Mez's Madness

He steeled himself, letting loose another bolt of energy. With tears in his eyes, it scattered across the dimly lit wall, spraying dark mist and sparks. Crestfallen, he let his arms fall to his sides. His vision clouded, his senses dulled.

First were the voices. Scarcely whispers, flitting in and out of comprehension. A word here, a word there. Words that he had heard before.

"Failure."

"Disgrace."

These whispers then were accompanied by visions. Flashing, churning. A stone keep, resting on a hill. Endless fields of bones, picked at by carrion birds. An old man, gray and withered, breathing his last. A tattered book, floating listlessly in a sea of black mist.

"Hopeless."

"Coward."

The voices changed. Like an ocean, rising, falling, cresting and plunging. A deep, rumbling chorus that defied sense and defiled senses. Words became random jumbles of syllables. Familiar scenes became chromatic aberrations that threatened vertigo. He shut his eyes and covered his ears, but to no avail.

"Leave."

As that final word echoed into the void, he stood alone once again. He tentatively opened his eyes, looking around. Not sure what to expect, but fearing what he might find. A deep, quaking rumble, as an entity pushed itself into his consciousness. With a thought, he was sent reeling, the colours and the whispers overtaking his mind. Another thought, and silence returned. He understood: it was toying with him. No, preparing him. Teaching him. Perhaps...

He directed his mind towards the entity. All at once a horrible screeching, alien in the extreme, threatened to truly send him to madness. But he held his ground, again focusing on the entity. He began to make sense of its message.

"Good."

"Potential."

He strained, struggling to maintain his composure. The incredible presence of the entity constantly pushing him, ever closer to an edge he dared not look beyond.

"Listen."

"Learn."

A pause. He took a deep breath, his whole body trembling. At any moment he could lose it all.

"Go."

At his limit, he felt himself slipping. His legs gave way, as he tumbled down into eternity. On and on, down and ever further down. Twisting, turning, tendrils of black mist reaching out and caressing him. Funny, they almost felt warm.

As his conscious mind once again returned to his body, he sat, staring at a small campfire. Around him lay his companions, battered and bruised, but alive. With a deep sigh, he rose to his feet. There was a long day ahead of him.