《Ghibli Gang - Where in the world are we?》
A Clich茅 Tale For The Ages
"-In recent news tonight, reports of five high-school students going missing earlier this afternoon have circulated through all major social media outlets. The students were allegedly visiting their local cinema before being abducted in a bright flash of light. When questioned on the events, officials stated how possible acts of terror could not be ruled out at this point. Sceptics were quick to label this event as ''the most radical environmental awareness demonstration of the cent-"
With a shaking hand she switched the TV off, thumb pressed so firmly on the power button it would surely break. Letting out an equally strained sigh the woman tossed the object to the side and walked slowly outside, her husband was sitting alone in the sun staring off into blank space. She approached, placed a hand on his shoulder, and stood in silence. The mad did not turn back to face her, he couldn''t, not with the tears welling up in his already red eyes. Instead, he placed his weak hand over hers. They stayed there for a long time, refused to bear much more than the deafening silence.
They didn''t understand. Terrorism? Activism? Publicity stunts!? No. That wasn''t their son, that wasn''t Angus that would even consider doing things like that. Still, the public refused to understand. Tomorrow the pair would be called in for questioning on the disappearance of their son and four other children. But what would the already broken parents tell them? That their son had been erased from existence? Wiped from the face of the earth without a trace? They had all the same information as the rest of the populace and they had nothing new to bring to the table- making them the main suspects in the kidnapping of their own son- as far as anyone was concerned; Angus Clarke was dead.
Oh, Angus, where in the world are you?...
Across the city of Adelaide, four more families wondered the same thing.
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2 days earlier
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"Pleeeease Angus! You know if you don''t go then Sam can''t! Even if you don''t wanna then at least do it for him."
"Actually, he can go without me, it would just be far more difficult to get past all of the boarding house regulations."
"You know that we''d all do it for you!"
Friday afternoon, lunchtime. The group spent any and all time out of the classroom in the library instead, save for the few times Adelaide''s weather decided to throw a curve-ball and it was either cooler or warmer outside than in.
It was Tahlia speaking, the shortest of the gang (though not below average height), and the one everyone silently and unanimously agreed to be the group''s mascot because of her strange ability to take any compliment as an insult. She was kind of like the glue that held them all together, ever since the initial formation of the gang.
"Don''t be more of a party pooper than usual-" Daniel laughed beside Angus. "Anyway, without you there to fifth wheel it''ll look like a double date, and I don''t think Sam could handle the implications."
Sam looked up from his school laptop (which was used most for anything other than schoolwork). He was too immersed in his manga to notice much else.
"What? No, shuddup." He had no idea what the rest of them were talking about, he didn''t really care either as long as it didn''t take him too far away from anime or anything relating to it.
"It''ll be like 3 or 4 hours. What would you be doing at that time anyway? Why not spend that time with your favourite people?" Said Chloe through an expression somehow bordering both happiness and confusion on equal terms.
"I''d be in bed, comfortable and playing games, maybe even take a nap who knows? Just not at the cinema watching... what was it again?"
"Skeleton War 2: Electric Boogaloo." Responded Dan in a heartbeat, Angus had no idea how he came up with this shit.
"Anyway, even if you were comfortable in the boarding house, you said that Sam would find his own way there, so you wouldn''t have any games to play. Also didn''t you once say that you'' do anything to get out of the physical activity? And wasn''t the compulsory boarder carnival over the weekend?"
Something snapped then. A hint of recognition in Angus'' otherwise dead-fish expression. The annual Borders Carnival; a bubbling cesspit of some of his more athletically inclined dorm-mates running around after a ball for hours on end, and he''d be forced to watch.
Unless...
"Done. What cinema are we going to, and when? I have no idea where anything is in this city outside of this immediate area" He said after a moment lost in thought, gesturing to the library around them.
He had no need to journey further than the food store down the road, so anything after that would be uncharted territory. On top of that, if a boarder of the school wanted to go anywhere then they would need another student to go with them. Sam was within the tiny margin of boarders he could spend more than a few minutes with before feeling exhausted from the interaction.
"YES! Okay, uh... Sunday? Yeah, Sunday around lunchtime, like be there at like 1 pm." Said Tahlia excitedly.
