The InBetween, The OtherSide

1- Inbetween

He awoke, on a bed of pure white.

'Where am I' He thinks to himself, turning his head to the left and right. There were two doors One to the left, and one to the right. He shifts, lifting his torso and head and placing his arms beneath his shoulders. Kicking his legs over the side of the bed, he finds a notebook on a table across the room, next to the table was a mirror. He quickly gets up and walks over to it. Opening the book, he sees some words scrawled on the opening page.

'This book belongs to Karl Jacobs'

Karl. Karl Jacobs. The name sounded familiar, yet he couldn't quite place a distinct face to the name. Luckily, there was an image- 'photograph' he reminded himself -of a man. He had short, fluffy brown hair, yellow eyes, freckles dotting his face, and was tan, but still quite pale. The picture man was wearing a colourful hoodie, some black pants, and had kaleidoscope goggles on his head. Silver chains hung from his neck, and one in particular stood out to him. There, on a thin silver chain were two rings, one had a citrine flame on a gold band, the other had a small sapphire duckling on a silver band. 

He looked to his right and was startled. It was the same man from the photograph! He was staring at him. He lifted his right hand, the picture man echoed it. He reached out to the other man, and the other did as well, his hand touched something, but it wasn't the other man's hand. Smooth, cold glass touched back. Making him realize that he was standing in front of a mirror, meaning that the man in the mirror and picture was him. He was Karl Jacobs. He owned the notebook that was on the desk. 

Turning around, Karl walked back to the bed, notebook in hand. He decided to analyze the doors on the left and right. He walked to the door on the right. He tried the doorknob. 

"Locked." He muttered.

With that, he walked to the door on the left. After finding the door was unlocked, Karl walked through it, finding himself in an open corridor. It had high ceilings and blue torches along one wall. The other wall had a white railing, overlooking a courtyard with lilies of the valley, oxeye daises, white tulips, and azure bluets scattered around the grass. Walking over to the railing, Karl saw a person. A woman, standing crouched by a lily of the valley. The woman was covered in white, her long gray hair made her seem old, yet she had the physique of a woman in her early 20s. She was wearing a long white skirt, paired with a small white bralette. There was a white flowery shawl draped over her shoulders. She wordlessly beckoned Karl over with the wave of a hand. 

Finding the stairs near the end of the hallway, Karl descended and walked to the woman standing in the garden. She had stood to her full height, standing at about 7 feet tall. Karl stood a few feet away, being mindful of her personal space. 

"Where am I? What is this place?" Karl spoke, disrupting the silence.

The woman spoke, "This is the Inbetween, a world you've been to a few times now"

Karl nodded, not quite understanding. "Then who are you? Why am I here?"

"I am the Inbetween, I am the woman before you, but I am also this castle you walk in." The Inbetween spoke, clearly knowing what Karl was going to ask.

"How is that possible?" Karl inquired softly. 

"I am a being not unlike the gods, seeing as I was created by XD himself." The Inbetween replied. "I am both this woman you see, and the ground you stand. This place was created as a resting place, between dream and reality, mind and matter. A place for those like you to rest and not take any time away. When you leave this realm, you will be right where you were. Although it will not be the same. Some memories will be forgotten. But that is not because of this place, it is the places you go before arriving in this realm."

"Now you must leave, but you will always remember when you're here." The Inbetween stated.

"But I haven't gotten to explore!" Karl cried.

"You will soon, but for now someone else is requiring your presence." The Inbetween spoke calmly, "Go back to the room you woke up in, and you will be able to transport yourself out. Here, take this. It will allow you to travel to and from the Inbetween whenever you please."

She handed Karl a watch. "How do I use it to travel?" He asked.

"Set the time to 11:11," the Inbetween replied.

Karl walked back to the room and set the watch.

Then everything went black.