**Author's notes: Obsidian City is from Oz lore. I can't post links here, but search for "Obsidian City Oz" if you're curious. Literary Oz lore is huge!**
"Get up," the hologram of the ambiguously shady white-haired Inheritor gently admonished me as I lay flat on my back, catching my breath after taking yet another strike to my torso. Gasping, I forcefully pulled myself to a sitting position, momentarily stunned. When I didn't spring up immediately, the holographic simulacrum began to scold me. I watched as the giant god-form of Spoiled Prince (or, as he preferred to be called, Pale Lord) smiled downward at me before flickering back into a more reasonable height. He shook his head in admonishment, "Look at you, a demigod of humanity, unable to avoid a simple kidney strike in normal time. You'd be dead if this was real and you were fully human."
His mocking words set something off, and instantly, I felt my anger blaze through me, instinctually summoning my Sight. Time slowed as I reached to my right and grabbed my holographic training sword. I felt the momentum of my indignation hurl me forward, and I sprung upward like a cat, my sword aimed recklessly at the hologram's teasing pretty boy face.
Unfortunately, Pale Lord also had some kind of his own time control powers. In slowed time, the Inheritor strafed backward and away, dodging my clumsy lunge. This time, however, I managed to graze Inheritor's left shoulder, actually cutting the holographic fabric of his shirt and seemingly wounding him. I felt a fleeting sense of triumph before I overbalanced and continued to fall forward, taking a time-slowed swan dive into the dirt. My heart began to flutter and ache again.
My senses, still operating in dilated time as I floundered, suddenly informed me that I should throw my body to the right. As I fell, I willed my body to roll rightward in midair using another deep pull of Sight. I forced time to obey and to move me out of the space where I had just been. I was then rewarded with hearing the Inheritor's blade strike the ground where I would have landed earlier.
I experienced an awesome moment of victory when I realized that I had dodged one of the hologram's strikes as I finally crashed to the ground. Pale Lord, of course, responded quickly to this with another stab to my back using his own holographic sword. Pain erupted like a scream across my torso. Time sped up again, and I cried out. My heart blossomed with burning tension. Fuck!
"Mmm, you're getting better," Pale Lord softly spoke as I reeled facedown on the ground, the gravel harsh on my nose and cheek. "A few more weeks and I wager you'll know the basics best enough to not die too quickly in battle. But, being who you are, even if you do die, you'll recover easily enough, so take heart!"
I rolled back over and dragged myself to a sitting position again. My simulated "wounds" throbbed painfully. Taking a few deep breaths, I tossed my holographic training sword aside and placed my head in my hands as agony passed through my chest and back. While the hologram couldn't do any genuine physical damage to me in this "mode," there was some manner of pain simulator that was horrifyingly effective in making your nervous system feel as if it was being electrified and burned at the same time in the event of an "injury," which I had just experienced.
About a week had passed inside the simulation, and so far, I wasn't doing so well. For my first lesson, the Inheritor-hologram had beaten the ever-loving hell out of me. It was explained that he wanted me to know what pain truly was, and that through this pain, I would learn and develop. In these "lessons," the shadow of the demigod simply asked for me to land one strike against him using a blade, and if I could do that, he would stop.
And, as much as I tried, I discovered that the Pale Lord's hologram was utterly untouchable in both his large form and smaller body, which he flickered between. He moved like he was dancing through the air like water, and sometimes, his sword strikes could only be seen if I used Sight. The demigod moved with such fluid preternatural quickness that even my own use of Sight could not even remotely compete with his martial mastery. It was like the laws of physics were just silly suggestions to this being.
At the end of the first day, I hobbled back to Tengoku Manse and called for the holographic doctor, who was just as creepy as the two holographic chefs that Pale Lord had made by smashing human souls together. The Manse's "doctor" was an androgynous, grey-haired, and white-skinned uncanny valley-dweller wearing a long white coat. The doctor-creature gave me a clean bill of health and explained that nothing inside this simulation could genuinely hurt me, but I would need a good healthy diet if I was training. A heavy protein-based stew of ambiguous animal origins was prepared for me by the chefs. It was delicious, but I still couldn't get over the origins of the different helper holograms. How many people had died to make each household construct, I wondered.
