Chapter 143

Caleb's eyes were bloodshot. His teeth grinded and clashed against each other. Veins popped from his forehead and broke. Fury completely engulfed him as he looked at the small hands pushing against his body and the terrified but determined look of the one who held his stare.

His lips moved furiously trying to enunciate words that couldn't be heard, as sound was much too slow to keep up with their movements. A plethora of curses flowed from his labial, all directed to the woman who had betrayed him. But she couldn't notice the stream of hate flowing towards her, her body and mind way too late to follow him.

Time came to a halt once again. The stalemate was broken. The force behind my rescuer's push was almost irrelevant, but it would suffice. If I wanted to free myself and escape with my life I had to act flawlessly. Not an ounce of my waning strength should be wasted, not a drop of my blood spilt uselessly. The hateful light continued to gnaw at my body. I had to act fast.

I strengthened my grasp on his sword. If I let it slip, it would be all over. My feet were flattened and back against the ground. The support base had to be perfect. I braced my core. No loss along the kinetic chain could be accepted. And then I started pushing. Bones creaked and muscles snapped as I strained myself as I had never done before. The vines wrapped around my body gave out and Caleb lost all grasp he had on me. He darted to the other side of the vessel, his spine breaking in half against the mast.

He raised his head and his crimson eyes met with mine. He swung his arm and a whip fell down too fast for a shockwave to form. I raised my hand and pushed on its side, slightly deviating its course. I managed to save my rescuer but in return lost my hand. She didn't even notice what had just happened, but it didn't matter.

"Chloe! You useless w***e, what did you do?!" Caleb's voice made the vessel tremble and its masts sway. The powerful soundwave shook my entire body. Chloe's ears ruptured, her eyes broke and blood gushed from her mouth. Her warm aura enveloped her, barely letting her cling to her life.

Caleb stood up once again. There was no time to think. I raised my mangled hand. Caleb's eyes trembled.

"NO!" he mouthed with his lips and lounged at me, but everything was long over before he or his words could reach us.

What remained of my ichor enveloped my stump as I beat it on the ground. The liquid permeated the ground and infused the entire vessel. Cracks appeared all over it and in an instant only dust remained, as the authority that created it was dispelled.

The immenseless void welcomed us. A long fall was awaiting. Our bodies distorted and morphed, pushed and pulled around by the streams of consciousness and dreams that treaded the space in between. Our skins melted like snow and the flakes disappeared as if they never had been. Only the three of us remained, as concrete existences and our same reality was at risk of waning.

Caleb grinded his teeth and he reached out his hand. With a last effort, I slapped it away and pulled Chloe to me. His eyes turned crimson. They were full of hate and questions. And then we fell.

I felt the tug of the pathway, bringing me back to the surface of my world. I couldn't let it happen. The golden light was still reaching for me. If I let the current take me, I would remain trapped. I had to fall further away from its grasp, to a place where it couldn't reach me.

I brought Chloe nearer to me. Her existence was becoming blurred. If I let her go, Caleb or the light would take her. I let the last drops of my ichor drip against her skin and infused her with my strength. Her existence was preserved. We continued to fall together, but suddenly she accelerated towards the void and disappeared from my sight.

I abandoned myself to the darkness and tried to follow her. My essence bound us together and my body would follow her. As I was about to let my consciousness slip, I froze. Terror enveloped me. Only a shroud of gold surrounded me. A gigantic hand held my body like a plaything and innumerable eyes pierced my soul with their gaze.

Here She was. And I was powerless. I felt so small and stupid. How could I even think of confronting such a being. Caleb was right. She was great. Greater than anything and greater than anyone. Patriarchs, matriarchs, adults, juveniles, children. All the same in front of her. Specks of dust. A difference in hierarchy that couldn't be overcome.

F-O-U-N-D-Y-O-U

My blood screamed in hate against the enemy. It told me to fight, to gnaw at Her, to rip Her limbs and eyes from Her body.

R-E-T-U-R-N-T-O-M-E

My soul trembled but stood strong. It told me we were the same, that I could reach Her, that it was not a useless struggle.

T-H-E-R-E-I-S-N-O-N-E-E-D-T-O-S-T-R-U-G-G-L-E-A-N-Y-M-O-R-E

My mind despaired. It told me there was nothing I could do. Maybe in a few years, but for now, I was lesser. It didn't matter if I struggled.

R-E-S-T-S-L-E-E-P-L-E-A-V-E-T-H-I-S-T-O-M-E

But together they laughed. She had dared too much and She would pay the price.

The golden dome darkened. Bloody tears fell from her eyes and crimson stains formed everywhere.

N-O-T-N-O-W

The golden arm trembled and the grasp over my body weakened.

