L.i.P. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:  The Labyrinth

At the moment Linus’s foot touched the darkness, his entire body was washed over and lost in a deep abyss of nothingness, as though he plunged into a river at night.  Unlike the cold, icy river he’d been thinking about before, this sensation was warm and comforting as it washed around him.  It seemed like he was being moved with a great current as he was pushed towards a faint speck of light in the vast sea of darkness.  It was getting brighter and brighter and threatening to engulf him in its entirety, and then, then he put his foot down.

Linus’s foot was on the top of a step, and the light was just the inside of the gate.  Glancing back over his shoulder was still the outside where he had been, and the gate keeper who followed him inside a bit. 

As Linus continued inside he felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment.  Had he been swayed by a magician’s cheap tricks into thinking that he’d actually been transported into another realm?  All he had done was step through a hallucination of sorts into a heated cellar or something.  Annoyed but determined, he continued down the steps into the cellar like room, which consisted of two solid side walls and a fourth wall that had another opening with walls set on either side of it, presumably leading to the next room.  Over the passage was a small sign that read ‘The Labyrinth’.      

“The Labyrinth?”  Linus questioned as he read though sign aloud.  Wasn’t he supposed to be in a place called Perveria? 

“What is this?”  He asked as he turned around to face the man who called himself the gate keeper of Perveria.  The man whom appeared to have followed him in had instead stayed at the top of the stairs by the gate.  Given this new difference in height, there was something eerie about him as he looked down.

“This is the entrance to the great labyrinth of Perveria.  This room is the gate’s room, which is always moving due to the fact that the gate itself never stays connected to the same place in the surface world.  Gate rooms are managed by keepers like me, but I am the only one on this side of the labyrinth, which is massive.  The labyrinth is like the hallway of Perveria.  It welcomes those who travel to it, and helps to escort them to places that will fulfill their desires.”  He stated in a lofty tone. 

“The Realm of Perveria is stretched across a system of planets that are vast and diverse in their nature and inhabitants,” the man continued to explain, “with each point connected to a different part of the labyrinth itself.  In a way, the labyrinth serves as the conduit or nexus of Perveria, which is too vast to traverse in one’s lifetime.

“Unlike the whimsical realm of desires that Perveria represents, the labyrinth is steadfast and unchanging.  At no point will the pathways change or switch around, and all points will stay branched out to the parts of Perveria it connects to.  It is possible to learn it all and remember how to navigate its expanse, but you are more likely to find yourself settled into your new life in the realm beyond it. 

“However, if you decide that you must return, know that virginity is one of the keys to change, as only virgins can enter here.  This is largely because a virgin has not sworn sexual allegiance to the world in which they live, meaning that is the world where they wish to remain.  Largely unknown to the world of men, it’s for this reason that virgins were used for sacrifice or desired by deities or demons.  But that is another story.

“Of course,” he stated slyly, “that all depends on if you manage to find me in the first place.  After all, the gate remains closed because it is you who does not open it.”

At these words the two sides of the gates swung in to close with a loud metallic clang, the cogs rotating around until the doors were locked in place.  The vines which he had thought to just be hanging there started to grow and weave on their own, concealing the gate from view until it was completely buried behind their thick, teaming mass. 

“Wait!”  Linus started to cry out in panic, reaching out with his hand as though trying to stop him.  “What about –”

“I am sorry,” said the gate keeper as he started to fade out of sight, “but another future resident has summoned for me.” 

The man took off his top hat and swept it low as he bowed his body.  “I do wish you your best, and welcome you, to Perveria!”

“No, stop!”  Linus started to panic as the man completely faded from view.  Being led down here was one thing, but being left completely was another thing entirely!  Acting on instinct alone, he rushed up the stairs and started pulling on the vines, wrenching them to the side to reveal what he thought would be the gate… only to find that a wall was in its place. 

No, that wasn’t it.  The gate was gone.  To be more precise, it was as if it was never here in the first place.

He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration.  Unable to do anything more, he resigned to the truth of the moment.  He was here now, and leaving the way he came was no longer an option.  That meant the only thing to do was go forward, into this ‘labyrinth’ and go to wherever it went. 

With a sigh he surveyed the room to see if there was anything usable or helpful and there was nothing.  Without anything else to go on, he cautiously made his way through the doorway into a layered stone passageway that seemed bright, but had no lights.  Absently he reached out to the stones that were connected together intricately to form this passageway, but seemed like a jigsaw with no mortar.  What’s more, the stone was pure white, and seemed to be the source of the light, even if they were not visibly glowing.  They were also cool to the touch, but were too rough to be anything other than stone. 

It was an interesting contrast of cool walls and warm air.  Perhaps this was a way for people to regulate their body temperature.  After all, he came in from the cold.  While the warm air was better than freezing to death outside, it was a little too warm for his comfort.  Luckily there was plenty of space in the passage way that he could choose between hot, warm, and cool.

