Aaron kept turning on his mat. He glanced at Kendia, his personal slave. He shuddered, unable to stop recalling what had happened between them. I did nothing wrong. But why do I feel sullied?

  Guilt was overcome by exhaustion an eternity later.

  Aaron fell into strange dreams. Crowds with burning eyes swarmed him, their voices an unintelligible hum of accusation. Nothing he said would satisfy them. He ran, but the world refused to shift. The legions closed in.

  A cold darkness ripped him from the dream like a plunge into icy water. The Oblivion Road. I know this. He swam downward until movement blurred into meditation—until his finger cracked through the ocean floor.

  The familiar pillar in the well-lit darkness stood beneath him. His mindshield’s metal sphere spun on top of it. But there was something else. Like the flashing of a distant light in the night. Floating down, Aaron tried to focus on the anomaly. The light pulsed rhythmically. Let’s see what you are.

  Aaron slid his finger in a soft circle over the rotating, shining black sphere. And his blood froze. His mind contracted. The Knowing Sage. The messages. They had been nothing but flies hitting a windshield.

  The anomaly was titanic—like a reactor core made of fuzz and gravity, warping the magnetic shielding into jittering spirals. Aaron spun the sphere faster with a pounding heart. How does it do that? Part of the shield seemed to connect to it—bleed into it.

  The world erupted into an unbearable blue glare. Even with his eyes shut, even as he buried his face in his arm, the light pierced through. Aaron screamed. Not again. I won’t be weak. His skin cracked, dried to brittle flakes, peeling away with each desperate movement. He forced his hand forward, knuckles scraping against unseen resistance. Bone met the sphere.

  His shield twisted—one side crushed, the other unraveling into the void. A beam. Something is cutting into my mind—warping the shield from inside.

  Aaron’s hand jerked back. Still, no pain. Just absence. "Consider this a kindness. There are less patient teachers in the void."

  Aaron’s charred remains curled in on themselves. He heard his own voice, a dry croak. Why am I calm? I should be in agony. My body is dust, my eyes gone—yet I remain aware. Funny how that works.

  “Your body is a mere focus. You are in your mind. Observe.”

  Aaron’s body crumbled to dust. Dry flakes scattered like sand, bones collapsing into nothingness. Only a fine grey heap remained. Shouldn’t it hurt? But there are no nerves left to carry pain. Strange. I am still aware.

  “Now reassemble yourself.”

  Sure, let’s just leave entropy as an exercise for the reader. The man tilted his head. “Correct. That’s how you learn.”

  Something tickled the back of Aaron’s mind. I know that voice. I am in my mind. So—

  “Do focus.” The words cut through his thoughts like a woodcutter’s axe. Cold crept up his non-existent spine. Phantom pain. I feel amused. He observed distantly.

  A pressure built up around him. Right, the question. How do I move? How do I do anything here? I just will it.

  He paused and focused. Reassemble. Nothing happened. Aaron remembered how he had crystallized the metal sphere. How he had forced the crystal lattice to grow. But I don’t have a clue about biochemistry.

  “Nature offers the path of least resistance. The intuitive one.”

  Very helpful. The pressure grew suddenly. Alright, I will focus.

  Something snapped into place in his mind, like a crack shattering a frozen lake. What the hell is the Mind Mage doing? He just killed me. I—

  The cold voice cut through his rage. “Poor result, terrible method.”

  What result? He focused on his ashes. A sausage lay in their middle. It twitched. What. The. Fuck.

  “The oldest part of your brain. Emotions.”

  Aaron felt heat ringing within him. I will give you emotions, you pretentious asshole.

  He swung his fist at the figure in a plain robe before him. And froze again. My fist? Involuntarily, his attention returned to the ash pile. He choked. His heart… I literally can see it beating.

  The ash was gone. In its place was a collection of meat and bones. A long arm radiated out from it. Fingers curled into a fist.

