"Lex, what was that?" Lilly asks, closing her eyes and smiling despite the clear tension in her face. She taps her thigh impatiently.
"I don't know?" Lex replies distracted, "I guess something awakened, but it doesn't seem like I can replicate it?" He reaches his hand out, as if to grab the air.
"So this hasn't happened before?" Zen asks hurriedly, still holding his shoulder and wincing.
"No, never," Lex replies, clenching his fist. "Otherwise, Otherwise I would have fought... Last time."
"That's strange... If you can't control it, we are all in danger here." Zen says, worked up. "You're scaring me." He stammers.
Lilly walks across the room as Zen starts to drill into Lex, "Hey, you guys, that thing left this behind." She picks up the blindfold that was around the creature's face.
Lex and Zen stop talking and move over to Lilly. As they look closer, they can see a strange, white, chalky substance that paints over the simple, faded cloth. It is drawn in shapes that resemble hieroglyphics, yet there doesn't seem to be any obvious meaning to any of them. Lilly runs her hand down the shapes and gasps.
"Hey, Zen, can you touch these?" She asks, handing him the blindfold. He winces but does, and his face contorts to confusion, then fear.
"Lex." He barks.
Lex takes the blindfold, yet as he runs his hands over it, nothing happens.
"Nothing is happening for me." He says.
"Right, that just shows he is not normal. First, he deletes a creature, then he doesn't understand this. Lilly, is it even okay to keep him alive in here?" Zen says, his impatience boiling over. "And what are we going to do about my shoulder?" Zen asks.
"Nothing we can do about it at the moment. Unless you can use your shirt or hoodie as a bandage? There's no bleeding, but it will help to keep your arm attached." She says, ignoring his outburst.
Zen shies away, visibly uncomfortable. "Hey, Lex, did you see any clothes anywhere?" He asks.
"Yeah, there are bedsheets in almost every room," Lex replies.
"Thanks," Zen mutters, then trudges away, clutching his shoulder.
"Someone's in a bad mood." Lex retorts to Lilly, who is gesturing for the blindfold.
"Just leave him alone, he's probably just jealous you have a power that can be used as a weapon," Lilly replies, putting her hand on the blindfold once again. She nods this time, not taken aback. "Yes, it says, soul, control, warp, force."
"How do you know that?" Lex asks, surprised at her knowledge, "Can you read whatever script that is?"
"No, I've never seen that script ever in my life, but… Well, it's hard to explain, it's like how if you have a circuit and run a current through it, you can see the effects by looking at it right, like if a lightbulb turns on?" Lilly explains
Lex nods, getting the gist of the point.
"It's the same thing, but with our power, it gets drained, and an effect occurs. And I'm just reading that effect?" Lilly replies. "Honestly, it's something that we haven't observed before. Runin is going to be so happy to hear about this." Lilly hands it back to Lex, "Sorry, can you keep it? It will just keep draining me if I have it."
"Yeah, no problem," Lex says, still trying to fully understand her analogy.
"Okay, which way?" Zen asks, exiting the room he entered. He has a ripped bedsheet wrapped tightly around his shoulder, acting as a makeshift bandage, but it doesn't look like his injury is going to stop him.
"There is only one way to go," Lilly replies.
Lex stands up, yet isn't thinking about the hall space or even the readings on the blindfold. Instead, thoughts of the state in which he entered when fighting run through his head. "I was completely careless." He thinks. "Was that even me, or was it related to that creature's purple haze?" The power Lex felt mixes with the fear of becoming someone else leaves him stewing in a mix of strange emotions, which he carries as the group continues.
They travel in silence, no one in the mood to talk about anything. The ambient glow continues steadily, wrapping the hallway in a sense of calm rare for a situation like this.
Time passes as they continue through attempting to reach the end, yet it seems to go on forever.
Eventually Lilly gasps, then exclaims excitedly, "It's opening out!"
And as if by magic, the hallway did open out into a similar-looking set of stairs. Everyone lets out a sigh of relief. However, looking closer at the scene, Lex notices it isn't exactly like where he and Lilly began, the layout of the winding corridors and pathways looks completely at odds with the unending hallway they just left. Lex smiles, glad to know they are moving forward.
Then the central hallway and the top left seem to be more of the same drab mansion. However, on the top right, the plastered walls and carpeted floors give way to stone work, more natural than something meant to be in a home.
"Should we split up?" Lex asks, staring at the exposed stone in the corridor.
"No, this place will change around us, and there is no guarantee we'll be able to find our way back," Lilly replies, also staring up at the stone.
"So we are heading up there first?" Zen asks.
"Every other direction looks the same, so I assume so," Lex replies, taking a step towards the stairs.
