Chapter 140 – Further

[2009 – September]

The moment that I activated the Quantum Tail, it came alive in my hands. Faster than any normal human could react, one of the sharp tips pierced through my chest. There was no blood though, and neither was there any kind of injury.

There was still pain though but not the physical kind, as one end of the Quantum Tail pierced into my Astral Form, or more accurately my soul.

The connection this artifact created was not a physical one, so it naturally would not bind my body to this dimension but my soul.

The moment the Quantum Tail pierced into my soul, my senses seemed to spread through the black metal chain of the tail, enabling me to sense and feel it as if it was my own body.

The other end of the Quantum Tail struck the space in front of me as if it was a viper attacking its prey, and I could feel it pierce some kind of barrier, diving into a deeper level of space that was hidden within the Darkforce Dimension.

I understood that this place was where the nexus of the Darkforce Dimension was located, which was not a place one could just approach at will. In fact, even finding this place was an impossibility for me without the tail as my guide.

Every dimension had its own nexus and none of them could be found and approached easily.

The tail continued to burrow itself into deeper levels of space without pause and I could feel the resistance it faced in the form of pressure that seemed to weigh on my soul.

The pressure gradually rose until it reached an excruciating level but I just urged the tail forward with my mind, never once thinking of retreat.

Finally, after what felt like days the sharp end of the Quantum Tail tore through one last layer of resistance before arriving at the true core of this dimension.

I wasn't relieved though. On the contrary, the moment the tail overcame the last layer of resistance the pressure on my soul increased several times, and it felt as if my whole being was slowly crushed beneath a mountain while a burning sensation spread through the depths of my soul.

I forced down this agony as best as I could with my iron will but even that seemed to be a futile effort.

I didn't give up though and continued to hold on to my sanity, my senses extending through the Quantum Tail, allowing me to 'see' the nexus of the Darkforce Dimension.

A dark sun.

That was how it looked to me, like a gigantic dark sun that was made up of dark matter and glowed with a blazing black light, the sheer pressure exuded by this sun seemingly enough to crush worlds.

I knew that if I stopped here and just let the Quantum Tail anchor itself on the periphery of this dark sun, then I would have already gained a lot. Dense and pure Darkforce would continually rush through this connection into my body, giving me great, even invincible strength.

Still, 'invincible' was a relative term and I had not come here to be mediocre and settle for an average result just because it seemed something less dangerous.

I had come here to step beyond the limits of a mortal life form, I had come here to conquer this dimension.

Enduring the soul-crushing agony, I forced the Quantum Tail to move forward, every inch of distance a challenge for my mental strength.

Going forward, it wasn't only my soul that struggled to endure the pressure of my environment but also the artifact. My barrier protected it from being corroded and damaged by the condensed Darkforce of the nexus but this didn't happen without a cost.

My barrier's durability had always been dependent on my mental strength, so not only did my soul suffer the consequences of my actions but my mind also came under great pressure.

The mind was the bridge between the body and the soul, at least that was the case to my understanding.

And while my body remained unaffected by my actions, the pure and condensed Darkforce that made up the nexus of this dimension was not only trying to crush my soul but also the Quantum Tail, which in turn meant that my mind was suffering greatly as my ethereal barrier continued to protect the artifact.

I could have tried to summon a barrier to protect my soul but that would have only caused greater pressure to appear on my mind, which I might not necessarily be able to withstand. Leaving my soul to endure the pressure of the nexus by itself was the only method that would allow me to go further.

Knowing this, I continued to push forward, not allowing myself to reveal any doubt or hesitation, the soul-shattering pain and the mind-crushing pressure nothing but obstacles to overcome on my path.

My will was tough and enduring, and I simply would not allow myself to back away just because going forward meant that I had to suffer. I had known from the moment that I had woken up in this world that I would have to pay the price for my power, one way or the other.

Even if it seemed as if there were ways to gain power without any cost, there would always be a price to pay, nothing could escape the law of causality, after all. This was the eternal cycle that bound all existence.

And even though I wanted freedom more than anything else, I was not arrogant enough to believe that I could cheat my way around the laws that governed reality. At least not at this point in time.

So, how could I even dare dream of making the powers of the Darkforce Dimension my own, if I wasn't even willing to pay the equivalent price in blood and tears?

The metallic arrowhead that functioned as the tip of the Quantum Tail moved forward under the control of my mind, piercing into the dark sun that represented the core of this dimension while searing pain corroded my soul.

Deeper and deeper. Further and further.

Eventually though, my mind reached the breaking point and my soul was on the verge of collapse, pain the only sensation that I could feel.

And yet, the last silvers of my conscious mind held onto a single belief – forward.

My mental shields were cracked and splintered, and my soul nearly shattered, but even though I was tired, exhausted, and seemingly left with not a drop of strength remaining, I didn't doubt myself or was afraid.

Death was just a step away, already it was breathing down my neck, the reaper's scythe ready to claim my life. But it didn't matter.

There was no room for fear or hesitation, as even the tiniest flaw would mean my end at this point. I wasn't rational about this, as I didn't even have the leisure to pause and think about my situation.

