Now, there was stillness.
It existed in every stone and every room.
But that wasn’t all.
There was sorrow here.
“What happened to this place?” I asked.
Blake surveyed the room as he pushed forward with distaste.
“Legend tells us that it was where mages of an ancient era experimented with dangerous magic. But there are other, lesser-known accounts of its history. Everyone has their own opinion on what is true.
One legend, told only in certain parts of the Realm, speaks of a catastrophic battle. Regardless of how the rift came to exist,mages have tried to contain and control it ever since. It is not clear if the palace was constructed before or after the rift formed. What we do know is that over time, anyone who tried to take up residence here would become ill and it has become a place feared by all mages,” Blake said.
Blake paused as we reached an open-air corridor with a balcony edge looking over a rocky seaside far below. As the waves crashed and the wind carried the scent of salt on its breeze, I took in the night sky.
Stars—thousands upon thousands of stars glittered in the night sky. A streak of them were clustered tightly together, making a shimmering path through the sky of purple and orange hues. Another smaller but denser streak of deep purples and blues shone brightly on the other side of the sky. This streak was near a moon glowing a burned orange and a smaller one higher in the sky was shimmering in silver.
I stared in awe at the heavens.
“Are those… moons and tendrils of the galaxy?” I asked.
“Yes.”
My heart nearly stopped as it hit me.
“This isn’t the Milky Way, is it?” I asked.
Blake smirked.
“No, it is not.”
My vision blurred, and the light became a horizontal streak for a moment as I tried to process it.
Blake chuckled.
“Try not to think about it too hard,” he muttered. “You do not want to hurt yourself.”
I smacked his arm and cast him a wry look.
“Come on,” Blake said, laughing, as he tugged at my hand.
I allowed him to lead me; grateful he was guiding me.
I was beginning to notice the toll the different forces of this world were having on me.
I was over-encumbered by my own skin.
I definitely wasn’t prepared for this.
But Blake’s everi swiftly blanketed me like a shield.
“Thanks,” I muttered softly.
He squeezed my hand.
“It is beautiful, but none of what you see in the sky is real,” Blake said.
