Chapter 64
An Unexpected Reunion
Thump.
As if falling from his death in a dream, only to be suddenly jarred awake by his spirit suddenly landing within his body, Frank was suddenly awake.
Dead to the world and all related senses one second, then back and fully alive.
Gasp.
Just awakening, Frank felt that he had changed, though what exactly had changed was hard for him to fully process.
Moving his arms and legs still felt the same.
Similarly, the two different polarities of Qi running through his body also felt the same. Yet, he couldn’t help but think that something fundamental had changed about his mind and body.
That was when Frank tried to summon forth his Status screen, only to see that it was unavailable.
Startled.
Frank suddenly rose to his feet, pulling the blanket and rattling some odd plates, books and other items that had been placed around him.
At the sudden clamoring of sounds, Frank also heard the presence of others coming in to join him.
Only now did he realize that he was in an open hut room. Somehow, he knew it was a hut, even though his mind could only now place together the reasons why. In a way the room felt like Déjà vu mixed with an odd calming effect that never seems to accompany true Déjà vu like acts.
For his mind both felt this moment, felt the incongruity of it, but also seemed to accept this moment.
That was when Frank realized something fundamental about his current condition.
Someone is injecting thoughts into my mind.
That was the only reason so many different impulses made no sense to him. The scene he was in right now was meant to be Déjà vu, like he had experienced this moment before. But the only problem was, he had never experienced something like this before in his life.
This was a hut, his mind all but told him it was a hut. He also was being influenced, by the idea that this was a natural place for him. That this was nothing more than an average hut, with nothing overtly important to notice. But it was these forced undertones to his thoughts that forced the incongruity of the scene before him. These foreign thoughts failed to take into consideration that huts, especially thatched huts like this one, were only read about in stories.
Also, looking around, Frank saw the signs of light and shadow dancing through gaps in the thatching. These were actions that Frank had grown to accept as normal during his time on the surface, but were still noted as novelty to him.
No, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that someone was trying to subtly influence his mind. Then with an intense force of will, he managed to create a mental sphere around his core thoughts.
There was also a weird way one particular shadow seemed to be resistant to the light, as if dancing closer to Frank through the nearby shadows, while trying to make as direct a path to Frank as possible.
This didn’t stop the illusion, not that he thought this room was an illusion.
Chuckle.
Now that Frank could focus, he could almost hear the sounds of the dancing shadow, one that all but seemed to laugh at how easy it had been to get this close to Frank.
What the shadow didn’t know was that Frank had long ago learned the art of staying perfectly calm and still. This was part of his personal training as a pre-cultivator, but also the only way to survive in the slums.
There he had to hide often from Luther and his cronies, hiding in vents, or ducts where if he was discovered he would easily be dealt with. In such tight spaces, his sounds would double and echo around, alerting everyone to his presence.
That was why Frank was able to stay perfectly still in his mind and body, watching the shadow think it had lulled Frank into acquiescence. All the while Frank waited, cycling his Qi and building up just enough to lace around his fists.
Then finally when the shadow got to within the base of the bed he was in, that was when Frank struck out.
SHATTER!
Frank’s Qi infused earth fist slammed into the shadow, and instantly broke the entire dreamscape.
Once again Frank felt his spirit plummeting, as his spirit fell to earth and then he landed in his body once more.
Frank startled with a jarring shock to reality, but this time something was different about his awakening.
This time he managed to stay awake the entire time.
Now he was in a different location, still above ground, still dealing with the light of the morning sun shining through letting him know that he should already be awake.
The only problem was that, once again, these were someone else’s thoughts that were meant to influence his own mind.
It was clear that this was not his first time fighting through the dreamscapes of this opponent, but it was clear that this was the first time he managed to maintain his own awareness through the cycles.
This time before the charade could even begin, Frank who still had positively charged energy fused to his fist, now quickly wove an alternate thread around the same fist so that the cords ran in parallel around his clenched fist.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Then before anything made any moves or gave him time to relax Frank struck out.
This time he jumped up, and began shattering the bed he was in. Then when the world inevitably broke around him, he struck at the air while falling, this too created a shattered reality. Through which he struck out over and over, using both hands and eventually his own feet to strike out.
It was a battle of wills at this point, and Frank was too stubborn to quit, as such he found himself fighting and breaking through reality after reality.
