Creature of Soul Matter: Before Evil and Shattered Souls
Chapters 8-10
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Everything's after the break
I wake up to darkness. There's still a net over me but it doesn't shock anymore, and I am very sore.
I can't move my head but as my eyes adjust a bit I realize it isn't complete darkness. There are little rays of light managing to get through whatever's above me. But whatever it is, it also isn't touching me. It seems that what's there, is a tiny bit above me.
I take the net off my face and reach up. Whatever it is, it's very smooth. I then realize that it also seems to be slightly pink.
A barrier spell. I sigh a bit, "Thanks Gartihall."
I start to try to lift it off me. It's dug into the ground quite a bit which might be why it didn't get blown away.
Once I get it off I realize it's covered in ground and rubble. I toss it to the side and find that it's the middle of the day here.
I look around to see that everything that was above ground level had been flattened, exept the mountains that were very far away.
I look to where the planet had collided with itself and see some of the tallest, sharpest and grandest mountains I've ever seen in my life, all of it in a line with almost no gaps.
I attempt to stand, but pain rips through my body. I grip my chest as I sit down with a grunt.
I feel something just above my hand and look down to see the dart still there, embedded in my chest. A little frustrated, I pull it out, a little pain follows as I do and I toss it to the side.
"What now?" I mutter to myself, and lie down for a minute.
I get my spear out and use it as a walking stick. Still gripping my chest in pain, I start for the mountains, limping the whole way.
...
It's almost sunset by the time I start reaching the base of the mountains. The ground around completely shattered, cracks running for miles.
Though I'm no longer gripping my chest, I'm still in pain and completely exhausted.
Shortly after, I reach the beginning of one of the hills before the mountains. The ground below quite soft. I let myself fall onto it, seeing that there was nothing to lean against, and rest. I realize to late that I'm falling asleep.
I open my eyes to almost nothing. I'm standing on smooth black ground, with a large but dim beam of light coming from seemingly nowhere.
A tremor runs through the ground. Pain pierces my mind. Something's trying to break into my dream.
Cracks start to appear everywhere even on what should be nothing. The ground vanishes from beneath me, and everything breaks.
Large shards of what looked like glass began aimlessly floating around, somehow not crashing into one another, my reflection in each piece.
Light bouncing everywhere, my head wiping around, panic arising, the calmest chaos in all the destructive beauty, only my colors in all the black with white light.
Then, something breaks the now familiar chaos. Something flies by, then, more something.
All coming out of thin air, as if from the edges of nowhere.
All of it conglomerated in one place. Suddenly, they stop coming. Still shifting around in that one place they begin to gain color.
The fragments that were below me fuse back together to make the ground. It then snaps back up to my feet, where gravity activates again.
The particles are now forming a shape. As they begin to slow, a bright light comes from them.
I shield my vision from it with my hands, looking away. The light vanishes, the broken darkness repairing on the same instant.
I unshield my vision to see a figure standing there, looking in the opposite direction.
"Where am I. Did it work?" They say, clearly disoriented.
That voice, I remember that voice.
They begin turning around and I soon recognize them.
"Gartihall!" I exclaim. She whips around to see me. A bit startled at first, but relief quickly takes over.
"Elfilis!" She runs over to stand in front of me and we both sit on the ground. "What happened? Why are we here? Did my spell work? Well obviously this spell worked. Where are you right now? Oh I'm so glad you're okay-" I stop her before she can continue.
"One question at a time please."
"Oh yeah, sorry." She stands back up and looks around, her face telling me she has so many more questions but is holding back. "So, did my spell work?"
"The barrier spell? Yeah that worked, I'm sure I would be flattened or a crisp right now if it weren't for that." I answer.
"Okay good. And, where are we?... Oh wait your dream because I used a dream entering spell, duh."
"I didn't know you knew any dream spells." I remark.
"I have known them for a while now, but never managed to use one until now..." She says proudly. "What happened?" She sneaks in.
