Ghent never got the chance to prepare himself. One push later, he found himself inside of the portal he'd been so critical of. His panicked shout echoed in his ears as the alley fell away from his line of vision, replacing him with a look into the strangest place he'd ever seen.
It was difficult for Ghent to believe that this was his second time going through the portal. Perhaps it should have been familiar, but it wasn't.
The feeling of drowning without water was surreal. Was he in a small void, or a large one? There was no way to measure the area around him, and there was no way to tell how far he was falling.
Was he falling? Ghent didn't know. For all he knew, he could have been rising, or not moving at all.
The hood of his hoodie drifted behind him while his sleeves hung loosely around his arms and wrists, defying gravity and logic all at once. Ghent didn't speak, he couldn't think. Awestruck, he watched the colors around him change from a calm blue to an unsettling shade of red, but that was all he saw. Elayra hadn't come through yet, neither had Miles. In that moment, Ghent felt completely and helplessly alone, and that's precisely when the first voice shattered the silence.
"Advice?" Ghent could barely speak. The mystery speaker sounded close. Too close. Swatting his still-floating hood over so he had better visual, Ghent looked behind him. No one was there.
The booming chortles of two females were next. Ghent swallowed hard and didn't respond. The voices were in his head.
The battle cry belonged to a male, and was louder than the rest. Unlike the others, the man almost sounded familiar. How could that be? Ghent wished he could see the man responsible, but a cruel laugh, followed by the menacing voice of a woman sounded louder than all the rest combined.
"WAIT!" Going into a full panic, Ghent blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He wanted to stop the female, but he never saw her. Instead of offering him a look at the ones responsible, the portal glowed with a blinding light. Hissing a breath, he used an arm to shield his eyes and felt the motion of falling fast shortly thereafter.
Ghent's frantic yell ended in an 'oof' when he hit the ground. The landing wasn't enough to knock the wind out of him, but he was breathless regardless. The experience through the portal left him in a state of complete and utter disbelief.
The world was quiet again. Ghent stared up at the tree and drew in a sharp gulp of air, mind echoing with scattered dialog of the disembodied voices. The portal itself was strange, but the voices, especially the last one, disturbed him greatly.
Strange. His surroundings weren't anything like he would have expected them to be. This was almost...nice.
A single leaf freed itself from the tree, drifting carelessly until it met the lush ground. Ghent watched it, exhaling as he soaked in the feeling of magic around him. The sensation brought him an odd sense comfort after what the portal put him through.
As his luck would have it, Ghent didn't get to appreciate the haven for long. Just as he'd started to calm down, he felt a second wave of panic when he saw the glint of a blade from the corner of his eye.
Drust. Ghent wasted no time in sitting up.
Being reunited with the knight wasn't exactly a relief. Ghent certainly didn't want to be alone in Wonderland, but he would have preferred the solitude after seeing the expression on the man's face.
While Drust demanded to know Elayra's whereabouts, Ghent looked back to the portal with a sinking heart. Elayra. Of course! The portal was such a spectacle, he'd nearly forgotten about the girl.
"I...I don't know." Ghent winced, expecting that his answer wouldn't go over too well. As Drust stepped forward, he inched back, raising both hands so the madman might allow him a moment to elaborate.
"She was at first! Coming, I mean." Ghent choked out the beginnings of an explanation, fearing that Drust would decide to put the sword to use if he didn't provide a satisfactory answer.
"Elayra was right behind me, but a shadowmire showed up, Miles pushed me -- everyone's always pushing me! -- so I fell into the portal, and..." Ghent's jaw went slack. What if, in some cruel twist of fate and irony, he was trapped in Wonderland while Elayra was confined to earth? The thought was so horrible, he jumped up to his feet and made a beeline for their only doorway to Elayra's location.
Without Elayra, Ghent knew his chances of surviving were slim to none. Elayra knew Drust her entire life, plus she could hold her own against him. Ghent couldn't. He barely understood the sickness plaguing the man.
Stupid Miles! This was exactly why Ghent didn't want to go through the portal first. Much of his decision to accompany the Wonderlander's stemmed from his the fact that he felt guilty. If Elayra wasn't in Wonderland, he didn't want to be, either. He'd agreed for her sake, and she wasn't even there!
If the situation wasn't so dire, it may have been laughable. Two minutes of being in Wonderland -- in probably the safest, calmest spot the world had to offer -- and Ghent wanted to go home. Immediately.
"It's still open!" In his hurry to reach the portal, Ghent almost tripped over his own two feet. He was desperate not to be trapped as Elayra had been trapped all those years ago. "Drust, come on! We have to go back!"
