Rise (The Ethereal Vision Book 2)

by Liam Donnelly

  The entity stepped up into the arena and stood up to its full height. Its head moved around, scanning the open space.

  Jane’s heart beat in her chest, and she tried to control her breathing as she realized that eventually its gaze would settle on her; this thought scared her the most. Then it happened, just as she had that thought.

  The giant metallic head turned toward her and looked right into her eyes. She couldn’t help but shudder, and she backed up against the wall as adrenaline immediately overcame her exhaustion. In her tiredness, worried thoughts began to race through her mind: I don’t even know where I am / what the hell is going on / am I losing it?

  The metallic form’s torso turned toward her, and one giant leg came up and then down as it moved in her direction, creating a tremendous shockwave that shook the arena.

  The vibration hit her, shaking her body from the ground up and rattling her very bones. She got her bearings quickly and looked back at the approaching metallic being. It was only then that she saw the thin halo of energy surrounding the metal, and she instinctively knew that it was the power that was holding the form together‌—‌pure, concentrated psychic energy. As it moved toward her, the energy cast spectral flares in several places around its form, particularly around the shoulders. A word came to mind now that described it best to her: samurai.

  Jane was on the verge of running when this samurai stopped its approach. It was still glaring at her through eyes tinged with a yellow hue, which were deep in the recesses of the gleaming metallic helmet, but she saw them drift aside toward the other section of the arena on her right. Slowly, it turned in that direction. Jane followed its gaze to find that it was staring directly into the blackness of the second arch. Incredibly, and to her delight, she could hear the sounds of a new, distant rumbling: the sound of heavy footfalls. They drew closer quickly, as though the person was running, and Jane knew from the sound that whoever was approaching was just as massive as the creature on her left. When the sound became overwhelming, a hand reached around the edge of the arch: a giant flesh-and-blood hand. Then Max came into view, his angular face as clear as day. He was just over half the size of the gleaming, metallic samurai, but stared directly at him; their eyes locked.

  His other hand came around and gripped the other side of the concrete. Still glaring fiercely at the creature in front, whose demeanor Jane could tell had become tinged with fear, Max pulled himself upward into the arena. He stood tall and glared at his opponent. Just as with the samurai, Max was bathed in the same psychic light that beamed in a gentle haze from every inch of his figure.

  Jane’s eyes were wide as she stared up at him. He towered above her at seventy feet, and his coat draped down over him, blowing backward in a gentle breeze. For a moment, she wondered if she had gone completely insane. But even this, she knew, was too much for insanity; only reality could present such a truly insane proposition.

  As the stadium began to crackle with electricity, Max began to change before her eyes. A sheet of light surrounded his body, similar to the haze that lit up on the surface of the other samurai, though brighter. Max brought both of his hands in front of him, and a trail of white-hot energy swirled behind them as they moved. He clasped both of his hands together, and immediately, a beam of light erupted from them, exploding straight up and forming into a long, thin shape. Within seconds, the light that composed it grew brighter, and it fused, creating a sound like a thousand sheets of ice cracking at the same time. The light faded quickly, and then Jane saw that it had also taken on a metallic form. Jane realized it had formed into a sword as the sharp, metallic blade became visible.

  The same energy began to swirl around Max’s body, encircling him. Quickly, rings of metal armor began to form around him, spreading down from his torso to both of his legs and covering them completely. Then the energy rose up over his neck and head, shielding them perfectly. Only his razor-sharp blue eyes were visible from within the helmet.

  Slowly, he turned toward Jane. For a moment, he stared at her from eyes that were as large as fists. Finally, he nodded at her. It occurred to her then how much his consciousness had been altered, and she wondered how much of what she was seeing was actually happening as she saw it. Was this the easiest scene her mind could conjure to help her understand? It seemed as though all of this was happening from contexts that were far removed from what a human could truly comprehend.

  He turned back to face his opponent, having grown to match the entity’s height. At that moment, a vibration built up around them. Jane felt it first as a mild tremor in the surface below. Then the ground began to shake violently. She looked up as she realized that the source of the sound was an incredible psychic shockwave‌—‌a scream‌—‌that was coming from this other entity.

  Without warning, it charged at Max, one giant metallic foot thudding on the ground after another, tearing chunks of the surface up with it as it went. Jane watched, her heart beating like crazy, as the samurai rushed across the stadium. Max was deft, and he reminded Jane of a dancer as he moved back just a fraction, raising his sword to the perfect position. It parried the samurai’s sword at such a location as to send him careening toward the wall where Jane was.

  Jane raised her hands in a futile gesture of protection as the giant being fell toward her. At the last second, he steadied himself. For a moment, it glared down at Jane, but he seemed almost confused at the sight of her‌—‌as if he didn’t even recognize her. Then he turned back around and drew the massive sword in front of him.