The group make their way up the lavishly decorated steps, golden bars hold the carpet in place at the crevices, and the varnished wooden handles on the sides evoke a feeling of majesty which is immediately cut short as the group make it to the top of the stairs. The corridor made of stone is more like a cave; different types of rock are embedded into the sides in a way no craftsman could accomplish. Lex walks towards a stalagmite and attempts to snap off an end. It cracks, sending an echo throughout the cave.
"What the hell is this?" Zen murmurs, but his voice is quiet enough so that it doesn't bounce too far.
"Still got steady readings on here," Lilly replies, crouching down to inspect the floor.
"I guess we can just head in then?" Lex asks, looking at the tunnel fade into darkness.
"You've still got that candle?" Lilly inquires.
Lex nods and brings it out as well as Zen's lighter. Lilly, without a word, heads first into the cave, the gush of air around her notifies everyone that she is searching for any area that could possibly be related to their search.
The group journeys deeper and deeper, afraid to make too much noise in the ever-decreasing space.
The candlelight begins to dim, and minutes pass without a sign of anything. Then Lilly stops.
"Looks like it's a dead end here." She states, attempting to rest her hand on the wall.
Like a magnet, her hand stays floating in the air. She frowns and pushes harder, it pushes back.
"What are you doing?" Zen smirks, "A miming gig?"
Lilly ignores him and pushes harder, now actively using her body weight to push against the invisible field.
"Zen, how about you try?" She invites with a terse smile, stepping back from the wall.
"Sure, I can always phase through, if it is even anything." He replies.
He touches the wall with his hand, first tentatively, then, narrowing his eyes, he punches it with his good arm. A sharp yell is preceded by a chuckle from Lex and Lilly, who are standing in the candlelight.
"It punched back," Zen yells, attempting to cradle his arm, then wincing, eventually just letting it drop to his side. "Let's get out of this space as soon as possible."
"We can't just ignore this anomaly, though, Lex, you're up next," Lilly says, looking expectantly at him.
Lex puts his hand on the wall, into the wall, through the wall. Lex stumbles like he just fell into the air, his hand hits the ground with a thud as he comes out the other side in a room lit by a warm glow. He dusts his hands off and raises his head.
In front of him, a giant embraided mosaic path lies, huge pillars the size of aeroplanes' bodies hold up the domed ceiling. On the walls, carvings in stone depict events that Lex finds unfamiliar and all the way at the end of the room, a throne sits, crumbling but intact. It looks large enough for a human, but from the distance Lex is at, he can't be sure.
"I should go and check on the others first." Lex thinks.
As Lex turns around, he feels a sense of foreboding and danger. He turns around and feels a hand clasp his throat. A wave of intense pressure boils from the throne and coalesces towards him. At the same time, he feels energy leak out, and as his head points to the floor, he sees a purple haze eject from him. It fills up the room, bending with the pressure and forming around him. Then, as soon as they seem to stop moving, it all rushes back at Lex's head.
Voices scream in distress, bells ring, trumpet sounds bay. The dusty throne room becomes vibrant, the cold, dark room becomes a banquet hall. A sense of loss, a sense of betrayal. He can almost hear the question being asked from inside him, yet he doesn't know what it means.
"Why?"
Then it stops, and only the throne is left, still clouded in a vision with a king sitting upon it. Then that too fades.
Lex holds his head, "What was that?" He asks himself, but he somehow already knows what it was, deep inside him, just like he knows how to breathe, he knows and respects the person who sat on the throne. He needs to know more and-
"I'll return to the group, then we can explore this room more."
Lex turns on his heel steadily, prying himself away from the sight of the broken throne. He looks at the door from which he entered, strangely, it appears out of place, the whole contraption is a slab of stone, blocking off the room with carved rocks in the walls.
"Wait? Is that the same writing as?" Lex holds up the blindfold. The glyphs are different, but from the style to the nature of the shapes, Lex knows they are the same. "Good but-" As he touches the stone on which one of the sentences is written, he feels a dread. As he touches the door, nothing happens. "Just a stone slab now..."
Lex returns the piece to its place and takes the other one out. This time when Lex touches the door he is sucked into the cave.
"Hey, everyone." He smiles, waving his hand, trying to play off the uncanny experience that he had just witnessed.
"You idiot, what were you doing? We thought you left us or were taken by psychological contamination or something?" Lilly says.
Zen, who seems less anxious than her, adds, "And we can't fight those ghosts without you."
Lex smiles. "Yeah, and I don't think you're fighting anything in that state," Lex replies, laughing.
Lilly looks at his hand. "What is that?" She asks, pointing at the stone.
