There was no light. Darkness surrounded us completely. It was like walking in an alley on the night of a new moon. Even with my vision you could barely see a thing. There was nothing to see.
"Tori." My hand gripped the back of his shirt. "Where exactly are we?"
When we left Devlyn's, Tori opened some kind of portal or gate, something I hadn't known he could do until that moment. Well, he did tell you he had the ability to travel to other worlds. It was my first time seeing it in action.
Wait. No. That couldn't be right. I'd been in a place similar to this. It was prom night when I was suddenly dropped into a world of darkness.
"Where are we?" I asked Korin.
"The Otherworld."
I could still recall that sense of fear after I'd been left there alone. There was no way of contacting Tori via cell nor through our bond. For the first time since Tori waltzed into my life I felt alone. A loneliness so unbearable that I didn't know what to do.
After that I remember telling Derek I had no interest being in the world of shadows. But now I was sure it was only if Tori wasn't by my side. Right now, I wasn't scared at all.
"Princess?"
I'd been so deep in my thoughts that I had actually stopped walking. His hazel eyes stared down worriedly. Although I couldn't see physically, in my mind's eye I saw his expression of concern, worry, and love. It warmed me. "Are you alright?"
I smiled. "Yes. I was just remembering."
"Remembering what?"
"How much I really do love you." I slipped.
He was so quiet that had I not been able to sense him I would have thought he'd left. But Tori would never leave me.
"Are you trying to make me lose my composure?" He murmured.
I smirked. "Isn't that my job?"
When he didn't reply I knew I'd won this time. He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.
As we walked I couldn't help but ask the very thing that had been bothering me the moment I stepped into the Otherworld. "Why can't I see anything?" I could sense that we weren't alone, but this blindness bothered me.
"Your eyes haven't yet to adjust. This is your first time traveling like this. It takes time."
My hold tightened. "It's not the first time I've been down here though. There was that time with Korin..." I trailed off, remembering that scary night.
"Yes, that is true. But from what I saw he truly did drop you in a desert of shadows. You weren't meant to see anything. Not all of the Otherworld is like that. You'll see."
"Then what do you see?" I breathed.
"Why don't you see for yourself?"
An image popped into my head. It was a city, a city very much like the ones seen in the feudal world we used to live in, except one thing was different. The sky was a ceiling of black ink. Red lanterns had been placed outside each of the buildings, bright candlelights burned through windows, and people walked around in ancient yet beautiful clothing.
"It's beautiful. It reminds me of a feudal world." I told him. "Is this where you buy all those delicious foods?"
I could feel him smiling. "Yes. When you've finally adjusted, I'll take you."
I'm not sure how long we were walking before that light at the end of the portal opened. I suspected that Tori had something to do with it. We stepped out and I gasped.
There were mountains everywhere and they were covered in luscious green grass, large trees, and bright flowers. Birds chirped and flew dangerously low. Rabbits hopped innocently across the field. Butterflies fluttered playfully. A stream ran smoothly down the median of the field. It was... Breathtaking.
"Tori..."
"You like it?"
I turned to him. "Like it? Tori, I love it! This is amazing!" Nothing back home could ever match this.
"Wonderful," he replied with a smile. "This is all yours."
My eyebrows rose at that. "All of it?"
He held out his hand. "Shall I show you the rest?"
