It felt exactly how it looked when Arthur stepped through, like walking into a dense medium that both sucked you in and repel you at the same time. Wyatt closed his eyes in concentration, trying hard to keep his sense of balance and clear his mind.

When he opened his eyes again, he was somehow in a dark place. Everything was black, but still, he could see it through the light from either side of the portal.

Wyatt didn't know how far he was from the way he came through, but he didn't dear look back in case it was also taboo to do so. He didn't want to risk becoming trapped in this place forever. It felt lonely and dark.

He looked about him a little, although he saw nothing, really. There was only the path in front of him. He drew another breath and stepped forward.

At that moment precisely, something flew past him and he tightened his grip on his belongings. Ignoring the thoughts that were shouting him to go back, he took another step.

Then all of a sudden everything around him started to dis-form and re-form again. This time, there was no more darkness. Around him was his home. His long-lost home.

His parents were sitting where they usually sat in the evening, huddled up at the sofa watching television.

"How are you, son. Come and sit down," said his father. Wyatt rubs his eyes to make sure he didn't imagine it. How long has it been since the last time his parents said that to him?

He stands there, completely baffled. A nagging feeling kept him from running over. Something was not right, this isn't right.

"Are you coming to sit with us or not? Don't just stand there looking like an idiot," his mother said angrily, frowning at him from his father's side. Wyatt was taken aback by his mother's sudden anger, and naturally, he stepped forward towards the sofa, away from the path and then he realizes something.

He immediately stepped backwards, his feet connecting with the path that was about to disappear.

His parents stared at him with disbelieve.

"My mother would never get angry with me, she always says that I can do whatever I want," he shouted, and his parents became what they truly were: the dark creatures.

They looked at Wyatt with hatred and envy. Wyatt guessed they must have been those that who are tricked into here and was glad that he didn't buy it. He almost did. After all, that was what he dreamed of.

He then finished the rest of the journey quickly and carefully. When he reached the end of it, he stepped through the jelly-like barrier again and what awaited him at the other side amazed him more than anything have.

They were on top of a high mountain looking down at to the spectacular view of land stretching out for thousands of miles. It was both like and unlike the scene that they saw from the portal. They weren't on the brick road, but above it to the side. But they could see all the villages spreading through the countryside towards the main city. Despite being far and high up, everything was crystal clear at the early sunlit. Early sunlit?

"Welcome to Kulacecius," Arthur said. Wyatt looked around him and took a deep breath. The air smelled different, like herbs, earth, and something he couldn't explain. There was an energy in the atmosphere, unlike anything he had ever felt. He took another inhale and his head started swimming, so he let his legs go weak and dropped to the ground.

"Kulacecius is a beautiful place, isn't it?" asked Arthur.

"It is, like no place on Earth," Wyatt replied, staring up at the beautiful blue sky.

"Earth is nothing but soil here, remember that," Arthur warned. Wyatt tensed; he'll meet people that had never seen anything he had seen, experienced anything that he had. The idea was strangely exciting, but also scary.

"That was so intense," George shouted, stumbling out of the portal. He was dripping with sweat and collapsed immediately on the ground, panting heavily.

"What happened, what have you saw?" Wyatt asked, getting up to his friend's side.

"There was this real ugly monster chasing after me and there are people around me shouting to have me killing that thing and it was all like in ancient Greek or something, and then I got scared and ran for it," Georg said, his words a scramble. Weren't they supposed to see their heart's deepest desire?

"It was the scariest thing—" George continued to ramble, oblivious to the lack of interest from both Wyatt and Arthur. The latter had turned his attention back to the portal and Wyatt was used to George's prone to exaggeration.

The sound of something landing interrupted George's speech, and the three of them turned to see Juliet walking gracefully towards them. She had appeared practically right after George, a contrary to the much longer time between him and Wyatt.

"Miss Layce," Arthur nodded at her and Juliette offered a polite smile back. She looked around, not so much with curiosity but rather like she was examining the surrounding.

"What did you see?" George asked. Juliette turned to him, her face expressionless.

"Nothing," she answered, then spun around to face the portal. George threw Wyatt a look and the latter shrugged. Who was he to understand the mind of a girl?

After another ten minutes, Riya emerged from the portal. She was extremely pale and had a hand over her heart. Juliette moved forward to steady her and sat her down on a nearby rock that seemed to have come out of nowhere.

"Have some water," Arthur handed a pouch thing made of leather to Riya. She eyed the thing uncertainly for a second before unscrewing the cap and took a few deep gulps. George opened his mouth, presumably to ask her what she saw and Wyatt quickly elbowed his friend.

George raised his eyebrow at him in question and Wyatt shook his head. Best not to provoke Riya. It really did seem she would cry at the slightest touch.

