This is it. The longest chapter in the story by FAR.
This will be the only chapter that will have an actual name with it (so far. I might change this later on). In my opinion, it's probably one of the most important chapters in this story.
Excluding this author's note and any line separations, this chapter is a total of 7.6k words. That's over twice as long as the second longest one. (If you're curious, its Chapter 11 at 3.6k words)
When I began planning out my story, this was one of the first ideas I thought of. I've honestly been really excited to type this, and it was a thrill to type! I had a lot of fun writing this out.
Before we begin, a few notes to make. One: this chapter takes a very different direction than all the chapters beforehand. I'm not sure how you guys will like it, so please let me know if you're a fan of this chapter or not.
Two: Language warning. There's a lot of swear words in this chapter (At least, relative to the previous chapters).
(NOTE: Any similarities with any real names are pure coincidences. I made these names up on the whim)
Now, without further ado:
Enter the Mindscape
POV: Harvey
At last, after 2 years of working his way up, he finally reached the top.
"WELCOME TO THE 17TH ANNUAL DISTRICT CHESS TOURNAMENT!", the district announcer boomed. "TODAY IS THE CHAMPIONSHIP!".
Whoo. Finally, after all that work, I've done it. All of the classes he took had finally led to this moment.
"REPRESENTING GEORGEFIELD HIGH: HARVEYYY WINSTONNNNNNN", the announcer yelled into a loudspeaker, gesturing to where Harvey was sitting.
This isn't a basketball game man. It's just Chess for christ sake.
"Harvey! Harvey! Harvey! Harvey! Harvey!", the crowd cheered.
The announcer then gestured to the other seat, where another person sat. "AND REPRESENTING CRESTHILL ACADEMY: JIMMYYYYY FAIRRRRFIEEEELDDDDDD".
There was less cheering for Jimmy, but still a good amount. It was probably split 60-40 in the bleachers.
Jimmy Fairfield, however, was not someone Harvey particularly enjoyed being around. He was an incredibly strong guy who acted all big and tough, but also somehow managed to become a teacher's pet at the same time. It was like the epitome of a Jock and a Nerd merged into one person
Harvey had first met him in one of the Chess classes. Initially, he seemed like a great guy to be around. Jimmy was a great teacher to the other kids that struggled to grasp how Chess worked. Heck, Jimmy even helped out Harvey at the start, when he was having some issues with chess.
However, the better Harvey got at chess, the more distant the two became. Jimmy actively tried to avoid Harvey, claiming he needed to help other students learn Chess.
It all reached a climax when Harvey finally beat Jimmy at Chess for the first time. After that day, he began berating Harvey and trying to make him mess up during matches. It got to such a point that Harvey had to stop going to the Chess class. He had not seen Jimmy ever since that final class.
"Well Well, if it isn't Mr. Winston", Jimmy said with a smirk on his face. "I never would have expected to face off against you in the championship".
"I got your training to thank for that", said Harvey, putting on a grin. It's true. Without it, I wouldn't have made it here.
Jimmy's smirk vanished from his face. He really looked like he wanted to punch Harvey in the face, but he managed to keep his cool. "Regardless, I'm going to win Harvey. And when I do, your little crush will swoon all over me!".
Harvey tensed up from that comment. "What do you mean?', he asked, regarding Jimmy with suspicion.
Jimmy smirked again. "Oh, I got my contacts. Everyone knows who you are crushing on", he said, leaning back onto his chair. "It would be a shame if I accidentally said Hannah's name, right? OOPS! I accidentally said it! What will I do now?".
"Shut up, Jimmy", Harvey responded, anger building up inside him. He really wanted to punch Jimmy in the face, but that would be a bad idea right now. Maybe after the tournament. The good thing was that the crowd was too loud for them to listen to this exchange.
"It will be my pleasure to not speak to you", Jimmy responded, deliberately putting on an annoying British accent.
Before Harvey could snap back, the announcer began speaking again. "And now, let the Chess match begin!", he boomed.
It was going badly for Harvey. At the start, they were closely matched and it could have easily been anyone's game.
Then Harvey made a fatal mistake by moving one of his Knights too far to the right. Everything went downhill from that move. Harvey only had 4 pieces left, while Jimmy still had 9. And 2 of the pieces Harvey had left were pawns.
"Well Harvey, ready to give up?", sneered Jimmy, looking very proud of himself.
"The game isn't over until it's over", replied Harvey, trying to be as confident as possible. It's not looking good for me, though.
I didn't get this far without me trying. Maybe I can make a clutch move. This pawn seems safe to move. The only way it can be captured is by moving the Queen. If Jimmy is foolish enough to do that, I can use my Bishop to capture it.
Harvey moved one of his pawns forward. Jimmy smirked at that move, then moved forward his Queen to capture the pawn. He then let go of his piece. Gotcha.
But then Jimmy immediately grabbed the piece again, less than a second later. "Hold on", he said, moving the queen back to where it once was. Instead, he moved one of his Knights.