Over the past week, I had tried to talk to the Inheritor-hologram as we trained, but he appeared singularly focused on tough love. At least by the second day, he had begun to teach me the basics of swordplay. The Inheritor was a skilled fighter in many techniques. He demonstrated the use of some kind of staff, a bladed Wolverine-style gauntlet, and a warscythe. Since I was in possession of the Nemeses Argentum (which I still always kept on my person), he defaulted toward teaching me how to dual-wield swords, which was his specialty. Right now, I was still getting used to one sword while getting beaten up, but everyone has to start somewhere.
"Get up, come now," the Inheritor-hologram said to me, kneeling to my level in his more human form. As he trained me, he wore an entirely black martial arts uniform that made his gold eyes and long white hair look particularly striking. Pale Lord really did remind me of a living anime character.
"I think I'm done for today," I groaned, gripping my heart.
The hologram sighed and shimmered, seemingly disappointed.
"Very well. You have engaged in..." the hologram flickered again. "...five point three hours of training today. Our schedule is for six. We'll just have to train extra hard later. You need to be stronger."
I pulled myself to my feet, still gripping my chest. I watched as my sword winked away from existence as I moved to massage my left arm with my right.
"Your heart gives you trouble, I see," the hologram said, offering his arm for assistance.
I nodded. "Yeah, but I'm a Perpetual so I'll just get better if I die. It sometimes really hurts." Black sparkles briefly appeared at the edges of my vision.
"It is an expected pain. I went through it in my development. Eventually, you will evolve, and it will trouble you no longer," the hologram cryptically offered.
"I'd really prefer not to suffer like this, but learning how to fight is good," I mumbled, trying to ignore the pain tearing through me. I continued to breathe deeply, concentrating on willing my body to relax. "Exit arena."
The arena vanished, and now, we were back in the main area of the simulation room with the metal floors and three tall mysterious arches surrounded by a black void. The hologram remained standing beside me, awaiting my instruction. He wore a small, knowing grin.
After a few more moments, my pain finally began to subside. I briefly observed the three mysterious arches of the simulation space looming above, their entryways shimmering like water. I had come through the left arch, but I remained curious about the other two structures. More than enough time now to figure that out, I reminded myself, blearily turning around.
Projecting my voice, I instructed, "Open Tengoku Manse." Reality again shimmered and reformed. The Inheritor-hologram and I were now standing on the red brick pathway again. The two of us began to walk toward the Manse between the whispering willow trees. Since I was still reeling from the pain, I almost immediately fell over again.
The hologram helpfully caught me by the arm, his movement a flash of light. He quipped, "As I am programmed with some memories of my past, I can reassure you that this does get better. If you can believe it, I was once as clumsy and inept as you are, maybe even more so. In my old universe, I was even called a hikikomori, if you know what that is," the hologram laughed softly. Steadying me, he began to guide me along the red brick road. I noticed that whenever I walked down this illusory pathway, the weather was perfectly temperate, like a spring evening after a storm. It was perpetually twilight in this strange, beautiful space. Perfect sparkling stars twinkled above like a band of diamonds. The Inheritor guided me along, his arm laced in mine. "Before coming to this universe, I had not left my family home for over four years. When I found myself here, I learned quickly due to my nature. I eventually became this galaxy's benevolent Caesar, watching over humanity. You're American, yes?"
"Yeah, I'm American. I'm from the year 2018," I said woozily, briefly pausing our walk for another dizzy spell. "I think I was poisoned in my reality before I came to this one," I cough-laughed. That confrontation back home felt like it was a very long time ago now. Was that guy at the art gallery really Tzeentch I had seen in my reality? Maybe I was just fucked up and seeing shit from being poisoned.
The demigod chuckled knowingly. "All of us wandering gods come from alternate realities if you don't already know this. Maybe you came from my direct reality, but the multiverse is a vast and infinite place. For me, the last thing I remember was sipping a birthday cup of Suntory. My poor mother, she had tried to stop the delivery woman as she did not approve of my drinking, but I became brave and walked to the door to accept my birthday gift. I remember dear old Mother scolding me again for my drinking before I took it back to my room. It was my 22nd birthday, April 4th, 2020." Pale Lord paused and sighed sadly before continuing. "And that... was a very long time ago, but I still remember."
