7 Chapter 7

Dying felt a lot like falling asleep, except Jason could feel himself losing something internal that he didn't know was there. What were only seconds felt like hours as every bit of his inner being drifted away from the external she'll that held his consciousness. Every sin, every triumph, everything that made him who he was was slipping away, and for the first time in Jason's life, he accepted that he was out of control. Yet, for the first time in his life, he wished for full control. A pity he waited until the end to feel this way.

Daphis was there to greet him as he passed. Jason had almost forgotten about how she'd rendered him unconscious. He didn't care about that now, all he cared about was enjoying his last few seconds of life, and Daphis was a friendly enough face that he could do just that. He closed his eyes, nearly visualizing the energy leaving his body.

All of a sudden, he was burning up from the inside out. As though a fire had been lit inside him. He felt heat flowing through his veins as if his blood were replaced by molten lead. Yet, it didn't feel like pain, just heat. He felt the same set of viney appendages wrap around his neck, and more around his wrists and ankles. He was slowly regaining feeling the hotter he got. Now, he was sure he was melting, it was so hot. He still didn't feel pain from it though. This lasted for a few seconds before he blacked out.

Seeing as how this was the first time Jason had gotten any sleep without opening his eyes and instantly being transported to another world, Jason thought he must actually be dead, but that didn't make sense to him as he could hear himself think. He felt a bed of soft leaves and moss under him, a blanket of foliage over him. Jason almost didn't want to open his eyes. Sleep was never actually sleep these days, he missed it.

Sleep? He thought to himself.

Jason opened his eyes upon that last realization and was greeted by the interior of a hit made of bamboo and sticks, bound together by twine. Sunlight filled the room through an open window, and he felt safe in knowing where he was. How did he survive, was all he could think. He felt his chest, now bare of any dressing, two more scars for the collection, but that means he slept for way too long. His sister would surely be worried.

The old man he met in the clearing appeared in the doorway, "Jason, you're awake, I see."

Jason turned to him, starting to speak, but unable to say anything before the old man spoke again.

"I'm sure you're wondering what's happened. Don't worry, it'll be explained shortly, for now, I have other matters to discuss with you." The old man said. "I'll introduce myself though, my name is Fenris."

Jason stood, surprised at the lack of any inner feeling of trauma or pain. "How long have I been out?"

"It's only been a day." Fenris replied. Jason looked extremely confused.

Fenris smiled, "The power of this place is great, you'll come to learn that."

Jason swallowed down his pride and decided to ask what he seemed to be a stupid question, "You keep mentioning power, what exactly do you mean?"

Fenris smiled, "Follow me, and I'll show you."

Fenris led the way through the door as Jason followed close behind. Immediately ahead, the sun shine through the tops of the trees, which Jason stood well above on this hut in the trees. He didn't expect this sight. In the sky, there were few clouds, and so many colors. It was absolutely breathtaking to look at.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Fenris asked, leaning over with a smile.

Jason looked at the scene, the radiant colors, the bright sun, the beautiful trees, everything came together to inspire a feeling Jason had not felt in a long time, if ever. He felt happy up here. A distant shape flew over the trees, dancing with the wind. It was white in color, winged, and bore resemblance to a horse. Jason saw it once before, the silver horned, winged horse. It grew slightly closer, majestic in it's image.

"What is it?" Jason asked, mesmerized.

Fenris looked at the winged creature, "That is a unicorn, Jason. There are many things here you've never seen, she is but one of them."

Jason smiled, staring at the beautiful unicorn. Fenris looked at Jason, a different kind of smile on his face had begun to form. He let Jason be for a moment to take in the sight, smell and feeling he was new to experience, standing beside him like an old friend.

"What is this place, Fenris?" Jason wondered out loud. "I think it might actually be real."

"Oh it's very real Jason, it's as real as the world you came into." Fenris grinned.

"How...? Jason couldn't put into words what he wanted to ask.

