I windmilled my arms and stumbled a few paces before regaining my balance. In the press of bodies I got turned around so that I was facing the way I came, but there was no giant archway. In its place was a tall, sloping wall. The enclosure sloped inwards at the top, almost like they were trying to keep climbers from escaping— not that I saw any way someone might climb the perfectly smooth, sheer face.

If the architects of this space had been worried about escapees, it reasoned there was room for hope. And from the looks of it, the archway we’d funneled into functioned differently than the one I’d passed through in the Chamber of Trials— this one had more in common with a transporter. I counted myself lucky that we hadn’t been thrown into Absentia.

“Lucky? I wouldn’t say that. Lady Fortuna has never much cared for you, Shiro.”

Big heavy drops of rain fell ceaselessly. Through cracks in the cloud coverage I could see the sky was the same blue-green sky I was accustomed to.Through the optimistic part of me, I could almost feel the pleasant warmth cast by Sowillo. Maybe the storm was just passing through? “It could be worse.” As if to countermand me, the sky flashed and lightning forked at the same instant thunder reverberated in my chest.

“Best get a move on, kiddo. No use wasting our time at the start line, is there?” I didn’t much care to be ordered around by my shadow, and it frustrated me that he was right.

My shadow darted side to side at the corner of my eyes. It was infuriating. “Fine. I’m going, I’m going already— so cut it out!”

The buildings, the streets, all of it was the color of chalk. I walked up to a two-story brick and mortar number and poked it with my right index finger. There was practically no resistance as the digit slid into the grainy substance up to the last knuckle. A neat hole remained when I retracted my finger. Blowing softly sent the sandy material flying and cleaned me up nicely.

I thought I knew what was going on in the so-called colorless sector, but I wanted to confirm my theory beyond a doubt, so I closed my eyes and extended my senses. Besides a handful of purposeless academs, I didn’t find much. I reached the outermost limit of my ability— a quarter mile or so— and sensed nothing, no life at all, not a bird, not a bug, not even the scraggliest weed.

As I thought. We’d learned enough about the nature of magic in our lectures for me to understand what was going on. Even without the ramblings of a stuff old professor, I knew without having to think about it that anima existed in all things big and small, and although it was especially concentrated in organic matter, trace amounts of it resided in inorganic matter as well— the only exception being the dead. Anything and everything caught inside the boundaries of the colorless sector would be sucked dry. The colorless sector was an apt name for the place.

Just how long had the Hall of Lords been sending people to die, and how had they managed to keep it secret? If people knew the true cost of their simple luxuries, would they care?

“It’s refreshing to see you show some initiative for once! I get so tired of having to explain every last little thing,” Nyx said patronizingly.

“Ha-ha,” I laughed without amusement. “This place is a killing grounds, isn’t it?”

Nyx yawned and the movements of my shadow became less lively. “Right-o! If you want to know the truth, I don’t much care for the scenery here either.”

If Nyx was already feeling lethargic, chances were good that the academs, drained as they were from the ranking matches, would drop like flies. “I better not dally, then.”

I continued my trek down the remains of what looked like it might have been a main thoroughfare in the distant past. The path sloped upwards as it snaked across the sector, so I didn’t have to slosh through ankle-deep water for long.

Someone on damage control must have decided to sacrifice nonessential operations to avoid another disastrous blackout, because the colorless sector had obviously never seen rain before that day. The colorless sector was running like hot wax. Before long the whole sector would be wiped off the map.

“I see Alectos hasn’t grown out of that temper of his. As often as he falls prey to whimsy, Kazekoto is likely to follow suit.”As soon as Nyx said it, a stiff wind blew in from from the east. Rain sheeted down sideways into my face, cold as ice. With grim purpose, I pulled my hood down as low as it would go and walked against the wind.

“Tÿr’s the only one who can calm those two down, but he’s as slow as Glacia when it comes to disciplining his sons. More likely than not, this storm will have run its course by the time he nips it in the bud, and Magisterium will be half underwater. Another city drowned by those two idiots.”

