Chapter LXII: Into the Emptiness

Darkness was not the term. It was not dark in the way in which darkness was perceived. There were objects clearly visible all around, but no source of light making their illumination rational. In the entire expanse, reaching on into the infinite in all directions, there were things which were, and everything else simply was not. Using darkness to define the surrounding void would be to assign it a definition which it defied. No word existed to describe the environment. It was and it was not. There was substance, yet nothing. It was barren. Lifeless.

Empty.

It was not the stuff of nightmares, for no mind could conceive the landscape stretching out into nothing. Twisted stalks rose from the ground, dead and gray, a mockery of trees which remained motionless in the unmoving air. Ruined structures had long since stopped decaying, perpetually trapped in a state of collapse. The ground itself was devoid of color, a monotone hue without alteration running the entire expanse of the terrain. When it ended, the edges of it were torn and jagged, as if the island had been ripped from its rightful place in reality and deposited in the abyss by violent and impatient hands. There was nothing to smell, nothing to taste, and over the edge of the island, suspended in the void, nothing to see. Only the Emptiness. Stretching on forever.

Jinxie stared out into the never-ending nothing, her face without expression. Her mouth was slightly agape, her lips parted, caught in the moment just before a word which never had the chance to form. She stood at the precipice of the mass of land and the eternal emptiness surrounding it. On one side of her was a dead and vacant wasteland suspended in a sea of nothing. On the other, a fall into that bottomless chasm beyond comprenesion. Poised on the brink, her gaze slid towards a horizon which did not exist, and a rush of Emptiness flooded her. The Emptiness consumed, it grew, it devoured. Jinxie felt nothing as it crept inside her. There was no feeling to be had. Only nothing. Only Emptiness.

And then there was a note.

It did not echo. It did not reverberate. It was there and then gone. Jinxie had heard it, however. A single note of pure, pristine sound. It was lovely, moving, reaching down into her soul and filling the void. Then it was gone, and the Emptiness sank in again.

Another note pierced the nothing. Then another. A string of music formed a melody, and with a gasp, Jinxie turned from the precipice. The music filled her heart. It was unlike anything she had ever heard before, and certainly did not belong in this place of Emptiness. Yet here it was, the most beautiful song she had ever heard, being performed in a place of nothingness beyond understanding.

Jinxie shook violently as the sensation of nothingness left her. Driven back by the melody, the Emptiness sloughed off like mud. Her eyes came into focus, and for the first time she came to appreciate her surroundings. She stood upon a floating mass suspended in the void. The island was quite large, and a number of dilapidated structures, appearing man-made, dotted the landscape. Rising above all of them, in the distance, was a palace unlike any she had ever seen. It glittered without light, an eerie resonance that Jinxie quickly averted her eyes from. She was not eager to begin contemplating the unexplainable. Instead she focused entirely on what she was hearing.

The startlingly resplendent sound was originating from a place far in the distance, towards the majestic palace. Gathering her strength, she took a resolute step forward.

She pulled back her foot immediately as something creaked beneath her boot. Looking down, she started at the sight of the puppet Shoki looking back at her. It was motionless on the ground, without a sign of life in it. Jinxie turned her head sharply as the sound of a whimper caught her ears.

Isset, on her knees several feet away, had her hand extended towards her marionette. Her fingers flexed and moved rhythmically, grasping the device which controlled the puppet's movement. Her actions were flowing, practiced, but the look on her face was one of anguish.

"He won't move," she said softly. "Why won't he move?"

"Isset," Jinxie flew to the side of the Puppetmaster, kneeling down beside her and grasping her wrists. "Isset, please, talk to me."

"I can't make him move," Isset said again, looking up at Jinxie with tear-streaked cheeks. "Why won't Shoki move?"

Jinxie gave no voice to respond, but she knew the answer already. She could feel its absence in her own gut, like a part of her body had been torn away. Her magic was gone. And as Isset clicked fruitlessly at Shoki's controls, it was clear whatever force animated the machine had no power here either.

She heard the music playing again, and immediately came to her feet. She had to find that music. It was the only thing keeping her sane.

"Isset, come with me," the Red Mage was insistant. "You can bring Shoki, but we have to find that music . We have to . . . " she trailed off. Her eyes went wide as a feeling of dread swept over her. "Xaerus." She whispered.

Jinxie had long ago discerned how the blind woman moved about with such ease. Without the use of her eyes, the Mithra was using her ability to sense the magic in all living things to guide her. At the Crag of Mea, she had admitted her senses were impaired due to the incredible amount of energy focused in one area. Now there was no magic at all.