"Come with me, Jason, we'll talk on the way." Fenris gestured toward the door they just walked out of.

Jason walked inside, slowly, keeping an eye outside on the unicorn in the sky. He loved every minute of this. Fenris pulled on a piece of twine, undoing a cloth that now covered the open door after Jason. Jason turned to face Fenris, waiting for further guidance.

"Jason, the world you were born into is a world of science and reason. A world of violence, hunger, fear, disease, but also a world of opportunity. It is a world designed to test you, I would say." Fenris began explaining.

Jason had never heard so clearly. His mind had been altered by the sight and his visit with death.

"Your world is a fantastic world, but it is limited by the mind of the man. Mankind, unfortunately, grows too selfish and angry to realize the potential their world can have." Fenris continued.

Jason listened, curious.

"I say their world, Jason, because you are not just one of them, you are also one of us. It's hard to explain, but you are one of us as well as one of them."

Jason was puzzled, "What does that mean?"

Fenris shrugged, "We can't say for sure, all we know is that your connection to this place is one that honestly shouldn't be there at all. But it is, and it is a very powerful connection."

Jason didn't know what to say.

"Allow me to show you something." Fenris grabbed the cloth covering the door.

Unveiling the door, Jason saw the forest floor instead of the treetops. Odd, he thought, he could have sworn they were up higher.

"Walk with me, Jason." Fenris started the way immediately, Jason following.

"You were in the military, right?" Fenris asked.

Jason, realizing he still wasn't wearing his shirt, noticed the several scars other than the two new ones that told the tale of a war seasoned man, "Yes."

"So you have understanding of conflict and the human ability to channel certain senses and strengths, yes?"

"Of course." Jason answered.

Fenris stopped suddenly, "You understand then that the mind is just as much a muscle to be worked out as your body is?"

"Yes." Jason looked at Fenris curiously.

Fenris turned, facing Jason, "When you came here at night, it got so dark you couldn't see. With focus, you were able to see again. That was a small example of your capabilities, as I explained to you that day." Fenris started. "What if I told you that increased focus and strength of mind could introduce you to a world in which anything you imagine is possible?"

Jason was just as lost as he was intrigued. This was weird, but somehow, doubt had fled his mind.

"It'll take time, but less for you than for most." Fenris said.

"Why me?" Jason asked.

"Jason, your connection to this place far surpasses that of my own, and my power is the strongest in this forest." Fenris answered.

"How?" Jason asked.

Fenris shook his head, "That, we do not know. But the forest is just as drawn to you as you to the forest."

"Does this world go beyond the forest?" Jason asked.

"It does, there are many places like this, and many places not so much like this one. We stay here because this is our home." Fenris stated.

"Why do you need my help? Daphis mentioned..."

"I know what Daphis said to you, she was right. We do need you." Fenris said. "You have tasted Daphis' power as well, she's healed you of your wounds and your ailments. She even brought you back from the dead." Fenris looked at Jason, smiling.

Jason thought about it, he really did die, but there was nobody to heal him in the other world. He felt immediately bad for his sister.

"Clear your mind, Jason. You can't concern yourself with life in the other world right now, time is running short." Fenris demanded.

Jason looked at Fenris, noting the sincerity in his face. He may as well listen, this was going to be his new life.

"You feel a connection to this place, right? You feel drawn to it?"

"Yes, I do." Jason said, putting little thought into it as the truth was, he did feel drawn to this forest.

Daphis stepped out from behind. agree directly behind Fenris. Jason stared at her, once again enchanted by her beauty.

"Daphis here has many gifts, the forest grants her the ability to regenerate and heal herself, anything and anyone she chooses. She also has the ability to channel the voice of nature to either lure, subdue, or destroy." Fenris started.

Jason looked at Daphis as she started to sing to him. The voice was that of a young woman with the same sounds of nature he'd heard before. He thought he was drawn to her before, he actually lost physical control of his own body and began moving closer to her. She stopped him, inches from her.

