As she carried on with the magic ritual, my thoughts began to wander while I absorbed the otherworldly landscape surrounding us.

Was it even real? Where have we ended up? Hades, you say? Shouldn't Hades be a place teeming with departed souls? Or was this something else just called Hades?

There is a death node in Dreamland, but nothing remotely like this.

I've wracked my brain, and I don't recall anything in the game about Hades! Though, to be fair, there might be hidden facets I'm not privy to. But really, the pressing question was: where were we in the physical world? For sure, I was no longer in the toilet of that china restaurant. Could this be some sort of pocket dimension? What kind of realm is this?

If we're in a pocket dimension, it's one heck of a spacious one, that's for sure.

But seriously, a pocket dimension that can house a colossal star within it? And not just a star, but an entire galaxy shimmering in the backdrop? Doesn't that lean more towards a parallel universe?

Could it be that we've somehow conjured an entire world into existence? Can a universe be brought into being like this? Who even has the power to create a world?

Yeah, I come back to that mega-parapsychological event explanation, one of creation, where we created this whole world. Can this be? It sounds so stupid, but I don't have a different explanation.

Just because I can't explain it doesn't automatically mean there's no explanation. But then again, there are living beings here in this Dreamland world, like the Amazons I encountered earlier. Did we somehow bring these living beings into existence as well?

No, this all seemed to be too much to have been created by our finite human minds. Even if we've pooled all our minds together?! Yes. Even with AI help? Oh, well, probably...

My mind was again running crazy with the implications of what I was seeing and living through.

In the meantime, White Flower halted the dust application to my skin, and, well, she seemed to be meditating?

Curiously, the discharges didn't cease; instead, they appeared to gradually intensify.

That kept my attention for a while, but with no other developments, my mind returned to pondering my new hypothesis: the colossal parapsychological occurrence responsible for crafting this world. However, a sense of discomfort began creeping in again.

Ah, yes, those must be the worms reactivating now that she had allowed magic to accumulate in my body. White Flower remained seated in the lotus position with her eyes closed, but then she opened them, and a mischievous grin crossed my face.

She resumed rubbing dust over my skin, and this time, the discharges grew more intense, escalating until a moment arrived when a continuous, chain reaction-like discharge initiated.

From that moment, she merely held her hands apart, and the discharge kept increasing, gathering more dust, expanding and sprawling, encompassing an ever-widening area around me.

Chain lightning and flames streaked in every direction, conjuring clouds of dust that obscured the surrounding landscape. Within seconds, I found myself seated within what appeared to be an enormous, nearly a hundred-meter-wide clear space encircled by a furious tempest of chain lightning. Then, the bubble disintegrated, collapsing like a soap bubble, and the lightning and flames cascaded upon me from all directions.

My skin seared with magical fire, the dust penetrating it effortlessly. All I could perceive was an inferno of dust and flames. Agony coursed through me; my entire body felt like it was being relentlessly ground by scorching sandstone. Breathing became impossible as my lungs choked on the fiery air, and my vision vanished amidst the swirling inferno.

Time dragged on - or at least it felt that way - only my beating heart was giving me reassurance, as it resonated in my ears, until abruptly, everything stopped. In a fleeting moment, which seemed to stretch into eternity, I experienced absolute numbness. Everything became an empty void.

The moment was so pristine that I felt the allure of staying, of making this singular moment stretch into infinity. Memories from my life paraded through my mind. Was it worth returning to that world? I stood on the precipice of capturing eternity!

But there were still unresolved matters in my life...

Then, out of nowhere, I heard the rhythmic thumping of my heart once more, my eyes fluttered open, and I found myself back in the node surrounded by a surreal clarity. The air around me was pure; my skin, which should have been seared, was looking smoother and finer, cleaner than ever. I inhaled, the crispness of the air filling my lungs. How could this be?

In that serene environment, my own voice surprised me:

“Is it done? Are we clean now?” I wondered

She took a deep breath.

“Yes, we are clean, but what the fuck?”

I almost did not believe that it was an answer from White Flower, but I did not answer it myself, so it must be her. Today was maybe the first day that I ever heard her cursing, and now, for the second time, she seemed to be mimicking me?

Initially, I was puzzled. What was bothering her? The air around me was rapidly clearing, far quicker than one would expect, given the amount of dust. Only now did I notice another wall of lightning in the distance, several hundred meters away. A caldera had formed around us, marking the boundary of the previous bubble.

“Is this normal?” - I wondered.

As she didn't respond right away, I sensed that something was amiss. She glanced around once more, and I could see that the spectacle had shifted – it was now more distant but vastly more impressive.

“What's happening?” - I asked again

She sighed.

“Well, something like a double dip may happen... It seems that we got lucky and have won the jackpot.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“What do you mean?”

“Don't you see?”

Well, I saw exactly the same as I've seen before, only at a greater scale? Oh, fuck!

“What are you doing?” - I questioned, alarmed, seeing that she was not moving.

She was sitting in a lotus position as if she would want to meditate! This time, she did not answer aloud but in my mind.

“It's nothing we can do but get ready and prepare for the impact. Yes, it is a challenge; yes, we might die now if we are unlucky, but look positively at it; it is also a big chance to grow.”

“What the fuck? Are you crazy? Are we worm-free? Yes. So why risk anything? Judging by how bad it was before, this looks terrifying? Spare me the clap-trap positive thinking; why not leave immediately?”

