The silence in Drake’s mind was like a storm. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not reach them. Neither Jake nor Calamary was in his grasp. The young warrior wrestled against the waves of anxiety shaking his core.

  But somehow he found the inner strength to eventually calm down. This was far from the first crisis he faced, yet quite a complicated one. A few controlled breaths came to his aid while he listened to the uneven beats of the heart. Finally coming back to his senses, accepting the reality. He knew that the answer to this existed. Moreover, he refused to believe that both of them were gone. Yeah, no way!

  And there were more pressing matters. His body carried the heavy scars of his defeat. He had to tend to his wounds in due time. Even though there was no threat of dying anymore, it would be unwise to try to make a move without at least stabilizing himself for good.

  With nothing but darkness around and his lantern gone, he was left with no option but to examine himself with his hands in the dark. The blood had dried up a while ago, and most of the slashes had closed off, yet still throbbing and hot to the touch. He could feel the uneven scars on the rugged skin as he continued the examination. Palpating his stomach and diaphragm, he assumed that the internal bleeding had stopped too.

  But there was that most unpleasant experience he still had to undergo. Groping the cold stones around, looking for something, he fumbled his hands around. Thanks to that, he managed to find the wooden handle of his stomped axe with a few strips of leather still wrapped around it.

  I wonder what else fell with me. How freakishly powerful that fiend was… It shattered obsidian-metal like it was nothing but glass. He thought to himself with a heavy sigh. As he rewrapped the dangling leather around the lump of wood before putting it into his mouth. It was about to get painfully ugly.

  Gritting his teeth, he pressed against the improvised gag. The young warrior bent forward, holding his broken leg with both hands. Aligning the bone carefully with his fingers, he let out a few muffled groans. Now that he knew the extent of the fracture, all that was left was to put his limb back in place.

  Easier said than done. Drake mused to himself.

  A loud howl pierced the silence of the darkness, followed by a snap. That was nothing like a branch breaking, but as if a whole century-old oak had cracked in half. Pain pierced his mind like a spear, surging from his leg through his spine and straight into his brain. Like a wrenching punch, a cacophony of a thousand hungry needles erupted inside him. The piece of wood in his mouth creaked against his strained jaw.

  But to his surprise, as soon as the bone was locked in place, properly aligned, the pulsating stinging sensation disappeared. Only the faint buzzing of the previous excruciating pain lingered. It was a good sign. Drake could now feel his body condition getting better with every passing moment. Yet, he would need a decent amount of rest before even thinking about walking.

  While he was alone with his thoughts, the young boy did not want to waste a moment. Using his axe, he chopped the handle into equal parts. Setting each at the side of his leg and tightly binding it with the cloth he tore from his shirt. And thus the makeshift splint to hold his broken bones in place was finished.

  His shoulder still ached as he flexed it. He could not yet understand how his arm had healed already. The young warrior could vividly recall it being a completely useless noodle after he had to block the mighty blow that would have easily claimed his life. Reaching out to the memory, a few flashes ran before his eyes. Drake recalled himself twisting in pain down on the cold stones, jerking his hand. And snapping the shoulder joint back into the socket.

  Huh, Jake should be proud. Was it really just a dislocation? Or, wait, was it even my memory?! What, why am I thinking that? The young man could have sworn he had at least a few bones shattered into bits. Yet he still had a cloudy recollection of what actually happened. Only the collapsed floor and his barely conscious descent into the darkness.

  He knew well that the ugly beast was not anywhere around. At least not within his perception sphere. In fact, there was not a single presence he could feel around. Only the dark cold surrounded him.

  Suddenly, a strange realization struck him, slapping him into his senses. This entire space was nothing but darkness and silence. And in the sense he never encountered it before. Blackness, cold, and stones were his only companions here.

