David used Divine Bolt, the Voice says. Glancing over, I see David standing with his slingshot in hand, but he isn’t aiming a pellet. Within the pouch, held tight by his hand, a crackling ball of energy waits for its master to release it. “Eat this,” David yells. When he releases his grasp, the ball flashes forward. In its wake, a loud boom echoes through the woods. The monster didn’t know what hit it. The glowing ball strikes it, and a large bolt of energy arches up from its body, whipping into the sky.
It lets out a final defeated cry as the bar dwindles down into the flashing red before disappearing. It turns its head, and I catch a glimpse into its eyes. I don’t know how intelligent these monsters are, but looking into its once confident eyes, I can see anguish. Though what upsets it, I do not know. With the bar disappeared, the body dissipates, just as its comrade did. In a matter of moments, it’s gone, with only the destruction it left behind being any proof that it existed at all.
The Serpopards were defeated, the Voice announces. All stats and rewards are multiplied by two. You gained 1000 exp. You’ve increased to Lv. 10. To emphasize our victory, familiar words float in front of me. Stats Boost: Brawn +4, Agility +6, Tolerance +3, Recovery +4. You received 50 gold coins.
David’s legs give out. I watch him drop to his knees, clear relief on his face. This was cutting it a bit too close, even more than the fight with the Orthrus. Even though that beast caught its second wind and started another onslaught, perhaps we stood a chance against it. We cannot say the same this time. If either of these identical beasts had another trick waiting for us, we wouldn’t have stood a chance.
In the creature’s place, after its body vanishes, a strange fang appears. It is a long, white bone, wide and flat at one end while sharp at the other. The length is close to half my arm length. Lying near it, I shudder. I don’t even want to think about how it would feel if that sank into my body. Around the bone, it pulses with a yellow glow, a small reminder of the beast’s might. No matter how terrifying it is, I can’t look away. Its name is on the edge of my tongue, but my weariness keeps me from breathing it aloud. We call it a Memento. It is the purpose of this battle, the reason that we are out here risking our lives against these monsters. King Aedan, master of Astra and uncontested ruler of Sorin, sent warriors into the world to destroy the monsters that threatened his land. When a monster dies, it leaves a treasure behind, a Memento, proving its death. Without them, no warrior could prove that they succeeded in the quest, and they cannot claim their prize.
“Can you believe it?” Queen pants, placing her hands on her knees. “All of that work for one fang. What was the point in killing two of them if we were only getting one prize?”
“We have no control over the rules,” David replies, struggling to regain his usual calm demeanor. “We can only, as G. likes to say, play the game.”
From across the battlefield, G. calls, “You got that right, buddy.” I turn my head to find him sitting against a tree. He rests with his hands behind his head. A big smile is across his face. It’s as if he is relaxing instead of trying to recover from the hard-pressed battle. I smile to myself. It must come with being the self-appointed leader, or perhaps that’s how G. is.
However, one of our companions has little interest in personal appearance and the opinions of others. “I still don’t have to like it,” Queen retorts to David. She takes loud, deep breathes while wiping the sweat off her brow.
Leaning against her scythe, Aurora inspects the damage. As our only healer, she must take care of all the injuries. I don’t know how long it’ll take for her to patch everyone up. “What now?” Aurora asks, sudden weariness in her voice.
“We’ll make camp for the night,” David answers, trying to get back to his feet. “Treat the wounds when you are ready.”
That was all Queen needed to hear. She dropped to her back, letting out a long, satisfied breath. “Great,” she pants. “Wake me up in the morning.” Her eyes close as she tries to fall asleep. I cannot blame her. At the end of a long day, there is nothing better than hearing those words. Except perhaps one other thing.
“Everyone,” Harva calls, her voice squeaking. “Look at this.” Whipping my head in her direction, I prepare to grab my staff, though I doubt I have the strength to stand up, let alone spring into action. Still, the overwhelming urge to protect the child forces me to try anyway. After letting my guard down with Harva in the past, I can’t afford to make that mistake again.
