About an hour ago, give or take, they were still on Earth.

  But not anymore, now they were... somewhere else. A place without shadows, flooded with light. A place where even rocks could float.

  Rick surveyed their surroundings once again. They hadn't arrived at the same spot as the first time, when his expedition had been massacred. The landscape was different. The wall of Fog rising at their backs was the only thing that remained exactly as he remembered it. There was less vegetation, though it was greener, and a soft murmur could be heard in the background, far away, perhaps the current of a river.

  The same feeling of peace from his previous visit washed over him; he felt good. Rylan went crazy looking in every direction. His little scientist head wouldn't stay still, his neck turning constantly, his eyes registering everything, barely satisfying his curiosity. Susan focused on a path on the ground. She crouched down, touched it, and stared at it with a sad expression. Raven was the only one who didn't pay much attention to the spectacular environment they found themselves in. He sat on the ground, his head bowed, looking exhausted. Rick watched him with concern.

  Perhaps it was due to the effort of crossing the Fog. He knew so little about him and his extraordinary abilities that it was impossible to understand him. But they wouldn't be there if it weren't for Raven. Their mysterious companion had guided them through the Fog, using that strange light that flowed from his hands. The journey had been short—so short it only seemed like a few minutes to Rick—but longer compared to the memories of his first trip. At any rate, he suspected that time was somehow distorted in that place. The biggest difference between the two crossings was that on the first one, Rick could see the exit at all times, even before stepping into the Fog, albeit vaguely and imprecisely.

  On this occasion, however, the group had wandered surrounded by an impenetrable darkness; the light emanating from Raven kept the Fog at bay, but only for a few yards around them. They walked for several minutes toward a wall of blackness. Rick didn't understand how Raven was able to orient himself; to him, all directions looked the same. Without anything that could be used as a point of reference, Rick was sure he would have gotten lost; he wouldn't have been able to tell if he was veering off course or walking in a straight line. He imagined anyone would feel something similar if they were placed on a ship in the middle of the ocean and had their compass taken away. Which direction to take? Even so, at sea you can look up at the sky and see differently shaped clouds, and at night you could make out the stars. Even in outer space there were planets and various celestial bodies. Here, on the other hand, there was absolutely nothing but an intense blackness.

  The worst part was the suffocating feeling of loneliness that invaded him during the journey. Had it lasted any longer, and had he been alone, he would have succumbed to madness without a doubt. Rylan threw out a nonsensical question every now and then, which Rick was quick to answer with the first thing that came to mind. He assumed the young scientist, just like him, was using conversation as a defense mechanism against the overwhelming isolation pressing down on them. Raven and Susan didn't open their mouths the entire way.

  When the light finally revealed a green area at the foot of a mountain, Rick felt the urge to sprint the last few yards and get out of the Fog as soon as possible, but then he remembered his first experience, and his military discipline quickly subdued him. He stepped out first, sword in hand, and sharpened all his senses, trying to detect any nearby presence. He didn't pick up on anything in particular, and he immediately felt inexplicably good in that place, just like the first time.

  Rick began looking for a destination to head toward. They needed to get moving.

  "This is incredible!" exclaimed Rylan, striding past him and ignoring the order to remain silent until they were sure no one was around. "I can't believe it. You were right, Rick," the scientist said, turning back to him, his eyes wide open, tugging at his arm insistently. "There's a tree floating in the air! Look!" he added, practically buzzing with excitement.

  But Rick wasn't as surprised. He had already seen that the elements of the landscape levitated in that world, just like the pillars that made up the portal. Still, he let Rylan drag him a few steps until they saw that the tree in front of them was planted on a small patch of dirt—about fifty square feet—suspended about three feet above the ground.

  "Could it be an alteration of gravity? Although everything seems oriented upwards, so if there were no gravity, the tree could be sideways. And we aren't lifting off the ground. I have to check this out..." Rylan took off running before Rick could grab him.

