Chapter 5: Bodies

After I awakened, I sensed a great deal of magic concentrated at one spot. At that time I did not know it was magic. It felt like I was being pulled there for some indescribable reason. Purely relying on my instincts, I walked, or rather floated, towards it. I traveled in darkness for a while not quite understanding what I was doing. As I arrived at my destination my muddled head started to clear up. Soon my vision returned.

As I looked around, I felt a tremor on the ground and then nothing. An earthquake?, I thought, confused. Then, looking around, I realized that I was not in that office building anymore (it would be weird if I was). Instead, there was a huge temple-like structure in front of me. It was breathtakingly beautiful; the stone walls were carved with intricate designs. The wooden door was as tall as two fully grown men and was embedded with dazzling jewels. There was nothing around the temple. Just cracked, dry earth and rocks as far as the eye could see. The emptiness around it only served to further the temple's beauty.

Taking in the sight before me, I could tell that the pull I had felt before was coming from the temple. Against my better judgment, I came forward and opened the door. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I found myself in a dome-like structure. The walls were covered by paintings of beings, who could not be called human. All of them were young, not looking a day older than 20. Some were human, while others that could only be seen in the fairy tales I had long stopped believing in. In one picture, a handsome young man with red hair was riding on a unicorn with a black coat; both did not seem to be fazed by the blazing fire surrounding them. In another, a teen with wolf ears and tail was holding a gem while being surrounded by wolves.

In the middle of the chamber were huge pieces of crystal floating in the air. Inside each one was a person. Their features were vailed, but I could have sworn that they were the ones depicted in the paintings. Looking at them, I felt guilty for some reason. Why? I knew none of them. If anything, I should be hostile toward them.

As I got closer, I saw cracks appear in the crystals. The next thing I knew, it shattered, revealing the people sealed inside. Taking a defensive stance, I was about to question them when they collapsed, unconscious.

They were pale, like corpses. But I could see color returning to them with each passing second.

Seeing no other alternative, I leaned against the wall and waited for them to wake up. Surely one of them can tell me what is going on. Besides, I should get some rest while I can. As fatigue caught up to me, I drifted off into darkness against my better judgment.