Chapter 11 - Exiting a dream to enter another

Listen to me. You’ll go through those illusions two more time so brace yourself and keep calm. Two more time? She shuddered, remembering the pain, the fear. Can’t we like, break the spell or something? ...Maybe. I’ll can give you a spell, something to pierce through the veil of shadow, but it will cost you since it’s not something you should be able to do until you opened the second seal. And you’ll need to mkae the gesture and speak the incantation from start to end. Do you understand? ...What price? As always, energy, like the time you broke the first seal, like the time your turned the second page. ...Ok...let’s do it. Suddenly, moves flooded her mind, and words, demonic words. She started following the newfound knowledge her grimoire had given her but she also felt that she was dragged in another dream. Keep spellcasting, whatever happens!

***

“Ha! Come on!” Another game lost. Fuck this game. She went to the kitchen. At twenty-four, she was still living with her parents, without a job or even a degree. She was tired, because of the yesterday late gaming night, yes, but also because of life. fucking jobs, fucking society. But she knew, deep down, that her rage and sadness wasn’t because of them. No, she was angry at herself. Angry because she was procrastinating all day, because she couldn’t make herself go out anymore, angry because her world seemed to get smaller and smaller around her with each passing day. She was stuck in her tiny bubble of time, struggling, cutting herself from the world, from everything. When was the last time I saw Lauriane? Marcus? When was the last time I went out? She looked at her phone, fidgeting with it before putting it back in her pocket. Some strange whispers were echoing around her, she seemed to move her hands bizarelly without paying attention to it. Someone knocked at the door.

“Yes?” She had opened it on a old man clad in three-piece suit. “Are you Miss Lysandre Derissie?” “Yes, who’s asking for her?” He looked at her, sadness in his eyes. “I’m a police agent. I’m afraid you’ll need to come with me. Something happened to your parents.”

The rest of the day, nay, the week went by like a blur. Her parents had had a car accident. Her father had died on the spot, her mother just before her some hours later. Pain and sadness had drowned her. Then she discovered the will gave everything both her parents had to an unknown organisation. She lost everything, the home, her stuff. No. Soon she was an homeless, cut off from the world. She eat what she could find or buy with the meagre donation she recieved;. Then winter came. No. She felt cold, alone. A light of hope was snuffed away as soon as it was given to her. She had been taken for a job but soon discovered she was to be used as a prostitute. No! She was beaten, kept locked. At once, she fled, half-drugged and nearly naked because of another of the client. She fell in the snow and, as the cold krept in her, she thought. Please, no, I don’t want to die, not this way, not now. A shard of a long forgotten memory came back, helped by the whispers. Anger grew inside her like a forge fire, hotter and hotter. Reality shook. ENOUGH! Reality broke like a veil cut in a thousand pieces.

***

“ARGH!” The adept fell on the carpet , bleeding from her mouth, ears and eyes. “Adept, what’s going on?” Asked Sylas, rushing to her side. She started healing her as soon as he could, supporting her. “The spell, it has been torn apart from the inside.” She coughed, more blood coming out. “The backlash was violent, to say the least.” All around the room, other adepts that had been maintaining the spell were on their knees or side, but not one as severely affect as the one Sylas was healing. She was the focusing node, not surprising. “By who?” “Your girl. She just brute-forced her way out of it… with a spell.”

“A spell?”

***

The lounge was exactly the same as she had left it when entering the sea of shadow. Well, the room was the same, but the people… Ella was sitted in a corner, knees against her chest, blankly staring at the air. Assane ans Louisa were both sobing like kids and Thomas’ face was so green that Lysandre wouldn’t have been surprised if he start throwing up right now. Lysandre’s own emotion swere in turmoil but it was, for the biggest part, anger and outrage. How dare they! She wanted to find the Cell Master and strangle her with her own guts. She was trying to ignore the tiny part of her saying that, of course, a test would be difficult, or it would not have any point. Calm down. Hell, you’re as emotional as many demons I’ve known. Calm down?! Yes. Emotions are poor advisor when making choice, and I think you know it. ...Yes, indeed. My father told me that. A lot. She made an effort to keep herlself in check, waiting for the next step of this trials. Thanks for the spell. Your welcome. I figured you couldn’t stay calm three times in a row. I’ll delay the price until you’re alone, as not to put you in danger. Thanks again. she moved a bit and felt ice broke under her hands. Fuck, I wild-casted again? Of course, seeing what you just lived through. However it was quite localized, and weak overall. Sylas entered the room.

“Congratulation everyone, you’ve succeeded in this test. You can all thanks Lysandre again, since she’s the one that broke the spell.” This time, he did not seem happy. Not exactly. It was a mix of anger, bewilderness and hapiness. “Come with me, we’ll go to the next room so you can take a break and talk.” He then waited that everyone put themselves together. Lysandre was the first one, as she wasn’t really shacken, just angered. Ella followed a few moments later. She still had the hollow gaze but at least she was up and walking toward the next room. Assane was next, tears running on his cheeks. Louisa got up, then Thomas finally joined the rest of them.

