« It is true. You are actually not competent enough to achieve what you strive for. And you know what? They were just like you at the beginning. Stuttering, confused, even lazy. But one day, they woke up and said “Now that’s enough.” and started to climb this arduous mountain. And you, when will you wake up with the same mind? »

I had a dream where I was lost. My feet hurt and my eyes were blurry. Something… Burned me, eating me bit my bit. A storm was raging around me while the tide choked me. It was a terrible punishment, and I even began to think that I deserved it.

But I shouted, because I still wasn’t done yet. I could still move my limbs and I could still hear my heart beating.

I suddenly found myself awake. It was hard to determine if this was reality or another dream, because I just couldn’t see anything. I was cursed with blindness, as I was unable to see anything at all.

“You’re awake, Master.” It was Roi, standing somewhere close to me.

“Roi? Where are you? And where is… Nilie?”

I remember the body of the yume thrown in the air like an unwanted puppet. I was worried about him, even in those circumstances.

I tried to look around but to no avail. I thought I could see in the dark with the passage in the cavern, however those darkness here were impenetrable to me.

“He is probably still on the other side. Iorivalith have no reason to kill him.”

“The… Other side? What do you mean?”

“The orb Iorivalith threw at you was a blessing from the Black God. It is a portal which forcefully connect our world with his.

We are in the Limbo, the plane of demons.”

I still couldn’t see anything. I accidentally kicked something and it ran away leaving strange noises behind. The ground seemed squashy here, I didn’t like it.

“So what now? We’re stuck here?”

“No, we are not.” Answered the mymu. I knew she was close to me, but not seeing her did not help appeasing me. “We can either meet with the Black God and ask him to open another portal, or you can try and open one by yourself.”

Both suggestions sounded harsh to me. Meeting a god in my current condition might not be a good idea, and I didn’t even knew my power allowed me this.

This mymu really did know a lot about me and the world, I was glad I took her with me.

“I do not know about meeting this Black God guy…” Then only one question remained. “How do I open this portal to our world?”

“… I do not know, Master.” Even when Roi was trying to sound apologetic… It didn’t at all, even though I could perfectly imagine her bowing her head in disgrace.

However… “I should have known…” I said to myself. Who else besides me could understand how my own power worked? And now with Iorivalith trying to seal me away, I was going to have trust issues with future acquaintances of mine.

I tried to gather energy in my manacles, betting on some dumb luck to actually succeed at opening a path back. Of course I achieved nothing else but making the metal illuminate the surrounding. At least it brightened the place, finally allowing me to look around.

I must say I was surprised my gauntlets could also serve as improvised torches, but maybe I just forgot about this unexpected functionality.

Roi was there with me, joining my side when I became a point of interest. I glanced around with curiosity, trying to recognize the outlines of a tree or anything. The first thing I noticed was the pinkish soil we were treading on.

It appeared… Muddy, or sticky. I elevated my feet to check what I was exactly walking on, and was dejected to see the filaments glued to my shoe. That didn’t help me at all at understanding what kind of world was the Limbo.

“Magic, give me strength. Illuminate my path.” Chanted Roi, before a brilliant light outshined my manacles.

I didn’t knew the mymu could do that, but that sure was convenient. Or so that was what I was thinking until I laid my eyes on what the darkness hid from me.

Hundreds of unknown creatures, shaking their shell seemingly annoyed by the light Roi emitted. The closer ones moved away, causing a horrible clattering with their spiky legs and their little mandibles.

I tried to make them disappear out of fright, but nothing happened again. I cursed at myself as it wasn’t the time to be defective, however I was lucky to have Roi at my side.

“No light shines in the Limbo. Those little ones can easily be scared with only this intensity.” That was what I wanted to believe, but seeing creepy movements in every corner of my eyes seriously put my sanity in danger.

I couldn’t look away, because those critters were everywhere around us. It felt like… Yeah, it looked like we were circled by a wall of critters. I saw no path to escape from here, only the incessant sound of bugs moving in disorder. They kept lurking until they fade in the darkness they were born, resuming the silence in the world of the demons.

We waited for a short while. “We cannot stay here for long. This way, Master.” Until Roi forcefully grabbed me and transported me away like a potato bag. This may be the first time I saw Roi being in a hurry. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Where are we going?!” I shouted with slight panic and the firm will to deny the worst case. “We must keep moving, Master. This will confuses the lesser demons and help us gain time until you open the portal.”

“Lesser demons… So there are also higher demons… And what more?” I couldn’t determine if by lesser demons she meant those little critters, or something slightly bigger.

