CHAPTER 36

One Month Later

I have to activate speed. Run past the trees, through them so he cannot get a clear sight of me. Switch to shield to predict the explosion at the end of the clearing. If there's no explosion, then hold it for ten extra seconds for the second firing—a trick meant to catch me off my guard. If there's no second firing immediately transition from shield to anti-gravity and speed, jump as high as I can before the plasma-goo catches my legs.

A fraction of a second later I see a lock of his hair and I'm sure what drill this is now. Okay, aerial assault means that next comes the freezing of that plasma stuff—he's going to--

I feel a terrible weight on my back as Gavin appears above me. I see the whirring lights swirl around me as he kicks hard and I fall. I land hard, smashing my right arm, broken for sure. I think my legs are also busted, they aren't responding. I scream out—my face burns against the molten goo as it latches on, grappling closer as if it were alive. In another second it is gone—it is all gone, the pain, the plasma, my wounds are healed. Gavin is standing above me, his arms crossed and a semi-aloof look in his eyes.

"You were planning. Over-planning, to be precise."

I stand, "Isn't that the point of all of this? To prepare me for every possible fighting method?"

"Not even close. I'm but one person, surely I don't fight like every other threat out there in the universe, and especially not like Cross. I'm doing you a favor here and nearly broadcasting anything I do, Cross won't be like that. You're here training, learning the basics."

"Burning my face off thousands of times is the basics?"

"Yes, in fact it is. You are getting better at general combat strategy, and you're reacting better to surprises. I can't prepare you for everything, but I can do my best."

"How much longer do we have to do this?"

"Until you're ready, and then we move onto the next step."

One Year Later

I'm waiting. My knuckles dig into the soft soil as I kneel—waiting for the signal—the sign that the games would begin. That's what we've called them, our matches. Our tests, my training. I've thought about nothing else, could not afford to think of anything else except for how to win.

I have tried over one thousand games. I have tried to win at least one. I have lost each and every single one. I'm getting better, even I see it, but it still isn't enough. It isn't enough to best someone who can vanish out of sight instantaneously—or someone who can conjure up a plasmic substance that eats away at skin—or someone that has had thousands of years of fighting experience to be able to predict any kind of attack.

And yet I'm here. I'm challenging god. I'm running out of time—I need to think of something fast...something new. I need--

The gate unfurls, Gavin's pulled out all the stops after half a year. We've each got tiny domes we start the game in now that unlocks at the mark of his choosing.

I stand still, a wicked idea forming in my head. It's certainly new, but I don't have much confidence in its ability to work. I stand and begin walking out of the dome. The wind starts slightly...it only usually starts if he's planning on setting the trees on fire in the forest—it helps the fire catch and drown me out in smoke. Of course, that's if I choose to meet him in the forest. There's several different kinds of biomes in this dimension—something not quite like Sayar. The forest is right next to the tundra, which itself is beside a sort of dark-matter like environment. I can't really explain it well in words, I'm sure Gavin'd have the right ones to describe it. Fortunately, he just may since that is where I plan on going.

My previous attempts all had me trying to use my own knowledge to my advantage—try and beat him with what I know. Who knows, maybe I would get lucky and he'd make a mistake?

No.

I cannot count on a mistake. If I count on a mistake then I admit that I am not ready. I admit that I am not strong enough or not smart enough or--

Or anything. I must keep pushing, and I must win. And to do that I have to exhaust every possibility, even going in blind. Gavin had mentioned that I had been planning too much. A subtle hint that this might be the way to go, or it might be the start. Whatever it is, I refuse to believe there is not a single way for me to win. I am going to win, and I am going to be ready.

The walk is a quiet one. It's always been a quiet one, the wind is nothing more than a play on Gavin's end—it's wholly silent, not like real wind in how it would tickle the edge of your skin. It's not whispering its desires in your ear. It's the slightest movement in the trees as their skeleton branches bend, begging me to step inside so they can show me their true colors. I refuse their call. I've learned that the forest is not the way to go.

I look towards the tundra next, an open environment that I have no place to hide in. There have been many an open confrontation in the tundra, all have led in my failure. The only thing I would be able to do different is walk forward and surrender. That's an idea I haven't tried yet, but only because I seriously doubt that Gavin's looking for someone who's willing to give up. None of that those who know when not to fight nonsense.

