Wandering Through Realities

by plsnobully

Chapter 5: Nemesis of Reason

Chapter 5: Nemesis of Reason

(Adrolon's Perception)

(Optional Background Music: James Newton Howard - I'm Listening (I am Legend OST))

Black infinity. That was all that Adrolon could see. Wherever his neck craned, he was met with the same hospitality. He trudged forward, though it was fruitless; no matter where he moved, it didn't feel like he moved anywhere at all.

What he was trying to achieve, even he didn't know. Time distorted itself in such a way that Adrolon believed himself to be ages old. He unsheathed his staff and charged a ball of light at the end as he took inventory of the situation. Though the light revealed nothing in the void, it nevertheless gave him a sense of security.

He hummed in thought. "Let's see," he said, "I entered that plane after travelling the Blind Eternities for who knows how long. I then impacted the ground, barely managing to save my ass with Blanchwood Armor..."

He looked around one last time, then stared at the nonexistent floor.

"Yup," he concluded, "I'm officially lost."

"How can you be lost, when you haven't moved an inch?" Two other voices spoke in unison behind Adrolon, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

It sounded demonic; two voices — one high-pitched and one low-pitched — combined. Hearing it caused skin to crawl, much like hearing an unholy screeching sound. Adrolon didn't just hear the voices, he felt them, as the words reverberated and pierced his very core. Reluctantly, Adrolon turned around to face the being. What he saw formed a pit in his stomach.

The being looked less like a man and more like a shadow. It was missing the top half of its head, and where a head may have once sat, only smoke rolled out. Above its ears protruded two massive horns that gave the aurora of eternal dread. It wore long, black, severed leather robes with bits and pieces of metal. The most disturbing part was its finger and toenails, black, long and gruesome.

Adrolon opened and closed his mouth multiple times. He looked around in all directions before finally speaking.

"I-er, well, uh," he began to fumble, "who... are you?"

The being slowly floated towards Adrolon as it spoke. "I am what appears when someone experiences extreme fear in their lives. I have travelled far in between worlds on my own accord, seeing creation and beauty wherever I go. As such I have experienced the fear of many, and made priceless creations using that fear to force humility on those who think they're impregnable. I am nightmare incarnate. You may call me Ashiok, the Nightmare Weaver."

"I see," said Adrolon, taking some time to absorb this information, "and why have you sought me out then, Ashiok?"

"You, Adrolon Q'keraviel, have blood on your hands," said Ashiok, causing Adrolon's eyes to widen in surprise. "Your greatest fear is helping others because you're afraid that you will hurt them, much like how you killed your colleagues in Hæmeryth."

"So you've peered into my nightmares?" asked Adrolon. Ashiok nodded.

"Precisely."

"Well, for the record, I did not get my team killed. The planet's psychotic president was going to kill us anyway!" shouted Adrolon.

"That is where you are wrong," said Ashiok. "I have also sifted through your subconscious, and found that you have repressed memories of that event. It was completely preventable."

"I — what?" Adrolon was dumbfounded as Ashiok began to fade. The infinite blackness began transforming into a blinding whiteness. "How did y—"

"You will soon realize the severity of that event, Adrolon," said Ashiok. "It is time for you to return to the world of the conscious. We will meet again, farewell."

After that, silence.

Before Adrolon could protest, he was already opening his eyes. He was pinged with a familiar, uncomfortable sensation of pins and needles throughout his body. It didn't take long for his eyes to adjust to the deflux of light. He allowed the sensation to subside before sitting up.

He looked around before realizing that he was sitting in a body-shaped indent in the grass. He struggled, managing to stand up as he felt pops of bones and soreness erupting from his body. He stretched, eliciting more popping sounds from his back as it was being realigned from laying in his awkward position.

He analyzed his surroundings. To his left was miles of lush grassland, where an orchard of apples spanned across the horizon. To his right was the forest, where unnatural sounds echoed from. Adrolon could see green eyes peering at him from deep inside the forest.

