(Somewhere outside the shores of Xafar, the City of Vermin)
The sky was cloudy. But even then, not everything was doom and gloom aboard the Crusader, the vessel that had brought the denizens of the Amber Pyramid. A cloudy day was good news for the inhabitants of the Xafar; it was part of the season, and so it meant nothing had changed. For such an unfortunate population, that was good enough. However, no one in that city could have known that, aboard the Crusader, one of the many ships that arrived in the bay, came what would become the bane of their existence.
From the upper deck, many of the passengers of the ships poked their heads. Most of them were young, barely fourteen or sixteen years old. Some were older, but not many. They observed the modest magnificence of the city of Xafar.
"Well... it doesn't look THAT bad." Said a female Amberite. That's what members of the Amber Pyramid were called. "I mean... I don't see any actual vermin runnin' around."
Just as the Amberites fixed their eyes upon the city, and upon the Obsidian pyramid at the back of Xafar, balconies formed on the surface of the Pyramid; its inhabitants, too, were looking at the newcomers.
While being the poorest amongst the Pyramids, and surely the one with the least talented individuals, the Obsidian Pyramid seemed to tower over the ninety-story-tall. From a distance, it was an imposing figure. Many Amberites shuddered at the sight and soon, images of thugs and bullies appeared in their heads. Of course, every Pyramid was different from the others, but the one made from Obsidian differed significantly from the Amber one; it had never functioned as a school or academy for the magically talented, instead resembling a market, a bazaar, and even a factory. Only a few aware of its history knew it was, in origin, a prison and a zoo for failed mortals, built by the Archmages and the Archonts during the Aeon of Emergency. Those obelisks, those pyramids, had been made by beings that were so powerful they burned oceans, eroded forests, scorched heavens and tore mountains.
A multitude of people came down from the ships. Most of them were seasick and kissing the dirt at their feet. A horde of people rushed to the docks to meet the newcomers, but amongst them, a woman carried particular importance. The inhabitants of Xafar spotted her right away and made sure not to hinder her; it was enough to see her black robe (burnt, cut and parched), her thick braid falling on her chest, covering her cleavage, and those beautiful hazel eyes. Still, the one thing that mattered was that obsidian pendant, that rectangular pendant with a "4" carved in it. The citizens knew her well; they would wave and greet her as a normal person, and she would reply in kind. But that day, she had a task to do.
Her name was Larika, and she was one of the few authority figures at the Obsidian Pyramid. Already thirty-seven years old, with her hair in a single braid, she happily waited for the new arrivals, helping coordinate the disembarkation alongside the captains and harbour masters. For her, the newcomers represented the possibility of brightening the life in the Pyramid she called home. But, at the same time, it was an example of solidarity between the different castes of the magical community; news had reached the members of the Obsidian Pyramid about radical animosity that had arisen between some members of the Pyramids, and Larika feared that this could worsen the state of the city and its Pyramid. But it didn't matter anymore; the travellers had arrived, and all that was nothing more than a problem of the past.
Finally, a horde of people of various ages, mostly teenagers, disembarked, and Larika contemplated how they all wore orange and red clothing; there were so many of them that even the slightest ray of sunlight was enough to dazzle anyone who laid eyes on them. The sorceress counted quickly.
"Two-hundred and fourteen... fuck me." Larika complained in her mind. She was not so excited. Still, the newcomers did represent a chance for growth. "Thank goodness the Pyramid has room to spare. And there is more to come! Principles, give me strength."
There were so many visitors that the port was effectively evacuated of citizens; the visitors were jovial, formal, well-groomed, and well-fed. Their voices, songs, and footsteps drowned out any murmurs from the citizens who looked on expectantly. Soon, they formed into columns, each carrying their suitcases, and somewhat older individuals emerged, acting as leaders. From among them all, a young man in his early twenties seemed to take the lead, ordering the leaders to keep their respective groups under control. He looked around. His eyes met an overwhelmed Larika in the distance, approaching the group.
"Miss Larika!" the young man exclaimed, approaching cheerfully, smiling. His copper hair flashed in the air. He intercepted her and extended his hand excitedly. "I'm Lloyd Fosha. We spoke a few weeks ago in the mirror." Lloyd actively tried not to look at her breasts. Goodness. He found her beautiful.
"Yes, I—"
"Here we are!" Lloyd interrupted energetically and cheerfully. His eyes sparkled a warm-honey colour. "Ready for whatever you say. Shall we proceed to the Pyramid?"
Larika was not thrilled at his effusive attitude as no one in the Obsidian Pyramid behaved like that, but looking around, she figured she'd better get used to it. After all, the Amberites were in need, and the Obsidians had volunteered to help. But it didn't bother her, and after a few words with Lloyd, they continued through the city streets, crossing like a youthful army. Everyone seemed excited despite the reasons for the relocation.
"Budget problems! Can you believe it, Miss Larika?" Lloyd asked during the ride, occasionally gasping for air as the way towards the tower was uphill, and he wasn't the athletic type. Still, from behind, he could some times see the contour of Larika's butt. He tried not to stare, but the truth was that the endeavour of walking was already too distracting.
"Yes, I do." Larika occasionally turned around and saw the host of young people trying to keep up with her; the path to the Pyramid was a bit steep, yes, but not too bad. And of course, Lloyd's cheeks were a bit plump. "I take it you're not used to physical exertion, young Fosha?" Larika asked delicately.
"Ah... ah... What? This? Nah. It's... It's the altitude. Yeah! Wooo! Come on, kids, we're almost there... Ahh..."
After what seemed like an eternity, and somewhat later than expected as the sun had already passed its highest point, the host of visitors lay at the foot of the Obsidian Pyramid.
Sweaty and somewhat shaken, Lloyd Fosha stood before the massive group. The entire group fell silent; the young student's brilliant figure contrasted sharply with the gloomy appearance of the Pyramid behind him. And as everyone was watching him, no one noticed all the stares peering from balconies and windows, watching and waiting for any hint of talent and magic. But there was one pair of eyes in particular, poisonous and sharp, that no one immediately noticed. The professor reached into his coat and pulled out an elegant, straight wand, barely 19 centimetres long. Larika tried not to leer at the wand; a wand was incredibly expensive in the city of Xafar, and no member of the Obsidian Pyramid possessed one. A high-grade wand could be worth a small fortune; at the very least, five hundred and seventy-three Life-Hours, seven grams of Orichalcum, seven Deep Memories, a single gram of Amrita, or four gallons of Arfia-rich blood. Right there, the Amberites were filthy rich.
