Welcome Home: Page 1

They say that if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back. I can't say whether or not that's true, or honestly what that even means, but I can tell you what it's like to stare into the abyss.

It's a beautiful. Terrifying, but beautiful.

The space between worlds was vast. Like an ocean of pitch black. But it was not empty. Now that I wasn't hurtling through it, I could properly appreciate the worlds I'd only glimpsed before.

Some were small, or I guess, distant. Too far away to really see as more than points. But there were so many I could see. Hundreds, thousands of worlds. All displaying to me a fraction of their existence. Men at war, gods watching over mortal servants, children at play, monsters and people committing unspeakable acts. Each one left me wanting to see more. It was like watching a thousand movies at once, none with an end or a beginning.

"Lucas. Be careful."

My eyes snapped back to Samara, watching me with concern.

"I-it's beautiful."

"I know. But it's dangerous. Men have wasted away floating through here."

I noticed how loose my grip on her arm was. I could feel it, the temptation to float away. To explore. I gripped Samara's forearm firmly.

"Take me home."

She grabbed my shoulder, and together we moved. Drifting slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed. Soon the world's around us became brief flashes, and not long after that, they blended together into a kind of blur. Smears of color, obscuring entire realities.

Suddenly, Samara wrapped her arms around me, pulling my face against her chest. Her bat-like wings folded around my back, sort of forming a devil-cocoon around me. I couldn't see anything beyond the crimson color of her chest, which, you know, not the worst visual. I was wondering why exactly she had done this when I felt wind in my hair. Wind that wasn't in the space between realms. It was getting louder, quickly going from a shrill whisper to a thunderous howl around us.

My hands, sandwiched between the two of us, clenched tightly. Drowned out by the deafening wind, I could almost hear Samara say something, shortly before her words resonated through my mind.

"Brace for impact!"

I didn't even have time to comprehend what she was saying before we came to an abrupt stop.

We slammed into something, and it felt like being hit by a train. Fortunately Samara's body seemed to absorb the brunt of the impact. Her body went slack and we tumbled apart.

My entire body hurt, like I had fallen down a flight of stairs. As if that wasn't enough, my head was throbbing. I slowly opened my eyes, painfully aware of the ringing in my ears. A face swam into my view, but I couldn't get my damn eyes to focus. Closed my eyes and just tried to breathe, finding even that difficult. I felt a weight on my chest, and a strange warmth spread from it. The pain simmered down, until I could barely feel it.

I opened my eyes, now Able to make out the features of the face looming over me. Red hair, pointed ears, and bright green eyes.

"Lucas!"

Lexi's arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a **** hug. I winced a little but managed to return the hug.

"Aw, you missed me?"

"If you ever disappear on me again, I'll kill you myself."

I just laughed. Because, you know, sometimes there's nothing else to say.