The only thing that was on my mind was that I had to go further, that I had to advance no matter the cost. I somehow understood intuitively that I would only survive if I went further.

This determination was the tinder that allowed the fire of my will to burn fiercely even though my situation was dire, it gave me the strength necessary to do what I had come here to accomplish.

At this point even my senses were hazy and I could no longer 'see' my surroundings with clarity as the Quantum Tail finally reached the innermost core of the Darforce Dimension's nexus.

Still, even if my senses were somewhat impaired, my instinct was telling me that I had reached the end of my journey. I had finally reached the true core of the nexus.

Surrounded by nothing but darkness, black was no longer an absolute colour, even with the absence of any light.

A single point of darkness that gave off a black 'light' that seemed darker than anything I had ever 'seen'. In fact, the word 'black' seemed entirely insufficient to describe the abyssal darkness that was exuded from this 'spot'.

It felt purely destructive, like the antithesis to all life. And yet, there was a strange vitality to it.

Admittedly, my mind was at its limits and my soul nearly shattered, so I wasn't sure if I could trust my senses anymore.

This didn't stop me from forcing the sharp tip of the Quantum Tail to make contact with the 'point of darkness' though while activating its anchoring function.

The black metal chain followed my command without protest, but the moment it touched the core of the nexus and anchored itself to it, an ocean of pure darkness flowed along the chain links and crashed into my soul.

There was no word in existence that could describe the sensation that swept over me at that moment, and my will could no longer hold strong in the face of such a devastating force.

My soul seemed to have been truly crushed into small dust-like particles under this ferocious tide of darkness.

There wasn't even enough time to cry out in anguish for me as the last shreds of my consciousness were extinguished by all-consuming darkness.

…

Crouching down beside her little brother's lover, Emma softly placed her hand on the young girl's shoulder as she addressed Jean.

"It's been half a day, Jean. You should eat something and rest. Elijah wouldn't want to see you worry yourself sick.", Emma voiced out gently, her own heart aching painfully as worry and fear held it in their fangs.

She had naturally noticed the commotion in the training room this morning, not to mention that Elijah had told her part of what he was attempting.

The fact that he hadn't come back after more than thirteen hours had her fearing for the worst, though she managed to keep her calm thanks to the decades of experience that she had in suppressing her emotions in favour of her rational side.

Jean, on the other hand, hadn't moved from her position on the floor ever since Elijah had left. Her head lowered with her knees pulled close to her chest, her hands pressed into her chest, the young girl sat there in silence, her incredible pain and worry radiating from her in waves.

The situation was only further worsened due to the fact that Arya had fallen unconscious a few hours ago, and had since then been unresponsive while laying in Jean's embrace.

"No, I- … I-I can't, I can't leave without him. I- … I just can't.", Jean whispered while shaking her head. She sounded somewhat choked up but no tears had yet fallen as she obviously forced herself to stay strong, even though Elijah's demise seemed more likely with every passing minute.

The two of them also weren't the only ones present.

Laura sat a fair distance away with her back resting against the wall. She was equally silent and her expression was entirely impassive as if she didn't have a single human emotion inside of her.

Emma though knew that this was much more of an indicator of the turmoil in the young girl's heart than any emotional outbursts could be.

Similar to herself, Laura had shut herself off from her own emotions in an attempt to avoid the pain that came with losing someone important to her.

Sighing quietly, Emma felt powerless as she could not find any words that might soothe the breaking hearts of the two young women present. Even her own icy heart felt ready to shatter at the thought of her little brother's death.

And just as she was about to try to convince Jean again to eat something, or at least drink a bit of water, her heart skipped a beat while her breath got caught in her throat.

Bone-chilling, heart-freezing fear sprouted from the depths of her soul as her gaze was unwillingly drawn to the space in front of her. The air felt like it had solidified, causing her to feel as if an invisible grip was holding her down.

A figure made out of pure darkness had suddenly appeared in the training room.

Flames made out of black fog obscured its appearance, making it look like a living shadow with eyes that burned with white flames. Black cracks appeared in the space around its body, the dark being's mere presence causing tears in the fabric of this dimension.

Just the aura of the dark figure nearly crushed her mental defenses, pressuring her mind and soul as if she was staring at a higher life form.

All light seemed to be devoured when coming near the living shadow, darkness being the only element permitted to exist in its presence. Just looking at the swirling darkness made Emma feel as if her life force would be drained from her body any moment, her very life being nothing but a flickering candle flame that could be blown out at the dark figure's desire.

A dark god, a reaper of life, an embodiment of darkness and death.

Emma didn't understand what it was that she was facing but her instincts were telling her that she stood no chance of resisting the living darkness in front of her.

The first thing that came to her mind was that her little brother might have provoked this demonic existence by whatever he had tried to do in the Darkforce Dimension, which could have led to this dark being coming here to vent his anger.

Fear threatened to paralyze her mind while the pressure around her immobilized her body. As she was fighting off the crippling fear though, she heard a soft whisper from Jean that made her tremble all over.

"Elijah … "