Infinite Fantasia: The Guertena Malice (Book One)

Chapter One: A World in Void

By E-Rush25 (Asher Payton)

For a long time, my eyes were focused on the dark horizon. The sky was crying, pouring out tears that resembled mine—dark and cold.

None of this is real, Winona, I kept on telling myself, Fight through it.

For the past eight hours, I kept on seeing things that terrified me the most. Monsters that haunted my childhood nightmares, dead people from my miserable past life, and blood. Lots of blood. I kept on running ahead without looking back, exactly like what I did before I took on the life of Encanteon. Running away, cowardice and fear—that's my life story.

Finally, I reached the quieter part of that realm.

I found myself entranced at the terrifying beauty of that false world. Tall green grasses brushed against my legs, with the wind gently blowing my sweat away. The purple sky was filled with spheres of planet that seemed so near I could almost imagine the tip of my fingers touching them as I reached out my hand.

But, like everything in my life, this short moment of peace was abruptly put to an end.

"Are you feeling all right, my sweet child?" asked the familiar voice that I once held dear to me.

This isn't real, I reminded myself again. That voice—its owner was someone who was supposed to be dead. I knew I should've known better and walked away like I always do, but my curiosity and longing triggered me to turn around.

There he was, a blue apparition that floated above the ground. Nothing had changed in him. He was even wearing the same clothes when I last saw him—a brown top hat, a long green cloak, white shirt, brown trousers and a pair of leather boots. His long graying brown hair was swaying on one side along with the soft breeze.

"Dad," I croaked, my throat hoarse and dry. "Y-you're not real."

His mouth formed into a warm friendly smile. "But I am, my child," No sound came from his mouth, but his voice was resounding in my head like a loud conscience. "We will see each other again. And I'll be coming to take you back soon. Wait for me, will you?"

"Take me where?" I asked. Fear gripped my heart, making it pound louder and stronger against my chest. "What are you talking—"

A couple of earthly hands suddenly erupted out of the ground, strands of grass and mounds of soil scattering in the air. The giant hands grabbed both of my shoulders and pulled me down inside the earth. It all happened so quick that I wasn't even given enough time to scream.

* * *

I found myself alone in a dark sealed room. The place had no door or windows, just a single stick of candle in the center of the room, threatening to sputter dead at any moment. The smell that was lingering inside was sickening, almost making me pass out. I tried to move my body, but something prevented me from doing so.

I looked down. I wasn't sure what was going to make me keel over—the cold chilling my bones, the putrid smell of blood and rotten flesh, or the steel chains wrapped around my torso. I spun my head around, absorbing more details about the room. As it would seem, I was tied to a stone post, stuck to the floor and the ceiling. The walls were stained with dried blood and the floor was littered with corpses and bones.

Blood... blood...

I pulled myself away from the post with all my might, but it wouldn't budge.

Blood... blood everywhere...

Panic swelled inside my chest. My breathing became laborious. Streams of sweat started to drench my body.

I can't... Blood... The blood... Please, someone help me!

"I can't believe I'm doing this," a voice suddenly broke out. "You're a mess, girl. This will be the last time that I will lend my hand."

My panic subsided as a hazy figure began to appear in front of me. I couldn't see its face, but the figure was obviously human. Even with the hazy image, I could see its arms crossing like it was annoyed.

"You can't let your fears get a hold of you," the angry voice scolded, "How many times do I have to tell you that everything in here is not real?"

It was my mentor—Master Terrence the Whistler. I had no idea how he got the title, but he's a powerful Encanteon. He took me as his student partly because he was a lonely old man and in desperate need of company, but mainly it's because he pitied me. At least that's what he told me. I lived on the streets before he accepted me as a student, scavenging in the garbage and begging people for scraps. When he found out that I can use magic, he took me in like a stray dog.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "It won't happen again."

"It better be, little girl."

Then, he vanished.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. I filled my head with beautiful and happy memories—the possessions of mine that are extremely rare. When I opened my eyes, the room transformed into a dazzling place. The walls were clean white, the floor was tiled with blue marbles, and the candle turned into a lamp chimney. The only problem—I was still tied up.

But when I looked down, the chains were replaced by a large green snake. That's right, I also have ophidiophobia. I struggled to free myself, but the more I wriggled myself out, the tighter the snake coiled around me. The snake's head hovered inches away from my face, hissing and snapping. I figured it wouldn't take long before it bit my face off.

None of this is real, an inside voice reminded me. Hopefully, it wasn't Master Terrence's.

I stared into the snake's eyes and concentrated. You're not real... Seconds later, the snake disintegrated in a mound of sand.

I straightened myself. Free at last.

I sighed—not in contentment, though.

Out of nowhere, a door suddenly materialized on the wall in front of me and an audible click echoed inside the room. I slowly approached the door and opened it.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open. I found myself back in my mentor's messy room. I was lying on a cushioned contraption that reclined diagonally. A heavy metal helmet was resting on my head. My eyes flitted around the room, trying to remember what just happened.

"Congratulations, little girl," Master Terrence said, looming over me with a permanent scowl on his brute face. "You passed your fear test—barely."

And just like that, everything slid back into places.