Warlock's Wanders

Prologue

The soft crackle of stepped-on leaves rustled through the exotic forest, other sounds breaking its mighty silence being the chirping of birds or the occasional squeaking as tiny animals ran around in the wild, tall grass. Whoever had just walked into the forest on Heaven Island was certainly alien to this Realm, as the newcomer displayed awe and surprise throughout his journey. The traveller held a long bamboo staff in his hand, which aided him in overcoming the unfamiliar terrain. It was a middle-aged man dressed in poor clothing, consisting of a crudely woven grey jacket and pants, covered by a long jade cloak thrown over the shoulders; his head was protected from the blazing sunlight by a conical hat, sitting so low that only his lips were visible from under the brim, pouting from the weariness of his trip. He had a field worker's tan, and the rough skin on his hands served as evidence that he came from the Rice Fields — the first Realm, the beginning of our vast Omniverse.

The man slowly, but surely, made his way through the thicket, and arrived in a clearing. The majesty of Realm 3 unfolded in front of him — the forest he escaped from was surrounded by towering rocks with sharp slopes; even more exotic vegetation covered the mountaintops. Streams of glossy water flowed from crevasses in the cliffs, joining together on the way and forming waterfalls of incredible scales. As the man stepped forward, he became more and more amazed by what he saw: the forest he arrived at was situated on an island suspended in the air — above clouds, but also below some of the higher ones. Some distance away, though not too far, was another island, and this one was even more extraordinary. He observed that the flora on it wasn't any less peculiar than the one he stood upon, oh no, but someone had kept it well and grown it in pretty patterns, as though it were a man-made garden. Off in the distance the man saw other islands floating on different levels, but his eyes focused on a tall castle with sky-blue tops. As he saw it, the castle was located on the island in front of him, but hidden behind the long, beautiful garden.

The traveller strolled along the edge of his island, stepping closer and closer to it as he saw more of what was below him, the feelings of fear and curiosity battling each other inside of him. The man looked once again at the tall fortress in the distance and decided that it's where he's headed all along. As someone who comes from Realm 0, he did not possess any Chromic abilities that would allow him to fly, or materialise bridges; his powers were puny, just like his chromosomes. He turned around and saw what looked to him like a particularly tall pine tree with a thick trunk. His rough analysis of its size suggested it was long enough to be a bridge if someone were to cut it down. But who? And how?

The man went up to the tree and looked right up to see its crown. To do so, he had to throw his head back a good amount, nearly having his hat slide off onto his back. It was tall, alright. He felt a bit of remorse for having to vandalise the nature of such a magnificent landscape, but that did not stop him. He raised his hands up in the air and rubbed his palms together with vigour; and then he held in his hands a yellow chromosome — a symbol of his people's weak Chroma that, nonetheless, existed. He took the thing and dropped it against his staff, shattering the X-shaped particle into thousands of pieces that evaporated instantly. Meanwhile, his staff began glowing a weak orange. The man took a large swing at the tree. As soon as the bamboo stick touched the wood, cracks spread deep across the trunk. The tree groaned, heaved, its crown rustled briefly, before it began its rapid descent down off the edge of the island.

Satisfying the man's expectations, the tree's crown fell right onto the other island, creating a bridge between the two, just like he wanted it to. And so, he traversed the thick trunk over. His heart raced from the juvenile excitement as he walked above the heavens and onto the other island, whereby he entered the immense garden. The wide path covered in smooth ceramic plates was a significant improvement over the uneven grass of the previous island. The traveller, however, felt tired from his journey, and decided to settle on a nearby rock with his staff leaned over his shoulder. At that point, he saw someone enter the garden from the other side. Someone familiar, yet also unknown to him...