Shoba pov

Shoba understood the portal was likely linked to that palace Po mentioned before, where that supposed supreme God lived. Although Po was very careful and meticulous with the things he shared, Po was clearly not a human being. And that truth showed itself during the course of their interaction as time flowed on.

Shoba could piece together several flaws in Po's explanations or attempts to present a facade. Most of which appeared when discussing the matters concerning that palace and the so-called God who ruled it. Whilst they continued to discuss any random thing Shoba could think of, he couldn't take his eyes away from that shimmering portal against the wall, more so than the impending threat of his memories being wiped away.

Was he prepared to just sit here whilst his parents were erased from his existence? All the memories shared with them, the lovely days of his youth or the funny times.

Was that all to be done away with?

'No...N-never.'

His reaction was expected, defiance, he clenched his fists tightly, until his knuckles turned white. He felt the wounds against his palm from before. His nails had made freshly new cuts and drew blood from his frustrations. Strangely enough, he didn't feel much of the physical pain anymore.

He kept his head bowed for a moment before slowly lifting it, consciously masking any sign of anger or betrayal from his expression.

‎

‎ Meanwhile, Po was engrossed in a book about the diverse cuisines of this unique eastern island, This would be Shoba's last attempt to sway Po into staying longer.

Po's fascination with mortal foods had been piqued ever since he discovered the cooking section on the tall bookshelf standing in the front room. Since then he had been completely absorbed by it for almost a few hours now. There was a noise from the portal behind him snapping him back into reality.

"Right! That should be that then" he couldn't help feeling a sense of pity as he watched the dejected youth before him lowering his gaze riddled with uncertainties and sadness.

Po understood what erasing the memories entailed, in short, it wasn't a process that settled well in the hearts of mortals. A lot of mortals had a knack for one day remembering fragments of shattered memories, and in turn, the dissonance drove them insane. Po's research into countless texts concerning mortals ignited one somewhat prevalent truth.

The mind of a mortal was quite fragile.

‎"Orders are orders…" he spoke solemnly to himself smoothing the silver strands of falling hair over his head, one of the major rules he would do well not to forget was concerning the attachment to the mission at hand. Po handled the silver staff in his grasp once more. The ruby jewel glittered like a bloody eye.

Shoba stared in anguish at the glaring jewel. He felt it peering into the very fabric of his being. as though something unworldly was calling out to him. Shoba steadied his breathing and softly shut his eyes. Was there truly no escaping this fate? He wondered

He refused to accept it but in the same breath, he didn't know what else to do. Po held out the staff and uttered a string of strange words. A soft buzzing red light started to glow from the face of the jewel, the staff shook violently within Po's grasp and the blue-skinned fellow shut his delicate eyelids himself.

His brows and lashes were snow white, flying away from his skin like a majestic pale feathered bird.

Shoba softly opened his gaze and took a lasting look at the fellow, he was beautiful within all sense of the word.

Feeling the sweat warmly rolling off the tip of his brow, Shoba gathered his strength and stood up gingerly.

"Hey Po, w-wait!" he called out defiantly once more

"Huh?" Po responded, caught off guard by Shoba's interruption again.

As Po opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of a disheveled and sweaty Shoba, who was pointing at something with an almost manic grin plastered against his face.

"B-before you go… there's a book you n-n-n-eed to take with you.

A book filled with all the dreams and wonders of our world. It contains all the tastiest dishes and desserts… I wish for you to take a look at it before you leave," Shoba stammered, his ugly smile unwavering whilst hurried breaths continued to escape through his lips.

Po looked at the boy with confusion for a moment but soon gave a soft nod, He was somewhat becoming charmed by the mortal youths' way of thinking these days.

With deliberate, measured steps, Shoba moved towards the bookshelf in the corner, Po watched from a distance.

Shoba approached the aged shelf where his family, mostly his Dad kept most of their favorite reads. The shelf was in disarray of course, with many books either misplaced or scattered on the ground following the recent turmoil.

He scanned the remaining titles, their spines barely discernible in the dim light. With the persistent sound of the portal humming in the background, Shoba knew he had to remain focused and careful with his next move, with his heart racing there was no margin for error.

"It's h-here...look." His voice sounded almost pleadingly with a noticeable stutter to it.

Po was none the wiser and very casually appeared beside him. Bringing his face closer as he gazed deeply at the row of books through the partial darkness.

Shoba had seen a book like the one he described to Po before at some point, and by his lucky stars that book was still here.

"hm, this one? I see-I see, well there's no harm in taking a little look. But don't think I am oblivious to what you're trying to do. Wasting time will not erase the inevitable, I am bound by law to carry this out." Po reminded him in a stern voice, although in the same breath, he was eagerly moving his eyes across the colorful pages.

