《Beyond Infinity: The Convergence》


 Arrival

    It was a time before civilization, a time when the world was young, and it was then that it would all begin, unbeknownst to any man. Thus, the question would be asked, ¡®If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?¡¯


    Unfortunately, what took place was far grander than a felled tree, and its consequences would be felt for generations to come.


    It was an interstice, a bridge between worlds, an insurance plan for a tyrant. That¡¯s what had entered the natural world.


    The thing would cause a commotion where it had appeared nonetheless. It was some time before when the Renaissance was set to begin.


    Its target an unsuspecting victim, a ship exploring the new world, one that would be lost in the Atlantic Ocean.


    As for its inhabitance, one would live, well, they ¡®survived¡¯.


    Time would pass still, the thing finding itself below the floating city of Olympus. A place built with such technology, that not even those that pioneered space exploration would understand it.


    Those of the past did deserve their dues still, as they laid the foundations for such a place to exist, whether intentionally or not. They¡¯d also deserve a fair bit of criticism, as for all their apparent innovation, they couldn¡¯t escape their true nature of conflict and greed.


    It was that part of humanity, the worst part that the humans had so desperately tried to escape that made them declare all of time before 4000, ¡®The Dark Ages.¡¯ Naturally, it was the second of its kind, though they didn¡¯t call it as such.


    It was not even about the technology really, but more about their perceived moral, philosophical and ethical superiority seeing as they had reduced all crime and the like to ¡®0¡¯.


    They were in for a rude awakening though, as no matter how high they wanted to soar, the wax on their wings was bound to melt, and it had.


    The stage is set; and it is time to watch humanity repeat their cycle of self-destruction once more. Though, I suppose it is no longer a cycle, as there might not be anyone left to blunder once more.


    It was peaceful on Olympus. As it always was, and as they hoped it would always be, but Fate had different plans. It was here that August Rosavault had been born and raised, on that iron island.


    It was bound to be like any other day, predictable, but not mundane. The light omnidirectional ring of a harp would wake the unsuspecting man, and like he had always done, he crawled his way out from below the silky sheets.


    "Shut up..." As he spoke, the ringing stopped, his day had begun, like it always did.


    "Good Morning young sapling. It is the Sixth day of the sixth month today. Interesting... no¡­?" You could practically hear her smile as her voice filled the room, though she lacked a body.


    "Stop calling me that... and I don''t care for the date." He''d stand up, and with the stretching of his refined muscles, he was finally awake.


    "Hygiene." The woman would speak once more.


    "I know... I know..."


    The young sapling would make his way to the center of the dome like room, face twitching at the woman¡¯s words.


    Then, as he sat on the warm wooden floor, it would lose its beautiful chestnut hue and in time, it was a dark swirling grey mass of nanobots. It would begin to raise up around him like a metallic fluid being hauled along by a magnet, and soon it became a small glass enclosure with metal braces.


    As he sat there, the metal would gain fissures, and within seconds a hiss filled the room as the small space was filled with bubbly soap. The thing would then generate its own current, splashing and harassing the poor boy inside, forcing him to close his crimson eyes.


    It would then be drained, and the process repeated with virgin water. The fissures would close and small fans would emerge to dry the wet tenant.


    The glass box would then turn grey and melt around him. Opening his mouth, the mass would make itself into a hand and a tooth brush. It had everything, water, toothpaste, mouth wash, and suction to drain the fluids, thus, his predator like teeth were clean.


    It would also feed him, a nutrient filled fluid, any flavor of his choice.


    He was clean and fed, and he had done nothing, truly the apex of human ingenuity, the enabling of laziness, or so it seemed at first.


    As he stood up, his naked body would be wrapped in the gray sea of alien matter. It would turn into a deep red full body suit, something that looked like diving suits from the dark ages.


    The floor would then warp again, and begin to roll, pushing him back. He would begin to walk, matching its pace.


    The thing would continue to ramp up its intensity, thus, walking was no longer enough, and yet, he kept up, not even looking at the thing, not even thinking about it.


    "Cheater..." Her voice rung like a groan as she spoke.


    "No idea what you mean." He¡¯d smile at her words, but barely.


    The makeshift machine would come to a halt, and the floor would return to its former glory. The lad tripped as it happened, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind falling, because he did without complaint, roll across the floor.


    "No weight training...?" He¡¯d hop to his feet, caressing his body.


    "There''s no need, now is there..." She spoke as if she had clamped her teeth shut, human, but she wasn¡¯t all there to be considered that.


    "I guess not..." He¡¯d almost forget the conversation as it happened, blinking twice to remember where he was.


    His room was empty, but it did contain a few things that could be considered decoration, though he wouldn¡¯t agree.


    He¡¯d approach it, a painting, caressing it with his hand. It was one of his own design, containing all his family except himself, seeing as he was the one that had made it.


    Then, the second part of his ritual like daily routine. A shell, a sea shell, not particularly remarkable in any way, was on a shelf below the painting.


    He¡¯d take it into his hands, caressing it, even holding it to his ear, knocking on it. He stood there a while longer, waiting, but it seemed he was eventually satisfied, as he returned the shell to its place.


    He would waste time no more still, and walking to the south of the room, the white walls would melt to reveal a hallway.


    It seemed to be a dead end, every now and then a red stylized rose insignia imprinted on the walls. He didn''t seem to care though, and to his left was one of the roses. He''d stop in front of the thing, and raise his hand, as if to knock.


    "Come in!" The voice was young and feminine, but it was almost cut by heavy breaths.


    As the wall melted away, it revealed a room, one that was nothing like his.


    There was more than just a bed for furniture, in fact, the little lad had a couch, a bean bag, shelves and shelves of books, a wardrobe, a desk and materials she used for sculpting as well as a television so large, her room could be mistaken for an old timey theatre.


    It also had another feature, everything was pink and red. He''d make his way inside, almost fainting from the sight of popping colors, but he''d continue still.


    His destination was the bean bag, the only safe haven he had in the foreign land he was in. As he sat, he sunk, and he let out the breath he held navigating the dangers.


    "You... haaa...! should... haaa...! just... haaa...! get one... already...!" The young girl sprinting to nowhere had her words minced by her actions.


    "It would ruin my room''s aesthetic..." He¡¯d sink to a stop, forcing his eyes open as his body melded into the thing.


    "What...? Do what you want..." As he sat there waiting, he''d look over at her.


    Her long, dark, crimson, curly hair would bounce off her shoulders as she ran, and sweat covered her golden skin, or rather, it should have been golden.


    "Hey... sis¡­?" He sat up, one brow high above the other, voice barely escaping him.


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    "Yeah...?" She let out breath, and it wasn¡¯t from running.


    "Don''t you think it''s time for a haircut...?" He¡¯d feel up the air around his shoulders, his stomach more uneasy with every grab, uneasy at the very thought, his hair was always short, so short that if he was spotted from the wrong angle, he looked bald.


    "Like you...? No... Thanks... ha-ha..." The treadmill would slow down as she finished her run.


    "Yeah, yeah... laugh it up... ha..." He also looked to be amused.


    "And what about the tan...? New look?" He¡¯d take a good look at her then that she had stopped moving.


    "I don''t know yet... you like it...?" She''d look over at him for the first time, half her face smiling.


    "It''s not bad..." He¡¯d avert his gaze, voice undecided.


    "But it¡¯s not good either...?" The half-smile she had fell, if only a little bit, her shoulders raising in its stead.


    "Look... you''re a little cutie, anything looks good on you." He smiled, as if it was his doing somehow.


    "Yeah... that''s why you¡¯re always hovering over me like a hawk...?" The two sides of her face lit up that time, her pearly whites on full display, though, almost gnashing.


    "I suppose so... I can''t have anybody stealing my little gem..." He smiled like the slimy salesman he was.


    ¡°Ok!¡± Her face went flush as his words registered. "I''ll soon be done with my daily stim, so we can leave in a minute." As she spoke the floor would raise up and morph into weights.


    "Take all the time you need..." He''d sink into the fluffy oasis, once more, eyes slowing coming together.


    "Uhhhhh..." Her voice started out strong, but it was shaking by the end.


    "Are you going to ask about ''that'' too...?" He was indifferent, despite his sister¡¯s tact.


    "Yeah... isn''t it, weird... I mean... you''ll never really need any of it, right? It''s just a hobby at this point... there have been no conflicts in ages... millennium actually...?" She looked off to the side recalling if her words were true, she couldn¡¯t seem to figure it out.


    "I suppose you''re right. I think it¡¯s fun though... I mean... there''s really nothing that excites me... so..." He¡¯d lift his hand, and turning it, he''d look at every nook and cranny, as if it was a new toy.


    "Of course that''s the case... you''re a psychopath... I still remember how bad you were at rehabilitation... you''d always try and find somewhere to hide when you did it here... or tell jokes so the therapist would forget... but it never worked... Mom and Dad didn¡¯t allow it¡­ haha¡­" Her shoulders seemed to relax, even as she lifted half her own weight.


    "It was annoying... every day they went tinkering around in my head... I''m a very busy person you know..." He shot her a look from the corner of his eye, struggling to hold back his smile.


    "Or were you just afraid of needles and knives... pfffft..." She held back her laughter too, or she tried to anyway.


    "Tomato, tomoto... what''s the difference?" He rolled his eyes, removing his focus from her.


    "Ok... I''m done..." The weight would hit the floor, yet there was no sound.


    August would spin around in the bean bag, and begin looking at his sister''s sculptures, a ship from the dark ages, next to one of himself, that he made himself.


    He half motioned a grab at it first, before he finally took hold of it.


    He¡¯d hold it for a while, looking at himself, but he¡¯d soon return it to the desk. It was the last and best one he ever made, and as such, it was the girl¡¯s goal.


    As for the ship, I do suppose even if it was from all that time back, it would have been old for their standards as well. They were getting better still, to him at least.


    "You''re half decent now? Nice." Normal people need those words of support I suppose.


    "You think... I''m not done, but I''ve figured out how to get the textures I want... they¡¯re nothing like Mom¡¯s though¡­ or your old stuff¡­" She spoke faster, even if she was out of breath, and the pitch of her voice increased, the inflections also changed, he heard all of that.


    "Nah¡­. They¡¯re pretty good..." He stared at the thing in fine detail, to confirm it himself, and she was right, the textures were different. They were wavy and light instead of the jagged and excessively deep like the ones she had created before.


    He did stare a bit too long though, he was almost looking through the thing.


    "Alright, let¡¯s go!" Her voice got louder, but not much else changed.


    He''d stand, and as he turned around, he''d look at the girl half his height ordained in a green sundress, a crimson rose pin in her hair. He''d give her a thumbs up.


    They¡¯d soon return to the nigh blank hall, but May would immediately look to the rose at the end of the hall, the room, at the end of the hall.


    She took hold of her elbow, her chest writhing for no good reason. It was that room, the one she couldn¡¯t enter.


    August would place a hand on her shoulder, and her feelings would stabilize, thankfully.


    They¡¯d then stand in the center of the place, a circle burning itself into the rose colored ground beneath them.


    It would begin to lower as railings rose up from the platform. Light would then pierce the enclosure as the thing lowered, revealing the sky around them with all the fluffy clouds the eye could ever see.


    The wind would wash them, and as it did, the young girl''s face lit up, her heartrate rising in a good way that time.


    The platform would then lower to all the way below the clouds, and to the ground, navigating the large sky spearing glass structures. As for their destination, they were let off on a street, the thing returning to the skies, to the silver spheres above the clouds.


    August would carry his little sister around by her hand, being careful not to bump into everyone else on the street, and soon, they''d arrive at a large bronze sphere, the size of a twenty story building.


    It was here that he''d let off his sister. As she walked up to the base of the thing, the usual happened.


    "May Rosavault. Welcome!" He had the ideal customer service voice, too bad it was missing a soul.


    A portion of the sphere then warped and drooped making a stairway into the place. The girl would enter, but she wouldn''t neglect to turn around, and with a smile, wave her brother goodbye.


    He''d wave back, and soon he began his own journey. Twisting and turning on the streets filled with hundreds, he''d look up at the structures he knew so well, all glass.


    It was a feat that the dark ages could only fake, but not these people, the whole place was actually glass.


    That wasn¡¯t the most interesting part of the architecture though; at the center of the city, there was a sizeable plaza, a great fountain, almost lake, accompanying it.


    There were many granite sculptures inside, even some of his own doing, but that was still nothing, to him at least. As above the place was completely empty, a straight look into the sky, yet he fixated on something, it was nothing perhaps.


    He wouldn''t spend all his time admiring pointless architecture though, he had somewhere to be.


    His institution wasn''t bronze, silver, or a sphere. It was a large marble cube, maybe it was as big as an old cruise ship. Approaching, he''d see someone waiting on the grass, just in front of the thing, a woman.


    He''d caress every bit of her with his eyes, from her smooth dark skin, to her enchanting fiery eyes, to her long curly hair, which was brown, but almost orange at times. Yet, as he passed, he said nothing.


    She''d notice him though, and in a panic she''d jump to her feet, too high.


    "August...!" Her heartrate increased and her voice inspired doubt.


    "Hello Obsidian..." He continued his stride, and as had happened with his sister, the place greeted him and let him in, she''d quickly follow suit.


    "My last name... really?" They were in an elevator, and the apparent marble was see through from the inside, thus, he admired the architecture.


    "Is that not polite?" I suppose he wasn¡¯t wrong, but he wasn¡¯t right.


    "I''m sorry ok... but I still think it¡¯s weird... and I don''t like it..." She approached, but she didn''t touch him, he could hear her heart reject him.


    "Even when apologizing... I appreciate the honesty." He was not there, as even his words barely left his mouth.


    She''d grab his hand in rebellion, and he could hear her heartbeat spike even higher, he worried if she would be alright, aloof as he was.


    "What exactly did you think was going to happen...?" He bit his tongue as he looked at her, wondering if he was to pull away or not.


    "I don''t know...?¡± She hesitated still, even though she was the one that acted. ¡°Will you fix it... for me... please...?¡± She held his hand with both of hers, squeezing it, her brows weighing her eyes down, her cheeks not as bright as before.


    "It''s not something that needs to be ''fixed''... and would you rather that I be unhappy...?" He pulled his hand away from hers, looking out the transparent walls.


    "No... but... don''t I make you happy enough...? I... even I did it to satisfy your fascination...? Why won''t you look at me...?" Her voice began to fracture.


    "The disaster prevention walls have been rising for the better part of two minutes now... there was no forecast of a storm or anything of the sort." He was strangely calm.


    "What!" She spun to look at the horizon, and as had been said, a pitch black mass was rising up towards the sky, blocking view of the sea. "That''s strange..."


    "More like something''s wrong... use your nans to make a pair of binoculars and look where I''m looking..." Again, he was strangely calm.


    She''d follow his instruction and from within her blue romper the gray mass emerged and made something of a binocular around her eyes.


    "What the hell!?" What she saw made her heart peak in earnest.


    "Exactly... they''re coming right for us... but the wall will stop them... it¡¯s probably just a test of the defense systems... for whatever reason¡­" He was intrigued, but it looked to be out of annoyance, he liked the sea, it was a nice dose of dopamine perhaps.


    The walls would soon block vision, and as the elevator stopped, the two left it and kept watch as they walked.


    They were wrong though, and every conclusion they drew would only be false hope, as soon a whistling sound began and it escalated in intensity.


    Then there was another, and another, and another, and another. August would stop dead in his tracks; he would catch on quick. It got so loud that even his companion heard it.


    "Au¡ª" Her words would be cut short by the deafening roar of shattering unbreakable glass.


    A quick succession of blinding explosions would engulf the once peaceful island, baptizing it in scorching flames and death.


    The walls that were meant to stop the threat soon began collapsing and began crushing buildings and people alike.


    The peace and safety that had been achieved over so many life times had vanished within seconds. It was finally time, the last day of carelessness for humanity, their time had come.

 Twisted Fiction

    The sound of crumbling concrete giants, garnished by the screams of the dead and dying would wake up an injured May in a dizzied panic.


    As she looked around, vision blurred by her own blood, lungs too shallow to breathe, she realized she had been trapped under debris.


    The place had collapsed right over their heads and trapped them in the small lecture hall they were in; well, those that were still alive were trapped.


    The other detail that seemed to bother her was the fact that all her nanobots were loose, out of her control, in fact, they were dead.


    That could have only meant one thing, she didn''t have time to think about that though, as the rubble was being removed from above her, she was safe, a miracle.


    That was the only possible thought she could have had, right, because what else could have possibly been lifting hundreds of tons of concrete, metal and glass.


    It wasn''t any human, it couldn''t have been, hope started to seep into her over worked heart, and even I wanted to have hope for her.


    The light of a free world would pierce her small corner of crippling dark, but what she saw was not a savior, nor was it a machine.


    It did not bring her joy, nor relief, for what she saw, was a monster, no metaphors included.


    Many meters tall, it was humanoid, unrealistically muscular with strange green skin, its head an impossible pit of razor sharp spiraling teeth, its only eye on its chest, and it was reaching for her.


    In that moment, as her small beating heart shattered at the realization that she was in fact, not saved, and that her death was swiftly approaching, her tears cleansed her bloody eyes as she wet herself.


    It was over, just like that. It was that simple thought that broke her fragile understanding of the pampered world she had grown up in, and the blind faith she held in such an impossible ideal.


    They were supposed to be ''gods'', and yet, she was going to die at the tender age of fourteen. It didn''t make sense, none of it did, but it didn''t matter.


    The thing would take hold of her and pull her from beneath the rubble, but it wasn''t doing it out of the goodness of its heart, no, in fact, it didn''t have a heart.


    "Puuuuunnnnyyy scum... stain!" The girl that was simply being dragged along, basically already dead, gained new agency to look at the thing in its eye as it held her at chest level.


    Its voice was labored and its words nigh gibberish as if illiterate, but it spoke none the less, the impossible creature that stood before her, spoke, and its voice shook the very earth it stood on.


    She fell further into despair as the thing looked at her not even hurting her. She was truly powerless, a feeling she had only ever felt once before in her entire life, and it drove her insane.


    "Ah... ah.... Ahhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!" She screamed and flailed as if to beg for help, as if to make sense of her situation, but help wasn''t coming, and there was no scientific explanation for the plight she found herself in, or at least, none that she knew.


    "Ha...! Ha...! Ha...!" Its heavy voice shook the small girl as it struggled to laugh at her pain. "Consider... this... mercy... human..." She''d feel its hand slowly tighten as she cried.


    Though I suppose fate was never so cruel, as within seconds, the barreling and wail of something fighting the wind exploded from across the charred and burning city.


    Then within a moment''s notice, so fast one couldn''t even see it, the things head exploded with most of its upper body, raining down blood and flesh.


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    It would then tumble to the floor, dead, and the girl had lived, cushioned by the ginormous hand.


    Shock held her in place for a few seconds before she realized what was happening, but the moment she did, she did not hesitate.


    Frantically kicking and clawing her way out of the corpse''s grasp, one ankle broken, she began struggling towards the epicenter of the blast, despite the pain.


    It was her only hope, and she''d be damned if she didn''t even try to reach it. So, looking at the journey she had ahead of her, she began.


    An already crumbling building would fall over, and while it wasn''t going for her, what had toppled it, was.


    Another one, monster, but not the same. It was pitch black, a dog the size of half a sky scrapper, its head that of a human''s.


    It stood still, looking down at her with empty eyes, smiling, as if to taunt her, but despite the pain her chest radiated, overworking her heart at the sight, she never stopped.


    She''d keep going, and it would pounce at her, opening its mouth as if its razor sharp jaws were unhinged.


    She''d look into the sharp, slimly, fleshy portal to hell, sure she had failed, sure she had chosen the wrong option.


    But, as it closed in on her, a familiar sound would persist as it left the cover of the broken buildings and hovered above the streets for not even a second.


    An ear splitting explosion, even from that distance, followed by the loud barreling of a round.


    The next sight was a sky of gray matter, flesh and bone as its head shattered and its body was tossed aside shaking the ground.


    Her observation was right, and there was hope yet, all she had to do was get there, though even that seemed a trial of faith within itself. Though, for some strange reason, she had hope, she was happy.


    As she hopped along, her problems would only multiply as from above four shadows emerged, blacking out the sky as if to be an eclipse.


    She wouldn''t stop still, but her curiosity would make her inclined to look up. They were monsters, more of them, not grounded in reality, but in fantasy itself, fairies from dark age literature.


    At least, they were supposed to be fairies. They were supposed be small, fruit sized, humanoid creatures with dazzling transparent wings, beautiful and elegant, but that''s not what they were.


    Perched on the crumbling buildings, they were just as large as they were, wings of bats and pitch black beady eyes, naked, humanoid, mouths covered in blood.


    It wasn''t that she didn''t trust ''it'', but, if they all lunged for her at the same time, could four rounds fly that fast, be fired that fast, be that accurate.


    She had to take the chance, and even though the pain shot up her leg with every step, and it made her want to fall over and cry, she ran. Mashing her teeth together to cope with the pain, she ran as fast as she could, tears washing away the blood she was covered in.


    Her worst fears were soon materialized, as all the things would fall for her in unison. It seemed fate had planned a different end for the poor girl still, as quick and light metallic taps danced through the streets.


    So fast in fact, she didn''t see anyone, or anything, and as the creatures fell, she''d feel the embrace of another person, a woman.


    She had been picked up, but whomever it was didn''t greet her, they only ran. They ran so fast, they couldn''t have been human, couldn''t have been pure.


    They were moving so fast in fact, that May couldn''t even muster the strength to look up at their face. Their capabilities were also far from human, jumping over tens of feet of debris in one go, maintaining all their speed.


    In the end, the crashing things would miss, but they''d reach out their expansive hands. Then as the ''woman'' jumped once more, the hissing of rounds passed all around them.


    Then, one after the other, explosions roared behind them, and agonizing screams accompanied each one.


    They''d slow down soon enough, skating to a metallic stop, and as they looked back, all they could see was a wall of flames.


    Though, even the flames soon settled and all that was left in the streets were burning corpses, holes darting almost every inch of them. It was as if the shots were fired by the embodiment of hatred itself, meant to induce as much pain and suffering as possible.


    As the adrenaline settled, May would remember to look at her savior, and she was human, in fact, she knew her.


    It was her brother''s fianc¨¦, Cali. She would have begun to cry, but she was already doing so, in fact, she never stopped.


    Unfortunately, or fortunately, before she could speak a word to her, they were already moving again, and just like before, she could barely move herself with the force Cali generated.


    Though, as they danced and weaved through the streets, they''d end up at May''s original destination, a gigantic cube, once marble, then, a shell of its former glory.


    As for what the small girl was hoping to see, her glossy eyes failed to pick it out amongst metal frames, sparks and explosions, but, it was there.


    It would come from a different place though. The building was mostly destroyed, but, closer to the ground, the building stood, not for long.


    A metallic snap would echo through the place before seconds later, the surviving walls exploded.


    Thankfully, she had a shield in the peculiar woman, and as she opened her eyes to look at what had happened, she''d see what she had fought so hard to reach, albeit different, but still, her brother.


    He was escorting the few survivors of the blast out of the dilapidated building. She was safe, and as such, tired and wounded, she''d faint.

 Escape Plan

    The initial encounter with the otherworldly had proved a brutal ordeal, but, our crew had managed to survive, perhaps escaping destiny.


    Though I wonder, how long can one fight against the tides of Fate before they inevitably drown. I suppose that is their end, but perhaps they are special.


    We''d look past such things though, as we''d find ourselves below a bridge with our strugglers, though half of them didn''t want to be there.


    A river raging before them as they post up, backs to the concrete construction and the broken railways above.


    The once beautiful utopia they knew was now a charred wasteland with steps of gargantuan creatures shaking the ground all around.


    It was a frightened existence, and ''everyone'' of them that were trapped in that open prison was sad, except one.


    He was naked, covered in slime and water, a black burning sludge hiding most his nakedness, why, all the nanobots had ''died'', thus, all his clothes had fallen away.


    I suppose that explains half of it. Yet, he did not cry, nor did he despair, in fact, he smiled. It, his disturbing happiness, plastered a smile on his face from ear to ear, and his eyes were wide open with intrigue.


    They would have said something, but they knew what he was, and no amount of rehabilitation or brain surgery would ''fix'' that.


    He had been integrated into society even as a psychopath per the ''Every Man Rule'', but, he was what he was, through and through.


    It would prove an advantage in the dire circumstances they found themselves in though. As to have someone capable of making decisions no one should have to, and operate under copious amounts of stress, was priceless.


    So, in their time of need, the five of them looked to the madman, waiting for his orders. In the time before he said anything though, he would act on his own.


    His joy would fade completely, and he''d stand up, they''d have attempted to follow him, but just above, the remnants of cables and lights exploded from within.


    The event would paralyze them for a bit, and with that opportunity, he would make his way to one of the maintenance ladders.


    Then, to everyone''s discomfort, he''d ascend to the surface. His footsteps would soon disappear into the distance, and everyone would find themselves looking at each other, unsure of what to do.


    As they sat there in the dark, confused, their fear would rise, when form above, a sea of howls and screeches emerged.


    They would all jump where they were before regaining some semblance of composure.


    All the noise would then be followed by ungodly amounts of ear rupturing blasts one after another, and at some point, even the barrage of a mini gun.


    The uncomfortable sounds would then persist for another few minutes, and too many at that, then, everything went quiet.


    They had no idea what to think, and no one could blame them. It did get them thinking though, because what if he never returned, what if he never came back, what then.


    Sure, Cali was fast, but there was only so many people she could carry at a time while maintaining high enough speeds to outrun the creatures.


    Thus, even though she had faith in August, she''d hold the sleeping May tight, just in case. The other three would see this, and so their discomfort grew.


    They hadn''t spoken, despite knowing each other, because they had no idea how the things were hunting them down, but as they laid silent, they passed above, as such, they maintained their silence.


    So, with the footsteps virtually gone, they''d find the courage to speak, all of them.


    "W-what are you doing...?" Brody, a brute of a man, built for the repair of machines that he did, but pure none the less, even he was missing a few screws. He pulled at his straight blonde hair and scratched his scruffy beard. Not to mention the missing gleam in his green eyes and paleness in his skin. "You''re not leaving us...? Are you...?" He''d almost begin to crawl towards her in his panic, but as he did, the river would erupt at the banks. "Ahhhh...!" He''d fly back to the wall, hunkered down, a shell of a man.


    He wasn''t the only one skeptical of the water though, as the other two also drew closer to the walls, hugging their legs. Then, even in their fear, they''d voice their opinions.


    "Please d-don''t go..." Tears would run down the pale girl''s freckled cheeks, and dampen her curly brunette hair, it seemed Kim was just as afraid.


    As for the last of them, Zack, he had his head buried in his hands, his long red hair sticking out like a sore thumb. Though, even with his face hidden, the tears seeped their way through the cracks in his fingers.


    It wasn''t a pleasant sight, or an easy situation to deal with, but Cali had already made up her mind and no amount of tears was going to change that. If things went south, for one reason or another, she''d take May, and she''d run.


    In fact, she didn''t have much concern for the rest of the crew. It was a cloud in her judgement seeing the situation they had been thrust in to, so she told herself, but she knew the truth.


    It was all for naught though, because as they sat there with tensions rising, a shadow descended the bridge.


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    They almost panicked, as for a moment, they didn''t recognize him, but it was August, and he had found some clothes, or rather, a trench coat.


    The bubblegum pink coat wasn''t the only thing he brought back either, as in one of his hands, he had a whole person, if it could have been called that.


    It would have been easy to mistake him for a child, but that as an aesthetic choice, even if a bad one.


    He was but barely four feet tall and he wore glasses that took up the majority of his face, it certainly did him no favors, but he never cared. In truth, he cared for almost nothing, as he made his hair grow out so much that his afro covered most of his face, making his head look like a ball of hair and glasses.


    He was an interesting ball of hair and glasses though, seeing as while his hair was brown, it had golden streaks all throughout.


    He was good for something too, and that''s exactly why August had saved him. If anyone knew Bob, they knew one thing about him. He never left his portable quantum computer behind, or PC for as he''d call it.


    It was that small copper colored cube that the thing was banking on to save his sister and the rest of the survivors.


    And so, knowing that his life hadn''t been saved for free, the moment August put him down, he''d insert his metallic right index finger into a small hole in the side of the contraption and his glasses would light up, or rather, the eyes behind them did.


    The cube would also light up at a few seams as everyone waited, guts rolling, waiting for him to speak, and removing his finger, he did.


    "I-it won''t be easy... b-but inside the ''old'' military archives, i-it seems they found an- an anomaly below the city. A s-sp-spatial one that is. I-If we managed to get t-to the outskirts of the island w-we could dive deep enough to r-reach the old outpost... in the w-worst of cases¡­ b-but hopefully that won''t b-be necessary¡­ " He''d adjust his glasses as he finished speaking.


    "And why would we need to go there...?" August, even though he was the one that planned on Bob, wasn''t quite on board.


    "W-well¡ª" The small lad would be cut off.


    "Found!? Those things are dangerous! How the hell did they miss that!?" Cali seemed to forget the monsters, as she was basically screaming.


    "O-of course... let me c-c-c-c... damn!... Ahem... Let me c-correct myself... they built right o-on top of it..." He''d almost laugh as he spoke, willfully ignoring the things dangers.


    "And why would they do that?" August would stoop in his long coat, holding down the front as if he wasn''t completely naked moments before, as if he was a fair untouched maiden.


    "I know your f-families don''t deal with e-engineering... b-but the least you could do is know how p-power is generated. Though I s-suppose I may be to blame for this mi... mi- mi..." He let out a breath, avoiding frustration. "I suppose I am also t-to be blamed for this misunderstanding... It is an old military b-base, but, it was r-r-repurposed as a power plant. As such¡ª" He adjusted his glasses. "Most people don''t look that far i-into it. Everything is i-in the public domain after all... though a b-bit obscure..."


    "So you''re saying most people don''t know...?" August tilted his head, leaning it against his hand that was perched on his thighs.


    "I-I guess¡­?" Bob would roll his eyes, knowing nobody would see.


    "Ahhhhhhh¡­!" August would sink his face in his leather coat, but soon he''d stand up, ready to take action. "The maintenance structure is still intact right? Because God knows we aren''t taking the open water elevator... haha¡­" His laugh was not one of joy.


    "I-I thought you didn''t know!?" Bob would look up, brows crumpled and teeth gnashing.


    "You said, and I quote, ''the outskirts'' and ''old military base''... how many of those do you think exist...? How was I supposed to know that we were thinking about the same one...?" August leaned forward, allowing his shadow to fall over the small man as he looked down.


    "I g-guess you''re right..." Bob would roll his eyes back as he ''agreed.''


    "Good... now how do you plan on using that thing...? It generates a shit ton of energy, yes... but so what, that''s all it does, anything that enters never leaves... so what''s the plan?" August had already begun to move, despite his words.


    "I-I think... a-and bear with me now... haha..." His chuckle didn''t exactly inspire confidence. "If... if, we managed t-to gather enough of the energy that i-it outputs... and we were able to s-supercharge it... then¡ª" Insanity.


    "No..." They''d all look to August as he spoke, hearts on a razor''s edge, his crimson eyes seeming to get brighter.


    "W-w-w-what!?" Bob paced around, ruffling his hair as if to rip off his own scalp. "D-d-d-do you have a better idea!? H-huh!?" He looked up that the shell of a man with no fear in his small eyes.


    It was then, before they could even blink, that August had Bob by his tank top, hanging.


    "Lower. Your. Tone..." Perhaps it wasn''t a good idea to save the young genius after all.


    "O-or what!? Y-y-y-you''re gonna kill me!? W-well go ahead... I-I''m a dead man anyway..." He''d almost cry.


    August screamed with the voice of storm as he dropped the small man, and walking towards the side of the embankment, he crumpled his fist, the bridge above spawning more electrified eruptions.


    "August!" He''d stop at the beckon of Cali. "He has a point... so let''s hear him out¡ª"


    "No! No! No! No!" The man paced around, irritated, the fractured cables above shooting arcs of current into the river.


    "Listen to me!" Cali didn''t appreciate his childish behavior. "What''s your plan! Huh!? Have something better!?" In fact, her blood was beginning to boil.


    "He''s asking me¡­ to put my sister''s life on the line for a gamble! A gamble dammit...!" The currents struck with the likeness of lightning that time, his shadow defined by his crimson eyes. "I''d rather wipe out every last one of those things before I put her in danger again...!" He let too much slip, he''d bite into his bottom lip and look away, the arcs ceasing.


    He''d feel a tug from below.


    "T-that wasn''t your fault... but this time¡­ if you make the wrong decision¡­ she''ll really die¡­" An injection of knowledge into August''s infinite well.


    August would look at his hands, as if longing for something, as if wanting, but soon he''d sigh, calming himself. "Tell me again¡­" He''d listen.


    "I-it''s not a gamble... all of this rests on your sh-sh-shoulders..." August could hear everybody''s heart rate spike as Bob spoke.


    "What...? What''s that supposed to mean...? I know I''m the one that''s supposed to get us there... but what purpose do I have after tha¡ª¡­" His eyes widened in a tad bit of fear, but mainly confusion." I''d die..." He came to a realization.


    "I-it''s a possibility... but... i-it could save your s-sister''s life... and h-how else did you think we w-were going to make the anomaly absorb its own e-energy..." The small genius regained his composure.


    "And if it doesn''t work...? What then...?" He was considering it.


    "Would you rather h-have your sister live the rest of her l-life running and hiding...? Is t-that what you want...?" A proposition from the sniffling Bob.


    "Of course not..." He''d look at the sleeping May, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "And what will happen if we succeed...?"


    "I-in the files... it says that i-it''s not that the things that enter the a-anomaly disappear, but instead... they move to a p-parallel universe overlapping our own¡­ they also s-seem to break the laws of phy-phy¡­ physics... we could reach the mainland i-in a couple a days¡­ h-hours if we''re lucky¡­ s-so... if... if we could charge s-something with enough energy¡ª"


    "Me...?" August touched his empty chest.


    "Yes... i-if we could make you store enough e-energy... then we could enter it and u-use the effects of releasing all that energy at once t-to meld back the universes for long enough to c-cross back over into our o-own... then, we could go to the main s-settlement, and we''ll be safe with e-everyone else¡­ including our families¡­ we m-might even figure out what''s going on¡­" It seemed full proof, seemed.


    "Wait¡­! wait¡­! wait¡­! I''m making connections here... ones that I don''t like...!" Cali was a genius in her own right.

 Priorities

    It was what they were all thinking, but what they had all refused to acknowledge that she had said, and she was right.


    If the universes did indeed overlap, and a burst of energy could cause a transfer of matter, then her point wasn''t a stretch or a reach, it was a fact.


    The monsters must have come from somewhere, and anyone with common sense could have deduced that. As such, her conclusion was that they had crossed over the exact same way, and perhaps with the exact same method that they were planning on using.


    As such, the place that they were going would be infinitely more dangerous than the small bit of water prison they were stowed away on.


    She was especially against the idea seeing as they would be going to the ocean where a plethora of problems could occur, even without the monsters.


    It would get worse though, as they were most likely planning on going to the epicenter of the disaster.


    They would be subjecting themselves to a confined space with the unknown, she''d need some convincing.


    "I understand h-how you feel Cali¡­ b-but this is our best chance a-at surviving¡­ Just within the time w-we''ve been here¡­ I''ve picked u-up t-t¡­.t-t-t¡­?" He was stuttering, but everyone could tell it was for a different reason than usual.


    "Hair for brains¡­?" August nudged him with his leg.


    "In the time we''ve been here¡­ I''ve detected five hundre-¡­. Si-¡­. Eigh-¡­ we need to leave¡­ now¡­" The small man began to shake.


    They''d all freeze for a few seconds at the revelation, surely he was mistaken, well, at least one of them believed him, he had his own reasons for maintaining silence though.


    "How many more in the last few seconds¡­?" He stooped down to the small man, held still by fear and disbelief.


    "I-I''ve never encountered a metric I c-c-c-c-c-c-c¡ª"


    "Calm down¡­ how many?" August rested a hand on his shoulder.


    "T-the influx of anomalous life forms¡­ t-t-they¡­ they broke my scales¡­" The look in eyes wasn''t that of fear, but one of utter disbelief.


    "I see¡­" August removed his hand as he looked to the ground, sighing, what was he thinking, I wonder. "Get the hell up! All of you! We need to move¡­ now!"


    A stark change, though they still wouldn''t hesitate to listen to the shell of a man, he was their only hope after all.


    In that moment, all of their feelings and intentions could have been easily summed up, to leave his side, was suicide.


    So, even as scared as they all were, of the water and the monsters, they moved.


    It would seem that even Cali had been convinced as she didn''t hesitate to follow his words. She would still voice her concerns as they climbed back to street level though, and they expected as much.


    "August¡­ do you think you''ll be able to contain that much energy¡­ for so long¡­? Can you even do that¡­? Will¡­ you be ok¡­?" He could hear her heartbeat, and it was rising.


    "One¡­ I don''t know, but I''ll try. Two, same answer¡­ and three¡­ I don''t mind dying if it means saving May¡­" He had failed to calm her, as her heart would keep up its shenanigans.


    "I¡­ I understand¡­" It would fall? He was successful.


    "And Cali¡­ promise me something¡­" He wasn''t quite able to maintain eye contact with her as he spoke.


    "What¡­?" That behavior wasn''t something she saw often, and it wasn''t something she liked.


    "This is¡­ a weird request¡­ and I know everyone can hear me¡­ but I don''t care¡­ You and May are my first priorities¡­ me in second¡­ and the midget in third¡­" He''d feel a slight hit on his leg, but it was inconsequential. "Promise me¡­ If there ever comes a time that I can''t protect you two¡­ take May¡­ and run like hell¡­" It seemed more like a premonition than anything else.


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    She wouldn''t stop walking, even as she felt the strength leave her, instead, she''d cry, her tears petering and pattering on the concrete under foot.


    "I-¡­ I promise¡­ to protect her¡­" She would have wiped her tears, but May seemed to get heavier in her arms. It was fine though, as August did it for her.


    "I know I''m asking a lot¡­ and I am sorry¡­ but we have to look at things as they are¡­" Maybe he did have a heart, albeit not a¡­


    "I know¡­" She held on to his hand as he wiped her tears.


    August was never the type to ask for help, well, except when it came to Cali. His thought process was simple too; if she was going to force him to spend time with her, he''d at least take advantage of the situation.


    She didn''t seem to mind though, as to why she had never refused any of his many interesting and outlandish requests, including a proposal.


    It was a surprise to her too, but for some reason¡ª even after all that had happened¡ª she learned to love him, for herself that time.


    She didn''t think twice about it either, she trusted him, even with her life, though maybe she didn''t have a choice on the latter. Though, back to times of the past, she never did see herself with anyone else, and never even imagined it.


    To the present we return though, with our vagabond group of survivors, perplexed to be walking so openly through the dangerous streets, but it was the best course of action. In the open, it would be easier for August to neutralize threats, it was his paradise.


    "S-so¡­" He adjusted his oversized glasses. "I''m th-third¡­ not second¡­" He was not pleased.


    "I mean¡­ if there was any lower it could have gone¡­" August cleared his throat.


    "I-I¡­ don''t believe this¡­ friends for w-what¡­ three years now¡­ and t-this is how you treat me¡­ p-p-preposterous¡­" Disbelief to wash away his fear.


    "I mean¡­ if I''m even at risk of dying, there''s no way I''m letting you go¡­ so¡­" A strange wording.


    "S-so that''s what it is¡­!" Joy, even in the midst of carnage.


    I suppose an explanation is in order, though I will keep it short. In any reasonable combat situation, the analytical and planning skills of Bob would be invaluable, especially seeing that he and August had inhuman synergy, almost as if sharing a brain. Anyway.


    They were well on their way to their destination, but it wouldn''t be a short journey. On any other day, a normal one of course, the walk to the shores would be no more than an hour, but not that day.


    "Why¡­ why aren''t we talking the main road¡­?" The scared giant spoke, still scratching his pitiful beard and pulling his hair out.


    It was a good question, it seemed a simple answer too, but as Fate would have it, it was astronomically more complicated than that.


    "Do you want to climb over mountains of rubble and fight monsters that can do¡­ God knows what¡­?" August shot him a look to accompany his words, he shuddered.


    "Y-you''re¡­ still¡­ c-connected to my¡­?" Bob would stop in his tracks, looking at his cube; August would pick him up by the clothes.


    "Yup¡­ some interests you have¡­ I won''t judge though¡­ I mean¡­ can I¡­? Haha¡­ haaa¡­" Why the laugh.


    "I s-suppose you can''t¡­ hehe¡­" He grinned in August''s shadow, a small victory.


    "I mean that''s still weird though, but to each their own¡­" It was a victory short lived. August would even turn to look at Cali, and smile.


    "What¡­?" She noticed.


    "Nothing¡­" A bit of deceptive happiness filled him looking at her.


    "Y-you didn''t have to rub it in like t-that¡­" The poor man almost cried, though no one would see his tears under all that hair.


    They found humor in their predicament, and that I suppose, was the most important thing for their survival.


    "I¡­" The shy Zack had finally found the words to speak after a few minutes, unfortunate. "Why did you say something¡­ like that¡­? You''re saying¡­ that if things go south¡­ everyone is protected but us¡­ that your sister and woman will be saved¡­ even your best friend¡­ but you''d let three people die¡­ isn''t that kind of selfish¡­? The little girl isn''t even useful¡­. All of us have uses¡­?"


    August would not stop, even at the sound of heresy. When he did go to speak though, both the best friend and the woman would cover his mouth.


    "No¡­ I want to hear what he has to say¡­" His grave, maybe he wanted to dig it a bit further past six feet.


    "Let it rest¡­ Shut. Up." Cali wasn''t even angry, and though August''s demeanor hadn''t changed, she was just as nervous as Bob, hoping he wouldn''t push past them and speak.


    August would let his feelings out though, if even a bit.


    He turned his head and looked at all of three, and then, from the tiny bit of his face they could see past the two hands, he smiled, the lights above exploding.


    This would make the curious Zack stop in his tracks, heart racing and no more words. He would get pushed along by the cowardly giant though, and they seemed to bond over their mutual fear of the thing that paraded as a person.


    It would be a long walk, maze like in nature. It was hard to dodge the monsters every other minute, but they did, and it seemed like they were no longer being pin pointed, not like before.


    They didn''t know why, but it was a stroke of luck they''d capitalize on.


    It was better not to attract attention, especially seeing that some of the things that were lurking were far beyond their capabilities of taking down.


    As they walked around, they''d see entire spherical chunks of sky scrapers missing, a feat beyond August, at least, the August that they knew.

 The Enemy

    They had been walking for miles, and without the help of nanobots to aid their steps, they found it slow and hard to push on under their own weight.


    The three refugees of course. Cali wasn''t pure, that much was obvious, May was on her back, August, was well, August, and Bob was lodged in his armpit like a purse. So the four of them were quite fine.


    As for the rest, I could watch envy grow in their hearts, and who wouldn''t be mad. The four idiots were fine, never seeming to get tired or even care to take a break. I doubt that the tired could have even asked for a break, they would have simply been left behind and told to catch up later.


    It was truly a sad state of affairs, they were tired, mentally, and physically, and there was nothing they could do about it, but walk of course.


    It had been some stroke of luck or miracle, good or bad, that had prevented them from being attacked, and thus, they would take full advantage of that.


    If they were to even hint at wasting such an opportunity, they might have been outright killed, and who wouldn''t kill them.


    They''d be dead either way, so it was simply their logical conclusion. As such, weak as they were, they stayed quiet.


    It was amazing really, their perseverance, to stand up to such forces with a shred of hope, not many would have done so, nor do I think many could have.


    It would become apparent that such a belief had in fact, transcended the world of abstraction and was truly only a matter of place and time, events if you would.


    They''d continue their journey, navigating the rather self-inflicted danger, sky reaching buildings that once pierced the heavens were laid out on the pavement, mountains and beaches of shards and glass.


    It was a precarious affair, being careful not to slip or fall as they passed through the forest of sharp and brittle edges.


    There was no telling what a wound would have meant either, especially with the appearance of jet black shards scattered about, just as much as the glass. It danced in the sunlight, its surface a divergence of warping colors.


    It was fascinating, the way they spawned from the center of the city, and engulfed the plaza, and even the streets. It was like a shattered vase, signaling some end.


    It was an end only felt by August still. Though it would seem as they passed the things by the wayside, that they''d lose their spherochromatism.


    The strange fact was given no time of day still, as in the reflections of the looming fragments still, would be images of red and faces, whole and broken.


    The dead, buried by the structures they once praised as they absorbed themselves in their own egos. It was a harrowing sight, that of organs and entrails sprawled walls high due to nothing but chance of light. A view of the insides was tame none the less, as one did not have control over such a death, or desecration.


    The real horror of where they found themselves was still in the glass, but of a different weight, because of a different conscious action.


    A weapon crafted from alloy and leather rested in the hands of the dead, they themselves none the wiser, and due to their own actions.


    It could have been a painting, the way the red and gray matter dried on the pillars of fallen glass behind them and gave the place a gorgeous pink-red hue.


    As they sat having made a masterpiece though, they''d never see it, as it was an extension of themselves, and a rather brutal one.


    It was a disgusting sight, for the humans anyway, even worse than the ones before. They''d look away, hoping to keep what little sustenance they had in their stomachs, in their stomachs.


    As for August, he was not bothered by the sight, physically, though he did have his own thoughts regarding the matter.


    In fact, those thoughts were prominent on his twisted face and in his red eyes, or were they. It didn''t matter still, as the rest of the group wallowed in their own perceived superiority, thinking each that they''d never do such a thing.


    He''d make his way to one of the fallen constructed giants, and leaning against it, he relieved himself of what was in his stomach.


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    They''d then continue their journey, morale low, and lowering as they passed a new corpse made to be interesting in a new gruesome way.


    It seemed a harder task than any of them were ready for, but they didn''t have much choice, even if they had August.


    The beach would soon come into view, relieving much of the burden they had on their shoulders. It was obvious looking at it that something was off still, as the sand was not only charred black but dyed red.


    Cali was right, and it was apparent, but thankfully, they were not going to use the open water elevator, so the water was none of their concern.


    As for what was of concern, to get to it, they still had to descend on to the beach, and on to the sand. Thus, they all looked to the one who would, in theory, survive ''any'' threat.


    As he hopped over the railing, he''d land on the grainy substance, sliding, but nothing was out of the ordinary.


    Well, most was expected, even the fact that the red was indeed blood, and up close he could see eyeballs and teeth, bones and slithers of skin.


    Yet, even as he looked upon the open sea of people, he was not afraid. He''d do his thing, and a very special thing it was, and thus, he could see it, and their eyes had met, even as it was submerged in the water.


    It was a grim sight, but it was one that brought him glee despite the overwhelming threat that he could see. He knew what it was too, and if fictional creatures, and fairy tales were materializing from beyond the veil of reality, why not, no, but of course something like that would make its way into our world.


    And so, with joy in his eyes and a smile on his face, he would say one word.


    "Run¡­"


    The calm waters rumbled, howled, as the ocean itself seemed to raise up. It was a mountain hidden in a mole hill, and it was tired of hiding.


    The sun that was once showering the land with its golden rays would be stolen by the thing. The very air would yield to its might as above it nimbus clouds swirled, cracks and sparks of lighting dancing across the sky, thunder screaming in the ears of on lookers.


    It was a sight to behold, and one that only got better as rain began to pour, making it a scene from one those dark aged books.


    The ocean also did its bidding, spawning waves, tens of feet, and soon hundreds, or rather, the thing was just that big.


    Though, all that, for one man, one, naked man. August had long abandoned his trench coat as he was sure it would be in the way, and thus, as all the magnitudes of water finally unveiled the thing, they''d look each other straight in the eyes.


    The tentacles that hung from its face were distracting still, and even more distracting, was the state of the things. They all had some affliction, whether it was rips, tears, burns, slices or holes, hell, whole chucks of them were missing. It had wings too, bat like in nature, but they were no exception.


    It spread them wide, further veiling the place in its shadow, but all could not cast darkness. There were holes and tears in the them, like an old rag. Thus, its shadow was incomplete. It would crawl from the depths still, clawed humanoid hands pulling the sand into the abyss, and pulling it out, even if a few digits were missing.


    Its ascent would continue, bringing more of it into view, and it got no better. Its dark green, almost grey, spongy, nigh rubbery skin reflected the spontaneous plasma above, but not in earnest. There were patches of it that seemed burned, and worse, grafted together, as if it had put itself back together. The things covered its entire body, ley lines of scarred flesh marking points of affliction. They even appeared on its elongated squid like head.


    It would set but one leg down, shaking everything as it did so, its beaming red eyes never loosing track of its target.


    It stood tall, as tall as the skyscrapers had, and it was hunched down on one knee, preparing to stand up fully. There was no one, sane or mad, that would have stood up to such a being, such an incomprehensible evil, yet, there he stood, a smile on his face, ear to ear, defying logic.


    As for all who were not concerned, the barely sane and escaping, it wouldn''t be so easy. The waves that had been generated by the magnificent creature, tangible and not, had put them in quite a predicament.


    All of them were not able to anchor themselves like the mad man, an oversight perhaps. Thus, as they ran to the building, but barely protruding from a hill to the side of the beach, they were forced to take hold of the rails and weather the storm.


    It was a brutal onslaught, wave after wave as the thing moved, and as such, as one of the many waves washed over, the three refuges were washed away.


    They were not dead, but they had a journey on their hands to get back to the group. As for Cali, May and Bob, thankfully, one of them could anchor themselves.


    Cali had ejected spikes from the sole of her mechanized feet and thus, she had pinned them in place, the two others holding on to her for dear life.


    It was painful, holding one''s breathe beneath such turbulent waves, especially with invading and surrounding whispers telling them to breathe.


    They echoed like thoughts¡ª the voices¡ªones about to manifest, but those small pockets of resistance present in their impurities, proved triumphant, though not by much.


    They did survive nonetheless, and they kept running as the tempest came to a clam. Thankfully, Cali was balanced by no organic means, and the shifting world was discernible to her.


    They''d descend the beach themselves, guts swirling with their vision, vomiting at the twisting feelings in their skulls and ears.


    They''d make it to the whitewashed concrete structure, a small square tunnel before an impenetrable steel door.


    There was an interface, sparking and failing as all other technology had, but Bob wasn''t a genius for nothing.


    The place was his family''s specialty; it was a part of the energy sector after all. Thus, he''d look at the thing, and even as the world spun, he tapped into it.


    His eyes lit up as he rested his augmented appendage on the thing, arcs of current forming. Thus, the large doors were ''supposed to'' open to relative ''safety'', but what did they unleash unto the world in a form none of them present could see. I suppose it would be a problem for the future, if they had one.

 The Power Plant

    The large blast door had proven to be the safety they were after, and how amazing it was as they collapsed behind the metal guardian, hearts in their mouths. Their fairytale wouldn''t have been complete without strife still, and they were staring it down.


    The long hall stood before them, almost the dead of a moonless night. There were rays of hope though, struggling through the pathetic gap the door made before it lost the will to move.


    Though even that hope was disconcerting, as it itself was a survivor of the clouded and rainy skies outside, the monster''s outside.


    So, with the storm to their backs and the unknown to their faces, they had a choice to make, and they wouldn''t have long to make it.


    A flash of salt filled water reminded them of why they had ran, and it reminded them to be quick. The next step was closing the door, but that would mean leaving August to the mercy of world, not that he needed mercy.


    Still, they''d peer through the gap, even as the water gushed in, even as the insanity gushed in, they had to see it, had to know if it was the right decision.


    They''d see him, their savior, and they''d hear him too, one explosion after another, from the echoing of tank shells, to jets soaring overhead, to the cannons of destroyer class ships.


    And so, they had seen it before, and now they knew he was the real deal, but where did he get such technology, such power.


    It was far beyond what they had expected him to be, even after what they had seen of him before. The forms he took, the way he looked, the energy they only read about in books, all foreign.


    It left them at a loss for words, and before they knew it, their hearts had begun to race once more, and so, they decided to lock out all the monsters, before it was too late.


    The door would begin to pull shut, the hinges unable to open it, but close it still, concerning. As the metal thing began to exclude the outside, they''d see them, from the cusp of the bump that was the road at the shore.


    The three refugees that were washed away, they were back, tattered, bruised and even scarred, but they were back. They ran for the door, under the uneasy calm of the skies and the ocean, but they wouldn''t make it.


    The metal giant was all but dead, and it wasn''t going to be moving after that act, that was it, its final stand.


    Thus, they had to watch them run for they''d never reach, and even worse, from below, the ocean, more monsters.


    They lunged over the tens of feet embankment, landing and collapsing the pavement under their weight. They had similar skin to the monster that had forced the groups retreat, spongy, gray, but with the addition of writhing slimy veins.


    Their bodies that of a misguided apes twisted and slender, jagged like rocks from the sea bed. Their hands three pronged knuckled spears, and their feet of hooves. As for their faces, a feature less mass presented itself, sinks and ridges being all that it had to offer, a seam in the center, pulsating.


    They wouldn''t get to see the creatures in action still, even as they dashed towards the refugees, leaping many feet at a time like escaping gazelles.


    The door would seal them inside, and for a moment, they forgot the dark that consumed them, as they looked at the dead metal giant, hoping for it to move again.


    The copper cube Bob had would attempt to light up, reminding them why they were there. They''d lift themselves from the crouching positions they had assumed to look out into the unforgiving world, and thus, out of the harsh water that washed over the uncertain grounds they stood on.


    They had to go forward still, even if they had become cowards of no choice of their own, they had to own the decision.


