A World With/Out Home

Chapter 36: Breaking through. (Part 2)

"Nope!" Lillia faced him adamantly. "You promised to go in and out. It's too dangerous even for us."

He gave in, "I know."

An hour passed as the two of them sat and watched the view from the top of the hill. Behind them the intense fog still swirled and the silver rope that tied them remained firm. Ahead, the world was different. There was still life but it was life that had become untamed and crazed due to living in the current environment. Keg valley which was once known for its plethora of friendly fauna had become a hotspot for beasts. It was safe where they sat and within Lillia's barrier the creatures could never find them but the fact remained they were there. Creatures considered monsters once quite rare, lurking in the forest below.

"Even if we somehow come back it's going to take a lot of effort to bring back a semblance of order," Kyle said melancholically.

"I get you, but in a way isn't this the order that naturally came about?" Lillia gestured outwards.

"Maybe..., but how will that order change without demons."

"Ah, I didn't think about that. Yeah that's going to be an interesting one." She frowned and pondered, "I wonder who sits on top the food chain. You think the old dragons are still sleeping somewhere?"

"Probably, though those old geezers might have just decided to keep sleeping. They were the best of the best when it came to ignoring the world."

Lillia laughed, "I guess asking them for help won't get anywhere this time either."

"I'd honestly rather Kalvara. I can at least deal with him." He stood up and after dusting himself off reached for Lillia. "Though it seems he's not coming. Let's go back."

"And then I get my reward?" she looked at him from the side blushing coquettishly.

"As long as it's within reason," he smiled and holding her hand once more stepped back into the thick fog they came from.

"I'll make sure that it'll improve both our moods," she grinned clearly excited.

"I'm starting to get anxious. Maybe you should ask Mai-."

Let go of the rope. The unknown voice caused Kyle to freeze.

"Kyle?" Lillia looked at him concerned.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No...," Lillia looked around but saw nothing, only the fog and bare ground beneath them.

Kyle held the silver rope in his hands and looking at Lillia made up his mind, "We need to let go of the rope."

"You're kidding...," she sighed in frustration. "How are we going to get back home then?"

"Don't worry I left a note for Arvel. He'll help us get back."

A wide range of emotions crossed Lillia's face and body as she stamped her foot and puffed her cheeks, going from deep thought to annoyance and even showing a touch of a smirk.

"Fine!" she gave in only to proceed to pull Kyle close, gripping his shirt. "But then you and me are spending some proper alone time together no matter what, and I don't mean teenage romance shenanigans but a proper adult night. I'm sitting on nearly two thousand years of pent up passion here!"

Kyle gulped unsure how to feel about her aggressive behaviour, "I promise."

"Then let's do this," she grabbed the rope and taking it from the both of them, threw it far into the fog. "Now what?"

"I guess we walk and see what happens," still holding her hand Kyle began to move.

The fog began to recede and as it did so, it quickly became apparent that they were not where they had entered. Their view was blocked and aside from a dozen metres of grass, the rest was made up of a long wall that curved away out of sight. The plain and practical stone stood thick and strong with little decoration aside from a red painted line marking its top.

"It's a wall," Lillia pointed out.

"Yes it is," Kyle replied.

"You think something is behind it?"

"Well obviously. Why else build a wall? Though it seems a little off."

"What makes you say that," Lillia raised her eye at him. "It looks fine to me."

"This is Kalvara we're talking about. The wall is a wall but it's a little plain for his tastes. No murals, decorative locks or embedded gems. It's not flashy enough."

"Then you think we're in the wrong place?"

"Maybe... but someone definitely heard us and bought us here. The least we could do is entertain them," Kyle smiled.

Lillia huffed a sigh, "If you were alone right now and I knew what you were doing I'd be so worried. Should we find an entrance or-." She twitched and looked towards the wall. "Someone is coming, should we hide?"

"No, let's see how they react," he pulled Lillia and together they moved closer to the wall. The two of them were dressed quite plainly without their usual armour or military flair, perfect to blend in with the everyday crowd. The question was what kind of crowd were they about to find.