"We have to find Xaerus," she exclaimed, eyes darting about futilely. The Mithra was nowhere in sight.

The music swept over her again, and almost involuntarily she took another step towards it. A fearsome indecision gripped her. She could not find Xaerus. She could not abandon Isset. But she could not let that music go. It was warming and peaceful, it gripped the soul and filled the listener with light. Her companions were being consumed by the Emptiness, but if she abandoned her flight towards the music, it might envelop her as well.

She turned back to Isset, resolute. "Stand up, Isset," she demanded. "We're going to find that music."

The Puppetmaster raised her head, brushing a strand of ebony hair from her face. "I hear it," she said, noticing it for the first time. "Oh, Jinxie, it's beautiful."

She nodded. "I'm going to find its source. It might be a way out of here."

Isset turned her chin upwards, steadying herself on the ground with her hands. Slowly, she rose to her feet, casting a despairing look at Shoki, unmoving and lifeless. The Urghanian woman steadied herself, then responded to Jinxie with a firm nod. Jinxie gave a heavy inward sigh of relief. Isset gathered up her useless automaton and slung it over her shoulder. Together, the two women began moving onwards, towards the music in the distance.

There was no concept of time or its passage, so Jinxie had to measure in terms of steps. One foot in front of the other, over and over again, constantly aware of how terribly vulnerable she was. In this strange place of Emptiness, devoid of her magic, separated from her allies, she had no feasible way to defend herself. She knew Isset possessed some skill in hand-to-hand combat, but always performed in conjunction with the manipulation of her now-dead automaton. She was keenly aware of the murky, indistinct shapes shifting in the distance, and the ominous glowing forms too far off to make out. She knew if she could see them, they could see her as well. One foot in front of the other, she told herself. Find the music.

A sound hit her that was definitely not the soothing, inspirational tones they were following. It was a dry, ragged hiss. A scraping of feral claws against stony ground. A clicking of implements vaguely resembling teeth. A wave of malevolence powerful enough to be felt down to the bone. Jinxie and Isset both shuddered as it swept over them, and the Red Mage's hand sought out the hilt of the slim-bladed sword at her side as they turned. Something had come from the nothing. A monster born of void. A seed of the Empty.

The creature walked on four spindly legs, each clutching the ground with powerful, clawed hooks. Its body was comprised entirely of what Jinxie perceived as one enormous head, surmounted by three hideous domes. Two of them near the top contained a burning, ugly purple light that stared down at the two women as a collection of teeth moved furiously behind what served as the monster's mouth. Jinxie could see a rolling, elongated tongue disgustingly lurking behind the gnarled and twisted roots covering its maw. The monster had a form that looked more like a hollow shell containing the terrible light inside than any real body. It made the same hissing sound they had heard moments before, and there was no doubt that the abomination was coming for them.

"Jinxie," Isset said urgently.

"I see it," she muttered, trying not to make any sudden movements. Underneath her gloves, her knuckles were white over the hilt of her sword. The monster raised its forelegs, and gave a foul, terrifying cry.

"Jinxie!" Isset repeated, this time shouting. Jinxie's sword rang in the stillness as she drew it forth, but the monster was already slamming its crushing claws down upon her. She felt a sudden jolt, and the ground rushed up at her. Isset plowed the slim Red Mage out of her way, escaping the lethal attack. The Puppetmaster rolled to her feet, fists raised and a pair of blunt knuckles slid on over them. The creature jabbed at her, and she deftly guarded the strike. As its bladed appendage rushed past her, she spun swiftly, backhanding the monster. She instantly pulled her hand away, wincing and grasping her arm in pain.

The beast swept her aside with a powerful blow from its foreleg, and the black-haired woman flew through the air. She crashed down hard, and planted her fists to the ground to try and rise. The monster was already turning towards her, and its tongue shot from the revolting mouth like a sword being waved in the air. It stomped on the ground, hissing repeatedly, and then began stalking the Puppetmaster as she tried to rise.

Jinxie wasted no time. With all the force she could muster, she charged forward and stabbed her sword into the creature. It sank in up to the hilt. With a violent yank, she tore the weapon back out again.

Its surface was as clean and polished as ever. There was no blood or viscera to be seen. Jinxie's green eyes went wide as she stared at the spot she had stabbed. Beyond it she could make out a pale, purple glow lurking beneath the surface. Besides that, there was nothing. The creature was completely hollow. As Empty as the world it lived in. Her blow had been ineffectual in all respects except one.

It was now definitely paying attention to her.

