Chapter 4 - Urban Woodlands

Theon wasn’t available that evening.

Xxxxx didn’t tell him anything about what happened. He rarely ever had one over him.

He rain-checked for the following day.

It was early evening and Xxxxx decided to get some air.

He exited the apartment lobby and turned left; passing the apartment’s underground parking lot entrance.

He looked into the eerie entrance. Are all liminal spaces this creepy?

He crossed the street and made a corner convenience store. Continuing down the same street, an alley came up and at its corner was…

“Hey, old man. You been holding up alright?”

The homeless man sat there adjusting his cloak and stroking his dog, paying him no mind.

“I got you something.”

Xxxxx placed the shopping bag next to him and continued down the shoddy alley. The same alley he got pulled into by a group of thugs a few months ago.

Outnumbered, nothing short of his possessions and a thorough beating would give him a chance at leaving alive.

Downed into a foetus from a heavy punch to the gut, Xxxxx witnessed snippets of what happened.

The old man caught their attention with a whistle.

“Should we body the old man too? Don’t know about his organs but his spinal fluid –”

The thug was interrupted by a slap on the head from a thug next to him.

The homeless man stood in the middle of the alley, holding a firm gaze; his dog growling.

Xxxxx winced his eyes shut from the aching in stomach.

When he opened them again, the dog was nudging one of his legs.

The old man sat down, leaning on a dumpster.

He sat there watching over him till he had the strength to move.

He had taken a liver blow, a trained technique that causes pain and incapacitation to the average adult when delivered by a trained individual.

I haven’t been harassed since that night, he thought to himself, passing two people exchanging items with a handshake.

Their heads turned as he passed them.

He cleared the dingy alleyway and entered the Main Street responsible for most of Central’s traffic.

He turned right and walked into the night-fallen city.

He took stock of all the buildings he passed, wondering how one accesses the liminal space.

What Hendrix did and the liminal spaces feel like another issue all together.

He came to a stop at a pedestrian crossing. Below a bridge of train tracks, the sidewalks were populated with people, traffic, and the early signs of late-night activity.

The trials… maybe a test of character? Wit? Strength? There are usually opportunities to acquire an edge, power…

The traffic light turned red. He crossed the road and entered the city park. It was a strip of land venture capitalists couldn’t touch. The city hard-lined it for parks and public activities.

If the park was for children, the urban woodlands was for the adults. Connected to the park, the Woodlands was a terraformed scape of different microbiomes connected by a lake in the middle.

To think, some of these biomes actually have a cave system that connects to the lake.

Xxxxx knew two of the biomes. The path he chose took him through calm trees, shrubs and ferns growing over a thick layer of leaves.

Wildflowers and grass. I’m close to the lake.

Xxxx approached his favourite spot. A lonely bench looking over the lake.

Been seeing more people frequent this area lately. I’ll have to look for a new spot…

Phone rings.

“Uncle Ben?

He sat down on the bench.

“Yes, I got a hold of him.”

“Well, you see about the apartment…”

His tapped his foot, grabbing his sweatpants.

“Oh? Alright…”

His body relaxed.

“They can come by tomorrow morning. The earlier the better.”

“Uncle Ben? You’re not going to ask me what happened?”

“No. I’d rather not explain.”

“How are the kids?”

His posture deflated.

“You’re right. Now is not the time. Thanks again.”

He leaned back into the bench and tilted his head back.

He inhaled deeply.

Seeing the night sky in the gaps of the canopy helped him unwind the tension he felt.

I can’t process any of what just happened. Hendrix was casting magic!

He hung his hands on the back-rest.

There was a portal in my room. To another world…

He raised his hand to the sky and symbolically clenched the stars in his hand.

Grandfather, what the hell are you and Hendrix caught up in?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out Hendrix’s talisman.

I never belonged here.

He flipped it over.

I’ve always believed that other worlds exist. I withdrew from society into video games. Movies. Series. Books.