  Could it be… Dungeon? That means…

  But when he tried to reach deeper, a cold sweat ran over his forehead. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing, not a single thing. Not a single resonance he could feel. Whether it was human presence or simply vibration inside the rocks around, there were no mana currents to latch onto. He gasped for air as soon as the young warrior realized he could not sense any of his powers inside.

  Drake felt unsettled and shaky. He grabbed his head in panic. But just the mere thought about what Jake would say was enough to avoid losing his senses once again. Once more, mentally, he tried to call upon all his inner powers for any of his skills. But, all the same, nothing responded. The only movement inside him was the physical sensations. Nothing but the strength of his muscles, aching bones, and healing wounds. The overall condition was terrible, despite getting better. It was the worst shape ever since his first encounter at the Borok Mountain Range.

  However, he was more than welcome to the remnants of power that stayed in his body till now. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins, the warmth against the cold. He could hear his breathing, and he noticed tension building inside his skull. It felt strange, almost alien.

  The young man felt weak… fragile… human… So that’s how it must have been for him all the time. Yet he did all of that… Drake descended deep into his mind, slowly creeping closer to the stone wall to lean on.

  But what the hell happened to me?! How did I lose everything? How’s this even possible? The young man struggled to find the answers, or at the very least make it make sense. And with the passing of pain, his mind was quieting down; less interference helped him to see clearer. And he managed to find the answers he sought, or at least he believed he did. Even if it was nothing more than an assumption.

  He attributed his current state to the aftershock of such a powerful struggle. The young warrior clearly recalled the prolonged fight. First, with the hooded cultists and the never-ending pack, and later with the hellish fiend. For the major duration of the battle, he had to rely on his massive yet finite reserves of power. He pushed himself to the brink, using his dragon aura trump card more than once.

  There was no other way. He craved that final potion so much that he was ready to chew through the glass. Ultimately, it was one of the things that gave him the chance to reach beyond the edge. Yet barely enough additional regeneration and reaction power to survive. But even with those final boosts of power, he was not sure how it was all possible.

  A while ago he read about the implications of extreme fatigue. The mana and aura depletion had severe aftereffects. But such were quite a rare occurrence; one’s body would not simply let go of its natural reserves. The phenomenon was not described well since barely anyone survived to tell the tale. And the scarce information was acquired through the unethical, already banned experimentations.

  Still, it was almost certain that getting oneself so depleted equaled death more than just fatigue and massive aftershock. Yet he managed somehow, not in one piece though.

  The young warrior debated within. This depletion could have explained him not being able to reach Calamary, so he expected to reestablish the link as soon as his powers returned. But he did not know either if it was even possible or how long it would take.

  A bigger problem was with the man. The whole situation with his brain did not make sense. He could not explain the absence of Jake. The person lived inside his head; he was part of his mind, another psyche trapped within. So it did not matter how wounded, fatigued, or tired his body was. The man should have always been there, guiding him, cheering him up, or mocking him after another broken rib. This was not the case.

  Must be something else. Could that be… A blue light, an aura? Or, I think, I saw his frame…

  Drake could feel that the answer was there, somewhere closer, not as far as he expected it to be. Yet it lingered there, on the fringes of his consciousness, on the very brink of his understanding. He was unable to grab it firmly, not yet.

  “Hah, I will probably be scolded for being dumb when this is over! I feel that I should know it, but somehow I don't, like a lost… memory?! Oh!” The young warrior chuckled as he mumbled out loud.

  He scratched his head and leaned slightly forward, trying to focus his vision. “Even if you knew the answer immediately yourself. Under no circumstances would you simply lay it out for me, always making me work for that, geezer.”

  The boy continued to muse as he ran his senses over the surroundings once again, with absolute dedication. Yet nothing reached his ears; nothing but the blanket of darkness floated before his opened eyes. Usually he could at the very least distinguish the shapes. Heh, well, I suppose this will not work. Should probably just give it a rest.

  With a few grunts and immense effort, Drake dragged himself into a more comfortable position. His axe lay close, just under the palm of his hand, at the ready. Within the stone walls, he found a perfect curve to support his back, allowing him to release the building tension from his neck.

