Jump

A journey through the winds of The Dream.

With one last look at the world of Orzal, my eyes fill with tears. I stand at the edge. I know I have to do it. Without thought, I jump from the desert wasteland. I begin to fall, Orzal leaving my sight. I descend down, passing small stones and islands in the void mist. It begins to get mistier and I pass dark shapes, creatures of the void. I suddenly burst out of the mist and into a clear, rainbow sky. I hear the loud sound of wings and see a Galactor, falling further, I pass a small island, only about three hundred feet wide with a farmer and his goats. They are in a small meadow, next to a house. I enter a storm, the winds blowing me, and the rain battering me. Lightning strikes islands near me, and I wince in the light. I break free of the storm, passing Skyreach and Heria's Steps ten minutes pass without seeing anything. It may have been longer. Time seems to run slower here. I pass a madman on a small rock formation, fishing with his line running deep into the void. Suddenly, as I pass a jungle world, the air gets colder and the sky gets slowly darker. I enter The Darkness. As I fall, I notice a lack of islands. Of course, there are some darkened stones and tangles of demonic plants, but fewer than in the void. I witness the Dark City of Alatredel. I fall for hours, seeing the occasional landform or deserted world. I drift off to sleep. I expected this to be a quick death, but now it seems it may never end. I see a huge stone wall and smash through it. I tumble into the chaos of Arbeqet, spinning top, and colorful geometry, I feel voices calling to me. Another stone wall, breaking through, getting weaker, dying. I breathe my last breath and plunge into ice-cold water, to ice, screams in my ears. Life, death, light, dark. I let go of life and breath a sigh of relief. The death is sweet.