Upon arriving, Aksel dropped to a knee, woozy from his jump. The feeling of cold that had spread across his body had reached its zenith now, his withdrawals making it difficult for him to move or think clearly. Glancing around, found he was back in another familiar space, though like everywhere else, it was shrouded in shadows, with only the stars illuminating it from the outside. Amid the darkness, he found a comforting figure praying in the front pews.

  “Hera?” Aksel called to the priest, who jolted in surprise at his sudden voice.

  “Aksel? Is that you?” Hera replied, rising from her seat and making her way towards to him.

  “Yes, it’s good to see you, but I’m not sure how much time we have. Those things, whatever they are, keep finding me, and this cold is getting unbearable.”

  “It’s okay Aksel, I know this is tough, but I know we can all make it through this with we stick together. Just remember, the light of The First will always be with you, even in times when there is no light to be found. Especially for a soul as beautiful as yours,” Hera told him cheerily.

  Upon hearing that word, Aksel froze, realising his mistake.

  She didn’t have a light.

  “Now, let me warm you up,” Hera spoke, approaching with her arms outstretched.

  Aksel’s eyes went wide, as he threw himself back before Hera could catch him.

  D-dright, that was close! He berated his carelessness, forgetting the one rule he was told about this place.

  “What’s wrong Aksel? Don’t you want a nice, warm hug?” Hera offered, continuing to advance with nothing more than a smile and extended arms.

  Aksel backed up as fast as he could, unwilling to take his eyes off the priest, but Hera was closing the gap too fast. Then, something grabbed his collar from behind. Fearing the worse, he snapped his neck around, spotting who had caught him. It was Miya and August, each carrying a dimly lit torch.

  Before he uttered a single word, Aksel was thrown behind the knights, the two taking up combat stances against the priest, who appeared puzzled by the hostility.

  “Aksel! You need to jump out of here, now!” Miya ordered, the torch in her hand growing brighter by the second.

  “She’s right, Aksel, this thing, whatever it is, took control of the churches in the first wave. It must have known you’d use them as a safe haven.” August informed him, his torch similarly growing brighter until what was once a dim cinder became a bright, roaring fire.

  “Beautiful…” Hera’s spoke, entranced by the flames in front of her.

  “You… You’re not actually Miya and August, you’re just another part of me, right? What do I need to do,” Aksel asked, struggling to his feet.

  “We haven’t learnt much, sorry to say. All’s we can say so far is the brighter the light, the more attention we draw,” August informed him, waving his torch up and down, showing Hera’s eyes following it like a dog eyeing a delicious treat.

  “Can you stop them?” Aksel asked outright. These two were knights, humanity’s sword and shield against its foes. If anyone could kill these things, it would be them.

  “We’ve been trying, but so far, we haven’t had any luck,” Miya replied, keeping Hera in her sights as she too shifted her torch, drawing the priest’s attention. “We don’t know why, but our weapons aren’t putting these things down. The only people having any luck in killing them are—”

  “Beautiful!” Hera dove at Miya, only for the knight to slash at the possessed priest’s head, separating its dome from her body. The husk collapsed to the floor, her blood staining the floorboards. Seeing Hera cut down with such brutal efficiency caused Aksel to wretch, barely able to prevent himself from vomiting. Though their time together had been short, she was someone he held in extremely high regard, someone he considered a friend for all the help she provided. The sight of her bloody demise was scarring, to say the least.

  Before he could say anything, however, Hera’s body rose from the ground. The missing dome of her head shot back into place as though it was bubbling smoke, only leaving the obscene amount of blood dripping down her brow as evidence of her injury. Though she was clearly dazed, she was very much alive.

  “W-w-what in nith?!” Aksel screamed.

  “I hope you enjoyed that demonstration. Now, get moving!” August told him, as he smacked Hera across the head with his torch.

  “What about you two?!”

