The room did not exist.
Beneath the center of the Thanatos Research Institute of Metaphysics, a single room rested on the underside of the main branch of the facility. This room was not the largest room in the facility by anymeans, nor the most unusual at first glance. However, in this room, there rested a subject more unusual than the usual products brought from the planet. The room was devoid of oxygen, a complete vacuum of natural elements. The room was illuminated by four lights at the top of this circular room, and the glow of numerous monitors and screens on each wall. In this room, two of the institutes employees were clad in full white space suits, twenty-four hour oxygen tanks strapped to their backs. And in the center of this room, perhaps the most unusual site of all, is the cylinder of four-inch thick glass that runs from the ceiling to a small pedestal in the exact center of this room. This pedestal had numerous wires and connections emerging from the base, running into the floor, and feeding data back to each of the monitors in the room. Heart rate, blood pressure, psionic waves, brain activity, physical movement, magical fluctuations, and countless more facets of data were being fed across this room for the two members of the institute that would be trapped for twenty-four hours in the room. At the center of the pedestal, a metal plate was engraved with the following: "TRIMTS - AVE000001". Underneath this plague, the ancient engraving from ages long past still shone with the brilliance of the metal, the single word "Averni". And in this room, behind this glass, above this pedistal, the form of a fragile human girl floated, suspended in liquid. Countless restraints were placed on her body, her form strangled by circuitry and bonds. Over her face, a stone helmet not seen since the glory days of Necromantia covered her frail head, masking her from the world.
This room did not exist.
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A routine day, and an easy job. If you kept your mouth shut, the institute would slip a bonus into your check and you didn't do any work save look at the pretty colors on the monitors. The suits were kept comfortable enough, you had more than enough air to last you, and most of the time you surfed around or watched movies. Easiest shift in the joint. Watch "Averni", make sure nothing changed. If something were to happen, which had odds higher than a supernova occuring, you'd smash the alarm and with the flip of a button, the capsule would be on a trip to the sun.
On paper, this was a flawless setup. Which of course, meant that there were a million things that could go wrong. Like all great calamities.
It started as just a single blip on the radar, a tiny spike in the mental activity of the subject. A single brainwave, as it was, that hadn’t been witnessed in ages. If the two on duty had been paying attention, they'd have immediately sounded the alarm and ejected the occupant into deep space. As it was though, guard #1 was watching a wonderful piece of cinema from earth, and guard #2 was catching up on the lack of sleep he had from his previous nights endeavors. So the small blip on the monitor went unnoticed by the occupants of the room.
Where...
The Planet? No...
How long have I been this way…
Inside the containment cylinder, beneath the ancient relic that covered face of the being inside, eyelids that had remained closed for millennia slowly opened, the occupant’s jade eyes registering the first sight they had seen since she was sealed away, the darkness of captivity. Any sight would have done though; for her reemergence into the world of the living meant that she was already free. She was weak. She was drained. But she was awake.
The silence of the room would have been broken if there was air to carry the waves. A single bubble in the capsule formed underneath the Necromantic headpiece, drifting out into the liquid of the cylinder. It sat in its spot of creation for a moment, and lazily drifted upwards to escape. The being in the center of the room felt her body move involuntarily, the former habit of breathing reasserting itself in her mind. As another small packet of air left her body, her body quivered, and the quiet peace in the room slowly spiraled into madness.
Every monitor in the room immediately came to life, the universal color of warnings flashing on the screen in LED shades of red. All monitoring of brain activity and physical movement sent began registering alarms throughout the necessary channels in the station, and the two guards that previously hadn’t a care in the world stared open-mouthed at the screens before, all thoughts of procedure resting in the farthest parts of their minds, a fearful look in their eyes as they slowly turned to gaze upon the being they were supposed to be guarding from just such an event.
Silly mortals, it’s all right. You don’t have to worry.
The spectral voice filled their minds, pushing away all other thoughts. The room was covered in red lights of alarm, the communications gear in their suits blaring a constant klaxon of alert, but they could only stare the being before them. The liquid in the containment capsule slowly began to churn, evaporating before into steam before their eyes. The containment class, designed to withstand any kind of force designed to free the creature within, shattered into an infinite number of miniscule shards, the mist of the liquid billowing out into the room. The visors on the guards suits immediately clouded over, their vision lost for the moment as the uniforms began to counter this new obstacle.
When their sight returned, a young humanoid girl rested on her knees, her head and back held erect by the various devices puncturing her skin. Each hand was restrained by a gauntlet, sparks dancing across the metal as they the electricity powering them began to short. Her feet and legs each had a variety of wires and circuits puncturing them, fragments of needles from broken devices still resting in her fair skin. A pitiable sight for this poor girl, her body ravaged by her containment.
It’ll all be over soon. You can relax, everything will be fine.
