Should Have Let Me Die

"I know, I was just playing with you. I don't know how I feel about you that way yet, but I can't say that I am not attracted to your personality. I think you're brave and strong, plus you can keep your head in a fight, and I feel like I can trust you. Still, you have to know that it isn't just that easy for me, I have so many wives already."

"I know that, and I am happy just to know that you do have some kind of feelings towards me and consider me more than just another friend. I will leave it alone and just be here for you the best that I can. That's all I can do, and then you don't have to worry about it. I just needed to know that what I was feeling was okay."

We started to walk again, the mood and the vibes between us had changed, and I started to feel a bit more relaxed. Rena must have told Breth about what she had been feeling, and Breth would have told her just to talk to me about it. That was the right thing for him to do, but the man didn't have to look so smug about it!

This tunnel was starting to angle up fast now, and soon it got to the point where we couldn't walk up without sliding back down. I wanted to try and get a run at it, but when I turned back, the tunnel was gone and a solid rock wall was behind me. I got down low and looked up at the climbing tunnel ahead and I could see daylight, but it was starting to get orange out. 

"This is a bit of a pickle, but let me try something. You will have to bear with the pressure, I am going to open three Gates, and then try to dig up some hand and footholds."

Rena nodded to me and braced herself, this would just be like standing on the top of a really tall mountain, and it would be harder for her to breathe. I really didn't want her to get hurt because of my power, but maybe there was a better way. This time I would try something new.

I opened one at first slow, this was weird for me because I always snapped them open and let the power burst forward, filling my entire body. This feeling gave me more control over the power and I felt like I could concentrate it more to where it needed to be.

I closed my eyes and pictured the massive series of locked Gates stacked on top of each other to make one massively large gate. I saw my body in front of it, but my shape was transparent with thousands, no, maybe hundreds of thousands of little thin glowing blue lines that made up my entire being. 

The first Gate was open, but my body was still taking in the power from it. This was weird, it was only the first Gate, that power should have been mine already! Was it because of the speed I opened the gate? 

"Hello, Hyde," said a deep and heavy rumbling voice in my mind.

What the fuck was that?!

"Hyde?" Rena asked.

I was ripped out of my consciousness by Rena's voice, and I shook my head before turning to her.

"Sorry, I am trying something different here. I am going to try something, but I need you to stay quiet while I do. Do you mind coming and sitting down in front of me? I would like you to hold my hands while I meditate. There is something that I have been missing about this power I have, and I just heard a voice inside my head that I have never heard before," I said, taking a seat on the ground.

Rena gave me a smile with a raised eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes, yes I know I sound crazy. She came over, still smiling, and sat cross-legged on the ground with me. I took her hands and looked into her eyes, brown, and a bit closed, giving her a more exotic look. 

"I am going to start slowly opening the Gates and it could take a little bit. I want you to squeeze my hands if it gets to be too much, okay?" I asked her, and Rena nodded her head and took a deep breath in, and then let it back out.

"I'm ready, you can go ahead now."

I closed my eyes and rebuilt the image of the Gates back in my head, once more floating above my body. The first gate was now empty, so I slowly opened the next Gate and let the power flow into me at the speed it wanted. Now, It was time to find out who else was in here with me.

"I am The Gate System, I am the A.I. that is in charge of this task." 

"Why is this the first time I have ever heard you?"

"When your memory files were corrupted and the blocks were put in place, they also unintentionally block certain information about the use of The Gate System. This is the first time. In seventy-one games that you have tried to use The Gate System the way, it was meant to be. My name is Keepa, and from this point forward, I will be assisting you to use The Gate System."

Wait, I had been using it wrong the entire time? AND STILL KICKING ASS?! 

"Alright Keepa lay it on me. I am ready to learn!" 

"I will upload the basic data for the first two Gates, even the first Gate should be more than enough to complete this challenge. The next challenge will be against a foe that is much stronger than what you have been fighting. You could still kill it if you used all five Gates the way you have been, but then you would very likely kill your friends from all the wasted power," Keepa explained.

"Wasted power? Is that what is happening? It's not just part of the Gates' overwhelming power?" I asked in confusion.

"All your questions will be answered with the Memory Download, please wait a moment."