Book of Darkness
Chapter Six: Step Into the Void
“So,” Pixel said softly, “this is the entrance to the Void.”
The Omnipotent had explained everything – how the only way out of the Inter-Realm was via the Void, how magic was forbidden in the Void, how most who went into the Void either returned and never went in, or never returned at all. Not of that endeared Pixel to the dark entryway before him, but he was determined not to let it get him down.
He was going to walk through that entryway, and he was going to get home to Dondar.
“We beg you to reconsider, Wizard of Sight,” the Omnipotent said from behind him.
“Yeah?” Pixel asked. “Well, beg all you want. I’m still going.”
“You would be a welcome addition to our guides.”
“I’m sure. But no. I have to get home.”
The Omnipotent sighed dejectedly. “We cannot persuade you?”
“No, not in this lifetime. Probably not in any other lifetime, either.”
“Very well.” The Omnipotent stepped up to the Void and touched the darkness. His/It’s/Their hand pressed against it, almost as if the darkness were solid. The entryway glowed slightly, and the Omnipotent stepped back. “A guide will arrive for you shortly. Do not attempt to enter the Void until the guide arrives, or you will be lost forever. Wait here until that time.”
“How long?” Pixel asked.
“We cannot know this,” replied the Omnipotent. “It will be as long as it will be. You will not see us again, Wizard of Sight. Good luck.” The Omnipotent bowed to Pixel, and then vanished. Pixel got to unnerving feeling of being alone again, but took a deep breath and steeled himself against it. He sat down on a cushioned bench opposite the Void, and stared at the entryway.
“So I just…wait?” he muttered. “Great. Just great. Why didn’t they tell me about that before? They never mentioned any guide.”
Pixel had been by himself plenty of times before, but never in such a silent, foreboding place. Without the Omnipotent there physically, he felt as if he were a mouse lost in a giant maze. Remembering the labyrinth back on Zarathan, he shuddered and forced the simile out of his mind.
I wonder how Score and Helaine are doing, he thought. He had no way of knowing exactly how much time had passed since he’d gotten stuck in this place – time wasn’t relative here. What felt like hours could be only minutes, was felt like minutes could be days, what felt like days could be seconds.
Very unnerving.
“This is getting extremely boring,” he muttered, tapping his fingers impatiently against the edge of the bench. “Is it really necessary for me to wait for this guide? I’m a magic-user, after all – I think I could handle it.” He stood up and walked over to the entryway, pausing before it. “It really doesn’t look that dangerous.”
The Void seemed to be calling to him, a soft sound that could be heard only this close to the entrance. Almost like someone was singing to him. Pixel reached out a hand to the Void, wondering what was taking the guide so long.
Guide? What guide?
He needed no guide…the Void would welcome him, protect him, cherish his arrival. It wasn’t a bad place…
But the Omnipotent…
What was the Omnipotent?
There was only the Void.
Only the Void.
Only the…
“WHOA!” The surprised shout came suddenly as a huge white gateway seemed to open up above him. Something – or, more likely, someone – fell through the gateway directly on top of Pixel. Both of them crashed to the ground, and the Void’s hypnotic lock on Pixel’s mind immediately vanished.
The two struggled to untangle themselves, Pixel trying to not make too much noise, the new arrival having no qualms about it whatsoever. The only thing Pixel was able to detect was that whoever it was, it was a girl. And she was most definitely not in a good mood.
The girl finally untangled herself, and stood up, looking up at the ceiling where the gateway had been. “Fine!” she shouted. “Just dump me anywhere! Be that way! I don’t care!” She shook her head, her black hair flying around her face. “It’s so infuriating, the way they just order people around!”
Pixel picked himself off the floor and looked at the girl. “Are you…my guide?”
“Yeah,” the girl said, brushing her hair out of her face and turning to look at him. “So, what’s your…” Her voice trailed off as her almond-shaped eyes widened in shock. “Oh, I don’t believe this! I just don’t believe this!”
