The Chaos Dimension:
Hydrus blocked the jab, weaved the elbow, and parried the knee. He had no idea how long he had been here. The sand burned beneath his feet, and the heavy gravity made moving difficult.
Just as he was about to land his first strike, his fist was caught and his arm was broken. Before he could process the pain, Hydrus was chopped in the throat and punched in the face. When he next woke, the feeling of freezing air let him know that it was nighttime. He wasn't disappointed with his loss as he could feel the progress he was making.
He had yet to unlock the full potential of biofeedback, but what he could do was selectively activate his healing factor. Hydrus was still working on increasing its speed, for having instant regeneration was much better than a mere healing factor. However, some progress was better than no progress and his healing factor wasn't the only thing that was advancing.
Being blind for what felt like years at this point, and fighting everyday, Hydrus was very in tune with his body and was starting to get relaxed in a combative situation. He knew what his limits were, and Hydrus knew that they could be surpassed.
Gathering himself, he motioned for the Faceless Foe to begin, despite the night. He had an idea, and if it worked, maybe he could get out of here. He began rubbing his hands together rapidly as he dodged and weaved. He blocked a kick to his stomach, and matched the follow up headbutt with one of his own, all while continuing to rub his hands together. Then he felt it.
A spark.
With superhuman speed and strength, Hydrus let his fist fly, powered by static electricity. He felt the blow land as he sent the Faceless Foe flying.
"Alright! I did it!" He screamed at the heavens, landing his very first hit against his opponent. Preoccupied with his success, the Faceless Foe managed to sneak up on the boy. There was an explosion of heat and force that sent sand flying everywhere.
The Chaos Dimension:
When Hydrus came to, to his great surprise he could see again. It was the strangest feeling, everything was much brighter than he remembered. His surroundings had changed, but the enemy before him had not. Instead of an deep, inescapable sand pit, he found himself on a beach and resting on the ocean's surface, was a massive dark palace.
From the sand, a spear rose up and the Faceless Foe grabbed it. The being pointed to the ground, indicating for Hydrus to do the same. He placed his hand on the sand and found a sword. A curved sword that felt almost exactly like Antinomy. Hydrus couldn't help the tears that came to his eyes at the nostalgic feeling.
Staring at the Faceless Foe Hydrus could only feel apathy. Whether he had a sword or not, whether he had his vision or not, it didn't matter. It would be a fight like any other.
Gripping the hilt of his sword with all his might, Hydrus swung with all the force he could muster, sending a highly pressurized blast of air at his opponent. The blast cleaved through the sand, leaving a deep fissure as the Faceless Foe casually side stepped.
The Faceless was upon him in an instant, stabbing rapidly with their spear. They were fast, almost too fast for the eye to track, but Hydrus didn't panic. He merely let his instincts take control. The instinct to fight, to kill, to win. He let his body do the thinking and planning and reacting. The only thing his mind needed to focus on was finding an opening.
As the Faceless delivered another thrust, stronger and faster than all the rest, Hydrus threw himself in front of the tip. The force of the blow blew a hole straight through his shoulder and Hydrus tensed what little muscle remained there to stop the Faceless from retrieving the spear.
At the same time Hydrus had slashed with his sword, leaving a deep cut on the Faceless Foe's neck. They fell to the sand grasping at their throat as inky black liquid sprayed from the wound. Without a single second of hesitation, Hydrus swung his sword again, beheading his longtime Foe.
He sighed as he looked at the remains. It was a waste to lose something with such high battle power. Hydrus was having mixed feelings. On one hand he was glad for finally winning, but on the other he knew that there would never again be someone who could push him like the Faceless could.
With his mind made up, Hydrus began digging into the sand with his hands. He buried the head and began to eat the body. Deep within him he felt stirring of something he had not felt for a long time.
His magic.
Tears fell from his face. His power was there, unusable, but there. Hydrus finished eating and looked towards the ocean. The dark palace lay on the horizon. As he was now, reaching it was highly improbable.
There was a slight breeze as Hydrus sat on the beach. The dark palace was the only structure within eyesight. Everything else was an endless beach. He looked at his hand as he contemplated a solution.
