Axel was engulfed inside the black portal, and he found 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, 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 and larger until it filled Axel's vision. He was pulled towards 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 he had seen used by Silas in sending him here.
Axel found himself in a corner of a dark cave. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of damp earth and forgotten decay. Axel, with the help of Gizmo, ran a scan and found that no one was present nearby. He stood up from the damp floor, his attention drawn towards the crystal, which was 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 take it with force. Moreover, an Artifact can only be operated by its owner, and for this space artifact, it seems like a system of two crystals, but only Silas can open the portal using these crystals. But how the f**k did that scrawny guy get his hand on a space artifact is another topic altogether.]
[But you have another problem at your hand, Axel. I sense a very powerful presence nearby. I didn't inform you as the being seemed sealed somehow, but I can assure you that entity can very easily perceive anything and everything that you are doing right now] explained Gizmo in a very concerned tone.
Axel was taken aback by Gizmo's tone as he had never heard Gizmo being scared for him to this degree, but he too could feel the disarray and chaos in the elements nearby, as if the very fabric of reality was being manipulated by the mere presence of something.
Right now, Axel was in a small enclosure within the cave, which looked like it had a lot of rooms, and he could feel this presence in a room towards the farthest room towards his right.
Axel started taking note of his immediate surroundings, and Gizmo was tasked with creating a map of the cave. But still, other than the mysterious and threatening presence, there was nobody in the vicinity.
As Axel ventured deeper, the cave's 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 finding his way around when he heard a voice. A voice without any malice, an otherworldly beautiful feminine voice filled with magic and authority.
"Boy, make your way towards me," a chilling whisper that seemed to penetrate his very soul. The hairs on Axel's arms and legs began to rise, a physical manifestation of his growing terror and submission to the mystifying power. Axel could feel his consciousness falling towards darkness; he could still feel but could not control his body.
He felt ecstasy all over his body, the joy of being given a chance to fulfil the command. The command meant the world 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 his whole life for.
[Axel, wake up!!!!!!] Gizmo shouted as loud as it could, but only Axel could hear him. Gizmo's voice was enough to wake him from his enchanting trance. Axel fell to his knees, his body shaking and sweating. He didn't know how, but he knew that he had momentarily lost control, and the things he felt scared him to the core.
The mere voice of someone was powerful enough to bring him to this state. Just hours ago, he thought this day was his luckiest day and considered the day for new beginnings, but reality had other things for him in store. Axel managed to get back to his feet, but his legs were still shaking.
Whatever was there behind the door, he did not want to know, and he just wanted to run away. 'Gizmo, make it so that I could hear anything for a while,' said Axel, panicking.
[Axel, I don't think that's going to help. It was a soul enchantment, and merely blocking your ears is not going to help. Right now, we are completely helpless. I don't think I can help you out of this situation. The being that spoke earlier is too powerful for you to even fathom] said Gizmo in a completely dejected voice.
[Only a true elementalist can somehow protect his soul from such attacks, but still, I don't think even that would be completely useful. If I have to guess, the being at the other end is at least a level 8 Elementalist, just a step away from being a literal god. That is 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, and what followed was utter silence.
Axel tried to converse with Gizmo but got no response whatsoever. Axel's confidence had hit rock bottom, he was a talent soon going to achieve the unimaginable but looks like he still had ways to go. Talent in itself is a promise for a better future, but that future was yet to arrive.
Axel just hoped that maybe he could get another go at life after this. Maybe a third life after the failed two.