Chapter 53

Deepest Echoes

You ever do trust falls? You know acts of trust where you randomly fly up about twenty feet into the air, only to get knocked out by an unknown mind spike of force and fall into your dashing partner’s arms? No? No random butterfly wings of flight? No prince charming to save you when you, like Icarus, fly too high?

Well, here is your chance. Go ahead, fall back, I will catch you.

No seriously, trust me.

Okay, on three.

One.

Two.

Three.

Trust fall.

Wow, I hope you were sitting in a high-backed chair, otherwise that likely ended badly. Do you do everything you read? Crazy.

These temples, there is something about them. They mess with my mind. Not that this is a particularly tough process, but I constantly feel like I am being judged. Like people are constantly watching me. I can feel it most certainly in these temples.

I want to say that it is just this Gemini Temple that is bringing out the worst in my paranoia, but this is no better or worse than I originally felt in my first temple run.

This process makes me wonder about the cost of power. The power seems to be free, but is it? What is the cost of having power thrust upon you. Also where does the power come from? How can it adhere to me. We, and by we I mean all space faring races, are so greedy that we never stop to ask ourselves why? Why is there such a place to get power? We get the power as a reward, but at what cost?

I asked these questions to Rayquel, but she is less trustworthy than an impromptu trust fall. Yep, you guessed it, she moved out of the way and scattered like I was an IED going off in the hallways.

Still the power is doing something to me. Thirty-eight points, that is an insane amount of Power. Far more than any one person should have? Can I explode from getting too much power? I hope not, but still at the same time, I feel my mind stretching to try to keep up. How does a mind stretch you ask? Not very well.

Still, it is only in these matters of stretching that I begin to have visions and dreams of distant universes. Of beings so powerful that they look down on our universes as if they were puzzles to be solved. Why puzzles? No clue, that is just the best that my mind can come up with to comprehend everything that is going on.

I read somewhere that the human brain itself cannot in fact feel pain. That the organ of the brain has not evolved to have nerve endings. All the headaches and pain receptors that are the cause of headaches are caused by the blood vessels that lead into and from the brain. This is an odd concept to have, but one that must be noted here. For my mind does not feel pain, but I am having a hard time focusing.

Or rather it is a matter of my mind finally being able to comprehend multiple realities existing all around me at once. One where I am me. One where I am the ultra-enhanced version of myself. Then another, where I am drunk on power and am raving about finally understanding the universe. Well, I seem to understand it before drool comes pouring out of my mouth and forms a dense pool on the floor that I then drown in while Rayquel looks on in horror for thirty seconds.

Can’t trust her for a trust fall.

What is with the thirty seconds anyways? Thirty seconds is a lifetime in battle. Nearly enough to be gutted twice. How has Rayquel lasted so long as a terror on the battlefield?

I don’t think she is sandbagging to test me, that much is apparent. But she does seem to be a hinderance at the least.

Still power is power, and I desperately want more.

Yet as I am thinking this, I wonder if I need more. Do I?

I just go on with my life, letting others tell me what to do. Or trying to conform to societal norms, but for what purpose.

Pff. Pff. Pff.

The sound of small arms fire goes off by me. A sign that Rayquel is finally able to join the battle. Still, the entire process seems odd. Why does she have to wait.

Why do I feel like my body is being both improved, and stretched beyond comprehendible limits with each addition of Power?

Crush, squish.

With Rayquel taking on her half, I physically crush my half of the remaining monsters for this floor.

I stand there and wait, until we finally get the message, we were both working for.

Floor Thirty-Three Complete. Team Score: A

We had worked as a team. Rayquel the giant anchor tying us down finally killed her half of the monsters needed. Somewhere during this, she had to also take my blaster, as hers ran out of juice.

Still, we are going at a good pace.

We don’t get rewards for speed, not with Rayquel taking so long between kills. Part of me wondered if there was such a reward, like the rejuvenation potions that existed between all floors of the human temple. Ones that were later corrupted to make me the monster I am now.