He moved the talisman out of the way and looked at the canopy and the night sky.

The normal world exhausted me.

I always felt like I was constantly under some kind of status effect.

He tilted his head forward. The lake shimmering, mist hanging just above the surface.

When I saw the portal form, I was drawn to it, he admitted.

The sounds of the woodlands wildlife scored the scenery.

I know better than to ignore Hendrix’s warning, but a part of me wants these trials to happen.

A toad croaked.

That’s a lie. I just want an escape. I want to run.

The sounds of insects and amphibians scoring his internal monologue helped him dig into himself.

These trials are the closest thing I have to an escape.

A fish broke the surface of the lake.

With the little self-realisation he uncovered, he looked at his hand and the coin sat there as if it’s always been there, watching him.

I don’t need to have it all figured out. For now, I’ll just move forward.

He coiled back and thrust the coin. It skipped across the water with melodic plinks.

Ting ting

He reached for his phone. The clingy coin couldn’t be felled that easily. He pocketed the coin and pulled out his phone.

/You have a message/

Tap

His phone went dark.

Connecting…

Communication established.

Joining //Amateur Pen Masters\

Establishing chat…

Xxxxx looked around. Not sure if someone was watching or not. A thing he did whenever something unusual happened.

[Wow. You’re waist-deep in a steaming pile of horseshit, hahahahahahah 🫵🏽]

Xxxxx scowled.

[Just speak or think, you don’t have to text.

I can’t answer all of your questions so make them count.

No, I have nothing to do with the coins and the trials, this version of it anyway.

I’m here to help…]

Who is this?

[Your guard is up.

Good.

You’ll need to improve your reaction time if you’re going to survive.]

You didn’t answer my question.

The screen flickered.

[Not important right now. What is, is that I’m going to increase your odds of survival.]

The trails… How?

[By giving you information. You will be cheating, so you know.]

Will the Entity notice?

[It won’t recognise it as cheating if you explore your options before the trials begin.]

Xxxxx sat up straight.

[The trials are a closed system. Not even gods and deities can interfere directly.]

Deities and gods? Like jinns, kitsunes, and the fae kind of deities and gods?

[Hmm. Well, would you look at that. You’re not dense. Most people are. Squishy too.]

The leaves rustled in the wind. Xxxx could’ve sworn the shadows flickered.

[Most people focus on gaining power, but these trials are about survival. Utility is key.]

Like information and influence?

[Exactly!]

Doesn’t power ensure survival?

[Look, people die. They die easily and quicker than you think. I know you think you have an edge because of your disposition, but magic and systems do not soften realism as much as you think.]

Right. Got it.

[I don’t think you’ve “got it”. Just keep it in mind.]

Xxxxx nodded.

So those options? I’m guessing you want something in return?

[The coins.]

All of them?

[Lie down and close your eyes!]

Xxxxx tensed up. Yeah, that’s not happening.

The sounds of the woodlands grew restless.

Xxxxx looked side to side.

[I don’t mean to pressure you but…]

He turned around repetitively, straining his senses.

Ting ting

[Those coins are objects of power. You know what that means?]

Target on my back? Yeah, I noticed.

[In general, sure. I was talking about right now…]

The woodlands fell into silence.

Xxxxx felt the hairs on his arms stand.

He started towards the path leading away from the lake.

Ting ting

He looked at his phone.

[It’s now or never. Go back to the bench! Lie down and close your eyes. I’ll do the rest.]

Xxxxx stopped walking.

He lowered his phone, the invisible pressure intensifying.

Ting Ting Ting Ting

[You don’t want to fumble this!]

He looked back and forth between the path and bench.

The pathway swallowed by darkness, light leaks lighting the way; a possible path to safety.

The bench overlooking the calm, mist-filled lake; unknown depths of uncertainty.

I’m having too many of these “fuck it” moments…

He ran towards the bench, side-vaulted over the back-rest, landed, then sat down.

