Ambience Terminus: Vothsys

Alec's thoughts finally collected together into one simple statement: new world. Almost instinctively, he drew in his first new breath through his nostrils: bad mistake. Instantly, his nasal cavity was flooded with the noxious gas of the Ambience Jump. Supercharged with a fleeting kiss from a realm with infinite energy potential, the oxygen of his destination was briefly turned to ozone.

"COUGH! Wha-?" He felt a pat on his back.

"Just breathe now. The fumes have faded," Master Ytoi said, "You've got to stop doing that!" He chuckled, then said quietly "Every time... take a deep breath I say to him, does he listen? No! Fool child!"

Alec paused in his coughing session. Rather, he tried.

"I *cough* am not a *COUGH* a child! *hack*!" He waited for another few seconds, and took in a deep breath. "I just want to breathe in the air from each new planet we visit!"

Ytoi threw his hands up into the air "Enough of this! I grow old listening to it! New planet this, new planet that, we don't have time! We have work to do!"

Alec nodded. and looked around.

"Where are we this time, anyways?" He saw tall pillars holding up a stone roof covered in thousands of lifesized sculptures of winged figures, all pointing to the western horizen. Alec followed their stony gazes to the setting sun. There was an ocean, and seabirds calling over the beach. The scene brought Alec peace. To the east, a very large moon was crawling up with the first stars.

"Take a long look at it, for this will be the last sunset this continent will ever see," Ytoi said, gravely. Alec turned towards him, slowly.

"Are we here to stop that," he asked in a low voice "or to watch it?"

This wasn't the first time he had to sit back and watch a tragedy unfold before him. Alec thought back to the first world he visited as an "Observer". Not even able to lend one bit of compassion to all the people who were dying around him...

"No, nothing like that. Don't worry, you're training missions are over. This time, you're here as a collegue," Ytoi reassured him.

Alec sighed with relief.

"So, we're rescuing the people that built this?" Alec inquired.

Master Ytoi smiled deviously. "In a manner of speaking," He said.

Wary, Alec asked "What do you mean?".

Master Ytoi looked to the hills to the east. "You see ring on your finger? Do you know what it is?" he asked.

Alec lifted his hand. Of course he knew what it was. It was the signet ring of the Kights of the Twilight. More importantly, it let the wearer "Jump" through the mystical realm known to Alec as the "Ambience".

"What of it?" Alec asked, "It's what brought us here. It is what prooves I am a Twilight Defender. I had one as an accolyte,"

"Yes. The ring bears a stone, a very rare stone that resonates with that other realm. It is what we use to "Jump" through time and space," Ytoi motioned to the hills behind him, "This continent is one of four places in the whole of the multiiverse we know of where they occur naturaly,"

Alec's jaw dropped. Ambience crystals. Right out of the ground. People have fought wars based on a rumor that a spot bore those legendary pieces of multicolored crystal.

"The biggest crystal most men ever see is no larger than his own thumbnail. The average gems here however, are taller than you or I,"

Alec looked at him, disbelief and awe shining from his face.

"Gods... that would be enough to..."

"-to move a continent." Ytoi said, then turned to the rising moon, "Welcome to Illith-lanis. Later know as the Lost Continent of Atlantis."

EDIT: This is my first try at writing for a while. Part 2 will follow quickly, if anyone's interested