No longer were the shadows laughing at him or seeming to taunt him. Even the rate that the shattering of dream realms happened seemed to slow down. Until finally it was just Frank, and the lingering traces of energy around him.
Fine.
Then slowly the lingering energy seemed to fade, as he could almost feel it accept the state of this match.
With that contest over, Frank blinked once and found that he was finally in control over his body.
“He has awakened,” the voice of an old man exclaimed.
Now Frank’s mind and consciousness could feel that there were other entities around him. Once again, Frank began to take in mental recognition of where he was, but then found that once again the connection between him and Constance was somehow interrupted. Had it always been? Or was that a new feature.
Honestly, only now that Frank was actively searching his mind did he try to see his connection to Constance. And to his surprise, he found that while the connection was there, he couldn’t feel Constance at the other end of the line.
“You have questions?” The old man asked, clearly seeing the confusion run over Frank’s face.
During this time, Frank saw a few other people in the hut with him.
Looking around, this appeared to almost be an exact copy of the hut that Frank had been attacked by the shadow in, but he had broken through that altered reality many times.
Seeing the room, Frank instinctively began infusing Qi into his hands, just as he had in his dreams, but this time the action felt different, it felt real.
“You’ve seen this place before?” The old man asked, drawing Frank’s attention to him the way one might a startled bull that suddenly found itself inside a vase factory.
Nodding.
Frank just nodded his head, trying to realize if this was still a test. Then as if coming to a realization, Frank began cycling energy through the nodes in his eyes and mind in such a way that would hopefully break any lingering traces of the corrupting energy he faced.
“What are you talking about,” A second old male asked. This one seemed to be somehow hollow compared to the other elder that was present.
“His eyes, look, he has signs of the gift.” The first old man spoke.
“Nonsense, the gift can’t form after just one soaking in the great waters.” The second elder stated, though even as he spoke he began to get closer to Frank.
As he got closer, Frank turned his eyes and was mentally prepared to strike out at the apparition that was heading towards him. Only after seeing the intense focus in his gaze did he take a step back, though still seemed to lean forward as if inspecting Frank the way a curious wolf would, while silently evaluating a future meal.
Only now, after making the mental connection did Frank begin to see a faint outline of a familiar large feral wolf around the old man.
Startled.
Frank saw the bird and instantly remembered it as the bird that could call forth lightning from the sky. Seeing the creature so close to him, Frank found himself once again calling more earth energy to him. Though this time there was an extra form of energy that he was not used to, a new type that seemed to interfere with the way he entered the ground earlier, though oddly enough he did feel that he had grown slightly stronger by being exposed to this new form of energy that was in his body.
The new energy almost felt like it had always had room in his body, but now he found a way to fill his body with this new energy.
“I’d watch out there, as he seems to be able to see what you really are.” The elder wolf spoke, and as he did, Frank once again turned his gaze to this person. Though unlike last time, Frank could see the immensely powerful spirit of an elder wolf that seemed to extend beyond his body as well. Though this wolf was leaner and wirier than their slightly younger counterpart
“What, that is impossible,” younger wolf protested.
“Afraid not, look at his neck, you can see the mark of the All-Father right there, showing he was chosen,” the wolf elder stated, and then leaning in seemed to come to a conclusion on his own. “No wonder he seemed to shrug off the mysteries of the lake’s embrace.”
Hearing the comment, and seeing where the two were looking, Frank instinctively reached up a hand to the noted area, where he could feel that one of his two dark blessings seemed to be inflamed and almost bulging its way out of his skin near his exposed collarbone.
Feeling the burning sensation and familiar mark on his neck, Frank understood that their name of the All-Father was likely their name for the Dark Warlock. As his mind was going over this, he paused and found himself asking.
“The Lake’s Embrace?”
“Yes, the dream like state it puts your body through, while the waters try to heal your mind, body, and soul. You should count yourself lucky, for most either go into a coma, go mad, or rely upon the strength of a sacred animal to break free of such a state. Whereas you seem to have done so on your own, without any real assistance,” the wolf elder stated while stroking his silver stubble of a beard.
“What that is impossible, he’d have to be reborn as one of our kind in order for the healing waters to truly take effect.” The other wolf, who was clearly a guardian protector of the elder wolf argued.
“And yet, here he is, and as you can tell he can both cycle energy, while not hosting the power of a great animal spirit.”