  Max stepped sideways to his right, circling the arena cautiously, but he still had an air of complete confidence. The being drew its massive weapon over his head, whirled around, and hurled it toward Max’s torso. To Jane’s astonishment, Max matched the entity’s momentum, bringing his sword up with both hands. The blades crashed into each other with an incredible clank, and Jane could see a scattering of light and molten globs of energy explode from the impact point. The entity reeled back, falling toward the other side of the stadium as Max straightened up, holding his own blade straight up in a perfect position.

  The entity gasped, and Jane could hear it echo around the cavernous interior of the gigantic arena. She frowned as she watched Max, for he appeared to be breathing heavily. He looked down toward his midsection, and Jane followed his gaze. Apparently, the tip of the other’s sword had struck him as he retreated, and the metal there had been damaged. When his gaze hit that area, the white light surrounded it once more, and the metal began to repair itself. Within seconds, the minor rip in his torso was once again reformed.

  The other samurai had turned by now and was approaching Max with his weapon held high. Max turned rapidly on one foot / like a dancer / and swung his sword over his head. It left a trail of light as it swished through the air, and Jane looked on breathlessly as she watched the two blades meet again. The two giant beings began interlocking their weapons in a series of complex maneuvers; the clanking sounds of the impacts echoed around the hallway.

  Clank. Clank. Clank. Their swords connected over and over again as the two of them danced around each other. As their blades connected, showers of sparks poured from the impact points, and the crescendo of each crash echoed back to the arena into infinity. After one final impact, from which the entity seemed to have difficulty recovering, Max raised his blade high in the air. Jane craned her neck as high as she could, following its trajectory. She watched as the sword was brought down with tremendous speed, crashing into the center of the entity’s armor.

  The impact crushed the beautiful, intricate metal plating on his chest, causing a hole to appear there, where beneath it, Jane could see what appeared to be some hot, flowing orange-white mass; it was as though no person existed at all under there, just the pure psychic energy that composed its consciousness.

  Then came the scream. The entire arena shook as the being shrieked, and Jane once again put her hands to her ears. She kept watch on Max as the entity took a step backward, faltering
, though it never took its eyes off him. Max appeared to be breathing deeply; his torso rose and fell. The colossal blade that he brandished was now held down at his side, and small droplets of what looked like magma were falling from the tip of it onto the floor, where they moved around in small pools, as though the substance itself was alive and trying to figure out what it was or where to go.

  Max turned slowly and glanced down at Jane. She nodded at him without thinking and removed her hands from her ears. He returned his attention back to the entity. With one swift motion, he drew the blade up over him, and with colossal strength, he brought it down on the entity’s left shoulder, cleaving it in two. The blade struck hard, and Jane watched‌—‌as though in slow motion‌—‌as it dug deep into the metal armor. The wound in its left shoulder, which stretched down all the way to its midsection, was causing that side of his body to split away. Looking inside, Jane could see an incredible, iridescent light pour out: the essence of the creature’s own mind.

  The entity locked eyes with Jane for a moment. As Max withdrew his blade, the entity fell backward, crashing against the edges of the arena. He broke through the wall that surrounded the interior of the complex, and his left arm smashed into the marble seating there, sending large chunks of rock flying in every direction. One section of the wall broke away from underneath the entity’s clenched right fist, and somehow, its momentum took it in an arc straight toward Jane. She watched as it flew end over end with an incredible swishing sound. As it drew closer, it sounded like the rotating blades of a helicopter. Jane put her hands in front of her, reaching for the power desperately, but finding that there was not much to draw from; she was, at this point, exhausted. A shield went up around her, and as the large piece of rock impacted it, a transparent ripple spread out over her. She managed to deflect it just enough so that it flew past on her right, crashing onto the ground below.

  Jane heard the entity groan again just as she withdrew her arms. She looked up to see it glaring at Max, but in its eyes, she was shocked to find not defeat, but something else‌—‌something insidious. With a rapid motion, he brought both his hands close to his chest, closing his arms over one another with a clank. A tremendous light erupted from the open wound and from the underside of the rings in its metallic armor. Jane covered her eyes with her forearm as the light grew to envelop the entire arena. With the half-second of vision she had, she could see the entity’s form disappearing. When she sensed the light was decreasing, she moved her arm and looked back up.

  The arena was empty once again, save for Max. For a moment, he stared at the empty space where the entity had lain only moments ago, his chest of metallic armor rising and falling as he took deep breaths. After a few more silent moments, the protective metal that encased him began to twist and turn, as though it was a solid turning into a liquid. The dim haze of light that had previously surrounded his being, that appeared to create that very armor, once again returned, and the metallic form of the samurai began to disappear. Mere seconds later, Max appeared once again as Jane knew him‌—‌standing there with his long black coat trailing around him, though he still towered above her, the size of a giant, and was still glaring at the space the entity had occupied.

  He turned, and she watched in awe as the massive figure walked toward her. He raised his left arm and flicked his fingers upward with a twist. Immediately, the giant figure disappeared. Now, only the 6’2” Max whose presence Jane had always known was walking toward her, and he was only ten feet away.

  He reached out a hand, and she felt his incredible power grip her body gently, raising her up off the floor.