"Well... when I woke up I was under your barrier, which was under a bunch of ground. And when I pushed it off, everywhere I looked was flat-" I'm cut off as the ground shifted below us.
The stuff to my right begins to move in a ripple, as everything starts to gain color. The wave moves quickly, shortly passing us and reaching the other end of the nothing.
I look around to find us right where I had been imagining.
"That was so cool!" Gartihall exclaims. "I mean it makes sense since we're in your dream... But I would've never imagining it doing that!"
I look around, dumbfounded.
"A-and there were endless mountains over... there" I say, pointing in the direction I remember.
The mountains instantly materialize. As awe inducing as ever. Though the far ends were blurry.
Gartihall catches me looking at the inconsistency and turns to look. "Oh, this must be coming straight from your memory. Making things you don't recall as well more blurry." She concludes.
"I guess that makes sense." I figure.
"So where are you right now?" She quizzes, clearly wanting more than just the answer.
"Uhh, I should be next to this large hill here."
The area snapped over to the nearest foothills. All with no sense of speed, no movement, and no whiplash or dizziness.
Gartihall, now fascinated by the way of movement in dream spaces, looks around.
She then stops. "I can't believe it took me this long to realize. This was all caused by Galacta Knight and me... Elfilis, what did you find out from your eavesdroping endeavors?" She asks, chuckling at her own wording.
The world suddenly goes dark again. But this time there's ineligible whispers, too fast for me to comprehend.
But I recognize something, this is me going through my memory of the conversation. I can't hear the words but my memory can. And in turn, I can recognize them without hearing them.
It's all over in a matter of seconds. I had recognized it and Gartihall looks like she now knows it.
"Tearories!!" She screeches. "That little self centered, power loving, useless, moron!" She was basically fuming, "At least Commander Rinlog had the reason of fear!"
"I know, I know. But what else did you get from it?"
She thinks for a second. "Well I guess that explains why we were able to do that to that poor planet... But now that I think about it, I had also felt that when we were fighting Void Termina. Just, I never properly thought about it until now." She concludes, and continues to think. "Wait! That's why they attacked us? I just thought it was for them to get us to fear them... Though I think that's a part of it."
"Ya, it kind of was... Wait, Gartihall." I look her dead in the eyes. "What's happening over where you are?"
"Oh no, I forgot that's the entire reason I came to you! We're all in a cell right now! Well except me, who was in it for a while, but got into critical condition and is now in a room with people trying to heal me. But they are trying to g-"
"HOLD ON! We are NOT going to just GLOSS over the FACT that you're in CRITICAL condition!" I exclaim, mortified.
"Oh" it seems to dawn on her. "OH!... Well it is the reason I can visit you. But anyways ya, I got put into this by my injuries from earlier and using some spell they told us to do. It was apparently a very taxing one but I guess it's cool I can make heart spears. Hey Elfilis you wanna learn the spell? She rambles.
My worry is growing. "Not right now. I need you to tell me what's happening."
"Oh, Sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me right now... But anyways we were all put into a cell where magic doesn't work - we were taken out for the weird spell - and I think the other two were taken back after my... ordeal. It's been two days since the planet incident and I think they're trying to get info out of us. I've tried to reach you once before but was met with blackness and surrounded by a humming noise." She answeres.
"Okay, what about Galacta and Plaige?" I ask hopefully. Knowing Galacta Knight is their target.
She thinks for a second.
"I think Galacta Knight is being treated like the threat of the entire universe, and they are trying to keep Plaige away from anything that would allow her to do anything because Galacta is too exhausted and powerless right now."
The darkness pulses, and we begin to dissolve.
"You must be waking up... We need your help! Come back to the base and find us!" She rapidly says.
"Yeah, I kinda got the message. But don't worry, I will find you all and save you... I promise." I say, trying to comfort her and myself.
I grab her head and press my forehead into hers. "We'll all be safe soon"
The darkness pulses again and everything that was left of us, vanishes.
