JAY MYERS

Drip.

Slowly lifting my eyelids, I saw a damp and musty room.

Drip.

My gaze wandered about lazily, taking in the place he now found myself. I saw a small puddle of water in the corner of the bricked room. I watched as a drop of condensation fell into the puddle.

Drip.

Looking away I searched the remainder of it. I saw three brick walls swathed in shadows. Turning I saw metal bars covering the remaining side of what I now knew was a cell. A dim lantern hung on the wall of the corridor outside, casting about a small amount of light.

I had no idea where I was or how long I had been there for. I grimaced as a wave of pain racked my body. As the cool air flowed across my figure, my wounds burned. I glanced down to see long gashes down my shredded clothing, red and black in the dim light. My crushed armour and gear was nowhere to be found. Pushing through the aching pain, I stood and hobbled towards the cell bars. I gazed outside into the corridor and spotted numerous cells lining the walls.

I heard footsteps approaching from outside of my vision. They steadily grew closer until I saw a pair of soldiers stroll down the dimly lit corridor. They approached my cell and stopped in front of the locked gate.

“Oi look, he’s finally awake.” The soldier who had spoken thrust a key into the gate, with a turn and a click he pushed the gate open and walked inside with his partner in tow.

I backed up until I found the wall, and watched the soldiers walk closer. They grabbed me and brought me over to the wall opposite the bars and forced my arms into metal constraints which they closed and locked around my wrists. They put a metal collar around my neck, which had a long, dangling chain bolted into the floor. Once they had finished they stepped back to examine their work.

The soldier who had opened the cell took a couple steps towards me, his face centimetres away. I could feel his hot breath against my weary face.

The soldier whispered “You are gonna wish that you died in those damned caves.” He pulled his face back and punched me in the stomach. Leaving me gasping for air, they left the cell and locked the door behind them.

⬦

Hours ticked away while I struggled to find moments to rest. The pain wracking my body had barely lessened and my wrists chaffed with every movement. I tried to find a position that didn’t exacerbate my existing wounds and ended up hanging limply, with my feet resting heavily on the rough floor of the cell.

Hours, turned to days. I ended up losing track of the time. I had no idea how long I had been left alone in this cell. Besides the occasional patrol of guards, I saw no one. My stomach tried to eat itself and my throat was parched beyond imagination.

Feeling extremely weak, I wondered if this is how I would die. All alone. When I wasn’t fighting my hunger and thirst, thoughts of my sister took over. My sadness and grief clashed with my ever present anger and rage.

At last, when I didn’t think I could last any longer, footsteps approached my cell and with the sound of metal grinding, the cell door swung open. A pair of soldiers walked in carrying a wooden tray. On the tray was a piece of bread and a cup of water. The soldiers put the tray down and picked up the cup. He brought it over to me and allowed me to drink the water. After the cup was empty, the soldier picked up the piece of bread and shoved it into my mouth. After I had roughly been fed, the soldiers picked up the dishes and left locking the door behind them. My appetite and thirst had not been sated, but I was going to survive another day.

Soldiers brought bread and water daily, at least that’s how it felt. With no means to track the time, I started to question how long it had been. Being all alone for an extended period of time started to get to me.

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“Fucking loner” I rasped, my voice barely audible due to a lack of using it.

Who said you’re alone? I looked around in confusion. I will always be with you human, the beast stated inside of his head.

“Is that the beast?” I asked myself. I heard a guttural bark of laughter followed by The beast. I guess that is true in a sense. The beast paused for a moment before continuing. I am Xeria, the god of annihilation.

“Xeria” I repeated. “The god of annihilation. I see.” I began to think about what I had just heard. I asked the voice inside my head a question. “Why are you inside my head?”

Xeria answered with what seemed to be frustration. When you were brought to this realm, the gods of light gifted each of you with magical power. We, the gods of darkness decided to interrupt them and tried to ruin their plans.

Unfortunately, we were too late to stop them from gifting the ones who came before you, but we were able to interrupt them gifting your soul, and the one who came after you.

Xeria paused to think how best to explain the last bit to me.

When I interacted with your soul, the goddess of light was already in the process of altering you and we clashed before being absorbed into you. It warped your body and your magic into the art of dissolving souls.

“Dissolving souls'' I repeated. Xeria continued Yes, the art of dissolving souls. It is unheard of that a human was granted such a sacred ability. However, when we tried to escape your body, we were unable to and were trapped inside your vessel.

Is there no way for you to escape my body?” I asked. Xeria answered No there is not, the three of us have searched for a way to leave but were unsuccessful.

“I see,” Jay replied. “Wait, the three of you?”

Yes, the three of us. You have already met Mors. Mors come say hello.

A cold, raspy voice replied Greetings human, I am Mors. The god of death.

“I remember you,” I said. “You were the one who helped me with my ability.”

Mors chuckled and said That is correct. I see you have not made use of the knowledge gained from those souls yet. Do you know how?

`I paused, then answered “I don’t know. I can feel information in my head but it is just out of reach.” Mors replied, Do not fret human, I can help you access that knowledge.

Mors taught me how to access the knowledge I had absorbed when I dissolved the souls of the soldiers from the cavern. I had to loosen my mental barrier to let the information seep into me. “Ow!” I cried.

Yes, having the knowledge enter you will hurt at first, but you will get used to it. When a soul contains a large amount of information you didn’t know, it will hurt as you absorb all of the unknown knowledge. However, if you already know about it, the information will dissipate and not be absorbed. This will happen automatically. The more you absorb, the less it will hurt.

I understood what Mors meant. “I see, so the more I know, the less new and unknown information there’ll be.” Mors chuckled, that is correct.

I sifted through all of the information I had absorbed. I learned about the nation of Vahn and about their military. I learned about the best tavern to get mead from and the best brothels to visit in Boren.

“Ugh, these soldiers were bums,” I said to myself. “Boren, huh. This is where I must be then.” Sifting through memories, I learned that the town of Boren was a small walled community near the edge of Vahn’s borders. Soldiers stationed in Boren often found themselves up against other nations and their soldiers. That’s what must’ve happened to me, I thought to myself.

“Xeria?” I asked myself. Yes? the beast replied. I asked what he thought to be the most pertinent question so far. “Who is the third person inside of me?”

Ah. Xeria replied and didn’t continue. “Xeria?” I asked. He replied with a start, Well a goddess of light is inside of you. I don’t talk to her, ask her yourself. With that, Xeria retreated to the confines of my mind.

Not knowing any more than that, I hesitantly asked myself, “Hello, goddess of light. Are you there?” I felt light within myself, then felt a being inside start, pouting? No reply came from within and I gave up.