"Crap. I have to do something. These people are going to get mugged in half an hour at this rate!" Thought Larika. "Will I have to ask him? Damn. I don't want to involve him in this. Come on, come on... think!"
Larika was the closest, so she watched closely as Lloyd's entire posture changed for a couple of moments; he straightened and moved his wand in front of him, waving it as if to remove something from his body. Larika saw how every drop of sweat on his body, every stench and speck of dust and dirt was ripped from his clothes, sucked by a vacuum into the wand. The sorceress saw the pendant and the number "8" carved into it.
"A glamour spell... Wands sure do simplify the whole process," Larika thought. "Without focus words, hand signs, chants. Nothing."
Even more surprising was how all the young wizards drew their wands, each performing the same spell. It was then that all the members of the Obsidian Pyramid realised the threat the newcomers could pose.
"DAMMIT!" Larika gritted her teeth. "This is worse than I thought! We might lose control of the Pyramid. Why the hell did we listen to him!?"
Finally, Lloyd made another move; quick and subtle, he moved the tip of his wand toward her throat and then whipped it away. His voice grew twelve times louder, so that everyone listening from the highest balconies and windows could hear his words without difficulty.
The students didn't replicate this spell, but it didn't need to be; Lloyd had demonstrated, without boasting, that, despite his laid-back attitude, he had magical ability worth considering. But that was only one factor, and the rank carved into his pendant was merely a number representing something abstract and, to some extent, arbitrary. In any case, no one in the Pyramid seemed to have malicious intent. But the Pyramid was ancient, and malice rarely reveals itself so blatantly to the naked eye. Many feelings were aroused among the Obsidians; while some felt sympathy and attraction for the Amberites, others feared them, and some felt pity. Finally, some viewed them with suspicion and envy.
"My friends. Brothers, sisters and students." Lloyd's voice sounded sweet but powerful. "We have reached the gates of the Obsidian Pyramid, where our brothers have offered to shelter us in our time of need, just as we would have welcomed them. I know we are not used to interacting with Adjacents of ideologies different from our own, but let us see this as an opportunity for growth, to discover new limits, to reach beyond who we are." With each word, the students seemed to question their new position a little more, but they were in the majority, and many understood that, at worst, it was enough to stay in small groups. "Be cordial to our hosts; they have done enough for us, and show them what it means to be an Amberinian: our hospitality and good spirit."
The speech went on for a bit longer, but the truth was that nerves were very present, and the Obsidian Pyramid was like nothing the Amberins had ever seen before, although they would realise that as the days went by. On the other hand, it was humiliating for the newcomers; they had gone from having a resplendent Pyramid with the full support of the arcane government to having to survive on the support of a city that could barely stand on its own two feet.
Amongst Obelisks: part 2
The air seemed to change as soon as they passed through the portcullis of the Obsidian Pyramid; everything became somewhat colder; a light seemed to emanate from the black ceiling, and the torches embedded in the wall seemed to be the only source of warm light. Except… it wasn't.
"Morons!" a young mage shouted when he realized the torchlight wasn't emitted by fire; it was merely photons excited by mana or vitae, arcane energy. Cold light.
"Maurol, don't be rude," his older sister scolded him. She quickly approached, placed her hand on his shoulder, and pulled him back to the group of Amberinians. She looked around.
Around the siblings, a stream of people, the visitors, moved around the Pyramid; at first, they strutted proudly, but inside… everything changed. The corridors echoed loudly, and the walls were covered with magical equations, embarrassing poems, and geometric drawings. Then there were them, the Obsidians, residents of the Pyramid, watching from the many spiral staircases that led to the countless floors above and below. Philena Hallion, Maurol's sister, had noticed them; everyone had, and that was the point; the Obsidians wanted to make it clear that they were being watched.
The newcomers split into small groups; there was plenty of space at the top and bottom of the Pyramid, so much so that never since its creation had it been seen to be close to short of space. Still, none of the newcomers wanted to live alone, and they preferred to take rooms in groups. They were long hallways, so they were thankful for the elevators that took them to the upper floors.
"How long do you think we'll be here?" Maurol asked, inspecting the room they'd been assigned, placing their suitcases on top of a large black metal box. "What's this supposed to be?"
"Not too long, I'd say. Although, if you ask me, it's not that bad... Colour aside, it doesn't bother me too much; there's plenty of space. There's a bunk bed and a single bed here alone." Philena didn't seem that overwhelmed, though, really, she was just trying to keep up appearances; she didn't want to stress her brother out. "A shower, a toilet, a closet... It's quite a lot."
Maurol was barely 8 winters old. Philena, on the other hand, was nearing her seventeenth year alive.
The door opened, and three Amberinians peeked through the doorway. The one at the front was taller than the other two; his hair was plastered with styling gel, and his face bore distinct signs of exhaustion and sleeplessness.
"Hey, Phile. Lloyd asked us to switch rooms; Your brother will have to share with Gonzaroc and Argy. And with me. I'll be in the adjoining room."
"I see..." Philena didn't object, and the room she would share with other students wasn't too far away. She closed her suitcase and headed for the exit. "Then I'll leave it to you, Jhossan." Philena turned on her heels and hugged her brother. "I'll see you in a bit. Try not to bug Jhossan too much, 'kay?"
"Oh, yes. Don't worry. Everything should be fine."
Jhossan Lassango was pleasant enough, though Philena found him a bit withdrawn and very attached to the classic rules of his instructors. On the other hand, Maurol, Gonzaroc, and Argy were quite jovial and free from so many years of teaching. But this Pyramid was different from the one they grew up in; only the colour of the walls conveyed a different aesthetic, and the ragged and patched-over robes of its residents suggested a certain poverty.
Hours passed, and the resident Amberites managed to adapt the room to their needs, although there wasn't much to adapt; the places were clean and had basic amenities. Jhossan took the single bed for himself and arranged the other three children in the bunks: Maurol and Argy on the bottom bunk and Gonzaroc on the top bunk. They agreed; Gonzaroc tended to pass gas at night. Everything was going well. Except…
"I'm starving…" Gonzaroc complained from his bunk, clutching his stomach tightly. "I threw up everything during the trip…" Gonzaroc was the youngest of the trio, eight and a half.
"I have some roasted chickpeas." A crunching sound came from under the bunk, where Argy was lying. "Do you want some?"
"I need some meat, Gy. Meat!"