Despite Po's stern words of conviction, the moment his fingers took hold of the book. He instantly buried his eyes into its contents with quickness, his solemn gaze flickering with a mixture of delight, and intrigue, Shoba even noticed him swallowing a few times, salivating at the images of all the different famous regional dishes.

Now the book being quite wide and full made it somewhat uncomfortable to be merely held with one hand. Shoba locked onto Po's movements with an eagerness, anticipating his second hand would arrive to support the book in due course. Time felt as though it had slowed down, whilst Shoba felt as though his attention was at the very highest of its peaks at this moment.

He could feel the tension writhing through his bones whilst sweat clung to his body.

His heartbeat thrummed so loudly he was scared Po could hear it.

But then, it finally happened. Amidst the swirling chaos of his inner thoughts, Po needed a second hand to support the book. And in doing so set the majestic silver staff down in the process. A glint of something sinister flashed across Shoba's eyes.

Without wasting a single moment he took a few slow paces back and stalked around Po until he was directly behind him. Making no sound as his feet caressed the glass-covered floor. He felt the sharp pieces piercing his bare foot. In response, Shoba bit his bottom lip until they bled but he remained as quiet as a field mouse.

'1...2... breathe .'

He closed his eyes and centered himself, within the deep pits of his swirling thoughts he could see their faces again. Their smiles continued to haunt him, squeezing his heart free of any form of peace.

He opened his dreary gaze and clenched down hard.

With his entire might, he charged forward and knocked into the back of Po. The poor fellow was completely caught off guard and rather comically fell right into the tall bookshelf with such force that the aged thing collapsed through its middle and fell forward. The top half snapped and fell on top of a helpless Po.

Pinning the helpless traveler to the ground.

Shoba stood there in complete disarray for a few moments, after the ruckus had subsided silence hung deathly loud. His breaths exhaling forth rapidly as he placed an unsteady palm against his chest. The reality of his actions suddenly hit him, he tossed his gaze towards the silver relic, ran towards it, and took it in his grasp before he spun on his heels and ran as fast as he could for the portal.

With a leap of faith, he plunged into the light, leaving behind the world he knew.

***

Shoba could hear the world around him finally falling into a peaceful embrace.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

The hot air rippled slightly then he was doused by a sensational cool breeze. The air felt so cold his laborious breaths formed blue clouds into the space just away from his eyes. A series of colorful lights flashed past his view like a series of fast-moving neon lights.

The moment he sensed the world had become still again, his eyes steadily opened.

Shoba caressed his heavy lids, a feint blur covered the true understanding of where he was, though by the dark and bright colors swirling around, he was certain this was no longer home.

Steadily his vision cleared as a deep gasp escaped his mouth soon enough.

'What the hell is this place?' he mouthed in wonder

The world around him had changed, just as Po had described it would beyond the veil. Shoba's breath caught in his throat, his neck twisted around in a 360 taking in the spacious grandeur before him.

The sheer magnitude of this place was staggering. His gaze swept downward, only to recoil in fright at the sight that greeted him.

The floor beneath him gleamed with a radiant blue luminescence, fashioned into countless diamond-shaped panels that stretched as far as the eye could see. The clarity of the glass was such that Shoba could almost discern a perfect reflection of himself within its surface, as though the floor was fashioned out of a watery mirror.

He next moved his gaze towards the towering pillars towering around the hall, dwarfing his entire being.

'This place is incredible! so hugeee!'

For a fleeting moment, he entertained the thought that he had somehow shrunk within the confines of the portal. He craned his neck backward, gazing at the ceiling soaring hundreds of feet above him.

The ceiling was shrouded in an ominous darkness, that stirred almost like the clouds at night.

Yet, amidst the overwhelming shock, a surge of erratic excitement coursed through him mingled with a profound sense of fear.

"This is what those extreme sports guys must feel all the time..." he mused aloud trying to steady his pacing breaths.

The rush of adrenaline bolstered his resolve. One minute he was standing in his familiar home, the next he was here. Wherever here was, it was somewhere he could only dream of seeing.

He eventually found a steady rhythm, turning around he noticed the shimmering aura of the portal through which he had passed had dissipated, leaving him with only one path forward.

'Come on Shoba, don't be scared...we have to move forward.'

With a deep breath, Shoba steeled himself for the journey ahead, determined to face whatever challenges lay in wait.

Shoba continued down the hall, the enormity of the surroundings continued to shock him. The towering cedar pillars seemed to stretch endlessly upward. The sheer craftsmanship and scale of the architecture were awe-inspiring. Shoba estimated that whoever constructed these halls must have been a race much larger and more powerful than he or anyone else on earth.

'It's definitely weird to think that I'm potentially standing in another world right now.'

He thought about Po's explanation concerning the existence of different worlds and the many races beyond his own, With consistent thought, Shoba was beginning to piece together just how widely unknown most of the things outside Earth were to humans.

