Authors: Rain Oxford
“We’ll get him back.”
Instead of healing Earth the gentle way, by
connecting with the other worlds and guiding my magic through the lands to heal
the tears, I pushed out my healing energy. I could feel the world’s confusion,
and even Divina’s, but I didn’t have time to do anything about it. There were
more important matters.
I flashed us to Duran, or more particularly, to
Edward. He and Divina sat at the table in Divina’s cabin. “The demon took
Mordon,” I said without a hello or anything.
Edward looked startled. “Took who?”
“Mordon. The demon reached out of the light and
pulled him in,” I said.
Divina groaned and put her face in her hands. Sammy
continued to cry.
“Who’s Mordon?” Edward asked, still looking confused.
“Dylan, the void is outside time and space. If he was
sucked into it without the protective measures, then he is now outside of time;
he was never in the universe. He was never born,” she tried to say it gently,
but something inside me refused to hear it anyway.
“But I remember him.”
“You have Iadnah energy. We can see the universe the
way it is, the way it was, and the way it was supposed to be. Mordon was
supposed to exist. Everything he ever did and everyone he ever helped is being
undone. Rojan as well.”
“What do I do?” I asked. When I faced Vretial three
years ago, it was always with the knowledge that both Divina and Edward had my
back and when my plan would fail, they would have a backup.
From the moment we landed on Earth in the rain, I knew
Mordon was there for me. We could do anything, survive any attack. Now I had to
be there for him and I turned to Edward and Divina for help. Edward didn’t even
remember Mordon and when I looked into Divina’s eyes, I knew I was all Mordon
had.
She shook her head. “There is nothing you can do,
now. You would need a void guardian to open the void, and even then, you would
never find him. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
Even the gods hate the void.”
“If a demon can open the void, so can I. I’ll go
after him myself.”
“You can’t!” she yelled. She looked more afraid than
I had ever seen her. “It’s horrible that everything he ever did was undone, but
if you were lost in the void, Vretial will return, all the damage from the
ripples will come back worse than ever, and everyone you ever helped, every
life you ever impacted---”
“Mordon is gone because of me. He was the best person
I ever knew, who would never do anything to hurt anyone. If I can’t save one damn
person in the whole universe, what good am I? The day I allow anyone to die is
the day I never should have been a Guardian.”
“It was never about our people. We created Guardians
to guard our worlds from intruders; to protect the books, not to protect the
people.”
I hesitated. “I don’t believe you. The other gods,
maybe, but you love humans.”
“I created them. I haven’t loved everything I
created, but humans were right. They were one of my best successes. That
doesn’t mean I would risk your life for one of them. Mordon isn’t human,
either.”
“He is a person. He matters. Maybe you and the others
didn’t make the Guardians to protect every single person, but you didn’t
exactly make me a Guardian. I will save him.”
“So you’ll risk the lives of everyone else in the
universe?” she asked as I handed Sammy to her. She took him carefully. He
buried his face in her neck and continued to cry.
“If he had died, yes, I would. But what happened to
him was worse than death, so no. No one will die today. I will succeed. I will
not be risking anyone’s life, because there is no option of failure.”
“Wait. Wait a few months and then I can help you.”
She was pleading with me now. A god, the woman who
would always get her way and do it with a wink, was pleading with me as if she did
not have the power to stop me… but she didn’t. Today, no one could stop me, not
even a god.
Flashing is extremely difficult to describe, like
walking. There are so many components to walking, such as balance, that come
naturally. Unlike when I first learned to use nominal energy, there was no
drawing energy and clearing my mind. I thought of where I wanted to be or who I
wanted to find, and I wanted it. My magic felt my desire to be somewhere, found
that place, and pulled me there. While I didn’t know the specifics of it, I had
to assume it had something to do with the void.
I pictured the cabin that had been my home for the
best two years of my life. I knew the scent of the woods, the sound of the
birds, the way the wind blew from the hot springs, and the feel of the smooth
wood of the porch railing. It wasn’t that I wanted to be at the cabin, more
that I wanted to be home, sort of like a self-induced home-sick.
