The Mirror - Guest Writer

This is a story that I plan to work on soon. It's an idea my brother gave me... he's such a great writer. He wrote up a whole chapter to explain the idea he had. I'm looking forward to writing this story... but I've got to let the idea soak for a bit (and I can usually only work on one new project at a time).

***
      The whole world looked muffled.  If you’ve ever lived within a University dormitory and had to put your head under your pillow to try and get sleep or if you’ve ever heard a conversation through a wall you would know the feeling.  However, Devlin blinking hard at the hazy surroundings, noted that the world did not sound muffled, it looked muffled.
    Devlin was perplexed.  He was standing in the middle of an open space.  A foreign and unknown open space.  Yet not a moment ago he had known exactly where he had been.  He had been in his hotel room getting ready for the last leg of what had already been an overlong journey home. 
    Slowly, it seemed his eyes were adjusting.  The fog that was either filling this space or filling his head seemed to dissipate.  And yet he remained motionless.  Frozen to the spot in which he had been standing.   It was as if he had woken up only to realize he was still dreaming.  He had been awake he thought to himself. 
    “You’re not dreaming you know.”
    A quiet voice filled Devlin’s head.  Devlin remained motionless.  Then he started.  That had not been his voice.  Nor had it been the voice he often heard within his own mind.  Finally he moved, whirling around on the spot where he had been planted.  There, not five feet behind him, stood another man.  He had his hands behind his back and was looking very relaxed.  However, his gaze was fierce.  It seemed to awaken something within Devlin.  It was as if those flashing gray eyes were the only real things in this place.  It suddenly seemed that this were indeed no dream.
    Devlin spoke hoarsely.  “Wh-What is going on?  What happened to the hotel?”
    The man stood there.
    “Did I fall?” Devlin ventured, rather unnerved at the lack of response.  “Did I pass out or something?  Why can’t I… I mean what is this place?  I MUST be dreaming, no?”
    The man smiled, though it held no comfort for Devlin.  Finally the man stepped forward and held out his hand.  “I am called Olecksander.  If that is too long, you may call me Oleck.  Indeed, our time is too short for lengthy formalities.”
    None of this making any sense, Devlin tried again.  “Well I am Devlin.  Devlin Dukart.  I’m wondering if perhaps you can tell me what’s going on here.  I mean to say, what’s really going on.”
    “I will tell you,” Oleck said firmly.  “But you must not ask any questions or interrupt me in any way for as I have said, our time is too short for this to take any longer than it must.”
    Devlin blinked.  “Whatever, just tell me,” he said quickly in a voice that only thinly masked his growing tension over the oddness of his situation.
    “You stepped through the glass.  You are no longer here.  You are no longer you.”  Oleck’s words were spoken softly but bluntly.
    “What? What are you saying?  In English ple - ”
      “Silence! There is no Time!”  Oleck did not look like one who would suffer another interruption.  Devlin bit his tongue.
    “As I said, you stepped through the glass.  In the world you knew, there are so many of these glasses.  They are everywhere and everyday just about every person steps through one for a period of time.  You know these glasses as mirrors.”
    Devlin, who so wanted to slap himself awake, stood motionless, staring open mouthed. 
    “Tell me something Devlin, wanting only a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ of course, have you ever looked in the mirror and not recognized the person you saw?  Or have you ever, upon occasion, had someone, perhaps someone close to you, tell you that you didn’t seem quite yourself?”
    Devlin, still speechlessly confused, only managed a slow weak nod.  He had.
    “Those were all instances of your spirit stepping through the glass.  However, it is usually only a fleeting experience.  Usually the spirit finds its way back to its owner in a short amount of time.  So short an amount of time that the experience of being in this world is so fleeting as to be hardly even noticed.  Sort of like being in the gray of life.”
    Oleck paused, thought for a moment and then continued.
    “You, however, stepped through a very rare glass.  You stepped through the glass of the Vescoranimus.  Now this is very serious.  For this means that when you walked away from that mirror you became the reflection, you became the shadow.  Your physical self is still out there, interacting with the “world;” however, it does so as a mere spiritless reflection of who you truly are.  Have you ever wondered what happens to your reflection when you walk away from the mirror?  Did you think that its world simply goes black?  Wonder no more, for now you know.  Now you have become the reflection and when you walked away from that glass it was your world that went black.”
