Ittatin Parkal's location was kept a secret and was always more of a legend to the ears of a lot of people, but now, the horror stared the soldiers, Reikus and Hoder right in the eyes with little or nothing to do. Here, everything stands still, nothing moves, nothing grows, but an everlasting silence of pain.
"Is this…?", Reikus said with trepidation living in her every words that her breath hung right before her eyes. This place was like nothing in the books, it was a cosmological horror!
"Yeah, it was always here", Hoder replied in a more relaxed voice, well masked above the fear and shivering palms he had behind his back.
"Where are we?" One of the soldiers asked in awe and desperation for an answer.
Hoder laughed so hard that the silence that seemed to be the strongest element here was made to be inferior. "Did you just say where?", Hoder said in a tone that implied mockery. After taking a couple seconds to laugh, he replied the now scared soldier; "When are we? The concepts of location and time don't exist here. Right here, we are nowhere and everywhere."
The soldiers were standing on the same spot for what seemed to be regarded as a couple minutes awaiting further instructions from Zazuo, who looked too lost to think of what next to do.
"We are going there", Zazuo said as he pointed towards a spot above them that looked so dark and grotesque like the abode of Hades.
At this point. Every one of them was occupied with thoughts of dread, anxiety and what seemed like the last element of surprise that awaited them in this place.
"Move!"
"Zazuo, it's not too late to change your mind", Reikus said with whatever air was left in the place of shock. How did she go from being a powerful force to the prison for the worst of traitors?
They all went up until they approached two thick gates of iron, or whatever strong metal was in front of them.
"Free them and put them in", Zazuo said without an iota of remorse or compassion in his voice. The soldiers either didn't hesitate as Reikus and Hoder were put in different cells or whatever this was.
The soldiers for a moment forgot that they were scared not too long ago and locked the gates holding the two of them. Zazuo just stood back the whole time with his fist in his other palm as he stared at what this place was. The soldiers looked at him, hoping to escape whatever this was, although this couldn't be unseen.
"Let us leave", Zazuo shouted with his retreating steps.
"Please, don't leave us", Reikus panicked and shouted as they all left without looking back.
The soldiers left the premises of the Bars of Space and closed the monumental door behind them. Now, the whole room was conveying a message of hopelessness, breathing fear, and a million thoughts were in search of oxygen that was seemingly lacking.
"Reikus, it will be okay", Hoder said calmly, trying to console her.
"How can you even say that?", Reikus replied angrily, like a voice in need of a long yet warm embrace.
"You're right. It's not okay and I don't know if it will ever be. If this place is anything close to what I was taught about, then we are in whenever and wherever we are going to spend most of our most miserable moments."
"This is scary", Reikus said with a listening ear.
"It is… but that's not the worst of what is to come. The visuals here are nothing but a distraction. The Bars of Space is a place of psychological terror meant to make you forget who you were, not like that even matters anymore."
Outside the Bars of Space, the soldiers got out to see that it was noon already. What was that place?
"What in the gods is this?", the youngest of the soldiers shouted with drool rushing as fast as his words.
"How long were we gone?"
"That doesn't matter anymore now, does it?", Zazuo said, looking more terrified himself.
Somewhere in the capital of the city, the freed prisoner earlier had taken what looked like a thorough shower and spoke to the two who helped him escape.
"We have to get to the land of men now!", he said to the other two audaciously.
"Now?", the man of the two replied with a look of surprise and reluctance.
"Yes, now! If you can't let go of the shore, you can never get to new lands. We didn't come this far to give in to cowardice, did we?", Prargrus, the freed prisoner replied.
Prargrus was bodily god-worthy, and his eyes flamed fiercely that one could liken it to hell. His audacity was in no way missing from his very voice and breath.