The next one step out was Mr Carl. he still got his game face on but his entire body was shaking uncontrollably. No one went up to greet him nor did he acknowledge them. After a second, he moved to sit down on the other side of the portal.

They were now waiting for Salvatore, Leo, Monica/Monique, and the Hatfield family. Wyatt was beginning to think that it wasn't that hard at all when a muffled cry sounded.

All eyes turned towards the portal as another blood-curdling cry sound. Goosebumps erupted on Wyatt's arm and he looked towards George, who was looking back at him with wide eyes. The silence that followed was more ominous than anything.

Wyatt felt like he should do something to help, but he didn't even know where to begin. He looked towards Arthur, who stood as still as a statue and cool as a cucumber.

Eventually, a woman and a small figure emerged. It was the Hatfield wife and child, but the father was nowhere to be seen. The woman was openly crying, hugging Jimmy close to him. Wyatt rushed forward just in time to catch her before she fell. George was on her other side and the two of them helped her to a sitting position.

"What happened?" George asked. She was heaving loudly, wailing like a banshee with tears streaming down her face. They finally managed to get her to let go of Jimmy, who looked completely fine in contrast.

"My husband! Someone please help him!" she shouted, gesturing towards the portal. It was clear that Mr Hatfield was lured by whatever vision he saw inside. Wyatt looked at Arthur surreptitiously, who made no move to help. He was doomed.

Amidst the chaos, Salvatore stepped through the portal. He almost tripped on Wyatt, catching himself at the last minute. Before he could say anything, Arthur appeared by his side and steered him away.

"Do something!" Mrs Hatfield screamed, effectively silencing everyone. She turned to Arthur, her eyes accusing. Wyatt took a step back and Riya had reached forward to little Jimmy, but his mother had a firm grip on him.

"There's nothing I can do," Arthur said with a slight grimace. Mrs Hatfield screamed louder. Wyatt took a step back, a headache forming from the high pitch sound and high volume. The situation was making him uncomfortable; they had signed the contract that absolves all safety and risks from Arthur, but not helping someone was against his nature.

Mrs Hatfield continued to wail, and the girl whose name Wyatt was still unsure of arrived. Her blond hair was a mess but she seemed to be steady on her feet. However, she almost tripped backwards when she heard the noise. Luckily, Salvatore was still close enough to steady her.

By now, most of the gang had migrated away from Mrs Hatfield. Jimmy looked lost, patting his mother on the shoulder and looking around. Wyatt wasn't sure how old he was, but he swore that when he was that size, he had more awareness than what Jimmy was showing. Surely he knew that something had happened to his father?

"Is Leo coming?" Wyatt heard Salvatore asked Monica/Monique. She nodded and Wyatt took the chance to study her. She looked around Salvatore's age, if not a bit older. She was the tallest girl in the group but with a slim built, and she looked very pale. Wyatt remembered her wearing glasses before, but she wasn't now.

Eventually, Mrs Hatfield's screams turned into quieter snobs. Wyatt shifted his weight from one foot to another, too antagonised to speak to anyone or make small talk. The atmosphere was bordering uncomfortable with the Mr Hatfield situation, especially because Arthur had made no move to do anything, not even to address it.

Minutes ticked by, and everyone was staring at the portal. Leo was supposed to come through, and he was taking longer than everyone else combined. After a while, Arthur kind of turned around and that's when Wyatt knew that Leo wouldn't be coming.

"I hope you are all aware of just how dangerous this trip can be," Arthur said. This triggered Mrs Hatfield again and Wyatt winced. That was insensitive.

"Aren't we—can't we do anything?" Salvatore said. Everyone's eyes were on Arthur, who shook his head.

"There's nothing we can do. Once you step off the path, you cannot return. There's no way to find a lost soul in the seams," Arthur answered. Wyatt's ear perked up. Seams. What did that mean?

"I want to go home!" Jimmy spoke up for the first time. Arthur turned to him, a softer expression on his face.

"I'm afraid you can't. The only way out is across Kulacecius," he said. The gravity of the situation began to sink in. They were stuck in a foreign place and their only exit was thousands of miles away.

"We are not going with you! You did nothing to help us!" Mrs Hatfield screamed, though everyone could tell it was an empty threat. Without Arthur, they would be sitting ducks in this strange world.

"You are free to make your own choices. I will journey across the land as discussed and provide whatever assistance I can," Arthur said, pointing to a village just visible at the foot of the mountain. "Whatever your decision might be, we can discuss at our first stop: Sapran."

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We are finally in Kulacecius - I've been busy doing some world-building and hope that it would be different to all the others you've seen. The plot still needs some fine-tuning, so I hope you'd bear with me!