    Devlin coughed violently.  “So you're telling me I’m in some kind of a realm of the soul or something?”
    “No,” said Oleck emphatically.  “You are not.  This is not a world of soul but of spirit.  But listen carefully, for it is most assuredly your soul that is at stake.  This is the land of shadows, the land within your world.  What you don’t understand is this: the realm of the soul, say heaven and hell in your world’s eyes, is of a truer nature than your physical realm.  But this world is a step down from yours.  To put it simply, our world is to yours what your world is to Heaven.”
    “What are you supposed to be then?” Devlin’s interjection seemed to irritate Oleck less this time.
    “We will get to that,” Oleck said in a measured tone.  “First, I must convey to you what is most singularly important: your very great and urgent need to find yourself.  You see, you are not here on accident.  The Vescoranimus have lured you here for one purpose and that is to destroy you.  Before you ask,” Oleck said acknowledging the questioning look Devlin was giving, “the Vescoranimus are quite simply the devourers of the soul.  They are but shadows themselves of greater terrors.  They lure the spirit, the happiness, the courage, and the heart, indeed the very essence of man into this world; for here it is but a simple task for them to destroy the spirit.  And if the spirit of a man is destroyed, the man himself may follow closely after.  I know this is all very quick.  But I must go fast for, and don’t be alarmed, they are already hunting for you.”
    Devlin stared blankly.  He felt as if a great fog of numbness had enveloped him.

~~~ Written by Grantland Walker ~~~

Back Story for Grayden's Tale

Don't want to give away too much. I haven't decided if this back story is worthy of its own book, or if I should just weave it into Grayden's story... I like both ideas equally at the moment. Here is some of the story behind Dalmir - this is more of an outline - lets you see my thinking process a little:



The world is at war - One of the Kings involved in the war has seven sons. It is customary for all the royal family to at some point go to the Library and study. However, the king sends all 7 of his sons at this point to try to find some wisdom or knowledge regarding their desperate situation and how to bring about peace to their land.

7 sons go to the Library (which is located somewhere off the mainland). While studying at the Library guests may eat from the fruit trees to sustain themselves, they may drink of the river to quench their thirst and they may read from any book in the Library. They may ask the Librarian (a woman... some sort of fairy folk) for assistance. However, the two rules of the Library are that you are not to eat from the silver tree, nor are you to drink from the waters of the crystal lake.

Uun (the middle brother) breaks both these rules - he is the “man of action” and he believes that the rules of the Library are meant to be broken. After 3-4 days of reading and studying in the Library, he is restless and eager for some bigger solution. He justifies and rationalizes the danger his people are in until he absolutely believes that the silver tree and the lake are there for the very courageous, and that by breaking the rules he may gain the knowledge and wisdom and perhaps power that is needed to save his people and bring his father the answer he needs. So, he gathers up fruit from the silver tree and a pouch of water from the lake and serves the “forbidden meal” to himself and his brothers (who do not realize what they are eating and drinking).

As they consume the food and drink, the floor begins to quake and the Librarian appears. She tells them that since they disobeyed the rules, they are no longer welcome in the Library. She informs them that because of their transgression, the Library is closing and tells them that they must now bear the responsibility of the Library for all time.

The brothers return and discover that they have been imbued with magic and as time passes and they do not grow older they realize they have also been given immortality. Gradually ascending in power, the 7 brothers (now wizards) become the advisers and eventual leaders of the people. They begin to build/create Universities (smaller versions of the Library they destroyed). They reign/advise/teach for 5000 years of peace and knowledge (the Enlightened Age).

The brothers see their punishment as a blessing. They are able to help people. They have each other for company. They have power and magic and respect. However, unbeknownst to all of them, Uun sees, and has always seen, their punishment as an unfair curse. At last, he decides to do something about it.

Making progress

But not on the book from which I posted an excerpt a few days ago. (Though I do plan to work on that this afternoon, if I can use little L's nap to my advantage).

Nope, I'm working on something else. It's a writing project. It's a surprise. :) And that's all I'm going to say on the subject.