It almost takes an hour until we find our way out. The closer we got to the exit, the denser the forest grew. The twisted faces got worse, eventually they didn't even seem human. They never became monsters like I expected, instead they became twisted and odd. They were faces—that much I could see, but no matter how much I stared at them I could not understand what they really looked like. Like it was me who had lost my mind and that it wasn't the trees' faces that were wrong. “Don't look at them,” Sun had whispered when she noticed how I couldn't tear my eyes from them.
When we finally reach a gravel road outside of the forest it doesn’t feel any better. In front of us lies dead fields and brown hills, most of them engulfed by the darkness. The black smoke-like oil hangs in the air above the fields. Occasionally fat drops of an oily substance fall down upon the fields and colors parts black to the point where it’s so dark it looks like an empty void. Being this close creates a heavy and painful feeling in my chest.
“Vile,” I mutter as my mouth is filled with the taste of the decaying darkness.
“Come, we cannot stay here,” Nine says in an exhausted voice that sounds just as twisted as the rest of the world.
Sun stares at the darkness with tired and enraged eyes; Sage takes a steady grip around her arm and pull her lightly to make her move. She tears away her gaze from the darkness and Sage lets go as she slowly moves across the gravel road. The blue dress, that had been beautiful and immaculately clean the day before, is now covered in dirt and mud. The blonde hair is tangled and unkempt like the rest of us. No one looks like we usually do. We’re all covered in thick layers of dirt.
The dark city doesn’t look more welcoming as we stand outside of its gigantic black gate. It stands ajar, as if someone had left it open since they abandoned the world. The sharp towers peek out from behind the walls, only to disappear where the darkness touches them. I'm thankful that the gate is open, no matter how nasty it looks. At least it's better than us having to look for a way in.
Sun takes a glimpse in between the gate’s gaps. “It’s big enough for us to get through. The city is still large despite the darkness taking a large part of it.”
“What’s your plan?” Sage asks.
“We split again.”
“That sounds like a bad idea. Neither you nor Sage got a lot of sleep, and I have my doubts either of you will make it through this,” Clover says.
Sun gives him a serious look. “I’m aware. That’s why,” she takes a deep breath, “Sage and I will be in different groups.”
“Have you planned the groups?” I ask.
“Nine and I are the ones who have been in these worlds the most. Despite my exhaustion, I think it’s best to keep us in separate groups. Sage should be with Nine, and my group will be Orchid and Clover.”
She looks at us and pushes a hand against the gate to not fall.
“Can you even walk?”
“You’re underestimating me, Clover. Did the Raven tell you nothing about me? I can push myself to the extreme if I have to.”
She pulls back her arm.
“Don’t push yourself to exhaustion,” Clover says.
By her painful facial expression, I’m sure she has already pushed herself way beyond that.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. One more thing… We need to keep in contact.”
She extends her shaky arms and shuts her eyes tightly. Two jewelry appears in her palms. It’s the same ones with the red jewel in the middle of the iron web that Sun had bought in Arkaros. She had mentioned them earlier in the forest when we made up our first groups. That it was important to save them until we really needed them since they didn’t last infinitely. This is our last chance, and the perfect time to use them.
She opens her eyes and takes a big breath. “Orchid, your hand.”
I extend my arm and she places one of the jewels in my palm.
“Why me?”
“You know how to use Saphir’s mirror. It would be better that you’re in contact with Nine’s group and tell them what you’re seeing.”
Sun gives Nine the other.
“And how do I use it?”
“Put it in your mind. Each thought you want to send over to Nine, he’ll hear. You’ll be able to hear him as well.”
I close my eyes and my entire body aches as I focus on the depth of my mind. When I open my eyes again the jewelry is gone.
Do you hear me?
The voice echoes in my mind. Quieter than my own inner voice, and I can hear two languages speak at the same time. Swedish and the same language I heard in the crystal hall. Each word is crystal clear and impossible to mistake. I don’t have to look for long until I find Nine, like a part of him exist inside of my mind. It doesn’t take a lot to send over a thought: I hear you.
