The world was spinning all around him, and he couldn't be sure if it was head that was causing everything to spin, or if perhaps things were really actually spinning. The colors of the world seemed off, and it was clear that wherever he had fallen, it was not the normal world of Canelux. Sure, Sularia was full of vibrant colors, but not like this. He slowly sat up, his head throbbing and tried to recall what had happened. He felt something slide across his wrist and there was a slight tinkle. He opened his eyes to examine the blue metal chain. 

That was right. They found the chains sitting on the step of the vardo, and had thought them gifts of some sort and had put them on… after that…

Justice sighed. That was right, they had been examining a rather large gilded mirror. A beautiful piece really, and then it had started showing a strange world of purple and blue with floating islands. Then a couple of men moving something heavy had bumped him, and the three of them had fallen through the mirror. 

He slowly got to his feet, checking for injury before he took stock of his surroundings. How strange it was here, with all the effects and colors of the faerie forest that he and Rizka had past by many times going from Sularia to Canelux. Both of them had known better than to go in on their own. Now, it seemed, that they had no choice. 

Justice lifted his hands and cupped them about his mouth. "HOLLY! RIZKA!" he hollered, his voice echoing off the islands and waterfalls. "HOLLY!"

Holly woke up with quite the headache. She found a thin blue chain around her neck. All she could remember was admiring the mirror with Justice and his sister before she hit the ground and blacked out. The world was so different here. The air felt a bit heavier than what she was used to.  Her silver eyes looked out over the purple and blue landscape. The floating isles made her feel a bit dizzy as she watched the floating river float away.

Justice’s voice startled her as she turned around and looked up. He was above her. “Help me up.” She was stuck wearing one of her many vibrant dancing uniforms. “And don’t peek,” she playfully jabbed at him as she offered him her hand. He took her hand and pulled her up. “I don’t know where we are but this is screaming my mother.” It was the energy around them that sparked. It felt like her. “No, I take that back. Only one person has that kind of magic.” It was definitely her mother now.

She looked around and she couldn’t see the way that they had come. “We’re stuck it looks like. What should we do and where is Rizka?” She was concerned now as her finger lifted up and gently twirled a strand of dark hair. “This place is so confusing to me…”

"It isn't peeking if you aren't trying to hide," Justice pointed out as he carefully grabbed Holly's arms and pulled her up to her feet. "If this is your mother's work, then I sure as hell hope she has an explanation," he commented dryly before he looked around. "This place… it is reminiscent of a dream," he mused softly. He looked around. "I don't know… she should be right here. I mean, you fell close by and we were all together…" he looked visibly distressed and lifted his hands again. 

"RIZKA!"

There was no answer and Justice ran his hands through his hair, the way he was prone to do when when was distressed. "Seven years… seven years and she has never been out of earshot," he said, and looked on the verge of having a panic attack. He climbed over the rocks of the island they had landed on, looking for the best vantage point, hoping to maybe get an eye on Rizka. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be seen besides the mists of waterfalls in sheen of purples, blues and pinks. He sat down on a rock and began taking deep breaths. 

"Its ok… she'll be fine on her own…" he said, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself that reassure Holly. He took a steadying breath before he stood up again and turned to Holly. "I don't think there is a point in just staying here. If your mother is responsible for opening up this world, then there is a reason, and I am going to assume that the only way out is forward," he sighed. "Rizka's clever enough. Maybe we aren't the only ones who fell in here. Maybe she will meet up with someone and find the way out on her own," he suggested. "In any case, we can't stay here."

“Have to get people interesting in my dancing somehow.” She teased him but she was mostly joking. She looked around and back down at the necklace. “This metal is also the metal she was puking up during her conflict with Dalanesca. It has to be her. I hope she has a good explanation too.” Holly watched at Justice began to slightly panic. She took a step forward following him and securely wrapped her arms around one of his. “She’ll be alright Justice.”

She nodded. “Mother isn’t one who just opens worlds for no reason. Everything she does has a purpose and I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Rizka will be fine. If we’re here so are others.” She tugged lightly at the necklace and found that she couldn’t get it to go any higher. “I can’t get it off.” She tugged a bit and it found it was too strong even for her own strength. “I don’t get it. Well, I don’t get any of this.” She let go of his arm and soon she was making her way towards the river in the sky that she had seen earlier. 