HE JUST CHEATED! "Jimmy, you know you can't move a piece once you've let go of it", said Harvey, glaring at him with anger.
But Jimmy chuckled. "Oh? I let go of a piece? Where's the proof?", he said, smirking.
Harvey turned to the referee, standing up. "Sir! Did you see Jimmy let go of the Queen piece?", he asked.
The referee looked extremely tired, almost as if he had been asleep. "H-Huh? No, I did not", the referee responded. "Continue with the game".
WHAT?! YOU'RE FUCKING JOKING ME RIGHT NOW?!
"See Harvey? Maybe your eyes need to be checked", Jimmy chimed in, leaning in his chair once again. "Maybe your brain too", he added, looking at Harvey with mock concern.
Harvey was pissed. Really pissed. There was no way he was going to win now.
And suddenly, in the back of his mind, he heard a strange voice, calling out to him.
"Magic is a cheater's game. Don't play the game", it said, softly enough that Harvey nearly missed it.
The quote felt strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he heard it before. Regardless of that, he had a Chess match to finish up.
Harvey sat back down, fuming. If the referee was actually good at his job, Harvey may have had a chance to win. But now he certainly didn't have a chance.
I'll move this pawn forward. Maybe Jimmy wouldn't notice that his knight would strike it down.
Harvey moved the pawn forward into a spot. Jimmy made a chuckling noise, then moved his Knight to take away his pawn. "Are you stupid Harvey? Man, this is embarrassing from you", Jimmy said, smirking once again.
I'll wipe off that motherfucking smirk off his mouth. Harvey very rarely got this mad and it was almost making him shake with anger. It was a miracle that he didn't let loose.
3 Pieces left. The Bishop is in a bad position right now. What do I do?
Then, once again, the same soft voice from earlier entered his mind. "Magic is a cheater's game. Don't play the game", it said, although somehow louder this time.
What the hell does that mean? Where is the voice coming from? And where did I hear those words before?
"Don't Play The Game", the voice said again, louder.
What do you mean? I can't just quit the game now. It would be an automatic win for the opponent.
"HARVEY! It's your turn", Jimmy shouted, a bit annoyed.
"Right", simply replied Harvey. He was about to make his move, when the voice once again entered his mind.
"MAGIC IS A CHEATER'S GAME. DON'T PLAY THE GAME", the voice yelled, louder than any of Harvey's thoughts.
And suddenly, Harvey remembered where that quote came from. My dream with the history teacher. About defeating Darkstalker…. DARKSTALKER!
"HARVEY! DO YOUR MOVE! OR FORFEIT", Jimmy yelled, his patience apparently having ran out.
The rest of Harvey's memories came crashing down. This isn't reality. This is another memory. The last thing I remember was being enchanted by Darkstalker or something.
But where am I? And how do I escape it?
Harvey had a feeling what he had to do. And man, was he so ready to do it.
"Jimmy, I got some news for you", Harvey said, smirking.
"WHAT?! That you're going to make your move finally?", Jimmy responded, fuming with anger.
"Nah. Just say goodbye to this place", Harvey replied, standing up. He began to draw back his arm, ready to give Jimmy what he deserved.
"What do you mean?", asked Jimmy, still sitting in his chair. He didn't look very concerned about what was going to happen next.
Harvey walked up to Jimmy, still drawing his arm back. Without saying a word, Harvey punched with all of his might. It landed directly on Jimmy's cheek.
What happened next, however, Harvey did not expect. The second his punch landed, the entire school appeared to glitch out, almost as if he was in a video game. He pushed forward into his punch and suddenly, the school disappeared. Harvey was standing in darkness, alone, with none of the crowd or other people with him.
What in the world is this? Why does this place feel so foreign, and yet...
There was a strange familiarness to the darkness, as if he had been here all along. What was it about this place?
Then suddenly, a light on the floor flickered on.
Intrigued by it, Harvey walked over to the light. It looked very similar to the floor lights on the Galactic Exploration Station. As he inspected the light, another one turned on not far from the first.
Harvey walked over to the next light, and like the previous one, another light turned on up ahead.
I've seen this in the movies before. Lights turn on to lead you to your destination. But, what's my destination?
He decided to keep following the lights, as there was nothing else to do in the darkness. As he walked, the lights changed colors. A few green and yellow lights initially, before it became purple the rest of the way.
Continuing to follow the lights, wall lights suddenly appeared on either side of Harvey. So there are walls here. What is this place?
After walking for a few minutes, the lights finally led to Harvey's destination: a door. The door had many neon purple lights on it. Above the door were a few words: 'Squadron 47 Training Room'.
"You're joking right now", said Harvey to himself. "Am I going through my own memories or something?".
Of course, there was no response.
Well, I never had to walk through a purple filled hallway to reach my training room. What could this be?
Harvey took a deep breath and pulled open the door, shaking with nervousness. On the other side of the door was more darkness, but as Harvey walked in, purple lights once again filled the room.
