Chapter 2: From Earth to Ethereal: Infinite to Zero

Chapter 2:

Everything is so vibrant and full of life. All the colors are so vivid, and the sky seems even bluer than I can ever remember. After being stuck inside the odd, dusty, and run-down building, the air outside seems so fresh, or maybe this place doesn't have air pollution. The glimpse I had through the door made it seem far too fanciful and surreal, like I was looking at a painting or a photograph. Little things like plants and creatures are also a little peculiar; they are all a bit different from what I would consider normal. This definitely isn't like the lives I've lived before.

I return my gaze to the building. I was expecting a run-down and eerie location, but that wasn't the case. The structure just looks like a cottage-slightly old, overgrown, and weathered-with one floor plus an attic. But I know there's an entire underground area and the very last floor-where I was discovered. The place looks relatively unobtrusive; I can imagine a hermit living here quietly amidst nature.

My eyes dart around at the sound of shuffling footsteps. I finally take notice of the two others, aside from Serena and Aureli: a man with a katana at his hip and a young woman with a staff held in her hands. They both look absolutely dumbfounded that their friends came back with me in tow. It's hilarious, but I hide it well. The man has sharp, stormy gray eyes and dark brown hair, nearly black. The woman has hazel eyes, bordering green. She has long, ashy brown hair that falls to her waist, despite being tied up in a high ponytail. These two must be the owners of the voices I heard earlier.

"Who's the young boy?" The hazel eyed young woman asks in a peppy voice.

"Boy?" Aureli seems to have a look of confusion on his face. He looks around at Serena, who just shrugs her shoulders.

I turn toward Aureli, who is still standing by my side. I tug lightly on his sleeve to gain his attention. He looks down towards me, and I tilt my head and look towards his other two companions, then back at him. I think he understands what I'm implying.

"Ah, Lurika, Kento. Could you come here?" Aureli gestures for the two to come closer.

Once they come forward, Aureli introduces the two to me simply with their names: the man with the gruff voice as "Kento" and the young woman with the long staff as "Lurika". The swordsman, Kento, seems to take in my appearance almost critically while he rubs at his chin, looking rather thoughtful. He then shrugs off his outerwear, something that looks like a haori with a hood attached, and drapes it over my shoulders. I show a grateful smile towards him as I shuffle my feet a little awkwardly. I hate language barriers; I don't want to come off as rude to the only people I know currently.

Lurika gasps softly, "They did find treasure!"

---------------------

We have been walking through this forest for a while now, and the group seems to have a formation. We're walking in a Y shape, with the lizard man and katana user up front and me behind them. Then there's the young lady with the long staff behind me and the elf behind her. It seems to be a protective formation, though Lurika keeps patting my head as we walk. Not like I mind it; she's being quite gentle, actually. It doesn't help with my wandering mind and eyes, though.

The others are holding quiet conversations with one another, but I find my eyes traveling towards Aureli's tail, but also the foliage and small animals around us. Most of these trees look similar to those of the cedar family, but the needle-like leaves seem to curl like fiddlehead ferns. Earlier, I saw what looked like a chinchilla mixed with a sugar glider. It was very cute. I can also see a jackalope grazing on some grass, but the horns aren't reminiscent of an antelope-more of a ram. I really want to pet it, but I don't want to go wandering off, seeing as these people are trying to protect me.

Lurika seems to notice the longing look in my eyes, making her giggle quietly. Then she does something I have been wanting to witness for myself ever since I understood this is a fantasy world. She magically summons a large, pearl-sized drop of water and splashes it on my cheek, startling me. I wipe at my wet face and look down on my now damp hand. I thought I was seeing things earlier or that this world was just like that, but I've been seeing shining particles in the air ever since I left what was essentially a giant test tube. On the palm of my hand, these particles linger before slowly dissipating into the air, and new particles form in the surroundings.

I look at the small specks that swirl and float amongst each other, but Lurika looks at me, then around where I was looking, and makes an odd expression. Can she not see it? I frown slightly. I want to talk to these people. I want to know how things work in this world. How does she cast magic? I feel like these shiny flecks have to do with it. I wonder if I can use magic too. Before all of that, I have to get payback. I slow down slowly and come right beside her.

When she isn't looking at me, I reach out and poke her cheek softly. Soon after Lurika starts sputtering and swatting at me gently-essentially missing from being flustered-it seems I've been seen. Serena startles me by giggling from behind us. I forgot she was even there; everything about her is quiet. The sound of movement when it comes to the elf girl is near nonexistent; be it her footsteps, the way she speaks, or her breathing, it's barely noticeable at all. Now that I pay closer attention, everyone seems rather light on their feet.

