Armania

Chapter two: Armania - The Shifter

Salim walked behind Lyrin, his steps growing heavier with every meter he crossed in this strange world.

The ground beneath his feet looked transparent, gleaming like polished glass. Underneath it, another sky appeared, mirrored, with violet clouds drifting in the opposite direction of the ones above his head.

He staggered, trying to keep his balance. For a moment, it felt as if he were walking on fragile glass that could shatter at any second and swallow him into an endless abyss.

His voice trembled.

"This isn’t normal… the ground, the sky… even myself—I don’t feel steady."

Lyrin’s confident steps did not falter.

"Armania is not a natural world, Salim. Here, the laws are different. What you knew back in your world… forget it. Here, fear can bury you, and hope can lift you to the skies."

He looked at her in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

She half-smiled, touching the glowing violet bark of a nearby tree.

"In your world, gravity always pulls downward, right? Here, gravity follows your emotions. If you fear, the ground will drag you under. If you dare, you might feel as light as a bird."

Before he could understand, his body suddenly grew heavy. His knees bent, and his limbs sank into the shining glassy ground. Terror rushed into his veins, and he clutched the glowing tree desperately.

Lyrin laughed softly.

"Exactly. This is your first test. You let fear control you, and now fear became your law. Here, you must learn to master yourself, or Armania will consume you."

Salim shut his eyes. Memories flooded his mind: failures, mocking faces, voices calling him “strange.” But then he remembered his father’s words: “Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is standing, even while afraid.”

He took a deep breath… and another. Slowly, his body grew lighter. The ground loosened its grip, and at last, he lifted his feet again.

He opened his eyes and said firmly:

"I will stand—even if I’m afraid."

Lyrin’s smile deepened.

"That’s how it begins. This is Armania’s first lesson."

---

Whispers of the Lost

They continued walking, but soon the air itself began to carry voices. Faint whispers echoed from every direction:

— “Stop him before he crosses…”

— “The key is not his alone…”

— “Blood restores the balance…”

Salim froze, looking around. Nothing but glowing trees and fractured skies surrounded him.

"Where are these voices coming from? Is someone here?"

Lyrin walked steadily, her tone calm.

"They are remnants of lost souls—people who vanished between worlds. Some will try to guide you, others to mislead you. Armania is not just land. It is memory, and every memory has an echo."

Before he could answer, one voice pierced through all the others, shaking his entire being:

"Eyadno… you cannot escape your truth."

Salim stiffened, his eyes wide. The voice was achingly familiar.

"Impossible… that’s my mother’s voice!"

Tears welled in his eyes, his chest tightening. How could a world he had never known give him back the sound of the woman he had lost?

Lyrin gripped his shoulder firmly.

"Listen! Armania knows your weakness and uses it against you. If you believe every voice, it will break you. Learn to tell truth from illusion."

He wiped his tears, whispering with trembling lips:

"If this is an illusion… it’s stronger than any truth I’ve ever lived."

---

The Circle of Runes

At last, the forest opened into a vast clearing. The ground was polished crystal, and at its center lay a great circular rune, glowing with tangled golden lines like a sleeping eye.

Salim approached slowly, his heart pounding as symbols he could not read seemed to call to him.

"Careful," Lyrin warned. "This is no ordinary mark."

But Salim couldn’t resist. He reached out, touching its edge. Instantly, a beam of light shot skyward, and the glowing lines turned into words suspended in the air.

He read them aloud with trembling lips:

"He who crosses without knowing his secret… shall be erased from existence."

Lyrin gasped.

"We must leave! This isn’t a portal—it’s a trial!"

The golden light shifted to a deep crimson. The ground shook, and the circle began to open like an awakening eye. From its depths rose a thousand voices, chanting in unison:

"Eyadno… your secret is coming."

Salim shivered. The same name again. Eyadno.

What did it mean? Why was it tied to him?

The rune burst with blinding light, swallowing everything.

Salim felt himself dragged downward, the air around him heavier than iron.

The last thing he saw was Lyrin’s terrified eyes as she shouted:

"Salim! Don’t give in!"

Then darkness consumed him.