[ WP ] You are able to jump between parallel universes .

(... ) 
 
 I yelped when I saw it. This I will admit nowhere but here. When I saw it for the first time, I yelped like a startled child. I dug my nails in the cave wall and held on for dear life, as if that could save me from what my eyes were seeing and my mind refused to accept. 
 
 It was… in all the years, I am yet to find the words. It pierces your eyes but it ’ s not light; there is nothing there but it is not darkness. It ’ s gone when you try and see and there when you look away. You try and look and all you see are after-images of everything that is not it, and the pain, the dull ache as your mind tries to make any, even the smallest bit of sense. 
 
 So I shut my eyes, and kept them shut until my guide spoke. “ Isn ’ t it beautiful? ” he said, and I looked at him like he was a madman. 
 
 “ What is this? ” I demanded. Tried to demand, really, because I think it was a weak croak. 
 
 “ This, my dear- ” he said, and I wanted to hit him again “ -is our way across! ” He sounded positively giddy. I really wanted to hit him, and hard, somehow knock the crazy spirit out of him. 
 
 It wasn ’ t until later, much later that he would explain it to me, tell me about the Lich and the Spell, the Collapse and the Divide. Later, he ’ d explain ( or at least try to ) how it worked, how these crossings worked, but back then, I had more important things on my head. 
 
 “ Are you insane?! ” I shouted, glaring at him. Somehow, looking at his worn coat and stupid grin was preferable to the nothingness behind him. And I swear the damned, damned, thrice damned warmblood actually hesitated. 
 
 But he never answered. He blinked as if remembering something and reached into a pocket to pull out that round golden locket he carried with him. I remember calling out in frustration and actually reaching out in his direction, because I didn ’ t recognize it yet and clearly this was the time to look at a painting of his parents, mate, offspring or whatever it is warmbloods put in those. Then he looked at me and called out “ Come on, we don ’ t have much time! ” 
 
 “ Have you lost your mind?! ” I demanded again, missing the wall that I left behind. “ I ’ m not coming near that- that-! ” I gestured feebly at whatever lay past the ledge. And… this I remember, he rolled his eyes and rubbed them with his fingers, and then he gave me this look, the calmest, sanest one I ’ ve seen from him yet. Later I realized, that maybe that carefree attitude was how he coped with a world that wouldn ’ t make sense, but this, this was how he was when it was life and death. 
 
 “ Fine. ” He said, calmly, evenly. “ But we won ’ t get another chance, and you ’ ll have to go back, empty-handed. ” I thought of coming back, a failure, and I shuddered. I nodded. What could I do? I nodded. That damned smile of his returned, and he turned and started walking towards the edge. “ Come along then. ” He called, almost playful. 
 
 “ Wait up! ” I said and started after him, for a moment forgetting about the abyss in front of us. Even small as he was, I had to work to catch up. “ How do we get across? ” I called out. 
 
 And he laughed. He laughed, and shouted “ Like this! ”. And he leapt. He just leapt. 
 
 What was I to do? I jumped after, and I shouted, “ I HATE YOU! ” 
 
 I remember… falling. A sudden impact that pushed the air from my lungs, yet didn ’ t stop or even slow me. Noise. The rush of air. And then, hard stone underfoot and above my head, and a curving smooth wall before me. And noise again, a terrible, abyssal clattering right behind me, lights flashing like mad. I felt dizzy. I felt… a sense of wrongness. Like I did not belong. Like everything else was too small. And then there was that stench, an oppressive wall of old warmblood sweat. I ’ d come to hate that smell yet. 
 
 And then the noise disappeared, and the flashing lights went dim, and I saw him standing next to me, with that damned grin of his. 
 
 “ Welcome to London! ” He said, spreading his arms as if inviting an expected guest. “ Hope you like it here. Now let ’ s find you something to wear. ” He added. And he was lucky I was dizzy and missed the punch, because you don ’ t say that to a warrior. 
 
 And so it, once more, began. 
 
 -- - 
 -065 | [ more ] ( /r/vonBoomslang )
