All day he couldn't stop thinking about that place. It felt so... dream like. But he knew what he saw, he knew what he experienced. That place was real he knew it was, he saw it with his own two eyes.

He was so intrigued, but knew he couldn't talk about it since unless they saw it for themselves, no one would believe him. And if he were to tell someone he wanted to know exactly what it was first. So he did exactly what he said he'd do the previous night, be more prepared this time.

Under the cover of night he headed back to the woods, straight for the gateway thing. This time he was prepped for a little adventure.

During the day he thought about what he'd need to take, and he ended up with a shoulder bag with some water and snacks, a knife in case he needed to defend himself, tougher shoes on his feet, a jacket in case it got cold down there and a notebook to document everything he found, maybe make a map. And finally he had a few jars, to collect anything interesting like that glowing dust he found.

It was just after the orphanage went to sleep, and he'd gone back out without anyone noticing down to the same spot from last night, this time before he entered he drew the pattern on the marble and copied the runes in hopes he could decode it at some point. He tried to keep his eyes open when that blinding light hit him as he entered, but it was just too bright and he couldn't. So whatever happened while he was transported was a mystery to him. And before he knew it he was back in that garden area from the night before under the gazebo.

"East... that scroll said east so... that way" he mumbled to himself.

Looking to the east revealed a pathway through a flower bed, he thought it might lead to civilisation or something which would definitely be useful. Before heading east though, he went back to the little waterfall of glowing dust, collecting some in one of the jars.

He still had no idea what it was, but judging from it morphing into a scroll after he said the phrase 'I wish' it could be some kind of wishing dust. He could hardly believe all this has happening, so when the thought of wishing dust crossed his mind he almost said 'that's absurd'. But he had the scroll to prove it worked.

In only a night his whole worldview had changed after what he'd witnessed. It was almost as if the place was magic... up until now he scoffed at the idea of magic being real but now...

It seemed possible.

He began to head down the east path, the flowerbed leading into a wooded area that reminded him very much of Alice in wonderland. Mushrooms littered the ground, weeping willow trees lined the paths and some of them even seemed to glimmer. It wasn't until he accidentally ran into a branch he realised why...

"Ow- son of a-" he scoffed, feeling the leaves whack his face.

The leaves being right in eyeshot, made him notice something embedded in the stems of them.

"Is that... gems?" He questioned, looking at the leaves up close.

The stems looked exactly like gems, maybe emeralds? They were green, slightly translucent and shiny. Definitely not wood or any other plant material.

"What the-"

He picked a leaf off a tree to get a better look at it, and sure enough the stem was solid, not bendable. It was definitely a gem.

"Gem trees? How does that even..." he mumbled to himself.

He would love to examine them more but he had a mission here, so he put the leaf in his bag and kept walking. In the distance he could hear water, telling him a river or beach must be nearby. Past the gem weeping willows, the mushrooms that littered the floor seemed to get bigger and bigger the further he went, and soon enough they were bigger than him. Giant mushrooms took place of the trees, each one having a different pattern and height.

Looking around in awe, he was really starting to realise that this place wasn't normal. This place absolutely had some kind of magic going on, he could hardly believe it. But here he was standing under a giant mushroom.

"So... this is what it feels like to be a bug..." he mumbled to himself.

His awe was suddenly cut short when something in the distance caught his attention. A sound that must be very loud if even he could hear it from so far away. It sounded like a roar? Maybe a growl? It sent a shiver down his spine.

What on earth was that? A loin? A bear? A dinosaur?

Was it big or dangerous? How close was it?

The fact it sounded distant meant he didn't have to worry about whatever it was... for now that is. He hoped he didn't run into it.

Continuing through the mushroom Forrest the sound of water got louder, and as he emerged from the Forrest he was met with a massive river, the stars reflecting off the still water and across the river was what looked to be lights. There was civilisation across the river.

But hie would he get over the water? It was a very far width.

"Damnit. Is there a bridge somewhere? How do I get over..."

Looking along the shore he didn't see any bridges or boats, but the scroll said to head east  so he had to keep going in that direction right? The fact there was clearly a village of some kind on the other side told him he was right.

With no way across, he realised he'd have to come back with a plan to get over the water at some point. But for the time being, he wanted to map out his path so far.

Sitting on the shore and taking out his book, he began to draw what he'd seen so far. He was my no means a map maker, detectives never really had to make maps so he wasn't too sure how to make it work but he opted with starting in the corner and working his way out as he went. Marking the corner as the gateway into the place and drawing the path he took off it, he did his best to label where each area was.

The garden, the gem trees and the mushroom Forrest all lead to a river with some kind of civilisation on the other side, he knew that much.

It was silent aside from the sounds of frogs croaking, water trickling and cicadas chirping on the warm night. He was pretty focused on his map, the quiet almost soothing to him and helping him work.

As he finished up the map of what he knew so far, the silence was broken by something much nicer than an ominous growl in the distance.

Singing.

Beautiful echoing signing that bounced off the water, soothing and almost angelic.

"Hear, o gods, my desperate plea
To see my love beside me
Sunk below the mortal sea
His anchor weighs upon me"

Where was it coming from? It seemed to echo all around him, it was so mesmerising... so... entrancing.

"Fasten him tether unto me
That he may rise to sail free"

Putting down his book with his bag, he walked to the shore letting the water wash over his ankles looking out to the river. He wanted to know where it was coming from, but when he looked out at the water he couldn't see anything.

"Don't look back"

Don't look back huh? Was this song about the legend of Orpheus? When his lover was killed and he traveled to the under world to plead for her life. Sung for hades and Persephone and it was so beautiful that hades himself let him take his lover back to the living world. On one condition: he didn't look back until they'd reached the surface.

But the urge to make sure she was there overtook him and he looked back, only to have eurydice whisked back into the underworld and torn from him again.

Truly a tragic love story. But a good one for a song, as this mysterious voice was singing so beautifully.

"Close enough that light we can see
My doubt betrays the better of me
A glance to the stern is all it would be
That anguished shade shall haunt me"

It was about the legend, those lyrics proved it. Something about the voice singing that sad love story made L's heart skip a beat, the music was like a soft blanket being wrapped around him. It was like he was in a trance or something as he just... stood there. Listening, dwelling.

"Ever on
Calm
Seas
Winds a-lee
But now the squall's upon us"

He couldn't describe the feeling, it was pure bliss, like he'd died and gone to heaven. Whoever was singing had the voice of an angel, it was beautiful, so, so beautiful...

"We're foundering
Drowning
Don't look back"

The singing stopped and for a moment he was left in a daze, letting it sink into him. And when he finally snapped out of it, he found himself feeling... wet?

When did he did get halfway into the river?

Looking down he found he'd wandered aimlessly after the singing and ended up waist deep in the warm water. He just stood there confused for a moment, not knowing what the hell just happened to him. But he was soaked now, and quite displeased.

"Are you serious? What the hell just happened to me... well it's not like I can get past the river with no supplies for it so I guess that's it for the night" he sighed, dragging himself out of the river and picking up his bag and book. Pants soaking wet he uncomfortably made his way back down the path to get home and take a bath.

He'd have to take a few days to figure out a way across the river.

But that song... that singing... it played on loop in his head, it was almost like he'd been put on a trance or something. And he remembered every word to a T. He'd have to write down the lyrics when he got home.