I almost think about trying to find a way to speed up our process, but we are going at a good clip, all things considered. Still, we have a little bit to go before we can end these intermediate floors.

Sure enough, we are done and the passageway to the thirty-fourth floor opens. Rayquel is first. We are silent at this point, going mostly on muscle memory. No words need to be said, as we are professionals who had trained for months to get to this point. I follow one half step behind Rayquel, as I too entered the stairwell to the next floor.

Pulse.

My mind pulses, or beats, or maybe flexes? I don’t know what to exactly call the movement, other than it moved.

Suddenly in the stair well my mind gets slightly separated from my body. I see the two of us make our methodical way down the winding stairwell. Then at the same time I hear the voices of the gods.

“Do you think this trial will be any different than the last?”

“Too hard to tell. In all scenarios there is no way to succeed.”

“Don’t you think the Prolaxians have it too easy?”

“That might be the case, but they always start off with the advantage. This time things have changed. But will it be enough? I think the other team had a good idea. Investing heavily into the pieces.”

“Yes, that has played well for us so far. We have removed two of our staunchest opponents before they even established a foothold.”

“Yes, it appears the other one was able to be eliminated on the other universe as well.”

“Out of curiosity, what is the purpose of the Gemini Temples?”

“It is to perform true unity between the two who enter.”

“Will it cause an issue with…”

The words finally shut off.

Gasping for breath.

By the time I enter the next floor I collapse to the ground. My nose is bleeding and I have fluids rushing out of my eyes and nose. A quick heal later lets me know that I have survived, but we are quickly being stalked.

The first few feet out of the exit are to be a somewhat safe spot, but it appeared I collapsed and began convulsing towards the edge of the few meter wide safe space.

Fortunately, Rayquel can grab me and pull me back. I look at her, only to see her mouth moving. She is talking, but I just can’t hear her.

I shake myself; my ears are still burning from the sounds I heard. I cast heal once more, but then must divert my attention as we are already being stalked.

Fortunately, this is just a pre-modern room. The monsters here are stronger and faster than normal, but they are still just monsters. Feeling their simple minds, I don’t even wait as I crush all the minds within the local area in a second.

Rumble.

The ground shakes with the different large lizards falling to the ground. I try to look, but my senses are still spiraling outside of my body. It is all I can do to sit there and wait. Fortunately, after the first wave of massive monsters, the next waves are smaller and more subdued. I easily grab and hold this set of monsters.

I don’t even care to stand. Instead, I just sit there, trying to calm my mind.

I had heard voices.

I was going mad.

That was all there was to what I was thinking and feeling. I was going mad. That was all there was too it.

That or I truly heard the words of the gods, and it was too much for my mind and body to accept. Is that why I was bleeding from nearly every organ?

If healing wasn’t so nearly automatic, I likely would have died. We would have died as Rayquel was all but useless in a fight.

Floor Thirty-Four Complete. Team Score: A

“Good job. Only one last floor to complete, before we switch to your Advanced mode.” Rayquel said to me.

I was glad I could once again hear her. But I looked at the next stairwell and felt a wave of panic hit me.

I knew the staircases were weak spots. At least they appeared to be weak spots in the very fabric of reality. But why? What lay beyond?

Shaking.

I was visibly shaking as I got up to go near the stairwell. Then I paused.

“You ready to go on?” Rayquel asked.

I looked to her for a second, then nodded. This time I wanted to make my passive ability Mind Shield active before I went in. Somehow wondering if what I experienced was a mental attack of some kind.

Rayquel this time stayed behind me, even going so far as to give me a slight push forward. With her gentle coaxing I took a first step, and then a second.

Pulse.

My mind flexed again. Then once again I was detached as I watched my body begin moving mechanically down the staircase again, this time with a concerned looking Rayquel right behind me.

“What do you think caused the sudden spike in vitals?”