G-O-A-W-A-Y

"Hello!" a high pitched friendly voice entered my years.

It came from a figure of small stature. It was a child, ten years of age at most. It appeared to have been sculpted from marble, like a classical sculpture. The surface of its body was extremely smooth, but its colour was redder than the blood I spilled.

The small figure turned its dull eye to what felt like a random direction and a smile bloomed on his lips.

"You made us meet! Thank you!" he giggled happily.

D-O-N-O-T

"But it still isn't time, sooo, can you let him go?" he asked politely while pressing his foot against the arm.

The golden dome broke in half and the grasp on my body disappeared. I shivered. The being in front of me was unbridled strength. I didn't know if I could ever reach it, but I had to. He was asking me with a smile to come and get him. He had been waiting for me for so long, yet I couldn't even greet him.

Darkness enveloped me once again. I couldn't say how much time had passed. The only certainties I had were pain and fatigue. Nothing more, nothing less. At some point light returned to fill my eyes and real images appeared in front of me. I couldn't see well. My eyesight wasn't what it used to be.

It was dark. A blanket of leaves covered my head. I tried to raise my hands, but I was too weak to do so. I tried to speak, but my mouth was hoarse. I shivered. I was cold. I didn't remember the last time I had felt cold. It hurt to breath. It hurt to think. I had no energy. I was trembling. Too much blood loss, probably.

The leaf cover was finally removed. I squeezed my eyes. Too much light came from the fire camp near my side. Everything was so blurry. I hated feeling this weak. I saw no sky, but only darkness and grey. I was in a grotto or something similar. The ceiling seemed so far away. It was so humiliating to think there was something I couldn't reach. I had been beaten like a dog and had to flee with my tail between my legs. It was disgraceful.

A warm hand rested on my shoulder, helping me to sit up. A cup made from leaves approached my lips and water flowed down my parched throat. Such a simple act brought me great refreshment.

"Food," I pleaded in a broken whisper.

A few berries found their way inside my mouth. Their smell was foul and their taste bitter, but my body desperately craved nourishment. I chewed with difficulty and gulped down the food that my stomach readily welcomed. Digestion proceeded slowly but with time I began to take a hold of myself, as strength returned .

I managed to sit straight by myself and leaned my back against the wall of the cave, enjoying the warmth of the fire. The blurriness disappeared, although my eyesight remained extremely limited. On the other side of the embers, tending to the fire, there stood my rescuer, seated on a broken log.

"Chloe Ortiz," I called for her, my voice as weak as that of any man.

She was startled and her eyes widened. The stick she was using to tend to the fire fell from her hand and she almost stumbled backward on her seat.

"... Good evening, Mr Doe," she shily greeted me, her wary eyes fixed on mine.

She donned the same outfit she had on the vessel, although partially damaged.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"A little over a week…" she straightened the log and sat once again, looking at the fire while occasionally sending a look in my direction.

"Where are we?" I asked for a description.

"Outside this cave there are trees for as far as the eye can see"

"A forest, I see. Any danger?"

"Not until now… But I felt something watching me. I managed to lose it, so we should be safe"

"I understand," I nodded.

I tried to get up, but embarrassingly fell on the ground.

"Mr Doe!" the alarmed Chloe darted to my side, helping me back against the wall of the cave.

I fixed my eyes on her.

"Chloe Ortiz. Explain yourself," my voice was weak but my order strong.

Her behaviour was confusing. She had never shown me hostility, yet she had challenged me repeatedly. She had restricted Jonah from aiding me, yet she had ultimately rescued me. It didn't make sense.

"I don't know how…" she answered with a slight shiver.

"You told me you wanted to be free. I gave you a chance. I told you not to ruin it. Yet you went against me. And then you helped me and nursed me for days. Your behaviour is erratic to say the least"

She remained silent, avoiding my gaze.

"If you wished, you could end this right here, right now. I'm too weakened to fight back. Her hateful touch still lingers. You could put me to rest and I wouldn't be able to resist"

"I… don't want that… I never wanted to hurt anybody… Mother…"

"It is apparent your Mother does hold power over you"

"She appeared to us in dreams. Caleb and me… She told us what to do… and made us forget, until the time was right…"

I raised an eyebrow, but she answered my doubts right away.

"Even you, Mr Doe, would not be able to perceive it. You… still were too limited… But she knew she had to strike you down as soon as possible…"

I nodded. I trembled as I reminisced the sight of Her. Even if it was a fraction of Her true being, she was much greater than I had expected. It would have been easy for Her to cloak some things from me.

"Then why did you betray your makers?" I questioned with a sharp voice.

Her eyes seemed uncertain.

"Because I want to be free…" she gave me the same answer as last time.

But then she added.

"And you, Mr Doe, are my only option"