Book One – Chapter 3

THE WORLD HE ENTERED was both familiar and strange, both mesmerising to behold and terrifying. Everything appeared shattered and in constant movement. It was as if the entire world was made of glass and darkness, with vast crystal constructions stretching off into the distance. The sky was a deep shade of grey. The air was thick with an acrid smell and a strange energy that Yves couldn’t quite put his finger on. The ashen light was refracted in bizarre ways, creating unreal reflections and eerie, twisting shadows. While Yves could never focus clearly on the shattered silhouettes that every so often passed him like fractured shades, he never failed to hear the ominous swelling of soaring sounds that penetrated the air. It was the thundering of mountains breaking apart in the far distance, of rushing sand constantly underlined with indistinguishable mechanical ticking and clicking. Yves felt the sounds revebrating within himself, but, looking down, could hardly recognise his body. To his own eyes, he appeared like one of the many grey shadows that existed here. Some emitted a sensation of beauty, with wings that in this monotonous world had the faintest traits of colour, while others were grotesque, with twisted limbs and teeth that gleamed in the strange ashen light. Where he was now, there were only few that he could vaguely spot in the near distance. Feeling reassured after a thorough assessment of his surroundings, Yves bend down to pick up the crystal half ball, which had entered this world with him, and then left the immediate vicinity of the mirror. His spell kept it anchored in place.

With his poor eyesight, Yves had to be careful not to confuse the wandering entities with his surroundings, as they often seemed to blend into one another. His presence never seemed to bother them, but it startled them greatly when he touched them by accident. None of them had ever emitted a noticeable presence like that which he had felt just after returning, and they had never interacted with one another or himself.