Chapter 15

Darkness.

Thick and unrelenting, yet, there was something deeper in the darkness. That is of course if Frank was brave enough to find his way out of the darkness.

The Darkness clung to him, like a thick wet blanket that seemed to almost suffocate if you held still for too long. If you gave in and stopped struggling.

“Give up.”

A mocking voice echoed out in the darkness.

It would be easy, almost too easy to give up. But that wasn’t Frank, he didn’t quit when every day was a living hell at Luther’s hands. He didn’t quit when he plummeted to his seeming death, fought off a death serpent, and then fought off hundreds of plague rodents.

He didn’t quit, when he felt that everything he had worked for, his second awakening was just a dream. And he didn’t quit before he exacted much deserved revenge on Luther Camello, the person who forced this abnormal state on Frank right now.

Cycling his energy, Frank stood up.

In his mind he knew that the green energy of life was diametrically opposed to the darkness. That green energy was life, and darkness was the end of all life. He knew these things, as he could feel both parts taking equal control over parts of his body.

There was of course a problem.

When Frank tried to stand up, that was when he realized he both stood up, and didn’t. His life energy told him that his body was still laying flat on a soft cloud. While in his mind he stood up in the darkness.

“Lie down.”

“Relax.”

“It will all be over soon.”

These words and more came to him, speaking directly into his mind.

“No.” Frank muttered defiantly, feeling the word echo in the world around him. He took this as a good sign, as it meant he was starting to see the difference between the realm of sleep and the realm of living.

He was sleeping, that much he was certain of. It was in that same odd cadence that everything in a dream makes sense, until you slowly start to point out the lack of knowledge and insight into key characteristics of the dream. As a kid who was often plagued by nightmares, Frank had to come up with ways to detect dreams from reality, then once he awoke in a dream it was his job to change the storyline of the dream. If the dream was too scary, focus on a better story and let that one take root.

That is what Frank did now, only to realize that while he could control his own thoughts, there was an external force that was here. Something that kept the darkness in place.

Logically Frank knew that he should be frightened of the darkness, that it should fill him with dread. Yet, the more he focused his will on the current situation, the more he realized he could control the darkness, if he exerted control over it. If he exerted his will over the darkness it could and would bend to his whims.

Focusing, his will Frank demanded that the darkness move away from him.

Nothing.

That wasn’t right, he knew it just as he tried the command. No, darkness wasn’t the problem. Pausing, Frank tried to understand what the problem was. He could feel the power, and swore that it would bend to his will, yet when he tried to push it away, it didn’t go anywhere.

Then Frank realized the solution.

If you can’t push the problem away, then pull it closer. Pull it into you.

So that is what Frank did, he pulled the darkness into him.

Thick slimy streams of energy pulled into him, into his body. As it entered his body and mind there was a slight burning sensation, the same that was akin to having a good workout, one that pushed the muscles to the brink and then stopped.

The more energy he pulled into himself and accepted as part of his body, the more he could see around him. Unlike how most might assume this went, where he could see further away and then slowly see what was right before him, this was not the case. Instead, it went reverse, where he began drawing in the energy that immediately around him, revealing smooth marble tile floors under him.

The tiles of the floor in his mind were polished to perfection, showing a bright gleam of light that hinted at being the refraction of burning flames.

“Oh look, he is trying to kill himself.”

“Looks like he will be joining us here shortly.”

The voices from within the darkness still called out and spoke, but they suddenly seemed to be clearer. Now Frank could tell them apart, as each voice had slightly different inclinations. One was old and wise, while the other seemed younger but filled with strength and bravado.

Not quitting his actions, Frank continued to pull in the darkness, revealing more and more black tiles and eventually revealing stone walls that stretched upwards into the sky above. Only after seeing the walls and the way the stone walkway stretched on before him, did he realize he was in a hallway.

He pulled more dark energy into him, and finally saw the burning torches that caused the lights to dance on the stone walkway before him. Also, as soon as he could see the torches, he could begin to hear the crackles of the flames burning, their sparks of life echoing around the chamber, hitting the remaining spots of darkness and then fading out of existence.

Frank continued to pull in the energy, though it was getting harder the further away the energy was. Frank tried to take a step forward, only to find that his feet were melded into place the way only a dreamscape could make seem believable. Still, this was not the worst dream that Frank had found himself in and realized that as soon as he saw through the darkness was the moment, he would regain control over his body. That was the moment he would be able to leave this dreamscape, and it was a dreamscape, Frank was certain of that much, at least.

Realizing that he was stuck in place and that this was just a test of his mind, or something further, Frank pushed on.

“Oh, look the mighty titan tries to move, only to find out that the world is too hard to resist.” The mocking voice of the elder speaker came from the left.

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“He will die just like the rest.” The younger and more brash voice mocked from the right.

Gritting his teeth, Frank forced a smile. Well, that’s what others called this look, though this was really Frank’s personal snarl, this was the look he had adopted for most of his life. The girt your teeth, turn your lips up and prepare your face for the smack, punch, or kick that the world is about to send your way.

Hello, the name’s Frank, and I won’t give up, and you can’t make me quit.