If magic was within him once more, then nothing was impossible. Standing up, Hydrus began drawing a magical circle in the sand. He placed his hands on the completed circle. It glowed weakly, but had no other effect.
Unbothered, he tried again and again. Each time the light of the magic circle grew brighter and brighter. His body began to sting with pain from so many attempts at using ambient magic.
Taking a step back, Hydrus tried to think of something else. Perhaps what he needed was a stronger medium. He picked up the sword and stared at his hand.
Hydrus had no idea how long he had been in this strange dimension, but one thing was clear. The challenges and battles he had experienced had been for the sole sake of strengthening his body. Instead of channeling ambient magic through a magic circle, he would channel it through his body.
With his mind made up, he began to carve a magic circle into the palm of his left hand. He grit his teeth at the pain, refusing to activate his healing factor and undo the progress. When it was done, Hydrus began the agonizing process on his right hand.
His blood dripped into the sand, and Hydrus focused on slowly healing. Unfortunately, he still couldn't control the speed at which he healed and soon his hands were back to normal without so much as a scar.
Hydrus knew that this was a possibility and wasn't fazed. He merely cut into himself again and again. Each time he did he focused on slowing down his rate of healing.
The Chaos Dimension:
Unlike the sand pit, the time of day didn't change here, so Hydrus had no idea how long he had spent cutting himself. Eventually, he managed it. Permanently scarring magical circles into his hands.
Looking to the horizon, Hydrus clapped his hands together and felt power beyond measure. Pointing a finger towards the dark palace, Hydrus unleashed his spell.
"Magikus Extrema: Terrafirma." Several metric tons of sand rose into the air, swirling rapidly before it formed into a path and hardened into stone. Hydrus felt a brief stinging sensation before it faded. He looked at his hands in wonder, the depths of his power surprised even him.
Other than a brief painful sensation there weren't any drawbacks as far as he could see. Eager to test his new power, Hydrus pointed his hand towards the ocean.
"Magikus Extrema: Shiva." There was a blinding flash of light, and when it faded the entire ocean was frozen.
"Holy shit." He whispered to himself, looking at his hands. Shaking his head, Hydrus began to make his way towards the palace.
The Palace of Wishes:
"Welcome, visitor." A voice greeted him. It was ambiguous and impossible to tell if it was a man or woman speaking. Hydrus reached out with his senses but couldn't detect anyone.
"Who are you? Where are you?" He asked calmly.
"Welcome to the Palace of Wishes. You are now stuck here for the rest of eternity. Please enjoy your stay." The voice said.
The front doors swung open, and an intense gravity sucked him in. The front doors slammed shut behind him, and he felt his magic drain out of him once again.
The shock his body received after losing all of his magic was enough to knock him out as he was dragged deeper and deeper into the Palace of Wishes.
Hydrus yawned as he awoke. He felt well rested and energized. There was a bed underneath him, an actual bed. It had been so long since he slept on anything other than sand that he was tempted to go back to sleep to further enjoy it.
"Did you sleep well? I can bring you something to eat if you're hungry." A voice said. Hydrus looked around trying to find the source of who was speaking.
The room was bland and empty, the only furniture being the bed. Getting up, Hydrus made his way to the closet. He pulled it open, expecting something to jump out at him. When nothing happened, he exhaled, letting the tension flow out of him.
"Sorry, you won't find me that easily. Since you're going to be stuck here forever, is there anything you want? I can grant any request." The voice said.
"I request a way out of here." Hydrus tried.
"Almost any request." The voice corrected itself.
Hydrus rolled his eyes, expecting something like that. "Fine, then I want my magic back." He tried again.
"Ordinary, that wouldn't be a problem, but you are a special case. Right now, you have no chance of escape, and I have no intention of letting you get a chance either. I know your every movement and your every thought. I will never let you go." The voice said. It didn't sound malicious, just matter of fact.
Before Hydrus could say anything, a bowl of glowing whitish-blue orbs, the size of grapes appeared.
"Uhm?"
