V: More Than Two Sides

17 2 0
                                    

"So... this is the Eternity Glass?" Fallon stared curiously at the veil before her. When the deities mentioned the universal portal, she had expected some sort of a magical gateway with a key or a complex ritual, not a cracked screen that looked like it could be fixed by a computer repair shop.

Kamalita shrugged, clearly understanding the girl's thoughts. "It was made with functionality in mind, not fashion ability. Although, if I had a say in it, I'd make it... shine? Something to say, 'gods walk through here.'"

Fallon furrowed her brows. "I thought that was a taboo word."

"I can say it, as can the other celestials."

"Ah." Fallon reached forward to brush a finger along the cracks, only to have her entire hand fall through. She quickly retreated and looked to Lita with wide, concerned eyes. "It's prickly!"

The woman snorted. "Even among the divine, there's no such thing as a perfect form of travel."

Fallon chuckled. "If only Jeremy stuck around. He'd completely flip. I mean, it's not Doctor Strange, but..." She frowned. Morgant had kept her word and took her friend home the second he felt better, but she couldn't help the twist in her gut.

Lita gave her a nudge. "You'll have to tell him everything, then."

Fallon nodded and looked back towards the Glass, trying to get a glimpse of the other side. All she could see was a kaleidoscope filter of Lita's spacious entrance, but the deity warned her to expect much more.

According to her, five main planes existed in their universe. The Lower Plane, based on the detail provided, sounded like common myths of Hell. Blazing fires, damned souls—eternal punishment for all kind. The Second Plane, also known as the Underworld, housed the malevolent beings as well as the souls awaiting judgment. However, with Eyal on the throne, justice had been stalled. The current princes weren't helping, either. In Lita's words, the elder one felt too entitled while the other kept himself so under the radar that he managed to be untraceable from time to time. As a result, there were all too many upset, lost souls. When Fallon asked what would become of them should their father be eradicated, Kamalita simply brushed it off and mentioned the various governmental systems that would take care of them.

Meanwhile, Fallon and everything she had ever known lied in the Middle Plane. Unlike the other planes, the Middle Plane lacked the ability to see other planes. "Mortal ignorance," as Kamalita worded it. For countless reasons, every other creature found it in their favor escape to a place that didn't have humans. They carved a hole into the universe and created an entire new plane, the Guardian World, to live in. Elven realms, Fae courts, merpeople—all of them formed from the first few generations of immigrants.

Finally, the deities resided in the Fifth Plane, the Celestial World.

"That's a story for later," Lita had said with a wink. "Better to experience it first."

And so, Fallon faced the thin veil that separated her from the Guardian World, and she suddenly regretted no listening to her mother's endless rants about fairies and unicorns, as silly as that still sounded to her. "You sure they won't mind a human coming over? I mean, you said it yourself. They kinda hate us."

"Darling, you are one of us; and no matter how you feel about him, you have your father to thank for that. Now, what are the three rules I told you about?"

"Don't eat the food, don't be disrespectful, and don't think about staying."

The deity nodded. "Good." She held out her hand for the girl to take, and they both stepped through the Eternity Glass.

Eternity GlassWhere stories live. Discover now