It was difficult for Ghent to believe that this was his second time going through the portal. Perhaps it should have been familiar, but it wasn't.
The feeling of drowning without water was surreal. Was he in a small void, or a large one? There was no way to measure the area around him, and there was no way to tell how far he was falling.
Was he falling? Ghent didn't know. For all he knew, he could have been rising, or not moving at all.
The hood of his hoodie drifted behind him while his sleeves hung loosely around his arms and wrists, defying gravity and logic all at once. Ghent didn't speak, he couldn't think. Awestruck, he watched the colors around him change from a calm blue to an unsettling shade of red, but that was all he saw. Elayra hadn't come through yet, neither had Miles. In that moment, Ghent felt completely and helplessly alone, and that's precisely when the first voice shattered the silence.
"Advice?" Ghent could barely speak. The mystery speaker sounded close. Too close. Swatting his still-floating hood over so he had better visual, Ghent looked behind him. No one was there.
The booming chortles of two females were next. Ghent swallowed hard and didn't respond. The voices were in his head.
The battle cry belonged to a male, and was louder than the rest. Unlike the others, the man almost sounded familiar. How could that be? Ghent wished he could see the man responsible, but a cruel laugh, followed by the menacing voice of a woman sounded louder than all the rest combined.
"WAIT!" Going into a full panic, Ghent blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He wanted to stop the female, but he never saw her. Instead of offering him a look at the ones responsible, the portal glowed with a blinding light. Hissing a breath, he used an arm to shield his eyes and felt the motion of falling fast shortly thereafter.
Ghent's frantic yell ended in an 'oof' when he hit the ground. The landing wasn't enough to knock the wind out of him, but he was breathless regardless. The experience through the portal left him in a state of complete and utter disbelief.
The world was quiet again. Ghent stared up at the tree and drew in a sharp gulp of air, mind echoing with scattered dialog of the disembodied voices. The portal itself was strange, but the voices, especially the last one, disturbed him greatly.
Strange. His surroundings weren't anything like he would have expected them to be. This was almost...nice.
A single leaf freed itself from the tree, drifting carelessly until it met the lush ground. Ghent watched it, exhaling as he soaked in the feeling of magic around him. The sensation brought him an odd sense comfort after what the portal put him through.
As his luck would have it, Ghent didn't get to appreciate the haven for long. Just as he'd started to calm down, he felt a second wave of panic when he saw the glint of a blade from the corner of his eye.
Drust. Ghent wasted no time in sitting up.
Being reunited with the knight wasn't exactly a relief. Ghent certainly didn't want to be alone in Wonderland, but he would have preferred the solitude after seeing the expression on the man's face.
While Drust demanded to know Elayra's whereabouts, Ghent looked back to the portal with a sinking heart. Elayra. Of course! The portal was such a spectacle, he'd nearly forgotten about the girl.
"I...I don't know." Ghent winced, expecting that his answer wouldn't go over too well. As Drust stepped forward, he inched back, raising both hands so the madman might allow him a moment to elaborate.
"She was at first! Coming, I mean." Ghent choked out the beginnings of an explanation, fearing that Drust would decide to put the sword to use if he didn't provide a satisfactory answer.
"Elayra was right behind me, but a shadowmire showed up, Miles pushed me -- everyone's always pushing me! -- so I fell into the portal, and..." Ghent's jaw went slack. What if, in some cruel twist of fate and irony, he was trapped in Wonderland while Elayra was confined to earth? The thought was so horrible, he jumped up to his feet and made a beeline for their only doorway to Elayra's location.
Without Elayra, Ghent knew his chances of surviving were slim to none. Elayra knew Drust her entire life, plus she could hold her own against him. Ghent couldn't. He barely understood the sickness plaguing the man.
Stupid Miles! This was exactly why Ghent didn't want to go through the portal first. Much of his decision to accompany the Wonderlander's stemmed from his the fact that he felt guilty. If Elayra wasn't in Wonderland, he didn't want to be, either. He'd agreed for her sake, and she wasn't even there!
If the situation wasn't so dire, it may have been laughable. Two minutes of being in Wonderland -- in probably the safest, calmest spot the world had to offer -- and Ghent wanted to go home. Immediately.
"It's still open!" In his hurry to reach the portal, Ghent almost tripped over his own two feet. He was desperate not to be trapped as Elayra had been trapped all those years ago. "Drust, come on! We have to go back!"
Yeah, Mrs. Saxon is set for a good long while. I wonder how many versions of the story will be passed around. By the time Ghent's parents hear about what went on, it's going to be quite a tale indeed.