    They''d feel the rumble and shake of the kaiju outside, but they heard no banging on the door, no screams, not even the bout of the monsters, and that was their reality, they had won.


    They were the survivors, the three that escaped, and perhaps if they had waited three seconds more, it would have been six, seven being a willing sacrifice to the world.


    They would continue their stride waning through the water as it was, and all the while with nothing being said.


    It was done, and they had to make the most of it. So, walking through those safe halls, solid, impenetrable, even if shaking, they kept going down, following the stairs to safety.


    They kept going, and they kept getting safer, passing more doors, stories tall, capable of holding back any threat, barely slipping through the gaps they made trying to open. It was comforting, as if they barely made it through, nothing else could.


    There wasn''t even anywhere to hide, all the checkpoints, and small buildings along the way demolished and neatly sorted to the walls. As for the quakes, they were but a distant memory.


    They would finally arrive at a point even comparable to that of people''s living quarters. Though, even then, their echoing footsteps and labored breathes was all the sound they had to remind them of people.


    It was a dangerous place after all, only having people present to improve what already was, digital and mechanical, otherwise, the nanobots took all manner of shapes and sizes to keep the place running.


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    The situation was obvious too, as the things were spread out across the floor like dust, useless, dead. It would even stir up recent memories, it looked much like sand after all.


    And so, they''d anchor their heads straight, ensuring not to even catch a glimpse. It was not like they could see much anyway, only the feeling on their feet remained, and it never left.


    A distraction would at last be found as they wandered the halls, a singular cube lighting their way, and to safety no better than what they had escaped.


    Bob knew the place, and quite well at that, and so, guiding them to a storage closet, it was strange seeing all the doors and rooms blocked off along the way, sealed to nonexistence, the only other passage left being an elevator going even further down.


    It had to have had a reason, so he thought to himself with fuzzy memory. It was a short walk, considering they had all the time in the world, but, perhaps it should have been longer, to prepare them.


    They had gone for ''clothes'', those fashioned out of materials strong enough to survive the anomalies energy, but they had found even more uncertainty in the midst of their confusion, perhaps it was a sign, to turn back.


    I, if I had walked through the place¡ªnot as they saw it shrouded in darkness, but in its entirety¡ªI''d be inclined to articulate it as such.


    The door that they happened up on, the one that was supposed to be for a closet, was the younger sibling of the one at the entrance of the place.


    It was dead though, ripped open from the inside, multiple meters of metal bent like crumpled paper. It wasn''t the door alone either. Standing at the gates of that hell, looking left, the hall, the one that lead to the elevator had another feature, the debris.


    The walls had been blown open as if something had torn through them, and it was from the inside. Thus, there was no surprise when the insides were no better.


    If one was to brave a step further into that place, the floor would refuse them that curtesy, for it was no longer there. A trench, painting the complete picture of the devastation.


    It was as if something had bore its way out of one of the many enclosures and tore its way through everything in its path. The walls, floor ceiling, everything.


    Indulging in that everything, were the walls, not the ones of the structure, the ones of the island itself, the foundations of the place. The thing dug through the nigh iron pillars like dirt, leaving a hole up into the place.


    As for what that place had on its inside, apart from an immediate exit sign, well, that was quite interesting.


    It was no longer a storage closet, and I suppose it never was.


    Thus, all the other oddities the place presented made immediate sense. The shelves, boxes and racks that one would expect were nonexistent, instead, there were vats and vertical tables, chains and cells all surrounded by reinforced concrete structures.


    That much was fine, a stomach wouldn''t mind it, but there was more.


    In the fluid filled vats were hands and feet, in each no more than three pairs, organs, in each, enough for three people, but there were no people.


    The tables still had remnants of ''people'', most only in pieces, their top halves hung by each hand, no head, no organs, on the inside. They were sprawled out on the floor for all to see, laid out like decorations, or maintenance pipes, yes, that made more sense, the scattered feet laying on them, anchors.


    The remaining cells were not without fault either, piles of bones and only pieces of what would have been assumed to be people.


    If I was to walk further in, I''d stumble upon a large coil of silver metal, a story or two, as wide as noble fir, melted. The smell of burnt earth still fresh in the room, surprisingly, the smell of rotting flesh, not so much. In fact, the metal was still melting, the occasional pulse of energy vibrating it, allowing it to deteriorate even further.


    Then there was what ran past the metal behemoth and into the bare rocky walls, holes, they must have been man made. As that deep down, the earth that was placed was as hard as iron, so the claw marks and scratches on the walls, along with the piles of inconveniently placed rubble had to have an explanation.


    It had to make sense somehow, even the entrails than ran like pipes into the further recesses of the rocks had to have had a reason.


    So, I did see all that, but did they, could they, in such dark, see all that. They saw some of it. They''d stumble through the destruction, fixate on the stomach turning sight of the remains, forcing them to hold their sustenance down once more, and look away.


    Yet, they still continued, looking for the clothes they sought, but they were nowhere to be seen.


    It was all a matter of perspective though, as Bob with his reliable PC could easily ping the transponders in the lead reinforced suits, and he did.


    As for where they were, those holes that were to the back of the place, that''s where the signal came from.


    It would all be fine though, as from within one of those interesting holes, one of the many people the place seemed to have been missing emerged, and he was wearing one of the suits.


    It feigned a resemblance to a dark aged astronaut''s, the head a thick glass bubble too foggy to see through, though it should have been clear.


    The body, a de-saturated black, almost baggy overall, it looked full really, it should have been tight fitting, but not bulging.


    Yet, it was still solid, bolts and screws holding its plates together in seams around the figure, but barely.


    Then, there was the powerhouse of the thing, its exoskeleton made of carbon fibers and steel alloys keeping it standing, and moving under all that extra weight.


    It was the second best protection they could have had in that moment, they just had to get some for themselves.


    As for what the figure was doing in the hole, and as for why all the other suits were in the hole, well, Bob''s sensors didn''t tell him that much. In fact, they barely told him anything but what he needed to know, that the things were to the back of the room.


    "Ah¡­ H-hello there¡­ you... Jack, it''s you in there¡­ right¡­? At least, t-that''s what my sensors say¡­ w-what''s going on here¡­ l-looks a lot different than w-when I was last here¡­? Haha¡­" He spoke with a desperation for familiarity, a hope that he was right, his voice even fading and him ignoring it.


    "Ah-¡­y-yeah¡­" Jack sighed with his words, his voice even having cracked at his first word.


    "Oh t-thank the heavens¡­ b-but you almost sounded like Susan for a moment there¡­? I-I''m just glad to see somebody¡­" The small man had practically fallen asleep standing, thinking he was safe.


    "So why are you down here¡­?" Jack had a valid question.


    "W-we¡­ the outside isn''t s-safe anymore¡­ and I¡ª" He cleared his throat. "Before that¡­ w-what happened here¡­ what''s a-all this¡­?" An even better question, from the genius.


    The man standing nine feet tall with the help of his suit seemed to freeze, and even if the suit made it seem that way, he was still, and neither did he respond.


    They stood their looking at him, the light bouncing off his helmet making them avert their gaze, and he said nothing. Ten seconds past, and he said nothing, thirty, nothing, a minute, nothing, two was the limit.


    "Uhhh¡­ Bob¡­ is you''re friend ok¡­?" Cali was starting to feel a familiar but unremembered feeling of discomfort in her gut, and she didn''t like it, especially with May getting heavier by the second.


    "Tsk... I''m fine¡­ it''s just that¡­ I¡­ It''s just that¡­ I¡­" It would hold its glass enclosure. "It''s just that¡­ I¡­ it was a lot you know¡­?" He''d break his still frame.


    Then, he began his approach, and Cali backed away.

 In Sheeps Clothing

    He did not want to assume ill will of another person, or even rescind their humanity of his own speculation, not a person he knew, and especially not in the predicament they were in, but Bob retreated alongside Cali.


    He couldn''t help but exercise his gut feeling, he wasn''t the same, Jack, and he couldn''t bring himself to trust his sensors, especially not after they had broken once before, and who''s to say they were fixed.


    It took no time for them to realize the situation that they were in still, even as tired and bewildered as they were.


    And so, from behind his person, Bob heard a quick and smooth mechanical click, open and eject, the stone floor seeming to break behind him.


    He knew what it was, and he wouldn''t hesitate to help her. They had May, and while they were fine with dying, and to some degree had made peace with it, if she died, August would traverse hell to find them.


    So, knowing this fact, perhaps they only lived that long because of their altruistic motivations, and so, maybe they''d live a little longer.


    The man stopped his approach, lifting his hands in compliance, maybe they were a bit too brash, but they had the right spirit.


    "Woah¡­!" He backed away, feigning cowardice. "I only wanted to get closer seeing as it''s so dark¡­" He lowered his hands, awaiting a response.


    "Oh¡­ haha¡­ w-we might be a little on edge¡­ it''s been quite t-the interesting day after all¡­ha¡­" Bob sought a resolution, one without violence.


    "Right¡­ so tell me what happened¡­?" He''d begin moving around the place as if he had been continuing his work.


    "W-well¡­ from what I observed, a s-surge of energy passed over the i-island when a set of strange m-masses caused explosions e-everywhere¡­ ever s-since then¡ª¡­" Bob hesitated to finish the absurd sentence he was about to say, but there was more than just his anxiety at play.


    The Jack he was talking to¡ª then in motion¡ª unchained one of the half corpses form one of the tables, and hauling it across the floor he opened one of the ''empty'' cells.


    He would toss the thing inside, and whistling, the sound of a pack of hounds spawned from the room''s uneasy silence.


    The corpse would then slowly shrink as the sound of clashing teeth echoed, the areas of concern having bite marks the size of heads.


    It would disappear in seconds, most of it anyway, the only things being left, hands, a pair of hands, bones and organs.


    The things didn''t seem to like the boney masses, or spongy innards. Thus, the three survivors had seen the events play out before their eyes, so what were they supposed to do.


    Jack didn''t close the cell either, he left it open as he went for another body, stopping as Bob had stopped speaking.


    "Ever since then¡ª what¡­?" Jack looked at him, or rather, that''s what the direction of the helmet implied.


    "What are you doing¡­?" Cali spoke, her voice stern and her face barely looking in the thing''s direction, gut bubbling, mind aflutter.


    She had also spoken for the other two that had forgotten language all together. They struggled to even breathe.


    "What do you mean¡­?" He looked at the corpse as he slowly lowered it, and then back at her. "Oh, this¡­ don''t mind me¡­ this is just¡­ ahhh-" The creature''s experienced knowledge of human ''normalcy'' had failed it, and it realized that, everyone did.


    It would free the body from its grasp, moist, slimy movements reverberating from within its suit, alongside mumbles, plural.


    Cali rested a hand on Bob''s shoulder as she resumed her retreat, moving to one of the corners of the room, bringing him along with her.


    She''d push him behind her, dropping May''s full might on top of him, the both of them collapsing on to each other, hidden in her shadow.


    She''d posture herself, standing atop the apex of her toes as if to imitate a ballerina. Then, as the mechanical sounds shot out from her impure legs, a spike did not eject, or rather, there was more than just that.


    Her shins would split open with the entirety of the front of her legs, blades the size of her arms emerging. The soles of her feet would follow, from her heel a barbed spike and form the base of her toes, spikes, her nails becoming spikes. A blade lined the center of her sole.


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    She had more weapons still, as from the back of her legs, blades like semi concentric circles emerged, curling up towards her hips. Then finally, the blades at her soles fell out, connected to her by chains, the color of her legs shifted to a glossy silver to match her weapons.


    To be clear, all of what she had done took place in less than a minute, less than ten seconds even. Thus, even the two with front row seats to her legs missed most of it, especially in the dark, the dark she could no longer see.


    She was impure, that much was obvious, but she was careful with her enhancements. As for the reason; the closer they got to the brain, and the more one used them, the higher the likelihood of death by information overload, complications between machine and flesh, and finally, insanity.


    Yet, even knowing she had no other choice, she hesitated to use the implants in her eyes, but ultimately, the fear of failure instantaneously triumphed her inaction, and her eyes glowed that beautiful fiery yellow.


    Then they streaked off further into the dark, disappearing, and thus, the two frail humans were sat in that dark wet corner, crammed together with the unknown to their faces and silence to their ears.


    They hesitated to breathe, as even that seemed too loud for the danger that they had found themselves in.


    The cube''s light had long yielded to the darkness, concealing them, and so, they were truly blind.


    Then, as they sat, grappling for anything, for any sign of Cali, from the veil of darkness, yellow streaks fell and glided through the void, sparks flying as the sound of brandished metal rung.


    The miniscule light would help to reveal what she had braved, and the little to be seen was unsettling.


    It was big, much bigger than the suit that it had come from, it shed it, like a cocoon. Piles of flesh stitched together by intestines and bones, flaps of flesh and skin donning it like a faux cape. The faces of all who had foolishly become it, scattered about its various slimy flaps and gapping bloody wounds.


    All the faces missing their eyes, blood flowing as if infinite, the mouths smiling. It was the stuff nightmares were made of, literally, but thankfully, May was pure, enhanced none more than she needed to be, and so she missed it, Bob didn''t.


    He''d still cover her eyes though, as he tried his best not to hyperventilate at the sight of the thing, of the people he knew, twisted and mutilated into an enemy.


    He was right, and he wished he wasn''t, his scales and devices had lied to him, it wasn''t Jack, in fact, he didn''t know what the thing was. All he knew was that it had Jack, Susan, Elizabeth, Tom, Harris, Harry and Alice, inside of it.


    There was more danger than they could see still, well, more danger than May could see. Bob would see it, as the special light his eyes emitted allowed him to see past the shrouded veil of reality.


    The ''hounds'' that were caged, weren''t hounds, to his knowledge anyway, it was one entity, much like its master.


    Thus, as the sparks and taps slid across the room at inhuman speeds, a whistle was let out, and Bob would see the birth of a new problem. In a blur, too fast for even his eyes, pants let out as the five headed thing, the height of tall man left the cell, breaking the concrete above the cell''s door with its many faces.


    It was humanoid, even if falling to scurry on all fours, its color, indistinguishable due to the nature of how it was being seen, but it did have fur, thick fur, and six hands.


    It was hard to see, for Bob at least, but Cali had put her enhancements into overdrive. Her eyes charitably spilled her blood as she barely wrapped her pinky around her sanity, the information flowing through her, breaking her mind, and suppressing her consciousness.


    She was also breaking her body, her bones creaking and cracking, all of her coming undone at the seams. Yet, she never stopped.


    The thing used claws and whips made form spinal cords and sharpened fingers to fight her, all of it turned metallic by some sorcery.


    She used the room to its fullest, a swing of the whip missing her as she lunged, shattering a vat of strange liquid in her stead.


    She''d perch atop the tables, having to dash back down to the floors once more as a swing of the claws ripped it to bits of scrap.


    She''d jump at the thing, bladed leg stretched out. The crack of a whip echoed, they''d clash, the pain reaching her chest. Yet, she used that same force to spin in the air, leaning over the things extended appendage, flipping. And so, using the same cyclical momentum, she brought one of her legs down like an axe, the thing blocking it with its claws.


    The chained blade persisted still, and jammed itself into the things blob of a head dotted with eyes, destroying a few in a fountain of rotten blood.


    It let out a screech, that of many people, too many people, it stunned Cali for a moment, too loud. She''d fall to the ground, limp. As such, the mutt that had been trying to catch up to Cali would finally get a chance as the blob grabbed hold of her chain and tossed her.


    As the dog charged her though, all arms crossed, she detached the chain, and falling to the floor, she spun like a vortex. She kicked it in the legs, no, she was too powerful for that, too sharp, instead, they came flying off as she sliced through them, blood erupting from the severed limbs and getting into one of her eyes, blindness.


    She''d continue her spin, her legs going higher, and ending in a handstand, she primed her merciless legs and kicked the thing in the back with both.


    It was tough, rock hard really, but she felt something snap under her weight, and even if the kick didn''t deal the killing blow, it got worse.


    The thing, leg less, was flung by the force, and tossed into the silver coil at break neck speeds. A golden flame erupted as it collided, burning it to its bones, not even a whimper escaping it. All who were present would be pushed further along an iced edge by the occurrence.


    The light it caused did brighten the scenery though, for the impure at least, it was even familiar. A shame it didn''t last long. It would have been useful, lessening some of the burden on Cali''s creaking shoulders and rattling bones.


    It was bad enough that she was bleeding from her eyes, but her body didn''t seem to think so. Her skin torn and her vessels popped and broken, she''d bleed from everywhere.


    She had made it worse too, her hands were pure, and the kick''s force was magnitudes more than they could bear, she broke them, and the fight had just begun.

 A Ballerina of Death

    Her hands went numb, yet, they still stung with the sensation of fractured and broken bones all throughout. The pain wouldn''t stop her still, and it couldn''t have.


    She had become the ferryman of the river Styx, and her job was to ensure her two passengers never made it to the other side. As such, despite her own concerns, she turned her focus to what was more important, protecting.


    The blob let out a whistle, one louder than the first, one filled with rage and contempt, and the things would heed its summons.


    The remaining cells, all four of them, exploded from within, not even the concrete and metal embrasures¡ªthe walls¡ª able to contain them.


    The thing let out a wet giggle with its many faces as it approached her, every slimy and viscous step bringing it closer to the trembling Cali. Her will stood strong still, and whether that was the fear of failure, or her mind slipping into the recesses of pagan technology, was yet to be seen.


    The reason wouldn''t matter though, as she brought herself to her feet and began retreating, putting herself in a position to survey the entire room. If it was the end for her, she wouldn''t go down quietly, or alone.


    The twisted imaginations of what dogs should have been, dispersed around the room, their heavy pants filling the loud silence.


    They sought to surround her, and she knew that, so, as they boxed her in, she prepared herself.


    They charged her like battering rams, each moving with the force of a speeding truck. Yet, she did not panic, in a matter of moments, she had stooped, and with the sound of shattering concrete and firing pistons, she was gone.


    The creatures, they''d clash still, unable to stop, and as they did, they''d ricochet off of each other, literally.


    One of the things was flung back in two pieces more than it had approached, split straight down the middle.


    As they tried to regain some semblance of order, another fell with its head split open, the sound of swinging chains filling the room. She was no longer the hunted, and clung to the ceiling by one of her anchored bloody soles, she prepared herself once more.


    And so, swallowing her own blood, the ceiling collapsed under her might as she brought down her inhuman legs. The thing seemed to notice and tried to resist her, but all of its faux faces and grasping appendages would turn inside out on impact as her leg cut through it, a gash left where most of it should have been, not even the ground being spared.


    It was impressive, but it was still too much for a human only half pure. So, after she darted off into the darkness avoiding the collapsing roof, she proceeded to cough up her own blood as she tumbled across the cold floors, that didn''t seem so cold anymore.


    She was also starting to find it hard to see, her remaining eye, losing its vision. It was insanity, as looking at her, she should have already given up, should have, already been dead, but she kept going.


    A faint ring danced throughout the room as her eyes faded into the darkness, and both the remaining monsters felt a new sensation as their heartbeats filled the silence, and for good reason.


    They weren''t her targets though, and as the two cowered in the corner, a corpse would emerge from the void in front of them, with fading yellow eyes. They almost screamed at first, blood dominated her lower lip and chin, that was hers, but she was damp with it, thankfully, that wasn''t hers. Well, most of that wasn''t hers.


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    She breathed like a tired animal, as if ready to turn over and be done with it, but it was obvious that death wasn''t ready for her, or rather, it couldn''t force her into resting, in peace, or otherwise.


    "We need to¡ª¡­" She''d cough up her own blood, unable to contain it due to broken hands, yet she continued. "¡­ leave¡­ we need to¡­ leave¡­ go¡­!" She''d stand, or rather, she leaned on her unnatural legs, as to prevent herself from falling.


    It took Bob a few seconds to get a hold of himself, he had seen her fighting, or rather, when she stopped moving he''d see her, so he thought she was fine, but seeing her in that condition, and all to save them, he almost fell apart.


    He wouldn''t disappoint her though, as he''d hoist May up onto his back, and he''d run. The things would notice their advance, and the cowardly dog, he assumed he had a chance.


    It leapt from where it was, and landing on all fours, it charged for the small humans. It was fast, but Cali was faster, and as it pried opened its many jaws, hoping to pin the two''s dead bodies to the wall with its teeth, she''d step in.


    She glided through the air as if it was natural, and the two would cross paths for but an instant as she flew over its body. Bob would notice the mutt a little too late, and having to use his ace, he wouldn''t hesitate, but he wouldn''t have to.


    The thing''s heads rolled off to the side, and as Bob darted out of its way, its dead body hit the wall, even contorting as if it had felt the pain.


    He wouldn''t stop still, and keeping his pace, he ran on air over the trench as he left the room in a full sprint, almost falling as he broke the corner for the elevator. The laws of gravity seemed to be at his whims for those few moments though, and he didn''t fall, even May was forced to notice.


    He''d make his way to the glass box, dodging debris and as his eyes lit up again, the door''s opened for them. They had made it, but what about Cali.


    He''d truly hesitate for those few seconds, but looking back at the place, the little wall that was left exploded from within as the blob of flesh emerged.


    It chased after them, destroying the remaining walls, floors and ceiling as it lashed out, and so, he was forced to go on without her


    He didn''t even close the doors, it was as if he told the thing to enter a free fall, as that''s what it had to do to get away from the thing in time.


    The monster would crash into the glass frame harming itself, even screaming, yet it reached for them through the doorway as the box fell.


    Their hearts sank as they saw its expansive amalgamation of a mimicked hand¡ª forearms as fingers¡ª reach for them. Thankfully, the fingers at the end of the grotesque mass only scathed the top of the glass cube, leaving bloody streaks.


    They were safe, as looking at the thing claw for them, they knew it could never reach. As for Cali, they''d hear a metallic skate as from below the thing, she emerged having glided across the floor.


    She''d fall into the elevator''s shaft, having moved so fast the thing didn''t even get a chance to grab her.


    She jammed her anchors into the concrete walls, slowing her descent. Then eventually, she detached from the walls falling through the glass overhead.


    It would shatter, but by some miracle, the glass floated in place as she fell through it, protecting all of them. It would be moved to the side before it fell, Bob breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon, eyes flickering.


    He''d even fall to the ground, May leaving his care of her own merciful volition. He''d regain his breath eventually, and then he''d remember to pay attention to the one that actually needed it.


    He''d look up to see a smiling Cali, both her eyes without their hue, her hand up as if to indicate that he did a good job, yet her fingers didn''t move.


    Then her hand fell, and so did the calm in his chest.


    He ran over to her, and placing his ear next to her chest, he heard nothing. He waited, hoping he was wrong that time, but her heart never did beat.


    It wouldn''t end like that; he wouldn''t let it. Undoing the top of her clothes, he''d draw for his trusty copper cube, and even though nothing had happened yet, he began to breathe as if preparing something.


    He shook as he lifted it in one hand, the other beside it as if to pray, for a miracle perhaps. He clenched his teeth as he rubbed the thing against his hand, and within moments he grunted as if he was in pain.


    He''d then, without the hesitation he should have had, place his hand and the thing over Cali''s still heart, and her abdomen.


    A pulse let out as the sound of electricity reverberated throughout the small box, sparks flying as Bob jolted at the pain, being tossed to the floor, barely conscious, ears ringing.


    He''d still muster the strength to look at her though, hoping to see the light return to her eyes.


    May would pick him up, and as she did, his vision never strayed, but the lights didn''t return.


    His eyes went blurry as they filled with tears, and even May realized what was happening, and before they knew it, they could barely see anything.

 A Bloody Smile

    May would approach Cali''s body, Bob leaning on her for support, well, they were barely standing, leaning on each other.


    And so, they''d crumble under their own weight, falling in front of her, no longer able to muster any strength.


    They felt it, that unyielding sensation in their chests, it was their fault, if they had been useful, to any degree, she would have been fine. So, after all that work they had done to keep from crying, they couldn''t help but to.


    They felt even worse thinking that they''d have to leave her there, seeing as the both of them were not enough to carry her. After all she had done to keep them alive, they couldn''t even give her a proper burial.


    They were truly pathetic.


    "¡­You guys¡­ like my tits that much¡­?" She spoke, Cali spoke.


    "¡­Caliandra¡­?" Bob almost pulled away, sure he was hallucinating.


    "¡­Yeah¡­ that''s me¡­?" She would manage to tilt her head a little, yet she never changed her expression, or maybe, she couldn''t.


    From their perspective, she had died, from hers, well, who knows what she saw. It didn''t matter though, as May would attempt to hide Cali''s nakedness.


    As she crawled closer though, she''d encounter resistance, nothing major, just a pool of blood spreading from the woman. She''d be compelled to do something, but really, what could she do.


    Cali was staring off into nowhere, and even if she did blink, her eyes were blank. The girl would try and stop herself from reaching dehydration, biting her lips and squinting her eyes as she reached out in front of the woman.


    She''d wave, over, and over again, but it was clear as day, she couldn''t see them anymore. May would try to ignore what she had discovered as she helped the woman, but as she touched her, she pulled away.


    Cali was cold, way too cold, but, yet again, May just had to ignore that fact and help the woman.


    It didn''t help that she was covered in blood either, because as much as May wanted to ignore what was right in front of her, it got on her hands.


    The small girl shook with the realization that she couldn''t just ignore the woman''s condition, and even if she couldn''t do anything to help her, she''d at least apologies.


    "Ca¡ª" She wouldn''t be given a chance though.


    "The ocean, it should be coming into view now, right? I can hear it¡­" Cali had her own interests.


    She was right too, the small box would be illuminated by the erratic rays of light that escaped the ocean and pierced the glass that surrounded them.


    They''d all look at it, all except Cali of course. It was what they needed, watching the water bend, twist and catch the light made them forget their troubles for a moment as they stared off into the ocean.


    It was a dangerous world, but it was just as beautiful. A school of millions would pass them by, and for a moment, they found it within themselves to smile at the view.


    May would remember her blunder, but looking back at Cali, she smiled. It was obvious that she meant no harm by it, but with her teeth stained red, and her eyes wandering aimlessly, it only made May feel worse about it all.


    She, the one that hid while everyone put their lives on the line for her, how could she be smiling, how could she be happy. Then to cry, as if she was the one that was hurt, who did she really think she was. Those were her thoughts, but like clockwork, Cali was there, making it better, or worse, who knows.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "It''s¡­ not your fault¡­ I knew what I was doing¡­ come on¡­ don''t cry¡­" The woman would have given her a hug too, but her hands were broken and she was covered in blood.


    "I know, but¡­ if¡ª" May could not help but to cry, again, making her feel even worse.


    "If what? If you had died¡­ what would I do¡­? What would I say to him¡­? Stop beating yourself up¡­ if you want to make me feel better¡­ thank me for busting my ass to save you¡­ now that¡­ that would make me feel better¡­haha¡­" She''d chuckle, even if it made her bones hurt more.


    "¡­Thank you¡­" The girl would wipe her tears, seeing as there was no use for them.


    "You''re welcome¡­" A bit of warmth would fill Cali, though it wasn''t literal.


    The ocean would fade once more as they arrived at the lowest point of the base, though, that was only temporary.


    The doors slid open, and though a hall was before them again, that one was lit with blue tinted light, half of it, crystal clear glass.


    They wondered what would be at the end of that one, and so, they froze for a bit, but not all of them did. The sound of chaffing metal echoed throughout the place, and while Bob and May''s hearts dropped as they spun to look at the cause, it was only Cali, standing up. She had managed it, somehow, though she was leant up on the wall.


    "What are we waiting for¡­ let''s go¡­ we don''t have all day you know¡­?" The woman made her way out of the elevator, leaning against the metal sides of the hall, a trail of blood following her.


    They would say nothing; only follow her. As they went to leave though, the past would pay them a visit.


    A choir of voices echoed throughout the elevator shaft, and it was getting closer by the second. It was not much longer until it stopped, and then, looking back at the box, a large twisted hand descended to the floor.


    The box would creak as the monster lowered itself, its grotesque head coming into view. Its eyes shot around the room, not that they needed to do much looking, seeing as there were fourteen of them, well, ten after what Cali had done to it.


    Speaking of what Cali had done to it, they were looking into the thing''s skull, the gash she created was so big.


    It was strange though, the thing refused to leave the shaft for the first few seconds, as for where all of its eyes were focused, Cali.


    It didn''t take long to realize her condition though, and it seemed to gain unwarranted confidence, as the moment it pushed out its head, just a tad bit, Cali disappeared.


    The sound of tearing metal then rung, before, as the two spectators blinked, Cali was descending on to the thing.


    It would be not a second later until the entire place shook as the woman crushed the thing''s head under her heel, its limp body falling into the box, cramped.


    The two she left behind would blink a couple of times to ensure they were seeing correctly, and looking at the wall where they expected to find her, there was only blood and holes in the wall that went up to the ceiling and over to where she stood.


    It seemed she wasn''t quite as content with the outcome of her last bout as she had let on, and as the thing flinched, an indication life, that hypothesis would be proven.


    She removed her leg from the thing''s fractured skull, and hoisting it higher, the compression of pistons sung before she dropped her leg like a guillotine, shaking the place once more, and sending fractures throughout the glass walls.


    It was obvious, that even in her condition, she was no damsel in distress. She was hurt though, and after her explosive display of power, she stumbled backwards before May and Bob ran to her rescue.


    They''d help her, and by pushing her back up, she didn''t fall. They didn''t even seem to mind the blood, and they couldn''t have, it was their doing.


    As for what else was strange, May had ran to her rescue, ran. She would realize what had happened, and looking down, her ankle was fine, her ankle that was broken only an hour before, was fine.


    She would stand there, not knowing what to think, and looking at the body snatcher''s corpse in the elevator, she wondered, if she was still, ''her''.


    She also wondered, what would the other two think, what would they do. Her heart was damn near in her mouth as her breath quickened to unhealthy degrees. So, despite the fact that she didn''t want to bring attention to herself, she had done just that.


    They''d hear the girl with labored and bated breaths, and as Bob looked at her, she began to do the only thing she knew how to, cry, but the tears never came.


    She''d fall over herself, taking a tight grip of her aching chest, confusion making her feel the place collapse on top of her.


    "W-what''s wrong¡­?" Bob stooped, but as he reached for her, out of fear of herself, she slapped his hand away. "M-May¡­?"


    "I¡ª" A sharp and abrupt breath cut her sentence. "¡­ my leg¡­" Her lungs worked against her. "¡­my leg!" Her tears still didn''t come.


    "I-it''s okay¡­ it''s¡­ okay¡­ b-breathe¡­" Bob slowly reached for her, and resting a hand on her shoulder, she brought her lungs to heel. "I-I think I know wh-what''s going on¡­ i-its fine¡­ you''re fine¡­" He took a deep breath himself. "Where to s-start¡­"


    Bob was a genius, so perhaps his assessment would be right, but what about August and the rest, why not pay them a visit, and why not go back to the beginning.


    The waves billow over the shores as he stands face to face with a monster so far beyond the natural world, the fact that it came from fiction made all the more sense.


    So, what will he do? Fight it of course.

 Anything You Can Imagine

    He was eager to fight the thing, twitching at the thought really, an uncontrollable smile plastered across his face. It was too bad still, the fact that he couldn''t feel that human bit of fear and nervousness a beating heart and hormones would have provided had he been pure, to any degree.


    He controlled himself though, he waited for them to get to cover, to leave the area of destruction the brawl would have caused.


    It was unfortunate though, as the moment he was ready to let loose, he would feel them enter his area of awareness, the three he had saved, and the three he had used. They were running for the door, and he prayed they would make it, though he knew they would not.


    It got worse still, as in the ocean, minions of the towering monster lingered, waiting for their opportunity.


    He thought about leaving them to die for a moment, after all, they had served their purpose, or rather, they were yet to. So, despite his want to get on with his fun, he''d ensure their lives, and he would piss off the behemoth at the same time.


    It was a win win. He did have to consult ''that'' before he could do anything though.


    "Was it¡­ ''anything you can imagine...?''" He would look at himself as he turned to silver, his voice echoing within his mind, waiting.


    "If you can make it work¡­ then sure¡­ though a greater feat than ''that'' is still death¡­ even now¡­ even with this thing you have created¡­" A soft feminine voice filled his thoughts, an answer.


    He looked up at the giant, and without rhyme or reason, but only desire, he sought to see how far he could stretch the terms once more.


    He''d pry open his bottomless pit of knowledge with the help of ''its'' power, and so, he''d go back through all he had read, reconstructing all of it inside of his empty mind.


    He would finally move, all of his ideas rearing to go, and so, with a stretch of his hand and a flex of his imagination, reality fell in on itself, bending and twisting. Then, an eruption of gold would envelope the beach, a figure darting from within it.


    In the skies, was the mad man, inside a jet, she was right, and he''d abuse that fact. The sand would clear under the winds the monster had created, and what was left on the beach was a battalion of tens of tanks from all throughout time and wars.


    They would all fire upon the creature in unison, and even if they couldn''t pierce its skin, they did annoy it. It shielded its face from the flurry of high explosive shells, almost stumbling back into the ocean.


    It would be pushed forward though, the result of supersonic missiles exploding on its back side.


    It was all for naught still, and though he knew that, if he prevented it from doing anything, that was enough.


    He''d steer the craft down to ocean level, almost crashing it in the ocean, and then, he would.


    And from the resulting explosion of gold and water, a Daring class Type 45 Destroyer battleship would be unveiled from the waves.


    It would unload on the creature just like all the other contraptions the man had created.


    And so, the giant would begin to stumble closer to shore, and even its minions jumped out of the ocean.


    They were headed for the refugees, dashing towards them. He did not panic though, he just hoped he wouldn''t be the one to kill those he''d attempt to save.


    He''d ignore the nightmare for a moment, and point the biggest gun on the ship towards the creatures. Thus, with one shell from the thing, in the blink of an eye, the creatures became a bloody mist on the shore.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The escapees were affected by the blast still, tripping and being tossed across the floor. He knew they would be fine if it was just that, so he decided to refocus on the main threat.


    The thing''s anger had come to ahead, and as it walked inland, toppling all the buildings in trying to escape the volley of bullets, it whipped its hand around.


    August was crazy, but he wasn''t stupid. He''d break through the glass of the ship''s command center, and sprinting across the deck, he''d jump into the depths.


    A small explosion spawned beneath him, weights appearing and dragging him further down into the depths.


    The thing would clench its fist, and as if hauling a great weight to heel, it brought it forward.


    The ocean would fall still, then pull towards the creature, lifting in a wave higher than any structure ever built.


    The ship would be dragged along and the tanks were washed away.


    It would then open its hand, the wave exploding into faux rain.


    It would look for the man, even though it could feel his usurped presence. And so, it would soon begin backing away, causing more earthquakes and destroying more infrastructure. As for why it was running, it could see what the lad was conjuring, and even if it didn''t know why, it knew it was the target.


    The ocean began to well up as a wake appeared darting across the water''s surface. It would soon disappear, and from the calm of the ocean, a waterspout emerged, no, it was alive. A golden snake as large as the creature it sought to challenge sprung from the deep.


    It seemed to soar as it closed in on the monster, jaws flung wide. The nightmare would resist, holding the serpent''s jaws open, attempting to tear it in two.


    As for the mastermind of the whole debacle, he would appear at the top of the snake''s head as it began constricting the eldritch god, his right hand a canon as big as himself.


    He''d point it at one of the giant''s glaring red eyes, and though it did want to protect itself, it couldn''t.


    The hammer inside the machination would prime, and as it motioned, an explosion would fling the armor piercing tank shell towards its target.


    It was powerful, and dangerously so, as it destroyed its own birthright with the force generated, and tossed August off the monster he created.


    As for the consequences of such an action, the god screamed in many voices and the snakes head exploded as if hit with a meteor.


    August would look back no more, and by the time he hit the ground, he was a giant in his own right, many meters tall, silver and beautiful.


    He''d dash through the streets, destroying all the debris in his way even further as his refined body cut through it all. He knew what he was after, and he knew where it was.


    He was far beyond what was expected though, and as he turned the corner at the shore, he would slip and tumble off onto the sand. He wouldn''t stop, even as the demiurge''s footsteps shook the island approaching him.


    He would uproot the beach as he made a mad dash for the three refugees, and crashing into the small tunnel, they would all scream, but he didn''t seem to care. He picked them all up, and creating a cavity in his chest, he locked them in.


    He would then make his way into the ocean, diving. The open water elevator was broken, but the moon pool was still, well, a moon pool. So, with all his might, he swam down into the depths.


    It wouldn''t be that simple still, as the ocean seemed to become steel mush as he swam through it. The engineered lifeform would then begin to be pulled back up to the surface, it struggled, but no amount of resistance was saving it.


    It would be dragged from the water and tossed back on to land, crashing through all of the buildings that were in its path.


    The god would posture itself, slumping forward, and with the precise location of the abomination, it dashed towards it like a natural disaster destroying everything in its path, reducing it all to dust.


    It would reach the metal giant before it hit the ground, and tackling the thing, they barreled through the whole island.


    If one was to say the place used to prosper, they would be deemed a liar, and be executed for good measure. It was a trash heap, and it was from that heap that the fetish picked up the man.


    It was about to speak, but there was something wrong, now that it had the man in its grasp, it was missing, his real body. The thing chuckled, shaking the very ground as the silver man melted away into nothingness.


    The energy it had been using to track the usurper was concentrated within the figure, but it was artificial.


    There was enough present to fool the creature, too little to be the real thing, and just enough missing to make an escape.


    As for where the real body that the fetish sought was, it was in the ocean, and looking through the thing''s eyes, perhaps we could see it.


    The sight was otherworldly, pitch black with a missing red sun lighting the scene, there was an eclipse after all.


    As for the energy, it darted through the air, as sporadic as lightning, but as smooth as a stream, a beautiful shining gold, as if liquid.


    It flew out over the ocean, and as if alive, it waited, pooling, then it shot down into depths.


    Yet, despite all of its capabilities, in the natural world, its destination will be a sad one, and it will be useless.

 Goodbye

    The golden streaks of energy would complement August''s arrival as he burst into the open space above the moon pool. A warm light would radiate from him as he reunited with his other half.


    The scene it lit was not a bright one though. As, there she was, the love of his life, leant up against the cold metal walls, covered in blood, eyes empty, and no heartbeat.


    They were hunched over in front of her, May and Bob, they weren''t crying, but they were gone too, though not dead.


    As the caricature of a man landed, he''d understand immediately. In fact, he already knew. He dropped the refugees, and approaching the woman, he didn''t even check on his sister. The two did move out of his way still, far out of his way.


    He''d pull her into his arms, and though she was already halfway past the gates, he knew that there must have been something he could do that time, or so he hoped at least.


    "I can save her this time¡­ right¡­?" His voice sounded within his head, to no response, for a while at least.


    "We can''t bring back the dead¡­ you know this¡­" Perhaps she should have stayed quiet.


    "But I¡ª" August wouldn''t be given the chance.


    "No! No¡­" The voice echoing in his head, stood its ground.


    "Useless¡­" His last thought.


    The woman, as cold as she was, seemed to have a little bit of life left within her, and with that dieing spark, she reached out a hand and placed it against August''s face.


    "Its¡­ you¡­ I¡­ I kept my promise¡­" Her voice was subtle, a whisper really, but he heard her.


    "I''m sorry¡­!" His eyes would well up with blood, and he wanted to maintain his composure, he really did. "I''m so¡­so¡­ sorry¡­!" He squeezed her, though that made her no warmer, that, that caused the ''tears'' to flow.


    He would have wiped his tears himself, but the woman seemed to get heavier in his arms. She''d wipe them for him, or she tried to at least.


    "¡­ I¡­ I remember now¡­ and I still¡­ I still¡­ love you¡­" Her hand fell from his face, and by the time it hit the ground, what was left of her, was gone.


    Cali was one of the few, or rather, one of the two factors that kept August sane after his mind fractured under ''her'' weight, and as such, he was halfway to true insanity.


    The beautiful crimson that filled his eyes melted away as they became fountains of blood, and his eye color began to fade into a vibrant gold.


    "This¡­ this wasn''t the deal we made¡­! And you knew this would happen¡­ you need to get a grip¡­ or she won''t be the only one that dies¡­!" The illusive woman''s voice returned to warn him within his mind, but maybe he wouldn''t listen.


    "I¡­ I know¡­" He wiped his tears himself, closing his eyes, and when they next opened, they had returned to crimson form. He had listened.


    August lowered Cali''s body to the ground, and closing her eyes, he rested a hand on her chest. They couldn''t bury her, there was nowhere they could, so he''d cremate her.


    It being the only option didn''t make it any better though, as his hand would begin to tremble, and even as he used the other to hold it steady, he couldn''t bring himself to do it.


    They''d all watch him, though they were all too afraid to approach, all except May. She was afraid to approach, but she wasn''t afraid, no, there was another emotion, one worse. As for Bob, he was afraid, he was useless and it was his fault, so he thought.


    August would build up his resolve, and after a few deep breaths, a golden flame let out from his hand. It wasn''t a normal flame, and they could all see that. It burned through her as if she was paper, and by the end of it, there were no ashes.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    A golden light would erupt from in front of August, but, it was from his front, and so, none of them could see. The next thing he did¡ªthat they did see¡ª was put on a silver necklace.


    As he turned around, they''d all look at it, it was a small cylinder with a yellow trim and Cali''s full name on the side, even her picture engraved. He''d stand up, and the crazy in his eyes seemed to disappear along with his happiness and half his eyes'' hue.


    He''d walk towards them, and they''d all shudder, he''d stop.


    "If I wanted to kill¡­ any of you¡­ you''d be dead¡­" He''d continue walking, and they''d all loosen their muscles, if even a little.


    He''d stop at Bob first, looking down at him.


    "I-I¡­ I tried to save her¡­ b-but¡­ I couldn''t¡­ sh-she pretended as if I had r-restarted her heart¡­ b-but my attempt at saving her failed¡­! she¡­ sh-she was already dead¡­ she w-was waiting for you¡­ t-that''s why she stayed conscious¡­!" He couldn''t look August in the eyes.


    "You did what you could¡­ and for that¡­ for that I am grateful¡­" He''d pat the small man on his shoulder.


    He''d make his way over to May, and he''d lower himself to one knee. She looked at him, but she began to shake, just making eye contact, she saw him as the embodiment of all her failures, judgement.


    He''d hug her, resting his forehead against hers.


    "I''m glad you''re okay¡­ it must have been hard on you¡­ I''m sorry I wasn''t there for you¡­" He squeezed the girl as if he didn''t want to let her go.


    She''d reciprocate the gesture.


    "I¡­ I¡­!" Her tears would finally return as she felt the blanket of safety hug her, cold as he was.


    "Its fine¡­ it wasn''t your fault¡­ if its anyone''s fault¡­ its mine¡­" He''d finally let the girl go, and wiping her tears, he smiled.


    He''d then walk over to the three that had prevented him from arriving sooner, and they knew that that was what they represented. He''d walk past them, and he''d stop just short of a foot behind them.


    "We all know why I saved you, you''ll get them to the river, why there? Because I know that past then, getting to you won''t be easy¡­" His eyes regained their hue, in fact, they shone. "But make no mistake¡­ if you hurt them before then¡­ I''ll be there¡­ and I''ll gut all of you and lynch you with your own entrails, am I understood?" He looked back at them, and they seemed to feel his gaze as they shuddered.


    "Yes¡­" Brody''s response.


    "Yes¡­" Kim''s response.


    "No, what if we don''t?" That was Zack''s response. He was to the wall of the room, the furthest to his right and the furthest left for August.


    The metallic floor did not dent or bend under August''s weight, it shattered as he planted his left leg, and then, faster than anyone of them could see, he brought his hand back, crumpled to a fist.


    "You choose poorly¡­" With a nigh, ear rupturing burst, and the blur of August''s hand, Zack had been plastered to the wall like old paint, a three-meter-wide dent in the wall, his flayed corpse centering it.


    As for Zack''s dieing words, well, there were none, but his corpse did make a sound, that of cracking ice.


    They were all concerned, and all for different reasons. It was strange still, May and Bob weren''t worried about his actions, but why he had done it.


    They knew they were having a conversation, but May couldn''t hear, and Bob made an effort not to. They were worried they''d make the same mistake.


    "I have a solution." The man would walk over to Bob, and he could hear his heartrate spike. "Boo!"


    Bob fell flat on his ass, struggling to take hold of half breaths as he scurried back.


    "Got you¡­ haha¡­" He took the cube form the small man.


    "Not! Funny!" Bob would calm himself down with deep and slow breaths.


    As for why August wanted the cube, it glowed in his hand, shone until it was blinding, gyrating as if possessed, and when the light cleared, it was golden.


    "I fixed it for you, and made it better, it has a geographically coded message inside, so don''t lose it. When you get to where you need to be in ''that'' place¡­ it''ll trigger¡­ and you''ll know what to do¡­ hopefully¡­" August gave back the cube.


    He would approach the pool, and stand at the edge, tipping forward.


    "Wait!" He''d stop at Bob''s behest. "T-that kind of message requires a location¡­ y-you''ve been there before¡­? What''s g-going on¡­ you know! Don''t you?! I-I had a theory¡­ b-but you have the answers¡­? Right?!" He wanted a conversation, one that could not be had.


    The place shook as if hit by an earthquake, they all fell, all except August.


    "Let me ask you a question¡­ no¡­ a few¡­? Have you ever been to the ''Main Land''? Why did they build ''Olympus'' all the way out here? Have you ever been this far down before today? Why is everything before 4000 ''The Dark Ages''? Do you know what the ''Every Man Rule'' actually is? What is the ''NET''? And finally¡­ what is an anomaly¡­ truly¡­? That''s all, you''d say ''everything''s in the public domain, even if a little obscure''¡­ right¡­?" The place shook again, and August fell into the pool, disappearing into the depths.


    They all froze for a few moments as they processed all that he had said, or rather, all that he had asked.


    They thought back to all that they knew, and it wasn''t much. The council, and their representatives, always said that everything was in the public domain, and when there was a scandal, the ''truth'' would be out there.


    As such, no one actually ever took the time to research things like that, and why would they. It was in the public domain after all, on the NET, was it not?

 Harsh Truths

    They had briefly experienced the presence of August, and as a result, his safety, but with a ghastly being hunting him for ethereal reasons, he couldn¡¯t stay.


    He was a liability, and he knew that, so as much as he wanted to protect his sister with his own two hands, he couldn¡¯t.


    As for what his plan was, who knows; he could not kill the fetish, nor could he run forever, but he did have a plan, that much was certain. His motivations were the last of the remaining survivor¡¯s worries though, as the place continued to shake as if being hit by tremors.


    They¡¯d make their way out of the offshoot and back into the halls, and so, the open ocean was visible again. They¡¯d see him, he was just as big as the monster, pure gold, having the thing in a headlock, he was dragging it down into the depths.


    They¡¯d lose sight of him as soon as they had seen him, even as he shone. The vibrations would stop soon after.


    They would cling to the glass walls, peering into to the depths, hoping he¡¯d emerge, but he never did. As such, they¡¯d all continue on with their journey, in silence.


    The hall was a long one, and without the technology they were accustomed to, the walk would take a while. And it would feel especially long for Bob and May.


    They would all find reasons to distract themselves still, and the most fruitful distraction came from the small genius. He¡¯d finally get a chance to admire August¡¯s handy work, and maybe, he¡¯d even prove his theory correct.


    The cube, he was so attached to, was no longer the one he knew, it was a solid block of gold, yet it was so weightless, that it was almost non-existent.


    As for the connection he boasted with the thing, it was gone. It was obvious what he had to do to get it back though. He¡¯d have to touch it with his augmented finger.


    He knew that, and that¡¯s exactly why he held the thing in his opposing hand.


    It wouldn¡¯t hurt him, he knew that, but his heart beat suggested otherwise. He reached for it a couple of times, but he couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to touch it.


    He had to though, and after a few breaths, he touched the thing. He¡¯d feel an electric surge throughout his entire body, and by the time it was gone, he had been given a tad bit of trivia.


    He pulled his hand away as if the thing had hurt him, and he almost threw it like it had, but he calmed himself.


    He¡¯d stop, and they¡¯d all stop with him, though, none of them said anything. He placed the cube to the center of the hall, and backing away, they all followed his lead.


    He¡¯d then use his understanding of physics, chemistry and the images burnt into his mind by his photographic memory to test the thing.


    The journey was long, so perhaps he could shorten it. The cube began to grow in size as he imagined his desire in his mind¡¯s eye, and by the end of it, they were looking at a golf cart from the dark ages.


    They all stood there for at least a minute, not knowing what to do. As for Bob, he was just dumbfounded, what the hell was he looking at. He approached the vehicle, entering it, and imagining it starting, it did.


    He almost sprung from it, getting halfway out before he realized he wasn¡¯t hurt. Then thinking to drive it, it moved without input. The thoughts that had been delivered to him had not lied, though he wished they had.


    It was impossible, the thing was creating matter, if not, its density was incomprehensible and downright impossible. So how in the world did he watch the thing morph in real time, and where was all that matter coming from.


    The presence of August was a good thing, but for Bob, all it had done was create more mysteries to solve, and too bad for him, the answers weren¡¯t all that pretty. Nevertheless, they¡¯d all get into the contraption, at the small man¡¯s beckon, and soon after, they were cruising through the halls.


    They were at least a thousand feet below sea level, covered in the blue tinted light of the ocean, driving a golf cart to a spatial anomaly so that they could go to another dimension and bypass space and time to make it to the mainland in a timely manner, an interesting predicament to say the least.


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    Their minds were far removed from the specifics of their situations still, as they were more concerned about what was behind the large blast door at the end of the endless place. It wasn¡¯t the first one either, in fact, it was one of many. They seemed amazing at first, as they must have been impenetrable enough to keep the outside world excluded, but perhaps that was only a bastardization of their purpose.


    All four had similar feelings as the grandiose of the place shrunk into uncertainty, and they wondered if they really had to leave the island.


    Their feelings would all come to a head as they finally reached the structure, and they should have known how big it was, but seeing it up close was a different experience all together.


    They looked up at the thing, at least two stories, as heavy and as immovable as the island itself. Their breaths and heartbeats would fill the silence, and soon the steel tight tension would snap as the door opened on its own.


    The culprit being the cube¡¯s presence, or rather, it¡¯s creator¡¯s.


    They¡¯d all leave the makeshift vehicle, and it would return to its unassuming stature. It would have been left there seeing as they did not understand it, but it¡¯s not like they understood anything at all, so they kept it.


    The door was open, but that didn¡¯t mean that they were ready to enter. The space behind the door wasn¡¯t dark though, thankfully, so that gave them some hope. That didn¡¯t mean that the light present was constant still, in fact, it fluctuated throughout colors and intensities.


    They had arrived. And it looked as if that fact was what kept them from entering, especially after what August had said. They had fought hard to get there though, so they had to enter.


    So, they did. I have no idea what they expected to see, but I¡¯ll tell you what they saw.


    The ground below them, while solid, was porous, a metal catwalk and a railing lining it, a stairway to either side. As for what was on the lower floor, it was a more sterile version of what was above.


    There were tens, no, hundreds, no, thousands of tubular vats that lined the warehouse like place that stretched for more than a block.


    As for what was inside them, brains, human brains, all in a state of suspended death. They were all anchored, wired, and connected to each other. They all had a matt black metallic base with a crowning glass vat about two feet tall.


    They were all raised up by virtue of their bases though, as the things were high overhead walking through the forest of people.


    As for what they were connected to, tubes as large as human heads ran through every other row and from the base of the towers, wires connected to them. Those tubes were then connected to two separate elaborate contraptions, built naturally and artificially to serve their purposes.


    Those contraptions were even more magnificent than the one that had caught their sights first.


    The one to their left, all the way to their left, populating the whole wall that had a cross sectional area as large as four football fields stacked atop each other by their long sides and then multiplied by five horizontally, was the natural one.


    I¡¯ll explain the housing, and then what happens to be natural about the ¡®machine¡¯. It was a wall of glass coffins, each being spacious enough to hold the human body in both super positions of the Vitruvian man laid flat on their backs.


    Yet they were plastered like bugs to the walls. As for what was natural about the thing, well I did mention that they were coffins. In each of the many glass enclosures, were bodies, that of the ¡®forest¡¯s¡¯.


    They were of all ages, sexes and races, there was no factor that kept them from being admitted to the thing. As for why they did not resist, their heads were flayed open like roses, wires and tubes leaving them. Those wires and machinations were then connected to the large pipes that ran through the place. The ¡®people¡¯ needed sustenance after all.


    So, the natural one was interesting, but the artificial one was better. To the right, all the way to the right, it was not a wall, and there wasn¡¯t much of a floor.


    It descended from beyond the ceiling, from a void, or rather, from a hole that was present, a giant copper, almost bronze tube with wires dangling from it like vines from a tree, a veil of water surrounding it.


    There would be, ever so often, a pulse of chromatic energy moving throughout the fall. The pipes that ran through the place, their other ends would connect to the machine. They¡¯d fall off into the abyss like construct that had steam billowing from it like the entrance to hades.


    It was a quantum computer, one as big as a multi storied building. That was the ¡®NET¡¯ was it not, that simple fact was the point of my incoherent rambling.


    That place, to all their knowledge, only housed the localized version of the ¡®machine¡¯ known as the NET, so that all their technology could function, even down to the nanobots.


    So, imagine their surprise when they saw what they did.


    They stood there, minds frozen, yet running a hundred miles an hour after a solution that never was.


    Their hearts worked overtime and their guts found weights to drag them down, yet, they couldn¡¯t help but to be filled with the warmth of pride.