  “We’re luring as many of those things into the church as possible to buy you time. That’s why we’re burning our lights so brightly!” Miya informed him, pointing to the doors that were now swinging open. “Oath to Humanity, First’s shield!” Miya called out her miracle, halting the others from passing through the door.

  “Don’t worry about us, Aksel, you’re all that matters,” August told him, offering a confident smile. “You’re doing fine so far, just keep moving forward until the very end.”

  “Strike from the heavens, Lance,” Hera’s voice called, as a bolt of light blew a hole in Miya’s chest. August and Aksel turned, shocked and horrified by the sudden attack.

  “When… could she…” Miya muttered, her final words before collapsing to the ground. Aksel was equally shocked. Hera had never once displayed any sort of offensive miracles, yet she had just blasted through Miya with a holy lance. No, he was getting too far ahead of himself, the real problem was that this corrupted Hera could use miracles at all!

  As life faded from Miya’s eyes, the wall of golden white blocking the door disappeared, allowing the villagers of Carnifex to come stomping in, each chanting their sole word to the pair.

  “AKSEL, LEAVE NOW!” August bellowed, snapping him to attention. He didn’t have time to think, he just stared through the gap in the crowd, past the door at the first sign of light in the sky he could find.

  “Beautiful.”

  Just before they reached him, Aksel locked onto a star slightly brighter than the rest—

  ---

  The sound of the pouring rain rang through the cave, overwhelming Aksel’s ears. That last jump had drained him more than he thought, leaving his eyes tired and slow to adjust to his new environment. He’d escaped the church, leaving August behind as instructed, and found himself resting against a rocky wall in a place he wished he was less familiar with. It was Theo’s cave, the place they’d both sought shelter during the downpour, and the place he first met Vine.

  In the center of the cave burned a roaring fire, replacing the burnt-out firepit he remembered. Sitting just opposite Aksel, as seemed appropriate for this location, was Theo, huddled up with her arms wrapped around her knees, her tired eyes glaring at him.

  “Looks like my time has come,” Theo’s dreary voice echoed throughout the cave, audible over the crashing rain outside. Much like the fire blazing in front of him, her voice held no warmth.

  “Sorry,” Aksel felt he owed her an apology, as he once again tried to warm himself up.

  “It’s pointless to do that, you know.” Theo informed him, offering none of her usual cheer or energy. “Just as our corpse is running cold on the outside, so too as our inner soul turning frigid and rotten. You’ll just have to get used to it.”

  “So I’ve been told, but doing this is better than doing nothing,” he explained, continuing his fruitless efforts to warm himself. His eyes wandered around the cave, scanning for anything that could be remotely hostile. To his relief, even the grasping moss in the back was silent. For the moment, at least, he was safe. Having bought himself some time, he locked onto Theo. “I really need some more answers about what’s going on here. Please, tell me everything you know.”

  “It’s been difficult for us to understand too, but I’ll break it down the best I can,” Theo spoke, lowering her knees until she was in a crossed legged position. Even now, she remained slumped, her body language indicating a level of extreme exhaustion. “Firstly, this is not the world we saw when the shadow stole our blessing, this is one step deeper, what you might call your inner soul. Everything resides here, our hopes, our dreams, our memories, everything that makes us who we are. Something has breached not only the outer world of endless fields of grass and sky, but also our core. Whoever these creatures are, they aren’t content with just the soul space within our body, they want our entire soul. That’s what they are doing right now, they are corrupting everything that they touch.” Theo explained. To Aksel, this was quite the revelation. He had assumed, wrongly, that the field he faced the oily shadow and places he had found himself thereafter were all directly connected.

  “Hold on, so you’re saying I’m— or we? Screw it, I’ll just say I, it’s already confusing enough,” Aksel shook his head, as Theo indicated her indifference at the topic. “So, to be clear, I’m still knocked out in that field from before? But that field is something called a ‘soul space’, which is in my body, or a part of my body, which is currently dead? Am I right so far?” Aksel asked for confirmation.

