I awoke with a start as I felt my body shaking. It took me a moment to remember where I was and what had been going on, but it all came flooding back to me.

It was just a dream, right? No, not just any dream; it had felt like more than that. Dreams are different when the Dark One is involved because they feel more real in every way possible because they come from true memories of mine. I felt a cold sweat come over me, but Mist helped me back up, and I slowly got my bearings about me. The vision and then finding myself back here had it me all at once.

The dream brought back memories of what had happened during the battle with Shai'tan, but also some more that I hadn't been able to piece together until now.

"Misty, is it possible for you to make a portal?" I asked but then shook my head. "Never mind. I need to see Gallia. She might be able to help me sense what I need!"

"Azriel, are you sure you are all right? You seem like you have a screw loose or something. Did you hit your head on something?" Misty asked, and I smiled as I wiped my forehead.

"I don't think I am really alright, but there is something that I need to try, and I need Gallia's help. If I can do this, I will be able to get between places much faster. It is called Traveling. There are different ways of doing it, but I don't know if this world has Waygate's or not. They could be now that Shai'tan is in this world. My mind is filled with so many things now, but one thing is for certain; I need to find him and seal him back into the wheel. There is no way to ever completely get rid of him, but I can and will seal him away," I explained, and Misty just nodded away.

"Sounds like whatever happened to you messed you up pretty good," Graves said from where he leaned against the metal wall.

"You can say that again! That Dark One is like the limited edition shiny Cunt of all bad guys! This guy is worse than your mother's ability to keep her legs closed!" Dirty Harry complained from my pocket, and I groaned.

"You know, I am really starting to hate that box," Graves muttered. "He is an annoying little shit."

I didn't bother with a response because I agreed entirely, but I was glad that at least Graves and Misty had their memories of the world before it had gotten all messed up. I just looked at Misty and smiled.

I went over to her and hugged her close, pulling away after a few moments to kiss her lightly. "Don't worry; I must do this even if it means risking everything."

Misty nodded as she drew closer, giving another passionate kiss before stepping back again with a look of resolve in their eyes before I turned towards Graves, who was watching us intently from where he leaned against the wall. Maybe he just wanted to learn how kissing worked or something? Who knew what ran through that messed up one-eyed Psyduck's head when we weren't paying attention?

"Gallia is in her room right now to the right," Misty said, and I headed over, remembering the interesting time that I had had with Gallia last time. That wasn't what I was here for.

"Gallia?" I called after the door opened, and she sat up from her bed, wearing just a lab coat that was open in the middle. Even for a Gardevoir, Gallia was incredibly sexy, and the look she was giving me almost made me forget why I had come to see her.

"Yes? How are you feeling?" Gallia asked as she got out of bed and came over to me to look me over, but I stopped her and then slowly brought her into a kiss.

"I am better," I said after the kiss. "I was wondering if you could help me with something. I am not really sure what the limits of your Psychic powers are, but I was wondering if you could feel any different sources of power? I feel like my mind is blocked by Saidin, but I don't know how to break it, so I was wondering if you could maybe look into my mind and see if there is anything that you don't recognize and try to force it to the surface for me?"

"I could try, but I can't promise anything," Gallia said as she looked at me before coming close. "What is it that you are looking for?"

She placed her hand on my forehead and closed her eyes, but then she started shaking and stumbled away from me with a gasp as she hit the floor. I rushed over to help pick up Gallia, who was still shaky, before setting her down on the bed gently. Misty came into the room after us to see what all of the commotions were about while I stood back away from everyone with a sense of dread building in my stomach like a rising river ready to flood its banks.

"Gallia, what's wrong?!" Misty asked while Gallia held onto her head, so I just shrugged and acted like I didn't know anything.

'I am going to have to be more careful, but if this is the only way that I can access my powers right now, than so be it.' The voice of the Dark One said in the back of my mind as he let me see through his eyes for a moment before returning me to myself. 'You will help me seal away Shai'tan once again and become their new king with all of your wives at your feet! Not even Moridin himself can rival you!'

Lies. All lies. The Dark One is the epitome of deceit and falsehood, but I wasn't stupid. I was just trying to try to control myself in this new body, and my mind was already weakened by Shai'tan's Taint in this alternate reality that he had drawn me into.

"Misty, Graves! Can you help Gallia back into her bed? She isn't feeling well," I said while they came over to help pick up Gallia gently before setting her down on the bed again. "I am going to go for a walk and see if I can't clear my head."

I didn't wait for a response as I turned and walked away. This was getting more complicated by the minute, and now I wasn't even sure if I could trust my own mind anymore. I was scared now that the Source might be tainted again with the way that Gallia reacted. I would leave her for a bit and go out on my own for a bit. I would have to be more careful from now on, or things were going to get much worse before they got any better.

I left Professor Oak's building and went to walk back out to the cliff where I had gone down before, but this time I just sat on the ledge. I needed to seek the flame, seek the fire within myself, so I could try to feel for the power. Saidin had to be out there, and I just needed to find it.

I listened to the wind as it danced through the leaves and the waves far below me crashing on the beach. I let the world around me soak into my soul as I reached out with my mind, trying to sense anything that could help me.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, but the sun was getting low on the horizon by the time I finally moved again. I felt more at peace now, and my mind was clearer. Maybe it was just because of how close I had come to Shai'tan, or maybe it was something else entirely; but whatever the reason, I felt better now as if a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, but still, I could not seem to grasp at the Source.

I got up and dusted myself off before heading back to Professor Oak's lab. I was surprised to see that it was already dark outside, but I supposed that time didn't really matter much anymore. Misty and Graves were both inside waiting for me, and they both looked worried.

"Azriel! There you are! We were getting worried about you," Misty said as she came over to hug me while Graves just stood there watching us with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I am sorry; I just needed some time to think," I replied as I hugged her tightly before letting go again. "What about Gallia? Is she feeling any better?"

"She is asleep right now, but she was mumbling something about a voice in her head," Misty said with a worried look, and I just nodded slowly.

"I see. Well, I think it would be best if we all got some sleep as well. We can talk more in the morning," I said as I headed over to my bedroll while Graves went to lay down on his own bedroll on the other side of the room.

I lay down and stared up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything that had happened, but no matter how much I thought about it, nothing seemed to add up. There was something that I was missing, but what?