"They're souls. You don't know it yet, but it's your favorite food. Try one." The voice encouraged. Not knowing what else to do, Hydrus picked one up and popped it into his mouth. It was like eating a warm, slightly melted marshmallow. A smile came to his face out of pure reflex. He felt himself start to harden as a warm and pleasant feeling filled him from head to toe.
Hydrus found himself reaching for another before he stopped himself and scowled at the ceiling.
"You're being awfully rude. You say you know everything about me but I don't know anything about you. The very least you could do is tell me your name." Hydrus insisted, trying to gain information anyway he could.
"No, I don't think I will. It's like you say, I know everything about you, so I won't tell you anything. But I can give you everything, almost anything you can wish for. This is the Palace of Wishes after all." The voice said, sounding amused.
Hydrus closed his eyes, trying to think.
"Oh, that sounds interesting. Perhaps I'll consider it in the future. But for now…" The bland room shifted and Hydrus found himself sitting on his throne in a perfect replica of Obsidian Venue.
"I won't be fooled or swayed by a mere copy." Hydrus said with gritted teeth and clenched fist.
"I'm well aware. You will never stop trying to find a way out. But I am going to keep you here, I am going to grant your every desire, and I will make you the undisputed strongest Force in the universe." The voice said, the slightest inflection of passion entering the voice.
"I don't want you to do any of that, what I want is to go home. That's all I want." Hydrus said resolutely.
"Did you already forget I know your every thought? You desire power above all else. You always have." The voice said.
"People usually want more than one thing." Hydrus countered, growing frustrated.
"You seem to be growing distressed. Please, relax, I will take care of you from now on." An alien feeling of peace washed over him. He tried his best to resist the feeling, but without occlumency it was impossible.
He relaxed on his throne and two beautiful women spawned from nowhere. One began to feed him more delicious souls and the other began to stroke his hardening member, smiling at him prettily.
"Something like this won't stop me." Hydrus said in between mouthfuls of souls.
"For now, it won't, but will you be able to say that a year from now? Or ten? Or a hundred? This is your home, its always been your home, and you've been away for a very long time. I won't let you leave, and I'll make sure you won't want to leave either." The Voice said. It was filled with determination and something else Hydrus couldn't quite put his finger on.
Hydrus squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to ignore the wonderful sensations, and the exquisite food. Regardless of what the Voice said, he was the master of his mind and body. He would not be held here within this illusion, completely powerless.
"Oh, I assure you, this is no illusion." The Voice said, reading his thoughts. Hydrus squirmed as the pleasure he was feeling ramped up exponentially.
"It's useless, drown in pleasure." The Voice said with intensity. Hydrus couldn't hold back any longer as he orgasmed. His eyes rolled back as he whited out briefly, and he sprayed everywhere. A yell escaped him as it went on and on.
"Oh my god. That was…" Hydrus said, panting. His mind was fuzzy with satisfaction and pleasure. Just as he was recovering, the same servants reappeared and began the process again.
The scenery shifted and Hydrus found himself overlooking a peaceful little village. To his shock, Hydrus felt the smallest ember of magic within him.
"Go ahead. You know you want to. Kill and dominate. Spread terror and suffering while you look down on the commoners. Devour their souls." The Voice said, egging him on, sounding excited for the first time.
"That's not important right now." Hydrus stuttered out as the servant slurped at his meat with gusto.
The scenery shifted again and this time Hydrus was looking down on several monster-human hybrids who dancing around a bonfire, singing in a language he couldn't understand.
"They're praying to you. Perhaps you want to give them salvation and perform some miracles." The Voice said, sounding a little less enthusiastic at the suggestion.
"What I want is to-!" Hydrus was cut off as he exploded yet again, unleashing a river of white gold on the people below. Hydrus couldn't tell what they were saying but he recognized that they were cheering and collecting it.
The scene faded and he was back within the fake throne room. A satisfied smile rested on his face as he reached for the bowl of souls.
"This is only a small taste of what I could grant you. Ask me for anything within reason, and I'll give it to you. You just have to stay here."
"Mhm." Hydrus murmured, unable to think clearly as the Voice continued to influence his mind and body.