  “As far as we can tell, yes. Initially, we were under the same impression that this place was inside our soul space, however, we quickly understood the difference. For example, we have far greater control in here than we ever did over our soul space.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Right,” Aksel pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to compile everything he’d learnt so far. “So, what does that make me?”

  “You’re us, and we’re you. If you want to be specific, then you are our conscious self, the part that truly represents the person we know as Aksel. Were as I, and everyone else holding a light, are fragments of your unconscious soul, the parts of us that hold the less critical parts of Aksel’s life, his experiences, memories, impressions, thoughts. In this case, I’m a piece of Theo from our time in the cave.

  “So, I’m the conscious part of my soul, speaking to the unconscious part of my soul, trapped inside my soul, that’s in a coma inside my soul space, that’s inside my rotting corpse… Fuck.” Aksel didn’t know how else to response.

  “The invaders are still unknown, except for one thing. When they spoke with you as Ida, they identified themselves as horrors. Since we know so little about them, that is the title we have given them for now.

  “Erm… Whose Ida?” Aksel asked, confused at the unfamiliar name. For a brief moment, Theo’s eyes widened, before falling back to her exhausted state.

  “It’s nothing you need to worry about. Just remember that, whatever happens, you must survive. Everyone else, and I mean everyone else, is expendable. You are the core of our being, and without you, we could never recover.” With that, Theo finally stood up, wandering over to the cave entrance.

  “I’m going to have to leave again soon, aren’t I?”

  “Yeah, it seems the only reason this place has even survived so long is because we don’t even remember where this cave is,” She remarked, a slight grin on her face. “At least it was useful for more than just getting out of the rain.”

  “Why don’t you come with me?” Aksel asked, but Theo shook her head.

  “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Faithless Theo of the Black Surcoats, and I’ll never back down from a fight,” she said, grabbing the stick that was propped up by the entrance. It was the same one used during their sparring match, the tip suddenly blazing with fire, roaring to life. Aksel struggled to his feet.

  “Don’t give me that, we both know Theo isn’t a fighter,” he told her as he approached.

  “Very few people you know are,” Theo retorted staring out into the sky and the stars above. “They’re getting fewer every time, I don’t know how much longer we can keep you hidden within your memories,” the tired face of his friend turned back to him, a short smile on her face. “There is one place we’d like you to visit though. We’ve done everything we can to buy time and prepare you for what is to come. We’ll impart the last bits of information we have there and do our best to protect you. I’ll buy you as much time as possible.” She stretched out her hand, waiting for him to take a hold. Aksel stared at the offered hand, but understood what he had to do.

  “… Thank you, I promise I’ll fix this, somehow,” Aksel grasped the offered hand. For the first time, Theo offered a cheery grin.

  “Of course you will, you wannabe hero.”

  Just like that, Aksel was transported away from the cave to his next destination, leaving Theo behind.

  “And please, don’t forget about us…” She muttered, as she awaited her fate.

  ---

  Within a blink, Aksel had moved from the cave to another familiar location. This time, he found himself sitting on the bed inside the room he was given at the Hero’s Tale inn, back inside Carnifex. Unlike the last time he jumped, this one didn’t cause him any exhaustion.

  I guess jumping by myself fatigues me, he noted as he noticed that, once again, he was not alone. Upon seeing her, he quickly flushed red, remembering what memory this was from.

  Vine was in front of him, her inexpressive face staring him down, just as he recalled. Once more, her half-naked body sat exposed to him, her white shirt revealing Vine’s unburdened flesh from neck to navel. Only two thin strips of fabric flanking this valley of obscenity and black underwear, which contrasted so vividly with her clothes and skin, granted her any modicum of decency. In the corner of the room, a small candle burned.

  Of all the places to send me, they chose here?! I wonder what that says about my unconscious side, or the Theo side of my subconscious… I still don’t know how this works. Aksel mentally sighed.