He looked back at the pathway. The light leaks were disappearing. The bits of light that came from that direction winking out.

He lay down and shut his eyes, his heart drumming.

He clenched his fists, bracing for something to cut into him.

For pain to confirm his bad choice.

He lay in wait, his mind cycling through possible reasons why the woodlands went mute.

This is a mistake. I’m out. Shit!

He tried to get up. His body wouldn’t respond.

His chest pressed inward, body limp.

He tried to scream, move—anything.

His consciousness slipped away knowing that something was there with him.

Xxxxx became aware.

He was falling.

There was no sound.

It was strange. Relying only on sight alone confused him.

Blurs of green, blue, and occasional pockets of mist whizzed past his vision.

He tried to speak. Nothing.

What the hell is going on!

His arms took turns being flung back every time he rolled in and out of different orientations.

He instinctively outstretched his limbs and arched his body.

He stabilised and began to…

I’m floating?

He should’ve been shocked by what he saw but remained observant as the vague outline of the urban woodlands above him shrunk.

He looked down and saw a clear reflection of an aerial view of the city.

He pointed out his foot as the reflection grew bigger until the tip of his sneaker touched the surface.

His other foot followed. Gentle ripples propagating outward.

As far as the eye could see all he saw was the reflection of above. The reflection of the city. The horizon, a gentle mist.

Above him, the real world.

Hello?

He walked around.

He still couldn’t hear anything.

He stopped waking and clenched his fists. They felt numb.

He brought them up to eye level and squeezed further.

He stared at them until he heard a crack.

From the centre of his vision a cool breeze hugged his face, then his body.

Colour, detail, and sound washed over his fist, himself, and the rest of the dreamscape.

A low-frequency hum filled the air.

The surface shimmered. The mist on the horizon twinkled, and his awareness felt like it took a deep breath of bandwidth.

Well, what do you know. Not so different from lucid dreaming.

He leapt vertically and remained suspended.

Finally. Familiar territory.

He hovered back to the surface, changing its colour four times before settling on the hue of a sunset.

What am I doing here? he commanded.

Ting ting

He looked down. Felt his pocket.

He pulled out his phone.

/You have a notification/

Tap

[Took you long enough]

Xxxxx held his neck and smiled sheepishly.

[Didn’t think you’d actually consent to going under in the middle of an urban woodland…]

I’ve consumed enough media to feel my way around opportune moments.

[I practically baited you into cheating.]

Hey! I took the leap of faith, alright! That means something.

This is also a lot to process.

Also, there was something back there…

[It’s still there. So is your body.]

WHAT!

[Relax. You’ll be fine. It was after the coin. Coming here consumed it. I technically saved you. You’re welcome. We don’t have time to get into what “it” is.]

He fell silent, staring off into the mist-filled horizon.

I’m guessing the usual applies while I’m in my inner space? Time dilation? Limitless rendering?

[For someone who’s about to risk his life, you sound… expectant.]

I think this might be what I’ve been waiting for...

[Your desire might explain why I was able to reach you before the trials fully took hold.]

You’re not from this reality, are you?

[Now that is an impressive guess. What gave me away?]

I was told that this is all happening because of a “reality-warping Entity”. Reality-warping is a broken ability.

Xxxxx pinched the screen of the phone and flicked it off screen.

To avoid detection means you’re moving outside of the consequences of said reality.

A massive projection of the chat hovered before him.

[Impressive. What else have you noticed.]

This inner scape is a hidden corner of myself; a place where these cheat abilities can grow without being detected.

[If I didn’t know any better I would say you’ve been coached.]

Xxxxx laughed.

I have a friend. We live for this stuff. Portal fantasies. Myths. Legends. Monster slaying. Solving mysteries.

Xxxxx pointed a palm behind him and a wall of water erupted.

