The Eye of Minds

The robotic arms release Michael and he slumps to the ground. Michael vows to kill Kaine for violating his Core, something only Michael should have been able to do. The robot warns that “Kaine hears all” (281). The room briefly blares with light and sound before silence and darkness return. 

Michael is terrified of the possibility of real death. He considers two signs, one that offers entrance into the Hallowed Ravine, the other that offers an exit from the Path. He reflects that something doesn’t “feel right” about this choice—and about his mission as a whole. Even so, he passes through the Hallowed Ravine door.

Michael passes through the door to a desert. The only thing he can see for miles, aside from sand dunes, in a small, shabby building. He crosses to it, but before he can enter, a voice warns him against it. He sees a man covered entirely by tattered cloth. The man cautions Michael that if he goes through the door “[his] life will never be the same” (287). When Michael contends that change can be good, the man adds that Michael’s headaches will cease if he doesn’t go through the door.