~Chapter 6- Another World~

         The sun was high in the sky when the two teenagers flew over the desert and approached the Link Temple. But unbeknownst to Corri, she was being followed by Lunahreim atop one of his crows. He knew this girl would be the one to shatter the barrier, she just needed proper incentive to go along with it. Her desire to help others was the perfect motivation. Valr was quite helpful in that regard, and the little show they put on earlier led Corri to trust him.

         Corri's red sparrow glided just above the sands, towards an outcropping amidst the desert. The Link Temple.

         Corri and Valr stepped off of the bird and walked over to the sealed doors of the temple. Valr usually had to force the doors open, but when Corri approached, they opened for her.

         "Stay here, Rojo," Corri said to her bird as the two entered. There was a descending staircase downwards, and torches lining the walls began to combust suddenly, lighting their way down.

         "We need to be careful. There's this statue that attacked me when I came in here," Valr warned.

         "I know how to deal with it."

         As soon as they reached the bottom, a compartment in the wall opened up, and from it emerged a four-armed golden statue with glowing eyes. It stood tall over the two, ready to attack.

         Corri calmly walked in its path, "Let us through," She said sternly.

         The golden statue lowered its stance and returned back to where it came, obeying her orders.

         "Why did it listen to you?" Valr asked.

         "The last time I was here, the statue mistook me for the Goddess."

         The two walked through the halls of that temple as torches continued to light their way. Images of an Owl, Ram, and Turtle appeared periodically on the walls. Valr passed by a stone etching, portraying a battle between the people of the lands of Ralosia and those of the Lands of Ranuulo.

         The Arachna people were depicted as six-armed beasts entrapping their opponents in webbing, the Regenek were monstrous lizards who fought with half-grown appendages, and the Densius's rocky forms took the shape of animals like snakes and dogs. The Ranuulans looked horrific, as if they were disfigured versions of Ralosians.

         Valr hated that drawing. It made the people of that land look evil, but they weren't. They were people like anyone else; some of his best friends were of the Arachna and Regenek. But they were trapped in a terrible world. If the gauntlets could truly shatter the barrier, they'd be free of that place.

         The Goddess Ralosia was represented on the wall as well, and as Valr looked at her, he couldn't help but see a resemblance to Corri. It wasn't just the red hair; Corri almost looked like a younger Ralosia.

         Corri turned to Valr as they walked through the tournament, "I have a question for you."

         "What is it?"

         "You... were in the tournament, weren't you? You called yourself Efilon and wore a mask. Fought my cousin Jirro."

         Valr averted his eyes from her, "No. That wasn-"

         Corri stared at him rigidly and Valr stopped. He knew he was caught. "What gave me away? Did I fly around too much?"

         "No, it wasn't that. When I caught a glance of your eyes at the tournament. You looked angry... but kind of sad. Now I know why. It's because you've been separated from your parents for so long, right?"

         "Yeah. I'd say you have me figured out."

         "So, is your real name Efilon, or Valr?"

         "Valr.  Efilon is a name that... I made up," In the bag slung across Valr's back, he could feel something wriggling. The mask and its pulsating tendrils. He paid it no mind.

         "Why didn't you tell me who you were?" Corri asked.

         "Your brother and I have never gotten along. If you knew who I was, I thought you might hate me from the start," Valr explained.

         Corri smiled softly, "No worries about that."

         The two came to a dead end. There was a short flight of stairs leading to a circular gate, blocked by a shimmering substance that looked liquid, but at the touch it was solid. The barrier between the two worlds.

         Valr took a deep breath, "Moment of truth!"

         Corri flexed her arm with the gauntlets in hand, "Let's hope this works."

         The red-haired girl walked up to the barrier, and it began to ripple violently as she grew close to it. She breathed in and out and struck the barrier with the gauntlets.

         It shattered like glass. From the other side emerged a pitch-black mist that immediately surrounded them in darkness.

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         Lunahreim waited patiently outside when it emerged. From the temple shot out a beam of pure darkness, rising into the sky for all in the land to see, through the clouds, passing even the Sky Lands. Once it reached its apex, it burst apart, and the darkness spread across the entirety of the Lands of Ralosia. Everyone and thing was engulfed in an absence of light. The world became quiet.

         The three deities of their world knew something terrible had just happened.

         As the darkness washed over him, Lunahreim smiled.

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         In seconds, the darkness dissipated from the world until all was normal, as if nothing had happened. Everything appeared ordinary now, even inside the temple. But the barrier was gone, and tears came to Valr's eyes.

         Valr flew through the opening and started through, with Corri following closely behind him. On the opposite side of the barrier was a similar-looking temple, but much more worn and damaged. Vines grew through it with pieces of debris all around. On the walls were stone etchings worn away from time. Valr passed by several silver statues, all broken apart amongst other debris.

         The temple was dark, with no torches to light the way. Valr flexed his hand, and an orb of purple light appeared at his fingertips, allowing him to see the way forward.

         He flew over a flight of stairs and reached the exit of the temple. The doors that should've blocked the way had been torn off long ago. Valr stepped out into a near pitch-dark world; he could hardly see anything. When he looked up, he saw a menacing purple, black, and red sky.

         Despite only traveling a short distance, Valr knew that the temple had transported them to the opposite side of the world. The place he was born and called home. Nighttime turned the land to pitch darkness here. Valr had nearly forgotten what it was like.

         "Wait up!" Corri called out behind him, "You can't just leave me behind like that!"

         Corri rushed to Valr's side, where the only source of light was, and looked around, "Is this your home?"

         Valr nodded. In the distance, they could see two purple orbs of light approaching them from the darkness. Corri tensed up, but Valr was certain of who it was.

         From the darkness emerged a man and a woman with brown hair and dark clothing, helping them blend in with the darkness. The man was tall, muscular, and hair that wasn't maintained. The woman floated above the ground, her short brown hair swaying with the subtle movements she made.

         "Valr?" The woman spoke hopefully.

         "Mom!" Valr flew forward, as did the woman. They embraced in the air. The man wrapped his arms around both of them.

         "I knew we'd see each other again," The man spoke tenderly. Valr's father.

         Valr wiped his tears and noticed both his mother and father looking at Corri.

         "Mom, Dad. This is Corri. I never would've broken through the barrier without her," Valr explained, "Corri, these are my parents."

         Without hesitation, Valr's mother came forward to hug Corri, "Thank you so much! I'm Diva."

         "I don't know how you managed it, but thank you!" Valr's father said, "I am Vos."

         Corri nodded, but was still visibly shaken by this strange world she found herself in, "It's nice to meet you. But where are we? Is this-"

         "This is the Lands of Ranuulo."

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End of Book 2: The Valr Saga