And then he felt it. The purest light and darkness energy he’d ever known in his short life. It was coming from the slit, leaking out from the gray light that formed it. It was a slit in time and space, he realized. It was a portal to another world. Huxian, who wasn’t the type to be intimidated by any situation, acted decisively. He blurred and rushed at the portal with impossible speed. It began to close around him as the brief moment where light and dark were equal passed.
His head managed to sneak through, but he noticed his shoulders getting caught. Shrink! he thought. Shrink!
He compressed himself like a snake, breaking his bones in the process as he shoved himself through the rift. It seemed like it would clip his tails, so he quickly pulled them back. He lost only a few hairs before the rift finally closed and vanished.
“Well, that was exciting,” Huxian thought out loud as his bones healed and he recovered his original size. He looked around and saw an empty land. There was no greenery, nor were there hills. The land was cracked and parched, for no water ran here.
And all around him, the sky glowed with the colors of twilight.
Chapter 10: Land of Dusk Eternal
Parched earth crumbled under Huxian’s mighty paws as he advanced along the desolate plains. Despite his strong demonic eyes, he could see nothing in the distance but the skyline. The twilight sun lit up the entire world with a crimson light. It had done so for days, for the sun never set.
So thirsty, Huxian thought. He panted as he trudged along the desert, or what seemed like one. There was no sand here, only shattered clay. It was evenly spread, like frosting on a delicious cake that had been left out in the sun. Though even the slightest bit of shade would be welcome, the only one he could find was his own. And for some reason, it refused to obey his commands and provide him shelter. It simply sat there like a normal shadow. What nonsense.
How can it be so hot during twilight? Huxian thought as he advanced. He knew the answer, of course, as he’d been walking for quite some time. Despite the sun’s moderate intensity, it had likely been this way for centuries. The land never saw darkness, so it never experienced a reprieve from the constant battering of the sun goddess.
Huxian imagined these lands would be fertile plains if the sun were allowed to set. Instead, it kept staring at him, like a half-shut eye gazing over the horizon.
Great, Huxian thought, just great. He glared back at the half sun. While my friends are having the time of their lives, taking over their respective mountains, I’m stuck here in a land where there’s neither light or darkness. The aura he’d felt before plunging into the dimensional rift had evidently been fake. He felt none of that strong light and darkness essence now that he was on the other side.
Huxian trudged along, regretting his foolish decision. He thought of Gua in the Evergreen Battlefields, and Silverwing in the Windswept Canyons. He thought of Lei Jiang and the Calamity Cloud Span, and Mr. Mountain picking literally the biggest mountain on the continent. They would soon reach half-step initiation, while he lingered. And he could only blame himself.
Huxian continued for another full day before finally seeing a hill in the distance. Excited, he rushed toward it. It took him a few hours to reach the small protrusion, which ended up being a faraway city. It stood there on the broken plains, its doors wide open yet somehow well-maintained.
Should I go in? Huxian wondered. For some reason, this place gave him the creeps. Still, if he didn’t go, he was just wasting his time in what he assumed was a desolate demi plane with no food or water in sight. He built up his courage and walked inside.
A chill breeze washed over him despite the lack of wind as he crossed the city’s threshold. The inside of the city, it turned out, was just like the plains outside it. Its streets were empty of all but strange shadows and lights that seemed to move about as he walked. He saw bakeries that could have been baking bread he couldn’t quite smell, and tea shops that could have served tea he couldn’t quite drink. There were also restaurants, and he could practically smell what they would have sold, were the city not empty.
Since he found nothing in the market, he proceeded to the residential district. There, he saw empty streets that could have been filled with children who played as the last of the sun faded on the horizon. Parents would have been watching them from their homes as they lit candles and lamps in preparation for the approaching night. Yet there was nothing there but a familiar chill, dancing lights, and what he thought might be echoes of possible sounds.
Sighing, Huxian walked to the central square, where unlike most cities, there was a temple. The solitary temple looked familiar. He soon realized why this was so; it was a much larger version of the shrine he’d used to enter this world.
Maybe I can find a way back here? he thought. He looked around carefully as he approached the black-and-white marble temple. The swirling white lines on its steps were an eerie shade of crimson that flickered occasionally, as though the setting sun was obscured by someone who walked past it. He thought he heard echoing footsteps as he scaled the stairs and approached the southernmost door. It was open, leading to the single square room in the temple, where a familiar firepit lay. He knew what needed to be done.
Increasing his size, Huxian trotted up to the eastern door and
