Tarragon

Chapter Four: Spatial Defiance Zone

-Net

I sighed. Another dead end. I turned around, and saw the path I had come through was now replaced by a tunnel.

That was just the nature of Spatial Defiance Zones, or SDZs for short. Nobody knows why or how they exist, or are created, and the inconsistency with paths burn your sense of direction to the ground, and make it extremely difficult to escape them. And that's hoping that a path doesn't lead you into a death trap, a cult meeting, or somewhere with chemicals that explode when reacting to your scales. That has happened before, several times. Thankfully, there were only a few that would or could react to mine.

I walked through the new route, and heard my stomach growl. I realized that I was going to need food, and water to survive. With no clue where I would find that, I picked up the pace. I could survive up to 9 days without water, and 40 without food, but I would be in awful shape after not very long.

The tunnels were barren. Looking around, it was flat rock with not much detail, and... sand? Would this lead to the ocean, which would lead to the... surface?

I bolted up the tunnel, hopeful. As I went up, it got more and more vertical, until I reached the top, at which point I was practically flying. I landed on a small sand outcrop, which held back an immense amount of water from the dry tunnel next to it. There was a small, circular pool covering half the room, with light leaking through. My eyes widened, I wasn't too late. I leaped into the water, and swam as well as I could.

I looked up, my eyes stinging from the salt water, to see... a plant. It looked extremely lush, for the environment, light blue leaves sprouting from a thorny stem, and a glowing, perfectly spherical bulb drooping down from the center. I cautiously pulled it from the stem, and held it in my claws. It was harder than expected, and was bright enough to illuminate the room around me. I thought about ways to keep it on me, to avoid having to rely on the less accurate infrared vision I had access to.

I came to an idea eventually- I placed it in the spiral part of my right horn, and tied it there with a small band I had picked up from Mantis's house before I had to leave. It fit fairly well, and kept the room around me lit up.

I looked at the plant that had given me this gift, "Thank you. I'll remember you." I said to it, before swimming from the room.

I stood back on the ledge, and looked down to see that the tunnel I had come from had changed. It led to... A pit with fire, lava, and... bones.

Not just any bones, either. Dragon bones. I counted hundreds of skeletons lining the path I could see.

A masked, hulking figure walked on the path, and raised something up to their ear.

"Blizzard, where are you? We need you here for the meeting." he shouted, in a rough voice that sounded... familiar. I couldn't hear what Blizzard said, but I could absolutely hear what he said next, "Do I need to pull you here myself, rip you limb from limb, and replace mine with-" he shouted. A horrible chill went down my spine. He seemed to have been cut off by the person on the other end.

My heart dropped when he actually ripped the person on the other end from nothing. It looked like he had reached into nothing, and pulled out something.

The snow-white dragon, who I presumed to be Blizzard, had glistening white scales, and very light cyan underscales. I could see their light blue eyes, and serrated horns.

"My king, please! I would never disobey you, I was attacked! I could not make it in time, because I was tending to my wounds! Please, don't hurt m-" they begged.

He was holding them by their neck, raising them up into the air.

"You have already failed me twice before. Goodbye, Blizzard." he told them, before crushing their neck in one hand.

I looked away before I saw anything else too traumatizing. I took a moment to comprehend what I had just witnessed.

I heard a thud from the pit, and looked down cautiously. The 'King' was dragging away Blizzard's corpse into the building ahead of him. He stopped, and turned around. I pulled away from my window, my heart suddenly pounding.

"Oh, that's unexpected!" he shouted, "Didn't think you would get stuck in a Spatial Defiance Zone, Neteramanthia. That makes things easier." he dropped Blizzard's corpse, and launched himself towards the window. Every bone in my body shivered, and every muscle contracted at once.

I looked at the rapidly approaching serial killer.

It felt like time froze. I'm sorry, Mantis. I wish I could have seen you again. I'm sorry for wasting your time, Speedwell. I'm sorry for everyone I've hurt by being complicit with Thorn's instructions.

Maybe, in another life, I can atone for my sins.

Time reverted, and the missile of death blasted into the room with me. I took action, and took a chance. I leaped down into the volcanic death pit, and looked behind me. The window was gone now. I had trapped the King of this place into another part of this Spatial Defiance Zone.

As I flew around, and landed, I realized that he had known my name. He had specifically wanted me dead, for some reason. And this didn't sound like a random person, either.

I walked towards the castle, stopping to check on Blizzard's limp body. There was no life in their eyes, and their neck was...

I looked away from it, up at the castle in front of me. It was huge, made of black stone, with tinted windows, next to black braziers with blue fire burning atop them. A moat of lava ran around the castle, with even more bones floating in it, than were lining the path to it.

I realized that I wouldn't be able to stealthily open the door, so I looked for an opening to the castle. I flew around the sides, close enough to the lava where I wouldn't easily be seen, but far enough where I wouldn't burn myself to a crisp. I came to the back left corner of it, and found a small, convenient door.

I pushed it open, and walked through into a tiny hallway, with another door at the end. I sighed, as it revealed a lush cave. I turned around, and opened up the other door, but it led to the same place. I walked through, into the room. It looked surprisingly peaceful, with large plants growing from the walls and ceiling, grass coating the floor, and a small pond in the center of the room. There were bushes with fruits on them, there was a river within hearing distance. It looked like paradise here.

I wish I could stay here. I thought to myself.

-Amnoia