Icarus Awakens

The next morning found Daniel sitting in the shade, practicing with his talons. He felt good, even if the villagers had made their complaint about his wings amidst the chaos of the foreign Cleric’s arrival. That the light his wings summoned was toxic to duskers was problematic. If he’d used them the first night he arrived there might have been a tragedy. But that hadn’t happened, and now he knew. He knew that, and that Hunter secretly liked using them. Daniel was never going to let him live that down.

“Sir Artificer.”

“Yeah, Gadriel?” Daniel asked, looking behind him to see the recovering Hero was standing unsteadily. They had ended up needing to drag him back to the village, though whether it was that or the stress of fighting the level 4 which had left him drained Daniel didn’t know.

“You and the Bard. I have heard rumors.”

Gadriel broaching the topic took Daniel by surprise. “If it’s Thomas, tell him he’s wrong. I wouldn’t talk about it even if nothing had happened.”

“Of course.” Gadriel took the point and dropped the matter, moving to the other thing he’d wanted to ask. “The Assassin. The dusker. I have also heard she ails? It seems that powerful Cleric has come to restore her.”

“If you could call it that,” Daniel commented, having heard from Thomas the choice the village was facing earlier that morning. His smile faded. “I can’t believe they have to take her class. I thought if you didn’t want a power it’d switch into another one.”

“I cannot speak to that, but the situation is regrettable. Though, perhaps it is for the best? She may yet live a normal life.”

“It’s sad though. They were all so happy about her getting a class until they found out which one. Everyone’s tried to talk to her.” He looked back to Gadriel. “Wait, you should try!”

“Me?”

“Yes!” Daniel stood up, struck by the idea. “You’re like an idol to her. It’s not like anyone else has a better idea.”

Gadriel gave Daniel an odd look. “If I recall correctly, my last attempt at a motivating speech was ineffective.”

“Well,” Daniel scratched at his head. “She’s going to be mind wiped if everything else fails, so what’s the harm?”

“I would remember yet another failure,” Gadriel said, more to raise the concern than to shoot down the idea.

“So, you’re afraid of failure?” Gadriel very lightly glared at him, and Daniel was reminded of a time they weren’t on good terms. “Please? I heard what that Cleric’s been saying and I have an idea of what went wrong. I could be mistaken, but if I’m not, I could be responsible.”

“How?”

I don’t have a good enough idea yet to say, Daniel thought, not fully at a conclusion. “It’s, look, just see her? No one else has been able to get her to move, but if you were there she might open up.”

Gadriel looked down to his shield arm. If he was doing anything with that hand, Daniel couldn’t see. Even recovering the Hero was outfitted in full, if battle damaged gear. “I will take this charge, then. Though I make no promise, and may only act if my presence is acceded to.”

“Dude, look at yourself. I think they’ll let you in.” Daniel watched as Gadriel nodded, and set out for the oasis. Despite his words he doubted Gadriel would make a difference, but felt better about trying. Even if that was through someone else. If he had locked Khiat’s power in by identifying it, then this was his fault. But how could he have known? Someone had Unidentified the knowledge that could have prevented that mistake, so they were who was truly to blame.

He sat back down, flexing his hands. Progress in training his seventh sense was going well. Really well, if only for the talon ability. Where before there was just an idea of the mana within him and the relative level, he could now feel a tingling flow rush down his arms to concentrate in his hands. Were he more unfortunate he might have compared the feeling to brief nerve pain, but the sensation wasn’t unpleasant.

Today, there was an unexpected development. Initially, he’d felt the mana flow first in his hands where it concentrated. As he’d improved the sensation had spread up his arms. He’d finally become sensitive enough to reach his chest and now realized the mana was coming from his heart. That seemed almost too symbolic to Daniel. An easy answer, the thing everyone would guess mana came from. Well, that or the brain.

But there was something more there, a thing that became more present as he continued the cyclical use of his ability. It, too, was cyclical, a circular flow of mana surrounding the part of his chest where his mana lay. Whenever he used his talons it would flow along that path first in a very specific pattern before taking a more random and scattered approach to his shoulders. What’s more, mana never went towards his heart through the pattern. It was like a one-way gate. Compared to what was more obviously associated with his abilities, this seemed artificial.

