Part 3:
Uubiquatus had shown our position to the enemy.
The reveal brought only scorn from our foe.
“Ah, the cowering spirit shows himself. How bold.”
“You mistake boldness for weakness, Dresda Kul-Vayn.”
“Stop calling me that!”
“It is your name, you cannot hide from it.”
“And what of your true name? I cannot discern it, but you have one. Reveal it now, since you so value names.”
“I can no longer honestly recall; that part of my essence has since been transformed. My name now is Uubiquatus.”
“Well then, since you are trespassing in my realm, perhaps I shall name you.”
“I am one with all realms, even artificial ones such as this.”
“You slight me? You slight me for artifice? Find the reality of this – here spirit, know agony!”
Uubiquatus thrust me to the ground. A crystalline case formed around my body.
“Breathe normally, you have air,” he said. “Do not worry. You are safe.”
Sparkles flashed above us and the sky exploded with knives!
Hundreds of massive daggers formed an arc above our heads.
The reveal brought only scorn from our foe.
“Ah, the cowering spirit shows himself. How bold.”
“You mistake boldness for weakness, Dresda Kul-Vayn.”
“Stop calling me that!”
“It is your name, you cannot hide from it.”
“And what of your true name? I cannot discern it, but you have one. Reveal it now, since you so value names.”
“I can no longer honestly recall; that part of my essence has since been transformed. My name now is Uubiquatus.”
“Well then, since you are trespassing in my realm, perhaps I shall name you.”
“I am one with all realms, even artificial ones such as this.”
“You slight me? You slight me for artifice? Find the reality of this – here spirit, know agony!”
Uubiquatus thrust me to the ground. A crystalline case formed around my body.
“Breathe normally, you have air,” he said. “Do not worry. You are safe.”
Sparkles flashed above us and the sky exploded with knives!
Hundreds of massive daggers formed an arc above our heads.
“The Daggers of Agony?” he asked. “I have been to Agonyia’s shores. I caused the Crying Union to disband! The Daggers of Agony are useless on me.”
“Very well,” she said, and the knives vanished. “Perhaps fire cannot hurt you; perhaps sharp steel will not do."
“You would be wise to now stop."
She merely laughed.
"There are other methods. Devious stings. I hex you … with the Curse of Eternal Malaise!”
That didn’t seem too terrible. From fireballs to knives to malaise?
Within seconds, however, I felt it.
My shoulders began to slump.
My energy sagged.
I turned to see Uubiquatus droop, his face lackluster, his stance slack.
But then again, what did I care?
Futility filled my mind.
Lethargy embraced me.
An all-encompassing stupor dulled my senses.
I barely heard Uubiquatus shout, “Flee now, oh torpor and malaise! Flee from the Call of Vigorous Purpose!”
The sluggishness departed.
Mental fatigue evaporated.
I surged with the vitality of a triple espresso transfusion!
Bursting with renewed vigor, I knew we would somehow prevail.
“Very well,” she said, and the knives vanished. “Perhaps fire cannot hurt you; perhaps sharp steel will not do."
“You would be wise to now stop."
She merely laughed.
"There are other methods. Devious stings. I hex you … with the Curse of Eternal Malaise!”
That didn’t seem too terrible. From fireballs to knives to malaise?
Within seconds, however, I felt it.
My shoulders began to slump.
My energy sagged.
I turned to see Uubiquatus droop, his face lackluster, his stance slack.
But then again, what did I care?
Futility filled my mind.
Lethargy embraced me.
An all-encompassing stupor dulled my senses.
I barely heard Uubiquatus shout, “Flee now, oh torpor and malaise! Flee from the Call of Vigorous Purpose!”
The sluggishness departed.
Mental fatigue evaporated.
I surged with the vitality of a triple espresso transfusion!
Bursting with renewed vigor, I knew we would somehow prevail.
“You’ll not win that easily!" shouted the witch.
“Oh no?"
“I curse you to get lost ... in the Thirst of Unquenchable Vanity!”
I tried to guess what that might mean.
But soon enough?
I gave up.
It somehow didn’t matter anymore.
There was only me.
ME!
I desperately craved a mirror’s reflection.
The feel of my hair became enthralling; I savored every touch.
My thoughts darted to all that I wanted.
All that I liked.
My preferences.
My needs.
I needed so much.
I needed everything!
I thought of what I’d buy and how those items would make others admire me.
I’d be on television!
I’d appear in movies and videos and magazines and … Perfect Breathing?
