Beyond the Void

Chapter 11, With each step, the past matters less

Years turn into decades, into centuries, and even into millennia on occasion, until another Mark of the Other One blossoms. Like a geyser made of the flow it takes on the shape of a massive flower, blotting out the sun, driving away the night, appearing in the minds of all those who witness it firsthand, far away or even in the dreams of all living minds.

An excerpt from the diary of Pia...

ANDREW

Three tens since the Mark of the Other One blossomed.

"Trees! So many damned roots and rocks to trip over. I am sick of this place!" Jess was on her behind on the ground and whining.

"I want to go back! Now! I want paved roads and heated rooms. I want a toilet, a bath! And food that does not run right through me! I want civilisation, not this seventh circle of hell. Even that ruined village was better than this. This is all trees! It's all the same." She pounded the mossy ground with her fists.

Jess was sobbing now. "I can't. I cannot do this. Someone burn this place down. All of it looks the same."

"Come on. Get up. You can do it. All of us can. We will do it. Together." Sarah grabbed Jess and dragged her upright.

Andrew disagreed, but he was not about to voice his thoughts. He suspected he would be the only one thrilled at the thought of what the next day might bring. Each morning had brought wonderful and unfamiliar sights. He could agree that the gateway village and the hidden valley had been repetitive. Filled mostly with tall pine-like trees, with leathery leaves instead of prickly needles. Moss and simple rock littered the forest floor. All green and grey.

Coming out of the valley, the group of eleven had found themselves on top of a hill. The hills and mountains spread in majestic splendour around them, and an endless forest lie ahead. The stones here varied in colour and texture, and shiny crystals embedded in the rocks glistened in the sun. White peaks towered behind them as they surveyed the landscape ahead of them.

The forest downhill was dark green at first, not too different from the valley they had emerged from. Then the colours of autumn showed themselves. Yellow and red leaves became more frequent the further south you looked, and some had withered into brown crisps already. Somewhere in the distance, you could see blue and purple, even further something white was poking through the greens and yellows.

Thoughts of what truly lay ahead of them did not cross Andrew's mind. Only when they descended into the forest, the following day, did his heart stutter a little. They had seen nothing to show anything other than wilderness lie ahead of them. No hints of civilisation or human. But the sights down here were as impressive, and he quickly discarded his worries.

Andrew stared in awe at the enormous moss-covered boulders. Roots that rivalled them in size and width had shattered some boulders. The flora here was more varied and he could see bushes, smaller plants and flowers besides the countless trees.

Straight and lean trees, stocky trees with bumps and character, small leaves, needles, oblong leaves, even perfect spheres for leaves. All of them a different hue from each other. Red tree trunks, light brown; you could go on forever.

Every day they reached somewhere new. The sights and surroundings kept Andrew in awe. Had the old world been like this too, or had he been too blind to see all of this beauty? Or had the repetitive sights of the hidden valley made such a difference?