The rain was coming down so hard by then that I could barely see fifty paces. The main road was a soupy mess; it was the first thing to wash away. I had to rely on magesight to ensure I didn’t wander off course.

My clothes and boots were waterlogged; I’d gained five-ten pounds in water weight. The weatherproofing on my cloak fought admirably, but it didn’t stand a chance against the constant downpour. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re on a first-name basis with the gods,” I said doubtfully, teeth chattering.

“You catch on quick. Someone give this kid a prize!”

“Right…” I stopped to check my compass, returned it to its weatherproofed pocket, and kept on walking, “Course I’m going the right way, opposite the way of common sense.”

“That’s the spirit!” Nyx said cheerily.

I plodded down the road. I passed stalled groups as I went. The smartest had huddled together for warmth and protection against the elements. I roused each solitary figure I passed to their feet and sent them to the nearest collective. Thankfully, none were so intractable that the promise of warmth and shelter wouldn’t get them moving. Not every citizen I passed wore gray cloaks, but all bore shimmery black tattoos that leeched anima from their bodies at a concerning rate.

I picked up the pace when a spot of green cropped up at the edge of the effective range for my magesight. The draw on my anima increased a fraction as I neared.

A few minutes later, I entered the relative shelter of an orchard. Trees laden with a variety of fruits grew in neat rows and were spaced at even intervals. The wind ripped at the trees, whipping up fertile soil, lush leaves, and thick branches into a frenzy. These ones would weather the storm mostly intact, but I doubt the ones at the leading edge would survive the full brunt of the gale.

Nyx chuckled darkly. “Quite ingenious, this. The weakest flag and are absorbed. Only the strongest survive the trek to the sanctuary, which is designed to sustain the most valuable stock for as long as possible in order to maximize yield. Truly diabolical, but ingenious nonetheless.”

I plucked a few apples and ate them, pit and all, as I walked. I stopped once to examine the twisted channels of anima that nurtured the grove, but found their lifethreads were protected from tampering by some kind of shielding.

I didn’t have to walk far. I happened upon a small open square. Fountains and wells provided a bounty of water, which at the moment was rather redundant but coupled with the fruit, could sustain the strongest indefinitely.

Recently, very recently, the square had been filled to bursting with citizens. Several hundred people with a powerful will to survive and large stores of anima to burn had gathered here.

The partially eroded bodies told the tale— their chalk-colored, grainy forms were being slowly washed away by the storm. Their deaths were incomprehensible. I tried not to hurl, tried to come up with a believable explanation for so much death to distract myself.

They might have coordinated a mass suicide to deprive the city of much-needed resources, but I couldn’t believe that. And Magisterium’s ruling body had little reason to sacrifice the long-term benefit of keeping these valuable captives alive for a short-term gain of an influx of anima that might temporarily sustain the Kingdom of Magic.

I tugged on my braid, but nothing was jogged loose. “I’m stumped. You got anything?”

“The obvious. You don’t have time to dawdle.”

“Helpful as always, Nyx. I’m glad I can count on you to point out the obvious in my time of need.”

“Pleasure’s all mine— you’ve got company.”

I was in the middle of trying to strangle my own shadow when I was reunited with my six-person party. Nadia was stoic as ever. Rogue looked split between frustration and boredom— she’d never been good at handling things she couldn’t fight head-on. Rocket looked to be enjoying himself. Frank Stein made every step seem like it’d be his last, and Rathlin was transfixed by a shapeless lump he was holding.

“… knew he was still alive.”

“… little monster… hard to kill.”

“… gone crazy.”

Rogue cradled my face in her hands and shook me. “Shiro! Shiro, I need you to focus. Focus on me!”

Her dark eyes pulled me in. Sometimes I forgot Rogue was a girl, but this wasn’t one of those times. I was distinctly aware of her femininity in that moment. Her face was close. All it would take to kiss her was the slightest puckering of my lips. I felt my cheeks redden.

Flustered and embarrassed, I pushed her away. “Leave me alone.”

That hurt her. I could see it in the way she held herself, and in the carefully blank expression she donned to hide the hurt.

