Raising her gnarled staff, a nimbus of power radiated from this shelled figure as she called out with terrifying authority. “Begone, lowly Beasts!!” Her deep-toned words reverberated across the lake and past the falls, leaking into the unwilling minds of the monsters with its clear and threatening intent. “You shall not have this child!!”
Having lived just over half a millennium, the powers which Gertrude held from dedicated study and experimentation with magic’s arcane forces wreathed her figure, warning off the creatures that most would simply surrender their life to.
A single still moment passed as those creatures took measure of this new threat. Then with near simultaneous agreement, they both retreated! The Kraken’s opponent fled into the distant reaches of the surrounding vegetation, while the Kraken itself dove beneath the falls to hide within its subterranean abode, hoping that this mortifying turtle did not pursue it further. This left the only remaining witness to the event being Gertrude herself.
Her raging powers, purposely manifested to deter those who sought that which she was determined to protect, returned to her concealing frame. Her gaze of doting endearment then fell upon the still figure of Andrew where he lay.
*Huff* She suppressed a weary laugh at the incredulousness of the situation. That boy had really outdone himself with this latest stunt.
In response to the upheaval his breaking into another reality caused, she was forced to dig heavily into her stash of ancient artifacts and potent one-time use charms to utilize against prying eyes. What he did was not something as simple as cracking the walls between the earthly realm and one of the lofty realms of the deities. This blasted boy had managed to crack the very walls of reality and split them wide, opening into an abyssal universe!
Shaking her head first in exasperation, she then gave a mental nod of approval to the still form of the only apprentice of one of her dearest friends.
She knew that his avatar, or realm attuned body lived on while his consciousness had already been pulled back to his reality. From her prior inquiries into Travelers and their many quirks, Gertrude knew that even his shell or physical body, given time, would eventually return through an artificial wormhole to an unknown place. But for now, according to rules of another reality she did not fully understand, it would remain behind for a while before it too disappeared.
Gently lifting the body up from the ground, she carried him to a nearby stone bench and lay him there. Speaking a few arcane words, runes formed in the air surrounding his figure.
She watched as the wind and rain of the fading storm could find no purchase upon the warded seal, protecting him from outside influence.
Turning as if to leave, something caught her attention and made her pause. With a light effort of will, she parted the effects of the seal to investigate. Carefully reaching out a clawed hand, she teased out the chain holding his translation amulet close to his chest.
From a cursory glance, it appeared untouched. Yet something essential to it and its function had been changed. The golden rune engraved casing remained the same, yet it was not that which had drawn her to it.
Within the cage of precious metal and runes she could sense a singular stone of alien energies. No longer was there a binding over two opposing forces or stones, but a complete and whole welding of the two. The remanent spirit within the Will stone, bound to the filtering effects of the Empath stone had been wiped clean, and in its place, they had melded together along with an alien energy to create something entirely new.
A sparkle of delight and curiosity filled her eyes as she gazed down at this new born creation. Her claws twitched as if aching to unveil the mystery of this pulsing opalescent stone. However, such revealing of secrets could wait. With a grandmotherly touch and more than a little regret, she returned the now changed amulet back to the concealing folds of Andrew’s shirt.
Making sure to secure his staff by his side, she then re-engaged the effects of the protecting seal.
Warded with runes of avoidance, invisibility, protection, and healing, his place of rest would be safe until the time his consciousness returned.
Departing with a slight jaunt in her step at having found something so new and exciting within her later years of existence; the aged turtle returned to her abode to await whatever may result from this union of alien, arcane, and sheer youthful willpower.
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The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
In another world, a young man awoke inside a red lit capsule.
Crimson warning lights flashed, and alarm tones sounded off, appearing much like what someone might expect during a power outage amidst a life-threatening storm. Agonal distress was immediately felt by the singular occupant of this capsule. Silent screams tore at his throat in automatic response to what he felt. His mind and thoughts were lost amidst the pain and overwhelming sensory feedback.
Characters written on the interior screen of the capsule glared into the unseeing eyes of the occupant.
{Emergency care needed, please confirm acceptance.}
Several seconds passed by with no response other than continued writhing and incoherent screams.
{Requesting voluntary permission for transfer. . .”}
Again, nothing approaching any rational response sounded out from the occupant.
{Permission unable to be obtained. Initiating Override with Overseer approval.}
{Engaging Emergency Transfer of consciousness to Neutral Location and notification of local emergency services.}
The agony of the capsule’s occupant subsided as his conscious mind was swept away into a medically induced coma.
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An unknown length of time passed as emotions and nightmares plagued Andrew despite the coma he was in. At various points, the intensity of the emotions flared and shifted. After several such occurrences, those overwhelming sensations began to subside before falling into a peaceful absence of stimulation.
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Waking up, I found myself laying on the ground, neither in my home nor in the virtual reality. My mind and whole being felt somewhat numb and foggy, yet terribly on edge as if recovering from an unspeakable atrocity or calamity. However, when I sought to remember what happened, it was all a blur.