I find myself observing the two men in the group after getting back to where I was standing before. Kento seems to be the oldest, from how he carries himself, how he walks, and the fact that he's the most alert. Also, the way he speaks and is spoken to by everyone else suggests that they all respect him. I can't really tell how old Aureli is, but he seems to hold himself proudly and seems rather laid back. He also looks to be pretty decent with children and seems quite strong. He lifted me rather easily earlier with just one arm, or maybe I don't weigh much. I am quite thin, I guess.

---------------------

While continuing to observe and look around as we walk along the forest trail, I feel something other than grass and dirt beneath my feet. A quick glance down reveals an ancient, mossy cobblestone path winding slightly uphill. The trees start to thin, and one large tree at the summit of the small hill marks the end of the forested area. We trek up the slope and onto high ground, and come to a large glade.

The warm rays of the sun on my face, a light breeze ruffling the haori that I'm borrowing from Kento, and soft birdsong-this is nice.

We stop for a moment to get some rest, but more likely it's the rest allowing me to have a look around. Glancing around to take in the sights, I can see The road splits; one fork leads to a vast lake, while the other leads to a large town, or is it a city? It wasn't really walled off, but the houses and personal property seemed to be sectioned off by fences or hedges. The place also seems to have a marketplace, including small restaurants and places that sell clothes, accessories, and other wares. Far off in the distance, ahead of us, I can see an enormous mountain that looks like it's been carved out of a single rock.

On further inspection, the mountain is really the focal point of this entire location and was really fascinating to see. It was all smooth except for the points, which are quite sharp. What really catches my attention is that the tallest point seems to be disconnected entirely from the large mass and floating, just sort of hovering in mid-air. It looks like it's sitting on a halo made of clouds, as if it is a small realm of its own. The sight makes my jaw go slightly slack.

Seeing my reaction, Kento does something that I wasn't expecting from him. He laughs-quite a hearty laugh at that, making me shut my mouth quickly and look towards him. I can also see the others smiling or, in Lurika's case, giggling. I didn't pout; there was no way I was pouting. After about a hundred lives, all of them rather mundane and normal, what can you expect my response to this fantasy world to be? Bored? Disinterested? Kento sees my expression and a smile settles onto his face. He pats my head lightly, perhaps to placate me, making me huff quietly. Maybe he just feels bad for laughing at me.

"Let's get going now, we're nearly there," Kento says to the group, a light smile still on his face.

Everyone got to their feet, picking up their bags and other belongings they put down when they sat to rest. Lurika comes over with her hand out for me to take, helps me to my feet, and stands by my side as we start to walk again. She gives my hand a small reassuring squeeze before letting go of my hand, showing me a soft smile as she and the rest fall back into formation.

The small show of affection? Care? Lurika's actions, along with what I've seen of her so far, give me a bit of insight into who she is as a person. She seems quite childish and carefree, but I know that isn't all that she is. When she splashed me with water earlier, she wasn't just being mischievous and messing around. She was watching me closely enough to know that I was far too distracted. She's been very gentle and caring as well to me as we made our journey. She acts like a sister.

---------------------

We're a few miles away from the town now, and there's a large, lone archway over the road that leads directly into the town. It's a pretty spectacular archway, nearly a full circle with vines crawling all over it and wild flowers peeking through the greenery. Though something else catches my eye, there's a glowing orb floating above the arch. The soft glow reminds me of the specks that just flutter around in the air.

As we grow closer, I can see a concentration of these particles, not just around the orb or the archway but running over the span of the entire town. There seems to be a thin, crystalline dome that covers the area like a large glass barrier. A snow globe comes to mind. Maybe this is a barrier; it's basically walls for this town, just not the typical variety that I would be familiar with. Not made with stone or even steel, but with magic.

Just a little more and I'll be able to see it up close.

We finally arrive at the archway, which is much wider and taller than it appears from a distance. I see that part of the 'barrier' is also present within the arch. It's rather odd that we're this close, and I can't seem to hear the bustling of the town and its people. When Kento and Aureli step through, I can see it ripple softly before mending to its original, near-clear state. It made me stare for a moment before I felt an arm around my shoulders. I tilt my head to see that it's Lurika again, smiling at me. She walks forward, and I feel something wash over me; it wasn't uncomfortable but absolutely foreign.

It felt like rubatosis, but not as unsettling. It's not only my heartbeat that I was becoming aware of, though; it was like my blood was flowing a little quicker and my mind was clearing of any fog that I didn't know was even present. Then suddenly there were sounds that seemed to have been missing before, as if I'd just resurfaced from being submerged under water. I didn't realize when I had closed my eyes while walking through the archway. Once I open my eyes, I see a wonder to behold.

Author's Note

I'm unsure how to add chapters onto the same story, I do apologize if this is an inconvenience, but until I know what I'm doing... please understand..

This is chapter two of From Earth to Ethereal: Infinite to Zero