We continued walking toward the Manse. "You were you poisoned too?" I asked.
The hologram shrugged. "Maybe the greater soul of myself knows precisely what happened, but the only memories I am programmed to contain about my former life reveal that I took the bottle of Suntory back to my room before I woke up in this strange futuristic dimension." I was happy that the Inheritor was actually talking to me a bit more instead of beating me up, so I decided to continue chatting.
"I don't even know what happened to me, really," I sighed as my body continued to reel with residual discomfort.
"I believe that you told me once that you believe that you are dead or dying in your home universe. Is that true?"
"Wait, what?" I paused my walk. "I don't remember telling you that."
"Maybe you told me in your future," the hologram said with a cheerful grin, his gold eyes twinkling. "Come now, my heir. Let's get you all fed and healthy again, shall we? You need to be stronger."
The hologram led me inside the Manse, which was now sized for me instead of someone three meters tall. Unlike the last week, Inheritor lingered after our lesson. I was curious about him and this place, so I asked him to stick around.
The hologram, seemingly pleased to be in my friendly company, recommended a fried chicken with vegetable rice dish that he had personally made sure to "program" into the chef entities. Not wanting to think at all, I accepted this, and the two of us made for the dining room and sat down after giving the order to the two creepy chef holograms. A glass of water and a cup of what smelled like sake was placed beside me. As we waited for the chefs to cook, the Inheritor walked to the kitchen and retrieved a small folio from a drawer. It was filled with menus detailing different meals and cuisines. Smiling, he handed me a menu written in Japanese. I took the menu and I watched as the language reconfigured itself to English. Being in this simulation was very strange at times.
The Inheritor sat across from me and indicated the top dish noted as "Mother's Chicken" with no other description. Before I could ask, he began to explain, "This is just a simple chicken katsu with rice, but with a few tweaks to make it special. It is a meal that I remember Mother cooking for me back home. I have memories of greatly enjoying this comfort meal, even in difficult times," the Inheritor-hologram offered.
"How long have you been in this reality?" I asked, perusing the menu. A drop of blood fell on the menu from my nose, and I reflexively sniffed before picking up a black napkin to prevent more of a mess. "Who are you, I guess I should ask?"
"You are curious about me." Pale Lord wistfully grinned before putting a hand through his perfectly straight long white hair. He chuckled. Again, I noticed that the Inheritor's expressions, especially his smile, felt "wrong." I still couldn't quite put my finger on what was so upsetting about the demigod's appearance. While he was a handsome guy, his appearance was too smooth, and in a way, too "glossy" to be human. It was like he was some kind of alien aping the appearance of humanity, and not quite getting it right. It wasn't just because he was a hologram either, as Virgil, back on my ship, was also holographic, and he looked perfectly human. Pale Lord's smiles were the worst, too. They felt painted on.
Before I could ruminate further on how weird this guy was sometimes, the Inheritor began to explain himself: "My programmed memories span a range of approximately two thousand Earth years. Before you ask, I remind you that I don't contain my full range of memories, but I can tell you that I came through this universe in the northwestern part of the galaxy on a beautiful world named Szunde Rangda, where I found myself in my new immortal body. My new body was young, only in its early teen years. I was adopted by friendly aliens before inevitably rising as a leader for humanity. That's the short version that I have been authorized to tell you by myself."
I continued to study the features of the god-creature before me until I remembered that I had some more questions. "So, hey," I began, reaching into the scabbard that held the Nemeses Argentum. I withdrew the artifact. "These were yours, right? I found them on a world named Levant in the northeastern part of the galaxy close to the area where I came through to this reality. Did you mean for me to have this?"
"I did, actually," Pale Lord confirmed. "You have been named as my heir in appreciation for your knowledge. You gave me information that enabled me to succeed, and I am grateful for it."
This didn't fully answer what I was curious about. "But, how did you know what world I'd be on when I came through? I found this artifact in a drawer in an abandoned farmhouse. And, these laurels-" I reached up and touched my gold laurel crown. Its leaves were soft and warm. "These were yours too, and they were sent to me when I was visiting a hotel on a completely different world. How did you get these items to me?"