Whatever it was, it gave off a very faint mana signature. Since the whole point was to attune the sense, and because he was curious, Daniel began focusing on that while he repeated his power. Like a hypnotic spiral, it drew him into a more and more concentrated state, rewarding his focus with an intensification of the feeling.

The world around him grew darker and darker as his mind entertained only the flow of the mana, growing to a point where he truly was mesmerized by the process. No one interrupted him, knowing what he was doing and not being able to understand what was happening. Perhaps Calius could have intervened, if the Cleric wasn’t busy at that moment. But no one stopped him, and when Daniel’s mind did wrest from the pattern, he was no longer sitting, and he was no longer in the desert.

…

“Hero.”

“Cleric,” Gadriel bowed slightly, words deferential, to the matter-of-fact statement of Calius. “I would humbly request access to the one under your care.”

Calius, who was sitting in a shaded spot by the entrance to Khiat’s abode, did not look surprised by the request. He’d heard the earlier exchange, including the part about the Artificer identifying Khiat’s ability. One piece of the puzzle, though not the entire picture. “What is it you intend to do?”

“I admit my aim is simply to try. It is better my effort is expended fruitlessly than that I reserve what may assist her.”

Calius coughed lightly. “There is nothing you can do. Not at your level, even if you have an interesting attribute array and some curious powers.”

“You can sense this?”

“Yes.” Calius turned a critical eye to the Hero. “You have what it takes. I have no doubt you know my meaning. In fact, I’m sure you already knew that even if you don’t know why.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” Gadriel paused, but Calius was not more forthcoming. The Cleric did eventually say, “Well then, try Hero, and pray that you didn’t make a Quest out of this task for you will fail. She is intrinsically at odds with herself. Perhaps if a god were here there would be another way, but perhaps not. The soul is immutable.”

“It would not be becoming of me to prove you wrong. If it is all the same, Cleric of the Cloak, I will still try.” In an almost theatrical way, Calius beckoned him towards the tent that guarded the abode’s entrance from the sun. Entering, he found both Xtalo and Achia awake in the main chamber. Neither talking, both thinking. Dreading. Gadriel looked around and did not immediately know where Khiat was, seeing as none of the beds in the dwelling could be seen from the front door frame. “I am Gadriel Cross,” he introduced himself. “I have come to offer any assistance that I may.”

Both moved at his words, Xtalo speaking lowly. “I remember you. What my daughter thought of you. Seeing you now, I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”

Were the circumstances any different, Gadriel would have honored the opinion. “Humbly, I ask if any of this matters should the Cleric be needed.” The two duskers exchanged a glance, before nodding.

“Do whatever it is you intend, then. So long as it does not harm her. But I don’t know if you can do anything.” Gadriel didn’t have it in him to reassure the man. Neither did he know which path to take, until Achia noticed his hesitancy and gestured to an opening.

“We will wait here. Please, if there is anything you could do, do it.”

“I promise only that I shall try.” Would that be enough? And for who? Was he just here to prove to these people that there truly was no other way? Well, if that would spare them further grief, that was enough.

The room was dark. There wasn’t a source of light at all within the dwelling. Gadriel could navigate due to the improved night vision of his level, a passive effect of his wisdom rather than a power. Even so, the figure huddled in the corner blended into the wall at first. Only when he was halfway into the room did Gadriel make her out. A foreboding sense, which did come from one of his powers, indicated a potential threat then. From above? Below? No, it is her. “Khiat of the duskers. I am here.” What else was there to say?

…

The flow of mana around his heart did not entirely abate after each use of his ability. Small at first, small enough to not be noticed, it eventually became clear that a small amount of power was being siphoned into the circuit. If Daniel hadn’t continually chained an ability this stolen mana would bleed off and become unnoticeable again. Unbeknownst to him, powers that required an active flow of mana such as Moment of Clarity would also override the circuit as the mana tethered from source to target. Only repeated uses of a short-acting ability in quick succession could have completed the circuit, much like how an old lawn mower had to be started.

After being wrapped up in his seventh sense, the loss of that focus struck Daniel before his surroundings did. It was something like waking up after passing out and mistaking reality for a dream. It didn’t take long to realize the air was no longer hot, and no longer carried a very slight gritty sensation. He was standing, holding the position without thinking, and that was it. That was all there was to this place, for as far as he could see there was darkness.

