You know when you're close, because the hair on your arms rises, and you feel a tingle of magic in the air. It feels like Castle Oblivion, like the Keyblade Graveyard, like something trapped just outside of time. If you were to go back, you're sure that you would be able to feel the exact moment that you crossed the threshold into whatever this place is, just from the feeling on your skin.
It's not hard to find it in other ways, though. The green of the woods shifts suddenly, strangely, to a blue-tinted scene filled with lavender-leafed trees. They're the wrong shape, and too sparse, for Arcadia's woods, even if they weren't the wrong color. Sunlight streams down through gaps in the branches, like the middle of the afternoon even though, on the other side of the boundary, it was sunset.
And the asphalt of the road comes to a sudden end, turning into a dirt path with a scattering of paving stones that look like they've seen better days. You almost lose your balance as the texture you're rolling on changes under your board, and have to jump off it in a hurry to avoid crashing.
Jim and Toby roll to a stop next to you. Their bikes do better on the uneven terrain, but they look just as bewildered as you do. Toby pulls his phone out and immediately starts snapping pictures of the trees, the old fashioned road, anything he can see.
Jim is a little more subdued. "Whoa," he says, sliding off his bike to walk beside it. "Look at the sky. You ever seen anything like that before?"
You look at the sky.
It's shimmering, glowing through the branches of the trees, and there's nothing weak about the shine. It's the colors of dawn, but in shimmering layers that just look wrong, and no dawn would be that bright. It hurts to look at, like the reverse of the ominously dark skies over the beach at the margin of the Realm of Darkness, and you look away again quickly.
"Not in any world I've ever been to," you say, meaning every word. "Not the trees, either."
"So, what, did we accidentally stumble into an alternate dimension or something?" Toby says, looking up from his phone. His mouth twists, and he holds up the screen for you and Jim to see. "No service, either."
You're not surprised, but Jim puts a hand to his jaw, looking thoughtful. "I mean, I never questioned how we had service in Trollmarket," he says, "but that never really did make sense."
"Probably some kind of magic thing," Toby says. "Which means that whatever this is, it's a different magic thing."
You clear your throat. "I'm still here, you know," you say.
"Ah, crap," Toby says. "Uh, we're talking about a LARP we used to be in?"
You look at Jim, who gestures a little helplessly, and sigh. "How about we just agree to trade answers after we get out of here?" you offer. It might break the security of the world order, but -
Well, it wouldn't be the first time. And at this point, you almost welcome the sudden transition to something that isn't the same old mundane stuff.
"Sounds good to me," Jim says. "Really wish we'd brought Claire along right now, though."
"No kidding," Toby agrees. "I don't suppose we can just... turn around?"
As one, the three of you turn back towards the direction you came. There's no sign of the road, green trees, or any part of Arcadia at all; just the edge of a lake about where the bridge and canal would be.
"So much for that," you say.
"Toto, I don't think we're in Arcadia anymore," Toby says. If he's agreeing, he sounds as unhappy about it as possible.
"Guess we have no choice," Jim says. He tightens his hands around the handlebars of his bike. "Let's go find out what made that scream."
->
It's not hard to find it in other ways, though. The green of the woods shifts suddenly, strangely, to a blue-tinted scene filled with lavender-leafed trees. They're the wrong shape, and too sparse, for Arcadia's woods, even if they weren't the wrong color. Sunlight streams down through gaps in the branches, like the middle of the afternoon even though, on the other side of the boundary, it was sunset.
And the asphalt of the road comes to a sudden end, turning into a dirt path with a scattering of paving stones that look like they've seen better days. You almost lose your balance as the texture you're rolling on changes under your board, and have to jump off it in a hurry to avoid crashing.
Jim and Toby roll to a stop next to you. Their bikes do better on the uneven terrain, but they look just as bewildered as you do. Toby pulls his phone out and immediately starts snapping pictures of the trees, the old fashioned road, anything he can see.
Jim is a little more subdued. "Whoa," he says, sliding off his bike to walk beside it. "Look at the sky. You ever seen anything like that before?"
You look at the sky.
It's shimmering, glowing through the branches of the trees, and there's nothing weak about the shine. It's the colors of dawn, but in shimmering layers that just look wrong, and no dawn would be that bright. It hurts to look at, like the reverse of the ominously dark skies over the beach at the margin of the Realm of Darkness, and you look away again quickly.
"Not in any world I've ever been to," you say, meaning every word. "Not the trees, either."
"So, what, did we accidentally stumble into an alternate dimension or something?" Toby says, looking up from his phone. His mouth twists, and he holds up the screen for you and Jim to see. "No service, either."
You're not surprised, but Jim puts a hand to his jaw, looking thoughtful. "I mean, I never questioned how we had service in Trollmarket," he says, "but that never really did make sense."
"Probably some kind of magic thing," Toby says. "Which means that whatever this is, it's a different magic thing."
You clear your throat. "I'm still here, you know," you say.
"Ah, crap," Toby says. "Uh, we're talking about a LARP we used to be in?"
You look at Jim, who gestures a little helplessly, and sigh. "How about we just agree to trade answers after we get out of here?" you offer. It might break the security of the world order, but -
Well, it wouldn't be the first time. And at this point, you almost welcome the sudden transition to something that isn't the same old mundane stuff.
"Sounds good to me," Jim says. "Really wish we'd brought Claire along right now, though."
"No kidding," Toby agrees. "I don't suppose we can just... turn around?"
As one, the three of you turn back towards the direction you came. There's no sign of the road, green trees, or any part of Arcadia at all; just the edge of a lake about where the bridge and canal would be.
"So much for that," you say.
"Toto, I don't think we're in Arcadia anymore," Toby says. If he's agreeing, he sounds as unhappy about it as possible.
"Guess we have no choice," Jim says. He tightens his hands around the handlebars of his bike. "Let's go find out what made that scream."