Dark Dimension (3)

Had I passed out ? Or was it a side effect of my magical malfunction? What kind of failure could transport me to another dimension? I stood up and took a hesitant step forward. Even though everything was so dark and shady, I could see my body as if it were daylight. The ground, too, was tangible. Was there a physical limit to this place? I didn't know when or how, but I had entered this space out of time and reality. It had cut me off from the flow of magic and everything else.

My inner refuge.

I didn't know how to get out of here. I was lost in the darkness, but it was still better than being held captive on a torture chair. It was neither hot nor cold; I was cut off from all external sensations. The tingling of the ambient magic had ceased without my noticing, and now a terrible loneliness enveloped me.

Freed from the present to become a hostage of this void, I ventured a little further. I walked in a constant direction, with no point of reference. I couldn't tell if I was standing still or moving forward; it was very disconcerting.

With each new step, I fought against the fear of never seeing daylight again. No matter what I tried, I found myself alone in the middle of the void. The first time, I had been overwhelmed by panic, but that was no longer the case. This emptiness felt a bit more familiar now. I had already emerged from this dark dimension before, and I knew it wouldn't be permanent, so I just needed to pass the time. On reflection, it was the perfect place to unburden myself.

Without hesitation, I started to scream as loudly as possible. My jaw dislocated from opening so wide, my lungs compressed, but nothing. Not a sound emerged. I was completely drained; the anger, fear, frustration—all those feelings that had suffocated me earlier were gone. I didn't feel better; I felt stripped of my very identity.

I had nothing left; I had become a ghost with no hold on anything. A thriving void, exactly like this odd place. There was no longer any meaning to it all, nothing to comfort me. Tears slid down my cheeks beyond my control. I cried foolishly, in fits and starts, deprived of any sense of time.

Did I prefer the toxic company of a killer or the solitude of nothingness?

I had never envisioned a future other than the one that was constantly imposed on me. I dreamed of freedom in front of my collections of paintings, but fulfilling this simple desire to travel seemed beyond my reach.

I was just a weakling, good for nothing who lamented in his corner and always choosing to run away. Even Father had stopped expecting anything from me! I had so many reasons to be sad that I no longer knew which one was making me break down in tears.

If my scream was brief, my sobbing seemed endless.

As I regained my composure, I heard something. I stopped to listen, making sure it wasn't my imagination. It was a faint noise, a vibration, a whisper of wind where there shouldn't have been any.

It sounded like a light laugh. This voice was familiar. It was part of the ensemble of voices that spoke in my head last time. When I examined my surroundings, I saw a glowing spot in the distance. It had a bluish hue; it must be the sky, the one from the clearing where I had come from.

But the sky is purple; you should know that, Nathan.

“These terrorists are a threat we must eliminate immediately. Let me show you how,” I recalled from among all the disjointed phrases spoken during my first training session with Aurora. Hope sparked within me, blazing like a firework. So, was this an escape? Another cryptic message from this mysterious person? Would they ask me to get rid of Aurora like last time?

There was absolutely nothing between the blue light and me. All I had to do was walk straight ahead, and perhaps I would find a way out. My instinct reminded me never to rush headlong into danger, but danger was the least of my concerns.

At this point, all I wanted was a change of scenery. I no longer heard any sounds during my passage. With each step, the blue spot grew larger: I found myself facing a massive wall of flames burning silently. Their intense blue evoked a somber melancholy that I had long shared with Mother. The plasma danced before my eyes, waiting just for me; I could tell by how it intensified as I approached. Ready to embrace my fate, I walked through the wall of flames.

Against all expectations, the other side of the wall of fire was not a place as such. It was like using a magical teleportation circle: I was traveling from place to place, and each was unfamiliar. I didn't stay in one spot for more than a fraction of a second. It was a brutal succession of moving images, numerous immersive and unstable visions, passing by so quickly that I couldn't analyze them. All these images overwhelmed my mind, gradually making me feel nauseous.

A vast plain, squalid interiors, a cage and bars, mountains of corpses beneath a stormy sky, a jungle... What were they trying to tell me? Whose visions were these? Were they Aurora's, who was probably still holding my hand?

I was convinced that these images would provide answers about the origin of my magical malfunction. The more I tried to organize my thoughts, the more control over them eluded me mischievously. I hoped this was part of Aurora's exercise, although she had never mentioned any dark dimension. Could I freely manipulate my magic now?