When the flash faded, I was standing on the porch
alone. I focused on Mordon this time. I thought of the sound of his voice, the
last time he made me laugh, the way he treated Sammy, and the mismatch of his
eyes. He existed. I didn’t care how many people forgot him. Mordon was not
gone.
I needed to find Mordon. I had to save him. My magic
only gave me a desolate feeling; he couldn’t be found. But I would find him; I
had to. I tried to open the void, but I had no idea what it felt like. That was
my mistake; still trying to flash to Mordon while trying to open the void, I
felt when the lines were crossed.
The flash lasted barely an instant and left the last
person in the whole universe that I expected to see…
* * *
Nila, boy king and High King of Dios, took one look
at me before becoming deathly pale. He made it to the end of the porch in time to
save the wood from his dinner. I ran inside and got him a glass of water. When
he was done emptying his stomach, he rinsed out his mouth and sat back against
the rails.
“What did you do, Dylan?” he asked, breathing heavily
and clutching his stomach. I realized with a start that while he spoke in a
language I didn’t know, I understood. He must have felt as bad as he looked to
speak the Dios language, as he normally spoke English to me.
I tried to remember how I felt arriving on Duran,
with the heavier gravity and more oxygen-rich air, but I had been terribly
injured that night. No one should have reacted the way Nila was.
“I don’t know. I flashed you here on accident, I
guess. My magic must have focused on your void magic instead of the actual void
and pulled you in.”
“Same thing,” he groaned.
“What is?”
“My void blood and the void universe is the same
thing. My presence destroys energy like the void does. If a wizard or Guardian
touches me, their energy is absorbed and destroyed until they let go. No magic
can affect me because the energy is consumed instantly. It is impossible that
you could bring me here.”
“Obviously not impossible. I’m sorry I brought you
here, it was an accident, but maybe you can help. I need to open the void.” He
opened his eyes to stare at me with shock. “I’m not trying to tear the universe
apart. Trust me, please.”
He nodded. “I trust you, Dylan, but I cannot help
you. I do not know how to open the void.”
“Do you remember Mordon?” I asked him. His
expression, pained as it was, told me he didn’t. “My friend was pulled into the
void and I need to find him. Can you tell me
how
to find him? What to
look for or anything?”
“If your friend was pulled into the void, he was
never born. Being misplaced in time is worse than being misplaced in space. If
you do anything, it creates a paradox and can instantly tear the universe to
shreds or worse. If you are very, very lucky, and he is very, very strong, his
soul will make it to the spirit world.”
“How is that a good thing?”
“Because the Land of the Dead is part of the
universe. If his soul makes it there before it is lost to the void, he can be
in peace. But the void is like poison to souls. Even if he makes it there, he
will still have no place in time.”
“Maybe I could find him there and bring him back.”
“There would not be enough time, even with your
Iadnah magic.”
“You know about that?” I asked. Before he could
speak, he moaned in pain and clutched his stomach. He was sweating profusely
and had a yellow tint to his skin. “Why are you suffering? How do I fix this?”
I grabbed his arm and tried to send my healing magic into him, but my magic
refused to respond.
“Too many questions, Dylan. You ask questions you
have the answers to because you want different answers. Easier answers, and
there are none. This will not be easy. Many people will die today.”
“Nobody will die. Not today.”
“Are you stronger than death?” he asked me.
“Today I am.”
“Then you have the answers you need. Know the
resources you have.”
He might have said more, because the young king that
I knew never spoke in riddles, but he passed out. I backed away from him and
tried to flash us back to Dios. If I could go with him, I could get him some
help. Nothing happened.
Before I could try anything else, Divina appeared.
There was no flash or anything, she just appeared. “You are so stubborn,” she
accused. “I’m going to fix the damage you caused, then deal with you.”
I was expecting more, but she grabbed Nila and they
both vanished. I don’t think Divina had ever been so angry with me.