  The young man felt it was past time to crack this puzzle or, at least, get some much-needed rest. And the answer was close; he just had to reach properly. Drake decided that he had to just dig deep enough. Determination radiated through his body once more.

  As he closed his eyes, nothing changed, the blackness around, not a sound or a glimpse of resonance. It was perfectly empty. He breathed in deep, slowly, with intent. Each deliberate beat of his heart descended him deeper. Slowly he sank deep into the confines of his mind.

  Thoughts and flashes pulled him even deeper, strongly, slowly. Like quicksand changing into the whirlpool. Drake could feel the world moving away, becoming a dot in the distance. He was completely detached.

  The young warrior floated on water. The waves, the currents, and the light humming of his own mind. It was everything he had hoped for. His anxiety faded away, swayed away like letters one scribbled on the sand by the shore.

  Floating further and further away on the edges of the currents, more sounds appeared out of nowhere. The light tapping of rain over the boat frame, the roaring of the thunder in the distance, the gushing of wind, the creaking of the masts and ropes passed swiftly. And now he could smell the salt in the air, touch it with his lips.

  He felt his heartbeat slowly increase as sensations pushed over him from all directions. Drake opened his eyes.

  The stormy sky above filled with hues of lightning while massive drops drummed against his face. He floated on his back. Nothing but the dark ocean waters around foamy waves.

  There was no doubt that it was a vision, yet he could not believe how well his mind constructed all the surrounding sensations. So real…

  His inner world was a turmoil, a bottomless, endless ocean. Empty and raging. Before the young warrior could react, a massive wave came crashing into him from the side, devouring him, dragging him under. The white foam filled his nostrils as the whirlpool swirled around him. There was no way for him to resist.

  He struggled, tried to break free, and floated up to the surface, but he could not tell the direction. Completely lost, without a purpose, he swam, jerking his limbs, holding his breath. Moments passed, but the current refused to release its hold over him.

  Drake had to breathe, yet he could not, as the dark blue waters were devouring him. Without a second thought, he let go of any worries and inhaled. The cold water filled his lungs, making him gag and shiver. His eyes were slowly going blank as he convulsed. Reaching with his hands wide, he simply embraced the sensation as he descended deeper, completely devoured by the freezing, dark depths.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  It felt strange, as he was choking; it seemed his body gained momentum. It was like someone had chained a massive anchor to his leg that dragged him deep into the bottom. Strangely, he felt no fear or anxiety, like he knew exactly where and why he was going.

  With a few more spasms, the last bubbles left through his nose and mouth. His heart had no more oxygen to pump into his blood, and his lungs were rupturing from the water pressing from inside. Drake rolled his eyes white as he fainted.

  The next time he opened his eyelids, his head buzzed as he coughed water out. He lay face down on the smooth, cold, dark floor. Yet when he raised his head, he saw a dot of light in the distance. Slowly he rose; his entire body felt unstable, but even more so, burdened.

  It felt as if the immense pressure was all around him. Trying to crush him from everywhere. As if the gravity increased tenfold or even more. And most of it was on his skull; it felt as if it was about to burst inwards.

  He scratched his eyes, the blurred vision focused, and he finally could see it. The surrounding space was nothing but the black, charred floor made from the unknown material. No walls or obstacles around. He could feel that if he wandered forth, there would be no edge to reach.

  But when he turned his head once again where there was a source of light, he felt an uncontrolled shudder. There, in the black chair enveloped in a faint blue glow, sat none other than Jake.

  His form was ethereal, barely visible, yet against the blackness around, he looked like a blazing sun. Drake slowly dangled closer. With each step the buzzing in his head intensified, later followed by jolts of electricity crackling in his ears.

  The ethereal form of the man sat there, motionless, almost frozen. The young warrior leaned over to see the open eyes that were fixated somewhere in the distance. Those looked empty at first. But as Drake focused, he could see an image mirrored within that empty gaze.

