Blood. It's a common look to most who live above or below. Either white speckles or red ooze of which never subsides without immediate care. Blood doesn't all look the same. Especially this kind. The kind that doesn't look quite right, but feel like oil slick on the skin. It looks like blood. Dust. Ashen and sticky. It felt good. Like lotion. Invulnerability. It was sick.

Bright red eyes and skin as pale as moonlight. A shirt stained with the lives of hundreds. Maybe more. Maybe thousands. It's hard to tell, but the lack of life created by one…two creatures was astounding. Lifelessness surrounded this world. At this point, the emptiness could echo the ring of a dropping splash for miles. It wasn't truly silent, though. Whispers that were once quiet were louder than ever. A haunt. Torturous. Screams. Scraping. A smile…a damned smile that know what it's been doing all along. What it's goal was and that now it's finally done it, the smile never fades away.

You've finally made it. Are you proud? Look at what you've done and remember it, because everything else is going to remember and whether or not you do depends on you. Depends on a handful of lives left between you and your end game. Between you and the sadistic hell you're going to bring. A tumor. A cancer. A shit-faced facade that will trick thousands into your ploy. A smile can trick people for miles and a knife can make sure they never think otherwise of you. Their screams, oh how delicious. You're a monster, are you proud? Of course you are. Or, that is, so you hope.

The halls were filled with gold, made of the stuff. Embellished with accents. Purple and white. The light reflected off the floor with a shimmer that seemed almost whimsical. Normally, it would be, but the shimmer was a spark that would be the last flicker in this world turned to hell. The sound of shoes echoing filled a large void. Drips followed in suit. Trail of death following. Ghosts aimlessly surrounding. Unseen.

One end of the hall was only disturbed by a figure in shadow, short of stature, hands in pockets. The footprints approached, ticking slowly to a stop. A ghastly smell of blood and dust and the souls of the departed wafted their way gently down the golden halls. Breathing was nonexistent between the two, as if they had no reason to breathe. As if they never learned to breathe in the first place.

heya. you've been busy, huh?

Silence. Grotesque silence.

so…i've got a question for ya. Do you think even the worst person can change? that everybody can be a good person, if they just try?

Silence. The figure chuckled, something that could only be equivocated to pain.

all right. well here's a better question:

do you want to have a bad time?

'cause if you take another step, you are really not going to like what happens next.

The steps continued forward, tears of red heading down its face.

The shadowed figure came out into the sun, a skull with one blue eye approaching itself, leading only with a shrug.

welp. sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises. y'know…it's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming…on days like these…

kids like you should be burning in hell.

Steps sped toward the skeleton, dagger gripped tightly and ready for its first and final strike on its tar—

It missed.

huh…always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first.

oh..what? you think i'm just gonna stand there and take it? and i thought i was the one who's supposed to be tellin' jokes

The skeleton raised its hand, the blue light trailing down its face and down its arm electric shocks and whirling energy Its hand clenched into a fist, lifting his hand up. At that moment, the figure streaked in blood raised from the floor with a violent upwind. Bones began to pour in from the skies, scraping and scarring the body in the air. Some were sharpened, impaling the figure. After it being thrown to the ground, the skeleton smirked.

our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting. . .until suddenly, everything ends.

that's your fault, isn't it?

Something strange was going on, though. Even though this thing had been dodging, maneuvering, and trying to stay alive, it wasn't fighting back. It looked more like there was some fighting that wasn't of his own provoking. He was getting nervous. The thing's red tears kept flowing, body limp but dead smile still there. It moved slowly, limply. As if it was trying to die. The skeleton let his hand fall to his side, retreating then to the pocket it was once housed in. Eye still blue. Vibrant. Pulsating. Alive.

you can't understand how this feels. Knowing one day that without any warning…it's all going to be reset. look…i gave up trying to go back a long time ago. and getting to the surface doesn't really appeal to me anymore, either. Cause, even if we do, we'll just end up right back here. without any memory of it, right?

to be blunt…it makes it kind of hard to give it my all. or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy? hell if i know. all i know is seeing what comes next…i can't afford not to care anymore.

He took a step forward.

listen…I know you didn't answer me before, but somewhere in there i can feel it, y'know? a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time…might have even been…a friend?

It was with that phrase that had the figure curl in on itself, screaming. Scratching at its face. No words. never any words with this one. Wrapped in its own warped reality of turmoil and aggression. The knife had fallen out of its hand. So many voice. Yelling. Arguing. Chanting. Different voices. None of them were its.

A heart shaped light appeared from its turmoil, hovering at the skeleton's eye level. He could end it here. The red color corrupted to mostly black. All black on the outside, but something still radiated hope. A glimmer. Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming, but it was the best shot he had. It was clear that whatever was happening to this thing wasn't going to stop any time soon and, seeing as it was his turn, he could try something that would just end up backfiring, but it was worth the only shot in the revolver.

Focusing wasn't his strong-suit, but it was something that could be done in a pinch. His body fizzled, almost like a glitch. He knew he could end this right here with one keyword:

RESET

The big glowing fruit of temptation. Could this truly be happening? Take advantage of it. He knew the pain for himself would continue. Perhaps others as well, he didn't know. Reseting was the ultimate game. Time lost only to be regained again. For how long or short it would be this time was unknown. It always was unknown. But every time, he remembered. Every time he knew that there was something…someone always waiting to fall down that damned hole in the mountain. Over and over again. It was painful at this point. sometimes, good things. Sometimes tragic. Sometimes mundane. He's lost his brother, his friends, almost everyone so many times over that it was numb. It was a Groundhog day where there was no happy ending. Where the loop never stops. It was painful to the point where it didn't even seem worth it anymore. Even still, it never hurt as much as this. They never went this far before. He could always stop them. This time was different.

It didn't matter now. This time loop was going to finish. Whether it wants it to or not. For the first time, he meddled in a timeline that wasn't his own. A loop that, for the first time, could be altered by him. Power was a dangerous net. Still, he'd remember for the future. If there was a future to be had. Fist held tight, he looked down for the last time this loop, chuckling a bit to himself as the thing kept screaming.

let's forget all this, okay?