~-~-~-~
I jolt awake, rapidly breathing and very cold, it seems to be the middle of the night here.
I take a second to relay my dream and remember my new goal; I need to save my friends.
I try to make a portal to base but I'm too discombobulated to put enough of my mind to it.
"Fine then, make my life more difficult." I grudgingly say.
I open my wings and take off at max force.
When I make it far enough away, I start looking for "home" and shortly after, spot it. I see if I can open a vortex this time, but I find this to be unsuccessful.
I give in and burst forward at profound speeds, tearing towards the planet.
With the planet now taking up all of my vision, I begin to re-enter and close up my wings.
Now traveling like a comet diving for the planet, I cut through the air around me.
I find my target. It's a dark, musty, old building, perfectly rectangular and somewhat imposing. Clearly a containment facility of sort.
I angle myself for the nearest part of the building and rush for it.
The building growing larger by the second as I quickly approach it. I have no intent on stopping and going through the front door.
I run into a corner of the building at full force, going straight through.
I quickly put down my feet and land. I look at myself to find a few scratches on me.
When I look up, I find myself facing five shocked Halgraws.
One comes to their senses and snaps up, running for the nearest wall. Not the wall but the thing on the wall, a large lever with "Warning, Do NOT Pull Unless Emergency!" Above it.
"Oh no you don't!" I yell through my panic. I through my spear like a javelin, shooting it straight for the lever.
Time seems to slow as my spear approaches the lever and inevitably connects with it.
The spear goes straight through it, sparks and electricity flying everywhere. It quickly stops, now sticking out like a sore thumb.
Still in post-throwing position, I'm off balance and nearly fall smack on my face. After barely catching myself and regaining my balance, three other Halgraws come back to animacy and shortly realize what had just transpired.
The four of them run out of the room, yelling for assistance and other. One Halgraw remains, still petrified with fear or similar effects.
I turn to look at them, and they have no reaction. I step up and jab the back end of my spear into the ground, and look down on them.
Their eyes are now moving, slowly turning up to look at my face.
They sharply inhale and attempt to run, but I'm already there, cutting them off.
I plan on standing in there path no matter where they try to run. But they don't try again and instead stand up taller, and look at my face with false confidence. Their eyes are still coated with fear, as they take an abnormally deep breath, perhaps to say something.
But I cut them off before a single breath could leave their mouth.
"Where are you keeping Galacta Knight and Plaige?" I demand.
Their face freezes up for a moment, but they somewhat regain themselves.
"Uhhhh," they stall.
I sigh, "Would you rather me prod your mind?" I edge my face closer to theirs "I've heard it's quite… unpleasant, for me to search your hidden thoughts." I utter, tightening my glare.
Their eyes widen as they take a step back. An awkward, fear ridden smile with worried eyes envelops their face.
I can practically see the different sparks going on in their head, behind their worry dilated eyes.
I press in closer; that breaks them.
"Left out the door, right, straight, right again, one left, special containment - number three!" They exclaim. They stare at me for three seconds more, then pass out. I raise my eye to that and take their word.
The door's too small for me and I don't care to crouch, and stealth was no longer an option. So I just burst through the wall, and a loud crack follows. I step out into the hallway, take a deep breath, and take off.
I'm speeding through the halls at such speeds that I hear some things get knocked over behind me, expecting to be stopped at any moment. I recite the directions I was given as I go from one hall to the other.
I come to the last turn and look down the hall expecting for there to be guards. But to my surprise and powerful relief, there's not one in the hall.
Y'know, you'd expect for there to be more guards to keep Galacta Knight and Plaige in, and me out. I look at the cell numbers. And there's number thre- e… it hits me.
"There must be no guards because they've already taken them somewhere else." I mutter, dread overcoming me.
Feeling defeated now, I sluggishly walk over to the cell. As I draw near, I can feel the magic radiating from it. Some very powerful spells were used to keep a few particular someones from using any power.
I grab one of the middle bars and solemnly look in. But to my utter astonishment, I find a pair of eyes looking back.