Well, that's certainly creepy, thought Adrolon, and the sunset isn't helping, either. He turned back towards the orchard. I should probably gather some food before starting a fire, and I don't think those farmers will mind if a few apples disappear.

Before setting off, Adrolon gave himself a once-over. While his armor was fine, his robe was ripe with grass and dirt stains. Seeing this caused Adrolon to grumble miserably.

"Figures," he mumbled, "I just cleaned my robe days ago."

His mood slightly soured, Adrolon set off to retrieve his supper.

The trip to the horizon wasn't as far as Adrolon had anticipated. Before he knew it, he had a pouch of five enormous apples to feast on as he constructed a fire. Since he had trouble casting fire spells, due to him not wielding red mana, Adrolon had to rely on a shard of flint and the halberd portion of his staff to produce a spark on a bushel of tinder. The results did not come easy as night draped the young planeswalker.

He sat close to the flames' warmth in a strange land, munching on delicious apples. He contemplated the events in which he arrived, and what he should do next. He audibly sighed, stumped.

I don't even know what the locals look like, thought Adrolon. The structures have a mixture of Elven and Kithkin designs, though it's hard to say.

He let his thoughts wander as he rested. From Eden, to the M.A.Y.T.I.D.E. Event, to Mikæl, to his loved ones, to it. Ashiok, it's name was. What Ashiok spoke of made Adrolon shudder in guilt and confusion.

Repressed memories? he pondered. How could he possibly have access to my subconscious? Then again, Ashiok's like me. A wanderer of worlds. Who knows what he's capable of?

Ever since the M.A.Y.T.I.D.E. Event claimed the life of Planet Eridiæn's most prominent figures, Adrolon vowed to never underestimate anything ever again, no matter how small it seemed. The more he thought about Ashiok, the more he considered that Ashiok himself may be a manifestation of Adrolon's own fear and guilt. His mind's way of coping with the traumatic event, so to speak.

Well, he said it himself, Adrolon thought. He's what appears when someone experiences fear. Plus, I don't think anyone could look like him and survive. Although... knowing how the Multiverse likes to be reason's nemesis, I must take into consideration the possibility that Ashiok is very much real.

A large yawn escaped Adrolon as he wrapped up his train of thought. The events that recently unfolded put him through the wringer, even though he was unconscious for hours. He tossed another pile of large sticks into the flames before he took off his robe.

I'll try making contact with the locals after some proper rest, he thought. Absorbing more mana wouldn't hurt either, in case I have to defend myself.

Adrolon laid down and draped his robe over his body. After some shifting to get comfortable, which was difficult to do on the hard ground, he once again left the realm of the conscious.

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Shortly After the M.A.Y.T.I.D.E. Event

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(Optional Background Music: Peter Roe - Time Traveller)

The S.H.A.S.M.'s alarms were blaring throughout the massive complex. Adrolon was running for his life. Corridor after corridor, faster and faster. He needed to escape. Just barely could he make out what the intercom was saying.

"Alert, alert! This is not a test! Radiation containment breach on floor one-five-two, sector five! Extensive damage and casualties reported, President unresponsive! We have a suspected terrorist on thermal, terminate with extreme prejudice! All units report to floor one-five-two, sector five immediately!"

Adrolon continued his daring escape. The guards would surely be hunting him down, and he did not want to die. Just as he entered a clearing, barrages of energy bolts from mana-rifles whizzed past him. Adrolon spotted a group of six guards opening fire on him. As if on instinct, a shell of mana encapsulated Adrolon as he decided to run into another hallway.

"Don't let him get away!" The guard's robotic voice bellowed as they gave chase.

As he ran, Adrolon looked around for an indication of where he was. He spotted a sign ahead that read "152 S.H.A.S.M., Sector 6: Composite Armory" in its electric blue lettering.

