The hall was no less opulent than the entry room. Instead of marble floors, the hall was carpeted with a soft, almost bouncy, burgundy material. Two rows of thirty mahogany doors lined the hall on both sides, each with the same silver veins. Between the doors were more paintings of the ocean.
As I followed Elara, I also noticed each door had a number. But every fifteen seconds or so, the number shimmered and changed. The lowest number I saw was twenty-two. The highest was eight thousand, nine hundred seven.
I paused in front of one of the doors. “Elara, can I ask a question?”
Elara stopped and turned towards me. “Of course.”
I nodded to the door just as its number turned to forty-eight. “Do those numbers mean anything?”
She nodded. “Yes.” She waved her hand to another number that shifted. “Every hallway can reach any room. Each room is numbered, so finding it again is easy. There is no pattern or reasoning for how the numbers shift, but you can manipulate the number to whatever you want with a bit of mana manipulation. Or, you could just ask me, and I’ll take you wherever you want.”
“So, how many doors are there?” Shadara asked.
The ghostly maid shrugged. “No idea. It’s been proven that whatever number you see on there goes to a unique room.”
I looked at the door one more time and hummed. Well, I guess I’m going to need to pay attention. Then I pointed to a painting with my thumb. “Also, what’s with the paintings of the ocean?”
Elara shook her head. “Apologies, but I don’t know how to answer that. Not because I don’t want to, but because they’ve been here longer than I have and nobody has an answer.” She walked up to a painting and traced her hand along the trim. “But I’ve always liked them.”
I looked at one specific painting of a sunset with an oncoming storm. There was a small island in the distance. These are the pictures people should be taking more of.
I stared at the painting. “All my life, I wanted to get out and see the world. To see the wonders of everything in it that wasn’t built by humans and not be surrounded by so much noise.”
Shadara stepped next to me and leaned forward. “Rina, are you okay?”
I looked at her and smiled. “Yeah.” Then I stepped up and placed my hand on the painting. “While on Earth, I would beg for a chance to see something so majestic. And while I would like to see something like this in person, this is a good close second.” A tear slipped from my eye and trailed down my cheek. “I can’t believe I’m saying this: but I’m glad I died.”
Elara cleared her throat. “That’s quite an interesting reflection. I don’t have such sentiments towards death.”
I flinched. “Sorry. I, uh, wasn’t thinking.”
She waved her head and hand. “Don’t think about it. Being honest with yourself shouldn’t hold any bearing on my opinion of you. Countless souls attempt to climb the Nexus, and each one has a unique story. Your story is your own to write.”
“You told me you had a rough life, but was it really that bad?” Shadara stepped closer to me.
I gave a rueful smile. “In some ways, yeah. Other times, it was tolerable, at best.”
The panther beast woman looked like she was about to say something, but she snapped her mouth shut and instead wrapped her arm around my shoulder. She then grabbed the painting and pulled it off the wall to hand it to me. “Here you go.”
I held the painting. It was heavier than I was expecting, but I could still hold up the two-foot-wide painting. I couldn’t put it down as we walked up to Elara. She placed her hand on a door, and I watched as the numbers on the door shifted to four hundred and fifty-six.
With a push, the door opened into another white portal, and Elara waved to the door and bowed. “Ladies.”
As we stepped into the room, the setting was predictably luxurious. The burgundy carpet under our feet felt plush, and the walls were adorned with paintings of celestial skies, each featuring a different phase of the moon over the ocean. The soothing glow of hanging crystal lamps cast a gentle luminance, which added to the ambiance.
The only mahogany doors in this room didn’t bear the same numbers as on the other side. A grand full-body mirror, adorned with intricate silver filigree, was hung opposite the door, reflecting the elegant atmosphere of the space. However, the focal point was undoubtedly the center of the room.
A pair of golems stood side by side, each almost identical to the other. The golems were towering figures, standing at about eight feet tall with a stout build. Their exteriors were fashioned from deep gray stone, intricately etched with strange symbols along their surfaces. The runes glow softly with a faint bluish hue, pulsating gently. Carved meticulously onto their foreheads were two different symbols. One was a set of four waves, while the other had two small flames.
They were strangely reminiscent of the shaylips from the second floor. They each wore a robe woven from shimmering threads that seemed to shift between different shades of blue and purple depending on the light.
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Elara approached the golems, and as she did, they bowed slightly in unison, acknowledging her presence. “Ladies, here are your masseuses,” she announced, gesturing towards them. Elara waved her hand towards the one with the waves on its head. “Franklin Bartholomew Crispy Kirnonon Montague Eclair the Third,” Elara said with grandiose flair. She then raised her hand to the other golem with the flames on its head. “Golem Number Two." Elara’s voice dropped as she sounded as disappointed as the golem’s name was.
I could feel something in the back of my mind shatter. “Why doesn’t the other one have an equally special name?
Elara frowned without lowering her arms. “Because it rejected every other name we tried.”
Shadara’s eyes widened in fascination. “Wow, impressive.” She walked towards the golems, a hand out to touch them.
Elara’s smile returned. “Despite their unconventional names, they’re quite skilled in the art of massage. Franklin Bartholomew Crispy Kirnonon Montague Eclair the Third here,” she gestured towards the elaborately named golem, “has the most refreshing touch.”
I’m not going to remember that name.