  When he looked closer, he saw it. A massive glowing screen appeared before him. Then another one popped into existence. One by one, more projections appeared. Until there was nothing but beaming displays.

  Now the young warrior was standing within the dome compiled from the cinematic sequences. Dazzling with light right into his face. The static filled the young warrior’s eyes, slowly changing into hums, cries, shouts, and colors. Starting to move, the scenes unfolded before him.

  Soon the entire place was filled with the noises of a multitude of voices. Talking, screaming, shouting. There were so many that he could not make sense of a single word. Everything became a crowded mess.

  Drake tried to cover his ears, but it did not help at all; the source of the sound was not from the outside. Figures. Before he could delve into his pondering, one of the screens flickered violently. A moving picture appeared, capturing his attention.

  In hectic order all the screens came alive at once. Hundreds, thousands of films seemed to be battling for the young warrior's attention. Forcing him to watch, captivating his gaze with their magnitude.

  His eyes darted from screen to screen, feeling the pull, yet not exactly sure of what he was looking for. Drake just knew that it was there. And he was sure, since he recognized more than one scene. His memories!

  There were a lot of those he was already well aware they even felt like the sweet memories of his own. Yet there were so many he did not ever see. A grueling boot camp, deployments. Jake’s college years, his fascination with trading. The man’s complete life story was laid bare before him.

  For some reason it did not sit right with him. It was as if he was peeking into the very soul of the man without permission.

  Not that I have any say in this. He tried to convince himself. But he could not deny the fact that more than anything it fascinated him. The life that the man lived. And most of all, how he died. Unyielding, fighting until the very last breath, trying to make the impossible possible. Nearly succeeding.

  A jolt of pain struck the young man’s chest. He felt the burning desire, untamed rage. The will to live and seek vengeance. Even though he knew that was, indeed, impossible.

  He stood there, watching, thinking deep. He witnessed the life of a man. A man from another world, yet somehow so similar. With his dreams, desires, and truths. Unbending in spirit like the legendary heroes from the books he read. But now the young warrior knew that books, myths, and stories are not reality. The reality of a man was and will always be different.

  “I now understand what you meant, Jake… I do understand now.” The young man murmured to himself.

  He ran his hand through the man’s form. It was nothing but mist, another projection?

  Drake could not help but ponder, filled with doubts of his own. Was I also like this? Or, did I just… Do I even deserve what I have? How much can I owe to this man without giving anything back? I’ll have to make this. He felt a strange sense of disgust. Disgust of himself.

  How can I even allow myself to be so pathetic?! What a piece of shit! Taking everything for granted. Drake’s shoulders sagged; he lowered his gaze, averting it from the screens, covering his face, gripping his hair tightly with both hands, and pulling hard.

  “Arrrrrrkh! Fuck this shit, fuck it, to hell with it. Why do I have to suffer?! Why does he have to suffer?! What’s even the point of all of this?” He screamed into the void; there was no one to hear. He knew exactly where he was.

  “Why is this happening? Why did it have to happen…? Why?! Why… W…hy…” The young man crumbled to the ground, curling up. Convulsing and slightly sobbing, tears welled in the corner of his eyes.

  Cornered, confused, and lost within the deep corners of his mind, he was nothing but a young orphaned boy. Looking for affection, searching for help. At that moment he only wanted Jake to be back. Back with his sharp cuts, his condescending tone, and his advice that always sounded half bitching, yet so true, so straightforward. He never treated him like a fool. Drake realized that even after all those years, he could not understand the man well enough to pass a judgment on him.

  Why is he even doing all of that…? But more so, how that man can move on so easily…

  Right on the edge of losing himself in the heavy thought, he heard a voice from the screen. The one he never heard before. A warm, compassionate voice of another man talking to Jake made Drake stop his spectacle.