"Well, I don't have any meat." Argy looked at a black metal box left in the corner of the room. "What is that?"
"Calm down," Jhossan said from behind his desk, sorting his notes. "There's probably a kitchen or dining room around here somewhere. And a library, I hope; I had to leave all my books in our Pyramid. I can't finish my dissertation without them…"
"I doubt these people have libraries here. Do you think they have room service, though?" Gonzaroc asked, staring at the black, polished mirror that was the ceiling. He jumped out of his bunk and straightened his robes and hair.
"I implore you, don't do it," Maurol said, folding his shirts and arranging them in the closet. "Jhossan, could you…?" But it was useless; the young man was absorbed in his notes. "Gon, don't do it, seriously. You'll get us in trouble."
"Don't be a crybaby."
The young mage approached the door with a big smile. He opened it and looked around, hoping to find a resident who could help him. Finally, he found a local woman, perhaps seven or eight years older than him. At first, he felt somewhat uneasy; there were so many people around, all of them Obsidians, and it felt like they were keeping an eye on the newcomers. He saw her in the distance and noticed her walking in his direction. Her robes were patched with different colours, and her hair looked battered from the sun, and her skin had what seemed like coal stains.
"Hello!" Gonzaroc said with slightly false cheerfulness, almost jumping in the young woman's path. "Could you help me?"
"Excuse me?" The girl reacted as if she'd been distracted by something else. She turned to look at him. "Is something wrong?" She was carrying a few books under her arm.
"Yes. Do you think you could get my friends and me some food? We're starving," Gonzaroc asked jovially. He hadn't paid much attention to her, but the young mage recognised the girl's stern features. He quickly identified the earring on her right side; it had a large "1" engraved on it.
The young woman merely tilted her head slightly, smiling tentatively and squinting slightly.
"Excuse me? My name is Rina," she said a couple of seconds later. There was some annoyance in her tone.
"Oh, right. Rina, could you-"
"Hey, hi! How are you all?" A third person jumped into the conversation, another woman. She was a little taller than Rina, but her voice was a little softer, and her skin had a nice golden tan. "Rina, are you getting acquainted with the newcomers yet?" She didn't give her friend time to respond. She turned to Gonzaroc and extended her hand, smiling. Gonzaroc shook it with a naive smile. "I'm Elishel. Nice to meet you."
"Hi. I'm Gonzaroc. My friends and I were assigned to this room... and we starved to death."
"Oh, I see. That's a shame."
" Yeah… so could you get us some co---"
" Okay, darling. I'm going to interrupt you before you say something unintelligent, okay, Gonzo?" Elishel was smiling, and she was cordial, but her attitude didn't seem to suggest anything good, and she was speaking absurdly fast. "We're not servants, 'kay? No one in the Pyramid is here to serve any of you, except those who have their own business. Do you understand? And I know, you're new, all this is scary and different from the Amber Pyramid, but we operate differently here." She had leaned onto him a bit and, at some point, seemed to be treating him like a baby.
Gonzaroc hated that, but he was paralysed.
"Should we help him?" Maurol asked in awkward whispers, pressed against the wall inside the room.
"What? No!? What if we get into trouble later? We don't need any animosity with our floor." Argy seemed to understand the situation perfectly, and even though he was out of his element, he figured if he didn't mess with anyone, nothing bad would happen to him.
Gonzaroc entered shortly after, a little paler than usual and with a trembling bladder. Right about to cry and pee himself.
"The... neighbours will take us to the cafeteria," he announced, his voice breaking.
"Neat!" Maurol commented.
"What if they want to kill us?" Gonzaroc squealed. "I think the shorter one had a knife hidden among her books." He looked on the verge of tears.
"Jhossan, come with us." Argy tugged on the student's arm.
"What? I'm lost."
And so, with a not-so-subtle start, Maurol, Gonzaroc, Argy, and Jhossan met with Rina and Elishel outside their room. Jhossan was about to lock the room, but one glance from Rina was enough for Gonzaroc to suggest otherwise. After all, he didn't want to provoke any animosity. At least, not more than there already was.
The stairs were long, but each floor extended as far as, or longer than, the town square. From the outside, the Pyramid didn't appear to be that vast. But the magi knew; the dimensions of the Pyramids are never what they appear. One floor below, a bustle erupted; people from all over the Pyramid and Xafar were bustling around in that bewildering inner bazaar.
"What's all this?" Maurol asked.
"The Obsidian Pyramid is a manufacturing and trading centre in the region," Elishel replied. "It's neutral ground according to The Table's position, so many merchants come here to do their shopping and selling. Plus, we have a lot of Engineers here."
"Fascinating..." Jhossan murmured. "I didn't know the Pyramids could work like this. And I didn't know all this was on the floor below ours..."
"The Obsidian Pyramid is almost completely soundproof," Rina commented. "And the Midday Bazaar opened 43 minutes ago. So don't be too upset. You can buy everything here. Well... as much as you can get. If you want something fresh, your best bet is to go to the first floor at nine in the morning. The bazaar opens at 8 o'clock and closes at 30 o'clock. But it gets weird after the 26th hour."
Jhossan got to thinking; a bazaar open twenty-two hours a day, seven days a week, the seven hundred and seventy-seven days of the year. A fortune must course through it daily.
"Hey, Mau, what are they talking about?" Gonzaroc whispered to his companions.
" Don't know. I think my sister mentioned something like that on the boat…"
" What's an Engineer?" Asked Argy.
" Dunno. Someone ingenious, I think."
Looking around, the young wizards noticed a large number "17" carved into the walls everywhere; they were on the 17th floor. According to Rina, the Engineers used to work on the underground floors. What's more, there were many deserted floors, and the wizards carried out their projects in different rooms throughout the Pyramid. No one had ever succeeded in fully mapping the Obsidian Pyramid; some rooms were simply abysmal, and others led to forests and caverns.
"But yes. Fruits, vegetables, meats, and more. Everything you need to cook a delicious, healthy meal." Elishel smiled at the crowds of people. There was something about the bustle that calmed her. In her mind, if the market doesn't stop, the Pyramid lives on. To her, the Pyramid was no different than any other business or industry. "As long as you can pay it, of course."
"Now we just have to buy a stove," Argy commented.
"Why? What happened to the stove in your room?" Rina asked. "It can't be that they've already broken it. What the fuck, did you break my stove!?"
"What?" Maurol asked.
Rina snorted.
