Wanted (book 2 of Wielder series)

Chapter 21 - Regret

The room at the end of the hall looked like all the others. An oak door frame surrounded the opening. Inside, white walls with no decoration waited for them. It appeared only as large as a moderate living room, but Michael knew that would change once he stepped inside. Size was an illusion in these rooms. Everything was.

"I'll go first," Alie determined, stepping forward.

Darrel grabbed her arm. "You're wounded," he pointed out, "and don't know what you're getting into. I'll go first."

"If you go first, we'll have to go in and rescue you," Michael said flatly. He crossed his arms over his chest to hide the tremble of his hands.

Darrel shot him a glare that would likely have been followed by a punch if he thought he could get away with it. "I'm sorry, I think I was the one who dragged you out of the last room."

"Enough." Alie pulled the Ultimate free from its sheath. She grit her teeth and stood tall, ever the heroine she had become. "I'm the Ultimate Wielder. I'm going first. That's final."

The two boys watched her with nervous worry, but said nothing as she approached the doorway.

The moment she stepped inside, she disappeared.

Darrel didn't wait long before following her. Michael didn't blame him.

But he stayed in the hall.

He paced outside the room's doorway for nearly twenty minutes. He still had no idea what waited for him inside. The fear of it ate at him so horribly, he nearly threw up. Twice.

The last room had showed him Alie's death. And not just once. But a hundred times. In different ways. And each way had been worse than the last. He couldn't bear to witness that again.

Even his own death wouldn't be as bad.

It was that thought that finally gave him the motivation to finally step inside. Even if the room showed him his own horrible death, nothing would be as worse as the last room had been.

He most certainly didn't expect a little ball of floating darkness to greet him.

The darkness didn't move, but it did speak. "I am Regret," it said, with a deep, dark baritone that reminded Michael of the rumble of a dragon. "What is it that you regret most?"

"Well, it's not exactly a secret," Michael snorted. Maybe this room wouldn't be so bad after all. He already lived his worst regrets.

"No, it's not," said the little ball of floating darkness. "And you torture yourself every day with it, don't you?"

Michael clenched his jaw. "What do you want?"

"To give you another chance," the darkness offered. "To bring you back to the moment you regret. To let you live it differently."

Well, that didn't seem like torture at all. He watched the darkness carefully. "Why?"

"Because it is what I am. Because it is what I do." The ball of darkness flickered with a light as black as night. "Do you want to give it a try?"

Of course he wanted to give it a try. Was there anyone who would deny an opportunity like that?

Before he could give his response, the white room around him vanished.

He had forgotten how spectacular Safeton had looked that night.

The fountain in the world's heart towered over him, trickling glistening golden-streaked water down the carved figures into the shallow basin. Music surrounded him from every angle, harmonizing with the sound of laughter and joyful conversation from the nearby crowds. The sweet and ashy smells of pastries and grilled meats filled the air. Ribbons danced. Stars twinkled overhead. It was all very... enchanting.