Requiem for an Aberrant Chapter 33: Chapter 33- The Threshold

Read chapter 33 of Requiem for an Aberrant by TheJestersGambit on NovelPedia.

Typically, those who passed the Trial of the Abyss were transported to the alternative world, where they'd be known as newcomers, spending their first year confined to the academy. But this… this was different. This was no academy. ‘What is the Threshold?’ As if the man had anticipated Cole’s unspoken question, he spoke. “If you wish to see what the Threshold entails, get dressed.” He waved a hand toward the wardrobe. “I’ll be waiting outside.” With that, he turned and left, leaving Cole standing by the window in nothing but his shorts. He barely registered the cold air dancing against his naked skin. ‘Emissary.’ The man had called himself the Emissary of the Abyss. It was the way he’d said it too, like it wasn’t just his role, but a truth woven into the fabric of the world. Cole couldn’t help but notice the obvious link. ‘Emissary… could he be the same one from The Nameless Concord?’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘It’s never that simple, is it?’ Whether he stood there out of defiance or weariness, even he wasn’t sure. Maybe it was a kind of exhaustion born not from what had happened, but from what would. With no other choice, he turned to the wardrobe and was met with a pristine array of clothing. After a moment’s consideration, Cole pulled on a long, navy coat, layered over a charcoal tunic and trousers. Dark leather boots laced high to his calves, and straps across his chest and waist held pouches, along with his diary. From a pocket of his coat, a golden watch gleamed faintly. He stepped in front of the mirror beside the wardrobe, the reflection staring back at him for once. Since he was heading into uncharted territory, Cole figured now was as good a time as any. Raising his hand, he began tapping his knuckles against his temples. The gesture felt stupid even to himself. “I know you’re there.” He tapped harder. A dull ache throbbed within his skull. In the mirror, his amber eyes began to cloud into a disturbing shade of rotted brown, then returned to normal. His eyes widened. Green tendrils sprouted from his back, curling outward like grotesque wings. There was no pain. But what followed was worse: something began to crawl out from him. A cadaver, shriveled and half-formed, latched onto his spine like a parasitic twin. It faced the opposite direction, clinging to him. Cole stumbled back and dropped to the floor. “Stop! What are you doing?!” He scrambled away from the mirror. “I said stop, Exrase!” The cadaver’s mouth creaked open, many faces once etched into its skin gone, leaving only a broken, dulled halo floating above his head. “Did you not call for me?” Cole clenched his jaw. “What have you done to my back?!” “It is nothing,” Exrase chuckled, clearly amused by his panic. “This is simply how I appear to you now.” The door creaked open whilst he was still on the floor. The Emissary stood in the doorframe. “Are you… having trouble acclimatising?” Cole’s eyes glanced to the mirror, then back to the Emissary. “He can’t see me. Only you can,” Exrase reassured. Cole lifted himself up. “No. Not at all. My legs just gave out for a second.” The Emissary lingered for a moment too long, staring at the mirror. Then, without a word, he turned. “Hurry, or we might miss it.” He walked off, leaving the door slightly open behind him. Cole just sat there with shallow breaths. “Reverse it,” he barked. Immediately, the tendrils and cadaver recoiled, sucked back into his spine like they were being drawn into the void. Cole straightened his jacket and stepped out of the room. ‘Maybe this had been a mistake.’ “I can hear your thoughts,” Exrase whispered in his mind. “I don’t care.” The sight that greeted him made him pause. The city before him was muted monochrome, the edges of dark-grey and white buildings softened by a thick, white fog that hovered just over their ankles. Bridges arched over the mist, connecting different parts of the city, while three islands floated high above, suspended against the overcast black sky ‘Is the whole ci