“You didn’t have to do that. I haven’t gone loony yet.”

“… yeah right… crazier than sin…” Rocket whispered.

“I’m glad to see you guys too— all of you,” I said meaningfully.

There was an awkward silence. Stein stood up straighter and Rocket shuffled his feet. Even Nadia reacted in her own way; she blinked and her glare lost some of its chill. I’d hoped to placate Rogue somewhat, but all I managed to do was make her dig in her heels— she humphed and looked away. Rathlin saved me.

Rathlin’s souvenir provided the distraction I needed. “What’cha got there, Rath?” I asked, injecting my voice with curiosity that I didn’t feel.

“Particulate matter.”

“Huh?” four voices echoed in unison.

“Remains. Look here, see the way the anima is being extracted— doesn't it remind you of something?”

“Reminds me why I don’t bother listening to you when you talk,” Rocket said, digging in his ear with a pinky.

“Ew, gross, get that away from me!” Nadia screamed. She used Rocket’s stocky form as like a screen to remove herself from the equation.

“Huh…” I put a lid on my revulsion and bent to the task of looking, really looking at the way the energy was extracted from the dead matter. “Nope, I got nothing. Doesn’t look any different from how any collector does its job.”

Despite seeming like she had something to say, Rogue stayed sullenly silent. Frank didn’t even bother looking.

Rathlin’s golden eyes shined. “That’s it! That’s exactly right!” Rathlin exclaimed. “Now think about it… is there any significant difference between the way the collectors function and, say… the way an Absentia absorbs anima?”

“That’s… that’s…” I trailed off.

We all tried to talk over one another. I tried to get a word in edgewise, but I was suddenly incapable of intelligent speech.

“Kid’s got a head on his shoulders. I bet he’d make a better vessel than this halfwit,” Nyx mused. I kicked at my shadow, but it danced out of the way.

“I know this sounds crazy, believe me I do, but hear me out,” Rathlin pleaded.

Rocket looked lost. He was probably still straining to make the connection between Absentia and the collectors. “This better be good,” Rocket said, brows furrowed.

Frank Stein yawned. “I’m sure you’ve had a revelation worthy of praise, Rathlin, but I find it unlikely that it hasn't been thought up before. I’m tired. Now, I’m going to take a nap under that tree over there,” he waved vaguely. “Let me know when you guys are done wasting your breath.” Frank stumbled to the nearest tree and got comfortable beneath it. Was that attitude connected to his chronic exhaustion, or was he running on fumes? I squinted. His aural field looked weak, but not so weak that he’d fall over from exhaustion.

I waved him off. “Forget him, he’ll be fine.”

“Do you enjoy holding people in suspense while they admire your vast intellect?” Nadia challenged. “We’re waiting!”

“Anxiously waiting,” I agreed.

“Go on,” Rogue prodded.

Rathlin puffed himself up. “Like I said, it’s crazy, but when you think about it, there’s no other explanation— the Academy, the Hall of Lords, what have you— manufactured an Absentia to absorb, store, and power Magisterium. The collectors may disguise its true form, but this sector is proof!”

Once I recovered from the shock I experienced after Rathlin’s proclamation, I considered what he said carefully. This Absentia didn’t look like the gray world I’d visited, but then, it was an organic being.

Its fundamental nature remained unchanged. It would grow ever larger as it absorbed anima. If it was unable to absorb more power than Magisterium drew from it to power its grid, an equilibrium would be reached and the Absentia would stop expanding. If, if, if… so many ifs! I couldn’t explain how the Absentia had been contained, nor how it had been tamed, but I didn’t need to.

“Who’s to say it’s an Absentia?” Rocket asked disagreeably.

I could feel it in my bones, Rathlin was right. I was a long way from understanding how they’d done it, but I couldn’t ignore results when they stared me in the face. The Kingdom of Magic was built on a lie that would swallow it whole, given half a chance.

On a hunch, I extended my senses underground. “It’s an Absentia. I’m sure of it. Its core is beneath us.”