The darkness in here feels a lot like I'm at Harold's Arcade. Playing laser tag with some friends late at night.
As the lights turned on, Harvey saw five people already in the room. The purple light made their faces hard to see, but when he got closer, he could make out their features. When he realized who it was, Harvey gulped.
It was his squadron. George, Jeffery, Amanda, Adrun and Xavier were standing there, as if they were waiting for Harvey to arrive. They were all wearing their training clothes.
The training room appeared to be all flat, which was usually a rare configuration for the room to be in. The room typically had a few obstacles set around, or it used one of the environment modules.
Once Harvey stepped into the training square, which separated the actual training area from the walls, neon purple walls appeared right behind him. It looked very similar to the laser walls Harvey saw in some top security prisons.
Crud. What's happening now?
"Harvey! You're late man!", George suddenly shouted. The five humans began walking towards the middle of the training square.
"Yeah Harvey! We got a capture the flag game to play!", exclaimed Amanda, giving Harvey a grin.
Capture the Flag? Now that's a game I haven't played in years.
"I-I was never made aware of this!", shouted Harvey back. He had no idea what was going on, but there was nothing else to do.
"You got amnesia? We had planned this for WEEKS!", Jeffery exclaimed back. It was still hard to see their faces, but Harvey could tell who it was based on their voices.
Before Harvey could respond back, a blue glowing flag appeared behind his squadron. Behind him, Harvey noticed a red flag had appeared as well.
Uhhh. "So, who's on my team?', Harvey asked.
It was hard to see, but he thought he saw his squadron all smirk. "Oh, it's a 5v1. It's only fair, after all", Xavier replied.
What kinda bullshit is that?
Suddenly, an extremely loud horn blared, which spooked Harvey. JESUS CHRIST MAN. Who needs that loud of a horn?
"Gaming time!', George yelled, suddenly rushing in to try to get the flag. Harvey ran over to tag him, but the instant he did, Xavier went in as well.
It had only been 3 minutes and Harvey was already exhausted.
They never went in all at once, only sending one person at a time. And every time Harvey managed to tag one of them, another went in right after. It felt like their plan was to annoy Harvey to death.
As Harvey ran once again to tag Adrun, the same voice from earlier entered his head.
"Don't play the game", it said, much like at the Chess tournament.
How am I supposed to not play here? I can't just leave the game. That's what these laser walls are for.
But then a thought struck Harvey's mind. What happens if I just lose?
After tagging Adrun, Harvey sat down, catching his breath. Jeffery ran past him and entered the flag area. He picked up the flag and as he did, another one appeared in its place.
"Got a flag! Come over here!", shouted Jeffery to his teammates. Harvey simply ignored it. He allowed Amanda to join Jeffery and grab the flag.
Soon, all of them except for Adrun were on Harvey's side, clutching a red flag in their hands. He assumed that Adrun was there probably to make sure Harvey didn't try grabbing a flag of his own.
At that point, Harvey had finally caught his breath again and stood up. He could try going for a flag, but he wanted to see what would happen if he lost.
"Come hereeee Harveyyyy!", Xavier taunted, doing a weird dance. "We got the flagsssss".
"Hey Xavier, you suck dick with that voice?", Harvey jokingly replied, grinning.
"Naw man, he does your mom with that voice", Jeffery replied, laughing at his own joke.
Your mom jokes huh? I haven't heard one of those since middle school. Hearing one right now explains why, they're stupid.
"CHARGEEEE!", Amanda suddenly yelled. All 4 of the flag holders began to run towards the other side. Harvey flinched, but he didn't try tagging them. Who knows what this place will do once I lose.
George was the first one to reach the other side, as he was the fastest person in the squadron. At that point, Harvey expected the flags or the walls to disappear and allow him to move on. But that wasn't what happened.
Instead, as each of them crossed onto their side, the flags turned into weapons. Glowing laser weapons that were similar to what cops used.
And, most of scary of all, their eyes began to glow a red color. It made their faces much easier to see, but Harvey really wished he didn't have to see them once he realized the expressions they were making.
Xavier was the first to stare at Harvey, his red eyes boring right into Harvey's soul. "Well boys, it's time to finish the job", he menacingly said, giving Harvey a murderous smile.
HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE.
"ALL HAIL MASTER DARKSTALKER!", Jeffery yelled, his voice much more scary than before.
George, Amanda, Xavier and Jeffery all charged after Harvey, grasping the weapons with clearly murderous intent. Harvey had to dart around them all, there was no hope in fighting back. He had no weapons of his own and the laser weapons would shred him to atoms.
But then Harvey had an idea. The blue flag was still standing there, glowing in the nearby darkness. If their flags became weapons, then perhaps my flag can as well!
George nearly caught up to Harvey and almost sliced him in half with his weapon. Luckily for Harvey, he turned right just in time, causing George to ram into the laser wall. Unfortunately for Harvey, it seemed to not affect him in any way.
Harvey made a mad dash for the blue flag, running as fast as his legs would let him. To his surprise, Adrun didn't move at all, just simply stared at Harvey and his pursuers.