The Palace of Wishes:
Hydrus slashed down another challenger with boredom. He didn't know how long he had been within the Palace of Wishes. He had asked for a training partner from the Voice and it had provided him another Faceless Foe. He could more than match their fighting capabilities now, and he had finally managed to control his shapeshifting powers without the use of magic.
His greatest rival was now a hindrance. Especially when he could shapeshift into a powerful demonic figure with impervious skin.
It was rare for Hydrus to get any form of training inside the Palace. Being completely in sync with himself during combat, the Voice couldn't read his thoughts. Once that had been discovered they put a stop to that almost immediately. During that very brief time period, Hydrus figured something out.
The Voice was desperate to grant his wishes and if he went too long without asking for something it would start giving him things at random in an effort to get him to talk back. The things the Voice gave him were always interesting, and things he didn't know he wanted. It hadn't been lying when it said they knew his every thought.
The two were stuck in a stalemate. The Voice was desperate for verbal communication and Hydrus refused to engage with it until his wish to go home was granted.
"Why must you torture me so? I have been nothing but benevolent and helpful. Please, speak your wish to me. I'll give you anything." The Voice said pleadingly.
"Send me home." Hydrus said simply.
"I cannot do that." The Voice said.
"Give me my magic back." Hydrus demanded.
"I cannot do that either. Please, anything else. I can do anything else for you." The Voice said. Hydrus sighed as he was transported to another village. They cowered in fear at the sight of him, and the smell of their terror was intoxicating.
"Enigma." Hydrus said. Instantly, Hydrus was back in the fake throne room, and there was silence between the two.
"Do you… really mean that?" The Voice said, sounding vulnerable.
"It was supposed to be the name of my pet dragon, but if we're going to be stuck together like this, then you should at least have a name. Even if you won't tell me your real name." Hydrus said, eyeing a bowl of souls.
"Enigma… that was the name you gave me originally." The Voice said. Hydrus looked puzzled and before he could open his mouth to ask what Enigma meant, his mind was once again bombarded by feelings that weren't his own.
"Thank you. You've hardened my resolve." Enigma said simply. Hydrus didn't respond as Enigma spawned him several servants. They kissed and hugged him, with each touch eroding his sense of reason.
"Are you hungry? Wouldn't you like some better souls other than these petty creature souls?" Enigma asked, their voice sounding devious.
"Yes! Grant my wish, Enigma!" Hydrus shouted, recklessly blasting his seed into one of the servants.
"Of course! Try these instead, they're actually from people!" Enigma said happily. A soul, the size of a tangerine appeared before him.
"This one is special. It's saturated with joy and fulfillment. They lived a good life." Enigma said, their voice quivering with anticipation.
Hydrus gulped as he took the soul in his hand. He took a small bite and was filled with sheer delight. It was enough to almost make him pass out, it was so good.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I want to do more things like this for you." Enigma said, and the room seemed to shine just a bit brighter.
Hydrus didn't respond, too busy savoring soul. He never realized that he was continuously blasting the servants with his cream, as he was so lost in consuming the joyful soul.
Finally finished, he collapsed on the throne. "Enigma? I want something to kill." Hydrus requested. The joyful soul boosted his bloodlust and he desperately wanted to chop someone up.
"Of course!"
Palace of Wishes:
The more that time that went by the more Hydrus grew agitated. Once the effect of the joyful soul wore off he refused to eat another, much to Enigma's dismay. Enigma would continue to try and grant his wishes and would even go so far as to create scenarios for him to play through.
It was all very tempting, but Hydrus resisted by doing nothing at all. It was hard to rebel against something that knew your every thought and action and wanted to grant your every wish.
With how often the Palace changed and shifted, finding an exit was impossible so he picked a comfortable spot on the floor and sat there. Hydrus would meditate and reflect on his previous battles while ignoring the siren calls of Enigma.
It was hard to tell time within the Palace of Wishes but Hydrus figured he had been sitting here for roughly three weeks or so. Until Enigma let him out, he was truly stuck here.
"You're not being very nice." Enigma said, a hint of a pout in their voice. Hydrus ignored them in favor of thinking about his countless fights with the Faceless.
"I know you can hear me. Please stop ignoring me. I only want to help you, to grant your wishes." Enigma said, materializing more souls.