  “…I’m sorry, our soul is being corrupted faster than we could have anticipated… Our countermeasures were never designed to work under these circumstances,” Vine explained. Just then, there was a pounding on the door. “…They are struggling to access this room, the barriers in place around this memory are stronger than most… This moment must have meant a lot to us in some way.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “…Perhaps it was the knowledge we learnt, perhaps it was the relationship we built, perhaps it was because this was the closest we got to having se—”

  “Don’t say that with her face, for the love of First!” Aksel implored, before sighing. “I know I don’t have much time, that seems to be the running theme here. But—”

  “There’s time… The doors are holding well… Please, ask away.”

  “Then, what countermeasures are you talking about? Why would I need countermeasures?” Aksel asked, even as Vine tilted her head in confusion.

  “…Even you, must know that answer… The oily shadow in every nightmare, the creature that stole our blessing… This was for him.”

  “It… What?”

  “…Night after night, month after month, year after year, the monster tortured us, brought us nightmares we could never escape from… For years, we dug deeper within ourselves to hide, yet it still always found us… then, we tried separating ourselves, making our core hide amongst the crowd, yet it still picked you out without delay… We’ve been fighting for so long,” Vine noted, staring into Aksel’s eyes, who seemed stunned by what he was hearing. “But, he is irrelevant right now… and those troubled memories might be useful.”

  “That… That thing that’s been in my nightmares for all these years, you’re telling me it’s never just been a figment of my imagination. You’re telling me it’s real?”

  “…Were you always this slow?” Vine asked, her words feeling like a gut punch to his ego. There was self-deprecating, but this was ridiculous. “That’s to be expected, I suppose, given your current state… It’s real, Aksel. It always has been. It’s been stalking our dreams since the moment of our birth… But never more than that. Today was the first time it’s ever interacted with us properly, and it was to take our blessing just before the horrors arrived.” Vine told Aksel, as he needed a moment to contemplate the news. “… Again, he is irrelevant now, this wasn’t his doing, as far as we can gather.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “…Because, you’re still here,” she stated simply. “If it was involved, you’d already be taken.”

  “I suppose you have a point. Fine, these horrors then, there has to be some way we can fight back against them.”

  “…There is,” Vine told him, causing Aksel to raise an eyebrow. “We never developed offensive countermeasures against the shadow… It seemed pointless… We only came up with new ways to hide and delay until the morning came… Nobody in our lives was ever a fighter, only people… That has changed, however.”

  “What are you saying?” Aksel asked for clarity, as Vine placed her hand on her chest.

  “…I am now our soul’s offensive countermeasure,” Vine told him in the near emotionless voice she’d always held. “…We only noticed it recently… but everyone is ineffective at slaying the creatures, even the knights. And the reason for that, is because of you.”

  “M-me?!”

  “Our soul is our ultimate territory… Something we’ve been forced to use over the years, learning through every fumble and failure… One thing we learnt is perception can turn something impossible into possible… or something possible into impossible… Aksel?”

  “Yes?”

  “The reason Miya couldn’t kill Hera before is because you could never imagine it…”

  Aksel was taken aback by the statement for a moment. Of course he could imagine it, he could imagine anything. However, he knew she didn’t mean it in that way. If she meant if he believed Miya could or would ever kill Hera… She was right. After all, how could he?

  “…The same thing happened to everyone else, over and over… The horrors used familiar faces to attack the fighters we had… and slew them. However, among our friends,” Vine pointed to her own face. “I am the exception.”

  “The exception? You mean you can fight back?”

  “… Perception matters above all else in this world… It’s the reason we walk on the ground rather than swim through the air… It’s the reason you still feel the need to breathe… it’s the reason that I still talk like this, despite not being Vine… It was only too late we understood the value of that… The goblins, the bear, the orc and that elf we saw are some of the last holdouts we have left, able to kill the horrors invading our memories… The key is, you can imagine them killing your friends and family, as opposed to Miya and August… But, Vine’s different. She’s someone that we trust, yet our mind fully believes in her ability to kill. Do you know why?”

