The More You Know, The More You Wish You Didn¡¯t.
Thud!
stated. ¡°The Human Pillar forgot to account for the chaos that presided in our minds. Be it a human, or a demon. All alike, face the consequences of the Human Pillar¡¯s actions. He didn¡¯t want us to live in a chaotic, madness infused world. So he took all it upon himself. All in hopes that we would not need to live and experience what he had experienced. All in hopes that You would not need to live in such a horrifying world. He wished for himself to be the last person to deal with such things.¡± The image of him kneeling on the cathedral''s spires came to mind.
"Dear Dairy, I took my first breaths into this world today. Granted, it wasn¡¯t exactly my ¡°first¡± per say, but for someone who¡¯s lost his memories, it¡¯s the same thing. I woke up on my bed, and met with a little girl. She was my sister, nearing 10 years(I think? I highly doubt someone actually stays as a 9 year old forever. Then again, with how the world has shown itself to be, I find myself not fully doubting the possibility of such a thing). Her name was really long and complicated to pronounce. Manananglathethalia. I still don¡¯t understand what my parents were thinking when they named her. I don¡¯t remember why I did not ask them when I had the chance, but I will do that soon. Talking about my parents, they are pretty cool people. Well, ¡°cool¡± isn¡¯t the exactly the correct word, but it will do. I can say without a doubt that they are very supportive. Both of them look youthful too, bantering with each other from time to time. Specifically speaking, Mom is normal. With an easy to read face ¡ª except in our final discussion¡ª and a gentle aura. Dad on the other hand, he is a model father. I find that to be unnerving. He basically seems to be what a person would imagine a ¡°father¡± to be. Other than that, he is a reliable man.
These people are the ones I feel most comfortable with. Mana, my little sister, does some questionable things and expressions at times, but I find that to be a normal activity for a 9 year old. Our day wasn¡¯t anything new. At least for my family. We all had visited the Cathedral many times throughout our lives, and also visited the schools that ¡°Eon¡± taught in. The market, the hospitals ¡ª how in the world does the existence of that thing make sense? ¡ª the super supplies storage, and basically the entire valley. Most gave a sense of nostalgia and unfound familiarity. The cathedral itself was a wonder to look at; both from the inside and the outside. I suppose more from the inside. A grand existence ¡ª I found this word the most suited to describe it ¡ª that broke physics and understanding. It hoisted the Pillars of Creation and a reverse Cross on it¡¯s spires, everything on a scale made for giants. The inside was the most confusing and amusing thing. Absurd size of the hall, mystifying water, revolving gears, and a statue of one of the Pillars. All combined gave the sense of a different dimension. The elder that we met ¡ª on not so favorable terms ¡ª turned out to be the biggest source of information. He was also the biggest source of confusion that I had found.
The 12 Commandments to Survive a Demonic World, or The Demonic Commandments as I liked to call them. They had enough lore material to write entire books around. They were confusing, yet forced a certain level of strength on the world¡¯s inhabitants. The discussion about their origin, and the exact nature of their existence. Such revelations were enough to leave me and my parents in prolonged contemplation. Somehow, in all this, I found the time dilation thingy of the Cathedral to be the most amusing part. If the elder spends all his time inside the cathedral(not confirmed), and looks like a 90 year old man, it raises some questions.
1. How big is his actual age in outside terms? Outside as in outside the cathedral.
2. Assuming that the time dilation inside the cathedral is always expansive, how long ago did the elder take his position? How long ago was he even born? To look that old?
3. For point no 2, is the age increase inside the cathedral relative to the time spent inside it, or the time that passes outside?
Many such questions pass my mind as I think about that mysterious place. And, all the events that happened after it. Mana crying on the accounts of the valley¡¯s name, her timely disappearances to god knows where. The reaction of my parents, and the conversations that I had with them on multiple topics. The meeting with my ¡°childhood friend¡±, Daemon Symfora, and my sudden irritation and hostility targeting him. Us talking, his reactions to certain events, and the goddamned normality of the entire thing. The discussions my family and I had as we made our way to our home, and also at the dinner table. Can¡¯t forget the exploration of my room, and the tidbits that sparked sudden knowledge about demons. Then the last conversations with mom while basking in the moonlight, and then Mana¡¯s mind reading of my want for you, Mr. Diary.
So many things have passed in just one day, nay, barely 16 hours. Yet I anguish at the thought that I cannot write it all down. I¡¯m nearly about to fall asleep after all, and I find myself to simply be unable to refuse this urge. Is this the god¡¯s or goddess¡¯s doing? I don¡¯t know.
Mr. Diary, till we meet again."
Sighhhhhhhh. A name. I needed a name. Abruptly, in my hazy vision, I looked towards the board. I did not know what had come upon me, but I found a name for this collection of paper.
Chapter 12: Anikanotitas Grasslands.
The sun emerged once more from the horizon depths, illuminating the world in its path. The birds chirped, the cows mooed, and the kingdom of life awoke. The rays passed through the closed curtains on of my windows, glancing upon my face. Soon, my eyes fluttered open, my whole body raised and curved to vanquish the soreness. I sat up in a steady fashion, once again taking in my room. Memories of last night flashed through my mind.
My second day in this world had begun. How it would progress, that was something worth looking forward to. And also worth fearing.
The mirror on the closet allowed me to understand my appearance. With my hair disheveled, and body unclothed¡ª I was not in a energetic mood. I took my clothes from the closet ¡ª yesterday¡¯s, and somewhat roughly placed ¡ª and put them on. My eyes wandered throughout my room. The board, and it¡¯s contents remained the same. It reminded me of the title I had given to my diary. On that note, the diary still lay on the table beside my bed, position unchanged from last night. The same went for literally everything else in my room. Why I wondered anything would change ¡ª or rather expected, was beyond me. Maybe Mana would have done some shenanigans inside, I did not lock the door after all.
I made my way to the door, nearly tripping on the black ball pen on the way. It had fallen down after I had finished writing the diary entry, I supposed. I put it in my shirt pocket, and made my way down the stairs. A quick glance at the clock on my table before leaving told me the time. 5: 49 am. I had awoken earlier today.
The same hallway and doors greeted me, the whole house bathing in early sunlight. All the windows were open after all. I freshened up, and did my daily morning activities. The bathroom ¡ªsurprisingly¡ªhad not been taken over this morning. I found my parents in the living room, sipping some coffee. My father read the newspaper, while my mother basked in the sunlight. Both were in their nightgowns of some sort, and looked comfy.
¡±Good morning Eon.¡± Both greeted, having noticed my presence. I greeted back. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Dad asked as I sat down on the sofa, a cup of coffee already on my table. ¡°Yes. Though, I ended up falling asleep a little earlier than what I had expected. And that, it was a little forceful.¡± The coffee was bitter to taste, yet warmed my body with energy. I knew that I didn''t have any physical disorders -- other than periodic Amnesia. At least that''s what I thought. Hey, only one day has passed you know.
Dad chuckled at my confusion. ¡°Well¡¡± I interrupted him, somewhat knowing what would come next. ¡°Let me guess, another thing about this world, where everyone is expected to wake up early and sleep early?¡± I asked with raised eyebrows. With a quick glance at me from the newspaper, he shrugged and went back to reading. And drinking coffee. It seemed as though the palate for drinks ran in the family.
The morning coffee was a good way to spend time. Calming silence reigned supreme. Only broken by the rustling of papers and the chirping of birds. And then the stomping of a little child as she made her way down the stairs. Covered in teddy bear pajamas, she groggily rubbed her eyes. Mom stood up, and got a cup of hot cocoa for her from the kitchen. Everyone liked starting their day with a drink, I could not help but think. And everyone woke up before 6 too, I should have expected that when Mana had come to wake me up yesterday. The clock soon passed 6, and the day had officially started. I and Mana, we had nothing to do. Literally empty handed when it came to activities. Our parents on the other hand, they were busy. Mom went to the kitchen, and began to cook. Would we have a different dish set today? Dad went out the garden and did some exercise.
A peaceful and ordinary morning, these words were perfect to describe our time.
Time passed quickly. We ate, did the chores, and managed most of the stuff around the house. Dad had some work related to the office that he needed done, and I somehow had the ability to help with that. So help I did ¡ª finishing the tasks within record time. Mana spent all of that time loitering around -- she still didn''t have that level of skill to contribute. And since even the TV and games were not enough to contain her, it was a miracle she did not storm in while we were working. Also, I was told that today was the first day of a week long holiday, hence she did not need to go to school. As for the other days? In her own words, I made a her too smart in academics for her age class. So she would just do the practical and written exams every year and get her grades up. A full blown shut-in, that in contradicting fashion, knew how to touch grass. Wow.
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The clock hands moved with the passage of hours, and 11 rang around. We quickly dressed up, and went outside. Dad had gone to call a carriage for us, so we were left to enjoy the noon breeze. The weather was clear with clouds scattered in between. The Sun shone in all its glory. Mana brought her game console along. She really loved playing games. It was an exploration game this time. I was thankful for not having to see anyone¡¯s spine ripped out of their neck.
The carriage ¡ª once again electric ¡ª came, and we hopped in. Mom had to pull Mana by the collar because of her unreliable focus. We made our way through the roads, cutting across the towns and rivers. My questions brought me to the conclusion that there only a few grasslands had been preserved in this valley. And within them, only one or two were visited by a large majority. They all were massive . Surpassing the space taken by the cathedral¡¯s exterior to be precise. I did not know just which grassland I had seen, and the images did not improve in clarity this time. So we had to visit them all. Amusingly, our family had visited none of those grasslands in our stay here. Proving the lack of connection that the Eikas had with these plains.
The total number of grasslands ¡ª this word had turned into somewhat of a mouthful ¡ª numbered no more than 3. Located along the northern part of this valley. They all spread across different altitudes, and had a lake or two near them. Trees surrounded them as they etched closer and closer to the hills, all in different variety. I did not have trouble in distinguishing between them, credit to my near perfect eyesight. We reached the west most plains, it was the closest to our home. Nothing much could be seen from the area, except of some herds of animals grazing, and children playing around. Mom¡¯s comment rang in my mind. This valley was known as the most peaceful place in the world after all.
We moved on, the same carriage carrying us to the northern most plain. Once again, we were left empty handed. I felt nothing except serenity and calm as I gazed on the sceneries. I even moved around the place, hoping to find any form of communication or feeling towards my fear. Yet somehow, deep down, I knew. My sense of fear had come from only one of those images. The dining table one. And I had already dealt with that yesterday. Not the fear itself, but decoding the reason for it¡¯s existence.
A couple of hours later, we went to the final plain of green in this valley. Disappointment reigned supreme, for we had failed once again to find any semblance regarding my imagery. Funny thing was, none of these plains, these grasslands; none of them matched my visions. At least not completely. The ones in the memory were larger, grander. And most importantly, had all three of the plains we visited combined. Yes, all the grasslands had some resemblance. But all only matched it when they were combined.
I asked the locals about it, and apparently that was how the grasslands had been millennia prior. Why I had an image of such a long forgotten past was beyond me, but I did not manage to do much regarding it. So I left it alone.
We ate our lunch, it was 1 after all. And headed back to our home. There was not much to do in holiday season, and it seemed as though we would be doing the explorations of the market later on. We were nearing the sale season ¡ª mom was really excited about this ¡ª and we were also running low on supplies. So it all checked out for future adventures. Now for the present. Mana had gone back to napping, it was a routine for her. Wake up, exhaust yourself, nap, refill energy, exhaust yourself once again, and then go to sleep. That¡¯s how her days were spent.
But this gave me an opportunity. I talked to my parents about the dining table scene, and all the things that I had found regarding it. I kept the stuff regarding ¡°Eon¡±¡¯s madness to myself. For now. Their reaction to everything else? Incredulousness. They scolded me for not talking about it sooner. I hadn¡¯t mentioned the part of keeping it a secret from Mana after all. A few discussions here and there, and more information was discovered.
About what? Or in this case¡ about who?
Daemon Symfora. His mysteries grew the more I learned.
Interlude: Rude Awakening.
¡°Days pass in a blur, pain and regret your only friend,
Working your truths and lies, you chase your only end.
A bite taken, the rest thrown. A sip drunk, and the rest spilt.
When will you realize my friend, pain drives your hilt?¡±
The pen glided across the page, the ink bleeding through its pores. Sometimes it would come to a halt ¡ª giving thought a chance to resume. Soon, it would continue, emotions and fate burning to fumes.
¡±Twenty Seven Thousand Years have gone by my friend, Countless Awakenings and Rests in the air,
Nine Hundred and Ninety Times my friend, is it fair?¡±
The hands holding this weapon were slender, yet strong. Gloves adorned their being, trying their very best to hide anything beneath. The pages turned, many such words had already found their mark. What was to come next? None could know ¡ª it could be light. Or it could be dark.
¡±Regret your decisions not my friend, they build your current path,
Regret your views not my friend, this world deserves your wrath. ¡°
A snicker left the poet¡¯s lips. Were they a ¡®He¡¯? Or were they a ¡®She¡¯? It could not be determined. Did that matter though? The question rung through the blackened room. Fates were being told. Deaths, Despair, and Madness. All in full bloom.
The pen ¡ª the classy fountain ¡ª resumed its journey.
¡±Alas, my friend. You have chosen an escape.¡±
The hands shivered.
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¡±ALAS, my FRIEND. YOU have CHOSEN an ESCAPE¡ª!¡±
The pen shook, not realizing the repetition of its movements. Insanity hung in every syllable, betrayal left in their wake.
¡±Your actions my friend. YOUR ACTIONS MY FRIEND.
Your illuminated yet darkened future they Shape. ¡°
Silence ¡ª once constantly broken by the rustling of paper, and the scribbles of a pen, regained its horror. The being put a pause on their poetic tapestry. The pen slipped out of their grasp, the book¡¯s pages fluttering by the wind. Shadows reigned supreme in this small room, the book and the hands barely seen.
Shakings trembled through the air, their chair skid back. The being regained his footing. Hands on the table, their back bent. Thuds resounded on the table, yet they left no dent.
Ha. Hahaha. HAHAHAHA.
The snickers left, small laughs retaining their purpose. Soon, they also fled, bellows breathing in their stead.
The room trembled with each spasm ¡®He¡¯ brought. The winds howled with each breath ''He'' took. The world once rejected ''His'' very existence, so ''He'' put himself in eternal slumber. Now everything once again lay in ''His'' grasp, time in momentous thunder.
The fallen pen found its mark, the pages had been turned once again. The tunes resumed.
¡±You have awoken me my friend, now yourself different from your previous kind and breed.
To vanquish your existence my friend, Why To Her Did You PLEAD?¡±
The laughter bled, opening wounds of rage. For whatever they existed, insanity marked ¡®His¡± Visage. Where would ¡®He¡¯ now go? What would ¡®He¡¯ now write?
¡±A Rude Awakening my Friend, You have put forward your Final Stand,
A Rude Awakening my Friend, Your Past chose the Wrong Hand.¡±
The pages turned, the knowings shivering in fright.
¡±A Rude Awakening my Friend, you have now done countless times.
A Rude Awakening my Friend, our story now resumes its rhymes.¡±
Constant short bursts of inspirations flashed through ¡®His¡¯ mind. Were they delightful? Or were they distraughtly? ¡ª the world returned in kind.
¡±A Rude Awakening my Friend, What efforts will you show me now?
A Rude Awakening my Friend, The Vicious Cycle you will escape HOW?¡±
¡±Strength once succumbed to your Plunder,
Destruction and Creation blooming in gleam.
Awaken yourself likewise my friend,
You have reached your End¡¯s Dream.¡±
The pen was put down, for a chapter had completed. Whatever thoughts resounded in ¡®His¡¯ head, would remain a secret. Soon a new chapter would unfold, for multiple mysteries had broken. The spells would continue their words, for a new mystery had been spoken.
Chapter 13: The Only One.
Many questions run in my head every hour.
Who am I? This has been answered.
What am I? This¡ also has been answered. At the very least, to everyone around me.
Where am I? Another question that has been answered. It was supposed to be. For my parents, my sister, this world. For me. Yet, I find myself having doubts. What if it is a dream? What if all this, this new life of mine, this place. Everything is nothing but a realistic dream, all formed to keep me away from something? I don¡¯t understand why these words come to mind. I don¡¯t know why I feel¡ so off.
