ON THE OTHER SIDE | AETHER

TEN

You were falling—it was the same feeling you had when you first arrived in this world. Mind without a body, consciousness without awareness. The stars of the domain darkened as one shined so hard it filled your vision with pure white, as if it was pulling you toward it.

When something other than the white appeared, you could feel yourself. Your body had finally returned. But the scene in front of you was not Cloud Retainer's abode, it was different. In a way you could only describe as utter nothing, a cavity of blinding white. You were the only one in this space, Aether was absent. Why were you separated from him?

You couldn't gauge the distance in front of you, there was no difference between the horizon and the ground. Yet you walked forward because you felt like there was nothing else for you to do. You walked and walked, picking at the skin on your fingers, until finally a separation appeared. It was a darkness that defined the skyline.

You approached it and it got closer, thankfully not a mirage your mind was tricking you into seeing. The darkness was a canyon. It was too wide for you to jump over, and you couldn't see the end when you looked left and right. Carefully, you approached the edge and peered down. Wanting to know if there was something below, you looked for something on you heavy enough to drop and make a sound if it were to hit the ground.

There were two options. The vision in your pocket—or one of your shoes. And, although reluctantly, you chose to keep the vision and abandon the shoe on your left foot. You leaned down, untying the laces. You apologized to Barbara in your mind, hoping she wouldn't ask for the outfit back. You stood and held the shoe over the canyon, dropping it and listening for an impact noise.

You didn't hear a noise but in your peripheral, you noticed something appear on the other side of the rift. It was your shoe. Was that how you could reach the other side? You swallowed, not quite having the guts to jump. So, you decided to do what your science teachers would tell you to do in an experiment. Repeat for assurance.

You waved goodbye to your other shoe, dropping it, and watching to see if it would appear in the same place. And it did. You knew that your science teachers would tell you to do it at least once more, but you didn't have anything else you could drop.

Sucking in a breath, you stepped off the edge and began falling below. Your eyes squeezed shut and you felt your chest tighten. Pressure weighed down your body, until it all released, and your eyes fluttered open. Aether's face faded into vision.

You blinked, sitting up. Your eyes adjusted to the scenery. Stone pillars and waterfalls, floating islands and sounds of birds chirping. You weren't on the other side of the canyon—you were in Cloud Retainer's domain.

"I've never seen someone pass out after entering through a domain," Aether commented.

"Cut me some slack. I've never been inside a domain before," you answered, standing up from the ground. You looked down at your feet after noticing how detailed the ground felt.

"Where did your shoes go?" he asked, noticing their absence.

You dragged your socks on the ground, grimacing. "I woke up in some strange place. I threw my shoes down a canyon to test a theory." You looked ahead. "Should we start trying to find that adeptus?"

Aether also looked forward. He nodded, starting to walk. You followed behind him. "That place...what do you mean by strange?"

You searched for the words to describe it in your mind. "It was like a vast nothingness. Until I came across a rift. I tossed my shoes down it to see if there was a ground below. But when I did, they appeared on the other side of the rift." As you and Aether reached the floating island ahead, a woman's voice boomed from an unknown location.