I am not the only one because both G. and Queen spring up from their places of rest and rush over to her. Not too far from where the first Serpopard fell, Harva stands with something in her arms. It is a long, white fang with the faintest yellow glow around it. For a moment, no one says a word. As one, we look at the fang in Harva’s arms then back at the one lying beside me. At once, it clicks.
“Yes,” G. and Queen shout in delight. They both spring into the air, ignoring their weariness. Queen spins around with her arms spread out while G. breaks into a side-to-side jig. It’s hard to believe that they were close to dropping earlier. For a moment, I almost think one is about to smother the other in a tight embrace, but they regain their senses just before. They have every right to be excited. It is a struggle to contain my own.
For one month, we’ve tried to find a monster, but so far, we have found nothing. After so long, I was about to lose hope. Now, we didn’t just gain one Memento, but two. My eyes well up. It’s almost too much to take in. Is this a taste of what it will be like once my dream comes true? For the last two months, we traveled far to battle these monsters, in search of these Mementos, but we do not do this for free. There is a single prize in the minds of everyone present. In exchange for a Memento, the king will grant any wish that the holder of this item desires. When I think about it, sometimes it sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t. The king’s power is unquestionable. He granted the wish of Lady Iris. His Majesty is honorable, the definition of it. Why would he promise something that he could not deliver? I cast aside any negative thinking, knowing that it will serve no purpose toward my goal.
One could ask why I’m here. It’s clear that I’m in over my head, lying on the ground, spent after battling beasts that I delivered little damage to. It’s a simple answer. Within my mind, there is a blank; no, that’s not it. When I first woke up a few months ago, my mind was a void. No matter how much I looked into it, nothing gazed back at me, identifying itself as a part of myself. The name I go by is not my own. There is nothing within that tells me who I am, nor provides any clues as far as I can tell. When I woke up, I was alone. Anyone who could know me, if I met anyone who did, is a stranger. Though I have friends now, there is still this longing inside for what isn’t there. If a single wish can give back everything I lost, that would be the greatest thing that could happen to me, my past life included. All I have to do is complete this quest and, at last, after weeks of not finding anything, we have gained two Mementos in a single battle. Add the one on G.’s back, and we have three.
It’s too wonderful to put into words. I push myself up and lean back, my arms hanging at my sides. As usual, the truth won’t go away, something that I cannot deny. There is no way I can keep going like this. Those beasts were not too powerful, but strong enough that they did not need any doppelgangers, as that terrible Griffin did. If we ran into another being like that again, we’d have to retreat. This is not the first time I realized this, but it is more pronounced this time around.
I don’t have to think long on an answer to my problem. Whatever power I have inside, I need to reach it and use it at any moment. If these fights keep going this way, we will lose. No matter how we look at this, we lack the strength to carry this out to the end, and I might be the weakest one. Everyone else proved their prowess while I had to support them or use G.’s weapon to make up for what I lack. I will overcome my weakness, but where to start? That is a question for later.
A noise comes from above, and I freeze. Our revelry stops at once. We wait in silence for wha
tever made that sound. My hand reaches for my staff. Out of the corner of my eye, I see G. run for his spear while Maris, recovering from her nausea, wraps her rope dart for a strike. Whatever is above us will not sneak up on us and escape unscathed, regardless of our current status.
“Hey,” a familiar voice says. Hanging from a nearby branch, a man in a slim, blue jumpsuit smiles back at us. He has a long bo strapped to his back while a white bandana wraps around his forehead. He cocks his head to one side and looks around at the battlefield, an absent-minded smile on his face. “What did Zero miss?” Those four words sent a wave of bridled fury through the rest of us while he looks on in unaware bliss.
CHAPTER THREE
What is a Dream?
3
When will the sun rise? I wonder. My eyes remain open, gazing up at the dark canopy above. My breath comes in long gulps. It’s the only way I can keep myself calm. At night, this forest has a crushing feeling to it. The darkness weighs on me as if someone sat on top of my chest. Breathing helps me remember that this is only my imagination. I can breathe just fine. With each gulp of air, I hope that I will fall asleep.