“What are you talking about— what core? Wait, you found the Absentia’s nexus during your Trial, didn’t you?”

Rathlin could hardly contain his excitement. “I knew it! You’re the one that destroyed Absentia Prime, aren’t you?!”

“What? I didn’t… I hurt it a little…” I was at a loss.

“Whatever you did made it go haywire— it ate itself to oblivion, like a snake eating its own tail! I managed to make it out in one piece, barely— but that doesn’t matter. Don’t you know what this means? If we can recreate the conditions of your last encounter, we can get out of here in one piece!”

Nyx disapproved. “That won’t do. Were you to succeed in destroying this Absentia’s core like the last, all you would do is ensure the destruction of Magisterium and the death of its people.”

“… got that faraway look again.”

“The aftermath of the core’s destruction won’t be contained in an alternate dimension, not this time. I can’t allow you to endanger yourself so,” Nyx said sternly.

“Can’t you do it again?” Rogue asked, unimpressed.

“No… no, I don’t think so. But there has to be another way, I know there is…”

I very much doubted Nyx had suddenly turned over a new leaf. My shadow rarely cared whether I lived or died, and I was his vessel. The idea that he was concerned about Magisterium winking out of existence was preposterous to me. No, as altruistic as he sounded, Nyx only thought about himself.

“Why can’t I just absorb the core?”

“… talking to himself.”

“Do you want to know why the Absentia even has a core in the first place, and why it’s vulnerable to attack? No? Of course you don’t. Well, let me ask you this: have you any idea how Absentia’s are created in the first place?!” Nyx demanded, but continued ranting without waiting for an answer. “Anima is forcibly channeled into a mage by their brethren. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred the mage simply dies, but one time in a thousand a monstrosity is born— that is an Absentia, little more than a cancerous growth that spreads across the land like a plague, consuming everything in its path. Mages drunk on their own power commonly believe themselves equal to the gods, but they cannot hope to contain the smallest fraction of their power.”

“I’ve heard enough.”

Nyx thrummed with relief. “Splendid!”

“I just have to win without killing it, right?”

“Listen to reason! You cannot appreciate the danger—”

I scowled. “You can be useful or be quiet, but you better choose.”

“Mark my words, that power will corrupt anyone and anything it touches— you are no exception,” Nyx said, then his presence receded.

“You’re wrong about me, you’ll see! Go right on ahead, leave! Hide in the shadows like you always do— it’s what your best at. Good riddance,” I scoffed.

“Shiro… don’t take this the wrong way but… are you insane?” Rathlin grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me squarely in the eyes. I couldn’t look away from those golden orbs.

I exhaled explosively and ran a hand through my hair. I was tired— exhausted was more like it, but I couldn’t let it hinder me. If what I had in mind had a hope of succeeding, I couldn’t sit idly by while my anima was drained— I needed all the power at my disposal to make this work. I flexed the muscles of my left arm; bicep, tricep, and, hand clenching into a tight fist, my forearm.

“Seems to be in working order. Now then…” I laced my fingers together and stretched. “Best get this over with before my common sense catch up with me.”

“What… what are you going to do?”

Rocket stuck an accusing finger in my face. “Don’t let his crazy infect you. There isn't anything he can do!”

I stared at the offending digit, crosseyed. “Rocket, I want you to round up the survivors and take them to the edge of the orchard.”

Rocket got all up in my face, exuding macho bravado. “Who do you think you are? I’m not your minion, and I won’t be ordered around like one.”

“Rocket… I know you’re not all that bad a guy… you won’t let those people die.” I sidestepped around him and dismissed him from my mind. I raised my voice loud enough to rouse Stein from his slumber. “As for rest of you… if you value your lives, you’ll get out of sight.”

“As if we’d trust you to act alone,” Nadia taunted.

“This doesn’t concern you— any of you.”

“Like hell it doesn’t!” Rathlin said, full of fire.

“We’re dead anyways,” Rogue grated.

“Whatever you’re planning, I doubt you can manage it on your own,” Nadia taunted.