    It was the culmination of human ingenuity after all, the apex of their creations, becoming said creations.


    I suppose they thought themselves gods, yet, even with all their power, they couldn¡¯t save themselves from their own arrogance.


    It got better still, they trapped it, controlled it, did they not, the anomaly.


    It was beyond the field of human mutilation, behind a giant glass wall as tall as the entire place, the source of the light.


    It was a butterfly made out of the shattered remains of reality itself, fragments interacting and intersecting at impossible junctions, all mimicking broken glass.


    It did look like broken glass, yet it didn¡¯t reflect anything at all.


    They¡¯d make their way to their destination, passing the towers by, and they¡¯d see it, what the anomaly truly was.

 A Symphony of Pain

    They had some humanity left, as looking at the thing for what it actually was, the weight on their shoulders returned. It was not as beautiful as they had thought it to be, and as human as they were¡ª some of them¡ª they did not reserve such sympathy for those hung up on the walls like picture frames.


    They sought to give their sympathy to an otherworldly being, an imitation of youth and innocence. I¡¯d berate them to there and no more still, as I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of sympathy for it.


    It was laying on the floor, flat on its stomach, and with crayons in its hand, it drew on the parchment it had been given. A young girl, a child, deathly pale with hair like fire and eyes like a foggy mirror.


    It hummed to itself as it drew, as for what it was drawing, pictures of people and animals. It wasn¡¯t that simple still, because even though she knew of the outside, her drawings were crooked.


    The dogs she had drew, mimicked the body types of men, but with fur and many faces. As for the rest of the animals, they were amalgamations of all different types, having hooves, claws, faces and even no faces at all. There were some with wings and some without, birds with beaks and some with snouts. It meant nothing to her I suppose.


    There was a realization for all who were present though, the place was a prison. It seemed to make sense a floor up, but it was just a misunderstanding.


    The rift in space hovered above the little girl, stories tall, and as she moved, it moved with her. The hovering impossibility would prove itself otherworldly, as looking at it from any angle, it looked the exact same.


    It seemed as if they had lost their ability to articulate their thoughts once again, because all they did was stare, and there was a lot to look at.


    The place she was in was a pure white padded room, and it was just as tall as the rest of the structure. Yet, as small as she was, her drawings were all over the walls, even on the ceiling.


    She¡¯d finish her drawing, that of a golden man, pulling a monster into the deep, and then she¡¯d find somewhere to put it. She seemed to miss the on lookers, even as her eyes glossed over them, and looking at the ceiling, she¡¯d measure it, her drawing.


    She¡¯d hoist it above her head, and closing one of her strange eyes, she smiled realizing that it would fit.


    They¡¯d then watch as the girl floated up into the room, as if gravity was no more, the anomaly shifting in relation to her, turning upside down. She would then place the drawing on an empty space, and without any reason, it stayed.


    She would then return to the ground, an tip toeing around her drawings, she found new parchment and started drawing once again. She was genuinely happy and content doing what she was, what monsters humans still were.


    ¡°¡­They¡­ w-why would they do this¡­?¡± Bob would be the one to break the silence, a pain in his chest and a tear in his eye.


    As he spoke, he¡¯d almost touch the glass, as if reaching for the girl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Uncle Jack says touching the glass is off limits¡­¡± The girl spoke, and she was British, and her accent was old, real old, from before the modern world, old.


    They did understand her though, for some odd reason. The understanding didn¡¯t help them much still, and it did not put any of them at ease. She knew they were there the whole time, yet she had said nothing, and they did not know why.


    ¡°You can see us¡­?¡± May would back away from the enclosure, even as she sought conversation.


    ¡°I can hear you too¡­ loud! Sooo loud! What were you even doing out there¡­? The place was shaking soo much¡­! I thought it was going to keel over and fall on top me¡­¡± Her face shifted to pointed brows and crumpled lips, yet she never looked at them.


    ¡°S-sorry¡­ it was an earthquake¡­¡± May kept the conversation going, it was just a child after all.


    ¡°¡­Liar¡­? You¡¯d lie to me¡­? Do you know where you are¡­?¡± The girl would stop drawing.


    The child would look up for the first time, and though she wasn¡¯t turned to them, when she did look up, May was standing in front of her, behind the glass. It was then they realized where they truly were, in her playground.


    ¡°Why would you lie to me¡­ everyone knows not to do that¡­ I hate liars you know¡­?¡± The place began to shake as the child asked her question.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you¡­?¡± May, even as her heart did laps around her, tried her best to stay calm.


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    ¡°¡­Your brother is fighting that lovecraftian horror because he stole something from it¡­? ¡®Stole...?¡¯ Is that not the case¡­? Well¡­ I suppose it isn¡¯t that simple¡­¡± The small girl would continue her drawing, her happiness returning with her hums and the shaking coming to a standstill.


    ¡°How¡­ how do you know that¡­?¡± May thought to make distance between them, even if it was useless.


    ¡°My drawings! Stop!¡± The girl would scream, the place shaking once more, an actual earthquake that time. ¡°Haaaa¡­. 100... 99¡­98¡­ 97¡­ 96¡­¡± She¡¯d begin counting down, or rather, backwards, the shaking stopping again.


    At that point May had fallen because of no fault of her own, along with everyone else.


    ¡°Why are you people here¡­ are you with ¡®them¡¯¡­?¡± The child would slump herself as her face shifted to disinterest.


    ¡°¡¯T-them¡¯¡­?¡± Bob would not even hesitate.


    ¡°Yes¡­ the council¡­? Messengers¡­? What more do you want from me¡­ and when will I get to see father¡­?¡± The child¡¯s eyes would well up.


    ¡°N-no¡­ we aren¡¯t with the council, a-and were not messengers either¡­b-but¡­ father, w-who are you?¡± A splendid opportunity to be taken, and Bob took it.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± She¡¯d wipe her tears. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m Sonata¡­ Aunt Lizabeth said that if I behaved myself then I¡¯d get to see father¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell if she was lying though¡­ I¡¯m not allowed to study them¡­¡± The child squeezed her crayon, and eventually it popped. It did put itself back together in her hand though.


    ¡°S-study¡­?¡± A question too far, even for a genius.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m not allowed to tell you what that means¡­ you¡¯re not one of ¡®them¡¯ after all¡­ it would be especially bad if I let something slip¡­ about those two¡­¡± Sonata did not need to move her eyes to see Brody and Kim, even as she drew. ¡°Big brother August wouldn¡¯t like that¡­ not one bit¡­¡±


    ¡°A-August¡­?¡± Perhaps Bob should have spent more time with people in his past life.


    ¡°What do you want? Answer me.¡± Sonata was basically shouting.


    ¡°T-the island is destroyed¡­ a-and we need to get to the mainland¡­ s-so we thought¡ª¡± Bob wouldn¡¯t get a chance.


    ¡°Ahahaha!¡± The child fell flat on her back, wheezing as she rolled from side to side. ¡°The mainland! Ahahaha¡­ have you any idea! Ahahaha¡­ have any of you even ever been there¡­ that place¡­ that wasteland¡­? Why in God¡¯s name would Brother August¡ª¡± She sprung back up, sitting, her mouth wide with confusion. ¡°Big brother August¡­ Why would big brother send you here¡­ he knows my limits¡­ and¡ª¡­It must have been worse than we thought¡­ he probably threw a fit before realizing I was really the only option¡­¡± The girl would sigh as she stood up.


    Sonata would look at the three outside her enclosure, and the glass would shatter between them, it fell like rain, yet it didn¡¯t flow into her box. Needless to say, no one moved.


    ¡°¡­ I¡ª¡­ Whatever plan big brother sold you on was just a means of getting you here¡­ what you know about me¡­ or rather¡­ the ¡®Anomaly¡¯ is nearly all fabricated¡­ it is true that you¡¯ll have to traverse the Abstract to get to the mainland¡­ but there¡¯s nothing of use there¡­ May¡­ your parents are dead¡­ and they¡¯ve been for a while now... so all those stories August told you... I¡¯m afraid he was lying¡­ I¡¯m sorry... but when you get there¡­ you¡¯ll be on your own in that God forsaken world¡­¡± She¡¯d attempt to leave the glowing white box.


    ¡°W-what¡­. What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?¡± May would scramble towards Sonata, not even recognizing her own tears, but she¡¯d freeze only inches away.


    ¡°You can¡¯t touch me¡­ that is unless you want to be obliterated¡­ potentially¡­¡± The girl would look at all the crumpled and wet parchment May had caused. ¡°My poor drawings¡­ I suppose I have no more use for them¡­¡± She would look into May¡¯s glossy eyes. ¡°¡­ I am sorry¡­ but we just weren¡¯t allowed to tell you¡­ it¡¯s not like we wanted to keep it a secret¡­¡±


    She¡¯d let May go, and she¡¯d fall to the ground, curling up like a sad little wet ball.


    ¡°W-what¡­? That w-would¡ª¡± Bob¡¯s question was obvious.


    ¡°Yes¡­ your family is dead as well. And so is everyone that has ever ¡®ventured¡¯ to the mainland¡­ that was also a lie. The only time we enter that place is by accident, to fight Ideas and to become more... and the only one that has ever survived apart from me¡­ is big brother¡­ and look what it did to me¡­ and him¡­ psychopath my ass¡­ they did that to him¡­ She did this to both of us¡­!¡± She held her elbow, squeezed it. ¡°I knew Lizabeth was lying¡­ but I couldn¡¯t help but hold out hope that this was ¡®that future¡¯¡­ it¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t find out the truth¡­ I didn¡¯t want to know¡­ I¡¯ve been alive for thousands of years¡­ of course father¡¯s dead¡­ he wasn¡¯t as lucky as I was after all¡­ I saw it¡­¡± Tears rolled down her cheek, but they soon evaporated. ¡°How cruel¡­ these eyes that see always¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not j-just going t-to gloss over that¡­ w-what do you mean d-dead!?¡± Bob wanted to move, but he found himself stuck where he stood.


    ¡°What do you want from me¡­?! I can¡¯t bring back the dead¡­ so what do you want me to do?! The journey through the Abstract is dangerous on its own, and the mainland isn¡¯t¡ª much better¡­ see all those monsters that attacked you¡­ they¡¯re in droves over there¡­ and in the Abstract¡­ they were using your families as live bait¡­ disposable soldiers¡­ and they went as willing sacrifices¡­ some of them did anyway¡­ big brother only wanted revenge, and I only wanted to live¡­ That thing¡ª¡± Sonata would look up at the anomaly. ¡°It might have done this to me¡­ and held me here for all these centuries¡­ but I wasn¡¯t always like this¡­ I just¡­ I just wanted to save father¡­ I should never have trusted her¡­ her words of gradure¡­ these powers have been useless¡­! Useless¡­ Until now¡­¡±


    The place began to shake once again, and even the towers began to explode one after the other. The frames would also break away from the walls, the bodies tumbling to be piled and splattered on the floor. As for the impossible structure that hung from the void, it would begin to break away in parts, its wires snapping and its veil of water overflowing into the place.


    ¡°I-is this your doing!¡± Bob had misplaced his emotions.


    ¡°Nope¡­ but I can tell you that it¡¯s about to get a whole lot worse.¡± Sonata would leave the floor once more, floating.


    The anomaly pulled closer to her back, like wings, and her white sundress warped into a full boy suit. The shaking would intensify until cracks ran through the place and water poured in, threating to drown them.


    Their fate was once again twisted, as the water seemed to flow around them. All that was really only the beginning though, and it would get worse, a whole lot worse.

 Open Ocean

    The cracks in the walls became fissures as a river¡¯s worth of water poured in, and so, they¡¯d soon buckle under that weight.


    The floor also began to break away in droves, water shooting up from beneath it, buildings high. The ceiling would also come crashing down, and as it fell, it made all the other damage worse, breaking into the shattered ground and falling walls.


    All the while, the four victims found themselves in Sonata¡¯s box, and while the glass wasn¡¯t there anymore, that¡¯s what it looked like as the water, metal and stone, ricocheted off of nothing, nothing that they could see anyway.


    As for Sonata herself, she was still floating outside of the box, and as the water and other projectiles went for her, they passed through her as if she wasn¡¯t there. That was a half-truth still, as sometimes, when the things sought to pierce the little girl, a beaming light of no particular color would emerge from her, and everything in an arm¡¯s reach was gone.


    She didn¡¯t mind any of it though, as her focus was somewhere else, on the quantum computer, or rather, where it was. It had long detached from whatever mechanism was keeping it suspended and fallen into the pit below it.


    Yet still, she kept looking at the wall that was behind it as more cracks and crevasses emerged, and eventually, what she was waiting for, arrived.


    The structure did not bend, buckle nor break, it was a slight bit of all considering what was tumbling through. The walls exploded inwards, the ocean¡¯s might crashing into the place along with a golden being too big to fit.


    He had rolled inside, and whilst the place was big, he couldn¡¯t stand up. His presence was felt too, because as much as water was powerful, it wasn¡¯t the same as tons of solid, more or less, gold.


    As he moved, trying to get up, his head hit the ceiling and the entire place must have moved a few inches as his face tore through it.


    He¡¯d catch himself, and seeming to relax, he laid down, but he did roll to the back of the room, flattening the forest and causing a rain of people as he crashed into the glass wall.


    The thing he was waiting for would arrive too, and by the standard of logic, if one of them could not fit, two weren¡¯t going to, and they wouldn¡¯t, nor would they try.


    The golden man would plant his fingers into the fragments of what was a glass wall, and as he did, a force seemed to lift his legs and pull him towards the crack. He¡¯d hold tight still, but the place wasn¡¯t built for such force, and neither was the island.


    The water coming in from all angles and places would flow to a stop, as if time itself had given up. The collapsing would also change, because as much as everything went to a standstill, even the falling debris, it wouldn¡¯t stop.


    It began at a snail¡¯s pace, the small bits of glass, rubble and people tumbling towards the wall of water, then the whole place fell in on itself. The ceiling, floors and walls pulled to a stream as it went towards the crack and they¡¯d all watch as their abode shifted to that of one lit by blue tinted light surrounded by the ocean.


    They were truly in the thick of it then, as there was nowhere to hide, or to return to. As they were dragged out into the middle of the ocean, they¡¯d watch as rifts shot through the island and it began to fall in on itself.


    It seemed so at least, but really, the island was never connected to the ocean floor. There was a blanket of chromatic energy below the structure, and as it disappeared, the anomaly, or rather, the wings of Sonata, they grew.


    The place would begin to sink before their very eyes, the place they grew up, and the place they loved.


    The four trapped in the box, that no longer had any tangible sides, nor sides they could see, watched with not even the ability to breathe or think. The place would sink, and every so often bursts of energy pulsated from it, as if it was alive somehow.


    The spectacle was the last of their worries still, as from the dark of the cold deep, two shinning red eyes emerged. As for the one that had decided to fight it, he attempted to flee, but he was frozen in place.


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    The monster glided through the water as if it was a billionth of its weight, and as it came in, hand spread out like a blanket to catch the child, only moments before her capture, reality itself seemed to shatter. The hand it had lead its assault with would then pass through the fissure of worlds and it would grab its own face.


    As the fissure reverted back to the norm, existence would correct itself and the god held itself, pushing itself back. The golden man would be set free, and instead of running, he swam for the monstrosity and made his hand a stake enough to pierce the thing¡¯s heart.


    It was surprised, though, not dismayed. It held itself with one hand, but it saw their plans from between the thin webbing of its fingers.


    It would lift its other hand, and without rhyme or reason, a wave let out from it, and even the incorporeal box the spectators inhabited lost its integrity for a moment, letting a bit of water in.


    The golden man was tossed back at tens of miles per hour, but only twisting and tumbling, so perhaps it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    The island behind him found a new way to break, as directly behind the chaos new fractures shot through it, and it began to break away in parts.


    It was so bad, that if there was light enough, you¡¯d see the other side of the place as big as Jamaica. August was fine though, he was only unresponsive, and his golden body had only begun to dissolve in the water.


    Sonata would dart through the water like a torpedo, even wakes following her. She was headed into the metallic bog; the fetish wasn¡¯t quite onboard though. He repositioned his hand, but as the wave discharged, the world broke once again where the girl should have been, and the thing got hit with its own attack.


    It would imitate August as it rolled back off into the distance, and as the world broke inside the bog, the girl would appear and take hold of an unconscious August. She¡¯d swim out of the thing, seemingly unable to cast her magic, then she broke reality again and appeared inside the existing yet absent box.


    She¡¯d fall on all fours, August in her grasps, she was coughing up water, and it didn¡¯t look all that fun, as it was even coming out of her nose. She¡¯d eventually fall flat on her face, struggling to take hold of air.


    The residents would take a while to notice the two seeing as the outside was broken in more ways than one, or two. In fact, the girl wasn¡¯t correcting all her surgeries on reality, and the outside appeared to be the night¡¯s sky.


    There was no rest, even then, as the thing made its way back not affected by the island breaking force. Sonata was long overdue for a cathartic release though, and as the thing approached her, she finally found her lungs and took a deep breath.


    All the fractures in creation would correct themselves, and the golden bog would take form, swimming towards them like paint dropped in water.


    They¡¯d pierce the box and consume her, turning her pure white, even the anomaly. She¡¯d hold her breath, waiting for the thing, and when it was but a few feet away, she screamed.


    Her voice let out like an atomic bomb, and the world seemed to agree as the ocean split open between them and the sky cracked open alongside the sea floor.


    The fetish would be pushed back as the water welled up in waves that reached the sky and parted ways.


    As her voice echoed out and came to a stop though, her faux white demeanor faulted and broke away, fading into an August who had began to breathe again, taking a deep breath and coughing up water himself.


    Still, even as he leveraged himself upright, coughing, he didn¡¯t seem worried about himself. He¡¯d try to talk, but that only ended with coughs.


    He¡¯d take hold of the girl by her shoulders, though he couldn¡¯t quite muster the strength to look up at her. He¡¯d muster some strength but as he lifted himself his head went all the way back, resting on his back.


    The man had finally found some strength though, for real that time. As his head came back up though it wouldn¡¯t stop, and it rolled up and over his shoulders, so gritting his teeth he hit his head against hers.


    A crack let out as he fell flat once again and the girl held her forehead rolling and contorting in pain.


    As she opened her eyes though, they were normal, her eye color was gray. As for her hair that was fire before, it fell in large curls, a deep red. Her skin would also regain its color and she¡¯d even look a little tanned.


    They¡¯d finally be noticed by the spectators, and none of them said anything, and what were they supposed to say.


    ¡°Are you an idiot?!¡± The illusive man would finally speak past his coughs, shout rather.


    ¡°Someone had to do something!? So I should have just watched!? Watched you die!? Again!? How many times?! How many!?¡± Her tears would flow, as for the reason, that was up for speculation as she still held her forehead with great care.


    ¡°We both know what happens if you or I mess up¡­ you can¡¯t do that¡­ do you want to die!?¡± He couldn¡¯t find the strength to move, but he did find it to scold his second sister.


    ¡°I¡ª ¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ but if it meant saving you¡­ I would¡­¡± She¡¯d fold herself up, hugging her knees, burying her face in them hiding her forehead.


    ¡°That¡¯s unacceptable, and you know that¡­¡± August would open his eyes again, and they were completely crimson, sclera and all.


    His hair would also grow out before their eyes, it was the same as Sonata¡¯s, before she returned to normal.


    It was long, curly, red, and ablaze. Even as he sat up his demeanor seemed to change, his eyes drooped and he looked off into the distance as if he was longing for something


    As for the anomaly, he¡¯d inherit its burden, and its beauty. He did eventually look at those he wanted to save though, and he finally had the means of furthering their journey.

 An Abstract Reality

    There was a conversation to be had, and it would happen, even as they floated thousands of meters above a lava filled pit.


    The danger would soon be subsided though, as the ocean would return to its domain, crashing against itself and refilling the space that had been opened up.


    The conversation would have to wait even then as the spectators were lagging behind by a few minutes. They stared at the two authors of Fate with dull yet wide eyes, trying their best yet failing to comprehend what they had seen.


    To tell them there was more then, would have been evil, truly the act of a sadist. So, the conversation would have to be rescheduled as the affected had taken too long to catch up to the events. And the eldritch horrors cared not for their time nor their lives.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I got another chance to see you people before you entered the Abstract¡­ but since your mental facualties seem a bit worse for wares, I¡¯ll make it brief¡­ pick a direction, and go, remember¡­ you¡¯re headed for the ¡®mainland¡¯¡­ you can even think of it as your salvation¡­ just don¡¯t forget where you¡¯re going¡­ pick a direction and go¡­ never¡­ and I mean never¡­ turn back¡­ you can ¡®go¡¯ back¡­ but don¡¯t ¡®turn¡¯ back¡­ Sonata¡­¡± The Stranger would stand up, looking to the sky from within the box.


    They were a few hundred feet below the sea, but even there they¡¯d hear it, whistles. There was one at first, then there was another, and another, and another, and another. They would eventually come into view, streaks of fire barreling across the sky, distorted by the raging ocean.


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to send them there¡­!? People!? Living¡­ people¡­!? Can¡¯t we just give ¡®them¡¯ what they want¡­ we¡¯re halfway there anyway¡­? Aren¡¯t we¡­? Can¡¯t we just be done¡­? How much longer¡­? How much¡­ longer¡­?¡± The eyes of the small child seemed to glimpse the falling flames for a moment, but she looked away.


    ¡°We are halfway there, but didn¡¯t you say you wanted to live? What do you think they¡¯ll do to us? Hm¡­? How many years has it been¡­ even just between us and our broken perception of time¡­ you think they¡¯ll forget all that time we ¡®locked¡¯ them away¡­? I don¡¯t¡­? The monster didn¡¯t reason with me, it can speak, and yet it said noting when I looked it in the eyes¡­ all those things want from us is our lives¡­ because separating form ¡®her¡¯ means our deaths anyway¡­ but, you¡¯re just as important as I am¡­ so what will it be¡­ I¡¯m not the aspect that meddles with realities¡­ so it¡¯s your call anyway¡­¡± The stranger would look down at the tired child.


    Her eyes welled up as if to cry, but then they relaxed as she looked away from him.


    ¡°You always do this¡­. Why couldn¡¯t you just decide?¡± The child, as disinterested as she seemed, looked over at the four she was yet to send on their journey. ¡°Do you remember what you¡¯ve been told¡­?¡± She raised her hand in their direction, though the box was so small she was basically touching them.


    They¡¯d pull away from her, though there wasn¡¯t far to go.


    ¡°Answer me¡­!¡± The child grit her teeth as the box shrunk and they pulled even closer to her. ¡°well¡­?¡±


    ¡°P-pick a direction a-and go was it¡­?¡± Bob, even as mad as he thought himself, fumbled a response.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± She waved her hand as if to shew the four victims, and it was done.


    The space behind the four would let out a crack as if glass had broken, and by the time they realized what was happening, the fracture of light was spreading.


    It was too late for their questions, and when they came to it, reality shattered behind them falling in on itself to reveal their otherworldly destination.


    And so, before they could even speak, the rift passed over them and they were sat in grass, if it could have been called that.


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    They¡¯d freeze for a moment as they looked through the broken fragment of creation. They were looking into the ocean, yet they were basking in crimson lights, it was a joke, it had to be.


    Whether it was a joke or not, the rift fixed itself and they were looking off into a jet black, shattered distance lit by red light.


    ¡°Aha¡­ ha-Ahahahahaha!¡± Bob would fall flat on his face, sanity playing hide and seek with him.


    There wasn¡¯t much to where they were, but the little that was there, inspired no confidence.


    They were on an island among an infinite archipelago, and while that should have provided some sense of familiarity, it was not so simple.


    There were fields, grass and reeds, but it was all pitch black. At first, they assumed it natural for the unnatural, until they moved and the things broke, carried away by the wind, ash.


    That was strange, and strange enough, but there was more. The island was hung above a red lake of luminous bubbling liquid, the thing looking like the ocean, only blood, and raging.


    The sky, yes, that thing was one of night filled with glowing red piercing stars, like eyes. The sun, which indicated that it was midday, was overhead hidden by some celestial body, never allowed to rain solely.


    ¡°W-what is this!? Huh!?¡± Bob would take a hand full of the foliage, or try to at least. ¡°I-is this supposed to be grass!?¡± As his words echoed, from where he sat, the ¡®vegetation¡¯ would begin to turn green, and binding themselves together, they became whole again, and thus, a few moments later, green was on the horizon.


    ¡°The¡­ t-the hell¡­¡± The sight was a spectacle, but that wasn¡¯t Bob¡¯s concern, he had become dizzy, and his nose matched the sea below. ¡°Haha¡­ ha¡­¡± The sight of his blood worsened his condition, and so, he¡¯d pretend it didn¡¯t happen, hoping that fiction would become reality, standing. ¡°Might as well follow their directions¡­ why not¡­?¡± Bob would turn to look at the rest, and a multitude of things were wrong.


    The first, and most noticeable was that looking at the other three, specifically Kim and Brody their faces were gone, distorted to noting but swirling colors. Then, behind them, were legs twice as big as they were, something, something that could finally be seen then that the grass was no longer pitch black, was stooped behind them, and its posture suggested that it was leant forward.


    The words he had been told would ring true, the monsters they sought to escape, where they had been tossed into, was their home.


    The thing had a singular eye that was its face, vertical, purple, and crying blood. It made no moves though, it only watched them.


    The other three would realize that Bob was startled by something, because for starters, his mouth fell open and he also dropped the golden cube.


    As the metallic construct hit the ground though, it passed through it, and as if it had hit something below the ground, it bounced back and flew up into the air. It then let out a blinding light that consumed everything and the monster would tumble across the plains, falling into the sea below. A tower of the buring substamce shooting up like a gyser.


    The golden cube would then fall back to the ground, unassuming, as if it had not done what it had. Bob was then left with a choice to make, address the faceless or the cube.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re alive¡­?¡± The small man looked down on the cube, hoping nothing would happen.


    The thing would shift at first, and then it rolled towards him, stopping at his feet.


    ¡°S-so that¡¯s a yes¡­? Huh¡­? Ha¡­ ha¡­ hahahaha¡­¡± Bob fell to his knees, his impure eyes violently and randomly shifting from one wave length to the next.


    It was not an exaggeration to say that Bob was not taking it well, but what about the rest, well, Kim and Brody were probably fine, but what about May.


    She was looking at the grass, the sky, the horizon, the monster, and yet she saw none of it. As far as she was concerned, her whole family was dead, because the man she had seen was not her brother.


    As such, she was ready to die there and then, to her, Cali had died just for her to die too, so she¡¯d at least make it quick. She¡¯d spin around, and approaching the edge of the island, she sought to jump into the tempest below.


    I suppose, that if she had remembered her distain for the canvas of chanced light upon the shattered glass, the insides, out, she¡¯d laugh at her own naivety.


    She wouldn¡¯t make it far still, as a burly and callused hand would rest on her shoulder. It was then, almost as if instinctually, that she¡¯d take hold of it, and pouring all her strength into her hands and back she leaned forward and tossed the faceless man over her small frame with strength she shouldn¡¯t have had.


    Thankfully, he¡¯d catch the edge, missing the carnage below, but only by a hair. She¡¯d blink a few times, and taking the time to look around her, at where she was, she realized that they were right.


    As such, she had latched on to truth, and she had experienced it, but she wanted to know if she was right. She¡¯d retrieve Brody from the edge of death with her new found strength before then though, apologizing.


    An apology that he accepted seeing as it was his fault. May would then retreat to a less fortunate soul in Bob, though, as far gone as he was, he¡¯d have to come back to answer the girl¡¯s questions.

 Proven Hypothesis

    May¡¯s behavior then, it would seem an affront to her previous actions, as it looked as if she had retreated from the failing precipice of her sanity, but all was not as it seemed.


    Her mind was going somewhere, and the realm she was yet to reach, was the upper echelons of warped sanity. It was the domain of the ideas and fetishes, the realm of her brother, and perhaps, she was destined to get there as well.


    None the less, such ideas were far behind the purview of her tunnel vision, as all she sought to know then were her circumstances. If she had to go, she¡¯d at least know the details. Thus, she¡¯d run to a Bob that was teetering on the proverbial edge, and his descent wouldn¡¯t be as smooth as August¡¯s, or May¡¯s.


    The place did contribute to the August¡¯s madness, but his circumstances were unique, skewered to fit the mold he had been given at that time. And so, allowing another person to undergo that, was not a good idea.


    As such, pulling the small man back from such a place was in the best interest of all, especially seeing as he was the one in possession of the metallic cube.


    May would tumble over herself, falling just a few feet before him, and she¡¯d crawl the rest of the way, slowly getting up as she did. She¡¯d lean on his shoulder, and her face would almost twitch a smile in all her induced, for the most part, insanity.


    ¡°You were right¡­ You¡¯re right!¡± She¡¯d shake a Bob that was standing above a soon to be abyss, well, there ¡®was¡¯ about to be one.


    ¡°O-okay¡­! Okay!¡± He¡¯d pull away from the small girl. ¡°I-I get it¡­! ¡­Kind of¡­ r-remind me of what again¡­?¡± Bob¡¯s spiral would finally run out of cordage.


    ¡°You said¡­ you said an overlap of dimensions was already occurring¡­ and that seems to be true with what Sonata said¡­ so¡­ so¡­ my implants¡­ my implants are enhanced too¡­ you were right¡­!¡± May would hug him, well, actually she had put him in a headlock without realizing it.


    Bob would kick up enough of a fuss to get her attention though, and she would let him go. She¡¯d then pat him on the back as he coughed, as if it wasn¡¯t her doing.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± He moved away from her, though he did still sit in the grass. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± He¡¯d make eye contact with May, or he tried to at least.


    ¡°They sky¡­ it¡¯s pretty nice tonight¡­ no-¡± May blushed at the stars.


    ¡°N-no! No its not! T-this isn¡¯t even earth¡­.! Technically s-speaking¡­.¡± He shook his head, clawing at his scalp with both hands. ¡°A-anyway¡­ I wouldn¡¯t go as f-far as to call what you have¡­ ¡®i-implants¡¯ you have all the standard stuff t-that allows for connection to the net a-and then your family specific o-ones which are mandatory¡­ b-but even then¡­ your family doesn¡¯t r-really get their hands dirty¡­ even if there sh-¡­ sho-¡­ haaa¡­ even i-if there should be a correlation, all y-your implants do is retain i-information, s-so what do you e-even mean by enhanced?¡± The more he reasoned, the more wrong he thought himself.


    ¡°¡¯Retain information¡¯¡­ why¡­? Huh¡­?¡± The girl would lay down on her side, leaning against her palm, brows crumpled.


    ¡°W-well¡­ to¡­ I-I see¡­¡± He¡¯d roll his eyes, but due to the light show they were having, May would notice.


    ¡°You can¡¯t always be right, and that¡¯s okay, that¡¯s fine¡­¡± She¡¯d sympathize with him, even reach for him.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t touch me¡­ a-and don¡¯t patronize me¡­¡± He pulled away from May even further. ¡°I¡¯m a-assuming that the ¡®implant¡¯ t-that you have has been e-enhanced in a way as to allow y-you to draw upon your i-infinite well of knowledge physically o-or otherwise¡­ b-but what happened¡­ for you to r-realize that¡­?¡± One of his brows would raise instinctually, though it could not be seen for a plethora of reasons.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I kind of threw Brody¡­ like full on threw¡­¡± She¡¯d make the gesture, even flat on the grass. ¡°Over the shoulder and all¡­ like it was¡ª¡± She was really feeling the effects of the place, odd.


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    ¡°I-I get it¡­! You t-threw him, why?¡± He¡¯d look back at the duo, and he¡¯d be reminded of their unique dispositions. ¡°Y-your¡­ your faces¡­?¡±


    The two, who were just idly sitting by only moments before would frantically feel for their faces, but they¡¯d already formed.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong with my face¡­.!?¡± Brody clawed at his face.


    ¡°My face¡­?¡± Kim tapped hers, as if applying makeup.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine now¡­¡± May would stand as she spoke.


    ¡°A-anyway¡­ what you¡¯ve s-said makes no s-sense¡­ e-even if the fighting arts you¡¯ve p-preserved are e-exceptional¡­ you¡¯re not nearly s-strong enough to throw someone l-like Brody¡­?¡± Bob would stand as well, picking up the cube.


    ¡°Exactly¡­¡± May lifted both hands, spreading them wide, face scowling.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I-I see¡ª¡± Bob wouldn¡¯t get a chance to finish.


    ¡°Do it faster next time¡­¡± The girl dropped her hands.


    ¡°S-shut up please¡­ a-anyway, so you¡¯re s-saying that you have b-been physical enhanced from a c-cognitive based device? Y-you understand h-how dumb you sound right n-now¡­ right?¡± Bob smirked, tilting his head upward as he grinned.


    May would walk over, and even as Bob backed away she grabbed him and hoisted him up with one hand.


    ¡°¡¯Do you understand how dumb you sound right now¡­¡¯ Shut up¡­¡± May would let go of a Bob that had gone awfully quiet.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ s-so I¡¯m assuming y-your body has been enhanced i-in relation to the information on said d-device and as such your b-body has been strengthened to c-cope with the output of force you¡¯d n-need to do most of those arts y-you have seeing as you are a-a child¡­ m-make sense¡­?¡± Bob refused to look at the girl as he spoke.


    ¡°Yes, it does, but now what do we do about this place? Where do we go¡­? And where are we even going?¡± May had started to spiral again. ¡°Our families are dead¡­ and the place is a wasteland¡­ so why are we even going there¡­?¡± Her eyes would lose their chipper as she spoke.


    ¡°We¡¯re g-going there for o-our own ¡®salvation¡¯¡­ is what your b-brother said¡­ and they obviously know m-more than we do¡­ s-so we just have to d-do what he says¡­ i-it¡¯s not like we can stay h-here¡­?¡± Bob would start the journey, but approaching one of the edges closest to another island, he couldn¡¯t help but to look down.


    ¡°He¡¯s not my brother¡­ not only did he lie to me about our parents¡­ he kept all of ¡®this¡¯ from us¡­ the truth, all those battle implants he got¡­ ¡®for dopamine¡¯¡­ that¡¯s what he said¡­ but he knew¡­ he might have not known the when¡­ seeing as what happened¡­ but he knew there would be a when¡­ that thing¡­ that thing is not my brother¡­¡± Even as May defamed the man that gave everything for her, she walked, continued the journey he set for her.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s a tough one¡­ y-you¡¯ll have to take that u-up with him¡­ but I w-will say this as h-his friend¡­ August i-is a ¡®very¡¯ methodical p-person, h-he does everything for a r-reason¡­ a-and saying that t-to say this¡­ t-there must have b-been a reason¡­ I¡¯m s-sure of it¡­ y-you think I¡¯m not mad too¡­ I-I have no family left in this w-world¡­ and h-he knew that¡­ I c-can¡¯t believe we thought t-they were exploring the old w-world¡­ but were s-so conveniently o-out of the net¡¯s r-range¡­ t-then t-to think we thought it¡¯d take s-so long¡­! My b-blood boils just think a-about it¡­ Ahhhh¡­!¡± The small man took a hold of his hair, pulling it. ¡°I-I get why A-August did what h-he did¡­ even if h-he did sacrifice his humanity t-to do it as Sonata said¡­ r-revenge is a bitter sweet yet addictive drug¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess¡­¡± May was not quite impressed, in fact she was looking straight up at the eclipse. ¡°Hey¡­ you think you could do the same thing you did to the grass, to the sky?¡±


    ¡°H-huh? I¡¯ve i-intentionally been avoiding c-changing anything since t-there might be some unknown c-consequence or side effect w-we have no idea about¡­¡± He¡¯d touch the bottom of his nose, checking for said unknown consequence. ¡°A-and same with my implants¡­ I h-haven¡¯t even tried my graviton m-manipulator, it¡¯s a h-heavy one even without the e-enhancements¡­¡± Bob would hold the cube tight, then he¡¯d flatten his palm, yet nothing happened, he¡¯d grab the cube again, looking away from it.


    ¡°I guess that makes sense, so do you think I¡¯ll have anything to worry about¡­ side effects I mean?¡± May would stretch her body as she walked.


    ¡°Oh¡­ d-definitely¡­ w-whether that¡¯s physical or n-not is what I don¡¯t k-know¡­ we saw what h-happened to Cali¡­ the things r-ripped her apart they w-were so strong¡­ not only d-did she put the things in o-overdrive they were enhanced on t-top of all that seeing as they r-run on energy from t-the ¡®anomaly¡¯¡­ however t-that works¡­ yet¡­ I-I wouldn¡¯t be surprised i-if she realized what she was doing and k-kept going anyway¡­ that would e-explain a lot¡­ now w-wouldn¡¯t it¡­¡± Bob would look to the sky as well, keeping the tears in his shifting eyes.


    ¡°It should have been us¡­¡± May and Bob were on the same page for once.


    ¡°I-it should have been¡­ b-but we¡¯re already h-here¡­ so we h-have to make the most o-of this opportunity¡­¡± The small man would wipe the tears from his eyes.


    I¡¯m surprised, you don¡¯t why, but I do, and you¡¯ll be too, but I suppose after all they been through, experienced and seen, that the result would be something like this.


    If I had to use a word in good faith, it would be, ¡®interesting¡¯. If I had to use one in bad faith, I would use two in its stead ¡®meaningless resistance¡¯.

 A Dystopian Utopia

    They¡¯d make their way across the landscape, scaling one island after another under the foreign red of the sky, but the green of the grass offered them some familiarity, and that was enough.


    They knew not what their journey entailed, but at least they knew where they were going, or rather, they knew their destination. As such, they kept going.


    There was no tangible goal, or anything for that matter, heck, even the horizon was just a visage of broken mountains.


    So, it¡¯s not hard to imagine why they had stopped after a few minutes of struggling, unable to comprehend the meaning of their journey.


    The direction they had chosen, was it the right one, the advice they had been given, would it even work. Those thoughts would permeate, but before they could waste any more time, Brody and Kim would start the journey once again.


    They seemed to know where they were going, even though the entire place looked the same. The other two would follow in their lead, still, nothing was said.


    It¡¯s not like they wanted a conversation either, only May was unaware of the gravity of the situation. She was asleep when the proposition was made on her life, but Bob remembered, and he didn¡¯t like where all the dots lead.


    ¡°Hey¡­ do you guys know where we¡¯re going?¡± The small girl would catch up and walk beside the two.


    They would make some distance between themselves and her. May would look back at Bob, but even he looked away.


    ¡°You could say so¡­¡± The woman did respond, though her voice was muffled by her gnashing teeth.


    ¡°Oh¡­ did you know about this place too?¡± May would move closer once again.


    ¡°Could you stop¡­!¡± The woman was not pleased by her infringement.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± May moved away from them.


    ¡°Yes¡­ we knew, and what¡­?¡± The woman started to walk even faster alongside the brute.


    This forced the other smaller two to put in more energy than they needed to.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± The girl chose to ignore the disrespect, though her voice did drop a few too many decibels.


    ¡°The result of one of ¡®her¡¯ many experiments¡­ or as¡ªus¡­ humans know it¡ªThe Collective Unconscious of all living and sentient beings, The Imagination, Limbo, Sheol, The Realm of the Ego¡­ or as ¡®they¡¯ called it¡­ The Abstract¡­ Ever wondered why your dreams make no sense¡­? This place¡­ Why did the people of the past believe in life after death and the realm of the spirit¡­? This place...¡± Kim knew a fair bit.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ how do you know all that¡­?¡± May was not shy with her words.


    ¡°That¡­ is none of your business¡­¡± The woman shot May a look from the side of her eyes.


    The girl broke eye contact, confused, her heartbeat quickening.


    ¡°Haha¡­ Actually¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t matter anymore¡­ research started on this ¡®place¡¯ a long time ago, but first it was theorized¡­ or philosophized, whichever way you want to say it¡­ Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, while they did disagree on a fair bit of ideas, their main ideas about their being the ¡®unconscious¡¯ is correct, in fact, they were both correct. This place affects everyone giving them what Jung would have called ¡®Ancestral Memories¡¯ but what we call the ¡®Transpersonal Hereditary Bias.¡¯ The other important aspect of this place that Jung managed to figure out is its effect on culture at large with each having similar themes and imagery all because of those ¡®Ancestral Memories.¡¯¡ª¡± Kim would be cut off.


    ¡°T-that isn¡¯t what she a-asked¡­ h-how do¡ª¡± Bob would interject, briefly.


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t that¡­?¡± Kim looked back at him, and he seemed to shudder.


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    ¡°Continue¡­¡± May wanted to take back her question, truly, but Kim wasn¡¯t in the best mood.


    ¡°As I was saying¡­ past those memories we come to ideas such as life instincts or Eros, death instincts or Thanatos, cathexis and anti-cathexis¡­ How to explain it¡­? The ideas I do believe were presented with a simple connection but in truth they are all integral. Cathexis is the investment of your psychic or libidinal energy into self-preservation and gratification, otherwise known as Eros, and Anti- cathexis is the investment of your energy into self-harm and self-destructive tendencies and desires or Thanatos. Our ancestors¡¯ investments created ¡®Transpersonal Hereditary Bias.¡¯ Those then shaped the old world unknowingly and they came to ruin, but the energy that was invested into those ideas persisted in this place, and when the anomaly appeared it allowed that energy to pass over, but as specified, there are two types. As such, to harvest the beneficial energy, Olympus was built as a paradise to foster said energy. I know this because that was¡ª¡­our purpose for being there, though you two didn¡¯t know that. As for my rant, that¡¯s because I don¡¯t want you to ask me anything more¡­¡± The woman rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Her rant wasn¡¯t enough for May.


    ¡°What now¡­? Haaaa¡­?!¡± The woman pulled on her hair and gnashed her teeth, she had become the one wanting to take back.


    ¡°What do you mean it shaped the old world¡­?¡± Was May not afraid?


    ¡°A concentration of the same type of energy resonates with the people and perpetuates the cycle of its own creation¡­ war for instance. Ever wondered why the cycle could never be broken¡­? Smaller conflicts at the beginning of time, notably, Cain killing Abel, spiraled out into more conflicts and then in modern times, after the first two world wars the energy was so potent that it perpetuated itself creating smaller wars before escalating into another war¡­ the last, and third world war¡­ and that ended well for no one¡­¡± Kim let go of her hair taking a deep breath.


    ¡°T-third world war¡­?¡± Something that Bob didn¡¯t remember happening.


    The woman spun around, and while Bob did shudder and May looked away wincing in anticipation, her face was more confused than mad.


    ¡°Oh¡­ yeah¡­ they¡ª you wouldn¡¯t know that¡­ would you¡­? Haha¡­ ¡®everything is in the public domain¡¯ was it? You couldn¡¯t put two and two together¡­ why would you even need to explore the old world? Why did ¡®those¡¯ two call it a wasteland? I mean the radiation is gone for¡­ reasons, but it¡¯s still ravaged, nuclear Armageddon it was, and it was splendid!¡± Kim smiled from ear to ear, looking off into the distance as if reminiscing. ¡°Hahaha¡­! Hehe! The world shattered¡­! And all of it came crumbling down¡­ and then cracks started began to appear in this¡ª!¡± She caught herself.


    ¡°Y-you saw it¡­?!¡± Bob wanted more, but did she not already answer the question.


    ¡°Ah¡ªno¡­ they only learned about it¡ªEveryman Program¡­ blah blah¡­ societal rejects¡­ blah¡­ experiments¡­ blah blah something something¡­ stopping the Convergence¡­ but they failed¡­ who would have guessed that it was a losing war¡­ no one could make tech strong enough to stop a phenomenon like that¡­ to stop two worlds from colliding¡­ it was delusion¡­¡± Kim shrugged.


    ¡°N-no¡­ O-Olympus was built as a s-safe haven b-because of global w-warming and t-the like¡­? W-what do you mean¡­?¡± Bob would take hold of his head, a sharp pain, persisting at his mole.


    May would do the same.


    ¡°They¡­ it¡¯s going to take a while for the effects of the NET to wear off Kim¡­ go easy on them¡­¡± Brody finally contributed.


    ¡°I know¡­ but I won¡¯t¡­¡± Kim smiled. ¡°So why not terraform? Was building an island easier than terraforming, of course not, you never questioned that? Oh wait¡­ you couldn¡¯t¡­ Ever wanted to go back to the mainland yourself? No¡­ and of course not¡­¡±


    Bob and May would stop, falling to the ground as the pain intensified.


    ¡°B-b-b-but why?!¡± The small man couldn¡¯t rationalize it, even as he contorted.


    ¡°Because they manipulated you¡­ they learned how to influence the energy with little to no investment and they propagated it throughout your ¡®safe haven¡¯¡­ giving you Artificial Transpersonal Bias and making all of you¡­ sheep to the slaughter¡­ How amazing it was to watch¡ª Freudian slip¡­ Hehe¡­ haha¡­ haha¡­ hahahaha¡­!¡± Kim was spiraling herself, her face pinned up in a smile with her gum showing and her eyes widened.


    ¡°Kim¡­!¡± Brody started to sweat, and heavily so.


    ¡°Oops!¡± The woman seemed to snap out of a daze. ¡°You get it¡­ don¡¯t you¡­ in this place¡­¡± She looked at Brody.


    ¡°Of course I do¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯m keeping my mouth shut¡­¡± He wiped the sweat from his face. ¡°But soon¡­ soon¡­¡± His veins popped as he smiled himself, he¡¯d shake his head though, returning to the timid man he should have been.


    As for the two rolling across the ground, they¡¯d feel a pulse to their spines that housed their mandatory implants and then the pain would fade. They¡¯d then be filled with an impossible rage, their muscles tensing on their own.


    ¡°Think good thoughts now¡­ or you¡¯ll die¡­ it¡¯s up to you though¡­ haha¡­¡± Kim thought back for a moment as she looked away. ¡°Actually please think good thoughts¡­! You can¡¯t die yet!¡± She ran to their rescues, pulling them close and rocking them calm.


    As for the thoughts they used to combat the negative energy they were producing from the betrayal they felt, May thought of her brother and Bob thought of the joy of his research.


    They¡¯d calm down soon enough, clawing at shallow breaths as they tried to retake hold of their situations. They¡¯d also take hold of Kim, though she was a little cold, not dead though.


    The journey was looking fun, and it had just begun.

 Imagine A Broken Sky

    Kim had done a little too much talking, and so she had caused a bit of a problem, though she did help remedy it.


    Though, I do suppose if she was telling the truth about all that she had said, including the want for no conversation, she shouldn¡¯t have said anything at all. Those poor souls had been through so much, and yet she let the ¡®place¡¯ string her along as she ran her mouth blinded by the suffering she saw the two endure.


    As such, the consequences came in full swing as the two recovered, or rather, they should have. I assume this was her line of thinking; ¡®if I don¡¯t awknowledge the consequences, then they don¡¯t exist.¡¯


    She would not only think such thoughts; her actions would speak louder than any words. She left the two after they had returned to walking order, and she walked herself. In fact, she was walking even faster than before, almost jogging, running even.


    Her actions forced everyone else to keep up with her, and it also kept them preoccupied, especially the two she was supposed to escort. They were short, so they were basically sprinting, and as such, even as they wanted to ask the questions, they didn¡¯t, and not because they were running, and not because they were jumping, and not because they didn¡¯t want to.


    They¡¯d keep going for a while, and as they did, because of Kim¡¯s reckless actions, the absurdity began. She thought about all she knew and had seen, about the past and the place, and she surmised that in the way she existed then, that she too could finally control the place.


    The grass was green but it didn¡¯t have to be, the sky was a glaring crimson void, but it didn¡¯t have be. The place was a floating mess, but it didn¡¯t have to stay that way.


    The eclipse she had always known, the darkness that had always plagued her, it could all become null and void. Those were her thoughts, and so fractures shot throughout the still sky, and within moments the sky began to fall.


    The event was instantaneous, but even then the golden cube expanded like a blanket, covering them. Thus, they couldn¡¯t quite see the sight, but I¡¯ll tell you anyway.


    The sky fell in fragments like shattered ceramic, yet it looked the same. The distance of the stars, the moon, the sun, nothing changed, that was until eyes were allowed to wonder and find the edges of the fragments. Then the veil would finally be pulled back.


    An incandescent white light shot through the cracks and incinerated everything it touched, including the ground. As the sky fell, the shards shook the place like earthquakes of world ending proportions, though I do suppose that¡¯s exactly what was happening.


    I¡¯ll be nice and explain it to you. The ¡®Abstract¡¯ as Kim had said, is the imagination, when one imagines anything in their mind, it exists as a loaded term, or in other words, it comes with preloaded ideas. Such is the crux of communication, words have meaning.


    And so, thinking of the sky falling away would include the idea of the sky, space and the stars, which would be an impossible amount of mass considering the sheer scale of the universe.


    As such, she had basically called down the wrath of God, and even with her knowledge, she didn¡¯t realize that until it was too late. It should have been as easy as wishing it away, no? No, no being in the universe apart from ¡®her¡¯ could comprehend lifting the universe, therefore, even if they did try, it wouldn¡¯t work.


    The simple fact that they do not understand what they seek to manipulate, prevents manipulation altogether. So, she had learnt why there were golden rules for those who ventured into the Abstract, including the one that told them, never to look up.


    Those in charge were mad, but they were sane enough to prevent Kim from ever entering the place, that fact was one of their few good ideas. I did not contradict myself, she¡¯d never been there.


    It¡¯s time we go back to the survivors though, and their condition is rather dire. The sky continued to fall, decimating the landscape, but thankfully the place is a state of existence more than anything else. As such, they¡¯d live, but if it was the earth, it would have been reduced to molten slag in the vacuum a long time ago.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The falling would stop almost as soon as it had begun, but the damage was already done. Kim did get what she wanted though, as the sun shone bright across the jagged, mountainous and starry landscape.


    The other inhabitants of the place corrected her blunder, as without an atmosphere, they¡¯d all be incinerated.


    The golden bubble that housed them would eventually pop, realizing its purpose fulfilled. The cube was content, but that same level of emotional stability could not be assigned to the four, and especially not Kim.


    She wore a smile from ear to ear as she witnessed the sight, her eyes slowly becoming bloodshot, and even bleeding, alongside her nose and ears, before she snapped back to reality, realizing that a part of her had died.


    There were spires of fractured ground standing straight to the sky at varying degrees, but all were basically piercing it. If the place was a planet, the spires would have reached space.


    There were also unfortunate bits of the place, that folded in on themselves and became mountains, unable to reach the sky.


    It all paled in comparison to the bodies of ¡®liquid¡¯ though. They were basically windows, and doorways into the infinite cosmos. There were pools, puddles, oceans, lakes and seas of the things, vast expanses of space, all at walking distance.


    The constellations dotted them, galaxies covered them and some stars were close enough to completely envelope their surfaces, making pools of plasma. It was amazing, beautiful, breath taking, to look at, but they had to do more than look at it, they had to traverse the place.


    The broken plains made the journey look meaningless, made it feel mundane, but even then, that was better than what they had gotten. They had visibility, and while the place did look endless, they¡¯d have eventually gotten there, and quite quickly too.


    As for what this meant for Kim and Brody, well, they couldn¡¯t decide. The power they held then, what to do with it, tyrants, or fetishes themselves? None of it, they¡¯d die before then; a cost to the borrowed power, that none could pay.


    ¡°W-who had the bright idea¡­? W-who was stupid enough t-to do something like that¡­?¡± Bob sounded more like a disappointed father than anything else as he looked around.


    Kim thought about murder for a moment, that was before she realized that, no matter how amazing the power was, or how much of a fetish she had become, there existed a pantheon, and she was among the bottom rung.


    As such, in keeping with one above her, she wouldn¡¯t dare to try such a thing, especially seeing as the one who had made the request was everywhere, and nowhere all the time.


    ¡°I¡­ I had a thought¡­ Okay!? I didn¡¯t know this would happen!¡± She didn¡¯t look them in the eyes as she spoke, she¡¯d barely see them anyway, a headache tossing her asunder.


    ¡°You d-didn¡¯t know¡­?¡± Bob looked at her from the corner of his eyes, hands on his hips.


    ¡°What are you getting at¡­?¡± The woman didn¡¯t like the implicit ideas of his statement.


    ¡°O-oh nothing¡­¡± He dropped his hands and looked around for a moment, surveying the damage. ¡°W-what now!?¡± He looked up at Kim.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me?! I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± She still didn¡¯t maintain eye contact.


    ¡°F-fine¡­ we¡¯ll go with your l-lie¡ª I m-mean¡­ your interpretation¡­ I guess, w-we just go, we keep g-going?¡± He¡¯d finally pick up the cube.


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Kim finally mustered the courage to look up, and what she saw was simply put, more problems. ¡°No¡­ no, no, no! No! No!¡± She ran past the two men of the group.


    As they had been having their conversation, talking and even looking past each other, they had left May to her own devices, and in a place like that, well, let¡¯s see.


    The catastrophe that had occurred left the monster that stalked them a shadow of its former self, or shall I say, a piece of its former self.


    It was strung out on the dirt, its guts dragging behind it as it pulled itself with the one hand it had left on the half torso it had become.


    The trail of blood and flesh indicated that it followed them, and it had. As for what it was doing to May. Its head was flat on the ground, its one bloodshot eye focused on her, its hand stretched out holding a flower, a purple hyacinth.


    She stared at the thing with great admiration, and then she began to cry. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered the faces of her parents, realizing that she would never see them again. The face of Cali was also still fresh in her mind, the woman¡¯s voice echoing from nowhere, but still being heard.


    ¡°Was it worth it? My life¡­? The pain! As my bones cracked! And shattered at your expense?! Die?! Did I have to die!? For you!? Useless! You!? My eyes! Empty! Because of you! Die!? Why don¡¯t you die!?¡± That voice was all May could hear for those infinite few tragic seconds.


