Across the Rift

Abarron raced through the brush, hot on the trail of an equos infernalis. His large frame was slowing him down, while the smaller equos was able to slip through the foliage with his nimble body. Abarron was determined to catch the smaller equos. He had been sent by the enemy to gain information about the ignis’ army and their plans, which Abarron was tasked to protect. 

Abarron never quite understood why the infernalis had to go to war with the other equos races. All they had to do was keep to their own land and all would be well, however the infernalis had put up quite a fight so far and Abarron did what he was told as a soldier. 

Finally nearing the end of the thick vines and giant tree roots that slowed him down, he glimpsed the smaller equos already in a clearing ahead of him. He saw the small infernalis slow almost to a stop, and thought that maybe he had decided to surrender. However in the next moment, the infernalis thief jumped through what Abarron now realized was a rift. 

He stood in front of the rift when he got to it, steeling himself for the jump. He admired the infernalis for jumping in. He had specifically received training on how to deal with the power of the reflection, but he doubted normal equos received the same. After a moment he plunged into the rift. He felt the immense power of the rift tearing through his muscles, before he was suddenly pulled out of the reflection and back onto solid ground. 

He found himself in the middle of a city, unfamiliar to him. He quickly looked around and saw the familiar tail of the equos he had been following disappear into what looked like a theater. Gathering himself, he calmly walked into the theater, thankful that there wasn’t anyone around to wonder where he had appeared from. When he entered, row upon row of seats were filled with creatures that were similar to him and yet, they glowed from strange horns on their faces and heads and from their legs. 

He didn’t immediately see the equos, so he decided to take a seat near the top of the theater and look for him while the show was going on. As he gazed around at all of the spectators, he snorted as he realized too many of them were wearing hoods and the equos could be hiding anywhere. He decided to wait and be by the door so he could catch the equos on the way out. 

Because he had to wait for the show to end anyway, he found himself paying attention to the stage. On it, he saw more of the glowing creatures, dancing gracefully to slow music. One of them in particular, a woman in the front, caught his attention. She had features much like an equos, except instead of fur and flesh, her legs were the clear glowing material he saw on everyone else. He still found her beautiful, her pale hair and tail flowing around her as she moved. 

He was so enraptured by her he hardly looked at anyone else for the rest of the show, and only became aware of his surroundings when the audience began clapping all around him. He jumped up from his seat and went to stand by the door, his eyes darting from one person to another. It would be easy to tell when the equos passed, as everyone else was viewing him with fear or curiosity in their eyes. He knew he stood out like a sore thumb. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a cloaked figure going the opposite way from the crowd, down towards the stage. He watched as the figure jumped onto the stage and went to the back. As he leapt up, Abarron was able to catch a glimpse of the equos’ tail. Abarron immediately took off, his powerful legs allowing him to leap across most of the theater, quickly making it to the stage. He quickly turned the corner into the back and saw that there were dressing rooms to his left, and an exit to his right.

Figuring the equos would take the exit, he strode to the door and opened it, looking out into the alleyway. He saw no sign of hoofprints and heard nothing coming from outside, so he closed the door and turned back towards the dressing rooms. One by one, he quietly moved from door to door, listening with his ears pointed towards the rooms to see if anyone was inside. He heard a few women giggling and talking amongst themselves in the first few rooms. 

When he reached the second to last room, he heard nothing. Not wanting to give the equos infernalis time to prepare, he burst into the room, his fire blazing in his hand. All of a sudden, a blur of soft colors entered his vision as a small hand slapped his cheek. “Get out of my dressing room!” a small, feminine voice yelled.

After recovering from the shock of being slapped, he stared down at the beautiful woman, whatever she was, that he had been so intent on watching earlier. He started as he realized he had chosen the wrong room, and turned to the doorway to look out just as the exit door was closing. He ran out of the exit door and into the alley, only to see the infernalis disappear into another rift, which closed immediately upon the infernalis’ departure. 

Cursing internally, Abarron turned back to see the small woman standing in a robe, her brows furrowed in anger as the pointed accusedly at him. “Are you some kind of stalker? What are you anyway? What kind of freak bursts into a woman’s room while she’s changing?” Her tail flicked in annoyance. He couldn’t help but be intrigued by the similar habits to those of the equos. 

Kneeling down onto one knee, he held his head up to the woman and said to her in a deep, gentle voice, “I apologize for disturbing you in such an impolite manner. As you can see, I am not from this world. I was led here on a search for a foe who seeks to harm my people. My search led me here, but now he is gone and I must wait for another rift to open that will lead me home.” 

Selena stared down at him, unsure if she should believe a word he was saying, however it was clear to her that he was not a gleamstic and not of this world. Thoughtfully, she took in his legs, muscular and covered in fur, unlike her own sleek, smooth legs. She tilted her head, recalling the sight of him when he had burst into her room. “Can you really conjure fire? Or was that my imagination?” 

Smiling, Abarron rose from the ground and snapped his fingers as a black flame sprung up. He used his magic to make it float towards her, making sure it was as small as a candle flame. He then snapped his fingers and it disappeared, as if a light switch had been shut off. Selena’s eyes widened excitedly, and she waved her hand where the flame had been. “Not many Gleamstic can perform magic here,” she said. 

“Is that what your species is called?” Abarron asked, gesturing towards her, specifically focusing on her legs, still glowing softly in the darkness of the backstage. She nodded, and then slowly looked him up and down. He felt himself flushing at the sudden attention, as he had not been around many women because of his training. “And what are you?” she asked, after several moments of eyeing him up and down. “I am an equos, specifically of the ignis race. I come from Velarune,” he said, crossing his arms as if that would save him from her gaze.

