another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
One thing Otem certainly did not inherit from her mother, was the Mountain's emotionlessness. A fire rose immediately in the back of Otem's throat as the mare snapped a question right back. And were her ears pinned backwards? A slur of remarks exploded inside Otem's head, like Fine, be eaten by the Rift, or Get someone else to give you a fucking glowing orb, or Bitch do you even know who I am? But she said none of those things. Perhaps deep down Otem was cowardly, or just lonely, or just young, but she managed to hold her tongue, and instead tried to pin Aurelia with a condescending stare of and I thought I was the child here, but probably failed.
"I'll take that as a no, then." The girl countered, and then continued, wanting to show off just how much she knew about this place (which was actually very little, but she hoped to make it seem like she did). "Something happens when you first come here. You know the barrier in Helovia that takes away magic at the Threshold? Or.. did? It's something like that. Only ... only this thing seems sentient. It knows what it's doing, and I think it likes it." Otem paused, wrinkling her nose distastefully, and thinking of how it had made Iskra turn stinky every time he used his magic.
"I don't think it hurts. It didn't happen to me," Otem couldn't help but subtly brag, "so maybe it won't happen to you either."
How did you get here?
"Through the original portal. The big one that pulled everyone initially through. " Otem answered stiffly. On her wither, Pandora peered forward, as if trying to understand what about this mare made her bonded so instantly prickly. Otem ignored this. "How long have you been...back?" The girl asked, wondering if time had somehow changed. "Its been ... months on this side for me."
The Portal