Before anyone could object, the second lunch-bell rang obnoxiously, signalling their final lesson and subsequent end of the school day, the end of the week.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
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Sunday, that weekend
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Sam burst into Angus'' room at 12:50 with a panicked expression. The helmet and hastily packed bag was all Angus needed to refresh his memory. Apparently, Sam had forgotten their plan too, both of them had slept in way too late after spending their Friday night playing games to some ungodly hour. They were going to be late.
"Wait so- where exactly are we going?" Sam and Angus had been forced to ride their bikes instead of catching a bus, they''d already missed that chance, along with the chance to get the head of boarding''s permission to leave.
"Left." Replied Sam quickly as his bike swerved from the sidewalk and down an alley.
"Wait, wha-" Angus was about to question, but then saw what had Sam so spooked. A vehicle with the school crest plastered on every side of its otherwise white exterior rounding the corner ahead of them. Angus supposed the carnival had started and the school was already carting students to the event. Considering they were already 15 minutes late, a scolding from the head of boarding was the last thing they needed. Angus quickly followed down the side street.
Luckily, Sam''s quick thinking had spared them, though now something else was on the duo''s mind. They were going to be royally fucked when they got back to the school.
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Arriving at the cinema, the boarders rushed inside to meet the others.
"Hey!" Chloe called out above the crowd towards them, beckoning them over. "We thought maybe Angus backed out again."
"No...no, not that." Sam managed to say, they were both exhausted from the ride. Angus- since his favourite hobby is putting in the least amount of effort possible into everything, and Sam; since all he had to get there was a shitty little BMX... there were a lot of inclines. He was about to continue when Angus butted in.
"Sam slept in." He said, which earned him a too-tired-to-argue glare from the boy beside him. "We didn''t even have time to call in for leave permission, they''re probably gonna have out heads for it..."
Silence for a moment, some of the group had no idea what he meant by it, others couldn''t hear him through his trying to get air back into his burning lungs.
"You''re really out of shape aren''t you?" Said Dan, only half-joking. "Built like a stick and the stamina to match."
Angus gave him a half-hearted punch to the shoulder in response, all said and done though, Dan wasn''t wrong.
"Anyway." The newly dubbed stickman began. "What are we watching? I was dragged out of bed for this, so it better be good."
The rest of the group wore smiles that seemed to cut into his very soul.
"No."
"Yes." They all replied in unison. "Anime."
"Damn you guys." Not only had he been pressured into leaving the comfort of his mattress, but he had been pressured into watching a movie in another language. If he wanted to read subtitles, he would have just read a book, they knew this. He sighed. "well? What exactly is it? If I don''t know it then It''ll at least prepare me for a bad time."
"I don''t remember what exactly it was called... Something from Ghibli I think?" Said Dan, stifling a laugh.
"No it wa-" Before Tahlia could finish, Angus cut in once more.
"Line''s moving. C''mon Ghibli Gang. Let''s get this over with..." He was sure he heard someone chuckle at the name behind him.
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All things considered, it wasn''t that bad of a time. The two girls enjoyed the story, Sam and Dan had made fun of certain parts and made them all laugh, and Angus had eaten everyone''s food.
The newly named Ghibli Gang (for some reason it stuck), consisting of Chloe, Tahlia, Daniel, Sam, and Angus had decided to spend another while around the mall before parting ways. Out of his funk over not getting in his planned 16 out of 24 hours of sleep, Angus was back to his less irritable self.
"I''m getting juice." He said as they passed the fruit smoothie bar. The one Angus had secretly been waiting to ''happen to walk by'' for the past few hours''.
"Angus no."
"Angus yes." There was no stopping him, at this rate he was going full smoothie mode. The state in which Angus orders 5 drinks, finishes them all in the time it took to order them and then complains for the rest of the day that he shouldn''t have made the decision.
The rest of the group conceded to his wishes, there was truly no halting the surprising amount force behind The Stick when sugary beverages were involved, it was best to leave him to his fate. In the meantime, the gang made their way over to a nearby lounge chair and sat. Sam whipped out a manga that he''d hidden somewhere, and Dan attempted to take up as much couch as he could before the girls could sit down.
Like always, it only took Angus the next 3 minutes to down the drinks which somehow never added to his dismal weight despite their contents. He began the last one before too long, still wearing a look of no regrets whatsoever. The others had no idea how he always forgot what came next. The number of times they''d sighed when he begged them to stop him the ''next time'' was incalculable.
"I just wanna say thanks." Which quickly caught the attention of the rest of the group. "- For inviting me along. I know you didn''t have to despite it being easier and I''m sure I was a bit of a pain to persuade, but still..."