“Maybe if we follow this we’ll find the way out.” She looked around and started to notice all the different flowers. “These aren't even supposed to grow within the same reason or region.” She knew her plants growing up in her mother’s temple. Large hibiscus with flowers literally made of ice. It made no sense. “It really has to be her. No one else could sustain a place like this.” She was musing as she beckoned him along. They walked along the small and the tall of all the world’s flowers. Some of them were from Horae and she could tell because they were bigger than Justice was. 

“Ever feel like you are just a tiny insect in a big world?” She wanted to take her mind off everything around her. So why not talk about the large flowers they had come across.

Justice followed Holly, feeling reassured that Rizka would be alright especially if this place was controlled by Angela. Angela liked Rizka, so he didn't think she would allow her to be harmed. At least he hoped so. He followed Holly, and found himself in awe of how vast the variety of flowers were there, and how big they were. He couldn't tell you what they were, but he could tell you that some of them were really pretty. 

"I try not to think of things like that. Anything that makes me feel insignificant and small tends to bring out the grumpy in me," Justice admitted. "Sometimes it is bad enough trying to go through the Harena Wastes and Sarchu Valley, what with the dragons and wyverns that frequent the skies there," he explained. "The last thing I want to feel is vulnerable to something bigger than I am." There was an edge to his voice that suggested there was significance to this comment. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were set into an uncharacteristic thin grim line. It changed to a smile quickly when he realized that Holly was looking. "Sorry, that was grim," he apologized. "If you had to guess, what would you say this place is? I mean, this is your mother we are talking about."

Holly tilted her head softly at Justice and shook her head at home. “You are talking to a desert dweller who is much smaller than you are Justice. I know what that’s like.” She put her hands on her hips and turned to him so she could walk backwards. “Sometimes the smallest are often the strongest. Being small has no governing power over whether or not you are strong. My aunt Toya is so small but so strong. She could tame the entirety of all the wyverns and dragons in the Harena Wastes and Sarchu Valley by just being herself. She is smaller than I am.”

She could see that he was forcing a smile. “You don’t have to hide it from me, Justice. If we are going to travel together we might as well share stories, emotions, and such. It brings people closer together.” She turned back around and looked up at the sun well sunflower. “If I had to guess. In Arri, we hardly believe the gods are a thing. If it wasn’t for my mother ascending we might not have ever realized just how many there were. The colors are what I know of. The Soul-Stream. It is a place that exists after death for all Rosenites. No heaven nor hell. Rosenites choose to be one with the Stream and help out the generations after their deaths… or they can be reborn.”

She took a look around. “But it’s not a place at least I never thought it was. The colors are so very vivid in my mind when I think about it. It might be because Rosenites are so in tune with the spirits of Arri. It could be very possible that the soul-stream became an actual place when my mother took the mantle of life.” 

She found a giant portabello mushroom and looked at the arrow pointing at it. She twitched her lips a bit. “What the hell is this supposed to be?” Maybe her mother was losing her mind. She picked up a rock and threw it. She didn’t know if it was a creature or what. Just that it had an arrow pointing at it. The rock went flying! More like it was enchanted and going far into the distance now. Her eyes could only keep up with it for a while as she turned and looked at Justice. “I’m not sure what this is… but it sent that rock flying.”

"Not to burst your bubble, Holly," Justice said slowly, " but you may be smaller than me, but you are also a Rosenite. Rosenites are going to win a fight hands down, especially against a human like me," he pointed out. "People like me are nothing but snacks to dragons and other Rosenites, if they so choose to try," he said softly. 

She could see through his farce and the smile faded again and he sighed, rubbing his face. "No fooling you, I guess," he said with a wry smile. He looked up and around. "The Soul Stream, huh?" he said looking around. "Yeah, I think that would work. It seems a plausible theory as anything else. As long as I am not tripping out on any mushrooms," he commented.

The giant mushroom literally made him roll his eyes. "Ok, seriously, what did I just say about mushrooms?!" he demanded almost laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. He watched the rock fly off into the distance. "Well, it clearly isn't for eating…" he said and rubbed his chin. "It wouldn't have an arrow pointing to it for no— OH HELL NO! This is how you are supposed to get from island to island quickly! Rather than climb, you jump on the mushrooms to go from place to place." Justice took an involuntary step backward. "Nope, not me. Rizka would be all sorts of eager to try that, but I don't do heights."