What was that? Perfect Breathing?
Oh, just something Uubiquatus said.
He’d cast some new spell?
My focus resettled on my breathing.
Each inhale and exhale.
Now all that mattered was the rhythm of my lungs.
It drove out my vain thoughts.
It drove out ‘Me.’
Each breath felt all-encompassing.
That selfish version of myself drifted away.
“Oh no?"
“I curse you to get lost ... in the Thirst of Unquenchable Vanity!”
I tried to guess what that might mean.
But soon enough?
I gave up.
It somehow didn’t matter anymore.
There was only me.
ME!
I desperately craved a mirror’s reflection.
The feel of my hair became enthralling; I savored every touch.
My thoughts darted to all that I wanted.
All that I liked.
My preferences.
My needs.
I needed so much.
I needed everything!
I thought of what I’d buy and how those items would make others admire me.
I’d be on television!
I’d appear in movies and videos and magazines and … Perfect Breathing?
What was that? Perfect Breathing?
Oh, just something Uubiquatus said.
He’d cast some new spell?
My focus resettled on my breathing.
Each inhale and exhale.
Now all that mattered was the rhythm of my lungs.
It drove out my vain thoughts.
It drove out ‘Me.’
Each breath felt all-encompassing.
That selfish version of myself drifted away.
“This nonsense sickens me. Perfect Breathing? Bah."
“You should hope to find such wonders."
“Since you seek perfection? I shall give you the perfect poison. Choke on the taste of Poisonous Wishes!”
At those words, my calm disappeared.
My breath was forgotten.
Disgust erupted in my mind. Contempt lashed itself to my heart. Malice overtook me.
I realized I hated all the people in my life.
Hated them … for good reasons! Reasons so clear I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed.
There were so many reasons to hate.
My parents? They blocked me from my dreams! I hated them with a passion.
Rick? What a joke. Womanizer. Braggart. Afraid to take any real chances.
I hated that jerk.
And Dale?
Where was he now? Just when I needed him most. He never really liked me. Stupid lion.
My hatred searched and swirled.
Until I came to the most obvious target of all.
I despised myself.
Always looking for more, searching for happiness, hoping to find answers.
Climatologist? Ha!
I loathed every single part of my worthless, futile life.
The world was an ugly, dark place, and I hated it all.
“You should hope to find such wonders."
“Since you seek perfection? I shall give you the perfect poison. Choke on the taste of Poisonous Wishes!”
At those words, my calm disappeared.
My breath was forgotten.
Disgust erupted in my mind. Contempt lashed itself to my heart. Malice overtook me.
I realized I hated all the people in my life.
Hated them … for good reasons! Reasons so clear I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed.
There were so many reasons to hate.
My parents? They blocked me from my dreams! I hated them with a passion.
Rick? What a joke. Womanizer. Braggart. Afraid to take any real chances.
I hated that jerk.
And Dale?
Where was he now? Just when I needed him most. He never really liked me. Stupid lion.
My hatred searched and swirled.
Until I came to the most obvious target of all.
I despised myself.
Always looking for more, searching for happiness, hoping to find answers.
Climatologist? Ha!
I loathed every single part of my worthless, futile life.
The world was an ugly, dark place, and I hated it all.
More than anything else, I hated that insipid chanting.
Why wouldn’t Uubiquatus shut up?
The same two words: Joyous Acceptance.
The chanting continued, his tuneless singing: Joyous Acceptance, Joyous Acceptance, Joyous Acceptance.
Yet soon I hated them … less. Until my hatred faded away.
And love flowed through me.
Love for my friends and family and even myself.
I looked at Uubiquatus and he offered a reassuring wave.
“What a happy little scene,” said the witch. “Acceptance, Purpose, Perfect Breathing.”
“We all possess the power of joy. Even you, Dresda Kul-Vayn. Employ it while you still can.”
“A warning?” she laughed. “You can’t harm me. You’re incapable of it. You have fine defenses. But you pose zero threat.”
“Believe what you will.”
“So certain in your cause? Let’s put that to the test. I curse you with your soul’s totality; I curse you with Unblinking Honesty!"
How could that be bad, I wondered. Honesty?
My question got answered by a force relentless and merciless.
Walls came crashing down: walls of excuses, walls of pretexts, walls of justifications and self-delusions.
All filters were gone.
The architecture of my life toppled upon me.
My lies. My half-truths. My half-hearted beliefs.
The weight crushed me!
Burying me in unflinchingly pain.
