Later that night, Exeo decided to go up to the training ground and have a good workout. He had no particular opponent today and he could train however he wished. He chose to use a punching bag in one of the corners, so he punched the air hard and fast without mercy.
After a few rounds, he was drenched with sweat from the intense workout. He walked over to the water jug and washed his face clean before drinking a large gulp. When he finished his drink, his vision turned blurry and dark suddenly. In a moment, the world was gone in front of him, but in the background, he heard the voice of someone calling out to him.
"Ember? You there?"
Nothing.
He tried to shake himself out of his dizziness but his head started to spin around uncontrollably. His arms felt heavy as if they were filled with sandbags, and he had difficulty moving them. He tried to move his legs but his entire body became paralyzed and stiffened up, making it harder for him to breathe. Then he heard something fall over on the ground which then echoed loudly in his ears.
There was a sudden blinding flash of light that appeared right next to him. As it did, he could hear someone say something, but he couldn't tell what it was. All he knew was that it was very close and very loud, even louder than the ringing sound in his ears.
There was a sudden blinding flash of light that appeared right next to him. As it did, he could hear someone say something, but he couldn't tell what it was. All he knew was that it was very close and very loud, even louder than the ringing sound in his ears.
Then all of a sudden, everything went silent once again. When the light finally dimmed, it took another few minutes before he could see anything. It took some time for his eyes to focus. But when he did, all he could see was a large dark hole right next to him, as if some great weight had just fallen upon him.
Then all of a sudden, he felt his whole body go numb once more and then all his senses faded into blackness.
***
When Exeo woke up, it took a few moments for him to realize where he was and what happened. His body was sore from all the punching, and he was very thirsty. He tried to get up but the feeling had gone, leaving only a numb tingling feeling, as if someone had pressed their hand down on his chest.
As he looked around, he noticed that everything was dark, so he guessed that there might be no electricity yet. He tried to stand and walk, but his limbs were so weak he couldn't move.
"Hey! Hey!" said a voice nearby. "Don't worry, you're going to be fine."
Exeo opened his eyes slightly, and looked towards the light source; it came from a torch which was hanging by the wall. He could see someone standing beside him who appeared to be wearing a uniform, but there was nothing else in his field of vision, so he turned around slowly.
"Who... Who are you?" asked Exeo.
"I'm a doctor, so don't worry about that."
The doctor was walking over to him. "How's your head?" he asked.
Exeo closed his eyes for a few seconds. His headache was gone, but it was difficult to see anything without his vision fully returning. "Not too bad."
The doctor looked at him closely. "Are you okay now? Can you move all your limbs?"
Exeo shook his head. "I can't. I don't know what happened, but it seems like something drained my energy and left me paralyzed. Is there anyone else around here?"
"Well... no. This is the only room that has a hole next to it, and the wall opposite to this door has been ripped off. We think you must have fallen into a shaft or something, maybe from the ground."
What the man had said, caught Exeo's attention, he opened his eyes again and said, "Shaft?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes. It seems that you fell down into it."
Exeo looked at the hole which appeared to be about ten feet deep and then some more. He thought back to the moment when he passed out.
'I am sure I was at the gym. My head started to hurt and I felt very tired, but then everything went black and there was an explosion of light next to me,' thought Exeo.
As he lay on the ground, the pain of his bruises returned, but this time it felt like a heavy weight had fallen on top of him. He realized that if he tried to stand now, his body would give up on him. His eyes fell upon the torch again.
This time, he noticed that he is indeed at another place, but where?
'I am sure there's no torch at the gym,' he thought.
He looked around to check his surroundings and squinted at the clothes the doctor was wearing. He realized it was a lot like what Dr. Lewis himself used to wear.
'Wait...was I kidnapped?',' he looked around. 'But why does my body feel so weak?'
The man in front of him had stopped and seemed to be looking towards him intently. "I think it would be best for you to wait here until you get your strength back," he said.
Exeo looked down at himself and felt very thirsty, so he started to sit up again. This time when he did it, he felt nothing unusual about the sensation. His mind began to function normally, and everything seemed normal; however, he was still feeling slightly weak.
"Where are we?" asked Exeo.
The doctor answered him. "I'm not sure, but we've been here a couple of days at least." He was holding up a bottle of water that looked half full.
Exeo took the water and drank from it without even stopping to breath.
The doctor nodded in relief and said, "I'm glad I could give you some water."
Exeo nodded back at him, then looked around. He had no idea how he had arrived there, but all things considered, this was the safest place for the time being.
Suddenly, the doctor bent over his patient. "I'm so sorry about the pain and all, but I think it would be best if we were to get you back into your body before someone comes along who isn't very kind, or who is a professional. You can rest in the meantime, and then we'll go find out where we are. It seems like the most logical thing."
Exeo nodded again.
The man took one more glance around, then placed his torch back into the wall and closed the door behind him. He pulled on a pair of black boots and went back outside.
