Book 15-22.3: Searching for an Escape

The star-filled mists and the bridge were both familiar to Yuriko even if the current iteration was not identical to what she experienced before. Even more to the point, she was here with her physical body, and though there was the possibility of this being an Anima projection, that chance was minuscule considering her mastery of her own body and Anima. 

An hour of making sure her current companions didn't die while letting them explore their newfound powers in battle was somewhat tiring, but the thought of exploring and finding something new, or even better, an actual challenge inflamed her passions. 

Alexis brushed against her elbow, sending pleasant tingles up her skin. She held her smirk and rolled her eyes. His shyness was an act, she realised, and when she glanced at him, he cheekily winked, before returning to his previous expression. She wasn't sure if she liked it, but it was entertaining anyway. 

Half of her strands of consciousness were focused on getting a feel for the bridge. She was sure that one side would return them to Astoria while the other would bring them deeper into this realm. It was still an interstitial space, but this one was a bit less stable than the one with the hotel. Much less stable, actually, but it was anchored to the hotel helping shore up the instability. 

The problem was that she wasn't sure which direction led to which. If she followed her instincts, considering how she felt now, she'd probably wind up leading them deeper into the realm rather than out. 

Hmm, if she went the opposite way from what her initial choice directed, would it lead back to Astoria or would it lead deeper? What was it that she read a few weeks ago in Creative Writing? One of the readings had something…ah. One often meets destiny on the road they take to avoid it. 

But did that mean she had to remain passive? The Threads of Fate wove the pattern of the events, but she and others like her, Ancients, strong Knights, and those with power, warped the weave with their presence and actions. Did that mean what was foretold changed? Or was the future set and accounted for their presence? Or was she arrogant to think that reality shifted to accommodate her? 

But could she not twist and manipulate reality with her Intent and Will? 

Much of the literature she read confused her as she hadn't read much philosophy back home. Well, she hadn't read much at all, and still didn't, only the fact that she had some many strands of consciousness that could focus on many things at once allowed her to catch up to schoolwork.

And while she was ruminating, everyone else was busy looking around. And oddly, her true body seemed frozen. Ah, another temporal anomaly. Time on the bridge passed much faster than even the interstitial hotel space. She checked with her true body and found the difference to be a thousand to one. Incredible difference, but she also felt the space start to push her to move. Staying still, hence keeping the thousand to one time differential, became harder and harder as the seconds passed, and she realised that she and the others would be pushed if they remained still for a moment longer. So she took a step. It was to the left of where she came out from the hotel space. 

All of them moved as she did. They didn't take a step, but the bridge under her feet moved. The time difference dropped back to two to one. 

Only a couple of people noticed the change initially, Alexis and Victor. When Yuriko kept walking, the rest of them noticed that the tower part of the suspension bridge was no longer next to them. 

"Oi, what happened?" Michael asked as his eyes darted about. "Huh?"

Yuriko kept walking and the shifting details along the side rails clued the others in. She stopped with a grin. "Nothing will happen if we just stay still. I picked this direction. If you don't want to come, feel free to go the other way." She kept her voice mild. 

"Are you sure its the right way?" Christine asked warily. 

"Maybe, maybe not." Yuriko shrugged. "If it's wrong, then we go back. If it's right, then we're there. Unless you think the way out is over the rails?" 

Everyone looked out into the starry mists. There was nothing beyond the rails except for an ominous darkness. A path to the Abyss, perhaps? But one that was probably one-way. Yuriko wasn't quite ready to go that way, not to mention the fact that she was only guessing. For all she knew, it would lead to Primordial Chaos instead. 

"We're already going this way, let's just keep going or we'll waffle over directions and get nowhere," Zachary grunted. He'd been quiet ever since he got wounded and healed, but he managed to shake off his blue mood. 

Yuriko shrugged and continued walking. For a moment, no else moved and the bridge dragged them along. Finally, Michael, Alexis, then followed by the others, walked with her. With all nine of them walking, distance seemed to shrink. The starry mists and the darkness underneath blurred. Soon, they came within sight of another support tower, and when they were about to cross it, the air around them thickened. 

Yuriko pushed through. The pressure was nothing to her, but the freshly Altered were affected. Michael, Zachary, Victor, Graham, Christine, and Sandra looked like something was pushing against them, while the others didn't seem hindered. 

"Let's join hands and push through," Yuriko suggested. 

"Yes, let's all hold hands and sing hymns," Alexis said drily, while Haley chuckled. Yuriko turned and gave both a flat stare, then sniffed. 

"Come on, let's get it over with," Michael said as he sneakily walked up to Yuriko and grabbed her left hand. Haley giggled as she grabbed Yuriko's right, then the rest of them formed the daisy chain. Yuriko spread her Anima in front of the group and pushed forward. They cut through the obstruction as if it wasn't there. Another long stretch of the bridge was before them. 

"How much longer will this take?" Christine complained. "Are you sure we shouldn't turn back and try the other way?"

"And if we find the same thing there, should we turn around and try this way again?" Alexis said in a mocking tone. "I say let's follow this to the ultimate conclusion before we turn back."

"And what if there is no end to this?" Michael asked, "What if we're on the wrong side of an infinite road?"

"Then let's turn back after nine towers," Yuriko said. 

