Series: The Mountain: Book 1: The Awakening

Unexpected Happenings

Unrelenting waves of darkness blanketed Liam's vision the moment he stepped through the invisible barrier. Although he'd done well to heed Alice's prior warning, a sudden hum vibrated through his mind as the wall of unseen energy reacted to his presence. 

"Well that can't be good," he tried to say. 

However, much to his surprise, he was unable to speak. 

'What's happening,' he pushed mentally, anxiously awaiting Shadow's response. 

After waiting a few seconds without the dark entity's usual, immediate response, genuine panic began tearing at Liam's mind as another hum rippled through his entire being. Not knowing what to expect, coupled with Shadow's untimely absence, Liam drew his sword, slouching partially as he did so. Hoping that his self adapted battle posture would aid him with whatever enemy he was about to face, Liam stood in silence, tension swiftly mounting within the shadowy surroundings. 

'You idiot,' Liam called mentally, releasing the two handed grip on his sword momentarily to slap his forehead, 'Why don't you just use Void Travel to escape?' 

Gathering the cold, dark aura at his feet, Liam attempted to jump in, picturing the outer area just outside of the barrier. On his first attempt, nothing happened, no familiar dark aura permeated his surroundings nor did he attain the destination he'd held within his mind. 

'Let's try again,' he thought, this time gathering everything he had at his disposal. 

Pouring all of his strength into the desired technique, a sudden spark of black energy shot through the earthy soils, until completely engulfing and withering the tiny sprouts at his feet which served as the only vegetation he'd come across thus far. Smiling at the welcomed sight of  gathering waves of aura, he quickly jumped into it, ensuring to project a mental image of where he wanted to go. However, rather than the formless pool of energy he was accustomed too, Liam found himself standing atop a solid version of Void Aura. Disappointed by the new development, he sighed noiselessly before hopping off of the amassed, dark energy. 

"It wasn't a bad idea Liam," the boy mouthed to himself, once again unable to utter any sounds. 

As the soundless words left his lips, a voice he knew all too well suddenly sprang forth into his thoughts, 'Once again, you've managed to surprise me!'

'Shadow!' he exclaimed mentally, relief conveyed through every syllable, 'Where were you and what is this place?'

'As you've already guessed, we're inside the barrier, which until just now, temporarily hindered my connection to you.'

'You managed to best the Mountain's barrier?' Liam asked, somewhat in awe by Shadow's prowess.

'Not quite! Although I'm certainly capable of performing such a task, my intervention seems to have been proven unnecessary!'

'What exactly are you trying to get at?' 

'By activating your aura inside the formless wall, you've managed to sow chaos within the magic it draws its strength from.'

'But then, that would mean I-I subdued the barrier?' Liam responded in a quizzical manner, disbelief ringing true in his tone as he spoke. 

'Indeed, you Hos-, Liam, have managed to pull off yet another astounding feat, albeit unknowingly.'

'So what happens no-,' he stopped short as a sudden disturbance rendered his mental self speechless. 

A sound akin to a mixture of broken glass and splintering wood suddenly resounded in his ears. Not daring to ask any further questions, Liam raised his blade just as he'd done many times prior during his morning training sessions. Following the sound of shattered material, he inched forward until he arrived at the place where it appeared to be the loudest. 

Before he could ask for instructions, Shadow entered his mind once more, 'Carve your own path through the weakest point.'

Just as we was about to ask for further clarification, a simple yet feasible thought popped into his mind, 'Could the weakest point be located at the spot where the shattering sounds are at its loudest?'

Deciding it was worth a shot, Liam swiped at the seemingly empty air with his blade. Surprisingly, rather than the expected weightless scene in front of him, Liam's sword met with heavy resistance as he struck his weapon. Realizing more force was required, he removed the weapon, this time not only striking with greater force but also raising it's strength another tier by applying a layer of aura around it's edges. The moment he swung with all his might, Liam suddenly recoiled as a sharp beam of light penetrated his gaze through a newly formed gap. 

"Is that the other side?" Liam questioned, suddenly taken aback by the unexpected return of his voice. 

Restored speech being all the answers he needed, Liam swung his blade savagely at the wall, carving what appeared to be chunks of both wood and stone that hindered him out of his path. Finally creating a moderately sized gap, he climbed through the hole confident that his objective was now close at hand. As he exited the remnants of the barrier, the immense strength he'd exerted earlier instantaneously vanished, forcing him to fall flat onto his face. Entire body temporarily rendered immobile, panic once again arose within Liam as footsteps began to tread heavily in his direction. Unable to draw upon any of his usual strength, the blade, which had freed itself from his grasp before he fell, lay just beyond his reach. As the heavy footfalls fell upon him, Liam's prior alarm dissipated as he stared into the familiar faces of his companions who'd taken swift action after noticing his plight. Regardless of their worried expressions, all of his previous tension faded now that he was in allied hands. Floating on the edge of consciousness, Liam's eyes fluttered backward as darkness once again blanketed his vision.