"Plai-!"
"Elfilis! I knew you'd come!" Plaige cheers, cutting off my useless remark.
"Plaige! I didn't think you would be in here!" I continue anyways, but my excitement quickly washes away. With a quick glance around the room I confirm my earlier supposition, they had taken Galacta Knight.
I sigh "How long ago did they take Galacta?"
She looks away for a second. "I don't remember, but it's been too long to easily find him."
"Alright, well we need to go find him. But first, let's get you out of here."
We take a step back and I grab my spear. I take one swing and divide the bars into half, the top half falling to the floor, she steps out after.
"Do you know where they are keeping Gartihall?" I quickly ask as we begin to run down the hall.
"I might know, but if I'm wrong there are a few other places." She answers, "It's that way" she points to the left.
Wordlessly, we turn and run for Gartihall, so we all can have a chance.
~-~-~-~
I'm sure we are getting close, but I can't tell. So I let my thoughts drift, but not even three seconds pass before I develop a question.
"So wait" I say before I could even process what I just thought, "is Gartihall in another building?"
"Where we're going, no; but if she's not there, yes." She answers quickly. We continue to travel through the halls in somewhat awkward silence.
After a few more turns she shoots out her arm as to stop me. "Alright, so she should be just down this hall." She explains pointing down to the next right, "but I overheard them talking about where to put our stuff and I'm fairly certain it's this room right here."
Turning to look, I see a normal looking door numbered "164".
"Okay, you go grab your stuff and I'll guard the doorway."
She nods in agreement and goes in. I turn around and lean against the wall and look either way, no-one.
A few moments pass and I sigh, but I hear something else. I jolt up and look around, no-one's in this hall. So I walk to the end and look down.
To my dismay there are some Halgrainises talking amongst each other in front of a doorway, probably where Gartihall is.
"Oh Void, why now?" I sigh, completely defeated.
I walk back to the door as quiet as I can manage, open it and duck in.
The room is completely dim, the only light being a very weak luminescence spell floating in the top center of the room. But otherwise the room is filled from wall to wall with boxes and the sort with a strong odor of stale paper everywhere. The room's also quite large, practically making it a labyrinth, though I could see above it all. But I can't see Plaige.
"Hello?" I call out. And on almost that same instant she responds.
"Elfi-?" a table jumps a bit, all of its contents rattling. "Ow!"
"You okay?" I ask as she stands up slowly, holding the top of her head. "That sounded like it hurt."
"Yeaaahh." She winces. "But wait, what are you doing in here?"
"Well, I hope you found your stuff, because we got some company down that hall."
She sighs, hunching her back, "you're joking..." She looks about as distraught as I feel. "Oh well... but I still haven't found any of it."
"Don't worry, I'll help." I reassure her.
I walk to the other side of the the room and start moving boxes around.
"This room is weird." Plaige suddenly says.
...
"Elaborate"
"Well to start, it looks and feels larger then it is; it looks like it shouldn't fit in the space it has but when you walk through it, it feels like it fits perfectly." She explains, sounding just as confused at what she said as I feel. "And it's super old as well; you see that light spell in the center of the room? It feels powerful, you can tell just by being around it, but it's really dim for how much it's emanating. This can only mean that it's really old. I've studied how spells work and what they do, and light spells that simply feel powerful take up to hundreds of years to dissipate, but this room... no, this building, is far too young to have a spell this powerful be this dim." She says almost as though her own thoughts are fighting themselves. "Maybe they just moved it around?" She questions herself. "But it's really hard to move light spells..."
Suddenly a cold draft comes over me. I look up to see a small crack in the wall, barley visible between the boxes. I go up to it and shove the boxes to the side and peer through.
Outside is wrong, it's not another room or the hall. It's all white and cold, wind blowing all around. And with the boxes now moved, cold wind is pouring in.
Plaige gasps, and I look over to see if she's seeing what I am.
