THE SECOND REALM: ORANGE — The world of the laces

As soon as she crossed the border, a clamor of voices surrounded her. Everywhere, groups were forming, breaking apart, and gathering again. Each creature seemed determined to make the others look its way.

They looked like undulating cords, in colors that spanned every shade of orange. Some were long and slender and coiled easily; others were short, thick, or almost rigid. Their shapes stayed more or less the same, but shifted with their surroundings, their moods, and especially when they came into contact with their neighbors.

“What are they called?” Skyblue asked.

“Laces.”

The dragon repeated the name to herself. She did not remember seeing it in any of her schoolbooks.

“You’ll come to know many beings from the inner worlds,” Helio added. “When you make this journey, you can meet them consciously. Before, they may have come to you in dreams.”

“To tell me something?”

“Your inner spark looks for ways to make itself heard. Sometimes an image comes to you, or an uneasiness, or a certainty you can’t explain. They’re small signals asking you to look at something in your life. You don’t always pay attention.”

Skyblue thought of the times she had challenged the heavens, demanding an explanation for her sadness. Helio looked at her with tenderness. What patience it must have taken to stay by her side.

A lace passed beside her and stretched until it was almost transparent.

“It looks like mercury,” she remarked.

“They’re made of liquid air,” Helio replied, a smile in her voice. “Here, you won’t have a guide to show you the realm. Watch and ask questions. Laces love talking about themselves and making new friends.”

Skyblue watched a group quarreling over a branch. It did not seem that conversation would be hard to find.

“But remember who you are,” Helio continued. “This world is unstable. You can lose yourself trying to fit into it.”

“Me?”

“You’ll ascend and descend many times on this journey. It’s part of the process. Don’t betray yourself to belong to a group.”

Before Skyblue could answer, the golden figure vanished.

Trying to fit in? If anything had proved impossible throughout her life, it was precisely that. Skyblue smiled, certain that Helio knew her far less well than she seemed to.