The Hour of the Otherworld [novel in the making]

[Eternity]

The Hour of the Otherworld

By Arie Jannay

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Part One: The Book of Basil

Prologue

The day wasn't over yet. The sun was still hanging in the western corner of the world, over the trees of the Vuris Territory. The sky was painted yellow and orange with shards of blue in the opposing eastern edge of the world. The stretch of land here was flat and a bit edgy at times. A plateau arrangement of the earth, leading up into a stretch of plains faintly decorated by patches of short forests to relieve one from the sun's cast. The grasses were green and yellow, and the trees dark brown with vibrant greens at their large blossoming tops. Here and there, an animal or two could be seen. The occasional passing Gazat, with slender bodies and long spiraling horns upwards; grazers of the fields. Here and there, a field hare, with golden fur and brilliant orange eyes paired with a fluffy cotton tail and long ears. But it was not the beauty of the Vuris Territory that was so interesting.

It was the intruder. The stranger. The man of mystery that drives forth a wonder and curiosity for those who even ponder at his existence.

He was tall and wiry, with long dark brown legs draped in beige animal-skin breeches that fell over bare feet. His chest rose up into broad shoulders, with his bare chest availing the muscled tone of his nature. His face was a bit gaunt, but covered with paint. Bright colors and inks that dripped on down his neck and over his shoulders like a skin-tight mask. His eyes were dark and ominous, glowing bright and vicious in the evening light. His hair stood on end, wild and black and twisting about a few inches from his scalp. His name had not been spoken by the tongue of an Otherworlder in countless decades; even centuries. But here he was, alive and well.

And on the hunt once more.

He leaned forward from a tall cliff-edge near the massive plain that lead into the central village of the Vuris Territory: Enine. His eyes scouted over every inch of the plains before he launched himself forward, using his long wooden staff to help him steady his graceful landing along the plain's grasses some odd fifty feet below. He stood tall and began to walk at first, heading towards a small patch of forest that would enshroud a village within it. The forest was grown in a circular fashion to hide the popular place of Enine. He found himself in the trees, walking around the thick bases under the sweet shade of the broad canopies. Traveled bare-footed over the long winding roots that dove into the earth only to weave out and under again and again. Finally, somewhere distant and far away, the sun began to set. The orb fell behind the trees of the eastern territory of Gurigas. The light began to fade, and somewhere before this man were the glittering lights of fire and magic in Enine. And his walk came to a sweet relief as he finally saw the edges of Enine.

Enine was gorgeous; a beautiful and cultural place. You see, Vuris was a place for magic and wonder. For people who lived with open minds and unique understandings of the world. These were the most magnificent of peoples, hiding away from the rest of the world for the purpose of enjoying it better. The violence and whatnot of the outside territories was something they did not enjoy, thus did not expose themselves to. And because of such, there was an odd purity to their celebration. Their celebration of life itself.

The houses rose in unique cylindrical fashions with spiraling roof shingles; their homes made of strong dark woods of a smooth ebony color. Their homes were decorated with string lights, beholding small everlasting fireflies within their thin wire-netted bulbs. The ground was dusty and dry along the street-like paths, with bright green grasses on their sides. The people were dressed in bright garbs and colorful dress, with smiles on their faces. The way of travel was by horse; the horses of Vuris decorated with beads and saddles and clothes of beauty. They had piercings along their ears and beads entwined in their manes, allowing them a soft chiming sound when they walked by; helped only by the silver and bronze bracers along their ankles.

The people parted as the man slipped past them unnoticed, daring not to touch anyone, but instead moving gracefully until he had reached an area known as the Enine Center. There, there was a path of red stone, that led up to a stone platform encircled by these same stones.

There, atop that platform, was a woman. She was young, and smiling. The woman had tan skin and a lean frame. She had long blond hair falling almost to the center of her back, going nicely with the gracious warm tone of her dark amber eyes. She was speaking to a child, sliding a pair of worn brown leather gloves on her hands. The man slowed his relentless search, walking slowly up the red stone path til he reached the black slate platform, smiling as he gingerly stamped the stone beneath his feet with his staff.

Basil turned her head up, staring out in his direction, where she saw him standing there. The world around him didn't notice his presence, but she did. She wrinkled her brow curiously, and turned back to the child. Her words were spoken quickly, and he left following them. The young Mage then brushed her hands over her faded orange dress, staring back at the man.

"Can I help you sir?" She began with her usual smile, as most Vuris people did.

"No. Not at all." The man smiled, his face-paint seeming to enshroud his true emotion. "My name is Leo, and I'm here to help you."