Daniel tried a few ways, ranging from rubbing his eyes to pinching himself, to make sure what was happening was real. It wasn’t until he tried, and failed, to contact Hunter that he began to believe something was wrong. This was just like the floating island all over again, except now there was no way forward. Claustrophobia from complete emptiness. Panic. For a moment, then the fear wasn’t as sharp as it had been. Daniel tried to call upon one of his powers and found that too was out of his reach. Is this some kind of out of bounds area? Am I stuck here? Damn it, why did I have to charge whatever that was.

He tried to control his breathing and succeeded only in not hyperventilating. Whether it was his experience or magically heightened wisdom, Daniel was doing better than he would have otherwise. That would only last so long. “Hello? Hello!?” No answer. Panic again, clawing up to reach for his mind. What is this?

…

The room was about the size of a classroom, bigger than most though it made for a poor apartment when you spent most of your time there. The bunker was built way out of the way, with an unmarked service road the only method to get to it. He had spent three whole months here alone before there’d been any sign that it had worked, and without regular internet access it had quickly gotten boring. There was a reason for this, though, and he’d persisted.

Then, one day, the monitors had turned on. Everything had happened as the instructions had said, at least at the start. There should have been more, he felt, but all there’d been was that initial letter. Surely he should have been warned about what he was getting himself into. And yet, despite every tense near-death moment, hope was still alive.

Things had been looking up, getting better on the other side. Yesterday had been a gut-clencher, but they’d gotten through it alright and even managed to get a recipe for a classic magical item out of it. If the one in the room was honest, he was looking forward to seeing how that would turn out. He’d been about to try and pick up nearby conversations during the current meditation stretch when something impossible happened.

A window facing nothing had flicked on like it was a monitor. It covered most of one wall and was something he’d been firmly instructed not to touch, just like the internals and wiring of the computers. More than anything, he knew this shouldn’t be happening. The first letter had explicitly told him he’d learn more about Bridge Space before it was activated, and yet, there he was.

The tablet next to the window lit up in the next moment displaying controls and an initial tooltip of a tutorial for its functions. It seemed he could control what parts of the room were visible on the other side, which was none by default. Taking a deep breath, he considered whether he should do anything. This wasn’t according to plan, but he couldn’t pass up this opportunity. He just had to be careful. Preparing for the worst, Daniel made himself visible. This is not going to be fun.

…

The image appeared before Daniel from the ground up, as if a curtain of invisibility was being drawn away to reveal what was behind. Maybe that’s what had happened, but that still left one point of confusion.

“Uh, what?” The first impression of it being some strange mirror was ruled out as the copy of himself Daniel saw didn’t match his movements. Neither was he dressed the same nor did the image carry any weapons. The replica looked normal. Like actual normal, as if Daniel had never left Earth. It was moving too, breathing out of sync with him. The presence of this image completely confused him. Is this just some illusion, all of it? That was a comforting thought, since a very skilled illusion Cleric had just come into town.

“Ok, I get it,” Daniel said, startling the image of himself in front of him. “I’m going to assume this is just a prank?” The copy, suspended just like him in darkness, reacted as if that wasn’t what he was expecting to hear. As if it could have expected to hear anything. Ok, that’s a little confusing.

“Sorry, what?” the other asked with his voice. The image was so real, it was hard to believe it was fake. But it had to be.

“I’m assuming that by talking to you the Cleric can hear me? Or that you’re him and just acting like me,” Daniel explained to the nonplussed clone. “Look, you got me. I really was freaked out, but you can call off the illusion. Or,” he paused. “Tell me what you want if this isn’t just a prank.” The other figure blinked and hesitated, considering what to do. This was a very good illusion. Too good. It was even wearing his ‘Thinking with Portals’ t-shirt. Wait, how- “How do you know about that shirt?”

“Uh.” The illusion was now nervous, very nervous. Daniel stepped forward, wanting to run his hand through and make sure it was just that, only to come up against an invisible wall separating them. That, if nothing else, put him on alert.