After the door had shut, the doctor pulled out what appeared to be a long key and turned the lock on the other side. Then he took another key from inside his suit, inserted it into the lock, and turned it. At the same moment the door opened, and he slipped out through the hole.
Exeo tried to move and groaned.
The door was shut, and with only a small amount of light being shed inside where Exeo was, he tried again to move. This time, he can feel that his sensation is slowly coming back. He grimaced but he willed himself to not let a sound come out of his mouth.
After a few moments, his vision became clear enough for him to see that the room he was in was small and had an old mattress laid out on top of some blankets. There was a washstand next to his bed and a jug of water sat beside it. There was also a small cup with some kind of brown stuff in it.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Exeo was still feeling very weak, so he didn't have much strength to move around yet. He tried sitting up once more, but his head throbbed from the exertion. It took all his energy to remain propped up on his elbow and look at his surroundings.
He squinted to try to make out any details that might be there, but the small room was in shadow and all he could tell was that there were some wooden boards that seemed to serve as a wall. It occurred to him that if anyone were to come in, they would certainly find it difficult to spot him in such darkness.
'I definitely need to go back.' thought Exeo.
The only way he had been able to do anything after he woke up was by thinking about where he was and trying to get out of there. Now he knew that there was nothing he could do in there, and even if he was to get out, he doesn't even know if it was only that mysterious doctor alone or if he has company.
He closed his eyes and let himself drift into an almost sleep, but then the door suddenly swung open. A man came inside. This one looked much younger than the doctor who had left before him.
Exeo tried to raise himself on his elbow but found that his head had gotten too heavy to support. He lay still and waited.
The new visitor seemed very intent and focused, and Exeo thought it best to remain still and be silent until he had moved away from the bed.
"I can see you're awake," said the young man in a calm voice. "I don't have all day to stand here staring at you like this."
Exeo frowned at the man and felt something brush across his neck, and he jumped up, ready to fight. Then he remembered that he was weak and would be no match for anyone right now, so he settled back down.
The young man was dressed in a black leather jacket, trousers, boots, and shirt. His face was hidden by a dark cap and goggles with a single large glass lens. He held what looked like a small handgun in one hand and in the other, a torch. He shone the beam of light on the wall next to Exeo, illuminating the man's own body.
It was then that Exeo saw him clearly for the first time.
It took a while for Exeo to make out the details because they were so blurred and indistinct. It looked as if the young man was made up entirely from the shadows. He could see only the tips of his fingers and the ends of his toes. Even the tip of his nose had been swallowed up by shadow.
"I can see you've seen me," the man said calmly. "What you're feeling right now is your mind coming to terms with seeing what I really am."
Exeo was confused. He looked at the young man again, but there didn't seem to be anything there, even though the man seemed to be in front of him.
There was no light anywhere in the room to give any clues as to what this strange man might really look like, yet Exeo felt as if he should be able to recognise him somehow.
"I know you can hear me," said the man in a quiet voice. "But I think we would both agree that it isn't wise to shout when someone has a gun pointed at you."
He moved away from the bed and went towards a chair near the wall, where he began to unpack something that he had brought. The light from the torch gave an indication of what it might be, but Exeo could see nothing except that the man's hands were moving as if he was working on something.
After a little while, the man came back and stood by the side of the bed, with his gun held across his body. He shone the beam of light at Exeo and then lowered it down until it touched him on the chest.
"So, I think we have an understanding," he said.
Exeo didn't answer. He just lay still and waited, trying not to appear nervous. The man's hand tightened around the handle of his weapon.
"Now, there are things that need doing here before you go."
The word 'before' sounded ominous.
"First of all, I think you should understand exactly how dangerous this place is and why I'm going to have to do something to you now if you're going to survive it."
Exeo thought back to where he had been found and what he remembered from the previous night.
"It sounds to me like we have a very clear understanding already," Exeo said.
"Don't play games with me, Reinholdt."
Exeo felt like his stomach was dropping to his feet. He had seen that that name only once before and had never expected to hear it personally. And what's worse is that the man in front of him just called him that.
Exeo kept his poker face, he didn't want to appear disturbed in front of the man. "So?" he said.
"What's so important about it, that you have to know?"
Exeo was beginning to be a little more confident. The fact that he knew the name meant that his chances were slightly better than they had been. Perhaps it would still not be enough, but there was always a chance.
The young man gave a short laugh. It sounded to Exeo like the cackle of some mad clown.
"So, Reinholdt, tell me. Where's your brother, Reinhart?"
There was something strange and unpleasant in the man's voice. It made it even harder to understand how he could sound so pleasant at other times.
Exeo thought that his own answer had been sufficiently plausible, but still, he said nothing.
'Reinhart. Reinholdt. So, I'm in the past?' he thought as kept looking at the man, with brows furrowed.
