Arnimos awoke with the sun shining in his eyes, he winced and raised a hand to cover them. He couldn't bring his hand that far, he looked down at his hands. They were chained to the metal bars of a cart, he could also see that a thin band of these shackles were a strange deep purple stone. His eyes focused as he glanced around, he saw the Vishashi and John also chained up next to him. The cart had 2 people on the front, the Taniberas and Shi, who were watching the surrounding desert and guiding a large lizard-like creature that was dragging the cart. Around the cart were 4 more of these lizards with 2 men riding on each.

  John looked over as Arnimos began to wake.

  "Welcome back to the world of living," John said. "You've been out for a bit,"

  "What happened?" Arnimos said.

  "We got caught," The Vishashi said.

  "They jumped us and wore us down in quick succession," John said.

  "Then they're taking us to Paradise?" Arnimos said.

  "Yeah, 'ppears to be where we're heading," John said. "Can't say for sure though, after all... They won't say nothing!"

  John yelled that while shooting the Taniberas and Shi a glare, they didn't react.

  "Why haven't you tried to break out yet?" Arnimos said. "Surely, we could just-"

  As Arnimos spoke he poked his Dichotomy but the energy that swelled suddenly drained out of him and into the strange purple stone.

  "Dichotomy won't work," The Vishashi said. "They put us in Fearstone, it will take the DE from out from our system quickly,"

  "Shit's damn expensive though," John said. "He really wants me,"

  "So what are we supposed to do?" Arnimos said.

  "Sit and wait," John said. "We'll get out in time, don't worry,"

  John leaned back and rested his head on his shoulder then fell asleep.

  "There's not much we can do here," The Vishashi said. "Just wait, the Sandfather will guide us where we need to be,"

  "Surely there's-" Arnimos said.

  "I'm afraid not," The Vishashi said, then leaned in close. "We'll find our moment, conserve your strength until then,"

  The Vishashi leaned back and Arnimos followed, he looked up at the clear blue sky. He watched the sky as time passed, the sun slowly sinking lower and lower, as it sank below the horizon and the endless dark of Night began to creep in the cart stopped and set up camp. A large fire burned at the center while lanterns lit up the edge, a necessary precaution to hide so many from Night.

  Arnimos watched his captors as they set up camp. He saw one of them light the fire with the use of their Dichotomy, based on their skin color and what they did they had to be a Taniberas. His captors ate then went into tents to sleep leaving 2 of them to watch the camp and their prisoners. He looked over to John who was still sleeping then over to the Vishashi who seemed to be meditating. He looked back down at the shackles, 'there has to be a way out of this,' Arnimos thought.

  He stared at them for a long time, they were made of old steel with the thin band of Fearstone running down the center. He had seen Fearstone before, Tages had worn similar rings before but Arnimos never asked about them. 'It didn't instantly suck out my DE earlier,' Arnimos thought. 'But it does it too quickly for me to build up enough energy to use my Luxicon or Taniberas Dichotomy.' Arnimos sat wondering, 'Wait... What about my other Dichotomies? What would they give me?'

  Arnimos closed his eyes and focused his mind inwards then pressed against his Dichotomies. They roared to life but it was different, they didn't have time to build fear and produce large amounts of DE before it was sucked away into the Fearstone. He didn't have the time. After a minute or so of trying he stopped, opening his eyes and looking back around the camp.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Nothing had changed in that minute, he was still in the cart. It wouldn't be so easy to get out.

  Days passed as the cart trudged ever onwards through the desert, the three men sat in the back languishing. It was just a few more days till Paradise then whatever fate was to befall them would happen. John seemed to spend the days sleeping or complaining while the Vishashi spent his time meditating, Arnimos stared at the desert as they moved through the endless dunes.

  'How many times?' Arnimos thought. 'How many more times do I have to fail?' He watched as dunes passed the caravan by, each the same but different. 'What exactly am I meant to do?' Arnimos felt the hot desert wind blow across his face. 'How do I keep losing?' The sun beat endlessly down. 'Am I a bad Archon?'