Stein’s face cracked open in a yawn as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “So dull here… I’m tired of this place.”

“Save it! None of us are going anywhere,” Rogue said.

“You might as well give up and cooperative, you don't have a choice,” Rathlin grinned infuriatingly.

“Fine. Do what you want— just stay out of my way.”

With the corner of my boot-heel I sketched a circle into the ground. I added three hashmarks to the simple design and finished by investing my will into the crude drawing. My ears popped— a good sign? I hoped so. I’d never used an amplification circle before, but I needed to make sure what I did next would count.

My feet scraped across the ground as I spread out as much as I could inside the circle to get a good footing. I tugged my braid three times, hard. I envisioned a flame— no, that wasn’t right— I envisioned I was the flame and funneled anima into myself to become a raging bonfire.

Steam rolled off my body in waves as the water in my clothes evaporated. The rain hissed impotently, it could no longer touch me. My braid unraveled and my hair stood on end.

It wasn't enough. I needed more power. “HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

Ten paces in every direction, the earth shattered. A spiderweb of cracks formed in a fifty foot radius. My aura burned bright— blue, red, and white-hot.

The Absentia took the bait, as I knew it would. In my mind’s eye, I tracked the core’s progress as it ascended to the surface. A direct approach was unexpected. I’d figured it’d send out drones or tentacles to ensnare me and pull me beneath the surface to feed.

I leapt through the air with inhuman grace, flipped once and landed on my feet twenty feet away. A ball of black sludge tore through the space I’d been. The tar-like substance crashed like a wave and spread across the surface.

An air pocket formed in the center and the goo boiled. A humanoid figure, its limbs slack and dangling, rose slowly, like a puppet on strings.

“Get ready, it’s coming!” Rathlin warned unnecessarily from behind and to the right of me.

I braced myself against a massive surge of energy. I slid backwards a few feet from the force of it before I gritted my teeth and dug in my heels.

“I know that!” I snapped.

The figure resolved itself into a something resembling a man. That’s where the similarities ended, what emerged was far from human. The thing had ashy skin and was covered in cracks that oozed dark matter. It had empty sockets in the place of eyes and three rows of razor sharp teeth.

The Absentia turned its head three hundred and sixty degrees and grinned. “Hungry, want eat— give me meat— more power!” The Absentia opened its jaws wide— inhumanly wide— and sucked in great lungfuls of air— and anima. It devoured power on pure instinct.

Looking at its black and red-lined aura sent chills down my spine. I made a face and toed the advancing wave of slime with my boot. The piece of leather lost all color, then it flaked off and plopped into the black goop.

I realized I was shuddering. “Fortune favors the bold.”

Casting I cast caution to the wind, I took a giant step forward into calf-deep sludge. I sacrificed my boots and pants, but my aura protected me from bodily harm. My trembling stopped and my steps grew bolder. I wasn’t going to turn to dust.

I stalked right up to the Absentia and jammed my left hand inside it up to the elbow. My tattoos shimmered brightly as they disappeared from view. I made a face. Its flesh was freezing cold and its innards had the consistency of molasses.

“Eat meat meat meat.” The Absentia grabbed my arm and pulled me deeper inside.

At first our two auras avoided one another like oil and water, then they crashed together. There was a deafening boom and an invisible shockwave rippled outwards.

The rate at which my anima was being devoured increased ten, twenty, a hundred-fold— the rate increased exponentially, seemingly without end. My skin tingled painfully. A chill crept in, and I started to shiver. Soon, I went numb. In seconds, my flame would be extinguished, along with my life.

“I never really had a choice, did I?”

I closed my eyes and reached for the Absentia’s lifethread. I fell away from my body, into a tainted wellspring of power. Panic set in when I remembered: I can’t swim! I kicked to the surface and choked down a single lungful acrid air before I was pulled back under. Pressure mounted in my chest and behind my eyes. I clutched my throat and screamed. I couldn’t believe it. I was going to drown.

I floundered, reached my hand out hopelessly as the surface receded and my sight dimmed— a hand reached out for mine, grabbed tight and reeled me in.

