that rose up directly in front of them. Sekiro changed direction every time this happened. And every time they brushed past a rising column, Roxie expected to hear a groan or whoosh, or some sort of menacing sound that would make her skin crawl, but the shadow columns made as much noise as a cloud’s shadow racing across a grassy field.
Another shadow column rose up in front of them. Sekiro turned ninety degrees from it and stopped in the air a block away from it.
Roxie stopped near her. “What’s wrong?”
“Every place I try to take us, he throws up another shadow thing. I don’t know where he wants us to go!” Her hands were balled up into fists and her eyes were hidden under her bangs and the rim of her Borsalino cap.
“Maybe somewhere outside Buffalo?”
Sekiro looked up, her watery eyes wide. “Let’s try that.” She darted towards where they Buffalo Main Lighthouse lay, but a wall of darkness separated them from it. She stopped and searched for an opening, then doubled back and flew in an easterly direction, passing over a more suburban stretch of the city. There were tons of places to eat, shop, or live. They got almost all the way to I-90 when another wall of darkness rose from the highway and surged into the sky, caging them in. Sekiro veered north and they flew over a neighborhood of cookie-cutter homes. Once they reached what Roxie recognized as the Kensington Expressway drawing a line through relatively flat terrain, darkness rose out of that road and surged into the sky, caging them in even more. Sekiro veered westward, their last option. Before they could fly more than a block, a wall of darkness rose in the distance and connected with the sky. They stopped.
Buffalo fell into darkness as thorough as a cloudless night with no electricity to light up homes and buildings. Roxie couldn’t see Sekiro with her eyes, but she could see just fine with her mind vision. Sekiro’s wiry form hovered near her in bold white lines. She almost looked like an x-ray picture, but without the shading or a visual of what lay under her skin. The city below was outlined in fainter lines like a light pencil drawing. More distant parts of the city were outlined in grays that gradually faded into the blackness engulfing them. She couldn’t make out anything beyond maybe a quarter mile.
“Roxie, where are you? I can’t see anything!” Her white outline blindly groped the air in front of her.
“Right near you,” Roxie said. Her headache and nausea were finally ebbing. And even though she was far removed from her emotionless calm, she couldn’t bring herself to panic. She could still see, thanks to the mind vision ability Aerigo had taught her.
Sekiro pivoted and reached towards Roxie, then found her shoulders and grasped them. “Oh thank goodness, I found you. Can you see anything?”
“I’m using extended reality to see. Sekiro, I don’t think he wants us to go anywhere.”
Sekiro shook her head. “But he--” The outline of her eyes widened. “You’re right,” she said in disbelief. She smacked her forehead. “Oh, my god, you are so right. I’ve been so focused on what he wants, instead of focusing on being a Guide and bringing you where you need to go. Bear with me ‘cause I can’t see a darn thing.” Sekiro carefully reached a little higher, then placed the palm of one hand on Roxie’s forehead and closed her own eyes.
Roxie listened to the buzz of Sekiro’s wings and the thud of her own as the Numina did whatever it was exactly that she was doing. As much as she was glad to have inadvertently been of some help, she hoped she was right. There was no way she’d be able to see the darkness coming if it appeared and rose to engulf them. On top of that she wouldn’t see any walls or columns of darkness before they flew into it.
Before Roxie could voice her concerns, Sekiro gasped and let go.
“No, Roxie, no,” the Numina said in a heartbroken voice.
“What?” The sadness in Sekiro’s
Another shadow column rose up in front of them. Sekiro turned ninety degrees from it and stopped in the air a block away from it.
Roxie stopped near her. “What’s wrong?”
“Every place I try to take us, he throws up another shadow thing. I don’t know where he wants us to go!” Her hands were balled up into fists and her eyes were hidden under her bangs and the rim of her Borsalino cap.
“Maybe somewhere outside Buffalo?”
Sekiro looked up, her watery eyes wide. “Let’s try that.” She darted towards where they Buffalo Main Lighthouse lay, but a wall of darkness separated them from it. She stopped and searched for an opening, then doubled back and flew in an easterly direction, passing over a more suburban stretch of the city. There were tons of places to eat, shop, or live. They got almost all the way to I-90 when another wall of darkness rose from the highway and surged into the sky, caging them in. Sekiro veered north and they flew over a neighborhood of cookie-cutter homes. Once they reached what Roxie recognized as the Kensington Expressway drawing a line through relatively flat terrain, darkness rose out of that road and surged into the sky, caging them in even more. Sekiro veered westward, their last option. Before they could fly more than a block, a wall of darkness rose in the distance and connected with the sky. They stopped.
Buffalo fell into darkness as thorough as a cloudless night with no electricity to light up homes and buildings. Roxie couldn’t see Sekiro with her eyes, but she could see just fine with her mind vision. Sekiro’s wiry form hovered near her in bold white lines. She almost looked like an x-ray picture, but without the shading or a visual of what lay under her skin. The city below was outlined in fainter lines like a light pencil drawing. More distant parts of the city were outlined in grays that gradually faded into the blackness engulfing them. She couldn’t make out anything beyond maybe a quarter mile.
“Roxie, where are you? I can’t see anything!” Her white outline blindly groped the air in front of her.
“Right near you,” Roxie said. Her headache and nausea were finally ebbing. And even though she was far removed from her emotionless calm, she couldn’t bring herself to panic. She could still see, thanks to the mind vision ability Aerigo had taught her.
Sekiro pivoted and reached towards Roxie, then found her shoulders and grasped them. “Oh thank goodness, I found you. Can you see anything?”
“I’m using extended reality to see. Sekiro, I don’t think he wants us to go anywhere.”
Sekiro shook her head. “But he--” The outline of her eyes widened. “You’re right,” she said in disbelief. She smacked her forehead. “Oh, my god, you are so right. I’ve been so focused on what he wants, instead of focusing on being a Guide and bringing you where you need to go. Bear with me ‘cause I can’t see a darn thing.” Sekiro carefully reached a little higher, then placed the palm of one hand on Roxie’s forehead and closed her own eyes.
Roxie listened to the buzz of Sekiro’s wings and the thud of her own as the Numina did whatever it was exactly that she was doing. As much as she was glad to have inadvertently been of some help, she hoped she was right. There was no way she’d be able to see the darkness coming if it appeared and rose to engulf them. On top of that she wouldn’t see any walls or columns of darkness before they flew into it.
Before Roxie could voice her concerns, Sekiro gasped and let go.
“No, Roxie, no,” the Numina said in a heartbroken voice.
“What?” The sadness in Sekiro’s
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