The Forgotten Ring

Chapter 16: State of Mind

My mind feels fuzzy. I can't detect anything other than the buzzing in my head. Everything feels like static: my sight, my hearing, my sense of touch.

"Well, at least it isn't like last time."

I whip around at the sound and see a looming white shadow in front of me. The figure is tall and glowing white with multiple limbs—six wings and two sets of arms. The creature's eyes glow solid electric blue, and though it has no mouth, I feel a sense of smugness coming from it. The body is long and thin, with blue accents and a strangely shaped head topped off with pointy ears.

"What do you mean?" I hear myself ask.

An echoey laugh rumbles through the dim space that stretches out infinitely. It's almost like I can see a twinge of amusement in the creature's eyes.

"The last time you came to this place," the creature booms. "So much confusion. So much pain."

"Who are you?" I say weakly.

The creature scoffs. "It's me, idiot. Renovva."

I stare in shock at the figure towering over me. When did she grow to be so large?

"What's happening?" I question shakily. "Where am I?"

"The same place you were last time your powers touched," Renovva answers. "A connected headspace. A crossing of paths. The source of your greatest strengths and your greatest weaknesses."

"Greatest strengths and weaknesses?"

"You'll see in due time," Renovva assures. "One day when you're ready, you'll be able to harness great power from this place."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I ask with increasing frustration.

"It's not time for you to know yet," she responds calmly, "but you'll learn more the more your powers connect like this."

"Our powers...?" Then it hits me like a train—Chat is injured.

I stumble forward to Renovva. "Where—where is he?" I ask frantically.

She simply looks down at me with her large blank eyes and slowly gestures behind her with her two left arms. I glance to where she points and see a white lump on the ground, a figure identical to Renovva but black crouching next to it.

"Oh my god," I murmur before running to it. It's him.

As I approach the figure, the creature hovering above him glances up at me. I feel worry emanating from it. I can only assume it's Plagg.

I drop down on my knees. Chat is laying on his back, breathing shallowly, eyes closed. I see the wound in his side, but the knife is gone.

I place a hand on his shoulder and his crystal blue eyes flutter open. He glances at me briefly before shifting his gaze to the towering figure above him. His eyes widen in alarm as he tries to sit up with a strained groan of surprise.

"Whoa, calm down," I mutter, pushing down on his shoulders. "It's okay. That's Plagg." I look up at the looming figure, worry across my face. "Is he going to be okay?"

Plagg nods. "He should be healing as we speak."

I turn my gaze back to Chat Nuage. The wound on his side is already closing—not rapidly, but fast enough that it was detectable.

"How is it doing that?" I ask softly.

"Well, usually the suit would protect him, but I think part of Safari's powers had something to do with why it pierced through it," Plagg starts. "Any sort of skin injury typically heals faster when wearing an activated miraculous, but the wound wouldn't be able to heal with a knife in the way, and we couldn't have him bleed out."