"Oh, I almost forgot, I found this on the other side, it was connected to the gate, so I was wondering if you could decipher it?" Lex asks, holding it up to the light.
Lilly sighs and places her hand on it. "Huh, this is really complex." She mutters deep in thought.
Zen and Lex sit watching Lilly concentrate. "So where do you want to go when we're back?" Zen asks, trying to lighten the oppressive atmosphere of the space.
"There is no way you're thinking about that now." Lex laughs, "I half expect not to get back, but with you guys protecting me, I think we will. You wanna go bowling again?" Lex smiles.
"Sure, but if we get out and you've done something else to the real world..." Zen looks up at the ceiling, "Honestly, Rain was scared so badly when you did that, he was like, 'I haven't foreseen this' like a stereotypical villain." Zen snorts.
"So, is this Rain guy is-" Lex starts.
"Yes, the de-facto leader of our group." Zen replies, he rubs his head, obviously wary of saying too much, "Look dude, I'm sorry about earlier, I've been quite abrasive today, but... I'm worried my place is going to be taken cause my ability is so weak. You know it feels like I've been dropped into an ocean with a bunch of sharks..." He trails off.
Lex, sensing an opportunity, speaks, "Yeah, me too, I've been quite selfish recently. To be honest, I thought it was only me and-" He blushes with embarrassment, "Yeah, I've been conflicted recently, this whole space has turned everything upside down. I just wanted to have a cool power or wish like you guys, but got stuck with nothing."
Zen smirks back to his usual self, "Nothing. Really. Mr. Delete?"
Lex, about to hit back, is cut off by Lilly. "This here, it's strange but is a filter of some sort, it says, repel, parasite, soul."
"Parasite soul," Lex repeats.
"What does that even mean?" Zen asks.
"I don't know, but it seems to be the condition that prevented us from entering the room," Lilly says, standing.
She hands the stone back to Lex and walks into the wall.
And she disappears.
Zen smiles, "Let's see this thing!"
He too walks through.
Lex follows. The majesty of the room takes his breath away once more, yet Lilly and Zen are standing there, completely shocked. They take a while to adjust to their new surroundings.
"Wow, it really is incredible, right?" Lilly says, turning to Lex.
"Who even built this place?" Zen muses.
"Hey, Lilly, do you mind checking the readings?" Lex asks.
"Sorry, it was so amazing-" Lilly stops, once again in awe. "It's going from extremely low to the natural levels." She says.
"So it's leaking in here?" Lex asks.
"Seems like it?" Lilly replies.
"Okay, I'll go check what's around the throne," Zen says impatient to get moving, but suddenly stops.
Taking off the makeshift bandage, Zen looks at his wound. "It's back," Zen mutters in awe. He shakes his hand.
"What's wrong?" Lex asks.
"Lex, dude, my arm is working again, the wound is gone!" Zen speaks so quickly that it's hard to make out words, but Lex is left in shock.
"Then this is..." Lex starts.
"No, this cannot be real, there is nowhere like this on the whole planet," Lilly responds confidently.
"I'm sure, woo, I'm so excited to start running again," Zen says with a smile on his face.
"Okay, but be safe, we don't know how this room healed you," Lilly responds as Zen disappears from view.
The sounds of shuffling and movement disappear as Zen walks further into the room.
"How's Everlyn getting on?" Lex asks absentmindedly.
"She's perfectly fine." Lilly admits, "Whatever happened to her, it changed her into someone else."
"Do you hate me for it?" Lex asks, his breath catching.
"Honestly, I can't say I don't hold it against you... But I also feel like I've got to know you better, and I don't think it was malicious..." She trails off.
"But it's hard to separate feelings from fact." Lex finishes looking down at the floor.
"Indeed..." She replies, turning away.
They fall into an uncomfortable silence.
"Have people's memories been altered before?" Lex asks after a while.
"Yes, everyone's wish changes the people around them in some way, but as far as we can tell, the change is written into the universe rather than the person." She replies.
"What does that mean?" Lex asks hurriedly.
"Enough, Zen's back," Lilly remarks as Zen reappears in view.
"It's strange, there is a stone that is on the throne, it's talking, or mumbling. And it can feel the same thing with the angel dust from something like 10 meters away, I can't touch it though, it's got that repulsive field. Ummm, there are also two people standing guard behind the pillars with longswords." Zen reports.
Lex had noticed it too, ever since the group had entered the room, Lex felt the same pull towards the throne. It is like knowing you have a test coming up, you know you should put your all into getting the best you can.
"What, people here?" Lilly responds, shaking her head, "Are they hostile?"
"They seemed more like zombies, but it is very hard to tell cause they have these helmets on," Zen replies.
