“The more I pass by this city, the more I understand why it is considered the Void. This is the rock bottom of life, an endless torture where we Diborn are reminded of our past mistakes which still haunt our present. The men and women I see here were once alive, but now they are nothing more than shells of their former selves. Just like me…Some have accepted their fate. Others are stuck, unable to move on. I fall somewhere in between.”

  Omar closed his journal. Sittig upon a city rooftop, he watched a crowd enter past the gates. His foot dangled from the sloped roof, as four others, three men and a woman all dressed in royal attire sat for drinks outside a tavern. Their discussion was heated with roaring intensity as Omar paid close attention. His senses heightened as he tuned into their bickering.

  “The Celestial Garden is a mythological place in our history. None say it exists,” one of the well-dressed royal gentlemen barked at the woman. He had luscious blue hair that flew down his back and stern eyes that stared angrily at the frail woman. “Just like Gaia, all of the peasantry nonsense those mongrels believe… it is nothing but a fairytale.” He playfully smacked the arm of the small white elf standing beside him. The elf man answered with a friendly nudge back.

  The woman’s face turned a violent red. Her fierce auburn hair lit up in flames. “May I remind you that it was Gaia and the Celestial Garden which created all of Eurafalia. The royalty you show off is unappalling to the withering eyes of others.” She adjusted her golden spectacles.

  Omar shook his head. “The Void City of Halluburg holds three simple rules. One: Diborn inside the Void peacefully coexist. Two: Diborn may not transform into their superior Shardbearer forms. Three: Diborn must enter their dream realm at least once before returning to reality. These three rules are what make Halluburg its own kingdom. In our subconscious, it is the closest thing we Diborn have to home. When we shut out eyes from reality, we escape here. Many of these royalists use it to connect with one another. They create bonds inside with people who live on the other side of the world. Many royals or higher-ranking people in the world build pacts aligning strengths of the Diborn to one realm. Not a bad place to start a revolution. I–”

  “What say you, tiger man?” the blue haired royal asked the quiet man at the table. “They say you’re capable of manifesting into an extraordinary being. Are these fairytales children are told at Leviathan?” He laughed with the elf.

  “Do not be foolish–” the woman interrupted, but the mysterious man raised his hand.

  He sat with his knee raised up on his seat. He crouched over on it, fiddling with his drink. His eyes were onyx embers with golden ores sparking out of each pupil. His dreads were thick and long like vines, faded at the root compared to the deep obsidian ends. His trench coat was muddy, and his boots were nearly destroyed. He laughed to himself, as he rhythmically tapped the oak wood table with his callused hand.

  “That’s not necessary, my dear,” he calmed the woman. “But I thank you for your efforts. I believe any rumor in the world could be true. Everything within these lands could hold a sliver of truth, no matter how outlandish it may seem.” His voice was stern and direct to the other two men. He sipped his drink, not giving them the time of day.

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  The elf and royal mocked the man collectively, clinking their drinks together in amusement. “Preposterous,” the elf churned. “‘Everything within these lands could hold a sliver of truth.’ What rubbish.” The royal rolled his eyes at the mysterious man who now sat sweetly with the woman. “No one could ever–”

  A gust of wind blew towards the small tavern where they sat. Omar remained still, stealthily observing the four people from above the rooftop. From the right shoulder of the mysterious man, blue, flaming embers sparked out and formed a spectacular being of prowess, a spirit lion. The apparition paused for a moment before unleashing a great roar that silenced the table. The once quiet gentleman was now grinning with malice, as he let his powers take over. The small, ghostly lion launched at the two gentlemen, barring its teeth fiercely down onto the elf’s neck. The elf screamed in pain, until the mysterious man snapped his fingers, making the apparition dissolve in thin air. Fear smelled anew at the table, as the three trembled in fright at the man that stood before them.

  Omar had stood up from the rooftop and stared in awe at what was taking place beneath him. The tiger man laughed heartily. “Never question what all is true in the lands between.” He sipped his drink and gave the young woman within their group.

  “You’re… you’re him.” The elf gulped.

  “Who is him?!” the royal man and woman demanded.

  “They call him Bahari King, King of the Lands Between Heaven and Hell,” the elf announced. “He’s the only man who has walked the Celestial Garden’s Heavens and the deep Hells of Gaia.”

  The King smiled from embarrassment. He raised his hand calming the elf. “Dante is fine. Better actually. I am not worthy of a title so mighty.” He laughed. “Now, let me ask you all a question.”

  Omar turned his attention away from the tavern. He slumped his back against the roof, letting out an exhausted sigh. Footsteps crept behind him, loud enough it was someone he knew. He didn’t raise his guard, he observed the Diborn entering the city from the gates. The town was active, as all hundred Diborn Shardbearers arrived.

  “Is that one of your brothers down there?” Shay asked. “He’s the guy that rules all between heaven and hell? Not a chance.”

  Omar nodded. “Half-brother, yes. And I don’t believe in that title. We have never spoken and don’t plan to. But we’ve always have known of each other. Just never had the chance or reason to meet,” he muttered, standing up to observe the others at the tavern once more. From the bar, the mysterious lion man, Dante, turned his head and noticed both Shay and Omar walking away. He turned back to his conversation, holding a bitter smile.

  “It is time for me to go to my dream walk,” Shay said. “You should go, too.” He offered his hand for a shake. “I shall continue to monitor the Specters as best as I can. We will only meet here if we must touch base. You may not see it, Omar, but the Specters’ presence is heavy in this Void. I know you have your reasons, and I have mine. We are brothers till the end, and we will destroy the people who turned us into… this.”

  “It’s a promise. I shall rally what I can with my previous title. Take care of yourself, brother.” Omar hugged his friend. “Don’t dwell on the past. Focus on what is now.”

  Shay laughed. “You should really take your own advice.” He moved away. “Watch for my letters. I’ll give my letters to our interlocutor, and she will send them to you. Do the same, Mr. Black.” Shay jokingly addressed Omar as his pen name, smirking a mischievous grin.

  “Until next time.” Omar pulled one of Shay’s letters. “Mr. Grey.”