Sun pushes herself through the gap between the broad gates. It scares me that I don’t know what will hide behind and what kind of memories I’ll see with Saphir’s mirror. Once Sun has gotten through it’s Clover’s turn, and once he has reached the other side I slide in between the gates, and push my way through. I take a few steps back to allow the rest to get through.
The tall towers have no windows nor doors, even if they once were likely used at homes for either soul wanderers or creatures. The ground is covered in wet red mud and it’s touching the base of the coal black spires. I can see the darkness; it must have devoured half of the city already. Some of the towers are snapped in half, and are leaning towards the others. It looks like a part of the city has collapsed; I can see a large pit in the ground closer to the darkness. On the other side there’s red stone-stairs, it leads up to another part of the city. The stairs are built into a cliff of the same color.
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Both Nine and Sage have gotten out of the narrow gap and is looking up at the stairs. Nine turns to Sun, it looks like she’s about to fall.
“Which way do you prefer?” He asks.
Sun takes a long look at the stairs. “I don’t think I’d be able to get up that.”
“Then me and Sage will take the top part, and you three will take this area. Don’t wander too close to the darkness.”
“Unless you have to,” Sage adds. “Remember we’re here for a reason.”
Sun nods. “Take it easy, Nine… Sage. And keep contact by the jewelry I gave you. I’d prefer if we all got out of here unscathed.”
“That’s the plan”, Nine says and heads up the stairs.
“If you notice that the darkness is moving, let Nine know right away,” Sage says and makes a gesture with his head towards Nine.
****
The city is narrower the further in you get, where the spear-like towers are many and almost as endlessly black as the darkness they’re reflecting. The material they’re made of reminds me of the stone tablets in the Eleven, but darker and not as shiny. They’re not reflecting everything. I couldn’t see myself in them until I was close enough. We were the only thing it reflected. Not the muddy ground nor the other towers. Just us and the darkness no matter how far it might have been. Maybe the towers had been mirrors, and when the world started distorting it twisted the towers in similar way it had changed the forest. It’s hard to imagine how this place would have looked like before it was abandoned and the darkness came.
I cannot shut out how my entire body is aching and how foul my mouth is tasting. I doubt that Sun and Clover has it any easier, if anything they’re likely to have it worse. Sun isn’t doing any better, she can barely walk and Clover had to put an arm around her waist to keep her up. She slowly moves forward while dragging her feet over the muddy ground.
Have you found anything? The voice is as clear as before.
Not yet. And you?
Nothing yet. We’re resting, Sage fell. And the mirror, have you seen something?
Clover’s grip around Sun becomes tighter as he gets her up on her legs again after they gave away. She puts an arm over his back and the fingers digs deeply into his shoulder.
Not yet, I repeat. We are looking for a place with more space. Sun doesn’t want me to waste energy on the narrower areas.
Wait, he says and my mind goes quiet for a few seconds. I see you now. If you turn right in about four towers, towards the darkness, it will lead to a bigger area. You could use the mirror there. However, it’s close to the darkness. Very close, so be careful.
I look up at between the towers, Nine is standing on a bridge over a gap between the two divided areas of the upper parts of the city. Both Clover and Sun look like they’re about to collapse. We pass one of the towers.
Thank you for the information.
“In three towers, turn right,” I breathe.
“Towards the darkness?” Clover asks. “Why?”
“Bigger area. Nine is watching us.”
I don’t have the energy to explain any better, but Clover doesn’t seem to care for a better explanation and quickens his speed.
Do you see the big tower? Nine’s voice echoes.
The brown sky is hidden by a much broader tower. It doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the world. When we were at the hills overlooking the forest and city, I hadn’t seen how strange it had looked. Now when I can see the details, how the tower is formed and the small red lights that covers its surface, I notice it looks futuristic.
Yes. It’s a bit hard to miss.
We turn in between two towers.
The tower is located on a black platform. It looks like some kind of city square.
Perfect place to find memories, I take it?
Exactly what I was thinking. Be careful.
