Chapter Thirty-Seven

Travis floated in a white void, unaware of even his heartbeat. Time held no meaning to him as he drifted along until a black light filled the void, enveloping him.

"Despair not, young one."

He startled. "You're the one who guided me to the, the . . ."

"And now I will guide you out of here."

The black light took the shape of a great golden-brown eagle, wings spread wide.

"What's the point? I don't even know who or what I am."

"The circumstances of your birth matter not. You are who you choose to be."

"And what if I want this z sci-fi movie to end?"

"I only open the door. What comes after is up to you. You always have a choice. Stay here and cede control of your body to the other."

"Or?"

"Follow me and retake your birthright."

Travis thought long and hard. Is any of this real? Have these last months been all in my head? No, that can be right because then Josh and I . . . No! I know that was real. So then, this is real?

But what about Oblivion and the prophecy? Or those . . . aliens?

"Your time grows short, young one."

 Travis came to a decision. "It doesn't matter who or what I am. I decide my destiny!"  

"Of course." Body landed, letting him climb aboard, and took off.

***

Time passed. How much, Travis didn't know.

"I think this is . . ."

A slit in the white void opened, and sunlight sparkled off the clear waters that ran through the verdant forests of his inner mindscape.

"What now?"

"Free us."

With an eardrum-shattering cry, Body disappeared in a plume of golden light, knocking Travis on his ass. He dusted himself off and tugged on Prometheus's psychic leash.

"Get that weak shit outta here."

Rubbing his ass, Travis got off the ground. Liquid ran down his nose; wiping it, he found blood. Pulling the mental leash again, Prometheus knocked Travis on his ass that time and each time afterward, his strength ebbing with each attempt until he gave up.

You better hope I never get out of here because when I do, your ass is mine.

"Shut up."

A prisoner in his own body, Travis raged, uprooting trees until he tired himself out. With nothing better to do, he surveyed the area. More flora had grown since he'd last been there if that was even possible. And the encroaching grayness now bisected the land.

Once he got the lay of the land, Travis set off in search of the blackbird, scouring the waters and forest until, at last, he came upon the wall where the chained bird was. Only the wall was gone. In its place was a black stone well, the cover of which was etched with a strange X-shaped symbol. 

"You found me."

"Who are you?"

"The power of your spirit."

"But you couldn't talk before."

"I always could, but you couldn't understand me until now."

"How do I get out of here?"

"Free me, and you'll free yourself."

"How?"

"Unite me with the power of your mind and body."

"And how do I do that?"

"You have to figure that out on your own." 

"That's great."

He melted the well cover, smashed it with his fists, even blew it up, but every time, it reformed instantly. Since he didn't know how long he'd be there, Travis created a few creature comforts, starting with a puffy chair, then advanced to making his Psyche Sanctorum, a castle that would house his most private thoughts and memories, so they could never be used against him.

Reclined in his puffy chair, Travis replayed the happier memories of him and Josh. But try as he might, Travis couldn't help thinking of Josh's face twisting in anguish when his wave of fire blasted him. The image filled the monitors, Josh's screams echoing off the walls. 

"I'm sorry," he repeated until the monitors went dark. Travis was jolted from his seat when a shockwave rippled through the Psyche Sanctorum. "Little pig, little pig, let me in."

A close-up of Oblivion appeared on a monitor in front of Travis, and he shuddered upon seeing Oblivion. 

"What do you want?"

"To talk. By the way, I like the castle. Though, the tower is a bit gauche if you ask me."

"Well, Martha, I didn't. So, sit and spin."

"We have much to discuss."

Travis leaned in. "Such as?"

"A way out."

"Go on."

"Why don't you come out so we can talk man-to-man?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Bad things happen when I listen to you. Not to mention you lied to me."

"I mean you no harm. And I didn't lie to you. While your powers may be from those aliens, I'm responsible for them reactivating. So, it technically wasn't a lie."

Travis glowered at him. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm the only one who's never lied to you."

What a load of horse sh--

"Think about it. Your family, your Jenny, your Josh, all lied to you."

"But Grams--"

"Knew about your powers and what the government did to you, yet never said anything about them until they reactivated."

"Still--"

"That's lying by omission. I, on the other hand, have always been upfront about my intentions."

"But you're evil incarnate."

"I don't deny that. There is no good without evil, no light without dark, no creation without destruction."

 Travis didn't know what to believe. On the one hand, Oblivion did try to kill him during their first meeting, and he had lied to him about the origins of his powers. But he'd been nice ever since. 

"I thought you wanted to help me find a way out of here? Instead, you're spouting metaphysical mumbo-jumbo."

"I'm getting to that, but first, we must attend to other matters."

Travis folded his arms, reclining back in his puffy chair, his patience wearing thin. 

"Tell me, had you not been attacked and discovered this cave, would you have killed your parents?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

Oblivion smiled. "That's all I needed to know. Do you know how evil begins?"

"Is that a koan?"

"In a roundabout way. You see, evil begins not with the act but the thought that precipitates it. But this thought isn't enough. To be truly evil, you must consciously choose to act on said thought. And you did both."

"I'm not evil. They deserved to suffer."

"You'll get no disagreements from me."

Travis exited the Psyche Sanctorum.

"Glad to see you decided to join me."

"I figured since we're having this heart-to-heart, we might as well do it face-to-face."

"Good. Walk with me. As I was saying, your parents deserved everything you dished out to them and more. In fact, the whole world should be taken to task for how it's treated you."

Travis nodded, his lips quirking up in a smile. "Yeah. Their crimes have gone unpunished long enough."

"And with me by your side, you could do that."

"I don't know. I want them to pay, but I want to do it with my own power."

Oblivion clapped him on the back. "Fair enough. Question: have you've heard the fable of The Lion and the Mouse?"

Travis shook his head.

"Well, it goes something like this: one day, a mouse comes upon a lion, and the lion says he'll eat the mouse. The mouse begs for its life in return for helping the lion. The lion laughs but frees the mouse. A while later, a hunter captures the lion. And who should come upon him but the mouse? Though small, the mouse works its way through the hunter's net, freeing the lion. And the moral of the story is that we all need help sometimes."

Travis shook his head. "Sounds like the lion got lucky."

Oblivion's laughter echoed in Travis's mind. "Good answer. Now about getting you out of here?"

 Travis stumbled, catching himself. "What's the price?"

"Free of charge."

"Why so generous?"

"You still don't trust me. Good, you shouldn't because everyone is a potential enemy."

"Rule Five. How did you know?"

"Like I've told you, I've been watching you from the moment you were born."

"I get the whole prophecy dealio, but why me?"

"You're a very special boy."

"Yeah, I'd rather be normal."

"As the Bard of Avon said, `Be not afraid of greatness.'"

"Let's get back to how you're going to get me out of here."

"It's all business with you. Grab my hand, and you'll have the power you need. But before you do, a bit of advice?"

"Yes?"

"The longer you deny who and what you are, the longer your training will take."

Travis thought that over. While it was sound advice, could he trust Oblivion? Then again, with this powerup, he could regain control of his body and see Josh again. But what if Oblivion was lying? Only one way to find out.  

He grabbed Oblivion's hand.

 

 

Author's Note: How much, if any, is this in Travis's head? Let me know your thoughts at phenix39@yahoo.com. Next chapter we see what JJ has been up to since he and Travis parted ways.

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