Leaving the musings about the temperatures to his thoughts, he quickly began to approach what looked like the end of the passageway.  The stones of the curved ceiling seemed to slant upwards, and the walls seemed to open up into a larger foyer.  Perhaps there he would find something that would tell him where he was or needed to go. 

At first he sped up in eager anticipation of discovery, but soon he slowed as an overwhelming feeling crept into every fiber of his being.  It looked like the floor ahead dropped violently, and the ceiling rose beyond what could be considered a foyer.  In fact, it didn’t look like the entrance to a room at all.  And soon he knew why.

Instead of the room he initially suspected, the hallway reached a dead end as it opened into a vast expanse he could only assume was the reason they called the labyrinth a central point to the realm.  Although it looked like he had emerged from a tunnel to the outside, he could tell there was nothing natural about this place.  On the edge of a cliff-like terrace, the vastness of the labyrinth spread out like a giant maze beneath him, with twisting white-bricked walls making the view look like a colossal rat maze.  The sky was a tall white formless ceiling of haze, while there were no walls to either side.  The expanse of the labyrinth started from the stairs that descended to his right and into a single path.  The white wall prevented any straying from the path, though even at this vantage he couldn’t tell if there was anything outside of the walls, like there was no reality outside of them. 

All around the labyrinth he could see pockets of what looked to be outside areas.  One of the brighter looking ones was the first one he would reach after venturing down the path, and it looked like a good place to get some help.  He dimly took note that the center – or what he thought could be the center - of the labyrinth seemed brighter and friendlier, as the farther removed seemed to increase in foreboding. 

No matter.  He had as much as a first glimpse into this strange world as he could record in his mind, and it was enough to know that his first stop was so close.  Surely there would be something he could discover there.

With his mind set on his objective, he entered the walled stairway and proceeded forward, down into the heart of this maze.  Once there, he walked briskly, shedding his coat and tucking it under his arm.  It was true that the walls of the labyrinth controlled temperature, but it seemed to be even warmer down here, and he was producing enough body heat from the exercise alone. 

Knowing what was ahead of his path made it easier to move faster along it.  In no time at all it seemed like he was to the pocket distortion he had observed earlier.  Getting closer to it, he could see it was more than just a bright splash of in this sea of white.  The ground, neither brick nor dirt, just substance that he had been walking on until now, seemed to fray and turn to a sandy, nutrient deprived soil.  While the wall continued on the farthest side, the wall ended abruptly into the colored portion, like it had eaten its way into the labyrinth.  In fact it seemed like a spherical distortion that came into the labyrinth, but was separate from it. 

Moving closer to it now, Linus could see something much farther beyond the colored region.  It was like a glimpse into a frozen television screen, as everything on the other side was still and frozen in place.  He saw a variety of things that seemed like a town center not far away, and people that were positioned in ways that looked like everyday business.  The sky was blue, not white, and the ground went from a sandy color to a nutrient rich dark color.  There were no cars; rather it looked to be a throwback to a medieval society from the animal carts to the simple tunics the people were wearing.  All in all it was a very strange picture, as it seemed to have such depth to it.  It was more of a glimpse into another world than he thought was possible.  

Surely it wasn’t possible to be something more… but then he couldn’t see the glass or the front of it.  It looked like continuous space into a frozen world.  But that couldn’t be right.  There had to be something more to it than that. 

Stretching out his hand, and waiting for his fingers to bump into something solid, he got closer, shuffling his feet farther into the sandy soil as he reached out to touch what should be the glass, but nothing got in his way.  He moved a bit more, and there was still nothing.  He already noticed that his fingers were beyond the point where the wall would be if it continued on, so it wasn’t a mural.  Maybe if he leaned just a bit more…

Suddenly he had shifted his weight too far forward, couldn’t get his footing in the sandy soil and pitched forward thinking he’d slam right into a wall or a plane of glass, imagining the shattering and the pieces as they rained into him.  Yet he felt nothing of the sort as he fell instead right onto the ground.  The blow wasn’t much, as the loose sand was soft, but he felt foolish for having done so. 

Before he could muttered about his failure as a human being, he felt something was off.  The temperature normalcy within the labyrinth wasn’t consistent anymore, and a breeze blew air across his face, laced with a variety of smells.  Unsure of this new development, he looked up and saw to his astonishment, that the people and everything that had been stationary before were moving.     

“What the…?” He muttered to himself as he stood up. 

This was getting stranger.  This wasn’t the labyrinth, it was something new.  Perhaps it was here that he would find his answers. 

