Tear in the Megaverse WATTPAD VERSION [Inter-Universal Protectors Series: 5]

20 - DẼSRE-KANA

Colt awoke in a bed. It was safe to say it wasn't his. That would have been too easy, to brush everything off as a bad dream. If only it were possible.

He was in a domed shape building. It was small, a curtain of fabric working as a door. A small firepit lay in the centre of the building, a metal pot hanging over the flames. Whatever was cooking smelt quite nice. A small table was shoved against one rounded wall, as was a storage shelf. Aside from that, the room was empty.

Bast!

Colt looked around frantically only to find his old friend lying beside him. He shook her until she moved, sitting up and rubbing her eyes with a frown. Bast looked sleepily between Colt and their surroundings. "I thought we were in a desert."

"We were," Colt said. "Something put us to sleep."

"Whoever they are, they do not seem too worried." Bast pointed to the side. Her staff along with Colt's bag of supplies were leaning against a wall. "If they thought us a threat, surely they would have thrown those out."

Colt nodded slightly. This was too strange.

"Oh, good, you're awake."

The pair watched as a woman came into the dome house. She had dark skin, long curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. She was dressed in clothes similar to what Bast wore – a pale strapless linen dress, the skirts down to her ankles. A golden necklace was around her neck, and golden droplets hung from her ears. She walked calmly over to the pot, lifting the lid to check inside. With a thoughtful hum, the woman picked up a spoon, beginning to move the contents into two clay bowls. She brought them over to the pair and sat cross-legged across from them.

"Eat," the woman said. "You will need your strength."

Colt and Bast exchanged glances and ate. The food was as good as it smelt, a nice hot stew. In all honesty, it made Colt feel homesick. They often had something similar back home during the cold season.

"You are on Dẽsre-Kana," the woman said, stirring her stew. "What brings you to this world?"

"In all honesty," Bast started, "we are quite lost."

The woman nodded. "Rifts are commonplace here, even more so than before. The quake did much damage to the walls around this land. Forgive me," she continued with a smile, "I have not introduced myself. My name is Tomesha."

"I am Colt." He pointed his spoon at Bast. "This is Bast. Did you say 'Dẽsre-Kana'?"

"That I did," Tomesha said. "You have heard of it?"

"In passing." Colt looked down at his stew. "The Empty Land is in Lyriumian and Terpolite mythology. It is thought to be a wasteland where few tribes, protectors of a Deity, roam. Though not much is known about it."

Tomesha pushed her hair over her shoulder. "You are close." She put her bowl aside and stood. "Follow me."

Curious, they did as they were told. Tomesha led the pair outside. They were in a camp made up of the same small, rounded buildings. Each one looked identical from the outside, the only difference being what was left by the door. Some people had empty pots, others had small tables, and some had nothing at all. Water pots stood in the shade cast by the buildings, each one filled to the brim.

Colt raised his hand to shield his eyes from the three suns baring down on them from above. No wonder this place was called 'empty'. It was too hot for most things to survive. It was a wonder that the water didn't evaporate the moment the suns' rays struck it.

Tomesha begun following the path between houses. Bast and Colt rushed to keep up. She took them to what looked like the centre of the camp. It was only a few metres away, though the buildings around it made it feel longer. A large firepit had been dug into the ground and surrounded by a stone circle. Small stones—chairs perhaps? —were placed at regular intervals around it. A makeshift 'kitchen', if it could even be called that, was on one side with even more large water pots.

It was here, beside the firepit, that Tomesha had them stop and wait. As she rushed into the cluster of domes once more, other inhabitants of the camp begun making their way to the firepit, giving the pair strange looks. They all looked Human.

"I do not believe they get visitors often," Bast whispered nervously. Colt nodded his agreement.

Tomesha returned with two other women. Bast and Colt couldn't hide their surprised. The three women had the same face!

Tomesha stood beside the firepit first, holding a wooden staff with a bejewelled head. "These are my sisters Amaterasu and Cleo." She pointed to each in turn.

Amaterasu had the same dark skin and brown eyes as her sister. While her hair was also the same brown, it was a different style. One side was shaven off while the other hung in long waves down her left side. She held a tall golden sceptre covered in crystals.

Cleo also had the same dark skin and brown eyes. Her hair, however, was done in a box-braid style, the many small braids brushing the base of her spine. She held a tabar, an ancient weapon made up of both a battle axe and hammer.

"We know you visit from the worlds of the Gods," Amaterasu said.

Cleo gave the slightest of nods. "For this reason, we must summon our Master."

"Master?" Colt and Bast asked.

The three gave no answer. They raised their weapons. Each became covered with a different coloured energy – orange-red for Tomesha, gold-white for Amaterasu, and brown for Cleo. As one, they slammed the base of their weapons into the ground. Energy shot into the firepit. Golden flames burst to life.

The flames begun to take shape into a woman. Bast and Colt couldn't help but stare. The young woman was made entirely of gold – gold skin, gold eyes, long straight gold hair, golden dangle earrings and a golden dress with ankle-length skirts. It was an overload of gold, like she'd been carved from it.

The golden woman looked over Colt and Bast. "You are not my followers."

Tomesha cleared her throat from behind. "They came through a rift from the Gold Worlds."

"Oh?" The golden woman looked closer at them. "A Terpolite who has the aura of a Lyriumian, and a Human with the aura of the dead. How strange." She stepped from the firepit, brushing away stray ashes from her dress. "I am Imum."

Colt's eyes widened. "Of course, the deity of Calm. That is why we fell asleep!"

"Apologies," Imum said with a laugh. "My power is strong in my domain. Only those who are used to it are unaffected." She swept a hand at the triplets. "My Blessed are also gifted with power."

"So, you are a God," Bast said. "Does that mean you can help us get home?"

The God considered her words. "I wish it were that easy. My power is that of peace and rest. This is no time for those."

"That would be a 'no', then."

Colt nudged Bast. "Be nice." Then to Imum: "Is it possible to send us somewhere else?"

"Where did you have in mind?" the Goddess asked.

"Have you heard of a place called Hetsipara?"

She looked surprised. "Yes. It is not far from here."

Imum pointed to a place in the sky. Bast and Colt followed her gaze. Despite the bright blue sky, an area of sky looked like a major explosion had taken place. It was dark, as though nothing was left there, like something had been taken directly from the sky.

"That is all that remains of the galaxy," Imum said. "It was destroyed millennia ago."

Colt crossed his arms. "No kidding."

Bast leaned toward Colt. "By any chance, did your other half have something to do with that." When he didn't answer, she cried, "A.K. destroyed an entire galaxy!"

"Yeah." Colt sighed with a shake of his head. "She does that." He frowned thoughtfully. "Leo and Nikki were supposed to be going to Hetsipara. If we go there, we might be able to catch them and find a way home."