Her voice sounded tired but resolute.

"We can't leave. Once the ritual crosses the threshold, there's no turning back or stopping it. Time is crucial, so I'll be brief. Leaving now is impossible due to the intense magical disturbance we've created. Any complex spell, like lightfire, would backfire and potentially cause an explosion. Can't you sense the energy in the air? If we attempted to flee, we wouldn't be able to breach the ritual's outer barrier. This space is sealed, and we have only two options to exit it: either we become stronger and absorb this tempest we've conjured, or... we become part of it. I don't want to be reduced to dust in this death node, so please, help me focus. We must work together; no more questions, no panic – just unwavering concentration as we strive for ascension!"

Our ascension? I was about to ask what she meant by that, but her seriousness made me hold off on my questions for now. I teetered on the edge of panic, but not being able to act at all worked as a strong deterrent. What could I even do? Let my thoughts spin in circles? Scream silently in my mind? The shock from what I'd just experienced had left a profound mark on me; I couldn't fathom anything worse.

So what? If she failed, would I find myself waking up in my bed again? Or would I simply not wake up at all?

My musings were suddenly interrupted. I felt like sitting on one of those carousel chairs that were now in the phase of free fall. But I did not know how long this phase would take. The descent seemed never-ending.

It took me a while to realize that this sensation was the result of her meditation.

Why was her meditative state affecting me so profoundly now?

She was attempting to attune herself as closely as possible to the node.

I found myself engulfed in a sea of sorrow. Not anger, but an overwhelming sadness. Everything was becoming inconsequential; nothing held any significance anymore. Lola was merely a name. Hew, Matt, Mike, and Tom were just some musicians. Michael? Just a dull, irritating kid. My parents? It felt as if they were deceased. Lifeless and resurrected. Everything seemed to be in a state of decay, undeserving of existence.

The veins on my hands and legs grew progressively darker, their extremities turning completely obsidian.

I almost wanted to interrupt her meditation and ask her what was happening when I realized that the lightning tornado around us had stopped expanding. I was in the center of the storm, in the eye of a giant hurricane that was going to crush on me any moment.

“Look at it, is it not the most beautiful thing you ever saw in your life?” - she suddenly said.

Indeed, it was awe-inspiring. It felt akin to standing on the shore of the ocean, gazing at a 500-meter-high tsunami wave right before it engulfed you, marveling at the intricate patterns in the foam.

"Isn't it worth dying for?" She spoke, catching me off guard. "Just look at this beauty – a fusion of beauty and power! It's the pinnacle, the ultimate goal for any dark magic practitioner. Countless have spent their lives preparing for a chance at this, and countless have failed. It might be the sole path to surpass a certain threshold in magic power. Beautiful!"

Was she losing her mind? I heard a tinge of madness in her voice and glimpsed a hint of it in her eyes.

But perhaps a touch of madness was necessary to confront something like this.

There was an infectious quality to her words; I couldn't help but acknowledge the mesmerizing beauty of the wall of pure, chaotic energy.

She wasn't deceiving me. In fact, the incredible thunderous cascade began shifting more rapidly, drawing nearer, its intricate colors blending and morphing quickly.

And then, I witnessed it as it reached the caldera's edges, rolling concentrically towards me. For a very short moment, it resembled the rewind of an atomic explosion on a film reel.

In the next second, I found myself engulfed in a maelstrom of thunder, with lightning bolts flashing like searing welding flames all around me. Flo had her hands apart, and her screams of agony blended with the overwhelming roar of the thunderfire engulfing us both.

Then my heart stopped. Did it ever beat? After some time, the welding ceased as well.

I floated in the air within a swirling dust vortex, with the sensation of plummeting into an endless abyss. I couldn't discern how long this endured. Time appeared to stand still. The vortex gradually slowed until it came to a complete stop, leaving me motionless in a frozen landscape. I didn't need to open my eyes; I could perceive everything through magic.

Strange images occupied my mind. Were these my parents? Yes? No! Yes! Oh, these were White Flower's parents! And that kid, that is Mephisto!

And the woman who holds me tight to her breast... It was Cala's mother, and those were the last moments I was in her arms!

Tears came to my eyes as I felt her warm arms around my tiny body!

Was a life still worth seeking? What would be the purpose of it? Seeking revenge? See him once again? See my parents once again?

But my parents are dead?

No, those were White Flower's parents; my parents still exist!

Then I felt like an electroshock, like hundreds of volts flowing through my body, and my heart started again to beat while I landed like a ragged doll with its strings cut on the strangely dusted floor, on all four, exhausted, panting hard. Rebooting my body was much harder this time.

I know, I still wondered, looking down at my hands: how is it so much dust here after all this?

“that. was. hard.” - I said

She waited for several seconds before answering, looking with horror at the hurricane's walls slowly enlarging around me. I heard only my hard breathing, trying to recover.

“We... are... so… dead...” was her unexpected answer, then after a while, she added, speaking slowly, unnaturally calm, “A third wave is forming. I've never heard, it was never mentioned, it either never existed or nobody survived it... ”

We both stood silent for some time and then she spoke again.

“It was an honor to be with you. I am sorry it had to end like this...”

“Don't worry," - I answered - "at least we are worm-free now!”

Funnily enough, I could talk even if she was in the lead?

She chuckled, then she started to laugh.