Bones

Cautiously, they approached the structure. Every step they took got more difficult and soon approaching the towering structure made them feel as if they were walking through water. Even without meditating they felt as if energy was being forced into their meridians and dantian forcing them to crack, expand and evolve at an unnatural pace. Their bodies were being tempered by some unseen force that seemed to have refined the mana specifically for them.

"This civilization," muttered Neil sensing his surroundings in awe. "This mana. It doesn't seem to stop amazing me."

They reached the large structure and realized that they were standing in front of a large door.

"It is a building," muttered Neil.

"What should we do?," asked Johan. "It is too big to open on our own."

As if silently answering Johan's question. The large doors swung open as if inviting them in.

"I guess that solves that problem," muttered Johan laughing uneasily.

"What type of beings could have created such a structure and civilization," muttered Neil. "They are eons ahead of the technologies I've seen used in the Looking Glass Kingdom."

They walked cautiously through the doors into the structure. Their senses were on edge as they entered unexplored territory. The inside of the structure gave off an air of antiquity and mystery.

The doors of the structure swung shut behind them.

"Uh oh ...," muttered Johan.

Neil ran to the doors trying to pry them open again, but they wouldn't budge.

"We are locked in here for now," said Neil uneasily.

The walls immediately began to glow a soft white light revealing giving detail and color to their surroundings. For the first time in months, they were able to use their eyes again. They found themselves in a small room with several closed doors which their senses couldn't permeate.

"This must have been the abode of some mighty figure of the past," muttered Neil.

"An abode?," muttered Johan.

"A home mighty figures would use to transport themselves around," explained Neil. "Even these days, some factions have abodes, but it is expensive to create so only the very rich or powerful sects tend to have them in the Looking Glass Kingdom. But I'd imagine, very few these days have abodes of this quality i'd imagine. At least I've never seen one quite like this."

From the center of the room, a tiny red light started to glow.

Startled, Neil and Johan stepped away from the light.

The red light slowly solidified into a slender tall beautiful woman with piercing brown eyes and long flowing brown hair. She wore a red silk robe that resembled a saree. An air of melancholy permeated the room from her presence.

Upon seeing Johan and Neil she whispered under her breath, "You two are so young."

"Who are you?," stammered Neil.

A single tear seemed to fall from her eye as she eyed as she glanced away from them as if to hiding it.

"I am the spirit of this abode," she said. "My name is Dorlene. Follow me you two ... Neil ... this place now belongs to you, and there is something here that was left for the two of you."

Johan and Neil looked at each other confused.

"Were you the one watching us in the labyrinth?," asked Johan.

"Are you here alone? How'd you know my name?," asked Neil. "Why are you just giving us this place?"

"You'll get your answers in a moment," said Dorlene. "This place was your to begin with."

Dorlene opened a door and gestured for them to walk through it.

"What is this place?," asked Johan.

"Your questions will be answered soon," said Dorlene repeating herself.

Neil cautiously walked through the door taking in his surroundings and Johan followed. Right before Johan walked into the next room, Dorlene calmly placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Let's get rid of this witch first. People of her character aren't welcome here."

There was a sudden yelp as the transparent form of a woman was thrown out of Johan. Johan and Neil turned surprised.

"Gadra!," gasped Johan.

Johan stared into Gadra's surprised eyes as her form dispersed into nothing.

"She has been watching you remotely," said Dorlene softly, "she has always been problematic ever since the beginning. She planted a slave mark on you. It was subtle and deeply engraved, she must have gotten quite intimate with you in order to be able to conceal it so deeply within your soul sea. If she wanted she could have ended your life by a simple thought."

Johan blushed recalling when Gadra had slept with him.

"Is she dead?," stammered Johan.

"No," said Dorlene. "Her connection has just been broken, now she cannot influence you, watch you or even use you as a doorway to go from her current realm to this one. I removed her slave mark from you."

"Will we be able to use this abode to leave this pit?," asked Neil.

"Yes," said Dorlene, "you will be able to do that and much more."

"Why are there so many bones in the labyrinth?," asked Neil.

Dorlene sighed, "it was an unforeseen result of crossing the time barrier. Once this place was bustling with life. What it is now is a mere shadow of what i was. If only we'd seen it coming, then maybe. But no ... with you two here, there is a chance it won't happen again."

"Time barrier?," muttered Neil crinkling his head.

While Dorlene spoke very little, when she did, the questions her words spurred made them realise that there were numerous levels to the mysteries of the labyrinth and this abode.

"Seems like a win to me," said Johan shrugging. "We can get out of here with this space ship and maybe even get back to earth."

"Yeah," said Neil suspiciously, "It seems almost too good to be true ..."

Soon, they found themselves in front of a long flight of stairs which Dorlene led them up. At the top of the stairs was a doorway which Dorlene led them through. They found themselves in another small room with three circles on the floor. With a wave of her hands, from the circles, three seats grew out. On the seats were the black skeletons that seemed to distort the essence of the room. The bones seemed as if they were made from the essence of black holes.

Neil and Johan fell to their knees feeling almost immediately as immensely oppressing force emitted from the bones. Blood dripped from the corner of their mouths as their bodies struggled to withstand the power. A wave of gentle green light spread out from Dorlene quickly countering the force and making it bearable but not completely eliminating it.

