Alcingeria Volume Three

Chapter Twelve: Isolation

Chapter Twelve Isolation:

???

We crossed through the wall of purity and as soon as we did so I wondered why I was allowed to pass.

"You aren't a believer in Tolene," Giovanni said simply. "From what I understand about your peoples' God, it doesn't work the same. You get sent to Hell whether you believe in Him or not, so long as you are a sinner. With our gods and goddesses, you need to have faith in them, follow them, in order for their rules to apply to you."

"Really?" I asked. "What happens if you don't believe in any of them?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but that's not allowed among the elves of Rao Mansa. You must follow at least one."

"Do all the elves believe in the same ones?"

"Essentially, with minor differences."

"And you really can't be held accountable to the rules of a god you don't believe in?"

"That's right," he nodded. "It's like a contract. You have faith in them, follow them, and they will bestow upon you their blessings. At least, that's how it's supposed to work."

"I'm guessing you didn't experience much of Tolene's blessing?"

He was quiet and he looked at the ground. We came out on the other side and found our surroundings resembling the night sky. The black canvas was speckled with what looked like stars, but there were also other colors mixed in. There were blues, purples, greens, and reds.

"Any idea where we are?" I asked.

He looked around, puzzled. He leafed through his book but couldn't find anything useful. His brow furrowed more with each passing moment and in frustration he closed it.

"I don't know. It's entirely possible we're in some space outside of any god's direct influence. A sort of neutral zone, if you will."

We started walking forward, the colors still amazed me. It was like the entire world was wrapped in the canvas of the night sky, it was breathtaking. We were on top of a hill, and were headed down it.

We saw shapes near the bottom of it and realized they were buildings when we drew nearer. All the buildings and the roads were the same color and bore the same night sky pattern, but everything was oddly distinguishable, they were contrasted differently. It was incredibly easy to tell one building from another, and it was very apparent that the road was a separate structure. This wasn't made from any material, it looked like a mold had been cut out from the surrounding space and plopped down where it was now. Some divine being must have created it.

"Should we approach?" I asked.

"Can't be any harm in it. Cities are usually built to keep the residents safe."

So we approached. It was odd, not like any mortal city. It seemed to just begin at one point, there was no countryside or rural areas, it was just nothing, nothing, nothing, and then the city started. It seemed to be very ordered, occupying a very clear-cut area that extended further than I could see.

We came to the street and started walking along the sidewalk. The whole design of it looked much different than mortal cities as well. It wasn't crowded, but we definitely saw people, well, residents, walking about and going in and out of buildings. Some of them were the exact same color as their surroundings, others weren't.

The residents were beings of different shapes and sizes, none of which were human. It wasn't long before Giovanni and I started to get strange looks and stares. I had no idea what these things were or how to begin to describe them. Some were short and appeared to be a disfigured head with four limbs protruding from it, some were very tall and thin, others tall and big, others were just gaseous shadows floating about. There were even animal hybrids.