Event This Can't Be Happening Part 4

[Ialari Pythone]

Morning of the 15th Day of Fall, 522 AV

6th Bell

Having left the Commons and rushing back to her rancho, Ialari immediately went into the bedroom area. On one of the walls that separated that room from the rest of the rancho, she had, quite some time ago, established a Dominion door. The door consisted of the shape of a door, a large rectangle, that was just slightly taller than she was. It was also a few inches wider than her shoulders. Painted in a light pink color, the interior of the “door” was filled with numerous geometric patterns that were connected to each other through a series of lines that intersected at different points. At about chest high to Ialari, there was a handprint.

Ialari reached out and placed her hand against handprint on the door. Closing her eyes, she reached out internally for the bond that she shared with her Dominion. Whereas the door should have immediately opened, to Ialari’s surprise it did not. She could feel the connection but it was barely noticeable. She opened her eyes only to see the painted lines and patterns flutter and flicker with a momentary dim glow before going dark.

Ialari pulled her hand back and examined the door for any inconsistancies in the design. She’d used the door before and never had an issue. Determined, she placed her hand on the handprint once again and reached out for the connection. She focused all of her thoughts and intent on willing the door to open. This time she felt a bit of more of the connection and once she did, she held on to it. As she willed the door to open, she heard a loud sound; a cracking and splintering sound loud enough to be heard over the sounds of the sea outside. A moment later it was followed by another right before the entire rancho shifted. Before she was able to fully grasp what was happening, Ialari fell to the floor as half of the rancho dropped; the pilings that supported it on one side having somehow failed. Then, nearly all at once, the roof collapsed as the walls fell inward. She became trapped under the shattered debris; pinned beneath the water.

The way the rancho had collapsed and the way she was trapped, Ialari was unable to free her metallic arm which may have been able to use to split through the wooded debris. A particularly large piece of the roof had slammed into her head as well which left her struggling not just against the rapidly growing need for air but also a potential concussion. Moments later, she involuntarily took a deep breath as her lungs flooded with sea water. Darkness followed soon after.

Words: 447

[Ialari Pythone]

The next morning, Ialari’s eyes lazily fluttered open as her senses were quickly filled with the sounds and scents of the sea. She heard the birds singing and in some cases talking; an oddity that she still had a difficult time wrapping her mind around. There was the sound of the water licking away at the pilings of the rancho she was in. The salty smell of the sea filled her nose and the breeze that blew in carried all of it. It was then that she immediatley sat up and jumped from the bed before falling to the floor. She coughed over and over again, her head feeling as though she’d fallen out of a tree and landed on it. When she could breath without choking, she frantically looked around. She was back in the rancho, it was intact and everything looked as it had each of the three days prior.

Immediately she ran out of the rancho and stared at it, waiting. Nothing happened. She did however catch sight of the neighboring rancho where the blue crab was climbing the piling.

“What...what in Izurdin’s name just happened?” She wondered aloud as she rubbed the back of her head where the falling roof had hit her. She felt only the memory of pain. Carefully she waded into the water and made her way over to the far side of the rancho where she thought the pilings had given out. She went underwater and one by one felt the wood supports with her metallic hand while trying to detect any imperfections. She then checked above water and then the rest of the foundation. Although no expert, she could see or feel anything out of the ordinary. Cautiously she went back into the rancho and looked around at the walls and the roof only to find that they looked the same as they always had.

Realization finally started to sink in that she drowned. She remembered the feeling of the water filling her lungs before finally losing consciousness. She then turned to look at the wall holding the Dominion door. As she looked at the painted portal, she considered the possibility that the magic of the door somehow destabilized the structure of the rancho.

“The problem with that though...it’s never happened to me in all these years. No...I’ve had doors fail early on but they never damage the actual surface they’re attached to.” She spoke aloud while trying to work out what could have happened.

Theorizing that even though she died, she was still stuck repeating the day over again, Ialari decided on trying something that self-admittedly was quite insane. She reached out and placed her hand on the handprint in the middle of the door and once more focused on establishing a connection with her Dominion. Once again, she heard the shattering of the pilings and felt the building shift. This time, she had steadied herself just in case and did not fall. She then tried running for the nearest window in which to jump. Just as she did, one of the large roof supports split, broke loose and swung down to slam Ialari in the face; knocking her unconscious as the rancho collapsed. Once again, she drowned.

The next morning, Ialari’s eyes lazily fluttered open as her senses were quickly filled with the sounds and scents of the sea. She heard the birds singing and in some cases talking; an oddity that she still had a difficult time wrapping her mind around. There was the sound of the water licking away at the pilings of the rancho she was in. The salty smell of the sea filled her nose and the breeze that blew in carried all of it. Immediately she sat up; her hands flying up to protect her face. There was nothing to protect against. Everything was back to normal.

Words: 643

[Ialari Pythone]

After taking a few moments to right herself, Ialari got out of bed and began pacing around the rancho while going over the facts about her current situation.

“Ok, so no matter what I do, who I talk to, what happens, everything starts over the next day and repeats...my own actions though differ and things and people around me respond in kind. They don’t seem to remember anything the next day…I can’t access my Dominion, at least not here. If I try, I die. When I die, I wake up the next day with a really bad memory.” Even as she said it aloud, the whole thing sounded rediculous.

“So if I can’t reach my Dominion here...maybe I’ll have to try the longer way.” She wasn’t sure why or how she couldn’t get the door to work at the rancho but she was certain the Cave of Everywhere’s Door, the first permanent door she’d established upon her return to Syka, would work. The problem was that the cave was at the top of the stair-step-falls which was not exactly a short hike away.

Getting dressed, she grabbed her backpack and made sure she had all the gear she may need. Although she’d made the trek to and from the falls a few times, it was not the easiest journey. Making sure to take her dagger with her, Ialari left the rancho on her way to the falls.

Words: 237