I hate the night. That’s when the dark thoughts of the day make their reappearance. When the world is awake, I can power my way through the thoughts and worries that drag me down, but at night, it’s impossible to ignore. Tonight, they jumble together: Mementos, the team, griffins, monsters, wishes, memories. It’s impossible to focus on one. If I can’t form a cohesive thought, sleep is the remedy, but it evades me and the night drags on. I’d love to get up and go somewhere, but I’m spent. At last, in this tiresome state, sleep comes behind and pulls me into the depths of its realm.
I smile, having received what I wanted. I always long for the sweet embrace of sleep. Its restful presence makes me wish I could not wake up, but tonight, I know that something is off. I cannot pin it down, though I feel that this is not my normal relaxing stay in the world of sleep. All at once, I realize what is happening. Tonight, there will be no rest as I enter one of those horrid dreams. It will rob me of peace, giving me a fitful night, and at the end, I’ll have no idea that it happened in the first place. I try to escape, but it’s too late. All I can do is accept where it’ll take me.
To my surprise, my eyes open a moment later. Have I slept at all? I glance around. The room is gone, and my companions are nowhere. Am I even awake? I stand in a strange room. It takes my breath away. Never in all of my recent memories do I remember finding such a simple and comforting place. I’m dreaming. A large desk sits across the room with a small table in front of it. On the far ends of the table, and behind the desk, armchairs sit. Reaching out, I touch the fabric on the nearest seat. It sends a soothing relief up my arm as I run my fingers along it. Without thinking about it, I sit down in the seat. Every muscle in my body relaxes, and I feel like I’m about to drop into an even deeper sleep. I almost believe that this dream will be pleasant.
Against the left corner, four bookshelves line up against one another, forming an L. I look at the titles of the books with a lazy eye. “Crossing Boundaries,” “Different Worlds,” “The World Within My Dream,” “101 True Encounters with Aliens.” The titles make no sense to me. Strange, I ponder. Why would a place like this have books like that? Somehow, I know that they are out of place, but one book stands out. I freeze, not looking any further.
Unlike the others, it’s flipped upside down, and almost half of it is hanging off the shelf. A tinge of irritation runs through me, but I pay it no attention. There’s no chance that I would leave the comfort of this chair I wish I could stay in this room, but it would seem that the dream had other intentions for me. A creaking noise resounds behind me.
Turning my head, I find a shadowy figure standing in the doorway. I cannot see who it is, but I know who this person is. At least, I believe this is true. This figure tiptoes into the room, cautious of its surroundings. “Hello,” it calls. The voice is female. “Is anyone here?”
“I am,” I answer, but the shadow doesn’t turn my way. She continues looking around, as if expecting someone to step out of thin air. I call again, but to no effect. She turns toward my chair but takes no notice of me. Instead, the shadow makes its way over to the books. Just as I had, she peruses the titles. Out of curiosity, she takes a few, one at a time, and looks at them. With the same delicate touch, she places them back on the shelf.
Her shadowy hands reach out for the strangest book. As soon as she reaches out, the comforting feel of the room disappears. The chair no longer provides the calming escape that I needed. Horror replaces it. A sense of foreboding doom crashes down on me. My eyes narrow at the book title. Though it is upside down, I know what it says. Egress.
For the first time, something ripples beneath the surface in the watery void of my mind. “No,” I yell. “Don’t touch it. You’ll regret it if you do.” The shadow pays no attention as its hand gets closer. “Stop,” I repeat, my voice cracking. Her fingers draw close to it. I spring out of the chair and reach for her arm. Grabbing it with both hands, I struggle to pull her back, but try as I might, she keeps moving. “Why can’t I stop her?” I lament.
A voice answers me, one that I know yet is unfamiliar. “You can’t stop it because you weren’t there. These events have transpired, and everything before you is the image of how you envisioned it. There’s no changing it. No one can stop her. All you can do is watch.”