Harvey entered the flag zone and gripped the blue flag tightly. He half expected his pursuers to stop outside the flag zone, but of course they didn't.
"Come hereeee Harvey boy!", George said in the creepiest voice Harvey had ever heard. He ignored the line separating the flag zone from the playing arena and immediately tried to slice Harvey in half again.
Harvey jumped out of the way before he got hit completely, but the laser hit Harvey the tiniest bit on his leg.
The pain felt like his entire leg had just been placed in an oven and burnt. HOLY SHIT THIS HURTS. It nearly made him fall to the ground, but strangely, as quickly as the pain came, it went away.
Still, the shock of the pain forced Harvey to gallop his way to the other side as fast as he could. He was expecting to feel the laser come crashing down on him, exterminating him forever. But strangely, nothing did come crashing down.
Harvey crossed the line separating the two sides, still gripping the flag tight. The second he crossed over the line, the flag transformed into a laser sword, just like the other ones. Unlike the one's his pursuers held, however, this one had a blue laser.
Coooool! This is just like Star Wars! I'm the Jedi fighting against the Sith.
Harvey turned around, expecting to see one of his "friends" about to slice his face off. But to his surprise, they were frozen over by the flag zone.
"A-Are you guys s-stupid?", stammered Adrun to the group of frozen people. "You went o-over the line! Now y-you're frozen for a few seconds!".
With comical timing, the four humans unfroze and began moving again. "HE'S STILL ALIVE?!", exclaimed Amanda once she noticed Harvey. "George, you're the worst murderer I've ever seen".
George sneered. "You try swinging a heavy laser weapon", he shot back. "But no matter. Give up now, Harvey boy!", he added, giving Harvey a murderous smile.
Harvey was shaking with fear. "N-No. Get the hell away from me", he said, backing up. His only chance of getting out of this was using his weapon. And George was right, it was heavy and hard to use.
George ran straight for Harvey, raising the laser sword above him. "GOOD NIGHT HARVEY!", he murderously yelled, bringing down the sword onto Harvey.
Harvey blocked the laser sword with his own blue laser sword, although Harvey nearly dropped it due to the weight. This thing is way too heavy, holy shit.
"George, why are y-you doing this?", pleaded Harvey. He knew this wasn't reality, but it still hurt to see them try to murder him.
"To please Darkstalker, of course! Master wants you BADLY", George replied, his red eyes staring him down.
What does he mean? I've already been captured. "Wouldn't murdering me be the opposite of Darkstalker capturing me?', Harvey asked, genuinely confused.
In response, George tried slicing Harvey in half once again. Harvey blocked it again, this time having a better grip on his laser sword. Stop trying to cut me in half for christ sake! Try doing it in thirds or fourths!
"Your puny mind won't understand. I bet that's why Hannah didn't choose you", George snarled. "You're too egoistic, too small-brained to see the other perspectives of the world".
Harvey was startled by those words. They cut deep, deep into a locked away memory that Harvey had thought he forgot years ago.
"THAT IS FALSE!", Harvey yelled, suddenly now on the offensive. "REAL GEORGE WOULD NEVER SAY THAT SHIT!". He swung his blue laser sword around and stabbed Fake George in the heart, to the complete surprise of both of them.
When the sword entered the body, though, George simply vanished into thin air. His laser sword dropped to the ground and turned off on its own.
Despite the seemingly painless death and the fact that there was one less enemy, Harvey immediately felt guilty. Holy shit. I just stabbed George. It wasn't r-real George, but still…
Maybe George was right about his statements. Harvey hated being criticized and couldn't handle it when someone said shit about him.
It had hurt many of his friendships back in high school, with Xavier being the only one who wasn't pushed away. Ever since, Harvey had worked on trying to be more open to criticism, but he still had some issues.
Harvey was so caught up in his thinking that he nearly didn't see Xavier, Amanda and Jeffrey running towards him, all with murderous glares. When he finally looked up, they all each had their laser swords about to swing down on him.
"ohSHIT", exclaimed Harvey, jumping away just in the nick of time. "I was feeling bad for myself man. Why'd you go do that?".
"ALL HAIL DARKSTALKER", they all responded at once, completely ignoring the half-joke. They swung at Harvey again with the laser swords, although Harvey easily dodged it this time.
Even though Harvey still felt guilty from killing Fake George, he also knew that he was going to die if he didn't do the same to the other fakers. "You guys aren't good enough to be fakers of the real people", Harvey said, taunting them.
Then he swung his sword around and stabbed Jeffrey in the shoulder. He half expected him to cry out in pain, but instead, he simply disappeared into thin air, just like George.
Does it not matter where I hit them? Can I just stab them wherever I want?
Xavier moved to stab Harvey with his sword, most likely taking inspiration from what he just did to Jeffrey. However, Harvey saw it coming and easily moved out of the way.
