Help had not yet arrived.
The white magic had run its treatment, but Alex was still ailing. The suit's power was only flickering at this point, and no more medical treatment could be administered. He was aware of his injuries, if the shock didn't get him, the internal hemorrhaging would. He would bleed to death on the inside.
Alex was embarrassed as to how helpless he was. In the course of eighteen months previous he had managed to keep himself out of danger, but with three massive rock monsters show up, he can't seem to keep it together. All he could really do at this point is sit and wait.
And even that proved to be a chore. Alex was fighting a losing battle against unconsciousness, and he would soon lose. If he did, he might not ever see the waking world again. Alex never thought this would be how he would die, in a rotting industrial park, bleeding to death on the inside. There HAD to be someone nearby who could help.
Finally, Alex lost the fight. He plunged into the void of unconsciousness.
...Though he was not dead.
Alex appeared to regain consciousness into what appeared to be a dream or a hallucination. He, cast in an ethereal glow, scanned a quick look over his new location. It looked like the old sparring arena his old mentor, Caulus Zalridge, had trained him in. It was large, round indoor room, with plenty of space to spread out and fight. Lining the walls were some of Caulus' magical charms and runestones he so wanted Alex to use in battle. Unfortunately, the stubborn child Alex desired the brutish excitement of melee combat.
Though glowing, Alex noticed that his form was still corporeal, as he could feel the ground below him. Opposite him across the large arena was the ghostly form of Caulus Zalridge, the wise old mage who had found Alex abandoned as a baby. He appeared in the same way Alex did.
Caulus was an old man, of at least seventy, at least, when he departed. His long white beard and hair displayed him as a man with experience, and his robes covered with a variety of runic symbols showed his magical prowess.
"Young Alex," Caulus called. "What brings you here? I thought you were off saving the world and whatnot."
Alex swallowed a lump in his throat, and replied, "Uh, to be honest, I don't exactly know how I got here...I was fighting this golem one moment, the cannon I was using backfired, and then..."
"Hush, child. That was a rhetorical question. I know exactly why you're here. You're just barely hanging on to the threads of life in the real world, son," Caulus replied. "All of this you are seeing, feeling, hearing, is my departed soul contacting you. I believe you remembered what happened last time, at the Borderworld."
"So how do I get back to the real world?" Alex asked, obviously concerned for his physical form.
"That, my friend," Caulus went on, "Is something you will have to learn. Alex, look down."
Alex obeyed. When he did, he saw his body, laying limp against the ordinance warehouse wall. From an outside view, Alex got a good idea as to how bad he had been beaten. His armor was dented, his visor cracked, and various parts of the armor had been chipped off completely. Alex tried to approach his body, but went nowhere fast.
"A common mistake of those experiencing near-death," Caulus seemed to chuckle a little bit. "You see, you can't just float back into your body and be good as new. It doesn't work that way. Someone has to put you back."
"Okay...so can you do it?" Alex asked, feeling a little selfish.
"I wish I could, child, but I cannot. It takes a being of the twilight to do such things," Caulus sighed. "I know one."
"Who, WHO?!" Alex cried, knowing he had limited time.
From Caulus' lips escaped one word.
"Midna."
Suddenly, a blinding flash filled Alex's vision, and he appeared next to his body. Aware he himself could not return to his physical form, he turned back to his former mentor.
"Okay...Midna. Got it. And where do I find this Midna?"
"The last time I heard from her, she was investigating the Kandarinian activity in Asgarnia. Perhaps you could find her spying on them in the Kandarinian citadel."
"And how do I get there without a body?!"
"Alex, you're looking at this new form as a curse. However, there are many things you can do in this spirit form that would be impossible for a human. In this form, you are invisible to all but those well versed in the magical arts. Midna is one such person. Seeing as you have little corporeal form, you can pass through most solid objects by only thinking about it. Also, your senses in this form are greatly heightened, you will be able to hear, see, and smell things you could not previously. Remember, Alex, this is not a curse, but a blessing. Find Midna, and she will restore you to your proper form. Now, I must go."
"Wait!" Alex cried. "How will I know what she looks like?!"
"Use your senses, child. You will know her when you see her." Caulus chuckled, and seemed to vanish into thin air.
Alex looked back at his body and sighed. He couldn't ask for help. No one would hear him. He could not get attention, no one would see him. He was alone.
"If only Ein or Marshall were here...maybe one of them could be able to see me."
Alex turned to the looming Kandarinian citadel. Over the past eighteen months, the Kandies had modified large buildings to their liking. Alex had previously done his utmost to avoid that part of town, but it seemed at this point, he had no choice.
So off Alex went, in search of this mysterious Midna that Caulus had so lightly mentioned.
