‧˚₊‧꒦꒷꒦‧˚₊‧꒷꒦‧˚.⁺꒷꒦꒷‧˚₊‧꒦꒷‧˚.⁺꒷꒦‧˚.⁺‧˚₊‧꒦꒷꒦‧˚₊‧꒷꒦‧˚.⁺꒷꒦꒷‧ Hiya! Back with another writing collab, this time with @TheSquirrelpaca (started off as a chain story XD) I have good news and bad. Good news: my other collaboration series will still be going on (https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/726707592/) Bad news: my series, Water Born, will be stopped for the time being. I have too much stuff going on but in the (distant) future I will re-start it. Also, if the first three words are in caps, I wrote that section. [Edit 1: can anyone see the thumbnail? I’m on mobile and I can’t see it :/] Next: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/739796764/ @TheSquirrelPaca's: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/735048386/ Hope you enjoy and happy reading ^^ I picked up the pen, unsure of what to write. This was the start of my journey, after all. My one into Etrasal, the land that's meant to be our Soulspace. The place your soul goes to rest, to meditate, to join the rest of the world. Or, more importantly, the place our souls draw strength from, strength to cast spells to fight off the Unrestful. So what I wrote was important, possibly the most important step into my journey as an Ultra. I put my pen down, and began to write. Or rather, to try to. ᴀs sᴏᴏɴ ᴀs the tip of the pen met the paper, I stopped. What should I write about? My life? My hopes and dreams? My successes and failures? I rubbed my temples and sighed. However, in an instant, like something had cleared my writer's block, words came to me. 'Life on Earth has been eventful and uneventful, happy and sad. But nothing can compare to-' I hadn't finished when I felt my soul separating from my body, my deceptively young body, and rising upwards to begin my journey to Etrasal. I can't remember what happened in there. It felt like, as soon as I'd entered, I left. But somehow, I knew that that was not the case, that something HAD happened. A foggy memory rose, but disappeared as quickly as it had come. I sighed, and placed the pen gently back on its pedestal. I looked around. My Ultra Master was staring at me, her face pale. "What--what is it, Maja?" I asked nervously. "Something happened when you were in Etrasal. I felt darkness peering at you in the Other Realm. And you... you have been marked." ɪ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ, quickly, to my wrist, and to my horror, an intricate design was embedded in my skin there. Sort of like a tattoo, but not quite. It depicted a world, Earth, with water flowing over the sides, spilling into nothingness. Half was white and the other black; both were elegant but each had their ugliness. It meant Etrasal wanted me, but the Other Realm did, too. That meant I was forever Earth-bound. I stared up at Maja, in shock. What... what was going to happen to me? What had already happened? "Maja... What... Why..." I couldn't speak properly. My Ultra Master shrugged, and shook her head. "I don't know. No-one does. And that's why we can't let the world know." "W-why?" I asked. "Because otherwise... the world would descend into chaos." She rose. "Come. I'll show you." ɪ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ into the Forbidden Hallway. I shivered, remembering the cruel punishments inflicted on those who entered the Forbidden Hallway without permission. As soon as I entered, my first thought was, /Wow. Why did they forbid us from entering? Oh. Forbidden Hallway. Forbid. Ha-ha. This place is really bland. And grey./ But when Maja snapped her fingers twice and stomped thrice, the Hallway suddenly came alive with colours, intricate designs and patterns. I stared in wonder at the magical displays. But all too soon, it faded, leaving a door made of light. "We must enter to see the..." She hesitated. "The prophecy." "What -- what prophecy?" I asked, my voice high. "What do you mean?" Maja sighed. "The Prophecy of Balance. Now, you go in. I cannot." That was new to me: a place where the Masters couldn't go. "W--why?" I asked. Then I remembered something, something I had never been taught but knew, despite that. "It's because -- because only the Elders can enter. And those... linked with the... prophecy." The word was sour in my mouth. "Yes." Maja's face was grim. "Now, step in." I nodded, ready to see what my fate was to be. I opened the door, shielding my eyes against the blinding light, and stepped in. Hope you enjoyed <33 (Hey, anyone think that the music really matches with the thumbnail? The music’s by Bach, I think)