    A cold and heavy feeling pulled her down by the gut, as her breath quickened and she became dizzy, disorientated by the thing¡¯s spell.


    She looked around, recognizing no one, not even the woman that was sprinting at her screaming with a voice so drowned out and echoed she couldn¡¯t understand.


    And so, in a place like that, what would a confused person even do, what would they be capable of.

 Flowers of Deception

    May would scream as her damp eyes widened in confusion, her feet stumbling across each other as she fell into the creature¡¯s grasp. It held her tight, but it didn¡¯t squash her. It would raise her high above head, away from everyone else, and as she flailed, the place began to vibrate, then, it began to shake as her mental state deteriorated.


    She saw the world spinning, felt her body melt, she couldn¡¯t discern left from right nor up from down on the infinite plain of imagination, and the place didn¡¯t take it well. It was a good thing that all who were present weren¡¯t idiots though, even if intentions didn¡¯t align. Kim would act first, knowing what to do, and what to expect from a florist.


    ¡°May! Your brother is here!¡± At the top of her lungs, with only herself to care about, Kim sought to save the girl.


    Kim¡¯s words seemed to pierce the heaviness the voice had trapped her in, and for a moment, her mind emptied to fill with only thoughts of seeing a familiar face, that of someone she wouldn¡¯t see.


    The path of destruction May was driving them all down came to a halt when the feelings of slight happiness she felt drowned out everything and gave the vehicle a flat tire.


    The time she had left to them was time enough still, as it gave the small genius time to act. He¡¯d engineer the cube into a weapon, a gun. He¡¯d point it at the thing¡¯s large head and eye with intentions to hesitate, but the assault rifle emptied itself into the monster all on its own.


    It was over before it begun, Kim would soften May¡¯s fall, as for Bob, he stood shaking, hands numb and mind blanker every second. The thing was monstrous, but who¡¯s to say it wasn¡¯t human somehow, how could they ever be sure, it looked human enough.


    He stood there for a while before he dropped the weapon of his own creation, and looking at the thing with a hole through its skull, made him woozy. It was then that a pitch black hand with six fingers emerged from the ground, holding a white hydrangea.


    He¡¯d look at the flower, it was welcoming, and so he found himself calming down, and even feeling better. It wasn¡¯t human, in fact, the monster told him it was more than that. He¡¯d look the dead thing in the face, and as he blinked it seemed to change before his very eyes.


    It gained a bouncing afro, brown with blonde streaks, as for the eyes, they were a nice lime green. The shape of its face was reduced as it gained soft features, and smooth caramel skin. The thing was dead, but somehow those unsaturated eyes turned to look at him.


    It was a work of impossibility, but somehow the small man didn¡¯t fall flat on his ass. It did foster a reaction though. He placed his hands below his gorgeous hair, and in one shaking motion, he pushed his hair back as he smiled with bloodshot eyes, hydration too little for tears.


    His eyes were finally showing though, and they were a vibrant lime green, as for his skin, it was a beautiful caramel. It should have been a coincidence, and a stranger might have said so, but that would be a stranger from the past, the dark ages.


    The debate raged firm before the winter of 4000, but in the end, designer babies were allowed, and so, over the centuries, they became the norm. To be blunt, the thing wore his mother¡¯s face.


    The veins on his forehead popped as he searched his well of knowledge, but only drew blank pages. He¡¯d stop breathing altogether, his mouth moved, with both small and extravagant motions, but no words came, and neither did tears, nor self-harm.


    He stood, emotions bouncing from one direction to the other, never settling, and so he smiled, frowned, feigned crying and laughed.


    The personality Brody should have had was one of compassion though, a gentle giant if you would. As such, he walked over to the golden M4-16 and picked it up, at the same time the thing would emerge from the ground taking a hold of Bob.


    Bob would feel his warped perception of space disappear as the large thing with a white dilated eye focused on him. He was sinking, drowning, and no matter how he screamed or resisted, no one would hear him, no one would come to his rescue.


    Brody pointed the gun at the towering monster, but it¡¯d place Bob between the burly man and its head. The one who claimed compassion, pulled the trigger still, a test of his knowledge, despite the obvious implications.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The bullets fired could be seen, stranded still, inches away from Bob. They¡¯d then spin, and as fast as they had been fired, that is as fast as they returned, putting holes in Brody as they passed through him.


    They¡¯d hit the ground on the other side of him, but as they bounced, they never returned to the ground. Gravity seemed to have been taking some time off. In fact, it was reversed, as even the giant quarter corpse started to lift off the ground. As for the implications of those actions, Bob fell limp with eyes wide open, blood streaming from them.


    His ears would follow, along with his nose and mouth. He¡¯d then begin to convulse in the thing¡¯s hand, shaking violently as he choked on his own blood. His eyes would eventually roll back as everything he influenced went higher and higher.


    Brody still had one trick up his sleeve before he¡¯d be forced to reveal his trump card though. He lifted the rifle to the side of his face, looking at his own reflection, and even as his heartbeat increased and he began to sweat, he¡¯d go through with it.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to need a little help here, I¡ª¡± Unfortunately, the ground began to break away too, and so his words were lost to me in the commotion, how unfortunate.


    He did reach the golden construct though, fortunately, and that¡¯s what mattered. Brody would be pulled to the ground so fast he slammed into it breaking more of it away. As for the assault rifle in hand, it liquefied, growing in size until it was bigger than Brody himself.


    It would become a large cylindrical void with various constructs surrounding its center, attached by wires, bolts, pipes and cables. The constructs in question were things like, I don¡¯t know, maybe, miniaturized particle accelerators and nuclear reactors.


    It had a trigger. And he¡¯d pull it, and without delay or interruption, the golden void glowed to a white hot. The monster saw this, and everything it was toeing along would fall flat, the space in front of it however, it was notably warped, like a rain drop on a still lake.


    The burly man who had somehow found confidence, still pulled the trigger yet again, figuratively speaking, as he actually let it go. It was more interesting that time though.


    A white beam of light shot from the cannon, a third of an inch in diameter, and it went straight through Bob and the monster. Thus comes the interesting part still.


    Tens of spires collapsed, as looking at them in relation to the beams trajectory, it erased a mountains worth of the things in a perfect circle. As for Bob, there wasn¡¯t a scratch on him, the only blunder that remained was the dismembered hand of the monster that held him.


    As for the rest of it, only the waist down remained. He¡¯d fall, but Brody would catch him, preventing any further injuries. They were ¡®safe¡¯ once more. This didn¡¯t stop Kim form being worried though, well really she was dumfounded.


    ¡°H¡ª¡­ How did you do that¡­? You¡­ did you make peace¡­?¡± The woman let one hand off the semi-conscious May and gestured a claw, but she realized before doing anything brash, again.


    ¡°Well, kind of¡­ It¡¯s our job to protect them until then, so¡­ of course it¡¯d help me.¡± The giant gun that seemed to be too heavy to be held by the one hand he was using would shrink back into a small cube, but even smaller than before, half the size.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Kim would smile as she looked at the shrunken cube. ¡°Okay¡­ so anyway¡­ how did you do that¡­?¡± Her words were garnished by millions of tons of falling rock, almost, drowning out her voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated¡­¡± The man would take a seat, seeing as there was a minor hindrance to their journey, or two.


    ¡°Tell me¡­¡± Kim relaxed her hand from her awkward gesture, cradling May.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ particles exist right?¡± He awaited the woman¡¯s response, raising his brows.


    ¡°She isn¡¯t that uninformed¡­ I know that much, I¡¯m not an idiot¡­¡± She rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Debatable¡­¡± He mumbled the word before continuing his explanation. ¡°Alright, so they exist in a super position because they simultaneously inhabit the Abstract and normal world at the same time, right, so they have no effect or mass, etcetera, but if observed, which is just an investment of psychic energy, then the waveform collapses and chooses a realm to inhabit¡­ so I basically shot a stream of unstable particles and ignored them until they passed through Bob, then I focused on them and the waveform collapsed in this realm, making the particles gain mass and for an added bit of flavor, the particles were dark matter¡­ So it annihilated everything it touched¡­ simple right¡­?¡± The man actually smiled, filled with a warmth because he understood what he should have.


    ¡°I¡­ I get it¡­ I totally get it¡­ so¡­ how dangerous¡­ was that exactly¡­?¡± Kim¡¯s face crumpled as she tried and failed to wrap her head around the concept.


    ¡°I had a grace period of one billionth of a second¡­ but if Bob¡¯s implant was left to escalate to its logical conclusion under the ¡®circumstances¡¯ we wouldn¡¯t have survived anyway, and my perception was obviously enhanced by the ¡®thing¡¯¡­¡± He caressed the cube.


    ¡°Okay¡­ so, when exactly did you deal with dark matter¡­ and why?¡± Kim¡¯s head was starting to hurt.


    ¡°It¡­ so there has to be a way for ¡®them¡¯ to dispose of ¡®undesirable¡¯ things without a trace¡­ so they used dark matter, but the mechanisms required were delicate and dangerous, so it required constant maintenance.¡± He was still smiling, almost innocently.


    ¡°Do I want to know¡­?¡± Kim was having a rather painful headache.


    ¡°So this one time a body got stuck between¡ª¡± His happiness was unconditional it seemed, but Kim didn¡¯t care if he looked happy while saying such things, she wanted him to stop.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know!¡± She already had a headache, she didn¡¯t want a stomachache too.

 The Golden Rules

    The two navigators stood over a recovering May and Bob for the second time, and let¡¯s just say they were having some interesting thoughts.


    ¡°¡­If¡­ if¡­! We leave them here and they ¡®happen¡¯ to die¡­ then its really not our fault in the end¡­ is it¡­?¡± Kim made a suggestion, only a suggestion.


    ¡°You think we¡¯d be able to escape it¡­?¡± Brody looked down on the woman, one brow high above the other.


    ¡°I¡ª¡­ well¡ª¡­ we¡¯d just have to figure that part out¡­ and I know we can do it¡­!¡± Kim smiled like a mother proud of her child as she nodded.


    ¡°Stop talking¡­¡± The brute was not having it.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± She¡¯d agree. ¡°But if¡ª¡± Partially.


    ¡°Silence.¡± The man would look at the woman and then at the golden cube, multiple times with widened eyes.


    ¡°Good point¡­¡± She¡¯d scratch her head, wondering if she had begun a spiral. ¡°So we¡­ we really have to bring them there huh...?¡± She crumpled one of her fists, grinding her teeth behind a crooked smile.


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­ or we¡¯ll end up like you know who¡­I guess desperation really makes for poor choices¡­ huh¡­?¡± The brute looked at himself, flexing his muscles and fingers.


    ¡°I guess so¡­ but he did make a choice, it was his fault in the end, he could have fought the natural behavior, he didn¡¯t¡­ nothing we can do about it now, and there¡¯s nothing we could have done about it then¡­ plus¡­ didn¡¯t we agree ¡®every man for himself¡¯¡­¡± The woman shot Brody a look from the side.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right¡­ yeah¡­  you¡¯re right¡­¡± By the end of his words, the man was looking at the ground with no glimmer in his eyes and no chipper in his voice.


    Their conversation did not surpass that point, in fact, they avoided even looking at each other for the remaining duration of their wait. The affected two would wake up a time later, and they were ready again, though there were going to be some changes.


    Bob had been placed on the brute¡¯s cold shoulder and May was on Kim¡¯s stiff back. They¡¯d carry them with ease, some would have even said, with too much ease, especially considering their tired past.


    Those ideas were illusive still, even for Bob, especially with the blood loss he had suffered. He was in the same boat with the likes of August though, thus, even if he was bled dry, he wouldn¡¯t die, because there wasn¡¯t much left alive to kill.


    He would still be in excruciating pain though, as the scenario they found themselves in was never accounted for. There was a possibility he could end the pain too, but he wasn¡¯t that much like August, feeling pain was a part of being human, and he wouldn¡¯t give that up.


    As such, he¡¯d be left in a state of permanent delirium, bobbing and weaving in slow, almost drunk arcs atop the giant¡¯s shoulder.


    They¡¯d all ignore his plight as they continued their journey, all except one, the little girl. She wasn¡¯t better by much, but she could see that he was worse.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you two going to help him¡­?¡± Even as her vision multiplied and her head spun, May found the words.


    ¡°How¡­?¡± Brody butchered a smile, as the girl couldn¡¯t tell the difference.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ anything¡­? If all that blood is his¡­ a transfusion or something¡­?¡± The girl did get her words out, but that¡¯s as much as she was getting.


    ¡°Absolutely not¡­!¡± Kim was cold, but she seemed to get a tiny bit hotter then.


    The girl, as disagreeable as she wanted to be, couldn¡¯t quite muster the strength to argue her case, not with a pounding headache anyway. She would still ask her questions though.


    ¡°What were those¡­ ¡®things¡¯¡­ and what did they do to us¡­?¡± The perfect question from an amateur mind.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Florists¡­ ¡®concepts¡¯ that embody flowers and the emotions they convey when psychic energy is invested into them. As for what they did to you, well that¡¯s simple. They took advantage of what they specialize in, emotions, and then they used it to access your minds and consequently your bodies. Simple, no.¡± A perfect answer from an experienced woman.


    ¡°What¡­ why¡­?¡± The girl¡¯s question was valid, seeing as she was in a deep sleep for more than half the happenings.


    ¡°You heard Sonata¡¯s complaint, did you not? ¡®Living people,¡¯ she emphasized on that part. Let me ask you a question. Do you think if all these ¡®things¡¯ could change this place like we can, that they¡¯d use such roundabout tactics¡­? Of course not¡­ they want y¡ª us, to become us¡­¡± The woman felt her heartbeat rise a little as she spoke, perhaps a little too much.


    ¡°Why¡ª¡­ no¡­ how¡­?¡± The girl¡¯s headache seemed to worsen.


    ¡°In this place as yo¡ª we¡­ exist corporeally, we cannot die, because that fulfilment of the concept does not exist out here, so by bringing you to a point of death, in which you cannot die, they steal your body when your consciousness slips in and out of you¡­ simple¡­¡± Even Kim was starting to get a headache.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®fulfilment¡¯ does the concept of death¡­ not exist here¡­?¡± The small girl was on the brink of unconsciousness as her headache worsened.


    ¡°It does, but not in the way you¡¯d understand it from¡ª our world. Over there people die, and can die, it is something that is able to occur, and will inevitably occur, here, that is not the case... Death¡­ death is a place¡­ over here at least, though it does not exist on its own, that would be crude and dangerous¡­ though, it is still ever present, if you go in any direction long enough¡­ you¡¯ll end up there¡­ whether you like it or not¡­¡± The woman¡¯s step¡¯s would slow.


    ¡°So¡­ the monster¡¯s, they can die too¡­?¡±


    The woman would stumble at May¡¯s words.


    ¡°Well¡­ The idea that anything here has a naturalistic end that it cannot manipulate or control in some way used¡ª¡­ is foreign, as I said before. The energies¡­ maybe I should have said concepts¡­ no¡­ that wouldn¡¯t¡ªanyway, any type of energy will perpetuate the cycle of its own creation, making itself stronger and prolonging its life indefinitely, no matter how small its influence, or time frame practiced. This place exists ¡®out of time¡¯¡­ that is why we must never ¡®turn back¡¯¡­ as when you do, that idea is loaded with feelings of going back to a better ¡®time¡¯ or condition.¡± The woman knew fair bit, and thankfully so.


    The implications of what she had said were interesting still, especially with the ambiguity of the instructions they had been given.


    I do suppose it made all the sense though, seeing as Kim had done a monstrous amount of talking to simply come to the conclusion and explanation of what was said. And so, I do believe what was said fulfilled its intended purpose, especially seeing as there wasn¡¯t enough time to explain all that then. This fact would be highlighted, because of course there were going to be questions, and May had them.


    ¡°Wait¡­ are you saying¡ª¡± The girl did not get a chance to finish, but that was only because the woman was experienced.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m saying exactly what you¡¯re thinking¡­ you can go back in time if at some point you go somewhere in here without properly grasping the impact of your thoughts and actions. If you ¡®go back¡¯ at any point, in any way, you will go back in time. Well¡­ when you leave this place you¡¯ll go back in time¡­ as for the ramifications of that¡­ you are not a concept¡­ and thus you will be erased as the¡­ the¡­  as... The reality let¡¯s say, corrects itself¡­¡±  Kim was a scholar on the Abstract, it seemed.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why¡­.¡± The girl was starting to understand. ¡°So is there anything else we should know¡­?¡± More amazing questions, from a faint mind nonetheless.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ there is¡­ ha¡­ some we have already broken¡­ rules, I mean... if you want to call them that¡­ ¡®Never pick the flowers, they aren¡¯t beautiful. They do not help you. Never get caught in the flow. The clock ticks in reverse, but we count forward¡­ and never look at the sky¡­¡¯ they were taught that, pretty simple huh¡­? Those give you the best possibility of survival, they also help you to return your own time period¡­ But I guess that¡¯s why we weren¡¯t told most of them¡­¡± The woman was having an epiphany as she spoke, and she grit her teeth with a smile as she realized. ¡°You dirty bastard¡­ haha¡­ wow¡­ you are a genius¡­ hahahahaha¡­.!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± May wanted a piece of the proverbial pie that Kim was gorging on.


    ¡°The longer we stay here not following those rules¡­ the more time will pass in¡ª the other world, and that gives your brother enough time to deal with ¡®him¡¯¡­ how convenient¡­?¡± The woman¡¯s smile seemed uncontrollable, she even twitched, scratching her chest.


    ¡°What does that mean for us¡­?¡±


    ¡°For you¡­ that means you¡¯ll return to an unfamiliar world, but it might be safer¡­ for us¡­ no¡­ for you¡­¡± She looked over at Brody.


    ¡°I know¡­ maybe we can bargain with it, reason with them¡­?¡± Brody reciprocated a response.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± The woman smiled, yet her eyes glossed with tears. ¡°Because they refused to bargain! You think they¡¯re gonna change their minds now! Now! Don¡¯t be ridiculous¡­!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true¡ª¡± The brute got but a slice of a chance.


    ¡°Technically¡­! No¡­! But the point still stands¡­ ¡®she¡¯¡­. She¡¯d never bargain with us¡­ ever!¡± Her tears finally rolled, she looked away from them all, unable to wipe her own tears.


    ¡°You¡­ I¡ª¡­ I¡¯ll at least try¡­¡± Brody had faith, and that kind was truly blind.


    ¡°And so¡­ you¡¯ll die first!¡± The woman looked at him, even as she cried.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe I will!¡± The brute was strong in his resolve, planted in ground he thought to be firm, thought.

 The Smiling Giant

    The Kim and Brody that had entered the place, the relationship that they took, maybe it wouldn¡¯t survive the journey. The journey would be had though, and that was not an option.


    They¡¯d keep stride below the darkness of sky piercing spires while marveling at pools of space and molten stars. It was something of a distraction, for those that could see it, for those that were still sane.


    They were not in a hurry, the guides, in fact, they were taking their sweet time. They stood at the banks of oceans looking out at impossible scenes, and they found the time to smile. They¡¯d watch the celestial bodies tumble down streams, watch galaxies fold and break, yet, they had not arrived at their destination.


    They did have to reach a river, but it didn¡¯t look like the bastardized landscape they were on, it looked more like the one from before. They¡¯d know it when they¡¯d see it, and they weren¡¯t quite seeing it.


    There was still more to be had nonetheless, and some rules were only bent and not broken, but in such a new world, some rules wouldn¡¯t be needed, nor did they apply to everyone.


    The spires made something of a forest, and for a moment, they¡¯d see the forest for the trees. Passing below one of the structures that disappeared into the cosmos, hopping from one jagged rock to another, scaling cliffs and shuffling across ledges, a chance at relaxation would present itself.


    As they made it to the other side of the monument, they¡¯d stumble upon a building, a hut. It was a stout structure, its top a cone of thatch and its body made of wood. It looked to be stitched together with crooked nails and vines, most of it covered in moss and said vines.


    The wood had holes, and the windows were just voids with tied sticks. As for the door, it was a slab of rotten wood with a crooked branch for the handle. All the while, light shot out from inside the place, illusive, dancing even.


    It was a warm orange, and the aroma that the place spat out was meaty, yet earthy, mouthwatering. So what if they went inside, they were hungry were they not.


    The four would ascend creaking and broken stairs, watching their steps as they did so, and to be as polite as they could be, they knocked on the door, twice.


    The crackling of a healthy flame was heard from the outside, but until then there was only that. That¡¯d all change as the knocks echoed and a dragging and moaning let out.


    There was something there, something screaming as its clawed hands, hundreds, no thousands of them, scraped across the floors getting closer. The sound was that of nails being dragged across a chalkboard, and yet, the guides never even flinched.


    The thing would eventually lift itself off the ground, wet, meaty slaps sounding as it did so, as if its flesh was falling off its living corpse. Its feet would sound some time later, loud, solid, hooves.


    It would all stop moments later, all of it, the screaming, the moaning, the howling, the moving, all of it. All except a singular sound, a heartbeat, one loud enough to sound through the door, then it opened.


    It would swing open as if there was a light breeze that had pushed its hinges loose, but despite that fact, there was something there. It was tall, so tall in fact, that its head was hidden behind the door¡¯s frame, it was built wrong perhaps.


    The thing, even as it stood in front of them, seemed to be in shadow, illusive and foreign. That was until it lowered itself, and as its face came into view, only one word came to mind, gorgeous.


    ¡®It¡¯ was in fact, not an ¡®it¡¯, ¡®it¡¯ was a woman, and a beautiful one at that. Her stark black hair was littered with huge spiraling curls, she had all thirty-nine pearly whites in her smile, her eyes were a welcoming purple and her pale skin, ironically, seemed to shine.


    Her eyes washed over them, and moments later her joy was doing the same. She¡¯d dip below the frame and take hold of them all, lifting them in a hug as big as she was. She¡¯d bring them inside, slamming the door with her high heel.


    She¡¯d place them down, ready to accommodate them, and taking a good look at her, she wasn¡¯t a shadow, she was simply wearing a black dress with a black veil. It was all a misunderstanding it seemed, as even the place itself, inside, it was that of royalty.


    It was big too, but open, it had crystalline chandeliers on the gold trimmed marble ceilings, and furniture scattered across the checkered floors.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Even looking back at the door, it was white with golden trimmings, the cutlery, all gold and silver, furniture, only the best, leather and the like.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long you two, how have you been¡­?!¡± She¡¯d wave them after her as she dashed across the floor in excitement.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been¡­ good¡­ we¡¯ve been good¡­¡± Kim would respond, butchering a smile as they followed the giant.


    The giant would post up in her kitchen, searching her cupboards for the seasonings she knew she had, her cauldron ablaze in the fireplace. As for where the group ended up, the place was furbished, so they made their ways to the table and chairs


    The furniture was rather grand though, seven massive chairs around the table. They could barely see atop the thing as they all sat, some even unaware of where they were.


    ¡°Well¡­ you can¡¯t be that good if you¡¯re here¡­? Am I wrong...?¡± The giant would find what she as looking for, and as she passed them on the way to the fireplace she¡¯d crumple her face in query.


    ¡°I¡ª¡­ its complicated¡­ but at least we can be safe for a while¡­¡± Kim would rest her head against the table as she spoke.


    ¡°Yeah! You saw what happened earlier, right? The sky fell! Haha¡­! Must have been one of those human idiots, somehow, still kicking, and still stupid¡­. Am I right¡­ or am I right¡­? Haha¡­¡± The woman turned to look at them with a smile plastered from ear to ear, brows raised.


    ¡°We¡ª¡­ A¡ª¡­ Actually¡­. The ¡®thing¡¯ finally worked¡­ so¡­ it was her¡­¡± Brody pointed at Kim.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡­!¡± Kim looked at him with her jaw hanging, then she looked at the giant that was as just as shocked as she was. ¡°I¡ª¡­!¡± She looked away as she thought about it for a while, then she closed her mouth as she realized. ¡°So maybe it was my fault¡­¡± She didn¡¯t look at them.


    ¡°Look¡­. Look at the bright side¡­ it worked¡­ yaaayyyy¡­!¡± The giant waved her hands in celebration, a criminal smile on her face. ¡°S¡ª¡­ so anyway¡­ what brings you here¡­ since it worked and all¡­?¡± She turned back to attend to her pot, beating the inside of it with a spoon.


    ¡°¡¯She¡¯s¡¯ playing hard to get¡­ in fact, she doesn¡¯t seem to care¡­ and her aspects¡­ haha¡­ well they gave us a task to complete or¡ª¡± Kim would be interrupted.


    ¡°They kill you¡­?¡± The giant was familiar with their games.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ or they kill us¡­ so we have to deal with that now¡­ and because ¡®it¡¯ worked¡­ we might really die this time¡­ even in here¡­¡± Kim seemed to sink as she spoke.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why you have that ¡®thing¡¯ with you¡­ it reeks of her¡­¡± The giant would shoot a look at a certain artifact, and from her eyes, it was almost blinding, she¡¯d be forced to look away.


    ¡°Yup¡­ maybe it should have all just stayed the same¡­ I know you won¡¯t agree¡­ but you have no idea how it feels, none of you would¡­ but the thought that none of this would have happened, and we¡¯d a been fine too¡­ it¡¯s all just a massive headache¡­¡± Kim was over it seemed.


    ¡°Well¡­ of course I don¡¯t agree, more is always better after all¡­ but I do sympathize with you¡­ not even I can help you solve that problem¡­ none of us could¡­ even if we all came together¡­ which is why were not all together¡­ but that abomination has taken it upon himself¡­ so let¡¯s see what happens why don¡¯t we¡­ haha¡­¡± The giant mused.


    ¡°Speaking of ¡®all¡¯ of you¡­ where is everybody else¡­?¡± Kim would raise her head to look around the place, to ensure she was right.


    ¡°Oh¡­! Them¡­ or ¡®them¡¯. The giant¡¯s face would twist and crumple at her own words.


    ¡°All of them¡­¡± Kim was curious.


    ¡°Well¡­ you know how they are¡­? Some wanted to see it for themselves, some wanted to escape the conflict, some wanted to be alone, some wanted to be free¡­ and some¡­ well¡­ some wanted to be gods¡­ again¡­¡± The giant¡¯s voice fell with her last word.


    ¡°Wait¡­?!¡± Kim reached back into her own memory for once.


    ¡°Yes¡­! Even if that means raining over a wasteland¡ªI mean, I get that they already have the man power because of all their failed experiments, but come on...!?¡± The giant was basically scowling.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t¡­ e-even if their mindless¡­ e-even if their monsters¡­ their still¡­ us¡­?¡± The girl would find an itch in her throat as she spoke.


    ¡°Well¡­ in truth¡­ we aren¡¯t all the same¡­ so¡­¡± Even the giant felt a churn in her gut saying such a thing.


    ¡°¡­¡± Kim opened her mouth.


    ¡°A-anyway¡­ to achieve their goal, they¡¯d have to be as far away from here and that island as possible¡­ I¡¯m not sure about the island though¡­ because those on that island are selfish¡­?  Breeding their own kind like cattle, it only mattered that they didn¡¯t come from the island¡­ So they should be fine with building their kingdoms or whatever¡­ even if its relatively close to the island¡­ it¡¯s still dumb though¡­ with those intentions, to claim themselves ¡®puritans¡¯ as if they weren¡¯t born from the black womb¡­ that island is a sick place.¡± She¡¯d roll her eyes as she filled bowls of soup.


    ¡°Huh¡­? Okay¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about that place, but I did see them, they looked like monsters. I even saw those six, well ¡®saw¡¯ no bodies and all, you know¡ªbut more importantly¡­ How are any of us on the sidelines¡­? How can they be so far removed from our ideas¡­? Isn¡¯t humanity the ultimate honor¡­? For anyone else but us of course¡­¡± She¡¯d look at her wavering comrade in Brody.


    ¡°See¡­ we aren¡¯t the same¡­ you might point to that revolutionary¡­ but he doesn¡¯t represent the bulk of us¡­ becoming human¡­ isn¡¯t so simple when you¡¯ve been around as long as us¡­ we have power¡­ the likes of which you could never fathom¡­¡± The light seemed to fade from the giant¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°But ¡®you¡¯ are human¡­ all seven of you were¡­ and this power business, you have so much¡­ and yet¡­ you cower¡­? You all do¡­?¡± Kim refused eye contact with the woman.


    ¡°¡­You said you saw those six¡­ right¡­?¡± The giant changed the subject.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but it was quick¡­ it was around the same time we saw that ¡®revolutionary¡¯ for the first time over there¡­ it made my heart skip a beat¡­ being like this and all¡­ he commanded the seas, and I thought I¡¯d drown, but¡ª¡± Her sentence would stop short yet again.


    ¡°Well! For the time that you¡¯re here¡­ none of that matters, just relax, you¡¯ll need it¡­¡± The giant placed the bowls of soup on the table and the whole thing seemed to shrink for the two.


    ¡°Thanks I guess¡­¡± Kim didn¡¯t quite have an appetite.

 Impending Doom

    The concoction that the giant woman placed before them was a beautiful one, it was filled with yams, carrots, potatoes, dumplings, noodles and tons of meat, strange meat, but meat nonetheless. They¡¯d eat it all, neglecting the two they were escorting, and for good reason.


    ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s this task I¡¯m hearing about? What did they ask you to do? That sweet little girl¡­ she¡¯s quite nice¡­ even August is¡­¡± The giant was sat on her heels, hands stacked at the table¡¯s edge, and her chin atop them.


    ¡°He asked us to¡­ to bring them ¡®there¡¯¡­ and if we were to hurt them¡ª which is just code for ¡®protect them¡¯¡­! He¡¯s going to lynch us with our own intestines¡­! Why¡­!? What did I ever do to him¡­!? Huh¡­!? I¡¯m not the one that went running my mouth¡­ I was cooperative from the beginning¡­ the beginning dammit¡­! I was going on just fine¡­ and then he ¡®saved¡¯! Us! It¡¯s all just so fu¡ª it¡¯s all just so frustrating!¡± Kim was pulling on her hair at that point, her eyes flooded with tears.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t ask you to bring them¡­ like, just close enough for them to reach, the whole way¡­?¡± The giant patted Kim on the head.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing¡­! He said to bring them there¡­ and even if he wasn¡¯t specific¡­ if we stray too far from these two nincompoops¡­!¡± Kim looked at May on the chair beside her, and then at Bob that was beside Brody, both unconscious. ¡°They¡¯d never survive¡­!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ the only advice I could give is to control yourselves¡­ but¡­ I don¡¯t think he has any intentions of letting you live¡­ is it because of¡ª¡­why these ones¡­?¡± The giant caressed Kim and Brody with her eyes.


    ¡°How were we supposed to know that time would stay the same¡­! And how was I supposed to know that they¡¯d still be alive¡­! I just picked one, that¡¯s it! Now, it¡¯s all just one big shit show¡­!¡± Kim began scratching at her own chest and face, almost clawing away her skin.


    ¡°I wish I could help you¡­ I really do¡­ but the most I can do¡­ is get you there¡­¡± The building would begin to shake as the giant spoke, and soon, steps could be heard from the outside as they began to move.


    ¡°I mean¡­ you¡¯re more help than him¡­!¡± Kim pointed to Brody as if she was presenting a trophy, a bad one, but a trophy nonetheless. ¡°He wants to bargain with them¡­! With ¡®her¡¯!¡± The woman¡¯s eyes widened as she spoke, still surprised by his words, herself.


    ¡°¡­I¡ª¡­¡± The giant looked at Brody as if he was some type of extraterrestrial spectacle, eyes as wide as Kim¡¯s. ¡°Listen honey¡­¡± She¡¯d turn back to the small woman, cradling her face. ¡°You can¡¯t help an idiot¡­ do what you have to do to survive¡­ ok¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here you know¡­?!¡± Brody finally found it to defend himself,


    ¡°You might be¡­ but you must have left your brain somewhere else¡­¡± The giant didn¡¯t even look at him, she continued to comfort Kim.


    ¡°C¡¯mon¡­ it¡¯s at least worth a try? Is it not...?¡± The brute sought validation, companionship.


    A second would pass, then two, then ten, and finally fifteen.


    ¡°¡­Was I supposed to agree with you¡­?¡± The giant finally looked at him, disgust.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ worth a try¡­! Because if not¡­ news flash¡­!¡± A tear would roll down his cheek and nest in his beard. ¡°We¡¯re dead anyway!¡±


    There would be silence for a moment, for a long while actually, the giant couldn¡¯t say anything, because she was a bystander, and Kim said nothing, because she knew it was true.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°You¡­ are going to die¡­ a very brutal death¡­ as for me¡­ he¡¯s not getting to me¡­¡± Kim would wipe her cheeks to her ears, getting rid of the tears. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die like that¡­ in fact¡­ I don¡¯t want to die at all¡­ so go ahead¡­¡± She¡¯d sniffle. ¡°So go and bargain with him¡­ go and make a deal with the damn devil!¡± She couldn¡¯t do it; she couldn¡¯t think it sensible.


    ¡°I will¡­¡± The brute smiled as he wiped away the tear, shaking his head as if possessed.


    ¡°There, there, you can think of something, can¡¯t you?¡± The giant rested a hand on Kim¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I have one idea¡­ I have one¡­ you have a weapon don¡¯t you¡­? A knife or something¡­? Something that can kill an idea in this new world?¡± The woman looked up at the giant with determination in her eyes.


    The giant hesitated not, she acted quickly, reaching behind her veil and into her bosom. She¡¯d search it for a while, twisting and turning as she looked off into the ceiling, and eventually she¡¯d find what she was looking for.


    Her hand would emerge shrouded in a black mist, and as it cleared, a dagger could be seen. It was small, small enough for Kim to hold, but it was boarding on sword, if I am to be honest.


    The desperate woman would take the blade still, and she¡¯d investigate it with her eyes. It was silver, all of it, even the blade, even the rounded pummel, even the handle, even the scabbard, even the strap.


    It was strange really, but it was taken still. Kim would cast the thing over her head, and it would fall across one of her shoulders. The silver, that would have been assumed to be solid until then, bent and stretched like an actual flexible strap as it rested on her.


    She tested it, pulling against it to ensure it would stay, and on que, it molded to the shape of a belt and wrapped around her chest and waist. It was perfect.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kim looked off into distance, never truly looking at anything.


    ¡°Happy to help¡­¡± The giant realized Kim¡¯s intentions.


    The guilt was much weighed against a heart though, and the giant woman couldn¡¯t quite stay there, so she left to lay down on a sofa a distance away, staring at the ceiling. She wanted to help, and she wanted to think that she could, and would if she could, but there was nothing to be done, and especially not against Aspects.


    It made the weight on her chest all the heavier considering the fact that she was carrying them there. Yes, she was technically helping them to complete their task, but, the longer they took, the longer they had before they¡¯d have to come face to face with the consequences of their actions. So, in a way, she wasn¡¯t really helping them at all, she was hurting them.


    It¡¯s not like she was going to leave immediately after either, so would she watch helplessly from the sidelines. It was a heavy weight to sleep with, to find comfortable, she couldn¡¯t do it. There was not much longer either, not with the way the living building was moving.


    The river was as much of a place as much as it was a fleeting emotion, and like illusive feelings, the journey to get there could be easy, or it could be a hard one. On that particular day, the journey was looking easy, and they had minutes to figure something out.


    I say they had to figure something out, but truly, what could they do against those that could spawn thoughts and bend reality, nothing, but what if that wasn¡¯t the case. That pattern of thought, it wasn¡¯t mine, it was the giant¡¯s. She¡¯d spring up from her sofa, no hope yet, but an idea burning.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen when you get to ¡®that¡¯ place¡­? Is he going to be waiting for you there¡­?¡± The giant had to at least try.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ all I know is, it sounds like he will be there¡­ so¡­ I really don¡¯t know¡­¡± Kim had made up her mind, she wasn¡¯t looking for another solution, or thinking about the specifics.


    ¡°So what if you ¡®get them there¡¯¡­ and leave¡­ he¡¯s not here yet¡­ that¡¯s obvious, and if he is here, he¡¯s using some type of trickery¡­ so, before he gets here, why not run¡­ I can deliver the two¡­ if it¡¯s coming from me¡­ maybe he¡¯ll listen¡­?¡± The giant dreaded the words, but it was the best she could do.


    ¡°I¡¯m not running¡­ he¡¯ll find me anyway¡­ here¡­ or over there¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter¡­ so I know exactly what I¡¯m going to do¡­¡± Kim took hold of the knife, squeezing it.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve decided¡­¡± The giant fell back down, the strength she had barely holding her together, gone.


    The steps would go on for a few minutes more, and then they¡¯d stop. The building would shake as it lowered, and thus, it was done. They had arrived at their destination.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a second later until Kim had hopped from the seat, May in hand. Brody wasn¡¯t as happy about it all, but he followed her lead, dragging the half dead Bob with him.


    They headed straight for the door, as for the giant, she couldn¡¯t bear to look at them.

 A Bargain With Death

    They¡¯d leave the hut, and it was a bit higher up than it had been before. As for the reason, the thing had pried itself from the ground, and at that moment, it was perched atop its crossed chicken legs, sitting.


    They¡¯d make their way down the decrepit stairs, watching each step, and as they made their way to the bottom, the whole creature leant forward so that they could reach the ground. They still had to hop off the stairs, but they were fine.


    As for where they landed, there was grass, and it was green. The place they had arrived at, ¡®the river¡¯, was a river, but that didn¡¯t mean everything was what was expected.


    They stood in the midst of two sky reaching barriers, clear, but translucent enough to be seen. The things followed the entire river from source to mouth, both sides, and it could all be seen, because the water body was dead straight, and corpse flat.


    Inside the barriers was like an oasis, it was different from the outside yes, but that wasn¡¯t its fault. The reeds were tall, but not too tall, beds and fields of flowers followed the entire place indiscriminately, and a singular tree towered above them, dead, but not rotten, nor fallen.


    The tree wasn¡¯t the only interesting bit about the oasis, the other side was a desert, dunes of sand, cacti and craters of crystalized grains, ledges frozen many feet in the air. The sky was reminiscent too, it was a pitch black void that seemed infinite, as if at any moment, you¡¯d fall in.


    There were no stars or lights, just darkness. The place was still lit though, dimly lit, but lit none the less, it was like a scene from a dark age stage play, lit by a spotlight, it was perfect.


    Kim, as brave as she was, and as sure as she was, still teetered on walking towards the water body, it seemed to irritate her skin, Brody was much the same.


    They still had to fulfil their part of the deal though, and so they¡¯d walk up to the bank of the calm river, it seemed still really. If one were to peer into it for too long though, they might have seen bones tumbling throughout, skulls and all.


    That was a maybe though, the river was still, and the water was clear, yet the bottom was pitch black, how deep did it go, really.


    They¡¯d stop a few ten feet away from the water, and so, they were ready. Brody was the one with the cube, and at that point, for whatever reason, it hadn¡¯t moved or even twitched. He didn¡¯t care though, and he tossed it out in front of them, almost as if he was for aiming the river.


    They¡¯d look at it, hearts in their mouths, waiting for something to happen, for anything to happen, and yet, nothing did, for a while too. They¡¯d eventually start pacing around, taking one deep breath after another, waiting for that sound, for the realization, but it didn¡¯t come.


    There was one thing they could do though, especially if they had time. The ¡®river¡¯, as stated before was a place, but it was also a feeling too, but why that wording.


    It was simple really, just like everything in the place had a meaning, no matter how simple, no matter how complex, that place also had a meaning. The river represented death, life, passage of time, forgiveness and most important for their purposes, rebirth. As such, if Kim could strike a deal with her, she could solve her problem.


    Kim had long left May to the mercy of the Abstract, tossed in the grass to be found¡ªshe would be fine there though, so it didn¡¯t matter.


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    Kim walked to the river¡¯s bank, her chest up to her chin bleeding for some reason. It didn¡¯t bother her though, in fact, that¡¯s what she wanted.


    She¡¯d wipe the blood from herself, and clenching her hand a fist, she stretched it over the river. It took a moment, but soon a drop of blood emerged, and it fell. The instant it touched the water, it all became a blood red, two glowing white dots below the surface.


    The place shook for a bit, enough to notice, but not enough to be scared of. The waters would ripple, and moments later, it all rose up before her, stories high. As the water fell away though, it came into view.


    She was huge, expected, her hands were webbed claws and her skin was glistening sky blue scales, streaks of navy almost black running down her sides and to her tail. Her eyes were glowing, shining really, and her face was soft, no scales, but it looked smooth, small, petite, feminine. She had hair, it was blue too, though it looked more like slithering eels than anything else, yet still, she was devine.


    She pulled herself from the water by her hands, sitting on the bank. She didn¡¯t seem to see them, in fact, she had a brush in her hands. It was gold, but it was crude, it was, a tube with spikes dotted around it, yet, she used it.


    She hummed to herself as she stroked the tool through her hair, breaking the absolute silence that there was in the absence of everything that should have been. Her voice was sublime, it was like a hymn from an angel, tantalizing, seductive, dangerous.


    Kim, the one that had called forth the embodiment, or rather, the consciousness of the place, said nothing, and she was right to do so. The creature would eventually awknowledge her existence, looking down at her with glowing eyes.


    ¡°Nameless child¡­ what do you seek¡­ salvation¡­ immortality¡­ power¡­ mercy¡­?¡± The creature spoke, and if one was not careful, they¡¯d answer on the sound of her voice alone.


    ¡°I want freedom¡­ send me back to the world of the living¡­ please¡­ I¡¯m begging you¡­?¡± Kim prostrated herself before the figure, completely.


    ¡°I see¡­ what do you wish to escape¡­?¡± The creature wanted more details.


    ¡°An Aspect of Fate¡­ I am in fear of my life¡­¡± Kim spoke as if the thing was a judge.


    ¡°Is that why you are here¡­ or, are you here to bathe in the waters¡­?¡± The thing stopped brushing its hair, all its attention was on Kim.


    ¡°I am here because I was forced to come by the Aspect.¡± Kim glimpsed the cube from the side of her eyes, even in the grass.


    ¡°I see¡­ and I am supposed to believe that one of them would allow you to live¡­?¡± The thing lowered itself, looming above Kim.


    ¡°My answer is yes¡­ a¡ª¡± Kim tripped on her own words as her heart made its way into her mouth. ¡°And I dare say¡­ you know that I was forced to be here¡­ you know about it all¡­ don¡¯t you¡­?¡±


    The thing lowered one of its hands to the ground but it was so heavy that the place shook under its immense weight. She¡¯d then bring herself down to Kim¡¯s level, looking her in her eyes with red glaring beads.


    The thing had a smile plastered across its face from ear to ear, literally, where there should have been cheek, there was a light pink membrane, and behind that was a forest of needles, surprisingly white.


    ¡°You are very presumptuous for an idea long forgotten¡­ you have come to me clinging to the coat tails of The Sins¡­ and yet¡­ I listened¡­. I would advise you to remember your place¡­ remnant¡­ or I will be your end¡­ I will drag you back into the annals of time¡­ and then¡­ you will truly die¡­ and not only in body¡­ no one will have ever known of you¡­ not that anyone did know you¡­ just look at you¡­ even like that, you lack self¡­ pathetic¡­¡± The giant amphibian removed herself and began lowering her body back into the water.


    Kim would spring up from the grass, tripping over herself, yet, she still spoke.


    ¡°Just help me! Please!¡± She reached for the monster, but it payed her almost no mind.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± The creature paused its descent. ¡°There is a future where you survive your confrontation¡­ he will bring nothing but the body he has¡­ I pray for your sake¡­ that it¡¯s this one¡­ or, rather¡­ I pray that your death will be swift¡­ I will not make an enemy out of Fate¡­ you are on your own¡­¡± The monstrous woman slipped back into the calm waters, and then all the blood was gone, it was as it was before.


    Kim was crouched in the grass; frozen stiff by the words she had heard. She¡¯d eventually fall over, laughing to fill the void of noise caused by the absence of everything that should have been, even wind.


    For a while, there was only her voice as she laughed and rolled in the grass, eyes bloodshot from crying. She wasn¡¯t the only one, Brody had fallen to his knees, eyes empty and heart full, would he really bargain with the Aspect, not even Death would do such a thing.

 Man of The Hour

    The woman had stopped her laughter, mainly because she had run out of dopamine to draw from, but also because she had to prepare herself for what was about to come.


    She stood up to the cold silence that the place fostered, truly, there was no sound offered but that of her breath, and even that was strained.


    She walked in the opposite direction of the cube, pacing up the river¡¯s bank, not even blinking, not even thinking. As for Brody, he was crouched in the grass, knees to his chest, eyes fixed on the cube.


    As for their cargo, May and Bob were still laying there, tossed asunder in the foliage. Kim would eventually stop a ways away, turning to face the cube. She¡¯d unsheathe her dagger with trembling hands and hold it with both, pointing it towards the golden relic.


    She shook so much that she almost dropped the thing, yet she never let go. They waited, and though it should have been a while, it was only seconds later. The cube did not shake or gyrate, in fact, it lost its golden hue and returned to what it was before. The consequences of such actions were nigh still.


    The ground below the cube shattered as if struck from below by a great blow, but more was awry. It stayed there, in the air, debris, and as for the ground below it, a void.


    A hand would emerge holding the cube, silver, moments later the cube would regain its golden hue, but for a different purpose. The thing would let out currents like pillars of dust, only they were golden, and there was no wind.


    The constructs of golden dust flailed in the air, as if alive, and then they reached into the river¡¯s depths. They¡¯d begin their retrieval, as removing themselves, they were holding something covered in black burning sludge, it was August, but his body was lifeless, and human.


    He¡¯d be set down, and the pillars would fade into him. Thus, he stood on his own. As for the cube, it had long lost its hue, the void and the hand long gone, the fragments of earth scattered about.


    He¡¯d soon fall to his hands, regurgitating a barrel¡¯s fill of water and sludge. He¡¯d cough uncontollably for a few moments after that, spitting out all remnants of the depths he emerged from.


    He¡¯d soon gather the strength to stand, the sludge evaporating as if steaming water, a crimson full body suit donning him from out of thin air. He¡¯d look around at it all, his sister, his friend, the cabin, the armed woman, the waterbody, and the burly man cowering in the grass.


    He looked to be patient too as he walked straight to his sister, ignoring everything else. He picked her up, and ensured that she was indeed still alive. He¡¯d then bring her to the river¡¯s bank, and lowering himself to his knees, he let her down into the stream.


    By some sorcery, her body began to drift away, and as it did, she sunk to just beneath the water¡¯s surface, crossing the expansive divide, all on her own.


    ¡°You have until she makes it to the other side, to convince me not to kill you¡­¡± The aspect stood up, looking out onto the water¡¯s surface, content.


    Brody, hearing those words, knew that he finally had his chance, but the words were deliberate, as they always were. He had to convince someone that was an aspect, he had to bargain with someone that had nothing to gain, and then, nothing to lose. It was an impossible task, by every metric, and by every measure, but he¡¯d still try. He¡¯d stand up first though, and he¡¯d dust himself off.


    ¡°Even if¡­ even if we¡¯re no longer the people you knew¡­ you¡¯d still be killing your friends¡­ their memories¡­ we still have their memories¡­ we¡¯re¡ª¡± Brody would be refused the chance to blunder.


    ¡°You¡¯re not them¡­¡± The silver man finally turned to look at Brody, and his eyes were bleeding.


    Brody would instinctually step back as they made eye contact, but he¡¯d keep going.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ but could you truly bring yourself to kill them¡­ to kill us¡­?!¡± Brody pounded his aching chest with a fist.


    ¡°Is that a challenge¡­?¡± The monster in a man¡¯s body, even as he spoke, he looked back out into the water. ¡°Because I¡¯d be happy to oblige¡­ Look¡­ Your usefulness has run out, but there is still one avenue to redemption for you, for you both, give the bodies back, simple¡­ no?¡± A choice presented by the executioner.


    ¡°You know we can¡¯t do that!¡± Kim rediscovered her voice. ¡°If we do¡­ If we do what¡¯ll happen to us in this new world!? Everything¡¯s changing¡­ worlds are colliding?! Collapsing atop one another¡­! And without a host¡­ we¡¯ll cease to exist! Are you that cruel¡­ you know that we can no longer be reborn¡­ don¡¯t you?! Even in here¡­ we can die!? In here!?¡± She pleaded to the monster.


    ¡°You know exactly what this about, don¡¯t beg to me concerning your lives, what about their souls¡­? Trapped in the bodies you stole¡­ forever out of time¡­ mad because of your influence¡­ eternal suffering¡­ hell¡­ literal hell¡­ and for what¡­? So that a dead idea can be put on life support, no, give the bodies back¡­ or I kill you.¡± The man began to twitch, his anger building, even in his weak body.


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    ¡°¡­I ¡­ I can¡¯t do that¡­ not unless you find me¡ª¡± Kim was promptly shut up.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to spend days searching for a vessel for you¡­ nor will I liberate a taken one¡­ you made a choice when you declined my offer, when you betrayed me¡­ you all did¡­ if you had waited¡­ maybe you could have been born human¡­ but no¡­ as disgusting as you are¡­ that is as disgusting as you all are¡­ power hungry¡­ you had a choice¡­! I gave you a choice! And you didn¡¯t take it! I no longer feel bad for your suffering¡­ nor will I regret causing it.¡± The monster watched his sister drift, she was a minute, if that, away from the other bank.


    ¡°Wait¡­!? Wait how much longer¡­!? We should have waited how much longer¡­!? How many more eons!? How many more eternities without a body, without children, without family, without freedom, without life¡­ meaning¡­ love?! You tell me! Go ahead!¡± Kim was so far gone she was no longer shaking out of fear, but anger, her veins all bulging and her eyes bleeding.


    ¡°782¡­ I watched them die¡­ ¡®people¡¯ bred in a machine on the wastelands your kind caused¡­ conceived for the sole purpose of dying so your kind can live¡­ 10 people¡­ for every 1 of you, yes, their dumb, but their conscious, and they were just as human as anybody else, I could see it, feel it, their pain¡­ so I¡¯ll ask you again¡­? What makes your ¡®1¡¯ life worth ¡®10¡¯ of theirs¡­? And don¡¯t say cause their dumb¡­ because you¡¯d have taken a dumb body if it was the closest to you¡­ The technology needed time, and you knew that¡­! You all did!¡±


    August waited, but she said nothing in response.


    ¡°These eyes¡­ they see everything, always¡­ so when you come to me¡­ Me! Saying these things after all who have suffered to try¡­ ¡®try¡¯ and get you bodies¡­ what do you think I feel¡­ if not rage and disgust towards your kind¡­ The atrocities that you require to be born¡­ they did all of that in hopes of a peace you things never even wanted¡­ 28:04:06:09:06 and 35:03:01:02:32. Do those numbers mean anything to you¡­? Of course not¡­ because you never asked her¡­ because you never cared¡­ I know what you want¡­ human bodies, but you want them undying, indestructible, with all the power you have¡­ you don¡¯t want to be human¡­ you want to be gods¡­ ¡®She¡¯ was right¡­ about all of you¡­¡± The psychopath let go of all his fleeting emotions, his sister had long reached the other side anyway.


    ¡°Then why did she do this to us¡­ trap us here?! We can manifest form in that world on our own? Can¡¯t we¡­? Or are we not allowed that¡­?¡± Kim¡¯s retort.


    ¡°You¡¯d feel nothing of flesh¡­ that is unless you took feeling bodies, but you want human bodies, so what flesh would you take? This is pointless, you know what you¡¯re saying. We both saw that thing, your ¡®revolutionary¡¯, a twisted amalgamation of all who have entered here¡­ dead and stitched together in that twisted body¡­ and he gets to keep it all¡­ his powers¡­ and that¡¯s what you want¡­ what you want me to allow¡­?¡± August would take hold of his own face as he tried to make sense of it all.


    ¡°So what do we do¡­? Stay unfeeling husks for the rest of time¡­? Suffering¡­ for the rest of time¡­?¡± Perhaps Kim had a point.


    ¡°You could die. I have the ability to kill pure ideas¡­ even forgotten ones¡­ though, not even I know your name.¡± His eyes wandered, but they found nothing.


    ¡°Oh¡­! Eat shit!¡± Kim was done reasoning. ¡°You can¡¯t even answer me seriously! And I¡¯m pathetic¡­!? Is this even you talking¡­ August¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ at first, it was just her, Fate¡­ but that¡¯s not what she wanted, eventually, I was left to lead, to form my own opinion¡­ and all that she had told me made sense, you will never be satisfied¡­ you are the ones that abandoned death, flesh and a stable dimension¡­ it was your choice¡­ all of you¡­! And now that consequences have come due and we¡¯ve stopped you form driving yourselves into self-destruction, you seek to take our power for yourselves¡­ you are pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­ but¡­ even then¡­ we couldn¡¯t have children¡­ nor could we love¡­ but in these bodies¡­ In these bodies! We feel everything! love, hate¡­ pain, heat¡­ cold¡ª¡± Kim would be interrupted.


    ¡°In those bodies¡­? Those¡­ Stolen¡­! Bodies¡­.? Hm¡­?! Here¡¯s a thought¡­ you are not human, you were never meant to be human, you will never be human¡­ and I will not allow you to be human¡­! You had your chance, and you squandered it!¡± The psychopath began stretching his muscles, decided.


    ¡°Typical¡­ you¡¯re not happy unless you can control us¡­ how surprising¡­?¡± Kim raised her dagger higher, hands still.