Its tongue slapped her across the side, and it felt like one of her ribs broke. She nearly fell to the ground, but managed to hold herself upright and raise her sword in defense. Instinctively, she tried to cast a spell. The failure to raise so much as a spark of magic took her off balance more than anything else. Lashing out again, another blow from the creature took her in the gut, and she sank to her knees from the force. Flailing its tongue wildly, the monster loomed over her, malevolent glowing eyes seething.

The force with which it was blown aside was so startling Jinxie did not even realize it had happened for a moment. One moment the monster was there, the next it was not. As her senses caught up to her, she turned her head toward the sound of it hissing ferociously. A cleave which had nearly rent its side in two now marred its surface. Light poured out from inside of it. The monster clacked its feet on the ground, whip-like tongue striking blindly. It was attempting to hit something, but what exactly, Jinxie could not see.

Without warning, a tear appeared in the monster's leg, and it struck again towards the damaged limb, but connected with nothing. It lurched forward, spinning around to reveal a fresh tear along its back. The wounds being inflicted on it were almost as disturbing as the apparant lack of a source. The creature did not cry out, it did not bleed, it only reacted. It looked like a grotesque doll being ripped apart. Only this one was not staying ripped. Already, the enormous gash on its side had begun sealing itself over again.

There was a surge of movement at Jinxie's side, and she spun around too late to see its source. Moments later, the monster surged its tongue straight out, and Jinxie heard a grunt as a tear simultaneously split the monster's head open. For the first time, the source of the attack stopped long enough to be seen.

Speed released the handle of his amood, the blade sunk deep in the beast's skull. His eyes met the terrible glow with anger as he slid off of its tongue. The Warrior landed on his feet, almost falling, but catching himself as he clutched his hands to his side. The monster had pierced completely through him, and blood was pouring through the armor he wore. The padded and plated mail, called a Jawshan, was almost completely crimson along the left side as Speed's leg gave out beneath him. He sank to one knee, glaring up at the creature with undisguised malice.

"This is why I hate to feel," Speed said through clenched teeth, blood spilling out from his mouth. He coughed weakly, watching as the creature wrapped its tongue around his massive axe. With a swift jerk, it tore the weapon free and tossed it aside. Raising one of its bladed forelegs, it prepared to crush the Warrior into the dirt.

Jinxie felt the familiar rush, recognized the touch of it. Magic was being used.

Something impossibly fast streaked through the air and collided with the monster. It sprayed apart like it had been popped, pieces of it falling in every direction. A quivering, incandescent ball of purple light hung in the air for a moment, and then dispersed into the nothingness.

A sound unlike any other filled Jinxie's ears, and she realized the music had come to her.

Three figures appeared as the light of the monster's core faded. Blinking through the haze, Jinxie picked out the first one almost immediately.

"Xaerus!" She called out, and the blindfolded woman turned to regard her.

"Jinxie," she replied, "you'll forgive me for being late."

"Where did you go? How did you find us? How did you . . . "

Xaerus cut her off with a wave of her hand. "I understand your concerns, Jinxie," she affirmed, "and why you would worry about me in this place. However," her tone darkened noticably. "The atmosphere in this void is not one-tenth the despair you encounter when stepping into Dynamis."

The Mithra stooped over Speed, examining his wound. Her words left Jinxie in stunned silence. The secrets the woman had were frightening to contemplate.

"As for how I found you," she continued, "I first found them. Then they found you."

Jinxie turned to where Xaerus indicated. Just beyond the place where the monster had been destroyed, two strangers stood in silence. One was tall, standing straight and strong, covered from head to toe in a long and flowing robe which concealed any features. The other, standing to his side was a Tarutaru, her height and demeanor in striking contrast to her companion. She smiled warmly, her eyes welcoming behind a pair of gilt spectacles. A roundlet covering her head did not keep a set of twin silver braids from coming into view. What most caught Jinxie's eye, however, was what she was holding.

It was long-stemmed and crafted of a material resembling bone. It gave a radiant glow even in the midst of the lifeless Empty, one which filled Jinxie with warmth simply by looking upon it. The Tarutaru woman held it closely, fingers closed over the shaft in the precise order of a practiced musician. The instrument was engraved with a set of runic symbols Jinxie recognized as representing melody, harmony, tranquility, and above them, an archaic etching of the universal sign for the spellsong.

"Pixel," Xaerus called out, "I require your assistance. Our Warrior is bleeding out."

The kind-faced Tarutaru stepped lightly to Speed’s side. The Urghanian looked through eyes clenched nearly shut in pain as the tiny woman came near. His eyes fell on the horn in her hands as well. He struggled to say something, but only gave a faint cough. The Tarutaru smiled, bringing the instrument to her lips. She took a deep breath, and then began to play.