Lost in Perveria: Chapter 1

Lost in Perveria

Chapter 1: Desire

On a gray and overcast February morning, the snow hung heavy on the power lines and tree limbs like that of the heart of one of the city’s lonely residents.  Clad only in light winter apparel, he stood victim to the winds that blustered through the streets.  More tatters than garments, he stood silently as he gripped a newly open letter between the fingers of his thread-worn gloves.  Silently, he read over the contents of the letter.

[Dear Mr. Linus Miller,

                We regret to inform you that the position for the job you have applied to has been filled or canceled.  We thank you for your interest in our company and hope that you update your files with us in case of an opening that suits your credentials.  We wish you the best luck with your current endeavors and future success.

Sincerely,

                Human Resources]    

Linus looked the message over a few more times before he crumpled the letter in his hand and let his arm fall limply to his side.  With a pained look he stared up at the sky, letting his brown eyes get lost in the clouds before closing them for self-reflection.  Bits of his unkempt brown hair framed the edge of his frayed winter hat.  Fighting the urge to curse loudly, he took a deep breath and sighed in a low and steady, drawn out stream of air.

He had failed… again.

This job marked just one in thousands that he had applied to only to get rejected, and it was at the breaking point.  In these hard economic times, money was little, and the opportunity to make it dwindled with each passing day.  He had already lost one of his jobs to that of someone from college who couldn’t find something higher.  It was a similar tune everywhere, better qualities for less pay, and someone like him without even a high school diploma was on the same level as illegal immigrants, except they didn’t have the paper trail. 

Of course, being raised at the orphanage meant no support from family as well.  Although the hope was to get adopted and taken in, he never was.  Years had passed him by only to reject him and a few of the others.  People didn’t have time, or they’d rather adopt a young girl whom they could raise as a doll.  Girls also had the fortune that they could work on the streets if need be, the power of their body was better than any education.  They could even get husbands and live a life as a housewife if they truly wanted to, not dropped from financial support after age 18 and told to live on their own like he had for over a year already. 

It wasn’t fair… if only he were taller and stronger, raised with a good education and family, then his physical nature wouldn’t be a hindrance.  Unlike some of the other guys at the orphanage, he had always been scrawny and thin.  Only 5’6” in height, he was a little shorter than the average height and his strength was lacking, making him unsuitable for most jobs that required heavy lifting capability, like in construction or warehouse work.  Well what did it matter, he pretty much failed at life.

At a noticeably cold wind gust, he began to move in no particular direction.  There was always the homeless shelter on 5^th and 8^th that he could go to, but he didn’t want to be marked like that.  Although he had once volunteered in one for the sake of free meals, it was another dead end.  Then there was box row on 11^th and Porter, but if he went there, even if it meant for shelter, then he was likely to stay there like any other bum.  So far he had managed with his other roommates, but they were unable to stay since the rent increased the day before, and he wasn’t able to find a new and affordable place with his lack of income.     

After walking for a bit, he finally arrived at the west river.  At this time of year it wasn’t great to look at, nor was it inviting with the massive mounding from the jammed ice flows, but it was his favorite view in the summer months.  Even now there was an odd comforting feeling about it, like a welcoming home.  He briefly even considered walking over and throwing himself in, but he wanted to make something of himself, not end his life pointlessly.

Pointless… his life really was just that.  He picked up something from the curve and threw it into the icy flow.  It bounced along the ice and plunked into the frigid waters.  He could say clearly that he preferred it being there rather than himself.  His fate was bound to another direction, he just couldn’t decide what.

With a sigh, he went across the street and situated himself on a stoop clear of snow and stared absently at the river.   It looked static, but lived a dynamic life that no one could see.  Perhaps, just maybe, he was similar.  Possibly there was some unseen life that he moved in, that wasn’t the nothingness that surrounded him. 

Yeah right, he decided as he closed his eyes and leaned back, there was nothing for him in this world. 

At that thought and that moment, something shifted the air and a low breeze feathered out from the alleyway beside him.  A warm wind accompanied a brilliant light glow that spilled into what should be an empty alley.  A rusty, metallic sound resonated in the air as though a gate was opening.  It was very odd. 

Unwilling to get up to investigate, Linus held his position as the sound of footfalls fell across the crusty snow, and a shadow from a figure got longer as it got closer to his vantage.  Soon the figure was in view and almost made him laugh loudly.  It was a very odd, somewhat short man that appeared, dressed in an oddly colored green and yellow suit with a red top hat.  It was very mismatched and rather gaudy.

The man – though his height would have placed him in the age range of a boy – had a middle aged man’s face, and curly blonde hair protruding out from under his hat.  He looked like an odd combination of Willy Wonka and a Munchkin, with the atmosphere of the Mad Hatter.  He held an extravagant gold pocket watch and looked around the area with searching blue eyes. 

