Chương 29: Chapter 28 - Another White Room (III)

His body was protesting. His headache was severe. He was tired. But stopping now meant death. And while the prospect had been tempting—to take a rest and let go—he would not stop. Not now, not ever until he got out of this wretched place. Alonso surveyed the cage around him. Mastering the interference between his waves to double their potency would be great, but a more pressing issue demanded his attention. He needed to move the cage, either up or down, if he ever wanted to eat or drink again.

Complete mastery of the skill could wait. He decided to approach the task differently. Instead of attempting to generate a perfect constructive interference across all his waves simultaneously, he would focus on sections of the cage. By dividing the task into manageable segments, he could concentrate his efforts on smaller areas, gradually moving the entire structure. Alonso began with the first section of the cage, focusing his EM waves on that specific area.

He visualized the magnetic field enveloping the section, intensifying the waves until he achieved constructive interference. The metal within the section started to respond, vibrating gently as the field stabilized. Encouraged by this small success, he moved to the next section, repeating the process. The strain on his mind and body was immense, but he pushed through, knowing that each successful segment brought him closer to moving the entire cage.

Hours passed as he methodically worked through each section of the cage. His understanding of electromagnetic fields deepened with every attempt, refining his technique and increasing his efficiency. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached the last section. He was exhausted, his body and mind pushed to their limits, but he knew this was the final hurdle. He concentrated all his remaining energy on this last section, visualizing the magnetic field enveloping it completely.

With a final surge of effort, the last section stabilized. The entire cage was now enveloped in a coherent magnetic field, ready to be moved. He took a deep breath, steadying himself for the final push. He visualized the cage rising, his EM waves lifting it slowly and steadily. The cage began to move, inching upwards. He felt the strain, but he maintained his focus, ensuring the field remained stable. The cage rose higher, gradually clearing the floor. He could feel his energy waning, but he pushed through.

For some reason, while there was no gravity acting on the objects in this domain, they stabilized quickly. That meant he could not just accelerate the cage and let it move upwards with its momentum uninterrupted. There was some sort of force that resisted the motion of the object, some sort of damping. It was annoying. He gritted his teeth, his body and mind screaming in protest. His vision blurred, and his head felt like it was splitting open, but he could not afford to stop.

He methodically adjusted his EM waves based on the location of the cage in space as it moved upward. Inch by inch, the cage rose. Sweat poured down his face, and his breath came in ragged gasps. The cage finally went through the ceiling and out of the room. The electromagnetic space around him shattered again. The cage, the creature, his old self, and the button were gone. The room was empty again. Well… it had always been empty. His body gave out. He collapsed to the floor, his mind overwhelmed by the strain.

The pain he had numbed and ignored for so long came crashing down on him like a tidal wave. His head felt like it was being split apart, his vision swimming with black spots. Every thought was a struggle, his brain burning with the effort. He lay there, gasping, his mind a fog of exhaustion and agony. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"FUCK!" he shouted. He knew he could not take a rest. Not unless he was in control of the situation. The headache was overwhelming, but it would not kill him. The lack of food and water, however, could. He forced himself to sit up. The silence was deafening, amplifying the pounding in his head. His body screamed for rest, but he knew he couldn't stay down for long. He started looking around and then noticed it: the same barrel with water and fruits from the first trial.

It had materialized in the physical space, in the real space… if anything here could be considered real. That was good, he thought. He had not detected it before, as his EM waves were still not capable of detecting non-conductors. Perhaps they were still too weak. He calmly walked over and started gulping down the water. It was great. The feeling was glorious. He drank deeply, savoring every drop, then grabbed a piece of fruit, biting into it with ravenous hunger. The sweet juice invigorated him.

As he ate, he allowed himself a moment of reprieve, leaning against the barrel. Or at least he tried to. The headache was really annoying. But now that he had the food and water, he could afford to rest. After all, he had an idea where this trial was coming from. And if his guess was correct, he would be in here for a while and needed his mind to be in perfect shape. He took a deep breath and wiped the juice from his chin. The nourishment did wonders for his strength, but his head still throbbed.

He drank another long draught of water, hoping to ease the pounding. Finally, he leaned back against the barrel, closing his eyes for a moment. The room was still and silent, allowing him to focus on his breathing. He needed to conserve his energy and prepare for whatever came next. He stayed there for several minutes, letting his body and mind rest. Just as he began to feel the slightest bit more centered, he noticed a change around him. The EM space manifested once more.

His past self appeared in the center of the room, eyes closed, a dagger in hand. He remembered when he woke up from that state, there was no dagger in his hand. He knew what this meant. He finished eating the last of the fruits and set the half empty barrel aside. He needed rest, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down completely. He walked to a corner of the room and reclined his back against the wall.

"I'll deal with you soon," he muttered. But first, he needed some rest. Closing his eyes, he let the fatigue wash over him, allowing himself a brief respite. The pounding in his head dulled slightly as he drifted into a light, wary sleep.

He wasn't sure how long he had rested when he awoke, but his mind felt clearer, the headache reduced to a dull throb. His past self still stood in the center of the room, unmoving, eyes closed, dagger in hand. Everything was the same. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and approached the figure. He looked at the version of himself from what was probably no more than a couple of days ago. He was the same, yet so different. He remembered this moment clearly.

It was when he was saved by his father and also when he had his first breakdown. He circled the figure, studying it. The face was calm, almost serene, but he knew that within it was the opposite. A violent rampage with a slow descent to madness. He stared at the knife it was holding.

"Disarm to end the killing frenzy? Play the role of savior? Is this your twisted sense of meaning?" he shouted mockingly into the air. He smiled, amused by the task even though a part of him was still annoyed by the sense of being toyed with. He gazed at the knife. The task seemed rather simple compared to the last. He started by preparing his sword as a conduit to intensify his waves, as he had done before. After he got it ready, he proceeded to target the knife. He first magnetized it slowly.

They said practice makes the master, and he had been pushing himself rather hard lately. After some rest, he felt his control much more fluid and instinctive, doing what had once taken hours in mere minutes. And so, he reached the point where he could start to affect the knife. He started pushing it, but … it did not move.

"Are you kidding me…"