At the Crossroads. Book 1

Chapter 6

Photo "Unreal Engine Snowy Mountains Landscape" by Pixel Perfect Polygons

This wasn't your best idea.

You step from one foot to the other, and it sinks into the snow. The freezing wind tears at your clothes.

"Are you sure it's the right one?"

Alice struggles through the snows and stops closer to the cliff. She looks down, and her ribbons coil.

"If you opened it to the one I've told you," she shouts over the wind. Then glances back at you and smirks.

"I did."

You did. Right? It didn't work out for you and Lars the last time, when you ended up with Maze, because, apparently, the parallel you aimed for was among the three the Black Emperor wiped out.

Alice plumps herself down onto her knees and sinks into the snow. She scoops some up, smiles and shapes it into a ball. Her milk ribbons unwrap and draw patterns around her. Hm.

You look around the snowy mountains and icy cliffs. A narrow passage links two mounts together, but mostly it's just snow. The mountain tops climb into the clouds, you can't see all. The mountain chain stretches out into the snowstorm. Snow. And more snow.

"But this looks stable," you say and gesture about.

"Gleb's been talking to himself all morning. Of course, it's the right one." Alice hurls the snowball at you and gets up. "Or are you scared?"

"We have ten minutes to find it, right?" But this is nowhere near the skyline you saw the Black Emperor go to... Yet who knows how many fading parallels there can be at once. "Any ideas? Let's keep moving."

You step onto the stone passage, and the wind throws you to the left. Ow-a-ah! A piece crumbles from under your feet and plunges off the cliff. You watch it melt into the snowstorm raging below.

"Cold feet?" Alice snickers and points at your shoes.

You just grumble. She dressed warmer and didn't say anything. Though, her knee-length boots should've given you some idea before you've opened that portal.

"It's too slippery," you say instead. "We can't cross."

"Why?" Alice cocks her head, and her ribbons pat the path in front.

"Covered with ice?" Can't she, like, feel that? "The wind blows off any snow, and it's also strong enough to hurl you off the cliff."

Alice... smiles.

"A–"

She pounces, and her ribbons mimic the movement. Grabs your waist. Pushes.

"What are–" You slip, and she lets go. "Alice!" You whirl your arms, but your fingers grasp air. You're falling. No ground under your feet. A few rocks crumble down with you. "Alice!" She can still throw her ribbons after you, they'll pull you back–

She doesn't. So she was planning to get rid of you. You suffocate, panic clenches your throat, grab– anything– you heels kick air.

Fingers grasp air.

Air whizzes in your ears.

Come on, think. A portal. You're the World now, you can get out of there any second... Your heart thuds. She pushed you off the mountain, she pushed you!

Argh. You plunge into the eye of the snowstorm. The wind howls and tosses more snow into your face. The side's too steep to grab onto.

Concentrate. A portal. You need a portal. And yet your stiff fingers won't bend, your whole arms won't listen.

Portal. Now.

You grind your teeth and think of Lars. He believed you can do this.

A familiar crackle–

A gush of hot wind hits you in the face. Sea? Pink skies. The black waves crash against the rocky shore. Yelp. The three suns blind you. Damn, Alice! Your hand cuts across the air. You hold your breath and shut your eyes– No impact comes. You don't hit the water, instead strikes the deafening crackle. You fall through the second portal – cold again.

And land into the snow. That cushions your fall a bit, but the ice bleeds your skin, and you sink up to your chest.

"Huh!?"

Alice. You recognise that voice.

"Why did you do that!?" you yell and push, paddle in the snow and struggle to get up.

"Still don't like you," she huffs and hides her hands in her sleeves. "Bet those people freaked out."

Ugh. "I was too busy to notice," you snap and crawl out of the snow to the stony path.

She really is trying to get rid of you.

On a positive note, you've learnt, and hopefully, you can do that again, a very cool trick. Lars would like it... right.

"Will this parallel even fade or you just wanted to shove me off a mountain?"

"Eventually." Alice shrugs and her back to you. "But not in ten minutes, no. Get us to the Crossroads. I'll show you the real deal."

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