Realm Wraith (23 page)

“Maybe I’m going about this all wrong,” he sighed. This time he tried to clear his mind, leaving it a complete blank, just letting stray unconscious thoughts enter. He felt a sense of haziness, the same fog in his mind when he tried to remember his childhood.

“This place,” he murmured, his voice soft, almost monotonous. “It’s connected to the gods. It’s a part of them, so if I want to travel, I need to connect to them as well?” The thought was rather horrifying. In his mind he saw something, a deep cavern, devoid of all light save a tiny cobalt glow from an unknown source. Within the deep darkness he saw a form, bent over itself, thin and gangly. From its pale, blue flesh grew roots, many roots, seeping into the stone walls of the cavern, each root covered in black colored moss that hung like tarry cobwebs. The figure stirred, turning what could only be described as a head covered in thick matted hair made of even more moss. Its face was obscured in shadow save for one circular white orb, rimmed with red light that flashed and pulsed. A mouth opened, creaking like a door that had not been used for quite some time, opening unnaturally wide, as it weren’t even attached, and it hung there, open, a lower lip that barely held its grip, almost skeletal.

You are—?
The voice lacked sound, possessing the sensation of a stale breeze, yet he heard it inside his mind, quiet, like the wind whispering through tree branches. It tore through his head, an inconceivable force that shredded the inside of his skull. Rayne screamed, but the numbing feeling already gripped him, and something dragged him far, far away.

He forced his eyes open. The wasteland was gone. Above him towered trees, many of them, white and bone-like. Their branches stretched far, splitting into a myriad of smaller branches that wove together tightly, forming a ceiling of some sort above the path he now walked. Through the gaps in the branches shone a blinding white light, devoid of warmth, that scattered the shadows of the trees and branches in such a way that made everything appear far darker than it should be.

He stood on a wide path that cut through the forest in an odd manner, formed of a dark grey soil tinted blue in the light. On either side of the path the dirt rose up in steep hills taller than he was, with trees growing on top of these ledges. Every so often along these twin dirt walls, a tree root jutted out, extending itself into the ground of the pathway.

The forest was filled with a multitude of creaking sounds, like the bending and twisting of joints, and the musical clanking of bones shifting. Within the white trees, there were many skeletons, some partially merged into the bark and branches, moving and shuffling on their own, as there was no sign of any wind or any outside force that could cause them to move. Many of them turned to look at Rayne with empty eye sockets, but made no other changes in their motion. There were some skeletons that still had flesh on them, but it appeared as though the skin and muscle had been picked apart, torn by something sharp. He could hear the rustling of wings, the cackling of birds, off in the distance.

“This was a bad idea,” he whispered. Glancing up and down both directions of the path, he saw no end in sight to the forest in either direction. And here out in the open, nothing could hide him, or shield him should a hungry predator set its sights upon him. He shuffled to the side of the path, pressing himself up against the wall of dirt. He glanced over at the root near to him. White and skeletal, it twitched, coated in that same sticky-looking ebony moss. Now that he was here, he had no clue as to how he’d escape. Trying to sense the ruler of this world brought him here and that thought terrified him, as she knew he was in her domain now. What’s more, he had no real way to escape back to neutral territory, which had no gods. He couldn’t try the same trick again if he wanted to escape, not without ending up someplace worse. He tried to reassure himself with what Darrigan had told him, that the god of the forest hid herself, and nobody ever saw her.

The sound of creaking came from close by, yet Rayne couldn’t determine a clear direction. Almost as if it came from everywhere, and yet very near. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the root near him begin to move, and he scooted away. Its silky, smooth movements resembled a graceful white arm. It pulled itself up from the earth, waving up and down. Smaller branches grew from its surface, extending themselves toward him.

A rustling sound shook right behind Rayne, and through the dirt wall another root plunged its way out of the soil, ensnaring him before he could so much as blink. Once again he heard that voice tearing through his mind, a little less quiet this time, but it had a deceptively gentle tone to it, as if it mocked his precarious situation.

Were you thinking of leaving so soon?
the voice asked him.

“I-I—” Even Rayne’s voice was strangled now.

There is no need to speak. Your thoughts are known to me.

Rayne could feel a smaller branch extending from the root holding him, pressing up against the side of his skull, boring into it. He felt no pain, but there was an unholy feeling that came with it, one that threatened to shatter his sanity as he felt his thoughts being twisted and jostled around, and he began to thrash about.

Don’t be so dramatic,
the mellow voice continued.
This is what you want, isn’t it? To remember? Isn’t that why you came here?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” gasped Rayne, trying to pull his head away from this thing.

I told you, there is no reason to speak, Rayne. So you are a soul who drifts between worlds, calling yourself a Realm Wraith? And you wish to understand this place? Delightful.

“Can you get out of my head? Please? This isn’t the proper way to talk to people.”

I like to feel connected to all the souls in my forest. And you were the one that first reached out to me through the great void. It is rare for a ‘Realm Wraith’ to come here, though.
The white branch stirred itself inside Rayne’s head, and he could feel the clear presence of another being inside him, sifting through his thoughts and memories.
I see. So that’s what happened.

The notion drifted in Rayne’s mind, the idea that she could help him uncover his lost memories, but he knew it would come at a price.

All things have a price. I could speak so much of your memories, but would you really want me to? Are you truly ready to know? And would you even believe me if I told you?

“I don’t know,” he whispered, wondering about his own gullibility. Be he also felt doubt, a looming threat that he had done something regretful, and that the memory of it would be too much for him to handle. This creature’s mind mingled with his, and it frightened him to feel that his thoughts weren’t his own anymore. A being beyond measure held him in her claws. This was a deity, a god among demons.