***

This room was warm and cozy, with a table full of food and cakes and other sweet things. Tea and coffee could be smelt. “Take place, take place. This is all for you.” They sat down and started to get food, some with hands more shaking than others. “First of all, sorry for what you’ve been through. We know, I know that it’s very difficult, but you need to understand. As Demonists, you’ll see things that will make you shake in fear, you’ll see blood, maybe even death. We needed to make sure you were able to take the mental pressure.” Of course they needed it. She had calmed down a little, but had bits and pieces of fake memories flashing in her head. The cold, the lonelisness, death… “Lysandre?” “Ah yes, what?” She was snapped out of her thought by Sylas’ voice. “You were saying something?” “Yes, but you were clearly not paying attention. Not that I should blame you. Just try to stay focused, please.” “Yes Grifatshi.” She bowed her head. “Thanks. As I was saying, this test was… interrupted by Lysandre. You’ve, at most, passed two out of the three nightmares you should have lived. Hence, we can’t say for now if you’ll be taken in the Cell. You’ll have to show better-than-average results in the two next trials for us to be sure.” “...W-what did she do, exactly?” Asked Ella with a faltering voice. “That’s not mine to say. Ask her.” He ponted toward Lysandre. Ella looked at the girl, but both stayed silent. “...Ok, I guess that you don’t need to tell if you don’t want to.” Ella backed away. I need to stay silent. I need to keep quiet and not make trouble for myself. I need to be discreet. No more flash like that. If you say so, host. It was difficult for her to control her mouth, seeing how much of an airhead she was sometimes, spouting nonsense before realizing what she had done.

“Can we just go with the next test, please? I don’t want to talk or think about the last test.” Thomas was still green, but less than before. “Is that the common feeling?” Sylas recieved affirmative nodes in return. “Understood. The next test isn’t a test per se in the sense that you’ll not be able to fail or anything. Your potential will be tested. We’ve a spell, an old one, that can make you see… glimpse… of your futur abilities. If you’re sufficiently talented… well, you’re directly accepted. If not, you’ll have to pass more tests beside the last one. When everyone is ready, we’ll go to the next room.”

***

This place was big, circular and empty excluding the strange thing in the middle. A half-sphere, made of seemingly flowing colors, was standing there, surrounded by a circle of masked people, sitted cross legged. They were actively spellcasting, Lysandre saw. Oh? It’s the first proper spell I’ve seen in here so far. Neat. She listened to the incantation.

“Al-Uliamog-I-Sofer-O-Zjilrd(Yx)--Oyole-Trariremss-U-QroltI-I-Wly-Mel-A-Shrulima(Jid)

Anza-Hamenoss-A-Latr-Iri-V-Aolitsin-Etas(Yx)-U-Grifa(Uvn)

Through the portal futur await, endless battle that draw out your inner self. Please take care of the traveler until they are back home. She translated without thinking.

“Claimant, on your knees!” Sylas said in a powerful voice. “The Cell Master is entering!” Louisa and Thomas were on the knees directly, but Assane took a second to understand what was going on. Ella looked at the Cell master while she was entering the room and finally went on her knees. “Kneel?!” Fuck me and my mouth. “Why would we kneel?” Lysandre asked Sylas. For the very fist time, she saw surprise in the Guardian’s gaze. “Because of tradition, Claimant.” Answered Elijah herself, looking directly in the eyes of Lysandre. “I don’t kneel.” The girl answered. What are you doing Lyza! You just told yourself no more stunt! They looked at each other a long time, as if the Master tried to pierce Lysandre’s head and see what was inside. “Rise.” She finally said to the others. “You will now enter the ritual of the Endless Battlefield. It is an ancient proving ground, a mysterious place full of challenges that have but one goal: to make your potential, your futur, what you’re good at, come out. You’ll enter one by one, order from the weakest to the strongest potential, as I see it. It will be your choice to prove my… judgment wrong. Thomas. You’ve killed a parasitic demon, but you were lucky. You will be first to go. Ella, anyone can make alchemy, so far you’re nothing special, you’ll be second. Louisa, making a pact with a fairy is dangerous but potentialy interesting, you’ll be third. Assane, you cursed your brothers and sisters on your own, you’ll be fourth.” She posed, looking at Lysandre again. ”Lysandre… you perfectly know Demonic, you’ve destroyed a Captain-class spell held by five Adepts using focii and seemingly can already do magic, in particular shadow magic. You’ll be last. Now Thomas, if you will proceed.” She pointed toward the sphere. “Step through the portal. What you will encounter in it, it is yours to keep for yourself. Days may pass in there, but only seconds or minutes will go for us.” She noded her head to him and sat on the only chair of the room.