Chapter 7:

I remember the first time I truly trusted The Void with my life. I had no choice but to do so at the time but that's when I knew it was trustworthy.

We were attacked by marauders. I was fighting them in the corridors. They came in waves, when I had finished with a group, a new one came. Eventually, there were too many of them.

I was disarmed and hurt, lying, bleeding in a corridor near Clemmie's office. I thought that was the end. I knew I couldn't revive like the rest of my squad. I was ready to accept my death under their blades when a shadow fell on them.

There were bones being crushed and blood forming ponds on the ground. It was The Void. It fought with the ferocity I usually saw in aggressive entities. It was killing the marauders in numbers, silently, with its eyes wide open.

Then one the marauders slashed it near one of its eyes. It was destabilised and ran to me. I thought it was angry at me and wanted to take its revenge. It dragged me in a lightless corridor, where I had yet to repair the lightbulbs. It put me against a wall and stayed on me. Its eyes were closer than ever. For the first time I got to touch it.

I didn't understand what my hands were touching, it was fluffy but it didn't have any consistency. It was not exactly air because I knew there was something but it wasn't solid either. It was all around me but it wasn't a liquid. The best way I could describe it is warm fluffy stagnant wind.

I could see its eyes better. It was emerald green with round black pupils. There were all nuances of green, deep forest green, lime green, even a touch of pale yellow despite us being in complete darkness.

Then I felt something liquid, truly liquid dropping on my shoulder. I couldn't see what it was but I could smell it. It was reminiscent of blood. At first I thought it was the blood of the marauders.

I still thought it was going to eat me. I was trying to figure out where its mouth was to at least try to dodge its teeth if it even has any. Needless to say, I couldn't see anything other than its eyes.

It was completely still. I could feel its body, it felt like it was paralysed, frozen in place. If it truly wanted to kill me, it would have had plenty of time to do so.

The liquid kept dropping until I understood.

The Void was bleeding. It saved me and that was the price to pay.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if it could naturally heal or if it was going to die like this. As much as I disliked it, The Void was important to Clemmie. I needed to make sure it would at least stay alive long enough to see Clemmie one last time.

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by the marauders stomping near us. I couldn't see them through The Void, and neither could they. The Void was actively hiding me under its shadows. It kept staring at me to not show its eyes to the marauders and they probably didn't even dare stepping foot in a dark corridor.

Melandru and Clemmie ended up coming and defeated the rest of the marauders.

The Void stepped back from me, still staring. The air was cold in contrast to it. Melandru asked me if I was alright. I told him I was fine and that The Void needed help more than me.

It was then that I felt the pain of all my open wounds. Melandru did his best to patch me up while telling me how stupid I was to go off to fight the marauders on my own. I didn't answer, my conscience started to slip away.

Clemmie dragged the marauders' bodies to The Void. It felt like The Void drowned the marauders in its darkness rather than eating with its mouth. Clemmie was talking to it but his words were blurred by my pain and fatigue.

I fell asleep in the cold dark corridor. I could wake up the next day thanks to The Void.