"The stove," Rina said irritably. "It's in a black metal box. We left it in her room last night. It has 'STOVE' written on one side."
"So that was the box..."
Rina wanted to swear harder, but Elishel prevented her.
"Anyway..." Jhossan cleared his throat. He hadn't noticed either. "We don't have anything to cook. So we have to go shopping."
"Surely you can find something fresh. Not much, since it's been hours and everyone at the Pyramid has bought their supplies, and your companions are starting to realise this isn't a hotel. Perishables come every five or seven days. If not, they have to go to town for them." Elishel pulled out a leather bag and a notebook. "Okay. Rina, take care of them while I do my own thing."
"Where are you going?" Maurol asked.
"To collect my share. Do you see that stand over there?" I rent it to a tool merchant. And I have to go collect my share." She leaned onto Maurol and kissed his forehead; she was about three or four years older than Philena, but she was cute and warm.
And so, while Elishel disappeared into the crowd, Rina guided Maurol and his friends through their shopping. They spent hours shouting over the crowds, trying to get used to having to fight over their food, having to bargain down prices. Each purchase was an argument, and a substantial loss of income; Jhossan had gold, silver, and copper, but it was still difficult to buy enough to keep four people fed. In his mind, an idea took shape…
"I'm gonna need a job..."
"Yeah... Everything's expensive if you're gonna use gold, silver and copper."
This comment seemed to snap Jhossan out of his thought process.
"What do you mean?"
"In here, we don't use gold, silver and copper all that much. Many do at the town, but we have no use for them here."
"So, what do you use for trade?" Jhossan felt his heart beat fiercely. What was this?
"We mostly use our services."
"As in... a lady of the nig---"
"No, genius! I'm not a hooker!" Shouted Rina. She sighed. "We usually trade what we do, or hours of our work, for something we want. If you're an Alchemist, and I have some meat you want, I'd trade the meat for some potions or something, get it?"
"That's... a bit ancient, don't you think? We developed currency, after all."
"Really, now?" Rina was struggling not to take it personally. "Then, how about this currency: Life-Hours."
Jhossan knew the term: a forbidden magic ritual from the Dogma of Time, a way to transfer hours of your lifetime onto someone else, but it was forbidden by the archmagi centuries ago.
"That's... not a thing. It was forbidden."
"Of course it is. The market here uses it. Of course, if you do, then you must be really desperate." Rina sighed again; Jhossan seemed upset, a bit afraid of this idea. "There's also Moon-Tears, Earth-Blood, Orichalcum-Drops, Amrita-Grams, Arfia-Ounces, Memories, and Blood."
Jhossan knew a bit about some of these concepts; why were they being used? Was the city of Xafar so far back, those practices had never gone away? It was a terrifying idea. He had heard the Obsidians were barbarians to some degree, but this was taking it too far.
"What do you mean... blood?"
"The amrita in your body irradiates your blood; because of that, your blood could be used to cast strong magic. I'd guess your blood would fetch a nice price. Even that chubby kid Gonzo could set you up for a decade if you sell him as a blood-cattle."
"Don't joke with that." Asked Jhossan, now worried, while the kids sifted through the groceries.
"I'm not joking. It is a common practice here. I did it." Rina lifted the lower left part of her shirt to show a puncture mark in her lower abdomen. "I was blood-cattle for a year." Her face was expressionless. It was a terrifying sight. "But I'd guess your blood is far richer than any of ours, so you'd be well-off by just selling a couple of vials every other week or so."
The concept of 'rich-blood' was escaping Jhossan's mind; he made a mental note to look into this topic later.
After what seemed like an eternity, ending up tired, deafened, and stinking from the sweat of being among so many people, Maurol and his group emerged from the crowd, carrying bags overflowing with fruits, vegetables, and meat. As much as they could buy. They'd never really shopped before, so they weren't sure if they had enough, but it was an exhilarating experience, talking to merchants from who knows where, selling fresh food from strange, vast containers that held frigid air within them.
"I think we have enough," Argy said victoriously.
"Yeah... All of that will spoil if you don't refrigerate it," Rina commented, noticing the vegetables and meats they had bought.
"What?!" Gonzaroc squealed.
"Really?" Maurol complained.
"Oh, excuse me, I didn't think I'd have to explain to you that food spoils!" Rina retorted. "Did Mommy never tell you stuff goes bad after a while!? You guys are useless!"
"This isn't helping us at all." Jhossan's voice rose above the others. "Rina, where can we get a... one of those... boxes?"
"A refrigerator? Not here, actually. If you want one, you'll have to go to an Engineer workshop and buy one."
"Good. Excellent!" Jhossan was indeed eager to see an Engineer in action. One had never been discovered in the Amber Pyramid. "Where's that?"
"Eighteen floors down."
"What?! I'm not going up and down that far!" Gonzaroc shrieked. Again.
"I swear, if you don't stop complaining, I'll sell you to the first buyer I see!"
"Gonzaroc, be quiet. Rina, please take us."
Rina snorted. Why? Why was she tasked with this?
"Listen, the Pyramid has several elevators arranged in columns on all sides. They'll be able to take you between floors. Except for the highest ones. We're not authorised. Hardly anyone goes above the seventieth floor. And it's not a nice place to walk."
They moved away from the bazaar, and Rina led them toward what looked like a terrace overlooking what looked like square chimneys embedded in the wall. As they got closer, they discerned more about those square elevators in those columns, more like loading platforms for livestock and materials than for carrying people, with a small central pillar with three integrated dials and a lever. They climbed onto the platform, paying attention to the iron chains that went up and down, moving a seemingly infinite number of elevators. She moved the dials and the lever, indicating a floor below ground. Thus, as if it were some machine from the Old World, the platform began to descend noisily, driven by the movement of chains and gears, carrying the Amberinos into the bowels of this new Pyramid, auguring a world filled with new spells and arcane knowledge they had never considered possible. For Jhossan, this was what life was all about. For his young companions, not so much.
Amongst Obelists: part 3
It was a slow walk, filled with awkward silences. Rina kept her eyes closed almost the entire way, as if she were trying to rest from a long day at work. But... that wasn't the case. She knew it; every idea, every diagram, every prototype, every image flashed through her mind in a split second. After a few minutes, the elevator stopped.
"How horribly hot!" Gonzaroc complained, fanning himself with his hand, beads of sweat already sticking to his hair.