We continue through the alley and when we reach the other side, on a muddy platform made of stone slabs, both Sun and Clover fall to the ground. They crawl towards one of the towers and breathe deeply as they sit down with their back pushed against the wall.
“I can take over.”
Clover shakes his head. ”Focus on the mirror. I can handle this. We just need to rest.”
I don’t believe him. It doesn’t look like neither of them will be able to continue. Sun’s head is hanging, if it wasn’t for how violently her arms were shaking, I would think she had passed out. I want to ask them to stay here until either I or Nine have found the mask.
“Focus on the mirror,” Sun whispers and tenses her fists in an attempt to make them stop shaking.
Her voice makes it sound like she’s about to break into thousands of pieces. I close my eyes and focus on the mirror I’ve laid somewhere in my mind. At the same time I send a thought to Nine. Sun isn’t doing well.
When I open my eyes the mirror covered in sapphires is in my hand.
I figured as much. I don’t think she can rest that close to the darkness. Sage isn’t doing so well either, but I’ve asked him to rest, he seems to be doing better.
What should I do? I ask.
Let Clover deal with it for now. You shouldn’t stay that close to the darkness for too long or you won’t be able to continue. Focus on finding a memory or a trace someone has left behind. Something with the mask.
A large empty place lies before us, once there had to be something else but a muddy ground here.
I raise my hand and look into the reflection that is staring back, in the same foreign way as before. It locks and I breathe in the suffocating, vile air through a deep breath. I’m not sure what I’m looking for – or who. I cannot combat this the same way I had done when I was looking for Clover and the Fox, when I had a clear target. I turn the mirror and focuses on the empty area in front of me, on what it had once looked like. I think of the black tower as towers of mirrors, the stone streets crowded by soul wanderers and creatures.
I take a deep breath when the entire area fills by shapes of blue-green air. Most of them are soul wanderer, but there are a few creatures, but their shapes aren’t as visible. I hadn’t seen creatures at the well despite seeing Azor there earlier. It had only been soul wanderers. I had specific people in mind the last time, so that could have been the reason, here I don’t have the faintest idea which one could give me an answer. There’s no strategy in which shape I choose in the blue-green crowd.
My reflection’s irises disappear behind my skull again, and only the whites are visible. Many of the shapes disappear, but some remain. A few of them are clearer, others are the same hollow shape of air. They’re more visible than the first time. I cannot see small details, but the colors are stronger and the faces more tangible. They’re still enshrouded in the blue-green storm. I can feel her, the soul wanderer I had chosen, but not as much as I had felt Clover at the well.
They had said it was only a question of when, yet no one knew. Not even the guardians, they claimed everything was under control. She didn’t believe that. She had seen it, how Noí had collapsed after Kailysta had withered. Pýrgos would have the same fate if they didn’t find the Nightguard, if he had withered it was only matter of time until the well would crack and dry out. Matter of time. Time… They said he would return.
It is hard to understand, like something is missing or is between me and the memories, interrupting the process. The darkness might have something to do with it, it’s presence could have twisted the memories, making them hard to understand. I focus on the scene in front of me. I don’t feel as connected to this memory and woman as I had felt towards Clover’s. There’s too much missing.
It would crack. Disappear.
And the darkness would come into this world too. It was only a matter of time. Noí had been lost. The kings imprisoned and he was sleeping. Eternity. Nothing. A punishment he had created. A treason. For our choice, for theirs. Death.
It becomes more and more confusing and distorted.
And then it begins again.
I lower the mirror and wipe away the sweat from my face.
“Did you find anything?” Clover asks.
He is still leaning against the jet-black tower, one hand hanging over his knee. Mud covers his neck and forehead; his brown eyes are exhausted, and he struggles to keep them open.
“I’m not sure. It’s too distorted by the darkness. I’m having issues understanding it.”
“Of course,” he mutters. “So, you didn’t find anything that could be of use?”
“I found a few things. Names and titles. Most was just words, feelings and sentences I just didn’t understand.”
“See if you can find something else,” says Sun. Her eyes are gently closed. “Anything… Better to gather as much information as you can.”