He didn't know if his eyes were deceiving him, but it seemed like the two fakers left were regarding Harvey with fear, when before it had simply been murderous intent. So they're scared now. As they probably should be.
"How dare you kill your friends!", fake Amanda shouted. "They were trying to help you realize the greatness of Darkstalker!".
Harvey winced at this accusation, but he remained firm. "Friends don't try to MURDER ME!", he yelled, swinging his laser down on Amanda. Once the sword touched her hair, she instantly vanished. One more to go.
Harvey turned to Xavier, who was backing up a bit. Poor guy. I still feel guilty about this, but the way they talk really makes me mad. AND THEY PRETEND TO BE MY FRIENDS TOO!
"DON'T KILL ME!", Xavier suddenly begged, backing up even more. "I can show you true power! True respect from everyone!".
Harvey didn't even hesitate at this. "Fool! You really think I need respect or power? I really don't care about what others think of me!", he shouted, getting ready to stab Xavier. It was going to hurt killing him, even if it was a fake.
He shoved his sword into Xavier's leg, causing him to disappear as well. At that point, Harvey expected the laser walls to disappear and allow him to move on. But nothing happened.
"T-They're dead. My f-friend is a murderer", Adrun stammered behind Harvey. "W-Why…".
Oh. Adrun is alive. Unlike the others, he didn't try murdering me.
Harvey turned around, looking at Adrun in the eyes. There was genuine fear behind them, with Adrun darting his eyes every second. He had to wonder if this Adrun was actually the real one.
"Adrun….", Harvey began, this realization of what he just did coming over him. "...Did you think they were real?".
No response. Instead, Adrun kept walking backwards until he tripped over one of the laser weapons on the floor. "S-Stay away from me!", he yelled, looking in fear.
What do I do? I can't just murder Adrun.
Harvey decided it was time to drop the laser sword.
He dropped the sword, it turning off on its own as his hands let go. It clanked on the ground for a second, before settling down.
"Adrun. What do I do?", Harvey asked, putting his head down. It had been a long time since he felt this way, this uncertainness looming over his head.
"U-Uh. A hug?", Adrun nervously suggested.
Harvey smiled. "I think we both need a hug", he replied. I could use a hug right now.
Adrun cautiously got up and approached Harvey. Harvey stood there, ready to accept the hug. Maybe he could find a way out of here without anymore killing.
"Even turning your own friends against you", the same voice from earlier softly said. "Don't play the game".
Harvey froze. Why did the voice tell him that now? He already defeated all of the murderous ones.
Or did he?
Something was off about Adrun now. After calling Harvey a killer, he seemed way too enthusiastic to give a hug. Plus, his pupils seemed to be shrinking unnaturally.
"Adrun, what are you doing?', Harvey suddenly asked, becoming hyper aware of Adrun's strange behavior.
And then, the smile that scared Harvey down to his core. The smile that one made before ending them forever.
"Making Darkstalker PROUD", Adrun unnaturally said, his voice just like the one's his other friends had. He pulled out a knife out of his pocket, giving Harvey a murderous smile.
Where the hell did he get that?
Adrun suddenly ran to Harvey, preparing to stab Harvey in the face. Luckily, Harvey had not moved since he dropped the laser sword, so he merely picked it up again. It turned on quickly, giving Harvey time to get in an attacking position.
The second Adrun entered Harvey's range, he thrust his laser sword into Adrun. Harvey half expected him to not disappear, instead falling to the floor in pain.
Luckily, for Harvey's sanity, that didn't happen. Instead, he disappeared into thin air, the knife he was holding falling to the ground with a clank.
Of course, just like the rest, he was a fake.
Then suddenly, all the laser swords laying on the ground all disappeared, as well as the one that Harvey was holding. Then the purple lights and laser walls disappeared, plunging the room into darkness. And suddenly, Harvey was no longer standing on anything.
"GAHHHHHH", Harvey screamed, falling down into the darkness surrounding him. The screaming lasted for 20 seconds, before his throat got sore.
What is going on here? This is a long ass fall.
After falling for a few minutes in darkness, he suddenly hit water. Cold, unforgiving water.
"AHH. HELP!", Harvey yelled, expecting no one to respond. He knew how to swim, but hypothermia would kill him if he didn't get out soon. Is this how I die? Frozen to death by some cold water?
To his surprise, however, a little light appeared in the distance.. It could have been the trick of the eyes, but it was all Harvey had.
"HELLO?", Harvey yelled out to the light. He began to swim towards the light, hoping to warm up his body along the way. As he got closer, the light got brighter and brighter.
Finally, Harvey saw where the light was coming from: a canoe. Sitting on the canoe was a strange old man, who seemed busy with something. He didn't know what it was, mostly because he was shivering too much to focus on it.
"Help!", shouted Harvey, swimming up to the side of the canoe. The old man looked up in surprise and stared right at Harvey.
"Oh dear! Be right back!", the old man exclaimed, standing up and walking towards the end of the canoe. Please get me out of this cold hell.
The old man returned, holding a weird bamboo ladder. "Climb on", he ordered.