I feel blank. Void. Empty. Feeling full of nothingness. If that last one even makes sense.
Remembering nothing about myself, yet retaining enough common sense to understand my surroundings.
A blank canvas. That knows how to stretch, how to interact with the paint, and how to dry.
That¡¯s who I feel I am.
Well¡ such philosophical questions have to be put on hold now. After an entire day spent watching different types of grass and bushes, it was now time to see some magic. Or physics bending, whichever word suited the taste.
The carriage that I had been travelling on for the past 15 or more minutes came to a halt; right in front of the soaring steps. I gave the payment to the driver before hopping off. The sun was nearly blinding; the rays illuminated the Pillars of Creation statues. Magnificent in all their glory, yet telling of a tragic tale. At least that''s what I considered them as.
Taking quick strides ¡ª I was hungry for answers¡ª I made my way to the giant doors. I stepped through the small opening with no obstruction. Unlike last time. I still did not understand why I had been forced to a stop in the entrance. And I didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to ask anyone about it. Today was the day I would, I supposed.
A step in, and the world inside flourished before me, darkness seeping away to the corners.
I had given a proper look, a stare even, to the interior of this cathedral. Yet, no matter how many times I feasted my eyes upon this reality defying space, I could not help but shudder. What was all this made from? Magic? No a better question.
WHO made this? Do these people even have such strength? Such capability?
¡°Ah! Eon.¡± An elder nearly materialized behind me. Actually never mind; I was probably too busy admiring the scenery to notice when he had come up from behind¡ or not? Why would he exclaim after seeing me then?
I kept my questions to myself. Turning to the side, I bowed slightly. ¡°Good evening elder. Though.. I believe it would be better if I had an actual name to call you by now.¡± Best to keep myself polite. This man is capable of materializing random things in this space, and I need answers that may or may not offend him. I do not want to test whether he can erase natural stuff from here or not.
¡°Veritas. Dux Veritas.¡± He told me of his name. ¡°I will call you Elder Veritas then.¡± He nods, not really paying attention to me.
Still¡ Veritas eh? If I remember correctly ¡ª or at least believe the memories and information this body stores¡ª Veritas stands for Reality in Latin. A priest¡ bishop? Whatever rank he is in this religion, he seems to be keen on searching for the truth. Following principals, searching for the shape of reality.
An Elder that guides you to reality. Elder Veritas. That has a very good ring to it.
¡°Can I request you to join me for a bit Eon? Let¡¯s pray to the Pillars.¡± Elder Veritas gestured for me to follow him as he made way to the the center of this space. And so I did. We could take care of my questions afterwards. Still¡ are the prayer times different everyday?
¡°You seem to have forgotten bits of our discussions, young man. Time. It flows differently here.¡± He responded to my question in such manner. And he wasn¡¯t wrong. For some reason, I hadn¡¯t been thinking straight for the past few hours, caught up in the questions for my existence.
Elder Veritas came to a halt, right below the hanging, reversed cross. With a nod to me, he brought his hands near his chest, the palms and fingers gripping each other in their vice. With his head bowed, he slowly knelt on one knee, his countenance facing towards the statue of the little girl at the back of the cathedral.
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I copied his steps, and closed my eyes. Few moments passed. Soon, shivers crept up my spine, goosebumps crawling all over my skin. The once black, empty sight that accompanied my closed eyes now bathed in hues of golden. Clear and pristine water splashing as the backdrop. Sounds of gears turning occupied my ears, each turn breathing new life into my existence.
The gears kept turning.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
I kept counting, and time passed. Still kneeling in the same pose, praying ¡ª or rather ¡ª counting turns of the gears.
After what felt like an instant yet also an eternity, after nine hundred and ninety turns. Elder Veritas spoke. Nay, he prayed, he sung. His voice shimmered through the waters, ripples spreading throughout the space.
[You break, you creep, you cry.
You stake, you sleep, you try.
Taken from the abyss is your name,
Taken from the heavens is your game.]
Each word enunciated, each word held with strength.
[You awake to grant strength, yet your sleep breathes life into the world.
You awake to grant wishes, yet your delusions are the fate that has been foretold.
Heads bathe in the rising dusk, each wishing for a better day,
For some it succeeds, the rest bleed in rejections and nays.]
I slowly slipped into a trance, the hymns and prayers clearing my mind.
[Oh, the Goddess of Wishes, a mortal has bespoken your name.]
Goddess of Wishes. I now knew the official title for the little girl.
[Oh, the God of Dreams, a mortal has bespoken your name.]
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
How? Why?
[Grant your child your blessings, through the fierce and the tame,
With your grace on our shoulders, may life forever remain the same.
May life forever remain the same.
May life forever remain the same.]
I pried my eyes open. Well, I tried to. Yet they remained shut. My posture remained unmoving, uncaring of my mental turmoil. I could not even grief for my lack of control, my mind remained in peace. No matter the questions, no matter the revelation, no matter the doubts. No matter the deceptions. Always, clear.
Time passed. How long? I did not know. It could have been 20 minutes, or it could have been 2 hours. I did not care, nor did I have the ability to. I needed answers. With the debilitating silence and peace roaming rent free in my mind, I succumbed to a trance once again.
Soon, I found the strength to open my eyes. Slowly adjusting to the scene, I stood up. A breath in, and a breath out. The transparent water rippled and splashed with every step, the dark gold and black ambience striking ethereal beauty into one¡¯s heart.
¡°¡¡±
¡°Elder Veritas.¡± I called out to the old man in front of me. He stood silent for a bit, eyes closed.
¡°Is your mental turmoil calmed, young man?¡± He spoke after what I could only feel to be akin to eternity. As for my mental turmoil¡
¡°I have questions. Many of them.¡±
¡°Your mind is calm nonetheless. Is it not?¡±
¡°It is.¡±
¡°Did you feel the strength?¡±
¡°Strength? Oh, yes. I did.¡±
¡°Great. Give me a minute.¡±
I stepped aside, watching him unfold his hands and work his magic. The water splashed and rippled once more, space warping and whirlpooling. All gave way to a table set. We took seats on either sides of the table, as we had once done yesterday.
¡°Is this how it looked in your visions?¡± He asked as he manifested a tea pot and and two cups.
¡°¡aside from us being inside a cathedral, and drinking tea, yes.¡± This was weird. Why did he suddenly focus on those visions? Sigh.
¡°This is how it looked. But it is not the focus of my inquiries.¡± I stated while straightening my posture.
¡°No problem young man. Ask away.¡± Okay. Here is the first question.
¡°This faith of ours, does it treat the humans and the demons equally?¡± My discussions yesterday had given me much to think about, much to brood over. Knowing that demons were more than simple tales and pictures to send children to bed, many possibilities and theories opened their doors.
The Elder stared at me for quite a bit, then resumed his drink. A sip or two later, he answered.
¡°Why do you ask this question?¡±
¡°The pillar of creation, [Goddess of Wishes], as you have said-....?"
Cough! Cough!
I expected him to stay silent, let me complete my words. If not, at least stop me from evoking the name of the mythical being in a casual manner. Or berate me for not showing respect, or guide me. There were a multitude of things he could have done, or not done.
But expressing enough shock and surprise to choke on tea? Staring wide eyed at me, waiting? Waiting for what?
¡°¡¡±
¡°Is there any problem, Elder Veritas?¡± I asked. The silence had grown uncomfortable with just the gears turning.
He blinked. Once, twice. A few times more before he closed his eyes and put his cup down. Adjusting his seating once again, he told; far solemnly than I had ever heard.
¡°Young man¡ you are the only one I have seen capable of evoking the name of the Pillars outside of prayers.¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°The only one.¡±
Chapter 14: Adapted.
¡°The only¡? Wait, before that. What do you mean by ¡®physically incapable¡¯?¡±
¡°Exactly what it says, young man. For people¡ well normal people, they cannot speak the name of the Pillars when they are not praying. The thought itself doesn¡¯t even come to their mind. You on the other hand¡sigh. I hope you understand why I was surprised.¡±
I nodded. I understood why he was surprised. What I did not understand was the magnitude of his surprise. Or at least, the magnitude of what he displayed. What he just witnessed was akin to someone spitting on the world¡¯s rule; an apple refusing to fall to the ground after breaking off from it¡¯s branch. Yet, he quickly composed himself, and wrote it off as just another anomaly. Why?
¡°Ok let¡¯s put that aside for a bit. Continue with your question.¡±
¡°¡¡±
Sigh¡ Of course we will gloss over it. Where was I? Right.
¡°My question was about the treatment of demons and humans by the faith. The [Goddess of Wishes]¡¡± He flinched, almost tremoring. I waited for him to resume his calm. ¡°¡she is a demon.¡±
His expression was firm? Strong? He was questioning me.
¡°The pillars were siblings. A human orphan was taken in by a demon mother, for whatever reason she may have had. She also bore a daughter. Both the brother and sister pair grew, and ascended to become the Pillars of Creation. So¡ª¡±
¡°Young man.¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡®Where did you hear of this?¡± He demanded, his voice the most solemn I had ever heard.
¡°¡a book.¡±
¡°¡¡±
How much do I tell him?
¡°I found a suitcase beneath my bed when I was searching my room for anything to recall more memories. Found the key soon enough, and opened it. Found a lot of books. History, biology, anatomy, politics, rules, lore, you get the picture. Only thing was, they were all demon kind related. I found that in the history book.¡±
He sipped his tea, silently contemplating my words. I feel like throwing that teapot right now. Adds unnecessary pressure.
After an amount of time that I felt was an eternity, he opened his mouth once more.
¡°Did you tell your parents about this?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°What did they say?¡±
¡°¡I originally thought that those books were nothing more than children¡¯s tales. Something to keep them entertained, something to scare them to sleep. My parents shot down that notion quickly, and debriefed me more about demons as a species.¡±
¡°What did they say about the demons?¡± I¡¯m pretty sure I came here to ask questions and get answers, why am I the one getting interrogated?
¡°They described the characteristics of a demon, their appearance, the change in forms, and their mindset.¡±
¡°Mindset as in incomprehensible to the human mind?¡±
¡°Something along those lines, yes.¡±
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¡°After learning all this, you ask me how the faith treats demon kind.¡±
¡°One of the gods is a demon.¡±
¡°Did I ever mention about the authenticity of that statement?¡±
¡°So she isn¡¯t?¡±
¡°Well no, she is, but that¡¯s not my point.¡±
¡°Eon¡¡± He rarely used my name to address me. ¡°In your eyes, how do you view the demons?¡±
¡°¡¡±
How I view the demons huh? Truth be told, I don¡¯t even know why I got so curious regarding demons in the first place.
¡°¡I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how to view demons. You said that they have a mindset so different from us that it is incomprehensible. Then, how are we supposed to view them? From what I have heard, I can safely say that they talk like us, they feel like us, and they have their daily needs and life.
Just like us.
Only their values and the way they operate is different. So¡ how do we view them?¡±
Following my words, a stare down ensued. Not the intense kind, but the one searching for something in the eyes. In a few moments, Elder Veritas sighed and closed his eyes, reclining into the comfort of his chair. His teacup had been drunk empty.
¡°Eon.¡± He called out, his voice restrained.
¡°Do you know why I asked you that question?¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°You don¡¯t. I¡¯ll tell you one thing. The Pillars of Creation were the last few people in this world that were benevolent with their strength. Nay, despite their strength. In our current world, anyone who has power. Anyone. ANYONE. They succumb to its allure, and fall into corruption.
How does the faith treat humans, you ask. The faith doesn¡¯t treat anyone in any way, young man. It simply cares for the rules set by the world. It is the followers of our faith that do whatever needs to be done.
Eon, can you understand what goes through a cattle¡¯s mind? You can¡¯t right? They also feel, they also think, they also have a different mindset to us.¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°That was a crude example for me to use, but it got the point across. Demons simply cannot be understood. Only creatures that can be communicated with.¡±
My tea had finished halfway through his discourse. Thoughts churned in my mind, hoping to make sense of his words, hoping to find a way to remove my curse.
¡°I¡¯ll put the final nail in the coffin for this topic.¡±
His words brought me back from my mental sea, my senses resuming their work.
¡±Demons are the most truthful creatures, and they are also the most deceitful. Trust in a demon, and it won¡¯t be betrayed. Trust in a demon, and you won¡¯t know how your promise will be fulfilled.¡±
¡°¡¡±
I realized the folly with my thought process. I was different.
¡°We had a discussion regarding the 12 Demonic Commandments did we not? This. This, is how the population of the world has interpreted the past events. It isn¡¯t just followed by the humans, but by the demons too. They had to devise special techniques to make sure a simple act of communication regarding mundane topics did not become a wishing well of doom. Eon, it isn¡¯t their fault. Nor is it their conscious choice. It is their instinct, their in-built instruction from the Gods themselves. That is why they are scary. That is why they are shunned.
Humans fear the unknown. And demons, even after multiple millennia, remain a mystery to us. That is our fear.¡±
He said his piece, leaving me to handle all my mental mess. I came here to get answers, I got some too. But the questions far outweighed what I received.
¡°It will be dark soon young man. I suggest we wrap it up for today. Visit me tomorrow at 12.¡± He said, or rather, instructed as he stood up from his chair. His body still retained some agile youth. I stood up as well, bowing on my way out the door. Time had flown by quickly, far too quickly for my liking. It hadn''t even been an hour inside, yet the day had put curtains on its play.
True to his words, I saw the sun hiding a piece behind the hills, signaling dusk. A stretch here and there, and down to the roads I went. My thoughts never left me alone in the carriage, I had many things to understand, many¡ dreams to weave through. Were these dreams, or memories?
I slept. Or rather, had fallen asleep on the carriage. I saw a dream, one filled with many scenes. All collectively told me about my day to day life. With my parents, with Mana. With the students, professors, with everyone I had come to interact with in this day and a half. Not much could be grasped from those dreams, nothing I saw would help me solve my problems.
But they grounded me. Gave me reason. Made ¡°me¡±, me. They gave my life flavor, my existence meaning.
Simple dreams of daily life. Yet they held such value for me. So I dreamt. About everything that I could. Slowly savoring, slowly nourishing myself. For an unknown amount of time.
The rocky terrain soon gave way to pavement, fields overtaking the townscape. I saw none of this, for I swam through my own mind. A minute passed, and then some more. The final rays of the sun shone their last light. The carriage driver shook me awake, right on the cusp of night. I thanked him, payed him, and made way to my home. The second day wasn¡¯t as eventful as the first, but it felt more¡
¡more normal.
More mundane, more of the usual 9-5 work hour. Something I now understood the value of. Just the second day in, and I had somewhat adapted to this world.
Chapter 15: I was What?
¡°¡¡±
¡®¡¡¯
Pitch black. I found myself in pitch black darkness. With some form of a waterish fog body at my feet.
Everywhere I looked, wherever my eyes went. All I could see was a never ending darkness. Darkness that had swallowed me whole. Or was I a part of the darkness itself?
Was I standing? Or was I sitting?
I didn¡¯t know.
Where to go?
Where am I?
How am I?
Who am I?
I found no answers to my queries. So I started walking. Crawling? Running? I didn¡¯t know. All I knew was that I kept on moving.
Where? When?
For how long?
Why?
Questions that I found no solace in. Yet, they were the only proof of my existence.
I kept moving on, moving wherever my feet took me. At least, whatever I could call my feet. I had no limbs after all.
For a long, long time. Or was it merely a few instances? I did not know. How long must I go on? When will I see light?
What is light?
How do I know about it?
How do I know about darkness?
How do I know anything?
How can I think?
What is this?
Questions, questions, questions. Is this Hell? Or is this heaven?
Or is this simply a place one stays in before they reincarnate?
Or is this the void? Emptiness?
I feel like the latter is the most suitable to describe this.
Alas, I must keep moving. And hoping?
What is hoping?
¡®¡¡¯
After what felt like an eternity of moving in every direction, with no guidance, I saw something.
I saw light. It was purple. I need to go there.
Will I die if I go there? Am I even alive?
What does it mean to even be alive?
Am I immortal?