  The soldier watched him reach the flying tree and make a clumsy attempt to climb onto its base. There was no point in trying to contain his curiosity; he had already made such a racket that if there was anyone in the vicinity, it was impossible they hadn't been alerted by his presence. He also couldn't help but feel comfortable and relaxed. The atmosphere was perfect. The clean air, the ideal temperature... everything invited him to stay there and enjoy the simple fact of being part of that world. He saw Rylan ducking under the tree's floating base, searching for an explanation, and he headed back to the others to see what they were doing. It was best to let Rylan give free rein to his scientific urges; that way, he wouldn't think about his brother, or the hope of finding him after he had disappeared into the Fog. And there was the possibility he might wear himself out a bit and become more reasonable.

  Susan was looking around with an uneasy expression drawn on her face. Rick couldn't help but think she was doing what he should be doing: making sure there was no danger in the vicinity. However, he didn't feel any worry inside; he didn't feel that restlessness that always accompanied him on his missions, keeping him alert when he knew an imminent danger was lurking. Raven, on the other hand, didn't appear to be conscious of even his own body. His lanky figure swayed slowly from side to side, his eyes were lost in the distance, he wasn't speaking, and he wasn't paying attention to anything.

  "Rylan is investigating a floating tree," Rick remarked. "We should go with him. I don't like us splitting up."

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  Neither of them answered. He wasn't that surprised by Raven—he was a very strange character—but Susan wasn't impressed by what she was seeing. She wasn't behaving like someone who was surprised at all.

  "Are you guys okay?" Rick asked, intrigued.

  "Yes. Sorry, I was a little lost in thought," Susan answered. "You're right, let's go with Rylan."

  Susan started walking toward where the scientist was.

  "Is something wrong, Raven?" Rick grabbed his arm. Raven showed no signs of recognizing him.

  "I see something else... I'm not alone," Raven's voice sounded distant, weak.

  "Of course not, we're with you," Rick told him, not quite understanding what he was talking about.

  The soldier tugged gently on his arm. Raven let himself be guided. It took them a while because Raven was walking as if he were drunk, but they made it to Susan and Rylan.

  "There's no harm in investigating a little," Rylan was telling Susan defensively. "We came here to find out what this place is. Rick!" The scientist pulled away from Susan and ran over to him when he saw him coming. "I climbed onto the tree. It doesn't sink! It just keeps floating. This is all incredible."

  "I know, I know," Rick managed to say in a vain attempt to placate the young scientist's enthusiasm. "Have you noticed the light? Any theories?"

  "There's no possible explanation for that. I stood under the tree. I put one hand over the other. It's impossible to cast a shadow. The light is everywhere! And there's no sun visible in the sky... Is something wrong with Raven?" he added in a concerned tone upon noticing him.

  "I don't think he's feeling well," Rick explained. "Are you feeling anything weird?"

  "Not at all," Rylan answered with a lot of energy. "The climate is perfect. And I feel like I'm stronger. It feels really good here. There are so many weird things. That mountain in front of us, for example. It's not made of stone. I don't know what it is, but its texture is different from common stone, smoother, and it reflects the light in a strange way, as if it were a bit... metallic."

  "We should go," Susan cut in dryly. "We won't find out anything by staying here. Let's go up the mountain. We'll have a better view from the top."

  That seemed like a solid suggestion to Rick, although he wasn't sure if Raven was in any condition to walk, much less uphill. But they couldn't just sit there forever.

  "All right," Rick agreed. "I'll help Raven. I don't dare leave him alone."

  Susan and Rylan hurried ahead right away. Rick followed them without letting go of Raven's arm. The mountain in front of them was very high and steep. There was no path, but surprisingly, it was easy to walk among its craggy rock formations—even though, according to Rylan, they weren't rocks.

  It certainly wasn't stone like what they had on Earth. There were no small loose fragments on the ground, like pebbles or broken pieces of stone. There was no sand or dirt either. The vegetation grew sparser as they ventured further up the mountain. In some spots, they saw ledges and branches of that mineral-like substance extending and forming astonishing, impossible angles. There were no signs of erosion either, as if it never wore down. The whole scene made for an extraordinary environment.