Harvey obliged and gripped the ladder. He climbed up and pulled himself onto the floor of the canoe.
"Take this", the old man said, dropping a towel on him.
"T-T-Thanks", Harvey stammered through chattering teeth. The old man then pulled out a chair and gestured for him to sit on it, to which Harvey did do.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only noises being the sounds of the water nearby. Finally, the old man spoke up.
"Alright young man, you got some explaining to do", he said. "What's going on at the core?".
"T-The Core?", asked Harvey. "What is that?".
The old man frowned. "Don't play dumb, boy. Your age indicates you're one of the prime workers there", he said, looking at Harvey with suspicion.
"N-No. I was just up there", Harvey replied, pointing up. "I-I had a fight against some fakers".
Instead of frowning even more, the old man's expression actually became concerned. "B-But up there is memory lane", he said, looking at Harvey with wide eyes. "The only one who can access that is the owner".
"The owner?", asked Harvey again. "And memory lane? Where am I?".
The old man took a closer look at Harvey. "Your hair is just like the owner's. The same facial expressions too", he observed. "What's your name, son?".
It's been a while since he had been called son, but it felt great. "H-Harvey", he replied.
The old man's expression became shocked. "H-Harvey W-Winston? I-I-It can't be!", he stammered.
"You know me?", questioned Harvey.
"WELL of course I know you! We're in your mind!", the old man exclaimed. "Oh man, it's such an honor to meet you! I'm Charles".
"U-Uh, that's great", Harvey murmured, before realizing what Charles said. "WAIT. IN MY MIND?!".
Charles looked a little embarrassed. "Oh dear. I forgot, you're not supposed to be here", he said, chuckling a bit. "The owner isn't supposed to be inside the Mindscape".
Harvey tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? The mindscape?", he asked.
"That's what the mind world is called", Charles explained. "Every living thing has a mindscape".
Before Harvey could ask to elaborate more, a weird glow appeared in the distance. It appeared to be in the water, and it was shaped strangely.
"Charles, w-what is that?", asked Harvey, pointing to the glow.
Charles looked grim when he noticed it. "T-That's the invasion".
As the glow got closer, Harvey realized he recognized the shape. It was shaped like a Rainwing, with the glow also matching that fact. It was constantly changing colors.
"The invasion?", asked Harvey.
"They showed up not long ago. Apparently, they're attacking the core. Not sure what it's about", Charles rambled. "We gotta stay away from there".
The glow swam by, heading down the river.
"What is the core?", Harvey asked again. He had a feeling he was being annoying with the questions, but he had to know.
"That's where your personality and actions are stored", Charles explained, looking a bit tired from the questions."If the invaders somehow get past the defenses, then they can hypothetically change it to their liking, but that's unlikely".
Harvey realized what this could mean. "WE NEED TO GET THERE NOW!", he shouted, standing up. "If we don't, it's over!".
Charles looked confused. "The defenses are quite strong. Not sure why you're concerned", he said.
"ANIMUS MAGIC!", Harvey exclaimed, shaking Charles. "THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE!".
To his surprise, Charle's expression changed to look more panicked. "Now I can see why. Hold on boyo!", he shouted, walking over to the end of the canoe. At the end was a weird box that seemed to go down into the water. Initially, Harvey thought it was an anchor of some kind.
Suddenly, the canoe began to shake. "The motor is on, boy! We're going to the core!", Charles yelled into the darkness. The canoe moved slowly at first, but quickly sped up.
"OHHHHH", Harvey yelled, the wind feeling fresh on his face. The river around them gradually got brighter, with weird wire looking objects being visible on the walls. "NOW THIS IS WHAT THEME PARKS NEED!".
As the canoe continued on, more glows could be seen swimming through the water. It signified that they were approaching the core. If this is my mind, then how are the looks in the mindscape determined?
Finally, a bright light appeared in the distance. The closer the canoe got, the more lights that appeared. That's gotta be it! The Core of the Mind.
When the canoe emerged from the tunnel (I didn't even know that was a tunnel!), Harvey saw the sight. It took away his breath.
It looked like the moon, but lit up in a way that was unlike the actual moon. Surrounding it was a large river, with many tunnels branching out of it. It felt like it was taken out of a movie with an underground civilization in hiding.
But then Harvey looked up towards the top of the moon and realized something awful. The glowing figures from the river were gathering at the top, seemingly breathing a strange gas.
Charles must have noticed it too, because he gasped. "Holy shit! It's worse than I thought!", he exclaimed. "They got the workers!".
"Huh?", pondered Harvey. "Workers?".
"Yes! The ones who keep The Core safe and in tip top condition", explained Charles. "I think they either got exterminated or somehow brainwashed to join the weird glowing things".
"Uh oh", said Harvey. "What do I do here? I can't quite beat them".
Charles nervously darted his eyes around. "Listen here. Can you trust me?", he asked.
The question surprised Harvey, but he realized it sounded just like what he told Cyclone. "Yes. I need help now!", Harvey replied quickly.
