Words
A
Wild ARMS 3 Story
"It has been said that every letter in every word has its own universe; a sea of nothingness and everything rolled into the everlasting. Sure, there are many clichés in this world: Silence is golden, silence is sound, and the list goes on; but one thing is certain, words have power. For every word we speak we create a god in our own image, from the chaos of speech is formed the basis for order. Many people ponder the simple things in life and forget about the things that confound and frustrate them. To be sure, this life is full of the unknown and the unsavory but behind the veil of darkness lays the imprisoned shard of life. Redemption is but a word until it is uttered with the intention to create." – Author Unknown
Chapter One: Awake
"The only world that I knew was the world created by those around me."
His voice bounced around in the darkness and then fell flat at his feet: no one would hear his words; after all, the world was dead.
"I always yelled, but no one would listen to me."
His words then spotted the sky like stars; each one spaced too far apart to hear the other.
He watched in awe as his words fell from the heavens and into his outstretched hand.
"Is this all there is?"
Only silence answered his question.
"Why didn't anyone listen?"
His words danced into the sky and then disappeared from sight; he was once again alone.
"I never thought of you as the daydreaming type."
He could hear the smile in her words.
I am not daydreaming.
Of course, in his groggy, far off, state, all he could manage was a grunt.
"Don't you grunt at me, Mister Bums-A-Lot; I have you know that grunting at a lady is a criminal offense."
Very witty, dear, now shut up.
He responded to this accusation with an intentional grunt and opening one eye to his young teammate.
There is sound.
"Since when were you a lady, Virginia?"
Oh, I can feel it now; she's going to let me have it.
Surprisingly there was a giggle and then a punch to his shoulder.
"There's no need to be so sour, Jet; I can't help that I'm the only lady that can keep you in line."
Damn it, stop having good points.
"Aren't you giving yourself a bit too much credit?"
There was another chuckle just outside of his visual range.
"I don't think she is; you're just too damn stubborn to accept the facts."
Will they listen to me, now?
Instead of a response, he opened his other eye to come face to face with his three teammates looking at him with no dearth of amusement.
Well, this is not a bit awkward
"What're you looking at?" grunted Jet, looking around at the world that surrounded him.
There is light.
He looked down at the bedside table and promptly discovered that he had acquired a lovely cramp in his neck.
How long have I been out?
"Why didn't you wake me up?" huffed the young android, slowly rising from the chair he had been sitting in and shoving his teammates away in a not so gentle manner.
The leader of the bunch gave Jet an amused side glance and then placed her index finger on her chin.
"I didn't think it was possible to wake someone up that wasn't asleep in the first place."
Again with the logic!
The silver haired boy had no witty riposte to this and contently walked toward the stairs that led to the kitchen.
"No one likes a smart ass." He said, ambling down the stairs but not before hearing
"I wasn't being a smart ass, I was just being truthful."
The truth hurts, baby.
He grunted once more to his party and descended the stairs a bit quicker.
He sat down at the breakfast table, silently scolding himself for falling asleep in his bedroom chair opposed to in a bed like a normal person.
Well, I ain't normal.
"Now there's the understatement of the century." sniffed the young man, absently rubbing his finger against the rough surface of the table.
What is normal anyway?
What?
Normal is but a word, correct?
Jet met this question with silence.
I can make things normal.
Who the hell are you?
I am reality.
I'm living in reality, buddy, I don't know about you.
Reality is but a word, remember?
The room started to blur around the edges and then erode into nothing.
Not this again.
You were silent; you didn't tell them.
Tell them what?
That their world was created by your words.
Again, there was silence.
You unlaced the threads of existence; you were silent.
It was then Jet felt the sense of unease grip his stomach and claw its way down to his toes.
"What do you mean by "unlaced the threads of existence" last time I checked, the world was still intact as were the people that lived in it.
Their words did not coincide with yours; therefore they were removed from your world.
The claw of unease morphed into the cold blade of fear.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice now trembling.
It is as I said; their words were not yours, therefore, they do not exist.
"But they were standing right in front of me; how can they not exist?"
I grow tired of repeating what I've said time and time again. If you seek answers then speak the question, otherwise I have no business talking to you.
"How do I bring them back?" asked Jet, his tone now demanding.
You must call their names; you must pull them from their galaxy.
"I'm sorry; I really don't get what you're saying. What do you mean by "pull them from their galaxy"?"
