Grandma's Labyrinth

Chapter 16

The brilliant light that had engulfed Elowen slowly faded, replaced by a shimmering haze that seemed to ripple like water. She blinked, disoriented, as the stars and galaxies from the previous moment dissolved into something far more familiar yet unnervingly different. She was no longer in the labyrinth, but she wasn’t quite back in her own world either.

The ground beneath her feet felt soft, almost sponge-like, and the air shimmered with an ethereal glow, as though the entire space was suspended between dimensions. Wisps of mist floated in the air, weaving patterns around her as they danced with the strange energy that hummed all around.

Her first instinct was to panic—to try to make sense of where she was—but a deep calm settled over her, as if this place itself was soothing her nerves, guiding her to acceptance. It felt like a dream, one that was both lucid and vividly real at the same time.

"Where am I?" she whispered, her voice soft in the stillness.

The question lingered in the air, unanswered, as Elowen turned to take in her surroundings. She stood in a vast, open field, the horizon stretching out endlessly in every direction. But this field wasn’t like anything she had ever seen before—the grass glowed faintly, shifting colors from deep green to iridescent blue, and the sky above was not the pale blue she was used to. Instead, it was a deep, velvety purple, streaked with glimmers of gold, like distant nebulae scattered across the heavens.

It was beautiful, but in a way that made her skin prickle with unease. This place—this in-between world—felt ancient, as if it had existed long before her time and would continue to exist long after she was gone.

Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught her eye. In the distance, faint silhouettes appeared, their forms hazy and indistinct, as though they were made of smoke or shadow. Elowen's breath hitched as she squinted to get a better look, but the figures didn’t approach. They hovered just on the edge of her vision, watching, waiting.

She took a hesitant step forward, the strange grass crunching softly beneath her boots. The moment she moved, the figures seemed to recede, slipping further into the mist like phantoms. It was as if they were leading her somewhere, but not in an overt way. The sense of being watched lingered, heavy in the air, but there was no malice in it—just curiosity.

As Elowen ventured further into this strange, twilight world, the landscape began to change. The field of glowing grass gave way to towering, ancient trees with bark that gleamed like polished silver. Their branches stretched high into the sky, their leaves shimmering like molten gold in the soft light. The trees felt alive in a way she couldn’t explain—more than just plants, they seemed aware of her presence, bending slightly as if acknowledging her passage.

The deeper she went, the more she sensed an energy pulsing through the air, as if the world itself was a living entity. Every step she took seemed to awaken something—an ancient magic that had been dormant for eons.

Just when she thought she couldn’t walk any further, a figure emerged from the mist ahead. Unlike the shadowy forms from earlier, this figure was solid, tangible. A woman, dressed in flowing robes of deep crimson, her face obscured by a hood. The moment Elowen saw her, her heart skipped a beat.

It couldn’t be…

The woman’s hands lifted slowly to her hood, and as she pulled it back, Elowen gasped. The face staring back at her was familiar, yet different in subtle ways. The eyes were the same, a piercing green that mirrored her own, but the face was younger, softer—unchanged by time.

"Grandma?" Elowen whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.

The woman smiled, a soft, knowing smile, but she said nothing. Instead, she gestured for Elowen to follow her, turning gracefully and walking deeper into the forest. Without hesitation, Elowen hurried after her, her heart racing with questions and emotions she couldn’t yet put into words.