Or am I yet to born?
Regardless of my thoughts ¡ª the only thing that reminded me the proof my existence ¡ª I kept moving. Moving towards that light.
It felt far. Very far. Simply nothing but a tiny speck in the eternal void.
Months, year, decades, millennia passed. Or maybe they didn¡¯t.
I didn¡¯t know.
But the purple light had grown bigger. It had grown brighter.
Maybe I had simply come closer to it now. Did I need to go on for as long as I had, again? More mindless, heedless, movement? Roaming?
Regardless, that¡¯s what I did.
And my efforts were rewarded. The purple light grew stronger, brighter. Bigger. Once a tiny speck. Now it looked like a small ball. Closer. I needed to get closer.
So I did. Without limbs to move, without air to breathe. Without food to eat. Without an actual body to call my own. I kept on moving. Closer, and closer.
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How was I able to do this? How was I able to exist?
Am I even Alive?
That question continued roaming in my mind. Why was I obsessed with being¡ alive? What was being alive even meant for? What did it do?
Was it necessary?
OH! The light has grown stronger!
Indeed, I had gotten closer to it. Closer to it than to any other form of stimulation in this god forsaken void. Just a little bit more.
A little bit more.
This little bit more of mine went for far longer than I thought it would have. How much more?
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Some kind of ticking noise had begun. For what? It had sounded out thrice now. Again. And again. Relentlessly, steadily. It kept making its presence known.
I counted it. Numbers? How did I know about numbers? What do they do?
Ah. They are used for counting things. Adding. Subtracting.
Math.
Information had starting flowing into my brain. Some miscellaneous, some important? Some relevant? I could not for the life¡ or no life?
I could not for the thoughts of me discern what was what. So I did the only thing I could.
I kept counting. I kept moving.
The medium sized purple ball was a little clearer to see. It.. wasn¡¯t a ball. It was a sort of fog. Gas?
Four hundred Ticks.
Five hundred Ticks.
Even closer to the purple fog. The purple shining fog. It was somewhat dark¡? Deep? In color at the very least.
Six hundred Ticks.
Seven hundred Ticks.
I could clearly see the ball of fog now. It was half my size.
Wait. What was my size? How did I know what my size was? How could I discern it? I didn¡¯t even have a body?
Ohhhhhhhhh!! My viewing level. The ball of fog floated above the clear waters, yet it could not reach the height that I saw in.
That makes sense.
Eight hundred Ticks.
The ticks had progressively gotten slower. Far, far slower. The ones at the near beginning were instantaneous. Yet now, they took a long time. If I didn¡¯t have anything else to do, I might have messed up my counting.
Nine hundred Ticks.
Very very slow.
So slow in fact, that I had already come in front of the ball of purple fog. Is something going to happen?
Do I need to move more? Somewhere else? Find more of these?
No. I don¡¯t know how, but I know I don¡¯t need to move more. Whatever is to happen, will happen here.
Nine hundred and fifty ticks.
¡®¡¡¯
Nine hundred and sixty ticks.
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
Nine hundred and seventy ticks.
Oh? It sped up again! The ticking was faster than before.
Nine hundred and eighty ticks.
The ball of fog moved.
It shivered. It molted. If shook. It... expanded. And it slowly began engulfing my very being.
Warm.
Cold.
Safe.
Dangerous.
Contradicting feelings exploded out of me as I came into contact with this fog. What should I trust?
What should I not?
I don¡¯t know.
Nine hundred and eighty seven ticks.
Nine hundred and eighty eight ticks.
Nine hundred and eighty nine ticks.
Nine hundred.
And ninety ticks.
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡?¡¯
¡®¡????????¡¯
Silence. Deafening silence. Why did it stop? Is something going to happen? Will I get some answers? Anything?
I did. I did get something.
¡°¡!!¡±
I felt eyes on my back. Well, whatever I could consider my back anyway. Where my back should have originally been?
I turned around. And found a man standing in front of me.
A man in his late 20s, of a medium build and tall height. Bluish black hair that would probably shine in light, and a confused gaze that left the hazel colored eyes looking youthful and energetic. In complete contrast however, they also seemed to hide a history. A long, long history. All of that lay upon an above average face, almost looking as if a hot anime character came to life.
Wait no. His eyes, they weren¡¯t confused. They were dead. They were scary. They¡
They were hopeless? Insane? Broken?
...They were happy?
Just how much emotion could these two eyes contain?
The fog had grown denser. Thicker. Stronger.
This purple fog, it felt comforting. No matter how dangerous it may have been, could have been, it was still far comforting than this man in front of me.
He looked on for a bit more. A bit more.
A bit more. A BIT MORE.
Restless? Is that what I was feeling? The fog had almost covered me fully. My vision was partially blocked too. I couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s feet.
But I could see his face.
He smiled.
He smiled and spoke a few words.
"¡®Mi-fo-nae-e¡¯"
Mi what now?
My puzzlement showed on my face. For some reason, I couldn''t hear him. He had realized it too. So he stopped speaking, and instead started to mouth out each syllable, each letter.
''M''
M? M what?
Not paying heed to my confusion, he continued.
¡®M - I - S - F - O - R - T - U - N - A - T - E¡¯
¡®???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¡¯
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...!...?
?
''...''
He continued. Now somewhat amused that I could finally understand him. His eyes had taken a crescent shape, His hair hiding half is face in near darkness.
Yet I could still see his eyes. They pierced through everything.
¡®C¡ª¡¯
He paused. What did he plan to say?
He looked at me again. Smiling gently, almost as if a mother looking at her child.
His smile deepened, and he continued.
¡®C - R - E - A - T - I - O - N.¡¯
He completed his saying. What did he mean? What was he trying to say?
I could not think, for the fog now shrouded me. Shrouded my entire being, shrouded my thoughts. Yet, I got one last look at his face.
His smile.
His terrifying smile.
It had turned into a grin.
A grin of madness.
A grin of goofiness.
A grin of sadness.
A grin of happiness.
¡®brothar!¡¯
Hmm? Someone¡¯s calling out to me.
Wait what?
My eyes opened, taking in the blinding artificial light. It took time to adjust to them. Yet even they did not shy away from glancing upon the raven black, purplish highlighted hair that greeted my vision.
Big round eyes, Purple irises. A small nose, and a small mouth. A little girl that looked no older than ten.
¡°BROTHA!¡± She shook me awake. And quite forcefully too.
¡°¡Mana? What¡¯s wrong? Wait.. where am I?¡±
Hmm?
¡°¡¡±
Oh. I had¡ I had embarrassingly fallen asleep on the couch. That¡¯s what a look at my surroundings told me.
I was dreaming. About what though... it seemed as if I had already forgotten.
¡°Mana?¡±
¡°¡¡±
She was silent. Silent yet worried. It had gotten easier, far far easier to read her after I came back from my solo trip.
¡°Brothar¡¡± She said mutely, -- almost whispering, her lisp still in place. ¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Why are you crying? Nuh.. why were you crying while sleeping?¡±
''...''
I was what?
Chapter 16: The More You Wish You Didnt.
¡°Why¡?¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡why. Why? Why?¡±
Small little whimpers, broken by a single word. Why indeed.
Her little fragile shoulders shook, her eyes were hazy. Unfocused even. Her voice, pauses kept up with every repetition. Every question.
¡°Why? Why? Why?¡±
Until they didn¡¯t.
¡°Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?¡±
Fast. Quick. Speedy.
¡°Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?¡±
Strong. Nah, Stronger. Sharper.
¡°Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?¡±
Such force, such anger. Such¡
Such betrayal. I shivered. How?
I was surprised.
Not by the fact that that was how I had apparently voiced that one word while asleep, over and over. Cracking everywhere, drowning my eyes in tears.
Not by that.
But by the fact that, she was able to act it out so well. And it hadn''t ended.
¡°Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why WhywhywhywhywhywhyWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY!WHY!¡ª ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Sigh. I¡¯m getting tired."
The girl in front of me -- no older than 9 as she had stated herself -- calmed down from her phenomenal enactment.
"Brotha..." She said. Questioning. You probably understand now, how you sounded while asleep?¡±
No. Her skill, she probably far exceeded the display of what had actually occurred.
Mana turned around, facing her back to me. Her expression morphed back into her usual poker-face. The light bounced off her head, her hair gleaming in tinted purple.
¡°¡Brothar, I tried to wake you up. Quite a lot actually. But, you just kept on repeating that word¡ª¡±
Her indifferent, silent face broke. For what? I didn¡¯t know. What did it give way to? What was it forced to express? I didn¡¯t know. She was looking out the sliding window door in our living room.
Or rather, she was probably hiding her face.
¡°¡ªYou just kept on repeating that while crying.¡± She turned around, her purple eyes meeting mine. Had it been a day ago, I wouldn¡¯t be able read them, understand what they were trying to say. But now, with the amount of memories of my daily life that I had recovered, I knew what they trying to convey.
They were asking. Inquiring.
Ironically, the same question. They were asking the same question.
Why?
Why was I crying?
Why did I repeat those words? Over, and over again. For god knows how long?
A nightmare? A horrifying memory? What came over me?
¡a realization?
¡°Brotha.¡± Her seriousness took all my attention. She hadn¡¯t kept her hair in twin tails, they were left free. Flowing with what little, comforting, yet cold breeze that flew inside the room.
They cast a dim shadow over her face, adding to her unreadable-esque look.
¡°Why?¡± She asked.
Method Acting. A form of acting used by actors to fully immerse themselves in the character they played. Used primarily to understand them, to get into their heads.
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Why did such a information come to me right now? Regardless, sigh. Was that what she used? To replicate me? Her eyes, even through the unreadable shadows, shone with light. As if¡
As if they understood me. As if they understood what I had gone through.
The thing is¡ I didn¡¯t know what I had gone through.
¡°Brotha.¡± She interrupted my thoughts. ¡°Should¡ we talk to Mom about this?¡±
¡°¡¡±
We should. Of course we should.
¡°¡¡±
Then. I gritted my teeth. Then why was I hesitating? Why was she asking me?
She turned around, and began her small little waltz to the window door. To the extended wooden platform on the grass floor.
Her hair, as usual, continued to shine with highlight. Purple, dark. Deep. Almost lik¡ª
Tick.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
The ground slipped below my feet. Dizzy. Disorienting. I could see Mana pause, and turn back around to check.
¡°¡¡±
My voice refused to leave my throat.
¡°Brotha? Wai- Brotha!¡± Her poker face had been broken again.
¡°¡¡±
My blue hair covered small bits of my vision.
¡°¡¡±
My sight abandoned me.
¡°Brotha! Wait. MOM! ¡DAD!¡± I could still hear her calling our parents for help. Where even were they? Ah right, it was still night time.
¡®Mi.¡¯
What?
¡®Cre-¡¯
Wait. What? Huh?
¡°¡¡±
My hearing had left me as well.
Touch, taste, smell. The first to betray.
Sight, and Sound, the finale.
Balance, Temperature. Nothing. I couldn¡¯t feel anything.
¡I-wait.
My eyes ¡ªwell, whatever I thought the¡ª!
¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
¡®¡¡¯
Fear crept up my heart, worries and terror evident in their wake. Transparent, foggy water splashed and flew beneath my feet.
I was standing. I felt as I was standing.
Without a body.
Tick.
¡°¡huh. I didn¡¯t expect you to come back so soon. Truly special a creation, I must say.¡± A manly, yet restrained voice ¡ªlike mine ¡ª spoke from behind me.
I slowly turned around.
Tick.
There he stood.
In all his glory.
There he stood.
Eon.
¡°Do you want answers?¡±
My being shivered. What?
Why¡?
¡why. Why? Why?
Why? Why? Why?
Ah.
A little girl¡¯s face came to mind.
This is what she was talking about.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
Why indeed.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
Why truly indeed. Why now? Why me? Why¡ anything? Everything?
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why WhywhywhywhywhywhyWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY!WHY¡ª
¡°Calm down bitch. I can hear you just fine. Oh! Right. You can hear me as well now.¡±
His voice and words did not match his face. His tone did not match his demeanor.
A gentle, brotherly smile, one that gave off a sense of reassurance. Yet, they gave way to rude, demeaning words.
A stable, kind demeanor, one that gave off a sense of reliability. Yet, they gave way to a terrifying tone, a mortifying voice.
¡°So?¡±
So what?
¡°Ah right. Gimme a minute.¡±
¡®¡¡¯
[Right.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡.ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-
I can¡¯t do this anymore. I can¡¯t. I just can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I CAN¡¯¡ª-
[Calm down. Bitch.]
My soul kept suffering, kept shivering. Without the warm fire of that purple fog, I felt naked, I felt helpless in front of him.
[Gosh. You were hurting my ears. Ah wait.]
His next words, gave a change in expression. Something¡
[Do I even have ears?]
Something that would fit my tone, my voice.
Not him.
Me.
Tick.
[He looked back at me.]
.
.
.
.
¡®¡¡¯
As I thought.
I can¡¯t deal with¡ª
[OH COME ON, DON¡¯T DO THAT AGAIN!]
¡®¡¡¯
I feel down to my knees.
Huh? I had a foggy body now.
¡Made of purple smoke.
[You can stop narrating shit now. They irritate me enough as is.]
His voice was nice, soothing. Tone, calming. But his face. It had morphed into irreversible ang¡ª
[I think I told you to stop narrating? It¡¯s more of that blonde twink¡¯s preference. I like things straight and to the point.]
¡®¡¡¯
[So. I¡¯ll ask again. Do you want answers? Mr. Special One?]
Tick.
[Heh¡ Hahah¡ Ah. Why the fuck is this so funny? Eh? Mr. Pillar of Specialty?]
¡®¡¡¯
...
It was finally over. I had returned. Away from that amalgamation of contradictions. Away from that amalgamation of madness.
''...''
Darkness gave way, to the blinding, mesmerizing ¡ª nearly ethereal ¡ª mix of deep gold and black. And brown? I probably failed color theory as a kid. I was a math wiz after all.
An inverted Cross hung on the center of the ceiling. As for the ceiling itself? I found it difficult to gauge its true height. Transparent, ¡ª non wetting ¡ª water splashed around me, covering up to below my ears as I continued to lay on the marble floor.
Gears shifted, sometimes once. Sometimes many.
I was at the cathedral.
Ah¡ This feels so serene. Can¡¯t I just stay here?
Without having to think of anything?
Without having to understand the burden of time?
¡®¡?¡¯
I did not understand the motive behind that last sentence. Why did I say it? Or rather, ¡ª I guess ¡ª think of it?
I felt the transparent, somewhat still water become turbulent. It came from behind me, near the ginormous gates.
Steps resounded at a fast pace. Many at a time. All with a different tempo, they carried their own weight. The lightest of them all reached me first.
Enough laying down. I lifted my body into a half lotus seating positioning.
The lightweight paused in front of me, her black ¡ª purplish tinted ¡ª hair flowing to complete the motion. Her gaze bore down on me. Asking.
¡°Eon¡¡± My mother spoke worriedly, having finally caught up with this unruly child.
I looked towards them, raising my knee to rest my hand. I could have stood up, but I preferred sitting down.
¡°The more you know¡¡± I spoke.
Dad, I feel like I finally know the meaning of those words.
¡°The more you know.
The more you wish you didnt.¡±
I felt like I truly did.
"... The more you wish you didn''t."
Especially that latter one.
Chapter 17: [Where to Begin?]
Sigh.
¡°¡Eon? Wha-What do you mean?¡± Mom questioned. Albeit hesitant, albeit scared. Seemed as if she knew the true meaning of Dad¡¯s words.
And my repetition of them.
Repetition and understanding of them.
I didn¡¯t answer her, instead choosing to look at my Dad. What had he experienced? To become the bearer of this sentence?
I knew what it was in my case. But in his? Not so much. The man himself¡
Dad returned my gaze, silent turmoil flowing behind his eyes.
The situation had become a little stressful in just a few minutes. As if it wasn¡¯t from the very beginning.
When did I awaken? How long had I been gone? Why was I here? Instead of my home? Or a doctor¡¯s clinic?
Wait¡ did we even have doctors here? Surely we did right? Or are we still stuck in the medieval quack¡ª
¡°¡¡±
[Heh¡ Hahah¡ Ah. Why the fuck is this so funny? Eh? Mr. Pillar of Specialty?]