I haven’t thought about that shirt since I’ve been here. If the Cleric can know about this he knows about everything. Why put me here? The pieces weren’t lining up and Daniel found himself questioning his assumptions. If this wasn’t an illusion, what was it? “Who are you?” he asked, voice unsteady yet hard.

The other took a deep breath, looking at something to their right Daniel couldn’t see. “It’s too soon for this.”

“For what?

“You, I-“ It was eerie, how this phantom was reacting. Just like him. Except, this wasn’t him anymore. It was like how he’d been before magic and monsters had become a part of his life.

Daniel reeled back from the copy having come to another, far worse conclusion. Wondering if everything he had experienced had been a simulation, Daniel freaked out a little. “No, no you’re not, this isn’t, you’re not me! You can’t be!”

“Woah, woah wait.” The other put up a hand and tried to approach, only to run into a wall of his side. “Don’t panic.”

“Then fucking tell me what’s going on!” Daniel saw something else on the figure and brought up his necklace. “How do we both have this? What is the place? Am I even real?”

“Yes!” the other quickly assured. “Fuck, look, you’re a real person in that world, just like I’m a real person here on Earth.”

“What!?” Daniel gestured to the darkness. “How does that even work?”

“It’s complicated.”

“If you understand it then so can I, so tell me what’s going on!”

“It’s complicated!” The other Daniel ran a hand through his hair. “Look, you weren’t supposed to find this place until I got more information. I have no idea how you did.”

“How do I know anything you’re saying is true?” Daniel asked. Sure, the other image was acting just like him. It fed into the story he was telling. That scared him all the more.

“Mark me with that power you got with Khare.”

“My powers don’t work here.” Daniel frowned. “Is this some kind of anti-magic zone?”

“I think?. That one should still work. I’m not entirely sure why, but-”

“It’s because it’s a bond power, not a magical one,” Daniel groaned, seeing the point. True enough, he was able to summon a floating arrow above his other self.

“Y-yeah,” other Daniel nodded. Based on how his head tracked, Daniel guessed he couldn’t see it.

“You have access to my Encyclopedia,” Daniel accused, not letting the obvious conclusion unsaid.

“Can we just take stuff one thing at a time?” The other Daniel tried to redirect. “I should probably explain all of this-”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you to do!” Daniel shouted. He regretted raising his voice as he saw the other wince, feeling just a little like a bully. Before Tlara had set a fire in him through opposition, he could be cowed by a stronger personality, which happened most often when he got caught by one of his sister Alex’s explosions. It was incredibly odd being on the other side of that. “What am I?” he asked in a more measured tone.

Other Daniel sat down, trembling slightly and with unsteady breath. It seemed as much from excitement as fear. He looked to that spot to the right of him again, and Daniel was starting to think something was written there. “I can’t tell you everything.”

“Why not?”

“That’s on the list.” Other Daniel smiled apologetically. “There’s a list of things I can’t tell you about, in case this ever happened. I can’t tell you about the missing memories, some of the unidentified stuff, or why you’re here. Wait, I can say some things.” He stepped slightly out of the frame and came back with a clipboard carefully carried to not show the front to Daniel. “I can’t exist in that world, and you can’t in this one because-”

“I can’t go back?”

“Technically, you were never here,” other Daniel said carefully.

“You sent me here, knowing what I’d know, knowing I could never go back!?” Daniel was only modestly successful in controlling the anger that time. “And you can’t tell me why!?”

“It’s important!” The other Daniel clenched a fist and lowered the clipboard, finding a strength out of nowhere similar to what he had needed to face the Beastmaster. “I know. I know! You have no idea what this is like for me either.” He struck the barrier, wincing with pain. “You get to have magic, to have this adventure that I can only imagine. Friends I could only imagine. And I just watch, stuck in here alone, as afraid as you are whenever your life is in danger, but I can’t do anything about it! Do you know how many times you almost died?” other Daniel asked, voice a mixture of emotions.

Daniel was a bit taken aback by the strength in the monologue, and the implications. Numbly, he asked, “You watch everything?”

“Yeah. I can tell you parts about that. Not everything, not when it comes up against the stuff on the list.”

Suddenly, whatever was on that damned list was Daniel’s second concern. “What about when I was with Claire?”

The other Daniel’s cheeks reddened. “Uh.”