CHAMPIONS (The Lost Chronicles of Eden, #1) [Published]

09: DIMENSION TRAVEL IS THE NEW COOL

When he  opened  his eyes,  Gabriel noticed that they were deep inside another forest. He couldn’t quite put his hand on it, but there was something different in this one. Trees as tall as skyscrapers towered over them, their trunks so thick, a house could probably fit inside. Patches of sunlight that peeked through the giant branches and leaves danced along the rich, brown earth. A small breeze flew past them, echoing faint traces of laughter.

Solenn breathed a sigh of relief when her feet touched Cielterran soil. She looked around and saw her partners looking more relaxed than they did in the months they were on the human plane fighting demons and watching over Gabriel.

She let go of Gabriel’s hand and smiled as she bent down low to touch the earth.

Iamasta, she whispered. Thank you.

Gabriel looked around with wide eyes, still disconcerted from the travel that he didn’t realize he was still holding tight onto Solenn’s hand. He cleared his throat as Solenn let go of his hand to talk to the soil. Or whatever it was that she was doing. “You allowed to tell me where we are now, or should I wait until it’s ‘safe’?”

Solenn rolled her eyes at Gabriel’s sarcasm. “This is our world. It’s called Cielterra, the realm closest to heaven,” she explained. “We’re in Alegrean territory in the northernmost part of Cielterra. It’s the only plane that holds portals bridging your world to this world. Alegrea’s also the land of the Otherworldlies —”

“Wait,  what?   Hold   on,”   Gabriel   said,   stopping   Solenn’s tirade. “‘Your’ world? This world? You mean I traveled to another dimension?”

Solenn shrugged. “Plane, world, dimension, realm. Doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s all the same banana to me.” She started to walk after the two who went on ahead as soon as they landed. “Anyway, don’t interrupt. Alegrea is the land of the Otherworldlies. Mystical creatures you thought that existed only in your myths and tales. Its inhabitants are neither Human, celestial or demon. In your world, they’re usually invisible. They would only be seen if they wanted to be seen, which is why you probably thought they were just legends. Here in this plane, though, they’re as visible as any other creature.”

“Myths? Like... elves? Dwarves? Mermaids? Stuff like that?” Solenn nodded. “That’s what you call them, anyway. Not every creature you see here in Alegrea is good. Most of them are neutral, but some are manifestations of evil spirits and demons. When people call or summon them, they show themselves disguised as the creatures you’ve only seen in your folk tales.”

“How are they summoned?”

“When you mention their names and when you use them to scare the little children, you summon them. They’re the creatures that nightmares are made of. Most of the time, that’s just what they are — nightmares. But the more you believe in them, the more real they get.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Gabriel whispered as a group of creatures donned in flimsy, shimmering, translucent dresses flitted past the group. They giggled and winked as they flew past the group and disappeared around a tree that seemed to dance in the wind. “This is so Middle Earth. Or Narnia.”

“Dude, Middle Earth’s got nothing on this. This is the real thing.”

“Hey, you know Middle Earth?”

“Of course.” Solenn raised an eyebrow at Gabriel. “We were stuck in your world for months. I needed some form of entertainment, because watching over you 24/7 was as interesting as watching the Aquarium Channel. Or that home shopping channel.”