The rest of the gang, shell-shocked by the sudden show of emotion, were about to reply in their respective ways when:
"...Is what Mum texted that she wanted me to say... Thanks, Mum?" He looked up from his phone to see the unimpressed gazes of the other four upon him. "What?".
They all sat there for some time, it was nearing 5 pm. The group had stayed there far longer than anticipated, though all for their own reasons. Tahlia said that she''d rather be anywhere other than home to get away from chores, Chloe just couldn''t bother organizing a ride home seeing how she neglected to beforehand, Dan was ''already comfy'', and the two boarders Sam and Angus knew that the moment their faces were shown back at school they''d be forced into a lecture on responsibilities or something. Nevertheless, the mall would be closing soon... back to the real world.
"I''d do anything to not have school tomorrow. Quick, someone make me sick." Pleaded Angus unenthusiastic-ally. He''d been denied more drinks after his initial five. He''d even felt the full repercussions of his choices since then but still insisted the store give him more. As of right now, he was savouring the last drops.
"I know right, I just got an email saying that I''ve got two assignments due and a test tomorrow... and no I haven''t started the assignments." Said Tahlia with a pained face, Chloe nodded in silent agreement.
"Yeah. It''s a shame really, that we can''t just be whisked away into some parallel world like in 95% of Sam''s fantasies." Said Dan in a bitter chuckle, equally dreading the week to come.
"Hey! That''s not true, Its more like 98% thank you very much. Don''t remind me of my... world''s... shortcomings......"
Sam trailed off with his defiant statement, still clutching his favourite object in the universe. He was staring at the floor with wide eyes, the wide, excited eyes of a madman who just finished their masterpiece.
"YES!" He screamed suddenly, throwing his arms up in victory. He cheered with a face of pure joy. "FUCK YEAH!"
The others were up now, staring at Sam with fearful hearts.
"Sam? Is everything okay?" Asked Chloe, sitting up from her lazy position.
He didn''t respond, though didn''t lose that look of elation. He simply pointed down at the ground below them as an unnatural wind began to blow around them.
They all peered over the large pillows to look at the surface. What greeted them was-... well nobody really knew what to expect. Nevertheless, what they saw was a massive spiralling circle below them. Pitch black yet somehow glowing bright. Within the perfect shape were many smaller ones, more intricate a spinning faster with each passing moment. Lines scanned across their surfaces, runes, symbols, words in strange letters.
Sam was still screaming excitedly, though nobody could hear him over the now gale force winds coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
They knew exactly what was happening, they''d seen it so many times before in fiction, though nobody had dared to dream it would be a reality in this bleak existence.
Angus knew exactly what this meant for him too...
His mattress...
His sweet sweet bed...
His promised warm embrace of blessed sleep...
It would have to wait.
"Fuck".
A bright flash of light engulfed the five students.
There were 3 witnesses to the event. One was a cat, the next a fake security camera, and the last an elderly man with difficulties in memory. Surely the timing was planned. As far as the rest of the world was concerned: the children had never existed.
White is my new least favorite shade.
Sam was still screaming like an excited schoolgirl when the light vanished. In its place was... more light.
Looking around, Angus saw nothing but white. To the sky, nothing but a pure white abyss threatening to swallow everything below. But- where was below? The so-called sky only ended with more white. The ground and horizon was no different! Despite this near blinding display, there were no shadows cast by the group, or rather there was no place for said shadows to be cast. Angus wondered if this was what pure nothingness looked like.
At some point along Angus'' thought, Dan had slapped Sam across the back of the head to get him to stop happily cheering. He looked thoroughly unamused by this, though did not retaliate- he too, was now staring off into the nothingness before them.
It was Chloe who spoke first.
"So... that happened..." She said in a flat tone, bordering on disdain.
"Liiiiiittle bit f an understatement there." Said Tahlia through gritted teeth. "Where even are we?"
Nobody had to answer, they''d all seen enough of this enough from media... but that''s all it was, something people dreamed up for entertainment and then proceeded to obsess over. After all, who wouldn''t want a chance to do the impossible? Sam had apparently made up his mind some time ago.
The easily excitable four-eyes spoke up to answer the question on everyone''s lips. He still cradled his head from Dan''s hit.
"Well, judging by the scenery, that being nothing but an endless sea of white, I''d say we''re somewhere outside of time and space. You know, like the place where all respectable main characters receive world-breaking power and begin a death-defying quest of badassery."