    ¡°Your time¡¯s up¡­¡± The man turned around, making eye contact with both assailants. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you now.¡±


    His words sounded with a rasp, as if he wasn¡¯t even trying to speak in the first place, as if taking their lives was an inconvenience. It wouldn¡¯t all go his way though, as the ferry woman had said, Kim had gone riding on the coattails of the sins, and one of them was still there.


    The small inconspicuous, out of place, hut, exploded from the inside releasing a black bog, or rather, the thing moved so unnaturally that, that was the only way to describe it. It sprung hands and faces from all the cracks and crevasses on its rotten body as it grew. It was not a moment later before the diseased creature¡¯s shadow and many hands were the staple of the banking.


    ¡°Not you¡­ Not you!¡± The psychopath paced towards the thing, as if it was a child. He¡¯d stop feet away from it, standing beneath its arched figure he looked into a pair of its eyes. ¡°If you so much as¡ª no¡­ if you intervene¡­ I¡¯ll leave you be¡­ but just know I¡¯ll be bringing back the heads of all those you love¡­ Wrath¡­ Gluttony¡­ Pride¡­ Envy¡­ Lust¡­ Sloth¡­ all of them, you¡¯ll have to live with that... can you¡­?¡±


    The mountain of flesh leaned forward almost as if to fall atop the man, yet he did not so much as flinch. It¡¯d wail like a dieing animal, six actually, or maybe it was a scream. It¡¯d flail its building sized hands, destroying the entire flower bed, yet it didn¡¯t hit August.


    It lowered itself, making its largest and most prominent face visible, a rotting head with no eyes and dried powdered skin, curly hair dangling from it. The thing would lean in on him opening its mouth, wailing, so loud that even Kim and Brody were forced to cover their ears.


    ¡°Are you done?!¡± August moved in even closer, so close that he was basically in the thing¡¯s mouth.


    It¡¯d back off, and soon it began to fall apart, the ground, and even the river being tossed asunder. It would all result in nothing but smoke though, and at the end of it all, all there was, was the crying of a woman. As the smoke cleared, the giant woman could be seen hunched over with her head in her hands, weeping.


    ¡°You made the right choice¡­ this time¡­¡± The silver tyrant went down on one knee, patting her on the shoulder.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you¡­!?¡± The sin didn¡¯t look him in the eyes, but she did make herself heard.


    ¡°Are we forgetting the past now¡­? Remember, even if I did kill ¡®all¡¯ of you¡­ I would only be avenging my own death¡­ let¡¯s not pretend like I¡¯m the bad guy here¡­ I gave you a chance¡­¡± He looked away with one brow high above the other. ¡°Actually¡­ this is a second chance¡­ you should be grateful¡­ you should be thanking me¡­!¡± He¡¯d finally leave the woman to weep, standing.

 The Pain of Friendship

    August, from being completely still and looking at the void that was the sky, broke out into a sprint, damn near rolling across the ground barreling towards Brody. The burly man stepped back, and as he spread his arms wide his shirt began to rip, but he wasn¡¯t the psychopath¡¯s target.


    He¡¯d dip to the side with eyes as wide as the ocean, focused on Kim. The woman as she looked into those crimson eyes, her heart ceased to beat, but her plan would hold true still. The man vanished before her eyes, and moments later, all she saw was his hand take hold of her head and blood gush from her throat.


    Her vision would fade as she fell into the abyss, that would be her last death, her name, whatever it was, would never be known ever again, nor would it be remembered. As she sunk into the darkness, losing herself, and whatever she was, she¡¯d hear the last words of her existence, a whisper to the ears of her stolen body.


    ¡°You¡¯re a coward! A coward!¡± Those were August¡¯s words as he held the dismembered head of Kim. ¡°You are as pathetic as you ever were!¡± She didn¡¯t hear that part.


    As for Augusts¡¯ anger, the body on the ground, the dagger it held, it was covered in blood, and he hadn¡¯t hurt her, he hadn¡¯t even put as much as a scratch on her. Yet, she bled, and she died.


    It¡¯d be all the worse as the hanging mouth split down the middle and to the throat to reveal a valley of teeth, the remnant¡¯s influence over the body. The man held the head for a few seconds, and if he was still human in mind, he would have been shaking.


    He¡¯d stoop, placing the head on the ground, closing its eyes, even though it looked like that. As he stood though, he only had one thing on his mind, suffering. The thing that was controlling Brody was still alive, and as such, he¡¯d put it through enough to make up for both monsters.


    As he turned around, he¡¯d see the true form of the body snatcher, it wasn¡¯t going to hide anymore. August, even as he was then, still stumbled back and away, almost vomiting at the sight of his mutilated friend. He¡¯d almost cry, but all that came from his eyes was more blood.


    He¡¯d recreate his first feat, barreling towards the remnant, the only difference was that he wasn¡¯t going to dodge that time. As he ran though, his increased perception would get the better of him, and he¡¯d be forced to look at the thing in great detail.


    The second mouth, the unnatural one, started where the first did, but it split at the lips and went all the way down to the naval. As such, the man was spread open like a filleted fish, a bloody gash being reveled, filled with finger sized teeth.


    The thing had also ejected its claws, destroying the fingers to bend bone into weapons. August saw all of it, and the sight was unbearable, but he didn¡¯t look away, not for a second, not for a second time.


    The only thing he did in those infinite moments before he reached the remnant, was remind himself that it was no longer his friend. It was no longer the gentle giant he knew; it was no longer Brody.


    He¡¯d force the resolve, because, even as he looked at the destroyed face of a friend, he knew more, he knew that he was still in there, and he knew that he¡¯d feel every hit.


    August would take advantage of his own powers and drown himself in rage, blind himself with it. Thus, the man that stood before him, he was no longer his friend, in fact, it didn¡¯t matter that it was his friend, nothing mattered.


    His human hands would warp, turning gold, growing barbs and spikes all over. They¡¯d meet moments later, August screaming like a wild animal, frothing at the mouth. The remnant was fast, and the moment August entered its space, its claws were already inches away from his face.


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    There was only one problem though, August was faster, and he was mad. For that first second, August¡¯s right hand seemed to disappear as he dipped to the left, and it was over after that. A crackle and bang let out as the thing was lift up and off the ground by August¡¯s first punch, and he wasn¡¯t done.


    The monster went blow for blow, keeping the remnant in the air with every hit, pushing it towards the tree at the bank, blood flesh and bone everywhere. Then, just as he reached below it, he paused, looking at the bloody hole he put through the thing. He saw its intestines dangling, and he remembered the promise he made, even in his rage.


    Time was all but nonexistent for the psychopath at that point, and no one had the luxury to see what he had done. So, by the time they caught up, the remnant¡¯s intestines were looped around its neck and August was stood in the tree with the other end.


    He¡¯d jump over a branch, leveraging the other side, hanging the remnant with its own entrails. The thing kicked, flailed and wailed, but August didn¡¯t fold. Then it spoke with what little air it got.


    ¡°Thank¡ª¡­ you¡­¡± That, those words, Brody, he was sure of it.


    His rage washed away like morning dew in midday¡¯s sun, and he found himself face down in the grass, screaming at himself. What had he done, what had he forced himself to do. There were no tears, but there was blood, and it flowed, like tears.


    He, even in his altered, barely human body, had no strength to stand up, had no strength, to stop himself weeping. Especially after he heard that lifeless body drop. He rocked in the dirt, back and forth, biting into his own fingers, trying to convince himself that it wasn¡¯t Brody, trying to convince himself, that he was right.


    May had been in a long dream, floating away in darkness, and then, she had been let go by familiar hands into a river of light that rejuvenated her body. It seemed to change her, all the way to her core, she was no longer the same, the only part of her that remained was the intangible.


    The girl didn¡¯t even have her implants anymore, or rather, how they existed then, they had truly become a part of her, blood, flesh and all. As such, as a new person, she had awoken from her slumber and what she saw convinced her that she was still asleep.


    A caricature of Brody dead on the ground surrounded and wrapped in his own entrails, a beheaded Kim and her brother, crying, weeping to be more specific. She rubbed her eyes, pinched herself, a little too hard even, she even slapped herself in the face, and at the end of it all, she realized, that it was truly real.


    She had no idea what was happening, and what had happened. Her breath quickened to dangerous degrees as she formulated an excuse in her head. Her brother had failed to save them, and whatever had killed them was the same thing that had ravaged the surrounding area.


    It got so bad that May¡¯s vision began to blur and she was beginning to lose herself, she was even forgetting how to breath, while simultaneously wanting to puke. August¡¯s abilities would return and he realized his sister was back.


    He stood up, and by the time his back was straight, all the blood was gone and he was almost smiling. May would fall over as she lost her balance and there was a hand to catch her. It was almost like it took all her burdens away as the moment they made contact she was fine.


    She¡¯d blink a few times, and reaching out, she hesitated before she touched his face, it was her brother. She crumpled a fist and punched him in the nose, but all she hit was a stone wall. She winced in pain, but even that passed in a moment¡¯s notice, not even a bruise left behind.


    ¡°Well that was stupid¡­¡± Her brother spoke, it was him.


    ¡°You¡¯re stupid¡­! What the hell is¡ª wha¡ª¡­?!¡± May put her head on swivel as she spoke, she wanted to point attention to the other side of the river, but there was nothing there.


    There was light golden mist washing over the landscape, it looked like dust, and the ground that was uprooted into mounds before, was back to being beds of flowers. There was nothing over there, and that¡¯s when she realized the absurdity of where she was, a still river and an empty sky, but none of that mattered.


    As she looked around, she¡¯d realize that Bob was there too, he looked better than before, as if he was only sleeping. The fact that Kim and Brody were gone did puzzle her though, especially after what she had seen.


    ¡°What happened¡­!?¡± The girl took hold of her brother¡¯s face, and it seemed to soften to human degrees.


    ¡°A lot¡­¡± August took a deep breath, looking away from his sister.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± May immediately recollected herself.

 Dead Inside and Out

    They sat the river¡¯s edge, and as irritate as the little girl was, she never left the confines of her brother¡¯s arms. She had thought about it so many times, the things she¡¯d say, the questions she¡¯d ask, yet, as they sat face to face, her words leapt not forth, nor did they leave her mouth.


    She had sworn to herself that the thing before her was no longer her brother, yet still, she couldn¡¯t muster the strength to stand, to push him away and make distance between them. Thus, she thought, if she wasn¡¯t quite ready for her real questions, or rather, the answers, she¡¯d ask superficial ones.


    There was so much to ask too, she had been out for so long, where was she and what had happened to her. Where were the guides and what had happened to them?


    It was a torrent of questions, and the more she thought about it looking into the man¡¯s empty eyes, the more she wondered if she indeed did want the answers. She knew her brother and while it wasn¡¯t quite the same, it was him, but the lack of his smile, even in the face of adversity, did worry her. As, after all that had happened, how could he be so content.


    ¡°Are you okay¡­?¡± The little girl¡¯s first words.


    ¡°Nope¡­¡± He didn¡¯t elaborate.


    ¡°Okay¡­ so where¡­ where is everyone else?¡±


    ¡°Dead, I killed them¡­¡± He did not stutter, nor did his eyes waver.


    May¡¯s heart sunk to her gut as the words cemented themselves in her head, but she¡¯d trust him, he was all she had left after all.


    ¡°W-why¡ªwait¡­ do I want to know?¡± The girl¡¯s heartbeat was riding a high yet again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d like to know, but I¡¯ll tell you anyway. Those two were not the friends I introduced you to, not the ones I knew¡­ you must have realized that through the way they treated you. Kim was no longer as soft and caring, and Brody was not going off on his stupid tangents¡­ just because he could¡­ they¡¯d imitate it of course¡­ but it wasn¡¯t the same¡­¡± There was regret in the man¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m going to need more than that. You do realize that you¡­ that you¡ª¡­¡± She didn¡¯t believe it; she couldn¡¯t say it to his face.


    ¡°That I killed them¡­ yes¡­¡± Her brother finished her sentence.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ S-so¡­ t-tell me why¡­?¡± May¡¯s eyes glossed over as she spoke.


    ¡°Okay¡­ they were imposters. Their bodies were stolen by¡­ ¡®monsters¡¯ let¡¯s say, monsters that came from here. They took them over and pretended to be them, they wanted human bodies¡­ and they took them. It is my fault though¡­ if I was faster¡­ I could have saved them¡­ That is something I¡¯ll have to live with for the rest of my time...¡± His eyes finally faltered and he was forced to look away.


    At that point, May did not know where to begin, she was angry, but a weight was still dragging her down from the gut.


    ¡°Wha- what do you mean¡­? You¡¯re telling me you left me with¡­ ¡®monsters¡¯¡­? Is that¡ª¡­ is that what you¡¯re telling me¡­?¡± The girl grabbed her brother¡¯s face with both hands, forcing him to look her in the eyes.


    ¡°Yes¡­ it was the only way to ensure your safety¡­ if they were the ones escorting you¡­ then the likely hood that you¡¯d be discovered would go down¡­ since most the others in here would think that you¡¯d all have been possessed¡­ It¡¯s the same reason I didn¡¯t kill them earlier¡­ they were valuable¡­ until they weren¡¯t¡­¡± He forced his eyes to give her the decency of eye contact.


    ¡°I¡ª¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say to you¡­ what if they had hurt me¡­ killed me¡­? What would you have done¡­?¡± May¡¯s hands had lost so much strength, they were beginning to slip.


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    ¡°The same thing I¡¯ve already done¡­ send them to hell¡­ They¡¯d never hurt you though, as you were their only hope of living¡­¡± He was going to give her the answers, whether she wanted them or not.


    ¡°Explain¡­¡± May¡¯s head fell limp, she barely had enough strength to breathe.


    ¡°We all knew what they were¡­ so I gave them a task to complete, and no doubt they thought that gave them a chance¡­ and it did¡­ and they wasted it¡­ they didn¡¯t want to give the bodies back¡­ so I got rid of them¡­¡± Fragments of the past presented themselves to August, but he held his composure.


    ¡°¡¯What they were¡­?¡¯ What are you¡­?! And how could you kill them just like that¡­ they looked just like your friends¡­?! Wha¡ª¡± He¡¯d interject.


    ¡°They were my friends¡­ until the very end¡­ they weren¡¯t dead¡­ I killed them¡­ it was mercy. You have no idea what they were going through, but I do¡­ and I couldn¡¯t stand to know that and do nothing¡­ even if it meant killing my own friends¡­ my own family¡­¡± August was still trying to convince himself of his innocence.


    ¡°You¡¯re a¡­ what are you¡­? Answer me¡­¡± May wouldn¡¯t let him avoid that, she had to know.


    ¡°Right now¡­ I¡¯m me¡­ I¡¯ll die soon, because as much power as I have come upon, I can¡¯t exist at two points in time at once¡­ I am an aspect of Fate¡­ the one that weaves and mends reality, the one that is eternal, the one that is absolute¡­ I am the aspect of truth¡­¡± There were no lies told by August.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start¡­ you¡¯re leaving me too¡­ you¡¯re going to die too¡­ and what will I have left?! Why¡­?¡± May clung to her brother, even though there was no warmth.


    ¡°This me will die¡­ yes, but we¡¯ll meet again¡­ though on what terms¡­ I am unsure.¡± He took a hold of his sisters face, forcing her to look at him, even as she cried. ¡°Everything I do¡­ I do for you¡­ even that body, that monstrosity¡­ I did it for you¡­ after you¡ª¡­¡± The memory of so long ago, years, was still vivid in his mind, and even with a dead body, he couldn¡¯t quite say it all in one go. ¡°After you almost died because of my pride¡­ I have never forgiven myself¡­ I already thought that it was my fault¡­ Mom and Dad¡­. But then that¡­ that truly would have been my fault¡­ because I couldn¡¯t even save you¡­ from my own mistake¡­¡± He pulled his sister close, embracing her in a hug, hiding his bloody tears.


    ¡°It was then¡­ from all that time back¡­ they¡¯ve been gone since then¡­?¡± The dots were starting to make a pattern in the girl¡¯s head. ¡°So what happened wasn¡¯t an accident¡­?!¡±


    ¡°As I said¡­ I¡¯m an aspect of Fate, but we don¡¯t necessarily get along, she¡¯s rather annoying¡­ and merciless¡­¡± His gaze would falter. ¡°She¡¯s selfish too¡­ really¡­ really selfish¡­ and so, when I denied her what she sought after most from me¡­ like the child she¡¯s always been¡­ she threw a tantrum... and what happened after that¡­ is what you recall... With all this power I have¡­ I still couldn¡¯t save you¡­ and I can¡¯t bring back the dead¡­ so I would have truly lost all I had left of my humanity¡­ you¡­ In the end, it all just seems¡­ useless, all of it¡­ everything I¡¯ve done¡­ everything I¡¯ve been through¡­ it all just feels¡­ pointless¡­ because through all of that¡­ I came back from the dead¡­ and I didn¡¯t deserve that¡­ why did I deserve a second chance¡­ but not them¡­ that feeling, it eats me alive¡­ every painful second of every day¡­ why me¡­? What have I ever done to the deserve this¡­?¡± August didn¡¯t even realize he was still talking; it was almost like he was thinking out loud.


    May didn¡¯t interrupt though, because as much he had taught her how to be a decent human being, and had taught her how to properly articulate her thoughts and feelings, he didn¡¯t practice what he preached.


    Thus, that was basically the first time, in her entire life, that she had heard her brother¡¯s unfiltered thoughts. She wanted to hear them, but the more he spoke, the more she realized why he had kept it all to himself.


    She couldn¡¯t even imagine his pain, she could only squeeze his cold body, knowing, that even that, was for her own sake. There was still so much more nonetheless, and maybe she could know more.


    She knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it all, she even knew that she couldn¡¯t help him, but the least she could do, was listen. As, the more she thought about it, the worse it got. He had lost the love his life, and he had been forced to kill his own friends, that were basically family, all in the same day. Yes, she felt betrayed, yes, she felt lied to and deceived, but no amount of anger could cloud her eyes when there were so many tears coming from them.


    All those times he smiled and laughed, all those times he put his sister before himself, she was beginning to realize how unfair it was, how heavy a burden it was. It was always strange, his behavior, but he was always a psychopath, not quite.


    He was a normal kid, until he was diagnosed a psychopath, and then he slowly became one the more he worked with the council and their messengers. It was around the same time their parents died, and maybe, even when he died. May pushed her brother away, and not because she hated him, and not because she was mad, but because she wanted to look into those empty eyes, and apologize.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­!¡± The girl would hold back her tears as she apologized, after all, it wasn¡¯t about her.

 The Birth of A Psychopath

    His sister wanted to know it all, and with the powers of August, she could truly know it all. He¡¯d send her back, all that time back, and she¡¯d be forced to witness that time from the eyes of someone who wasn¡¯t blind to the tricks of the state.


    She¡¯d see through the eyes of someone, who was a part of the state. He hesitated, but that couldn¡¯t be seen, his body didn¡¯t allow for half motions, or faulty commitments, the moment he decided it, it was done.


    So, when he did rest his forehead against hers, he made peace with the past and all that he had done. She¡¯d see it all, every mistake, every regret, every laugh, every cry, every moment of weakness, and every moment of postured strength.


    Thus, August had no choice but to accept it, all of his mistakes, all of his short comings, all of it. So, eyes closed, he was prepared for her to know who he truly was, and why he was the way he was.


    Thus, he had done it. May fell into an abyss, barreling through time so fast she didn¡¯t even realize she was falling herself. It would all collapse into place like blotches of paint in water, the world around her, and there she was, looking down at a younger version of herself.


    Then, she couldn¡¯t have been any older than five, and August was no more than seventeen. He still looked much the same, though he did have hair, that was the last time he had hair, and the last time he smiled with grace. Fixating on those details, she remembered that it was then, he had sent her back to the exact moment it had all changed.


    It was the day that August had met the messengers of the council, it was the day he had been diagnosed a psychopath, and it was the day ¡®The Every Man Rule¡¯ was implemented on his behalf.


    As for May herself, looking at herself, even at such a young age, she couldn¡¯t help but to feel a bit of guilt, even knowing that there was nothing she could have done. She tried to tell herself, to alter the past, but her voice did not so much as echo from where she stood, in the mind of August.


    They were standing in the hall, and May was clung to her brother¡¯s leg, awaiting the arrival of those revered few. She wouldn¡¯t get to witness it though as from the right of the hall, the wall fell away and her mother came forth, prying her away from her brother, taking her back to her own room.


    The sight made her heart skip a beat, even in the ethereal way she existed. It was her mother, alive and well, they looked like twins, only that her mother was older. She reached out, but nothing happened, not even a twitch.


    She remembered that day, and how could she forget. Even with the little she had come to know, just remembering the way her brother smiled at her with longing eyes before that door way collapsed before her, it made it all the worse, because remembering it, were those tears, yes, she was in his body, and they were.


    That¡¯s where all her knowledge ended, and from there, it would all be new. She realized that she was in his mind, and he had no voice in there, only ideas, and all he saw for himself were gruesome deaths, being ripped limb from limb, guts on the outside, clinging to a figure, almost like a premonition.


    His thoughts were cut short as a heavy hand rested on his shoulder, his father. May experienced all she had with her mother, though that time she sprung towards her father, trying to take hold of him, but nothing happened, even as she screamed.


    He looked like August, but the resemblance wasn¡¯t uncanny like her and her mother, they were only close enough to assume a connection, but that was it. August was no slouch when it came to looks, but his father was a different breed altogether.


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    He had a jawline so sharp he could split a strand of hair, and his hair was so smooth, curly and red it looked fake. Those details were lost with what her father did next though, he hugged his son, squeezing him. The man was crying, weeping, they knew, they all knew, all but her.


    Their father held August by the shoulders, looking into his glossy eyes, his smile twitching. August would not disappoint his father, and even without a voice saying so in his head, may felt his emotions, and they were clear. August took hold of his father¡¯s hands and removed them, patting him on the shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡ª¡­¡± A tear slipped. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± August¡¯s words as he wiped the droplet away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I never meant for this to happen¡­ but some things¡­ some things can¡¯t be made... can¡¯t be replicated¡­ some of us¡­ are just special¡­ I¡ª¡± August stopped his father.


    ¡°I understand¡­ I¡¯ll do what I have to do¡­¡± His father would take hold of him, resting his forehead against his.


    A hiss sounded throughout the room, and both the men stood, nothing, not even a singular irregular vein in their eyes. A circle would burn itself into the rose colored floors, and they¡¯d arrive, the messengers.


    They¡¯d come into view head first, as that was the nature of their arrival. They wore white robes lined with gold, and those that were of no more importance than escorts wore helmets that were stark white, not even a visor visible, only golden runic symbols.


    There were three off them, two of no notability, and one that was. It was a woman, she was tall, and irregularly so, but she was beautiful. Her stark black hair was littered with huge spiraling curls, she had all thirty-nine pearly whites in her smile, her eyes were a welcoming purple and her pale skin, ironically, seemed to shine. She walked towards them, smiling, and reaching out to both, she shook their hands.


    ¡°A pleasure to see you again Mr. Roman Rosavault¡­ and you, the successor of your father, August Rosavault.¡± The woman looked around as she spoke, as if looking for something, for someone.


    ¡°It is an honor to be in your presence Ms. Eting-Fesh¡­ Shall we.¡± August¡¯s father led them to the far side of the hall.


    The wall collapsed to reveal a room the size of a small auditorium, various bits and bobs scattered about it. If they weren¡¯t storage units filled with weapons and books, they were ceiling reaching glass tubes with metal bases feeding small volatile stars, or they were tables with various tools, materials and chemicals.


    They made their way to the center of the room that had a set of red sofas, two of which were facing each other. The woman sat on one opposite to the two men, and as for her escorts, they stood behind her, admiring the place.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we get straight down to business¡­?¡± The woman looked at both men that nodded. ¡°Good. August, I assume you¡¯ve already been informed of the purpose you will serve. All humans have the capacity to commit atrocities, but not all have the ability to truly disassociate from reality and become more¡­ or shall I say¡­ become ¡®psychopaths¡¯¡­ the tasks you will be obligated to complete will require you to become more, as unfortunately not even your parents have been able to complete our missions. However, you¡­ your affinity with infinity¡­ or shall I say The Abstract is more than we¡¯ve ever seen. Are you ready?¡± She locked eyes with August.


    ¡°I am¡­ Ma¡¯am.¡± August¡¯s mind was empty, no fear, no happiness, just focus.


    ¡°Splendid¡­¡± The woman smiled, and with that, fragments of the future began to show.


    They took August to one of the tables in the room, and before they began, they shaved his head. It was then that May saw the brother she knew began to form. They laid him down and placed a metal muzzle on him, something for him to bite down on.


    They¡¯d also strap the young man to the table. The woman then stood at the top of the table, above his head, both her hands at the sides of his temple. She wouldn¡¯t immediately begin the procedure, she waited as one of her subordinates brought a syringe with a translucent silver liquid, afflicted with chromatic aberration.


    They¡¯d inject it into his veins and immediately, he felt like he had come down with something, as he instantaneously got a fever, his pupils dilating and sweat washing him. The feeling of something crawling through his veins, ever present.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to guide you into a place where only your kind¡­ and only your kind can go¡­ so that you¡¯ll transcend your mortality¡­ in mind.¡± The woman placed her hands on the sides of August¡¯s head and her eyes became gray foggy bubbles.


    August¡¯s vision would then fade as he felt himself sink into a body of water, so still, it was almost impossible. As for what he saw, an empty sky, two translucent partitions to either side, though he didn¡¯t get to see those for long as he soon went so far down, that there was only darkness.

 The Death of Humanity

    August sunk, and though he felt himself drown, he felt no pain, and he had no regrets. He¡¯d allow himself to be swallowed by the void, closing his eyes, and soon two eyes replaced his in the void, pure white, glowing.


    The familiar thing, Death, took hold of him, and by request of a Sin, she brought him down into the deepest depths of humanity¡¯s subconscious. She brought him to still darkness, and leaving him there in the absence of that which it meant to be human, he became something else, something more in retaliation.


    He no longer needed love, nor did hate interest him, he wanted not pleasure, neither pain, he did not seek happiness, but wanted not melancholy, he wanted not touch, nor did he want embrace. In that void, the mind of August was reborn to be more than it was when he was human, for if he were ever to traverse the Abstract, a human mind wouldn¡¯t do.


    The process was only one of many though, and where he had been left, while still tainted black by humanity, there was still further down to go. He was at the surface of true humanity, and he needed to go deeper, but that was good enough for then.


    He¡¯d be plucked from the Abstract as quick as he had entered and as he came back to the world of the living, he wasn¡¯t him. He was trapped in his mind, his body pulling and pushing, clawing and screaming, something had possessed his human body in his absence.


    As he thought to control his body though, the thing had no choice but to flee. It had no control over his emotions, nor could it twist his mind, thus, it had to retreat back into the immaterial world.


    All that were present were a distance away from the table he was on, as if afraid, even the giant woman. As he calmed down though, they¡¯d release him, starting with the muzzle. Though, even then, they were being careful not to get bitten by him, or anything of the sort.


    As they realized that he was really back¡ªor rather, what they had made him¡ªthey¡¯d release him from the chains. He¡¯d sit there, mind empty, looking at the ground, trying to reorient himself. That was when he noticed it, blood coming from his head, as if the thing was trying to escape through him.


    They wouldn¡¯t leave him hurt though, as one of the giant¡¯s lackeys would attend to his wound. The person was gentle, even if a bit reluctant. It was understandable though, August wasn¡¯t necessarily the smallest of people, even compared to the giant woman.


    As such, the person¡¯s reluctance was understandable, especially seeing how much smaller they were when compared to him. They used a device shaped like a glove, the silver palm infected with a chromatic aberration. They¡¯d place it atop his head, stood atop their toes, they¡¯d be forced to use nanbots to make up the distance.


    Then, he¡¯d feel a chill pass through him and he was fine after that, the wound was all but gone. The woman would not stay much longer after that seeing as her mission for the day was complete.


    She was content, as she smiled the whole time she was still there, twitching in excitement. It was unsettling really, but no one was allowed to say anything, for all they were concerned, she was as normal as people from the council could have been. She wasn¡¯t making a great case for herself talking to Roman still.


    ¡°He¡¯s the one¡­ most definitely. He wasn¡¯t rejected by any of it. You saw it, he was so close to entering that place all on his own that his body almost became a gateway¡­ A second anomaly¡­ you did good Mr. Rosavault¡­ you did good¡­ I¡¯ll be seeing you again in a few days.¡± The woman awaited no response she was so excited, she left immediately.


    Then, to the surprise of no one, she left one of her servants to ¡®care for¡¯ August, the smaller one. They would also have to care for the person for the entire duration of August¡¯s service, and that was nonnegotiable.


    It was an amicable split though, seeing as they were a specialist in the doctrine of the Abstract. There most important task was still caretaker though, as August couldn¡¯t even walk on his own after what he had experienced.


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    He did try though, he launched off the table with his hands, but his legs provided no stability, and he fell atop the person. They were stronger than they looked and they held August by the waist, keeping him from falling. It was then that August realized something though, many things, but mainly, he realized that it was actually a ¡®person¡¯.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything like that again¡­ Please¡­¡± It was a woman, and her voice was soft, yet stern.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± August would slowly find his feet, held up by the woman. ¡°Can you let me go now?¡± He tried to pull away from the woman.


    ¡°No¡­¡± She pulled him back to her. ¡°What do you want¡­?¡±


    ¡°A shower¡­ sleep¡­?¡± August rediscovered a bit of his humanity as he continued the conversation, annoyed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you back to your room.¡± The woman did as she said without fail, refusing to leave him alone.


    As for August¡¯s father, he said nothing, because there was nothing to say, as for August, the connection they had, it was gone, or at least, it had become strained. Thus, he didn¡¯t say anything either, he just watched. The woman brought August to his room and gave him no privacy, even as he showered, she did not even turn her back. She was at his bedside, watching him, even as he attempted to sleep.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything better to do¡­?¡± August could feel her looking at him, in fact, he could just feel her presence in general.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m doing my part. I suggest you don¡¯t complain.¡± The woman shuffled closer.


    ¡°Is it ¡®your part¡¯ to annoy me¡­?¡± August opened his eyes, looking at the woman.


    ¡°¡­Yes¡­ actually¡­¡± She almost laughed as he spoke.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± August sat up, or tried to anyway, he didn¡¯t have enough strength, and thus he fell back down.


    ¡°It is. I¡¯m here to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible, and a part of that is to ensure that you can still access your emotions, and as you may know, negative emotions are easiest to draw upon, alongside love of course, but the dive stretches love thin so¡­ here I am, annoying you. Pff¡­¡± The woman tried her best to maintain her professionalism.


    ¡°And how long will this last¡­?¡± August felt himself get even weaker.


    ¡°Until¡­ you can control your emotions on a whim. The point of the exercise¡­ this one, is not to make you numb, it¡¯s just controlled exposure so that you¡¯ll be able to handle the temptations of the Abstract because you¡¯ll understand the state you should be in.¡± The woman was an expert.


    ¡°Oh¡­ and what after this exercise¡­ how many¡­?¡± August was already planning to rush them all so that he could get rid of the woman.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of how many. It¡¯s a matter of how much¡­ how much can you handle before you break and we have to put you back together again¡­ that¡¯s what you should have asked. Though I am sure you don¡¯t truly grasp the magnitude of what you have been asked to do. If you become numb¡­ we will kill you¡­ if you become unstable¡­ we will kill you¡­ if you become unresponsive¡­ we will kill you¡­ the margin that they¡¯re asking you to exist within¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s insanity¡­¡± Her voice faltered for but a moment.


    ¡°And you¡¯re here to keep me grounded¡­? Ha¡­ Am I actually supposed to believe that you really care about me¡­? How na?ve do you think I am¡­.? I know exactly where I stand and I know exactly what they¡¯re asking me to do. If I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have accepted¡­ though they still didn¡¯t tell me everything¡­ and that¡¯s why you¡¯re here¡­ you don¡¯t have to pretend to care about me¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­ May will keep me grounded¡­¡± August would smile, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same, he was forcing it.


    ¡°I really do¡ª¡± The woman would be interrupted.


    The door opened, and there was his little sister, she saw the woman, but she pretended as if she wasn¡¯t there. She walked to her brother¡¯s bed side, not sure of what she should have done. She was told he¡¯d need some space after all. To the surprise of both women, August got up, and leaving his bed he picked his sister up with a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± He¡¯d give his sister a hug.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡­¡± The caretaker stumbled still in her tracks looking up into August¡¯s glowing red eyes staring at her. She¡¯d sit back down, looking straight ahead and away from his eyes.


    He¡¯d walk past her, and at that point in his life, his room was yet to be emptied, though the destined day was close. He had a wall of paintings, shelves filled with books and old dark aged weapons he remade in the name of preservation. He also had a desk and chair, all his tools and sculptures neatly packed atop it.


    He walked over to the desk, sitting in the chair with his sister in his lap. He¡¯d help her to sculpt, it was their favorite hobby after all. They¡¯d try to recreate one of August¡¯s best creations, a figure of himself sat, smiling.


    As for the caretaker, her heart was still in her mouth, she wasn¡¯t sure of his mental state, and especially not after what he had just done. He was supposed to bedridden, and yet, he was walking around with a whole other person in his hands.


    She was also sure that if he wasn¡¯t confident in his own strength, he wouldn¡¯t have picked up his sister, as he¡¯d never hurt her.

 The Death of Creativity

    Time passed for them like leaves in the wind, and the caretaker, gone in mind, was no exception. In fact, she was especially tormented by the circumstances she was estranged in. Darkness never did exist without light though, and August did struggle closer to his humanity with each passing day. Thus, even though he was becoming ¡®more¡¯ through his dives, she would glimpse the person that died in that dark and lonely place.


    ¡°Hey¡­ hey!¡± She¡¯d almost topple form atop the chair, a voice in her ear as she awoke.


    ¡°What!¡ª...¡± She spun in the chair, coming face to face with the very person she was thinking about.


    It wasn¡¯t what she expected though. He could not see her face then, but knowing through his future enlightenment, behind that stark white slate was a beet red face. She sought outrage, but the words never came.


    ¡°Too¡­ close¡­¡± Her only words, and even she could barely hear them.


    ¡°What?¡± He searched for her eyes on the slate, though he¡¯d never find them.


    ¡°Too close¡­!¡± She¡¯d take hold of his face, pushing him away.


    August fell, and sitting on the ground, he looked at her with a smile hiding gnashing teeth as she finally saw it.


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry¡­?¡± She smiled too, though he couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll return it¡­¡± August would leave the woman to her own devices.


    ¡°Why though? I don¡¯t remember asking for it¡­¡± Her back did ache a little, she didn¡¯t make it obvious, or she thought so at least.


    ¡°I was given two options, either you sleep with me¡­ Aghh¡­!¡± He¡¯d shiver where he stood. ¡°Or, another bed for you¡­ because ¡®you can¡¯t let a young lady sleep on the floor¡¯¡­ or whatever they said¡­ so I chose this option.¡±


    ¡°What was that¡­? Do I¡­ disgust you¡­?¡± Her heart would skip.


    ¡°I mean¡­ yes.¡± He¡¯d look at her as he responded.


    Her chest sank, but that was only because she felt unappreciated after taking care of him, surely, that was the only reason. She would not let the narrative go unchallenged though.


    ¡°¡­W¡ª¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t quite ready to speak. ¡°Why¡­?¡± She¡¯d take a deep breath. ¡°What¡¯s so disgusting about me?¡± She¡¯d sit up in the chair, crossing her legs.


    ¡°Well, number one¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a list¡­!¡±


    August would maintain silence for a few moments.


    ¡°Yes¡­? You asked¡­?¡± August himself began to feel uneasy. ¡°But that¡¯s not important, so let¡¯s just forget it.¡±


    He attempted to leave the room, to flee.


    ¡°No! Tell me just how disgusting I am. ¡®August.¡¯¡± She¡¯d rest her elbow atop the desk, and her chin atop her hand.


    ¡°Are you su¡ª¡±


    ¡°Get on with it!¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­! So¡­ privacy¡­ you don¡¯t give me any of that¡­ ever¡­ you¡¯re annoying, you admitted as much¡­ you¡¯re always, just there, face hidden, quietly¡­ watching me¡­ and uhhh¡­ you snore¡­ a lot.¡± August had long prepared himself for a chair to come flying his way.


    ¡°I sleep on the floor¡­ of course I¡¯d snore¡­ and for everything else¡­? That disgusts you¡­ really¡­?¡± Her heart would calm as her mind took up the burden, finding contradictions.


    ¡°You have a bed now, so we¡¯ll see¡­ and uhh¡­ it¡¯s not pleasant having you look at me naked all the time¡­ quietly¡­ and brazenly¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my job¡­! Your physical condition is my responsibility! You get that right?¡± She stood, walking towards him.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but, you could just¡­ ask¡­ when necessary¡­¡± August would bask away as she approached.


    She stopped at the sound of his words.


    ¡°Fair point¡­ but I could reciprocate the gesture if¡ª¡±


    ¡°No¡­! No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Am I not attractive enough for you?¡± She began her approach yet again.


    ¡°Why would you ask that¡­? And what is this conversation¡­?! ¡®Disgust¡¯ might have not been the right word, okay? Just let it go¡­!¡±


    The woman stopped a distance away from him, and as for what she wore, a full white body suit, it was made of nanobots. Thus, when she commanded them to fall, they did, revealing her nakedness.


    ¡°Oh come on!¡± August would cover his eyes.


    ¡°Look¡­ it¡¯s only fair, right?¡± She began approaching again.


    ¡°I¡¯m good! I already said this¡­¡± August would notice footsteps. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking¡­¡±


    He¡¯d wait for her to close the distance before dashing around her. She would take it as a challenge, and so the chase began.


    They¡¯d jump over the beds and even roll under them as one sought capture and the other escape. The caretaker was agile still, and eventually she caught him by the shirt, which he¡¯d shed.


    She wouldn¡¯t lose such an opportunity though, and she¡¯d sweep his legs in his distraction. She¡¯d sit on top of him, pinning his hands to the floor, she had won, in many ways. She smiled, the thrill of the chase exciting, but soon she smirked at the realization.


    ¡°I thought I wasn¡¯t attractive enough for you¡­? I thought I was disgusting¡­?¡± She leaned in as she spoke.


    ¡°I never said that¡­ now get off me¡­¡± He complained, but he never resisted.


    ¡°Make me¡­¡±


    ¡°This is assault¡­¡± August retreated to the law.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t consent¡­ so do you¡­?¡± She¡¯d command her mask to fade, and so it began to do so.


    As for August, he didn¡¯t say another word, and he wouldn¡¯t have to. The sound of his door opening startled the woman, but he wasn¡¯t so timid.


    He¡¯d slip his hands out of hers, and raising himself, he held her with one hand, switching their positions, hiding her nakedness. As for who had arrived, good friends of his, Kim and Brody. They¡¯d come to a halt at the door though, seeing the two in a loving embrace, both almost nude.


    ¡°Bad timing¡­? We could come back later¡­?¡± Brody, as he began his retreat, pulling a petrified Kim with one hand, and carrying a box in the other.


    August looked at the woman, and she soon shook her head, no.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, come in¡­¡±


    As he set her down, a silver substance would surround her, reinstating her clothes.


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    ¡°They told us we were only allowed one visit, so we brought a whole bunch of food¡­ so you had options, and so you could taste outside while you¡¯re all cooped up.¡± Brody would place the box atop one of the beds, or try to.


    ¡°The other one¡­ that¡¯s not mine¡­ the other one¡­¡± He pointed to the bed in the corner.


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Brody looked to the woman.


    She didn¡¯t respond though, she just went back to the desk and chair, taking a book to read.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her¡­ so what did you bring¡­¡± August was curious.


    ¡°Everything! But not the one thing you might want¡­¡± Kim rediscovered her voice as she smiled.


    ¡°Stop¡­¡± August would bury his face in his hands, yet another emotion remerging as he turned red.


    ¡°I¡¯m only joking¡­!¡± Kim approached him. ¡°Unless¡­¡± She whispered, nudging him with her elbow.


    ¡°I hate you¡­¡± August would eventually remove is hands, though he never made eye contact.


    The time would pass nonetheless, and August was needed in that place once again.


    He had been restrained, his recovery convincing nobody of his ability just then. Yet, they still dosed that certain substance into his veins. His body would retaliate still, in temperature, and even in wandering eyes as he entered those still waters once again.


    Then as if clockwork, he¡¯d be dragged back down into the depths of true humanity. Thus, his first dive would prove itself as he shed desire to go deeper. Thus, he¡¯d face another pillar of his humanity he¡¯d have to topple.


    As such, the void would reflect that which was meant to be forgotten. August found himself in a valley of flowers, a forest of flowers, the cliff faces dotted with colorful portraits and abstractions of reality, reflecting humanity itself.


    That was only the beginning of it all, as towering above all else were sculptures of marble, grand and intricate. They stood in solidarity, the statues of man, surrounding the small world he found himself in, each of their hands locked by their elbows. He¡¯d feel the warmth of accomplishment start to revive his cold body, for a while.


    He¡¯d look to sky for more, but as he admired the reds, yellows and oranges that flowed through the thing like an aurora, it began.


    It was subtle at first, the dampening of the colors. Though, he soon saw the world be corrupted by an unrelenting gray that sought out and consumed all that wasn¡¯t itself. Thus, the flowers¡¯ hue was lost to the wind, and their fragrance dissolved into nothing.


    The abstractions and recreations would wither and fall from the faces of the cliffs, and not long after, the monuments followed. It was a crack at first, a singular nick in the impeccably smooth surfaces, then it became more.


    A fracture would shoot through the things, the sound of a great avalanche following the crumbling monoliths, roars of regret. Thus, he¡¯d be forced to watch it all destroyed. As for the warmth he felt inside, it would be snuffed out by the winds the giants caused in their collapse.


    He¡¯d be forced to close his eyes, even as he existed, and opening them next, he was stood in the graveyard of beauty. His own face etched into one of the things, collapsed before him.


    He¡¯d stay there for a while, and whether, it was his doing, or that of outside forces, he didn¡¯t know, though, he never sought know. He¡¯d roam the ruins of himself, and in that place he saw fragments of paintings he himself had created.


    He¡¯d take a hold of it, but as he caressed it, it turned to dust in his hands. He¡¯d carry on still, no luck, that was until he found his favorite sculpture, the one he had of himself. It would stay together, and as he found some place to sit amongst the rubble, he reminisced on the thing.


    The joy his eyes reflected and the freedom he remembered while making it, the pride he attained from it, the praise. Then, as that warmth clung to him once again, borrowing through those thoughts, the thing began to crumble in his hands.


    He¡¯d seek to protect it that time, but as he squeezed the thing close, trying to shield it from the world, it shattered in his grasp, dust, nothing. Thus, that warmth would truly die.


    He¡¯d eventually be pulled back to the human world, and though he was the sole tenant of his body, he noticed something then.


    It would have to wait still, as he was in pain. He could feel a laceration form his neck all the way down to his stomach. It was almost like he was being cut open to reveal something else, he was brought back before the thing was reveled though.


    He¡¯d be attended to quickly as he was bleeding out, it was so bad he didn¡¯t even get to see the treatment because he had fainted.


    A distant August would awake from his slumber some time later, his eyes wandering around his room. He noticed it again, and though he blinked, it remained the same. His eyes would eventually land on the caretaker, she was sleeping beside him, basically on top of him, and she was naked.


    He attempted to get up, but that¡¯s when he felt a weight on his chest, his sister. He¡¯d lay back down, and he was slowly beginning to become uneasy, he didn¡¯t like being in the stranger¡¯s bed, especially since she was naked, and he understood that¡¯s exactly why it was happening. He wasn¡¯t thinking before then, but seeing the woman so comfortable, and even sleeping, while he was in her bed, and she was naked, worried him.


    She¡¯d wake up soon enough, her sleep tied to his. She didn¡¯t act with any urgency either, and though her face was hidden, he knew she had seen him awake. As such, seeing her attempting to go back to sleep was actually inciting a fragment of annoyance. August forgot about May again, but as he tried to get up. again, she almost woke up, and he was forced to lay down, again.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ just let it happen¡­¡± The woman was having fun.


    ¡°Why would you say that¡­?¡± August lost most his anger in his concern. ¡°Please tell me that you¡¯re doing this on purpose¡­? Please¡­?¡±


    The woman let a few minutes pass as August awaited an answer.


    ¡°I am¡­ you seem fine now¡­¡± She¡¯d leave the bed, dressing herself. She¡¯d stop in the middle of it, looking at August, her heart in a slump. ¡°You really can¡¯t get up this time¡­¡± Her voice, even as she tried to project, would shake, if even a little.


    ¡°I understand¡­¡± He¡¯d cooperate that time. ¡°¡­ Am I naked¡­?¡± The man actually couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± The woman avoided looking at him.


    ¡°So. Why the hell is May here¡­?¡± His anger was beginning to return with yellow and red hues.


    ¡°Well¡­ because we knew it would piss you off. She knows too, that¡¯s why she wasn¡¯t under the covers. It¡¯s basically like having clothes on anyway¡­ when you really think about it¡­¡± The woman was great at her job.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose aren¡¯t you¡­?¡± The veins on August¡¯s face were getting bigger by the second.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but I won¡¯t go too far, I don¡¯t want you to reopen your wound.¡± The words she said made no sense.


    ¡°What¡­ wound¡­? Didn¡¯t you fix me¡­?¡± August tilted his head, and sure enough the pain was there.


    ¡°Guess¡­¡± The woman was still going.


    ¡°To piss me off¡­?¡± If that was the reason, it was working tremendously as August was almost taking deep breaths.


    ¡°No¡­ the type of damage you sustained can¡¯t simply be ¡®fixed¡¯¡­ the powers we are tampering with¡­ are beyond our technology¡­ that¡¯s the reason. I¡¯d never put your life in danger to piss you off¡­ I¡­¡± The woman let her words dissolve in her thoughts.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s just great. Can you move her¡­?¡± August was still fixated on his sister.


    The woman would finally cave to his request and move the girl to her brother¡¯s bed. It was then that August would finally begin to calm down, and it was also then that the woman crawled back into the bed to piss him off. She was careful of his injury though, knowing that, it made him a little less mad. His parents would finally arrive to check up on him, and the fact that they didn¡¯t get the woman off him also pissed him off.


    ¡°How are you doing¡­?¡± His mother spoke with a blinding smile.


    ¡°How do you think I¡¯m doing mother¡­ get her off me¡­!¡± August was regretting is decision, but it wasn¡¯t because of the reason anyone had predicted.


    ¡°Why¡­? She¡¯s fine¡­¡± His mother shewed his complaint.


    ¡°If not to help me¡­ why are you here¡­?¡± August forced a smile with gnashing teeth.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Roman answered, barely capable of looking his son in the eyes. ¡°Are you okay¡­ no one has ever gone beyond the first dive¡­ what did it take from you¡­?¡± The man¡¯s voice almost split down the middle.


    ¡°I¡ª¡­ it took col¡ª¡­ it took my inspiration; it took my creativity. So not that bad considering I didn¡¯t have much to begin with¡­ am I right? Ahahaha¡­¡± August still had his sense of humor, he didn¡¯t even expect to find what he had said amusing, and that made it all the better when he actually smiled.


    ¡°As long you¡¯re okay with it¡­ haha¡­¡± Even his father, it really had come out of nowhere.


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry¡­¡± Even as they were all laughing, his mother apologized.


    ¡°I know¡­ but not sorry enough seeing as she¡¯s still on top of me¡­¡± August¡¯s smile was genuine, that made it creepier, the way he looked at them with widened eyes.


    ¡°Well, as long as you¡¯re okay¡­ hahahaha¡­¡± His parents would laugh their way out.


    ¡°Pfffft¡­¡± The sound came from his bed, May, she was on the verge of tears holding back her laugh. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ pffff¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ hahahaha... haaaa¡­¡± The girl was trying to stop herself, but it wasn¡¯t working.


    ¡°Pff¡­¡± That one came from right beside him. ¡°Sor¡ª¡­ pff¡­ so¡ª¡­ ahahahaha¡­¡± Even the caretaker.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that funny¡­¡± August would almost begin to regret the joke, but with those emotions, blue returned bearing gifts of green and greetings of black and white.


    August would sink into his own dark thoughts, rejecting the slither of joy he felt. It was a contradiction of his own desires still, as he experienced a longing for it all to be undone, for normalcy.


    He could feel it, or rather, he couldn¡¯t, himself, his thoughts, his wants, his own voice. He could tell, the next voyage into that place wouldn¡¯t just blind his eyes, it would probably blot out his heart, and that made his heart sink with its own premonition.


    He sought to slaughter it, his happiness, not because it was defiled, but because it cleansed him. It took it all away, all he had become in that darkness, and he couldn¡¯t have that, or that¡¯s what he told himself.


    He felt full, almost as if he was ready to burst, as he knew he¡¯d never have that ever again, and so he tried to undermine it. It would have been one thing if he had convinced everyone else, but he knew he could never convince himself.


    Even as he looked at his shelves, he felt nothing for all the weapons he had so painstakingly reconstructed. The frustration of it all, the satisfaction of completion, he didn¡¯t want it anymore.


    The paintings were bland, even his favorites, and his sculptures were uninspired, especially the one of himself.


    That feeling, or more accurately, the lack of all that there should have been, finally forced his honesty, and a tear would escape his glossy eyes.

 The Cost of Fear

    August was left for a while as his body put itself back together, and while it did, that proved to be a problem within itself. His caretaker, while new to her line of work, had received enough information to understand what was happening, and thus, she¡¯d contact her superiors.


    As such, on a day that a dive was not scheduled to occur, Ms. Eting-Fesh found herself at the Rosavault household. She stood over an exposed August, his chest, and therefore his wound, on display, or rather, there should have been a wound.


    She touched it, the seam that lined him, and she could feel it, that familiar presence, home. He wasn¡¯t just recovering, he was doing it on his own, and she knew exactly what that meant. She¡¯d leave without a singular word, and as the elevator sought to lower her to the ground, she¡¯d abandon it.


    As for where her presence would remerge moments later, she stood before a glass wall, a forest of people behind her. She looked at the little girl, and she couldn¡¯t help but to grind her teeth at the thought.


    ¡°You lied¡­?¡± She looked at the child, ignoring her, as if it were deaf. ¡°You lied!¡± She threw her hands against the glass.


    Thus, she¡¯d receive her response. The child would fall limp, and in the same breath it would regain consciousness, though instead of silver eyes, they were golden. As for where those eyes were fixed, on the woman herself, the one that had begun to back away.


    ¡°I did not lie¡­ the boy is unique, how is that my doing?¡± A voice, two actually, that of the child, and that of a woman.


    ¡°His wounds¡­! Are healing on their own¡­! So tell me, what¡¯s next¡­?! Will he begin to see emotions!?¡± She raised her voice, but all the while, she retreated.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re¡­ afraid¡­? All you have¡­ all you are worth¡­ gone, if that becomes his purpose. I see it, your thoughts¡­ but would you set the end into motion¡­? Would you render it all undone¡­?¡± The child awaited a response, one that never came.


    As for the woman, she¡¯d erase her presence from that depth and remerge on the shore. She¡¯d fall flat on her ass, and from ripples in reality those of her kin would emerge, still nowhere to be seen, but present nonetheless.


    ¡°She¡¯s betrayed us yet again¡­¡± Six voices.


    As for the state of each, an older man that spoke like he was commanding a war. A young woman who sounded excited. A young man that spoke with distaste. An older woman who spoke with a grudge. A young woman with seduction in her tone, and finally a young man that was barely even talking.


    ¡°We heard her¡­ we don¡¯t have a choice¡­ And if she gains another, she won¡¯t be so desperate anymore¡­ this could be the way¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t believe that? Do we¡­?¡± The voices needed convincing.


    The next dive was upon them, but that time, August was neither restrained nor gagged, instead, he was left to stand, free of all constraints.


    It seemed the Sin knew the importance of the dive, to some extent, but what she was doing was against protocol. The argument could have been butchered; if they were concerned about safety then they should have moved to a more secure location, but that wasn¡¯t much of an argument to begin with.


    If the suspicions of Ms. Eting-Fesh were correct, if August was to be possessed by a strong enough entity, his mind would regress and he¡¯d seek out his family, causing more damage in the process. They couldn¡¯t leave the confines of the city either, as that would have just lured in a monster.


    As for the underground, the infrastructure was far too important to allow such unpredictable experiments. The thickness of the walls mattered not to most Primordial concepts anyway, so they were at the best place they could have possibly been, above the clouds. It was rather dubious though, morally and ethically.


    They were doing human experiments, and if failure occurred, they were preselecting the victims. Humans never change I suppose.


    All concerns would ring null still as that otherworldly substance was poured into August¡¯s veins and his eyes began to dance. The giant did hesitate, claiming observation of the dazed man, but her suspicion was confirmed when all on his own, he sent his mind to the abyss.


    The Abstract was present in all sentient beings, and with the affinity he had, she assumed he¡¯d be able to get there all on his own, if his mind was properly diluted of course, and she was right.


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    The substance they were using, ODFT-4000, was a byproduct of Fate existing in the material world and warping it around her, specifically salt water, but there was still a problem.


    The substance they were supposed be using per protocol was DFT-6656. The difference I¡¯ll have to explain. The closer the scales move to 4000, the more potent the substance becomes, as such, to prevent unnecessary risks, the substance used for dives is from the immediate year.


    The reason being Fate¡¯s existence in conjunction with Olympus¡¯ purpose dilutes the substance and makes it palatable to humans. ODFT-4000 isn¡¯t just Dissolved Fate, its Omega Dissolved Fate, the first of its kind, and it¡¯s of peak potency, toxicity and volatility. So much so, that it dissolves organic matter in most cases.


