Caleb Hagg: Hope this works for you, although it is a bit of a slower chapter.
*-/
Cold, hot. Yugo felt both. He could hear voices, whispers calling out to him. They didn't make any clear noise other than his name, but they were certainly active. He felt wet, and the water continued to rise. Up his legs and sides. His arms were next.
Yugo opened his eyes and took a gasped, thrashing around.
Stop A whisper came from the water. Yugo wasn't too keen on doing so.
The water then covered his head, and Yugo held his breath. As he sank down, he saw white coral, fashioned up into a mountain. The sunlight began to dim beneath the water as Yugo went lower. He struggled and swam upwards as his lungs began to burn.
As he swam though, he only seemed to sink deeper. Yugo struggled, wanting to call out for help or anything. He had portals, he tossed one upward, and dropped one at his feet.
Stop The whisper came again. None of this is real.
Yugo ignored the voice as he dove into his portal and… ended up right where he started. Nothing changed. He might as well have not thrown the portal. The coral mountain began to move.
As it moved upward, a row of other white coral mountains began to move as well, in sync. Yugo jerked around, left and right before looking up. White coral… it wasn't coral.
He swam towards the teeth as they began to close. His arms were sluggish but he gave it his all. Yugo's body didn't seem to respond as he pushed, but didn't move as the teeth began to meet-
Yugo was suddenly standing in pure white. Nothing around him as far as the eye could see.
"None of that was real." A voice spoke firmly at him from above. Yugo looked up, and somehow, a light was an even brighter white descending down, "Do not be afraid. It was all in your mind."
Yugo Gazed up at the light, feeling in all terror and comfort, courage and cowardice. Every aspect of his body said to scream and run away, while also screaming to stand and smile.
Yugo laughed nervously, pulling his hat down in fear, while his body screamed to take it off and show himself to his master.
Master? Creator?
The Glow shined down on him, ever silent.
Yugo smiled up at the form, nervous, "Hi… uh… what… what are you?" He muttered submissively. What was wrong with him. He was a go-getter, not this submissive personality that seemed to take root in him like one of Amalia's vines.
"I am the god." The glow stated plainly, "I am justice, I am purity, I am the glowing light of the sun, which nurtures all under its kind gaze."
The world seemed to shake, and the shape of room in white was made clear, with a large square being in place. Small screeches came from the walls, muffled as if under three feet of dirt.
"Let us compose you for your coming time." The god stated Yugo found himself confused at that statement, but nodded.
They sat in silence. Yugo wondered what the god meant before, because if he was intent on educating Yugo, there was certainly better ways to go.
"What troubles you." The god finally stated, and if Yugo didn't know any better, he would say the god was frustrated with the silence.
"I don't know. I just… I almost died, but it didn't feel like… well." Yugo struggled to find his words.
"You did not. The Toxin of a Dark Guard warrior is not lethal to anything on its own. It exists to perpetuate fear. Fear feeds their dark magic." The god sounded very much displeased at their statements.
Yugo slumped down, pulling up his orange shirt to see the stab wound. They moved like crazy, the hit him so fast… it wasn't like training, It was actually… painful. Not to mention all of the powers they used there, "They didn't seem to have any trouble with magic out there…" Yugo muttered to himself, crossing his arms while pouting.
"… It does not take monsters to produce fear in the world. Mortals, in their beauty, find to much to be afraid of. They have so much greed in their hearts, anger in their souls… They are the unworthy, the undeserving of favor." The god stated plainly, causing the white room to shudder and shake violently. Or maybe he wasn't causing these ruptures to occur, but it was still terrifying.
Yugo slumped down and curled up, feeling very undeserving for some reason. He had tried his best, but he failed, and he didn't really think he did anything wrong… which was worse. Yugo slumped and pulled his hood over his eyes to hide his shame.
"Rest easy, you have fought well. You are so close to achieving your full potential. Your Justice will be done in time. Do not despair, for you will rise to the next challenge which comes your way." The god stated softly, as thought he were trying to calm Yugo down… and weirdly enough, it was working.
"It hurt me, so bad." Yugo whined, sounding so pathetic. He could still feel a vague burning in his stomach.
"Pain is the joy of life. You can't have joy without pain. You can't have happiness without sorrow." The god stated as thought it would be comforting.
Yugo looked down.
The god seemed to rethink his strategy, "You did well. You are growing, becoming even stronger. You will do better next time, servant of the light."
The walls finally shook and cracked in the white room.
Yugo's eyes turned and he heard screeching, as black limbs and claws swirled around through the crack, before hearing a loud roar before the limbs went limp, and seemed to collapse as if something had scorched the arm.
The cracks then showed an orange, golden light shown through.
"You have a lot of pain built up inside of you, not from the poison." The god stated plainly, as though he were reading off a checklist.
Yugo would have responded if he weren't looking at the gaping hole, where hundred of shadows ran towards the crack, before a steel set of armor jumped down, hiding the crack behind opaque armor.
"Young Yugo, please respond." The god seemed to snap his fingers, although Yugo wouldn't be able to see because he was glowing throughout his entire form.
Yugo looked up at him and mumbled, "Sorry, what was that?" His eyes returned to the crack as the room shook once again, rumbling and cracking.
"You have a lot of built up emotions. Please, release them." The god stated plainly, casually, disarmingly even.
"Wh-what?" Yugo yelped as he felt suddenly weirdly guarded towards his thoughts. He felt compelled at the same time to spill his guts about everything. About Adamai, about his decision-
"That Dragon is a failure. A faulty product. Do not concern yourself with his complete lack of wisdom." The god stated plainly.