  After walking for a while, Rick realized he wasn't tired. They were climbing, there was no doubt about that, but he felt light and full of strength. Raven still showed no signs of knowing what he was doing. Every now and then he would drop a sentence that made no sense to Rick, but that was it. Rylan returned to his side with his unwavering expression of perplexity.

  "Did you notice that over there?" he asked with his arm outstretched, pointing to the side.

  Rick looked where he was pointing and saw a miniature mountain suspended in the air. It was as big as a twenty-story building and was separated from the mountain range they were walking on.

  "There are a lot more like that up ahead," the scientist clarified. "As soon as we skirt that ledge, you'll see them. Did you say that on your first trip you saw a tower built on one of those flying pieces of land?"

  "Yes. It wasn't very tall, and it looked like it was made of metal or something similar. But it definitely wasn't a product of nature, as weird as it is in this place. Someone built it."

  "And you don't deduce anything from that?" Rick shook his head, not understanding where the scientist was going with this. "Think about it. The terrain in this world somehow defies gravity, and the people who live here build things on it," he paused to see if Rick would figure it out without help. "I think the people of this world can fly," Rylan clarified triumphantly. He was visibly proud of his deduction.

  "Of course, nothing would surprise me at this point," Rick mused. "But maybe they have means to fly, like helicopters or something similar. They don't necessarily have to have the ability to fly."

  "You'll see. Put Raven down for a second. You have to come look at this."

  Rylan climbed onto a small, elongated rock. Rick left Raven sitting and followed him, intrigued. They advanced about thirty feet to the edge, and Rick realized there was no longer any ground beneath the rock they were stepping on; it jutted out from the mountain, forming an excellent viewpoint. The sight before him was breathtaking. Rick swept his gaze from left to right. Everywhere, pieces of land could be seen floating in the air at different heights. An enormous waterfall flowed from one of the highest points. The water fell through the air for a stretch until it landed on a small plain levitating below. There it formed a lake, which overflowed on the other side and cascaded down again into a tiny stream.

  "You might be right," Rick said. "This place seems designed for beings that can fly."

  "You haven't seen the best part yet. Crane your neck a bit and look further to the right."

  Rick did so; as soon as he saw what Rylan was pointing at, he let out a gasp of astonishment, exhaled sharply, and swallowed hard. A circular city stood in the middle of a mountainous semicircle. It was enclosed by an immense silver wall, and countless buildings floated at different heights. Rick was too far away to make out all the details, but he thought he could distinguish tiny moving dots that he guessed were its inhabitants.

  "It's a city!" he exclaimed. He shouldn't be surprised by something so trivial. The people of that world had to live somewhere, and deep down, after seeing so many things flying through the air, he shouldn't be surprised that the buildings in their city were levitating. But he was amazed nonetheless. "You might be right about them being able to fly."

  "What is that?" asked Rylan, pointing in the opposite direction.

  A massive shadow stretched across the terrain, at the point opposite the city, right up against the wall of Fog. It was too far away. It looked like a cloak of darkness covering the area near the Fog. Automatically, Rick raised his eyes to the sky, looking for something that could cast a shadow of that size. He found nothing, not a single cloud. Then he remembered that there were no shadows in that world, and he sank into confusion.

  "I have no idea," he confessed. "I'd swear it's a shadow, but I think it's moving, and what's more, it doesn't cover the fragments of land floating above it—it only affects the ground."

  Rylan shook his head in curiosity.

  "We're too far away. But, I'd say it's the Fog spilling over the ground."

  At that moment, they heard a strange sound behind them. They looked at each other. They quickly retraced their steps, climbing down from the stone arm they had used as a viewpoint, just as Susan appeared. The three of them found Raven convulsing, bouncing against the ground, drooling, and groaning.