He maintained a face of indifference through his spiel, though the last part seemed to bring something Angus could only describe as a gleam to his eye- though on a far greater scale. For a moment, he could have sworn a tear came to his friend''s eye. Nobody pressed the matter any further, still debating the possibility of Sam being the mastermind behind all of this.
"Di- did you rehearse that speech beforehand?" Asked Dan with an apprehensive tone.
"Perhaps." Responded Sam with a wry smile. In actual fact, he''d fantasised about this moment for as long as he could remember.
Angus shook his head in response, In truth, he expected nothing less. In fact, part of him would even go so far as to agree with his enthusiasm- a rare moment indeed. After all, who in their right mind would refuse even the slightest of chances to escape from a life of predetermined normality? Angus had concluded long ago that life as he knew it was far from perfect, the fantastical landscapes imagined by those who dared to dream only served to taunt him. Now, if the usual ''Summoned to another world'' formula was to be believed, and what Sam said was true, then that could all change.
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They''d been standing around in the white pit for an immeasurable amount of time. It could have been 5 minutes, it could have been 5 hours. There was no way to tell. At some point Sam had grown restless and decided to go and ''explore'', to explore what exactly Angus had no idea. As far as he could tell the white at his feet was the same as the white 50 Meters in front of him. Nevertheless, Sam insisted.
His enthusiasm, however, was quickly eroded when he appeared behind the group a few moments after he was out of view. It appeared that this place was more of a self-contained loop. Further experimentation concluded that if one travelled far enough to be out of sight from the rest of the group, they would begin approaching the group from the opposite direction they initially travelled in. This proved two things; First of all, this place had curvature, they were standing on some sort of sphere. Second, there was no escape... all of a sudden everyone seemed far less enthusiastic.
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Angus wasn''t sure who suggested they all travelled as one. It made sense, in theory. If nobody could travel further than the sight of another, then as long as they were all together, they''d be able to travel indefinitely. It was Dan to first point out how, despite being there for what seemed like hours, he didn''t feel the need for food, drink, to go to the toilet, or to sleep. At one point, Tahlia threw a pen that she''d had in her pocket to the ground, if they were still being brought back to the same place then at least they''d quit while they were ahead. Sam began counting footsteps to mark the time and how far they travelled.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
It was around 5000 steps that Chloe said something peculiar;
"Why haven''t we just used our phones to tell the time?"
Silence.
However, before anyone could get too disappointed in their own ignorance for critical thinking, Tahlia held up her phone. On its screen was nothing but static, like someone had infested its insides with writhing insects.
"No use." She said flatly. "I tried when we got here, can''t even get into it, let alone see the time. Sorry, figured you''d all know already so didn''t say anything."
Silence once more. It was around now that they began realising just how alone they were...
Not long after, they saw a pen lying on the ground in front of them.
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"Alrighty. Here''s what we have to work with-"
It had been some time since they began taking this place more seriously, though nobody had the energy to say anything until now. Angus spoke up from where he lay sprawled out on the ground like a lanky starfish.
"We''re all trapped in what seems like an infinite loop."
This earned nods from the rest of the students. They all sat in a messy circle around Tahlia''s pen.
"Not only that, but we have no idea who or what made us come here. We don''t feel the need to eat, drink, sleep, or anything that could be defined as basic human function, and so far- the only ideas that we''ve had are to-"
He sat up and glanced at the ''whiteboard'' that lay next to the pen, a small sticky note where they had agreed to write down any observations of their situation or ideas of what they haven''t tried yet.
"1. ''Kill ourselves'', thanks for your input, whoever wrote that- and 2. ''Think enough paradoxical thoughts that it tears a rip in space-time and sends us back home''. Some really good brainstorming here people, good work."
Nowhere near satisfied with the collectives efforts, he slumped back down into a starfish. It was weird, although the ground felt incredibly solid like laying on concrete, it was surprisingly comfortable- though these were the observations of a kid who''d spent most of their life on earth sleeping anywhere and everywhere they could.
"So disregarding #1. Sam, did you do #2? I feel like that''s something you''d write. C''mon people, we need real ideas."
They''d been going around in circles like this forever now.
"It is a real idea!"
Sam was lying face-down on the ground, his voice muffled as he spoke.
"I don''t know about you guys, but I''d much rather exhaust all of my more creative ideas before offing myself. Who knows how this place works? It could work." He said, slightly irritated.