Pixel was in equal shock, and slight fear. “Destiny?” he squeaked.
Destiny blinked. “Did you just…squeak?” She sighed and pressed her hands against her forehead. “Great. Just great. No wonder they didn’t tell me that I was playing guide to one of the three people who probably wanted nothing more than to kill me themselves. Oh, wait, I forgot – you don’t kill anyone. The new Triad philosophy. You only kill those you have no choice against, and you let others kill for you with the rest.”
Pixel narrowed his eyes. “Actually, we tried to talk some sense into you. You were the one determined to kill us and take our power for yourself. It’s not our fault you fell to your death!” He paused. “Speaking of which…you should be dead.”
“Well, duh,” she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Why do you think I’m here?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask,” he said. “I can figure things out from a little information, not no information.”
“The Omnipotent didn’t explain it to you?” she asked. “Figures. Okay, then, listen carefully, Pixel. I’m only going to say it once – the Void is a place of demons and darkness. It’s like Zarathan, only the things there don’t come from dreams and nightmares, and it’s a lot, lot worse. The only things that can travel through there that won’t have signs on them that say ‘Eat Me, I’m Yours’ are the ones who either live there full time, or those who don’t live anywhere. I’m one of the latter. The dead are welcome in the Void, so long as they don’t bug the residents. That’s why a spirit is always sent to guide the living. I’m surprised you actually waited here as long as you did – most go in before their guides get here.”
He blushed. “I almost did.”
“The Void nearly got ya, huh?” She rolled her eyes. “It’s always looking for fresh meat. Well, come on, then. The sooner we get you back to the living world, the sooner I can go back to my sleep.”
“And I should trust you…why?” Pixel frowned at her.
She glared right back. “Look, I have no reason to kill you now. I’m powerless. I’m dead, for crying out loud. I only have material shape here and in the Void, where you’re equally powerless. It’s either you trust me, or you stay here and never see your friends again. And I know that would just kill you.”
“And wouldn’t you like that,” Pixel said sarcastically.
“No, actually,” Destiny said, “I wouldn’t. I’m in no hurry for you to join me for all eternity. We’d probably end up wanting to kill each other ourselves, which would suck, because we wouldn’t be able to. So get off your proverbial high horse, mutter whatever curses you have about this whole situation – which I would definitely agree with – and follow me into this hellish dimension that will, providing we survive, lead you home and allow me to go back to my peaceful rest.”
Pixel narrowed his eyes. “No tricks?”
“No tricks,” Destiny replied. “Swear.” She held out her hand. “Momentary truce until I can get you out of my hair. That’s about all I want right now.”
He looked at the black entrance to the Void, then back at Destiny. “Okay, then,” he said slowly, “let’s go.”
Destiny looked at him, as if trying to evaluate how serious he was. Apparently finding that he was being extremely serious, she nodded. “Follow me.” Taking a deep breath, she marched up to the Void entrance and pressed the palm of her hand against the inky surface. She closed her eyes and muttered a couple of words. From her hand, small tendrils of white light began to overtake the black, multiplying and growing more numerous with each passing second until the entire entrance was now white.
Destiny held out her hand, and Pixel took it. “Relax,” she said, noting how tense he seemed. “Stick with me and you’ll be okay. I promise.” She stepped towards the entrance, and Pixel watched as she disappeared. A second later, he followed her through.
It was like pushing his way through a very thin sheet of plastic. There was almost no resistance, yet at the same time, he could feel the changes that indicated that they were passing out of the Inter-Realm and into the Void. The eerie feeling of loneliness that was found throughout the Inter-Realm disappeared, only to be replaced with an equally eerie feeling of being watched. It was like someone was waiting for him, on the other side. It was almost enough to make him turn around and go back the way he came.
But he had to get back to Score and Helaine, and this was the only way to do it.
That’s right, Pixel – make sure you keep telling yourself that. It might be the only way to keep you sane.
And then they were through.
