Chaos Moon (5)

After another four minutes of brooding, trying to find a way out of her current situation, Alesha had still come up with nothing. The conditions of the Chaos Moon were clear: every 10 minutes, her Chaos Energy would increase by 1.

She was at maximum capacity right now, the full 10/10. The System had warned her that her body could not handle any more Chaos Energy than that. It had further cautioned that remaining at full capacity for long periods of time was unwise and could lead to undesirable consequences, including possible death.

However, the System was not always straightforward with her. It could very well have phrased its responses to make being at or beyond her maximum capacity seem like a bigger deal than it actually was.

There was only one way to find out.

Any moment now, the --

[+1 Chaos Energy]

[Warning! Warning! Chaos Energy beyond maximum capacity. Emergency release will commence in 3, 2…]

If the influx of too much Chaos Energy hadn't sent her screaming and writhing to the floor in full-body agony, having launched off the couch with its arrival, this message would have made Alesha very worried. 

Dennis, still in the kitchen washing dishes, dropped them into the sink and whirled around as she started screaming. 

He ran over to her, yelling, "Alesha! Alesha, what's wrong?! Are you ok?! Did you hurt yourself?!"

Layla heard it too and ran to her door.

Meanwhile, the excess Chaos Energy in Alesha had started to leak out of her body, a shifting and dancing penumbra of multi-colored light. It looked like fire, lightning, and a rainbow mist, the "texture" of the light rapidly changing as it rippled across her form. Its hypnotic dance was distinctly unique from anything Dennis had ever seen before. There wasn't very much of it but it still made him wary.

It was too late, however. Sensing another vessel nearby, it jumped towards him in a streak of multicolored plasma, disappearing into him like a rewinding video of a fog machine emitting fumes.

Alesha's seizure stopped, and she quieted down, out of breath.

Layla ran into the room. Her face was a mask of worry, and she went straight to Alesha's side, paying no mind to Dennis as she went past him. 

"Alesha, are you alright? Do you need me to call an ambulance?" 

Alesha's eyes fluttered, taking in her sister's concerned face and the most recent System notification. 

[Excess Chaos Energy successfully released. 5 damage was taken in the time it remained in your body. Quick consumption of remaining Chaos Energy is recommended.]

"No, no doctor! Please, I can't see a doctor, I absolutely can't see a doctor…" she mumbled.

The System hadn't been exaggerating at all with its warnings.

Not wanting to go through that again, Alesha started to get up. 

"No! Stay laying down," Layla insisted, pushing her back to the floor.

Her strength was returning. "No, I need to go to bed. Please," Alesha begged, giving Layla a pleading look. 

Layla dropped her head and gave up. "Fine, but at least let me help you get there," she insisted.

Alesha nodded and let her sister take her to her room.

----

Dennis watched his sisters leave the living room numbly. What had just happened? Alesha's agonized screams still rang in his ears, and the sensation of the strange light entering him lingered on his skin. It had felt like an evil winter wind had chilled him right to the bone.

He shivered and grabbed his elbows, soap bubbles dripping from his still-wet hands onto the floor as he hugged himself. He felt kind of dizzy.

Returning to the kitchen, he robotically finished washing the dishes, then emptied the sink and rinsed the grime down the drain.

It wasn't long before he found himself huddled in a ball as he sat in his gaming chair. The soothing, familiar material pressed against him, its cool surface gently brushing aside the unpleasant memory of the light's angry chill. 

What was that light? Had it attacked Alesha, was this going to happen to everyone in Iritia, where they were? Was this the start of yet another attack?

Dennis clutched his arms around himself and wiggled deeper into the gel, scrunching up his eyes and beginning to cry softly. This was so scary. What was happening to Elantris, to his sister, and to him? What had that strange light done to him, or what would it do? He didn't have the answers and for now, instead of trying to find them, he wanted to let Layla take care of Alesha. 

So he cried alone in his room, letting the cool embrace of the gamer's chair gel envelop him as he tried to be strong for his sisters.