The Void

Occasionally, something can go wrong. Sometimes in your travels, you will slip out of what is, and enter the place of what should not be. Sometimes, you will enter The Void, and from there on out, you will not return..

One day, dear reader, my companion and I had the unfortunate displeasure of stumbling upon this paradoxical space. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t hot. It wasn’t welcoming, but it wasn’t repelling. But wait, I shouldn’t get too far ahead of myself. In fact, I should start with how we found this place..Yes, it was quite recent. Too recent, I should say.

It was a normal day – we were hiking through the hills, hunting and gathering as we usually did. It was getting dark, and we decided to make shelter in a nearby clearing. I was setting up the required supplies when my comrade exclaims "Look, over there! What is that?" as she points outward to a nearby lake. I gazed into the direction in which she marked, and there, sitting on a smooth, uncracked slab of stone in the middle of the water, were two strange pillars. Stranger though, between the pillars themselves, was a ripple. A cascade of glowing lights and color. Drawn to sudden intrigue and adventure, we immediately dropped our supplies at our feet and waded in closer to the shimmering phenomenon, climbing up onto the stone platform on which this strange thing stood.

We didn’t know what we were staring at. It was mesmerizing..haunting, almost, yes. It beckoned us. There were faint whispers in our ears of unintelligible dialects, even though there was not a living soul aside from us for miles. We should have been scared. We should have run. We should have forsaken our excursion in these hills and made a beeline for home, but now..I sit here in the quiet emptiness, writing these words as advice to you traveler. For what we did is inexcusable by any being sentient or immortal, god or goddess..It was a choice of our own making, and from there, seemingly without doubt or hesitation in our minds, my companion and I reached out and touched the glowing light. We were sucked in. From there, all we could see, and feel, was nothingness.

When we awoke, it felt like we’d fallen a thousand stories. Our stomachs were sick and even though we retched, naught would come out. Even though we expected to be bruised and cut from a fall, we did not bleed nor did we ache. We looked at each other for a moment, and then we realized where we were. Or, should I say, we realized where we *weren’t*.

It was a black and empty realm where we could barely see past our own hand. The whispers were louder than ever here, and this time they were not so enticing. A long stretch of darkness that felt like fabric under our feet carried on for ages in front of us. We did the only thing we could do – and that was walk. Suddenly, after walking for only a few moments, the land changed and reformed around us, and we now felt winded and exhausted like we had walked for miles. We didn’t know where we were or where we came from. All that we knew, was darkness. The only light able to live in such a deary and nightmarish place was the light we found in each other to keep on going. It was all we could do after all.

There were no inhabitants. There were no clouds, no trees, no buildings or fences, no flowers, water, birds, or anything else. Just this cold, dark, suffering material upon which we walked, and which changed frequently, causing us to fall into deep black pits, never feeling pain or wounds upon landing. And of course..the watchers. There were some walls of this material land that had large, red eyes. They would not harm, or frighten us. But would just stare. Their eyes would follow just as we seemed to follow them. Perhaps they were what changed these formations.

I write to you now in hopes that someday, in this bleak and broken reality, that someone will read this and heed these warnings: Do not touch the portals. This world is made of nightmares and suffering. In Greek mythology, it is called Chaos. In some religions, it is called Limbo. Whatever the name, It is because of this place that I fear, it is far too late for my companion and I, but perhaps not for you. If you wish to remain alive. If you wish to retain your lasting sanity. If you wish to return to your loved ones ever again, heed my warning traveler. Do not make the same mistake we did.

I must go now. The watchers beckon…