"Finally!" She lightly exclaims holding all of her stuff. "Ohhh, that took far too lo-o onng...?" She stutters as she looks over at me.
"I don't think we're at base anymore..."
"Wha-?" She walks over and peers out. "How-?" "Oh-" she slowly turns towards me, her mouth gaping open. "That explains so much..." "Argh! I would like to study this more, but we gotta get going!"
"Yeah, I suppose we should."
She walks back over to everyone's stuff and shoves it in something. "Alright, let's go."
We make our way back to the door and step out, as I duck through I try to feel if there was something off with the doorway. And as I expect there is, it feels exactly like a vortex.
"Well that finalizes it."
"Finalizes what?" Plaige asks.
"Well, I felt for anything when I walked through and, that doorway has a vortex."
"That's what I was figuring, but I didn't think to ask you to test that out. Thanks, even though you didn't know."
"Hmm, well, what's the plan with the people down the hall?"
"Oh I forgot about them!" She quietly exclaims. "Huh..." "Well..."
She peaks around the corner, "well... I'd rather not hurt anyone." She stands for a little bit, contemplating. Her gaze suddenly saddens seemingly for no reason. "Why'd this have to happen? I was hoping to come back and be celebrated! I was hoping to enjoy my time with you guys! Now we're public enemy number one..." She seems on the verge of tears.
"H- hey, it's going to be ok" I say, trying comfort while still surprised by the sudden emotion. I sigh, "Look," I crouch down and put my hand on her shoulder. "It's not fair, I know this, but I believe that we'll all be okay and live as happily and far away from these people as we can."
She sighs as well, "I believe you" her face still worried but gratitude showing in her eyes.
"Okay, so let's put our ideas and hope together and get everyone back." I say while standing back up.
She clears her eyes with her sleeves. "Let's" she declares with more determination. She talks to herself "so we need to get in, find Gartihall, and get out all while attracting the least amount of attention as possi-" she cuts short. "Elfilis, you could just make a portal in there and find her."
"...Ya, I suppose I could."
...
"So, are you going to do it orrr?"
"Oh ya sorry." I apologize.
I open a vortex and peek through.
On the other side I find myself in a room with the lights off and that is filled with medical supplies and such. I step the rest of the way through and could hear talking just beyond the door. The room is also larger than what I had originally thought, likely extending multiple room lengths.
I try to extend my wings to fly but find the room to be too small for that, so I begin to walk to the opposite side of the room, checking everything for any signs of Gartihall as I go.
I see no evidence that anybody is in the room. I'm what I think is half way through with nothing yet, then I trip. In my panic I open my wings, mistake; I knock over everything, loud clattering and things breaking follow. I then smack the floor, pain shooting through my body.
In my daze, someone bursts through the door. I snap up, suddenly fine, and open a vortex above me, and then the person spots me. "You're alive?!" They exclaim as I shoot through the portal, clearly the news hasn't reached them yet.
I fly through on the other side. A startled Plaige looks at me.
"We need to get going, now!"
"Oh! Gartihall?"
"Not in there."
"Then let's go!"
I crack open a portal to get out of the building and shove Plaige through, I follow in quick pursuit.
When I exit the vortex I immediately snap it shut. Plaige stares straight at me and asks me "what happened?"
I'm breathing deeply, slowly calming down. "Whew, well I was walking through and I tripped and made a ruckus."
"I see, I see… Hey, have you been seen at all during this?"
"I- well I uhhh, y- no. No I haven't." I lie to her face, hoping that it wouldn't give her any more stress to deal with, like how "yes" would've likely done.
"So that means you're likely still presumed dead?"
"Probably" lying to her hurt me so much, but I think it's for the best.
"Ok, I have a few other ideas on where Gartihall is." She tells me where both places are, "I think you should go for one and I should go for the other. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Good" we begin to walk to our separate places.
She calls back over to me, "Good luck! We'll meet again with Gartihall, hopefully!"
"Hopefully" I say to myself "Hopefully"
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