  “Thanks,” she said weakly. She felt his grip drop away from her as her feet rested on the ground and took her full weight. “Nope,” she said weakly, and then she found herself falling into his arms. The darkness of his black cloak enveloped her as exhaustion overcame her.

  CHAPTER 22

  THE HEART

  Somewhere inside the silence that was the incredible darkness that had overcome her, she felt him touch her hand, and she found that she could still communicate with him, though her body‌—‌whatever form it had taken in this place‌—‌was not responsive to her.

  Jane?

  Yes, Max?

  Can I have your permission to use the Machine?

  Yes. Surely you don’t have to ask.

  I suppose I don’t, technically, but I do need you to work it. You know I would always ask, anyway; I could do no other. I have a plan.

  OK.

  A moment of silence followed. Jane saw the rings spin rapidly in her mind more so than before as a more advanced mind accessed its power through her. Then, they both began to move.

  Max?

  Yes, Jane?

  Do you want to see the Nexus?

  No. I mean… I suppose some part of me does. And some other parts of me have seen glimpses of it throughout the eons. But it’s not really something that’s supposed to be seen or touched. For mankind, it’s a metaphor. For us, it’s more like a myth, but we always knew it had some kind of existence somewhere. In fact, it may be our very searching for it that causes it to take a kind of physical form.

  Thanks for that, Max. She heard him laugh. Then there was silence. Somewhere, a star streaked by her as some of her vision returned.

  So what do we do now? Somewhere in the darkness, she felt his gaze turn toward her, and she turned toward him.

  We have to make it impossible for him to use the Machine again in the future.

  How do we do that?

  Max paused. I don’t think it can be destroyed‌—‌at least, not by any means I know of. The best option is to scatter its pieces across the multiverse‌—‌lock it into so many different dimensions that he will never have access to it again.

  Can he still find the Nexus without it?

  There was a moment of hesitation that lasted long enough to trouble her.

  I don’t think so, Max replied finally.

  She sighed, and as she did, it felt as though space itself ran through her. Somehow, I don’t believe you.

  Well, it may not be the exact truth, Jane… but it’s the best one I can give you for now.

  In his voice, she could hear a tiredness that she hadn’t heard before, and it caused her some concern. Although he had clearly won back in the giant marble hall, the fight had wearied him, and she was once again reminded that he was now human. She felt him take her hand and hold it gently. More of her vision returned, and she could see that the stars were now rushing past them at near infinite speed, and they appeared as just streaks of light.

  Right. So we do what you said, but how?

  First, we use it to return to Earth. When we get back, we’ll be inside the vortex; you’ll still have access to it. You have more than just the ability to travel across space, time, and the dimensions; you can move the Machine itself, much more deftly than we ever possibly could.

  She felt him glance toward her.

  Are you up to it?

  She frowned. I think so.

  Once we go back through the gate, I’ll keep us positioned inside the column of energy. Focus on the Machine pieces, and I’ll guide your mind to the various dimensions so you can deposit them there. Trust me, Jane. It will work. The gateway will close, and he’ll never have access to it again. Neither will you, or anyone else‌—‌at least, no one else I know of.

  OK. Let’s do it.

  Slowly, the direction of the stars turned, so that their trails were moving past them toward the left. They appeared to be moving in a circular motion as Max changed their trajectory. Jane experienced only a brief moment of dizziness as their direction altered, and then it passed.

  The star field intensified as they moved faster. More and more of them filled their field of vision until, eventually, Jane’s sight was filled with just a blaze of streaming white light.

  But something was stirring inside Jane‌—‌something she had forgotten. There was a strange swirl
of images as she and Max became one. First, she saw infinity itself, and it presented itself to her as a beam of light, giant‌—‌larger than the universe‌—‌and filled with love and thought.

  The Nexus. Where’s the Nexus? she found herself asking. The answer came back immediately, and the knowledge came from Max.

  You can find it if you want to, though I would advise against it. I don’t know what’s happened. I was directing us back toward Earth, right where we left, but… Now we’re going somewhere else.

  Jane heard him, but focused on the word‌—‌Nexus‌—‌for that’s all she knew to do, and she thought of the description Max had given her. Then, she felt his incredible mind weigh in, and she could see everything he had ever known about the subject.

  Slowly, through wisps of clearing smoke, a very ornate, but ordinary bar came into view around them. Jane looked around and found herself in an old, smoky pub. Some beautiful music was playing, and there was nobody there except for one man in a brown trench coat sitting alone at the bar to the right.

  Moments later, she found herself pressed close against Max and dancing with him. They twirled together like the swirling images of animated watercolors. His very thoughts rose up and down in her mind. He raised his hand, holding hers, and she twirled around and away from him, her feet tapping across the mahogany floor and moving back toward his body like gravity.

  Max, where are we?

  You wanted to see the Nexus, didn’t you? Well… he looked around. I guess it must have read your intention and taken us here. Quite the Pandora you are after all, Jane.