Creus(Full Book)

Part 13

"The Gates of Reality. Clouds won't fall and turn into stone. But, the ground will shift and the trees will change. The further we go up'', Osmond nodded, "-the more reality weakens, now that we've passed the Gates.... The Nalrath, Salugren, or Salgon could be below us..."

"We'll hurry... The Abyss is behind us now. The encounter with Salugren was luck!" Bernard waved a hand into the air, "And reality weakened because of Galtrand. Floating around everywhere, here, see?"

Bernard stood up and pulled his crucible out of his bag, scratched, but usable. Then he waved it around. He steadied himself as the boat shifted and shook. David followed Bernard's hand. A pearl of blue in the air, running past them. He watched Bernard reach higher, and then, as blue streaked into the crucible. Bernard shut the lid and showed it to Osmond.

"I don't see anything." Osmond frowned, "Then why want to wave it around?"

"That's not it. Wait...That's it! There's something in there!" Bernard pointed inside, "See? Even glowing."

"A single glow, but nothing in there", Osmond tapped his chin as he examined the contents of the crucible. "Show it to David then. Ask him what he sees."

Bernard tilted it to David.

"A blue rock", David saw it shake. He nodded absently, "Glowing, smoking. It's a blue stone."

"Ha-ha-ha! There we go, you've got your answer then."

"I have then", Osmond shook his head, "but there was nothing in there. Look inside, and you'll see nothing. "

"The shrouds are the only reason."

"The Magi Shrouds! I'd forgotten", Osmond shook his head and sighed, "Perhaps now, We're far, far away from the Abyss..."

"Seems to be..." Bernard closed his eyes and leaned against the boat.

They went past rocks, trees, deserts, summers, winters, streams, and lakes. Chaos unfurled before them through unworldly things. But the boat passed it all. Sailing past trees the size of small mountains, taller than him. , the trees grew smaller than blades of grass. He waved his hand over some, saw his shadow fall onto them. David picked one of them up and held it to his face. A tree with every detail. With leaves, branches, trunk, bark, and everything. A tree, not big, not huge, but small.

Osmond and Rickman watched the view around him. Osmond drew in his notebook. Blue, crumpled, and large. Darrell sat looking at the multitudes of trees. Pnoaphales nearly eclipsed the sun. The remaining light David let stream across his face.

After the sun went past the world and grey covered the world, he cleaned himself with water and blinked. His eyes saw only blurs of light. David squinted and focused. Certain colorful points stood like twinkling stars. Others weren't there at all.

Green steaks were the trees going past. Quiet red glowed from Rickman. David shut his eyes and listened. But something covered his ears. It replaced it with a single ringing noise. It whined within his mind. His head pounded as blood rushed through it. David shook his head, blinked his eyes open. He wiped more water across his face. But, below him, his hands weren't there for him. Blurs, like everything else. David gripped the bag and tried to think of other things. Only temporary. It wasn't the plague...No...

He scooted over to Rickman. Everything whirled, the world around him, shaking, whirling. Blurry, blurry. The boat, the boat sped, rocketing past.

"Stop...", David stumbled. Around him, the world turned, "Stop the boat..."

"Don't worry. We only have some time until we stop", Rickman nodded.

"No...", David collapsed into the boat, and nearly tumbled over the side. Rickman didn't notice while the paddle turned in his hand.

Bernard ran to him, lifted him onto the side, then turned, calling out to Rickman.

"Rickman?", Rickman didn't look, "Rickman!"

Head pounded... Colorful skies... Crystalline colors... Nothingness... What was impossible in reality was possible in his head...

"Alright," Rickman didn't turn, but stopped the boat. "Then I'll set up the tents, and we'll camp."

They arrived at a rocky shore. Thunder erupted through the air and ravaged the trees. Rain and wind swept the leaves in small twisters. Trees wavered and leaned toward Pnoaphales. The soil, mixed with droplets of rain, dripped down the hills. David stumbled into the grass and scrambled over the moss. They set up tents, boiled water, made soup, and reheated their bread.

The fire blazed, increasing in its inferno as he moved to it. But, too close, and he felt as if he lay in those flames. While he sat, Darrell drank more wine. He left vases behind him and small jars. They made dull echoes as droplets fell upon them and the wind made them spin. David looked at Darrell. Hope twinkled in those eyes, but haggard lineaments ruined his beautiful smile.

Above them, stars covered the sky like shattered silver. Underneath those shining stars, they talked for a while. While he sat, he felt small bursts of warmth inside him. They filled him inside and left him content. The blurs sharpened until he saw the pointy treetops and drained vines. He tapped his ears and heard the sounds of pattering rain and soft voices. The wind blew at the fire, but smoke rose through it all, and the fire continued to blaze.

They slept early. David managed to drink another vial. He uncapped it, seeing the liquid drain from the glass. He closed the cap, buried the vial underneath the mud. He slept... Sleeping... Away from the world... Into his mind... He hid under the tent canvas and dreamed of worlds... Dreams....

A series of orbs, each dream, came to him. He explored each of them, seeing through omnipresent eyes. He fell into the jaws of an infinite creature and rebounded off the ridged sides. Into the Cave Of Other Worlds, with orbs stacked above another. He saw another. Inside, he went, into the grass waving in the air.

Hills covered the earth, and he heard a heartbeat. Then, seeing it in full view, enveloped in purple veins. It expanded with blood filling and flowing through its ventricles. It twitched with each thump, and crimson ran through the hills. He ran from it, but David was carried by the waves into further orbs. He saw infinite images of worlds unknown. Hands placing bricks, towers extending higher, crowds yelling, wars occurring between another, and more... Broken shards with broken images shone the brightest... Faces, rocky pillars, deteriorated things, old edifices, vines that webbed along walls, and more...