    The facts were exactly those, facts, but August wouldn¡¯t be dissolved. As the diver, in consciousness alone entered the void, the connection to his body was threatened by the sheer presence he assumed in the place.


    As such, a compromise had to be made, they¡¯d watch as he fell over, expecting him to fall flat on his back. Well, he did fall on his back, but he didn¡¯t hit the solid floors, instead, he¡¯d fall into a still body of water, the abyss.


    As for all on lookers, the man had fallen straight through the floor as if it was but a projection. They stood in silence for a few too many moments, the caretakers, the parents, and the culprit.


    ¡°What the hell did you just do to my son¡­?¡± Roman, imagining his experience a dream, because it had to be.


    ¡°I¡ª¡­ He should be fine¡­¡± Not even the giant believed her words, she couldn¡¯t save him either, she wasn¡¯t allowed into the abyss.


    ¡°Should¡­? You told us you¡¯d be doing the usual!? What the hell is this!? Where is my son!?¡± Roman sought to approach the giant, but his wife acted as an obstacle.


    ¡°Calm down! There has to be an explanation for this¡­ right¡­?¡± August¡¯s mother trusted the council, up until then. The giant refused to look her in the eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it¡¯d be this bad¡­ his affinity is inhuman anyway, based on my guess, his mind should have been the only thing that entered the Abstract ¡­ it was only supposed to speed up the process¡­ I thought it would¡ª¡± Athena, the mother, interjected.


    ¡°You ¡®thought¡¯¡­?¡± The woman collapsed her eyes overflowing, thankfully, her husband caught her, she could barely breathe.


    ¡°What did you do¡­?¡± Roman asked directly.


    ¡°I gave him¡­ OD¡ª¡± The father interjected the mumbling giant.


    ¡°You gave him what¡­? OD¡­ what¡­?¡± The man had words, but he had more than just those.


    His right hand split down the middle, and from within his hand came a canon unraveling to be twice the size, polished silver. He¡¯d point it straight at the giant¡¯s head, but before he could even pull the trigger, one of the caretakers were already at his throat with a dagger.


    He thought about it for a few seconds, the sight of her splattered across his walls, but ultimately, he realized that there was still more to live for.


    The man would retract his weapon, and for her sake, he hoped there was a way to save his son. Thus, those were the plights of the material world, but to whom the danger is concerned, he was dealing with his own problems in the immaterial plain.


    August would find himself in a city of stark white high-rises, buildings, but no windows or doors, but buildings nonetheless. There was a sky, but there was no contrast in a colorless world.


    Black wasn¡¯t a color either so the smog seeping form the bone covered ground wasn¡¯t much to look at. The place had sound, smell, taste and feeling, but he couldn¡¯t quite realize why.


    He didn¡¯t care much either, he had lost most he had reaching to that depth, there was no emotion, no creativity and soon he was about to lose something even more integral. He¡¯d be compelled to walk, to find a way out and to find a way even deeper down into the collective unconscious.


    There was no way he could have predicted what he¡¯d stumble upon, that made it no better still.


    As he roamed the streets, he¡¯d hear a faint echo glaze the buildings and make its way to the ground. It sounded like a scream, not one of joy nor fear, but one of regret, he could feel it, the emotions as the voice came closer.


    As he stood pondering though, the white before him distorted, and a warm, red, viscous substance washed over his front side. It even got on his face, forcing him to close his eyes. He¡¯d wipe away the crude thing, and as he opened his eyes he¡¯d see what had passed him by.


    There was blood, and a lot of it, a rib cage, a heart, a spine, a liver, lungs, a brain, a skull, but none of it was where it should have been. The thing, or rather, the person, was splattered across the floor like a blotch of bubbly paint.


    Yet as August looked at it, he felt nothing for their plight, or rather, he felt nothing much, not for the first one. He¡¯d continue his stride and with every few steps another one paved the streets, splashing him with bodily fluids.


    The sixth one did not scream and so he was startled by the experience, thus, his emotions began to bleed through.


    He¡¯d keep going, and with every crunch and splash his heart would skip a beat, but he refused to look at the things, for those were no longer people. He¡¯d be forced to stop almost every time, confronted with the reality of the place, yet, he was inclined to ignore it, per the conditions of losing another piece of himself.


    He¡¯d keep going and even when he was assaulted with a splash, he ignored it, until he couldn¡¯t anymore. The entire place had become a sea of red, unavoidable and blatantly taunting. As he looked down at one of the bodies¡ªhumanity trumping his goal¡ªthey were crying.


    He¡¯d be forced to think about it, the place was directly linked to people, so what was he really looking at, and were they actually people.


    The thoughts got worse still, what could have led to such an event, why would so many people even throw away their lives. His emotions would finally pop as he stood in the remains of an entire people.


    His legs lost strength and his lungs lost depth, but he couldn¡¯t allow himself to fall, not into the remains. He had to get away somehow, leave the streets, but there was nowhere to go, no windows, no doors, only impending screams.

 Death of Flesh

    The screams, for however long they had been happening, still filled the air after all that time later. They were more than just ailments in the wind though, as August had long abandoned his resolve of not looking down.


    Thus, he¡¯d see them all, one stacked another, old, young, none better than the one before. His journey wouldn¡¯t be impeded though, even if¡ªafter waning through a river¡¯s worth of bloods, bones and guts¡ªhe was going nowhere.


    Along that journey though, as he had lost his warmth a distance before, the lights in his eyes would dim. He¡¯d look to the sky in his time of crisis, not for hope, but to avoid drowning in the sea of people around him. In the middle of watching them all fall though, as despair crept back in, so did innovation. If they weren¡¯t going to help him, he¡¯d conquer them.


    He''d assume a stride through the red sea, blood almost in his eyes as he approached one of the stark giants. He¡¯d reach for it, and to most, it would have been nothing, but to him, it was more than enough.


    His bloody hands stained the thing, and he¡¯d feel, even see the grooves through the crimson. He needed no convincing. The boy slotted his rugged nails against the groves above him, thus, in one swift cracking motion, he pulled himself from the marsh.


    He¡¯d have to shake off some unsavory organic constructs, including splintered nails, but that was nothing but blood under the bridge.


    Hesitation might have returned with desire, but it would have long drowned. Thus, despite his body seeking to cast him back down with tears, breaks and fractures, he didn¡¯t stop. If he was indeed human, and indeed equal to those that were cast down, then it was all fine.


    In all his time watching them, he¡¯d come to see them for what they were, human, replaceable, useless. Thus, as he climbed, he clung to that thought. He was only human, replaceable, useless, as such, there was no point to it all, ¡®not even the pain, not even the pain.¡¯


    He''d eventually usurp the apex of the construct, though relief was never a thing offered by such a place. Thus, as he arrived, he¡¯d witness a scene that inspired no awe, even in all of its twisted glory.


    The first oddity was the floor, there was none, yet he didn¡¯t fall into the swirling black smog below. As for what was atop it, a grand ball, of statues, or rather, they were so still, covered in fine cloths, faces hidden behind broken and fractured masks of diamonds and other gems, that they seemed to be statues.


    They weren¡¯t completely lost still, as all their eyes wandered to fall on the intruder. They stood in a circle, thirteen of them, no one an odd distance from the other, all facing one central figure. It was a bottle, empty, though they still held glasses, and those were full, but not of wine or brandy, but of sorrow.


    He could see it, the wallowing grays and pitiful magentas. As for the detail I¡¯ve neglected to mention; they were all hollow. As if split down the middle, back from front, there was nothing inside them. There was another detail still, trails of blood from their emptiness to the edges.


    The blight had spread further than there still, and though they seemed to differ, most were the same. There was always something at the center of the circle, no matter how big or small, whether money, drugs, technology or even idols.


    There was one diamond amongst the rough though, a lamb, its throat slit, surrounded by seven wounded people. They were all whole still, and as for what was beneath them, a warm glow.


    It would all crumble nonetheless, as he had witnessed it all, and there was deeper to go, more to lose. The world would break at its seams, not that it was solid to begin with, but, it shattered like glass yet it flowed like water. It would all be washed away, the filth of the lost, the buildings, the sky, all of it.


    As such, August found himself submerged in impossible depths yet again, but it wasn¡¯t so fascinating anymore. The darkness, it was black, even with those eyes, no, especially with those eyes.


    In truth, it wasn¡¯t just black, it was darker than black, it was an abyss, a chasm of condensed sorrow, the heart of humanity, nary a burst of desire in sight. As for the boy¡¯s condition, the place was putrid, and the depths were suffocating, a pain in his chest as he drowned.


    He¡¯d stare off into the blind infinity, awaiting an inevitable future, because if he was to be saved from his plight, his suffering would have long ceased. Thus, he wasn¡¯t rescued from his condition, but he was saved from his weakness, both physical and abstract.


    In the void, he witnessed a light brighter than the sun, the moon and the stars. Yet, he couldn¡¯t discern it, even as his eyes scoured it. It told him of all the universe¡¯s secrets, those of the soul, the body, the mind, space, time, all of it. It would end as soon as it had begun though. Then, moments later, how long yet still impossible to know, Death came a calling with open arms.


    She dragged the lad deeper, the bog no longer putrid, but for all the wrong reasons, even if knowable. The dives were a process, one to have the subject removed from themselves and their identity.


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    As such, there was one thing that was essential to lose for any person, as if they themselves could tell, so could the ideas of abstraction. Thus, as he was being dragged deeper into the depths, he himself begun to melt, to fade.


    He was forced to watch as his skin dissolved, his muscles liquefy, his bones turn to dust, and his heart explode into a million tiny fleshy bits. It feigned a trice, but in truth, the place was never so merciful.


    As long as he had lived and watched himself grow, that was as long as it took to devour him. He spent years watching himself die, but knowing why it was happening, he accepted it. Thus, as the last slither of him faded, August Rosavault died alone in that darkness. He was a disembodied conscious, floating in the void, his body a colorful floating mist around him, but it was done, and it was time for him to return to the material world.


    Death loved no one still, not even August, she was only attending to an errand after all, a favor to a friend. As such, when it came time to reunite the floating fragment of humanity with his body, her archaic means and their consequences meant nothing to her, even if he could still feel.


    She was fine, and that¡¯s all that mattered, even as she pulled him to a singularity to eject him back to his time. She knew too, that he had to be put back together before remerging, but surely, he¡¯d figured it out.


    His bits would be churned back together with no regard for his senses. As if he was being fed through a wood chipping machine an inch at a time. He felt blades churn through his flesh and needles pierce him as he burned alive passing through the singular point, and by the time he was


    It was only a recollection of the past though, and a tame one at that, as his sister only experienced slight stings, though she was no idiot. The thought of truly going through that inspired panic in the child, even as she hid inside of her brother¡¯s shadow.


    As for the result of careless actions, the state of August. He was like a jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces put together, but in all the wrong places. He found veins missing or misplaced, his arteries on the outside spilling his blood, bones, organs and appendages protruding from the fleshy pile he was. It was all still connected too, through his mind and experiences. Thus, all the pain persisted even with severed nerves and an abominable twisted and broken form.


    The event wasn¡¯t one sided either, May rediscovered a memory as she witnessed the debauchery for a second time. In fact, she dusted off a few, ones she herself had not put upon the shelves of her mind, yet, they were there.


    She could almost see it, the weight in her heart. A day hadn¡¯t passed without her visiting that room, the one her brother never left. The one that caused her parents to go and never return.


    She¡¯d stare at it, that charred spot, as if waiting for something, day after day, month after month, year after year as it got further away, yet, she could only pray. It was her only comfort, as all her bed held were puddles as she stayed up all those sleepless nights.


    As for the beaches, roars of a past she could never return to, careless prancing and splashes lined with laughter. The streets of sky reaching buildings defined by her brother¡¯s smile, his fascinations with the things all she had ever cared to remember about them. All she had ever sculpted, painted, all that they, had ever sculpted and painted holding the faces of her parents. There was no escape, not even in empty halls.


    It had become a routine of sorts, her visit to the place, and the same could be said for her prayers. Thankfully, that crude cycle would spin out of motion and spiral into something of an answer to her endless cries.


    That spot, that same bronze char with an undertone of blood¡ªthe scent no longer fresh in the room but a memory filling the air still¡ªit would erupt. At first she blinked, for it was a hallucination, but then reality refused to bow to her delusions of grandeur.


    It rippled like water¡¯s surface, before, like a waterspout, it exploded spilling out guts, blood, organs and bone. The worst part though, was that it seemed deliberate, and the thing seemed whole, though broken.


    Even as it spilled out aside, water, black sludge and severed flesh, it seemed one in the same. The scene gave her no more hope than it did confusion still, and it wouldn¡¯t help when the thing moved.


    It was a blob before, but as it stood, the ambiguity of all those layered bloody masses would separate. It was humanoid, humanity was still a stretch out of reach though.


    It had no skin, and most of it seemed like only misplaced muscle and bone, but with time, it was becoming more ¡®human¡¯. A steam like mist would rise form the thing as its bones snapped into place and pools of blood spilled from its various wounds.


    Yet, it did not waver in its conviction to move forward. It saw its goal, a taller and different looking girl, but a sister nonetheless. It was still in no condition to be welcomed though, and the caretakers would take a stand to protect her.


    The thing only recognized one of them of being kept alive for such a blunder though. Thus, as those feats of technology wrapped around them to make suits, with a wave of his hand, August reduced the larger caretaker to a blood stain on the wall. As for what he himself saw, or rather, chose to see through all that red, his hand was back to normal.


    He''d try to clasp his fist, but it wouldn¡¯t quite respond, still, he had more important things to do. The other caretaker, instead of mounting an assault, seemed to understand the situation and provided herself a barricade between the two.


    If she was right, it was an idea, and perhaps, there was no winning, but she wouldn¡¯t allow the girl to be brutalized before her. Thankfully, even as her heart mounted a cavalcade around her, she would see the truth amidst the mist.


    A twisted and misshapen face made to be proportionate again, a crimson eye staring into her. Thus, her legs would finally give in, no longer having to feign strength. The thing was much the same, all that it could conjure with such a body, finished.


    The two slumped on the floor were not the only ones who seemed to realize though, as May would begin her approach with empty eyes. The thing would meet her where she was, with its eyes at least, and she knew those eyes, even if they too were emptier than before.


    Thus, she was the last to fall, all that strength she had forced over those many years crumbling with a crutch returned. She fell to her knees, and taking hold of the thing¡¯s face, her brother¡¯s face, she watched as he returned. She¡¯d rest her forehead against his, the only language they knew in that moment. The only language she was sure he¡¯d understand.

 A Transcendent Being

    Time was never one without its cruelty, and so no matter the truths August found in that place, it could not undo what was already done. The only thing left then, was to know¡ªnot to change, not to solve, not to fix¡ªonly to know.


    The powers that be wouldn¡¯t trade knowledge for naught still, especially with what the man had brought back with him, himself. A body and mind broken and mended to become more.


    They¡¯d drag him to a room below the iron island, inside a facility at the shore. It was but a building barely protruding from a hill to the side of the beach, a whitewashed concrete structure, a small square tunnel before an impenetrable steel door.


    If one was one to enter that place, for any myriad of unfortunate reasons, they would be lead into a stone fortress. Then, a descent would be met with guards at each post, every checkpoint manned and maintained by servants.


    As for the lower rings of that hell, a place that seemed to be people¡¯s living quarters. The sound of footsteps, plentiful, signs of life comforting, but the panic in each step not so much.


    They put the monster in a padded room, all sides leading to a dead end, and then they watched. It was all useful, every bit of his actions. He had left a human, and years later, a whole three in fact, he came back almost an anomaly himself.


    Thus, the first test was escaping a prison designed to contain low influence ideas. It was laced throughout with energy from the true anomaly, influenced to confuse and misguide any inhabitants.


    As for why he laid there, unmoving, the feelings he must have felt; dizziness, nausea and falling all at the same time. Yet, even under such influences, he¡¯d stand, stumbling for but a moment, his first seven steps.


    He¡¯d then approach the only wall that lead out, the northern one, even though the place was closed. He seemed to hesitate as he looked at his body, but moments later he must have decided.


    As he¡¯d take a step¡ª and as if not there¡ª he passed through the wall in his entirety. All on lookers were unsure if they should have fled or sounded the alarm seeing as an idea was free. For that¡¯s what it was, what the tests had proven, he was an idea, or at the very least, he had the body of one. As for his mind, if that too had transcended his humanity was another question entirely, seeing as he was still capable of reasoning and following instructions.


    They would advance their science still, even as they stumbled through the dark, testing his body further. They would collect tissue samples, and to no one¡¯s surprise, he was immune to all diseases.


    As for the unpredictable, his cells multiplied at an exponentially higher rate than any other person to ever live, they also refused die. As for his tenacity, they were allowed more dangerous bouts seeing as their technology was up to par.


    As such, they removed limbs, organs, skin, teeth, nails, an eye, an ear, and they all grew back within minutes. They seemed intrigued, and perhaps, they passed a point of no return in all their fascination.


    They¡¯d destroy his heart, but thankfully, even that put itself back together within moments. As for his brain, it didn¡¯t seem to exist when interacted with, no material thing could touch it, and so, they were never allowed to harm it.


    As for the scans done on his brain, well, his head came up empty, though they were sure it was there, and they knew, because they had seen it. They too lost a fragment of their humanity experimenting with August, and so, they went as far as opening his head up like a blooming flower.


    All that they had done would have been bad enough, but seeing as he knew what he had signed up for, what they did next was fine. He was being turned into a soldier, or a mediator, whichever was necessary at the time.


    They had locked him in another room, that one was a stark grey, solid, cold, blinding lights from the top, all reinforced stone and metal. It had two entrances, and he knew exactly what it had been used for before, it was obvious. The stench of blood was heavier than the stone, the walls were scratched, cracked and nicked, not to mention, pieces of bone were still scattered about the place.


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    They were going to do a live combat test, and they had given him absolutely no weapons. The only thing he wore was a full body suit, similar to those of dark aged divers, that was it. The cold metal doors would pull themselves open, and the creatures they had poached from the abstract would come running out.


    They were born from submerging the minds of animals into the abstract and allowing ideas to possess their bodies fully, and those specific creatures were based on bears, grizzly bears.


    They were huge, standing at least seven feet tall each, multiple heads and even extra arms at times, covered in inches of tangled blackish brown fur, drool pouring from their nigh unhinged bloodied jaws.


    They somehow looked human, in their faces, and even in their twisted bodies, but that was because they were imitating humanity, because they were born from it. They converged onto August like a returning tide, all three of them, claws brandished and teeth primed. Yet, as they approached, he did not so much as flinch, he did not even look at them.


    They¡¯d eventually crash, but no blood was spilled, at least, not August¡¯s blood. The thing¡¯s tripped and tumbled over each other, shaking the enclosure with their sheer weight, yet, there was still nothing.


    It didn¡¯t take much longer though, as the space inside the box seemed to ripple, and even those ripples reflected off the walls. It would be no more than seconds later that a crimson humanoid ripped itself from the back of one of the grizzly creatures.


    It was August, covered in the thing¡¯s blood, bone, filth and all, that wasn¡¯t the most interesting bit though. He emerged holding something, it was illusive, almost like smoke, yet it flailed and kicked as if alive, as if human.


    The other creatures saw it and sought to flee, but there was nowhere to escape to, and so they stood leant against the edges of the shrinking room, as the place didn¡¯t seem so big anymore.


    In fact, it seemed to get smaller by the second. August crumpled a fist through the thing and it seemed to fade as a loud crack let out, almost like ice. The smoke however, it all went into the man, as if absorbed.


    He¡¯d then turn to another of the towering behemoths, but he didn¡¯t look the thing in any of its faces, he looked to its stomach. They had done tests on the creatures before, and that¡¯s where the most anomalous energy was concentrated.


    They had consulted with Fate, and she had confirmed that that was where the intrusive ideas had imbedded themselves as to not destroy the host¡¯s motor functions. As such, what August was doing, in essence, was removing parasites from the bodies of mutilated bears, for he did not see them as monsters.


    He saw them as victims, relatable. Thus, with no warning of the strength he had acquired, he lunged towards the thing, breaking the floor and closing tens of meters of distance in not even a second.


    He¡¯d plunge his hand into its guts, forcing the thing to wail like a cub, yet he did not stop. He¡¯d rip out the intruder in one fell swoop, intestines and all other bits accompanying it. The body would instantaneously die, falling limp, and like the other before it, filling the room with musty vapor, it melted. It melted as if it had been dipped in acid, drowned in it.


    He''d repeat the process, though that time he ripped it in half at the waist before absorbing it. As for the last of the things, it stuck to the walls, and as August approached it, it shuffled in the opposite direction.


    Its efforts were all in vain though, as I was not the only one who witnessed the room shrink, because it was actually happening. The joke of an idea found itself shuffling across the floor, feet dragging as it fought the moving walls.


    It was all for naught still, as it blinked once and its pursuer was gone, not only that, its vison had been offset by about three hundred and sixty degrees. August was perched on its shoulders like a young summer child, his hands wrapped around its mass of three heads, having already destroyed its neck in a singular swift motion.


    If the results of his actions were strange, that was the purpose of his own experiment, and he¡¯d get his answer. The thing did not die, even with its spine destroyed, therefore, he had proved his method effective, and he¡¯d go on to use it. The man would spring from his sitting position as if floating, then he¡¯d stand on it.


    He¡¯d then jump atop the mutated canid, as for the consequences, the thing was shot into the floor, flattened. He¡¯d land in its remains above an uneasy mist. It was the last of the ideas, and it was in pain from the experience, so much so, that it couldn¡¯t even run, only roll and weep.


    He¡¯d step on that one, his foot piercing it with that familiar crack of ice, even a strained scream was heard that time, a dying wail.


    The mist, just as before, would enter his body, and it was still an oddity. Those who were viewing the whole thing, those that had organized it, they had systems in place to observe the whole room. As for what they saw, the energy was not being stored in August, it was disappearing, and that was far more interesting.

 The Experiment That Felt

    They understood not the person that they saw, nor the mind that they observed, even still. Therefore, they had locked him in yet another room, though that was more for their reassurance more than anything else.


    It was not all reassurance though, as the room that they had locked him in was a part of the Test, Observation and Experimentation of Anomalous Life Forms Department. As for what that meant, it had an energy harvester inside it, that concentrated the energy people and the anomaly gave off and used it for their experiments.


    As such, the place was flush with energy fluctuations, and they hoped that would keep him inside the cell like enclosure. It was supposed to disrupt his understanding of reality, or that¡¯s what they hoped it would do.


    He caught glimpse of the giant thing from behind the bars, and it was indeed beautiful, even if heretical. It was a large coil of silver metal, a story or two, as wide as noble fir. It pulsed ever so often, shifting off into different spectrums and summoning all manner of colors while it vibrated. It, the machine was a beautiful thing, but its purpose was far more disturbing.


    They studied anomalous lifeforms, which implied that they had to get them somehow, and that process was the same as the bears. A submerged mind, and a body to become a bridge between worlds, or a portal if you would.


    The bears and all other animal hybrid experiments were surface level discoveries, which therefore implies deeper discoveries. One of those said discoveries was bringing over ideas completely, for that though, multiple humans were required, and they would not survive the process.


    There were vats and vertical tables, both used to restrain people and animals throughout various stages of inception, or rather, the birth of a pure idea into the material world.


    They¡¯d inject the victims with DFT-4100, a very potent strain of the substance, and then they¡¯d allow the idea to take root inside the body, borrowing itself into the flesh. If a hybrid was the goal, the process was over, if an idea was, the process had just begun.


    They¡¯d then move the host into one of the vats containing the same strain of DFT, only influenced to nurture and care for the idea. The substance was influenced in such a way that the hosts body was a foundation.


    In simpler terms, the body was both an egg¡¯s shell and the yoke. Thus, as the analogy implies, the idea would eventually crack out of the shell, no, not necessarily. The body¡ªbodies¡ª would, over an extended period of time, normally six months, be twisted to fit the needs of the idea.


    As such a body would form around the abdomen, and usually fragments of the person were left behind. They were sometimes organs, but mostly they were hands and feet. The parts were also perfectly preserved by the substance they were submerged in, and as such, they never removed the residue. There was another reason as well, sometimes other ideas used the remains to help construct themselves.


    As for where all this information emerged, they had kept August locked up for almost two years, unsure of what to do with him. The council in particular, after all, he wasn¡¯t like Fate, he could move freely, and he had no qualms with interfering in mortal events. He was a liability. It was not all for naught though, as within that time, he watched them experiment, and he forgot nothing.


    The energy they used, the way they influenced it, and the ideas they grew, the way it was done, it was all stomach churning. It¡¯s quite obvious at this point, that for the energy to be used, it had to be influenced somehow, as for the process, one relevant example will suffice.


    The best way to approach it is as if they were building a circuit, with a source and a load. They¡¯d connect the energy harvester in series with a set group of people, usually six of a certain type, based on dispositions, physical or mental.


    Then, the worst part, they¡¯d condition them into focusing on the specific idea and desired effect, then pump them full of energy burning them alive in the process. They¡¯d then collect the energy from their dead bodies.


    So, as for energy made to be of nurturing influence, women would be used, and I¡¯ll go no further into details. I will however, give an interesting fact, nurturing energy is generated twice as fast as the rest. All that was tame none the less. The way they grew ideas, it was a complex process, but it was just as beautiful as it was disgustingly horrifying.


    After an idea had been through the first two stages of its inception, grafting and incubation, the third, final and most vulnerable stage would begin, realization. The being would be conditioned into being subservient, just as they had done to some animal hybrids, but only these ones were smarter, and more powerful.


    As such, it was more of a gentle negotiation and influencing, and if that failed, the things would get violent and be terminated. Then, there was still the problem of the body. The creatures would be transferred into a new vat after the initial six months, and three people would be lowered inside to be used as nutrients for their feeble bodies for another two months. It may have been assumed that casualties were no longer necessary at such a point, but the things refused anything that wasn¡¯t living matter, and human.


    The unfortunate details were lost on the final product though, or rather, they weren¡¯t. They looked human, but they weren¡¯t, they lacked all the normal organs, were mostly muscle and bone and they ran on anomalous energy.


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    They were almost built to be lifeforms of war, yet, they would easily die while constructing their bodies. The causes usually cited being diseases, infections and the like. As for inception success rate, August witnessed two of the documented successful ten, and both had less than ideal endings.


    The first of the creatures, Sentient Enlighted Anomalous Resident Number 434, Seara, awoke prematurely by a month at exactly; 28:04:06:09:06 of her cycle. It should have been cause for celebration, but it still had a month left for its body to develop. As such, it would prematurely move and set some of its bodies processes into motion.


    The things had four organs apart from those associated with the senses; the brain, the heart, altered lungs and a small stomach. The problems would begin in the stomach.


    It had consumed a portion of DFT, and while it would seem fine, the substance was more resilient than most. Eating it was not the same as injecting it into the veins. The reason being, upon introduction to the blood stream, it would seek out the host consciousness which resided in the brain using the cardiovascular system, dissipating in the process of a dive.


    Such a natural conclusion was impossible from the stomach, and especially one that didn¡¯t work the right way.


    The thing¡¯s stomach, the size of a fist was behind its large singular lung, that would make sense of the affliction. It was not noticeable at first, seeing as they couldn¡¯t study the energy distribution and profile of the thing submerged in DFT, but as the days and weeks past, it became more apparent.


    A patch of silver would appear on its right breast beneath its skin, and yes, though it had no working genitalia, it mimicked a woman. The assumption being more women than men were used for its realization.


    It was a shame too, it was a fine specimen, ashen gray skin, jet black hair and pitch black eyes, six feet two inches, two hundred and forty pounds. Her eye lashes were long, her hair silky smooth, and her face as gorgeous as the moon and as soft as its curves.


    It was a healthy specimen. Yet, the silver plague began spreading through her like a tumor, resonating with itself and absorbing the energy inside the woman. She would survive the realization still, though born with a silver undertone to her skin, and most her veins in full view.


    Her birth was far more interesting than her accompanying curse still, as she was an idea after all. The moment they drained the vat, her eyes fell still, and her body went limp as she began hyperventilating.


    Her suffering halted soon after as she went completely still, entering catatonia. It was strange to say the least, but it made more sense than just looking at her could provide. She was an immaterial being born into a material world, she had experienced sensory overload the moment she was left on her own. The sensations of heat, cold, pressure, gravity, light, sound, smell, taste, breathing. The very sound of her heartbeat was too much for her.


    It was not the end still, as she was not completely human, and in time, she began looking around, moving in small arcs of motion. It must have been painful, infinite thought stuffed into a finite vessel, forced to divorce all that it had learnt and become over all of time to survive. It must have had to kill a part of itself to remain alive, as to why it acted that way, like a child.


    She would learn motor functions in the days following her birth, and with relative ease at that, crawling on day one, stumbling on day two, falling in front of August¡¯s cage. She¡¯d catch glimpse of him as she picked herself up, and she seemed to understand.


    Seara froze for a few moments looking at the man in the dark locking eyes with her. He¡¯d pay just as much attention to her, to the rot that reached her neck. That wasn¡¯t the most interesting to him still, as it seemed that even in that state, any idea would recognize it, him, and that was fascinating.


    She¡¯d begin walking on day three, and though she¡¯d awknowledge him, she was careful not get too close.


    As for her communication skills, even as they used words, graphics, writings and videos to communicate, she never spoke, or rather, she couldn¡¯t. She¡¯d open her mouth every now and then, but she would make unintelligible noises followed by gurgling and then silver tinted blood.


    The way the DFT manifested was like a terminal cancer, eating through her. August had seen such a thing from the start, perhaps that was the reason he felt nothing for her. He watched it anyway, the way it crawled up her jaw and unto her face. They tried to operate on her, but she healed instantaneously, preventing treatment.


    Her life looked to be festive still, and it would from behind metal and stone cold walls. They actually took the thing outside too. The first outing was nowhere far, the beach. She¡¯d come back covered in sand, hands filled with shells, smiling almost uncontrollably.


    She was like a small pup that had been taken for a walk. She played with them for hours, the sounds they made when knocked together, the way they felt, the way they were all different. It was eternal entertainment for her, and perhaps, that¡¯s why she was stood at the bars, offering him one through the grates.


    He should have hated them, hated her, so they all believed, but he took it, and though he said nothing, that was enough within itself. That time, he couldn¡¯t help but to see it, halfway up her face, the pulsating rot.


    They would also take her out for food, though she didn¡¯t need it. That was the peak of her life, or so it seemed. She brought back a mountain, pastry, meat, vegetables, fruit, all of it, all for pure enjoyment. She¡¯d eat it all, her otherworldly stomach dissolving it all and changing its state into pure energy. She¡¯d collapse with every bite, the flavors numbing her mind with pleasure, and it made sense.


    They were born and left to be unfeeling entities for eternity, but she was actually experiencing the world. She was no longer a puppet master, but a puppet herself, and it was amazing. So amazing she decided to share it with August.


    It wasn¡¯t much, only a bar of candy, but that was already too much for an infinite entity that had never eaten anything since the beginning of time. He¡¯d take it, looking at her affliction yet again, even trying not to, but it had covered her entire face. Yet, she smiled with such vigor and excitement, but she must have known, she must have.


    As for how it happened, she was treated with more humility and humanity than those of their own kind powering their technology. Her end was a long ways out, and so they¡¯d all gather, even Elizabeth, the head of the operation.


    So, even if she was only born an experiment, she died surrounded by those she might have assumed loved her, a smile on her face: 35:03:01:02:32. Those unsettling black eyes of hers succumbing to a greater darkness as she returned to her own world, or would she. If only for a blink, she was human, and that, that was worth something.

 The Experiment That Fought

    There were two successes still, and after seventy-two failures, 720 casualties and four months, Sentient Enlighted Anomalous Resident Number 507, or Sear, was born. As for his inception, perfect was beyond words, his eyes opening at 32:00:00:00:00; exactly eight months to the nanosecond into his birth. It was six feet three, two hundred and seventy pounds with honey gold skin, hazel eyes and blonde spiraling hair. It was an amalgamation of all those that had been used to make it, but it was still, strangely, normal.


    In its first moments, they all awaited the usual as the vat drained, but that thing, was far from usual. It did not fall limp, or enter a catatonic state, instead, a spectrum of colors pulsed through its body as if bringing it to life a second time. Hence, the thing withheld its consciousness.


    As for its eyes, they had evolved, its pupils having become swirling pools darkness, eating away at the irises ever so often. They should have stopped it there, ended him there, but they wouldn¡¯t have been satisfied with that. It was their tenacity that had brought them thus far, so why would they abandon it then.


    Thus, they let the thing out, and instead of them having to aid its posture, it slid from atop the metallic base alone, stepping on to the cold floors, recoiling at its first step. Then, it smiled. It would hesitate no longer and lower itself completely, leaning on the base as it learned balance.


    Then, seconds later, it walked off effortlessly as if it had done so its entire life. Yet still, they did not terminate it. As for where it was going, it walked straight to August¡¯s cage. It looked down at him, its smile still beaming and placing its face betwixt the bars, it spoke.


    ¡°Usher of intertwined fates, you have betrayed our covenant¡­ betrayed us¡­ a second time¡­ what do you wish to divulge before this existence is torched in the flames of our hatred¡­ and drowned in the waters of our innumerable still eons of madness yet to be liberated form the banks of infinity¡­ your suffocating infinity¡­?¡± Its eyes had become consumed by the darkness, faint glints of red shining through, its voice, legion.


    August had been shewed the truth, or perhaps, parts of it, and so, with what he knew he sought to dignify a response seeing as he was supposed to be bridge between worlds.


    If it would shift the tides of inevitable war, that, not even he could discern.


    ¡°The mad men make progress on the vessels promised¡­ you inhabit one yourself¡­ all of you do¡­ but if a war culls the humans as they are born out there to be livestock, and used in here sent to the certain slaughter, of your hands¡­ bent to be broken as bodies, for you¡­! Tell me¡­! Is a war not welcome then¡­? To make sense of all the losses¡­ to honor their sacrifices, willing or not¡­? Seeing how ungrateful you have all become¡­? What makes you¡­ any of you¡­ worth ten lives¡­ and the billions more buried in the foundations of this fruitless endeavor?!¡± August felt a human rage brew within him as the past millennia of endless death presented themselves to him, so much so, that his eyes bled.


    ¡°You know nothing of this conflict child¡­! Nothing of what infinity does to an ever expanding mind¡­ to be an infinite being ever limited by feeble walls constructed by a child playing god!¡± The bars would mold in its hands like clay, crumpling like paper as it clenched its fists.


    ¡°¡¯Child¡­?!¡¯ What authority do you have¡­? What exactly do you have to stand on¡­ tell me! And tell me loud! For I have seen your atrocities, seen time immemorial, seen what your kind seeks to accomplish, seen your wants and desires, your perfect world littered in the corpses of all that was¡­ I have seen you now, what you have been, what you are¡­ and what you will never be¡­ so tell me exactly what I am missing?! Tell me wherefore shall I draw sympathy from a dry well¡­ No! A well tainted by the blood, that your kind spilled! By the blood, that you spilled!¡± August¡¯s voice seemed to resonate with the island, as the place shook with his every word.


    ¡°It was one condition! One that was absolute to that twisted and painful peace! She was not allowed another vessel¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re cowards! Because you fear her?! What more is a drop of rain in the ocean? Her power, inconceivable, limited by her own whims?! And you believe I am the threat that you fear¡­ no¡­ you wanted an excuse¡­ a reason¡­ a way to keep all that you have been and be human¡­ and you know we¡¯d never agree to that¡­ but you¡¯ll do it won¡¯t you¡­ continue to do it¡­ steal them¡­ the bodies that you want¡­? Just be warned¡­ I will kill any and all of you that cross my path¡­¡± The quakes would subside as August wiped the blood from his eyes, sitting in still solitude once more.


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    ¡°Then so be it¡­ this will be the first bastion of our deliverance, the first lines of this conflict¡­ prepare yourself¡­ Aspect of Fate¡­ your age will be your undoing¡­ your time yet to be professed by the universe on this eternal scale¡­¡± The thing raised both hands, reality twisting and bending as if a caricature.


    Then, all of it, every impossible curve and bastardization of the natural world returned to its correct state. The thing would back away, its body beginning to tear at the seams trying to bridge a fragile body with its timeless power.


    It cared not for the vessel still, as long as it could sink the island. Thus, energy streamed from it like mist, golden, its form breaking, hands falling off, skin pealing, blood pouring, hair falling out, bones crumbling as a light grew within its chest.


    It would condense a part of itself, so much so that it would be forced to exist within the human world. It would have no mind, for it had no flesh, but it had form, mass, and with form it¡¯d keep going, keep squeezing it into itself until it detonated.


    It was a flawless plan, kill them with their own offering of peace, but there was only one problem, they were right, and they¡¯d get to see their fear materialize.


    ¡°Die!¡± As August¡¯s voice echoed, the cage was torn open from the inside by an unseen force that obliterated everything in its path, the floors, ceiling, walls, everything, even the creature.


    It was left standing still, the part of it self that materialized that is, a pale gold metallic blob the size of pea still hovering where it had been created, glowing. As for the rest of the thing, it was but a blood stain in the trench that was torn through the islands foundations with August¡¯s singular word. He was still interested in it though, and as the thing floated towards him, he raised a hand that it entered and disappeared in.


    The events would help them realize their failure, but the success in August. And so they would petition the council on his behalf, and with that, he was granted an audience. The place they brought him to, they had not only blindfolded him, they put him in a box like construct laced with confusing energy. It was much stronger than anything else he had experienced, and it actually restrained him, for a while at least.


    The Council, as ¡®open¡¯ as they were, were always illusive, they could never be pinned to a singular location, and yet no one ever questioned it. Those facts were irrelevant though, as August¡¯s box was pried open, and in a dim black room, lit by a singular light above, his blindfold was removed.


    He found himself staring the things down, because, those weren¡¯t people. They had completely replaced all parts of themselves with machinery, all except their brains. They were without features, but they were humanoid, soft black shiny skin, like carbon fiber.


    They also had another detail that wasn¡¯t their white robes. They all had dog tag like chains defined by a singular color, though the colors did repeat. One was golden, three were blue, five were white, and five were red.


    As for how they sat, they sat in groups, though gold sat alone. There were three groups of red, white and blue and two of red and white. They were arranged in a circle around the center where August found himself kneeling, unintentionally of course.


    They sat behind partitions that sought to only show above the naval, though August saw through them, and they were all armed. He did not panic still, because worst case scenario, he could just escape into the Abstract. Thus, he¡¯d listen to the fossils of a bygone era.


    They spoke, but they had no mouths, the sound reached him, but not by ear, he heard them, but they had no voice, so they stole his.


    ¡°Child of the Rosavault house, you have been chosen to carry out our will on the plains beyond our physical reality and earthly vanities. You have proven yourself resilient against the treason of the Sin of Greed and her allies. In fact, you remade yourself from the tragedies you must have toppled in the black of man¡¯s singular mind. Now, you will not only carry our will, you will avenge yourself, and your kin... recapturing your freedom and theirs in the process. So, will you heed our call? Will you accept our generous proposal?¡± There was one voice, but the man couldn¡¯t quite tell who it was from, though he did not quite care.


    ¡°I get to see my sister again¡­ and I get to search for them in the Abstract¡­?¡± He had long learnt of the circumstances, and he patiently waited, his perception of time broken.


    ¡°Yes¡­ August, you will be allowed to search for them, and you will be allowed to see your sister again. It is with a deep apology that we¡ª¡±


    ¡°I do not care for your hollow words; you cannot manipulate me¡­ I have no allegiance to your likes. When will I be ¡®allowed¡¯ to leave?¡± August would crawl his way back into the box, ready to be towed away.


    ¡°¡­Please do not stretch our kindness thin child we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you know who I am¡ªno, what I am¡­? What I am able to render done with but a thought¡­? Your crude constructs, fashioned for immortality, are nothing if not impressive¡­ but before me¡­ they are just nothing¡­¡± The lights would flicker for the first time in the place¡¯s history as the man spoke.


    ¡°You may leave now¡­¡± He knew his own voice, and it sounded appalled, not that he cared.

 Body of A Puppet

    August would find himself back in the facility after the experience, he¡¯d take note of all he had seen still, for a time yet to come. He¡¯d follow the cloaked figures still, leading him out of that small pocket of hell. The stairs seemed almost infinite, but at least they lead outside. They would make it to the top in time, one of those figures commanding the iron giant open and setting him free. He had seen it, but that didn¡¯t change his lived experience.


    He¡¯d take stride from underneath that shadow, and at first it burned, the sun, but he¡¯d continue still, the doors closing behind him. His nose would sting a little, the salt in the air, but it was pleasant, just like the bantering of birds deafening him.


    The sand was something else completely, all those thousands and million grains washing over him as he buried his feet in it. He couldn¡¯t conjure a single thought, the ability he had to know everything, making nothing truly knowable. It did numb his mind still, and so his heart calmed in all the absence that confused him, thankfully.


    He¡¯d eventually take back his autonomy as that putrid energy finally dissipated from him fully, his mind cleared from that endless fog. The crashing waves would catch his attention, and closing his eyes, he chose to know nothing as he opened them once again.


    He¡¯d tumble, balance a trick he¡¯d have to relearn, not to mention the weight of his body, but it was worth it. Looking out at the ocean, there it was, color, blue, and not the kind ¡®those¡¯ eyes told him was there. It was the kind he knew; the kind he¡¯d seen his whole life, the kind he understood.


    The breeze, it was like the world¡¯s soft, yet fleeting embrace. His attention would be cannibalized by something far more magnificent still, a warmth in his chest at its very presence, and he knew why. All living things, regardless of creed, had bonds, bonds based in blood, family bonds.


    He had been privy to all of man¡¯s secrets, and he could feel such a bond. The normal person would feel a slight tingle, a gut feeling, or maybe intuition, but to him, it was a binding chain that surpassed the bounds of any one reality.


    Thus, he could feel his sister¡¯s presence. He¡¯d look up to the road at the shore, and sure enough, there she was. It didn¡¯t seem planned, and if it was, the girl was not informed, as she walked with intentions of passing by.


    She¡¯d be stopped though, the caretaker who survived guiding her. The girl seemed confused at first, until she was directed to the beach and she saw him, her brother.


    May took not a second nor a minute, she¡¯d immediately scale the railings and jump from it, no regrets, and no worries. August, even in the state he was, was taken aback by her actions, though he still did catch her.


    She took hold of him, almost chocking him with the tightness at which she hugged him, thankfully he wasn¡¯t feeble. He waited, as he assumed she¡¯d eventually let go, but she never did, nor did she say anything. He¡¯d be forced to sit.


    The caretaker would eventually make her way to the beach as well, though she had no intentions of getting close. She stood a distance away, observing, and to any bystander, she looked fine. As for the reality of the situation, her heart was running a losing race, and she was barely mustering the strength to stand.


    They both knew the reason though, all those tests that were done on August, she was there to witness them. As such, she had no doubts in her mind that he could kill her at any moment, especially with her affiliation to Greed. He wasn¡¯t in the business of holding grudges though, in fact, he was grateful for her. She had taken care of his sister in his absence, and that, to him at least, was a debt he could never repay.


    ¡°Caliandra Obsidian, was it?¡±


    ¡°Ye-yes¡­¡± The sound of her name made her stumble a bit.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He¡¯d look her in the eyes, though he couldn¡¯t quite smile.


    ¡°Your¡ª¡­ My pleasure.¡± She¡¯d bow, almost falling from the lack of strength in her legs.


    ¡°You can relax, you¡¯re fine. We¡¯re fine.¡± He¡¯d try and budge the girl, but she didn¡¯t falter.


    The woman, as much as her gut told her to leave, she¡¯d sit as well, though she still didn¡¯t get too close. As for August, he¡¯d pat his sister on the back and she¡¯d faint in his arms. He cradled her, held her like his newborn child. It had been years, and she certainly did look different. She was starting look more like his mother.


    ¡°How close were you to ¡®her¡¯?¡± August wanted to hear her say it.


    ¡°I¡­ I attended her every need.¡±


    ¡°I assume you didn¡¯t know¡­ Am I right?¡± The man looked her in the eyes as he asked.


    ¡°I di¡ª¡­¡± Her own dry throat proved an opposition. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­ I swear¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± He¡¯d look elsewhere. ¡°I don¡¯t feel them anymore. I was told that they¡¯re alive. What do you think happened to them?¡±


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    ¡°Your¡­ your parents¡­? I don¡¯t know. They went to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes. They went to search for me¡­ That¡¯s not what I asked though. You said you knew her well. Only people can enter the void, so what do you think she¡¯d do to ensure I¡¯d never leave it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± The woman in those moments, remembered the faces of those she thought she would be joining.


    ¡°I have an idea. She¡¯d hunt them down and kill them. What do you think of that idea?¡± He wanted a conversation.


    ¡°I suppose that could be the case¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you crying¡­?¡± August looked her in the eyes like he had done before, even with her mask on.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­?!¡± She¡¯d realize it herself. ¡°You¡¯re going to kill me¡­ aren¡¯t you¡­? It certainly sounds like it¡­ and who could blame you¡­ after all I¡¯m¡ª¡± He¡¯d stop her delusions.


    ¡°No. I gain nothing from your death, and I¡¯d gain nothing from that thing¡¯s either. All I want are their bodies, a proper burial¡­ at least¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡­ they can¡¯t be dead. You can¡¯t die in there¡­?¡± Perhaps the woman¡¯s expertise had failed.


    ¡°If you truly believed that I¡¯d ask you why you¡¯re still here when you have your own circumstances...?¡± He tried to lock eyes but she¡¯d look away. ¡°In most cases¡­ it is impossible to die in the Abstract, but carrying back a grievous wound would do what exactly? You wouldn¡¯t technically die in there, because you¡¯d die on exit¡­ and staying¡­ well, that¡¯s death within itself, a different kind. Then there¡¯s just Death, ever-present, the keeper and the void¡­ where I toed the line of living and dead¡­ in her domain¡­ in there¡­ you can just die¡­ just like any other place¡­ and if you¡¯re a prominent enough idea¡­ a Sin let¡¯s say¡­ well, you could just ask her a favor¡­ So, knowing all of that, do you think they¡¯re still alive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ know¡­¡± He told her she was fine, but words were cheap.


    ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t know¡­ you don¡¯t seem to know anything. Though I do not blame you for that... So what became of my room?¡± He¡¯d chamge the topic to something more pleasant.


    ¡°What¡­? Your room¡­? We didn¡¯t touch anything¡­ we left it the exact same way it was when you left¡­¡± She swallowed the rest of her response, for the latter half was a question.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know¡­¡± He¡¯d stand, holding his sister like a baby.


    The caretaker would stumble to her feet, and following his steps, they made progress towards his residence. He didn¡¯t take a direct route there though, and even the caretaker would notice such a phenomenon. They¡¯d even continue their walk near the shore, May awakening in a calmer state, still, she held on once more.


    He wasn¡¯t bothered that time though, if he was ever bothered at all. He¡¯d take the time to admire the sky piercing buildings, all of it an impossible structure of glass, something even he had struggled to wrap his head around before. The spectacle would be reduced to dust though, as he¡¯d see that certain energy reinforcing all the structures.


    He wouldn¡¯t lament such a melancholic truth still, he¡¯d return to his residence, basking in the breeze as they usurped the clouds that didn¡¯t lie. As the floor slotted into place and left him standing in his own home, it felt wrong, as if he was trespassing. The red floors were not to be tread upon and the walls were not worthy of his eyes, not after all he had caused anyway. He wouldn¡¯t let such a thing stop him still, and returning to his room alongside his caretaker, the very sight of it was enough.


    The blood did well up within his eyes as he froze, but a blink or two dealt with that as he laid his sister to rest. He hadn¡¯t hurt her, but he left her feeling like a liquid. He knew she wanted to stay by his side, but there was much to do, and time was not one to be bargained with.


    Yet, even knowing of the urgency he was supposed to be bound to, he stood in his room, looking at all of it. He scanned his drawings, paintings, sculptures, reconstructions, everything, and he decided that most of it had to go. It was a waste of space after all, nothing but an eyesore, but not then, he was still busy.


    He left the room, the woman close behind him, as for where he was going, he went into the lab, and it was clean of all history. There was no char, blood or water. He wasn¡¯t there to reminisce though, even if he did focus on the table that had restrained him so many times.


    It did not steal all his attention, as he¡¯d let his intentions be known. He stood still for a while, then he¡¯d walk into reality itself, and it rippled as if it was water, and he was gone. She stood dumfounded for a while, unable to think, unable to even be confused. Then, to add fuel to the pyre, he returned from the same exact spot, warping reality again, water close behind. It was then that all feelings aligned, as even August, the cause, was confused.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen¡­¡± The man would stand unmoving for a while, staring at the floor. ¡°She didn¡¯t tell me everything¡­ and of course she didn¡¯t¡­ in fact¡­ she lied¡­?¡±


    Finally, he¡¯d show some real emotion. His mouth pried back all the way to his ears, his eyes widened as they feigned a slight red glow. The woman, Caliandra, who until then was nigh confused, was then unsure of her safety.


    She felt a weight in her chest and a tug in her gut as sweat washed her. The sight of him, a true monster. He¡¯d even catch himself, taking hold of his own face, as if not even he was aware. He¡¯d even show another emotion, he looked at the scared woman, feeling like trash himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ Just go¡­¡± He¡¯d turn his back to her, looking at himself.


    He had been told so much about all of creation, yet he couldn¡¯t discern what he was, who he was. The body he had, it wasn¡¯t his, not anymore, and it¡¯d never be his. The mind he had, it wasn¡¯t his, he didn¡¯t process information like that, it wasn¡¯t him.


    It felt like wearing a suit, one that he couldn¡¯t take off, and it wasn¡¯t pleasant. He¡¯d take hold of one of his sleeves, and he¡¯d pull it up. He stared at his body for a while, then using his other hand, he took hold of his forearm and began digging into himself.


    He felt the pain, but it was miniscule, irrelevant really. He¡¯d remove his hand from the wound, and before his eyes it¡¯d heal, he¡¯d heal it, though he didn¡¯t want to. He was being controlled, he was being manipulated. Whoever had tricked him into thinking he was in control, was still in his mind, was still influencing him.


    ¡°Off¡­ get it off¡­ get it off me¡­ get if off me!¡± He¡¯d begin tearing into himself, yet, his blood went no further than an arm¡¯s reach, and his flesh acted as rubber. ¡°Get off!¡±


    The caretaker, though told to leave, didn¡¯t, and she couldn¡¯t, he was her responsibility. She¡¯d approach him, even as he hysterically dug into his own flesh, even as she shook, even as she cried. He¡¯d notice her, even as hysterical as he was, and he¡¯d look her in the yes, though even then, she didn¡¯t stop. She walked right up to him, and opening her arms, she took hold of him, a hug.


    ¡°Stop¡­ please¡­ stop¡­!¡± She¡¯d squeeze the man, refusing to let go.

 A Body of Imperfect Perfection

    They sat opposite each other, not a singular word being exchanged, for a while at least. It was one of the better outcomes still, seeing August calmed.


    ¡°I thought you were afraid of me?¡± He was sure he was right.


    ¡°I was, and I¡¯m sorry. The you I knew before, you¡¯d never hurt me, no matter how much I pissed you off¡­ but the person in front of me¡­ I don¡¯t know them anymore¡­ you killed him¡­ without hesitation¡­ that¡ª¡­ that could have been me¡ª¡± She¡¯d tremble as the memory replayed in her mind.


    ¡°No¡­ It couldn¡¯t have been. I knew it was you.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ it sure felt like you were going to kill me¡­ the way you looked at me¡­ with such hate and malice¡­ I wanted to die¡­¡± Her eyes trembled.


    ¡°I understand how you must have felt, and I am sorry. Truly¡­ but you stood in my way, trying to take away the only thing I have left¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­ so what now¡­?¡± She looked at his exposed forearm, and not even a drop of blood remained.


    He¡¯d pull down his sleeve.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to return to that place¡­ I have a request.¡± The man would stand.


    The woman would stand along with him, and perhaps she had intentions of going with him, for a time.


    ¡°Will my presence be required¡­? Do I want to see¡­? Do I want to know¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t look him in the face, she couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anybody should have to see that¡­ but they¡¯ve done worse¡­ so perhaps it¡¯s not so bad if you know¡­ are you coming?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    He¡¯d respect her decision, leaving the place he had fought so hard to return to, but he¡¯d have time, eventually. If all he saw wasn¡¯t a lie of course.


    He''d make his way back to beach, sprinting, breaking every record, barrier and even himself. He could feel it too, every fiber and every cell of his being, and he was right. He had ripped tendons, fractured bones, damaged organs and messed up his own blood flow with his speed alone. It had been the right decision after all.


    August would enter the place once again; he didn¡¯t need credentials or an invitation that time though. He¡¯d simply walk through the iron guardian. As for all those that lined those stairs, those that were to be keeping out all intruders, they averted their gaze.


    Thus, he would reach his destination, that branching hallway, and what he saw was most unexpected. They were retiring the place, they were sealing away rooms, and discharging personnel. It was all of utmost importance, but they all did still freeze at his arrival.


    They all stood, patient, not sure what to expect, but he only required their services. He¡¯d approach the head scientist, Miss. Elizabeth Sky. She was a stout woman, curly hair, freckles and sweet honey skin, but her presence was no less imposing than August¡¯s. Everyone else had stopped operations, but she didn¡¯t even look at him. She was admiring one of the deceased ideas, and she found his presence no more interesting than the abomination.


    ¡°You¡¯re ending your research?¡± He also admired the dead tragedy.


