NOVEL NEXT Dissonance
Chapter 77 Dissonance
Aleshia pointed her stick at the diagram and said, "While I covered the estimated distance, the sun remained strangely unmoved. In addition, the odd feeling from this area doesn't feel like the previous location. There is an odd levity and ungroundedness that makes me feel disconnected. That feeling increased when those strange objects appeared after Lucia and that wolf hit an invisible object. Based on that, my only guess is that the dimension here is being restored or destroyed." Aleshia ran these thoughts through her head, scrutinizing every detail until she thought upon an unbelievable idea.
After reviewing the diagram several more times and thinking it over, she only felt more perplexed by the situation. Nevertheless, she decided to press on toward where she last saw Lucia and the wolf. Due to the brief respite, she felt a bit rested. Aleshia stood up from her seated position and resumed her journey, contemplating the possibility of altering her approach. "If I haven't been able to make noticeable progress, then I should try moving in a different direction in hopes of a different outcome," she mused. With this realization, Aleshia veered to the left and began to walk in that new direction.
After walking calmly for a few minutes, the entire area changed entirely. The once-familiar surroundings transformed into a bizarre landscape with vibrant colors and unusual rock formations. "This feels similar to how it changed into that white space," noted Aleshia, her voice filled with curiosity. Aleshia began to look around, fixating on every little detail. The ground beneath her feet felt different, almost permeable as if she were walking on new terrain. Aleshia looked up. She saw that the sun had drastically moved from its previous spot. Its position was now directly above her, whereas it had previously been ahead of her. "It seems there are sections that span several minutes, according to how long I had been walking," she theorized, trying to make sense of the distortion in reality. As Aleshia pondered why there was no change while running, she realized it was because she wasn't close enough to a trigger to enact this change.
Aleshia started searching for Lucia again to find her starting point. She squinted her eyes and scanned the area. After searching for a while, she spotted them again. This time, they were noticeably closer. As she was about to open her mouth, she noticed they were standing still. Her breath caught in her throat as she observed the surroundings. She suddenly realized that everything was not moving. The stillness of the world around her was eerie. "Now, this is strange," she said to herself, furrowing her brow and crossing her arms, her mind racing with questions and apprehension.