  “Impressive that you haven’t spread yourself all over the void yet. Your will to survive is strong.” The Mind Mage cleared his throat sharply. “Now do clean this up.”

  Aaron vomited. Sludge erupted from the stomach, throat, and mouth that formed themselves out of the churning meat. Another wave of vomit erupted at the sight.

  “A useful trick. Though, I prefer to use it for my favorite vintages.”

  Asshole. Aaron’s nose sniffed on top of the pile. He clamped his mouth shut. Swallowing the bile was disgusting. It took all his willpower. Wait. Why do I still feel my body?

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  His lone arm involuntarily tipped his lips. Is it really just…

  Aaron focused on his limbs—bones, muscle, nerves—and built himself back. Then the torso. Skin. Skull. Shaking, he stood. I’m alive. I’m real again.

  Anger flared up, as he shuddered in horror. His scream shook the pillar and sphere. “What the hell did you do to me?! You killed me—”

  The old man shook his head and clicked his tongue in disappointment. The blue fire returned. Aaron saw his scorched husk crumble to ash. His world turned red. What— I will— Arrhgh!!

  His heart and brain twitched in the dust. Aaron clenched his fists and then rose from the grey mass. He stepped forward and jabbed twice at the Mind Mage. His fists dissolved into the Mind Mage’s sneer. The scream wasn’t pain—it was futility.

  Part of him noticed the empty guts and the lack of skin. Aaron took a deep breath and tensed his stomach. Felt the organs inside. As he tensed, skin sprouted like grass in spring.

  “Faster, yet the technique remains atrocious.”

  Aaron lunged forward. Into the blue fire. For a heartbeat he felt the warmth of the hand-to-hand combat skill guide. Then there was no more body to sense it. Only ashes.

  Time blurred into an endless loop of fury, fire, and flying fists. Aaron’s snarls grew more feral with every pulse of flame. The Mind Mage’s condescending remarks only fanned the inferno. I’ll break him. I’ll break this place. I’ll—

  He kept punching the intangible man. Kicked at his meditating form in vain. Something else emerged. Something familiar. A thought.

  He froze mid-swing. Wait. Where is the fire? The blue glow?

  Aaron staggered back, panting. His rage had carried him through a cycle he hadn’t even noticed breaking. His eyes met the grey eyes of the old mage. His smirk was the last thing Aaron saw before the blue fire incinerated him.

  This time, the ash remained on the ground. Aaron took stock. He felt calm. He thought of the warmth of wine and laughter. Of Rhea’s grin, Theon’s snark. That was real. This... this was instruction by fire. Free of all burdens. How long—

  “Two tenth-cycles at five times the speed of normal thought. It is dawning already.”

  Twenty hours?! I’ve done this for a day?

  He looked at his ashes with serene indifference. Look at the ashes. I could feel my way through my body. Or— he intended to stand beside the old Mind Mage. Visualized it. Felt the presence of the man. The cold stone under his bare feet.

  He opened his eyes and met the Mind Mage’s gaze. Looked toward the anomaly which kept spewing the blue fire.

  Aaron exhaled, his body loose, his mind clear. He met the Mind Mage’s gaze. “Do it again.”

  The Mind Mage shook his head, a glint in his eyes. Pride? “There is no need. You have learned self-manifestation and found the place beyond rage.” The mage’s smile radiated smugness. “The final step towards initiate skills. And a Magister technique in two tenth-cycles.”

  The Mind Mage waved a hand. Two couches appeared. “Sit.”

  Aaron complied while examining his hands. After a while, the mage cleared his throat. “Keep the slave around. Do not trust her. Bark almost put a flechette through her skull when you hugged. Learn from her. Never go with her.”

  Aaron’s breath hitched. How do they know?

  The Mind Mage chuckled. “Two of my best agents are watching over you. Do you think an ambitious slave is any challenge at all? Do with her what you deem necessary.”

  Aaron shuddered and met the man's eyes. His attention slid off them like oil from water. He tightened his jaw and failed again. The Mind Mage chuckled. “I commend you for seeking out another exercise. Alas, this night is almost over.”

