Jade stood under the hot water until her thoughts started to spiral. Steam filled the room, and the place she had visited, along with the cryptic mention of a "Devil God," kept nagging at her.
Her education in religious studies had painted a different picture of celestial beings and their domains. The creature’s words became a puzzle that challenged the foundations of what she had learned.
With a heavy sigh, she resigned herself to the fact that some questions would have to wait. The morning and a conversation with the director might shed light on these mysteries.
She wanted to write everything down before sleep stole pieces from her memory.
The King of Nothing.
The cube.
The warning about power.
Each thought felt too large to hold alone, yet she had no strength left to sort them.
Finishing her shower, she stepped onto the cool, white tiles, the mundane act grounding her in reality after the whirlwind of her thoughts.
Her attention was drawn to the cube left by the King of Nothing, resting innocently among the clothes he had provided. A wave of unease washed over her as she considered the implications of keeping such an object.
"It would be terrible for you to turn back into the disgusting monster," she mused aloud, contemplating whether she should have handed it over to Master Gojaro. Yet, that decision, like so many others, would have to wait until tomorrow.
Taking the cube with worry and resolve, she wrapped herself in a white robe, the fabric plain against the complexity of her thoughts and the weight of the cube in her hand.
Climbing into bed, she allowed the exhaustion of the day’s events to pull her into deep, needed sleep.
As she closed her eyes, Jade found herself caught between sleep and a lucid dream that felt all too real.
The black pond beside the sand bed felt like a manifestation of the unknown, its dark waters mirroring the depths of her subconscious.
Her hands, transparent and pale, told her this was no ordinary dream.
She tried to flex her fingers.
The motion lagged half a second behind her will, like the dream needed time to remember she belonged there.
As she marveled at her lucidity, the scene shattered. The lake began to bubble and churn, a prelude to the emergence of something unseen.
The voice that broke the silence was both heavy and compelling, hinting at a recognition of Jade’s worth, yet it carried an underlying threat.
"A soul worth serving," it proclaimed, sending a shiver down Jade’s spine.
The black liquid’s rise, transforming into a viscous gue, was mesmerizing and terrifying in equal measure. The voice’s admission of being impressed by Jade, yet demanding more, to become a "pillar of darkness," was a chilling proposition.
It suggested a trial or a transformation that Jade was yet to understand, let alone accept.
The sudden attack, a dart shooting from the creature and hitting Jade’s translucent head, was the catalyst for an overwhelming flood of images.
Jade’s nightmare, a relentless barrage of her deepest fears and darkest scenarios, ended when reality intruded in the form of Master Gojaro.
The transition from the vivid terror of her dream to the startling presence of Gojaro in her room was disorienting.
Her eyes, wide with the remnants of fear, scanned the room, landing on the clock indicating it was 4am, a silent witness to the chaos that had unfolded in the darkness.
"What’s going on?" she managed to stammer, her voice still catching up to her sudden wakefulness.
The room bore the evidence of her nightmare spilling into reality, with crystalized objects strewn about in chaotic disarray, their forms twisted and distorted, a physical manifestation of her inner turmoil.
Even the bed, a place that should have offered safety and comfort, had transformed into an unrecognizable mass from the power she had unleashed in her sleep.
Gojaro gave a brief account of the events that had led him to her side. "I heard a loud bang and rushed in to check on you, only to find you screaming and releasing your ability," he said, concern and urgency carrying through his voice.
"It took a few slaps to get you awake."
"Are you okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
"I--I don’t know. I just had the strangest nightmare, if one can even call it that," Jade replied, her gaze sweeping over the room, taking in the chaos. "I’m not sure what happened here.
I think I might have tried to defend myself in my sleep, and this happened."
He nodded, understandingly. "That nightmare might have been related to your time in that realm. We really don’t know enough yet," he said, handing her a notepad. "Please, write down everything you remember.
In the meantime, get dressed and meet at the eating halls. We’ll discuss the interview with the Director at first light."
As he turned to leave, his eyes caught sight of something on the nightstand--a small cube with an eyeball moving around. "What the hell is that?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
Jade, equally surprised, frantically searched her pockets, only to find the cube was no longer there. It was now sitting on the table. A chill ran down her spine as she wondered, "Did it get up and move on its own?"
Jade, trying to maintain a level of calm in her voice, explained the situation to Master Gojaro.
"Don’t freak out, but that’s the creature we defeated earlier in the day... the one that crashed into the portal with me, taking me to that strange place," she said, revealing the origins of the cube.
She further shared that the King of Nothing had reduced the creature to this tiny object, with the peculiar instruction for her to consume it for power.
Master Gojaro’s reaction was one of disbelief and concern, rather than anger. His hand instinctively went to his head as he processed the revelation.
"You brought this monster inside?... and kept that part to yourself?" His tone conveyed shock rather than reprimand, indicating he was more taken aback by the situation than upset with Jade.