It's been several days since I started walking through this forest. I'm not exactly sure what the nature of my journey is, but if this map I'm holding is correct, my destination is not far from here.
To be honest, I'm not sure how I convinced myself to go on this silly quest. Yes, the person who gave me the map claimed to be a distant relative of a close friend. Yes, the rumors of unclaimed surface gold deposits scattered throughout this forest were plausible, and the less well-known rumor that a group of hostile, self-replicating golems were recently eradicated from this region must be true, assuming they even existed at all. But my exact destination is unclear. The distant relative claimed at one point that they needed me to pick up something to help return a favor, but at another point they contradicted themself and claimed it was some sort spiritual journey. In either case I can't fathom what was so compelling about it that made me accept the map and follow it, let alone why I would trust someone who was basically a stranger. Perhaps I was so tired of the status quo of living in the village that I finally needed an adventure. After all, retirement can get a bit dull at times. Who would have thought that I, Astro, of all people, would retire? And in Nexus of all places?
I appreciate a bit the humor of my situation, roll up the map, and put it in one of my pockets. I already have a good sense of direction thanks to the angle of the sun, and my destination is getting very close so the map will most likely just distract me.
Many trees later and my destination still isn't in sight, but then I stop walking and stand still when I realize there is a cloaked figure standing among the trees ahead of me.
As I tally up the possibilities, I realize I am very unprepared for this situation. It's been ages since I've used magic in any capacity, and my sword-fighting skills are amateur at best at this point. If the cloaked stranger has any malicious intent, it is unlikely I will be able to defend myself.
I take out my map and compass and walk sideways. But as I look back toward the cloaked stranger, I realize they are following me.
What do I do? Do I attempt to run? Or do I confront them and hope they are peaceful?
Before I can make my decision, the cloaked figure raises their arm slowly. A shockwave spreads out from their hand in a cone shape, distorting the trees as it passes by. It moves so fast that I couldn't possibly outrun it. I watch as the trees in front of me bend and twist like ripples in a lake, and then the shockwave passes through me. I feel myself pulled like a clump of magnetic molten wax toward the cloaked figure until I am standing right in front of them.
The cloaked figure stares at me, yet their face is undefined. They raise their arm once more, and a great, gaping hole appears between us. It is painful to look at, but I am powerless to look away. There is such a profound nothingness to the hole that even my thoughts seem to disappear inside of it, and the more I comprehend its darkness, the bigger the hole seems to be, until my entire self seems to be swallowed up inside of it...
I wake with a start as I hear a scream. Startled, I sit up quickly, and then clasp my head in pain as the memory of that hole in existence continues to throb inside of me. There is a weak light coming from between the curtains of the window of the inn room. I open the curtains. It's early morning.
I open the door and try to investigate the source of the scream. For a second the memory of the nightmare lingers, and I almost convince myself that I'm retired from magic and shouldn't get involved in dangerous situations like this, but then I remember that was just a dream.
I soon find a half-open door with a light and voices coming from inside. I open it, and see Destiny, Kay, and Warnado staring at Amanda laying in bed. From the looks of it, Amanda seems completely beside herself, almost as if she is paralyzed by fear. Destiny has a weird look on her face, a mix of fear with something ill-defined. Warnado is keeping the room lit with an ethereal flame, while Kay stands just beside Amanda, with a purposeful pose that suggests he's asking most of the questions.
"I walked in, and his… his eyes... were gleaming like moonlight," Destiny said, her voice stuttering. "And he was touching her head."
"What's going on here?" I ask. "Another nightmare?"
"It seems like it," Kay says, a look of realization in his face which suggests he no longer doubts Amanda's nightmare was caused by someone else. Seeing the look of pure fear in Amanda's eyes, I too find it hard to dismiss it as a coincidence.
"I hated that guy from the start. He only ever cared about himself and getting back to his dumb farm. Now we know that's all pigshit! He's been using us this whole time!" Destiny continues. Her eyes are red and watery and her teeth are bared in feral manner. A pitiable sight; a sight whose words are hard to believe.
"You're entitled to your opinion of Fristad's personality, but let's focus on the facts at hand," Kay says, teeth gritted, obviously struggling not to immediately indulge his own prejudices. "Was Fristad an enderman when this was happening?"
She seems to realise she's losing Kay. Her features solidify, her voice levels itself: "He was human."
"How long was he in the room?"
