Red lines. Black solid majority within such lines.
Black made the space.
Red made the place.
And right now, he seemed to be walking through an old Japanese shrine.
Traditional style Similar in design to the Yomei-mon Tōshō Shrine.
Finished in 1636, titled "Gate Of Sunlight,"
Rich didn't know shit of literature. He didn't know shit of architecture.
The only reason he knew of this shit was because There was one guy from Maelstrom who was once a Tyger Claw and when working the fucker just didn't shut up.
So he absorbed that useless history lesson.
Rich did not know how he ended up in here.
All he knew is that he had no idea where the fuck he was going. As he traveled further looking around taking the crafted designs and carvings that truly was getting close to being a replica of the actual place.
Rich had always thought of traveling when he was young, leaving Night City for a month and see a little bit of the world.
How youth can be so easily snatched away.
It felt unreal, and it was real, this wasn't the real gate of sunlight.
It was an interpretation, a imitation of something that already existed.
He moved toward the gates and pushed the doors open and what revealed to him was a pathway.
A pathway that now resembled another piece of Japanese architecture.
The Orange Torii Gates, or Fushimi Inari-Taisha.
This sight if he remembered correctly is originally located in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture to be exact.
Established in the year 711.
He could not deny it was beautiful.
As if he had been sent to a place that wasn't his own reality.
Tranquillity, Serenity, Contentment.
Peace.
Nature in motion.
Sounds of birds and wild life.
The shallow whispers in the wind.
As then a disturbance was noticed.
Foot steps. On the same path as himself.
Curiosity threatened.
As he gave chase.
He rushed down the path as he heard the foot steps more clearly for sure it was not his own and his mind was not playing tricks on him.
But then the scene would once again change.
The sounds of the forest and the sight of Torii Gates could not be seen.
The chirping of birds lost to wherever it came.
Now he was deep in water as he was now floating as the sun shined on as he came upon another structure.
The Itsukishima Shrine. As he beholden to the Floating Torii Gate.
Originally located in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture.
Dating to 593.
And the tide was picking the fuck up.
So he was hassling it to pass the gate.
But then he saw it.
It creeped the fuck out of him because it was so sudden and without warning.
Lightning had struck.
Yet no dark clouds, no rain, no storm.
Yet lightning was striking down and he saw as it was working its way to him.
He refused to wait for such fate.
As when he passed the gate, he was Finally in a room.
A throne room to be exact.
There was no God waiting, sitting, for him to arrive.
But then he heard it again.
The footsteps of someone that wasn't him.
As he worked his way around the thrown room he got a scope of the place and saw nothing.
The colors of Red and black starting to be an Annoyance.
But then he noticed red doors behind the throne.
And opened them and he was taken into a hallway path amd he saw it.
Someone had just turned the left corner.
He gassed it up again and went towards his goal as he now was able to hear the foot steps louder and faster as this person was doing everything in they're power to get the fuck away from him.
But he wasn't to let them get away, he had questions God damn it and by all means necessary he was going to get answers.
Even if he had to bludgeon a gonk to get them.
Yeah. Rich was pissed and through with this outer body yet inner body experience.
He didn't want to say it but he needed confirmation.
What he wanted to hear was that his speculation was correct.
He needed to know with what he was dealing with and it was getting more enriched as he chased as the black was lighting up tone by tone.
Black was turning white.
While red was turning orange.
It was a new flavor of elegance, and yet a tamed flame burned.
He eventually ran further until he made to some big white doors, the only doors in the hallway apparently.
Rich pushed the doors opened, and what he saw was a room tailored with vibrant oranges, reds, yellows, pinks, golds, and greens.
As the room was styled in a Japqnese traditional manner.
He saw dolls, he saw stuffed animals, he saw little nick nacks and hand fans.
This was a child's room.
And he saw a bed pushed in the far left corner and a bump a little above the center where the pillows were.
This had to be his little runaway that he had been chasing all over the damn place.
He moved to remove the covers and in One swift motion the covers were gone and once the covers were removed.
He was faced with the reality of his choice.
As the doors closed behind him.
And a Deal had been struck.
Rich awakened suddenly inhaling exhaling as if he had woken in a cold sweat.
He was surrounded Dum Dum to his left against the wall, Sera to his right sitting on one of the chairs.
Aurora to the north west of him as she was laying down still but awake now.
And north of him was Rita still unconscious and Clementine was right beside her.
He moved to touch his neuroport and found that the chip was still in him.
A new plan was made and this was exactly what he was looking for to help Rita.
He didn't know how, it would work, but he was willing to give it a shot.
"Yo Doc, you okay" spoke Clementine seeing that he awoke chill and relaxed.
Rich simply nodded his head and moved towards Rita.
Clementine just stepped aside, she didn't know what he was doing, but she watched as he took a Chip out of his head and placed it in one of Rita's Neuro port.
"What was that" spoke Clementine trusting Rich but just trying to understand and if it was going to help Rita.
"A gamble, I don't know exactly but I have a sneaking Suspicion that it will help Rita and much more" spoke Rich as he looked toward Dum Dum.
"We're out" spoke Rich as he began packing up his equipment and tech.
With the chip now installed in Rita it was now up to the other to do her part in fixing what he could not.
"He's planning to kill you" spoke Sera trying to tell him the obvious shit he already knew.
"I know" spoke Rich as he walked out.
For now he was on his own way to face the music.
To Be Continued.