Roxanne and the Blue Rose: New worlds (Studio Ghibli fanfic)

Into the Poison Jungle

Sapphire flew across the shiny, multicolored worlds, which surrounded the fabric of an infinite existence. To his and Roxanne's eyes, the worlds looked like massive clouds of light and colors, knowing well what and who each one was. He would recall Iona and Garth, his first parents and mentors teaching him about the vitality of the worlds and how the balance between them should be kept.

"They are so beautiful!" he heard Nausicaa from behind laughing and his dragon lips curled into a smile. He could guess that into the princess's eyes the worlds looked more like stars rather than clouds of light.

"I bet stars aren't as shiny as you can see them here," Roxanne said and Nausicaa shook her head.

"The Valley of the Wind always bears clouds. Sometimes it's really hard to see the stars. But the Ohm sing sometimes and when they do the sky seem to shine brighter."

Roxanne knew of the gigantic creatures with the blue orbs as eyes. They would turn red if they were angry. She could recall the time when she and her sister would enjoy the stories about these heroes. Mitsi had a soft spot for a particular dragon boy and a scarecrow.

"Before we enter the Valley we'll have to pass through the poison jungle! Won't you need a mask?" Nausicaa asked.

"Sapphire?"

"Our bodies can adapt to anything the worlds can create. But since your body still is human I guess a mask won't be a problem." The dragon spoke as they passed through the last worlds around them.

While Roxanne and Nausicaa adjusted the masks on their faces, Sapphire drew closer and closer at the veil which surrounded the boundaries of the worlds. The last time he had been into a similar place Iona has shed her body away and had become a silver wind. The veil looked like a black wall, shiny like an onyx and smooth to the touch. But despite its appearance, it stood strong after an eternity of Sapphire's existence.

Roxanne could also see the veil and she caressed the scales at the base of the dragon's neck. He turned his head a little his left eye looking at her with admittance. He could sense too the power which possibly was lying behind it. She looked around her stretching her senses, letting the blue rose carved on her chest intensify her powers. There was magic, a massive torrent of it on the other side of the veil, and Roxanne asked Nausicaa if she could remember the way she had come from.

When the princess gave them the directions, Sapphire maneuvered making a deep dive towards the veil, which spanned into impossible height. And it was there, a tiny spot of openness which could be enough for the dragon to pass through. He and Roxanne could sense the leaking power which was coming from the small opening.

It was raw and untamed.

"Hold on tight!" Sapphire warned the girls, before flying straight through the opening, using his powers at the same time to seal it behind them. When the blackness cleared and the hazy darkness gave its place to the light Roxanne gasped at the sight before her.

The jungle was spreading for miles and miles below them and while the sky seemed clear, she knew that the air was toxic to humans and that the creatures which lived into the depths of this jungle, were mutations of the wars which had devastated Nausicaa's world in the past. As they flew above the rusting remains of what seemed to be some kind of metallic giants, Nausicaa pointed at an open space at the far edge of the beginning desert. It seemed to be strange that the scenery could change from the lush and poisonous jungle into the empty desert. When Sapphire landed and changed back into his human form, Nausicaa gasped from fear.

Roxanne could see her frightened eyes even from the mask, while Sapphire arranged the glider to the ground. Nausicaa pulled her rifle from the glider's sheath and she lifted it on her shoulder. "We have to walk from here. This is Ohm territory and the sight of you would alarm them."