Assured that Nila would be fine with Divina’s care, I
focused on the little girl. Apparently I remembered her very well, or maybe I
just wanted it more than I thought, because I instantly flashed and appeared in
front of her. As rude as it was, I paid no attention to the room or even
greeted her properly.
“I need help.”
She was startled, but nodded. “What can I help you
with?”
“My friend was pulled into the void. I need to get
him back.”
“I will do what I can. But how did you do that? How
did you flash? You are not one of the gods,” she said.
“I agree. I just figured it out on my own,” I said.
She gave me a confused and worried frown. Her words came back to me and I got
it. “You haven’t met me yet, have you?” She shook her head. “Well, my best
friend and I are working on healing the worlds from damage caused by a god
being killed. We helped you, you helped us. Mordon was pulled into the void,
and now nobody remembers him. I need help.”
“I lack a lot of control and sophistication over my
power. I think we should wait until we are on solid ground,” she said
hesitantly.
I finally took in my surroundings and realized we
were in a small cabin on a ship. There was a minor window, but it was pitch
black outside, so the only light was provided by a candle on the tiny table.
“You didn’t realize you were over water, did you?”
she asked.
“More important things on my mind. I can’t wait that
long. We have to do it now.”
“Why now?”
“Because no one even remembers him. Please.”
After a few seconds of considering, she nodded and
held out her hand for me. I took her hand and the air crackled. My magic
reacted instantly by sending an electrical current towards the perceived
threat. She yelped and pulled away, but only for a second. I was able to pull
my mercurial energy back inside before she took my hand again. The air
crackled, more violently this time.
“Remember your friend. Concentrate on him and nothing
else,” she said. When there was a break in the pressure, when the room lit with
the vicious light of the void, I looked into the light and called to him. All I
saw was the light, though. There was no response, no Mordon.
Then everything pretty much blew up. The ship
collided with something strong enough to knock us both off our feet. The light
grew brighter for an instant before collapsing, taking the light of the candle
with it. Before I could do anything, the room lit up, but I was no longer on
the ship; I was lying in Divina’s cabin.
She stood over me with Sammy in her arms. I climbed
to my feet and knew I was in trouble when she glared at me. She slapped me.
“You stupid idiot. Are you trying to die?!” She was controlling herself,
probably because of Sammy.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t careful, but I have to---”
“Stop talking! Just stop! He’s not the most important
person in the universe!” she yelled.
“He’s a person, and that is enough.”
“It isn’t anymore. Stay in here until I can look at
you without hitting you again.”
She walked out the front door and slammed it behind
her and Sammy. I could hear and feel the energy field close over the cabin. I
tried to flash back to Earth, but I was completely blocked. I sat down to think
for a bit, all the while knowing that I was wasting… time? Was time the issue
in this case? Nila had said I would not be fast enough.
The door opened, but it was Edward, not Divina who
walked in. Sitting on the floor in despair probably didn’t help me appear
confident… I just put my face in my hands. “She’s trying to protect you,”
Edward said. “Since she met you, she has been trying every day to protect you.”
“This isn’t about me, or who I am, or what I’m
supposed to do. This isn’t about magic, or destiny, or demons. I’m the only one
Mordon has right now and she’s not letting me save him. I love her, but she is
making a mistake. If I can’t save Mordon, I will never trust Divina again.”
He hesitated, then kneeled on the floor in front of
me. “You never asked me how I met Divina.”
I looked at him. “I always got the impression it was
a bit of a secret between you two.”
He scoffed. “You look so like your father that I
expect you to act like him. Then you say something like that. Your father would
never let a secret go.” He ruffled my hair. “I’m glad you’re not so much like
him. And you’re right; it is kind of a secret. The point is…I knew she kept
secrets, but I trusted her. I always trusted her. But something changed. When
she absorbed Vretial’s power and lost her mind… I know she recovered, but she
isn’t the same. There’s something about her that makes me hesitant.”