  As Night came and they stopped and set up camp they left the 3 sitting in the cart with 2 guards sitting near the fire and occasionally glancing at them. John finally woke up as the camp finished setting up. He looked around then sighed.

  "Kinda hoped we'd get out by now," John said. "How have you two been?"

  "It has been a normal trek through the desert," The Vishashi said. "Nothing outside the usual,"

  Arnimos stared at the floor of the cart, he could see the grain of the wood. He could hear the other 2 talking but he wasn't really listening, just thinking. 'What are we supposed to do? Why was I sent here?' Arnimos thought. As his mind raced the world began to slow, he felt his Dichotomies stir ever-so-slightly. 'Am I just going to keep failing? I couldn't save Hijki-Kal, I couldn't save Hilmas or Milhas, I can't save anyone.' He felt his Dichotomies shifting, for a moment it felt like they were trying to change but then he heard a click.

  His mind focused, hid Dichotomies trembled immediately stopping whatever change they were trying to undergo. His throat felt like it was closing and his heart almost seemed to stop. He felt like the eyes of some evil God Author God Author God Author God Author God Author God Author were watching him. As the pressure kept increasing it felt like his mind was going mad, tearing away at the parts of his mind that kept him sane. More and more pressed on his mind and his Dichotomies grasped tightly, he could feel his mind fraying like a strained rope.

  John idly talked to the Vishashi, not much else to do. He glanced up at Night, it was a dark and starless sky. He glanced over at Arnimos who was staring at the ground, maybe he should talk to him.

  "Hey, Arnimos, are you-" John said.

  As John looked he began to see wisps of purplish mist begin to flow from Arnimos's pores, he saw small purplish crystals forming in between his fingers. The Fearstone seemed to be taking in this DE but more and more kept flowing out, a truly staggering amount.

  "Hey!" John said.

  John put his hand on Arnimos's shoulder, he felt a jolt run through his body. For a moment DE filled every fiber of his being before flowing away but something even worse than that pervaded his mind. He heard the familiar ringing of a typewriter and felt a presence he had not felt since his Rebirth. He recoiled instinctively, his very being seemed afraid.

  John looked over at the Vishashi who had opened his eyes and looked at Arnimos then at John.

  "What's happening?" The Vishashi said.

  "Beats me," John said. "Just something horrible,"

  As they spoke the 2 guards seemed to notice the commotion and approached with their rifles. They walked over then looked in the back to see Arnimos leaking DE.

  "What's happening here-" A guard said.

  Arnimos head then snapped to stare at the guards, his eyes were hollow and seemed covered in a thin film of that strange purplish crystal. He opened his mouth but no words man could ever understand left them.

  ■■■■■■■

  The energy surged out in a flash, as it touched the cart, the shackles and the guards they seemed to just vanish. There was no sound, no terrible screams or anything else, one moment it was there and the next it wasn't. The three men fell to the ground, as John and the Vishashi stood up as their bodies began to slowly refill with DE now that the Fearstone was gone they noticed something. The desert in a 5 meter radius around them was gone, not like earlier where it left for a few seconds then healed but instead just completely gone and replaced by a section of ashen ground. The Vishashi looked around.

  "What a terrifying ability," The Vishashi said.

  "Let's worry about that later," John said. "Let's scram before anyone realizes anything,"

  "Heading into Night is dangerous," The Vishashi said.

  "We snag a lantern while we run," John said. "If we're lucky he'll not notice us till daybreak then we can keep on the way to Paradise,"

  John scooped up Arnimos who seemed to slowly stop leaking DE, as he touched him this time he didn't hear the ring of a typewriter or feel that presence. He dashed towards the edge of the camp, he and the Vishashi each grabbed a lantern as they passed and they entered into the cover of Night with only a lantern to keep them at bay.