Shadow Beings

11. The Land of Grace

Jay led us to the wooden staircase that reached the depths of Earth into our lowest level, opening into a long and narrow hallway. At one end was our safest room and at the other was the portal, neither I had known about before.

A slight hollowness tugged at my chest, as if this lack of information created a hole in my mind. Not because I thought the portal was something everyone should know about, but because Jay didn't tell me.

What an irrational thought. He doesn't owe me anything. Would my parents have known? Of course they would, they were a part of the council.

Has mum been to the Land of Oblivion?

"Okay, everyone." Jay's soft tone pulled me out of my daze as we came to a stop before a wide door that loomed over us, the black metal faintly shining. I turned around for a moment to see the hall stretch into nothingness, squinting my eyes.

Have we really been walking for that long? It doesn't seem that way... oh.

I closed my eyes and spun myself to land in the same position, opening my eyes and confirming my suspicions. The hall seemed wider and smaller, but still long enough that the entrance wasn't visible. Still longer than we had probably walked.

An illusion was cast throughout the level so that the dimensions of the space were never constant, probably not just in appearance but in other senses as well. Even the light that adorned the walls at intervals was somewhat like an illusion? Or perhaps that is what projected the facade? As I peered into the scene, my thoughts fell in the boundary of chaos and oblivion.

Is this illusion a lie? It's just certain stimuli that we process and turns into a cohesive picture, which is true for everything. Is reality a lie?

"Hey Audrey, why are you dancing?"

The weird girl seemed too proud of her tease, as if a little spin counted as a dance. Of course, I gave Evelyn a friendly whack on the head as I turned back with another spin, then nodded to Jay with a shy smile as an apology for the distraction.

"The portal is a little tricky for first-timers," our leader started in a firm tone, his gaze fixated on us. "It functions either on a person's thoughts or emotions, whatever is the strongest. Even if your emotions are convoluted it will figure out where you want to go but since none of you have any memory associated with Grace, make sure to make space for a single thought: Take me to the Land of Grace.

"The problem here is that words are usually a simplified version of our thoughts, but there's not a lot else you can mean by this one so it should be fine. Focus on what Audrey has told you and don't think about anything you've read or heard about the land. Keywords are, well, key here: Land of Grace, find someone and something, a simmering waterful. No imagery, just information."

"That's it? Isn't that a little simple?" Evelyn said in a surprised tone, her eyebrows furrowed. Jay rubbed his head as he thought, the smile persisting but seeming a little forced now.

"It's not particularly easy to find this portal in the headquarters. Besides, the portal is like a door with a handle on only one side, so no one can come here from any other land unless it isn't 'activated'. It works on very specific time frames so say you go the Land of Grace for a week, the portal won't remain open and you won't be able to come back."

"How will we know about this time frame?"

"You don't worry about that, I'll set them each time you travel. I can change it too so in case something happens so don't forget to communicate with me."

"Good enough, I guess," Evelyn murmured warily, slightly unsatisfied, but she gave a sure nod and wore a sincere smile. Jay returned the gesture, appreciating her trust. I wouldn't be surprised if there was more that Jay didn't tell us.