Series: The Mountain: Book 1: The Awakening

Rebirth

'Silence again,' Liam thought, body unable to move.

Unsure of how long he'd been asleep, his mind continuously struggled against the alluring idea of an endless slumber. Previously his consciousness had stirred somewhat deformed. Neither awake nor asleep, he was able to maintain a seemingly permanent groggy state. Though the temperature had become bearable, the everlasting darkness certainly didn't aid in his fight against falling asleep. Just as he was wondering how long this would last, a crackling sound broke the endless silence.

'That's new!' he thought as the sound repeated, this time more pronounced than the last.

As the sound intensified, a tremendous crash reverberated through his ears as if a thousand swords clashed with each other simultaneously. Before his thoughts could recover, immense levels of cold energy flowed through his body just as it had during his conversation with the presence. However; this time it felt comfortable, as though it had always been apart of him. As the energy continuously poured into him, he regained feeling in his body, it was as If his limbs were being reattached one by one. As the process gradually came to an end, he could now feel his body laying on a flat yet semi firm surface. As he flexed his now movable fingers, the fresh smell of earth permeated his nostrils. In utter excitement, he breathed in the scented air with long breaths. On attempting to open his eyes, he knew he'd made a terrible mistake. A sharp pain ran through his entire body as the blinding light seared into his sockets. Unable to shut them, his eyes watered profusely, slowly adjusting from his time in the endless void. As his vision cleared, he stared upwards as light shone through the foliage of a magnificently large tree painting a serene yet powerful setting. Water continuously flowed from Liam's eyes, this time not involuntarily from the burning sensations but as tears falling onto a smiling face as he mouthed, "I'm back!"

His elation however was short-lived as his mind ran across Lily and Tess.

'I have to find them!' he thought, 'I hope you're both ok!'

He sat up slowly, palms pressing into the earth. though slightly damp it felt good in his hands. Liam propped himself up against the massive tree trunk. Quickly surveying his surroundings, he made out a couple of ruins situated behind a small pond. A few lesser trees and shrubs extended through what was once windows and doorways.

'Where am I?' he wondered, looking around some more. Suddenly a thought popped into his head, 'should I ask that presence?'

"Hey, are you there?" he tried, "uh hello is anyone there?"

Feeling foolish as he realized he was simply speaking to himself, he remembered the final conversation he had with the strange presence.

"Hello.....Shadow?" he said uncertainly.

This time the name seemed to have cause a reaction and a sudden drop in temperature was felt, "so you've awakened."

"Excuse me sir-" he said before being cut off.

"We are Guardian and Host, there's no need for such honorifics, speak freely."

"Ah I see, thank you," Liam said, a bit of the tension relieved, "Where am I?"

The voice paused and the temperature dropped even lower. Afraid he'd said something wrong, Shadow continued, tone now lighter, "I've truly overestimated a mortal's memory, though one might think you'd remember the place where you fell."

Looking around once more the ruins suddenly looked familiar, "no this can't be, Shadow how long have I been gone?"

"Time flows differently within the void. Though it only took a blink of an eye to reform your body, it seems it equated to 6 years in this plane of existence."