The Gondola, the Abyss, and the Doors of Mount Existence

Ged took one final, discerning look at the Mountain Gondola before stepping inside. The wooden structure groaned and cracked beneath his ethereal feet.

The human-bear demon guarding the boarding area watched him closely. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, as if he wanted to warn Ged of something. However, he said nothing and turned his attention back to the line of lesser demons waiting to board.

Ged felt a sense of unease.

Before he could step back and reconsider, the Gondola lurched forward.

From its wooden sides, two massive hands emerged, their long fingers gripping the frayed rope above. Slowly, the hands began to pull, one after the other, inching the Gondola upward, carrying it away from the Green Realm.

At first, the movement was sluggish, but the hands quickly found a rhythm. With each passing second, the pace increased, and soon the Gondola was rocketing skyward.

He had always assumed Mount Existence lay within the Green Realm. Yet, the Gondola was rising, climbing toward the purple clouds blanketing the sky.

As the Gondola climbed higher, the Green Realm came into full view. He stared in awe. Incredible. So the Green Realm was actually a sphere.

The curvature of the green sphere stretched across his vision, an impossibly vast world blanketed entirely in green.

The clouds parted, and the Gondola passed through effortlessly. Once he emerged beyond, he finally understood why the Mountain Gondola followed such an irregular path.

Beyond the Green Realm lay a giant canyon of endless gray fog, a vast chasm separating it from Mount Existence.

The Gondola stayed as high above the ominous fog as it could.

Ged's eyes narrowed as he gazed into the gray abyss below.

The canyon was divided by swirling storm clouds, shifting and billowing like a maze of prison cells.

From within the fog, monstrous howls echoed, filling the air with tortured cries that sent a shiver through him.

Ged leaned forward, sticking his head out of the Gondola's entrance for a better look.

Just below, a giant cyclopean cheetah lunged from the mist. Its claws stretched outward, aiming to swat the Gondola from the sky.

Ged's heart skipped a beat. He jerked his head back instinctively, his breath catching in his throat.

A surge of purple lightning erupted from the canyon below. The energy coiled around the beast, wrapping it in binding chains before dragging it back into the fog. The creature shrieked and thrashed, but the restraints held firm, pulling it deep into its prison cell where it belonged.

Ged exhaled sharply, collapsing into his seat. His pulse thundered in his ears, his body still tense from the sight.

But the monster in the mist wasn't what unsettled him most. It was the lightning. The purple lightning seemed to contain the purest form of destruction.

Something about it sent tremors through his very existence.

Ged shook off his terror as he slowly adjusted to the journey in the small wooden Gondola.

The stretch between the Green Realm and Mount Existence was vast. The abyss of gray fog beneath him seemed endless, stretching beyond even the Green Realm itself.

Manduka never mentioned anything about this. What is this terrifying gray fog?

The Mountain Gondola pressed onward. Though he remained cautious, Ged gradually grew accustomed to the strange landscape.

Although still dangerous, the creatures below were restrained by the purple lightning. Some glared at him viciously from within the fog, but most were too wary to make a move, allowing Ged to study the environment without much interruption.

After some time, he decided to practice controlling his dragon thoughts. The ethereal dragon slowly emerged from his forehead, curling into figure eights in front of him.

Even when fully exhausting his mind, he could only form a dragon thought barely the thickness of a thumb, a mere quarter of its original size. Ged frowned.

His mind drifted to the human-bear demon and the incident in the Mountain Gondola line.

That bear bottled up my thoughts so effortlessly. I don't know how long I'll be stuck in this strange place... I need to figure out a way to defend myself and stop others from trampling over me.

Next, he tried forming a sphere and guiding the dragon inside, mimicking what he had seen from other demons. First, he outlined a small circle with his thoughts, then attempted to push the dragon inside. But the outline disintegrated almost instantly.

He then tried spinning the dragon in a circle before enclosing it within a drawn sphere. But the dragon's movement grew erratic, twisting unpredictably before bursting outward.

Frustration gnawed at him.

With a defeated sigh, he shifted his focus to testing its range instead. He extended the dragon outward like a tether, sending it from his forehead several meters beyond the Gondola until it thinned into a narrow strand of thought.