In the kitchen, I could hear the chef holograms preparing our meal. The sizzle of something being fried could be heard. "While I do not have a precise answer for these concerns in my memories, maybe you told me in your future? I often witnessed a woman who looked suspiciously like yourself in my divinations. She spoke to me, and told me many things."
"So, this might be a time loop thing," I said, patting my nose with a napkin. This felt way too complicated for me to think about right now.
"It could be. The Divine Majesty operates on an atypical flow of time, and the ghosts of the future past can sometimes be seen in her chambers. That is where I usually saw you."
"Divine Majesty? Was that what you named the ship?"
Pale Lord nodded. "If no one has told you, we Inheritors calibrate the Great Eagle to our inner drives when we're first attuned to its beauty. Through my soul, the vessel became named the Divine Majesty, and it molded me like clay into an appropriate leader for mankind, which I became. A living display of Divine Majesty, you could say."
"It's called the Divine Retribution now," I informed the hologram.
The Inheritor raised his eyebrows and laughed softly again. "Yes, you told me that. You must have been quite upset to name the Great Eagle 'Retribution!' Your direct predecessor named it the Divine Intervention if you did not know."
"Yeah, I know. I've talked to him before," I responded casually. As I said those words, I had a brief moment of giddy terror as I again realized my new unbelievable position in life. It caused my halo to shine involuntarily for a moment. Catching myself, I asked, "Did you ever talk to him? The Weeping King?"
Pale Lord's smile vanished, and he narrowed his eyes. Briefly turning away, he said, "My memories are unfortunately limited on that subject. This is somewhat embarrassing, but it appears that I do not have any information on my direct successor."
A peculiar uncomfortable feeling began to settle over me, which I just attributed to my normal stupid awkwardness. Luckily, this was interrupted by the two creepy chefs walking in perfect sync toward the dining room table. They carried a silver platter, and dinner was now served.
The setting was exceedingly fancy, and the food under the silver cover appeared very hearty and tasty. Strips of juicy fried chicken stood next to a serving of rice mixed with various chopped vegetables. It smelled amazing, and a pair of thin silver chopsticks was placed at my side. My water cup was refilled, and I began to tuck in.
Since the Inheritor was a hologram, he didn't get his own food and just watched as I began to eat. This was somewhat awkward, but I opted to keep the hologram around for company.
"Have you ever been to Japan?" he asked after I had enjoyed a few bites.
I shook my head and swallowed my food. This was great comfort food, I thought as I took a drink of water. "No, I didn't really go many places. Too poor."
"I always wanted to go to America when I was in my original reality. When I came to this universe, I made it a point to seek out Earth once again. After a time, I visited it and conquered it. Soon, you'll have your own armies and worshippers, just as I had in my time. Interesting how time tends to bend in a circle." Pale Lord smiled his inhuman smile again.
This was getting uncomfortable, so I decided to change the subject. "So, I've been wondering about the arches out in the main simulation area. Do you know where they lead?"
The Inheritor nodded. "Your time may see the galaxy named differently, but at the time of my programming, one arch led directly to a nature paradise I discovered. Its name is 'Nine.' Before you ask about the name, I had grown tired of naming the worlds I had conquered, and I had decided to simply name the last few worlds in the order in which I claimed them. I believe you have come here from Nine, haven't you?"
"Nine?" I asked, puzzled. "I haven't heard of any planet named-" I then put two and two together and realized that the world I was on right now was called Ix. I and X. Roman numerals! "Do you mean Ix? That's where I am right now."
"No, I mean Nine, but I accept that some fool may have incorrectly mapped it. Ix, Nine, whatever," Pale Lord sighed dismissively with a wave of his hand. "I named this world Nine, so you came to this simulation using Nine's Gate. There are two other specialized Gates that you can access through the simulation. One leads to a manifold portal in the Webway to other, lesser Gates traversable by mere mortals, and the other leads to Obsidian City."
After hearing the hologram mention Obsidian City, I flashed back to my premonition on my golden throne. I had seen myself and my crewmembers walking through a city that consisted of vast obsidian spires. I became very curious as to where or what this world was. "Obsidian City? What can you tell me about that place?" I asked, interested.
"Named because much of its construction consists of black stone, Obsidian City sits upon a planet far from your location named Milcom. Or, it was named Milcom in my time." The hologram paused and appeared to shimmer again. "The Obsidian City Gate is the center Gate. It is quite beautiful, and I encourage you to visit if you are feeling curious. In my time, it was an artistic wonder. You, being an artist, would appreciate it."