Equally frustrated, Angus retorted.
"Oh sure, that''s fair enough, but really? You think willpower, positive energy, friendship and good intentions is going to get us out of here? We should be looking for an exit or something, not asking each other whether a set of all sets contains itself!?"
The others sighed, knowing full-well that this was quickly turning into one of their infamous clashes of poor comebacks and excuses. Sam was about to respond with his own comment when it happened.
It was so out of place in their little white bubble, considering the only things that any of them had heard were the voices of their friends for God-knows how long. It might as well have been the end of the world had it held the same effect on Earth.
A massive ear-splitting crack echoed through the white-ness. Followed by the sound of a near-infinite supply of whine glasses shattering all at once. Each of their faces was twisted into a mix of fear, confusion and pain over the noise. They sat in silence for a long time, not brave enough to be the first to speak, lest it alerted whatever had made said noise to their location. However, after nearly 10 minutes of staring far off into the distance, Sam spoke.
It was the first time they''d felt anything other than boredom for too long. Angus was sure that if he wasn''t as scared as the rest of them, Sam would be wearing the most shit-eating-est grin ever seen.
"Told you so."
I take that back.
Shards, like shattered glass. They fell around Angus like a terrifying downpour. The shards were white, pure white. The very ground that he''d been standing on?
Everything had fallen so fast, now he was falling with it.
In between the bright shards was infinite darkness, the contrast between the two extremes sent his head spinning further. His last conscious thought before falling further was of his friends... and that... thing.
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-An hour earlier-
"What do you mean a crack? Like what we heard?"
"No, not a sound. Like an actual crack. Like a break."
"A break in what though? There''s nothing around here to break, and we''ve all been standing together too scared to move since our eardrums almost burst."
"Just come and see, it''s easier to show you."
They walked together in a tightly-packed group. The only one who''d been brave enough to go explore whatever made that sound was Dan, who had since returned and convinced the others to follow him back to whatever he''d found.
"See? Crack." Said Daniel, turning back to the gang, arms outstretched at his discovery like an excited toddler with his first solo toilet experience.
"The fuck?"
What lay before the group was, for all intents and purposes, a simple crack¡ Which just so happened to have formed in midair¡ and seemed to be growing.
¡°Does anyone else see that thing moving, or have I finally lost it after all this time?¡±
¡°Nope, that thing sure is pulsating. Kinda like a vein?¡±
¡°Bro, gross.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Chloe stepped forward to inspect it further. Sharp dark lines danced through the air, forming a contrast never before seen in the white landscape. Looking at the crack from all sides yielded the same perspective- impossible perhaps- but they were all used to the impossible by now.
The edges of the crack drifted in and out like ocean waves, pushing the boundaries of the crack further with each pulse, it almost looked like tiny insects eating away at the world. The speed at which it expanded was dismal, but present nonetheless.
Turning her attention to the widest portion, she peered into the break in reality. Beyond the veil was a void not unlike the one they currently resided in, only flipped. It was an infinite blackness- blacker than black, the night sky pales in comparison. Attempting to look deeper sent shivers down Chloe¡¯s spine. Whatever the place was on the other side of this thing, she didn''t like it.
She turned, the others were still bickering and gesturing over to the new addition to their world every so often.
¡°-What I''m saying is that this could be a way out!¡±
¡°No way, I''m not going in there! It''s bad enough being trapped in endless light, imagine being trapped in an endless darkness! That right there¡¯s a death flag, Angus.¡±
About to go join the commotion, she took a step forward.
*Criiik*
Silence. Everyone turned to the horrified expression across Chloe¡¯s face as she looked down. Dark extensions of the crack had extended below her, it looked like a partially frozen lake, threatening to swallow anyone daring to put enough pressure onto the surface. Nobody moved, nobody breathed.
As of right now, Chloe stood about 3 meters from the others dead still. The original fissure half a metre behind her, and an intricate network of spider web-like cracks forming beneath her. The ground, feeling like it would give way at any moment. Things were obviously worse than they had imagined. The crack was not the beginning, it was the end. Whatever had been previously making up this environment had been eaten away by something, the appearance of blackness was not a window into another place, it was a window outside of their own situation. The only thing holding them back from disappearing into the darkness? A thin sheet of white, too thin to even walk across.
*SMASH*
Another crack formed, behind the group this time, larger than the first.