The man swept the scenery and passed his eyes by Linus several times without pause.  Obviously confused, he tucked the watch away and pulled an odd chain from around his neck, balled it up, and held it in his hand for a moment before letting it drop, keeping the very end around his fingers.  Several metal arrows like watch hands were attached to the dangling end and bounced about before pointing in a set direction.  All of which, were pointing right at Linus.

“Huh,” the man uttered in a rough voice that seemed out of place.  He looked over at Linus and walked up to him, surveying him slowly with a calculating expression.   

“Oh, so it was you.”  The man mused aloud with a smile.  “It’s rather funny, because you don’t look the type.” 

He turned away and started to laugh softly to himself.  Confused Linus shrank back, trying to blend in with the building.  Where had this sideshow freak come from?  Didn’t he have a circus to return to? 

“Well,” the man huffed out of annoyance, “aren’t you coming?”  He shot a glare at Linus.

“Um, coming where?”  Linus asked uncertainly.  Staying on the cold stoop wasn’t doing him any favors, but this man seemed completely unnatural in every aspect. 

He smiled a creepy smile.  “To the land of desires,” he said mysteriously, “that’s the place you wanted to go isn’t it?” 

“I – me?”  Linus said unsure.  Certainly he wished for change, but what did he mean?  Better yet, why was he already on his feet and following?

“It varies on the degree of your desires, but it is your heart that calls out to the means to grant them.  People who are desperate enough to leave this world are given the option under the pretext of ‘change’ to violate the borders of reality.”  The man walked further into the alley and stopped before an opened pair of elaborate iron gates. 

The gates were like the kind that one would see at the end of the driveway to a grand estate, except they were tipped with golden, diamond shaped tops, and winding vines ran from the top to the bottom, like they were part of the gate rather than simple growth.  At the center of each door was half of a cog, like the ones found in large clock towers.  It was a very odd decoration.  Beyond the doors was only darkness, where there was supposed to be a building. 

Linus paused a good distance away from the open maw of the gate.  “You aren’t out to sell my organs or anything, are you?”  He asked the man suspiciously.

“Of course not,” he laughed, “Unless that is your desire, of course.” 

Linus gulped.

“You’ll find the answers inside.”  The man explained.  “But know that once inside you are on your own.  I will only offer to guide you once or give you an aside.  For I am the greeter.  I will take people to the gates and show them the way to reach their desires, but I am only the gate keeper.  I have no business inside for too long of a time.”

“Gate keeper?”  Linus asked puzzled.  “Gate to where?  And what is inside?”  He stared into the ominous place and shuttered.

“That is for you to discover.”  He said as he gestured into the black maw as Linus unknowingly walked closer.  “The Gate of Perveria is only the starting point.  Beyond that is much more, both wonderful, and horrible at the same time.  There is never a threat of your life, but there is always change.

“So what will you do?  Enter, turn around?”  He asked Linus the questions in a low whisper.  “Just remember, if you truly didn’t want to go, then you wouldn’t have called me here.”

Linus hesitated, faced with an enigma called Perveria.  It sounded… odd.  But what if it could give him something?  After all, there was nothing here anyways. 

“I’ll do it.”  He said as he stepped up to the gate’s threshold.  “Just tell me what I’m trying to do…”

“You are… finding yourself.”  Stated the gate keeper absently.  “All you need to get there is to take the first step.”

Linus nodded once, and picked up his foot, brining it closer to the darkness and the final edge to the world he knew.  With one last deep breath, he moved his foot forward, and was lost to the darkness.

Introduction to the Realm

The universe is large and has different rules than the ones discussed in the typical science room.  Apart from this dimension are infinite other dimensions that take direct, side, shadow, or other references from the current one.  Perveria is similar to this dimension, but completely a stand-alone existence where the central planet within the realm is much larger than Earth, and interconnected with nearby planets through a central nexus, often referred to by the inhabitants as the labyrinth.

The labyrinth of Perveria is the entrance to the realm, which is accessed by numerous gates in traveling locations.  Gates connect the labyrinth to the different dimensions and offer select inhabitants a chance to escape dire situations in order to fulfill their wishes and desires, though with varying consequences.  Pulled from the different dimensions the various species and entities form add to the diversity of the inhabitants.  Some interact with other sentient species to form communities, some stay independent, while others are twisted and born anew within the realm itself.

All parts of the extensive realm are connected to the labyrinth and can use it as a way to move about.  The interior of the labyrinth is timeless to the outside, so it has its own perils as people can go in and never come out, while others can travel from one section of a planet to another in an instant, at least to those in the realm.  Gatekeepers are timeless as long as they are confined to the gate, with some bordering immortality as they add to realm and shuffle its denizens.  It's the gatekeepers that manage the chaos of the realm, and record its chronicles.

Here, anchored in what can be called the 'real world' to some, 'surface world' to others, and 'first world' to the rest, is where just a few chronicles of the realm and its greater reaches will be written.