"What's Milcom like?" I asked curiously while I ate. While my situation in this terrifying future was generally unpleasant, moments such as these were very interesting. Hearing about alien worlds and traveling through interdimensional gateways was super neat.
"Milcom is tens of thousands of light years away from Nine. It is a human world that was initially settled by the Inheritor known as Iron Will before he became... the creature that he became. It is a beautiful world of mystery, and during my time, I-"
The hologram suddenly froze, and then slightly glitched. He then turned back to me and spoke, "-Divine Retribution. I like that name."
"Wait, go back," I requested the glitchy hologram. Once again, I found myself upset at my lack of lore knowledge of this universe. "We were just talking about the arches in the main simulation room area. You told me about Milcom and the center arch Gate."
"Apologies, but that information is not a part of my programming! I have been programmed with the suggestion that you visit the center Gate should it please you."
The hologram turned toward me and froze again. He then skipped and jumped like an unstable gif for a moment. "My holographic representation is experiencing data corruption, I'm afraid. But, what I can tell you is this: If you wish to explore the other Gates, simply walk to an arch's frame. Touch it, and summon your ability of Divine Sight. This will give you somewhat of an impression as to where each Gate leads." The hologram froze and glitched again. "-but the center Gate, I suggest you visit. You, being an artist would enjoy Obsidian C-" Pale Lord said before glitching again.
I tried to get the demigod to offer more information about Milcom and the Obsidian City. However, it seemed that this information wasn't programmed effectively in the Inheritor's memory, and he slightly glitched whenever I tried talking to him about it. Eventually, I gave up, and the two of us ended up chatting about various weapon techniques as I finished my meal.
After dinner, I dismissed the holographic anime-demigod-man and wondered what I would do for the rest of the day. I stopped near the stairway of the Manse, and before it, I took a glance at the two analog clocks on the wall. A small digital timer had also now appeared on the wall. These clocks, as it had been explained to me, represented both the time I had spent in here, and the time that passed outside. The left clock displayed a time of 12:00. It had only moved seven seconds. The right clock indicated that it was 1:19, whatever that meant in this simulation. Below it, a new timer had appeared. It said, "7d 1hrs 19m" in a plain white script on a black background. This presumably kept track of how much time I had spent inside.
"I wonder if Zok is worried that I didn't instantly come back after a second?" I audibly mused. Apparently, only seven seconds had passed outside. I decided that I wanted to check just in case. The bag that I had brought into the Manse was still on the floor in this hall, and I quickly picked up a water bottle and a ration pack. I remembered that I hadn't given Zok any water before jumping in here, so I wanted to fix that too. Feeling better, I made my way back into the main simulation space.
With a dissolving cascade of pixels, the three arches loomed before me once again, their surfaces shimmering in a rippling watery glow. Wherever this Obsidian City happened to be in the galaxy, it sounded very interesting, but I needed to check on Zok. I closed my eyes and stepped through the leftmost arch.
As expected, the old Tzaangor was right where I had left him facing the archway from a short distance. He appeared very surprised when I stepped through. "Did you change your mind?" he asked.
I nodded. "How long was I gone?"
"Only a few moments, captain," he informed me.
"I've been in there for about a week," I quickly informed Zok with a smile. "Anyway, I'm going back. I'm learning how to fight. But, here..." I handed the Tzaangor the bottle of water and another ration pack. "You shouldn't need this, but just in case. Every day I'm in that room only a second passes here. But, I might be awhile, you know? Just don't leave without me."
"You're the boss," the Tzaangor responded simply. Over his shoulder, I could see some of Magos Jinnicky's servitors were now slowly beginning to move again after being frozen. I watched as they all turned toward the exit, and began to shamble in that direction. They would all be walking twenty kilometers down the mountain in the snow. If they weren't all already brain-dead, I'd be worried that they would be going toward their doom. I hoped that at least some of them would make it to the valley to protect us.
"Alright, I'm going back in. See you soon," I announced before turning around and passing back through the arch.
The feeling of movement and pressure change pulled through me, and the simulation space appeared again. I began walking ahead and almost summoned Tengoku Manse back into existence, but I paused and then turned around to observe the arches.