Maybe a weapon and armor will make this easier, Adrolon frantically thought. He saw a hallway that read "Prototype: Mana-Imbued, Graphene Composite Armor". That's it, there!

He dashed into that hallway as more energy bolts just missed him. He tried to bide more time and closed off the hallway before running into the corresponding room. Another scientist got in his way.

"What are you doing?!" The scientist was shouting in Adrolon's face. "The whole building's on lockdown, you can't be in here!"

Adrolon tried to weave past the man, to no avail. The scientist noticed that the door to the hallway was shut, preventing a group of guards from getting in.

"Why on Eridiæn is that door closed? You're inhibiting those guards from getting in!"

"That's the idea, you imbecile!" yelled Adrolon.

"Well, I'm not going to be arrested on your crimes!" With that, the scientist ran to unlock the door. Adrolon panicked.

"NO!" screamed Adrolon. He reached out to grab the scientist, only to accidentally fire a wave of mana at him. The scientist slammed against the tempered glass door, unmoving. A pool of blood formed under the scientist's head.

"...By the gods," said Adrolon. He looked on in horror at what he did to the poor man.

Adrolon started over to help him, but quickly thought twice when he saw the guards bashing the glass. Tempered glass was strong, but not impregnable; it would break soon. With no time to spare, and a silent apology to the dying man, Adrolon rushed his way to the prototype armor.

It was intimidating to say the least. It was a sleek set of graphene composite armor, all mana-imbued for extra protection. Graphene, being an assortment of carbon atoms, was stronger than diamond. Not as strong as carbyne, but it was cheap to manufacture. It was also a superconductor of various energies, including mana, which only served to amplify the effects of spells cast. Adrolon had heard the rumors — the armor that he was about to steal was to be the guards' newest uniforms, by orders of the now-dead president.

"Cool toys, boys," muttered Adrolon, "unfortunately for you, I need it more right now."

He spotted a control that said "Equip" on the button. He hit the button and stepped inside the sterile chamber where the armor sat. Multiple appendages began gripping the armor set, detaching various parts of it. It appeared to be opening up for a body to fit inside. Adrolon turned his back to the armor and spread his arms; his assumptions were correct.

The first thing that was attached to his body was the gauntlets. Once on his forearms, they locked into place by the machine, with a pair of armored gloves to boot. He noticed a datapad was present on his right forearm.

Next attached was the torso armor and leg braces. The torso had various pouches on the stomach area while the leg braces had a large pouch on the left hip. On the right hip was something that Adrolon had never seen before — a halberd-staff, an extendable one at that. The halberd portion was also made out of graphene for armed combat, while the very top housed a strange looking crystal. Adrolon suspected that it must be used for channeling spell attacks.

What finally came was the helmet, which, to Adrolon's surprise, came from the back of his torso armor. The helmet's various parts went over his face, all clicking into place at the nose. A head's-up display revealed the status of the armor, as well as various other statistics.

The machine adjusted the tightness of the armor to perfection. It felt as though Adrolon was wearing nothing at all. As he twisted his body, he spotted a spare black robe in the corner of the chamber. Adrolon recognized this robe — a robe that guards with high mana reserves wore, to signify that they were mages. Seeing it appropriate, he donned the robe over the armor, zipping up to the collar, which ended at the top of his lips. He slid his arms through the large sleeves.

This armor was for a mage! thought Adrolon.

Amazingly, the entire process took only ten seconds. He was ready to roll. However, a sound of shattered glass made him groan inwardly. The sound of multiple footsteps storming in only made those groans more prominent.

"WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED," one of the guards said, "EXIT SLOWLY WITH YOUR HANDS UP, OR WE WILL KILL YOU!"

He had no choice but to comply. Adrolon did as the guard said, while closely observing the room around him. Any windows in the room had guards swarming on rappelling gear. Perpendicular from the windows were two exits, one on each side, which was blocked off with about fifty guards. The hallway that Adrolon had entered through had only those six original guards, however, making for an easier escape.