The idea that there were beings unlike any he had ever known both intrigued and frightened the life out of him.

'I just hope whatever these beings are, they are at least friendly.' He thought inwardly trying not to imagine an all-powerful titan appearing that wouldn't attempt to kill him on sight.

At times he couldn't stop twisting around, feeling something difficult to explain crawling against his shadow. It felt as though someone was watching him from someplace hidden.

'Now that I think about it, didn't Po mention something about some kind of supreme God... he called him Helve...Damn it I can't remember.'

Shoba could only retain so much of what the swift-talking Po had babbled on about.

Under very different circumstances he might've enjoyed being seated beside Po whilst he told him all about the great wonders of the world. Shoba felt a little guilty, Po was captivated by Earth foods. And somehow he could find some understanding with that.

"Though I'd imagine that pushing him into a bookshelf and stealing his staff might've ruined any kind of friendship we could've had."

He breathed a deep sigh through his lips, Shoba couldn't sit too long in those sad thoughts, he made a decision and was firm on standing by it.

'I need to find my family by any means necessary.'

A wry smile appeared, 'easier said than done I suppose.' Shoba unconsciously wiped his forehead.

' Huh '

He was surprised by the amount of water against his hand.

'When did I start sweating this much'

He decided that within this partial darkness, he would use these brief moments to rest and plan his next move.

Shoba took a pause and searched his surroundings again, most of the walls were hugged by thick shadows. Shoba narrowed his gaze forward, from his position, he could just about discern the outline of a towering arch-shaped twin doors.

'Too big, those doors are too big. Damn it, what the hell is this place.'

Resuming his aimless wander, Shoba hoped something awaited him at the end of this grand hall. Preferably answers.

'I've been walking endlessly, my breath...my legs...s-so tired.'

Just when he was poised to take a longer break this time, something flashed ahead of his dreary gaze.

About 100 meters ahead, a massive structure was unveiled away from the deep darkness, initially, it seemed to Shoba like a large complex, possibly the residence of a king within this gigantic hall.

Shoba felt his fingertips shaken he moved closer, however, he realized his mistake.

The structure he had thought was a building revealed itself to be an enormous throne, akin to a titan in size and blending seamlessly with the grand hall's overall nightingale glassy decor. Shoba was awestruck by the throne's sheer size and craftsmanship.

Unlike a dull and sinister black, the throne's color had a polished sheen, reminiscent of an onyx stone, enhancing its ethereal beauty.

Stopping just before the throne's towering shadow, Shoba craned his neck all the way up, unable to take in the entirety of its form from this close.

"M-my God!... That is way too big."

Marvel very quickly turned into an unsettling thought.

He feared the worst, perhaps the appearance of a throne this size meant an even bigger problem lurked nearby to sit on it.

This fear kept him constantly vigilant, peering around like a small animal on the lookout for predators, his knowledge of history reminding him that such dangers often lurked in the shadows nearby.

Everything had been peaceful until then.

But as Shoba had learned from the day's numerous mysteries and surprises, problems tended to emerge unexpectedly.

Just as his heart somewhat found peace, Shoba took a hesitant step forward, crossing into the imposing dark shadow cast by this giant throne.

Abruptly, a chilly, unfamiliar voice sliced through the quiet.

"Hello...traveler..."

Shoba gasped from shock and took a few steps back stumbling over his feet before he landed on his backside. He directed his quivering gaze toward the grand throne, finding it empty from an initial look.

Yet, he was convinced that the eerie voice had emanated from that direction.

' Who... who the hell was that? Was I dreaming

Amidst the tumult of his thoughts, the voice intervened again, chiding louder this time.

"It's terribly bad-mannered when one fails to acknowledge a cordial greeting." It said ominously.

As lightning cleaves through the gloom of a stormy night, the voice's reappearance renounces itself with a transformation in the shadows.

Shoba squinted, discerning a form emerging from the darkness—a crimson cloak unfurling.

Simultaneously, three orbs of white light descended from above, dispelling any of the shadows in its way and unveiling the entity that hovered before the throne.

Shoba's eyes widened at the sight of the figure now clear in the light, he couldn't quite believe it until he rubbed his eyes a few times over.

Towering and slender, it stood at an imposing height of 8 feet, draped in a heavy crimson satin robe adorned with countless golden white stars against it. The figure's hands, sheathed in soft white gloves, were the only visible parts of its body, as its feet were concealed beneath the heavy robe.

However, it was the head, or rather the lack of it, that captured Shoba's intrigue the most.

A large spherical tank filled with clear water was replaced where one would expect to see a human head. More shockingly, Shoba saw the presence of tiny aquatic creatures swimming inside of it.

The sight triggered a single word to flash through Shoba's mind.

"A-a-alien!"