¡°Haah¡¡±
¡°Eon?¡±
The water splashed around me as I stood up ¡ªshaking my head. It should have been the last of it, yet it was not.
Under all our collective noses, Mana had begun treading towards the statue of the little girl of Dreams. She had a forlorn expression on her face, reminiscent, yet questioning.
It took our attention for as long as it could have. Then it shifted back to me. Her eccentricity had become somewhat of a daily occurrence. Though¡
¡°Weird, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mom spoke. Never mind, the focus would remain on her for a bit more.
Dad remained silent. As he had been, for god knows how long at this point.
Right. Shouldn¡¯t be throwing around that word around so willy-nilly.
Back to what Mom was saying.
¡°¡that child. She never expresses much emotion. She never did. Even when little.¡±
¡°Even when little?¡±
¡°¡!!¡±
Our heads simultaneously spun around to the sight of an old man materializing into existence. The parents bowed, somewhat hurried and surprised. I myself, just gave a simple greeting. Elder Veritas greeted back, and then continued on with his question.
¡°Did she¡ that child. Was she that unexpressive even at birth?¡±
Why is that a question? A child will normally cry when they breathe air for the first time, now won¡¯t they? Either that, or they are probably dead.
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡®¡¡¯
Seriously? She¡¯s been like this since birth? Huh.
¡°Dear, she cried when she was born, right?¡± Mom inquired with her husband, while showing somewhat of a hesitant expression. She had been showing that a lot in the time I had come alive into this world.
Though¡
¡°¡¡±
It seemed as though Dad planned to keep his mouth shut till the very en¡ª
¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±
¡°¡¡±
Are you serious right now? No not just Dad, but Mom too. How in the world do none of you remember something so simple yet life changing? Those were her first moments after birth.
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¡°Mom. Dad.¡±
They both turned to me. The old man did too, keen on watching from the sidelines till he acquired the answer to his question. As for why he had even asked of it, that was a separate matter.
¡°Do you even remember Mana¡¯s birth?¡±
¡°¡±¡¡±¡±
They both remained mute. For a bit. Then they looked at each other, eyes widening.
¡®¡¡¯
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Can I go back to sleeping? Can I just forget everything and erase myself? This is tiring.
How¡ in the three heavenly flying f**ks. Do you not even remember the birth of your own daughter?
[Heh¡ Hahah¡ Ah. Why the fuck is this so funny? Eh? Mr. Pillar of Specialty?]
I am tired. Definitely. I just keep remembering these words. Why?
The parents questioned their existence, their memories. I questioned the very situation itself. The progenitor of it, and the subject.
Speaking of subjects¡ the subject of this little charade conversation of ours stood before the statue.
Space did not make much sense in this place. What we visualized to be distant, could be covered in a few minutes. What was right before us, took eons to reach. In the same vein, it had only been a handful of seconds since our conversation had been initiated. A minute at max, with all the pauses we had done.
And the mental-memorial gymnastics that we were doing as well.
In this short time frame, Mana had already reached before the ginormous statue. Crossing a distance that felt as if it would take ages to reach.
¡°The more you know, the more you wish you didn¡¯t.¡±
I had certainly crossed the simple knowledge-hungry stage. I was far too deep in, far too blind. Curious, yet also terrified.
Even then, I needed answers. And that I would get.
I began moving towards the feral child, hoping the space of this dimension would shed the same grace on me.
It did.
Not as strongly or potently with her, but enough.
It was difficult to realize the exact moment I put my foot beside her. How long had it been? A few seconds?
Or a few years?
Not the current priority.
The little girl stood still, her visage morphed with wistfulness and anger.
And confusion.
She turned to look at me, almost as if she knew I would ask her questions. She waited a bit, and we both feasted our eyes on the statue once more.
Titanic.
Not the movie¡
[Heh¡ Hahah¡ Ah. Why the fuck is this so funny? Eh? Mr. Pillar of Specialty?]
F**k.
Shut up already.
¡®Haaaa¡¡¯
The statue was a behemoth. Arguably the largest physical creation I had ever seen. Even larger than the cathedral itself. How it fit into it in the first place¡ I had learnt my lesson on not wasting braincells. Especially on useless things.
¡°Mana¡¡±
Silence reigned supreme. Our parents had once again begun their conversation with Elder Veritas. Probably discussing about everything that had gone down in these past 3¡
¡±How long was I out for?¡±
¡°Brotha was out for 2 days. Everyone was worried.¡± Huh. She had gone back to how she originally was. Her sudden shifts in emotion were no more, for I had difficulty reading her.
Once again.
Even after all the memories that I had relived.
They weren¡¯t mine. But I had lived through them.
Yet, I felt as if I was trying to read a complex, undefined, absurdly long integral derivative function.
Frankly useless to waste time on.
Stil¡ 2 days. My diary has two pages worth of content missing then. Wait never mind, it¡¯s three.
¡°What about you?¡± I asked her. She half faced me, while titling her head in response.
¡°No I wasn¡¯t talking about you being worried or not.¡± She faced the statue once again.
¡°What I wanted to ask was¡¡± Her glance had returned with my pause, now side-eyed.
¡°Why do you keep looking at this statue? What do you see? What does it mean to you?¡± To be able to show so many expressions. What... Just what is it?
¡°Does brotha not remember it?¡± She glanced at the statue once more. ¡°Never mind, you don¡¯t. That¡¯s for the better.¡± She spoke the last sentence under her breath.
Yet in a space where silence lost its throne only to water splashing and gears turning ¡ªthe latter was periodic and erratic I might add¡ª nothing much stopped me from picking up on her words.
Remember what exactly? And why is it for the better? And if it IS for the better¡
Then why have you suddenly begun gritting your teeth? Suddenly angry?
Suddenly frustrated?
Sigh.
I seem to be sighing a lot these days. Anyways¡
Beating around the bush will get me nowhere.
¡°Mana¡ why am I special?¡±
Breathe in. Breathe out. Stay calm.
¡°Why am I needed?¡±
She turned to me, her brows furrowing in confusion.
"...What do you mea--!" An incomplete sentence later, they should confusion.
Then surprise.
Not at me.
But at herself.
How did I suddenly begin reading her again? Understanding her again? I had no idea.
Her surprise morphed into heavy, clouding confusion.
Then irritation.
Then, she fell.
I was quick on my feet ¡ªhad to thank my height and athleticism for it. Grabbing her as she stumbled. While she kept struggling to find her footing, I helped her stabilize.
Should I have called our parents? I should have, but I didn¡¯t.
They were discussing something important. I could tell that much.
And the spatial dance continued to enchant its play, for the distance felt far, far wider than it had ever been.
¡°Brotha¡¡±
She grabbed my shirt, her hands trembling.
I couldn¡¯t see her eyes. Her hands felt longer than they should have been.
Never mind, they were just her nails.
Why was she trembling?
Stupid question.
¡°Why are you asking these questions? What do you even mean? My head is hurting.¡± She spoke feebly.
I gently patted her purplish-hair. Or at least tried to, before she forcefully stopped her tremors, and let go. Her hand once again clutched her head, proving her statement.
I should have tried to focus on her more.
I did.
But not in the sense that I should have.
My meeting played once again before my eyes.
That horrifying bastard. H-he¡.
Sigh¡
I definitely was sighing more these days.
[Where to begin?]
Chapter 18: Corruption.
[Where to begin? Where to begin?]
¡®¡¡¯
[Say, you still haven¡¯t answered my question.]
[Do you want answers?]
¡®¡¡¯
[Oi oi!~? Are you there?]
''...''
[Who am I? Who are you?]
''...''
[Why were you born, are you cursed, yadayada.]
¡®¡¡¯
[I can tell you everything.
''...''
[EVERYTHING. So.]
¡®¡¡¯
[Do you want answers?]
.
.
.
.
[Oiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Earth to Mr. Special? You there?]
¡®¡¡¯
[Haaah¡ Are you f**king serious right now?]
¡®¡¡¯
[I told you not to narrate shit. NOT not to think. Surely you would have understood that right?]
¡®¡¡¯
[OH COME ON!]
¡®¡¡¯
[Fine, fine. I¡¯ll deal with your stupidity.]
¡®¡¡¯
[¡what¡¯s the problem now? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? You can think as well you know? I¡¯ll still hear them.]
¡®¡¡¯
[¡]
¡®¡¡¯
[Huh? ...OH!]
¡°This. This is what you were worried about? Okay fine. Here, I stopped using that voice. Happy now? NOW will you speak?"
He was frankly annoyed. That much I could understand.
¡°Sigh¡¡± Was irritated a better word choice? His actions, his expressions, they all gave a sense of incredulousness. A sense of wishing for this, for everything to end.
¡°Uh¡¡± He stared at me, reminding me of a certain little girl.
Right. Answers.
¡®¡¡¯
Did I want them?
Stupid question. Of course I wanted them. Then¡
Why was I hesitating? Just say yes. All of these problems will end. You can finally fix your memory issues. Find everything you need to know and¡ª
¡°How can I believe in anything that you will say? How can I believe that you won¡¯t mislead me?¡±
Or rather.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
¡°What are you? WHO are you? The original Eon? The one who cursed me? Wait¡ no. If you are the original Eon, then who am I?¡±
Why did I even have a sense of confidence that he could tell me everything? Had I gone insane? Should I''ve diagnosed myself with multiple personality disorder? Bipolar disorder?
Or was this my brain, trying to bring some issue to light?
Or a fragment of my memory? Something that... yeah I didn''t know where this train of thought would lead.
¡°¡.Done with your searching? Hello?"
''...''
"Great! As for believing me or not believing me¡ I¡¯ll leave that up to you.¡± He said with a smile, clapping his hands together as if he were a con merchant. A refined, elegant royalty con merchant. But a con merchant nonetheless.
¡°How rude.¡± His tone had changed. A gentle parent, to a psychotic brain farter. ¡°Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!¡±
To a whiny little brat.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing remained consistent. Except of his appearance. My appearance. Or was it always his? And I the borrower?
¡°Haaah¡ Okay. I thought I could enjoy this more, but it¡¯s gotten tiring.¡±
¡°Shouldn¡¯t someone with unlimited lifespan be patient with such things?¡±
¡°Like hell I¡ª¡..you."
[You really are the special one now aren¡¯t you? And a bit cheeky too.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡.
¡°Ah shit! Oi wait! Come back. Forgot to control myself on that.¡±
I don¡¯t understand. What is that? Why do I feel like I¡¯m losing myself every time I hear it? It resounds deep within my soul, urging submission. Yet, the strength that I feel from that voice, it bursts forth from me as well. From that very soul.
¡®¡¡¯
Do I even have a soul? Who¡ What am I?
¡°What are you huh. Hmmm¡¡±
¡°Say, you never told me whether you wanted answers or not. ¡°
Me asking all those questions wasn¡¯t a valid response for you? He narrowed his eyes at me. I had forgotten that he could still hear my thoughts. Since when? Forever? Since I came into this-this¡ whatever the f**k this place is? Actually, where is this? My subconscious? A alternate dream world that you can access with your consciousness? Where did he come from? And as for his questions... could I trust him?
¡°I don¡¯t want it. None of it.¡±
No I couldn''t. Trusting someone who felt like an amalgamation of contradictions, a creation put forth by a childish god, that was the epitome of foolery.
And I wanted none of it. No matte how long it took me to figure out myself.
He paused for a bit, staring straight at me. Was I going to get erased?
¡°Great!¡± Apparently not.
¡°If you had said yes, I would have had to tell you nearly everything. Since you don¡¯t wan¡
Whatever he said next fell on deaf ears. What did he mean by WOULD HAVE HAD TO. Wasn¡¯t this via his own volition? He¡ª
¡°OIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you stop going off on tangents? I¡¯m trying to talk here? Hello?¡±
He had crept up to me, staring straight into my eyes. Eyes? I looked down.
¡®¡!¡¯
The purple fog. The mysterious fog that had once shrouded me before, now acted as my very own body. I looked like some sort of humanoid abomination. A form of expression. An art piece, depicting the love and understanding for human anatomy. Though the skills required to manipulate actual fog and air in such a way, and for such a long period of time, was improbable to think of for the artists.
¡or was it? Nothing seemed to set in stone in this world.
¡°Are you sure about that?¡±
What does he.. Right. The 12 Demonic Commandments.
¡°Heheh¡ such a horrible name. Why did we even think of it?¡±
¡®¡¡¯
"Hmm... or was it? It does fit this context... ah whatever, my opinion on this keeps changing by the minute everyday.
Right, where was I?¡±
My habit of saying¡ narrating between sentences with the use of Right seemed to have been copied without my permission.
Or was I the copy?
¡°Oh your philosophical debates, so BORING. Been there, done that. Millions of times. Billions of times. Anyways¡¡±
The Anyways had been taken too. ¡°Those are universal expressions used by millions damn it! Let me complete!
Do you know why I keep on calling you [Mr. Pillar of Specialty]?
YO-You¡!
¡°Can¡¯t do anything about that. The pillars are always to be spoken of in that voice.¡±
¡®¡¡¯
I want to go home.
¡°My home? Your home? Your little sister¡¯s home?¡±
¡®¡¡¯
¡°Ah wait, never mind. They are the same thing.
Though¡ for how long will she stay cooped up in that little home of hers?¡±
Huh?
¡°She got a chance you know? In you! Alas, only if she could realize it. She does so subconsciously, but that isn¡¯t enough in this make believe, wish granting world. Amusing, to say the least. Should have thought twice before jumping on me. Heh. Heheh. HEHEEHEAHAH¡ª Ah, almost lost control there.¡±
¡°[Mr. Pillar of Specialty]. You¡¯re me. I¡¯m you. Yet, you specifically. You aren¡¯t me completely. I¡¯m not you completely. Are you a final chance? Or are you just a simple coincidence? Out of the millions that have come before, will you be able to change the trends?¡±
I couldn¡¯t think. Aside from the obvious pillar mentions, nothing else should have hit with this strength. Yet, they did. Each word. Each syllable.
They enticed me.
They maddened me.
They¡ª
[Are you scared?]
How?
How did THAT. Come out of MY mouth?
The man in front of me shook. His smile widened, turning into a terrifying grin. A maniac¡¯s grin. He bent forward, clutching his stomach. Stumbling, fumbling. He had trouble keeping his balance.
¡°Haha..¡±
Small wisps of laughter escaped this blurry vortex, resounding deep in my bones.
¡°This¡ I never knew I could feel this. Thank you.¡±
Nothing made sense once more. So abrupt, so nonchalant. Jumping from one thing to another, a hotpot of randomness.
He looked straight at me, staring right into my eyes. Uncomfortably close.
He looked younger than the current me.
Then he opened his mouth, as he had done so countless of times. All, to voice a few words.
¡°Thank you, EON.¡±
Then, my world went black.
Chapter 19: A Form of Control.
What happened afterwards was a blur.
I saw nothing, heard nothing. Felt nothing, understood nothing. Aimlessly drifting in the empty void, with a few sentences resounding in my head. One, twice. Then again.
Again.
And again.
And Again.
AND AGAIN.
AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN AGAINAGAINAGAINAGIANGIANGAIGNAIGNAIGNAI¡ª
I felt as if I had gone insane. For how long? I didn''t know. Since when I didn''t know. Yet, I didn''t get to ponder any of it.
Then, it all went away.
Pain, fear, insanity, terror, horror, happiness, sadness, everything. It went away.
Thoughts? They didn¡¯t exist. Emotions? Calm as a lake.
It was serene.
Floating in nothingness, with no thoughts to disturb my being. No quest to find some random problem that had been forced onto me.
I wished it lasted longer, yet it didn¡¯t.
Or maybe it did, and it simply wasn''t enough.
And then, I woke up. Pondered a bit more, talked, jumped around in space like a looney toons character kicking physics in the nuts, watched my sister go crazy for a bit, and then had a reminiscence epilogue.
0 out of 10, would not recommend.
Coming back to the present...
Mana had regained her calm. At least as much as she could fake on the outside. With a few deep ¡ª yet shallow ¡ª breaths, she looked at me. Straight into my eyes. Why had I asked those questions? They seemed to say.