Rina didn't comment on that occasion. In her mind, the only thing that mattered was her work. With just a couple of words, Rina led the group down a narrow corridor. Unlike the upper levels of the Pyramid, which were open, wide, and each as vast as a plain, the lower levels were narrow and labyrinthine, each corridor leading to a different workshop or office. The air was hot, and there were constant sounds of hammers, pistons, drills, saws, and hacksaws.
"Argy, where is she taking us?" Maurol asked nervously. Argy, being one year older than Maurol, simply held his hand tight and kept walking.
The walls were covered with posters, advertisements, and boards displaying the names of multiple workshops and workers' offices. Some were from groups of people, and others were individual. Rina had her workshop: "R.R.R.R: Repairs, Rebuilds, and Reinventions by Rina." And she was very proud of what she had created there.
Passing beneath that large sign, opening what looked like a metal gate she had made herself, Rina took a thick leather apron and covered her short hair with a thick leather cap. She put on gloves and thick glasses. Once dressed, she looked like some kind of anonymous knight in leather armour.
"Rina!" two voices exclaimed in chorus. Two individuals dressed just like her peeked out from inside. "You're not supposed to be working today."
"I brought clients."
"Amberites!" they chorused again. Was it accidental or premeditated?
"Fascinating." Jhossan was enchanted by the world beneath the earth.
The group entered somewhat cautiously, with no idea of the mechanics of the magic taking place there. The magic Jhossan longed to unravel, and Rina was more than happy to demonstrate her mastery of her art. And to collect. The Obsidian Pyramid was a place that always looked after the financial well-being of its inhabitants.
"This is Malriva and Alessandro. My collaborators," Rina said as she stood behind the counter.
"Nice to meet you!" They said once more in chorus, approaching the counter and extending a hand each, at exactly the same time.
Jhossan rushed forward to shake both hands.
"Twins!" Jhossan celebrated. "I didn't know the synchronisation between twins was so... real! Every word and movement is... Rina, this is incredible!" The scholar's grey eyes lost all traces of exhaustion in an instant.
"Rina," the twins said, "your friend is strange."
Finally, Rina and Jhossan discussed the details of the cooling box he needed. Rina took out a scroll and, with a quill, began to design the device. It didn't take long, since at seventeen years old, Rina had been studying her art for almost eleven years. For Jhossan, watching her design, even the simple thought, was more enchanting than the most powerful illusion of one of the Existential Primordials.
"Do you want to see?" Rina asked.
The question figuratively melted Jhossan. It was such a simple question, and the young man could only nod awkwardly.
Rina led Jhossan to the back of the workshop while the twins chatted with the younger ones, discussing some things they should know about the Pyramid. Back there, everything changed. Jhossan sat on a stool, facing the Engineer. She approached her desk and took out a small blacksmith's hammer, its handle made of some kind of shiny silver material, and its head made of the same material as the Pyramid. As soon as she picked it up, the hammer seemed to change; geometric shapes and lines appeared on its surface. Jhossan had never seen anything like it; electricity began to fill the air, emanating from the hammer, from the woman's grip, and her most absolute concentration.
"What is this? What is this magic? What are these images and words coming into my head?"
Something came to mind. His eyes began to discern a blank space with a black sky, a vast desert, with black lines identical to those of the hammer forming the image of a large quadrangular box, all happening between blinks of an eye. The smell of metal began to fill the air. It was hot, then cold, hot, then cold; in an instant, it seemed as if the water might boil, then freeze.
"Shudital: Jummelka." The voice said. It was Rina's. "Shudital: Jummelka." What were these words? They were driving him crazy! And it was hard to stop seeing that blank space, that place, wherever it was.
But then... the words took meaning somehow, almost as if someone were translating them.
"Dogma of Creation: matrix."
Jhossan's skin was crawling and tearing itself up; it was a sickening yet arousing feeling. He could not look away.
Finally, his eyes and mind stopped seeing space and returned to Rina's gaze. On the table were a series of metal plates and pieces. The Engineer's hammer struck the air, the metal, the table, and existence itself, releasing sparks and lightning in ways the magician had never seen before. What was that power she wielded? Each blow caused different pieces to move through the air and arrange themselves in different ways. Concentrating a little, Jhossan returned to that space, and there he saw how she built the box with her own hands, using all the tools that logic suggested she should use. What her mind showed him as a concept, her hammer formed as an action, and he saw both spaces... how was that possible? What was that place? He didn't know! It was then that he looked away for a moment and noticed something that excited and terrified him at the same time: Other magicians, not too unlike Rina, taming matter, reshaping bare stone, turning crystal into artistic structures. Watching them, he realised they were in that desert, yes, cloistered in strange, intangible, invisible cubes, suspended in the air, as if there was a whole world at their disposal. Jhossan had only known magic through the movement of wands, but now he had seen behind the curtain of existence and experienced magic as the art of matter, mind, and spirit. Each magician seemed absorbed in their work; even those closest seemed indifferent to the others. Could they see each other? Did they know what was happening so close and so far away? Did they know of this world behind the world?
After a little over an hour, the box was finished. Rina dropped the hammer next to the box and gripped the table, leaning forward as if she were about to faint. Jhossan wanted to help, but wasn't entirely sure if she was finished yet. Through it all, Jhossan had the feeling that Rina never blinked; her eyes were tearing and bloodshot.
"Are you okay?" the scholar asked.
"Yes. So--- I just... I need a minute." Her mouth had a metallic taste, and sweat trickled beneath the leather. "There you go... a cold box. It should keep your food fresh for a long time if I give it maintenance. Okay, let's go back to the front."
Together, they lifted the heavy box onto a cart and carried it to the counter. There, Rina took out an eyedropper and moistened her eyes.
Jhossan didn't say much. He was delighted and eager to learn more about this new dimension, this new art and science. He wanted to know more, and to do that, he needed to complete this transaction.
"How many gold pieces are we talking about?"
"Oh. That. We don't accept gold."
"What?!" Gonzaroc shouted, waking from his slumber.
"Y-you're joking, right?" Jhossan was no less surprised.
"I already told you: when it comes to jobs within the Pyramid, we usually barter for goods, services, and the like. Gold has no real use for us, you know."
The three young magicians looked at each other, and together they tried to see what possessions they had to trade. But they had nothing of real value. Still, a thought, an offer, began to take shape in Jhossan's mind. But before he offered an option, he had to ask something.
"Let's say... I'd like to learn how to do what you do." Said the young magician. "Let's say... I'm interested in learning how to do magic like you." Rina looked at the twins with some curiosity. "Where could I learn to do that?"