For a moment there was silence and then:
Think of it this way. The letters of your name each hold their own destiny, every word you say weaves into that destiny, so, too, is it with all humans. Without words there is no reality as there are no words to weave it.
"So you're saying that words create our world?"
That is correct.
"So, all I need to do is say their names and they'll be back with me?"
That is also correct.
"Virginia!"
There was no change in the darkness.
Your words hold no meaning; you are just calling her name; you're not creating her. Empty words are no better than a void without a name.
He closed his eyes and focused on his memory of her.
So, this is the beauty of memory.
From the word "memory" sprung the visage of the female Drifter.
"Foolish boy, you are always lost." She mouthed, glaring at him.
Stop.
"You're always in a hurry to forget." She was no longer mouthing these words; instead, she was sounding them out in a condescending way.
This is not who she is.
Then voice the words she should speak; creation stems from one's will, not from someone's thoughts. If we relied on thoughts, we'd perpetually be lost in the current of fear and ignorance. Voice her words.
Will the words I put in her mouth be the truth?
"I am Virginia; memories are my life and will more than likely be my death."
She slowly formed in front of him. He reached out to touch her hand and instead touched the void.
What's going on?
You're not finished; there are more words to say.
The young man inwardly sighed, trying to string together words that would fit his leader.
"I am outgoing, smart, and a bit bossy."
Her hand became solid beneath his. He held on to it and watched as her face began to solidify as well.
"I am strong-minded, sweet, and overall a good person."
Her smile brightened and her eyes sparkled to life.
He bowed his head and looked toward the blackened ground.
"…I want her back."
Her whole body became solid and she waved at him with her free hand.
"Gee, Jet, what's with you and daydreaming?"
The vague image of sunlight filtered through a dirt caked window became visible and started to become tangible.
Do I really wish to summon the others?
Do you, indeed?
"Yes."
All you need to do is say the words, then.
Jet took a deep breath and lifted his head.
"I wish to summon Clive from the oblivion of silence. His intelligence, understanding, and warmth remind me that there are, indeed, good people in this world."
There was an outline of Clive forming, now.
"He is a family man and I admire that."
His face started to fill in.
"He intimidates me, though; his intelligence, sometimes, makes me uncomfortable."
The rest of his body began to fill the void of the outline.
"I want him back as well."
Clive had solidified and his face was etched with concern.
"Are you okay, Jet? You do not look so well."
Jet let go of Virginia's hand and walked over to the sniper.
"Welcome back, Clive." He said, pulling Clive into an unexpected hug. Clive smiled with uncertainty but reciprocated the hug.
"Uh, thank you."
Jet pulled away with an uncharacteristic smile.
It's time for the dumb-dumb, now.
Are you sure you want to call him back? You seem to dislike him.
The smile widened as Jet stepped back from the awkward embrace and dropped his hands down to his side.
Of course I do, he is a friend after all.
"There's not much to say about Gallows; he's his own person. He's a bit of an idiot but I have a feeling that he's hiding something; he has shown me time and again that he has some semblance of intelligence."
An arm reached out of the void, gripping air, seemingly confused. Jet blinked to this, it was most certainly an interesting way to come into being.
"His heart is as big as his libido and that's saying a lot."
Another hand attached to a torso appeared.
The young android smiled a bit as he said the next part.
"He's also incredibly loyal; he's had plenty of chances to bail on us and he hasn't. I must admit, though, he scares me. If he ever got truly pissed at me, I'd run as fast as I could."
His head poked out of the darkness, looking rather confused.
"What is this?" he mouthed, looking around, his head pivoting on an invisible neck.
How disturbing…
"He's always cheerful and that's admirable; at times I wish I were more like him and less like myself." Everything else formed around the head and arms, the creation of his teammates was complete.
Do you wish to create the rest of the world?
"Yes, this reality wouldn't be complete without it. There's only one thing to say about the world: originality."
As he said these words, he watched as the void around him filled with life, sound, and light.
There is light, once again.
Indeed, one world had been revealed through the power of words and will. There were many other worlds out there, but Jet was quite pleased with the one he had created. There are many chapters to one's life, many words that are spoken and wove into the fabric of time and space. So ends one story, a line of words severed to make way for another sentence. The story is not over yet, there are still many things to learn.
-+-The End of Chapter One: Awake-+-