I was left curled in a ball, gasping for air, when relief finally came.
“Relent,” said a purple voice. “Forgive yourself. Abandon this madness. Resign yourself to peace.”
The world began seeming less awful.
Perhaps just as it should be.
Almost perfect, in its way.
Attuned and centered, I enjoyed a state of total balance.
The universe appeared as a beautiful blossom upon my fingers.
Why wouldn’t Uubiquatus shut up?
The same two words: Joyous Acceptance.
The chanting continued, his tuneless singing: Joyous Acceptance, Joyous Acceptance, Joyous Acceptance.
Yet soon I hated them … less. Until my hatred faded away.
And love flowed through me.
Love for my friends and family and even myself.
I looked at Uubiquatus and he offered a reassuring wave.
“What a happy little scene,” said the witch. “Acceptance, Purpose, Perfect Breathing.”
“We all possess the power of joy. Even you, Dresda Kul-Vayn. Employ it while you still can.”
“A warning?” she laughed. “You can’t harm me. You’re incapable of it. You have fine defenses. But you pose zero threat.”
“Believe what you will.”
“So certain in your cause? Let’s put that to the test. I curse you with your soul’s totality; I curse you with Unblinking Honesty!"
How could that be bad, I wondered. Honesty?
My question got answered by a force relentless and merciless.
Walls came crashing down: walls of excuses, walls of pretexts, walls of justifications and self-delusions.
All filters were gone.
The architecture of my life toppled upon me.
My lies. My half-truths. My half-hearted beliefs.
The weight crushed me!
Burying me in unflinchingly pain.
I was left curled in a ball, gasping for air, when relief finally came.
“Relent,” said a purple voice. “Forgive yourself. Abandon this madness. Resign yourself to peace.”
The world began seeming less awful.
Perhaps just as it should be.
Almost perfect, in its way.
Attuned and centered, I enjoyed a state of total balance.
The universe appeared as a beautiful blossom upon my fingers.
“What?” squealed the witch. “You still stand? No one can face Unblinking Honesty.”
“Honesty fills me from marrow to muscle. It could never distress me."
“How lovely."
“But you? With your sugars and glamours? Let me acquaint you ... with Unblinking Honesty.”
Her eyes widened with fear
.
She began changing, screaming and wailing.
Unblinking Honesty was too much for Dresda Kul-Vayn.
The spell turned her inside out, leaving her a squirming mass.
Mushy and oily and eel-like.
And screeching all the while.
My crystal safe-house disappeared and I walked near her writhing remains.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I reacted with equal force, of which I am fully capable.”
“You turned her to this?”
“She did it to herself. Her truth is a vicious thing. That ugliness is what you see.”
“But … that spell had me feeling just as hideous. Does that mean I’m like her?”
“No mortal can stand such self-reflection. Context is key. Fear not. And remember, you did not turn into that.”
He pointed at the witch and made the wailing to stop.
Almost like she’d gone to sleep.
“What happens now?”
“I will restore her, slightly, but not enough to enable her powers. Her reign has ended.”
Uubiquatus wasted no time in finding our missing party.
We were reunited in moments.
The sight of Rick and Dale … really got to me.
I hugged them both so hard!
Hugged them until I cried.
My eyes didn’t open again until we’d left the candy landscape.
“Honesty fills me from marrow to muscle. It could never distress me."
“How lovely."
“But you? With your sugars and glamours? Let me acquaint you ... with Unblinking Honesty.”
Her eyes widened with fear
.
She began changing, screaming and wailing.
Unblinking Honesty was too much for Dresda Kul-Vayn.
The spell turned her inside out, leaving her a squirming mass.
Mushy and oily and eel-like.
And screeching all the while.
My crystal safe-house disappeared and I walked near her writhing remains.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I reacted with equal force, of which I am fully capable.”
“You turned her to this?”
“She did it to herself. Her truth is a vicious thing. That ugliness is what you see.”
“But … that spell had me feeling just as hideous. Does that mean I’m like her?”
“No mortal can stand such self-reflection. Context is key. Fear not. And remember, you did not turn into that.”
He pointed at the witch and made the wailing to stop.
Almost like she’d gone to sleep.
“What happens now?”
“I will restore her, slightly, but not enough to enable her powers. Her reign has ended.”
Uubiquatus wasted no time in finding our missing party.
We were reunited in moments.
The sight of Rick and Dale … really got to me.
I hugged them both so hard!
Hugged them until I cried.
My eyes didn’t open again until we’d left the candy landscape.