ever, millions of stars shone brightly overhead, unobstructed by both buildings and light pollution. Streaks of colour unseen before in the city paint the night sky in dazzling light. Constellations twinkled even brighter than he remembered as they actively danced through the stardust. Eurani - The Lost King - knelt before the constellation Axii who turned their back upon the king long ago flickered and dimmed.

  The stars told history and legend right before his very eyes that, in awe, he couldn’t take his attention away. For years he studied each constellation with papers and research, some already published within the library, but to see it with his own eyes was a miracle. A miracle he shouldn’t be experiencing, and yet was this a gift from Hestus themself? An omen that deemed him worthy?

  He stepped back, wanting to take in even more of the sights above him until the heel of his boot clashed with the wall to his back. The hum in the distance, melodic and comforting followed the acts of the stars above or perhaps orchestrated their actions. He wiped his salty palms on his dark green and gold surcoat and cleared the phlegm in his throat, an attempt to distract from the mural being painted in stardust overhead.

  “Hello?” He choked out, now suddenly aware of the sultry song from somewhere in the distance.

  “Excuse me, but where are we?” His voice strained as it tried to throw itself as far into the vast emptiness as it could only to receive no answer.

  The fractured stone wall was the only lead he had to be sure of where he was going, his eyes unable to adjust to the ever-changing light from this place. His footsteps were sluggish and slow, almost as if the ground extended itself from under him midstep. Each time the absence of sound from his footfalls let the hair on his neck stand at attention that something was missing.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The lantern that rested above his head shone brightly in its cage as it battled the dense fog of inky black that dominated its surroundings. With a small stretch, however, he was able to reach the handle to carry it with him, a beacon for whatever or whoever was out there.

  “Who are you? Are you trapped here?” He called out to the melodic notes yearning for even an acknowledgement.

  The song continued without hesitation, without need for breath, hauntingly beautiful. He took in a deep breath, eyes closed to shelter himself from the biting cold that still nipped at his fingertips and cheeks. Once his eyes shut tight a small faint orb of light waltzed in front of him, clear as day yet its light stayed focused. His eyes shot open, and his steps faltered which jolted him backward onto his rear with a thud.

  In front of him was nothing, the same as before. He shut his eyes again and there it was - the orb, teasing him to follow. It moved like an insect that zipped from one area to the next, forward then back in a dance that asked for a partner.

  “You want me to follow you?” Curiosity increased with every second this creature beckoned for him in the dark. It bounced in what he could only assume was agreement at his question.

  “I can’t see you with my eyes open, how can I follow you?”

  “Trust.” A deep rumble that shook the foundation he still sat on answered in response. The voice had a heavy bass that sent goosebumps up his arms once more, that warm breath felt again this time coming from below. It was slow and methodic, confident in just that one word.

  Naerus heard and read the stories that some creatures were not to be interacted with, and anything could come through while within Oracanth with tears into each realm. Even some imps and hexlorn were friendly in some circles, though stories of old always come from some truth in the end. “Okay. I’ll trust you.” If he was to get out of wherever he was, wandering around aimlessly wasn’t going to get him anywhere.

  Naerus was in plenty of his own fights as a youth and knew his way around a variety of weapons, albeit mostly improvised like a coat rack or rolling pin from the kitchen. Here though the odds of standing a chance in a fight with something he could only see with his eyes closed weren’t too high in his favour. He needed out, and to play along was his best bet.

  He rose to his feet, dusted off his pants and coat, then shut his eyes tight. The orb burst into view once again and did what he could only assume was a dance of joy as it swished around midair. Its colour flickered, and a small prism rested within its core came into view as it approached. “Follow.” This time the voice layered between a man and a woman echoed within his head, each voice distinct and familiar of his classmates with small imperfections. Mimicry.

  His head bobbed in agreement and reached a hand out to signal it to lead. The creature skipped into the nothing where the road seemed to fall apart and float into the darkness, stones broken and misshapen like clay a child would play with.

  His toes hung over the edge as he peered down, despite his eyes being shut tight he was able to see each chiseled block that fell forever downward. There wasn’t a light in sight. Forward, however, stones just large enough to fit both feet floated in imperfect patterns, taunting him to jump.

  “Jump. Do it. Follow, you must!” The voice echoed throughout his skull, each word a different voice, a different inflection like it was a culmination of every voice he’d ever heard. He would be lying to himself if he didn’t say he was curious where this was going, after all. With a shake of his limbs and a scrape of his boots on the pavement, he took a running leap and...

  Solid ground.

  He made it to the first stone. A nervous laugh erupted from his body that staggered in relief and amusement. He had jumped blindly into oblivion and succeeded! The rest of the half dozen stones that trailed off became easier after each one, and with each stone, he and the orb moved closer in sync. His confidence oozed off him once he hit one, two, three in quick succession without a pause between them. Then - nothing.

  There was no more stone.

  No more ground.

  Ahead of him led off into the inky blackness that sent unease gurgling up his throat. A taste of stomach acid lurched with his quick stop on the last step took a couple of tries to swallow back down.

  “Jump!” The voice now echoed that of Reina. A small and timid version of Reina that made it seem like she was inviting him into a pool. The type of excitement of jumping off the second-story roof into hay bales like they were kids.

  Jump!

  “I… I’m not sure. There’s nothing. I can’t see anything.”

  Jump.

  The voice was flat, changed again, no longer several voices, but picking out singular. This time that of his servant and friend - Rhuune. A husky voice that enunciated each letter in the word.

  “No. I will not.” He stood firm with boots planted as if trying to anchor himself in place. His head whipped around to return to the ledge, there was nothing. Nothing forward, nothing back. The stones that had led him to the point no longer existed. “What the hell is this?!” He raised his voice enough for it to crack at the end of his question, the panic unable to be contained.

  “You tricked me! Daemon!”

  “Did not. Follow. Jump.” Calm and collected, but direct and stern like a father warning you to listen to him.

  The warm air on the back of his neck made his muscles twitch and tense, ready for whatever battle was sure to follow suit. On the outside he remained rigid and firmly planted in his place, on the inside however, his mouth parched and stomach churned with unease and the taste of bile rose in the back of his throat again.

  “Jump.” He muttered under his breath, at least it sounded like him. His eyes widened, pupils full of fear. His body was no longer his own, mouth open but no sound could escape as he watched himself take a step over the edge.

  And fell.