The Dreaming Land

Chapter 29: The Dreaming Land (Part 1)

The Dreaming Mountains were very different from the Benitian Mountain range they'd crossed before. These mountains were like a solid ridge of rock, as they were the lip of an enormous crater. They weren't tall enough to touch the cloud layer, but instead the crest was met with a strange aurora along the very tips of the mountains. The coloured lights danced and twisted, but never dissipated.

Orius took a deep breath, staring up at them and taking in the view on last time. This was the final step before the Dreaming Lands. On Quintir's map, there was a pass marked by the late Relias VanTroven. Quintir had begun coining the term Relias Pass. It would lead them through the mountains and right to front door of the dreaming lands. Each of them were brimming with excitement, and there was no stopping them as they made their way up the slope and towards the pass.

The rocky slope was a simple, but steady incline. There were no trees or rivers, no path carved by travellers, and signs to mark the way. They were completely on their own. The further they climbed up the mountain side, the further across the Scarred Lands they could see. The Shattered Dunes they'd spent nearly a week on looked no bigger than a beach, and the canyons on the other side looked like mere wrinkles in the land.

As they approached the pass a few hours into their climb, they found it was a crack in the lip of the mountains, creating a crevasse big enough for them to slip through. One by one, with Orius going first, they slid through. They reached the midway point through the pass, which was marked with the same shimmering curtain of light. They passed through unfazed, but the sensation was somewhat surreal.

Orius stepped out of the crevasse and onto the ridge on the other side. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see. There had been no documented recollections of what the dreaming lands looked like, and now he knew why. The further the slope went down, the more it seemed to fade into nothing. The nothing bellow wasn't black, like the sky. It was white with hints of orange and pink hues. It was hard to look at for too long.

High above in the similarly coloured sky, Orius could partially make out a massive round figure obscuring the sky, along a line of still partially blue sky. If it was anything, it was Tephim. It was somewhat of a relief, finally being able to see even a glimpse of the fabled moon god. Behind him, the others stepped out one by one, and marvelled at the view.

"We're finally here..." Quintir said softly.

"What do we do now?" Misha asked, looking to him and Orius.

"For once, I have no idea." Quintir said.

"Do you know if anyone's tried to walk into the dreaming land before?" Imara asked.

"Yes, but..." Quintir sighed, "They've never come back."

"They didn't have the shard." Orius said, holding up the white piece of stone.

"This is true." Quintir nodded.

"So, we just walk in?" Imara asked.

"I guess so." Quinter shrugged.

With the shard in hand, Orius took Imara's hand in his other. She took Misha's hand, and Misha took Quintir's. They took a moment to calm themselves, and to make sure they each understood what was at stake here. Only one of the could have the wish, and Tephim would also need to be released in order to stop Belial. There was also the chance that all of this was for nothing. Although, that didn't seem to bother them.

"Ready?" Orius asked, looking at each of his friends.

"I think so." Imara nodded.

"Bring it on." Misha smiled.