"It's not that simple, Jho." Rina pulled a bottle of water from behind the counter and took two large gulps. "It's not just about learning how to do it. You need to have something. Do you understand? Something you're born with."
"I know the theory of tendency and ascendancy, but even so—"
"I can't teach you how to be an engineer, Jho. I'm not a teacher. And I don't have time to try to be one."
"Well... how about you tell me who could teach me? Or just tell me where I can find books to learn from."
The twins peeked out.
"With Jun!" They responded in chorus.
Rina shot them a withering look; an expression that said "quiet."
"Jun doesn't have time for that," the Engineer said, still staring at the twins. She turned her gaze to Jhossan. "He's not a teacher anymore, Jho. And he's not all that nice. I think you should focus on what you're good at." Her expression softened a little. "We Obsidians are a bit... tiresome with newcomers. I really don't want you to be exposed to bad behaviour without any reward. Seriously. Just let it go."
But Jhossan couldn't forget it. "Jun." He didn't know who he was or what floor he lived on, but at least it was something. He would find them and beg him to teach her. But before that happened, Jhossan had another problem at hand...
"I don't have anything to give you in exchange for the box," Jhossan said finally.
"Well..." Rina sighed. She really felt for him. Pity. "How about you take the box and take a couple of days off? Try to find something to pay me with, and we'll see."
"I... I don't know..."
"Jhossan, for heaven's sake, accept!" Gonzaroc exploded, jumping out of his chair. "You have three children in extreme hunger!"
"Marshmallow is right. Take them out of here, Jho."
And so, the four young wizards left Rina's workshop with a cooler ready. They loaded it with their supplies and, remembering the way, returned to their apartment. Once upstairs, they encountered another problem... none of the four knew how to cook.
"I'll talk to my sister. She'll know what---"
"No!" Jhossan exclaimed. "I forbid you."
"What? Why? Don't you like to eat? — Gonzaroc shrieked.
"I told Phile I'd take care of it. That includes cooking."
"But we don't know how to cook. And I don't think my sister can either."
He wasn't wrong.
"Exactly. What do you think she'd think if we came back asking for help? What would everyone think? Until I get a cookbook, we'll have to eat things... like this."
"Raw?"
"We can use the stove to... ah... cook some things a little."
"This is ridiculous, Jhossan, we deserve better than that!" Gonzaroc complained. "This is servant-work!"
"Kids, listen, this is a statement. We have to learn to live without all the comforts of our old Pyramid."
And so, Jhossan Lassango gave a moving speech about the need to be independent of the comforts they took for granted in their previous residence. Of course, of the four, Argy Villal was the most open to change and was accustomed to housework. But he wasn't particularly good at cooking. This wasn't too much of a problem for him; the majority of his diet consisted of nuts, chopped fruit, and some buttered vegetables.
"So, like the conquistadors of old, we'll separate the duties and we'll conquer," Jhossan declared. "We'll find a way to make everything work. We won't let it become a mess. Okay? We'll persevere."
But Jhossan's words were empty; he had so much on his mind that nothing mattered much. So much so that at one point he inadvertently ate a stalk of celery, mistaking it for his pencil. It was that person, that name, and the slim possibility of having a teacher.
"Jun… Who the hell is Jun?"
Amongst Obelisks: part 4
Night fell. The first of an infinite number. In the darkness, Argy's nose whistled, like some kind of novice flute player who can only play one note out of tune. Maurol tossed and turned in his bed, and Gonzaroc occasionally farted between his snores. Jhossan's insomnia never felt so overwhelming. Everything he had seen in those few hours kept calling to him; he would close his eyes and return to that space. Or so he tried. But it wasn't that easy.
"With Rina, it was so simple. Why is it so hard for me now?" He thought.
Lying in his bed, with no desire to do anything, not even the texts that had once seduced him with the elegance of historical theories, his mind kept returning to that desert, that infinite space filled with countless possibilities. And that magic…
"I… I want to do magic like that too…"
He remembered the moments with Rina; the Engineer's hands told stories of brutal hours of work at high and low temperatures, marks of red-hot metal sparks impacting her skin. But looking at his own hands… nothing. There were no marks of experimentation, no vivid memories of elegant movements in an abstract space. To him, they were just quick movements with that wand. It was like cheating. Why? Why did he feel so ashamed? Why did he feel guilty for having something the Obsidians didn't? He wanted to try to do things like Rina, but he hadn't the slightest idea how.
He tossed and turned in bed, over and over, until he ended up a pupa of sheets and sweat; it was hot. Ugh! His uncertainty was cooking him alive! Somehow, he freed himself from that cocoon and walked to the window, to the balcony. Carefully, he opened it and quickly stepped out. The fresh air revived him, but just… No! He still didn't know how to do it!
"FUUUUUUUCK!" He finally shouted. He cursed to the four winds. What did it matter if he woke someone up? What would they do to him? Expel him? No way! He was frustrated, and by all the Archons, he had the right to shout it out.
He spent minutes screaming until his throat was dry and his eyes brimmed with tears. Rina and Elishel were right; the Pyramid had excellent sound insulation. It was then that he looked up in a flash and noticed other balconies and terraces, perhaps a floor or two above his own, looking down at the lights of Xafar's city, like the dragon fireflies of the forests and swamps. Seeing the balconies and terraces, he couldn't help but imagine what kind of wizards and sorcerers lived in those rooms, what kind of magic they performed, and whether he had ever seen them in that space he couldn't find again. But all that stopped mattering when he realised someone was watching him. His stomach sank.
"Under how many stars have you cursed, Amberite?"
"What is this?! Who's there!?"
A voice began to echo in his head. It was warm but deep and dry, a strangely androgynous voice, as if a man and a woman were speaking at the same time, at the same volume. Suddenly, as he closed his eyes, he found himself back in that desert with a black sky. His joy, as sudden as thunder in a storm, was interrupted by the fear instilled by that figure: a... something, wearing a loose black robe, floating below him. He paid attention; he was in that space, also enclosed in one of those intangible cubes, and that figure was also in one. It was a tall being, and for a head, it had the skull of a coyote, with strange spiral horns extending horizontally from its head. Seeing it, Jhossan's mouth fell open, terrified and fascinated at the same time. A strange smell of burnt herbs began to permeate the space.
"Who are you?" Jhossan asked. His voice carried in the air, but his mouth didn't move. "What do you want from me?"
