The fourth day after they left the Temple of Light, Raka and Moksa climbed the ridge of Mount Tire which was said to be the only path to the realm of ancient knowledge—the Other World. A world beyond the lines of human reality.
"We've passed two keys. Do you think the third key is really hidden in a different realm?" asked Moksa as he climbed.
"Not just hidden. The Other World is a place where meaning and reality switch places. What is seen can be an illusion. But I'm sure the third key is there," said Raka as he stared at the swirl of purple clouds above the peak.
In front of them, a giant stone arch appeared. There were carvings that only appeared when Raka lifted the second key crystal. The carvings lit up.
BRRAAKK!!
The sky split. The stone arch turned into a rotating gate, sucking in the air around it. The ground shook. Then, from within the vortex of light, a deep voice was heard.
"Holder of the Two Keys... Are you ready to cross the ultimate limit of reason?" Raka stepped forward without hesitation.
"I have passed through death and rebirth. Any world, I am ready." The light engulfed them.
---
When consciousness returned, Raka and Moksa stood in the middle of a city floating in the air. The land was in floating fragments, bridges connecting one island to another. The sky was full of daytime stars. And the architecture around it seemed to come from the future and the past at the same time.
"Welcome to Arsha-Tura... The Mirror City of Dimensions," Moksa whispered. "I have heard from shadow travelers... This city rejects liars and welcomes those who bring the truth."
In the center of the city stood a towering crystal tower. But as they approached, a loud voice greeted them.
"Halt! Who are you who dare set foot in Arsha-Tura without the permission of the Guardians of Dimensions?"
Four winged guards appeared from the air, their spears glowing.
Raka stepped forward and showed the key crystal. "I am Raka, from the Shadowless Land. I come seeking the third key."
The guards looked at each other. One of them nodded slowly. "Then, prepare. The path to the third key... can only be passed through the Trial of the Mirror."
"Whatever it is," Raka looked up at the tower. "I will get through it."
The adventure in the Otherworld... has just begun.
---
The sky seemed no longer blue. In front of Raka and Moksa, a clear mist formed a gate that seemed not to be part of the real world. Its light did not shine, but instead vibrated slowly—like a shadow waiting to be touched.
"We are close," Moksa murmured as he looked at the mist. "Arsha-Tura, the City of Mirror Dimensions... a place that can only be seen if someone brings the first two keys."
Raka held the two artifacts: a blue crystal shard from the Temple of Wind and a glowing eye from the Temple of Light in Darkness. When he put the two together, a thin light shot toward the mist, and a sound like the hissing of thousands of lives was deafening. With sure steps, they entered.
Arsha-Tura was not a city in the usual sense. Every building there looked like a reflection. The transparent walls reflected their figures from a thousand angles. Footsteps echoed as if they were always being watched.
However, there were no shadows.
"This land is indeed the true Shadowless Land..." Raka whispered with goosebumps.
"There is not a single shadow even when the sun shines from all directions." Moksa looked down and pointed at the surface of the road.
"Look. Those aren't our shadows. They're illusions from the past trying to follow us."
Faint shadows can be seen dragging themselves under the light. But they're not their current selves—they're younger, frail, scarred versions. Raka's small figure is seen crying in the shadows, while Moksa stares at his scarred back.
"This place reshapes who we are based on our deepest fears," Moksa says. "And traps us in those reflections."
In the center of the city stood a tall tower of pure mirror, pointing toward the sky. Within it, Raka was sure, was hidden the Third Key. But as they walked, the entire city moved. Buildings shifted, streets twisted, and figures began to emerge from the mirrors. They were the Blue Mirrors, humanoid creatures with blank faces. They reflected the likenesses of Raka and Moksa, but with sinister smiles.
"We are welcome," Raka said softly, drawing his sword.
"Not welcomed," Moksa replied. "But tested."
One of the Blue Mirrors stepped forward and imitated Raka's voice:
> "Are you sure you deserve to save the land you let fall apart?"
"Shut up!" Raka shouted and charged, slashing the creature with a splitting slash. But instead of being destroyed, the creature's body shattered into thousands of tiny mirrors and absorbed the surrounding light. Then dozens more began to attack.
---
A brutal fight ensued. Raka leaped, slashed, rolled, and parried. Instead of blood, there were flashes of light and illusory cracks. Every time he cut an enemy, the fear of his past came flooding back. The figure of his mother who had died when the Darkness invaded the Shadowless Lands appeared in the flash of his sword.
"You are weak, Raka! You ran away!" shouted another Blue Mirror.
"I WILL RUN NO MORE!" Raka shouted loudly.
He activated the light from the two artifacts he held. Beams of energy flowed from his palms, incinerating the charging Blue Mirrors.
Meanwhile, Moksa cast the Light-Shatter spell, which shattered the illusionary field around them.
Raka and Moksa closed each other's backs, slaughtering the waves of illusionary enemies.
Raka was hit several times, open wounds on his arms and shoulders. But he continued to stand, his gaze piercing the false shadows.
After a grueling battle, they reached the base of the mirror tower.
"Now it's time to face yourself," Moksa said, sitting cross-legged outside. "Only you can enter. This tower... is a mirror of your heart."
Raka stepped forward slowly. The tower door opened, welcoming him with a soft whisper:
> "One truth hidden behind a thousand lies... Are you ready?"
Inside the tower, there are no floors. No walls. Just mirrors in every direction. Thousands of Raka's reflections walk with him, but they all say different things.
"You are not an adventurer. You are a coward."
"You are just the son of a traitor."
"You are not worthy of saving anyone."
Raka stands in the middle of the vortex of mirrors and shouts: "I AM RAKA. I am nobody, but I fight! I FIGHT, even though the world hates me!"
Suddenly, from the center of the mirror, a light burst forth and formed a staircase leading to a hidden chamber. There, lay the Third Key: the Core Mirror of Arsha-Tura. A transparent sphere filled with a vortex of light that reflected the shape of the world.
However, when Raka touched it—a voice echoed:
> "If you take this, you will be hunted by all the Lords of Illusion. Arsha-Tura will not forgive you."
Raka held it tightly. "Let them come. I will not retreat."
As he exited the tower, Moksa rose. Their gazes met.
"You succeeded," Moksa said softly. "But the price of this success is the beginning of a greater war."
From behind the mist in Arsha-Tura, a pair of red eyes stared. This time they were not just lurking. They were waiting. And he knew, Raka would soon meet him.
To be continued...