NEMO: Into The Depths

Chapter 7: On to the Other Side

As the carriage gradually came to a halt, Alex gently shook Elyza's arm, coaxing her to wake up. Elyza blinked away the haze, wondering why he had dragged her to Surasho, a village at the fringes of Luminae. It was so inconspicuous that most maps didn't even bother showing it, yet he had chosen it for her training.

It was for that exact reason that Alex liked it. A village that he could bring his clients to disappear for a while, a safe haven of sorts. It wasn't only he who called it that, so many high ranking individuals visited the leftovers of the previous empire that the villagers themselves had changed the name to 'Surasho'—roughly safe-haven when translated. They even had an unofficial rule: 'Never reveal who had passed through.'

However, Elyza's chance to explore the village would have to wait for another day. Without warning, Alex agilely leaped off the moving carriage, signalling for Elyza to follow suit. They disembarked before even crossing into the village territory, finding themselves amidst a sea of evergreen. The carriage, used to the kinds of Alex, continued on its path.

"Come on, this way," Alex beckoned, as he ventured into the forest.

Elyza's scepticism started to show, "Why endure two full days of travel only to end up in a forest identical to the one surrounding Bakelv?"

"Oh, ye of little fate." Alex responded, his smile wider than it had ever been before, gradually quickening his steps.

Elyza released a resigned sigh, already second-guessing her decision, yet she trudged on through the verdant sea. Following Alex, who seemed to navigate the forest with the whims of his mind, erratically switching direction every few minutes. The deeper they ventured, an unsettling sensation began to stir within Elyza.

With each step, the feeling intensified, morphing into a warning. A voice in her mind telling her to turn back, that the path she was on would lead to her demise. Initially dismissible, it was quickly growing louder with time, slowly drowning out her own thoughts, battering against her mind. Two minutes into the unnerving ordeal, Elyza started to grow anxious, feeling as if it would never go away. Her pulse quickened, her breath becoming shallower, sapping away her energy. Elyza surged forward, clutching Alex's arm desperately before her strength gave way, falling to her knees.

Although Alex was accustomed to this peculiar sensation, having bypassed it through teleportation in the past, he had intended to guide Elyza through it. But he had gotten distracted, thinking of what all he had to teach her. When she grasped his arm, he returned to the present. Alex kneeled down with her, trying to get her to focus on him.

With gentle reassurance, he spoke to her, "Listen to my voice, the feeling inside you right now, that anxiety, it's fake, it isn't you. I forgot to prepare you beforehand, sorry about that, but I know you can power through. That voice is something you will encounter regularly on this path, telling you that there is no way through this, that this is the end. But as long as you breathe, there will always be a chance to overcome it. Breathe, focus, calm your mind, and think. If only for a few minutes."

Elyza absorbed his words, closing her eyes to shut out the disconcerting forest. She fixated on the memory of the sunset over Bakelv, and she contemplated. Why would her mind, after all she had faced, be afraid of a mere forest. When her eyes reopened, Alex could see a new type of determination within them, no doubt one to prove that voice wrong.

"I'm feeling better," Elyza asserted, rising to her feet.

"Good. Try to stay close," Alex advised as he resumed walking, heading towards where the feeling was the strongest. True to his word, they only had to travel for five more minutes.

They came across a strange barrier in the middle of the forest. It seemed to stretch for miles and reflect the way they were coming from, but didn't reflect the duo's reflection. Gazing through it induced a peculiar sense of vertigo, the surface mimicking the fluidity of water. The unsettling nature heightened as the barrier seemed to recoil, avoiding the touch of Alex's hand.