Second chapter, written relatively quicker than I expected. Awesome. That said, it's a short, positively miniscule chapter this time, barely more than a drabble. Not that the last chapter was massive either. But I digress... Basically, I was going to have this with the next chapter as chapter two but I think this was more of a standalone chapter, so I put it as one. :D
Now, I don't like putting in monologues at the start of a chapter, but there are a few things I forgot to say last time:
1. This story is going to be very dark, and it will be bordering on mature territory by chapter eight at the latest. There will be a lot of gore at some points, and there will be so much swearing that it will make your head spin in parts, but that's to be expected in a story containing Cid and Barret. There may be some romance between characters, but I hope to avoid it unless it adds to my additions to the story and doesn't affect the original FFVII storyline. There will also be angst in some parts, and I have a major, major, MAJOR scene planned that practically drowns in it. Just warning you now. I may or may not change the rating of the story to mature later on, but it depends on how this pans out. Also, there will be death. Whether it's death of existing characters or my , I have not decided yet. You have been warned.
2. Speaking of , I think I might make one or two more, depending on how well received these ones are. They will not be main characters, but they may pop up sometimes. Or may not.
3. I hope to make this story around a hundred thousand words minimum, so just bear that in mind when you read it. I think I can write chapters with around 4,000 words, so there could be 25 or more chapters. And I absolutely plan on finishing it.
4. And lastly, a massive thanks to Chostani-san128 for leaving the first review. :D
Alright, let's get chapter two on the road!
They Who Would Collapse the Masses
Chapter II: Darkness Surrounding
Pain. It blinded Him. It was nearly unbearable, so painful it made Him numb to everything else. He couldn't open His eyes, for it set His nerves on fire. He couldn't breathe, for it set off an explosion of agony across His body. He couldn't think of anything else but the sharp, searing pain coursing across His mind, burning into His flesh, consuming His soul.
It went on for an eternity. Or maybe, it only went on for an instant. He wasn't sure, because the pain was so great it transcended everything, not paying any heed to time.
Eventually, He realised that if He could think, then the pain must be lessening. He tried to open his eyes, but all He could see was a pale green glow. Nevertheless, He focused on it, because it gave Him something to think about other than the pain.
Soon, He could tell that the pain was fading. It gradually became a dull ache, and then it disappeared completely. He tried to stand, and found He could. He looked around, but still, all He could see was pale green. He began to walk away from the glow, but it surrounded him. He didn't mind though, and He continued to walk.
Suddenly, the green light flashed, almost painfully bright, before fading entirely, leaving nothing but pure, crushing darkness surrounding Him. That was when He realised that He couldn't remember anything. How He got there. Who He was. Nothing.
Darkness. It was all He could see. It surrounded Him in every direction. It pushed in on Him, closed in around Him. Again, He could barely breathe. His head spun as He tried to escape the crushing darkness. He ran blindly, trying to escape the black obscuring His senses.
Why, He thought.
Why? Why? Why?
Why would this happen to me? What is happening to me?
Where am I?
Why can't I remember how I got here? ...Why can't I remember anything?
Why is it so dark?
Why am I the only one here?
Who brought me here?
Why? Just... Why?
He continued to run. He lost track of time, trying to escape, to find some light. He could have been running for days, weeks, months, never stopping for a second. If He had, He might have heard echoes; like somebody was playing a tape in reverse, with voices speaking backwards; but as it was, He was too focused on running to care.
Until he heard an oddly familiar voice speaking directly to Him.
'What's your rush Niall?'
Well, there it is. The chapter that will, hopefully, be the shortest one of the story. In fact, it's shorter than my author notes. Sorry. Like I mentioned above, I intended on this being part of the previous chapter, but I wanted to update quickly, and I thought that would be a good place to end a chapter. I was probably wrong. Ah well...
So, if you feel like leaving a review, do please =] I'd like to know what people think of my , and the direction the story is taking. By the way, the chapter title is based on 'Darkness Surrounding' by Avenged Sevenfold. It was originally going to be called 'Pain', but I felt this suited it better, and also I love A7X, so I changed it. :)
I should update sometime in the next three weeks, so see you then folks!