The Veil between Us

November 3, 1889 Sambungan Paris is lost. All communication with the city has ceased; the last missive received claimed a substance emerged from the Paris Transept Portal. Since then, only silence. Our work continues in the shadow of this news, the Portal ever present while we study the artifacts brought back from the Realms; however, uncertainty gnaws at us, and we are vigilant for anything untowards. Sita left on an expedition through the Portal but days earlier. With luck, she will have arrived safely to the warm embrace of Nightingale City. She should return soon, but by boat or by Portal, I no longer know. I worry for her. Were we wrong to trust in the Portals, in the Realms? For now, all I can do is wait.

November 10, 1889 Sambungan Telegrams tell tales of more cities perishing one by one. After Paris, it was Brussels, then Milan. A horrid fog called the Pale billows forth from the Portal in Paris. We have known of the Pale, but something has shifted, changed from what it once was. Whereas before the Pale was small tendrils stretching out just beyond the Portal before dissipating, it now spreads across the Earth, blanketing everything in its path. Sambungan is far from Paris, but, if the Pale continues as it has, it will ultimately reach us. Those who stay scrutinise our Portal, others avoid it altogether. There are talks of fleeing the city, finding safety away from the Portals—if such a place were to even still exist.

November 25, 1889 Sambungan Boats depart daily now, bells filling the harbour. Evacuations are underway, with some seeking refuge in other cities. Distant Nightingale draws others, with rumours of mechanisms that repel the Pale. The journey is long and arduous though. All the while, Sita keeps me on the shore, watching as the ships sail into the unknown. I long to see her smile again, the lopsided grin when she brings me a new discovery. The way her hand cradles each relic, her excited retellings. She is always so alive, so vibrant upon her return. I would give anything to have her by my side again.

December 18, 1889 Sambungan Finally, our time has come. The Pale surrounds the city, an oppressive wall swallowing the buildings, advancing ever closer. The evacuations have ceased—there is no longer a shore from which to escape. No one knows what happens when the Pale overtakes you; as I stand here, the air is filled with screams as the Pale slips along the streets and then… silence. I want to go to them, to help them, but there is nothing I can do—nothing anyone can do. It is becoming too dangerous to remain. A few others have dared to pass through the Portal, despite what may lie beyond. They take their chances, but I wait here, unwilling to leave until the last second; if she returns here, she will know where to find me. Sita, sayang, wherever you are, please be safe!

December 19, 1889 Sambungan The Pale has reached the steps of the building where we first met—with shy gazes and murmured words—the same building where I have waited all this time. But I must make a choice: On one end looms the Pale, at the other, the Portal into an unknown world. Beyond the Portal and into the Realms, I may find others. Perhaps they have happened upon Sita and can tell me where to find her. If not, perhaps they will find a way to push back the Pale and reclaim Earth. I will search to the ends of whatever worlds I must to find her. The Portal is opening. If I have chosen poorly and someone finds these writings, please tell Sita I waited for her until the last and that I will find her in the next life.

??? ??? So these are the fabled Realms I have heard so much of, that I have spent years studying. Never once have I set foot here. It is stunning in its beauty; life surrounds me. I can hear the birds where before I only heard the silence of a populace gone. There is no sight of another, nor the Pale. Wherever I am, I am alone. My heart aches for the world left behind; I hope others have escaped so that, one day, we may all return home. I hope Sita found respite. If she planned to return through the Realms, she may still be out here, waiting for me. The thought spurs me on. I see another Portal in the distance. Perhaps, if I pass through enough of them, I will find someone who has word of my sayang. Stay strong, Sita. I am coming to find you. Mai