Adrolon was relieved to see medics tending to the man that he had accidentally injured. Now focused, Adrolon summoned a shield of mana that encapsulated his entire body.

"Disengage your shield immediately!"

Hmm... thought Adrolon. He saw the injured scientist and medics move off to the side, towards a stretcher. Not going to happen. Now would be a good time to try out that halberd-staff.

He reached down and grabbed the handle of the staff, clicking a button near the top. The staff extended to full length with an audible *SHINK*. A barrage of energy bolts brought Adrolon to attention.

"Enemy not compliant, open fire!"

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT," said Adrolon as he struggled to maintain his shield. He pointed the staff towards the entrance that he entered in.

It's now or never, get out of the way or get blasted! thought Adrolon. The six guards were unmoving as Adrolon charged a spell into the staff.

"Move!" bellowed Adrolon as the beam of mana shot forth. The guards did just that — they dove out of the way. Immediately after, Adrolon dashed forward, into the broken glass door, while waves of energy bolts continued their barrage.

As he burst into the hallway, Adrolon ran towards some windows that he had seen earlier. He fired a beam of mana at them, shattering the windows instantaneously. He looked back once again, and what he saw made Adrolon turn chalk white. A juggernaught — a heavy artillery guard — had her rocket launcher pointed right at Adrolon's feet.

SHE HAS A ROCKET LAUNCHER, Adrolon screamed in his head as he leapt out of the window. The juggernaut fired.

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Two beings observed the dream unfold from a distance, watching Adrolon fall from three thousand feet. A distant explosion was heard.

The first being appeared to be a large golden statue. It wore black robes and was surrounded by a purple, ethereal aura. A murder of crows flew around it from above. It spoke in an ominous, hollow voice.

"You're sure," said the first being, "that he is the missing link to our plans?"

"He is the perfect candidate," said the second. "He is weak minded. I've seen this personally through his repressed memories of killing his planet's president. It was so traumatic that his subconscious altered some memories, to make the experience less painful."

"And when he sees those repressed memories," said the first, "you will bring him to me, and I shall... persuade him to be our influence."

"He'll definitely be at his weakest point," said the second. "You're the God of Deception, it should be child's play to you."

"Maybe so," said the first, "yet I am bound to Theros, while you are free to travel to any world you please. You are the only one that can follow him. Thus, you are being trusted to fulfill this mission, and reap the rewards you will."

If it had eyes, the second being would have narrowed them.

"A wealth of knowledge, you pledge," said the second.

"I have lived for eons while you exist on extended mortality," said the first. "What I shall teach you, should you succeed — no one will stand in your way."

The second being scoffed. "You're lucky that I'm desperate."

"I'm prompted to say the same," said the first.

Just then, the two beings saw that a blinding light erupted from in front of Adrolon before he impacted the ground. As soon as it appeared, it disappeared — Adrolon with it.

"He's entered the Blind Eternities in this timeframe," said the second being, "the dream will be ending soon."

"Very well. Stay in contact regularly," said the first, "it would benefit us both if we were on the same page."

"Agreed," said the second being. "We will speak again soon, Phenax."

The two beings faded out as the dream collapsed around them.

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Comments

[CMDR Kovacs]

6218808

I guess my prose sucks cause I'm so used to writing scientific papers haha.

Being someone who had to write a shitload of them for a DM in Math and Physics, I totally feel ya.

[plsnobully]

6296573 these feels though

[plsnobully]

6311315 happy to help!

[plsnobully]

6311360 As the story went on, the flowery prose kind of dwindled on its own. I think since I've gotten my bearings in the story, a more natural language was being written instead of prose "more purple than 100 Twilight Sparkles", as said by FanofMostEverything.

That being said, I'm considering totally rewriting the first couple chapters, prologue included. The story won't change, but the language will.

[GoldenHeartofMorioh]

This is great! I hope you'll pick this story up again someday soon.