As the sequence of images came to an end, it suddenly stopped. I was thrust by force into a narrow space, a sort of underground chamber. I tried to move, but bindings restrained my limbs.

Where am I this time? I wondered, turning pale.

I strained to lower my head and saw my body, half naked, covered in blood, with gaping wounds and strange black marks—like magical seal runes—spread all over. These were etched across my entire body, along with deep scars I didn’t recognize. I was confined and suspended against a wall by thick iron chains, wearing nothing but a tattered pair of pants.

What a horror!

“Arkedas Dimoen! S-suner… Ark–!” I screamed at the top of my lungs with incomprehensible words.

My ribcage compressed me, suffocating me with a most agonizing sensation. I struggled, performing a series of pathetic contortions. I was like a poor child, so young, maybe six or younger… I was so exhausted, and fragile, I was dehydrated for having cried for so long.

Needles connected to tubes and a whole array of improbable machinery continuously jabbed into my ribs. The tubes were filled with dark red blood, some of which dripped onto my feet. It was dirty and cold. I had teleported into the embodiment of a terrible nightmare from which I desperately wanted to escape. But there was no one to save me from this underground chamber filled with strange machines and magical consoles. It was all too much to bear.

The pain disrupted the flow of my thoughts; I struggled to react, to deny this reality in order to free myself from the chains. It wasn’t hard to guess why my sobs were so abundant, why my body trembled on its own. All these physical pains were secondary: my only concern was time.

How much longer? This question tormented me with a double-edged hope.

One opportunity, just one opening, would be enough to channel my anger at those responsible for my captivity. I was driven by a dark rage, simmering from their abuse. This horrific experience had pushed me to my breaking point: I growled like an animal, fixating my gaze on the sealed entrance of the room.

“Edwoyn?” interjected the assassin’s rigid voice. “You need to decrease the flame’s intensity, not increase it! What’s going on in that head of yours?”

I had forgotten about her candle and her stupid challenge. I was so far beyond these trivialities... I had just lived through a waking nightmare, for goodness' sake!

Since she had let go of my hand and cut off the magic transmission, I managed to reconnect with reality. I was short of breath, completely blinded by the sun, and placed a hand on my chest to keep my heart from leaping out.

How much time had passed?

The candle was only half-melted...

“What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a devourer.”

Should I confide in this viper about what I had just experienced? Had I seen some of her memories because she had connected our vital sources? The strange voices... They had warned me about Aurora, and even though it might distance me from understanding my malfunction, I preferred not to give her any information she could use against me. It was my secret, and it was my own business.

“It’s impressive, and more tiring than I imagined,” I murmured.

In front of me, the milky white candle was shrinking before my eyes. I couldn’t grasp that I was controlling this flame with greenish reflections. I was far too preoccupied with calming down. Everything now seemed so... unreal. Despite my efforts, the fire did not soften. Sparks swirled around the candle.

It's already a good start, I convinced myself.

I didn't care whether I succeeded in the exercise or not. I couldn’t get those traumatic images out of my head. I rubbed my wrists, trying to banish the phantom sensation of iron chains, but it was no use. Aurora placed her hand on the candle and didn’t hesitate to crush it into the sand. It was clear that I wouldn’t be going any further for the moment.

“What’s on your mind today? You started off well… Is learning magic so boring for you? If it bothers you, just let me know and we can postpone the session to tomorrow.”

Aurora didn’t understand.

She had no idea of everything I had just endured in the void, even though it seemed like no more than a few minutes had passed in reality. I was dying to accept her offer. But wouldn’t that be too suspicious? Wouldn’t it just mean postponing my problems to the next day?

I was terrified at the thought of returning to complete darkness if I used magic. Of seeing those monstrosities again. I shuddered at the mere thought of having needles in my skin. I took a deep breath and bit my tongue to prevent me from revealing my new secret. I felt that by hiding these facts from her, I would delay the moment that would prove fatal to me.

“Edwoyn? Did you heard me ?”

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s just… Well… I slept really poorly last night… But I can continue.”

“It’s up to you. You can fail as many times as you want; we have the whole hour for that!”

I cast a disheartened glance at the sizable pile of candles she had pointed out.

What? She wants me to use them all?! This is impossible; she really wants to finish me off…

Reluctantly, I bent down to retrieve another candle, and we were off again into the dark dimension.