Frank thought to himself as he focused his mind, drowned out the voices of the naysayers and continued to pull in the darkness. It was not only a question of power but of perseverance, this task. The more he pulled, the further the motes of dark energy remained, making it harder to reach out and grab the farthest points.

“Oh look, he does think that he can do this before death overtakes him.” The mocking voice of the elder called out, by now Frank could see the outline of his feet, and a dark black robe that almost looked like a silk curtain for a moment covering the form of a tall frail figure who wore what Frank would assume was the robe of an occultist. Someone who was enamored with death and sacrifices to the old Gods.

Glancing right, he saw similar but different features.

On the right side of the hallway, directly parallel from the hooded elder speaker, stood a statue of black obsidian polished armor. Though it was clear that someone was in the armor given the way it would bend and shift its weight slightly from side to side. As more was revealed, Frank saw a drawn black visor that only let out a faint red glow.

The glow was meant to be eerie, but in Frank’s mind, that look only seemed to make sense.

By now, the darkness was mostly gone. The stone walkway eventually led to steps that began to rise upwards once Frank got past the two speakers. This was the toughest part, as these particles were clearly the farthest away, and therefore required the most effort to pull and absorb into himself.

Still, Frank pressed on, determined to see what lay beyond in the darkness.

As the darkness began to fade, details began to become clear. He saw the outlines of solid slabs of obsidian that were lined with golden threads reaching up from the ground.

On the ground he saw one black boot that looked somehow elegant and slender. On the corners of the sides, he saw the markings of handrails where a feminine right hand rested almost lazily, while on the left was a slender elbow that seemed to have dark purple skin. At the top, were the ornate markings of golden spikes that shot up from an obsidian backing. In his mind, Frank understood the overall image, this was a dark throne some kind. Which in Frank’s mind meant that the person sitting on the throne had to be the ruler. That was the only thing that made sense, and that was part of the fundamental logic of dreams. That was how dreams worked, there was a throne, someone sat in the throne, that person who sat in the throne was the ruler.

Frank was certain of the fact that the ruler of this odd dreamscape was sitting in the throne that was covered by a giant black circular dot, just as much as he was certain that this was a dream. A dream he would wake up from, once he finished seeing the image that this dream wished to show to him.

Renewed by the fact that this dream was nearly over, Frank pressed on, revealing more and more of the image before him.

Slowly, the image took shape. When Frank originally only saw one boot on the ground, that was because the second boot was slightly higher up, dangling over a knee. It took a second for Frank to realize that the ruler in the throne not only didn’t mind showing off their long purple legs, but that they felt completely comfortable here. Well they should, as this was likely their hall, meaning they had supremacy here. Still, the ruler sat in the giant throne with her legs crossed. A fact that was proven by the way a short black skirt was all that protected her modesty. That skirt, and the fact that the legs were crossed and turned slightly to the right, made it so there was no doubt that the ruler was completely uninterested in Frank.

The more Frank revealed, the more he saw the signs of contempt. The right hand that now began to tap annoyedly on the right armrest. The way the left hand held a face that was still concealed by darkness. The way the ruler had her entire body turned at an angle to Frank.

It was at this point that Frank realized that even in his dreams girls were annoyed by having to deal with him.

Finally, the last traces of darkness were removed, revealing the beautiful face of a monster. The ruler, a queen, was clearly a monster. Everything showed that this person was a monster. Everything from their smooth purple skin to their black nails, to silver hair, their unnaturally symmetrical face, their black horns that glowed with dark energy, and piercing red eyes that stared violently to the right, well Frank’s left.

Frank looked and saw two glowing red lights on the walls, right where the demon queen was staring.

“There, done.” Frank said, as he spoke, he could feel his control over his mind and body come back to him. This was the last thing he needed to break the hold that this dreamscape had on his mind.

Just as he spoke, the ruler who had been staring off annoyedly at the wall broke from her own musings. Then with a look of surprise, she turned her head to Frank, who was already in the process of awakening. He could already feel his legs and arms, there was a slight weight on his torso, but that was nothing for Frank as he knew if he focused he could and would awaken.

“Wait, you did it?” The demon queen asked, incredulously as she stared at Frank.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” Frank said, then raising his middle finger as a final gesture to ruler, Frank felt his connection to the dream world break. Honestly, Frank couldn’t tell why he felt like flicking the demon queen of his dream world off. Maybe it was the complete look of contempt that she had on her, as if looking at Frank was something beneath her time. In a way, she reminded Frank of every girl, except for Maddie, the little sister of his longtime rival. That thought flashed in his mind at the speed that only dreams can afford, then just as he saw a look of surprise cross the Demon Queen’s face, his connection to the dream world was finally broken.

Gasp.

Frank felt his body jerk to life, as he began taking in deep panting breaths. For whatever reason that last part, the part of pressure on his chest always forced him to take deep breaths once he awoke. It almost felt like he was somehow able to enter the dreamworld so long as he held his breath.

Movement.

“You’re awake,” a female voice said, as she peered around a long curtain that seemed to dangle in the middle of the room. “I’ll go fetch the doctor.”