"I just came up to observe, Amberite." Every time one of her words was mentioned, a strange green flame flickered in his eye sockets. "This afternoon, I sensed your curiosity when you arrived at the Yocan. And tonight I heard your screams. You're the only one who screamed today."
"Yocan?"
Jhossan look around; this world was stark; the sun was silver and the moons, Lyr y Kor, were present at the same time; the sun shone on the horizon of this barren desertic wasteland; it was collapsing like a black hole in the black sky, only distinguishable by the silver edges of the light. Moons shone farther away. Nothing made sense. As the young man looked down, he noticed a massive black obelisk at the centre of the wasteland, debris floated around it like a slow maelstrom.
"What the hell is this place?" His fear was only eclipsed by the fascination this space provoked in him.
The creature giggled.
"Why, this is the Yocan, the Place of all Possibilities; a world of everything and nothing at the same time."
"What is that thing?" Jhossan pointed at the black obelisk.
"That? Oh, that's the heart of the Pyramid you now call home. Let's call it a beacon of sorts; it helps you locate yourself in this vast space. Without it... You would be lost for eternity. Let's do something... Think about your home, the Amber Pyramid. Think real hard."
How did he... Ah, forget it. Jhossan would have time to worry about that later. He focused hard and strong and felt the air shift; the wasteland shook as a massive amber obelisk broke through the ground, towering slightly smaller than the obsidian obelisk.
"Oh~ Nice! You're a natural at this! I hadn't seen such a promising candidate ever since... Ah, whatever." Jhossan did not hear those words; he was awestruck, but the creature's fun was about to begin. "Ah~ I bet you could transport yourself into the tower right now..."
"S-seriously!?"
"Of course! I could teach you the Spell right here and then.
The Dogma of Space and the Dogma of Displacement had been topics Jhossan always meant to research, but had never found a book or teacher with practical knowledge. But here... yes. It was possible.
Hueco giggled as he imparted this knowledge to Jhossan.
"I'll show you just the basics."
It was simple in principle; it was a translocation spell, to swap places with an existing entity or object somewhere far away. It was easy. Too easy.
"I just have to consider my mass and swap it for that of an object where I want to be. The expenditure of mana is equal to my mass minus that of the object times the number of travelling objects times the kilometres travelled." Jhossan was analysing the whole situation. But then... a doubt crossed his mind. "What happens if I miscalculate?"
"You die."
"What?!"
"I'll walk you through it."
The entity explained how the Dogmas of Space and Displacement are complex due to their specific nature; if the distance is different to the one envisioned by the mage, he could end up left in midair, or stuck in solid matter; if the user swaps places with an object of less mass, only that amound of mass would be swapped, usually crippling, severing, dismantling the user; if the handling of mana is not up to par, your whole blood or fat deposits could boil; finally, if the amount of mana is not sufficient, the blacklash could go from bodily harm, to a misshap of the spell.
"This... cannot be..." Jhossan was terrified and excited; a nervous, wry smile drew on his face as his eyes hurt and reddened. "This is grand... I did not know such were the consequences of mishandling a spell! Usually, the wand calculates all these factors and pays the price by compensating the mana. But the Obsidians here... they do the whole calculation by mind and heart." Jhossan's heart was beating as loudly as it could. "I must learn this! I'll give it a shot."
Jhossan put his mind to work and remembered one of the books he forgot back home, where he put it and how much it weighed.
"Learn? Why do you want to learn, Amberite? That's not a common desire these days. I don't see how it can bring you anything good."
"I saw what they do here. What she did, and how the others do it." Jhossan replied between grunts. He pointed into the distance, as if he could see Rina. Then, the ghostly figure of the Engineer appeared in the direction he was pointing. "I don't know if they know..."
The mage kept focusing on his spell. It was almost done. The creature was watching intently.
"They know." The one with the coyote skull interrupted. Rina's figure disappeared. "They've known this for a long time."
Jhossan looked around and noticed how many other spheres and geometric shapes floated around, each with a magician or two working inside as all the possibilities of creation encircled them.
"Don't break your concentration~" Warned the creature. "But you're on the right track; why risk a full-body translocation when you can do it first with a smaller mass? No chants, no focus words, and no material components... and you skipped a couple of steps, but..."
Jhossan wasn't listening.
"I want to learn how to... be here. To come and go at will, like Rina and the others do."
It was almost done."
You already move around the Yocan. But you don't realise it. Doesn't that magical artefact of yours allow you to perform magic?" The creature pointed at Jhossan's body, showing its skeletal hands, each with six fingers.
"It's not the same! I'm not interested in using this wand. I'm interested in learning about this other world."
"Really? A wand is something almost invaluable to the residents of this place." He paused briefly. "How interested are you?" The tone of his voice was irritating. He seemed to be studying it. "I don't see how you can get anything out of it."
Was it a test? Despite begging Jhossan not to break his focus, the entity kept pestering him.
"Envision it!" Jhossan thought as he focused on his left hand. "The book in the palm of my hand!"
A bright light shone for a second.
The creature laughed.
The pain was so much that it prevented the mage from screaming as he fell to his knees. Jhossan was holding his left wrist tightly as a full inkwell was embedded into his palm.
"Close! Seems like someone moved the book and left an inkwell in its place. It happens... usually not to me... but it does happen!"
The creature levitated towards Jhossan and places his body hand on the wound.
"There, there... Let's undo this pain..." As he retrieved his hand, the wound seemed to be healed. "See? You don't really want to do this."
"Enough! That's none of your business at all!"
But then, Jhossan noticed... the creature had healed his wound by merely an imposition of his hand; no signs, no incantations, no nothing... just seemingly restored.
There was silence in that space, in the Yocan. Jhossan was beyond irritated and was willing to throw everything he had at that creature if necessary.
"I just want to understand you, Amberite." Something happened. The creature crouched down, as if sitting down to get a better look at the magician. He rested his skull against one of his hands. "It's been a long time since I've met someone like you."
"Stop… calling me that. I have a name."
"Do you now?" the creature asked mockingly.
"My name is Lassango. Jhossan Lassango. And yours?" The magician wanted to silence him. But he wasn't sure what this creature was. He'd never read about anything like it before.
"You shouldn't give your name recklessly, Jhossan. I'll give you that advice."
"W-what do you mean?" the magician asked, somewhat fearfully.
"Names have power, Jhossan." That's why language came with the creation, destruction, and discovery of existence. For mortals without magic, it's a metaphor. For those with magic, it's an empirical fact."
