LEA

I stare at the artifact, second guessing my plan. Chance had said that this thing had essentially ruined his life. He had said that having a connection was the worst thing in the world. Was I ready to just... take that burden on?

But even as I think through it, I know there isn't a realistic choice. I have to do this. I have to let go of my former life, from this point forward. My hand stretches out, and closes around the artifact. Its surface is freezing, and the moment I touch it, the coldness swallows me.

A blur of sensations clouds my vision, fogging all of my senses. All I'm aware of are the screams, and roars, and whispers echoing inside my head. A sense of pain settles like a rock inside of me. It swells and shrinks, and then repeats all over again. Somewhere distant, I understand that this is what it means to be connected. This isn't temporary.

Vaguely, I start to feel Brock shaking me, calling my name over and over. My body feels alien, as if I'm a different person, living in a former shell of myself. My vision starts to clear, and the first thing I see is Brock, looking terrified. The artifact is lying on the floor next to me, and I look away from it, closing my eyes.

"Lea! Can you hear me?"

I moan in response, still hearing the echoes of the dimensions inside my head. They're like a distant whirlwind, always present. Along with that, I can sense the dimensions. Hundreds of them are taking up space in my mind.

"Say something! What happened?" He's insistent, and all I want is for him to be quiet. Why is he so urgent? What...

I shoot up into a sitting position and groan. The whirlwind grows stronger, and my head throbs. "Chance..." I mutter, extending a hand towards Brock. "Help me up."

He grabs my wrist, and I grab his, pulling myself up. Standing up worsens the pain and I lean on the counter, shutting my eyes.

"What happened?" Brock still sounds worried.

"There isn't time to explain... We need to find Chance and stop him." I open my eyes, focusing on reality, and trying to ground myself in it before I get lost in the pain. I let go of the counter, and take a step forward. Focus. Another step. Focus.

I start to step quicker, getting into a jog. The whirlwind crashes around inside of me. Focus. My job becomes a sprint, heading towards the center of the storm. Brock follows closely, glancing at the rift in the sky. It's growing wider each second, and I can feel the dimensions growing closer together.

Without stopping, I pull the pistol out of my belt, tossing it to Brock, who catches it. I won't need it to defend myself. A flying monster comes over the top of a building, and I can feel every emotion inside of it. Steeling myself, I slow, extending my hands towards it. I dive into its emotions, and force it to turn and fly away.

The newfound power shocks myself, and I start running again. I can feel Chance's emotions too, which comes as a surprise.

Behind me, I can tell Brock is just as shocked as I am, if not more. But it doesn't matter, and I focus on going faster. The winds are picking up all around me, and as I get closer to Chance, the pain gets stronger.

The buildings are crumbling even as I look, pieces falling to the ground. Already, one house has completely collapsed. The houses clear out as the storm worsens, and I skid to a stop as I see Chance.

His hands are stretched out to the side, black hair standing in stark contrast to his skin, which is pale. Slowly, his head turns, robotic-like, until he's looking directly at us. The color has been completely leeched from his eyes, and they're a stony grey.

How could he even hear us? I can sense his presence through the new connection, and then I understand. He can sense me, just as I can sense him.

"Lea," He calls out, and the word reverberates in my mind. "You brought an unnecessary pain to yourself." On some level, I'm sure he meant to be sympathetic, but it comes out cold and unfeeling.

"Chance, you need to stop this. Right now."

The rift in the sky has stopped, and while the storm still whirls around us, its strangely quiet. Chance looks directly into my eyes, and I can see no trace of the boy I had first known.

At least he's listening...