The Crimson Magister Chapter 18: V1-C18: Ascension

Read chapter 18 of The Crimson Magister by Okram on NovelPedia.

The palace was incredibly tranquil, its interior pristine despite the massive temporal storm wreaking havoc outside the castle. This place seemed to be the only part of the mindscape that was not completely shrouded by chaotic storms. Step after step, Aqua made her way deeper inside what she could only assume was Sheira's childhood home. Many mindscapes use the places of their birth as the most stable sanctuary. A palace safe from the storm, stable and pristine. It was bizarre behavior, but perhaps it was only a final fortress to fall. With guidance from her instinct, she entered what looked like a throne room, and yet it was empty, for a throne room, the entire place was empty, with white walls, the floor was undecorated, the walls were plain white, and the windows were painted white. The memory was incomplete; a telltale sign that the mind was losing its memory. Her goal wouldn't be found in an incomplete memory; Aqua needed to find the most comforting and stable memory possible. She closed the throne room door as she followed the castle halls, carefully observing to ensure she followed a more complete path. The path led her to what seemed to be sleeping quarters, with stable and vibrant hallways, indicating that it was part of the mind sanctuary. Aqua opened door after door, each room empty and painted white as the throne room was. Aqua checked each room carefully before finally reaching the final room. The theory of why the rooms were white led to only one thought: Poor girl is losing her memories... Aqua's expression soured. Instead of the room, she found herself in the middle of a courtyard, various exotic flowers and herbs decorating the entire yard. A well-crafted fountain was in the center, and a gravel road streaked through tamed nature. By far this was the most well-established memory, and it showed that the details upon details could be seen on each centimeter of this courtyard, giving a sense of calm to this place. Aqua was on the right track, and she was sure of it. While Sheira was not here, just the sheer stability of the place made it clear that she was getting very close to Sheira's most stable memory. Aqua slowed her stride as she enjoyed the view. Sheira must have enjoyed spending time in this garden, surrounded by flowers and nature. It was a very calming memory, but Aqua couldn't spend time admiring it. She made her way past the fountain toward the exit, slowly opening the door, she found herself inside what looked like a royal room. Calling it royal was an understatement; opulence and excess were better ways to describe it. Massive banners hung from the walls, serving as curtains. A large royal bed stood in the center of the room, with a study station next to the window. A mahogany dresser was situated against a wall, and the opposite wall was taken by a large bookshelf, containing many books, with most of the space being empty. While the layout was simple by royal standards, gold and silver trimmings on every item inside the room added a sense of opulence. "Why do royals always prefer such tacky designs..." Aqua muttered to herself as she looked around. The most striking feature of the room was an elven princess, completely chained in dark chains, bronze shimmering being the only thing betraying their temporal nature. A large shard was the apparent source of this darkness. Sheira was in a fetal position, her mind fully unconscious as the shard was used to dominate her completely. Bronze cracks covered her form, a bronze color well-versed caster could recognize as the effect of time-related spells. This was the method of dominating nonhumans, using a shard of time to break their mind, leaving them mere husks that Rolan and likely the Inquisitor of Mind use as empty vessels and slaves. Within those chains, a fiery essence acted like a glue, an opposing force to the shard of time. An image of a phoenix struggling against corruption, and yet it proved to be only enough to hold back the chains and darkness t