"I wonder," I murmured, walking back. I stood before the arch I had come from. The Inheritor hologram had told me that if I wanted to understand where each arch led, all I would have to do was touch its frame and summon the power of Sight. I wanted to test this claim, so I reached forward with my right hand to touch the left arch's frame, which was strangely warm. I then closed my eyes and summoned my Sight ability, which caused my Corona to ignite around my head and shoulders.
Impressions began to flicker in my mind's eye, and I began to let myself drift...
Intuitively, I immediately felt with certainty that this world existed in the northeastern portion of the galaxy. Stars surrounded me in a relatively empty area of space. A wicked vessel traveling deep within a star system could be seen suspended in the void. It was decorated with spiders, spikes, and other elaborate swirling designs. It was ugly, and I looked away.
I now observed a humble Earth-like world that hung like a blue-green jewel in space. This was Ix, I assumed. I noticed that time had slowed to almost nothing and that I was essentially viewing a snapshot in time. Clouds swirled artfully through the world's upper atmosphere, reminding me somewhat of home. Beneath the clouds, lush forests and tall mountains displayed a near-pristine planet. A leaf lay suspended in time as it fell from a tall tree on the southern continent, where it was autumn in a temperate forest. In this forest, my eye was drawn to eroded ruins that stood slowly disintegrating through the sands of time, ancient cities from thousands of years ago scoured away to almost nothing, and now, partially devoured by layers of vegetation and earth.
My point of view changed. I then saw a snowy mountain and a familiar small tower perched on a mountainside in the snow. Snowflakes hung motionless in the air, and it made what I was seeing surreally beautiful.
Moving in further, I now discovered an expansive metal hallway partially buried in black igneous rock. A mutant with blue feathers and a sharp beak stood near a tall arch. He was holding a small ration bundle and a bottle of water. He appeared to be watching the entryway, frozen in time.
"Wow," I said, moving my hand away from the left arch. I blinked repeatedly, actually quite moved at what I had seen. Either my psyker powers were monumentally expanding, or these arches were serious space magic. "Okay, let's check out Milcom and Obsidian City..."
I walked to stand before the center arch and looked upward at it. It looked the same as the left arch. I reached forward and touched the frame...
A sensation of being pulled far away gripped me, and intuitively, I knew this Gate led to a distant location much deeper inside the galaxy. Images began to flow through my mind once again.
Another world hung in the void, but this one wasn't nearly as pristine. This was Milcom, I assumed. Large space stations and space-faring vessels lay frozen in high orbit above this world, and I noted with relief that all the ships I could see appeared to be Imperial. I could see a world that had once been a beautiful place, but was now heavily industrialized. Scars were visible on both the planet's crust and psyche, and I knew then that this place had experienced serious conflict at some point. The world still contained forests and other swaths of green vegetation and blue water, but for the most part, this place appeared to be a military planet.
I was drawn to a location on the planet's surface, and now, I was amazed to see two giant mech-style robots frozen mid-gait as they crossed a rocky plain. They were accompanied by what appeared to be a group of large ground vehicles. My intuition helpfully notified me that this was a training exercise and not a fight. Wow, this world had giant mechs! As gritty and terrifying as this future was, parts of it were endlessly fascinating!
My eye was then drawn to a massive urban sprawl that existed around a walled central city. It was daytime, and a few sleek flying craft hung motionless in the air above and around the developed megapolis. The area that was walled off felt important, so I continued to push past the more conventional city, and into the dark district that loomed in its center like a black star. Intuitively, I knew then what this area was.
"The Obsidian City of Milcom," I whispered.
Behind a massive wall that partitioned the center of the megapolis, a great city of glossy black stone reached high into the sky, its spires simultaneously artful and brutal. Windows of black glass lined the spires, and furtive people, all formally dressed in dark clothing, appeared to be frozen in their errands as they walked on black roads. Aside from a few stained glass windows depicting unfamiliar colorful scenes, this population center was nearly completely crafted in what appeared to be black obsidian.