I would have told her about my meeting with that f**ker, but after going through it once again, reliving that experience, I chose not to.
Why?
I didn¡¯t know. Perhaps I simply did not trust anything that left his mouth. My mouth. Whose mouth?
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
Bringing my sight back towards the statue, I spoke. ¡°What did I ask you?¡±
¡°¡¡±
She stared at me for a bit longer. Actually scratch that, she stared at me till spiders started crawling on my skin. Till chills crept up my bones.
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡nothing. Brotha didn¡¯t ask anything.¡±
¡°¡¡±
I looked at her again. This time, her eyes contemplated on the statue.
¡°¡¡±
I see. Okay, I didn¡¯t ask you anything.
Silence reigned supreme in my mind. I didn¡¯t know what to think. How to think. And, why to think.
I really wanted to go back to that void. It was comfy.
[Fools. And you ask me whether I was scared or not. Why should I be scared of myself?]
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Except of this f**ker. I would go anywhere where this guy did not exist.
[Death then? Ah. Actually, never mind.]
Sigh¡
Where do I even--?
¡°So¡ we going back now?¡± A pause, and then an imperceptible nod. Soon enough, we began the walk to our parents. And Elder Veritas. Couldn¡¯t forget about him, now could we?
Huh?
¡°¡¡±
Uhhhh¡..
¡°¡¡±
¡°Is it just me¡ or is this place acting weird?¡±
¡°Brotha, it always acts weird.¡±
¡°No, I meant in the sense of time. It feels like it doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡±
She stopped, taking ¡ªor I guess feeling¡ª a good sense of her surroundings. Then her head snapped towards me, nearly giving me a heart attack. Brat, you¡¯re going to break your neck if you continue doing that.
She definitely would, considering the amount of times she had done ever since she was born. Hell, didn¡¯t she do it just a month or two after her birth? I believe she was surprised about my existenc¡ª
¡®¡¡¯
WHat?
I needed a painkiller for all this headache that had come to camp on me existence.
[AHAHAHAHAH!]
FUCK OFF!!
Sigh. Should I just kill myself?
[And why the f**k would I let you kill me? Besides, even if I wanted to kill myself, I couldn¡¯t.]
¡°¡¡±
What? You¡¯re going to tell me you¡¯re some almighty god? Oh wait¡ you were immorta¡ª
Oh¡.
[See?]
Fuck off. Leave me alone.
[Aww.. Why? Don¡¯t like yourself in your hea¡ª]
¡°LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±
Huff¡ Huff.. Huff. Haaah¡.
¡°¡?¡± Mana paused with confusion all over her face. Not to the extent that she had displayed before, but it was definitely noticeable.
¡°¡Eon?¡± Great. I worried Mom again. She¡¯ll fall if she tries to run in this water with her slipper¡ª
THUD!
¡°¡¡±
Dad moved faster than anyone and supported her. Right, I have this guy too.
Sigh¡
¡°I¡¯m fine¡ no-no I didn¡¯t get hurt. Honey¡ Leon.¡± Should I even question why moms have such scary attributes at this point? One look or word, and the world freezes over.
Fuck it, I wanna go to bed.
¡°Eon..? Is everything¡ Is everything okay?¡±
I looked at her for a bit. Then at Dad. He seemed to be asking the same question. On his note, he had gotten out of his pondering, silent mood. Was it temporary? Or would I have another headache?
As for the Elder, he continued watching from the sidelines. Respectfully, do you not have any other tasks to do? Or are there nine hundred and ninety versions of you to do all those tasks at once?
[Ohh?]
Why are you back?
[Why are you talking to yourself like that? Don¡¯t you fear¡ª]
According to you, you¡¯re me. Or I¡¯m you. Whatever the fuck you were saying. And if you¡¯re immortal¡
[Who said one cannot have two immortalities?]
¡°¡¡±
I sat down. I needed to, or I would explode somewhere. On someone. Or something. What was going on with me? This wasn¡¯t my character.
[Your writer probably listened to some comedian¡¯s songs, I guess.]
Wha¡ª how? Why¡ª AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Sigh.
I brought that one on myself.
[Don''t give yourself opportunities, heh.]
¡°¡¡±
Wait¡ª
[You seem to somehow be capable of handling my voice now? Congratulations, now do something interesting.]
How about I find a way to kill you?
[That¡ seems quite optimal no? It¡¯s impossible, of course. But, who knows? A madman can hope.]
¡°¡¡±
[Or they can¡¯t. Difficult to go against that fucktard of an existence.]
You have zero filter, don¡¯t you?
[You removed yours a while ago.]
More like you made me remove it. Or you removed it by yourself?
[Right¡. and who am I?]
A facepalm emerged from my still state, startling everyone present.
¡°¡ummm?¡±
¡°Is suicide and immortality in any relation with madness and misfortune?¡± Please, please, please...
¡°¡±¡±What?¡±¡±¡±
FUCK!
Mom, and Dad. Both I expected. Why Mana though? Ah fuck it.
¡°¡I¡¯ll have to check in the Church Records.¡±
Seriously?
¡°You guys have records?¡±
¡±Eon! Don¡¯t talk like¡ª¡± Mom was stopped with Dad simply placing a hand on her shoulder. Her hand.
What?
Huh? Wait-Wait WAITWAIT WHAT?
I rubbed my eyes.
Oh.
I seemed to have been¡
¡°¡ is there any relation of hallucination as well?¡±
{^)#%()@)%**))$)@)$))%)@$&$^}
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My ears were ringing. My balance failing. Sight¡ª blurry. Thoughts; disordered.
¡°¡ª¡ªtha. Rotha. BROTHA!¡±
¡°Ah? Ah, yeah. Give me a minute.¡±
¡°¡°¡±¡±¡.¡±¡±¡±¡±
¡°Young Man. I¡¯d suggest you sit below the Hanged Cross. Stay there for a while, and then go outside. Come back tomorrow. I should have all your answers by then.¡±
I feebly nodded.
Sigh... A sigh or exasperation? Relief? No, none of them came out of my mouth. They were from Mana¡¯s.
Sigh. Well, this one was mine.
I stood up with the support of my family, and walked towards that cross. Dead center of the Cathedral, it was an Enigma. I knew where it ended, but where had it begun? That was something to think about.
And maybe something to take my mind off this mess.
[Well¡ I guess I¡¯ll see you later?]
Yeah. Fuck off.
I sat down. A few meaningful looks with my parents to garner their trust again, and they left the cathedral with Mana in tow.
Now¡
Why am I even sitting down?
This water doesn¡¯t wet or destroy any clothes anyway, so lets lay down.
And sleep, I suppose.
Or so I had thought.
Alas, minutes went by.
They turned to hours, then back to minutes.
Then time stopped its counter.
It resumed soon, and then paused again.
Again, and again.
Yet, even then.
Sleep eluded me.
Chapter 20: Return(1).
After constantly teasing myself with the prospect of sleep, yet not even getting an ounce of it; I stood back up. There was nothing to do as of now.
Whatever answers that I needed, whatever questions that roamed my mind; they could only be taken care of tomorrow.
I took one last glimpse into this astounding place... this collection of ginormous entities that spread across the water layered floor. It would never be mundane to view. Yet, the viewing didn''t last long. I started moving to the tune of the gears. My feet passed through the doors, and I was back outside.
The Elder hadn¡¯t come to stop me. We were to meet tomorrow. I had a headache, a bad premonition of sorts; regarding that event.
Sigh¡
Walking seemed like a chore to me.
So I flew.
Or at least tried to, before planting my face into the stairs. Then I rolled down a few steps, tumbling and tossing, before I finally found my ground on one of these steps. The glowing dusk remained a witness to all my embarrassment.
Okay, no magical abilities confirmed so far. Let¡¯s put that aside.
Where are my parents?
I looked around. They were not on the stairs, nor on the roads below. Had they gone home?
That might have been the case. And I didn¡¯t have a smartphone to call and inquire. So that was a pain in and of itself.
Guess I¡¯ll meet them at home then. Or wherever they are on the road?
I made my way down the stairs. The setting sun threw it¡¯s final light, weaving itself out of the sky. It took a few minutes.
Soon, the new nightlight graced me as I touched the road.
People had closed their stores, all opting for a simple candle-esque lighting system. I weaved through the houses searching for any form of transportation.
We had found a few last time, people who worked even at night. Completely disregarding the commandments. They were interesting¡ yeah who was I kidding?
They were dead silent. Took the name of the location, made us sit, and then sped us through the roads to wheresoever we had originally told.
And since they drove electric carriages, the meter bill showed up on a little screen behind the driver¡¯s screen. No verbal communication from start to finish, this seemed more like a job for all socially awkward teenagers around the world.
I don¡¯t even know shit about the valley, why am I even thinking about the world?
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I reveled in my thoughts and conjectures as I passed this medieval town.
Carriages found so far?
-
Aren¡¯t I breaking a commandment like this?
¡±Never leave your home in the morning, or in the evening.¡±
¡±Afternoon for visits and work, the nights for sleep. Mornings for the family, evenings for the meet.¡±
Maybe I was, maybe I wasn¡¯t. It was all up to interpretation. Oh well, nothing we can do about it.
I paused my steps just outside the medieval town, and looked at the clock on the center spire.
Yup, the clock was still clear to my eyes. Built for fucking giants.
The clock rang at a sweet little 7:30, signaling me that only a few hours remained before the world forcefully conked me out for the night.
So I continued my walk. The bricky pavement transitioned to solid asphalt, and lightning poles once again came into view.
Sigh¡
Still no sign of a fucking carriage.
I walked for a few minutes more, taking in the chill, night time system that my path imbued.
Oh! Would you look at that. Such sublime woodworking, such intricate metallic finish. Wheels that worked on electricity, a entity born to transport.
IT WAS A FUCKING CARRIAGE!
Heh¡
I was amusing myself with my own thoughts. Probably going crazy, I thought to myself.
The carriage driver was exactly like the other ones, staying radio silent for the entire ride. Gave in the location code -- or at least the general directions -- and he vroomed.
Chill breeze hit my face as I closed my eyes. I actually felt a little better now.
Walks did actually do something for our little psychopathic, maddening, brains.
It calmed.
¡
I reveled in that experience for as long as I could. Time passed quickly, the cathedral clock ¡ªwhadafa- I could STILL SEE THE TIME ON THAT THING ¡ª said it was 8 pm.
A half hour drive? Took only 15 or something the last time. Oh well¡
I payed the driver his money, and watched as he once again vroomed his ride out of there.
Small footsteps resounded from the house as I made my way to the front door. It opened, and Mana came into view. She adorned some simple and frilly dress ¡ª one that could be considered comfortable to sleep in ¡ª and had her purple hair unbound.
She stared at me for a bit, before trotting off to the kitchen to inform my parents.
No greeting too¡ brat. Heh. It was like her I supposed.
Swapped my shoes, and quickly freshened up. I was hungry.
I made my way into the kitchen. Mom had her hands busy with the final dishes, while dad was no where to be seen. Never mind, his heavy steps resounded as he made his way downstairs. As for Mana, she was on the couch again. A TV program seemed to be running, but she showed little interest.
¡°So¡ ¡° I leaned into the wooden frame of the kitchen door. ¡°No one thought to come pick me up or something?¡±
Everyone stared at me for a bit.
"..."
Hello? I''m not an animal exhibit?
¡°Uh¡¡±
¡°You seem better.¡± Mom spoke.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°You know¡ less groggy? Less prickly, irritated.¡±
¡°And less nosy.¡±
¡°Mana!¡±
The little brat grumbled under her breath before hopping onto her controller.
¡°Sigh¡ Leaving that aside, welcome back Eon.¡±
She wasn¡¯t wrong. I was indeed feeling a little better.
¡°I¡¯m back.¡±
And I hope to stay here for a long time.
¡°Leave me alone¡.¡±
Huh?
Oh. She¡¯s screaming at her opponent again.
Mom watched her antics for a bit more, then looked at me. Then she looked at Dad who had finally made his way down with a few wires and machinery in tow. He indicated me with his head, asking me if I wanted to tag along.
Mom looked at me once more, nodded, and then went back to her work.
The clanking of metal resounded as we walked through the corridor, piquing Mana¡¯s interest. She still felt completing her match was more important though.
A smile graced my lips.
¡°I¡¯m back, aren¡¯t I?¡±
Dad paused at my words, and looked at me. He smiled. Then he patted my back.
¡°Yup! You¡¯re back Eon. You¡¯re back.¡±
Soon, our dinner arrived. And a little bit later, the night would come to a close.
Chapter 21: Return(2).
The work continued on for a little longer than I had hoped. A number of railings were broken on the far size of the house; they disturbed the wiring system. Dad had only noticed it on his evening stroll, and hence he took it upon himself to fix it.
Why was it broken in the first place?
Apparently, some¡. haah. I kid you not, some random asshole had come in, chopped the tree besides our house, and that too in a way that the trunk would fall right over the fence. How? No a better question. WHY?
Then he took the tree away like nobody¡¯s business. Even if it was night time, I would assume my family to have enough of a presence to recognize that a goddamned tree had gone missing from their surroundings. They didn''t. Not until dad went for his evening before the meal stroll.
They might have, they might have not. I did not know, didn¡¯t care enough to ask them about it. Was busy expressing my exasperation over this ridiculousness. Come on, tell me you won''t be annoyed when someone comes in, steals your tree (it was a tree beside our house, so technically not our tree? EH, who cares about the technicalities), breaks your fence, refuses to apologize, refuses to explain, and LEAVES.
First of all.
WHY THAT TREE?!?!
Second, WHY US? What did we do to you? Better question, WHO ARE YOU?
This guy is not surviving tomorrow if I get my hands on him.
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
"..."
Right. Back to the fixing thingy.
Suffice to say, I didn¡¯t exactly know much about wiring systems. So all I helped out on was rearranging (and replanting? Why are we still using THIS outdated of a system? Sigh¡ Who even brings forth such a world?) the metal rods and beams.
I didn¡¯t do a good job.
The first time. Then I pulled these 10 feet tall metal sticks back out, and put them back in. Properly.
Took 30 minutes¡ can I have them back or something? I could probably finish one of those books, was close to completing that history one anyway. Talking about histories¡ this world is weird. Not in a bizarre sense, it does that already. But in a¡ really? sense.
I seemed to be sighing a lot this evening, even if my mood had gotten better.
The talk about my perception of this world found it''s way into our interactions. And parents asked for an explanation. I had given one on the cart, right on the first day too. They forgot. So I had to explain again.
That is what I spent most of the table setting on, after we were done playing bob the builder. Fixing something was not fun when you had no idea how to do it.
[¡]
¡®¡¡¯
What? Want to say something?
[Nothing¡ enjoy your next 24 hours.]
WHA-?! ¡You do realize that is one hell of a way to say have a nice day right?
¡®¡¡¯
[I guess I do want to say something. Someone''s definitely going to point out how your actions don''t match your words]
HUH?
[Why so cranky? Fixing something isn''t fun when you don''t know how to do it, now is it?]
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
"..."
.
.
.
.
.
¡®Hello? You gonna follow up on that?¡¯
Great. He went radio silent again. I have no idea why I entertained the thought of any form of communication with him. He murdered my sanity enough as is.
[You mean you murdered it yourself. Or well¡ she murdered it for you? No¡ for me?
Huh?]
¡®¡¡¯
If you¡¯re going to confuse yourself with whatever bullshit you keep spewing, how about shutting up for once?
[¡]
Good.
Moving on. Where was I?
Right, the world being weird thingy.
I may have mentioned this before, thought of this before, countless times. But I could not help but repeat it.
This world, it is a blend of the past and the future. Modernized with facilities near the outskirts. Yet a magical, nearly incomprehensible cathedral at the center. The slow transition from modernity to Victorian as we go inwards, it¡¯s as if the magic-ness of the cathedral put a halt on the development of Math and Science¡..
Huh.
A reaction to my thoughts, that each and everyone of us shared. Except Mana, she was god knows where again. On that note¡
¡°Where¡¯s Mana run off to again?¡± Mom took the words out of my mouth.