“No clue, was it a trap of some kind?”

“No. If it was, then it was not placed by the Prolaxians. I am not aware of there being any such advantage to be played.”

“So, what caused the spike in vitals? Do you think it is being too close to her?”

“No. Not that. I wonder…”

I exited the second stairwell and this time, other than being mental exhausted from having Mind Shield up the entire time, I am perfectly fine. I still heard them, the voices.

I wanted to say something to Rayquel about what I was hearing, between the floors but that would likely make me sound like I was going crazy. Also, I couldn’t be entirely certain, but I could almost swear that the her, the voices were talking about was Rayquel.

What did it all mean? I didn’t really know.

All I knew was that I was now able to protect myself by a judicious use of Mind Shield, but why? I could feel the voices like hammers banging against my mind, but while I was in the stairwell, I was defenseless, at least the first time. Even the second time, it was like I couldn’t respond. All that happened was any effect I had on when I entered the stairwell remained in effect until I exited.

All this was to say that I was either crazy, or on the verge of a great discovery, likely both.

The floor went by in a blur of repetition.

Floor Thirty-Five Complete. Team Score: A You have been awarded one Free Attribute Point to Assign.

Before I had a second to think about the message, I automatically applied the Attribute point to Power, granting me thirty-nine in the Attribute.

I paused, waiting to see if there would be anything else from this assignment. I didn’t feel any different. No wobbling legs, no pulsing mind. But I did feel a slight increase in the resting distance I could extend my senses.

“You ready to go to Advanced difficulty?” Rayquel asked.

I looked at her, and was about to say no. But then realized this was what I had been looking forward to. But there was only one problem, I didn’t trust myself with a higher score in Power. I was already dangerously close to the breaking point. At least it felt like I was close to a breaking point. I didn’t know what would happen if I had a Power rating that was twice as high as my mind could support. Not wanting to take chances. I decided I would add the first few points to my Physical attributes. At least for the time being.

“Yes.” I managed, my pulse only calming down once I made the note of increasing my Physical Attributes. Was that a reaction of my Precognition-X? Or was that something else?

That is the problem with random mood changes, I never know if it is my body just naturally relaxing after it has had time to adjust to a scenario. Or if it is a matter of my body reacting to negative stimuli in the air.

“You sure you are okay?” Rayquel asked.

I nodded.

Difficulty for the next floor has been set to Advanced. Warning now that you are at the hardest setting, you cannot lower the difficulty of your run.

Rayquel had followed her word and set the difficulty to Advanced. I was both relieved and saddened by that.

“You ready?” She asked as she gestured to the stairwell that only appeared once we cleared the floor.

I nod. Once again, I take the lead. Before I enter, not only do I activate Mind Shield to be at its more advanced state, but this time I also activate Revelation Sight.

With Revelation Sight activated I see the stairwell for what it truly is, a rip in the very fabric of reality.

Taking a step forward. I feel the now too familiar pulse of my mind. As my mind suddenly becomes detached and watches as my body moves forward mechanically. Then my view spans out and I see three people sitting in high backed thrones. Watching the two of us descend.

“They are making good time. Should we grant a reward for floor forty?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“This is odd, there are energy spikes coming from Goldman-X.”

“What type of spikes?”

“I don’t know, his energy rating is all over the map.”

“What does that mean? Should we abort and reset?”

“No. Not yet. We can let this be his fourteenth attempt.”

“A fourteenth loop?”

“Yes, but only after he sees what awaits him.”

“What does await him, At the end of this temple, anyways?”

“No clue. This is a first for me.”

“For me as well. All we need to do is convince the subject to make the mind meld so we can see what truly lays beyond floor forty…”

With that I emerged and felt waves of energy fill me. Not only was this floor brimming with energy, but I could also feel the surge in difficulty right from the beginning. This was my first Advanced floor, and I had a chance to see something truly unique. What lay beyond the fortieth floor of this temple. Something that even the Gods were curious about.