Jinxie could actually feel each note as they washed over her body. With each chord, her wounds began to heal. The aching in her side dulled. Her head cleared. Tiny aches and pains which had accumulated during the course of travel faded away. As she watched, the bleeding of Speed’s wound staunched itself, and within moments it had sealed over completely. The Warrior’s breathing evened, and he lay in Xaerus’s arms, clinging to consciousness.

“He has lost much blood,” the Tarutaru said, and her speaking voice was as melodic as a song in and of itself. “He’ll need time to rest.”

“Something we have little of,” Xaerus told her.

“Isset!” Jinxie suddenly remembered, but when she turned towards her fallen friend, she had already risen. Cracking her neck and knuckles, the Puppetmaster stretched out her back, looking with wonder at the two newcomers.

“That spellsong was amazing,” Isset marveled, examining her wounded arm. She looked at the Tarutaru with fascination in her dark eyes. “I’ve never heard anything like it from the Bards in the Empire.”

The woman sighed. “I tried to teach them, but . . . well, that’s neither here nor there. I’m happy I could help.” She gave a brief curtsy to the others. “My name is Pixel. We don’t get very many visitors in here.”

“That is the reason I could find my way around here,” Xaerus told Jinxie, pointing towards the horn in Pixel’s hands. “Its magic is overwhelming. It stood out like a beacon. I was led straight to her, and she guided me back to you.”

The Tarutaru smiled. “If only there were more like it,” she mused, “but it is quite one of a kind.”

“Is that was destroyed the monster?” Jinxie asked.


Pixel laughed aloud. “Oh no, dear, no. Gjallrhorn is not used for destruction. Don’t you make that mistake, too.” Jinxie surmised that comment was also the result of something neither here nor there. “That was all his doing, naturally.”

The man in the robe gave no movement or acknowledgment. He only stood, cloaked in shadow, as Pixel smiled.

“What are you two doing in here?” Isset asked, giving voice to the question in Jinxie’s mind. The Puppetmaster stepped forward, scooping Shoki up off the ground where he had fallen.

“Ah,” Pixel began, looking towards her companion. Again, he said nothing, and Pixel gave them an apologetic look.

“Please do not avoid our question,” Xaerus’s voice was unusually forceful, “we cannot leave without answers.”

Again, Pixel only shrugged, her smile barely fading. “The story is not mine to tell, really.”

Xaerus nodded, streams of white hair falling before her blindfolded eyes. “Then, perhaps you will share the tale with us,” she turned towards the robed man, silently watching them all, “General Solaar?”

Jinxie’s breath caught in her throat, and she heard a squeak of shock escape Isset. The man Xaerus identified as none other than Kkel Solaar, the object of their search, remained quiet.

Not waiting for an answer, Jinxie turned towards the robed figure, taking a resolute step towards him. “General Kkel Solaar of the Empire of Aht Urghan,” she said formally, “I have been sent to find you by Prime Minister Razfahd. The continents of Quon and Mindartia have been overrun by demons. The world of Dynamis is bleeding into our own. I sought aid from the Empire to save us, and retrieving you was the price named for that aid.” She dropped her formalities and continued. “Please, General, I don’t know what has happened, but please. Your country needs you, and, and we need your country. Please, Kkel, come back with me.”

Pixel’s smile had faded into one of deepest sympathy. “I don’t think you’ll convince him, dear,” she said softly.

“Why?” Isset shouted out. “Why not?”

The Bard gave a sigh which sounded like birds chirping, and looked hopefully towards Xaerus. “You understand, don’t you?” she asked.

The Mithra nodded, but then added “However, I think it would be best if Kkel explained it himself.”

Pixel turned back to the enigmatic Sunserpant General, a query in her stare. “Would you do that, Kkel? It would make things go faster. I don’t want to hold these nice people up.”

For a long moment, Kkel remained as motionless as ever. Then, from deep underneath his hood, a dry and rasping voice, echoing as if being spoken from within a cave, gave a brief response.

“Very well.”

Something began sliding out from the massive sleeves of Kkel’s robe. As it descended, a pale and gnarled hand with elongated fingers dropped into view, grasping it. When it struck the ground, Jinxie realized it was a staff, twisted and black. Isset shrieked as Kkel took a step forward, rearing to an even greater height. The hood of his robe fell back, and Jinxie’s heart leaped into her throat. Tentacle-like appendages slid down the front of the robe as a pair of slanted eyes of purest blue stared back at the Red Mage. Pixel sighed again, lowering her head as Kkel emerged from the shadows.

She had heard rumors during her time in the Empire, but never seen one up close.

Kkel Solaar was a Soulflayer.