Between Worlds (WIP) - Chapter 1: A Penchant for the Weird

AN: I have spoken a bit about this story on the discord before. I have been tinkering with it for a while now and am getting the urge to write some more, so I thought a bit of feedback from you guys might be good. This is a sequel to Forgotten in a sense, but it does play long after it. There are no real spoilers as to what happens in Forgotten, so you don't have to worry there. It is also Forgotten's anniversary, so all of you deserve to get something. I hope you enjoy it :)

Vinera yawned again as she threw her arms behind her, stretching herself until her back rewarded her with a satisfying pop. For a moment, she simply stared at the ceiling, the slew of appointments she had today not something she was looking forward to. And this early too. Most of them were with doctors who would prod and poke at her again and again and still not come up with any real solution to her problem. Probably.

While Earth had been introduced to the System ages ago, there were still more than a few people who could not use mana for one reason or another. Being born without mana sucks… Most tools would not work for her, and the ones she could use were, quite frankly, antiquated things that still ran solely on electricity and the laws of physics from before the System threw Earth for a loop.

With a sigh, Vinera swung her legs out of her bed. The first decision of the day: to skip the gym or not. As someone without mana and therefore less help from the System, she had taken to exercise to make up for easy levels with hard work. It did not work as well as she had hoped. No mana meant that she did not get a Class. And that means no skills either…

A quick look at her phone — one of the few things that were powered by mana she could actually use — made the decision if she should work out or not moot. Her first appointment was in a mere ten minutes and she had just gotten out of bed.

"Why did you not wake me?!" she half asked, half yelled at the phone as she shook it. Vinera was certain she had set an alarm for today; the visits she had to do had been planned months in advance and had an actual sliver of a chance to make her normal.

How her parents had managed to get the leading expert on mana theory to meet with her was not something she knew, but she would gladly take the opportunity. Vinera did not necessarily believe something would actually come of it, but as her mother always said: Hope is the first step. But maybe she says that because it's my middle name?

She shook her head, throwing on the first pair of pants and shirt she could find. A moment later, the shirt came off again and Vinera grabbed a sports bra from the day before to put on before the shirt. It would not be comfortable, but it was all she had time for at the moment. Running through the hallway, she made a quick stop to grab a slice of cold pizza from the day before, stuffing it in her mouth while shoving her feet into her shoes.

No socks. Another thing that would make her day a little worse, but it all would not compare to missing this appointment and the subsequent lecture her parents would give her. With a shake of her head, Vinera grabbed her keys, stuffed her phone into her pocket, and left the house.

She turned around to lock the door, only to find that there was no house anymore. Instead, she was greeted by a vast expanse of what she could only describe as black marble.

Vinera blinked and rubbed her eyes, not sure if what she saw was actually real. Bending down and touching the floor confirmed that it was indeed marble: smooth and cool to the touch. "What the fuck?"

Turning around, she tried to see anything that might give her a clue as to where she had been transported to. What came into her vision only caused more questions to surface in her mind.

In front of her stood a large temple, some of its towers reaching high enough that Vinera could not see them fully as they disappeared in an inky black that gathered under what she presumed was the ceiling of… whatever place she had ended up in.

"Hello?"

Her voice echoed in the largely empty space, returning to her in ever higher pitches until she could no longer hear it. Am I still dreaming? She pinched her forearm. The pain that quickly spread through the limb told her that she was not.

"Anyone here?" she called again, taking a step towards the black temple. "I, uh, got lost?"

Another step caused small lines of silver to race through the marble she tread on, lighting her a way to the only building in this strange realm. It was also then that Vinera noticed that what she had thought was a smooth expanse of weirdly polished marble was, in fact, nothing more than a few pathways that somehow blended into an otherwise empty abyss. Only the light that now brightened her path had revealed the endless pit surrounding the platform she stood on.

This can't be real, right? She took out her phone, the device unlocking as it dutifully scanned her face. Just like always, it showed her the time and a few notifications she had not read, but this time it also informed her that she had no connection and that weather services were unavailable as it could not determine her location.

"No shit," Vinera mumbled, stuffing the thing back into her pocket.

She took a step forward, only to take one back immediately again. Vinera repeated the process again and again until she took a deep breath and started walking towards the temple. The noise of something shattering caused her to look around, only to quickly set her sights on the temple again and break into a run. Whoever had made this place had not accounted for indecisive arrivals waiting on their platforms. The mysterious floating swath of marble had begun to crumble.

The building that now loomed before her did not inspire confidence, but her only way back was literally falling apart. Not that I could've gone elsewhere. The only direction had always been towards the temple. She could not teleport, after all; she was powerless. But why am I here?

