Ch11: Dreaming, Part One

"Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul."

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

A screech of air in the icy wastes marked the arrival of an underdressed man. Long after he stopped in place, sonic booms resonated into the cloud-filled sky. With a shake of his head, he tossed his thick brown mane behind his over-muscled shoulders, unconcerned with the cold air on his bare chest. A snort huffed from his nose as he gazed at the violent weather. He twitched, a single finger pointed towards the offending storm.

A pressure wave formed, a spherical wall with the man at its center. An explosive force that outmatched the thunderous skies. The hundred-kilometer stormfront scattered into thousands of tattered fragments, driven toward the horizon with no resistance. The land around him opened to the light of dawn, the pillar of ice that challenged the heavens exposed.

"I can smell metal, and something else..."

The herculean figure mumbled, a deep, horse quality to his voice. His face settled into a permanent scowl.

"The lab has truly been breached."

With a single step, he cleared the distance between himself and the tower, eyes locked on the only imperfection on its surface. Another step brought him face to face with a silver door, ajar in the calm winter breeze. The galaxies that composed his eyes spun rapidly, and the man squeezed himself inside.

***************************************************

Vendak was adrift, an endless void of darkness. His body gone, Ven was unable to move as he studied the black. A thin oily film pressed against his mind. Who am I... Each thought drifted into the next without control. Several confused seconds passed before Vendak finally remembered.

Right, I passed out. Maybe I'm dreaming now?

The last few times he slept were a blank, but this was not the same as his weird hibernations.

It would be convenient if I was a naturally lucid dreamer. He could use it for training, if he figured out how to get more from his subconscious than this black void. Maybe I just need to visualize a new environment... Vendak mused.

A slight movement flickered within his seemingly empty surroundings. Whatever lurked there was nearly invisible, a shadow in an already pitch-black night.

An uncomfortable shiver traveled up his currently absent spine. Vendak looked around, in search of any further movement. For a time, there was nothing within the void, but slowly, a mass of swirling lights faded into view.

They came from every direction, like a fine golden snowstorm with him at its center. It was a beautiful sight, and if it hadn't exposed something he'd missed, Ven would have been in awe.

This new source of light revealed what he'd glimpsed in the shadows. A monster made of the night itself. A dense cluster of tiny black holes, roughly shaped into the form of a man. The being stood a dozen times taller than Ven and squatted over him like a demonic imp.

Yeesh, what a creeper!

If he'd still possessed his body, Ven would have very likely jumped right out of his skin. As it was, Vendak's mind fell into a stupor, stuck as the light spots fell onto the creature. Maybe it can't see me... This thought, and his lack of a body, kept him frozen in place.

The two remained this way for some time. The beast loomed above, while Vendak stared into the void of its eyes. They hung, a twinned pair of black holes, highlighted by falling stars. They seem so familiar... Before he could understand why, the figure leaned closer, the black hole representing its mouth opened wide.

Helpless to resist, Ven could only watch as the lightless maw descended toward him. The dim illumination disappeared as the figure's mouth closed firmly shut, and Ven found himself in a free fall.

Ok, no panicking. That big boy might have eaten me, but there's light in here.

He was happy to find that, whatever this thing was, it wasn't a real black hole. No crushing pressure held him within the nearly featureless void... and he could see.

Unlike the last place, there was even a landmark. A small dim orb floated only a few meters away from Ven, its soft light cast onto his face. Vendak raised his hands, his body somehow returned, as a compulsion pulled at him. An itch formed deep within and called him to touch the enchanting ball of light.

Ven stepped forward and reached out, until his hand rested on its surface. He made contact with the sphere, and finally understood where he was. A rush of energy boiled up inside him. Within the orb was a vast reservoir of power.

It's an ocean of condensed light...

This unusual ball of semi-solid energy was a part of him. And there are more, all connected... They resided at the center of each of his cells, responsible for his aura of shadows. The energy I absorb flows into these spheres. Now that Ven touched this small section, the connection to his body and aura became something... more.

I have no idea how my consciousness entered this space, but it helps clarify some things.

For one, he was now sure he was not a Semi-Divine. These small orbs were his equivalent to the shining center a creature at that level should possess, like the tasty core Kalina managed to keep from him.

Mine are more like tiny balls of dense liquid, and they all have the same amount of power.

However, he did have the overwhelming advantage of numbers on his side. The sea serpent only had a single storage point, while Ven had an uncountable number of them.

He'd located his own 'pocket realms' in this dream-like state. Although he didn't know how to use these orbs, or understand how to progress himself forward in power, his heart still warmed at this discovery.

I was worried about nothing, I guess...

Having never dealt with the supernatural before, Ven's brain cramped a bit if forced to handle things that required a more... spiritual approach.

Seems like my subconsciousness has this covered.

Regardless of Ven's lack of experience, and preference for scientific thinking, he'd found his way.

Even though that shadowy figure startled me a bit, I haven't faced any real danger from this place.

If he put aside the rather sad view, this landscape seemed unnaturally comfortable to him. It resonated with Ven at a primal level, like a man who had found his tribe after a long separation. Now he understood why.

This place and all it contained was a part of him, a part that he had not yet understood. Even now, connected as Ven was to the countless orbs of condensed light, he failed to grasp how they worked. The energy within them was beyond his understanding, but each drop of power that slipped into the spheres gave him a sense of completeness. It only grew over time.

I've certainly got a lot of these pocket realms, which is great, but I'm not sure how to leave this place...

Although this was a step forward in understanding his power, his face twitched at the idea of being trapped inside his mind. This kernel of discomfort formed, and Ven suddenly felt his perspective shift. With nausea-inducing speed, he was tugged upward like a fish on a line.

A flash of the shadow giant, who still loomed within the sparks of light that fell like snow, filled his vision. As he continued upwards, Ven caught one final glimpse of another image. A massive white star, suspended within the depths of the otherwise empty darkness. Its powerful flame bled into the void and formed great swaths of condensed starlight.

Vendak strained his eyes to see more details, and a brilliant flash of light blinded him, his eyes filled with stars. As this intrusive glare faded, he came to awareness on his bed, dressed in a pair of black pajamas. When Vendak raised his head from the feather-stuffed pillow, his vision was consumed by a familiar wall of fabric and fur, accompanied by a howling wail.