Nobody's Here (Day 108)

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Aisen had overcome his fears while scrabbling madly through that tunnel--but this! This was worse than the fear of the walls closing in on him.The white light flooding the tunnel was absolutely blinding. He could just barely make out the jagged hole at the end straight above him. As much as he wanted to pull himself out of that awful tunnel, it was currently the least of his worries.

Sweat was beading on his forehead and the fiery heat intensified. He should have pleaded with Terakiel not to make the attempt to conjure another light. He'd been too cavalier about the nature of his powers before. He was so unfamiliar with the concept of Stranders with absolutely no training that he'd underestimated the danger that he might be in.

"Please! Snap out of it! I'm burning up down here!"

There was no response. It was as if the poor man had gone comatose, overwhelmed by the enormity of his power. He hadn't been trying to do anything especially taxing--and although he'd not been around to see him conjure the last fire it seemed as if he hadn't had much trouble with it. What was different this time? Was he in some sort of heightened emotional state?

If his discomfort for enclosed spaces was anywhere approaching that of Aisen's, he could understand why he might be upset. Was it possible that Terakiel's lack of discipline and distress were responsible for this outburst of energy? How can I reach out to him?

It was clear that yelling up to him from the tunnel was doing no good for either of them. That was it, then. He had to climb the rest of the way, and fast. The heat was quickly becoming oppressive. He shuddered to think what might happen if he didn't stop him.

"I'm coming up! Feel free to come to your senses without my help, however!"

Lacking confidence in his own words, Aisen struggled to lift himself further. The strain of climbing through the tunnel had certainly taken its toll, but it was urgent that he make it out quickly. His muscles tensed as he gripped the rock formations ringing the tunnel and scrabbled steadily upward.