Autumn Debris

Esther made her way toward the center of the round metallic platform we stood upon. Her footsteps against the metal floor rang throughout the area like a broken wind chime. It reminded me of the sound of ice breaking across the surface of the frozen lake Eleanor and I used to skate on during wintertime. The six red javelins hovering around Esther clinked together like wine glasses at a fancy banquet.

The center she marched toward was about twenty paces away from where we were. Our previous duel had brought us dangerously close to the edge of the platform, only a few meters from its very edge. Beyond the edge was the endless void, a never-ending fall into the unknown.

I hadn’t forgotten that I was still falling to my death in the real world. That, however, seemed like such a distant event even though it couldn’t have been more than a few days down here in the Nightmare. I wasn’t entirely sure. Time felt convoluted here, so much so that my perception of the passage of time was completely thrown off. I couldn’t really tell if it had been a month or a few days. And this bothered me because I had no way to know when I would run out of time in the real world.

Let’s worry about that later, I reminded myself, looking up at Esther. Surviving her should be your biggest worry.

Esther reached the center of the platform and turned to face me.

Her eyes were now glowing with that familiar orange aura as from before. The light illuminated her black butterfly masquerade mask with a ghostly aura, making her face look more spectre than human. There was no haunting lullaby to accompany her transformation this time, though. Not that I missed it in the slightest.

“This power was never meant to be used against someone like you,” she said solemnly. “But to prepare you for the trials that lie ahead...”

Esther took her swordspear and plunged it into the center of the platform as if delivering the killing blow to a monster.

There was a dull clang as the weapon locked into the platform.

"Oh, okay," I yelped, uncertain of what she was trying to do.

With great effort, Esther turned the swordspear clockwise, once, twice, three times, until she had turned it a full circle. She then released the swordspear and took a step back.

The swordspear began to slowly rotate counterclockwise at regular intervals, like the second hand of a clock.

I kept my eyes and ears peeled for any changes in my environment. I was still clueless as to what she had just done, but something told me Esther's actions weren't just to intimidate me.

At first, all I heard was the loud mechanical whirring of the platform beneath our feet. Something had awoken deep within the platform.

Then I heard it, the faint traces of a familiar melody.

Oh, please no.

The Night Terror’s lullaby was produced from the platform itself, as if there was a giant music box carved into the floor. The ground shuddered with every note it played as if the music it made caused it great pain. The lullaby's mechanical notes sounded sadder and even creepier than the original, if that were possible.

By now, I had surmised that this specific lullaby served some kind of utilitarian purpose for Esther. It definitely left all who heard it on edge like some kind of psychological weapon. Or perhaps it was what allowed her to transform into the Night Terror.

I gripped Kairos tighter.

I had a feeling I was about to find out soon.

As the lullaby tried its best to carve itself into my long-term memory, I felt something cold fall on the tip of my nose.

I looked up.

Rain.

Slowly at first. Then, within seconds, it became an unstoppable torrent of water.

I recoiled as some of the raindrops fell into my open eyes. It stung a little at first. Then it began to burn like hot oil.

“Really?” I protested. “Saltwater rain?”

The ocean was raining on me.

I rubbed my eyes furiously as I hastily created a weak barrier over me to keep myself from getting drenched again. I thought I had learned my lesson from my previous trouble with the rain, but it seems the rain still found a way to make me suffer. I swore I would have revenge against the rain when I got the chance.

I could barely hear myself think as the rain rattled against my barrier like a bored drumline. I could barely see now that my eyes were nearly swollen shut. I could barely think because of the pain pulsating in my burning eyes.

Is this part of her attack? I thought in alarm.

Out of the corner of my nearly swollen shut eyes, I noticed the excess rainwater beginning to spill over the edge of the platform. Amidst the deluge, I saw a squarish tan object being carried over the edge as well.

“What is that?” I muttered.

It took me a full second to realize Gordon’s pocket dimension was about to fall off the edge of the platform into a bottomless pit.

In alarm, I activated my Spider Boots. Its magical alterations came to life. They braced my calves and my ankles like the world’s most comfortable pair of compression socks.

I made a spider-assisted jump toward the careening backpack. I rocketed through the air much faster than was humanly possible thanks to the boots. I didn’t feel any of the usual strain in my legs despite jumping off the ground at high speeds.

These boots are working really well, I marveled, remembering that Esther was the one who had crafted the boots. Her craftsmanship really is something else

I landed squarely on the edge of the platform, the ground beneath me shaking from the force of the impact. The bad news was that I was just out of reach of the pocket dimension.

In desperation, I made a mad dash toward the backpack before lunging forward. I managed to pluck the backpack out of the air and secure it in my arms just as it yeeted itself over the edge.

My momentum from the jump, however, was just enough for me to lose my balance and trip over the edge as well.

But I had planned for this.

I moved to activate the kinetic alteration I had prepared to push me back onto the platform. But before I fired it off, I noticed that I was suspended in the air above the void even after a full second of hang time, much like debris on the surface of an autumn lake. The sensation of floating mid-air caught me by surprise, but it wasn’t unpleasant. It was like I had hopped into a very comfortable hammock.

“Huh,” I said, relaxing as I stared straight down into the void. “Gordon’s description describes this floating sensation perfectly.”

Gordon popped his head out of the pocket dimension.

“Told you,” he said.

“A thank you would be nice,” I said. “I did just save your life, again.”

“Incorrect,” he replied, licking his paws. “I would have been perfectly fine without your help, for as you can see yourself, you float in the void. You will only fall if you desire to.”