¡°Last time I checked, she was staring at that now empty space. You know, where the tree originally stood?¡±
So she was staring at things again. How typical of her. Now that I think of it¡
¡°Wait, how did you even figure out the event sequence again? All of us were outside when it happened, were we not?¡±
¡°Know that old man a minute walk away from us?¡±
¡°¡¡±
He facepalmed. ¡°Right, your memories. I had hoped you would have gotten some of it back by now. Anyways, he told us, he likes to see the sun set you see? Signifies the end, and the chance of a new beginning, He says.¡± He spoke in an exaggerated manner.
¡°¡¡±
Mom had gone off to call the little brat between our discussion. Right on cue, she came dragging Mana back.
¡°What are you think about?¡± He inquired as he washed his hand.
This spoon looks shiny¡Heh.
¡°Nothing much, just¡¡± I took my seat, smelling the fragrance of mom¡¯s cooking.
¡°How long does it take to complete my memory set?¡±
¡°Weird wording¡¡± Huh? ¡°But how long huh¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s never set in stone for you Eon.¡± Mom chimed in as she put the Rice Cooker down. The thing had a chair for itself. What are we? Asian? Wait¡ with our latter name, we might be. Funny thing to think of, the demons were known to be more uhhh¡ how do I put it? More Ethnic than most.
¡°Sometimes, you get it all back within a few days.¡± She continued, but not before ¡ª
¡°And those times are the ones where you have communicable headache.¡±
¡not before Mana poked in. She got a glare from Mom though, so she won¡¯t be butting in the middle anytime soon. It allowed me and my Dad a shared snicker, problem child much? Dad¡¯s childish too sometimes. And how in the world is a headache communicable? Headaches are a symptom of something, so if the actual disease is communicable then technically the headache is communicable.
I digress.
¡°As I was saying.¡± She resumed her words, never once stopping her hands. With an unknown amount of experience under her belt, the arrangement of the food was a feast for the eyes.
Literally.
¡°Sometimes you get it back quickly, sometimes it takes an entire month.¡±
Sushi¡¯s the side dish again today, not that I¡¯m complaining. Goes well with everything else.
¡°And how long have I been losing them for now?¡±
Snap!
Mana snapped her chopsticks, sweeping a sashimi away from me.
¡°Don¡¯t remember really. None of us do.¡± That¡¯s weird, but they did the same thing with Mana¡¯s birth today. The surprise factor''s worn off.
¡°¡¡±
I brought bad memories back again. It¡¯s happened today, yet it feels like months have passed. Don¡¯t wanna think about it, so don¡¯t think about it.
We all sat down, and began eating. Okay, good food yeets bad thoughts away.
Our family dinner continued as usual, but a unsettling feeling roused within me. I couldn¡¯t put a finger on it.
The discussions ranged from absolutely mundane, to some random neighbor¡¯s gain. Ten minutes in, yet the chills forever remained.
I¡¯m forgetting something.
¡°No¡ he took a three million loan from the bank.¡±
What is it?
Snap!
¡°Three million? For planting seeds? Ho-wha- WHY?¡±
Yeah that is stupid. Wait no, I¡¯m getting distracted.
¡°Mana, you make a lot of sounds when eating with chopsticks. You have ADHD or something?¡±
She paused with her mouth inflated with rice, hell, some of it remained on her lips too. She stared at me for a bit.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Brat.
You like sushi right? Happy staring as I savor whatever is left and see you suffe-
NONONONONONO!
What am I missing? What am I forgetting?
Snap!
Stop that sound already! It¡¯s annoying me!
Food? Everything¡¯s there. Nothing¡¯s poisoned, none would work on me anyway. If I am to go by that madman, I have some form of immortality. At least that¡¯s what he leads me to believe¡
Wait. Madman?
"..."
"Eon, your eyes look scary."
Haha.
¡°Mom, Dad.¡±
Both paused. Well Dad didn¡¯t stop his chewing ¡ª Mana definitely took that habit from him ¡ª but he put his attention on me.
Calm down. Calm down.
¡°We forgot our prayer?¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°Eon¡¡± Dad spoke.
Snap!
¡°What prayer are you talking about?¡±
Chapter 22: Return(3).
Haha.
Very funny.
Sigh¡ Who am I kidding?
I looked over towards Mana, hoping. HOPING, that what I found was a way out of this now sudden nightmare.
¡°¡¡±
She stared back at me, still chewing her food.
Snap!
With no concern whatsoever for my situation, she devoured away at her food. Once again, surprising me by the sheer amount she could eat.
¡°¡¡±
Wait.
¡°¡¡±
Waitwaitwaitwait.
¡°¡¡±
Mom and dad looked at each other.
My eyes had widened to their fullest extent. Probably.
¡°¡¡±
How?
¡°¡Eon?¡±
What was the prayer?
Huff. Huff. I was hyperventilating again.
What was the prayer? Why couldn''t I remember it?
Snap!
I jerked towards the source of that sound.
¡°Eon.¡± Dad spoke with sternness. ¡°Calm down. What''s wrong? What prayer are you talking about?¡±
Right. Calm down. Calm the fuck down.
¡°¡¡±
I smiled.
¡°Nothing. It seems I had unknowingly mismatched the fictional elements in those stories with real life.¡±
This was stupid.
Snap!
What prayer was I even talking about? The incident in the cathedrals and everything before it, they must have messed with my brain. I needed sleep, and I would be getting that soon enough.
8:50 rang on the clock. I would definitely be getting my sleep soon. If yesterday¡ I mean if the first night was anything to go by, the world would forcefully banish me to the dream realms once it hit 11. Or somewhere around that time frame.
¡°You sure?¡± I nodded. Waiting for a moment, I put a lid on the train of my thoughts.
Mom and Dad looked at each other with uncertainty in their eyes. Regardless, they left the tension alone and resumed eating. I did too, joining amidst the chewing sounds produced by the brat sitting beside me.
No matter the tension, no matter the instance. She would not leave her food alone, that much I could tell.
Snap!
And she would continue to annoy me while she did so. Why did we have to use chopsticks?
Sooner than later, the chats once again began. As usual, they went on about random stuff in the day, catching up with whatever each may have missed from the other¡¯s life.
Really, just what prayer was I even talking about? Was I drunk? Hallucinating? No¡ none of the meals or drinks I had had so far gave the sense of any alcohol content. Sigh¡ let¡¯s leave that alone.
Our dining came to an end soon, hovering near the 9:05 mark. We went off to do the dishes, and manage the kitchen. Mana scrammed off quickly as usual, but at least she did her share.
Without breaking stuff. That would be bad.
The clanking of metals filled my mind, hyper focused on the task ahead of me. It was a source of reset, giving me time to fix my mental state. The other two realized it as well, keeping it mostly silent unless something was needed.
.
.
.
.
.
.
9:34 pm.
Dishwashing, done. Cleaning the table, done. What should I do next?
¡°How long is it before we go to sleep?¡± I would plan my activities on the basis of that.
¡°Hmm¡¡± Mom glanced at the clock. ¡°I¡¯d say about one hours and a half. Give or take. Not much, but also won¡¯t pass quickly. You plan to do something?¡±
¡°Probably.¡± What should I do? The wiring is done, and I already scoured my room.
¡®...!!¡¯
Right!
¡°Other than my room, did I spend my time anywhere else in the house?¡±
She blinked, before realizing what I planned to do. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be the garden? But it¡¯s night time right now, I¡¯d suggest staying inside.¡±
Seriously?
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
My emotions must have showed on my face. ¡°Yes, seriously. And no, it isn¡¯t because of some random commandment or unwritten rule, just. I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this.¡±
Okay, that was concerning. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me why, I don¡¯t know why I am feeling like this. And as much as I would want to know¡¡± She chuckled slightly. ¡°¡I have a feeling I shouldn¡¯t pry into this.¡±
¡°¡¡±
Her face was scary.
¡°My instincts are rarely wrong Eon, I trust them. I¡¯d advise you to do the same.¡±
¡°¡¡±
Sigh.
¡°¡Do we have any other place, that¡¯s IN the house?¡±
She thought for a bit. ¡°That¡¯s probably Mana¡¯s room then, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Right on cue, purplish hair peeked out ¡ªquickly I might add¡ª from the living room. Followed by the rest of herself, she denied permission.
¡°We are NOT going to my room.¡±
¡°¡°¡¡±¡±
She¡¯s expressive this time huh. Deadpan eyes, and somewhat of a strong denial on ¡®NOT¡¯, a new look is added to the Mana¡¯s Face Collection. What is she, a rare Pokemon?
I digress.
¡°And why would that be, little princess?¡±
Yikes, Mom¡¯s angry.
¡°¡¡±
Huh. My narration¡¯s changed.
¡°Did you forget?¡± Mana elaborated, or rather, she questioned as a elaboration.
Did I do something?
¡°¡¡±
Mom was unusually silent. Then her eyes widened.
¡°Ah¡ right. Eon, you might not remember this. But when you both were little¡¡± She looked up at me. ¡°You two ended up thrashing her entire room on some random topic. I don¡¯t even remember what you guys fought over back then¡ this brings back memories.¡±
Mana turned her attention to me. ¡°And after that, I stopped you from going to my room. I like my stuff where they are, please don¡¯t disturb them.¡±
Mom ¡ª now spaced out in reminiscence ¡ª went off towards the kitchen room. Needed to wrap up the thing before locking the door for today, probably.
Soo¡
¡°You spent most of the time in the garden with Dad. He¡¯s upstairs right now, but you can ask him to go with you. He¡¯s probably working on some paperwork again.¡±
Working on paperwork? More reason to NOT disturb him, don¡¯t you thin¡ª
¡°He should be done soon tho.¡± With that, she went back into the living room, content with spending her time lazing away at her video games.
Still¡ had she helped Dad out in arranging the papers or something? How did she even know about that? Besides, even if he WAS free, I felt like trusting Mom¡¯s instincts would be a better option.
¡°¡?¡±
I only had a few instances to hear my own thoughts before Mana came running back. The washroom maybe?
She stopped right in front of me. Never mind, it¡¯s not the washroom. ¡°Foget whateva I said, don¡¯t go outside.¡± She spoke before¡
[???]
¡running off to the washroom. And do their lisps have a set timing or something? I recall her speaking those words(not in that order) and she didn¡¯t lisp out then. Why this time?
¡°¡¡±
My eyes narrowed.
This¡ What''s waiting for me outside? I don''t know. I wish to, but even my instincts warn me to not do anything rash.
Regardless¡
"¡"
Nononono.
"¡"
Stop.
"..."
Get it out of your head. No means no.
"..."
[¡]
Why are you here again?
"¡"
He''s gone.
I bit my lip. Sigh¡
"My instincts are rarely wrong Eon, I trust them. I''d advise you to do the same."
I slowly made my way upstairs.
"¡"
Why?
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhh.
Don''t.
We can hit the books. There is still some left, let''s complete that.
"¡"
I opened the door. Stepping in, it lay the same as I had left it before. Books sprawled near the corner of the whiteboard, and that one stupid pen still on the ground.
At least the covers were managed. I went towards the center of this room¡
"¡"
¡and took a look at what I would be reading in a few minutes.
Or wouldn''t.
"¡"
Do I?
Or do I not?
"¡"
"My instincts are rarely wrong Eon, I trust them. I''d advise you to do the same."
SHOULD I?
Why should¡
Wait.
Why do you think people feel a sudden urge to jump off a tall elevation? When they look down from the height they are standing on? To their¡ probable demise?
They¡ due to a quick misfiring of neurons. Our body, when on the edge of a cliff or something of that sorts, screams at us to back off at incomprehensible speeds. Our instinct is literally too quick for the brain to understand properly. It''s¡
Chills ran down my spine.
Hooooooo¡¡
It''s a misinterpretation.
"¡"
The question remains.
Do I?
Or do I not?
"¡"
[Can''t decide?]
"¡!"
Why are you here?
Again?
[Hmm¡ can I not be or something?]
He probably smiled right now. I don''t know how I knew, but I knew. He definitely did.
[Oh yes I did. But why do you think so? Regardless¡]
[You can''t decide, now can you? I''ll help ya.]
"¡"
Seriously?
[Don''t go outside. Listen to your ''Mother.'']
"¡Huh??"
[What?]
"¡"
[Oh? The immortality thing? Yeah, that was just me messing with you.]
You fucking¡
Sigh¡
Wait.
[DON''T start on that stupid, Shoud I trust him? OrshouldInot? Bullshit right now.]
How can I not?
[OH I don''t know? BY LISTENING TO THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD FOR ONCE?]
"¡"
[Don''t. Go. Outside.]
Footsteps resounded on the stairs. A moment passed, and Mana peeked through the door.
"Brotha..?"
[¡]
He''s gone radio silent again.
[You should trust that... Sister of yours too.]
"..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
[I''m feeling bored right now. You can''t handle that blondie yet, so don''t go outside.]
"..?''
Ah crap.
"BROTHA!?"
She was right up my face. Staring down at me.
"¡"
When did I sit down?
Sigh¡.
"Sorry sorry, I was a little lost in my thoughts. What happened?"
She mellowed her scowling expression, then looked around the room.
"¡"
Let me guess.
She was bored again.
"When do you sleep?"
"¡in 15 minutes I think."
This brat. "Shouldn''t you be focused on prepping for bed time then?"
"It''s already done. I just need to change into my pajamas." She looked at me once more. "Have you completed reading those books?"
"¡? No, not yet. I''m barely done with history."
"¡"
I looked out the window. The bluish moon shone brightly, illuminating the trees and grass.
"¡"
"Brotha?"
"Mana."
She tilted her head at my call.
"..."
"Why shouldn''t I go outside?"
"¡"
"¡"
She''s staring quite intently at me.
"Because you can''t."
Huh?
"The door''s been locked already."
"I didn''t hear anyone go across the corridor though?"
"¡"
"We don''t lock the door. No one does."
"Wait then, how¡ª¡ª"
She stood up, and as she left the room, she whispered quietly to herself, almost as if she was the only one that needed to hear her words.
"No one in this world has any keys anyways."
The door silently closed.
¡°¡¡±
I pounced back on my feet, and dashed to the drawer.
"Whoa!"
Tch. I''ll throw this stupid pen to some other dimension.
Catching myself, I quickly opened the drawer.
"¡"
It wasn''t there.
"It''s probably buried in this pile somewhere. Haha."
I was probably smiling awkwardly.
Restlessly.
Fearfully.
Clang! Tink! Thud!
Yeah. It¡¯s probably buried somewhere. No way it¡¯s just suddenly gone right?
¡°¡¡±
I rummaged through, throwing everything I didn''t need out of the way. Soon, the drawer was empty.
It wasn''t there.
I went to the closet, keeping my feet off the random stuff. The closet opened as I willed it, without applying any force. I rummaged through here as well.
Where''s the camera lens?
"..!" Found it!
"¡"
"Eon, what prayer are you talking about?"
No prayers.
"No one in this world has any keys anyways."
No keys.
Both existed.
I knew for a fact that both existed yesterday.
"¡"
I looked up. Then, at the moon.
"..."
I went off to clean the mess I had made. There wasn''t much in the drawer in the first place, just horribly managed. I was done in no time.
Right.
"¡?"
Wait what?
I rubbed my eyes. Where is it?
I checked the drawer once again.
Huh?
"¡"
Sigh¡.
Firstly no prayers. Then no keys.
"¡"
I grit my teeth.
Then, no pen.
"¡"
"¡"
"¡"
"¡"
Do I?
Sigh....
The doors are locked.
But she never said anything about the windows, now did she?
My head snapped towards this found opportu¡ nity.
"Are you fucki--"
RIght before my eyes, the windows letting in the moonlight closed. Then, the light was turned off.
The curtains draped over, covering the only remaining illumination in this room.
Then,
There was no then.
The world banished me to the dream realm.
Chapter 23: Return(4).
¡°Brothaaaaaaaaaa!¡±
A little girl who looked no older than four spoke. She called for her older brother, who seemed to have lost himself in the world of books.
Once again, like a million times before.
And much to the chagrin of the little child, the older sibling paid little to no attention.
The little girl puffed her cheeks, angry and annoyed. She was far more expressive than whatever she would be in the future.
¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡±
Some older looking people spoke in the background, and then shifted their focus to the boy.