She froze as a thought surfaced in her mind. Ever since the System had appeared, there have been people who fashioned themselves Gods, rising to heights none else could reach. Most of those never bothered with the people of Earth for some reason, only sometimes listening to the people that actually believed them and worshipped them, but some of them sometimes got a little more hands-on.

Was I abducted? It would hardly be the first time that someone got nabbed for one reason or another, but she could not think of many people besides those self-made deities that could put her in logic-defying places such as this. Vinera shook her head. It was a silly idea. Why would someone like that take an interest in her? She was about as useless as a Human could be.

Having no real other choice — and a non-zero amount of curiosity — Vinera made her way to the temple. As she got closer, she finally noticed something aside from the endless black marble. Well, not really. The stairway that led towards the temple had numerous runes she could not read engraved upon each step.

"Hello?" she called again as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The idea that nobody lived here did not sit quite right with her, as everything was so well maintained. So clean.

Vinera raised her foot above the first step, only to lower it a moment later. And then raise it again. And then lower it again.

"Ah, fuck it," she mumbled, practically stomping on the step. "Not like I can leave anyway."

The runes lit up as soon as her foot touched the polished marble. A moment later, Vinera heard a loud clicking noise from the direction of the temple; almost as if someone had unlocked the noisiest lock that had ever existed.

Another step and the next set of runes came to life, lighting up from where her foot had touched the ground. Who made this?

Vinera quickened her steps, trying to maintain a fast pace before breaking into a full sprint. As she reached the top of the stairway, the lights of the runes raced past her, lighting up the entire plaza stretching before the temple. There were trees, benches, flower beds, and even entire lakes, all of which were connected by snaking pathways that at first appeared to be made from the same black marble before slowly turning to regular gravel.

"…What?" The word practically fell out of her mouth. Whoever had made this place was either playing a trick on her, or they really enjoyed spending billions of whatever currency they had on flashy enchantments. "What is this place?"

Plants were now growing from the flowerbeds, and Vinera watched as silvery-blue blossoms came into being, shining with an inner light that she wanted to call mana. She took a step, wanting a closer look at the shining flowers, but a blue light coming from the door that led into the temple proper, caught her attention. She blinked — the light had shifted, just slightly, so that it could stay focused on her when she moved. Does… it…? Want me to come in?

She did not want to follow a mysterious light into a temple made from black marble, but by the time she had formed that thought, Vinera already found herself in front of the door and looking into the inside of the temple. The light still stayed focused on her, but now she could see its source: a stained-glass window that portrayed a rune she did not recognise — A flame, maybe? — framed by wings.

Tearing her eyes from the source of the light, she instead focused on the atrium she now found herself in. Just like she had suspected, it was indeed a temple. Or a church, but where's the difference there anyway? Lines of pews were spread throughout the hall, all facing the window of stained glass as well as a massive statue she had somehow not noticed.

Vinera's steps echoed through the atrium as she approached the shimmering statue. Two Elves were depicted embracing each other, one with large wings and the other without. One arm of the winged woman was wrapped around her companion, while the other held a floating blue and silver flame. The other Elf rested one hand on the arm her winged friend had wrapped around her, brandishing a sword with the other.

Taking another step towards the statue, Vinera's eyes fell onto a plaque at its base. While this was written with letters she recognised — namely the same ones most every language on Earth had used for ages now — she could not decipher what it said. Probably their names? She wanted to read them aloud, but speaking random — but clearly important — words in a temple did not strike her as the best of ideas. For all she knew, it could also be an incantation to initiate some ritual.

It was obvious that the two women were the Goddesses the people here used to worship, though the images that came to mind when Vinera looked at them conflicted with the serene feeling the temple gave off, despite its strange location. The winged Elf looked like she could throw a full grown man without the help of magic and was also over a head taller than the other Goddess. While the 'normal' looking Elf was less intimidating, she was still holding a sword in her hand, ready to strike. Some Goddesses of war, maybe?

As if to answer her question the flame in the winged one’s hand winked out, a small explosion taking its place. Vinera took an unconscious step back at the change, not sure what she should think of the statue of a presumed Goddess of War suddenly holding an explosion in her hand. Only a breath later it became clear that she had nothing to fear, however, as the explosion turned first into a small cloud and then slowly took the shape of a spiral galaxy. Looks almost exactly like the Milky Way…

After closing the distance she had unconsciously built up, Vinera reached out and brushed her fingers over the surface of the statue. A small tingle rushed up her arm and spread through her entire body. She knew this feeling all too well. Foreign mana flowing through her was a regular occurrence, after all. Every time she visited a doctor or someone else who claimed they could help her, she went through this. They all had to see — feel — for themselves how her body rejected any mana that flowed into it.

