Return of the Fallen Volume 3 Chapter 35
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch35
“…Any…one…Somebody…please answer me!”
An empty space filled with nothing but darkness.
“Where am I? Please, somebody, say something!”
No matter where she turned or looked, nothing could be found. Her last memory she could recall was that of a battle with her friends. She looked behind her and saw a colorful flash of light and then nothing. She could feel the darkness growing around her and both her body and magic not listening before…
Although her vision was filled with blackness, she knew she was still alive. She knew it but still, there was doubt. She tried to move about but in this void, she could not tell if she were going forward or backward, up or down, she just couldn’t tell.
How long she searched for, how long she called out and not even an echo reached back.
Asuna broke down and cried but even the tears she cried, there was no salt to taste, nor any wet feeling. Was she even crying, she didn’t know. Time continued on, at least she thought it did. Eventually, even when she called out, she could no longer hear her words.
She continually told her self she would be fine. She told herself they would come for her, they would rescue her. Kazuki and the others would tear her from this nightmare. They had to, otherwise…otherwise…
Numb. The only feeling she now recognized. No feeling of hot nor cold. No joy nor sadness, no hate, no pain, just numbness. A numbness that buried itself deep within.
Asuna gave up on everything and simply drifted aimlessly in the void.
(How long…has it been. How long…have I.)
(I just want to die, no more…no…more.)
Eventually, even her despair left her. Asuna closed her eyes. Seeing as there was only darkness around her, there was no longer a point to keep them open she thought.
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She didn’t know when or how but a feeling enveloped her. A familiar feeling that she remembered from long ago. Asuna didn’t know why but she slowly opened her eyes. She fully expected the same scenery of blackness to fill her vision but to her shock what lay before her was completely outside her expectations.
The blackness that filled her vision for who knew how long, instead was now populated with tiny dots of bright purple and a dull grey. With the blackness all around her, the bright purple gave a deep contrast and seemed like tiny little stars, while the grey reminder er of herself for some reason. The grey was like nothing and at the same time everything, she could explain it nor would she even try. It was simply a feeling she got.
With only these grey and bright purple dots floating around her, she felt something awaken within her. Something she hadn’t felt in forever. The more she observed these star-like dots, the more things seemed to make sense to her, the more she understood.
As she watched the bright purple dots, she noticed their movement and found them odd yet familiar. they would seemingly vanish before reappearing a distance away from her or a distance closer. A long time seemed to pass but for some reason, she never got bored of watching these dots.
Asuna reached out her hand to grab one of these dots but found that there was no hand to grab it. This didn’t bother her in the least. Still, she really wanted to grab one and get a closer look. Asuna thought about getting closer and when she did that, the purple little stars seemed to pause momentarily before they moved.
This was curious. She hadn’t noticed this before. Just to be sure, she thought about closing the distance, again and again, the dots seemed to freeze in place for but a moment before they moved again.
(This is…strange.)
Asuna turned her attention to one purple dot in particular and focused solely on it. She concentrated her attention to her utmost before thinking once more about closing the distance.
The purple dot froze in place and Asuna blinked her eyes. The next moment when her eyes reopened, the dot appeared right in front of her. It was so close she felt if she breathed it would float away. That thought in itself was ridiculous as she hadn’t felt her breath in the longest time. Staring at the little purple star, she admired it as though it were a jewel. She was so close she could see its every move and noticed something interesting.
The purple star, it’s movement, it was shrinking as it moved…
(No, it isn’t shrinking, instead, it looks like…is it folding or is it collapsing?)
The tiny insignificant dot continued to get smaller. Watching this sight, Asuna felt very strangely familiar with this happening. Suddenly a memory began to unfold within her.
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She stood in a large inscription circle, around her were all of her friends as well as a few soldiers and Mages. In front of her was Master Garn.
Garn’s eyes glowed a golden purple and he gripped at the empty air. Twisting at the air the circle began to rotate.
“Lock.”
Asuna felt a heavy pressure and her entire being was frozen in place as though a large hand big enough to cover her entire body had gripped her and held her in one spot.
Garn stamped his staff down and with a single thought…
Time seemed to slow and space seemed to bend and warp around them. Master Garn looked over at Asuna and spoke a few words.
“Young Asuna, don’t just observe with your eyes but also feel with your very being. This is a good opportunity for you to gain a few advantages here.”
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(That’s what he said. Not just with my eyes. I need to feel it. Just like when Master Garn first teleported us to the Mirian swamps. When I observed master Garns power, it was like…)
Asuna was so close to the purple dot she could almost touch it. Instead of grabbing it though, both of her eyes shut and she concentrated on that feeling she first got when Master Garn teleported her and her friends toward the Mirian swamps.
At first, there was nothing but for some reason, Asuna wasn’t worried. A thought passed within her.
(I have all the time in the world.)
With that small thought, everything seemed to wash away.
As she let all useless thoughts go, that’s when it happened.
Within her, she could feel it. A pressure wrapped around her and locked her in place and yet she felt she could go anywhere. The dot that collapsed and folded in front of her. the dot that appeared right in front of her. Was it the purple dot that moved or was it her instead. The feeling she got before, the familiarity, she finally understood. The purple dots represented the element of space.
She had been in here for so long, that she had actually forgotten or rather buried that knowledge away. Not because she didn’t wish to know that power or use it but instead because she had buried most everything away because she no longer needed it or at least that was a thought that ran its course.
(I get it. Space itself can fold and warp but not just that. The element of space itself is a part of me now. I too can fold with it. Not as much as I’d like but still, I’m capable. Not only that…)
Asuna looked at a nearby purple dot and a thought appeared within her mind.
(Come.)
With that simple thought, the small purple dot folded and warped, disappearing from its spot. The very next moment, it reappeared directly in front of her.
Asuna chuckled with joy before she turned to a few more purple dots and with another thought.
(Lock.)
The dots floating around froze in place as though an invisible hand reached out and grabbed them and held them in place.
Asuna began to cackle like a madman. She was happy, truly happy. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this way, felt anything. Asuna began to wield her power as though it were going out of style. Garn’s words at that time were simple enough yet they helped her even now. Asuna began to feel a bit of sadness and pity for Garn.
Garn had helped them and was a hero to all of Treia but due to bad luck or fate or whatever you want to call it, the tides of all of their lives had shifted to pt them as enemies. Asuna still felt complicated towards Garn as a person but that would not get in her way. No matter what, Asuna would stand against him for Kazuki and everyone else.
Thinking of all those things, Asuna felt a bitterness within her mind. For now, though there was nothing to do. Shaking the thoughts away, she enjoyed herself to the fullest. She would fly around these little purple dots and play with them. She would hold them in place or catch them. She would release a few before chasing them down once again. On occasion, she would observe the grey dull-looking dots as well but she was having trouble finding any insight into them. She could feel something from them but the feeling was so insignificant and small it was barely noticeable.
Playing around observing so on and so forth, this was how she spent her time. She didn’t know how long this would last and some times even wondered if she were actually dead. As soon as those thoughts rolled in she would throw them away. She couldn’t believe she was dead, there was no way. She felt that as long as she could feel the element of space, it meant her body somewhere was still sensing the elements of space. If her body could still sense the elements of space then it was definitely still alive.
The only problem she had now, was how could she escape from wherever she was and rejoin her body. As soon as she thought that, a voice, a familiar voice, one that she’s knows all her life, one that she’s wanted to hear for who knows how long, one that she had given up on. This voice as clear as crystal broke through the void and shook her from her very core as it bellowed.
“WAKE UP!”
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