Bridge of Worlds ( On Hold)

Prologue

Far away, across the Chasm in the land of Llyador, there stands a cave. It is one of Llyador’s most sacred places: Creature Caverns.

Ancient and magical, the caverns twist beneath the surface of the Lly mountain range that straddles Llyador. Creature Caverns is the birthplace of the magical creatures that inhabit Llyador.

Glowing eggs formed from the cave's stalactites and stalagmites hold the unawakened Llyadorans. The creatures shift inside their eggs, and vaguely hear the drip of water and the occasional swish as the cavern Keeper swims the murky pools.

Deep in the heart of Creature Caverns, there stands an egg that is unique. It grows in a straight pillar from the cavern room ceiling to its floor.
The egg glows, at first a soft golden color, and then it gets brighter and brighter, until it is a blinding white. The light explodes through the chamber, illuminating the blurred outlines of other creatures inside their eggs and casting monstrous, looming shadows.

Then with a crack, the brilliant egg shatters into a thousand glittering pieces. As they fall away in a shower of sparks, the creature is revealed.

“Welcome, creature.”
A deep voice echoes around the chamber. “I have long awaited your birth.” 

The cavern Keeper swims into view. He is large with many tentacles, dark with black and purple and gray, glittering with many eyes, reflecting the glow of the surrounding eggs.

“Thank you, Keeper,” the newborn creature deferred.

“Ahh, you know me,” says the Keeper. “You have been listening to me during your many years growing inside your egg. But now it is time to awaken. And every new creature must be named. Your name shall be Kiran.”

"Kiran, Kiran, Kiran" echoed the cavern.

The Keeper waved a few tentacles. “As the Keeper, I watch over the eggs as they grow, and greet and name the creatures once they awaken. I guide them to the mouth of the tunnel, that they may enter the world and fulfil their destiny. You are Llyadoran; someday you will Match to a human and travel to their world. For now you must grow and learn in this one.” The Keeper turned slightly in the water. “I will tell you what I tell every awakened creature: you have the right to three questions and my guidance to the mouth of the tunnel. Anything further must be paid for, an answer for an answer, a favor for a favor. Now, tell me Kiran, what will your questions be?”

The question lingered in the air while the creature Kiran considered it.
He looked around at the other creatures, still inside their eggs. None of them looked like him.

“What am I?” he asked.

The Keeper replied inscrutably. “Human, yet creature, you are a bridge between worlds that have a great Chasm dividing them. You must stretch and grow and be strong, for you will link and carry those of both worlds.”

“What must I do to prepare?” Kiran asked, overwhelmed.

“Learn to fight. Learn to love. Learn to grow and heal things. See the importance in a single blade of grass, and the triviality of a hurricane. If you search for the healer Shanook, he can teach you many important things. Ask him to be your mentor.”

Kiran nodded. The silence echoed for a minute as he contemplated his last question. “ You- you have named me. May I ask your name? I have only ever heard you called the Keeper.”

The Keeper laughed softly. “I have kept these caverns for hundreds of years and no one has ever asked me that before. I had nearly forgotten it. Gloosh. That is my name.”

Kiran bowed respectfully toward him. “My thanks, Gloosh. Your wisdom will greatly aid me.”

“Come,” the Keeper said, “I will begin leading you out of the caverns.” He swished forward and Kiran followed.

They wound through the dark tunnels only lit by the faint glow emanating from the eggs. They travelled for many days in almost absolute silence, punctuated only with necessity.  “Drink,” the Keeper said when they came across fresh water. He yanked up fish or bits of plants from the water and told him to eat. To "rest” when Kiran stumbled too often.
The journey seemed so long and Kiran was still learning how to use his body. He trudged through the water. It was getting lower, he noticed faintly.

“This is where we must part. I can go no further,” Gloosh said.
Kiran looked up; the water ran out up ahead and faded into muddy, gritty dirt. He could just barely see the glint of sunlight at the mouth of the cave.

"Walk toward the light,” Gloosh said.

“Thank you. I hope to see you again someday,” Kiran said.

Gloosh bubbled in the water, a mixture between a hum and a smile. “I would like that. And if you ever wish to talk to me, you can reach me mentally from anywhere. But remember that nothing is free.”

And with a wave of one tentacle, he slithered away. Kiran watched him go, then he turned again to the mouth of the tunnel. He sloshed out of the water and began walking toward it. Soon he reached the mouth of the tunnel.

He stepped out into the light.