I observed the golems warily and then looked at my arms. I flexed my arm slightly, feeling the metallic nanofibers adjust within me. Will this even work on me?
“What’s up, Rina?” Shadara turned towards me. “Trust me, you’ll feel like a new woman after a good massage.”
I scratched the back of my head. “You know how I said I’ve upgraded my muscles and tendons?” Elara leaned forward while Shadara nodded. I took a quick peek at my energy bar and saw that I had plenty. “Well, it probably would be best if I just showed you.” I set the painting in the bag of holding as a souvenir.
Shadara looked worried as I rolled up one pant leg. This is going to hurt. While I’m a touch curious myself, this is probably stupid. Orange, don’t activate my regeneration immediately. Wait about twenty seconds. Elara took a step forward as I raised my arm blade and sliced into my leg. I dug the blade in, making sure I reached the bone, and pried apart the wound to show the coiled metal muscles.
Elara and Shadara both gasped and ran over to my leg. “Why would you do that to yourself?” Elara’s voice had raised uncomfortably high.
Through the blood seeping around my skin, but not from the metal of my muscles. As I revealed the inner workings of my augmented muscles, the gash exposed an intricate network of coiled metallic nanofibers, arranged in patterns akin to woven threads. My synthetic muscles shimmered faintly within the opened wound.
Shadara touched a finger to the metallic nanofibers, and I flinched at her touch. “That’s metal.” The disbelief in her voice was palpable.
“You aren’t human.” Elara’s words stabbed in my heart.
I, I’m not? After staring into the wound just as it started healing, my thoughts turned darker still. No. How could a human have metal for muscles and regenerate from lethal or crippling wounds?
Despite the wound’s severity, the nanofibers showed no sign of distress. Instead, their alignment adjusted, allowing me full range of motion. Shadara was right. How long before I’m more machine than human?
As Frankie stepped forward, its glowing runes intensified momentarily, casting a soft azure hue around its stony form. It gestured towards a pair of comfortable-looking massage chairs, urging us to take a seat.
Elara covered her mouth and stepped back. “I don’t know what to say. That’s frightening and fascinating. How are you healing so fast?”
I wiped the blood from my leg and rolled my pant leg back down. “Those nanites I told you about. I don’t know how to feel about any of this.”
Golem Number Two performed the same bow towards the chairs. Elara looked at the golems. “They seem to think that they can service you. So—”she shrugged“—why not? It is not my place to judge, only to provide a service.”
Shadara rubbed her hand through her hair. “This is what you did to yourself. I warned you. I asked you where you would draw the line.” She then grabbed my shoulders. “But no matter what happens, you are still you. And you were right. You got us past the sphinx’s challenge. I won’t begin to pretend to guess what any of this means.”
I lifted my hands and clenched my fists. “I don’t know either.”
Shadara’s tail and ears drooped. “You are challenging my understanding of everything. Maybe I was too harsh to judge you so quickly.” She rubbed her arm. “You haven’t changed. So maybe the body isn’t as important as the soul. Maybe they aren’t as connected as I thought.”
Elara snorted. “I’ve been dead for a while, and I can’t tell you that answer.” She then waved at the golems. “This sounds like a heavy topic, and I’m sure you’ll want some privacy. Why don’t you get your massages, and yes, Rina, I suggest you still try? Then talk about it afterwards. Don’t worry about the two golems. They can’t speak, so whatever you say will be private.”
Shadara beamed with anticipation at the chairs, but when she looked at me, there was a hurt look in her eyes again.
I pointed to the chair. “Go, enjoy yourself. You’ve been a good friend. Spoil yourself a bit. You did give me a lot of shards. So getting through the challenge was as much because of you.”
I got up and headed for the chair. Shadara walked over and took a seat in one of the chairs. I hesitated for a moment before settling into the other. The moment I relaxed, I felt a gentle hum emanating from Golem Number Two as it began its massage.
Elara bowed and turned to leave. “I will return once they are finished and you get out of the chairs.”
The golem’s stony fingers were surprisingly delicate, applying pressure in rhythmic patterns across my shoulders. Its touch was soothing yet powerful, as its fingers traveled down my spine. Okay, Shadara was right again. This feels amazing.
Shadara let out a sigh from the neighboring chair. “This is heavenly.” I even started hearing her purring over the sounds of the golem’s movements.
As the massage progressed, I felt my tension ebb away. The golem’s touch didn’t work as it tried to run its fingers down my arms. Well, isn’t that a buzzkill? The golem must have quickly figured that out as it changed tactics. It started rotating my arms, moving the muscles in ways I hadn’t before.
With a twist here and a flex there, the muscles in my arms began to relax. As it worked, there was a subtle twinge running through my limbs. I looked and saw a small spark arc between the golem’s fingers and me. As the spark traveled through me, my arm spasmed, and it felt wonderful.
I let the blissful feeling course through me as another spark coursed through my arms. “Yeah, that. Keep doing more.” My voice lowered and sounded breathier.
The golem obliged as it moved onto the other arm. Each shock felt euphoric as my vision blurred. Everything continued to relax more and more. And when Golem Number Two moved to my legs, working them and shocking them, my mind blocked out the world around me.
Oh, yes!
My vision went white as I passed out. And in my vision, a familiar figure stood within the infinite expanse around me.
“You wanted to talk?” Orange asked with a wide grin.