“My God,” Pixel breathed, blue eyes wide as he took in the horrific landscape around him.
Everything looked dead. Crumbling structures, dead grass, trees, bushes, dry holes that must have been wells once, judging from the muddy water pooling shallowly at the bottoms of them. A skeleton of some sort of animal lay only a few feet away, empty eye sockets staring up with a dead grin from the jaws. There was no sun, only a small greenish glow from a light source he could not identify. Before them, a path stretched out into a dark, twisted-looking forest.
“You’re kidding me,” Pixel whispered. “We have to go through that? With no magic?”
“That’s right,” Destiny said, trying to sound cheerful. Pixel glanced at her, however, and saw that she was practically shaking. This place was just as terrifying to her as it was to him, and supposedly she wasn’t in any danger! She tightened her grip on his hand. “We better get moving. The sooner we get through, the better.”
“Right.” Both of them taking deep breaths, they began to move cautiously – very, very cautiously – towards the forest. “So how many times have you been here?” Pixel asked.
“Three or four,” Destiny replied.
“So you know the area well?”
She bit her lip. “Well, only up to the cemetery.”
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. “Why only to there?”
“Because that’s about as far as I got before the person I was with decided he’d much rather stay in the Inter-Realm,” she replied. “Beyond that, I only know a few rumors. Few guides have ever returned from the end of the Void.”
“Why?” Pixel couldn’t help asking.
Destiny shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe they’re finally allowed to cross over and sleep. All I know is, I want to reach the end, and you’re probably my best ticket to doing that, being one of the Triad.”
Pixel sighed. “You know, the three of us really aren’t the Triad. They created us, but we’re not them. We’re ourselves.”
“You really expect me to believe that?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said simply. “It’s the truth.”
Destiny rolled her eyes. “That’s just like something Nantor would say to try and deceive someone. Maybe you aren’t them…yet. But you probably will be.”
He shook his head emphatically. “We’ve spent the last four years doing our best to not become them! Being the Triad is the last thing Score, Helaine, and I want.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Destiny muttered. “You don’t want power, you don’t want to rule a planet, you don’t want this and you don’t want that. You’ve given me that whole list before, and I still believe you as much as I did then: which is not at all. Now, I’m really not interested in making small talk, so unless you having something important to ask me, shut up and walk.”
Pixel opened his mouth to say something more, then decided to keep quiet after all. The last thing he wanted was the piss off the person who was supposed to help him get out of this place alive. He decided to try a different tactic. “This place may look like Zarathan, but it doesn’t seem as frightening.”
“Most of the fear you felt on Zarathan was transmitted straight from the planet,” Destiny replied. “That’s not how the Void works. The Void itself isn’t alive – just the inhabitants. Now be quiet. The forest is the Forest of Silence, and it’s one of the first tests in the Void.”
“Tests?”
She sighed. “So, the Omnipotent forgot to mention those as well. I’ll explain after we get through the Forest. Just don’t open your mouth, got it? The test is silence.”
“Got it,” Pixel said. “But you promise you’ll explain everything?”
She nodded.
Silently, the two of them approached the forest and entered it.
Back on Dondar, Helaine and Score were exhausted. They’d barely gotten any sleep since Pixel had disappeared, but now that they had some idea as to where he was, they were leaving it up to Shanara to track him down. Both of them wanted to know more about this Void place that Oracle was talking about, but Shanara had been adamant about them getting some sleep.
Score laid out the blankets on the futon that lay at the end of the Helaine’s bed and sat down. “You don’t mind me staying in here?” he asked.
“No,” she said, tying back her hair with a ribbon. “Actually, I’m glad you are. I don’t really think the two of us should be separated right now. We can’t let ourselves be split up anymore than we already are.”
Score nodded and stifled a yawn. “I hope Pixel’s fine. Do you think he’s in that Void by now?”
“Probably,” Helaine said. “We’ll know more once Oracle gets back.” She pulled back her sheets and climbed into her bed. “Maybe I should contact Shanara once before going to sleep.”