Exeo was still wondering if the man was crazy or whether it might be something else when the man moved forward and held the gun very close to his face again.
The man moved forward and held the gun very close to his face again.
"Listen closely, Reinholdt. I'll repeat it because you seem to find understanding difficult. Where's your brother Reinhart?"
Exeo was beginning to feel the sweat on his body. He tried hard not to move or give any sign of what he might think. The man seemed to be taking his time and he was trying hard to hold himself still and not show the fear he felt inside. His whole mind was concentrated on that gun and how close it was to him.
The thought came suddenly to his mind about whether this phenomenon he's experiencing is related to Val's Void. Since Reinhart was previously the owner of the Void.
He looked at the man who was still waiting, and the thought came to him all of a sudden: 'Does this happen to Val too? Maybe I should ask him once I am out of this.'
The young man lowered the gun and then took out something from his backpack. It was a little box which he opened and held out in front of him.
Exeo saw that it contained some pieces of metal and that there were small tubes protruding out of the sides of it.
The man pulled one of them out and inserted it into the gun's barrel. There was a clicking noise, and then suddenly there was a blinding flash and Exeo saw nothing but blackness for a while.
When Exeo came to, his hearing was somewhat dulled. He could hear voices speaking loudly. A lot of voices all talking at once, but it didn't sound quite clear enough to make out what they were saying.
Then after a few seconds, he could hear it clearly.
"Brother! Brother Exeo!" Ember said.
He recognized it as the voice of Ember. He had never heard Ember talk so loud before, but at that moment it was welcome to his ears.
"Brother. You've got to get up," Ember continued, with worry in his voice.
"What happened to me?"
"You collapsed on the floor, what happened?"
"I think I'll be fine in a second. I am feeling better already."
"You don't look good. Let me call Dr Lewis-" Ember was half kneeling but was stopped by Exeo shaking his head.
"It doesn't seem too bad," said Exeo, trying to sit up. It took him quite some effort but he managed it and leaned against the wall. He looked at his arms and legs and he can feel a sensation.
Ember looked down, worried. He could see that Exeo's actions today just made him more worried. "Are you sure that it's nothing serious, brother? Maybe you should go straight back to your room."
Exeo gave a small laugh. "It's all right. It's my body's own response to the stress. It'll pass off quickly."
"Well, you don't look so well, brother," Ember said with some concern.
"I'm all right, Ember. I'm sure it's just one of those things."
"But why did you collapse, brother? Are you sure everything is all right?"
"I guess I must be a little tired after the events."
"It can't be, brother. Your strength and power are the best in the whole team," Ember said as he looked down at Exeo with deep worry in his eyes.
"What was that about you finding me earlier, Ember?"
"I found you by yourself, but you were standing motionless and staring up in the air. I was concerned so I approached you and that's when you collapsed."
Exeo just sighed and shook his head.
"We are leaving tomorrow morning so get your rest before then." Ember started to leave and then paused to turn and look back at Exeo. "You really don't look too good."
Before Ember could even respond, Exeo stood up and said, "Em, I'm fine. Don't worry. Also, can you call Val here? I need to check up on him."
Ember raised his eyebrow at the request but did exactly what he asked. He saw the man enter the room, a worried face on his handsome features, but Exeo ignored it and Ember just turned to leave to get Val.
After a few minutes, Val came into the gym and walked towards Exeo.
"Big Brother, Brother Ember told me what happened. Are you now okay? If not, we can request for Gen. Luis to-"
Val was cut off by Exeo's raised hand.
"It's all right, Val. I just feel a little tired. But thanks for worrying about me. I am fine. Don't worry. I just wanted to ask something."
"Sure," Val said with a smile.
"Was there an instance where you have dreamt about your past?"
"Huh? Yes, of course. Everyone does so. It's like when someone who is a very good person wakes up from a dream, but it wasn't actually real. What do you mean, Big Brother?"
"Just wondering if this is the case," Exeo explained. "Because what happened today, I am not sure if it was a dream, but I am pretty sure it was not mine. But my body felt exhausted like it was real."
Val sat down on the mat beside him. He looked at his brother seriously. "What did you see then?"
Exeo hesitated a little bit.
"You should tell me, brother. I will not laugh or mock you."
Exeo sighed in relief. "Okay, brother, but you won't find it amusing. I saw someone's past, to be precise...our ancestor's past"
There was silence from Valens for a while. Then his expression became serious again. "When you saw our ancestor's past...did you see it or...were you the one being shown as the ancestor?"
Exeo stared at his brother's eyes.
"I...think I was the ancestor," Exeo said quietly.
Then, another silence.
This time, it was the shadow that talked in Val's mind. "He saw another ancestor of yours. kid."
"What?! Does that mean it could happen to brother Ember too?"
"Possibly."
Val sighed and asked Exeo, "What exactly did you see, brother? Was there a name of that ancestor?"
"Yes, actually. His name was..."