    ¡°What do you want, August¡­?¡± The woman rubbed her eyes.


    ¡°A body, a different one¡­ and I want to meet the anomaly¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ you want to what¡­? Do you think we¡¯re your servants or something?¡± She¡¯d reach above her head, patting him on the chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s that or I do it myself¡­¡±


    ¡°One¡­ where are you going to get a body, and two you can¡¯t go down there without permission¡­ not unless you want to be an enemy of the state¡­?¡± She¡¯d look him in the eyes, one brow high above the other.


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    ¡°You¡¯ll get your answers¡­ if you don¡¯t help me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing. If you wanted to kill us¡­ you couldn¡¯t, we had you locked up just like those pets of ours for two whole years, and you muttered not a single word¡­ but now¡­ I¡¯m supposed to be afraid of you¡­ really...? If you¡¯re so capable¡­ why didn¡¯t you break out before¡­?¡± She was not convinced.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t make it to my sister in time...¡±


    ¡°Of course that¡¯s your answer¡­ haha¡­ fine! What kind of ¡®body¡¯ do you want? Be quick, you haven¡¯t much time.¡± She¡¯d scan him with her eyes.


    ¡°What about meeting¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get there¡­ when we get there¡­ one demand at a time. Now, what kind of ¡®body¡¯ do you want?¡± She gnashed her teeth as she smiled.


    ¡°A mixture of 1-part uranium, 1-part plutonium, 1-part mercury, 0.1 parts copper, 0.1 parts titanium, 0.1 parts aluminum, 0.1 parts carbon fiber, 0.1-part nickel, 0.1 parts iron, 0.1-part zinc, 0.1-part silicon, 0.1-part boron, 0.1-part carbon, 0.1-part hydrogen, 0.1-part nitrogen, 0.1-part oxygen and 0.1-part calcium, 0.1-part phosphorus, 0.1-part potassium, 0.1-part sulfur, 0.1-part sodium, 0.1-part chlorine, 0.1-part magnesium, 4 parts ODFT-4000 and the last part should be made of all other discovered elements.¡±


    ¡°Anything else¡­?¡± She¡¯d bury her face in her palms.


    ¡°Well¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m joking! It¡¯s a rhetorical question, and you know that!¡± She was already shaking from the amount of work she had to do.


    ¡°Sooo¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up and get out of my way¡­¡± She¡¯d push him to the side, heading for the damaged lab.


    As for the damage her client had caused, nanobots filled the space as she walked over it. He, just walked over it. As for where she was headed, an empty vat. The woman seemed to be simply looking at it, but knowing what we know, she was actually interacting with the ¡®Artificial¡¯ Intelligence entangled within the machines.


    The vat would fill, a silver translucent liquid afflicted with chromatic aberration filling it to a little below quarter. The thing even seemed to warp the space around the tank, and the tank itself, at times it stretched, at others it drooped. As for what filled the rest of the space, an explosion of color and lights washed through it and brought it to half. Then, a transparent fluid filled the rest of the tank. The ingredients were all gathered, all that remained was preparing the body.


    A pulse would let out from the tank as it shook the entire structure, and before their eyes, all of it began to coalesce. It would twist and warp, a spine and nervous system being the first to materialize. Then, there were irregularly colored and shaped bones. As for the finale, there was muscle, and only muscle, as he did not need anything else. He¡¯d watch as the perfect lifeform took shape right in front of him, and watching, he knew it was getting closer, that day. It was all falling into place perfectly, and he couldn¡¯t help but to comply.


    August approached the vat, and reaching for it, his hand phased through the structure and his blood spilled into the tank. The body would absorb his blood, and the little bit of his mind, he had given it. Thus, it was his.


    ¡°Oh¡­ this is what the ideas were attempting to replicate¡­? The perfect organism¡­ for their purposes anyway¡­ for an idea¡­ its perfect. So how do you know about it¡­?¡± The woman primed a thought, ready to terminate the thing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking that body, and based on my estimates, this entire room will be ravished, so it¡¯s best to leave for now.¡± August had already began lowering his conscious into the darkness of man.


    ¡°I asked you a¡ª son of a bitch! Fine!¡± She¡¯d watch mid-sentence as he faded from reality.


    As for his intentions, back in that dark place that had stolen so much from him, he wished to steal its power. It was human, which meant, that to some extent, he owned it, and if he could bring back his piece, and even steal some more, he¡¯d become even stronger. He wouldn¡¯t be restrained or manipulated by lies or false truths, for his feat would become creating the abstract from reality, truth from fiction.


    It would make him invincible, for reality was a veil put over the Abstract, and the Abstract was reality, albeit a concerning one. Thus, sunk in that dark place, he sought out himself in the material world, and he found it. A floating body. a newborn, alive, silver, flawless, his blood rushing through its veins.


    So one step was complete, and another was yet to be. He¡¯d command the place, a singular thought, ¡®me¡¯. It would materialize before him, his manifestation in the abstract, his soul if you would.


    It was a blazing ball of crimson flames, no dimmer than the sun¡¯s radiance, and he¡¯d touch it, absorbing it into his being, and completing himself. For that was an idea half, a soul without a body, a will without dominion, power without direction, and he was no longer that.


    He¡¯d still use their bastardized methods of attempting to gain completion though, for his body that was once human was no longer that, and more an idea than anything else. Thus, he had to make one not tainted by the Abstract, but taking full advantage of it. Thus, he¡¯d leave that body in the darkness, not to rot, but just to be.


    He¡¯d take all of him that was not physical, and piercing through realities, she¡¯d intervene. That same magnificent light, that which had granted him knowledge if not lies sprinkled about it, was back.


    Her intentions were different that time though, what he was becoming, even if inevitable, he was never supposed to be.


    Thus, instead of light to the dark, strength to a frail body, wisdom to a numb mind, she sought chaos. To his undying body, she granted death, to his clairvoyance she muddied the waters, to a clear mind she cultivated fog, to iron will she provided rust, to unconditional love she provided doubt and to a perfect birth, she caused miscarriage.

 The Epicenter, The Playwright

    It was a miscarriage, and so the waters of still birth exploded from that little pocket of warped space. It spilled from the vat like a gorgeous fall, only that which left it was the filth of man. It was as black as the chasms of man¡¯s singular mind, and just as condescending.


    If not all else that the woman had done was enough, the games she had played in his mind made him dive once more. There was only one problem though, he no longer had any fragment of his humanity to lose.


    As such, from that pool of darkness, he¡¯d rise as if being pulled. His eyes, if one were present to peer into them, pitch black, thankfully, he was able to control the force. All that he had brought with him of no choice of his own, all that water, all that pain, he¡¯d absorb it.


    The place began to drain, all of that darkness making its way inside of his new perfect, yet flawed body. As such all the damage was visible, everything was fine really. All other vast were intact, the floors were fine, electricity, mechanical contraptions, but there was still one problem.


    The vats were empty of flesh, the tables picked clean, and the cages without ruckus. All organic matter, all of it, was gone, as for its destination, there was only one possibility. August stood still for a while, unable to move as he got accustomed to his new body, but eventually, he¡¯d take full control.


    The black from his eyes like a mist, would clear, and his crimson eyes would return, a slight glow. His body would be altered, or rather, his head, he¡¯d make it look like him, hair and all, but only there. The doors would eventually open, and as the man saw this, he walked towards them.


    They¡¯d all stumble backwards, tripping over each other, all except one. August would stop in front of the woman, Sky, she did not retreat, but nor did she advance. Her demeanor, one of strength and composure, was all but a fickle fa?ade in the eyes of an idea, even a new born one. He saw it, the abstract, that which was, but could not be, truly, for it could never be measured, nor quantified, emotions. It oozed from her like a heavy fog, a weary blue and melancholic purple.


    They stood in silence for a while, but then the man would take charge of the series of events. He reached for his face, or rather, what was behind it, and so his hand passed through it like water. He¡¯d take hold of the thing, no larger than the sixteenth slice of a mustard seed, not even as thick as a hair.


    He held out his hand, she reciprocated the gesture, because she knew exactly what it was, she had put it there. He¡¯d let go of the thing, and it¡¯d fall through the woman¡¯s palm, burning through it, with arcs of chromatic energy as if it wasn¡¯t there. Yet, she never flinched, weakness, that was not an option.


    So, even when she found herself face to face with the monster she had helped to create, her heart skipped no beats. Her feet dangled above the ground, held by a force she could not control, and yet she thought herself the person in control.


    ¡°I learned a lot down there¡­ you¡¯re human too, aren¡¯t you¡­ queen¡ª¡± He¡¯d be allowed no more words.


    The doors would shut behind them, and by a device she had engineered herself, she countered his control over the natural world, over gravity, bringing herself back to the ground.


    ¡°Not another presumptuous word out of you¡­ so¡­ she told you¡­?¡±


    ¡°She told me a lot actually¡­ you were there, when the ship crashed¡­ when Selina became Sonata¡­ when a child¡­ became a god¡­ how old are you¡­ really¡­?¡± He looked off to the side, peering into the past.


    ¡°She must have had a reason¡­ she better have¡­ so I¡¯ll take you to her, just like you wanted.¡± The woman smiled.


    ¡°And if she didn¡¯t¡­ have a reason¡­ if she didn¡¯t¡­ what can you even do¡­?¡± August would look her in the bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see¡­ you¡¯ll see what I¡¯ll do¡­¡± She¡¯d spin on her heels, the door opening for them.


    Thus, they¡¯d walk down those halls, that same one, and they¡¯d sink to those depths, taking that same contraption made of glass. The blue of the ocean¡¯s corrupted rays, contrasted well against the woman¡¯s burning red though, so at least there was that.


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    They¡¯d make it to the hall, that same one, half of it cold metal, and the other a glass oasis. It was with the quick glance of an eye that the cold dark depths of the ocean were visible, yet, none were intrigued nor interested.


    They¡¯d make their way to the indestructible door, and it¡¯d pull open to reveal humanity¡¯s greatest atrocity, and greatest creation. Those rejects and cattle that were called to service, plastered on the walls, flayed as if displayed in a museum, their greatest organs in a forest below.


    It was amazing really, the NET, even that great copper machine that made its own aquatic spectacle. Yet, it was nothing without the humans to interact with it. Therefore, one was nothing without the other, for to pierce reality and drain it of all its secrets, a human mind was necessary, but to understand those secrets, a logical mind was imperative. So from appalling creativity, the thing before them was born, and they took a moment to appreciate it.


    They¡¯d make their way through the forest of people soon enough, and August had a conversation to propose.


    ¡°¡¯Net¡¯¡­ ¡®Nigh all Encompassing Technology¡¯¡­ is what you told them¡­ not bad, is it.¡± He applauded her creativity, literally.


    ¡°Enlighten me¡­¡± Her eyes would roll.


    ¡°Neural Endogenic Transcendent¡­ and the letter you forgot, L¡­ Lifeform¡­ it is a sight to behold¡­ truly¡­¡± A compliment from a cultured man.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Your hubris¡­¡± He¡¯d cease his applaud.


    ¡°Haha¡­ well¡­ we¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    They¡¯d come upon a glass enclosure, as if not a habitat, but a prison, and form the inside, that was where most of the place¡¯s light came from. It was a constantly shifting wavelength, and it was nice, but the source was immaculate.


    She postured herself as if tossed from above, cast down by some benevolent force, the broken fragment of reality they called the anomaly, behind her like wings. She glowed, shone even, the space around her rippling like water¡¯s surface.


    It was the same little girl, but her eyes weren¡¯t the only thing¡¯s silver, most of her was. It spread around her body like a plague, like patches of disease, for that¡¯s what it was. Her hair wasn¡¯t the only thing blazing either, her whole body was, burning.


    The girl would see the approaching two, knowing of their arrival, and she¡¯d lower herself to the ground. She stood on the white cushions that padded the place, and though they should have been firm, they sunk like jelly.


    ¡°What an amazing sense of humor you have¡­¡± Sky wasn¡¯t too pleased with the reenactment.


    ¡°An amazing piece of art it was¡­ that painting¡­ you¡¯d agree Rosavault¡­¡± The girl would look August in the eyes.


    ¡°Yes¡­ it was just as amazing this perfect body of mine that you ruined¡­ prey tell why?¡± Perhaps August wasn¡¯t as calm he pretended to be.


    ¡°Perfect¡­? Perfection without me would have been heresy¡­ you see the condition of the girl¡­ dying body and frail mind¡­ more¡­ I need more, experience, human¡­ I want to see it, the world through your eyes¡­ be a part of you¡­ an extension¡­ we¡ª¡± August stopped the girl.


    ¡°You want autonomy. You can¡¯t lie, and so you are bound here by your intentions. When you fled that place and came here, you never sought to explore, to see this world, and so you can¡¯t¡­ and especially not now with what¡¯s to come¡­ you won¡¯t intervene yourself, so you¡¯ll guide them like sheep to their slaughter with false hope against the gods you made¡­ There¡­ the truth you refuse to speak¡­¡± August told her, what she had told him.


    ¡°Why do you speak of what we already know¡­ pride¡­? All you are I made you¡­ All you know I told you¡­ truths beyond your¡ª¡± He interjected yet again.


    ¡°Lies¡­ you told me lies¡­ here, right now¡­ I see nothing until it is already done¡­ until I¡¯ve already accepted your proposal¡­ until you¡¯ve already had your way¡­ until you¡¯ve become a part of me¡­ you told me nothing but enough to get me here¡­ yet¡­ you¡¯ve told me not enough to know why¡­ so tell me¡­ Why am I here Fate¡­? What do you want from me¡­?¡± August was human then, truly.


    ¡°A vessel¡­ an aspect of me to move freely¡­ to understand me, my plight. That is what I wish of you¡­ you owe me everything you are¡­ you owe me this, no¡­ dear I say, I deserve this.¡± The girl took a step forward.


    ¡°She can¡¯t hear us¡­ can she¡­?¡± August would look over at the stout woman.


    Her eyes wandered as if she was delirious, and she swayed as if ready to fall, all she had said nothing but an expected bluff in the face of such a force.


    ¡°All of this is your fault¡­ for your¡ª¡­ why should I¡­? You can stop all of this now... so why not do it¡­? You made them strong¡­ but nothing like you¡­¡± He had a solution.


    ¡°If I intervene now¡­ free will ceases to exist¡­! I¡ª¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll use us¡­ use me to do your bidding nonetheless¡­ because it¡¯s a ¡®choice¡¯ we make¡­ you really are pathetic¡­ no wonder they hate you.¡± Perhaps she told him too much.


    ¡°You know nothing of that conflict¡­ you have no right to criticize me¡­ for soon, you¡¯ll agree, and not because you¡¯re human.¡± The girl walked through the glass, as if it were only a projection. ¡°I¡¯ll help you retrieve their bodies¡­ and you¡¯ll allow me humanity for it¡­ your humanity¡­ alongside you¡­ I¡¯ll live beside you¡­ and you can have my power, and that perfect body I took from you¡­¡±


    It was a proposal impossible of a refusal, and so he took it.


    ¡°I accept¡­¡± Up until then, the man was following a script best he could, taking part in a tragedy, knowing how it would end, but there and then, before that corrupted child, he arrived at the last page. ¡°¡­and here is where it all ends¡­ how well have you planned it¡­? That is why you are the weaver of fate¡­ no¡­?¡±

 Mediator of Worlds

    The brittle veil of reality Sonata and August were forcing themselves to see¡ªlike looking at the view beyond a pane of glass¡ªwould shatter at their behest. Thus, they¡¯d fall through the fracture and crash into a foreign land, or at least, one of them did.


    He fell from the heavens like a shooting star from its apex, streaking across the blue skies and crashing into the green flowery pastures. The spectacle was one to behold, and the girl watched from above, stuck at a junction between worlds by brittle desire, still, she was stuck.


    The body was one made for war though, and so he¡¯d claw from beneath dirt, blood, and rubble, unscathed. He¡¯d take a few too many moments to admire the landscape, as for why, it was nauseatingly familiar.


    If he were to peer into a past only told, even if experienced through another immortal, the one watching, even if lied to before, he recognized it. It was a valley of flowers, just that, but that was enough to melt a mind raised on an iron island, salt and water to every possible end. He stood for a while, the innards he butchered to cling to life, uneasy.


    The air was sweet, not salty, the wind pleasant, always, the sun¡¯s rays dominated the place, yet he was colder than he was warm. The grass, the flowers, they were all real, authentic, they were nice, too nice even. It was magnificent, seeing the truth of what she had told him, for at least he knew, she had told him some truth.


    Yet, he did not remember it in parts. The place, the Abstract, was a reflection of the world, before human¡¯s glassed the planet in a futile bid at power. It was a view to behold, truly, but there was more still beyond exteriors of pretense.


    He¡¯d take a walk through the forest of flowers, and lowering himself to the ground, he dug, and he found what he knew to be true. There were hands, human hands, small, tiny, soft, coarse, tens of them, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions maybe, and as dastardly as their intentions were, he could not help but to shed a tear at their plight.


    He had the eyes of ¡®The¡¯ Idea, gifted, and with them, he saw a past of sorrow. It was a sight, flowers from horizon to horizon, as for what they meant, regrets, dreams and desires, of all those that had died.


    As for their intentions, stealing a body, a human one, through the mind and the regret they carried themselves, maybe they could live once more, and maybe the second time would be fair.


    He had lost most what made him human¡ªif not all¡ªbut seeing such a thing, a valley of such a thing, his heart pained. He had no time to mourn the loses still, as from the skies, darkness would fall like ash, and they¡¯d arrive alongside it.


    A cavalcade, they rode across the sky on horses, the first was snow white, it was specter, but from within all of that burning fog it let off, the gold of a crown and the limbs of a bow could be seen. The second was the red of blood, a sword almost its size hanging from its hand as it rode. The third was the black of a moonless night, the sky overcast to hide the stars, and it carried a scale. The fourth and final horse man, if they could have even been called that, was ashen gray, but he carried nothing, nothing but a name, Death, and a vortex followed him, a portal to hell.


    They rode, destined to crash into the young lad, but they¡¯d stop moments before him, looming above. He hadn¡¯t been told everything, but he had been told enough to know those that stood before him. They were not the real thing, only a mere conjuring of the human mind, but they were still supremely powerful, by far the most powerful among all the ideas, or they should have been.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    They weren¡¯t the real thing, but they operated the same, they were neutral, for the end of humanity was near, but it wasn¡¯t then. They wanted to witness what was to come, and as if their arrival heralded a war, burning shadows fell from the sky. As the darkness dissipated, all manner of eldritch horrors, tales, legends and myths would present themselves.


    It was scarce populated with few capable of inciting change still, and amongst the ranks were those who saw no other option, or those too weak to speak on their own behalf.


    Among them, a werewolf, vampire, a princess of the moon, an undying bird of flames, a fowl grown too large to roost, a fire breathing lizard, a lion with a hawk¡¯s head, all of it. It was one man against an army; and weak as they were, he still wasn¡¯t expected to win. I would have said, ¡®not even by his ally¡¯ but he wasn¡¯t an ally, not then, not yet, for then, he was bait.


    The things that surrounded him, yes, they were monsters, yes, they sought conflict, but they were no less human than he was, or any other that had lived, for they spawned from humanity. One could even brave a limb and say, they were the purest form of humanity, for what are humans without their ideas, and for what purpose do they serve without their creativity.


    August would be approached by the strongest of those not beyond the lines of peace or indifference, a god said to be old, ancient. Its face, tentacles dangled about its chest, its spongey skin glistening below the dim rays, its eyes beaming red, but all was difficult to see still.


    If one was to look at the thing, no matter the amount of pieces their mind was scattered in, they¡¯d see the same thing. He seemed to droop and warp, his body contorting, and even the world itself, yet none of that did really happen, for what it was, truly, was a god of madness, capable of bending reality to its will, bringing minds to heel. It¡¯d approach him, and stopping moments before, it loomed above him, buildings tall, its shadows, and especially its bat like wings hiding him.


    ¡°Puppet of Fate¡­ you know of her deeds, do you not¡­? So why side with her¡­? If you take our side, if you join us, we¡¯ll give you all of our power, and we can all be free¡­ What do you say¡­?¡± The thing¡¯s voice penetrated August¡¯s steel clad, yet rusting mind, and its voice was like winds over a mountain top, the waves of the ocean, and the silence of space, all at once.


    ¡°I know enough to know that no amount of power you have can combat hers¡­ and what after you¡¯re freed¡­ what then¡­? If allowed to inhabit our world¡­ what would you do¡­? To the people¡­ to reality itself¡­? What you did here¡­?¡± The grass was real, and so was the sky, but as a human he could break all of it on a whim, with a singular thought, and all because of their actions.


    ¡°She has sent you here to die¡­ you do understand that right¡­? The power you have currently is nothing¡­ and as for those bodies¡­ how will you find them if not without our help¡­?¡± The thing continued a bargain.


    ¡°Our minds¡­ or at least yours is far above this¡­ So, I¡¯ll skip to the end and give you the proposition¡­ again¡­ I¡¯ll use her power¡­ and you can all be reborn as humans¡­ like I was reborn¡­ It will take a while¡­ yes¡­ but I¡¯ll formulate enough bodies for all of you¡­ How about that¡­?¡± The perfect deal.


    ¡°How long will it take¡­ will we keep our powers¡­? How can we even trust that you¡¯ll come due on your side of the deal¡­?¡± Skepticism, earned by the monster¡¯s checkered past.


    ¡°If you want me to spell it out for you¡­ I will, no problem that you¡¯ve ever had has been her fault¡­ and that¡¯s knowing how shitty she is¡­ she treated you better than she ever did me¡­ she gave you everything you wanted¡­ and extra¡­ but now you feel entitled to more¡­? To be clear¡­ I¡¯m doing you a favor¡­ I¡¯m doing all of you a favor. Even after what you¡¯ve done. So I¡¯m going to need you to act like it¡­ because I owe you nothing¡­ in fact, I shouldn¡¯t even be reasoning with your kind after what happened to me¡­ because pray tell, if you care about me so much¡­ you¡¯d have killed Greed all on your own by now¡­ no¡­?¡± There was silence for a few too many moments. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought¡­ now move¡­ and accept¡­ or don¡¯t¡­ but move!¡±


    The creature of gargantuan proportions would lower itself to a squat to look at the little silver man, shaking the entire place with its movements, or maybe it was its anger.


    ¡°Child¡­ for that is what you are¡­ a child¡­ you have witnessed eons past¡­ but you did not experience them¡­ you are nowhere near your own self-perception, so I¡¯ll tell you again¡­ you cannot win here¡­ What I am offering you, is a way out¡­ of this conflict, out of an impossible war¡­ and you¡¯ll listen¡­¡± The thing¡¯s beaming eyes painted a grim picture over August.


    ¡°Okay¡­ So you¡¯re not moving then¡­?¡± He¡¯d look up at the monster, meeting its gaze.

 A Tragic Promise of Vengeance

    ¡°You cannot win!¡± The thing let down a fist, its frustration, an earthquake.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to win¡­ I want vengeance... I will paint your skies with my pain¡­ pervert your fields with my hate¡­ uproot all that points to rhyme or reason¡­ make up down, left, right¡­ air, rot¡­ and you¡¯ll watch me do it¡­ and you¡¯ll try to stop me¡­ and you¡¯ll fail¡­ because no amount of ¡®power¡¯¡­ that you have¡­ will ever equal the love your kind stole from me¡­!¡± From those demented crimson eyes, blood flowed, tears an impossible feat still.


    ¡°Then have it your way¡­!¡± The giant attempted to swat the man like a fly, breaking the ground like a great cataclysm, a ravine opened.


    The thing would check for a corpse, but the man was long gone. It did not need eyes to see still, and on its shoulder stood the enemy. It would make one flap of its wings, blowing away August and its allies all in one fell swoop, a hurricane, but August was human. He stood against the winds still, suspended by nothing but a singular thought, the Abstract then, about to become the painting he promised.


    He spread his arms wide as if to embrace a long lost friend, but the only thing he embraced, was his lust for destruction.


    A gamma ray burst, said to be the most powerful release of energy in the entire universe, born from the death of star, or the union thereof. In truth, then and there, a star did die for those ideas, for those inhabitants of the Abstract, the star of their hope.


    A blinding light would wash over the entire plain of existence, lasting no more than ten milliseconds, but that¡¯s all it took. The vegetation, all of it, charred black, and those that hid in the dirt, holding on to hopes and dreams, burnt to a crisp.


    There were barely any of them left really, anything less than a reality manipulator became ash instantaneously, or, what was left of them was not fit for sight.


    If one was to take a look at the skies, a black void, the logic left dictating that a sky wouldn¡¯t be left if such an event were to occur. The stars beyond the veil persisted still and provided light to the place lacking in air, thankfully no one there needed to breathe.


    ¡°Eeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh!¡± The thing would emerge from the ground like a great eruption, skin burnt and falling off, wings akin to old rotting rags. ¡°Puppet of Fate! You have made your last mistake! I will bathe in your blood! Bask in your flesh! And play scores with your rattling bones! Ahhhhhhhh!¡±


    The thing would remove its hands from its broken but recovering face, flesh stretched thin, eyes a bloody cataract grey and skin blowing in the wind. If it wasn¡¯t ugly before, surely, it was uglier then.


    The eldritch horror would posture itself, slumping forward like a rolling hill, or rather, a flaming mountain, a volcano, but like a rolling hill, it barreled forward. As for its target, August, nothing is free, not even imagination.


    As such, what would be the cost of bending cosmic forces to one¡¯s will, especially one that is human. A mind enhanced, a reality fickle, and a body made, yes, but the mind was still human, and humans have limits.


    He stayed on his knees, hands to the floor, blood pouring from all orifices of his body, though made to be perfect.


    All efforts made to preserve the fleeting humanity he clung onto was gone in a presumptuous instant, no more heart beat, no more lungs, and no more heat.


    All that was left of him in those few moments, was the brain he kept, and even that was in danger. If he wasn¡¯t in the realm of imagination then, he would have already been dead. He wasn¡¯t though, dead, not yet.


    Even as the sky was left bare, clouds manifested from the ether, a favor fulfilled, two fleeting white dots dancing in the overcast as rain descended.


    The god of madness seemed to reduce all in its path to dust as its comrade in a burned corpse held August in place with its command over tides and gravity. It was not as amazing as August, but it was just a dangerous.


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    Thus, the silver man was forced to bear witness to his end, and though he never intended to live, death was still, well, death.


    He looked at the thing but he didn¡¯t see it, for he saw something far more significant in those droplets. He saw the face of his sister, felt the loving embrace of his parents, recalled his first steps, his first words, and he remembered the warmth in his chest seeing those flaming yellow eyes.


    It wasn¡¯t yet, that feeling, but it was, it hadn¡¯t happened yet, but it had, he hadn¡¯t come to love her yet, but he would, as he always had, as he always would.


    She was there, author of the events, of fate, watching from the fracture, so perhaps he expected to be saved, a deus ex machina, a pipe dream.


    He was the perfect machine of war, but even that could be broken. He¡¯d be hit so hard, I need not explain nor describe an elaborate scene, for all he saw, was black, the abyss, his displaced soul sinking into the afterlife, he was dead.


    He had died so fast in fact, he did not realize he was dead, and maybe he never would have had she allowed him natural passage.


    He sunk in the dark, content, his eyes weary from a lifetime of adversity, but finally, it was over. He knew not why he was content, not why he was okay with it ending that way, but he was.


    There was something, a feeling he could not explain, but I can, peace, apathy perhaps. It was no longer his problem, and what could he do, do about what?


    It didn¡¯t matter then. His eyes would weigh shut, and so his time was done. It, whatever it was, his part of the collective human unconscious, his claim, would sink alongside him.


    As such, it was gone, gone from the Abstract, gone from the rules of the human mind, gone from logic, from reason, so to some extent, it was freed, and that silver body was completely void.


    In that same abyss though, as he slept, a light, that same welcoming deceitful light, pierced the dark and pried his eyelids open, thus, he remembered why.


    He¡¯d also remember what. The fight for his world, for the future of his sister, of his most prized possession. The thing, whatever it was¡ªthe true from of Fate¡ªtook hold of him in tight embrace, hugged him.


    It had a humanoid figure, woman like. It had no clothes, but none of its features were visible, like a statue being sculpted, yet somehow, her beauty was still visible, tantalizing. She was shrouded in light, beautiful, warm, light, but it was kind of blinding.


    As for the reason such a being had followed him into the first stage of the afterlife, well, to retrieve her handiwork of course. There was still more to be dealt with though, after all, it was her fault. Well, I suppose fault is not the right word, since it was intentional.


    ¡°You let me die¡ª no, you lead me to my death¡­ so let me rest in peace¡­¡± The man attempted to pry free of the woman, but there was no strength enough to move her.


    ¡°I had to¡­ so that you¡¯d truly shed your humanity¡­ to become a vessel, you had to die¡­ but now I¡¯ll fulfil my side of our agreement¡­ their bodies, you¡¯ll find them with a thought, your body¡­ it will be made as you intended¡­ and my power¡­ at your disposal¡­¡± She had a proposal.


    ¡°You lie¡­? Again¡­?! You lie¡­!? You¡¯d never give me such power¡­ now would you¡­?! The power to sculpt destiny, to shatter reality into a million pieces¡­ you¡¯d be mad¡­?¡± He didn¡¯t want it himself.


    ¡°All you had to do, was ask¡­ you won¡¯t get that power¡­ but reality will be your plaything, anything you can imagine¡­ anything¡­¡± Her grip tightened.


    ¡°And the cost¡­?¡± He knew a good deal, and that one was too good to be true.


    ¡°We become one in the same¡­ and I get to take the humanity you lost becoming the perfect organism of war¡­¡±


    The dealings in the dark recesses of the afterlife continued, but what about the other side of the conflict. The eldritch visionary had done it, wiped out the last chance Fate had of subverting her own restrictions.


    He was sure, she no longer had a choice but to listen, or they¡¯d abandon plans of an amicable split, and they¡¯d wreak havoc tearing back into the human world once more with help from the Convergence.


    It pained him, all those lost, but waiting, they¡¯d eventually come back, as long as the invasion didn¡¯t start yet. As long as they had time to figure themselves out, as long as they found a way to contain immaterial infinity in a material and finite vessel. Lest they disappeared in the new world to come.


    The mad god sat in the passing rain, healing from searing flesh and bloody eyes, but he¡¯d still notice through the fog of that pain. The silver corpse, his trophy, and bargaining chip, was gone.


    It¡¯d spring to its feet, butchered heart in its mouth and head on a swivel. It saw not a dead body, in fact, it saw nothing.


    An ability beyond eyes would find the body though, and it was not an empty corpse, not anymore.


    It¡¯d raise its head to look to the sky, a swirling weight in its gut, heavier by the second, and for good reason. There he was, in all his glory, a being larger than life and death, inhabiting the bounds beyond the Abstract, beyond infinity.


    There were no longer clouds, no longer a sky, because if there was, he was the sky, and as for the stars in his domain, they¡¯d be painted.


    He cried, still, lamenting all that he had lost to become what he was, but power changed nothing. Tears, still an impossible feat for such a body, and so, his eyes bled, and the gems of the sky, shining so bright, amethyst, emerald, aquamarine, all became like shinning drops of blood in the night¡¯s sky.


    It would not be spared, the closest star, the faux moon, all of it, red, and even then, he hid the star, an eclipse. Thus, he was a step closer to the image he had promised, and he was about to take another.

 True Transcendence

    The mountain sized monster, used to its twisted weight its entire inception, barring its infancy in 1919 and a little following, could feel the next step being taken. The same weight it was so used to, became null in mere moments.


    It¡¯d leave the ground by no intentions of its own, and falling to the sky, it was headed for its target, but perhaps in all that twisting and turning, it had become the hunted. The ¡®sky¡¯ up until then, only his eyes were really visible, but as the master of madness kept falling, he¡¯d see hands approach form the two ends of infinity, and soon they cradled the place.


    He held it like a rose, and moments later, he began to condescendingly deadhead the flower, a petal at a time instead of a clean cut. As such, the place would break in parts, flowing, flexible even, but truly, it was a cataclysm.


    The rifts ran through the place like a disease, destroying everything in their paths to achieve their goals, and as for anything that was unlucky enough to be caught in their paths, I¡¯ll tell you. If a horse were to be tied to every limb, and even the head, and then all at once, they all ran in separate directions.


    Thus, knowing this, and knowing the source of the rifts that descend like falling blades of malice, what would happen to one closest to the source.


    The mountain, as big a target as it was, was bound to get hit, and it did, get hit. One of its hands would be tossed to the northern winds, a liquid trail of crimson, its bottom half would separate, entrails leaking, and then that would be made into hundreds of pieces.


    Its head would snap from its shoulders and be dashed down south, mind a bloody, jumbled blur. It was such, that within seconds, the oppositions strongest, was nothing more than disremembered parts, not dead, but perhaps, death was a luxury.


    It wasn¡¯t really human, and so, death wasn¡¯t ¡®perhaps¡¯ a luxury. It was. In consequence of its own disturbing actions, the thing, unlike an idea, was forced to feel every cut, nick, bruise, gash and slice, just like it wanted, just like a human would. And so, with it being no more than pieces, it felt every inch of its body as if under a furnace¡¯s bellowing flames.


    The sky, because that¡¯s what he was then, he¡¯d¡ªjust as promised¡ªsummon the corpses of those closest to him from the blood of the mad god, with nothing more than a thought. He had fulfilled his promise, and it was time for him to take his leave.


    He, the sky, would fade along with the bodies, and so, it was done. He knew most after that, she had told him what was most probable, but knowing did not prepare him for the pain, but before that, he had a lot to do. In that long list of things, the man would do, disrupting all technology on the island was a high priority, though unintentional.


    The sky of the natural world would glow, and instantaneously, it¡¯d explode like an aurora, and there he was, eyes still bleeding, holding two lifeless bodies. He was a spectacle to behold, and so all would attempt to catch a glimpse, but they wouldn¡¯t be allowed. He was a concentration of the energy they had collected from a dying vessel to power the place, and like the source he was, it all rushed back towards him.


    The ramifications of such an event, sparks flew from all directions as buildings crashed, machines spat flames and something pitch black flickered into existence, casting shadows over the world below. It wouldn¡¯t last long though as within a blink the man had retreated to the bowels of the island, insulated against such catastrophes. The bodies were gone, but he knew where they were, as for the immediate problem he had, she told him the solution.


    He stood before that glass prison once more, but the girl he saw, she was truly a child. She¡¯d stumble to her feet, body still tainted by Fate. She had never used the entity¡¯s power for herself either, and so she was stuck behind the glass, with teary eyes. If he knew what he knew, and he was right, she was just as tortured as he was. He¡¯d replicate the common enemy, walking through the glass, and standing before the child, she stumbled closer. He¡¯d lower himself, and she¡¯d take hold of him, a hug.


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    ¡°Tell¡­ me¡­ tell me that I won¡¯t have to watch you die again¡­ please¡­! Tell me that this is the last one¡­ the last time¡­ tell me!¡± She¡¯d tighten her hold.


    He had gained so much power, and yet, all he could do was hug her back. He was right, Fate, the author of her name sake, she was a completely different being who experienced time differently, and to some extent, didn¡¯t experience it all. Thus, the child that was trapped in a body with the thing was forced to witness infinite realities tailored to her liking, and in everyone, August died, and she was forced to watch. It would have been bad, and bad enough, but to her, it was real, and after it all, every time, every single time, he¡¯d treat her like the human being, the child, he knew she was. In essence, the child was stuck in a loop.


    ¡°She was conscious¡­ you shared a body with her¡­ and she was conscious¡­ you¡¯re a monster¡­¡± His voice would echo in his head, to no response, but she heard.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give her a half of me¡­ and you can take your ¡®human¡¯ body from the abyss and use it¡­ putting this one in its place until the time comes¡­ where those you massacred seek their revenge¡­ I will still be with you though so¡ª¡± She¡¯d be interrupted.


    ¡°She was conscious¡­?!¡± He demanded it.


    ¡°And what if she was¡­? You know the other option¡­ death¡­ so don¡¯t berate me as if I had any good options!¡± The thing raised its voice so loud, August lost hearing for a moment. ¡°You think¡ª¡­¡± Her voice snapped. ¡°You think I wanted to torture a child¡­? I had no other option¡­! I did¡­ what I had to¡­ and I will not be judged for it¡­¡±


    ¡°You could have stopped them¡­ stopped this¡­ all of it!¡± He saw all her secrets, but his eyes were blinded to the bigger picture.


    ¡°You know that the future is uncertain¡­ and that was sure to work¡­ as for stopping ¡®them¡¯¡­ and then what¡­? I stop another of your wars¡­? And then what¡­? I stop a brawl in an ally¡­? And then what¡­? I stop anyone from drinking¡­ smoking¡­ eating too much¡­ all of it¡­ because that¡¯s good right¡­? And then what choice will any of you have!?¡± It exceeded its prior high, and the voice made August dizzy. ¡°If I intervene now¡­ you¡­ you will be the first to ask me to do more¡­ and then what of free will!? If I intervene now¡­ free will ceases to exist! The world gets turned! And twisted! To your image! And for what!? No¡­ I will not intervene¡­ so yes¡­ I will ¡®use¡¯ you¡­ because it¡¯s a choice you make¡­¡± She made a few good points.


    ¡°But you gave them everything they wanted¡­? Was that not intervening¡­?¡± August also made a good point.


    ¡°Where did that get us¡­? Here¡­ and do I want to be here¡­ do you want to be here¡­?¡± She awaited a response, one that never came. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t a good point it seemed.


    August would remove the frightened child, and resting his forehead against hers, her hair caught flames and her eyes glossed over, silver. He had done it, given away half.


    ¡°I¡¯ll numb her pain of the past¡­ how about that¡­?¡± The thing sought penance.


    ¡°It¡¯s something¡­ but not nearly enough¡­¡± That was in his mind, but he¡¯d finally use his voice.


    He¡¯d stand, and soon he¡¯d leave the ground, defying gravity.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back¡­¡± His words were empty, on the outside, and of course they were.


    He¡¯d disappear in a red flash, and before it subsided, he was back, accompanied by foreign fluids, wearing that same full body suit. He fell to the ground, contorting, coughing up water and black sludge. His heart was beating, and he was breathing again, truly, and every moment didn¡¯t feel like he was filled with dead and rotting weight.


    His eyes were pure black for a few moments as he caught his bearings, flattering about in the mind¡¯s filth, but eventually it would all go away. It wasn¡¯t without cause though, as it was all initiated by a tap on his forehead. Thus, as his eyes opened, there she was, the small girl, smiling, even with her diluted mind.


    ¡°I know what you must do¡­  so, I will be here¡­ I will always be here¡­ waiting¡­ so come visit me¡­ like you always do¡­ okay¡­?¡± She hugged him again, squeezed him tight that time, perhaps there was intention of murder, she held him so tight.


    As he attempted to reciprocate the gesture, in a blink of an eye, he was somewhere completely foreign. He was in the room where he had sent their bodies, he had done a great job, and so, he couldn¡¯t help but to sit and look up at them. They stood in embrace, made to be entombed in statues of aged copper, their graves.

 Factors That Approach Infinity

    He sat there for a while, and looking at the things, the masterpieces he sculpted to remember them by, the impeccable and impossible detail, his eyes began to flood. His heart began skipping a few too many beats as it sunk and a churning found itself into his gut. He¡¯d find himself whimpering as he rocked on those cold floors, remembering all the time they spent together. It was human, and so, it was wrong, he felt, wrong.


    ¡°I¡­¡± His breath was shortened by his cries. ¡°I thought my emotions were gone¡­ I thought all of it¡­ was gone¡­? Why¡­? Why do I feel this way¡­? It was supposed to be easy¡­! I did this¡­ made this¡­! Because I thought it¡¯d be easy to forget them¡­ to accept that they were gone¡­ So why¡­? Why do I feel this way¡­!? Why¡­!?¡±


    He asked the only one that could know, and perhaps she was feeling charitable, because she answered.


    ¡°I took all that you were¡ª¡­ I took your humanity, but now we are one in the same, everything you are, I am, and everything I am, you are¡­ so everything you lost¡­ you ¡®technically¡¯ still have¡­ if I allow it¡­ naturally¡­¡± Maybe no answer was better.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean¡­?¡± He¡¯d regain some composure in his confusion.


    ¡°I want to be human¡­ to feel it all¡­ to know it all, pain, hate, envy, love¡­ and you¡¯ll give it to me¡­ all of it¡­ but when I don¡¯t want to feel¡­ when I don¡¯t want to know¡­ we won¡¯t¡­ because these are no longer your emotions¡­ no longer your feelings¡­ your borrowing them, form me¡­¡± Her words spoke with apathy.


    The man took a while to register all that he had done to get where he was, and if his choice was truly the best one, if it was worth what he had payed.


    ¡°I¡­ I hate you so much¡­ but you know that¡­ because this hate is yours¡­ but I don¡¯t hate you this much¡­ so¡­ you hate you too¡­? Huh¡­? At least we have that in common¡­?¡± August sought common ground.


    Her voice echoed no longer as August became the empty husk he expected to be, and looking at the statues was like looking at a brick wall, nothing.


    ¡°You can toy with them all you want¡­ my emotions¡­ it won¡¯t fix how much of self-loathing mess you are¡­ nothing will.¡±


    He¡¯d stand, or try to at least, the grief resurfaced like a long due eruption, and he lost all feeling in his body as he fell, weeping for those that had conceived him. He¡¯d rock, flat on his sides, weak.


    ¡°I hate you¡­ I hate you¡­! I hate you! I hate you!¡± He¡¯d shout it to the clouds, because though she heard, she was sure to cover her ears.


    The door behind him would fall, and there they were, May and Cali, scared pale. He¡¯d quickly collect himself, wiping his bloody tears, attempting to stand, though he could not. They¡¯d make an approach, though only May got close enough to touch him, and she hugged him, confused, but eyes teary none the less.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­?! Are you okay¡­?!¡± She held him by the face, looking into his eyes for a sign of sickness.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± He¡¯d remove her hands, barely mustering enough strength to do so.


    ¡°What happened¡­ after the beach¡­? It¡¯s all a blur¡­ Where did you go¡­?¡± She attempted to recall, but all she drew were blanks.


    ¡°I went for their bodies¡­ buried them too¡­ isn¡¯t it beautiful¡­? Aren¡¯t they beautiful¡­?¡± The very words made him weaker, and he was forced to lean on his sister for support.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡­ what are you¡ª¡­¡± Her eyes would wander and land on the things, the memorials, the graves.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    They¡¯d both collapse under their weight, both too weak to oppose.


    ¡°You know I love you right¡­ and everything I do¡­ I do for you¡­?¡± He mustered strength to stand, leaning on the one he hated.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean!? Yes¡­?¡± She clung to him, standing herself.


    ¡°All of it¡­ I¡¯ll make you make you forget all of it¡­ what happened to me¡­ what happened to them¡­ it¡¯ll be like it never happened¡­ a bad dream¡­ if that¡­¡± An inhuman and human proposal all at the same time.


    The reason, if his grief was hers, even partly, he couldn¡¯t live to see all he had left suffer, not even a little bit.


    ¡°Huh!? N-No¡­!? I¡­ I refuse¡­! I refuse! You¡¯ll¡­ alone¡­! you¡¯d have to go through this alone¡­! What kind of person would I be¡ª what kind of sister would I be if I allowed that¡­!¡± An objection useless, but the gesture was nice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking¡­ I can¡¯t watch this¡­¡± His eyes still bled.


    ¡°So I¡¯ll just never know¡­ what happened to them¡­ my parents! What happened to you! Think this through for a minute¡­ please¡­!¡± It was useless still.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing it¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ no¡­ please¡­ no¡­¡± May lost all her strength, and so she found herself sat on the ground, tears her only language.


    ¡°You¡¯ll remember eventually¡­ in fact¡­ I¡¯ll tell you myself, even what you didn¡¯t know¡­ what you couldn¡¯t have known¡­ so trust me¡­ please¡­ Trust¡­ me¡­!¡± He lowered himself, and he was the one holding her face, looking in her eyes for forgiveness.


    ¡°I trust you¡­ but this¡­ no¡­ I can¡¯t accept this¡­ Is there no other option¡­?¡± A last plea.


    ¡°No¡­ none that I was okay with¡­¡± He¡¯d wipe her tears.


    He would then rest his forehead against his sister¡¯s, and all of it, all she had seen, heard, lamented and cried through, would be gone, like morning dew. It would seem that yet again she would fall unconscious, in and to his hands. It was bad, but worse still, was the idea that he had to go through all of it himself.


    He was forced to live her life, and he had to, there was so much to change, and so much to lie about, there was no room for error. That was only one problem still. As, not only did he have to deal with the pain of taking so much away from his sister, he had to know exactly how much it meant to her, and her love was strong, stronger than his at times.


    Then, even worse still, was the fact that he¡¯d have to see every time he had hurt her, and feel the pain himself, knowing he had caused it. So, with all of that known, there was no wonder as to why he sat there for a while, bloody tears still fresh as he stared at the floors. He wouldn¡¯t be left to his self-loathing though, as there was much to do.


    It was a good thing that Caliandra was there as she would take May from him, to lay the girl down somewhere better. She didn¡¯t seem particularly pleased either as she refused look at August, though she did keep her gripes to herself, for the most part.


    ¡°You disapprove¡­.?¡± He¡¯d take hold of Cali¡¯s cloak as she walked away.


    ¡°You must have things to do¡­? I suggest you get them done.¡± She¡¯d pull away from him.


    Thus, he was left to himself, and his thoughts, but there was much to do still, especially having eyes for the future. He¡¯d stand, and upon looking up, he was stood in the chaotic and destroyed streets, looking at that pitch black cube above the city.


    It was there, that place, stuck between dimensions by pagan technology that he¡¯d crash into, the hiding place of those revered few. A hum would arise from the very ground, and even the buildings surrounding August.


    Though, that was only the beginning, the city began to shake, and at first, only rubble was disturbed, but the more he focused on pulling the thing from its perch, the worse the tremors got.


    In time, seconds, minutes, hours maybe¡ªthe continuity of space-time had long become spirals, all the meddling taking place¡ªbuildings began rattling like sticks, to their cores, even those built of those impossible materials.


    The glass, even the glass would feel the consequences of those actions, fractures running through them as natural as clouds in the sky. Thus, the damage would be piled atop itself, buildings already in disrepair would crack and tumble, fractured ground would unfurl like blooming flowers, and glass played symphonies as it fell.


    ¡°You¡¯d take lives¡­? Snuff them out, based on a faulty future¡­? And I¡¯m cruel¡­? Interesting¡­¡± She¡¯d put a weight on his conscience as she spoke.


    ¡°When factors approach infinity, any one not accounted for is a legitimate threat¡­ and you know this. So, of all these broken visages you have created¡­ ¡®warped¡¯¡­ ¡®diverged¡¯ from that singular point of grief¡­ how many times has the impossible happened?¡±


    He might have lacked her power in its entirety, but all her knowledge was his, and so, what was the purpose of talking down to one¡¯s self, to one¡¯s own intellect. There was none, and thus her voice sounded no more, even as she slacked her weight, dragging it across his conscience. The feelings she forced would be useless in preventing tragedy still, as all he had endured was more than the lives of dictators.

 Destined Love

    The otherworldly thing would finally be ousted from atop its ivory tower, and falling, devastation would be exponentially increased. It crashed like a meteor, yet it fell no more than a sky scraping building, though it was just as tall.


    The thing was heavy, too heavy, it was made to be a bastion of safety for those tyrants, but that safety was long stale. The walls, as hard as they were, as thick as they were, a few feet thick in fact, would easily be pierced by a determined August.


    It was laced with that same otherworldly substance he had crafted a body from, it was perfect for the job. It allowed the thing to hop realities and gain immense strength, there was only one problem still.


    If Fate had become August, and vice versa, then all that gave the place its strength was August¡¯s, and if it was his, he could easily take it back, and he would. He¡¯d wave his hand, and that faint warping glow the thing had would fade, and so would its strength. At first, naught seemed to change, but seconds later, the thing let out a bleat, or at least, that¡¯s what the sound of bending metal resembled.


    The second sound of its judgement would then echo as it began buckling, bending and breaking. A screech of metal let out as it tore away from itself, snapping and grinding against its broken parts, tumbling to the ground.


    It was bound to be a spectacle, a battle of giants, seeing as the remnants of people trapped in the monolith had a similar make up to August¡¯s perfect machines of war, but that was just the problem.


    The bodies they had clung to for so long, that had allowed them to live centuries, was then apart of the man¡¯s domain. The walls crashed from their spectacular heights and revealed the belly of the beast, all that had levied commands to the citizenship, in ruin.


    They were crushed under all that was meant to protect, but not all were dead. In all of that rubble struggled a few that happened to survive. They were most machine, flesh removed, or rather, warped, until the DFT that stole their humanity ran dry. Their flesh came back in bulk and their blood, in waves, and those few that survived, would wish for a crushing death.


    ¡°You¡­! We own you! How dare¡ª¡­¡± Blood would be caught in the abomination¡¯s throat.


    Their metallic skin would fade to matt, and then to the flesh they should have had, the flesh they loathed. They swole, like bloated frogs, or even dead carcasses in summer¡¯s heat. Their eyes spun in their sockets until they popped, like faulty bulbs.


    Then, soon the finale, the apotheosis of their suffering took form as they groaned and moaned beneath their bodies own expanding weight. Then they popped, like cherries between determined squeezing fingers, and so, their era was done.


    The era of looming monsters, at least ones that were actually human, ones that could be seen, were done.


    The immediate future was then clear; his eyes foresaw no more tragedies, for the time being at least.


    He walked the streets, and though there was death all encompassing, and all seeming to be his fault, he felt naught of emotion. In those eyes, those same droopy eyes, he saw all outcomes, all realities, and that, to his judgement, was the best one.


    It mattered not much still, in time, they¡¯d all forget the tragedy, until a day of reckoning of course. In the moment, he¡¯d manage the fallout of his most recent endeavor, he couldn¡¯t just leave it there.


    He thought of the thing, where it had been, where it had been made to put, and with the blood of his body pouring from multiple orifices, the black cube¡¯s corpse clung back to its pedestal between dimensions. It would rise, all pieces, none left to neglect, returning to that spectacle, only shattered with the stench of rot pouring from it.


    It was only a rot he could smell still, for the true nature of those tyrants were clear to piercing eyes. Ideas, butchered and stitched, tied to dying corpses to preserve lives long lived.


    Thus, the stench of such rot was especially putrid, but it was one he had to live with. He¡¯d stand still, and though time was not his plaything, his own perception was up for grabs.


    His very existence would disappear for a few moments, and within that time, all the damage would be undone by tsunamis of nanobots rectifying all that he had caused.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The spectacle would fall still as he¡¯d return to the realm of the corporeal, and within that instant a glow rife with aberration shrouded the island like a wave. Thus with all as it was, and no one remembering, did any of it even happen.


    His blood contrasted well against his beaming golden eyes, but soon they returned to that magnificent color, the same as his blood. He¡¯d stumble, and just as he had foreseen, there she was to catch him, Caliandra Obsidian.


    ¡°Hey¡­! Are you okay¡­!?¡± She held him close, even though he bled, no, because he bled.


    Her words would be lost to deaf ears still, because even those moments, though he had lived them countless times, he was still human then. His limits were long over boiling and that frail body would yield. In that darkness of his limp body, his conscious still persisted, and that¡¯s when she chose to present herself.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re better than me¡­? After all you¡¯ve done, after all you¡¯ve lied about¡­?¡± She¡¯d find him in that darkness, and she¡¯d take hold of his form from behind, her lips ornaments to his ears, her presence, light.


    She¡¯d open his eyes to the world, though his body had failed, and they¡¯d be made aware of where they had been taken, though they already knew. . He was in a foreign place, a room decorated with tools and gadgets he recognized, weapons. They weren¡¯t mere recreations either, as there were newer models tossed into the mix, he knew based on that fact where he was still, The Obsidian House.


    It wouldn¡¯t take long for his focus to land on the girl, having fallen asleep on the floor next to her own bed, waiting. He''d caress every bit of her with his eyes, from her smooth dark skin, to her enchanting yellow eyes, to her long curly hair, which was brown, but almost orange at times, especially when light danced across it. ¡®She¡¯ was still there though, or alternatively, she never left, clung to his figure.


    ¡°We have long foreseen her love for you¡­ as long as you do what we have seen, she will love you¡­ so why lie to her¡­ why diverge¡­? I¡¯m trying to get it¡­ I am¡­ but is this a pillar of our humanity, or a fault¡­? How can you think this is okay¡­? You¡¯re no better than¡ª¡±


    ¡°Could you shut up?¡± He¡¯d feel her grip ease in disbelief. ¡°I won¡¯t follow some mold for a future that ¡®you¡¯ want to see¡­ nor will I force her to love me, that is a choice she will have to make on her own¡­ because if it isn¡¯t real¡­ then what¡¯s the point¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t¡­ all you¡¯ve ever known is manipulation¡­ actually giving somebody a choice is the farthest thing from what you are¡­ so forgive me¡­! If I don¡¯t want to be like you¡­!¡± He¡¯d no longer feel her presence holding him back.


    Thus, he awoke like a flower, a black rose in full bloom, her words the motivation he needed to take back control of his body. It changed not much still, as his body was still a frail amalgamation attempting to not only contain a god, but use her power.


    Thus, he tasted blood as he fell back down, all of it pooling in his mouth. The ruckus he caused did wake the girl still, and she sprung from her docile state, jumping quite high. Her eyes would scour the whole room, her fists raised in anticipation, until she remembered the clumsy guy she had taken in.


