The cave winded upwards at a slow incline until filtered through the hanging vines of many large-leafed pothos plants, the light of day cut through. Ayumi forearm covered their face as they emerged beyond the vines.
"Welcome to Pe'nivel."
/////////
Ayumi walked forward slowly stopping at the edge of the small cliff they'd found themselves atop. Squinting their eyes they slowly adjusted to the view before them.
On either side, raising about, an uneven rock mountain peak surrounded it's hollowed out crater center. Trees grew along its edges, with water raining down from crevasses landing in crafted ponds of rock and stone, disappearing into culverts only to reappear some distance later as small rivers weaving through the land.
Houses lined, at varying heights, the rocks face. Dug in and outward the protruding wooden structures blended in well enough to the coal like rock about it. Stone stairs carved in meandering paths ending at the base wherein terraced fields, scattered with straggly trees, filled the land sloping to the far side of the two.
At the center of the crater was a raised pillar. Atop it, in a jade-like green color and transparency a stone salamander-like dragon, curled as it rested in the glow of the sun. Long bits of moss could be seen growing from the joints and cracks in its body.
At the far end, where the waters met and land dipped, part of the rock wall had given way and melted into the mountains another side. Running both faces of the opening an elaborate wooden building, many levels high, climbed up its face with bridges spanning the divide across the levels. Here the water flowed between them and cascaded into the view beyond in a sea of foam and spray.
Ayumi's vision trailed off to the side of the small cliff where stone stairs wound their way down to the terraced fields below. Turning she faced Hakk.
"Are we staying here?" Ayumi tilted her head sideways.
"Do you want to?" Hakk's eyes trailed the scene before as he approached the edge and squatted down to his haunches.
Ayumi shrugged her shoulders and began to walk down the stairs. Along the perimeter of the open mountain, large-leafed Hosta plants rose and flowered about, Ayumi rubbed their eyes as they waded through them.
Before them lay fields of rice separated by small dirt paths raised above the waters level. Ayumi bent down to the water's edge and looked in. At the base of the water was coal dirt, dark brown and graining, reaching down Ayumi touched it just as a sneeze rose up and exited from their nose causing her to tip forward into the waters.
The rice padded view melted before her opening eyes as the water faded into the air. Blood ran from Ayumi's nose, pittering to the ground beneath as she picked herself up from the fields. Turning to Hakk, she saw but a vast grey emptiness crack through the green terraces about her, with Hakk becoming engulfed in a white mist before her. In a blink, the serene greenery returned.
"Hakk... this isn't funny." Silence returned her answer.
Ayumi paused for a moment casting her vision down, staring unmoved she looked with breath frozen, a black mist began to dance about her feet and again the green faded to a sickly grey vision with shadows dancing.
"What did you do with Hakk!' She called to the rock walls, her eyes catching glimpses of the grey world with the green one.
"Who is Hakk?" The words echoed from the floor below and walls about.
"He was the one right here before you did whatever you did." Ayumi looked about turning a full circle. The green world again taking over the grey as she did.
"I'm not in charge of your fantasy stupid, just the boundaries." The voice echoed, causing Ayumi to cover her ears.
"What do you want with us?" Ayumi walked slowly back to where they'd come from.
"Me?! You are the one who came into my house!"
"I'm here because Hakk wanted to come."
"Fool you are the only one here, or perchance, you are not of sound mind?"
"No, he's real-"
"No, he's not! This is my mountain and I --"
"Hey! You there? What were you going to say." Silence filled the space. Ayumi stood still her eyes darting about. "Does this count as not entering the illusion without him?" Ayumi smiled scratching the back of her head. "Now how does this trick work anyway."
Kneeling to the spot she'd first saw the change Ayumi repeated the sequence of events ad nauseam, bit by bit the grey world emerged for moments before being engulfed in green. The sun began to fade from view as the shadow of the evening cast itself over the land.
"Okay, I got it.. probably."
Ayumi closed her eyes, with a fist full of dirt in one hand she took a deep breath and held it while crunching the dirt. Her eyes jotted open quickly and the green world melted to the grey, taking in everything she could.
Once a vibrate world now in ruins before her. Dried earth and scorched fields, rockslides burring whole sections of the land, the salamander dragon, a pile of rubble. But at the far end of the town, flickering light danced in the window of the building where the waters once flowed.
The green returned as Ayumi gasped for breath her heart beating in her ears. With a running sprint she traveled the distance to the statue, pausing for a few heaving breaths she looked up at the statue its eyes seemed to follow hers reaching out her hands passed through the pillar landing on the touch of jagged rocks.
Again she focused her senses past the illusion, the way was clear enough, step by step she approached slowing down as she reached the edge of the large pond. The bridge to cross, so clear in the green, was rotten in the grey. Along the edge a small ledge connected to the distant balcony of the building. Creeping slowly across the way Ayumi climbed over the railing and onto the balcony.
The building was several stories high, the first two had mismatched sections patching ruined parts with the further ones in complete disarray. Only a few glass windows remained with the rest border up.
The green world gave way to the grey here and Ayumi could see fully the state of the world about. Her hands shook as goose bumps formed on them, and her breath was visible to the naked eye. Out beyond the former waterfall, the other side of the mountain opened in view to barren plains of windswept stone half covered in snow that rose to meet distant peeks.
Before her was a large two-paneled door, she pulled and pushed to open it jerking her shoulders, but the door remained unmoved. Pulling up her yukata about her and tightened its sash she cast her gaze upwards. Above her, the second-floor balcony extended. Standing on the railing of the first she jumped grabbing the second story floor and pulling herself along its edge up over the railing. There a second door tucked in the back caught her attention, noisily it slid open on its tracks.
The room was dark but a faint light came from a distant stairwell, slowly she crept across the empty floor stumbling into a few support pillars along the way.
Descending the stairs she was met with the glow and warmth of a large fire that danced in shadow and before it sat hunched over a form. Long white hair flowed from the top of its head and all around it, the very tips of it dissipating into a fog like ether. Drawing a deep breath she closed her eyes holding it, opening them the figure remained as she saw it. Slowly walking towards it she approached the front of the form. Its hands were held upturned limply at its side while the legs were bent and splayed outward as a child might sit. It's face buried in the sea of hair that cascaded about it.
"Fog person?" Her voice was low as she bent down trying to look at the face. "Hey" Ayumi touched the shoulder of the form as white eyes shot up staring at her. With a huge gasp of air, the figure screamed mutely, then crumbled to a heap on the ground. A loud ringing filled the air as the sound came crushing to the world about. Ayumi covered her ears as she crumpled to the floor, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as unconsciousness grasped her.
The night drifted as the embers of the flames died in the fire about them.
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