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Oh, oh!
That’s why the document I’d seen on the portal hadn’t made complete sense—they’d skimmed over the actual magical tube of the portal. Portals were a pipe-in-pipe system! Outer pipe to provide insulation, inner pipe actually handled the flow. And on the outside of this membrane must have been the actual firmament, while inside here wasconcentratedfirmament that had been pulled in and was kept under pressure so its churning would swirl around the gravity anchors and keep the main tube open by centrifugal force, while also preventing the tube from spinning off into nothing. Maybe there were some centripetal forces in play too but...
I swirled around. “Not going to work, grimoire! The only way you’re getting out of here is through me!”
Not a chance. I will go to Homeworld and find another Chaos dragon and tell them of Earth.
“The fuck you will. Not sure how you intend to get to Homeworld but I’m sure I’m not letting you try.” I surged through the storms and shadows after the little grimoire-ember. Ribbons trailed over the membrane and through the clouds, telling me where the boundaries were and where the grimoire was. I gathered my wings and shot in.
I coiled my body around the grimoire while smothering it with my wings.
Success!
Darkness burned on my fangs and Isqueezed, squishing the grimoire into my serpent body. I yanked my head back, opened my mouth, andbit.
The grimoire cracked. Liquid poured over my mouth. I clenched my jaws, driving my fangs fully into it, and then chomped through it, the liquid burning cold, pouring down my throat and over my scales while my body wrapped itself around and around and around what was left.
My brain cleared, and the storm tumbled me about while the grimoire went straight to my brain and seeped into every wrinkle and neuron and into my wings, making them heavy and sodden.
The Queen had beenhatred, and I did nothate. I hated that I had to do this at all!
We are not the same!
I screamed into the void.
WE ARE NOT THE SAME.
The echoes collapsed and imploded, briefly crushing and flattening my entire existence.
I snapped my wings out and swept back up towards the rotating tube. The storm was very loud.
“Oh shit,” I whispered as the tube started to falter and wriggle like a bridge in high winds.
Shit. Fluttering.
The storm started to collapse in on itself as the membrane eroded under the energy I’d dumped into the system.
Something cracked. The tube’s topside-end lifted off its anchor.
“Shit!” I smashed my way back into the tube as it collapsed and the membrane-pipe tore and the storm started to spill back into the regular firmament. I flapped with all my might as the tube collapsed around me.
KEEP GOING FORWARD.
DO NOT SCREAM.
FLAPPITY FLAPITY FLAP FLAP GO.
The portal terminus collapsed.
The portal terminus…wasn’tthere.
The storm dissipated. Whatever passed for reality simply… went away… and I drifted in nothing.
Stay calm.
Right. Calm.
Calm.