But this test turned out to be a huge mistake.

Below him, the fog stirred.

From the depths of the abyss, a massive, gaping maw emerged, lined with endless rows of writhing teeth. Deep within its gut, a soul-sucking force surged outward, as if the creature were taking a deep breath.

The Mountain Gondola lurched violently, twisting as the creature's inhale latched not onto Ged himself, but onto his extended thoughts.

His eyes widened in horror.

He yanked at the thought strand, desperately trying to pull it back. It reeled in slowly, inching toward the safety of the Gondola.

But the creature wasn't done yet.

A long, sinewy tongue lashed out, wrapping tightly around his thoughts and dragging them downward toward its gaping mouth.

A surge of purple lightning erupted, attempting to restrain the tongue. But its hunger outweighed its pain. The tongue charred and crumbled, yet it held firm, desperate to rip Ged's thoughts away from him.

Ged was in crisis. His head throbbed violently as he gripped the entrance of the Gondola, struggling to keep himself from being pulled into the abyss along with his thoughts.

The Gondola trembled. The wooden frame groaned, teetering on the verge of collapse.

"I have to cut the stream of thoughts," Ged muttered through clenched teeth.

His thoughts were stretched to their absolute limit, yet they refused to break. It was now or never.

Desperate, he tried everything to sever the connection.

He twisted them like a wrung-out towel. Nothing.

He kinked them into sharp angles. Still no effect.

Nothing worked.

His form flickered, his entire being on the verge of being ripped from his body.

The last thought slipped away from his mind. His consciousness thinned, his very existence fading into nothingness.

With his mind emptied, something strange stirred within him. A swirling blue energy surfaced, as if it had been lurking in the shadows of his mind all along, hidden from his awareness.

As if driven by a will of its own, the energy burst through his forehead, forming a brilliant blue dragon several meters thick. It let out an earth-shattering roar and charged toward the tongue.

Its fangs, tinged purple, sliced through the charred flesh effortlessly, triggering a bellowing screech from the creature below.

Ged's thoughts were finally free.

The blue dragon hovered in the air, its luminous form twisting in place as it gazed down at Ged's lifeless body with a mysterious expression.

The creature's agonized wails still echoed from the abyss as the Gondola rocked violently, its wooden hands gripping the frayed rope, desperately struggling to stabilize the ride.

The blue dragon gently gathered the remnants of Ged's severed thoughts, guiding them back into his mind.

As the energy merged within him, his form stabilized, restoring him to normal. The blue energy slithered back into the deepest recesses of his mind, disappearing as if it had never existed.

His unconscious body lay sprawled on the floor as the Mountain Gondola continued its journey toward the slopes of Mount Existence.

When Ged finally regained consciousness, he found himself lying on the slopes of Mount Existence. The Mountain Gondola had long since vanished, ruthlessly discarding his body before disappearing without a trace.

Slowly, he pushed himself up, his head throbbing as he scanned his surroundings.

Beneath him stretched a vibrant disc, glowing with colors spanning the full spectrum, spiraling up the red mountain in an endless ascent. The very air around him felt warped, as though space itself was stretching, subtly pulling his body toward the cliffside.

His gaze drifted toward the edge. Just beyond, a sheer drop-off loomed, like a cascading rainbow waterfall plunging into an unfathomable gray abyss. The moment he registered the danger, instinctual panic took hold.

His body reacted before his mind fully caught up.

Heart pounding, he leaped up, sprinting away from the ledge as fast as he could.

On this strange mountainside, standing still was not an option. One always had to keep moving; otherwise, they would be pulled into the foggy gray below.

His thoughts remained sluggish, his mind still clouded from unconsciousness. As he ascended the shifting rainbow disc, something unusual caught his eye.

"Doors?" Ged couldn't help but speak aloud.

Wooden doors dotted the rocky slopes, embedded into the terrain like forgotten relics. Their worn frames jutted out from the mountainside, yet whatever lay beyond them was impossible to discern.

With cautious curiosity, Ged approached one. His eyes narrowed as he reached out to inspect it, but something made him hesitate.

