I remember that most people are afraid of the dark when they are young. I don’t recall ever being afraid; my vision was simply reduced by a lack of light. I’m not afraid of monsters or death. If they exist, they exist—so what? So what if it turns out we disappear when we die? Matter and energy get recycled in the universe, so it just means that version of myself is what disappears, and I become a part of someone else. I never bothered to fret over things I know nothing about, and so I...

My cozy thoughts were interrupted by a moving image before me. This video was both foreign and familiar. A frail body lay in a hospital bed, surrounded by tearful people. Medical personnel pumped medicine into the broken body. This frail creature fought to stay alive day after day, just to be there for those who would be sad when they were gone.

With little else to do at first, this person spent a lot of time resting and researching treatments, but eventually, they noticed the loneliness of the other occupants in the ward. A nearby room was filled with what I could only guess were terminally ill children. The doctors and nurses seemed to avoid that ward as much as possible, for no one with a heart wants to watch children die—especially in a slow and painful manner.

The frail being began spending time reading stories to the children. They enjoyed having this person around. Somehow, the children knew that the kind individual who read to them was also dying, and that seemed to make them want to be closer. Perhaps it made their kindness seem more genuine.

Time passed, and some children got better and left, while others passed away. Even in the saddest times, this frail body was there, never cowering away from the pain.

Then one day, there was mass panic and evacuation of the medical facility. People ran, screaming, and I looked around, realizing that everyone was trying to escape.

A nurse rushed in, frantically preparing the patient for transport. She was a heavyset but strong middle-aged woman, her brown hair streaked with gray. The patient remembered her as a kind and gentle figure.

“What’s happening?” the frail being asked.

“We’re evacuating!” the nurse replied hurriedly.

“The city?” the patient groaned, confused.

“The state!” the nurse exclaimed as she continued to pack the patient’s belongings.

“Why? What’s happening?” the patient asked weakly.

“That new experimental fusion plant in town is going to explode!”

The sickly person remembered hearing about the new, revolutionary power plant that was supposed to provide free energy. Wasn’t it meant to be a safe, non-nuclear reaction? The patient thought weakly.

“Explode? Large enough to take out the state? How?”

“No one knows! Not even the damn scientists who built it. Somehow it’s releasing radiation of all types, including gamma!” the nurse shouted, panic evident in her voice.

“No one is shutting it off?” the patient asked in disbelief.

“Everyone who was in that building when it went awry is dead! Its radiation levels could kill an elephant in half an hour!” the nurse insisted.

“Go help the others,” the patient said, trying to sound resolute. The nurse hesitated, caught in an internal struggle.

“We have to move now!” she urged.

“No, I think we both know I don’t have much longer left, and there are others who can be saved that you can help instead.”

The nurse seemed reluctant to leave, visibly battling with the choice to abandon someone she cared for. The patient could feel that the nurse genuinely wanted to stay until the end.

“Carol,” the patient exclaimed, standing up from the wheelchair they had been placed in.

“I’m going there,” the frail figure pointed at the power plant.

“That’s suicide!” the nurse protested, stunned by the patient’s sudden resolve.

“Carol, I’m saying this because we’re friends, but no one has ever stopped me from doing what I’ve truly set my mind to. So shut up and get out of my way!”

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“WAKE UUP!!!!” Theresa screamed, jolting me awake as she shook me back and forth.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, still dazed.

“You fell asleep and were still in the void!” she shouted.

“Oh, gods!” I exclaimed in panic.

“Yeah, well, we’ve got more issues than just where we are—look!” Theresa pointed at Nemo.

The door was in its partially transparent state, allowing us to look outside. The Crawler had latched itself onto Nemo's face, attempting to infiltrate his mind. It was meeting strong resistance, both from Nemo himself and the door’s enchantments that prevented any alteration to the magical vault. Those same enchantments had made me stay awake for days at a time in the void.

Scarlet was on our side, using her healing magic, which seemed to be helping Nemo in the fight of wills. Her hands were placed on the inside of the door as she poured her spell and will into it. Good thinking, Mother! Honestly, I would have underestimated her here. I had barely come to the conclusion that the void was a darkness attribute and healing was a light attribute with a slight holy factor.

I had pushed myself too hard trying to create more time before the imminent battle with Jack of Blades. I was trying to buy enough time for Scarlet to give birth to my soon-to-be younger sibling before the battle. The repeated overexertions, combined with my lack of coffee, had worn me down. Even a strong will cannot stop the body from needing sleep.