Kaledris?
the voice tore through his mind again.
Some mortals know me by that. I have many names.

Through his mind Rayne felt many more epithets rushing into his thoughts. Some were familiar, the titles of creatures and gods he’d heard in legends and myths. Others were stranger, unknown terms in languages beyond his understanding. And there was a sense that there was one name that none dared to speak, a name he could not hear as it was veiled from him by the entity whose thoughts mixed with his.

Yes, my true name cannot be spoken or fathomed by any mortal being. To even hear it would bring immense suffering and madness, and to speak it, that would nullify one’s existence entirely. Kaledris will do, if you wish to address me.

It surprised Rayne to think that something as simple as a word could be so destructive.

The words of our kind are more than any language. It is something primal, woven into the very fabric of the universe. The true names of all demons are spoken in such a way; it binds them as a part of their existence. To know a demon’s true name is to control them. But for the primordial creators of the Abyss, our names cannot be spoken or perceived by any but our kin. The weak cannot use our names against us.

“Why are you telling me—”

I can feel it in your mind. You want to understand the Abyss, do you not?

“But I don’t—”

Your mind contradicts your words. That is why I told you not to speak.

His eyes narrowed; he really didn’t like her deciding what he felt.

So wary. Do you not trust me? You seem to think I’m merely giving you hints of information to lure you in. Come now, you should know better than that. Our minds are one. Just as I sense your thoughts, you can feel the faintest hints of mine as well, can you not? Look deeper, Rayne. You seek understanding, and I am offering it to you.

He never imagined the invitation would tempt him the way it did. He tried to tell himself he wasn’t curious, yet he found it harder and harder to deny it. He felt a sick sense of foreboding, that this demon was feeding off of his thoughts, telling him what he wished to hear, stalling to make him stay as she tore his mind apart. But he couldn’t help himself anymore. He sensed this other being’s self as if it were a part of him, luring him closer despite every logical thought telling him it was a trap. Haunting, uncountable whispers grew in his head, dripping with a dark, velvety tone, and he witnessed strange things, stranger than anything within the Abyss.

Entire universes appeared and died in the space of an instant. It was as if he were witness to the birth of all creation, watching stars form from dust, growing in magnitude until they either died in a grand spectacle, or winked away without a sound. Life, souls, all forms of energy flowed in the emptiness, a cosmic river that did not drift randomly, but connected the universe like pathways inside a vast mind. The visions were like an ancient memory, only half-understood by a diseased brain, as they had no reason to them, only raw emotion. Everything Rayne knew was swallowed, and one by one the lights winked out. A black hole dragged away his own thoughts. He was nothing—an insignificant speck in the grand scheme of things, like a gnat that could be snuffed out by a single finger. A toy to greater forces. This being, this goddess, was tearing apart his mind with just a thought, grinding his emotions into dust and replacing them with her own. This was knowledge he was not meant to know, feelings mortals were not able to process. He couldn’t handle the insane rush of emotional energy that raped his brain and threatened to leave him a mindless shell.

“Stop it!” he screamed. He struggled to find some lingering thread of his own existence, something to separate him from the all-consuming entity lulling him into a universe of pain. His emotions finally peaked, and he mustered the strength to grab and pull the roots from his body. The sensation faded, and Kaledris’s mind drew away from him, though the roots remained firmly planted.

You see?
she whispered. Disappointment tinged her voice.
Did you really think I was going to eat your mind? You’re fine, aren’t you?

“What was that?” Rayne felt tears streaming down his cheeks, physical proof of the immense grief burning in his chest, though he could not understand why.

That was me. Now wasn’t that fun?

“No! I thought I was going to die!”

You don’t need to think anything. Your soul has already spoken to me.

He did not care to ponder her words, or why she had let him witness such things, with his head still reeling from the experience. Just when he had gotten over the previous day’s headache, here he was exposing his poor brain to new pain. He sat there for a while, trying to put his thoughts in order. He tried to block his mind, to keep her out, but no matter what he did, her presence remained, haunting him. Instead, he tried to focus himself someplace else, where her thoughts couldn’t reach him.

You want to leave this place so soon?
Her voice dripped with a mockery. The roots around him loosened their grip, and he slumped to the ground with nothing to support him, having long since stopped resisting or struggling to escape. He reached up and yanked the strange branch out of his skull, removing the uncomfortable sensation of its presence, and reveled in his newfound freedom.

You have a unique way of doing it, seeking out individuals, using them to pull yourself to where they are. Effective, but flawed, because it still limits where you can go.

Surprised, Rayne jerked his head to the left and to the right.

Did you think pulling the branch out of your head would free you from our connection? Our minds connected the moment you reached out to me, and now that you’re more accepting, the roots are not needed.

Rayne stood up and looked around at the trees, the dirt, the waving roots close to him. He glared, making a single thought very clear.

Teach you? Well, aren’t you demanding. I cannot teach you that, but I can help you remember.

A quizzical look crossed Rayne’s face.

You remember the feeling when you travel, but you don’t understand how you do it. You pull yourself towards others. But you can only seek out presences you know, presences you can sense, and they may not be where you want to go.

Kaledris continued to speak inside him, responding to Rayne’s mind before he could even formulate his thoughts consciously.

The Abyss is everywhere and nowhere. It exists in all places at once. This universe cannot be mapped; there is no order here. You cannot rationalize one realm as being ‘next to’ another. Each place runs infinitely in all directions; they intermingle and overlap. There are pathways that integrate between them all, but distance does not exist here. Did it never occur to you that while you stand here, as a single individual, you are standing everywhere? That your feet rest upon another demon’s realm even as your thoughts collect here?