World of Io

18. White Light

Vito's eyelids fluttered open, but there was nothing to greet him. No sky, no sun, nothing. He was lost in a white world. Then something: the sound of a beating heart...his heart, pumping steadily dun...dun, dun. His mind followed the blood flowing through his body, discovering it anew, restoring his weight upon the earth. Then air into his lungs, reviving him.

He sat up with a gasp as the air expanded his chest. He tried again, opening his eyes to the world, but there was nothing to see. He gazed towards a horizon that wasn't there.

"Vito?" he heard a distant voice calling a name, was it his name? He didn't know, he couldn't remember.

"Vito?" it was the same voice, but now closer. It came from behind, so he turned, but there was no one there.

"Can you hear me?" he sought the source of the sound once more. It had been so close, as if next to him. He felt panic close in as there was nothing but light to meet him. Was he blind?

"Vito?" the voice called again, so he tried once more; and right there, right then, he saw a shimmer of something before him. He squinted his eyes, trying to look closer, but it was gone with the blink of an eye. Had he seen it? Was it real, was the voice real?

"Say something Vito!" the voice insisted.

The air shimmered again, brighter this time. It was real, now he was sure. He followed its contours, was it a body?

He lost track of his thoughts, exhausted. He had no choice but to lie down again, fatigued. The light softened, and he fell into a deep sleep. A sleep deprived of dreams.

-----

"Say something, Vito!" Qumo urged, struggling to keep his voice steady. He couldn't show the others how worried he was, and more importantly, he couldn't let Vito know. It didn't matter that he wanted to tear at his hair and stomp around to relieve his frustration, he still couldn't.

The young man was sitting on the flat stone he had lain upon, gazing out into thin air. The problem was that he didn't seem to be there. Qumo gasped when Vito suddenly looked straight at him, but somehow not seeing. His eyes didn't focus.

Then the young man collapsed, his back lying flat on the polished stone. A weight settled on Qumo's shoulders, and a cold wind swept over his exposed skin. He stood, unable to move, unable to form a thought. He saw Vigilante stretch her hand towards Vito's hand, taking it, feeling for the young man's pulse.

"His heart is beating," she said, concern warming her eyes.

"Qumo, he's alive," she continued, putting one comforting hand on his shoulder.

"The girl is right: do not worry until we know more about his condition," the old Sigyn said in a no-nonsense manner. He met her red eyes and allowed himself to drown in their burning depths. He sought comfort, and he received it. He was not alone, yet he still was. The others wouldn't understand.

He closed his eyes, a mistake. The scene started to unfold once more before him, vivid and alive.

He saw Milo hovered over the unconscious young man, straining to understand, to feel what they wanted, and then it was as if the dam broke. He sent a massive amount of pure untamed force into the frail body.It was too much, too fast, Qumo had no time to stop it, no time to intervene, and it stopped Vito's heart.

Milo screamed out towards the sky in agony, pain evident in his eyes as he realized his failure. That's when it happened...The outburst sent forth another burst of force into the lifeless body, but this time it was diffferent. The pattern was intricately complex, a weave of all the elements, mingling in a powerful, intoxicating dance. He had never seen anything similar before, and it was simply beautiful. As soon as it was over, the roar of the elements silenced in his mind, and Vito opened his eyes. His eyelids flickering to the beat of his heart.