With the Crawler latched onto Nemo, we couldn’t just leave the void. We would end up bringing it with us. I couldn’t go outside and fight it myself, or I’d risk being corrupted by the void and the Crawler. There wasn’t a straightforward way to resolve this issue.

“Thanks to the Archon’s enchantments, Nemo’s will, and Scarlet’s healing, we have some time before the Crawler could break in. Even if I started adding healing magic myself, it wouldn’t stop the inevitable. We are, as they say, ‘UP SHIT CREEK.’”

I paced back and forth, trying to think of something. Come on, Arn, think! I said to myself. As I fidgeted with a grain of sand in my pocket, an idea struck me. The Crawler is powerful, but if I could injure it enough, it would keep a safe distance long enough for us to escape without risking its entry into Albion.

The grain of sand I now held in my hand was a crystal of concentrated light. If anything could cause a lasting injury long enough for us to escape, it was this. The Crawler was born of cancer and darkness, so in theory, it would share the same weaknesses as those two things.

I had two options: one, I could touch the blue enchantment lines of Nemo and use will light energy over the entire demon door space, or two, I could blast the Crawler with light directly, which would be more effective. The problem with the first option was will energy consumption; the second option’s issue was that most spectrums of light won’t pass through the stone. There is one kind of light that does pass through the stone and is especially effective against cancer: it’s called “Gamma Rays!”

I focused my will on setting my light spell world to create a gamma blast. Surprisingly, it was easy, as if I were somehow familiar with that spectrum of light—a subconscious knowledge that filled in the blanks. With my gamma blast ready, I made sure to prepare a swift change to a secondary spell form to use next.

I explained the plan to my family. The first part was to gamma blast the Crawler back away from the opening. Once it was off Nemo's face, Scarlet would impose her Physical Shield spell over the door opening using the blue lines. Another reason I needed to use the gamma blast was that only one person can impose their will onto an enchantment at a time without unpredictable effects. Next, once the barrier was up to keep out the void, Nemo could open the door so I could fire my light crystal at the enemy.

This would be the second spell form I would use. Light can actually push an object; it has a physical force that can be observed in space or a void. So I’d be focusing on reinforcing this aspect of light. I’d call this limited attack “Light Bullet.”

With a great shriek, my gamma blast hit the Crawler. With little time to recover, Nemo still managed to respond.

“Mothers putting up a shield! Nemo, OPEN the door!” Theresa explained hurriedly.

The door reacted quickly, opening the way.

The doorway opened to reveal a blue glowing barrier. Thankfully, the barrier kept out the void, just as I had hoped. When William Black came here, he must not have had a physical shield up. Theresa blasted a volley of multi-arrow shots to obscure my real attack. We only had one shot at this, and if the Crawler reacted in time to dodge, we would be completely screwed.

My worries were unnecessary, as my “Light Bullet” moved faster than can be perceived. Most people cannot see a bullet coming at them, so I should have guessed that a light crystal pushed by a beam of light would be equally swift. The Crawler howled in agony as it cursed and threatened us from afar. I took that moment to have Nemo close the door and move into Albion’s space, sealing the entryway behind us immediately.

Overcautious from too many characters from horror movies, I used my will and light magic to scan through Nemo’s enchanted circuitry. The Crawler had been latched onto Nemo for too long. Thankfully, the anti-change enchantment would prevent lasting damage to his mind. He seemed to be fine but perhaps a little traumatized.

Then I found what I was looking for, hiding within the anti-change enchantment itself. The Crawler's infection thought it was clever and had hidden itself in the anti-virus software. I blasted the dark poison with some well-controlled gamma radiation until it was no more.

“Well, everyone, for better or worse, it looks like it’s time to head home,” I sighed, shaking my head.

“Can’t we just go back into the void?” Scarlet questioned.

“No, they will be looking for us now,” I answered.

“It will be a long time before the beings in the void calm down after this,” Theresa added. I could tell she was guessing from the available information I’d provided her and what she had observed happening around us. She was actually right, and her chiming in made it easier for me.

“Being invisible won’t stop them from finding us if they check every inch of the void with means we cannot fathom,” I explained, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter.

“Everyone did good work. Mother, your quick thinking with healing Nemo was good and possibly saved us all. I screwed up, and now it’s time to head home.”