"Are those the bones of gods!?," gasped Johan, as his face contorted in pain. "This feeling! I can't breath."

"I've never felt anything," groaned Neil . "I feel like I am going to die! Dorlene! Make them go away!"

"Come, my dear," said Dorelene grabbing Neil by his arm, picking him up and leading him to one of the skeletons. She gently took Neil's hand and placed it on the skeleton's lap and it seemed as if the aura of distortion expanded from the bones wrapping Neil. The expression of pain quickly disappeared from his face and a distant look appeared in his eyes. A vortex appeared around Neil as the thickness of the mana in the room noticeably reduced. He appeared to be absorbing mana at an unnaturally high pace.

"Now it is your turn," said Dorlene glancing at Johan. "This place is a mere shadow of what it once was. Crossing the barrier drained and weakened the benefits that you could have obtain from the skeletons, I only hope it will be enough."

She walked to Johan and picked him by his arm and led him to another pile of bones, placing his hand on the bones lap.

Instantly, Johan felt the oppressing aura of the room disappear as a flood of fragmented memories from the bones permeated his being. He felt mind expand rapidly as a vortex slowly appeared around him further thinning the remaining mana in the room. It seemed to be attempting to aid in his absorption of the memories. Fragments of techniques, experiences, places, past lovers, ancient places and numerous death defying battles and struggles flowed into him ... a lifetime of experiences, wisdom and experiences flowed from the bones into him. A god like being that had lived for perhaps trillions of years, but had started off human.

From the skeleton, a particular memory stood out and left a deep mark in Johan's mind. It was a memory of a battle lost. Perhaps it had been he final battle between these gods and a demon whose sheer presence seemed to rip the Universe asunder. A single strike from from the demon tore apart galaxies and ended countless civilizations.

What was this creature?

In this memory, three god like figures stood tall and proud, floating in space while emitting indomitable auras. Their faces and bodies were blurred by their oppressing auras. Deep down, Johan knew that these god like figures were the owners of the bones in the room. One of them swung his pike and a single pike strike from him seemed to have the weight of several black holes and bear an indomitable will. Just watching it made Johan feel as if he was experiencing death and life simultaneously again and again. A sense of disbelieve permeated him. A wave flew from the pike countering the demon's large fist. Yet even this was only enough to slow it down and not stop it.

Moments later, Johan found himself looking through the eyes of the indomitable figure who had stood next to the pike user. This man unsheathed a blade which seemed to be forged from the essence of black holes. He swung the sword almost effortlessly. A green and blue chilling wave emitted from it. As he swung the sword the words "death" and "indomitable" appeared in Johan's mind. He felt as if his soul was being cut by simply watching the strike. It carried the essence of time, creation, destruction, order and chaos. Elegant, strong, powerful, terrifying, yet overbearing ... its power was in no way inferior to the pike user. It hit the demon's strike slowly pushing it back.

Finally, there was an eerie yet familiar howl of rage and Johan looked to his side and was shocked to see the beast from the alley. Pale white skin, cold blue eyes, ... it struck out with a flurry of strikes from its claws. The very essence of hell seemed to be ingrained in its movements, adding to the power of the two other's strikes ... the word "raw power" echoed in Johan's mind, unrefined, raw power ... the space around them turned red with every strike the creature threw and finally, when the creature's attacks were added to their own, the demon's fist was thrown back and overpowered.

"FOR OUR FREEDOM AND LIVES!," yelled a strong voice.

Johan looked down and saw what appeared to be hundreds of millions of warriors ... an army.

"FOR OUR FREEDOM AND LIVES!," howled the army in unison.

They added to the attack from behind the being screaming in unison. Lashing out their individual attacks.

The demon roared in outrage and pain as the simultaneous strikes hit him.

It lashed out rapidly and powerfully and in seconds hundreds of millions of people from the army perished.

"If we only had more time to prepare!," yelled the sword user as he swung his sword several more times. "More warning ... we are too weak!"

"It is not over yet!," yelled the pike user next to Johan striking out again.

The white creature next to Johan let out an eerie cackle and struck out several more times.

From behind the demon they were fighting the essence of space ripped apart and seemed to form armor around it. Its strength seemed to multiply one thousand fold. Johan realised, that they'd been fighting a weakened beast. Something or someone had weakened it and it was waking up.

"Like hell it is over!," yelled the sword user. "Call out your abode N-!"

A sense of foreboding permeated Johan. But the memories that flowed into him next were blurred and unclear ... as if concealed.

What happened next in the battle?

Johan realised that he couldn't completely grasp the magnitude of everything he'd seen and benefit from it, perhaps the god like being had decided to keep those memories concealed from him for now. Johan snapped out of his daze and once again found himself kneeling in front of the skeleton. The bones that Johan was touching crumbled to ash in his hands and he found Neil standing above him.

"I was wrong ...," muttered Neil.

"Wrong about what?," said Johan.

"What did you see?," said Neil slowly, as worry lines further permeated his forehead.

"A giant creature," said Johan. "A battle. Only fragments of memories. Nothing really tangible."

"It would make sense," said Neil. "You pulled a hail-mary with an incomplete time reversal technique."

"What do you mean?," asked Johan.

"This place isn't from the past," Neil said staring into Johan's eyes. "Those images were from the future ... and those were OUR BONES from the future ..."