Under an Orange Sky || Denken & Jae
thehereandtherecrowd:
Luckily, Denken also seemed to remember the spot that they had arrived and quickly started to lead the way to where he had come through. Adina glanced over at Jae, giving him an unreadable look, before following after the god.
He quirked a brow and followed after the group, wondering what Adina was thinking. Was she feeling bad for dragging him home, giving him a glimpse of what he had and then taking it away again? Perhaps he was only projecting his own thoughts onto her. He wanted her to feel guilty, he wanted her to acknowledge what sheâd taken away from him, but he doubted anyone here ever would. This was their home, after all, no matter how messy it was, and they believed that he was better off here than with his family.
They followed Denken only a short way, Jae distracted by his thoughts so much that he nearly ran into Adina as she came to a stop. Looking up, he found Denken glancing around as though searching for something.
âThere was a door last time,â Adina commented as she joined him in looking around. There was a frown on her face, as though she was contemplating the air, and then she stepped into the Neather for a second. Jae watched her go with curiosity, a little disappointed that he hadnât been invited along this time.
Looking back to the god, he decided to let his curiosity carry the conversation. âCan you sense that this is where you came through?â he asked curiously. âHow ⊠do you know? I mean â what does it feel like?â There were all sorts of new sensations that Jae had experienced since coming to this strange land, but he knew it wasnât the same experience as some. As far as he could tell, there were people who could feel and understand the physics of this world in a way that was so intuitive that he didnât expect he would ever understand those feelings. This world just simply didnât make sense, and though he could accept that, it did make being here feel almost impossible.
âDo you think that youâll be able to get home from here?â Jae asked. He was surprised to feel disappointment wash over him. It wasnât as though he had known Denken long enough to become friends, but he liked the god. Denken had seemed to be more on his side than anyone here so far, open and honest whether it was good or bad, and Jae could appreciate an attitude like that when he usually felt like everyone was hiding something from him.
âLast time you were all dream-walking,â Denken said grouchily, latching onto one of the fleeting thoughts in Adinaâs hard-to-read mind. âIt was different. And I wasnât in the other world. I was between worlds. In the Void. I doubt thereâs gonna be a door there.â He shook his head, eyes focused keenly on the approximate spot he remembered appearing. âNah, if thereâs going to be anything, I think itâll be a tear. Everything with the Void is⊠raw.â
It was the best way he could think to describe it to the humans. The Void between worlds was, for the large part, indescribable. It was more sensation than anything, where nothing was completely real, not even the gods as they travelled through it. Even he didnât know what it was made from or if it had always existed. Perhaps Purpurrot knew, but if she did, she was closed-mouthed on the subject. Maybe it had been so long that even she could no longer remember.
His mood lightened at Jaeâs questions. He liked the boy and his honest curiosity. It was tempting to take him with him if (when, he insisted) he found his way home, but he knew that Jae wouldnât thank him for dragging him to yet another unfamiliar world. âSorta,â he told him, shrugging his shoulders in a fluid movement. âReality feels⊠thinner here.â He held his hands up, probing the air in front of him as he tried to sense the presence of the Void. âItâs like catching a whiff of a familiar smell in the air,â he went on. Indeed, he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, as if it truly were a scent that he was trying to catch. He was reaching out with all his other senses, looking for the smallest weakness in the barrier between him and the Void.
The Neather was right there, like a presence right behind a curtain, and he did his best to ignore it and look deeper. As far as he could tell, the shadowy between-worlds was sort of like a tamed and tiny version of the Void. A small captured piece of it. He tried reaching out beyond it, hoping that the Void would be lurking just beyond.
âI hope so,â he added distractedly, opening one eye to look over at Jae. âOtherwise Iâm fucked.â He spoke cheerfully to cover the genuine worry that flashed through him. He hated such serious emotions. Better to remain high on joy and passion and even anger. Feelings like worry only dampened life, instead of making it more fascinating. Yet he couldnât stop it, no more than a mortal could. If he couldnât find his way home, he would be stuck here with no idea what to do.
As he spoke, he continued to press the air in front of him with his senses and he froze suddenly as he felt something give. It was subtle, but there. A change. A weakness to chip away at. âAh!â he muttered, reaching out with his hands again, fingers sharpening into needle-like claws as he sought to re-open the tear through which heâd fallen into this strange place. âI think we have a winner!â