Charles nodded. "You gotta enter the core. Just like in memory lane, only the owner can enter it. Legends say that inside is an overwrite object", he explained. "I can't explain it, because no one knows what it does. But it might be your key to stopping them".
"Sounds good. But how do I enter it?", asked Harvey.
Charles shrugged. "I don't know! Maybe try walking up to it?", he suggested.
"Then get the boat up to it!", shouted Harvey.
"Right", Charles said, steering the boat towards the moon. As they got closer, Harvey could see more glowing dragons hauling themselves out of the water. They all flew towards the top, with the weird gas spreading faster than before. My time is running thin.
Charles pulled up to the side of the river, where there was a small platform separating the river and the moon. Harvey pulled himself out of the canoe quickly, with Charles nearby to try help.
Harvey first tried merely walking in, but it didn't work. He then tried simply knocking on the moon, but no magical door appeared to let him in.
"Gah! Are there any theories for how to get in?", Harvey asked Charles.
"Not really", replied Charles. "Everyone knows only the owner can enter, so no one really thought about it".
"Shit! You got any ideas?", Harvey asked, panicking a bit. If he couldn't get inside in time, he was done for.
Charles thought for a moment. "Touch something personal to the moon?", he suggested, shrugging his arms.
Harvey put his hands into his pockets, but there was nothing. "I got nothing on me!", Harvey said, panicking more now.
Charles thought again. "A-A quote? That you have an emotional connection to?", he suggested again. "That could work!".
"You crazy? No quotes have any significance….", Harvey began, before realizing that was false.
The quote that began it all. My adventures on this planet.
Harvey turned to the moon. If this worked, that would be crazy and stupid. But I need this. He took a deep breath and said the words
"Always expect the unexpected", Harvey said in the most serious tone ever. Please. Please work.
Nothing happened. The glowing dragons continued to fly up and the moon remained as still as ever. No magic doors, nothing indicating that Harvey could go in.
"I-I'm sorry Harvey", Charles said behind him. "I really thought that was it".
So this is where it ends? "NO! IT CAN'T BE OVER!", cried Harvey. It can't be over! It just can't!
Harvey punched the moon as hard as he could. "My mind is in trouble! You can't just do that to me!", he shouted, tears starting to flow. "I-I made a promise to my friends". He put his head down in shame.
I promised my friends that I would return to Earth. I promised Cyclone that I would stick by his side in this. And now I can't keep either of those.
Charles gasped. "Harvey! There's a door opening!', he exclaimed. "You did it!".
Harvey looked up to see a door carving itself into the moon. As he watched, the door opened itself, welcoming Harvey inside.
He wiped away his own tears. It was time to save his own mind and keep his promises.
"Good luck Harvey!", George shouted from behind. "The universe is counting on you!".
Harvey smiled. "The universe? That's what someone else told me as well", he said. "Thank you for helping me Charles".
"No problem. Now go!", shouted Charles.
Harvey ran into the door, not wasting any more time. As he did, the door closed behind him, sealing him inside. Ahead of him was a dark pathway, with the only lights being on the floor.
He walked forward, the noises of the chaos outside fading away. Occasionally, a wall light would appear, illuminating what appeared to be a framed picture. The first one he came across was a picture of his home back on Earth. Jesus, it's been 5 years since I've gone there.
Finally, Harvey reached what he assumed was the center of the core. It was a room that resembled a mission control room, like something seen from the old space launches. Why is this here? I thought only I could enter this place.
The large computer in the front of the room suddenly turned on. On the screen, it displayed two words: "Mindscape Mode". It then switched to a video that Harvey had memorized by heart: the launch of Apollo 11.
The most important video ever. It would have been a dream to be there on that day.
He had to focus though. Where was the overwrite object that Charles mentioned? Speaking of which, what the hell does that mean?
Harvey tried searching the smaller computers for the object. He was halfway through, when suddenly, the computer screen turned off. This was followed by some shaking of the room.
That's concerning. What the hell is going on?
And then suddenly, a loud BOOM. Harvey ducked his head down, prepared for any debris from the explosion site. When nothing happened, he put his head up to see a stranger standing by the entrance.
Except it wasn't a human. It was one of the glowing dragons from earlier. Strangely, however, the face looked awfully familiar. It looks like me somehow. But in dragon form.
The dragon looked around the room, before noticing Harvey. It roared, then dove right at him
Harvey got out of the way just in time, but the dragon destroyed several computers on the ground. Luckily, they were mostly decorational.
Where's the overwrite device?!
He expected the dragon to chase him again, but instead, it began destroying the other computers. It seemed to be urgent, as if the dragon was searching for something.
Wait. If it looks like me, then maybe it's the form that Darkstalker intended for me to turn into. Charles said something about the invaders being able to change the core to their own liking, if they got past the defenses.
It's looking for the overwrite device! Oh shit!
"Listen here dragon", Harvey said, approaching the dragon cautiously. "Are you seriously going to try killing the rightful owner of the mind?".