I heard nothing but the rumble of Roi sliding away with me. I noticed the surrounding changing as we were fleeing, slowly narrowing to form a tunnel where the walls were as red as before, covered in mucus which drawn slight reflections on the reliefs.

If I didn’t know any better… I would say we were inside the body of a giant living being. I quickly dismissed the idea, delusions weren’t welcome at the moment. Right?

We were still running away from something… But it didn’t take long for the situation to suddenly get worse.

We heard no shrieks nor roar, but we knew it suddenly started. It began with a couple of clatters, then it was followed by more, and more and more, and finally it became deafening. It became so intense the tunnel’s walls trembled, announcing apocalypse.

The swarm arrived. And I still had no idea how to open the portal back home.

“Magic, call upon the lightning on my foes!” Roi summoned another spell. An electric arc formed around the body of the mymu, before striking against whatever existed behind the veil of darkness. I could briefly distinguish some shapes electrocuted, and that was not the size of a little animal.

The mymu incanted a second spell similar to the previous one, but instead chose to target the walls which all of a sudden contracted themselves like actioned muscles, blocking the path from our pursuers.

This should have bought us enough time to escape, but fate had another plan as the wall in front of us was savagely teared up, opening a path for one of those so-called lesser demons. They looked as big as me, threatening us with their claws and their pointy tail. He rapidly charged at us, followed by hundreds of identic beings.

“Magic, burn my foes to ashes!”

A violent fire storm emerged from Roi, engulfing the demons in a deathly heat wave of flames. The creatures couldn’t voice their pain, but I swore I heard their rattle of agony while they were reduced to cinder.

With such a dependable ally, I was certain we could survive until… And I again forgot to think about our way back.

But the demons allowed me no reprieve, as a second wall was ripped just behind me. I could hear Roi one last time before the third wave swallowed me.

…

I was enveloped in darkness. Nothing harmed me anymore. I thought I would finally be at peace, however my body ached in a strange way. I was not bitten nor eaten alive, but the place I currently found myself seemed uncomfortable to me.

I somehow lost spatial senses here. Losing my sight again preoccupied me, but something else prevented me from… Thinking clearly. I wasn’t able to put my finger on what the issue was.

I tried to move a bit, but I touched no ground on which I could stand. Was I… Floating?

I was annoyed and terrified. More terrified than annoyed, that I had nowhere I could cling myself. But more than that, I think I was more terrified at the idea of being alone. Again.

“Roi? Roi!” I yelled at the void, calling for the mymu that usually answered pretty quickly to me.

But now, she didn’t. I was truly alone. Maybe the lesser demons got her too…

“… So this is what death feel like? But I still had much to do…” Something interrupted me.

It came all of a sudden, but its appearance was what stunned me.

It was the size of the sky, and three circles gazed back at me. One was gigantic, coloured with a pale orange and somehow looked dry. The second was bright red, smaller in comparison to the first. While the third was an excited black ring shivering for some reason.

It simply raised its eyelid, and gazed at me like a curiosity.

It… Overwhelmed me.

“Go… Go away!”

I tried to shoo it away, but to no avail.

“Don’t you dare touch me!”

I threatened it, but my voice was too frail.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!!!”

My manacles crackled with sparkles under the eyes of the giant.

…

The light of the sun blinded me. I had the feeling I just woke up from a terrible nightmare. However, instead of waking up on the floor… I was thrown on it, vomited by the very same portal I had been put through recently.

I sloppily stood up, trying to identify the fuzzy figures around me. There was… Nilie… And Iorivalith.

I went berserk at her sight. How dare she throw me in such hellish place? What did I do to deserve this?!

She had no time to express her surprise as my hands were already gripping her throat, furiously pushing her against the ground.

I wanted to kill her, to dislocate her limbs, to break her legs and watch her drown in her own blood. The desire was hard to repress. Then, I had a flash of inspiration.

I tossed her in the portal she opened for me. “Mother!” Cried the little girl, running after her motherly figure. Then, the portal was closed.

It was over.

They both probably had no idea what awaited them on the other side… This would serve as a good a lesson. I gasped for air, finally free from this hassle.

“Sp-Spirit? What happened?”

“Nilie?” He was alright, as I could see him walking towards me. This brought me to my knee, assaulted by both fatigue and relief.

My body needed some time to rest, but my mind was still sharp, allowing me some more time to quickly explain to the yume.

“She… Tried to seal me in the Limbo…” I answered by showing the place where the portal was open. Now it was as if nothing happened.

“But… What happened to the mymu?”

I… Didn’t know… Roi was with me, then a swarm of lesser demons came from behind me, then…

“… Dead.” Probably…