The next thing I knew I was laid out on a black sand beach. Black sludge dribbled from the corners of my mouth.

A golden-haired youth was splayed out beside me, breathing heavily. For a second I thought Rathlin had come to my rescue, so close was the resemblance. But no, it couldn’t have been him. Rathlin was never so gangly, nor so pale.

I grabbed my savior by the collar and straddled him. “Who are you? Why did you save me?”

“If you didn’t notice, I just saved your life! In a situation like this you’re supposed to thank me, not accost me!”

“Saved me? Saved me?! Take a look around, we’re in the valley of death.”

The fair-haired youth stared blankly at me. “Yeah… so? You don't have to get so worked up about it.”

I glared at him. “I know who you are, and I know what you are.” This was the Absentia’s nexus, so there was only one possibility.

“How could you know me when we haven’t been introduced?” he scoffed. “Name’s Icarus, and you are…?”

“Not interested in small talk.”

Icarus shrugged, as if that didn’t put him out in the least. “Right to the heart of the matter, so to speak? How vulgar. You’ve no tact, none at all,” he rasped.

I realized I was still gripping Icarus’s collar tight enough to strangle him. He’d gone red in the face and was choking on his words. I released him and fell onto my backside, shaking. I wanted to kill him, I wanted to wring the life out of him with my bare hands.

Icarus straightened his collar, rose, and dusted himself off. “I am the peerless mage Icarus Lucentus. I have too many titles and accomplishments to list, more golds than I could ever spend, and power to rival the gods.”

“Why did you do it?” I had to know.

Icarus looked like he wanted badly to talk to someone, it didn’t matter who it was or what he talked about. “I wanted more power, why else? Of course there was more to it than that. Magisterium was the focal point for a revolution in magic, a center for the greatest thinkers of our time. People were flocking to the City of Wonders— then apart of the Imperial Empire— and we were gaining no small amount of political enemies for our rise.We needed a way to secure our independence, and to do that, we needed power, and lots of it. My theory, which postulated that an Absentia could be artificially created and engineered to suit our needs, was chosen. The then newly formed Hall of Lords swore its members to secrecy and ran exhaustive, carefully isolated tests. There were countless failures, but our greatest successes are forever entombed in the Chamber of Trials. And after the final test was complete and the preparations were made, I volunteered to become the fulcrum on which the Kingdom of Magic would rest. Mine was the single greatest achievement in history.”

“Ignoring the human cost, you erred in not calculating the divergence factor of your Absentia.” I caught Icarus up to speed on the state of things. I explained the rising cost of maintaining the grid, the blackouts, the death tolls, Magisterium’s caste system and its subjugation of latent mages.

Icarus rocked back on his heels like he’d been struck, so one of my points must have struck home. “It can’t be… my beloved system… is failing?”

“Afraid so.”

“Then you must strike me down. I refuse to stand by while everything I’ve worked for goes up in flames!”

I shrugged helplessly. “Can’t do. The collateral damage is prohibitive— at minimum, Magisterium is wiped off the map.” I slashed my hand through the air to demonstrate my point.

“ f-f-failsafe… there’s one built in.”

I waved my hand in front of my face to negate him. “Won’t work. If you want to protect your legacy, you’ll have to trust me. I’ll take up your burden, so channel all your power into me.”

“This power will consume you, body and soul.”

I stretched out my left hand. “Maybe so, but I won’t allow Absentia to wreak havoc, not even at the cost of my life.”

Icarus clasped my forearm, gripping me tight. “I believe you… what was your name again?”

I grinned. “It’s Shiro.”

“I’m sorry about this, Shiro, but you’re going to have to die. If Magisterium is going to survive, you’ll need to be a sacrifice.”

Icarus raised his hands commandingly, and the black sea frothed. A vein popped out on his head and he started to perspire. With a triumphant shout, the sea level rose and began to whirl counterclockwise.

My smile turned upside down. “So I’m to be your sacrifice, is that it?”

“I’m terribly sorry. You must understand, this is the only way things can stay as they were meant to be.”