"As you can see, she's quite good." Fenris said.

Jason looked at her, "Yes, she is." He was breathless.

"You do have an ability to counteract the effects of her spell, though." Fenris smiled. "You just need to focus on figuring out how to channel that."

"How do I do that?" Jason asked, glancing back at Fenris.

Fenris let out a sinister chuckle. "The same way you soldiers always learn, by doing it!"

With those last words, Fenris snapped his fingers and vanished before Jason's very eyes, the sun simultaneously disappearing and leaving Jason in the pitch black again.

"What...? Fenris?" Jason called out, trying to maintain composure.

Considering the circumstances, Jason felt he was dealing very well with all this. It was completely the opposite of anything reasonable he'd learned his whole life, but he was open minded enough to this.

The song started again, and Jason found it hard to concentrate on anything. Stumbling forward with no control, Jason was entrapped again in this spell. He put up no fight at first, thinking about what game this must be, but then he began walking into things. First, it was a tree, he hit his head, hard. Then, it was a thornbush, it cut his leg.

"Ah, fuck!" Jason yelled in pain. "Daphis, stop." Jason yelled.

The spell continued, and he continued stumbling into things, hurting himself. He focused and started to see again, the path ahead was definitely going to be painful. Trees, thorns, the works lie ahead. He couldn't stop himself, he focused all his energy on his legs and the direction they went. So much so, in fact, that he started to lose his night vision. Still, he was stuck traveling ahead without control, slicing his legs and arms on sharp thorns and smashing his face into the trees. Bleeding and distressed, Jason kept focusing his might on stopping his legs from moving with no success.

"You're not focusing on the right thing, Jason. Think." Fenris' voice boomed from avery direction.

Jason, frustrated, yelled, "What do I need to do?"

There was no answer. Fenris was right, this method was similar to that of the military, throw you in danger head first with little instruction and leave you and your battle-buddies to figure it out. However, Jason didn't have battle-buddies right now though. Just himself, an enchanting spell, and a shit ton of things to slash at him. Jason thought for a second.

"Her voice." He whispered to himself.

Hoping for the best and desperate for a solution, Jason focused all his energy on sight and hearing, focusing on what he saw, not what he heard. Unsuccessful for almost. minute of painful stumbling, he refused to quit. His focus narrowed even more, enabling him to see more. The more he could see, the more energy focused on seeing, the more the voice just sounded like a woman. His legs moved slower and slower. Her voice now sounded almost completely normal, and he could pinpoint a location on her, unlike before. His legs stopped, and Jason turned toward where he heard her voice. She seemed unaware that Jason had discovered her. With a newfound enthusiasm, Jason started for the hunt. Keeping silent in his step, he crept up on Daphis where she hid. Crouching, he looked ahead passed Daphis, seeing Fenris close behind.

With the speed of a young man and the silence of a ninja, Jason made his way around and behind the pair, continuing to focus all his energy into sight and hearing. This made him light on his feet as he would hear any noise he made before they would. He silently crept behind Fenris and stood still just a mere two feet behind him.

Jason readied himself to surprise Fenris, but Fenris turned around just before he could. "You'll have to practice a few more things before you're ready to sneak up on me, Jason." Fenris said, smiling.

Jason looked almost disappointed for a second.

"Don't look so upset, I had to practice that for almost a year before I could shield myself from Daphis' spell." Fenris reassured.

"Speaking of which, I could use a little tune-up." Jason said, making note of the cute he received from the test.

Daphis walked forward, singing a little song and starting the healing process. Jason felt his cuts heal up instantly. All it took was ten seconds.

"Will I ever learn that?" Jason asked, watching his injuries heal.

"In time, maybe." Fenris answered.

Jason looked at Daphis, smiling.

"So, Jason, we can teach you just a couple more things. Like any muscle you would work out, the mind shouldn't be overworked, so we'll have to stop it after one or two more."

