The Revelation of the Vine: Graft

Chapter 16: The Hand, the Nail, the Cut and the Water

  The strangeness I had been feeling throughout the day crept over me again, and the holo-tunnel came back into focus, as the light was fading and the gel-screen became dark. I had returned from the previous darkness only to be consumed by another, but in this darkness I felt different, I felt nothing. The video had ended. A strong vibration rumbled across the floor and the sound of grinding stone reverberated around the cavernous space, but I felt nothing as my vision trembled up and down. A swirling breeze howled around us from a door that opened in the wall ahead, ruffling our loose clothing, but I felt no air across my skin. It was almost like I was observing myself from within, but not taking part in the experiences of my body. A voice called to me from a distant place, echoing in my head, and I stopped paying attention to the world around me altogether. It sounded like a name but it could have been something else. It came in distorted fragments of sound that increased and decreased in volume, then twisted and warped around my consciousness like a cyclone of garbled noise. Black tunnels circled around my vision, as flickering light filled the room, bringing my attention slightly back to reality. I felt my mouth close. The Seeds had relit their lanterns. Had I just told them to? I looked down and lit the lantern in my own hand, and heard the faint echo of my own voice saying, "Lights on everyone," and then the squads affirmation, "Yes, Sir!" What is going on? The Seeds looked at me expectantly, but I felt like I had just noticed them. "Let s move on, the exit isn't far from here," the words fell from my mouth without even thinking, but I felt like I was listening to them, not saying them. The squad started to walk into the tunnel that had opened in the wall. I watched myself walk forward for a split second and then caught up with the motion, only to watch myself walk forward again and repeat as I trailed behind myself like a slinky. We walked through the tunnel at a slight decline. The Seeds asked questions, which echoed indecipherably after their mouths had finished moving like a badly dubbed foreign film, and I answered in a jumbled mixture of words, but I wasn t really processing any of it. My consciousness kept grasping at the other voice, trying to hear it, trying to make sense of it. A voice that was familiar yet strange breached the madness in my mind, bringing my consciousness back to the surface. Kivan stood just outside the light in the path ahead of us, but his thermal signature looked cold. The Knights noticed as well, gripping the hilts of their swords tightly. Something was wrong with him. The Seeds stopped and looked into the darkness beyond the light, but I knew they couldn t see him, yet. "Captain," Kivan growled, his voice sounded like it came from the inside of a buried coffin, "Captain." "Kivan," I asked, as I moved up to the front of the Seeds, "What happened to you?" "The Shadow Lords are approaching," he groaned in a long raspy breath, taking a step forward. "Their presence has begun to awaken the Corruption," then another long raspy breath and another step. "Giving form to the Void," He stepped into the ball of light; black ooze dripped from his helmet and shoulders, and trickled down over the rest of his body, as it bubbled and swirled into flares of smog. "They gave me a work to do as well," he staggered forward and was fully enveloped by the light. Then his eyes flashed toward Vhalrin, like orbs of the deepest black. A jagged shard of an unidentifiable material was clutched in his grip, oozing with the Corruption. "Your time in this realm must end." With a speed previously kept hidden he surged through the tunnel behind us. I turned and looked as he streaked forward like a melting blur, with his jagged edge aimed for Vhalrin. For an instant, I saw his Corrupted face flash in front of mine like I was his target, and then something swept in front of my vision. My instinct to protect the Seeds propelled me, and I moved without hesitation. I emerged from the Vine-Surge in front of Vhalrin and the shadow-shard slid effortlessly through my breastplate into the side of my abdomen. An intense cold that felt like a gaping void in the side of my body and soul burned with slowing numbness, and then, something emerged from the depths of the emptiness. A sharp wave of freezing liquid crashed into my side, and then spread up and down my body. It felt like burning ice as it seeped into every muscle, bone, and space. It hit my head like lightning, and exploded like a supernova of light behind my eyes, turning the world white. The sounds of slicing blades and screaming voices swirled around me, as the blinding white flash lingered over my vision. I fell in and out of consciousness, hearing the voices once again. They came from both sides of my head; words that crashed together into a whirlpool of sounds, and splashed back into strange, echoing syllables. The sounds of battle faded behind the sounds, and I felt the presence of people hovering over me. My head hummed, as I stared into white emptiness. Strings of black lines began to swoop and curl across my vision. I felt the ground below me for the first time, realizing that I had fallen, and the numbness in my body began to fade away, leaving me sore and achy. The burning freeze that surged through me began to wane, starting from my toes and slowly up the rest of my body. I closed my eyes, as the feeling returned to my shoulders, then to my neck, and finally my head. The white explosion in my vision began to fade back to normal, as I lay on the floor, allowing the hum in my ears to quiet. "Captain," Solanicus said, and I saw him kneeling next to me when I reopened my eyes. He placed a hand on my shoulder, and spoke again, "Captain, you ok? Captain?" I blinked up at him. His rigid face distorted, as I tried to focus my eyesight. I tried desperately to speak or move. Nothing. I blinked again. A sickness welled up in my heart. I wanted to scream, but all I could do was blink. "Captain, Kivan s gone," Solanicus said, staring down at me with tear glistened eyes, "He killed Falkris and Korsin, sir, slit their throats with that void-blade and then vanished into the shadows. They gave their lives to protect Vhalrin, sir, but they re going to turn soon, we have to burn them quick." The sickness that I felt in my heart from the Corruption, the recent discovery of Kivan's fate, and the death of two of our own, exploded and crawled underneath my skin. Korsin had only been a Knight for twelve years, and Falkris was still just a teen. I slowly lifted an arm, reaching for Sol's shoulder. He smiled and helped me pull my torso up. "There you go, Cap. Take it easy," His voice quavered slightly, as he stepped behind me and put his arms under mine, On the count of three. Vhalrin and Falkir stepped up in front, and held a hand out to me, smiling down through faces mixed with worry and relief. I grabbed them, as Solanicus counted, "One . . . Two . . . Three!" I rose to my feet, and the world swung around. My knees wobbled when my weight went vertical, but the three of them kept me up until I felt my legs strengthen. I nodded, and opened my mouth to speak, letting out a dry whisper, "I m ok." Solanicus stepped out from behind me, as I put my weight down on my feet, and came around in front holding a water skin. I took it from him, and drank a few sips. It had such a refreshing, clean, and pure taste as it went down, but something deep inside me devoured the sensation and it suddenly turned sour and bitter in my stomach. The Corruption was spreading.