"A-a Failure, Adamai's my brother!" Yugo Felt angry, and also ashamed that he felt angry. What was wrong with him?
"And a failure in his role that he was supposed to fulfill… Dragons were made to be Icons, respected by mortals, born to teach them of higher duty and purpose. Not to throw a tantrum at the slightest inconvenience." The god stated flatly, coldly. The nurture and loving warmth that had originally felt like sunshine on his face had turned, harsh and bitter, like heat from a jungle.
But Yugo also felt angry, only for his anger to burn at the point where he was stabbed. Instead of shouting about how his brother was NOT a failure, Yugo doubled over, and whimpered.
He saw a flash of Amalia, standing in a burning grove, surrounded by fallen and standing trees, all on fire. She looked down at the ground, so defeated as Shu-shu swarmed all around, before the tree collapsed.
Then, Yugo was in the mountain, with Adamai, the young dragon being skewered on a hundred stakes, as figures moved in and out of reality.
Then, Yugo saw Dally, laying in the snow, his limbs tangled and torn. Yugo growled, and clutched his head, before he was thrown through the ether as the world dissolved and he was back in the room, sitting in a white chair, which was somehow perfectly sized for him, as a glowing appendage pointed at him.
The god floated over head, and Yugo saw the cracks breaking open, with a visage of a scaled beast towering over mountains and red dirt. Hundred of Black creatures scrambled around, and the echo ran through the cracks.
"YOUR INFESTATION SPREADS NO FURTHER!" A loud, deep and boastful voice echoed through the cracks, before Yugo saw a Shadow's head slam through the crack, with chunks flying through the cracks.
"I see your sanity and mental structure remains intact." The god stated, as though he were writing on a checklist. Still the being seemed to focus on him.
Yugo slumped down, unsure of how he was supposed to feel or say.
"Just say what comes to your mind." The god stated plainly, as another sound of screeching rang through the cracks.
Yugo gathered his bearings. He had been stabbed, hurt with a nasty tail, it felt awful, but he didn't feel that way now.
"The whole is using our power to fix you. We are dissolving the power of darkness, as is fitting the god of light." The god stated, with a bit of pride.
"Why are you making me say stuff? You know what I'm going to say anyway, so just help me?" Yugo screamed, "Nothing is working. I miss my friends, I miss my brother, I want to go!" He clutched his head a mass of pressure left it.
"How can I help you if you are not willing to receive the help? How do I fix a problem that you do not even know exists? What lies beyond the veil of lies and comfort?" The god answered cryptically, the glowing presence seeming to command respect.
Yugo panted, as words that were not his left his mouth. He spoke plainly, "I don't want to mess up. I don't want… what ever is going to happen. I don't want my friends hurt, but I don't want to do this alone." Yugo mumbled, huddling up. More visions crept in, edging towards the center of his vision, only to be wiped away by the god.
"You are not alone." Yugo felt a glowing hand rub the top of his head. He saw images of his friends, but also Nora, and Efrim. He saw the other Elaitropes. "You are connected to your kin, you are all children of the light. You will never be alone. You have our blessings."
Yugo's eyes opened inside a pearly room, feeling a lump on his chest, and he saw Efrim resting on his belly. Nora was sleeping right next to a stone bed which lay there in the center of the room on a basket chair.
It was so touching, yet Yugo had wondered… where was Asis?
He lifted his body up, pushing Efrim up, waking the shrunken dragon, and causing him to leap onto the tile. Efrim waking up also caused Nora to sit up, and glance at Yugo.
Yugo looked at his arm, as he was met with a surprisingly gentle hug, Nora pushed her head into his chest, "You scared me, I thought you were going to be seriously hurt, or even… dead." She whispered before pulling away and looking down, "I guess you would have come back… but I don't want to do with alone… and I would have felt really bad… You stalled for me… Uh, whatever."
Yugo smiled, "Don't worry about me, I've fought worse… I think." He muttered the last words under his breath. The thing they were preparing for… was it even stronger?
Yugo climbed off the stone bed, and walked down the hallway. It was so strange, he was hurting before, and yet now he was fine. It was like he was never even struck, aside from the light scab on his arm. He'd stepped on a nail when he was little, and it had hurt less.
Nora threw a portal ahead to their room, and jumped in, before a hand rushed through the portal, and gestured for Yugo to follow.
He thought about it, but instead, he moved toward the large room which was off to the side. An armory, and inside was Asis, striking a small knife with a little hammer, trying his best to make it better.
"We trust you are well now?" Asis stated with a small smile. He raised up the knife, and scowled a bit, as if glancing at the blade displeased him.
"I am great… I don't know what happened-" Yugo started.
"You were struck with a Shadow's barb. It isn't lethal, doesn't even hurt for the first millisecond. But the slightest scratch is spot for the poison to go, and it will hurt, it will disrupt, it will do everything to break you down. It's made the strongest men mad." Asis stated, coldly, but with a bit of regret in his voice.
"…then why do we have to do this? Why cant you solve this?" Yugo demanded.
"I can't act in this world. You are my agent, You are a known hero in this world, people will not ask too many questions when you save it." Asis stated bluntly.
As Yugo was about to ask his next question, Asis answered it plainly.
"We can not be seen. We will never take credit for the work we do, because we should not. We are not supposed to be here, and I make everything people know about divinity fall apart." Asis stated bluntly, "We should not be known, and pray we never have to reveal myself."
"But…" Yugo started, feeling a bit worried about fighting more of those things.
Asis mused for a moment, before he softened with a smile, "You'll do well. You'll train more, and when the time is right, we will teach you how to unlock your ultimate power… When the time comes, you will be ready in body, so… prepare your soul."