*CRASH*
And another, this one high above them. It was almost as if there was something tearing reality apart with colossal fists.
*BOOM*
Chloe was the first to go. The floor finally giving out, their world practically shaking with the impacts of whatever force tore the place apart. Without any time to scream she disappeared downwards.
*BANG*
Too fast. Everything happened too fast. Sam was next. Then Tahlia, followed by Dan. The world they had lived in for so long crumbled. Sure, they didn''t have the best life there, but at least it wasn''t this!
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2 minutes¡ 2 minutes of complete silence, he''d counted. The smashing and shattering had stopped and it had been 2 whole minutes since the last friend fell to God knows where. Angus sat hunched, head ducked and arms around his knees.
He was floating on the last piece of the old land, one last Eden of white- the thing he¡¯d hated for so long, the only thing keeping him afloat like a piece of driftwood.
Angus raised his head. Sick of counting¡ that, and he could feel something staring at him. He looked up, and met the gaze of The Devil himself.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
It was more of an- an indescribable feeling that put a name to that featureless face. If one could even call it that. The only thing that signified this entities presence was a blood red outline of a lean man, it was like looking through a special effects filter of a camera- or seeing something in thermal vision. With nonexistent eyes the entity stared down at the still hunched Angus, and the boy returned the gaze with one of hatred and disdain.
¡°O??h???????.????.?????.????? ?????s???????o??? ???????y?o?u???''????r??????e???? ??????t???h????e???? ???????o?????n????l???y???? ?o?????n??e????? ???????l????e???????f???t?.???.???????.???¡±
It spoke in a ghastly broken tone. Like a scratched record playing an old radio broadcast.
Angus did not respond, though his hatred did not falter. At this the creature almost¡ smiled?
¡°S?????p???????i??????te?????f???????u???????l ????????l??????i?t?????t????l????e??? ?b???a??????s?t??a?????r???d????????,????? ???????a???r???e?n?''?t? ?????y????o??u???????????¡±
¡
¡°W???e??????l??????l????????,? ??????n??????o?????t????? ?????l????i?k???????e??????? ??????i?t????? ??m?a?t????t?????er?s?. I??? ???????h?a?????v??e?????? n????o? ????????u????s??????e??????? ???????f???o??r?? ???????t??????h????e??????? ?????w??????e????????a?k?????? ????????a???????n???????d?? ??d???e??f???????e????c?ti?????v????????e??.??????
????A?????n???????d??????? ???y??????o???????u?''???r?e????? ???p???????o????s??i????????t???i???????v?e??????l?????y?????? ????p???????o?????w??????e?????r?????l??????e?ss???,???????? ??????a??????r??e???n????''?t?????? ?y???o?u? ?????m???????y?????? ??a??n????g?????r????????y?? ????l???????i?????tt????l????e??? ???????f?????r????i???e???????n?????d?????????¡±
What did this guy mean by that? Of course he was weak! Not only was he alone, but the only baseline for comparison was literally the devil. But there was something else in that broken voice. A hidden meaning in the supposedly obvious words. Was it pity?
The devil¡¯s red silhouette reached out with a disturbingly human hand towards the boy¡¯s face. And then..
¡°A??a??a???a???????r????g?????h??????!???
??L??i???????t??t?l?e? ?????f??????u???c?????k?????e????r????????! ????W????h?a?t??????''???d??????? ????????y???????o??u?? d????o??????????¡±
The hand recoiled in pain, sizzling as if it''d been burnt badly, though it showed no signs of damage.
A rumble, what was left of the world shook once more.
¡°H????????a?h???????a?????!???????
??W?h??o???''????????s????? ??p?r????????o???t??????e??????c??????t????????i???????n?????g???????? ?????a??? ???????s?????m??????a?l?l??????? ???f?????r???y??????? ???????l?????i????k?????e???? ??y????o?u??????!??¡±
A familiar sound echoed, shattering glass. The last island he stood atop of had cracks running through it.
He was dragged down.
¡°W??e??????l?????l????,? ?????n???????o??????? ???m??????a??t??t?e???????r?????.??????
???????H?e?h???e??h??.??????? ????G?????ue?????s??s?? ???????I??''?????l????????l??????? ??s??????e?????e? y????o??u??? ???????s???????oo????n?????,?? ???????b???u??????d??d???????y??.????¡±
The Devil¡¯s voice followed him down the chasm, around him the final shards of white fell with him.
