Chapter 73 - The Meaning of Intangibility
The rain was getting stronger, but a black scarf shielded two girls while its owner sat, getting drenched as he looked up. Luke remained like that for hours, never looking back. The blue sky had turned completely gray. He didn't call them to wake up; he let them sleep.
With his eyes closed and his head tilted upward, the young man in black felt empty.
Anna was the first to wake up. The black fabric no longer protected them as well. Even though he tried to create a dome to shield them from the wind-driven raindrops, the rain was intensifying.
"Luke?"
Anna's voice pulled him from his private world of thoughts.
"Ah! Hello, Little Anna. It seems we have a new problem."
"A storm is coming."
She pointed to the horizon, where black clouds seemed to be infecting the others, forming something as if the clouds were descending to kiss the waters—a tornado was beginning to form. Luke had spent those hours thinking about how they could deal with it and concluded that there was no way.
"Looks like it's a troublesome storm. I've been thinking, is it wise to keep wandering along the coast indefinitely? Maybe this rock is a good place to stay."
"You might be right..."
Anna woke Alice.
"Problems..." Alice murmured.
"Yes..."
Lightning and thunder painted the dark horizon black and blue.
"Do we stay here or move forward, walking through the shallow sea?"
Alice seemed to ponder.
"Luke, what do you suggest?"
"Do you trust me?"
The two girls looked at each other.
"Of course!"
"I trust you."
"Great..." He jumped into the water and headed for the cliff.
"What are you going to do?" Alice asked.
Luke looked at the girls and the distant cliff before him.
"I'm going to climb this thing."
"What? That's crazy!" Anna shouted.
The enormous rock wall was full of holes and even more slippery because of the rain. It was impossible to climb as it inclined.
"I told you, didn't I? You'd need someone with crazy ideas."
"But if you fall, you know you'll die, right? I may have healing powers, but if you hit your head, it's over."
"The mountain starts to level out and descend, but it might flatten or rise again further on. We'll never know if there's a beach a few minutes or hours away. We don't have time, and I get the feeling that thing won't just stay there. But I think I can help us. The answer was in front of me all along, but I didn't see it. I just need to climb this damn thing."
"Are you sure you can climb that?"
Alice asked, watching the young man in black getting drenched by the heavy rain.
Luke took a deep breath and nodded. "I have an idea. Trust me, and stay close. If I can get to the top, I might be able to secure a path for us."
The girls exchanged worried glances but nodded in agreement.
"Just be careful," Anna said, her voice trembling slightly.
Luke gave them a reassuring smile. "I'll be back soon. Just stay here and be ready to move."
With that, he began his ascent, using the holes and ridges in the rock to pull himself up. The rain made it difficult, but his determination pushed him forward. Each step was precarious, each handhold slippery.
As he climbed, memories of his past flashed through his mind. The training, the hardships, the battles—everything led to this moment. He couldn't afford to fail.
Halfway up, he paused to catch his breath, looking down at the girls who watched anxiously from below. He gave them a thumbs-up and continued, ignoring the cold and the wetness.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached the top. The wind was stronger here, and the view was breathtaking. But there was no time to admire it.
Luke looked for a secure spot and found a sturdy rock formation. He pulled out a rope from his pack and secured it tightly.
He shouted down to the girls, his voice barely audible over the storm. "I've got a rope! Start climbing, one at a time!"
Anna went first, her small frame making it easier for her to ascend. Alice followed, and soon they both reached the top, panting and soaked.
"Great job, Luke," Alice said, her voice filled with relief.
"We're not safe yet," Luke replied, looking at the approaching tornado. "We need to find shelter and fast."
Together, they moved along the top of the cliff, searching for a place to hide from the storm. Luke led the way, his mind racing with plans and contingencies.
He had proven to himself and the girls that he could lead, that he could be trusted. But more importantly, he had discovered a new sense of purpose—a determination to protect and survive, no matter the odds.
"If I try to climb, I'll fall and die, and that's in dry conditions. Imagine with this rain... I'll slip easily. But... I don't need to climb; I just need to swim. "
"Swim?"
