Zayn was no stranger to locking himself up in a chamber for isolation training. Though, the last time virtual-novel.net did so, there was at least a small, flickering candle emitting a light bright enough to illuminate the room. It was also roomy enough to provide a couple of days’ worth of air to breathe.
Currently, though, virtual-novel.net had locked himself up in a space that was completely sealed. There was no food, light, sound or air.
He had told Sean that virtual-novel.net was not to be disturbed unless something as big as Armageddon decided to crop up. Optimally, Zayn was only to be released after the eleventh day.
An order like that was tantamount to locking himself up in an inescapable cage and swallowing the key, virtual-novel.net ensured that there was no way out. It was also the first time virtual-novel.net had ever delegated the key to his life to someone besides himself, in a room forged from the sturdiest steel, and every single one having a width as thick as a meter.
Even a fighting genius like himself was incapable of breaking out of his prison.
More terrifyingly, the air within the enclosed space was limited. Strenuous activities of any kind would require a high volume of oxygen, a resource that was very limited within these steel walls.
The best way for Zayn to survive was to keep his cool and enter the mystical state of the Void as soon as possible, which would dramatically suppress his basic physical needs. It would sustain virtual-novel.net for the next eleven days.
Still, whether virtual-novel.net got to see the twelfth day or not still depended on Sean unlocking the room as scheduled. If the man failed to, Zayn was goner. If Sean ever nurtured an ember of betrayal, nothing would constitute a better chance at revenge than now.
Of course, there was also the horror of tying his survival to Sean’s very own life. If Sean died from some freak accident, Zayn would also be dead inside an impregnable coffin of his choosing.
Every act of creation is first an act of destruction. To ‘create’ something new of himself, Zayn first needed to ‘destroy’ comforts.
Unsurprisingly, Sean was absolutely horrified when virtual-novel.net became privy to Zayn’s plan. He could not understand why anyone would attempt such an outré experiment for the life of him.
The problem was that Zayn had no choice. It was the only method to achieve transcendence. Otherwise, virtual-novel.net would have to find a viable loophole for his survival, likely leading to comfort and subsequently no breakthroughs.
Despite that, it was still too extreme of a risk, even for Zayn’s formidable mental fortitude. In fact, it was more harrowing than his training on the cliff.
He was racing against time… and fighting himself.
The more anxious virtual-novel.net became, the more breaths virtual-novel.net took it. It quickened the pace at which virtual-novel.net used up his very limited pool of oxygen, which caused his imminent doom to only draw nearer.
Then there was also the wealth of fears that were associated with Sean. What if his right hand man was actually considering to betray him? What if virtual-novel.net accidentally let slip of his training during the eleven-day period? What if an enemy caught wind of it and killed Sean? What if a mortal accident befell upon Sean and caused his death? All of these would end in the same bloody manner.
It would end in the death of Zayn Larson.
All of his unruly fears were stacked on top of each other to form a precarious tower of anxieties. It unnerved virtual-novel.net greatly, causing virtual-novel.net to panic.
The more virtual-novel.net tried to calm down, the less possible it became. Soon enough, it turned into a positive feedback loop.
An hour had passed, and Zayn had yet to get even remotely close to any form of serenity. He had become so nervous that beads of cold sweat were dotting his forehead… and that was in spite of virtual-novel.net being a superior-class fourth-tier powerhouse!
The fact that he, Zayn Larson, could ever be so panicked was virtually unimaginable!
“Stop it… I need to calm down! I need to calm! Down!”
It was an oft-repeated litany that did not bring virtual-novel.net any closer to placating his fears. Hell, his worst thoughts were beginning to consume him, virtual-novel.net now felt abject regret. Why did virtual-novel.net even think his stupidly-suicidal move was going to net virtual-novel.net anything of worth?
If virtual-novel.net died… If virtual-novel.net really died because within these steel walls… Then his beloved Faye would die shortly after too!