¡°¡ª¡ª¡±
They were saying something to him.
"-----!"
¡°All right all right I GET IT.¡±
The boy finally opened his mouth, voicing out his annoyance.
He looked over towards his little sister, wondering what the best way to make her shut up would be.
They would constantly fight, constantly scream at each other¡¯s throats.
The ten year old boy, and the little girl. Their bickering filled the house with liveliness.
¡°What do you want?¡± Asked the boy.
¡°Let¡¯s play outside.¡± The air stuffed inside the little girl¡¯s cheeks deflated, as she happily put out her request. He was finally listening after all.
¡Well, not like he never did. It was simply a bit uncommon.
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
The girl tilted her head. ¡°Brotha?¡± She questioned, with her lisp still in place. It would be, for years to come.
¡°Haaa¡ Fine. What do you want to play?¡±
¡°Hmm¡. I don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°¡?¡± They boy sighed, displaying his frustration. He was already used to her impulsiveness, but it took time having to adjust himself for it everyday.
¡°¡¡±
"..."
¡°What?¡±
The girl continued her little staring game.
And then;
¡°CATCH ME!¡±, off went the little girl.
¡°Wai¡ª BRAT!¡± And so did the boy. As usual.
The little girl was unusually fast for her age, frankly annoying everyone in the household every time she ran around like the little devil she was. Constantly creating a mess everywhere, and causing chaos. That was what her life was based on, like any child.
They did this every year, which considering how much of a bookworm the boy was¡ it was a surprise in an of it¡¯s own.
¡Okay maybe they did this every month.
.
.
.
It was everyday.
Somehow, the little girl managed to drag the boy out of his little hut. Every single time. By hook or crook, by the silent treatment or by parents. These fun outings weren¡¯t long, but they were a fond memory for both of them.
The boy reminisced in his memories as he heard her laughter.
¡
A somewhat antique household, with yellow lanterns and red carpets.
Waaaaaaaaa! Waaaaaaa!
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
The sound of a new life arose. A young woman cried, not knowing how she had the right to enjoy such happiness.
Amidst her joy filled tears, she remembered to call for her other child. She waited for a moment, composing herself.
¡°Eon~!¡± Her melodious voice rang, pleasing the maidservant¡¯s ears.
Well they would have, had she not been numbed to that voice over the passing of so many decades.
Answering the call, a young boy came running towards the patterned gates. A few servants were on his heels, praying that the child would not fall.
He didn¡¯t.
The servants opened the gate, and ushered in the boy.
¡°Mama!¡± The child spoke softly, bringing his own little sunshine into the room.
¡°My child.¡± Eon leapt into the young woman¡¯s arms, swinging himself onto her lap. The newborn infant had silenced herself after instinctively sensing the presence of another person in the room.
The young woman smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t you wish to see your little sister?¡±
The young boy nodded, half curious, and half excited. He leapt off the bed and went to the cradle that his mother had pointed to.
A small, feeble, fist raised into the air. It was weak enough to the point that the boy could crush it with his arms.
The boy was confused. Was this how babies acted?
He peered over and into the cradle. There lay a small life, with her purplish hair shining in the dim light.
Yes, not all babies were bald like Seth Everman.
The baby¡¯s half closed eyes glittered with innocence. The raised fist still lay bare, yet firm. It was as if the child held the world in her hands.
The boy instinctually put his index finger in the air, hovering it over the child¡¯s face.
The child quickly pulled her raised fist to it, firmly gripping it as if she would not let go.
Ehehe! Then the child, she giggled, thrashing around with her little legs.
She held the world in her hands. And at the moment Eon knew.
He would do absolutely anything it took to protect that world.
¡
Like right now. Eon had never been athletic, far from it. Yet even he could have instances where he burst forth with strength and speed.
He utilized them as he dashed and prevented the little girl from tripping on her feet, and crashing head-first into the tree ahead. They had already run out of the household, and beyond the compounds.
¡°Huff.. Huff¡ Hooooo¡ Brat. Don¡¯t you ever run like that again. At least see where you are going.¡±
¡°Mmm¡¡± The boy narrowed his eyes.
¡°Oi, are you even listening?¡±
¡°Brotha.¡± She was erratic. As always. And so would be her next sentences. ¡°Can we paint this tree? Pretty please?¡± And yes, she could speak without lisping. When she was focusing.
¡°¡¡±
The deadpanned face was not amusing to the little girl.
Sigh¡ ¡°What will you even paint here?¡±
¡°A tree!¡±
¡°Huh? Wait, a tree on a tree?¡±
¡°Yes!¡± She sure was excited. "But¡ I don¡¯t have colors.¡± Then the excitement shimmered down.
This childish dialogue was not in any way shape or form amusing to the boy. ¡°¡Let me see what I have.¡± But he complied anyway. He needed to get out of his safe zone sometimes anyway. And who was to say he was having fun?
Certainly not him.
He went to his room, and rummaged through his collection. He had build somewhat of a library in this antique mansion.
He found some color crayons lying around. With nothing better, he brought them to the tree.
The little girl was elated. She quickly rummaged through them under the boy''s eyes.
¡°Brotha! I¡¯ll show them after completing them okay?¡± The little child commanded. With whatever aura she could muster, which¡ wasn¡¯t much. There was no authority.
But I brought the colors¡ The boy didn¡¯t think much either. Ah.. Oh well. Guess I¡¯ll go rea¡ª
SLAM!
¡°Eon! Arrange your room right now!¡±
¡°¡¡±
The little boy facepalmed. And the girl giggled in his misery.
¡
Half an hour later.
The boy dragged his body to the grassy compound, wishing to start exercising and eating more.
Alas, his procrastination would shut them down soon enough. He looked around, searching for the little girl.
¡°Hmm! Hmhmhm~!¡± There she was, leaning against the tree as she watched the sunset.
[¡]
Where would this cheerfulness be lost?
And for what reason?
[...]
She noticed her brother amidst her little hums. ¡°Ah! Brotha!¡± She waved.
Heh. A small smile blossomed on his face. The little boy emerged from his slouching, stretching his back before he made way to the tree.
The little girl¡¯s giggles never left the space. Her innocence and liveliness were infectious.
¡°Hmm?¡±
¡°Mama says I¡¯m good at drawing!¡±
He was pleasantly surprised. By her self (and mother) proclaimed drawing skills, and by the content she had drawn.
The art¡ the doodles had potential hidden in them, she could make a career out of it in the future.
¡°You said you were going to paint a tree?¡±
¡°Yes¡ but just a tree was boring. So I thought, tree is a source of life. Mama gave birth to me and takes care of me. Brotha protects me. So you guys are my source of life! Isn¡¯t that better than a boring tree?¡± The little child.. she looked no older than four. Yet, her cheerful words, and innocence brought forth countless emotions.
The doodles were as she said. A source of life.
A memory.
Even their mother -- who had been looking over from the balocy--agreed.She tried to hold back her urges to just go there, pick them up, and shower them with love until the end of time.
They were her reason for living.
And as such, she couldn¡¯t hold her maternal instincts.
She walked to them with a smile beaming on her face. The little girl ran to her, and asked her to see what she had made.
The boy watched the sunset for a bit. Resolving himself. Once again.
He was more mature than most. After all, he had survived something he never should have.
¡°Eon. Mana. Come here.¡± The purple haired woman picked them up and placed them on her shoulders, showcasing her strength. ¡°It¡¯s getting dark now, so let¡¯s get home and enjoy a hearty meal okay?¡±
Mana adjusted herself before speaking, ¡° Is sister Annie cooking this time?¡±
¡°What? I want to eat Donaz¡¯s cooking this time!¡±
¡°No! Sister Annie!¡±
¡°Doonaaazzz!¡±
¡°Okay okay calm down you too. I¡¯m cooking this time.¡±
The children looked at each other, before¡ª
¡°YAY!!¡±
¡ªraising their hands to the air in triumph.
The little girl pestered her mother for a bit more on the way¡ while the boy recounted everything that had happened today.
¡°¡¡±
He went over the family doodle in his mind.
Mana, she had drawn herself of course. She had drawn him and their mother too. He looked a tad bit serious yet goofy; the boy couldn¡¯t figure out how she had managed to put THAT on a tree bark.
As for their dear Mama¡
¡°Ah.¡±
She was missing her horns.
Chapter 24: Return(5).
Sunlight shone through the windows, with the birds chirping to their own tune.
They were all signs that greeted a new beginning, a new day.
The bluish-black haired young man¡¯s eyes fluttered open, grogginess and confusion shining through the pupils.
¡®¡?¡¯
He sat up. Albeit slowly. Looking around, he took in the state of the room.
¡®The curtains were opened¡ Mana? Mom?¡¯
He narrowed his eyes. Memories of yesterday flashed through his mind.
¡®Wait¡¡¯
¡®Waitwaitwaitwait.¡¯
He got off from the bed, still pondering.
Instinctually, he focused on his left leg, carefully putting it in a space where he believed it wouldn¡¯t roll over and make him slip.
¡®???¡¯
That sequence of actions puzzled him.
Why did he do that?
Was something there?
Had something happened?
¡Did he forget again?
He looked out the window, squinting to adjust to the sunlight. The curtains were open, and so were the windows. He could easily peer over the thing and view his surroundings.
His eyes widened somewhat in realization, as he gazed at the tree stump outside the compounds.
¡®That tree¡¡¯
A doodle of three people came to mind. A young woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties, a young boy, and a little girl.
Eon gripped the window frame tighter.
"..."
Then, a lightbulb went off in his head.
It didn¡¯t light up his face though.
He managed his clothes, and walked down the wooden stairs. His thoughts had gotten somewhat muddled and cloudy. Chalking it up to the sheer bullshit that happened the day prior, he went off to take care of his hygiene.
On the toilet seat, a single thought came to him.
¡®What happened yesterday?¡¯
Soon, the toiletries were done. He washed himself and went back upstairs, changing from his white T-shirt and pant combo to a more segmented black hoodie and simple sleek-black trousers. His bluish black hair was messy, he fixed that up too.
Yet¡
His face scrunched up.
After all, the fogginess hadn¡¯t gone away.
Regardless, he went to the living room, finding his dad on the sofa as usual.
¡®¡¡¯
Eon blinked.
Then, he rubbed his eyes.
Once, twice.
His dad wasn¡¯t there.
¡®Am I hallucinating now?¡¯
¡°Are you?¡±
Eon jumped, frightened by the random, melodic voice that had whispered into his ears.
Well¡ not whispered per say, just spoke too close to the ears.
A blonde man with glasses and black gloves came into vision. He was immaculately dressed as always, and carried certain charisma.
Daemon Symfora had come to pay a visit.
He raised his eyebrows in interest. Then..
¡°Ah¡¡±
He sighed softly.
¡°You guys still have that?¡±
¡°Huh? Have wha¡ª¡±
Snap!
¡°¡!!!¡±
Some of the brain fog immediately cleared.
¡°How¡¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know it? Ah! My bad. Right... so basically, you just snap your fingers really close to someone, and the morning fog clears away. It happens to everyone. It¡¯s so annoying¡¡± His voice neared a whisper as he finished his piece.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Eon, now with an actually functioning brain, immediately posed a question.
¡°Someone would probably come in everyday before you woke up, and just¡ª¡±
Snap!
¡°¡ªand then leave to do their own thing.¡±
He found an immediate answer to it before he could even ask.
"..."
Speechless, Eon looked around, and listened for any form of noise. Another question soon danced on his tongue.
¡°Then¡¡±
¡°Where are they? Eon, today¡¯s pray day.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°The World doesn¡¯t force the people asleep for as long as normal on these days. Your family woke up early, and they¡¯ve gone to the cathedral. As for you¡¡±
[Mr. Pillar of Specialty.]
Eon immediately thought up an answer.
¡°Well.. that¡¯s the gist of it I guess.¡±
¡®Wait. What?¡¯
¡°Anyways!¡± Daemon paced around the sofas and to the table before quickly picking up a brown book that had been there since god knows how long. ¡° You¡¯re late. I didn¡¯t see you there, so I asked your parents. Well¡ I tried to at least.¡±
He paused for a bit, then added, ¡°But with you here now, maybe I can finally meet them.¡±
"..."
He looked at his book, then at the clock.
Then at him.
Then back at the book.
"..."
Eon maintained his silence throughout the entire interaction, simply observing Daemon, simply thinking. Simply waiting.
Then¡
¡ªEon¡¯s POV ¡ª
¡®The fog¡¯s finally cleared.¡¯
I took a good look at my ¡®best friend¡¯ once again.
Who was this enigma? And why couldn¡¯t he meet my parents?
He quickly picked up his black pen that had been lying on the table. Pocketing it, he moved towards the door.
¡°Come! You¡¯re late as is.¡± He said as he glanced at the wall clock.
Of course I wouldn¡¯t get the answers to my unspoken questions.
He quickly put on his shoes, and pulled out a small metal device. It wasn¡¯t a smartphone, I had never seen any phone of that shape. Hell, it had a hole instead of a screen.
A long cylindrical body, with some plane jagged metal piece attached to the end.
He took the thing, and inserted it into the door; near the handles.
¡°¡What are you doing?¡±
¡°Hmm? I¡¯m unlocking the door? I always lock the door whenever I enter you know, it doesn¡¯t kill to be safe. Hell, instead it prevents killing.¡±
Wait, unlocking? What, the door?
¡°Unlocking with what exactly?¡±
He paused for a moment, the smile falling off his sharp face. He blinked. Then, like a magician¡¯s trick, the metal piece vanished from his hands. An awkward smile had returned to his face, and a confused one on mine.
"Sigh..."
¡°Can¡¯t you let a man have his fun?¡± He spoke serenely while looking towards the ceiling.
¡°Sorry, I was setting up a joke, but you cracked it.¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡®Blud, you¡¯re gonna need to do better than that. When did you get a child anyway?¡¯
Soon enough, my deadpanned face reflected off him.
¡°Alright, we¡¯re wasting enough time as is.¡±
With that, he opened the doors, and went outside. I put on my shoes as well, before strolling out to our compound. The door automatically closed, and it seemed to have caught this blondie¡¯s interest.
¡®He¡¯s taking his time staring at that door. Does he have a grudge against it or something?¡¯
¡°Alright, let¡¯s move.¡± And then he went off. I followed him as he quickly found a electric carriage (do the carriages hate me or something? Or is it the carriage drivers?) and gave directions.
We both hopped in, sitting on opposite sides of the side door window. The machines came to life as the driver directed the carriage.
¡°¡¡±
¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
How do I put it¡
¡°That pen you have in your breast-pocket, it¡¯s familiar for some reason. I can¡¯t put my finger on why though.¡±
He pulled the pen out, spinning it between his hands as his head rested on the free one.
¡°Familiar huh? I got this from a friend of mine that just LOVES sending random trash to my place. Well¡ whatever annoys him a lot anyway.¡±
¡®Trash? Why do you keep it with you then?¡¯
¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing you write with it.¡±
¡°Me neither.¡± He smiled.
"..."
¡®Does everyone in the world like to collectively participate in the Eon¡¯s BP increase campaign?¡¯, I smiled in response.
Still¡
The pen. It took my attention.
Daemon continued with his ramblings.
¡°It¡¯s poetic, this pen.¡±
Okay, he was definitely rambling.
¡°I like writing poems you know, I have a collection of it. It¡¯s a small one though, didn¡¯t find much to write about before I slept for god knows how long.¡± He continued twirling it in the air, unafraid of it getting flung out the window.
¡°This isn¡¯t the only thing I got yesterday though. At least, in the poetic department.¡± His smile deepened.
He peered out the window, noticing an old man that looked similar to how Dad had described our neighbor.
¡®We haven¡¯t even left he neighborhood yet?¡¯
Regardless of my thoughts, Daemon waved to the old man. The old man raised his hands, presumably to wave back, but paused. In a look of confusion that stared down the blondie¡¯s face, he scratched the back of his head.
It was amusing to say the least. What was going on?
There was something called a pray day today, with it specifically being our turn to head to the cathedral. The parents were gone, and they had somehow brought the chaotic feral child along.
¡°¡ah.¡±
She¡ wasn¡¯t a chaotic, feral child anymore.