Holly poked his forehead softly. “Not all Rosenites are fighters. I just happen to be a lover thank you very much.” She gave a smile and tilted her head. “I’m not strong like the others are. It’s why I fell so eas–” She cut herself off and coughed a bit as she turned and watched him now. His smile faded and he rubbed his face. A gentle smile came to her face now.

“No, not really. I learn people fast.” She nodded and almost laughed when they found the giant mushroom. Once he began to freak out she frowned a bit. “Well, this is going to be troublesome. I don’t much like–” She found Justice pushed into her and she immediately wrapped her arms around him as she braced for impact. She could see the grin as it vanished. She had heard stories about cheshire cats causing all sorts of problems. She screamed as they landed on the top of the mushroom and went flying. She clung to him with all of her strength.

The colors shifted quickly into a nighttime pallet as she took a deep heaving breath and let out another scream as they were propelled through the changing skies. They landed in what appeared to be a pile of her mother’s favorite pillows. She knew these pillows. They even had the tiniest hint of her scent on them. She was panting and scared as she put her head into Justice’s chest. “I’m gonna die.” She peeked to look up at a large ghost orchid in the sky. It made her wary as she closed her eyes to try and get her heart not to pound as hard as it was.

Holly grabbing onto Justice as they fell was possibly not the best thing she could have done. Frankly it was simply because she was clinging to him, and he clung right back to her. The rush of colors made Justice's head spin and he squeezed his eyes closed, his heart pounding in his throat. He didn't need to scream, Holly screamed enough for the both of them. 

Fortunately, the landing was soft. There was an explosion of pillows but despite the impact, Justice was still holding tight to Holly. If Holly was panting, Justice was hyperventilating, and his heart was beating a million miles a minute. The hyperventilating couldn't be helped, really, Holly was holding him so tight that he barely felt he could draw breath. He slid a hand around to grab Holly's hand and pried it from his shirt so that she could grip that instead of his chest. 

"If this is what we have to do to get out of here… I think I misjudged how much your mother likes me…" he  muttered softly, finally managing to get his breath and opened his eyes for the first time. The sky was different now, a strange orchid moon in the eerie twilight sky. "I don't think I like it here…" he grumbled as he held Holly in the pile of pillows, enjoying the closeness after their flight of fright. 

"I do hope that Rizka is having a better time here than we are…"

She didn’t even realize how hard she was clinging until he moved her hand onto his shirt. She gave him an apologetic look but she was still quite frightened. The bard began to calm down as she took deep heaving breaths.  “I think I misjudged how much she liked anyone. She hates heights why would she do this.” She wasn’t thinking overly rational as she watched the orchid with him. “I don’t know what to think honestly.”

Her mind began to clear little by little as she laid in the group of pillows with him. She was starting to be able to think. “Unless this world doesn’t exactly follow what my mother wants. It could be its own entity within her.” She put her forehead on his chest for a few minutes to finishing grounding herself before looking around them.

There were… people glowing and inside flowers. Hanging from trees… She noticed that they were slowly getting covered like how a caterpillar would have. “I really don’t like this.” She took a hard breath again as she pulled from Justice and stood up. Her legs were shaking a lot as she made her way over to one of the more full grown flowers. She pulled it down and jumped back in surprise as an infant like object was now in her arms crying.

“JUSTICE,” Holly cried out as she didn’t want to just drop it. It took her a minute to realize it was a soul but still the baby had startled her as she held onto it. “Please stop crying. Don’t cry please.” She looked at Justice. “We can’t leave it here! I don’t even know why it was here!” She was beginning to panic again as more crying came from the shells that opened up in the trees. More tiny infant souls.

A strange man came along and began to take them one by one. He was tugging some sort of large basket for them to fit snug together in. When he got to Holly he held out his arms to her. “It’s time to let that one go too. It’s almost time for them to go back to the living.” Holly did as he asked and she handed the baby over to him.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Holly was growing concerned as she looked at the sheer number of babies in that large basket.

“He’s going to be born of course.” The man scoffed a bit as if she should have known that and before long he was pulling the large basket over to the river. There were many tiny boats and Holly tilted her head.

“I’m so confused.”