Chapter 24: Through The Threshold
Lucas, Iris, and Hagan crept through the icy cave’s main passage. Waving the lantern from side to side, Lucas observed the corridor. He looked down at the tiny sharp stalagmites scattered throughout the area. It’s a wonder I didn’t trip and fall onto those things when I went through here the other day.
“How far in is this thing, anyway?” Hagan asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Lucas replied. “It felt like I was walking forever the first time I was here... but then again, I didn’t have a lantern.”
The trio walked for several minutes before reaching a vast room. In its center was the swirling multicolored vortex from which Lucas had emerged. Surrounding the portal was a stone frame nearly identical to the one Lucas had observed in Roshan’s Café. “This is it,” he informed his comrades. Iris and Hagan were instantly captivated by the spectacle.
“What a fascinating anomaly!” Iris noted.
“Yeah, that’s something else alright,” Hagan affirmed. He turned to Lucas. “So, how does it work?”
“We just have to step inside,” Lucas replied. “The trip through the gateway is a little scary, but it doesn’t last too long.”
Hagan was intrigued. “Scary?”
Lucas nodded. “It’s hard to explain, but you’ll see what I mean.” They stood in front of the portal for a short duration, gazing at its chromatic display. Lucas took a step closer to it. “I guess I’ll go first.”
“We’re right behind you,” Hagan assured him. Lucas put out the lantern and returned it to the backpack. Slinging it over his shoulders, he took a few seconds to prepare himself before jumping into the portal. Once he had disappeared, Hagan turned to Iris. “Ladies first.”
She examined the gateway. “Very well. I’m uncertain of what to expect... which admittedly makes me nervous.”
Hagan rolled his eyes. “You’ll be fine; just do it.” After a brief period of hesitation, Iris entered the vortex. She was quickly followed by Hagan.
* * * *
Iris screamed, flailing wildly as she was pulled down the kaleidoscopic tunnel. Hagan, while startled, was not quite as shaken by the journey. Observing her visible state of panic in the distance ahead of him, he chuckled to himself. It took several seconds before they reached the opposite end of the portal.
Lucas stood by the vortex, awaiting the arrival of his companions. Iris emerged first. Her eyes were clenched shut and her lips trembled, her face somewhat obscured by her messy hair. Hagan showed up next, laughing hysterically the moment he arrived. “I’ve never seen you flip out like that!”
“That was not funny,” Iris snapped. “I found that journey to be unbearably–” there was a pause as her eyes opened. “This... is the In Between?” Lucas nodded. Iris ran her hands through her hair, attempting to tame it as she viewed the colorless landscape around them. “Incredible...”
Hagan plucked a blade of grass. Holding it inches from his face, he closely examined the plant’s thin white outline, the remainder solid black. “Weird...”
Lucas smirked. “Wait until you see the water.”
“It seems to be nighttime here,” Iris pointed out, observing the starry sky above.
“No, it’s always like that,” Lucas explained. “What’s even stranger is that it doesn’t get darker or brighter wherever you go.”
“Interesting...” Iris responded, a puzzled look on her face.
“Don’t try to make sense of it,” Lucas mentioned, “it’ll only give you a headache.”
“Well, I suppose we should begin exploring,” Iris suggested, taking her first few steps away from the vortex. “In which direction should we venture?”
Lucas looked into the distance. “Well... I don’t really know. I doubt I’ll be able to find my way back to where I first showed up. I just followed Zoe the whole way here.”
Hagan turned his attention to the massive mountains bordering the field. “There’s a valley between those mountains over there. Let’s see where it takes us.”
As they walked, Iris glanced back at the portal. “It’s imperative that we remember which direction we came from. We cannot afford to get lost.”
Lowering his flask from his lips, Hagan shoved the container in Iris’s direction. “You need a drink.”
“I most certainly do not,” she replied. “Nor do you for that matter. We are exploring an entirely new dimension. You need to stay focused, Hagan.”
With a sigh, Hagan put the lid back on his flask. “You’re just like my mother.”
They traveled through the valley, marveling at the peculiar scenery as they moved. “You said this place is some kind of afterworld, right Lucas?” Hagan inquired.
“Not exactly,” Lucas replied. “Zoe said it was a middle ground between the Netherworld and our dimension. Honestly, I’m not sure I totally understand it myself. “
All three of them jumped as a small glowing ball zoomed past them. They quickly turned around, but saw no one. “Who threw that?!” Hagan yelled. There was no reply.
“Strange...” Iris said softly, scanning the surrounding area for some sort of clue as to what they had just witnessed.
“Maybe that was a soul,” Lucas presumed.
Hagan resumed walking. “It could’ve been anything,” he said. “Just keep your eyes open.”
Eventually the group reached the end of the valley and found themselves at the edge of a broad river. The gray water rushed loudly as Lucas browsed the bank, trying to find a suitable crossing point. “Looks like a dead end,” he finally admitted.
“That’s unfortunate,” said Iris. “Oh well, I suppose we’ll have to investigate another area.”
“What?!” Hagan interrupted. “It’s just water! Let’s swim across.”
Iris shook her head. “It’s too risky. Not only does the river appear to have a very strong current, but we’re unsure as to what kind of creatures may inhabit its water.”
“I doubt there’s anything in there,” Hagan answered. “I haven’t seen any monsters the entire time we’ve been here... And Lucas said he didn’t see anything the last time either.”
“Perhaps it’s only coincidence,” Iris asserted. “We cannot afford to take such a risk based solely on speculation.”
“Alright,” Hagan finally responded, his disappointment apparent. “Let’s head back then.”
The three turned toward the valley and began walking back to the field they had arrived in. Hagan sighed. “It’s starting to look like we’re not gonna learn very much from this place.”
“Not necessarily,” Iris replied, “there is much we have yet to survey.”
“Look!” Lucas exclaimed, pointing to the distance at three small glowing objects approaching rapidly.
“Ignis orbis!” Hagan shouted, conjuring a fire orb.
“What are you doing?!” Iris cried.
Hagan glanced at her. “Relax, I’m just getting ready in case they’re hostile.” The tiny luminous spheres quickly increased altitude and shot off into the sky, disappearing within seconds. Hagan’s orb vanished. “I guess they don’t like us.”
“They appeared to be identical to the entity we observed earlier,” Iris noted. “Perhaps Lucas’s assumption was correct. It’s highly likely that they are souls, especially taking into consideration what we know about this dimension.”
Hagan looked over at Lucas. “Didn’t you say the Knowms somehow make them into monsters?”
Lucas nodded. “That’s how I understood it.”
Without warning, the entire area surrounding the trio began to turn white. Hagan’s eyes widened. “Alright, now what’s happening?”
Lucas’s head darted around the quickly whitening landscape. “I don’t know! This definitely didn’t happen the last time I was here!”
As the scenery became solid white, Iris started to tremble. “It seems that we’re being transferred into some sort of void!”
Hagan grabbed his bow. “Get ready, I’ve got a bad feeling.”