The Planar Shift

Jon opened his eyes; a cold shiver crept up his spine. The hairs stood on the back of his neck. Goose bumps broke out across his arms. There was a disturbance in the rift; someone had entered the Seventh Realm. A flip of the switch sent light flooding into the library. Bookshelves lined the walls of the square room, each shelf filled with tattered texts, some overflowing with loose papers and scrolls. In the center of the room was a small table next to a large red winged back chair, boasting a picture of a beautiful red haired woman standing in front of Sears Tower. The smile on her face seemed to breathe life into the small room, as if the entire library was built off its foundation. Jon skimmed the bindings of the books, seeking the proper title. The chill through his spine had left an image in his mind, an image that burned fiery hot through his thoughts. Every time someone entered the Seventh Realm, an image appeared. The image was a symbol of ancient lore, describing the nature and origin of the visitor. Jon thumbed the amulet around his neck absently with his free hand while he searched. The once calm metal now glowed with a cool brilliance, casting blue patterns upon the shelves. The symbol had begun to fade when Jon’s hand fell upon the proper text. He quickly pulled it from the shelf and found his seat in the red chair. He raced through the pages, trying to match the symbol in his mind to any of the text. Dozens of symbols flew by as the pages turned, each one representing a different form of traveler. Jon’s thumb suddenly caught the falling pages when his eye spotted a familiar sight. He saw the symbol transcribed on the page, its flowing lines cut in the elegance of the author’s beautiful script. The definition was printed underneath. King. Jon stared at the word. Never had he known the symbols to be false, or the definitions wrong, but what he was seeing simply could not be. A second symbol came forth, this one glowing a faint blue. Jon’s thumb paged through the front of the text to find the new symbol, the symbol of origin. The First Realm. His thoughts raced trying to contemplate the meaning of what he had seen. He checked the book once more; there was no mistake. The King of the First Realm had arrived in the Seventh Realm. Jon flipped the book closed and turned to look at the picture on the table. The woman seemed to look back; her smile comforted his distressed state. He wished she were with him now. “Why would the King of the First Realm come to the Seventh?” Jon asked the picture, but was answered with silence. Jon’s mind roared to life again; two more symbols appeared. In an instant, the book was reopened and his eyes were pouring through the pages. His fingers furiously flipped through the book until he came upon the matching script. The first was a waving line underscored by two straight marks. Protector. Jon reasoned that this was most likely a servant to the king. He paused as he read the definition of the second symbol. Dark Lord. An uneasy churning grabbed hold of Jon’s stomach and refused to yield. Dark Lords were powerful sorcerers that ruled the Underworld, a twisted syndicate of diabolic magic users scattered through the Realms. Dark Lords were the epitome of evil, the ultimate rank for a sorcerer practicing black magic; the thought of a Dark Lord in the Seventh Realm was terrifying. Jon quickly ran through the list of Dark Lords in his head, trying to imagine which might have business in the Seventh Realm. It was no secret that Vodak was the strongest. Jon frowned; he was not afraid of Vodak, Jon simply hated him. A wave of panic fell over Jon when he considered the possibility that Valeria had returned, but he dismissed it just as quickly. Valeria was dead. He would not allow himself to think otherwise. The symbols faded away to reveal their origins; the First and Fifth realms. There was no doubt in Jon’s mind that a confrontation was at hand. As Guardian of the Seventh Realm, he needed answers, and knew only one place to get them. Gathering his coat, Jon locked the door and disappeared into the Seventh Realm in search of the King.