The dark matter field is another story entirely. A pitch black biome with mountainous terrain. I reach the dividing line in between it and the tundra. A finer line couldn't be found in nature. The ground's dark—I take a soft step across the line, hesitance stalls me. I find that my foot sinks into the ground. I lose my balance and fall over into the ground.

E͞very͢thing͟ is̴ ͘dar͢k.͜ W̛h͘er͏e͜ a͠m ́I?͏ I̕ ͞c҉an͡'t̴ b̴ŗe͟àt̡h͡e̡. ̀T̨h͝ȩ ̷d̸a̡rknes͏s҉ t̵urn҉s̴ ov̕er ̕an̶d̕ ͘I'm st͢a͜n͡din̡g ̀on ̛a̧ ha̢rd ͟s̵ųr̨f̧a͠c͢e, ̛I͜ ͞c̴ąn̢'̷t̀ ͏t͢ȩll̷ wh̸a̛t͘'s̕ g̢oin͏g̨ ̛o͘n.

"So you decided to try something new," Gavin says, appearing.

"̗͓͉̗̣ͅW̖̗̪͓̪ͅh̹̯̩̝a̼t̘͔͖̤̱ ͙̼͔̖͈͚i̹s͔͇ t̤̣̬̜̯ͅh͉͍͉̙̭i̙̠s?̤͎̘̙̙ ̥̦̹W̼̦he̳͖̟̟̼r̼̭̻̟͕ẹ̺͇̣̹̣..̭̹̲̰̮̩̞.̲͎͔̭̹͎̩p͓̳͚̣̳͎l̯̮̭̘̬͉̬e̟̙͇a̗̭̗͉s̞̱e̳ ̣͈m͉̘̮̯̞̳͚ḁḳ̭̙e̱̼̬̲ ̙̙͍i̼̱̝ͅț̩͓͔͎͎ͅ ̜̗̘̰s̺̦̗͕̩t̙̘̳̮̥o͓͚̩̪͉̯͉p̣.̼ ̣͍͓̠̞̘̻I̺̳̬͓ ͔̖͎͕c̺̤̼a̤̘͕͎ͅn̫͔͇̤ ̟͙̫f͇ḙ̩̯̙̮̮͎e̹͇̙l̼̥̺͙̜ ͔͇̥̝̘m̞̯̝̙̟y͍̬̲̬̙ ̱̠ͅv̳̯͕̖̘̝̖o̜̻̗iͅc̤̭e̫.̜ ̖̱͇I̦͙ ̻͇̙̹c̣͖̖̖̘̪ͅan͖'͚̫̣͚̪̰̖t̲̙͇̗̪̘̱..ͅ.̺͎͔ͅ"̜̪̖͙̳͍ ͓H̻e̼̩̘ ̮͙̣͈̜̖͔g̮͇̫͓͙ͅr̮̩̹̝̰͕̜a͔̳̯̥ḅ̼̩s̩̲̞̩̥͈ ̪͔̫̼̯̘h̭o̩̯͓̪̖l̗̹͙̫̖d͖̟̼̱̞̪ ̰o͍f͕͔̹ ̥̥͖͚̳̤͕m̦e̩̜͈̼̺ t̟͙̞i̖͎g̫̫̞̩̪̱h͙ͅt͎͕̘̺͇,̩͇̤ͅ ̱̙͉̝͎̙͎p͙̭̩̼ull͔̫̜͕̦̲i͚̖͖̭͕͙ṇ͍̱͔̣͓g̳ ̟̥̤̻me̼̼̲̳͉ ̬̩u̺͖̞ͅp̣̣͉̱,͇͚͎̟ ͙͙̜̙w͈̤̭ẹ ̰̻f͖̹̜̲̻ͅal̗̤l̝̘ ̰̝u̦̥̫͙̳̤p̼̤̻ ͇̖̯̟͎̩t͙̘͕̟͔̣o̮̤̣g̦e̼̖̲͈͔͕ͅt̰he͚̥͉͔͇r̲̰̪̻͍̰ ̝̘̞̺̙̹u̻͖̙̣n̠̝̲̼̮t̮̪̹i̖̱͖ͅl̠̻̪̬ ̲͔̺we̺ c̥̣̺̰r̹̝͚͙o͖s͙̹͎s̻̪ ͇̯̠̞ṭh̤̹͖̤ͅe̙̠̪̬̘ͅ ̪̻ͅt͎̭̤̥h̹̹̗r̠̠e͚̦͓̻̹s͇̥͍̦̤̲̞h̰͇o̻͉l͖̬̯͙̠d̺̹̘̳̫.̻̞̭͓̰