Score laid down on the futon and shook his head. “Leave her be,” he said. “She’s probably as exhausted as we are – more so, because she’s been scrying all day. She’ll contact us once she gets something.”
Helaine sighed. “I know. I just don’t like not doing anything.”
“You mean, you don’t like relying on other people to do something that you want to do yourself,” Score said, grinning. “I know you, Helaine. You’re the most independent person I’ve ever met, and while normally I admire that, sometimes it can get you into trouble.”
She snorted softly. “Quit teasing me, Score.”
He sat up and perched his elbows on the end of her bed, resting his chin on his hands. “Who’s teasing?” he asked seriously. “I’m telling the truth, Helaine. That was a compliment.”
She looked at him skeptically.
“What?” he demanded. “I’m not allowed to pay my friends compliments?”
“You’ve never seriously paid me any compliments before,” Helaine said. “Why start now?”
Score rolled his eyes. “Jeez. Make a few jokes at your expense and you stop trusting everything I say. I’ve paid you plenty of compliments – are you telling me you’ve never believed a single one of them?”
“Name one that you were being serious about,” Helaine demanded.
Score bit his lip and thought. “Remember last winter, when Shanara was having that holiday party at her castle? Remember what I said to you when you came out of your room before we went?”
“You said that I looked good in the dress I was wearing,” Helaine replied. She blinked. “You were serious?”
“Of course I was serious!” Score exclaimed. “Come on, it’s not often that you wear dresses, Helaine. I happened to think that you wore that one pretty well.”
“But I thought – but you – I never –“ Her face turned bright red. “But I never wear dresses!”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Oh, I get it. Because you never wear dresses, you thought I was making fun of you for wearing one.” He rolled his eyes. “That explains why you avoided me for the rest of the night.”
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation,” growled Helaine, laying back down and pulling the blankets over her head. “Pixel’s risking his life and we’re talking about whether or not you’ve seriously complimented me.”
“What else can we do?” Score asked. “I doubt Pixel would expect us to worry constantly. If we do that, we’ll end up going insane. Frankly, I don’t really want that. Do you?”
Helaine shook her head, and Score had to stifle a laugh. She still had the blankets pulled up over her head, and the effect of the blankets moving back and forth with her was amusing. “Okay, then.” He laid back down on his futon and snapped his fingers. All the lights went out in the room. “I’m tired, and I’m going to get some sleep. Good night, Helaine.”
“Good night, Score,” Helaine said. “And promise me something.”
“What?”
“If you’re awakened by the sound of a Portal opening up, wake me up. Don’t try to be a hero.”
Score grinned. “Being a hero is the last thing I’d do.”
Helaine rolled onto her side and pulled the blankets off her head, then wrapped them tightly around her. Unlike Score, she wasn’t quite tired enough to fall asleep, so instead she lay awake for a few minutes and just listened to Score’s deep breathing. She envied him a bit – he was the type of person who could tell himself to fall asleep, and he’d do it. And if he told himself what time to wake up before he fell asleep, he’d wake up precisely at that time. Usually Helaine ended up staring at the ceiling before sleeping.
As she stared up at the ceiling that night, she couldn’t help but wonder why this had happened. Who could have had enough power to get into the castle through a Portal, take Pixel through and overpowering him in the process, but not have enough power to make sure that he didn’t get pulled into the Inter Realm? Especially considering that…
“Score!” Helaine bolted upright, grabbed on of her pillows, and smacked Score over the head with it. “Wake up!”
“I wasn’t asleep,” muttered Score. “What?”
“How did Pixel’s would-be kidnapper get into the castle in the first place?” Helaine demanded. “There’re seals up all around this place, keeping all magic out except our own.”
Score sat up and looked at her. “You’re right,” he said. “How did someone get through our barriers?”
“Get dressed,” Helaine said, jumping out of bed and pulling her armor out of her closet. “I don’t care if Shanara is exhausted – we need her help on this.”
