There was heat and pressure that tore through Sonder all at once. It burned, but not her skin or clothing, but something deeper, like her bones were being etched with fire.
She was on the edge of crying out in pain, and her knees were starting to give way, but she managed to hold out against it.
"Hold fast," the voice commanded, resonating through stone, but it had a hard time reaching her ears.
It was like he was speaking through a haze.
The red light intensified.
Sonder clenched her teeth, and her vision blurred.
"This power does not come willingly," the voice said. "If there is something in you that can answer it, it will surface."
And somewhere beneath the pain, beneath the heat and the weight, Sonder felt something stir, like nothing she had previously known.
The sensation shifted.
It was still pain, but it changed, becoming sharper and more focused, as if something inside her had been caught and pulled into place, being aligned.
The red light no longer pressed blindly against her; instead, it was searching something out.
She felt it rake across her intent and potential. Not just skimming the surface but dragging its weight through everything she was.
Then suddenly the pain stopped. And like an unlocked door, opened for her.
A few words burned themselves into her mind.
Sag, find. It flared bright and clear.
Eem, self. The core of one's being. She felt it, and it was herself, always.
Xoh, truth. It had an urgency. It demanded attention in the moment. And it would only work with what was necessary.
Urm, want. Not what was needed; instead, it was greedy. In the heart of hearts, what was one's biggest desire.
The words locked together. And formed meaning in her mind, whole and complete.
Sag Eem Soh Urm.
Find what I truly want, what I want most, right now.
The red light flared once, violently, then snapped away.
Sonder collapsed to her knees, gasping for air, hands clutching at the stone floor as heat bled from her body in waves.
She trembled, but she was alive; more than that, she was changed.
The dust-creature darted back to her at once, hovering close, brushing against her hair and cheek as if checking that she was alright.
It took her a moment, but she managed to stand proud.
The man's voice came softly now, no longer commanding, no longer distant. "Yes," he said. "It seems that you have claimed what you needed. It seems to me that you are on the path to becoming the second most powerful Dico wielder the world has ever seen."
"Second?" She asked, instantly thinking of Vell.
He laughed dryly. "Yes. There is someone that no one can overcome. Not even in a thousand years."