Sighing, Selena turned and began walking back towards her dressing room. As she walked, she called back over her shoulder “I suppose that’s another world, because I’ve never heard of it. I guess you’ll also be needing a place to stay until you can get back to Velaray or whatever it was. You’re welcome to crash at my place, I have an extra room.” 

As he watched her walk away, he weighed his options in his head. He could either stay with this Gleamstic and research how to get home, or actively search for another rift. He figured both options would take a while, so he decided on a decent place to sleep. Once he had made up his mind, he followed her and stopped to stand outside of the dressing room door, giving her privacy to change. Once she was finished, he silently followed her home. 

After about 20 minutes of walking through the streets of the city, they arrived at an apartment building that was clearly a few decades old. The door was wooden and full of scratches and chipped paint, and the bricks on the building had starting crumbling in some spots. She entered a code to the door and pushed it open. They walked through the cramped foyer, Selena stopping momentarily to open a squeaky box, grabbing a few pieces of mail. She then started climbing the stairs, and he followed for two flights until they reached a lavender door, decorated with a silhouette of a dancer with the name ‘Selena’ underneath. He realized then that they had failed to introduce themselves. 

Slipping a key into the lock, she opened the door and held it open for him as he stepped inside the apartment, ducking his head under the shorter doorframe. “Here is my home, please make yourself comfortable. As you saw already, my name is Selena. And you are?” she asked, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a glass from the cupboard. She turned on the faucet in her kitchen and poured herself water, sipping it while looking at him, still standing in the doorway. 

Looking around the apartment, he saw that it clearly had her personality written all over it. The carpet in the center of the room was lavender just like the door, with white accents forming a pattern around the edge. The couch was a gray tone, with lavender and white pillows to match the theme. All along the walls were pictures and paintings of people dancing, including some of her in dance attire standing next to what he assumed were friends or family. There were plants in some corners of the room, clearly well taken care of. On the furthest wall was a large sliding door that led to a balcony, which he could see was decorated with lights. Never had he been in such a cozy space, instead often sleeping in barracks or a simple, naked apartment while he waited for his next assignment. 

“My name is Abarron,” he said, finishing his examination of her apartment and turning to face her. She smiled, and walked to a door which opened into a closet. She grabbed a blanket that looked as soft as her tail did, and she walked to a door further down the hall, opening it and turning towards him. “This is the room you can stay in. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to make you more comfortable. For now, I am going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, she turned off the light to the kitchen and living room, and went into a different door, gently shutting it behind her. Abarron followed her example and immediately went to bed, amazed that the bed he was in was the softest thing he had ever been on, and he quickly fell asleep.

The next day, the two exchanged few words other than a good morning greeting. Selena did give him a key, however, so that he could go out and research the way to get home but still be able to get back. She also gave him her cellphone so that he could use the map feature to get to the library and find his way back to the apartment. He spent most of the day pouring through book after book, but it seems this world was no more familiar with the reflection than his own.

Feeling deflated at the lack of progress, he headed back home. When he arrived, he paused as he heard the television on. He was still nervous around Selena, so he unlocked the door quietly and stepped inside. He glanced over to the couch and discovered that Selena was sound asleep, her head slumped over onto her arm, which was draped across the arm of the couch. She had a blanket over her legs. Abarron hesitated before walking quietly over to her and picking her up with one arm under her shoulders and the other under her legs. He carried her into her bedroom and laid her gently on the bed, then returned to his own room. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way she looked, so peaceful while she slept. Eventually he drifted off to sleep, hoping he would be able to see more of her the next day. 

Their days continued like this, with Abarron doing research during the day, and the two of them spending a little time together at night. Gradually, Abarron became more comfortable around Selena and worried less about finding a way home as quickly as possible. Soon, months had gone by, and a rift had not opened up. By this time, Abarron and Selena had gotten to know each other, and they missed each other when they were apart. 

One night, the two were watching a movie when suddenly a romance scene came on, and they both sat awkwardly as they watched the Gleamstic on the television sharing a passionate kiss. Abarron was acutely aware that Selena’s hand rested only inches from his on the couch. In his mind, he cursed himself. He had fought powerful equos infernalis, and yet he could not bring himself to confess his feelings to someone. 

Taking a deep breath, he moved his hand and placed it over Selena’s. She looked over at him in surprise, their eyes locking. Neither of them had to say anything, their gazes saying it all. Abarron was still surprised when Selena leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. He caught her as she pulled away, his hand cupping her cheek as he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. He hoped he was doing it correctly, as he had never experienced anything like this before. They spent the rest of the night in each other’s arms, cuddling and occasionally sharing kisses, until they fell asleep on the couch together. 

When they woke up, neither of them was in a hurry to move. Selena stroked Aberron’s long, silky hair, running her fingers through it as he closed his eyes. They laid their for a long while, until Selena suddenly asked, “would you stay?” Abarron took a moment to think, then tilted his face upwards to meet hers, and he sighed. “This does seem a lot nicer than constantly fighting and chasing after the enemy. But what would I do here?” he asked. “I could find something for you,” she said, then suddenly exclaimed excitedly, “the theater has been looking for a bouncer to make sure no weirdos like you come lurking around backstage after the shows. That could be you!” 

Abarron smiled at the jab she had made at him, and nuzzled his face into her sweater. “I suppose I would be good at that, wouldn’t I?” he said. The two then spent the rest of the day talking about their plans for the future, including making Abarron a permanent resident of Candoris. Abarron felt a faint tingling at the edge of his mind that he ignored, the rift that had opened a couple blocks away lingering for several hours. Eventually it closed, and Aberron felt it. He smiled, satisfied that, like the rift, his fate had been sealed.