Flashes of a dark expanse stimulating intense fear warred with an image of a breathtakingly beautiful woman in blue, accompanied by a sense of absolute comfort and safety. After that, all that I could find a sense of recollection for was Blinding Pain. My mind and very soul appeared to rebel against seeking any further, blocking me from dredging up any more memories after that point.
At the current moment, a pervasive ache coursed through me, much like what you would experience from a full-body blistering sunburn. Except, instead of it being on the surface of the skin, triggering countless nerve endings to cry out from the damage done to them, the ache was somewhere else, somewhere . . . deeper. My skin appeared fine and yet this ache, felt as if another part of my very being had been stretched, beaten upon, and exposed to its very depths with painful elements.
Despite my aching, I forced myself to stand up and take stock of my surroundings. The first thing I noticed close to me, was a vaguely familiar full-length mirror which drew my eyes to it. Stepping up in front of it, I took a moment to turn about and evaluate as many parts of my body as I could easily see through its reflection. There was no physical trauma to be seen, and no visible explanation for my current aches and pains. However, I still hurt greatly, and yet there appeared to be nothing I could think of or do to ease it.
An idea then sparked in my mind. Distraction seemed the best and only bet, and so I set about seeking just that.
Casting my eyes about, I saw white walls and an array of high-definition screens which shifted at random intervals to reveal new sights of various geography and populated areas. My eyes narrowed in recognition of my surroundings. This . . . this was the place where I gained my avatar and met the CEO of Millennial Enterprises! The fog of my mind cleared a little with this realization.
The mirror I had been looking at myself in, had been the one from which I had seen several avatars that I could have chosen from at the beginning. It was also where I had first seen myself as the younger, yet new and improved me. However, just like the first time, I arrived here in my own body or at least a simile of it.
Thinking back to that unique experience, I looked to where I had first seen the figure of Naathan lounging against the front of his white desk.
The space was currently empty and bare of any desks, people, or other equipment.
As I looked to that same part of the room now, my eyes narrowed in confusion as a lightly opaque glass wall or sheet of energy suddenly sprang up between myself and there. Concern and confusion tickled at me. Stepping closer to get a better look and feel at this new partition, I sought to better understand my current situation.
“Hello!” I called out to the silence. . . and silence was my only reply. It seems that I would need to seek out my answers, rather than waiting for them to come to me.
I visually studied the gentle blue field of energy before me. I could hear a light crackle and hum sound emanate from it. Taking a measured chance, I reached out a finger in order to test its integrity. I honestly didn’t imagine that anything in this room would be created to intentionally hurt me. However, a little caution didn’t hurt. And so, I decided that if a sacrifice was to be made, it would be my left pinky finger.
With no resistance whatsoever except a light tingle, my finger passed unharmed beyond the field of energy.
Pulling my finger back to take a closer look at it, it displayed no overt signs of harm.
Feeling braver now, I extended my entire left hand and forearm past the sheet of pulsing blue energy. A gentle thrill from experiencing something new and unique came over me. As I was about to walk through the field of energy, a disembodied voice sounded out in the room.
“I would advise against stepping over to the other side.” In surprise at the unexpected words, I jerked my hand back. The voice had a faint undertone of a casual reprimand, but it was tinged with concern.
Looking about the still empty room and seeing no one there, I spoke up to address the invisible speaker, believing that they would be able to hear me. “Would it hurt me?” I asked.
A brief pause hung on the air at my query.
The unknown voice finally responded with a calm and patient demeanor. “The act of stepping through the energy field itself will not injure you. . .” Almost as an afterthought, it added. “. . . as far as I have been able to determine.”
It then clarified. “The presence of this field is more so to protect you from undue stimulus when I enter the room.”
My eyes narrowed in curiosity and a little suspicion. As if in response to my unspoken thoughts, the voice called out again. “If you wish to test out the reason why, it may be safe enough to leave your hand outside of the field as I enter.”
Taking the voice up on that suggestion, I once again placed my left hand on the other side of the glowing blue wall and waited.
It didn’t take long as a gentle *whirrr* sounded and I saw a floor panel on the other side of the wall shift, and then begin to slide open.
A flash of raw and burning pain touched upon my hand, making me reflexively jerk it back to my body and cradle it against my chest. Confused agony filled my mind, and yet I felt an echo of another feeling crowding in, oddly focused upon my affected hand. Intermixed with the flaring up of achy pain I believe I felt a brief sense of external concern and curiosity.
Surprise at the familiarity filled me as this was acutely similar to what I had been experiencing lately in the virtual reality with my unique ability. The flare up of pain and residual aching, however, was certainly a new and unpleasant addition.
As these thoughts were racing through my head and the throbbing in my hand had begun to settle, I watched on as the figure of Naathan and his control station or computer rose from the floor of the room.
Giving a nod to me from his position he began to speak with the same voice from before. “Yours is a very interesting case, Andrew Matherson.”