Jhossan felt a fear of mortality creep into his body, as if a gun were pointed at his face and he were told that, at any second, the trigger could fire.
"Don't fear me, Jhossan. That's not the name I'm referring to. And it's not something I'm interested in, if I'm honest."
"You didn't tell me your name. Don't think I didn't notice."
"I apologise. I've forgotten some details of interacting with mortals," the creature said thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, I can't give you my real name; I've already forgotten it. But I can give you the one he gave me years ago."
"Are you kidding me?" Jhossan was clever in many ways, but knowing when someone was tricking him wasn't his strong suit. Besides, the creature had no facial features to give any clues.
"Not really. But you can call me Hueco. Or 'Grey'. Ha. That one always gets me... Kekekeke..."
"Hueco?"
"That's my name. Some friends of mine gave it to me a long time ago." Hueco scratched his head, as if recalling details.
"So... what are you? You don't look mortal. Or at least you don't look human."
"I... I don't remember what I am. I think I was like you at some point. Or maybe that's the story I told myself."
They fell silent. Jhossan slumped and sat, pondering every possible decision he could make. His new acquaintance watched him, his skull resting against his six-fingered fist. So…
"Hueco, you spend a lot of time here, don't you? I bet you know all the Obsidians."
"Hmmmm? I guess you could say that. Why?"
"Well…" He didn't know if Hueco was dodging his questions. "Maybe you know someone I need to find. A 'Jun.' Have you seen him around?"
"Oh. Jun," Hueco reacted, raising his head. He giggled. "Yes, I know him. He lives in the upper levels of the Pyramid."
"R-really? Aren't you playing?"
"I mean it. He should be here right now."
"Lucky me!" The mage jumped up with a wide smile on his face. "I have to get to him… Where is he?"
"I seriously doubt it'll do you any good to meet him, Jhossan. But if you really need to see him, you can find him on the floor… ummm…"
"Yeah? Come on. Say it."
"I really don't think it's in your best interest to meet him."
"Oh, come on!" Jhossan exclaimed.
"At this point, I'd say you can't learn anything worthwhile from him. He paused, as if he'd just remembered. "Sixty-six! Jun lives on the sixty-sixth floor!" Hueco replied, pointing his skeletal finger upward. "I'm sure of it."
"And you say he's here now, right? Where?" Hueco pointed downward. "Great. Let's go."
"Bad idea. You can't go down. You shouldn't go down." Hueco's tone became strong and categorical. "If you go down, I can guarantee you'll find him, but it won't be pleasant, and your life will change a lot."
"What do you care?" Responded Jhossan, trying to think of a way to find this man.
"Come on, Jhoss, it's your ol' buddy Hueco! You and me, we're like bread and butter!"
"I think you're exaggerating, Hueco. If he's down there, I just have to go down and find him, right? Besides, this place is abstract, isn't it?"
"Jhossan, it's not that simple. Nothing in Yocan is simple for mages. To you, you see it as if you just have to go down the ladder. But in reality, it's as if you're trying to stick your hand down your throat to pull out your own heart." Hueco's eye sockets seemed to attract the mage's gaze. "This isn't a descent you can survive intact."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Hueco. But I think you're exaggerating, don't you? Besides, I can't be that high up."
Jhossan looked down to assess the height of his position. But from there, it wasn't possible to measure the distance. The desert sand was so vast that it seemed close. But still, a doubt remained in Jhossan's head.
"How am I supposed to get down this thing?"
"I told you! You saw it's not that easy. So be a good boy, come back here, and let's make a plan for that sourpuss Jun to teach you." He punched the air in front of him, as if asking him to take a seat. "I guess he might still be as naive as always..."
"I guess I just have to think about... getting down?" But Jhossan remained stable in the air, suspended above the sand.
"The Yocan is an abstract space in which you move through your internal concepts: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and bodily." Hollow's words echoed in Jhossan's head, and he took note of them. "To ascend, you have to learn about what lies outside and above you, the external. By being a sorcerer and knowing what you know now, you can ascend to the Second Sphere, which is where you are now." Jhossan heard a sigh in his head, as if Hueco were questioning himself for sharing this information. "To descend, you have to let go of these notions. You have to learn to stop thinking about the universal laws and arcane theories, and axioms you know, those that hold existence together. In short, you have to learn to simplify your mind, to be... as primal as possible."
That didn't come easily to Jhossan, who had spent almost his entire life trying to understand everything the world taught him. And while Hueco was a strange entity, the magician couldn't help but feel an air of confidence emanating from it; the creature simply didn't express any hostility.
"Before I go..." Jhossan looked back at Hueco. "Thanks for teaching, explaining and healing me. I... I do appreciate it."
Jhossan was hell-bent on this idea; he would learn all there was to learn, he would master the Yocan and the realm among the obelisks.
And it worked, leading to a fatuous sense of success. Hueco remained in place, sitting cross-legged inside his robes, watching as Jhossan began to descend, to which Hueco simply waved him goodbye. But the awe of success didn't last long; a strange electric sensation ran down Jhossan's spine, from the base to the crown of his head. His body tensed, and his muscles trembled uncontrollably. His eyes looked up at the Black Sky, observing the distant silver light shining above, a strange glow burning more like an ember than a sun or a moon. Quickly, a feeling of fear gripped Jhossan's heart, and horrible images filled his mind; his mind flashed back to scenes where Jhossan succumbed to his basest instincts, taking what and those he'd once desired and coveted, killing those who had angered him in the past. They were vivid scenes that shook every fibre of his being. His mind tried to distinguish what was real from what was false, but it couldn't, and in his body, he could feel everything the images showed him; taking over Rina and Philena, punching his old teacher, lashing back at Gonzaroc, everything. The emotions were so overwhelming that his heart pounded and expanded to the point of pain, as if something was scratching at him inside his chest.
"Hueco... I... can't... breathe..." His voice echoed in the infinity of the Yocan. He clutched his chest, as if trying to tear out his own heart so he wouldn't have that horrible feeling anymore. "I... don't... want to d---"
It all went black. The air turned cold, and his insides began to burn. It was as if something inside him was eating away at his guts, and as he continued downward, no longer out of choice but because something was pulling him down, like a diver tied by the neck to an anchor made out of barbed wire, doomed to be crushed by the overwhelming pressure of the seabed, he felt his eyes being pushed out of their sockets.
For Jhossan, the world he knew ended in that instant.
A loud thud broke the silence of the night. Jhossan's broken skull lay on the floor.