  “… Because she punched a Megabear to pieces?” Aksel guessed.

  “Because, she almost killed us,” Vine told him, as he recalled that moment. It was shortly after the Megabear was killed, and Vine fell unconscious. He remembered his body being consumed by a thousand interweaving blue lines that covered every inch of his body. In those moments, he truly believed he was going to die. In those moments…

  “Right… I thought of her as a monster,” Aksel admitted, though Vine tilted her head.

  “… You don’t have to lie here, Aksel,” Vine told him. “… We learned so much about her in this room, we grew closer to her, more eager to help than ever, wanting to keep her safe… But,” Vine paused, as she suddenly appeared in front of his face, her eyes glowing. “We still think she’s a monster.”

  “W-what?”

  “You can reject it all you like, but its already ingrained in our very soul… We fear Vine, we fear her power, we fear what she is capable of… that is why she’s able to kill,” she explained. Aksel wanted to reject her, but could he really deny himself? “But, enough about her… Even her power is not enough to save us… You need to evolve,” Vine told him, as the pounding on the door grew louder.

  “Evolve?”

  “…There’s one place that could be the key to victory… though, you will have to face your fears once more.”

  “What do I have to do?”

  “… Our soul is vast… Beyond measure… The parts that make us who we are, the memories and experiences we endure… that is what they’ve been targeting. Yet, there are more places that we can seek refuge and draw strength... Our imagination, the place we seek comfort in the endless nightmares and unfulfilled dreams… That is the place you must seek,” the door to the room made a horrid creaking noise.

  “Great, how do I get there?”

  “…You are currently in our memories… to reach the imagination, you’ll have to escape this place… but, most of your memories have been corrupted… There isn’t a good path from here to there without fighting through hordes of horrors. That only leaves one place… our nightmares.

  “Is there no other way?” Aksel asked, reluctant

  “…It’s the only path left to us now, one even the horrors seem to be avoiding… Perhaps your repulsion has rubbed off on them… Though we can’t expect it to be safe, or empty.” She explained, the banging on the door growing more intense.

  “The doors might not hold for much longer,” he warned.

  “…It will hold long enough,” Vine said, as she pinned Aksel onto the bed.

  “W-Woah, what are you doing?!”

  “I need to ask… Who have you spoken to… besides me?”

  “What kind of question is that?”

  “…An important one?”

  “No, I mean it’s a dumb question, you’re the only person I’ve ran into so far,” Aksel told her, not sure why she was asking such a thing.

  “…Then, how did you get here?”

  “I teleported here!”

  “…From where?”

  “From the cave!”

  “…By yourself?”

  “Yes!”

  “…Then, how did you get all your information?”

  “I… How did I get all my information?” Aksel suddenly wondered. It all made sense to him up until now, but once he started to think about it, he couldn’t help but question it.

  “…I see… Lena was right… Aksel?”

  “What?”

  “I know somewhere in this core part of your soul, the information remains, even if the person does not… As we get corrupted, the ties between us get cut, root and stem… You’ve met so many of us, but our lessons are the most important part,” Vine explained, as the scale of what was happening started to sink in. “Do you remember, don’t trust anyone without a light?”

  “I know that.”

  “Then, remember this… Until we reach our imagination, don’t trust anyone… Stay away from your memories. Even now, the last of the lights in the sky are about to fade…” The door began to bend and turn unnaturally.

  “Vine, the door!” Aksel shouted, as her appearance began to change, becoming fully dressed like when they travelled together.

  “…They’ve multiplied so much… There are so few of us left… It’s best we make our way there now… I shall escort you through our nightmares and bring you to the land where our dreams can truly become a reality,” Vine placed her hand on Aksel’s chest.

  “Dright.” He exclaimed, as the two of them disappeared, moving to the last placed he’d ever want to go.