Then like that the woman wearing an odd gray uniform left just as quickly as she came.

Seeing the curtains Frank wondered if he was at home, for that was how many of the houses in the slums sectioned off different rooms. Yet, looking down at the floor he saw smooth marble tiles, that were roughly the same shape and size as the ones from his dream, but not the same color. For one these tiles were opal white, while the ones in his dream were obsidian black. Though, the tiles on the floor did seem to let Frank rest a little easier, as he realized his mind must have seen the tiles and incorporated them as part of his holistic dream that he had been having.

With that, Frank felt a bit of tension leave him, as there was something about that dream that made it feel a little too real. Frank was about to relax completely, when he felt minor discomforts all over his body.

These were the same stiff discomforts one would have, if they had been laying in spot for too long. A quick cycling of the green energy within his body fixed these minor aches, but that caused more problems in his mind. By now, Frank was certain that he was not at home. The tile floor and the odd white panel ceiling with black holes made it apparent that he was not home, but then the question was, where exactly was he?

Judging by the uniform of the person who came to visit him, Frank began to piece together that he was likely in a hospital, but when and where? Then another question hit him, and that was how could he afford such care? He didn’t have a job, did he? He had signed the contract to start hazmat cleaning on Monday, but as far as he could tell, Monday was the day he was re-awakened.

He was re-awakened, right? Then feeling internally, he felt the dark power that felt like he could use it to reach out and destroy anything in the room around him.

Then he remembered back to the day of the re-awakening. One where he had been attacked and almost killed by Luther. Suddenly the smiling smirk on his face came unbidden to his mind. He remembered the way Luther had been in charge of setting up his energy cells for his second awakening. The way he had forced darkness energy into his body, and how that energy almost killed him.

It only took a second for Frank to remember the moment he snapped. The moment he realized he was going to die, but he wouldn’t die peacefully, the moment he reached out and felt the darkness within Luther. It wasn’t much, likely some residual poison from what he did to the energy cell, but that was more than enough for Frank to use and harness. Frank remembered the moment that power coursed through his nemesis. How easy it was to kill with the power. All it took was a minor flexing of his mind to cause Luther to collapse in complete pain. Then a second, albeit more forceful application to completely destroy the boy’s body.

Sadly, thinking back on it, Frank realized that he enjoyed that sensation. Not the fact that he killed, but the fact that he killed his would be killer. Revenge, it felt so good.

Movement.

There was more movement as this time no less than three sets of feet came forward through the curtain. There was an older female, clearly a doctor, given her uniform. Then behind her were two military guards. Seeing them, Frank realized that something was going on. The faces of the two soldiers was far too serious for this to be a cordial visit.

In his mind, he knew that they were likely here to discuss the death of Luther, a B-Rank talent who obviously meant more to the military than he did as an F-Rank talent.

Pausing for a moment, Frank wondered if he improved his ranking, only to remember Holsy’s words. The ones that said he would forever be F-Rank due to his initial awakening placing him at the F-Rank.

“I’m glad you are back in the realm of the living. You had us worried there for a moment.” The female doctor said cordially, as she came forward and pulsed green energy into Frank.

Tingle.

The pulse so condensed and pure that Frank couldn’t help but feel his body reaching out to grab it and pull it into himself. This was akin to how an empty stomach would feel after having food dangled right in front of him.

“Oh, my. I keep forgetting that you are a re-awakened.” The doctor said, with a momentary pause.

Hearing that Frank could only wince at the comment. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I forgot to tell you that I will need you to let this energy cycle through you.”

“Okay,” Frank said.

Then he felt a second stronger current of green life energy pulse through his body. Relaxed breath. As the energy current made its rounds Frank felt a sigh of relief come to him as he could feel the healing energy finding bad pockets along his meridians and resting comfortably to heal the broken edges.

Everything was going well for a moment.

“Good, your primary meridians are completely fine and healthy. Now to check on your secondary meridians.” The doctor said, as she then took the green energy and pushed it down the second set of meridians. These were the series that held the dark energy, the energy that could barely be contained, the ones that felt of death and decay.

Her wholesome energy reached up and touched the darkness infused meridians, and that was when all hell broke loose.

The green energy reached up, caressing the secondary meridians, then the darkness seemed to come to life as it found a new meal source. In an instant, the dark energy surged along the much stronger and thicker green current of energy, out of Frank’s body and directly into the hand and arm of the doctor.

“AHH!” The doctor screamed wildly, as she broke contact with Frank’s skin. Seeing her Frank began to panic, as he saw dark veins fill her hand and arm as the darkness began to spread wildly like an untamed cancer within the doctor, eating her alive from the inside.

Thud.

The doctor dropped to the floor, spasming and gasping for breath, a look of fear and desperation filling her as she stared at her arm with complete shock. Seeing the look, it was a look that Frank knew all too well, the look of complete and overwhelming despair.

Seeing her in such a state, and realizing that this was all his fault, Frank acted.

Holding out his hand, he focused on the dark energy that was rampaging within the doctor, then remembering the dream he had just had, he focused his will and pulled.