Condition Evolution 4 by Kevin Sinclair (books for 10th graders TXT) 📕

My response died on my lips as I felt Kirel enter my mind. Panicking, I fled to my Mindscape, and slammed my doors shut. To my dismay, Kirel had already opened the door to my Subconscious, and there was not a damn thing I could do about it. Fiekela entered my mind next, and they both entered the room. Realizing that holding the other doors locked was pointless, I let go. My defense would have to be at the golden door.

“Do not do this!” I yelled at them.

Fiekela replied, “Calm yourself, Vakuna. You will soon see that there is nothing to fear.”

“I have no reason to mislead you, Fiekela, I have a really bad feeling about this.”

“You have no conception of what is safe for Apochros to attempt. You did not even know you had this door situated in your own mind, and this is why we must guide you. Without us, you would most likely fester away at a middling level of strength for centuries. We will ensure you achieve your full power within ten years!” he said excitedly. “Then you will feel nothing but gratitude to us and our investment in you.”

“You seem so sure of yourselves and I don’t think I can stop you. But I hope you understand that you have broken all trust with me today. I may have suffered amnesia, but I won’t forget this, and I refuse to undergo anymore training here.”

“Don’t be so sure, Vakuna,” Kirel said, his voice filled with dark promise. “You will see things differently once you have reaped the benefits of our efforts here. Failing that, we have alternative methods available to us.”

I fell silent after that. His words struck a chord and made me insanely angry.

I could feel them growing faint as they moved further into my Subconscious. I was frantically searching my mind for something to stop them, when Ialos spoke into my mind with anger and disappointment in her words. “They took your memories. Your true name is Shaun. If you’re absolutely convinced they should not open that door, then hold them at bay with everything you have. Help is coming!”

“I knew there was something wrong with this whole thing. I will stop them at all costs, but I want my memories back after this.”

“I promise you will. Jezai is coming here, but he is willing to make his move against the council now. Things will change for you whatever happens here.”

“Good. Now have you got any suggestions on how to stop Fiekela and Kirel?”

“No, they are too strong. But you don’t need to stop them, only hold them off long enough for help to arrive. To do that, you could try condensing your bond to slow down the perception of time in your mind. Hopefully that will create enough time for you.”

“Okay,” I said, galvanized by her plan. “I’m going to do that, then try to hold that damn door shut.”

“Good luck!” she shouted.

The revelation that my mind had been intentionally wiped didn’t come as big a surprise. As soon as it was revealed, I knew it was true without a doubt. Now I just had to make sure these two didn’t get through that door and cause trouble for me. First, though, I grabbed for the bond that connected me to my physical body and began pushing rather than pulling at it as I’d done before. It resisted at first, but slowly began to thicken as I worked. It frustratingly came to a halt after a few seconds and I could go no further with it. It would have to do. My focus now fell to my real task. Stopping two insanely strong council elders doing whatever they wanted in my head.

Entering my Subconscious Room allowed me to feel them more clearly. This time I had a vague sense of the door too. I realised I’d sensed it last time, but hadn’t understood what the feeling was. I ventured further into the darkness, moving quickly until I could feel the presence of the door clearly. Coming to a stop, I hoped to defend it from here, rather than come within range of the two men. I took a deep breath. This was it, the moment of truth. Could I hold them off? I began pouring my strength toward the door, which felt unlike any door I'd defended before. But that strength was in conflict. Part of my mind was giving a clear instruction to force my strength into the door, while the other wanted to run and hide. They cancelled each other out and I had no effect on the door. It was a demoralizing blow to be so ineffective. But I couldn’t just give up. This was a huge intrusion that had been committed against me. HOW DARE THEY! A third voice boomed in my mind, just as strong as the other two. This one was of pure rage. It spread from me like a power all of its own, shooting toward the door. To my surprise it was accepted, swiftly followed by the part of me that wanted to connect with the door. What did worry me was that a part of me remained unconnected, and that part was extremely worried. I had no chance to consider it further before the two men began their attempt to open the door. They started with a gentle touch of power, but when they felt resistance, they quickly responded by increasing their intensity.

“Vakuna!” Fiekela yelled. “You are being foolish. Stop resisting this, you must know you cannot win.”

I tried to answer, but couldn’t because my mind was in three different places all at once.

Fiekela and Kirel increased their power ever higher, throwing their combined might into the door, knowing that they would eventually beat me. And indeed they should be able too, but for the fact that I wasn’t supplying the power alone. Or was I? It depended on your outlook, I supposed. The door, and whatever lay beyond it, was also