Obsidian City was grand, beautiful, and dark. Humans lived within it, and I sensed it was an important place. Aside from its uniquely magical appearance, there was something unusual about this location. It felt as if an enchantment or some kind of strange power held a caul over its sharp spires, almost like reality was "fuzzier" here. When I tried to understand why I felt this way, I noticed an especially bright and large soul standing watch on one of the sky bridges connecting two towering spires. The figure was an unusually powerful man in gold armor, and he wore a large conical helmet on his head that was topped with a red plume. In his right hand, he held a long halberd at attention, and that's what finally caused me to gasp in recognition.
"A Custodes!" I whispered as I pulled my awareness back to the present. A real Custodes! This was proof enough of this world's importance. After centering myself for a few moments, I reached forward again, intent on viewing more of this place. I tried again to understand where Milcom was located, but all I could tell was that it was deeper inside the galaxy, and much further west from my location. I could also sense that this world was fairly close to (or maybe in the remote shallows of) the Great Rift, marking it as a very distant location.
I continued to push with Sight, willing my awareness to "zoom in" further. Where did this Gate resolve in the city?
A vast cavernous room of glittering obsidian yawned before me now. It was mostly dark, but I could see that this huge room was illuminated by blue torches that set off an unsettling, scattering light. This room, despite its size, was mostly empty. It looked like an ideal place for a boss battle in an atmospheric horror or a Dark Souls game.
I was now facing another arch. This one stood upon a three-meter tall dais in the rear of the vast space. The steps, I noticed, were uncannily large. They felt like they would be more appropriate for the use of a giant rather than me. Beside the dais, a small lantern was suspended by a chain. While I couldn't smell anything in this vision, I got the impression that incense was being burned in here.
A shiver traveled down my spine.
The pervasive sense that this location was bathed in a strange power was very keen in here, and I still couldn't tell what exactly I was sensing. Back in my body, I could tell that my Corona was reacting to what I was sensing, its light shimmering like an irregular heat mirage around my upper body. In addition to this strangeness, a sense of déjà vu washed over me. I remembered that the Divine Retribution had shown me this city recently. Not only that, I felt as if I had actually seen this particular dark room with blue torches somewhere, or at least a room that was very similar.
I pulled back again when my heart began to ache, and I wobbled on my feet. Okay, no more fun for today. Obsidian City appeared to be an eerie, but beautiful place, and Pale Lord was probably right to assume that I'd enjoy it.
Blinking, I turned around and drew my light back within myself. I realized again that my nose was bleeding, and that I had bled all over my chest and neck again. In addition, I also sensed that I had been crying, but when I reached up to wipe my tears, I discovered that I had also been bleeding from my eyes. My chest continued to hurt, and my heart palpitated again, causing me to gasp. This led me to believe that the act of viewing the locations of the arches was a psychically intense activity, and coupled with my earlier adventures of getting beaten up by an Inheritor-hologram a short time ago, I was probably way overdrawn for today. With a start, I realized that I felt something burning at my hip, and I reached for the Nemeses Argentum and drew it. The blade of the artifact was aflame with blue ethereal light, and now, I could also see tiny shining runes along the length of one of its scissor blades. Wow, I was super on fire right now, I thought woozily.
I sheathed my daemon-killing artifact again after forcing its blue fire to quench, and a particularly fierce spasm gripped my heart, causing me to gasp. I wondered again when I would get strong enough to effectively endure this strain because right now, it was hurting me. The power of Sight, at first glance, appeared to be much safer than directly drawing on the power of the Warp like normal psyker powers. However, it also literally seemed to be burning me both inside and out. Sight usage was painfully scorching my very being as time passed. It felt like having your soul broiled in a gold electrical fire.
Suddenly, I recalled what I had heard spoken to me recently. "Does the terrible gold burden you carry injure you?" I audibly whispered what I remembered the daemon-glaive Valkyrie asking me in its purring evil voice. With a start, I then remembered that Rasputin had also asked me that very same damn question...
When I tried to make a connection as to what this meant, I nearly toppled over on the metal floor of the simulation space. I caught myself and gripped my heart again. Okay, I'm done for today. No more of this craziness right now. No more...
After a few more deep breaths and willing my heart rate to calm, I ordered Tengoku Manse to reappear again. I had to take breaks as I walked alone down the red brick road to the manor. Soon, I was blessedly curled up and dead asleep in my fake holographic bed in my fake house in my fake interdimensional life.