The Rift in the Domain- The Auranos Stories Book 2

Chapter 4 - Many Eras Ago...

My name used to be Ahkra.

You know this- I told you a fair amount of my story before. The story being about how my friends, Relako and Cavern, and I traveled into the mountains and met an old man named Mossy... and became spirits.

That's precisely where I left off, wasn't it? I'm rather melodramatic like that.

Well, I awoke in Mossy's shack, and everything seemed slightly askew. The world moved slower, was a little brighter, and felt a bit foggier than it ought to have been. I could only make out vague shapes, and what I could make out confused me.

After a while, or perhaps no time at all, I got the vague feeling that I would be able to see the world properly, if I tried. I forcefully pressed through the haze.

It worked! Suddenly I could see the inside of Mossy's shack, clear as day. The fog was gone; vivacity had returned to the world. My talisman was sitting on the table, which meant someone- probably Mossy- had moved it.

How long had it been?

Mossy came down the ladder suddenly, and looked at the two talismans sitting on his table. He went over to his rocking chair and sat down. Mossy moved with the same subdued appearance as the strange new world I could now perceive.

Wait...

Something about that struck me as odd.

I imagined his name, presented as a query... could he hear me?

"Mossy?"

The air itself shook with the word. Not as a sound, no... as a thought. The thought of my question was hanging in the hazy space between us.

Mossy turned to the talisman on the table.

"Well... g'morning," he replied, in rather the same manner I had used. The idea of his response was clear in my mind.

"What... what is this? Why is everything so... different?"

"Welcome to the spirit realm," Mossy grinned. "It's a bit foggy here."

I was in awe.

"Imagine something, Ahkra. Anything."

I decided not to question it. I imagined myself, standing just across from Mossy.

And suddenly there I was. The figure was slightly blurrier than I had hoped, with less detail... my curly hair was a brown splotch and my hands were fuzzy blobs.

Mossy grinned. "Not bad for a first try."

"H-how did I do that, exactly?"

"The spirit realm runs on brainpower. You imagine it, you create it. Destroying things... that's a bit more complicated."

"What do you mean?"

Mossy held up a hand, and an ornate green vase appeared in it, marbled with gold.

"Shatter the vase. Give it your best shot."

Taken aback, I paused.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

I imagined my figure lifting its hand, swiping through the air and smacking the vase. It obeyed, attacking silently. But when my hand hit the vase, nothing happened. I was only stopped. I pressed my hand down, but the vase only burned under my palm.

Mossy looked amused as my avatar stepped back.

I thought for a moment. Mossy turned to address the talisman again, and in the moment of his distraction, my figure stepped forward and attacked again. This time, put power behind the attack. I envisioned my hand striking the green vase forcefully and sending it to the ground.

The vase flew from Mossy's hands. He jumped as it arced towards the floor and fell, shattering into pieces.

For a moment, I was nervous. Was Mossy angry at me?

"Well, well, well," he said instead, grinning. "Aren't you good at timing, then?"

"I... thanks..?"

"You're a fast learner. I can tell you put more energy into that second attack," Mossy smiled.

"Why does that work, though?"

"Well, the vase was an extension of my... well, my imagination, so to speak. But I wasn't focused on it; I had no energy behind it. You, on the other hand had a certain power in your attack. So you won," Mossy shrugged. "That's how everything works around here. If you wanted to conjure a demon the size of this valley, you would be able to- but if you don't use energy to keep it stable, it could be killed with a single touch."

Something was still slightly off to me.

"Wait- that vase- you conjured it? That means... you're a spirit?"

"You are a quick learner, aren't you?" Mossy gave me a toothy grin. "Cavern hasn't figured that out yet."

"But- but-"

"I'm sure you have questions, but rest assured, the answers won't affect you. When the time comes, you'll understand... I've got nothing better to do with my power than create a hyper-realistic avatar, Ahkra," Mossy explained, nodding.

And he was right. I didn't understand what that meant- at the time.

"Well... okay."

"For now, then, let me show you some of the things I know."

A/N:

Shoutout to anyone who has read Reia. 

:)

-S