Expedition to Ferus Mundus: Day 1
I have to admit, I didn't expect to see a Primeran
child as the one that was going to open the gateway for us. His name
is Kit, and he is apparently the younger brother to the female
Primeran that I saw asking for Monster to return to Ferus Mundus.
Aside from being adorable, it was pretty obvious that poor Kit
doesn't really know what's going on. Monster's bullshit story about
needing him to protect Meryle and aid Jonathan was a clever way to
avoid the truth, but it does make me wonder exactly how much trouble
we're going to get into here. After we exchanged all the
introductions, Monster lead the way and Ani and I followed hesitantly
after. When I stepped through, everything went black for a moment. As
I came to moments later, it felt like I was falling incredibly fast
with a pressure on my stomach. I'd compare it to the feeling of a big
drop when riding a roller coaster, only the time spent 'falling'
seemed like forever. There was only a red light that rushed past me
in iridescent waves and a loud noise that sounded like a roaring
hurricane. Eventually, it was as though my body couldn't take it any
more and I lost consciousness.
When I awoke, I found myself lying next to Animal who
looked as though he had went a few rounds with a semi-truck. Monster
was well awake and made some comment about how “...Very few humans
stay conscious during the 'fall'.” When I asked him if what I
experienced was normal, he confirmed that traveling from Earth to
Ferus Mundus is known as the 'fall' just for that reason. In
contrast, traveling to Earth was called the 'rise.' “The journey to
Earth from here is as if one is flying upwards at tremendous speeds.”
as Monster put it. As I got to my feet, I checked on Ani who was
simply gazing about as he collected himself. He assured me he was
fine as he helped himself up and said “Kate, do you think it's
wrong if I said I think I remember this place?” I looked around and
took in the Primeran landscape for the first time. A green sky hung
overhead dotted with white clouds, fields of red grass covering
rolling fields, and several bizarre trees with alien violet foliage
grew all around us. But most unnerving, was the massive moon-like
object that dwell in the sky giving off the light that illuminated
the world. It hovered menacingly above us and I felt as though the
ridge of teeth-like structures on its surface would open into some
hideous maw.
I told Ani that if he did remember this place that I
would definitely believe him. After all, there was no way anyone
could forget a place like this. Ani was quick to correct me and
pointed out that it wasn't the landscape he was referring too, but
the stone structure we stood on. It looked like an altar of sorts,
possibly a check point I thought, there was path that lay out before
us that extended to the horizon. As Ani continued to search for
answers, a voice, low and kind, explained. “You are at an old way
station, a leyline.” The voice revealed itself to be the female
fox that I had seen from the message that Monster had shown us. She
spoke in a very formal manner with an accent I noticed right away.
She was speaking English but there was clearly a Japanese accent. Dad
was from Japan and I knew it the moment I heard it. Even her attire
was reminiscent of shrine maidens from Shinto temples. Takai, as we
have come to know her, often looked away while introducing herself to
Ani and I. I asked her why and she explained that she had never met a
human and a wolf before and that the experience was overwhelming for
her. She continued to explain that humans were seen as symbol of
change in this world. When one does appear, Primerans take it as a
sign that great change is about to take place.
As we continued to talk, Ani slowly introduced himself
and asked Takai if he could know more about the location we were at,
which was an obvious attempt to understand his sudden case of deja
vue. Takai explained that long ago Primerans discovered various
places across Ferus Mundus that were connected to Earth by what was
known as a leyline. Essentially a spot that was easier to travel
between both worlds. But when Primerans left Earth behind over five
hundred years ago, many of the structures were destroyed to prevent
their use. Foxes were one of the few clans that were trained enough
in opening portals, so even though it was destroyed, this ruined way
station was enough to aid her in opening a gateway. I apologized for
all the questions as we had just met, but I then asked about her
clothes and accent. She smiled and explained that my observations
were correct and said that during their time on Earth, many Primeran
clans found comfort and solace among humans whose cultures revered
the animals of their Primeran counterparts. Fox Primerans adopted the
culture of Japan for centuries during their time on Earth as they
were respected and revered by the people of Japan. Her accent was
another but similar matter. She explained that Primerans did not
originally have a spoken language, instead they merely knew the
intentions of one another, but after meeting humans, they discovered
that this ability extended to humanity as well in the form of simply
knowing how to communicate regardless of language. In short,
Primerans are capable of communicating with anyone, regardless of
language, and her accent was a product of her choice to consistently
pay respect to the culture her clan had adopted.
Monster quickly broke up the conversation and reminded
Takai that we were here for a reason. Her face turned serious as she
told us what we were up against. By the end of her story, I
understood why she had sent Kit to Earth to open the gate and stay
behind. She told the same story that I heard in her message to
Monster but with one unfortunate twist. The leader of the the thieves
that stole the scroll is Takai and Kit's eldest brother, a three
tailed fox named Genkaku. Kit grew up never even knowing he has an
elder brother as Genkaku violently left his clan years before Kit was
even sired. Takai did not feel comfortable discussing the matter any
further and we chose not to push her, instead, we simply set off on
the road ahead with Takai shifting her demeanor to that of a cheerful
guide to the world of Ferus Mundus.