  “Things happen, just because. We have no control over our fate, Jake. All we can do is to live our lives the way we choose. Regardless of the circumstances, my friend. Don’t you think that this is the ultimate freedom granted to us?” The man with a thick beard and tired, slightly wrinkled eyes tapped Jake’s shoulder hard. A massive smile covered his face, which was covered with scratches, cuts and dirt.

  It was as the warmth of the world returned to Drake’s body, filling him with purpose. Those were simple words; those were nothing but words. Yet the young man felt the gravity; he felt the heavy intent behind them. And the way this message was conveyed left him with a profound understanding.

  Yet most of all, he could not help but wonder about the smile of the man. He looked exhausted, like someone who had not slept for days, covered in small scorches and bruises, looking filthy. Probably going through hell. But the smile he gave to his friend was so bright, so true. A simple gesture carried so much more than was seen on the surface.

  Without hesitation, Drake rose to his feet. He slapped him on his face so hard that the echo resonated inside his eardrum for a few moments. Finally snapping back to the present. There was work to do; he knew that the man was still there, somewhere; he just had to find him.

  The young warrior started devouring every screen. Intently drilling into every picture, every memory. Some felt alien, some felt more familiar. Certain ones were repelling; some were hard to watch, to the point of him wanting to puke. Yet he forced his eyelids open. He just could not allow himself to miss a single detail.

  He did not feel the passage of time; he did not know, he did not care. Time after time he focused on certain screens. Ten, twenty, a hundred. Soon enough he understood that every memory is a loop. Every sequence was the same duration, and after the final scene, it reset itself with the static rewind.

  Drake could not deduce any pattern. All the memories were different. Some are filled with emotions, some devoid of any. There were just some where Jake was watching a movie by himself. Hmm, what can this be…

  But the more he looked, the more he understood. Some of the memories held his attention better than the others. The young man started paying more attention to what he himself felt looking at the screen. And he quickly found that certain images made his chest ache, others his stomach churn, and some made him want to avert his gaze or even run.

  Drake decided to look for the ones that had the most captivating feeling. The ones that pulled his attention like a magnet. And to his surprise, there were not many. After rushing through a few more, he understood and narrowed it down to three particular screens.

  All of those seemed to have the most captivating feeling, bordering on obsession. It was as if those pictures were calling for him. They wanted to be witnessed; they wanted to tell him something.

  He carefully studied each memory. The first one was the orchard. Where was the young Jake, around or maybe even younger than Drake now? He was lying under the shadow of an apple tree. Intently staring into the blue sky, gazing at the passing fluffy clouds. There was nothing else, just a serenity of the moment as the young man murmured a melody.

  The other one was from the man’s school days. In the backyard, he confessed his feelings to a stunningly beautiful young girl that fiddled with her long wavy hair, blushing red. After responding with a resounding yes, they shared a passionate kiss.

  This definitely leaves only one choice. Drake thought as he turned his head to the final screen. There, in a dark cellar, Jake sat on the wooden chair in nothing but his pants, barefoot. His hands were tied tightly behind him, swollen blue. His face was nothing but a bloated mass. While his body looked like a battlefield. Filled across with cuts, open wounds, yellow, green, and fresh purple bruising. The man was breathing heavily with an open mouth as the crimson blood dripped down.

  Another heavy strike crushed over his ribs, followed by a kick to the gut, toppling the man with the chair over.

  “Mark my words, you are going to talk, you imbecile. I’ll make sure you will regret being born.” The massive, bulky man covered in splashes of blood leaned over Jake and grabbed his hair, pulling him up. As soon as the chair touched the floor with all four legs, he hammered his fist into the face.

  Without flinching, Jake raised his empty gaze. Studying the ugly features in front. Inhaling deeply, he snorted and spat the blood and a few teeth right into the other man’s face. Making him stumble backwards.

  “You fucking…lunatic!” The man screamed, giving a hard backhand slap over the tied man’s face with a loud snap.