His only friends were missing.
Satan had a grudge against him.
And now he was losing consciousness.
What a shitty day.
________________________________
He was cold when he awoke from his first sleep in what felt like months, the idea of rest was almost an alien concept to him- even if it was forced. His body was heavy, his eyes refused to focus for a good few minutes, and he instantly remembered how much he had always hated waking up.
¡°Nice to know some things never change.¡± He muttered through dry lips. Another peculiar familiarity, he had not drank, slept or eaten for an undetermined amount of time, wherever he was before had seen to ridding their need to do so.
Oh¡
The others. They were nowhere to be seen. Though neither could that thing, so silver linings.
Taking in his surroundings, Angus appeared to be standing on solid, tangible ground for once. Beneath his feet were patches of grass sticking out between impossibly old stone bricks. To his sides were walls of similar material, overgrown with vines and moss.
Above him, a bright radiating sun beat down on what he supposed was a temple of some kind, which was honestly the most normal thing he''d seen in a long time. Next to the sun was¡ a moon? Not like a moon in the daytime sky either. There was a distinct border between a bright day and a dark night sky above him, dividing the land into two halves.
¡°Okay, less normal.¡±
Before he could explore his first featured surroundings however, two overly large doors opened behind him. They stood around the size of a double story house, and from where he stood- about 20 meters back from the opening entrance- he could see it had been designed with intricate swirling patterns, some of them not unlike the ones seen on the black runed circles that had first trapped them. It was through Angus¡¯ silent watching that he soon realised there was no visible mechanism present. There were no people, no wires, no cogs, and strangely enough despite their size, only the faintest sound of scraping to announce their invitation.
¡°Oh how I just love the impossible.¡± He whispered to himself.
Taking one final look around, he began his trek towards the entrance.
¡°Well, Ghibli Gang. Or Ghibli Guy, rather. Let''s see where in the world we are now¡¡±
________________________________
It was an eerily familiar atmosphere inside the temple, Angus had never set foot there nor had any indication of its existance before this point, though it almost felt like returning to a long abandoned homeland.
There were lit torches lining the walls, who or what had lit them was of no concern to Angus- judging by the phrasing of the Devil¡¯s last words, his disappearance was not planned- so that thing was unlikely to be anywhere around- the only thing that he really cared about was having distance between him and it. The sounds of his footsteps echoed through the dimly lit stone halls, reminding him just how much he¡¯d missed such simple things like natural light and sound.
Rounding a corner presented angis with a massive chamber. The entire back wall was a flowing waterfall, and to either side of him were openings in the walls allowing the respective lights of the sun and moon to flow through. The closest thing he could compare it to would be something from Indiana Jones or the like. It was breathtaking.
At the base of the waterfall was a small raised platform, it was a different colour to the rest of the temple, white and reflective like marble, though it had streaks of light blue running through it. The platform held a number of things. A statue of great height, almost reaching the ceiling of the chamber, a number of ornate columns with similar patterns as the doors, a large mirror in the corner decorated with elaborate swirls and edges, much like the old Victorian designs he¡¯d seen once.
Though there was one thing that stood out among the others, something that caught his eye and refused to let go.
There was a person seated at a large stone table. Alone and unmoving, and despite his initial thoughts was undoubtedly alive. The person did not turn to look at the boy, and instead continued to stare straight ahead and off into space.
Looking closer, Angus could see it was a man, an elderly one at that. A long flowing white beard and balding head was evidence enough for that. The man was draped in large robes of simple design. Contrary to the fantastical decor of the temple and his surrounding objects, the man looked rather ordinary.
¡°Now Angus, you should know that it is not polite to stare for so long.¡±
He flinched at the sudden voice. It echoed through the stone room, seeming to bounce off every surface and directly into his head- he thought it was not unlike how the thing from before spoke, though was undoubtedly clearer, and without any hint of malice from what he could tell. The voice was so gentle it was almost soothing.
Wait...
¡°Yes, yes, I know your name. Is that really the most peculiar thing you''ve seen thus far?¡±
¡°Wai-¡±
¡°And before you ask, yes, I can hear your thoughts... You need not be concerned for your safety. He cannot enter this domain.¡±
Before Angus could question any further, the old man gestured across from him, another seat at the table high had not been there before now sat where he motioned.
¡°Please, sit. There is much to discuss young soul... the fate of your friends may depend on your next actions...¡±