I gently released the pocket dimension and let the ungrateful cat float in the void all by himself. I had enough of his sarcasm. But as the backpack began to spin away from me at a nauseating speed, I realized I may have released the pocket dimension way harder than I meant to. The cat meowed pitifully as the backpack rocketed off into the void like a space probe veering off course.

“I won’t be helping you in this fight!” Gordon cried out as his voice oscillated like a siren.

“Good! I don’t want your help!” I cried. “And sorry about the launch! I really didn’t mean to!”

“Liar!" he cried. "Iris, h-h-help! I-I am ready to join you in your study! Please take me back before I make a fool of myself.”

The cat gagged loudly.

“I-I think I’m going to be sick,” he groaned.

You two, Iris sighed. Porting you to my study right now.

The entire pocket dimension suddenly popped out of existence like a balloon meeting the business end of a sewing needle.

For a moment, I was worried about the cat’s safety.

He's probably fine, I thought.

Shortly after, I heard a terrible retching noise in the same headspace where I heard Iris’s voice, followed shortly by angry, disgruntled meowing soon silenced by the distant crunching of dried cat food. This confirmed my suspicions that our feline friend was now safe with Iris and was presently stuffing his face.

You poor thing, Iris said. Titus…

It was an accident, I replied.

Get back onto the platform, she said. Gordon says you two will have a long talk once the fight is over.

Oh, just like us.

Answers after this, I promise.

And a pot roast, Gordon added. If you survive.

What do you mean, if? I asked, leering my eyes.

Shh! No spoilers, Iris whispered furiously. Then in a suspiciously sweet voice, she added, Good luck!

If I wasn’t nervous about this second duel before, I certainly was now.

Looking forward to them, I said uneasily. Iris, I’m not going to “die die” even if I die here, right, like you promised?

I’ve spent too much keeping you alive to throw you away like that, I told you, Iris groaned. On top of that, I’m a little short on staff, so it would be silly of me to dispose of someone valuable like you right away.

Right away?!

I’m not going to kill you, and I have no plans to kill you! she cried.

I can’t say the same myself, Gordon added in as serious of a voice as he could manage while nibbling on cat food.

Gordon, shush! There, I said it. Does that make you feel better?

A little, I admitted.

Don’t you trust me by now?

You don’t trust me!

You know what? Never mind, she sighed. You’re not going to die. So stop worrying and focus on your fight!

Finally, a straight answer.

I mean, that’s what I’ve been telling you all this time.

I used the kinetic alteration I had prepared and launched myself back to the platform.

I landed firmly on the ground.

It was good to have my magic back again.

You gave me my magic back, I said. That means a lot to me, even if I still have my reservations about trusting you. Consider this my audition to keep me around for a while.

Sure, she replied, clearly frustrated at my distrust of her. Show me what you’ve got.

The rain had calmed to a steady downpour just strong enough to slightly obscure visibility. I could still see Esther just fine, which was my biggest concern about the sudden change in weather.

The platform beneath our feet was now covered in a thin layer of water. Or rather, the metal platform had been completely replaced by a thin layer of water. My boots, which were underwater moments before, now only touched the surface of the water. The surface of the lake was calm, disturbed only by our footsteps. It was a perfect mirror of the world above it.

Water continued to flow over the edge and did not slow down, yet the water level on the platform did not change. How the water was being replenished so quickly, I had no clue. All I knew was that the platform we had to fight on now looked like a giant fountain.

Good thing she doesn't have any electric attacks, I thought.

I could hear the lullaby clearly now. It filled the air around me as if I was standing in the middle of a full orchestra. Its loudness left me ill at ease.

The wind had picked up to a howling gale, strong enough that the rain now feel a steep, 45-degree angle. The air had grown incredibly cold and humid. My breath came out in a heavy mist. If it wasn’t for Gordon’s coat, I would have been freezing.

A full moon had appeared in the dark sky above us. It was unnaturally large and supernaturally bright, almost three times the size and five times the brightness of a normal moon. The thousands of stars that shone so brightly moments before were now obscured by a thin layer of papery clouds. Whatever the clouds did not cover, the moon blocked out with its harsh light.

Standing directly beneath this starless night was a lone shadowy figure hunched over as if in great pain.

My heart began to pound.

"Esther?" I called out.

Esther looked more ghost than human now. Her long black hair had been loosened from its bun. It now floated behind her as if she was underwater. Her hair burned a furious pink. The intensity of its light rivaled that of the moon.

Gone was the charred duster she had worn in our first encounter.

In its place, she wore a shoulderless dress. The top half was dyed as dark as the night sky that surrounded us. The bottom half was bleached whiter than snow, patterned with what appeared to be a field of wheat ripe for harvest. The dress shimmered with an ethereal quality as if its fabric was woven from a patch of the night sky. A pair of shining sabatons shod her feet, their points sharp enough to pierce plate armor. Her mask had transformed into a black diadem that now rested on the crown of her head. Three giant blood-red rubies sat upon the three most prominent points of the diadem. The rest of the crown was covered by no less than a hundred lesser rubies.

I was blown away by how stunning she looked in her new dress. I snapped back to reality only when I remembered she was going to try her best to kill me in a duel to the death.

“Esther?” I called out again.

The crowned figure raised her head in response. All the hairs on the back of my arms stood up as I braced for her to attack. But instead, she merely held out her left hand to catch the rain in the palm of her hand.

Slowly.

Painfully.

She held her hand out for a long time as if she wasn’t sure why had lifted her hand to begin with.

Is she okay? I asked Iris.

No response.

I took in a deep breath.

The stage was set.

Our duel was about to start.