Jason wondered what came next. Daphis whispered to Fenris, Jason watched Fenris' expression change.

"Jason, we do have something very useful we can teach you. It'll help with a situation you're in. The problem is, it's very hard to channel so much power so early in the learning process." Fenris said, a little nervousness could be detected in his voice.

Jason looked worried.

"That being said, our method for teaching it to you is going to be a little extreme, but it'll save your life in the near future." Fenris said.

"What do I have to do?" Jason asked.

"First, I have to tell you that no matter what, we're here for you, and to help you, not hurt you."

"You're making me nervous." Jason said, taking a step back.

Fenris took a step forward, "Do you want to do this?"

Jason paused for a moment, thinking about the words. His nerves said no, his reason said yes. After all, he knew Daphis could just heal him if something goes wrong. A little pain was manageable. How bad could this possibly be? He wondered.

"Okay, let's do it." Jason said.

Fenris put a hand on Jason's shoulder, "Remember, you're safe here."

With that, Jason felt a violent surge of energy enter through his shoulder, numbing his brain and sending him to a very dark place. He felt first underneath him, immediately to his sides, head and feet. It was very claustrophobic. Jason couldn't see anything.

Piece of cake, Jason thought as he focused his vision, seeing the deep dirt hole he was in. Jason noticed the rope tying him up. He was bound so tightly that he couldn't move his hands or his legs.

All of a sudden, the hole started to fill with mud, slowly.

Jason felt heavy as it rained down on him. He studied his bindings, thinking of how to get out of this. He tried to keep his mind open to anything that might relate to what he's seen from this place. Fenris liked to vanish, maybe he could teleport somewhere if he focused on a place hard enough, he thought. Jason started focusing on the clearing where he met Fenris. That seemed a reasonable place. Jason closed his eyes and focused hard, trying to will himself out of the mud and somewhere safe.

Jason kept trying to focus, still in the hole. It was filling quickly now, and there had not yet been any guidance from Fenris as to what he should focus on. Jason started to panic, losing focus and thrashing around, trying to use his strength to break the binds. That wouldn't work at all, he tried thinking of something else.

"Fenris, what do I do?" Jason yelled.

Jason raised his head, keeping his ears free of the mud so he could wait for a response that wasn't coming. Jason was freaking out now, completely unsure of what to do. He thought about how he was going to be okay, but drowning absolutely sucked. Jason thought harder, what could get him out of these ropes but not be affected by this mud? Fire wouldn't do the trick. He didn't know if anything he's seen would actually work in this situation. This was scary, Jason thought, there was no way he could know what to do here.

"Fenris, I need a little help!" Jason yelled again.

Jason heard Fenris say something in another language. Jason didn't understand. Fenris repeated this language again, and again. It was methodical, repeated every five seconds or so. Jason focused his hearing, able to hear the words, but still not understanding them. Jason thought about the words, closing his eyes and concentrating on them. They didn't make him feel any different, nor did they loosen the bindings.

Jason tried to keep calm, despite the risk of drowning in mud at any minute. He focused on the words, knowing that they must hold some significance of they were being repeated to him. He kept repeating them in his mind, but they didn't change anything.

Jason listened more, hearing only the same chant over again. Jason could hear the mud spilling in, it was distracting. Maybe if he could get some silence. Jason lay his head straight back, allowing the mud to cover him completely. Now that it was silent, Jason tried focusing on the words again. Repeating them in his head over and over did help him understand them, but he wasn't able to translate them.

He could only hear the words for so long though, the mud started to fill his lungs, and he couldn't raise his head high enough to breathe. The words stopped as panic set in and he, again, tried using brute strength to break his bindings. That was still unsuccessful, and he felt his lungs fill with even more mud. Time passed, and he slowly started to lose control over his focus. How many times could he die in one day, Jason wondered. He closed his eyes, and waited for the inevitable.