“But he is clearly an edge walker,” The guardian wolf exclaimed, even though it mostly seemed that he was trying to convince himself of this revelation.
“Exactly, quite intriguing, though it explains the blessing of the All-Father, that blessing alone should grant this boy free passage on any of our lands.” The elder explained, seemingly as much for Frank as for the guard who suddenly looked sick at the idea of letting Frank go.
“Wait, you are going to let an unnatured leave here, after seeing the sacred waters and even bathing in their essence?” The young guardian asked.
Tinitus.
As the two continued to argue about Frank’s fate. Frank couldn’t help but feel something was off, again mentally he reached out to the now empty socket of his mind where his connection to Constance should be. While he often dreaded her being able to read his thoughts and find out his location, he found that he now missed the sensation of somehow being connected to her on a deeper level.
“Is something wrong?” The elder paused to ask.
At first Frank wanted to shake his head and answer no, as the last thing he wanted was to let these two know anything about him. Right now, he was planning his escape plan. Which as of now involved the two leaving him alone long enough for him to make a getaway, since that was as far as he had gotten in his escape plans, he decided to wait, until either he felt threatened, or he had a more concrete plan in place.
The only other thing Frank noticed was that the mental compass in his mind, the one that pointed him roughly west and towards his ultimate goal was somehow also muted.
Again, these odd discrepancies, along with the mental attacks he felt he had suffered seemed to indicate that some form of mental manipulation was happening here, which only caused Frank to mentally lock down his thoughts and focus on trying to draw too much attention to himself.
“No,” Frank answered finally.
The old wolf just seemed to look at Frank as a slightly golden hue glinted in the old man’s gaze.
Shiver.
Frank could tell there was a hint of energy in that gaze, but he couldn’t tell what kind if any.
“I see…” the old man stated.
KABOOOM!
But before anything else could happen a violent explosion of force ripped through the air, while violently shaking the ground a half second later.
Finally it seemed that Frank would once again get his chance to escape these strange lands.
***
(Gunnery Sergeant Pi)
It had taken days to track down the target. In fact, it was finally at the point when Sergeant Pi regretted ever going on this purging mission to begin with, as she now found herself in a far worse situation than she began.
Pain.
Bone dry pain.
There was an intense hollow sensation that simultaneously gave Gunnery Sergeant Pi energy to move on, and motivation to end this one task quickly.
She had been promised freedom, but before she could rest, she had but one job to do. To free the very monster that had started this whole process for her.
Clinching the burning spot on her neck, former Sergeant Pi, or at least she would be a former Sergeant if she ever dared to show her face with her old platoon, felt her mind try to fight against the commands given to her.
Go, go onto the lands of the bring back Frank Fotos.
That was the last command given, and now every second she wasn’t actively working towards that goal, her own blood felt like it would boil away from within her own body.
That was why she moved, that was why she pushed herself and her dying powers even now.
Focusing her will on an enemy within her range, she steadied her mind and activated her Magma Burst powers.
Using her powers like this forced her to change faster, for the sooner she got rid of the last of her moral Qi, the earlier she would finally be allowed to either die, or worse turn into one of the enemies.
However, until the change fully occurred, she was stuck in this tormented limbo where her own body would burn itself away.
For a moment she thought this would be better than being corrupted, but it was hard to resist when death was staring at her. She didn’t know how the monsters had done it, they found her Blue, and even the Major and managed to convert them all into a group who still had the goal of hunting down and finding Frank. But then once they found him, they could not hurt him, or at least that is what they were told.
The fact that vampires, and not just any vampires came to find Frank showed that they were doing the right thing all along.
But now, she too felt the call and pull on her very soul. She felt the way her soul felt like it was on fire when she tried to resist.
“Come on, we are close, I can all but feel his stench,” Major demanded, “besides, it looks like we can at least take down some shifters while we are at it.”
And like that, Pi felt a bit more resolve push her body forward, all while she felt part of her humanity get ripped away with each and every strike she made at the enemy.
She was going to die, she had to, even if she was ordered not to. For she could not take this injustice, and she refused to be another statistic of a friend turned in combat. That is why she plotted and figured she would choose the moment when she would take her own life, and maybe those of her compatriots. And if she was really lucky, she would also take down Frank as well.
Burble burble.
Her blood boiled from within at that very thought, letting her know it was the right choice to make, a choice she would have to make when the time came.
And the time was almost upon them.