Axel was engulfed inside the black portal, finding himself in an indescribable situation.
One moment he was in his room; the next, everything was a blur - a blinding light, a deafening roar, and a sensation like being ripped from his own skin. He felt himself being pulled, stretched, twisted.
It's hard to describe, but imagine the most intense rollercoaster ride multiplied a thousand times over. The colours around him swirled and shifted in an impossible blend of hues that defied description. He could feel the very fabric of reality tearing, and he was caught in the rip.
A cold dread settled over him, a fear so primal it seemed to come from the depths of Axel's soul.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the pull ceased. He was left floating in a void - a silent, dark expanse that stretched infinitely in every direction.
A single point of light appeared in the distance, growing larger until it filled Axel's vision. He was pulled toward that point, and then he was through.
In less than a second, Axel had travelled a million miles - away from the known and into the unknown. He opened his eyes and found himself near a pulsating stone, similar to the one Silas had used to send him here.
Axel found himself in a corner of a dark cave. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and forgotten decay. With Gizmo's help, Axel ran a scan and found no one nearby. He stood up from the damp floor, his attention drawn to the crystal that had been pulsating with an ethereal red glow earlier.
'Gizmo, should we take this crystal with us? Would you be able to figure out a way to send us back?' asked the bewildered Axel, taken aback by the turn of events but keeping a cool head.
[I don't think that's possible. The crystal is embedded here with earth elements - it would be very hard to remove by force. Moreover, an artifact can only be operated by its owner, and this space artifact seems like a system of two crystals.]
[Only Silas can open the portal using these crystals. But how the f**k did that scrawny guy get his hands on a space artifact is another topic altogether.]
[But you have another problem at hand, Axel. I sense a very powerful presence nearby. I didn't inform you earlier as the being seemed sealed somehow, but I can assure you that entity can very easily perceive everything you're doing right now,] explained Gizmo in a concerned tone.
Axel was taken aback by Gizmo's tone - he had never heard Gizmo sound so concerned for him. He too could feel the disarray and chaos in the nearby elements, as if the very fabric of reality was being manipulated by something's mere presence.
Currently, Axel was in a small enclosure within the cave that appeared to have many rooms. He could sense this presence coming from the farthest room to his right.
Axel began taking note of his immediate surroundings while Gizmo worked on creating a cave map. Aside from the mysterious and threatening presence, there was nobody else in the vicinity.
As Axel ventured deeper, the cave walls closed in, the ceiling lowering to press against his shoulders. Strange, bioluminescent fungi clung to the rock face, casting an otherworldly glow that illuminated the twisting passageways. The floor, slick with moisture, was uneven and treacherous, strewn with jagged rocks.
Axel was still orienting himself when he heard a voice - an otherworldly beautiful feminine voice filled with magic and authority, completely devoid of malice.
"Boy, make your way toward me," came a chilling whisper that seemed to penetrate his very soul. The hairs on Axel's arms stood up, a physical manifestation of his growing terror and involuntary submission to this mystifying power. Axel could feel his consciousness slipping toward darkness; he could still feel but couldn't control his body.
He felt ecstasy coursing through him, the joy of being given a chance to fulfil the command. The command meant everything to him. The purpose of his existence had been laid bare - he was meant to serve and obey the voice that had finally called him, the voice he had been waiting for his whole life.
[Axel, wake up!!!!!!] Gizmo shouted as loud as it could, though only Axel could hear him. Gizmo's voice was enough to break the enchanting trance. Axel fell to his knees, body shaking and sweating. He didn't understand how, but he knew he had momentarily lost control, and the experience terrified him to his core.
The mere voice of someone had been powerful enough to reduce him to this state. Just hours ago, he had thought this was his luckiest day, marking a new beginning, but reality had other plans. Axel managed to get back to his feet, though his legs still trembled.
Whatever lay behind that door, he didn't want to know - he just wanted to run. 'Gizmo, make it so I can't hear anything for a while,' said Axel, panicking.
[Axel, I don't think that will help. It was a soul enchantment - merely blocking your ears won't work. Right now, we're completely helpless. I don't think I can help you out of this situation. The being that spoke is too powerful for you to even comprehend,] said Gizmo in a completely dejected voice.
[Only a true elementalist could somehow protect his soul from such attacks, and even that might not be completely effective. If I had to guess, the being at the other end is at least a level 8 Elementalist - just one step away from being a literal god. That's how powerful that thing is,] said Gizmo.
Before Gizmo could continue, the whisper was heard again. "Enough, I did not permit you to speak this much," said the voice, followed by utter silence.
Axel tried to converse with Gizmo but received no response whatsoever. His confidence had hit rock bottom. He was a talent on the verge of achieving the unimaginable, but clearly still had far to go. Talent itself is a promise for a better future, but that future has yet to arrive.
His unrealized potential was of no use to him in a do-or-die situation. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Only his current abilities could protect him from the threats of the present neither his potential nor his talent.
Axel could only hope that maybe he would get another chance at life after this. Perhaps a third life after two failed attempts.