Sanity
Within his room, Ivan surveyed the opening of the sole door, the brillance of the light. Amazing how brilliant the lights from outside can become when you only have a sole psynergy crystal to illuminate your little world. Brilliant, the light, golden in its rays, yet something was differient about it. Normally the rays came in all at once, as his caretaker used psynergy to open the door. This time, one would wish him to believe, it was though someone was blocking the rays when the door opened.
Ivan did not like that, as it was a dreadful change from the normal. Yet Ivan did like it, as he always liked a change in pace. And Ivan could care less, more facinated about the lights affects on the room.
Entered a figure, wearing water-proof material, suggesting a downpour outside. Not that they cared, Ivan mused. It was for the best that he did not see water, as it would cause Ivan to be too distracted from their thoughts.
The figure knelt across from Ivan, who was kneeling on a series of pillows. Ivan forgot who sent these to him, and was reminded by Ivan that they were a gift from some woman. Ivan took the time to focus on the others to tell them that a woman named Hamma sent them to him at some point. All three agreed that no one knew when that was.
The figure spoke, audible to Ivan, though Ivan had trouble hearing the softness of the voice, and Ivan could not tolerate it, prefering to listen to the grinding of the dirt from the water above. Despite what their ears told them, all three heard the speaker as one, and all knew what he said. Or thought they did.
"Ivan? It's Isaac."
Ivan asked Ivan who Isaac was. Ivan did not recall, though Ivan remembered someone named Ivan, though he forgot when he heard it, prefering to stare at the clothes on this "Isaac."
"How are you?"
They were constantly annoyed whenever some fool tried to adress them as one, as they were not one. They all existed, and they all knew indepenently from each other. Yet Ivan, Ivan, and Ivan agreed that they would humor this...Isaac, and play along with whatever game he was playing.
"I'm fine," spoke Ivan. "But Ivan is still quite moody, and Ivan is never paying attention."
"I am too, you...you... Oh, now I forgot what I was doing!"
"You always do forget that, don't you, ya fool. Should you actually analyze what he says, you might know what he is talking about!"
"Enough both of you!" Ivan paused, hoping to bring them back to their guest, "We have company, and keeping him from his task is not what we are here for, is it?"
"No."
"I guess not."
"Oh, there you go again, you little bakazai! You don't take everything seriously!"
"And you take things too seriously! Pay attention in life, and you can find that everything is simplistic!"
"ENOUGH!"
Ivan stared at Isaac, shocked that they had both spoken at the same time, and with the same word. Odd, that. The odds of which were never in favor of such a chance and yet...
"Ivan, do you remember what happened before you were...sent here?"
"A pause. Why would he have a pause like that?"
"Because he's rephrasing what he meant to say - we were imprisoned here, and the only one who realizes it is ME!"
"His question is valid, you two. I don't recall what happened before we were here. What of you two?"
"Nothing, except being imprisioned."
"I remember some names, some faces, some times, but I don't remember more than that. Why would he want to know what I know anyway?"
"Good question. What would a pathetic, insolent, insignificant insect want of our knowlege?"
"They do have good questios, Alex."
"Isaac is his name, Ivan."
"Yes, sorry. Isaac. What do you want with our knowlege?"
A pause, and Ivan began to wonder like Ivan and Ivan. What would Isaac want with their knowlege, and what purpose could it hold? It is not like he would need to ask us - simply having a mind reader check their minds could work better, though it might take longer. Then again, using such a person would not be better, would it? Alas, Ivan had begun to rub off on him.
"Ivan, do you..any of you recall what happened two days before you arrived here?"
"No pause that time."
"He heard you and learned from your mistake that time, idiot."
"What could be important about the day minus two that we arrived here?"
"Do I look like I care?"
"I remember something..."
Aburptly, Isaac's face bloomed with hope, and Ivan (and, to a degree, Ivan and Ivan) suddenly became aware of an almost insatiable lust for knowlege of that day. Something was on his mind, they knew it. But what could it be?
"What do you remember?"
"Don't tell him, Ivan. If you do, we'll never get out of here."
"But there is no way for us to leave! The wards, remember them!"
"We all recall those, Ivan, but he does need to know, and we have both nothing to gain and nothing to loose if we tell him."
"But we could demand that he let us out for a day!"
"We also all know that such an event would never happen."
"And what makes you so sure about that, ikarnap?"