  Aaron turned and looked into the featureless void. “I am a precious pawn.”

  There was only silence as the Mind Mage stood beside Aaron. A simple word broke it like a bell.

  “Yes.”

  Aaron turned his head, studying the old man. Still figuring out which way is up. “So that’s the plan? Raise me like a prize pig, then crown me emperor?”

  Silence. Breaths. Heartbeats.

  “Yes.”

  Aaron narrowed his eyes. Isn’t he going to push back? Justify his grand master plan with the greater good, virtue or reason?

  The vision of him watching over the scorched desolation drifted into his thoughts. What isn’t justifiable to prevent the end of the world?

  Aaron looked toward the nearby neutron star. It was a coin-sized disk burning bright white. He remembered the standoff between the sages. The fire and lightning. The way the Mind Mage had effortlessly manipulated him. Might still be manipulating me.

  His stomach sank to his knees. Can I ever challenge monsters like that?

  For the third time, a word cut through the silence.

  “Yes.”

  Aaron looked up. “How? Theon told me only a few ever rise through long labor.”

  “True.” The nondescript face smiled at him. “But how many people had a cabal prepare for over one hundred and fifty seasons to raise him up? Never mind the boons the Watcher grants you.”

  Aaron’s heart pounded faster. A laugh escaped his mouth. “I really am the Chosen One for you.” He shook his head. They’ve prepared for me over a century. What do they have planned?

  Aaron narrowed his eyes. Do I even have any choices in this? If my path has been planned out perfectly—

  “We learned the folly of that with the Second Prophet. We will support from the shadows. Everything else would leave us vulnerable.” The old man gazed into the distance and shook his head. “Such folly,” he mumbled.

  Aaron waited for a long moment. “It might be selfish, but I want to forge my own way. I want my freedom back.” Sweat ran down his back as his heart pounded louder.

  A piece of soil emerged from the void before Aaron. The Mind Mage poked a finger into the rich loam. Aaron tilted his head. The Mind Mage held a large seed between two fingers before planting it.

  “Is the seed free in dry soil?”

  Aaron looked over the ground as it dried up. Cracked from heat. He pursed his lips. The Mind Mage raised his hand and a gentle rain fell onto it. Aaron was splattered by the rain, yet remained motionless. A sprout broke the soil. As did others.

  A rabbit scurried in and began chewing down the growing oaks—one after another, until the grove thinned. The Mind Mage raised a hand.

  “You see, without—” An ear-splitting screech cut him off. Quetzy popped into existence, shot toward the rabbit, and propelled it into the void.

  “WithoutAgencyOthersWillConsumeYou. DoNotLetThem!” The dragon-squirrel spit out while spiraling rapidly. The Mind Mage gulped into the void.

  The neutron star grew bright. Quetzy hissed. Aaron felt waves of heat hitting him like a freight train. Quetzy screeched again, this time shooting toward the star. It dimmed and grew more distant. Soon the blue sphere turned red. Like the embers of a campfire.

  Quetzy’s image suddenly blurred and distorted. Aaron took several steps back, as he recognized it. It looks like light passing around black holes. Quetzy’s scream shattered the effect. The distant Mind Mage grabbed his head with both hands.

  Aaron stared as Quetzy slapped its front limbs together. The Mind Mage smeared like glowing paint toward Aaron. With a groan, he fell onto his knees before Aaron.

  Quetzy shot up and whacked the old man’s nose as Aaron fought back the surprise.

  Quetzy arced around, and its weight settled onto Aaron’s shoulder. Aaron looked at the furry beast as it rubbed its face against his cheek. Then its head swiveled, and its huge black eye locked onto the Mind Mage.

  Quetzy chirped, radiating smugness. “ConsiderThisKindness. FindLessPatientTeachersHere.”

  +++ Shout-Out Time +++

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  What do you think of Aaron's decisions? Would you have done the same?

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