[Well, taking the flexibility of your core beliefs and imagination into consideration, this is what I can offer you…]

Xxxx pivoted to a screen that appeared on his left. He saw a grid of video playbacks, each tile depicting various creatures.

He lowered his hand. The wall of water collapsed with a crash.

He flicked a finger.

The tiles separated and the first one expanded; a reel of some kind of bat using echolocation.

The next one was of a faceless humanoid’s forked tongue licking the air.

Xxxx levitated towards the screens.

A POV of something running through woods, switching between bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion.

Xxxxx rested his chin between his fingers.

The woods switched between infrared, dark vision, and a black-and-white filter with multicoloured trails snaking through the air.

The creature paused.

Examined each trail.

Picked one and sped forward.

Xxxxx focused on the idea the scenes were depicting.

Xxxxx whistled.

[Right? In comparison to the average human’s senses, you’ll notice an impressive bump in utility from your first acquisition.]

He levitated backwards, picking up speed. He nodded and the screens followed him.

I like cheating…

He laughed, his voice projecting across the endless watery surface.

He leaned backward and shot in that direction with a sonic boom.

Is that all?

[You read my mind…]

Xxxxx closed his eyes, feeling the air resistance slide from his back to his front as he rolled through the air.

He opened his eyes.

Flying is the classic go-to for every psychonaut.

Xxxxx lost himself in his flight. The square miles ticked away as he conjured uneven watery terrain and pillars to test his skill.

The sensory stimulation here is insane!

A pillar of water slammed into him.

He puked. His path kicked sideways.

He gritted his teeth, flung out his limbs, and stilled himself.

A pitch-black crack silently appeared above him.

He looked up at it.

A thin line cut into the surface below him. It widened, large bodies of water flowing into a widening chasm.

The sound of rushing water cut in and out.

What the-

The audio gating affecting his thoughts.

He tried to fly away.

The chasm widened, audio gating worsening.

He stopped.

It stopped.

[Calm down, Mr Portal Fantasy.]

What do you mean calm down. I can’t… I-I I…

He grabbed his chest, body trembling.

Something’s in there. Teeth. It’s going to eat me!

He looked down, eyes widening.

[There’s nothing there. Look.]

He lost control of his body.

I can’t breathe.

He felt his legs close.

Arms forced to his sides.

His torso twisted to the left.

Help me!

Head forced to the right.

He lifted his chin.

Fists clenched.

Eyes closed.

He saw a reel of images. Sounds assaulting him. Skin itching – crawling.

He felt himself hanging from his feet; pressure building in his head.

He opened his eyes.

The images remained undisturbed as he blinked in disbelief.

He gasped.

The sudden intake of air carried the scent of a sharp green smell.

Green turned into earth. Earth into flowers.

The assault continued but with the scent came detachment.

The images slowed down and stopped.

His body stopped twisting.

The chaotic sounds faded.

He was flipped right-side up.

His tactile sanity returned. His feet found purchase.

The sky had returned to its mural of the city. The watery surface; as though the chasm never existed.

He heard a voice this time.

“Sensory Gating is now available.”

Your mind cuts out useless signals and locks onto threats, movements, and intent. Panic never reaches you. You act on the right information faster than anyone else.

[Feeling better?]

Yes.

[Do you understand what just happened?]

He said nothing.

[You got cocky.]

Xxxxx looked away from the screen.

[Your inner world is unpredictable. When you change too much too fast you get pushback.]

Xxxxx stomped the surface. Water splashed.

[Your inner world is a lot more forgiving than the real world.]

Forgiving? He snapped.

[More fair. Haven’t you noticed the strangeness of waking reality?]

Xxxxx remained silent.

[Sensory gating is the best ability I could find that will tip the odds in your favour under the Entity’s radar.]

The relief was incredible. Even if the sensory assault persisted, I could focus or let information in. He said tilting his head.

[You’re welcome. With that, this is goodbye.]

Wait!

[…]

What’s your name?

The screen projection flickered.

[My name is Sam...]