"Fine, we'll go to them, Lex, you try to grab the fragment, and we'll travel behind you." Lilly orders.
"Of course," Lex responds, turning to a brisk walk.
The air gets more and more dusty as the group walks towards the throne. The area around them also gets more and more ruined until the pillars are the only defining characteristic of the room.
"They're here," Zen whispers, nodding towards the two pillars closest to them.
"Okay, let's go slowly and-"
A screech echoes throughout the room, and the two people, evidently royal guards by their armour, walk out from behind the pillars.
Lex gets a good look at them and sees a grotesque sight. The guards have obviously been there for a very long time, their eyes dull and flesh rotten, you can see bits of bones which shouldn't be standing, carrying the creatures that can't be called human forward.
They both draw their longswords and hobble towards the group.
"Right, Lex, grab the stone and Zen, get behind me," Lilly shouts.
Lex does as he's asked and sprints towards the stone. He can feel its pull despite its distance. It is secure like an anchor, and its grip is tight on his mind. Ignoring everything else, he reaches the throne and grabs the stone.
Immediately, a hundred scenes play out once more, watching a knight build a home, go to war, and marry. See a beautiful sunset on completely forgiven soil, impossible structures looming overhead. Living at the desk, writing hundreds of orders to faraway generals. Then it speeds up, the life of someone, someone Lex doesn't know, and never will. Occasionally, Lex sees a knight again and again. Yet every time he does his, this person's feelings turn more and more to guilt. Soon, it slows to a crawl, a procession walking out of a towering throne room. With a jolt, Lex understands that that is the place he is in now. It used to be breathtaking, the windows ushered in a bright light, and the sounds of a trumpet-like instrument gave courage to even the most treacherous soldier.
Yet as the group leaves, Lex sees a body in a cart being towed with the rest of the royally dressed members of the congregation. It lies, seemingly dead, still. And the emotion Lex feels, grief, loss, a single thought, "mine".
All of a sudden, Lex is back in reality, the dinge of the cold room refreshes him. How long had he been standing there? What had he even seen?
*Woosh*
A blade swings towards his hand.
A dull ache from his finger.
He sees red.
Lex looks down at his left hand to see a severed ring finger bleeding out. The adrenaline keeps him from screaming, but he can still feel the pain.
He lets out a cry and runs towards the pillar, the sounds of armour clanking behind him.
"What do I do, what to do..." He thinks his heart is still beating, "I should be calm like..." He thinks back to the ghost. He just changed; he fought the creature, which would have scared him to death normally, without even batting an eye.
If only he could tap into that, just once more. Not even the blindfold-. Lex then realises something, he doesn't know where he is going to get the energy from, but he could use the blindfold to attack the creatures, just like the spirit did to them.
Lex looks around the pillar and comes face to face with the guard. It's putrid breath wafts over Lex, and its hideous eyes don't mirror the beautiful sunset over mountains portrayed on the standard on its back.
"Follow me." Lex growls, running towards the other guard.
"What are you doing?" Lilly shouts, she attempts to get a sharp gust of air under the armour, but misses.
"Get behind a pillar and get ready to block," Lex shouts as he slides next to the throne.
Putting the stone in his pocket and taking the blindfold out, Lex, after a breath, places into on his head.
Instantly, messages, calls, urges all swirl into his mind, melting and moulding into a single emotion, anxiety. "Just run, run" The words scream in his mind, and though it may be Lex's imagination, he thinks he can feel a sadistic presence bask in his insecurity. Eren, Maddie, Joey all enter his mind. Trying to shrug off unrelated thoughts, Lex uses all of his willpower to call upon the blindfold's power.
Though he doesn't realise it, Lex grips the stone tighter in his pocket. It begins to heat up steadily, then it becomes too hot to touch. Lex removes his hand but doesn't feel the pain.
Then, as if in a trance, he raises his hand and puts his palm down.
Spikes appear all around him, some long, some short, yet all of them accelerate to deadly speeds. Speeding like a bullet, they cascade around Lex, destroying everything around him. Dust and rubble spring from the floor as they bury their way into the ground. The guards yell in shock, and Lilly grunts.
And just as suddenly as it started, the assault ends. The spikes penetrating the ground lie waiting.
Lex takes off the headband in a sweat, the effort of warding off control and the power he has gained culminate in a confused feeling in his chest. Lilly and Zen walk out from behind the pillar, unharmed.
"Good thinking." Lilly says, "Let's get out of here."
Yet Lex already felt entranced by the anxiety and melancholy inherent to whatever creature controlled the ghost. Lex looks at the blindfold in his hand, his finger gone and smiles slowly and begins to laugh.