Radiance

Chapitre Vingt-Deux

I stayed with the healer, who introduced himself as Sedun, for a few nights while I healed. My sleep was riddled with memories of my time in the chamber, and visions of Meyura plagued my thoughts. I tried on multiple occasions to find some way to get back to Nuven, but I soon found out that summer had ended, and the docks were beginning to freeze over.

Two months. I had been in hell for an entirety of sixty days. Sixty days of constant mental and physical torment. And worse, I had no idea where my friends were. Had they tried to save me? Had they given up after a week? A month? Were they still trying?

And Kianti. I tried to separate her from Meyura, but they blurred together in my mind, Kianti's true laugh lost to my memories, replaced by a cold, calculating one. I couldn't even think of her without wincing, and so I tried my best to keep her from occupying my thoughts.

Anger surged through me every time I awoke from a nightmare. I had been happy. I had been on my way to recovery. And now, I was a part of something I couldn't possibly imagine a year ago, and the girl I had thought I loved, I was unable to even picture in my head.

All thanks to Meyura.

Sedun was kind, providing me with food, warmth, and a safe place to recover. But he couldn't provide the answers I needed or the speed I craved. Each day in that small, frozen town felt like an eternity, and every second brought me closer to a breaking point. I had to get back to Nuven, to my friends, and to whatever was left of my life there, but winter had just begun. I would be trapped there for months, with no way to know what was happening in Nuven.

One evening, as I sat by the fire, staring into the dancing flames, the answer came to me. The Deadlands—Rethalon. It had been closed off for nearly a thousand years, and it was filled with all manner of deadly creatures. But it would get me to Nuven faster.

I had heard the stories as a child, tales of the horrors that lurked within Rethalon. It was a place of death and despair, surrounded by enormous walls that kept its nightmarish inhabitants contained. No one in their right mind would attempt to cross it. No one had for a thousand years.

But I wasn't in my right mind. I was desperate.

The next morning, I gathered what supplies I could from Sedun. He had no idea what I was planning, and I didn't tell him. It was better that way. He would have tried to stop me, and I couldn't afford any delays.

"Thank you for everything," I said, my voice steady. "I'll be leaving today."

Sedun looked at me with concern. "Are you sure you're ready? You still need time to heal."

"I'll manage," I replied, determination in my eyes. "I have to."

Before setting off, I knew I had to understand my newfound abilities. Getting out of the prison had been a fluke, born from adrenaline and desperation. Now, I needed control. Each day, I found a secluded spot outside the town and practiced manipulating the earth.

At first, it was all raw power—violent, unfocused, and explosive. The ground would heave and crack unpredictably, responding more to my emotions than my intent. I tried to create small mounds or shape rocks, but each attempt ended in disaster, with the earth shattering or crumbling in ways I couldn't predict.

Frustration built up inside me, but I knew I couldn't afford to give up. I took deep breaths, grounding myself, and focused on smaller tasks. I imagined the earth as an extension of my body, tried to feel its contours and flows. Slowly, I began to gain some control. I could lift small stones, create tiny ripples in the ground.

But it was still a struggle. The power inside me was immense, and keeping it restrained, channeled into precise actions, was like trying to hold back a flood with a single hand. There were moments of breakthrough, brief instances where everything clicked, and I managed to shape the earth with some degree of finesse. But they were fleeting, and the frustration would return as quickly as the success faded.

Each day I grew a little stronger, a little more confident. I wasn't anywhere near mastering my abilities, but I had enough control to attempt the journey ahead. I would have to learn the rest on the way, adapting as I faced whatever challenges came.

With a final nod, I left the warmth of Sedun's home and set off toward the Deadlands. The journey to the walls was grueling, the cold biting into my skin and the terrain challenging every step. But I pressed on, driven by the urgency of my mission. I snuck into a carriage headed in the right direction, then walked the rest of the way when it had reached the Great tree - a famous landmark that stood at the edge of the wall. 

As I reached the base of the massive walls, I paused, taking a deep breath. They were enormous, stretching high into the sky, a formidable barrier that had kept the horrors within contained for centuries. I reached out with my newfound power, feeling the earth beneath me, the stone of the walls. With a focused effort, I began to manipulate the ground, creating handholds and footholds in the sheer surface. They were large at first, jagged and ugly. But as I got higher and higher, they became better shaped for my hands, crumbling away once I was done using them.

It was slow, painstaking work, but inch by inch, I climbed. My muscles burned, and sweat dripped down my face despite the cold. But I didn't stop. I couldn't stop.

Hours later, as the sun began to set, I reached the top of the wall. I pulled myself over the edge, collapsing onto the cold stone, gasping for breath.

Awe filled me as I surveyed the land before me. It was nothing like what I expected. I was told that it was a barren wasteland, filled with awful, horrifying creatures that would destroy you in a second. But what I could see was green fields, moving in the wind like ocean waves as far as I could see. There was a giant shining lake in the distance, reflecting the light of the setting sun in a beautiful array of color, and I could see the border of a forest not too far from there. It seemed that winter didn't touch Rethalon the way it clutched Toseah, that much was apparent from what I could see.

I stood, looking out at the Deadlands, my heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination. I had made it this far, and there was no turning back now. I had to cross Rethalon, to survive its dangers, and to reach Nuven before it was too late.

There was a thin, shimmering barrier at the edge of the wall. A magical barrier, placed there who-knows-how-long-ago. I tentatively reached out a hand, fear and anticipation flooding through me. Had this all been for nothing? Would I be forced to go back, to wait out the winter on the wrong side of Rethalon, while the government hunted my friends?

The moment my hand came into contact with the bubble, it popped. It was almost invisible, but I watched the barrier fall as far as I could see. I had no idea what that meant, and I wasn't eager to find out. All I knew was, I needed to get moving.

With a newfound determination, I began my descent into Rethalon.