Like the final piece of a puzzle snapping into place, Ged's thoughts became clearer.

Wait... how am I still alive?

The image of the giant maw and his desperate struggle to retrieve his thoughts replayed in his mind. He combed through every moment, trying to piece together what had happened. Still, the answer eluded him, slipping away like a fading dream.

All he remembered was silence and a flash of blue.

Was it the Gondola that retrieved my thoughts?

The experience of nearly being condemned to an eternal grave sent shivers down his spine.

This place is too unpredictable.

Ged swirled his thoughts, summoning his thumb-thick dragon. Nothing? It looked unchanged. I must have regained all my thoughts.

He let out a small sigh of relief. At the very least, his mind felt whole.

His gaze drifted across the strange landscape, brow furrowed. Are these really the slopes of Mount Existence?

Everything about this place felt unreal. It didn't match his expectations in the slightest. Then again, after his experiences in the Green Realm, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

Turning his attention to the wooden door before him, he carefully glided his hand across its frame. Despite lacking the ability to feel touch, a distinct woody sensation pulsed through his fingertips.

His expression twisted into one of curiosity and nostalgia. Bizarre... but it feels like home.

The door's design was eerily similar to the metal door of his bunker. A feeling of longing washed over him. Reality was so close, yet his return still felt impossibly far away.

I need to return...

Placing his palm against the door, he gave it a gentle push. It didn't budge.

Frowning, he wedged his fingers between the frame, trying to pry it open. No matter how much force he applied, it remained sealed shut.

Ged stroked his chin.

Do I knock?

The thought lingered for a moment, but he quickly dismissed it.

No. I shouldn't act rashly. I've already had too many brushes with death.

After giving the door one last glance, Ged stepped away, turning his focus to the rainbow pathway spiraling up the mountain.

I should explore this place and see if I can find Manduka.

With careful steps, he began his ascent.

The spiraling rainbow path seemed endless, lined with an innumerable number of doors curling skyward into the mountain's expanse.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Ged encountered another demon along the slopes. His body tensed, wary of its unpredictable nature.

One moment, the demon was a panther. The next, it was an oak tree. Its form shifted constantly, cycling through various shapes in an uncanny display.

Ged's eyes narrowed. His instincts screamed danger.

The creature was still far away, so Ged froze in place, choosing to observe from a safe distance.

The demon approached one of the doorways. As it neared, it settled into the form of a panther, walking with confidence. A spectral hand emerged from its forehead, reaching toward the door.

With a loud knock, it rapped against the wooden frame.

There was no response.

Ged raised an eyebrow but remained still, continuing to watch.

The panther knocked again, this time several times louder. After waiting a moment, it stepped back patiently.

This time, the door creaked open.

A figure stood in the doorway, an alien creature with large, insect-like eyes.

The panther straightened and spoke.

"Hello, my good sir. You may not know who I am but I am a young aspiring demon named Saha. Sorry to disturb you at this hour. I realize your time is precious, so I will try to be as quick as possible."

The insect-eyed alien sighed. Without a word, it rolled its eyes and partially closed the door, narrowing its gaze through the remaining crack.

Saha stepped closer, angling his body to maintain eye contact.

"Our business is simple," he continued. "All I need is the tiniest, little bit of your experiences, and I will help aid you in whatever you need. Whether you look to upgrade your looks to impress your next hot date, or you are looking to violently overpower your enemies. Through demonic possession, this—"

The door slammed shut before he could finish his pitch.

Saha's expression fell.

He let out a long sigh, shoulders sagging in defeat. Sauntering away from the door, he looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

"Fuck me. What am I doing wrong?" he muttered. "Did I not build up enough rapport? That Bug Alien was impossible to read."

Saha paced in frustration, muttering to himself as he pranced about restlessly.

Ged blinked, dumbfounded by what he'd just witnessed.

Was that... a demonic possession attempt? Ged frowned, taking a step back, trying to distance himself from what he had just seen.

Before he could turn away, Saha's head snapped toward him. A toothy grin spread across his face as he started moving toward Ged.