The Shadows of Nature

6. Tenebris can Destroy

"Zoey!" Ethelred whispered, his voice heavy with concern. Kasia moved towards the woman and felt the beating in her head, closing her eyes.

"An energy link just appeared. It's as it is with Ethelred; ancient, but seeming fresh. It's powerful but subtle."

Ethelred's expression was heavy with worry and Zindel held her hand, focusing on the energy running through her. Mildred thought about seeing what troubled her mind but realised that they had to wait for Zoey to wake up.

"Kasia, can you check Thet's quantum levels and energy?"

Kasia nodded towards Mildred, shifting her focus to Thet.

"It's the same."

"And for the rest of us?"

Few moments passed as Kasia checked, each time her frown deepening.

"There seems to be a very dimmed bond in mine but yours's and Zindel's are empty."

Mildred nodded, walking slowly towards Zoey with a frown. She closed her eyes, recognising the woman's aura to keep a check on her mental energy levels.

"Everyone move away."

There was a sudden burst of blue light that lightened the tension in the atmosphere, though the concern on Zoey's expression confirmed that her burden had increased.

"Zephyr... no..."

Ethelred helped her up with a reassuring smile, though Zoey very well knew how concerned he was.

"I'm fine."

Zoey still attempted to process everything she saw, her arms laying lose by her sides. This moment of soundless chaos was unusual for the confident girl.

She didn't know how to respond to silence.

"What happened, Zoey?" Kasia asked softly. Zoey raised her eyes, moving them towards Mildred's austere expression with a sigh.

"I don't really know how to explain it. Maybe Mildred could form a mental connection and let everyone see it."

Mildred nodded without asking for Zoey's verification, gesturing for everyone to stand in a circle and close their eyes. Mildred brought forth a fragment of their aura to the centre of the circle, dark and bright green, grey and blue slowly dissolving in the dull sea-green and yellow. It was no homogenous mixture but rather a cloud of arcane gases, each showing off their brilliance. A trail of fiery sensation surrounded the sphere leaving a small opening at a single point.

Within a millisecond did the events unfold before their thoughts, though the moment felt like an eternity. For the others it was a disheartening story but for Zoey, it was a personal wound.

A wound of sorrow to open fear.

Everyone's eyes opened unanimously save for Zoey's who kept them shut tight.

"The Wind Phoenexias... They're gone," Kasia finally spoke in a muted tone, her eyes drawn to the ground. Zindel approached Zoey and rested his palm on her shoulder, a trail of amber warmth seeping into Zoey's thoughts. She didn't understand why she felt that despair, but she appreciated her friend's gesture as she took a deep breath before opening her eyes.

"A disturbance in the equilibrium of energy... hm."

Zindel raised his arm up, elevating his eyes towards the sky.

"Zindel, what are you doing?"

A hint of panic accompanied the woman's tone though she took a step back and the others followed her lead.

"I will combine my ability and my Yuran. Levitation for sensing all the particles around the planet so that my Yuran can tell me about their present information. There's no point in touching upon the past and I dare not know the future. It is undecided, after all."

Kasia knew what he wished to do even before he spoke, but she needed his confidence to assure herself. She'd always wondered how his Yuran could allow him to see the timeline of particles; the past and the present were fine, but seeing the infinite future possibilities was like looking into endless universes, endless existences. He never touched upon the future, but the man could speak the most obvious lie and nobody would ever know.

"Be careful. If you need help, I'm here."

Zindel nodded towards Mildred and closed his eyes. The presence of every particle surrounding the planet felt surreal. The tumult of fear was evident and it seemed to back away from an eldritch aura. Though it wasn't present physically in that universe, it's rage was spread across the blanket of emotion in every illusion and every reality. It simply remained concentrated in The Land of Chaos.

Zindel withdrew immediately, not risking the entity to detect his own presence. A loud crack echoed in his head before he opened his eyes, letting them burn as he concentrated on the void.

Mildred immediately rushed to his side with an apathetic expression, letting go of relief to calm his mind.

"What did you see?"

"It was not something I saw, but rather sensed. You know that better than anyone Mildred. I think I am beginning to understand what you Yuran is, but only just.

"I understand why Sousconic is here, or rather was here. They came with the intention of sorting the mess of emotions, but since the entity was no longer within the fabric of the Shadow Dimension, nature allowed rage to invade it. Destroying the Wind Phoenexias will have a positive effect in the equilibrium if the demonic creatures are destroyed too. The energy will be returned to the seven lands and entropy will not be the cause for the universe's end before its time.

"However this is immoral, especially for Sousconic. If Triyeal performed something like this then it wouldn't affect her, but it would anger Sousconic. Sousconic is the entity of emotions, of instincts and feelings.

"Essentially what has happened is that Sousconic took the responsibility of carrying all sentient energy's burden. It does the same in the Shadow Dimension, but thoughts protect emotions and emotions protect thoughts.

"There, the entity was alone in unity. Perfect solitude. Now it is surrounded by mundane crowds and noise. Emotions are now chaos."

Silence. The six could think of nothing for a while. A long moment that spanned for a brief amount of time.

"Zindel, your Yuran allows you to see information, right?"

Zindel gave Mildred a short nod, still lost in his thoughts.

"Then how could you sense the sentiment?"

Zindel's head turned sharply away from the ground, solely looking at Mildred.

...beginning to understand what your Yuran is...

Why are her eyes so empty? So full of compassion and truth, so full of duty and yet empty, Zindel suddenly thought. There was a little spark in the realm of his thoughts though he didn't know where this line came from.

"It would seem that the entity already knows and perhaps wants us to know. To sense."

As the words left Kasia her body fell to the ground, her empty eyes staring through the fabric of chaos.

Into another world.