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Will Shane doesn’t understand the passing of time in this place. His internal clock was bad enough in Slugterra, without the sun he had to rely on less obvious indicators, but at least there was something. In the deep caverns, there was only black rocks and red water, and company he’d rather not keep.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been avoiding the others. It felt like years, but it had surely only been weeks. When he caught sight of himself in the glowing red pools, he looked the same. He slept frequently. On the walls of the caverns, he left trails of drawings- the dark water dissolved the rock, but not his hands, so he used it to etch patterns into the obsidian hued stones. At first, it was talleys, or shapes, but soon- it was the sun. Always the sun.
It felt like years, he was alone. He wasn’t sure how he managed it, considering the trail of etchings left in his wake, but it felt like years. He wasn’t sure when he last ate, or drank, but clearly he didn’t need to anymore. He was past that- the being human thing. He thought back to Thaddius, body warped by dark water to the point of monstrousness. He wondered if he’d end up like that, too, if he slipped. If he fell down into the haunting light of the dark water. Maybe it was already happening to him. His nails felt sharper, some days. Body unwieldy, incorrect. But that could also be the weakness.
When he slept, all he saw was sunlight. The sky, blue and gentle, clouds so fluffy they could almost be slept upon, lush green grass, and golden light. The pastel pinks and purples of sunset, or the almost sugar sweet orange tones of sunrise. He dreamt of freedom, of being young and free of his duty. He dreamt of a normal life with his son.
And then, he would wake, and the only light would be red. He would dip his hands in glowing light, and carve his dreams onto cavern walls like a caveman of ancient times. The deep caverns rung silent, and empty. He would’ve supposed he’d hear something from the darkbane fortress, at least, but there were only empty echoes.
One night, he dreamt of the stars. Small motes of gentle light scattered across a sky so vast it felt truly unending- as far as humanity was concerned, it was- and a forest of trees so tall they engulfed him. He felt it calling to him, something in the woods. He reached for it, chased it, and the feeling led him to a tree thrice the size of all the others, a welcoming gap in its roots. He hesitated- if he followed the call, he’d never again see the stars.
He blinked in his dream, then when his eyes opened, he was awake. There was a blue glow in the distance. When he blinked, it was gone.
He followed the light anyway, as though compelled by some sort of spirit. He knew it wasn’t real, couldn’t possibly be real. He traced back along his etchings, cave walls filled with only the vaguest approximation of home. They got smaller as he went, etched lighter into the stone. His feet felt heavy, movements slow, yet he marched onwards. It felt like he’d been walking forever, longer than he’d ever walked before.
That blue light never came back, and Will found himself in a clearing, the place his drawings had began. The portal door, he realized, numbly, as though his brain wasn’t functioning as it should.
Gravel crunched behind him.
“That portal hasn’t worked in about 30 years.”
The voice was Blakk, but the words he said made no sense, nor his tone- Calm, resigned, almost quiet.
Will tried to speak, tried to question him, but his voice failed him, so instead he merely turned, reaching out to Blakk almost on instinct as he stumbled.
Blakk didn’t catch him, instead the monstrous beast seemed shocked, almost scared.
For the first time since he’d been in the deep caverns, Will truly looked at his hands, and realized why.
The skin had been worn away, his fingertips merely bones sharpened to points. He felt no pain, but he’d felt nothing at all for so long that he forgot it should have been a warning sign. Blakk’s claim of 30 years having passed almost made sense, especially as Will failed over and over again to form some kind of word, the only sound produced more akin to a death rattle than speech.
When Blakk made eye contact with him, for a moment, Will saw Thaddius instead, dull green eyes replaced with joy, and life. He missed when they were young, and rivals instead of enemies. When Blakk turned to leave, Will was powerless to stop him. It reminded Will of the first time he’d walked away from Blakk, believing himself to be doing the right thing.
He wondered what Blakk thought. It didn’t matter.
All Will wanted was to see the stars again.