In response, the dragon turned its head and shot a black liquid out of its teeth, right at Harvey. He dived out of the way barely, with the liquid landing on the ground. It bubbled a bit, before stopping.
That was venom, wasn't it?
The dragon returned to rummaging through the computers. It seemed like it didn't attack Harvey until he made himself known. I guess I better start searching as well.
While the dragon was searching through the computers, Harvey stood nearby. He searched through the remains of the computers, hopefully finding it hidden inside. Hopefully it's not in here and the dragon leaves.
Unfortunately for Harvey, the dragon suddenly made a pleased growl. It had just destroyed a computer near the front when it stopped. The dragon rummaged through the computer and pulled out a weird black square, with silver spots dotted all over it. THE OVERWRITER.
The dragon pressed the overwriter to the ground, and suddenly, Harvey's thoughts became jumbled up. Conflicting thoughts and memories clashed inside his head.
FINALLY! It has begun!
OH HELL NO! Harvey dashed over to the dragon and kicked the overwriter out of its talons. The dragon looked shocked for a second, before kicking Harvey to the side.
It grabbed the overwriter and again pressed it to the floor. A new wave of strange memories came over Harvey, conflicting with his own.
Surviving on a harsh planet. Being made fun of by all of his friends. Leaving him with no choice but to escape the planet. Arriving on Pyrrhia and loving the dragons. Becoming a Rainwing and Darkstalker's apprentice. The Fantastic memories! I can't wait to see more!.
Harvey was in pain, his mind falling apart. Soon, the dragon would have overwritten everything about Harvey, replacing it with memories of being a human who hated Earth. N-No…..
Then, the same voice from before, the only clear thing in his head right now.
"Humanity trumps magic. Don't allow it to overcome you", it said. "The final strength of humanity is something nothing can replicate".
Suddenly, Harvey felt Adrenaline bursting through his body. The adrenaline drove away all the memories and thoughts conflicting in his head. It all made him focus on the one thing at hand, the only important thing: the overwriter.
No thoughts were involved, Harvey simply got up and ran to the dragon. Instead of kicking it out like last time, he grabbed onto it and tried pulling it out of its talons.
What are you doing?!
Once a human, ALWAYS a human.
The two wrestled for control of the overwriter. Whenever the dragon seemed to get the upper hand, another burst of adrenaline would make it more even.
The fate of the universe rested in the survival of one ordinary human from Earth. He had no idea how him being a dragon changed the universe, but he couldn't ponder over it. He was not going to lose to stupid magic.
Humanity had built their civilization to levels that none had been able to match. The pain and suffering many had to endure was unacceptable to many. Many of their own kind seeked power and made many suffer things they should have never been able to suffer.
But two things had always survived throughout all of that: hope and individuality. Even when the world was at its darkest point, even when everything was bleak, hope always existed. It's what allowed for humanity to survive the start. Individuality was what allowed Humanity to grow its reach beyond Earth.
Without individuality, humanity would be like insects; simply trying to survive. It was what made Harvey interested in space in the first place. And he wouldn't let some stupid magic take away that individuality.
The thoughts of that gave Harvey just the adrenaline boost he needed. With his strength, he pulled the overwriter out of the dragon's talons, before kicking the dragon as hard as he could in the stomach. Clutching the overwriter, he pressed it down to the ground like the dragon did.
His thoughts began to clear. The strange dragon memories faded away, replaced with his own normal memories.
I am Harvey the Human. Born on February 22, 2088. Son of Rick and Sophia Winston.
The dragon memories faded out even more.
I am a Pioneer. I work in Squadron 47, with the greatest friends I could ever ask for.
No Darkstalker dragon is going to change that. No one can.
The overwriter began to glow, shaking a bit as it did. Harvey stood up, leaving the overwriter on the ground. Glancing at the dragon in the room, it was growling on the ground, before it suddenly disappeared. All around him, the computers began to fix themselves.
Harvey gave the biggest grin he had ever given. It was over. The battle for himself was done, with him as the victor.
"Well done Harvey", the voice from before said. "It's not quite over yet, however. You're still sort of trapped. But the mindscape is safe".
Oh right. I'm still inside that weird dome.
"Get the moon rock back and get out of the Rainforest ASAP", the voice ordered.
Got it. By the way, who the hell are you?
"The one who helps you out when you need it", it replied. "I got no names".
I'll just call you 'Buddy'.
No response. The overwriter began to glow even more. It felt like it was about to blind Harvey.
"Well Harvey", he said to himself, grinning. "I've done it. I entered my own mind and escaped my own mind".
Everything turned bright around him, with nothing but white light covering Harvey's vision.
"Now it's time to escape the rainforest".
And it's done. Again, I want to know if you enjoyed this or not, so please leave a review!
Before I go, another reminder that you should check out my other story: The Ultimate Reality: Stories. It focuses more on the side characters of this story, although so far I only got one chapter.
Anyhow, thank you for reading and I'll see you soon!