Not satisfied with that answer, I continue pulling on her as her fingers touch the cover. My eyes blink and everything goes crazy. In the midst of the shadow, I glimpse two brown eyes. Looking into them, I know that this isn’t my first time seeing them. They take on a strange glow while the book seems to shimmer. The shadow’s body goes limp and falls forward. I expect her to hit the wall, but she passes through it, and I along with her.
My vision goes wild. I do not understand what is up or down. Colors run together, creating a strange void. I squeeze my eyes shut, but it’s too late. The colors overrun my senses. I can’t unsee them. At last, everything blanks and I’m relieved. It’s a tender mercy, but it doesn’t last. I’m not alone. There is something else here with me.
In this space of emptiness, my hairs tingle, as if something were right behind me, about to grab my neck. Though my body doesn’t move, my vision whirls around to find nothing. Breath catching, I look all around, trying to find that presence, but it appears that I’m alone. Still, the presence remains. Where is it? With growing horror, I find the answer sooner than I expected, and it is far worse than I realized.
At the far corners of my sight, I spot two bright orbs. Were they there before, or had they just appeared? They grow bigger, stretching out in length. Cutting across my field of vision, they join together, forming a horizon, but no sun rises over it. Instead, the horizon widens until I find myself staring into a massive void of white. It draws nearer to me, or perhaps I draw towards it. The sight of it fills me with fear and awe as it grows closer. This is inevitable, I realize as it begins to consume me.
Just as it is about to swallow my entire essence, I feel something reach out. It pushes me back, and, in that moment, I understand the true horror of what’s happening. As I fall back, I realize where that first presence came from. The abyss. It’s vast, too great for my mind to comprehend. What is it?
Standing against it, taking my place, I find the silhouette of a familiar figure. It wears a strange white coat and has a mop of dark hair. “You won’t win,” he shouts, desperation in his voice. “This game has a long way to go.” The Dragoman. What’s he doing here? These questions might be answered one day, but not tonight. The dream is over.
I return to the waking world, taking long, deep breaths. Sweat drips from my forehead. My body quivers in fear. Wrapping my arms around my chest, I struggle to calm down. Panting, I can’t remember what it was that sent me into this state. No matter how intense the dream, I can’t recall any of it when I wake up. Glancing around, I expect someone to spring awake, shouting about how I woke them
up, but no one cracks an eye.
It’s surprising that my fitful sleep didn’t wake someone up, but after today’s battle, it’s not too outrageous. Everyone turned in early, too tired from the Serpopards that we didn’t march anymore once the fight concluded. Glancing around, I see everyone sleeping in their preferred places. Their names appear on their clothes, but I don’t need help remembering who they are. Harva sleeps nearby me with Queen on the other side of her. The pair share a blanket, but Queen looks as if she’s about to pull it off of Harva at any moment, leaving the poor child in the night air. In spite of my current state, I smile to myself. Since the battle with the griffins, the pair have grown closer. I wonder if Queen likes Harva more than I do. Regardless, Queen wouldn’t let anyone know. She still won’t hug the child, preferring to ruffle her hair, no matter how much Harva hates it.
Farthest away from the fire is Maris. She lies on her side, almost pulling herself into a ball. Out of all of us, she’s the only one who doesn’t have a blanket. I tried asking her about it before, but she wouldn’t answer me. After the fifth time I asked in passing, she replied, “It’s too hot.” Such a simple answer left me a little on the irritated side, not that I should’ve expected more from her. It’s a small miracle that she answered at all.
Aurora lies on her back with her hands folded across her chest. I pause, taken in by her beauty. From the moment I met her, I’ve felt this deep stirring in my chest. There are so many things I want to tell you, but I can’t say them. I blush a little and look away. She is lovelier than any picture that Queen could paint, something that I wouldn’t tell either of them. There’s too high a risk in Queen getting angry and a worse risk of embarrassing myself in front of Aurora. In time, I might find the courage, but I have too much to improve on right now. For now, I must settle for being her awkward friend.
Mind's Journey 2: Of Monsters and Men (A Gamelit Fantasy Adventure - Book 2) Page 4
