The Scourge of Gods

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Like swimming blindly through a dark, underwater cavern, Eriden passed into the second plane of existence, a place reserved for extra-sensory awareness. While some witches could view this plane with the naked eye, as well as multiple planes simultaneously, Eriden didn't have the same means of observation.

But he could perceive its contents.

There were three minds in the room he was familiar with. Alphonse and Sybil's guarded citadels, which prevented him from entering, and Inarhi's open ocean of emotions and knowledge...yet something had changed. Eriden quirked his phantom head. The presence of Inarhi's mind had definitely expanded, he had no doubt. It dwarfed even Sybil's.

Curious, Eriden approached, merely to get an idea of what was going on. A human could not have such a massive aura, such a presence. As soon as he made contact, a hidden force repulsed him back, unlike any mental defense he'd ever encountered. Inarhi's mind eddied and whirled, then stilled once more.

Absurd. There were no walls, or barrier that he could feel.

You're dawdling, said Sybil, voice dim as if traveling across distant lands.

The sudden intrusion startled Eriden so much it almost broke his concentration. He shouldn't have been surprised though. The witch was a dark adept. It's nothing, said Eriden. So you're able communicate with me here. Could you accompany me, perhaps?

I cannot manifest myself in the mind like you.

Figures. Eriden drifted towards the smallest mind in the room, which most likely belonged to Luna. He moved close, just before making contact with the woman's mental dimension. I trust my body's in good hands?

Something between a grunt and a sigh sounded. We've had this conversation.

Apologies...I'm just worried.

Worrying does not change the inevitable, said Sybil.

You do realize that if the Second Queen gets ahold of my body, and kills me while I'm still in this form, my spirit will no longer be able to feed me the energy required to keep my mind intact within the second plane? Although he was a essentially a floating head, Eriden felt a chill run up his spine. I'll simply cease to exist.

She clicked her tongue. I know. You're lecturing a dark adept with a penchant for mind-reading, you poor child. Just hurry and fulfill your promise. Should you need assistance, call on me. Fare well.

Good to know. Without further delay, he entered Luna's unguarded psyche when a hurricane wind rushed past him. It was still pitch black, and he still hadn't taken a shape as far as he could tell. His weightlessness remained.

Then he realized he was falling.

The darkness lightened somewhat, and the temperature dropped. He burst out of a cloud, the sky brightening to reveal a thick forest below. Eriden had indeed formed a body, and as he fell, he relaxed and spread his arms wide. He couldn't break his composure, not even with this sudden descent.

In the east—or what he assumed was the east—a myriad of irregular, white shapes dotted the sky, glowing softly. The remnants of a moon. The largest piece was cratered and surrounded by chunks of jagged rock. They eventually grew smaller, spreading away in a vertical line on both sides until it crossed the sky with its luminescent dust.

However, the radiance was muted. With so much reflective surfaces, this broken moon should have cast a dazzling light over the world, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. More gray than white. More dull. Eriden turned his attention back to the forest below, and his impending impact. Though he couldn't help but notice a faint pattern across the canopy, made up of the largest trees.