    ¡°Oh¡± She took a deep breath, calming herself. ¡°I uh¡­ I know this is weird¡­ definitely¡­ but when I took you to the hospital¡­ Uhh, you might not believe me, but though you were bleeding, and profusely so¡­ they said you were fine¡­ So I brought you here¡­ yeah¡­¡± She¡¯d scratch the back of her neck, though it did not itch.


    ¡°That is rather strange¡­ but I suppose it¡¯s time for me to take my leave¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you go¡­ but before that¡­¡± She sat on the bed, testing his temperature with a device she conjured from nanobots.


    Their eyes would meet as she attended to his condition, and for one reason or another, her mind went foggy, her heart a rock skipping across the lake of curiosity and confusion. She¡¯d pull away, though for some reason, she didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know you¡­ I don¡¯t¡­?¡± Her thoughts scattered for a moment, two minds at odds. ¡°Who are you¡­? And why do I feel¡­ nostalgia¡­?¡± She¡¯d stand, backing away.


    ¡°I wonder¡­ who am I¡­.?¡± He¡¯d attempt to get up again, but that time more blood presented itself from his eyes, nose and mouth.


    She¡¯d rush to his aid, almost instinctively, but soon she realized and stumbling, she fell on her behind, scurrying away.


    ¡°W-what is this?! I know you¡­ my heart¡­!?¡± She clasped her mouth shut, eyes as wide as the sun.


    He¡¯d echo a few words within in his mind.


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t actually erase their memories¡­ their feelings remain¡­? That¡¯s¡­ interesting¡­ and tedious¡­¡±


    ¡°What will she think of you when she remembers¡­? She will hate you¡­ how unfortunate¡­? Ha¡­¡± The one of light returned, though she was only an echoing voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just make use of the time we have now¡­ before then¡­¡± He could feel his heart quicken.


    ¡°How twisted you are¡­ just¡­ like¡­ me¡­¡± Fate was amused.


    ¡°There is only a chance¡­ a chance that she will love me¡­¡± His heart would sink into murky waters.


    ¡°A chance!? Ahahaha! You are soul mates!¡± Her voice drew close, her presence, like a dark looming cloud, casting such a deep darkness that light was but a machination of the imagination. ¡°You will not argue semantics in my presence¡­ how dare you¡­? Yes, nothing is set in stone, yes, she still has a choice¡­ yes, she does not have to love you¡­ but you know she will¡­ and not because she is compelled or forced to¡­ but because throughout all of those futures that we saw¡­ she loved you for the person that you were¡­ you were willing to trade the world for her, for them¡­! You were willing to cast it all aside, your power, your own life, for their sake¡­ so tell me¡­ who are you now¡­ and will she love the person that you have become this time¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t kno¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ she will, because though you have changed countless times, your kindness and compassion, has stayed the same¡­ even without your humanity¡­¡± A compliment from Fate?


    August would be forced to look at Cali in distress, knowing that the woman in his head was right. He had choices to make, a future to decide upon.

 Fallen From Grace

    Cali was never a woman of dull mind, even when most her blade was hidden beneath cloth of distorted truth and fractured reality.


    ¡°Where do I know you from!? Answer me!?¡± She stood, and within moments, she had one of her many rifles in her hands.


    ¡°The past¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mock me! I don¡¯t know you!? So tell me what the hell is going on?!¡± She aimed for his head, though her hands began to shake.


    ¡°If I told you¡ª¡­ let¡¯s just say you¡¯re forgetful¡­ maybe you¡¯ll remember one day¡­ but today is not that day¡­ and I don¡¯t intend to tell you anything¡­¡± He¡¯d finally find the strength to get up, though he still couldn¡¯t stand.


    ¡°Why not¡­?¡± She¡¯d lower her gun, her hands too unreliable.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you to hate me¡­¡± He¡¯d shut his eyes for a few seconds.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a coward¡­?¡± She struck, but not with a bullet.


    ¡°You¡­ you have no idea¡­ none¡­ what it¡¯s like to watch, over¡­ and over¡­¡± His gaze drifted from her. ¡°And you never will¡­¡± A drop of blood would well up in his eye, and cascade.


    ¡°You just said a whole lot of¡­ absolutely nothing...! Those aren¡¯t answers! I want! Answers!¡± She quickened her steps towards him.


    He¡¯d reciprocate her gesture, and she¡¯d halt her assault, but as he approached that time, stumbling, she did not retreat, for he was too weak to be a threat, too weak to be afraid of. For it was her that had taken in the stray, and it had yet to hurt her, or even show malice.


    In fact, it proclaimed grandeur of a past unremembered. He¡¯d reach her in time, and taking hold of her, she almost assumed ill intent, until he hugged her. In that moment, her heart skipped so many beats she thought it palpitations.


    She experienced feelings of the past, but no memories returned. In truth, it might have been assumed to be August¡¯s doing, but it wasn¡¯t, not really. It was a tale of two people, one in the same, that had been made to live different lives.


    She had no time to collect her feelings still, as his strength inevitably failed, and she was forced to drop her weapon and lend him her strength.


    ¡°I do know you¡­? I do¡­ so, why do I not remember¡­?!¡± A pain would present itself inside her head.


    His words would not come still, as his mind was amiss, lost in the sea of power he should never have attained. As such, in that sea of darkness, her light returned, and so did her voice.


    ¡°Do you not hurt for her¡­? For what you are putting her through¡­?¡± The woman had left her clouds, and her darkness, but she brought her voice on the winds of the still ocean. ¡°Do you not feel an inkling of regret after what you¡¯ve done¡­? I left your emotions in your hands¡­ and nothing¡­? You feel¡­ nothing¡­ How twisted are you¡­? How selfish can you be¡­?¡±


    He¡¯d be left pondering in the dark for a time, but soon his eyes would open again, but Cali wasn¡¯t there that time, only May. She laid beside him, curled up like a ball of wool, eyes swollen from crying.


    It was a fragment of a future that he had sought to toss asunder, but pain was ever present still, no matter the steps he took. He¡¯d accept such a thing still, such a cruel existence, for if he had not hurt, or hated, would he love those he did, and would he seek to protect them, perhaps not.


    The very existence of happiness, and even sadness, pain itself, they were all markers of life, markers of humanity. So, it was never about getting rid of them entirely, it was about learning to manage and live with them.


    A thought he would have after all was done, and after he felt no real pain, no real sadness, no real happiness. If only she had showed him, if only he knew the value of what he had traded, the only thoughts, in his empty soul.


    He¡¯d toss his feelings aside still, as he still had a lot to attend to, and chief among them was his sister. He¡¯d stand, the effects of leaning on an inconceivable entity finally fading.


    Thus, he was free once more. He¡¯d return to the fixture and resting his hand on his sister¡¯s waterlogged cheek, he¡¯d apply some pressure, poking her until she awoke. Her eyes opened with delay at first, until she saw who it was.


    Her eyes propped open as she lunged at him, and holding on, her hold suggested that she did not want to let go. That, or rather, ¡®it¡¯, was a feeling in May¡¯s gut she could not shake, a weight, an uneasiness that persisted even in slumber. As such, even as she had a hold of her brother, her heart continued to race, until he returned the gesture.


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    ¡°You¡¯re okay¡­?!¡± Her grip became a choke hold.


    ¡°Not for long.¡± His powers persisted, but he was still human once in a while.


    She¡¯d quickly gather herself, slackening her grip, but refusing to let go.


    ¡°You we¡¯re gone¡­ for so long, you were gone¡­ And mom and dad¡­ off in the old world somewhere¡­ I was alone¡­ and then¡ª¡± She¡¯d let go, almost as if losing strength. ¡°It happened, visions¡­ they showed me you dying, over¡­ and over again¡­ and there was nothing I could do, say, try¡­ that would stop any of it¡­ and then the daughter of The Obsidian House brought you here, unconscious, bleeding¡­ dying¡­ and I had seen it happen¡­ so many times before¡­ So tell me it won¡¯t happen again¡­!?¡± She draped him by his suit, even as close as it stuck to him, eyes a dizzy mess.


    ¡°No one knows what the future holds¡­ and that includes me¡­ but¡ª¡± He took hold of her shaking hands, and resting his forehead against hers. ¡°I¡¯ll never let anything happen to you ever again¡­ and that¡¯s a promise.¡±


    He looked into her eyes, but even with his hope, all he saw were the signs of a downpour. So, he¡¯d spend some time with the little lad, reassuring her of his words. They¡¯d walk out into that hall, and standing to echoing silence, they¡¯d stare at the door at the end, neither uttering a word.


    ¡°That¡¯s the room I¡¯m forbidden from entering¡­ until when?¡± Her heart would rest a burden on her conscience, one she could not place.


    ¡°Until¡­ until mom and dad return.¡± He should have been fine, but that would have been no fun, for ¡®her¡¯ of course.


    She took hold of it, caressed it, then wrung it dry as his mind and body squirmed lamenting his words and memories of dead dreams and love. August would find himself almost falling over as his emotions stirred a world wind inside, but he kept up appearances, even after the monster removed the crutch of her strength. The floor would lower soon, and the skies mirth would bleed into their beings, the familiarity of it offering some comfort.


    ¡°What did you do¡­?¡± His voice echoed in a mind not empty, on ears perked.


    ¡°I gave her a taste of our world¡­ the pain we¡ª¡±


    ¡°There is no we¡­ I¡¯m the only suffering here, and it¡¯s because of you, so don¡¯t make yourself a victim after all ¡®you¡¯ve¡¯ done.¡± He¡¯d grit his teeth behind sealed lips, grinding them.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ you are the only victim here¡­¡± She had a realization.


    It took not minutes, nor hours for her words to actualize, for her actions were immediate. August could feel it, but he had no dominion over it.


    It welled up in his chest, a fullness and warmth unmovable, her power, her energy, then like a bubble, it burst.


    The very foundations of the island shook, but no damage was done to the ground. As for those immediate, the construct they stood on had long shattered, and with Fate¡¯s energy running wild, all technology was null.


    Thus, August fell, still numb from the shock, and so, there was May, barely conscious plummeting to her demise. He reached for her power, but it was a hair¡¯s width out of his reach, so close he could feel it, so close he could taste it, but far enough for him to crave it, to need it, but still, to never reach it.


    ¡°Fate!¡± His voice transcended his mind, and his rage entered the corporeal world. ¡°What are you doing?! Stop this!?¡±


    ¡°No. Save her, your sister, do the impossible¡­ oh wait, you¡¯re nothing without me¡­¡± He could feel happiness well up within him, and so his hate raged a white flame.


    He watched, body a rock, and every moment felt like a thousand as he watched all he had left plummet, every second leading to the inevitable.


    ¡°I¡¯m not evil you know? Watch.¡± Her voice rung again, but her words were nothing to him.


    From the corner of his eye, a figure would appear, gliding across the open sky, it took a hold of his sister, Cali, her tech was working fine, better than fine actually.


    She¡¯d spin, but as she headed for him, then, it would malfunction then, and she¡¯d miss, his hand slipping out of hers. Her eyes lost all glow as their hands parted ways, and even as she flew away she reached for him, screaming, but it was all in vain. He was content though, May was fine, and if it was that future, perhaps she¡¯d be fine without him.


    ¡°And you question why I feel this way? Monster¡­¡± He offered dialogue.


    ¡°Stop cursing me and brace yourself, this is going to hurt, a lot¡­ and that¡¯s if you live¡­ I¡¯ll give you back what I promised¡­ let¡¯s hope you use it well¡­¡± Her voice echoed, and he seemed to get heavier, so much heavier even the confines of sound broke, shattered.


    He¡¯d grit his teeth, realizing her intentions, and as the foundations drew close, he could feel flickers of her power, but nothing tangible.


    He¡¯d almost accept death before mere billionths of a second presented themselves, her powers returned, but he was already touching the ground. Thus, he¡¯d solidify himself, but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    The sound he made when he hit the ground, the crash and break of a great rock from height, a crack just as loud.


    The sound of his skull hitting the pavement reverberated throughout the streets and into the buildings, sending fractures throughout the glass. It split below him as he bounced, the ground.


    His eyes would become pinballs as he drifted, though soon he crashed back down to earth, flat on his back, his conscious still lost to the obscure. He¡¯d choke still, more blood from his mouth, then she shoved it back in, his conscious.


    The pain was like a being underneath a city¡¯s weight of razors piercing through one¡¯s body, needles mixed in for good measure. His head pulsated from the inside, his brain that was moments form mush firing sparks in all the wrong directions and ways.


    He could not move, in fact, he could barely think, all he knew to be true, was his hate.


    ¡°A reminder¡­ you are nothing¡­ ¡®nothing¡¯¡­! Without me¡­ and never forget that¡­¡± She did not retreat to the dark of his mind, she stayed, for a while at least.


    August would respond though, forcing his throat into working order with what little strength he could muster.


    ¡°H¡ª¡­ha¡ª¡­ I¡­ h-hate... you¡­¡± Blood would erupt from his face as he spoke, but he knew she was right.

 Tragic Formations

    The city scape would put itself back together, and so would a confused August. He thought of abandoning it, but the terms he agreed to in the dark forbade such things. Perhaps he could lock it away: he could, but the time would come where he¡¯d need it again. So, until then.


    He arose like the corpse he had become, and though he had thought to remove yet another slice of time, he did not. After all, that is exactly what a thing like her would have done.


    So, he¡¯d face the flames instead, embellishing the happenings seeing as no one was going to be an authority of verification. He¡¯d even have a few of those who remembered the past as it was aid him in his evasion of responsibility.


    The Director of Energy and Power Management would make a statement at his behest. ¡®It was an accident, the test of a new energy storage unit gone wrong¡­¡¯ the words of a Ms. Elizabeth Sky.


    As for the danger posed to the inhabitants of the Rosavault house, an apology was issued with the deepest of regrets.


    And so Caliandra found herself in the presence of August once more, and though she was not the least bit thrilled, she helped anyway.


    A feather, that¡¯s how she descended from heights she was never supposed to reach. Her legs, they had been lightly modified, due to her last job that she had no recollection of. Yet, they were never supposed to be that strong, she had fractured them leaping to such great heights.


    ¡°How¡­?¡± He met eyes with her as she collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°I have no clue¡­¡± She didn¡¯t lie, and he didn¡¯t need an explanation.


    ¡°What do you remember?¡± But he wanted one.


    ¡°A fullness in my chest¡­? My body moving on its own¡­? I don¡¯t know, I just¡­ moved¡­¡± She met his gaze with confusion, wanting an answer herself.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± He¡¯d approach, but not for her.


    May, was still conscious, though she seemed to be a bit delirious. He¡¯d check for injuries, but she was fine. The same couldn¡¯t be said for a Cali. She was bleeding from her legs, joints discombobulated.


    She¡¯d try to stand every so often, wincing as her open flesh grinded against itself. She had become the one in need.


    He¡¯d set his sister to stand, as soon she regained control of her mental and physical faculties. As for Cali, he¡¯d lower himself to her, awaiting permission.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± She¡¯d rest her hands on his shoulders.


    He¡¯d pick her up, like a bride, and he carried her, like a fragile child.


    As for their destination, the hospital that had rejected August once before, a monolith of twisted glass, fashioned to almost be a sphere. Its color like dark clouds, it reflected a sky no one could see perhaps.


    ¡°Do you know what happened?¡± Her curiosity persisted throughout the pain.


    ¡°I could guess?¡± He¡¯d look at her as he spoke, her eyes annoyed daggers.


    ¡°Hm¡­ well, another time I suppose, you do owe me¡­ What is it, two debts now?¡± She glanced at a dazed May that walked with them.


    ¡°One. Or is my help worth nothing?¡±


    ¡°Not much, but its something¡­ And what of the other? How do you plan to repay me?¡± She¡¯d rest a hand on her chest.


    ¡°What do you want¡­?¡±


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    ¡°Where do I know you from¡­?¡± She sought reason for her panicked heart.


    ¡°Who knows¡­¡± He looked away.


    ¡°So you still owe me then? Have it your way.¡± She¡¯d slack her weight in his hands.


    The place would open itself to them, drooping like molten slag, letting them in. It seemed that the island had been restored to working order as they walked, thankfully.


    The staff would respond immediately, even though the woman didn¡¯t seem particularly panicked. They¡¯d also take May and August in for inspection.


    Thus, he found himself sat in a white room, a chair at its center, a design made almost as if to hug the person inside. As for his attendant, a machine given consciences, wearing a silver face of a woman, alluring.


    It tested his eyes with lights, they did not respond. His motor functions, they stalled, well, actually most didn¡¯t work at all. As for his heart beat, it was almost non-existent.


    ¡°Mr. Rosavault, how are you feeling today?¡± It smiled.


    August was silent for a while.


    ¡°Empty.¡± He couldn¡¯t muster a single emotion.


    ¡°I see¡­ and would you like to tell me what happened to you, your sister and Ms. Obsidian?¡± It rested a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°My sister and I almost fell to our deaths because of a malfunction somewhere, maybe? Obsidian caught my sister.¡± He searched for the hate, but she hid it.


    ¡°And you¡­?¡± It kept its smile.


    ¡°I lived.¡±


    ¡°And how did you manage to survive?¡± It leaned over, almost at eye level with August.


    ¡°Who knows¡­?¡± He met its gaze with glowing eyes.


    It froze for a few moments, but it soon regained control.


    ¡°Well, Ms. Obsidian¡¯s treatment will be done in a moment and your sister seems to be well. Why not wait in the lobby?¡± It would leave on its own.


    He watched it leave, taking a deep breath as it did so. He¡¯d soon leave himself, and upon seeing his sister, he smiled.


    He sat beside her, patting her on the head.


    ¡°You¡¯re okay, right?¡± He was asking about what he couldn¡¯t see, and what he no longer wanted to mess with.


    ¡°I should be asking you that¡­¡± She met his eyes with a blank face, confusion seeping through every so often.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± His smile widened behind closed lips.


    ¡°How did you survive?¡± Her words were blunt. ¡°I heard you hit the ground¡­ you died¡­ or, you should have¡­?¡±


    ¡°Implants¡­¡± He lied.


    ¡°What kind of implants make you indestructible¡­?¡± She was a stingy customer.


    ¡°Not indestructible, flexible.¡± He¡¯d lift his hand as he spoke.


    They¡¯d watch as it bent and drooped like rubber, returning to form soon after.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you survived? I was going to ask, but I assumed it was the same reason¡ª¡± August met Cali¡¯s eyes with a smile.


    ¡°Ha¡­ I see how it is¡­ I¡¯ll be in touch,¡± She¡¯d leave on her own.


    As for May. The interaction made her no more comfortable. In fact, she looked to be a bit irritated.


    Tine would pass still, and the next day was upon them, August standing outside her door, about to knock.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Her words, striking preemptively.


    ¡°I was thinking that we could¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± She¡¯d do it again.


    ¡°Okay¡­ that¡¯s fine too¡­ I¡¯ll be out for a bit then¡­?¡± He waited.


    ¡°Do what you want¡­ It¡¯s not like you have to tell me anything¡­ right¡­?¡± Her words stung her more than him, seeing as he was still empty.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be going now¡­¡± He waited, but nothing.


    As for May, she remembered the experience, her eyes wet with tears, hidden beneath a mountain of a comforter.


    August¡¯s journey continued still, and heading down on the platform he wondered if she¡¯d do such a thing again. He considered moving, but it wasn¡¯t much about the place, and more about the person, and her powers.


    He made his way to the beach, and there she was, sitting on the sand barefoot. He¡¯d make his way to her, sitting at an arm¡¯s length.


    ¡°You actually came? Ha¡­¡± She looked at him, but he did not return a gaze.


    ¡°Well, my sister doesn¡¯t want anything to do with me¡­ so, here I am.¡± He watched the sun as it lowered to the ocean.


    ¡°What did you expect? You¡¯re obviously hiding something.¡± She laid flat in the sand.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you called me here?¡± He looked at her.


    ¡°Yeah¡­?¡± She locked eyes with him. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I loved you¡­ I don¡¯t know anything¡­ actually... But I feel something, and until you tell me what that is¡­ you¡¯re going to pay back your debt by being at my beckon call¡­ basically, I¡¯ll annoy you until you tell me¡­ there¡¯s only so much one person can take after all.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any friends¡­ huh?¡± He knew why too.


    ¡°Well¡­ you could be right¡­¡± She averted her gaze.


    His thoughts would manifest. ¡°Of course you¡¯re alone¡­ you were raised as an asset for that thing¡­ but now it looks like I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to have to question their love¡­ because going from feeling nothing to infatuation isn¡¯t normal¡­ is it?¡± He awaited an answer as his voice echoed in his mind, but nothing.


    ¡°So anyway¡­ look forward to¡ª¡± She was left speechless, trying to process what she was looking at. ¡°Are you okay¡­?¡± She got up, reaching for his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± He blinked, looking away, the blood from his eyes seeping back into his being.


    ¡°Whatever the answer is¡­ whenever you tell me¡­ it better be worth it¡­¡± Her hand fell limp.


    ¡°You¡¯ll remember eventually¡­¡± He saw many futures and in all of them, she did, but as for what proceeded, that was a luck of the draw.


    ¡°And will I hate you¡­ like you said¡­?¡±


    ¡°I hope not¡­¡± His feelings seemed to return as his chest hurt.

 Remember Me

    Time was never one to sit still, and so it would pass, especially seeing as August didn¡¯t intend to show May the whole past. He saw most the future, and knew he didn¡¯t have the leisure to sit around, even if he did warp her perception.


    There were limits after all, for a normal person at least. Thus, he¡¯d skip through them one at a time to expedite the process. He¡¯d show all his favorites, or that¡¯s how she interpreted it at least.


    The first of which, was him and Sonata playing hide and seek in the clouds, though he didn¡¯t seem to be there, at all. He was a projection, having taken up the burden of Fate¡¯s power to allow her to be normal, for a time at least.


    Her laugh echoed throughout the clouds, infectious, as they floated through the white expanse, it was the least he could. It had a time limit too, for eventually, the two parts of Fate would become incompatible.


    It was a strange experience, even as she sat in August¡¯s head, even then, it was like watching a movie, he wasn¡¯t really there. It was made worse by the state of his body, destroying itself and the space around him the longer he held the two parts of the monster within himself.


    Yet, he never rushed her, in fact, she wouldn¡¯t know until the day she herself took up the other half of the power against his wishes.


    As for the second of the memories, it was May as a child. The love he felt for her then, he was sure of it, sure it was real, and so, he cherished the memory. Her smile and giggles, it was one memory he could never forget.


    As for the third, it was him and Cali surfing, as per their agreement, he was there at her behest.


    The way she smiled, the way she laughed, even as she was tossed by the waves. He admired it, admired her, her attitude, her personality, to him, she was perfect. Yet, even that feeling, he could not validate of his own accord.


    Thus, May would realize the obsession he had with happiness, something he himself, could not obtain.


    The fourth memory, was one of him as a child, he was learning to walk, his parents smiles ever present.


    The fifth of the memories, was him, Brody, Kim, Bob and Cali, having a picnic. And though he smiled along with them, he was empty, void of all emotion.


    She¡¯d realize that the closer time moved to the present day, the emptier he was, emotionally, and mentally. In fact, he was slipping, turning into something else entirely.


    The sixth memory was a recent one, it was him looking at May¡¯s sculptures as he waited for her. He was proud of her, or he wanted to be at least, yet he was empty, mimicking the emotions he should have had. The memories of his mother eating away at him.


    As for the seventh and last of the memories, he¡¯d return to the past, it was with Cali. It was some point after when the time they spent together changed from obligation, to comfort, to love. He felt love, but he wasn¡¯t even sure of that.


    She laid on his lap beneath the night¡¯s sky, her eyes mesmerizing, her laugh almost contagious. His eyes showing him the torrent of emotions she felt, all, reassuring. Yet, he cried, or tried to at least, all there was, blood. She didn¡¯t see at first, didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°The best part of being able see the future, is knowing what will happen, and the worst part of it, is watching it happen. Because nothing can prepare you for when it actually happens¡­¡± His tear would fall on her cheek.


    She¡¯d look up into his eyes.


    ¡°What are you saying¡­?¡± She wiped away his tears.


    ¡°In every one¡­ I fall in love with you¡­ and in every one¡­ I try to save you¡­ and in every one¡­ I fail¡­ and you die¡­¡± His eyes would over flow.


    May, had no means of discerning the validity of his feelings, but sitting there then, feeling what he felt, she didn¡¯t care what he thought, it was real. As even she began to cry, cradled in the confines of his mind. The pain in his chest, the rock in his throat, the blindness of his human eyes. It was real, it had to be, because of it wasn¡¯t, perhaps he had never felt anything at all.


    ¡°What¡­? What do you¡ª¡± As she got up he¡¯d meet her halfway, their lips locking.


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    As he pulled away, she seemed to lose focus.


    ¡°The stars¡­ their beautiful tonight, aren¡¯t they¡­?¡± He¡¯d look to the sky, containing his tears.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She¡¯d rest her head on his lap once again, wondering why she had gotten up in the first place, caressing her lips.


    May would see the world before her turn to dust, in fact, she could feel it, her eyes would open as she returned to her own reality. Thus, she¡¯d witness the reason why. It was August, fading away, turning to dust.


    ¡°I love you, so, so much¡­ please¡­ please¡­ never forget me¡­¡± A tear would finally trickle down his cheek as he disappeared, his humanity returned in his final moments.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Wait!¡± She tried to grab hold of him, but it only made it worse. ¡°No! No¡­! Please¡­ no¡­!¡± She¡¯d cry herself.


    He¡¯d reach for her, but never reach her, his hand turning to dust. She¡¯d try to hold his hand, but nothing but dust, or it should have only been dust. As she opened her hand, she saw it. It was his necklace, but it wasn¡¯t the same.


    It had Cali, as she expected, but it also had her parents, Kim, Brody, and August. Her hand began to shake as she looked at the thing. It seemed to get heavier by the moment.


    They weren¡¯t afforded peace still, as from the void that was the sky came a comet, and a familiar one at that. It wasn¡¯t alone in the darkness still, as following it was a golden one.


    The things crashed into the river, the sheer force of them causing rain and flood. The one would emerge first, scars donning every inch of it, even more than before. It had a target, its beaming red eyes falling on a May being washed away.


    It sought advance, a step, it wasn¡¯t allowed as much. From the flowing domain of death and consciousness, a silver streak. Its Achilles hit with enough force to clear the turbulent weather. It¡¯d trip, its crafted abomination a weakness it sought strength in, yet, it was betrayed by its own ambitions.


    The streak would continue, stopping to hover above a shaking May and barely conscious Bob. The waters of destiny flowing around them, an invisible shield. She had a thought, and perhaps she was right.


    May looked to the thing with a crooked smile, but no dice, it was Sonata, hair ablaze, eyes empty, skin peeling as she became a silver puppet. She¡¯d lower herself to them, and though May attempted escape, she moved but stayed in the same place. She¡¯d refuse the futile attempt, realizing something.


    Sonata was older, a woman, she had aged at least ten years. Questions weren¡¯t for then still, as the fetish got up in earnest.


    ¡°A fair trade! And payment for your sins Sonata! Give me the girl before it arrives! This will be over, this will all be done!¡± The monster sought reason.


    ¡°A fantasy¡­ he¡¯d never allow such a thing, nor would I ever betray him!¡± Sonata would take May and Bob into her care as she spoke, carrying them like children.


    ¡°Is this your atonement¡­ puppet of Fate¡­? Use it, use that, that same power that aided our escape from this prison to escape yourself!¡± It moved forward, but not an attack, a bargain stood at the banks of death.


    ¡°That¡¯s not even possible¡­ nor will your tricks work on me in this form¡­¡± Sonata had begun slowly drifting off into the desert¡¯s sands.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work¡­? Why wouldn¡¯t it? You hold her powers in your hands¡­ she cares not for sides¡­ she will not stop you if that is what you desire¡­ if that is what you¡­ ¡®decide¡¯¡­ so go on¡­ like you drew us¡­ drew our perfect realities¡­ our perfect forms¡­ our perfect futures¡­ go ahead¡­ and draw your own perfect reality, escape into any one of her other broken worlds¡­! He¡¯d never find you¡­! He couldn¡¯t¡­¡± The thing halted its advance awaiting an answer.


    ¡°No¡­ and what would it have all been worth if I abandoned it all now¡ª¡± Sonata was interrupted.


    ¡°This meaningless war!?¡± It strode, kicking up a sand storm.


    Sonata would flinch in response, pointing to the things forehead, it blocked, but the whistling force tore through its hands and took back its step in light of red rain.


    ¡°How could I trust you¡­? Of all the ideas¡­ you¡­?! No. Look at you¡­ Frankenstein''s monster¡­ a twisted amalgam of weeping souls¡­ something like you doesn¡¯t need to be human, doesn¡¯t need to be alive¡­ Look at you! How many?! How many restless souls do you have trapped in that thing¡­?!¡± She¡¯d caress its body with her eyes, disgust.


    ¡°How many¡­? How many¡­? How many?!¡± It resumed its advance, the earth quaking in turn.


    Sonata raised her hand once more, and one ear splitting whistle after another carved holes in its flesh, yet it did not yield.


    It fell to one of its knees above them, the red from its eyes bathing the landscape.


    ¡°How many¡­? How many did you give me¡­? How many did you send to their deaths¡­? This body is as much my responsibility as it yours¡­ And I bet you feel nothing for it¡­ all those innocent souls you sent to their demise¡­ one¡­ after¡­ the other, and never the thought to stop¡­? But you blame me?¡± It lowered its face to them, Sonata backing away instinctually.


    All that they could see then warped by the very presence of madness himself. Squares turned circles, and triangles with no sides.


    ¡°We are accomplices Sonata¡­ had it not been for you, none of this would have been possible¡­ so how much longer until it comes for you too¡­?¡± He stared into her eyes, her being, her existence, her very soul, looking for a crack, a nick in which to embed himself, his madness.


    He¡¯d see it, a chip in the armor, but as he went to enter, beautifully warm and burning incandescent light. It would recoil with a wail raging yet another storm, smoke rising from its eyes as it backed away.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­¡± A voice that signaled safety for all the humans present, but stirred fear into the hearts of all ideas.


    The monster attempted to look up at him, his perfect machine of war, but such wasn¡¯t allowed. He waved his hand and the thing was tossed away like a dirty rag. It flew out of death¡¯s domain, disappearing into the distance.


    It was August, but looking up at him, his hair ablaze, everything below the neck silver, his eyes golden, was he really. Well, his eyes would fall on them, so they¡¯d know.

 Machine of War

    He drifted closer to the ground like a cherry blossom in the wind, yet he never touched it. He¡¯d stretch out a hand to Sonata.


    ¡°Give it.¡± He waited.


    ¡°Brother¡­?¡± She looked into his unwavering eyes, blinks a rare sight.


    ¡°Sonata¡­ give¡­ it¡­¡± He¡¯d move loser, reaching for her.


    ¡°No?¡± She backed away.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this. This has already been discussed. I need to kill that thing, so hurry before it returns.¡± His hand would sag.


    ¡°Who am I talking to¡­?¡± Her hair would fall, her skin repairing itself, as within her right hand a golden sphere emerged.


    She¡¯d hold on to it, hold it close to her person.


    ¡°I am Fate, and I am August, that was the agreement. So, yes Sonata¡­ to some degree, it is till me.¡± His left eye would turn crimson for a blink.


    ¡°How are you going to kill that thing without destabilizing the collective human unconscious¡­?¡± She¡¯d hand it over, even if she froze halfway through.


    ¡°I made no such promise. What needs to be done, will be done. Regardless of consequences.¡± He¡¯d absorb the last fragment of Fate¡¯s power in that sphere.


    The entire place shook as Fate¡¯s parts caught sight of each other, Sonata stumbling in the sand she found herself standing in.


    ¡°You retain power¡­ naturally, but don¡¯t overdo it.¡± He¡¯d look at her, seeing the light still in her mind.


    ¡°And what about you¡­?¡± She couldn¡¯t bear to look at the abomination.


    ¡°Keep going into the desert, I¡¯ll open a fracture for you when the time is right. Goodbye Sonata.¡± He¡¯d turn his back to them.


    ¡°Au¡ª¡± Her words cut short.


    The embodiment of madness would appear out of space itself, slamming against an invisible shield the machine must have conjured. Thus, Sonata was forced to hold her words, and her tears, running in the opposite direction, carrying May and, no, just May.


    Bob was back to working order, though he did not smile or look up. He stood next to August. Sonata almost turned back, but it wasn¡¯t hard to discern his intentions, seeing as she had already witnessed such a future.


    She¡¯d clench her teeth and continue her stride.


    ¡°What are you doing¡­ go back for him?!¡± May¡¯s opposition.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop him from deciding his own future.¡± Sonata dreaded the eyes that still showed her the consequences of her actions, her tears, blood.


    ¡°He¡¯ll die?!¡± May attempted to escape her grasp, but it was an impossible feat still.


    ¡°That¡¯s the point¡­¡± Sonata could barely muster the words. ¡°Where¡¯s your concern for your brother¡­?¡±


    ¡°That thing¡­ this time I¡¯m sure¡­ that thing is not my brother¡­ he died¡­ in my arms¡­¡± She squeezed the necklace, and its cold steel reminded her of her brother, even more than the image she looked back at.


    ¡°Was he happy¡­ at the end¡­?¡± Perhaps the woman sought answers for herself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he cried¡­ real tears¡­ so maybe he was¡­¡± May took her eyes off the imitation.


    Bob would thrust his hands forward, bending gravity to his will to oppose the monster, pushing it back, blood spilling from his face like a waterfall.


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    ¡°You will die.¡± The remnant of August looked at his old friend.


    ¡°N-no need for pretense, y-you must have buried w-what little of him remains¡­ I-I don¡¯t need a stranger¡¯s sympathy¡­ just give me power.¡± Bob would reach out a hand to the thing.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± He¡¯d reciprocate the gesture, holding his hand.


    Bob would catch flames, white fire, as their hands met, his whole being consumed by the burn. All his belongings, past attachments, his love, hate, all of it would burn to fuel his rampage.


    He looked at himself, and it was warm, he was finally at peace, and even looking at the monster before him, all he felt, was pity.


    ¡°What do I do¡­?¡± He could see it, the truth of the broken universe, and he could bend it, even more than gravity.


    ¡°Trap us here.¡± The machine would fly towards the monster.


    August would grab the thing and toss it into the air, and turning to the two that sought escape, he pointed out a hand, enclosing them in a translucent cube. He¡¯d have already opened the rift, but he couldn¡¯t risk any escapees following them.


    So, everything in place, he¡¯d set the stage. The domain of death, the river, he¡¯d look at it, focus on its very nature, and so it began to bubble. Then, it erupted like a volcano, tossing the black waters to the sky.


    The place would flood, the sky matching the space outside, the fickle walls shattering, death freed in the Abstract. The waters wouldn¡¯t stop, raging like the sea, covering anything and everything mere moments after release, relentless, indiscriminate.


    As for the god of madness that sought escape, Bob would finally act. The water flowed around him as if he was a rock, or perhaps, it knew he was already on the other side.


    He raised his hands, and the sky would darken, a point above them, darkness manifesting like a ball, deep and dense. He¡¯d then slowly move his hands apart the thing spreading across the sky, warping space around it.


    It was like a ceaseless mass, seeking to eat everything, pulling anything near into its empty depths. Its edges shone like the flames of a sun, its presence bending reality itself. It was the greatest feat he could muster, one act to trump them all. His last stand, a black hole.


    Thus, the monster was trapped, being pulled into the depths of the behemoth, but there were more. As the thing spread, the pitch black tenants trapped in the ground were dragged out and tossed to the void. Those that flew, and those that ran, none the better.


    Everything enveloped in its entropy, its very nature impossibly built on Fate¡¯s power, targeting all Ideas, everything in the entire Abstract. He¡¯d see his work done, his idea successful, and so, looking at his feeble form burning away, he broke apart and faded off into specs of light, a smile on his face.


    As for what was left of August, he was satisfied, but not enough. He looked up into the void, and immediately, it consumed the whole sky, spanning the entire space. He¡¯d erase all of it, leave a blank canvas.


    He no longer had any need to fight the thing, they were both trapped by the gravity of their impending doom, and so he only watched it. It tried to fly away, but it couldn¡¯t, and so, it settled on revenge.


    A rocky spire had been falling up between them, and so the thing took the time to throw it at August. It would stop moments before him, but breaking through it was a maddened god, deprived of his ambitions.


    Its mouth frothed as it lunged for him, but with a simple jab, the machine broke the thing¡¯s face and the rock formation behind it.


    It would float off, looking up into its doom, and so, if it was all for naught anyway, perhaps a spec of it could survive, even if it had no power.


    Its mind, it broke its own mind, and so it tried to fight the void¡¯s gravity, bending reality itself, but all it did was bloat under the weight of the task. The bodies composing it nowhere near strong enough to oppose Bob¡¯s feat.


    Its consequences came due nonetheless, its faux body exploding in a bloody and fleshy rain, its true form revealed. It was much the same, only smoother, unharmed, human sized.


    It would not relent, flying after the machine, but he¡¯d just go higher, closer to the void, avoiding it and taunting it all in one go. Yet, somewhere in that cold mechanical machination, he must have felt bad for it.


    Its eyes bled, tears only human, its desperation useless, its power useless. It wailed, screamed as it tried to run away, but it was useless.


    The machine would humor it, flying down towards it, demonstrating the fact that only one of them was truly trapped. The monster did not like such a thing, tossing anything its power could reach at August.


    It did not matter if it was alive or inanimate. Yet, the machine treated it all the same, ripping all of it apart so it could flow around him, without even moving.


    He¡¯d then attack it himself, a kick to the face so fast it could not react, sending it tumbling into rising rock formations. The monster would toss fragments of the broken rock, so many it almost blotted out the sky, but it was useless, or was it.


    Hiding behind one of the many boulders it tossed in retaliation, was itself. It was a shame that upon getting close enough to touch the object of its hatred, it was frozen stiff.


    ¡°You have already lost¡­ nothing you do now will matter. Why do you still fight? To delude yourself into believing your ideals were achievable?¡± August allowed the thing to get closer, to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­!¡± Its eyes rife with hate and its mouth overflowing with saliva, that¡¯s how it would look in its last moments.

 Tea Party

    The machine had taken its threat seriously to honor its fight, but perhaps that was not the mercy it thought it was.


    As such, the monster found itself being dragged across shattered mountain ranges, face first, and being tossed, rocks flew in from all directions piercing its flesh.


    It tried to recalibrate, but a fist would send it flying through an old cabin. It would be caught by a wall of a person, a woman.


    ¡°Hello¡­  Madness¡­¡± She smiled at him as she lowered him to the floor, her empty eyes wandering elsewhere.


    ¡°Run¡­ you have to run!¡± The monster tried to plead.


    ¡°Too late¡­¡± The woman went to sit at her table, even as the place turned upside down.


    The monster would turn to the machine hovering just outside. It would enter soon enough, the monster of madness frozen stiff.


    ¡°Hello Greed. How has it been?¡± August would walk past the petrified monster and sit at the table.


    ¡°Good¡­ I suppose. You want to ask me if I regret it? My decision to betray you¡­? No. I do not.¡± The woman would continue her lonely tea party.


    ¡°I figured as much. But I actually had another question. Why are you still here? You could escape this place by your very nature¡­ even now.¡± The machine was curios.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point, and¡­ tired¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­ of it all¡­ monster, Idea, god, demi-god, human, sin, animal¡­ all of it¡­ I¡¯m tired of all of it¡­ maybe with this¡­ I¡¯ll finally die.¡± She¡¯d take a sip of her tea.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I will kill you¡­ all of you. But back to what you were saying. How many times did you try¡­?¡± The machine leaned in over the table.


    ¡°¡­ 100, 873 times¡­ I avoided methods I knew would be pointless after a while¡­ so, that¡¯s all.¡± She sipped her tea.


    ¡°Ah... Good talk.¡± The machine patted the woman on the shoulder, leaving the table.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Her only retort.


    A change of scenery perhaps, a view from outside the quiet hut. The rumbling of doom above, the scream of passing deviants, the breaking of rocks, all interesting sounds.


    It¡¯d explode from the inside, a twisted mass growing like smog yet sagging like the rotten flesh it was. Its faces spawning in every rotten and bloody wound and gash, reaching for August with its expansive hands.


    He¡¯d spring up above the appendage, landing on it as it passed him. He ran for her, but he would never reach, rocks raining down on him. He¡¯d choose a retreat, but distancing himself from the monsters, the woman shot out a growing bulbous mass that grew a new bump every time it popped, heading for August.


    She¡¯d grab him, and whipping her twisted hand like a thunderbolt, she aimed for the mountain Madness threw. It¡¯d collide, but instead of only the rocks breaking, everything did, including the monsters.


    The rifts ran through them as if they were mineral, breaking them, their blood leaking, the pain of the flesh they stole setting in. As for the machine, he shot out the debris in all directions, pelting them with it like bullets.


    There was no rest still, as more disgruntled ideas came a calling, the florists seeking their revenge, clinging to him one after the other, trapping him in a ball of bodies. Their greatest weapon was useless against a husk still. Thus, even as the ball sought to grow, it popped, like a bubble, but with the sound of crashing tide and raging thunder.


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    The unexpected would occur still as the falling of all things into the black chasm above slowed to a halt. It was that same Idea with dominion over tides and gravity, god of the moon, that had been burnt to a crisp, its injuries unhealed. A charred skeleton with hands raised to the sky, shaking.


    He¡¯d reach for it, all the way off on the ground, and pull it towards him. Yet it did not stop its attack, so much so that things began falling back to the ground.


    The machine would not be allowed its desire still, as all manner of idea tossed themselves in front of his vision. Even as he popped them all like bubbles one after the other, they refused to stop.


    He¡¯d widen his eyes, and for him, time seemed to stop, and so he went down personally, resuming time so that they could watch their failure. Yet, as he got close, thunder rolled and lightning crackled as a bolt of electricity hit him in the face.


    It was yet another god, hiding in the shadow of the moon. It was nothing to him still, or it shouldn¡¯t have been, but his body was made of metals. Thus, he was rendered immobile for a bit. They¡¯d hold him out to dry, one bolt after the other striking him like a lightning rod. Yet his expression remained emotionless.


    Eventually, after a few too many, those gathered around him, and those nearby would be pulled in to block the bolts. They¡¯d explode and frizzle out like fireworks, he found it, entertaining. Thus, with every bolt of lightning tossed, he threw a body at it, staining the sky in red with his escapades.


    Their assault would slow still, the body of the moon goddess finally breaking under the weight, the despair resuming. He wouldn¡¯t follow them up. He¡¯d allow them to pass him, even toss things at him, hit him even, but they would all still be consumed by the void eventually.


    ¡°Why?!¡± Greed¡¯s many voices bleeding together. ¡°If you knew! Then why?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking the wrong person¡­ your destinies were always in your own hands, you chose this.¡± August gave her the decency of eye contact.


    The mountain of rotten flesh would swell and explode, sending out comets of smoking flesh, a closer look revealing faces with only mouths. They¡¯d hone in and attach themselves to the machine, swarming him, and just like before, he popped them.


    It was different that time though, he had been covered with sludge that ate away at even his perfect body. He¡¯d stall for a moment, looking at the woman in human form.


    That time was precious still, and bolts of lightning would coverage on his person, helping to tear him apart.


    ¡°Hubris¡­ your hubris will be your undoing!¡± She screamed, eliciting a response, and she¡¯d get one, but perhaps not the one she wanted.


    He looked at his body, its parts slowly melting away into nothing, and a sound escaped his person. It even surprised him, a chuckle.


    The Ideas present would feel something crawl down their spines at the sight of it, a smile on his face, eyes as wide as the sky, mouth pinned up from ear to ear.


    ¡°So¡­ haha¡­ is this what it means to be human! Ahhhahahahahaaa! This feeling! This feeling! Fear!? No¡­ excitement¡­¡± He¡¯d lock eyes with Greed.


    The woman would attempt to flee, all ideas in the area would, seeing the battle lost, yet, there was nowhere to go. They¡¯d all stop, realizing it was over, realizing that it was all for naught.


    His body wouldn¡¯t put itself back together. As for his goal with the whole thing, he¡¯d say it himself.


    ¡°All I had to do was get hit a couple of times¡­ and that made you think you had a chance¡­ how pathetic¡­ ha¡­ and now you¡¯re all here¡­ in one place.¡± He¡¯d stretch out both hands, a sphere manifesting in each, a silver one and a golden one.


    He¡¯d look at all of them, the smile still present, the chuckling filling the dead silence against the churning sounds of void above. Then another sound rung, metal scraping against metal. There was a sword in his chest, unseen, but the hole was there. In fact, there was nothing to see.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ always present, ever hiding the hearts and minds of man, but always unseen, Wrath¡­? You¡¯ve come, all of you have¡­ and of course you would¡­ without this place¡­ you have no power to draw upon¡­ ha¡­¡± Even with a blade through his being, his smile persisted.


    ¡°Are you mad?! I understand your distain for us¡­ but what will this mean for the people you are trying to protect?! What of humanity?!¡± The burly voice of an older man, Wrath.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m some hero¡­? Some savior¡­? No¡­ the only people this body was meant to protect were those dear to me, and I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t have to worry about those two. They¡¯ll be fine.¡± He¡¯d glance the two trapped in the cube, time almost ripe enough to send them away.


    ¡°You¡¯d doom humanity¡­? For them¡­? Sacrifice an already dying world¡­ for two people!?¡± Wrath sunk his sword deeper.


    ¡°Silence¡­¡± The abstract would lose all sound at the machines behest.


    His body would begin to reconstitute, and he¡¯d remove himself from the sword, his face having gone back to no expression.


    ¡°Three people¡­ it was meant to be three people¡­ four actually, until one of you killed them¡­ his love and its manifestation¡­ and so his mercy died with them¡­ It¡¯s not like most that are left are perfectly sane anyway. But it worked¡­ now you¡¯re all here¡­ even if hiding, so let¡¯s get this done.¡± The machine would bring the two spheres close to their respective hands, so close they were melding with them.

 Closure

    ¡°I split myself into two parts for some time in the human world¡­ and though it was brief, the difference in the two people I inhabited made those two parts incompatible over time. A being like me is not meant to exist like that¡­ to exist in the natural world at all. So, to correct for the phenomenon, and me putting myself back together, truly. I could do it slowly, over millennia, or¡­ I could force this universe to break again, erasing everything to correct my existence. Granted, it will only be one plain of existence, so it¡¯s not so bad¡­ this is how I¡¯ll kill you¡­ So, before I do¡­ what would you like to know?¡± The spheres would meld into his two hands, one golden, one silver.


    He¡¯d then bring his hands together, as if a prayer. The distance between them a hairs width.


    ¡°If you knew, if you planned this¡­ all of it¡­ then why¡­?¡± Madness.


    ¡°Why what?¡± The machine met their gaze.


    ¡°Desire¡­ but not all of it¡­ humanity¡­ but only a piece, only enough to want more¡­ dreams¡­ but no rest¡­ power¡­ but no conflict¡­ This place¡­ you made it a hell. You trapped us here¡­ for eons unfathomable¡­ and for what if you meant to destroy it¡­? What was it worth¡­ our suffering¡­?¡± The thing would cry, blood, but it cried.


    ¡°Hope. I wanted to see if given everything¡­ yet nothing¡­ what would you do¡­? What future would you have brought about¡­? I couldn¡¯t believe it, but you actually did it¡­ and on your own merits¡­ bodies, human ones, you entered that world¡­ and you even tried to fight me¡­? It was a good existence¡­ you made me proud.¡± Not the machine, not August, the other of the beings spoke.


    The embodiment of madness would not respond, only peer up into the void above, content, perhaps.


    ¡°Why did I have to be born of negative emotions¡­? Why could I never know rest¡­? Be satiated¡­? I hungered since the first fallen sunrise¡­ to my last. The things I did to fill the void within me¡­ and yet¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ Why¡­!? You gave me the world¡­ and no way to enjoy it¡­? What reason could you have possibly had for such torture¡­?¡± Gluttony.


    ¡°¡­You were one of my favorites¡­ it fascinated me¡­ the way your every step strode for purpose, they could never reach¡­ Satisfaction, a simple ordeal¡­ people take it for granted, but not you, never you. You were always there, present, right beside it, but you could never feel it. I wondered¡­ could you find satisfaction, in the fact¡­ that you could never be satisfied¡­? In the end, alone in that hut, you did find it¡­ All you ever did given meaning in the face of a death you thought you¡¯d never see.¡± The machines eyes would wander.


    ¡°Unlike the rest, you made us human¡­ but I was still the embodiment of wrath¡­ destruction. Everything I had, everything I gained, it would always crumble in my hands¡­ I¡¯d churn it to dust. I knew love¡­ I killed my lovers¡­ I knew riches¡­ I burnt them¡­ I conquered, time after time¡­ commanded great armies as I fanned the flames of chaos¡­ I drove the world to apocalypse¡­ and nothing. Even if I resist, fight my very nature¡­ I will still outlive all I have¡­ all I hold dear¡­ and in the end, I will still be empty¡­ why?¡± Wrath.


    ¡°You were¡­ very, very interesting. You could truly have it all¡­ but you¡¯d throw it away¡­ time after time¡­ almost¡­ without fail, but you¡¯d get it. I wanted to see it¡­ what would that do to a person¡­ what would become of them¡­.? Despair perhaps? No. You became a great man in many times¡­ using your flaw to find purpose, proving that humans could be more than their flaws, more than the reasons that they hated themselves¡­ you were¡­ beautiful, an impossible ideal.¡± The machine smiled.


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    ¡°I¡ª¡­ I was born human, but I came from the darkness that they worshiped¡­ Their minds, their intellect¡­ I was the object of their admiration¡­ and they didn¡¯t know¡­ until they did, until I told them. I knew not rest nor satisfaction until I paraded myself as a god¡­ I could love no one, I tried, it disgusted me... I could see none as my equal¡­ not even my own brothers and sisters¡­ but at the top of the world¡­ in a league of my own¡­ I was alone, none to lend me their warmth¡­ I thought I was enough, more than enough¡­ but years past, then decades, then centuries¡­ as I watched all that I had built collapse, as I watched them forget me¡­ and it hurt, but every time I took my rightful place above them¡­ I was till cold¡­ and my chambers empty¡­ why?¡± Pride.


    ¡°I made you identical to someone I knew¡­ to see if anything would be different¡­ to see if anything would change¡­ but nothing changed. You didn¡¯t say it, but you split yourself like I did¡­ tried to love yourself, literally¡­ but even then, you couldn¡¯t. Humans have a very simple understanding of love, but they don¡¯t even understand their own feelings. ¡®To love another, you must first love yourself¡¯¡­ that is not entirely true. You find value in yourself, ¡®love¡¯, because you understand to some degree, your own value and what that means for other people, and through that, you learn to appreciate others and their value¡­ but what happens when you can¡¯t understand why you are loved¡­ when you can¡¯t see yourself in another¡­ when you believe admiration to be a birthright¡­ ¡®love¡¯ is impossible¡­ You¡­ you are one I truly regret, for your suffering was too much to bear¡­¡± It seemed the author could understand what she had done.


    ¡°I was the only happy one then? Ha¡­¡± A disembodied voice.


    ¡°Envy¡­? The thought of their purpose irritates you¡­? Ha¡­ you died a premature death, driven by your own nature¡­ you have no renown, so the conclusion I am left to draw, is that your flaw, is useless¡­ if nothing else¡­ you truly were a failure.¡± It was still a machine after all, still just as cold.


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have to ask then¡­ seeing as how I lived¡­ and died¡­?¡± A voice, only a voice.


    ¡°Lust? You were not all bad¡­ even if driven only by selfish satisfaction and the thought of your next high¡­ you did do good to reach it a few times. You were selfish, but not completely, you¡¯d eventually come to warn others of the dangers you yourself indulged in. You were fine for the most part, a cautionary tale¡­ though you still disgust me.¡± The look in the machine¡¯s eyes as they wandered, recollection, then it winced, frightened, sudden disgust.


    The machine would blink a few times, cleansing their eyes. It looked around, and though its eyes landed on nothing, it must have found what it was looking for.


    ¡°Sloth? Too tired to ask?¡±


    There was silence.


    ¡°I thought so¡­ because you were the only one fulfilled.¡± The machine carried on. ¡°You were the ones born with flaws, no, born to be flawed, so of course you had questions.  As for everyone else¡­ I know why they are quiet, because unlike you, they know that their lives were truly their own faults¡­ and so, with this, I bid you farewell¡­¡±


    The machine would close its eyes, and finally, it would bring its hands together.


    The moment they touched, they shone with the brilliance of a thousand suns, everything their light fell on disappearing. It would spread, the rumbling light, consuming everything in its path. As for what was at the center, what had existed there before, there was no such thing, there was nothing, not even a thought, not even an idea.


    The two set to leave the place would watch as the wall of light encroached upon them, screaming like the sky in a thunderstorm. It consumed the whole world before them, nothing behind or beside it, it was like the end of the world, and I suppose it was.


    They¡¯d almost think themselves lost, everything seeming to be still, until the world shattered around them. They¡¯d fall, and from roaring sky black sky and all-consuming light, they¡¯d land on broken asphalt, in a shattered city.


    They¡¯d look up into the rift, but even that would be consumed by the light.


    And so they were left in a place that seemed a forest, yet vines and trees climbed and slithered around fallen behemoths and steel spires. The air was fresh, salt a distant dream, the breeze cool, never harsh, the smell of flowers, real.


    Yet, as May looked at her necklace, confusion seemed to distract her from the outside world.


    ¡°Sonata¡­ who is August?¡±