I roll as I land, taking in the biggest breath I had ever done. The world's spinning. I regain my senses. There is a reason he took me out of there so quickly. If it would kill me he'd let it and I'd be back at it again tomorrow like nothing had happened. Something about this place makes death not mean anything, that much I've figured. But it's his direct move to avoid having me there has something to do with it. Every other time he would genuinely indulge me in my efforts before he slammed them back to me tenfold.

He's set up a puzzle for me to solve, and it has to do with that place. I stand to my feet, going in without a plan, jumping head first into the darkness.

I f̧e̴el ͠t͠he b̷ŗu͡sh҉in҉g̀ co͏l͢d ̶a͠ga͡inst͝ m͜y s͏p҉ine̕,̢ i̛t ti͏ǹgles̷ e̛v̷e̵r̵ý co̵r͡ner of҉ my͡ ̕bod́y͠. ͜I r͠e̷a̛ch̢ ou̡ţ my ̨ha̢nd҉s̸ and ̡lat͠ch̡ ̶on̨ţo͠ splo̕t̴c͡h̀e͡s͏ ̕o̢f ̕d͜a̶rknes̷s, ̀çĺi̶m͝b͞in͜g̕ ͜d͢ow̵n as͢ if͢ ít ̷w̷eŗe a ͡rock̶ ͏w̨al̀l. I f҉e͜el̶ Gavin̸'s ͝arm̢ ͡g̨r͝ab̕ ̴my͝ l̴eg, pull͏ìng ͝ba̕c̴k͝w͟ar͝d͞.̷ I͘ ͡a͠ct͢iva͘te̶ my g̶ravi̵t͟y,́ ͟in҉cr̢ea͠s҉i̴n̛g͘ ít,̢ m̡or͞e th͡a̷n ̴I ȩv́er ̷h҉a͡vę ̸befo͞re.͢ I̛ ̕ńe̷ed ̵t̶o̧ b̵r̡e͟ak̛ ҉ḿy͜ ̨lim͞įt͜.

There's a cleansing warmth. Everything moves into one, closer and closer to me—I feel constricted—I feel faint. Everything moves toward the center—me. I breathe it in and blink, The darkness is gone. The world has turned itself right-side up, and Gavin stands next to me, a smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Devon, you passed."

"Passed? What did I...do?" You ask.

"You took the dark matter into your system, absorbed it, converted it, and if I were any normal being I would have been joined in there with it—completely vaporized as Gavin. Lucky for me, but I am proud that you have been learning, even if it had taken a year."

I stand, feeling a new sense of power within me, "You're saying that I did what Roland did in seven years?"

He puts a hand on my shoulder. "No, not quite. If I let you back out into the world now you'd be not much else than a killing machine. You've learned a lot this past year, but not how to deal with your emotions."

I say nothing.

"You can't go out into the world without a plan, and you cannot over plan. The fine line doesn't exist just within combat strategy—your sense of self needs that fine balance as well. Tell me, what would you do if you saw Jesse Anderson here, right now?"

The question catches me off guard. I look down and then back up to the sun, high above us both. Thinking about it, it looks a lot like the sun had back on Earth. "I..."

"You're angry, betrayed. You feel hurt, sad, powerful. Those emotions mix as well as gasoline and a lit match."

"He's the reason why I'm here, though!"

"Well, here, being Sayar, well no not entirely."

"Ugh, I know that but like, my life would have been so much better if I hadn't known him and...ugh he knows! He knew since the very first time I told him who I was!" I say.

"These are the kinds of emotions that I am going to need you to work through, and just like this, you shall be given all the time in the world, as they say."

I walk past him, still looking up at the sky, the peace is almost an insult. "I'm going to chalk up you knowing about that to your godly knowledge?"

"I know a lot of things. Many of them I cannot speak about."

I nod, turning back toward him. "When can I start?"

"I think you should rest a night. Come meet me inside the bunker tomorrow. I've had quite enough of the sunny days," Gavin says, fading to nothing.