¡®What happened?¡¯
¡°You two ended up thrashing her entire room on some random topic.¡±
Was it this? Our supposed fight?
¡°Did me and Mana ever fight?¡±
Daemon paused his pen spinning, his smile never leaving his face. His eyes however, they were suddenly and unnaturally calm. He resumed his pen spinning.
Thinking for a moment, he spoke. ¡°What kind of fight are you talking about?¡±
¡°The wrong kind. We squabbled a lot as kids, we still do sometimes. At least I think we do. But none of it, is the FIGHT fight kind.¡±
¡°Hmm¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
He looked out the window, and so did I. I supposed that we were half way through the outskirt roads.
¡°I do remember you telling me about it. If I¡¯m not wrong, it happened when you both very little? You specially.¡±
¡°Any reason for the sudden interest in your squabbles?¡±
¡°¡Mana, she wasn¡¯t this reserved of a child. She was the embodiment of fun. Now, look at her. Heh¡¡±, I grit my teeth. ¡°Now she looks like someone that has closed herself off from the world. As if she doesn¡¯t care what happens to it.¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°..you sure have SOME care for your ¡®sister¡¯¡¡±, he spoke in an inaudible manner.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Nothing, just thinking.¡±
¡°¡¡±
Silence reigned supreme for a bit once more.
For a long bit. A long enough bit for us to reach the cathedral.
We got off, and he paid for the transport fees. He suddenly had a book in his hands.
¡°Am I missing the part where you became a magician?¡±
¡°Hmm??¡±, he looked over in confusion.
¡°No, your book just seems to disappear and reappear wherever and whenever. It¡¯s somewhat confusing.¡±
¡°¡¡±
We started climbing up the stairs.
"..."
He didn¡¯t answer me. For the entirety of the walk up the stairs. ¡®This is suffocating. Is he trying a social death experiment?¡¯
Some minutes later, we were nearing the front gates. Daemon finally opened his mouth.
¡°Magic tricks, that¡¯s what you called my book¡¯s vanishing?¡±
¡°Hm¡ let¡¯s show you a real magic trick. Go in.¡±
We had reached the front gates. Following his instructions, I took a step in confusedly, through the gap large enough to fit 3 people.
Running footsteps resounded behind me, and I hadn¡¯t even completed my first step in yet.
Daemon jumped forward and into the gap from besides me, before¡ª
¡°¡ª!!¡±
He paused in mid air as if he were crouching on a slanted wall. It felt as if time had come to a stand still.
¡°He¡¯s a man with many capabilities. Yet, the heavens hate him.¡±
I remembered the remarks my Dad said about Daemon during the lunch we had after visiting the grasslands. It had puzzled me and Mom quite a bit.
The man in front of me still hovered in the air, but soon enough, he shifted. Emerging from his half-crouching position, he pushed one leg forward. Then, the next leg.
Slowly but gradually, he made his way down to the watery floor. He turned around, amidst the somewhat flicker-esque and dim lights.
¡°See? That, is what you call a real magic trick.¡±
He smiled, once again.
Chapter 25: Return(99X). (FIxed Reupload)
¡°See? That, is what you call a real magic trick.¡±
¡°¡¡±
After an uncomfortable pause, he tilted his head¡ªquestioning.
¡°¡¡±
I looked over to the doors, then walked through them. Nothing happened.
Walked back in, still nothing.
¡°¡¡±
¡°You¡ are you looking for some kind of prop?¡±
Daemon''s gaze met mine. As for the prop...
¡°Not really.¡±
I was just testing some things.
¡°Good. Cuz you won¡¯t find it anyway, it¡¯s gone already.¡±
¡°So there was a prop?¡±
¡°A magician never reveals his secrets~!¡±
With that, he comfortably held his book and made his way further in to the cathedral.
Splash! Splash!
Wrwrwrwrrrr¡
The water was more restless than normal.
Wait¡ The water is usually completely still, isn¡¯t it?
¡°You plan on acting like a security guard or something?¡±
¡°¡¡± I swear to god, I''ll end up murdering this fucker some day.
Anyways, guess this thing¡¯s on the back of my mind too?
Whatever.
Sorting my thoughts, I moved with him.
Soon, we reached the center cross.
¡°¡?¡±
Weird?
¡°Huh. It seems we were late.¡±
¡°How does that¡ªoh.¡±
Never mind.
He turned to face me, and continued, ¡° Seems like we might have missed the prayers.¡±
¡°¡now what?¡±
¡°You decide? I¡¯ll just accompany you.
Oh, but if you don¡¯t decide within 5 minutes, I¡¯ll pull you along to my whims.¡±
¡°Hm¡ wait. Let¡¯s see if the elder¡¯s still here.¡±
¡°Elder?¡±
¡°A priest, or something of that sorts. He holds management of this cathedral.¡±
¡°Cathedral huh¡¡±
He sure is carefree.
He had his arms behind his head, clashing with the gentlemanly attire he had put on.
Wait!
¡
Leave it.
His book was gone again. Where?
How?
Shit.
My head¡¯s hurting again.
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
He continued looking around, acting as if he had come to this place for the first time. His steps resounded loudly in the hall, sometimes near, sometimes far.
The water had settled down somewhat.
2 minutes had passed. It felt like an eternity, and that was annoying me. Being alone with this guy, especially after how weird he had been acting.
Yeah, not my cup of tea.
...
The 3rd minute flew away.
Where¡¯s the elder? Normally, he¡¯d be spooking the shit out of any random guy that enters.
I grew restless, and he could see that by how much I was tapping my left foot.
I guess I¡¯ll sit down? Wait, today¡¯s pray day. I should pray, at least. Who knows what the world will through at me next?
Daemon paused his random space hopping that had been normalized by the cathedral, and looked at me.
¡°¡¡±
And he looked at me.
¡°¡¡±
And he looked at me.
¡°¡¡±
And he looked at me.
¡°¡¡±
And he looked at me.
¡°¡¡±
And he looked ¡ª- ¡°OKAY WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?¡±
Calm down, calm down.
¡°Hmmm~! Nothing much, I was wondering how much staring you would handle. More or less what I expected.¡±
Motherf¡ª
Hoooooooohh¡¡
Breathe in. Breath out.
I was far too antsy today, almost on pins and needles. Unusual, and I didn¡¯t know the cause.
The blond asshole kept looking at me for a bit more, before moving towards me.
¡°And 5 minutes are up!¡±
Huh?
Waitwaitwait.
That makes no sense, whatsoever.
Yet, my being told me, that indeed. 5 minutes had passed.
¡°¡you distracted me with that stupid annoyance of yours.¡±
¡°Yes I did, there¡¯s a place I want to show you you see? We came there a lot when we were younger¡¡±
Daemon Symfora took a glance towards the statue of [The Goddess of Wishes], and then continued.
¡°That was a fond place for me. I don¡¯t know what it will ¡ª or rather, was, for you.¡±
¡°Anywhere that you exist seems like hell, to be honest.¡±
¡°¡and why do you think so?¡±
¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡±
He stared at me.
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°And you keep on doing random shit without explaining stuff."
¡°¡¡±
He smiled in exasperation.
...
When did we reach the gates? Whatever.
The gate opening was a tad bit smaller than what it had been before, I had no idea what behemoth could push it to such a state. Or was it the will of the world again?
Throwing my thoughts out the window, I pried the doors open.
¡®¡¡¯
The doors moved far too easily. Is the size just for show? Or is that [Pillar of Specialty] at play here? Do I have super strength or something?
¡°The gates are pretty easy to pry open, aren¡¯t they?¡±
So no super strength.
¡°They tend to be like that for some people. Alas, I¡¯m not one of them.¡±
Super strength or no super strength?
I rubbed my eyes. The headache¡¯s getting worse.
¡°Anything wrong?¡±
¡°Headache.¡±
¡°Uh.. aside from me.¡±
¡°No, an actual headache. Feels like my head¡¯s been put into a hydraulic press.¡±
¡°Is the press on?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°So it isn¡¯t. Yet.¡±
Bitch, I already have a headache, stop with your cryptic mess.
Sigh¡
He shrugged, and we made our way out.
The dusk greeted us.
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°¡This is certainly surprising. I had heard that there was time dilation and other such shenanigans, but was it to this extent?¡±
¡°I¡¯m as surprised as you are.¡±
¡°Guess I¡¯m not meeting Uncle and Aunt then.¡±
He paused for a bit.
¡°Well, this works out anyway. Remember how I was supposed to drag you somewhere?¡±
And what, traffic my soul to someone?
¡°That place, it¡¯s best to visit it at dusk.¡±
¡°And where is it?¡±
¡°The back of the cathedral.¡±
Wait.
Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait.
The back of the fucking CATHEDRAL?
¡°¡Daemon.¡±
¡°Daimon. Don¡¯t mispronounce or misspell it, And besides, where¡¯s the Dai?¡±
¡°Fuck your nicknames, you realize how far off from the back of the cathedral we are? Hell, can we even get there? Does it even exist?¡±
I turned around, taking in the sunlight.
The cathedral, even when looking at it from the outside, was massive. It would end up hiding roughly 30 degrees worth of circle space if not for whatever magical shenanigans it did.
To go around THAT. Utter lunacy.
¡°Leave it, I¡¯ll just go home.¡±
¡°¡¡±
Oi.
How in the world are you already nearing the edges of the main wall?
¡°The space jumping doesn¡¯t happen ONLY inside the cathedral you know?!?!¡±
He screamed from the distance.
¡°¡¡±
Picking my jaws back up, I followed up after him in a resigned manner.
¡°I still have the headache you know?¡±
¡°I¡¯m taking you to somewhere quiet.¡±
¡°It was quiet in my room.¡±
Anywhere where you aren¡¯t, silence had a chance of existing.
¡°Quiet, AND healing.¡± With his deadpanned delivery of the final line, our discussions were cut short.
For the time being.
The sun was halfway down, and we were halfway across the side walls of the cathedral.
Who the fuck even builds a grass path around such a massive building?
Soon enough, the sun was nearing closure. Fog appeared in my vision, and we had apparently made it to the back of the cathedral.
¡°Daemon.¡±
He spun to me, looking stern and annoyed.
¡°¡DAImon, why are we inside such a foggy place?¡±
¡°Continue moving, we will pass it in a bit.
I have a wooden bench prepared too, just got it made yesterday. It¡¯s good for resting.¡±
He¡¯s been planning this since yesterday? Why in the world would anyone plan with time dilation fucking shit up?
AHH! I¡¯m done thinking. This place, it better be something good.
Soon enough, my prayers were answered.
With a large ledge to peer over, the valley and the mountains came into view.
The evening, it was a beautiful sight.
Daemon hummed his way to the bench placed a few steps away from us, and sat down.
The woodworking was finessed, yet crude.
As I sat down, it felt like I was leaning against a tree.
What a familiar and comfortable feeling.
¡°¡¡±
Our neighbor¡¯s face ¡ª the one who we¡¯d passed by today in the morning ¡ª came to mind.
Flip! Flip!
Daemon had pulled his book out, and was busy scribbling away.
He was drawing something.
I tried to peer over, but was denied by a ¡°Nope, let me finish.¡± from him.
So, I did the only thing I could do. Relax.
Out of sheer luck, I caught a glimpse of the drawing he was creating.
It was a doodle of a young woman, a young boy, and a little girl.
¡°¡¡±
The headaches, they were trying to split my brain.
I leaned back into the chair, trying to ease myself.
Laughing a little, I looked up.
¡
[Yo.]
Huff. Huff. Huff. Huff.
My eyes took in the visage of a statue.
The statue of a bluish black haired man, dressed in a shirt and what was presumed to be pants. He seemed to be in his mid 20s, and was of an average build.
Like mine.
With 4 gears rotating behind him, and fog shrouding the threads that extended out from the hands behind the gears, the statue smiled.
[Nice to meet you, ME.]
¡°It seems the hydraulic press has finally been turned on.¡± Daemon continued scribbling away.
I stood up, trying to orient myself.
Tried to.
Stop.
Stop, please stop.
It felt like 17 tons of hammers were constantly smashing my head.
Dizzy¡ Can¡¯t breathe.
Somebody, stop this.
[Seems like you aren¡¯t that happy to finally meet yourself?]
¡°You¡¯re a terrible actor, Eon.¡±
[Who are you talking to? Him, or me?]
I fell down to my knees, feeling like my heart would burst.
[Didn¡¯t you just say that he is you, and you are him?]
[You believe that?]
[Well¡ when I first saw him, I couldn¡¯t really. Had been sleeping for far, far too long.]
[At least you¡¯re back.]
[You called me here.]
¡®¡¡¯
Don¡¯t¡
think.
Stop.
STOP.
STOP!!
Daemon stood up.
[See, I had written a poem. You know how my poems go? Pure inspiration, thrust down my throat by the world itself.]
[¡]
[And when I completed it, I was confused. I knew I had written it for Eon Aika¡]
He looked at me.
[But I didn¡¯t know which.]
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
[AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HE¡¯S SHUT DOWN!]
[He can still hear us fine, don¡¯t shout.]
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
[Continue with whatever you were saying.]
The statue, it smiled mockingly. As he heard Daemon, he then continued pulling at some thing red.
Threads.
He was pulling at glowing red threads, not letting them get out of his grip.
[So as I was saying, I wrote the poem. I didn¡¯t know which.]
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
[So I thought, and analyzed.]
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
[And came to one simple conclusion.]
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
¡°Eon.¡±
[And Eon.]
[ ¡±The poem was about Eon Aika.¡± ]
[¡]
¡°¡¡±
¡®¡¡¯
[Rude Awakening.]
[The poem was about me as well.]
[But oh well, I was too tired to care much about it at that point. So I left it alone.]
Daemon sat back down, picking up his pen and ¡ª
[Hmm?]
[Something wrong?]
[It seems she¡¯s missed something over here.]
[¡? Oh. She indeed has. Want to correct it?]
[I guess I will.]
Daemon pulled out a piece of tree bark, and drew something on it with his pen.
¡®¡¡¯
¡®¡¡¯
Then, he threw the bark down at and angle, planting it into the ground in a way such that the contents on it could be visible.
¡®¡¡¯
[Ah.. she¡¯s here.]
The bark, it held the drawing of 3 people, looking as if it had been doodled by a child.
A young woman, a young boy, and a little girl.
¡®¡¡¯
Huff, Huff. huff..
The young woman had her horns scribbled in by the pen in Daemon¡¯s hands.
¡°STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO--"
¡
¡.
¡ª
"¡ªOOOPP!!¡¡..¡±
¡°¡?¡±
A white ceiling greeted me.
¡°It seems the nightmare episode is over.¡±
I was in my bed, with 7 AM ringing on the clock.
A girl with purplish hair was seated at the side of the bed. With her head supported by her elbows, she was staring at something straight.
¡°Night¡mare¡?¡±
¡°Eon Aika.¡±
¡°¡?¡±
I tilted my head.
¡°That¡¯s your name. I¡¯m your sister, Mananglathethalia. You call me¡ª¡±
¡°Mana, I know that already. I haven¡¯t forgotten.¡±
She paused. With a jerk, she turned her head to me.
¡°You remember?¡±
¡°I do?¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°Though¡ not much.¡±
She thought for a moment, and then asked.
¡°Do you remember your nightmare?¡±
¡°Hmmm? I think¡ no?¡±
I did not.
¡°I have a vague something of it, but I can¡¯t exactly place my hand on that SOMETHING.¡±
¡°¡okay.¡±
She hopped off the bed, and went to the doors.
¡°Wait, where are you going?¡±
¡°You still have your memories, so you won¡¯t go rampaging all over. My job¡¯s done, I had a game paused. Can I go complete that?¡±
Her deadpanned voice remained constant.
¡°Uh¡ Sure.¡±
With that, she passed through and closed the doors.
Out the corner of my eyes, I saw something.
I turned to face it, presuming it to be what Mana was staring at a few moments prior.
After all¡ it had changed.
[Ah¡ she¡¯s here.]
A voice resounded in my head, while my eyes grew wide. My breathing had turned hasty.
It wasn¡¯t 990 anymore, the number.
It was 991.
[Return(99X) ¡ª End.]