At least it doesn't hurt, she thought. It could have been much worse for her, as some of those who shared her fate of being manaless would writhe on the ground in agony when even a single drop of liquid magic entered their body. After another tingle ran through her, Vinera removed her hand, looking at her fingers before balling her hand into a fist. She felt no different; nothing had changed.

"Weird," she mumbled as she directed her eyes upwards again. The small projection of a galaxy the winged Goddess had been holding had changed again; she was now displaying a multitude of planets slowly orbiting around the pair. "I guess you are some kind of Creation deity, then?"

Her question went, of course, unanswered, but that was likely a good thing. The people who made this place were far more advanced than anything she had seen on Earth. Holograms like the one this statue used were just becoming small and efficient enough that large companies could buy them as trophies to put on their skyscrapers.

"Wouldn't hurt to tell me why I am here, though," Vinera said. "Or how I got here."

With a shake of her head, she went past the statue. It wouldn't help her figure out what was going on and she still had an entire magical temple to explore. Hopefully their kitchen still works, she thought as the rumble of her belly echoed through the atrium. I could use some food…

Vinera was about to pass through a smaller door to the side of the atrium, but the sound of another click behind her caused her to turn around. What greeted her was not what she had expected. The statue had moved; had turned to face her. A moment later, one of the holographic planets that was orbiting the two Goddesses suddenly smashed into the statue.

As if the other planet projections had been waiting for this sign, they all raced towards the statue, crashing into it without making a sound. Vinera took that as a sign to leave and quickly turned away again.

Her eyes landed on the handle of the door she stood in front of and she quickly grabbed it but, much to her dismay, the door was locked. She pulled and pushed on the handle, trying to get the door open, even going as far as to kick it as she could feel the hairs of her neck starting to stand.

Just when she heard something metallic breaking inside the door did Vinera feel a shudder run down her spine. A moment later a wave of blinding silver light washed over her and the world went dark.

///

The Void was silent, but that was to be expected. She had come here aeons ago with her love to rest so that none might disturb them. An eternal slumber in the closest thing she could call home. The countless Souls that flowed through her Void would never bother them; most would not even remember they were ever there.

A small smile spread across her face as she opened her eyes and was greeted by the calm face of her loved one. Unlike herself, she was still asleep, loosely wrapped in black feathered wings. The awoken shifted her wings ever-so-slightly, careful not to disturb her still-resting love. A thought accompanied by an unneeded motion of her hand brushed a few strands of black and silver out of her dearest’s face, letting her place a quick kiss on her cheek.

If she had awoken, someone was trying to break the [Seal] she had made. She hoped that it was an accident, that the mortals had truly forgotten about Caethya as well as her own existence. She had done all she could to set them on the right path, but once her own daughter had chosen to join the dead, Aperio had no more desire to walk the worlds of the living. With many of her friends choosing to leave, she had thought about hiding in her Void, but in the end she had always remained for the sake of those that still remained.

She had repaired the System — fixed herself — and made sure that Diskrye and Roots-Beneath-All could manage while she mourned. A mother should not outlive her daughter, but she always would. She had no beginning nor end. There would be no time in which she did not exist as without her, there would be nothing. Curse of being the All-Mother.

Caethya, her love, had managed to soothe her but, after Ferio had been put to rest, not even she wanted to stay. At least I still have you, Aperio thought as she appeared behind her love and carefully rewrapped her wings around her, adding her arms and legs for good measure. Caethya had been with her through most of her life; the one she actively took part in, at least.

Gently resting her head against Caethya's, Aperio closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The scent of mana — of life — that flowed from her dearest calmed her more than the Void had done in the past. Coming to terms with what she was and what she could do had not been easy, but Caethya had been there for it all. Always helping where she could.

Aperio, in turn, had done her best to support whatever endeavour Caethya had set her sights on. Caethya had wanted to hide in her Void after her parents had died, and again once her siblings had passed. In the end, they had stayed behind, taking care of Caethya's family’s descendants as well as they reasonably could. They knew what Caethya had become and what she herself always had been, but they had also sworn to keep it a secret. Maybe they talked?

The Martinek family had been tasked, together with Roots-Beneath-All, with guarding the [Seal]. Roots had even planted one of his trees in the chambers Aperio had made for her and Caethya's joint 'tomb'. It was, of course, not really a tomb — it did not even connect to her Void — but it had felt right to have it at the time. A final slumber on her and my home world… Well, not final.

Both of them had always known that there would be a time in which they would return to the world, either because they had gotten bored in the Void or, like now, were awoken by someone breaking the [Seal] that she had made for exactly this purpose. Once broken, she would once again have to make a conscious effort to ignore everything her aura touched.