"I'll phase into the wall using my intangibility, swim up inside it, and emerge at the top. Once I'm up there, I'll find a vine or something to throw down to you."
"Sounds like a good plan," Anna agreed.
"I didn't even know you could do that. You said your ability was limited to phasing through things on your current level," Alice remarked.
"I didn't know either. I figured it out when I fell into that crater and almost died seeing what lay beneath the Veil. I phased back up using my intangibility."
They stared at him.
"Do you have enough prana to sustain your ability for that long? What happens if your power runs out while you're inside the wall?" Alice asked, seeing Luke was hiding his nervousness.
"That won't happen."
Lightning started cracking across the sky. In the distance, what looked like a tornado was beginning to form.
"It looks like the storm is getting worse. I need to move."
Jumping towards the wall, Luke was engulfed by darkness. Somehow, it wasn't as dark as he expected, but he wasted no time. Luke began swimming upwards, ascending as quickly as he could.
I think there's a good chance I'll die here… but it will be entirely my fault. I don't want to be alone again, standing victorious on an empty throne, the only one left alive…
Using his scarf to synchronize his movements, the ends acted like extra limbs, propelling him faster as he swam within the wall.
Luke wasn't just swimming through a wall; he was swimming through a sea of emotions. Miss Moon's words echoed in his mind: "You promised to change." Combined with his own inner turmoil, he needed this; he needed to find a strength that extended beyond himself.
Feeling his body growing heavier from the loss of prana, he cursed his ability internally. It wasn't useful in combat; his intangibility couldn't pass through living things. Like Luke himself, his ability was flawed. It was a reflection of its owner, someone who wanted to be empty but couldn't. Intangibility was the personification of indecision; it lived between two worlds. Intangibility was half of a whole—it was empty and yet not. Intangibility existed in the real world and in the void simultaneously. Intangibility was the definition of Luke himself.
His lungs started to fail, even though he had already overcome the need to breathe. Somehow, they, along with his other organs, began to shut down. He realized his power was killing him. It wasn't just the lack of prana; his intangibility was draining his life. It was becoming the void, and life did not exist in the void.
Luke didn't know if he was close to the top or how long he had been swimming inside the wall. Time was slipping away. He felt everything beginning to fade. Even though he saw only darkness, he sensed his existence dimming. Luke was becoming the void, and soon, nothing would be left. His intangibility was erasing him from existence.
But he needed to hold on just a little longer. He wouldn't accept dying here. He had to get back to Earth and see that person again.
The world started to fracture, the sound of breaking glass echoing all around. Luke felt reality itself shattering. He was ceasing to be part of this existence. He struggled to focus on existing; his ears were ringing, and his head was pounding.
Swimming in the darkness, the next thing to fade away was his sense of touch. Luke lost all feeling, not that he had much while being intangible. But somehow, the sensation in his entire being vanished. His heart, his nose, his mouth, his fingers—nothing worked. He couldn't feel anything. Even moving his fingers, he couldn't tell if he had fingers. Even swimming with his arms, he couldn't know if they were moving. The sense of touch had drained away.
His existence was slipping out of his body, or his body was slipping out of existence. His sense of direction also disappeared. He didn't know what was left or right, up or down. Was he standing still? Was he moving? Was he alive? Did he exist? These were questions Luke no longer had answers to, as they were beginning to fade. His thoughts were the next to start emptying; soon, Luke would no longer exist.
Who was he? Why did he exist? What was he doing? Who was Luke? Even he didn't know anymore. Everything was disappearing, but somewhere in his mind, a single will remained. He had to keep going up, but what was up? Even that he didn't know.
What was existence? Luke tried to understand, but he didn't know how to speak or think. Luke was just a grain of sand in existence.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He screamed, emerging from the earth and becoming tangible again.
Digging with half his body still stuck in the ground, he used his scarf to pull himself up.
His intangibility deactivated as soon as part of him emerged from the ground, but luckily, somehow he hadn't lost his legs. They just occupied the space of the earth.
Laughing, he said, "I am Luke! I exist... I am alive!"
[You have awakened the ability Void Form]