Dimension Walker: The Veiled Paragon

As dawn broke, the forest shifted.

The radiant blues and greens of the bioluminescent world dimmed, like a curtain being pulled down over a stage. Slowly, the glowing moss receded, curling inward and sinking into the damp soil as if retreating from the sun.

In its place, the dead leaves returned—brown, cracked, and quiet. What was once a wonderland of luminous life became once again a dense, ordinary wilderness.

Perched in the branches of a small tree—small by forest standards but high enough to avoid most threats—sat Norian and Garuda.

Norian's arms rested lazily over his knees, his eyes reflecting the fading glow as he murmured, half to himself,

"No matter how many times I see it… it amazes me every—tieaackk!!!"

Ssskrkt!!!

A sudden shriek tore through the moment as something fast, cold, and coiled slammed into his side.

"SHIT!"

He shot backward with a jolt, nearly tumbling off the branch. A snake-like creature recoiled in surprise, let out a bizarre warble like a flute being strangled, and wriggled back into the crook of the tree.

It was small. Barely as long as Norian's forearm. But it hadn't been there a second ago.

"WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU COME FROM!?"

Norian yelled.

Garuda stared for a moment—and then burst into roaring laughter.

He laughed so hard he rolled off the branch and plummeted straight into the sea of dead leaves below with a solid thump.

Still laughing.

Norian climbed down after him, brushing dirt off his arms, glaring at the lizardman rolling around like a dying beetle.

"That isn't funny, man! I almost had a goddamn heart attack!"

"My heart practically leapt out of my mouth!"

Garuda finally slowed, catching his breath between hiccups of laughter.

"Yeah, right... just so you know, that snake isn't even harmful. We eat it."

"You what?"

Garuda was already back in the tree. With startling speed, he snatched the snake from the crook of the branch, gave it a quick twist—crack—and just like that, the head was gone.

He tore the creature open with practiced ease, removed the liver and organs, tossed them aside, and popped the sizzling, twitching half into his mouth like a lollipop made of nightmares.

Crunching filled the air. Loud, wet, and smug.

His expression said it all: delicacy of the gods.

He extended the uneaten half toward Norian.

Norian recoiled, face twisted in utter horror.

"You eat it! There's no way in hell I'm going to... Ugh! What the fuck is happening this morning!?"

Garuda shrugged, chewing contentedly.

"Hmm. Chew it yourself then. I'm not gonna beg you."

Still scowling, Norian leaned against the tree and asked,

"Hey Garuda… do you know why this happens? Where do all the creatures of the day go at night?"

Garuda swallowed, his expression turning thoughtful for once. He licked his claw clean before answering.

"Well... according to the old stories—my tribe's legends—the Moon God and the Sun God rule different realms. The day creatures, even if they seem scary, don't belong to the night."

He gestured vaguely at the fading glow of the forest.

"At night, the forest needs to hold firm. If too much damage is done—to the trees, to the land—then the swamp starts to take over. The forest becomes weaker. The night is like a long battle where everything has to endure and heal at the same time."

Garuda continued, his voice quieter, more reverent.

"But if something big and wild stirs things up—like a rampaging day-beast—it messes everything up. The forest burns more energy healing itself. Its defenses weaken. And voilà... the swamp swallows it."

Norian blinked.

"I understand most of that… but... voilà? Really?"

Garuda looked up, still licking his claw.

"What's wrong with voilà? You said it, didn't you?"

"I did,"

Norian admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"But I didn't expect you to pick it up that fast."

Garuda laughed.

"I guess my imagination's pretty tough, huh?"

Norian chuckled under his breath.

"I guess so."

Then, he stretched, cracking his shoulders.

"Well, let's go check if the village is ready for us."

Garuda nodded.

They picked up the spears tied across their backs—simple, functional, reliable—and began walking through the forest again, toward the wooden gates and flickering torches of the village beyond the trees.

*****

✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢

✶ Dimension Walker ✶

✧ The Veiled Paragon ✧

⊱ Eternal_Void_ ⊰

✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢

*****

Garuda and Norian began walking back toward the Lizardman Village. The path was longer than expected—they'd wandered deep into the Forest during their search for a proper Tree to sit and chat under. Now they were circling around the backside of the Mountain that housed Garuda's Tribe.

The morning air was crisp, and the sounds of nocturnal Creatures had all but faded.

Just as they passed a patch of moss-covered Stones, Norian suddenly halted.

"Wait."

Garuda stopped with a heavy sigh, glaring at Norian with an irritated expression.

"WHAT IS IT NOW? You've been saying wait a lot lately."

Norian looked back, holding up his hand in a 'stop' gesture that slowly curled into a Fist before dropping.

"What do you mean? I've only said it two times."

"Hmph,"

Garuda scoffed.

"Yeah, and both of those times were during something crucial. It's getting on my nerves."

"Yeah, well, whatever,"

Norian muttered.

"Let's go take a shower. You know any Pond around here where we can freshen up?"

Garuda raised a scaly brow and said,

"Why do even want to freshen up?"

Norian, already climbing a nearby Tree to get a better view, glanced down as Garuda responded.

"What do you mean why I want to freshen up? We're about to meet new people! I need to appear presentable so they don't start nitpicking every scale I don't have!"

Garuda stared at him like he'd just sprouted a third Eye.

"You know, Human… no matter how presentable you try to make yourself, you're going to look weird to us Lizardmen. No Scales, no Tail, barely any Fangs... you're a walking anomaly."

Norian froze mid-scan from the Tree, looked down with a deadpan face, then sighed.

"Fair point."

He leapt down with a fluid motion, landing neatly beside Garuda. Standing up, he exhaled dramatically.

"You're right. Absolutely right. FUCK, I forgot. But whatever. Let's just go. I don't want to hang around here anyway."

Garuda didn't reply—he just followed silently behind as Norian marched toward the Village clearing.

***

They walked for several minutes until the Trees began to thin. The ground flattened. The heavy roots gave way to trampled soil and crude pathways.

They stepped into the open clearing where the Lizardman Village began—sharp Wooden Walls rising up like jagged Teeth around clustered Huts.

The two Guards at the gate were still stationed, spears in hand. Upon spotting Garuda and Norian, one raised a hand and waved. Garuda waved back casually.

Norian followed a few steps behind, feeling a little too bare. A little too… noticed.

As they approached, the Guards turned their attention directly to Norian.

One of them leaned forward, squinting.

"So… is this the weird Creature you were talking about?"

"Yeah,"

The other added.

"Looks weird, alright. No Scales. No Tail. No sharp Teeth… wait—does it even have Teeth?"

Norian, who had been quietly enduring the inspection, finally snapped.

"I DO HAVE TEETH,"

He said, showing them off with an annoyed grin.

The Guards flinched.

"OH SHIT, IT TALKS."

"Hahaha,"

Garuda chuckled softly, clearly enjoying the scene like a proud older Brother watching his younger Sibling get roasted.

"Of course, he talks. That's a Human from another Planet,"

Garuda said proudly.

Then his tone shifted.

"Did you notify the Village?"

One of the Guards nodded.

"Yes. We've informed everyone. The Two Heads are waiting. Come—we'll escort you."

The second Guard added,

"We've been instructed to let you in. Whatever you want to talk about, we'll listen."

Norian raised a brow slightly, still recovering from being judged like a piece of Fruit at a Market Stall.

"Well, at least I'm not being eaten,"

He mumbled under his breath.

Garuda looked at him.

"Yet."

"Argh…"

-To Be Continued