"I don't know about you, Ivan, but I seem to recal being stained by a dark, warm substance, and lest my thoughts betray me, it may have been blood."
"Now that you say that, there WAS blood. Lots of blood, flowing, turning. But the source, uh... I remember a girl. No, a girl and a woman. The girl was young, possilby younger than a child."
"How the hell can you be younger than a child???"
"He means a baby," spoke Isaac. All three turned to stare at him, puzzled by his statement.
"You mean you KNEW what you were asking us? S'navior! Why do you ask what you know now?"
Isaac paused, possibly trying to form a reply. Ivan, however, had a hunch that the other two might have missed. "He knows some of what he asks, but not all. He wishes to learn more."
Isaac nodded, and, despite his nagging curiosity at the insects on the wall, Ivan continued. "The woman was young, but not quite as young as we are. They both were soaked in red, and, wait... I see a person standing nearby, a looming shadow, angry at something, wishing others to not have what he cannot have. It is quite odd, don't you think?"
Isaac's brow furrowed. "Is WHAT quite odd?"
"I remember it too."
"I don't."
"Hush. The figure radiated darkness, hurtful thoughts, wishing that he had what he did not have. And it IS odd, is it not?"
"Is WHAT ODD?"
"I don't know what they are rambling on, but I would think that find the fact that the person they recal is standing right behind you."
They watched as Isaac whirled around, staring at the looming figure. Not moving, they knelt silently as the figure slashed Isaac's throat, slaying him in a single stroke. Isaac screamed, but not a scream like that of a common girl or that of a bird hunting. No, this was the voice of someting far more.
Then, suddenly, all three Ivan's realized what had happened.
It was a dark night, cold as normat during the winters in Vale. Isaac had walked out the door to go find some firewood, while his wife Mia and their daughter stayed behind, keeping close to the fire to preserve the warmth of the flame. Ivan had been there, then a single person, though he had made his way upstairs, trying to find the gift he was going to present Isaac and Mia for their first anniversary. As he came back down, he saw the dark, towering figure slay the two innocent souls, slashing their throats. Ivan tried to rush down, only to find that he was paralyzed. Unable to move, he tried to read the mind of his attacker, but in doing so, he heard the inhuman scream of Mia and her daughter. Pain had a new meaning with this feeling, and Ivan writhed on the floor, trying to adjust to the sharp pains in his head and body. Darkness crept over him, drawing him into oblivian.
When he awoke, he found himself within the cave, knowing only his name and words. Then, out of nowhere, another spoke, calling himself Ivan. This Ivan claimed to be the original Ivan, claiming that he had failed to do something, yet not knowing what. A third Ivan spoke, but seemed more curious about the room than of his comrades.
As the memory faded, they writhed on the floor, each one screaming a scream that would drive even the sanest person insane, until darkness claimed them...
Light came again from the doorway, and, to Ivan's dissaproval, someone blocked out the rays. Not that Ivan cared, he loved new things. Ivan, on the other hand, loved to watch the rays, watch them move about in splendor.
Ivan, on the other hand, prefered to ask questions, with a rather odd sense of curiosity. Not like that of Ivan and his love for the minute movements in the world, but, rather, a curiosity of the truth, and the yearnign to find it...
Me thinks that this was a bit of a change from my normal works, but I think this one did quite well, considering that I typed it as it came to me (read - this took maybe 40 minutes of typing, including a 5-10 minute period of interruption).
At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this, and before anyone asks, this will NOT become a quest to solve the murders. This is a certified ONE-SHOT, and I have no real wish to start up a long fic, only to have to stop due to life's constant changes (ie - Parallels and Return of Anemos).
I again hope you enjoyed this fic, and I hope you will forgive my ramblings above...
MIKAA, BEING MY ALIAS, DOES NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN, NINTENDO, OR CAMELOT. I DO OWN THE PHRASING IN A FAQ I MADE OUTLINING A POSSIBLE FIGHTING/RPG GOLDEN SUN GAME THAT I CREATED FOR FUN, THOUGH... BUT WHO CARES, EH? I'M A NOBODY! NO ONE THINKS OF WHAT I CREATE FOR GAME IDEAS! IF I HAD MY W...
Sheba - I am here to tell you that Mikaa will not be finishing his rant today. He has angered me, and has been sacked for it. If you wish to not be sacked (or to shut him up and make him happy), please REVIEW...