As Icarus talked, a stale wind blew in and a light mist rose. The wind and mist eddied around me like a bloodhound scenting its prey. The sound of crashing wavs reached my ears and a maelstrom formed in the black sea. Water sloshed at my feet.

Flash. Light flashed through the sky.

“You plan to turn me into what you are, don’t you?” I guessed.

Icarus refused to look me in the eyes as he nodded. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I wish there was another way, but I will do what I must to preserve my legacy— for the sake of Magisterium!”

Flash. Icarus disappeared.

I knew I was putting myself at risk when I jumped headfirst into the Absentia’s nexus, but I had no idea how precarious the position I’d placed myself in was. Here in Icarus’s mental plane, I was at his mercy. Unfortunately for me, I was about to learn the true extent of my vulnerability.

Flash. Icarus’s human guise became wispy— flash— he dispersed into a cloudy miasma that drifted towards me. Flash.

“Not good. This is not good.”

The mist grew heavy and dense. Breathing was a chore. The dark miasma ignored my protections and seeped into my pores. My aura was dissolved in seconds by the caustic fluid. I was wracked by intermittent flashes of hot and cold. My whole body went rigid, every muscle tensed. I fell to my knees, wrapped my arms tight around myself, and loose a blood-curdling scream.

Flash. My blood was on fire— I was cold as ice.

Looking up, I saw the liquid power form into an impossibly tall cyclone. It waved back and forth, alive, looked like it would crash around my ears any moment now.

Flash. One moment I was in the dreamscape, the next I was in colorless sector.

The sights were similar, but not wholly alike. In both a dark cyclone stretched to the roof of the sky. In both I stood at the epicenter, battered by wind and sleet and rain. Although both were dark and foreboding, there were distinct differences between the two landscapes. In colorless sector the storm raged unabated. The wind and rain cut at me, bitingly sharp. Lightning struck all around me.

My skin was darker than black and bulging. I was swollen with power, so much power that I was going to explode. I was coming apart at the seams. My thoughts deteriorated and my mind turned to mush.

Flash. Something changed, something fundamental.

I felt detached, watching my body from afar. I could see a figure writhing in the center of a dark vortex, but I cared nothing for his plight. I felt nothing. I distanced myself from his pain.

Flash. My shadow writhed.

Freed from my fleshy prison, I was euphoric. I felt powerful, god-like. I commanded power beyond mortal comprehension— power to level mountains, power to destroy worlds, power to defy the gods— I was pure, undiluted power… and I wanted more. I sensed the fury of the gods… and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

I stopped laughing. Something prevented me from spreading across the land. The outer walls of the city sought to contain my glorious ascension, and I railed against their confinement. I pulled power from collectors across Magisterium. When that wasn’t enough, I drank greedily from the citizens themselves. I planned to eat my fill, then break through all resistance that sought to confine me.

All would become one within me.

Flash.

I thought I had fully given myself to power, but something… important, vitally important, nagged at me.

A shadow of a memory scratched at my mind, drawing my attention whether I liked it or not. Nyx? My consciousness alighted on five figures standing dangerously close to the cyclone— shifted to huddled masses of academs that withered away as I watched— passed over the City of Wonders, saw the destruction wreaked by the storm, sensed the weakened figures cowering in their homes.

I felt a black hole inside me, a hole that could never be filled. “Devour everything… devour it all…” I heard myself say.

Nyx’s agitated voice broke through the din. “… release it! Let it all go, or we’ll be consumed!”

“You can’t stop now…” Icarus flashed in and out of existence. “… you’re almost there! You can save them all!”

Flash. One word, full of meaning. “No.” The promise of unassailable power and ultimate freedom beckoned, but I turned away. It wasn’t worth the price. I would find my own way.

Black lightning arced across my body, curled around my fingers, fizzled and spat. My skin has turned ashy and my veins stood out against my skin— they were flooded with dark power.

“No!" I screamed, releasing all the dark power stored within me. The scream went on and on. Black lightning tore a mile-wide hole in the storm and filled the blue-green sky.

I collapsed.