"Why can't I hear you? Why won't you speak to me?" Enigma pleaded, desperately trying to gain his attention. But Hydrus was lost in his own thoughts, specifically about his time with the chimera demon. He wondered if he could shapeshift into something that large, that monstrous.
It happened slowly as his skin became scales, his hands and feet became deadly claws, and a scaly tail sprouted from his back.
"What's this? Do you wish to become a dragon? You need not strain yourself so much, merely ask me and I will transform you." Enigma said, trying to change his body for him. Hydrus immediately stopped the transformation. He didn't want Enigma's help, not when they were still being noncompliant. He glared up at the ceiling before closing his eyes once more.
He needed to transform faster.
The Palace of Wishes:
Random phenomenon had started to occur within the Palace. From intense natural disasters, chaotic battles, and miraculous rebirths.
Through it all Hydrus remained where he was even as lightning struck him, fire burned him, or swords cut him. Enigma pleaded for him to move, to get to safety, to rely on them. Hydrus relied on only his healing factor. It didn't stop the initial pain, when he got struck by lightning for the first time, he thought he would die.
Hydrus continued on practicing his shapeshifting even as war happened around him. There were countless battle cries, the smell of blood and death filled the air, and explosions shook the ground beneath him. He coughed up blood as something sharp pierced his chest.
Looking down, he saw an arrow lodged in his chest. He yanked it out and began to quickly heal. With all the noise around him, Hydrus couldn't hear Enigma's voice. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as a theory came to him.
"Enigma! I wish for a comfy bed and an interesting book on Glass Magic!" He said. When nothing happened, Hydrus smiled.
He couldn't hear Enigma and Enigma couldn't hear him. He had privacy for the first time in months.
"Now's my chance!" Hydrus said excitedly. He began to rapidly transform, his skin becoming deep green scales. His limbs vanished and a scaly tail sprouted. He began to grow in size and his tongue became forked and wings grew from the back of his neck.
Hydrus had transformed into a feathered serpent, one that was planetary in size. His mass pushed against Palace walls. They creaked and groaned as they tried to contain him. Unable to hold him, the Palace shifted, growing larger to accommodate him.
Hydrus opened his mouth, and spewed poison gas. He snapped his mouth shut, clicking his fangs together so hard that it gave off sparks which ignited the gas.
BOOM!
Finally, Hydrus could see outside, and with a flap of his wings he began to fly away.
"Why must you always leave me?" Enigma asked, sounding hurt.
"I'll come back for you. Once I can control the Chaos Dimension, you'll definitely be my main castle. Just be patient." Hydrus hissed. That seemed to soothe Enigma spirit as the last bit of resistance crumbled.
"Do you promise?" Enigma asked, sounding small.
"Of course. Wait for me Enigma." Hydrus swore.
The Chaos Dimension:
Hydrus glided across the ocean's calm surface with his massive snake body. It felt liberating not having to fight or being trapped. He needed to find a way out, but without his magic he had no idea what to do. Eventually his stamina ran out and he lost his form. He fell into the deep, freezing ocean completely out of breath.
Trying his best to tread water, he merely couldn't keep going and drowned. His vision darkened and there was a painful sensation in his chest and then he felt nothing more.
When he awoke, Hydrus found himself in a strange environment. There was an endless cloudy sea. He stood amongst the clouds unsure of what to do. The clouds reminded him much of cloudstone, in that they were dense enough to stand on, but light enough to float. There was no enemy to fight, no palace to investigate, and seemingly no environmental hazards. It was just gently rolling clouds.
Clapping his hands together, and slamming the magic circles on his palms together, Hydrus tried using ambient magic. There was no effect at all. Hydrus wasn't discouraged, he may not know what to do now, but he knew he would need his magic to continue any further. If he didn't have magic within him, then he would bend the magic of the area through force of will.
Over and over again he would slam his hands together, colliding the magic circles, praying for an effect. The stars of the night sky above shined brightly as Hydrus continued. He emptied his mind and let his body take over. With his enhanced physicality each clap sent shockwaves through the cloud sea.
Briefly, the circles in his palms glowed weakly, and Hydrus smiled.