“Darril…I hear something…a voice in my head…”, the second guard stated, his voice emerging with a noticeable quiver. Darril felt his body inching away from the young lady, his body wracked with fear.
“I hear it too Al…I hear it.” Darril hissed into the helmet. “Its…its gotta be her.” As the two stared at the girl before them, her body began to jerk and spasm, thrashing about. The low, guttural sound of a dying beast met Darril and Al’s ears, as the small frame continued her seizure of pain. She struggled against her legs, bound to the floor. Her arms were so trapped, it was such a struggle to move them. And her life was still only darkness, trapped to this mask of the world. But Averni wouldn’t give up after coming so far. She felt the bonds that held her weakening against her resolve, it was so close.
The airless room would give her no momentum to attack the braces with physical force, but it was no longer needed. The mechanisms that had bound her had finally run out of power. Her right hand slipped free, the device of capture floating away, releasing a small, withered hand, fragile and without life. As it moved, mesmerizing the two guards, Averni reached around, her hand searching for the fragments of glass. She ran her wrinkled palm over a jagged edge, a lone drop of blood emerging, darker than the deepest reaches of space. It floated upwards into the room devoid of gravity, slowly warping and bending. Darril and Al stared as the spherical drop glowed slightly, growing in volume and size. The long drop was roughly the size of a quarter in diameter by this point, before it halted its movement and growth with no warning.
Like a bullet, it suddenly surged into her other hand’s restraint, the device exploding open, both halves that remained resting in different areas of her prison. Her hands free, she slowly grasped the helmet that blinded her, lifting upwards. The stone mask had almost bonded to her skin; it had been part of her for such a long time. But ever so slightly, it lifted, separating. Averni felt freedom finally in her grasp, and with her eyes shut tight, the stone guard was removed. Darril and Al were horrified at what they witnessed.
Where her head had been covered, numerous bruises and scars were still evident on the child. Where most young girls would have well kept hair, done up in some childish fashion, this girl had only a bloody scalp. Her eyelids though, slowly opened, and glimmering jade eyes met the two men. Like glistening jewels, her eyes looked over the two guards, and despite her appearance, she gave a small smile. Her eyes glowed softly, and everything that remained on or near her body was blown away. Averni stood for the first time in an eternity, proud and full of strength. But this wouldn’t do at all. She looked at the two men against the wall, turning to them and stepping forward. She was not some ruined child. She was Averni Tabris, the sorceress that bent life and magic to her will.
Averni slowly stepped toward Al and Darril, her body changing as she walked. Her body slowly grew taller, aging before the two men. Her wounds and bruises faded away, replaced by flawless porcelain skin. Perfectly straight hair began to crawl out of her head, cascading down into waves of deep blue, so dark it world appear black at if one didn’t give it a thorough examination. The legs of a small little girl grew shapely and fit, her arms healing and growing proportionate to her new body. Her hands healed instantly, the cuts fading away. Her chest heaved slightly as she matured, and the former ravaged girl that stood before them was replaced by a terrifying beauty. She placed her hands on Darril’s shoulders, pressing her body against his suit.
Your task is over, so rest now. You’re done.
Placing her lips against the visor, she locked eyes with the man inside. Darril felt a moments surprise, before his eyes were blown out of their sockets. His visor splintered away, and his life was sucked into the vacuum of the room. Al’s voice screamed in terror as Averni licked her lips with glee. Her hands began to glow with a black aura, and the blood inside her victim pushed its way out of his body. She charmed it into the air, coaxing it into form and breathing purpose into it. The liquid took shape, the blood falling into the shape of an ancient scythe. Averni looked to Al, her eyes sparkling like a joyful child. Before the man could feel fear, Averni severed his body at the waist, his body spewing forth more of the crimson liquid Averni found joy in playing with. Blood was one of her many talents, but it was so fun to use, and more fun to get. She called it over to her, the scythe included, shaping it into a single sphere that floated above her hand.
“Simple enough. Breaking free was easier than I thought it’d be. Still don’t know where I am though.” Averni looked around the room, but found no aid as to her whereabouts. “One thing is sure, it’s definitely been some time. Magic doesn’t seem to be the forte of these fools.” She whispered a hurried phrase, magical runes framing the sphere of blood before her. Averni’s right arm reached outwards and back, before launching the crimson salvo into the wall. As if it were a piece of wet paper, the magical missile punctured the frame of the room, ripping a new gateway into space. Parts of the station that her attack had got through leaked fire and air, glimpses of flames caught her eye as the void of space silenced them. Averni jumped out into the emptiness of outer space, her fascination peaked as she realized she was off the planet. With a look at the damaged station, Averni laughed wickedly to herself, before she winked out of existence, making her way back to her homeland, finishing her release from her prison in that room.
A room that, as far as the universe was concerned, didn’t exist.
