Elements of Emotion

Chapter 30: The Lost Realms

Caelian felt like a piece of him was missing when they left the Highlands. The Eternal Forest was his home, but over time, he had come to consider the Highlands as another home, and it hurt having to leave it, just like it hurt to leave Zinnia's home. He knew Sol was against him ever returning. But he knew there'd be a day when he'd go back anyway, and someday he'd face Sol again. But that was for another time.

Caelian kept avoiding looking at Zephyr. Every time he saw him he could feel his heart thump uncomfortably against his chest and he'd feel embarrassed for no reason. He had considered telling Zephyr about it, but for some reason his gut told him not to.

Zephyr noticed that Caelian kept avoiding eye contact and felt confused. Why the sudden change? He used to always sit close to him, but now it was like he was making an effort to avoid him. Had he done something to upset him? He had tried to ask him about it, but the words failed to leave his throat. He ended up silently walking along behind Caelian, not wanting to walk beside him if it made him uncomfortable.

It was painful for Damien to watch the two of them interact. They wanted to explain how stupid the two of them were, but they decided it wasn't their place, and would instead just let things run their natural course. So long as it didn't compromise their mission, what happened didn't matter to them.

Evelyn was more curious as to how everything would play out. She didn't say anything due to not wanting to influence anything, but was quietly hoping that the two of them would realize what was going on. She had been rooting for Zephyr, and she hoped Caelian wouldn't be scared away.

Damien had brought them to a shady spot under a tree. Caelian looked around curiously.

"So, what is the entrance to the Lost Reams?" he asked. "Is it very hard to get to?"

Damien shook their head. "It's the easiest realm to access, because you can enter from anywhere."

"Anywhere? Really?" Caelian asked. He watched as Damien knelt down in the shadows, placing their hands on the ground. The tree's shadow began to shimmer, and within seconds a dark void appeared in front of Damien. They stood and took a step back.

"That's... an unusual looking portal," Zephyr couldn't help but comment.

"Is there a problem with it?" Damien asked.

"No," Zephyr said. "I've just never seen it before."

"It's what portals to the Lost Realms look like. Get used to it," Damien said.

Zephyr decided to not say any more as he stepped through the portal and into the Lost Realms. Evelyn followed him shortly after, while Caelian hesitated.

"What, does the portal bother you, too?" Damien asked.

"No," Caelian said. "I'm just still not sure this is what we should be doing."

"What else would we do?" Damien asked.

Caelian sighed. He walked up to the portal, hesitating only a moment before stepping through. The portal felt wet, as if slime were penetrating his clothes, but as soon as he came out on the other side, he felt dry.

It was dark, but neon light illuminated the area around them. Caelian looked up in surprise. Tall concrete buildings stood around them, dull yellow light illuminating from the windows. Litter lined the alleyway they were standing in. As Damien entered through the portal, Caelian stepped out of the alley and peered into the street. Neon signs hung from some of the buildings, casting ever changing colors down onto the streets. A crow cawed from atop one of the signs, its feathers taking on a pink hue.

Caelian jumped in surprise when a car sped down the street next to him. Amazed, he stared off after it. He was vaguely aware of what they were, knowing that they were a human invention. But he hadn't thought that spirits used them. He had seen them parked a couple times on their travels, but never seen them in action, as they tended to avoid any roads suited for cars.