  “Try to make me! Is this really all you've got? Pathetic scum!” Jake declared with a husky voice. A wry smile covered his face as he chuckled a few times uncontrollably. Flinching with the pain inside his ribcage.

  Without uttering another word, the offender kicked Jake to the side of his head with his leg. He flew half a pace before crashing again on the floor. He spat on the lying man, turned around, and strolled to the table that was filled with shining metal devices of various shapes and sizes. Blades, weirdly shaped screwdrivers, bloodied tongs. Every single imaginable torture device was there.

  “All I need to do is make sure you stay alive. They did not tell how many limbs or fingers you should have.” He muttered to himself, bruising his hand over the shining cold metal. Searching with his intent gaze.

  Meanwhile, Jake was lying on the floor, toppled to the side. The wood creaked slightly as the man rolled over, pushing with his leg. He jolted to his feet in a single fluid motion. The wood gave way and came undone into broken splinters. Before the massive man could even think about peeking over his shoulder, the bloodied, tied hands appeared in front of him.

  With all his strength, Jake got him in the tight neck lock. Pushing with all his strength as the vein bulged over his forearms.

  The massive man hissed, “You f…fucking… How… did you…” Scratching with his hands, drawing blood, trying to break free. To no avail, it was a deadlock.

  In a desperate attempt, he jumped backwards, crushing Jake with his back against the wall with all his might. The man on his back only grunted and laughed. The choking man tried again and again. Struggling to shake off the one glued to his back. But it seemed that nothing could faze him anymore.

  After every jerk, he felt the power leaving his length, his body. His vision got clouded. As he huffed and puffed, his bloodshot eyes opened wide, saliva dripped from his mouth, and white foam formed on the edges of his lips. Choking and coughing, he thrashed, slowly stumbling against the wall to the ground. His face became blue.

  With a crazy look in his eyes, Jake whispered into another man’s ear. “How does it feel now? Knowing you're gonna die? Remember my voice!”

  He pressed even harder. The loud snap filled the dark cellar, and the massive man came crashing down, rolling his eyes. Jake released his grip. He straightened up as he ripped the rope around his wrist. Breathing heavily, he spat on the dead man.

  Using his hand, he wiped blood and sweat from his face. His battered, sinewy body was now engulfed in a faint mist rising like steam from his skin.

  Drake could not believe what he saw. That was the same usual faint blue aura glow. He leaned close to the screen. There was no doubt; it was it. He continued to glare as he raised his hand, stretching it towards the screen, wanting to touch.

  Suddenly the surrounding space distorted. The screens started moving, rotating, swirling around him like a swarm of fireflies. Yet the one before him grew bigger and bigger. Before the young man could blink, it had covered the whole space, and the misty form of Jake faded, like morning fog. What?! JAKE!

  But it did not stop there. Slowly, like a blanket, the screen covered Drake entirely. Sticking to his skin, making it glare and glow with the flickering memories. He felt his breath taken away with the pressure on his chest. Like he could not breathe through his sickness. His body felt burning; as he tried to remove it, it only stretched but did not come undone, no matter how much power he applied. It felt as if he was trying to flay his own skin.

  Drake raised his head, attempting to scream as he opened his mouth. Instead, all the floating memories around rushed inside, disappearing deep into his throat and into his body. The young warrior’s eyes opened wide, with the wide glow spreading around like a rising star.

  White glowing cracks appeared over his skin. Slowly increasing in size, as the loud buzz filled the air. And with a loud snap, it shattered into millions of tiny pieces. Fragments of screens, like torn papers, flew around.

  In the middle of the darkness now stood a tall, shining figure with distinct features.

  Jake looked down at his now white, gleaming hands. “What the actual fuck was that?!”

  Please don't hesitate to follow me on Instagram/FB. Or join my Patreon:

  P.S. You are welcome to DM or reach out to me if you have any questions or suggestions.

  How did you like this chapter?