Aperio sighed and moved one of her hands to gently brush it through Caethya's hair. One thing that had never changed was the fact that she had to be careful around everyone, even someone as strong as her love. That's what you get when all is built on you. She had found ways to weaken herself to at least have some fairer fights, but even then, she still remained above anyone else.

The only way she knew to actually weaken herself was to make herself forget who she was, but she had been through that once already and that was not something she wished to repeat. Her view of the world had changed for the better because of it, but in the end, the policy of not interfering was still the best option. If people knew she existed and what she could do, they would always beg her for help; would always scheme their way around her so she would aid them in one way or another.

Aperio had grown tired of it all and Caethya was quick to follow. Her love had found her first Domain fairly quickly thanks to her connection to Aperio. Creation suited her, however, and she excelled at it. Still does. Caethya was now no longer bound by such a silly concept as Domains, but Aperio still liked to think back upon those times. Maybe some new deities have risen?

She continued the train of thought for but a passing moment longer before she dismissed it. The answer was obviously yes. The System's purpose had not changed; it was still a tool to make mortals as strong as they could become, one which usually led to the rise of people who liked to fashion themselves as Gods and Goddesses.

"Good morning, my dear," Aperio said as Caethya began to move in her arms. Her voice caused the Souls that drifted along on the endless river of nothing to pause briefly, but she paid them no heed as she kissed the back of her love's head and gently ran her hand over her arms. "It seems someone is trying to wake us."

"I noticed," her love replied in a whisper.

Aperio did not need her aura to know that Caethya was still tired. Sleeping for who-knows how long would leave some marks on even an [Ascendant] like Caethya. A small smile spread across the All-Mother's lips as the memory of how her love had picked that name for her new race surfaced in her mind. It was a day of celebration for all of Verenier and had later become a second birthday for her. Just like the new year has become mine.

Nobody had known Aperio's actual birthday, and so, they had decided to make it the new year. She was the one who made everything; a birthday at the start of a new year seemed to fit. Of course, neither of them celebrated those days anymore, but the memory of the first few still brought a sense of joy to Aperio.

Caethya shifted in Aperio's arms, struggling for a moment before she managed to turn herself around. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms and legs around the All-Mother and held on tight enough that Aperio had the slightest bit of trouble moving her limbs.

The All-Mother returned the embrace. She closed her eyes as she also wrapped her wings around her love. While they had both decided that this was for the best, neither of them liked the idea of being without the other. The fact that they had been in the Void embracing each other for all this time had not changed the fact that neither of them had truly felt it. Neither of them should have dreamt during this slumber, but it was also not the instantaneous transition a mortal would experience. They both knew that aeons had passed; that the world they had left behind was no more. The only constant they knew was the existence of Aperio's System — an extension of her, if one wanted to be pedantic — and its guardians.

Both Diskrye and Roots-Beneath-All did not work like mortasl, but neither did they function like Aperio or Caethya after her ascension. She had made them countless ages ago for the express purpose of looking over her creation. Before her self-inflicted fall, Aperio had not trusted them enough to actually fulfil that role, something that had cost all of her creation dearly. Now, however, she had made sure that they were ready. The two of them had been in charge for centuries before Caethya and Aperio had finally decided to leave.

"I missed you," Caethya mumbled eventually, her voice muffled as she spoke into Aperio's chest. "I didn't think I would know that you were here with me, but I still somehow did."

"I did as well," Aperio replied. For a moment, she simply held onto her love, enjoying the gentle rhythm of Caethya’s breathing in the nothing that filled her Void. Eventually, the All-Mother began to rub Caethya's back, smiling as her love did the same. For some it might have seemed weird to spend your first waking moments in essentially the same position you had slept millennia in, but that did not matter to Caethya or Aperio.

Time had no meaning to them. Their embrace could have lasted for minutes or weeks; neither of them knew, or cared. Only when a slight touch of foreign mana brushed past the edges of Aperio's mind did the All-Mother stop. "They really mean it, don't they?"

"It would appear so," Caethya replied, pulling away slightly. "Do you think they changed?"

"The mortals? Or do you mean Diskrye and Roots?"

"All of them, really," Caethya replied, offering a small shrug. "We have been gone for… a while. Something has to have changed."

Aperio chuckled in reply, the mana that laced every bit of her voice causing the dark abyss that was her Void to become just a little brighter for an instant. She sighed after a moment, smiling at Caethya. "Should we answer the call?"

Her love tapped her chin in faux thought for a moment before she embraced the All-Mother again. "They can wait a little longer."