"Why nine?" Christine asked. 

"Just a random number," Yuriko admitted.

"So, eight more, then?" 

"Yup!"

"My feet hurt," Haley grumbled. 

"Suck it up," Sandra growled. 

"Maybe Mister Lowe can heal my feet?" 

"Ah, I'm not sure I can just yet," Graham Lowe stuttered. 

"Do you want to take a breather?" Yuriko asked. 

"Yeah, I wanna sit down," Sandra complained. 

"Eh, but there's nowhere to sit!" Christine said. "I'm not tired anyway." 

"Too dainty to sit on the asphalt?" Haley scoffed. 

"All three of us are wearing skirts!" Christine said. 

"I'm not squeamish," Haley scoffed. 

"You do you," Christine scoffed. 

Sandra exchanged glances with Yuriko and both of them shrugged. "Do you mind?"

Yuriko shook her head and chuckled. "I don't, but I'm not tired anyway." Still, she folded her legs to preserve her modesty as she sat down. Her skirt's hem fell above her knees, and unlike Christine and Haley, she wasn't wearing a pair of shorts over her panties. Scarlett told her not to, as she should 'maintain a brand', whatever that meant. 

Unexpectedly, the asphalt wasn't dusty, or even remotely dirty as if nothing had passed through the bridge and the elements hadn't touched it. A curious and disquieting feeling, but also something Yuriko couldn't say was unexpected of a place made up of a mix between the layers of reality. Ideals, thoughts and desires were the three layers in between the material and Primordial Chaos, with the spaces in between and around as the Empty Void. That was the cosmology prevalent in the Great Continent, but it was different in the Shattered Realm, or the Myriad Planes and the Chaos Sea. 

Then perhaps the perfect slice of three layers wasn't always true, huh? Perhaps smaller layers could be formed, combined layers or other layers could be used for different purposes. Like REI-space in Dragon Fall City, she realised. It mimicked the Network in Astoria but it wasn't a plain mundane construct made out of machines and electricity. And from how she and others were able to enter it with their consciousness, she suspected it was a constructed layer made from Ideals, Thoughts, and Desires. The question was, who made it, and who still controls it? Perhaps the Church of Autochron? Was Autochron an Ascended being? A God Monarch? She had not felt its touch or much of its presence, so perhaps it was only the church's belief? 

But what about this place? The Bridge between layers?

…between layers? Where did the bridge lead if one side probably led back to Astoria? 

Ten minutes later, the others recovered enough that they could stand to continue walking. The next tower appeared in front of them after half an hour's walk and the pressure barrier was about a third stronger than before. They linked hands to cross it, but Yuriko suspected that this way led to the other shore rather than Astoria. Curiosity kept her silent, however, and she did say nine towers before they turned back. They rested another twenty minutes before they continued. 

Resting just past the tower didn't prove much trouble as long as they only intended to stay a short while. When complaints of wanting to rest more surfaced, the same temporal pressure returned, though only Yuriko noticed it. At the very least, resting didn't cost them more time. 

It was after the fifth tower beyond Hotel De Lune that things changed. For one thing, the bridge actually ended. It made landfall to a barren plain, though crossing the threshold from the asphalt to bare ground had them push past a barrier. That one was weaker, though, not even on par with the first tower they crossed. 

"You think this will bring us back home?" Christine asked hopefully. 

"I don't know," Yuriko admitted. "I think we're on the wrong side, but I'm not sure."

"Your tone is suspicious," Alexis said abruptly. 

"Huh?" 

"When you said you're 'not sure', your tone became flat. Sus." 

"Ah." 

"Sus." 

"Sorry."

"You're sure we're on the wrong side then?"

"Not a hundred percent," she admitted. 

"But close to it." 

"Ehehehe." 

"Don't you giggle your way out of this!" Christine yelled as she pinched both sides of Yuriko's cheeks and pulled. 

Yuriko shrugged as she fended her off. "I wasn't sure. Now I am." 

"No wonder your acting's bad," Alexis said in a morose tone as he shook his head.

"Ouch," Yuriko said drily. 

"Well, now that we know we're on the wrong side, let's head back." Christine said decisively as she stomped towards the bridge, then bounced back even before her flip flops got within a couple of paces of the asphalt. "What the eff!"

Yuriko frowned and pushed her Anima perception, which also encountered a powerful barrier, several fold stronger than the one before this. She could probably push through, but only if she focused. Or used her Invisible Edge augmented with Swordlight. 

Alexis slammed into the unseen barrier, lightning flickered from his fingers. Instead of bouncing back, he braced and pushed. His palms flattened as if pushing against something solid and he wasn't able to push any farther than that.

He grunted, "What now?"

The others glared at Yuriko as she shrugged. "A bit of elbow grease. I think we can still go through, just with more effort. Use what powers you gained to strike the barrier." 

"Yeah, I guess that might work," he grumbled. "No time like the present, come on!" he yelled at the others. 

"Divine Mercy!" Victor yelled, "What are those?" He pointed towards the distance and when Yuriko looked, she spotted what he meant immediately. They were just blurs at this distance, but with Victor's Alteration, he could probably see them clearly. And when she used Enhanced Sight, she saw them too. A bunch of familiar figures. 

Gigantic, simian, and feral, with crimson blood fur.