"I don't know. He teleported out of the room immediately after I saw him."
"Did he say anything, or was doing anything else unusual?" Warnado asks. "What was he wearing?"
"He didn't say or do anything else. He wasn't wearing any armor, just a shirt with a vest."
"Astro, can you take my place so I can check Fristad's room to see if he left his armor behind?" Warnado asks.
"That's fine," I tell Warnado. I cast a spell which creates an orb of white light hovering near the ceiling. Warnado snuffs out his ethereal fire and walks out of the room. I don't think I've seen him cast a spell like that before. Is it new? Perhaps his abilities are improving.
"What were you doing before you entered Amanda's room?" Kay asks.
"I don't see why that's any of your business. I wasn't the one harming her," Destiny snaps.
"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything," Kay says. "I'm just trying to see if there's anything we might have missed that would bring us closer to finding out what Amanda has been dealing with."
"I already told you Fristad did it!" Destiny barks.
"That may be true," Kay begins with strained diplomacy, "but Fristad isn't here, and there are other components to this investigation. Your unwillingness to cooperate doesn't really help your own case for innocence. So, could you please just answer the question?"
Destiny sighs. "If you must know… I was having difficulty sleeping. I heard strange noises coming Amanda's room, so I investigated. That's when I saw Fristad standing next to Amanda while she was screaming in her bed."
"I heard the scream, too," I add. "It woke me up from a nightmare I was having... Listen, I'm not sure if the dreams are related, but I might as well describe mine. It was about a wizard creating a hole in existence that was painful to look at and distorted my consciousness. It's probably linked to a similar reality-distorting spell Shadow created yesterday while we were testing our magic. Maybe it left a magical effect, maybe it just made an impression. Probably not severe, but something to consider going forward."
"First eavesdropping on an entire crowd, then dimensional holes? What kind of magicking wizard is Shadow, exactly?" Kay asks, gesticulating sharply.
"Reality holes, not dimensional holes," I correct Kay. "And apparently a very competent one. I'll tell you and Warnado more about it later. I'll let you wrap up your questions so we all can let Amanda get some rest."
"I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep any time soon," Amanda admits, her voice weak.
Warnado returns into the room. "Fristad is asleep, or at least he's in bed right now," he says. "He's probably not wearing any armor. I saw his usual black plated armor on the floor."
Warnado turns to face me. "Thank you, Astro, for holding my spot. I can take it from here."
"I'm actually a bit interested in what happened to Amanda. You know, just a little," I tell him with a warning sarcasm.
Warnado gives me a serious look. "That may be the case, but you simply being here could influence the witnesses."
"You're right," I sighed and splayed my hands. "I should go. Good luck with your investigation. I hope we get to the bottom of this soon."
I leave the room, leaving Warnado to tend to the interview with Amanda and Destiny. The dim light of the inn hallway is oddly calming, with the old creaking wood under my feet and the faint sound of clanging metal and porcelain coming from below, from the late night activity of a few sleepless patrons.
I feel sorry for both of them, Amanda and Destiny. Especially Amanda. I've never seen such a young woman with such a panicked look in her face. Then again, Destiny lost David and that was the firm opposite of pleasant… Uncooperative as she is, she must be hurting so, so much.
But at the same time, could Destiny be the Dreamweaver? Could she have chosen to haunt Amanda because she was jealous of her relationship with Warnado? A relationship Destiny no longer has? To be honest, I don't even know how Warnado and Amanda feel about each other. He never talks about it. Maybe I owe it to myself to find out.
Sometimes I wonder what sick mentality drives people to inflict psychological torture upon someone else. Sometimes I don't need to wonder. I've witnessed many forms of torture. Motivation comes in many forms, both petty and political. Usually both. I still remember how that half-endling freak, Hamish, unravelled Kay's mind strand by strand. How he used me in that torture. How he killed Mini. How he "killed" Linx. How he lured Kay into that trap in the Citadel. Then, all that during Ryan's Revolt...
This Kay hasn't had that happen to him yet. No wonder he's so cheerful. Then again, I may be imposing my emotions on a Kay from an entirely different timeline. It doesn't make the past any easier to bear. I could lose him again…
As I place my hand upon my door, I wince as a painful headache flashes on the left side of my head. An image of the reality-eating hole appears briefly in my mind, clouding my thoughts, before vanishing. I sincerely hope the mental aberrations don't become worse.