'.･.･:'.･.･:~~ヽ( - w -(。。 )
As promised, here it is! Sorry for the hold up.
Edited some of the past chapters, replaced a few keywords in Chapter 6, and I'll be shutting up now.
Warning: Glitchy text ahead.
Chapter 7: Super Bonding Experience.
'You are almost there.'
'I appreciate you encouraging me, but…' Frozen vapor emerged as I plopped into the ground with no energy left.
'Concentrate.' Dubbilex insisted. 'Use your imagination.'
I raised a middle finger as imagination.
It wasn't complicated to evoke imitations from my memories, such as skyscrapers or woodlands at first. Even materializing a 'body' took me about a week to carry out.
'This is hard.' Grabbing a fistful of what was supposed to be fluffy snow, I whined as all I got was water slipping through my fingers.
The real deal started when creating substantial objects that weren't from the world of darkness, the dark goo I had to interact with and dispel. I've yet to establish functioning parts such as pupils, hair or detailing noteworthy aspects of the human shape.
All in all, it sucked. My appearance was equivalent to a jabbed gingerbread cookie cutter on a blank sheet of paper.
'Your intent matters.'
Not that my mentor seemed to acknowledge that. Everything was a learning experience, and if I were in the mood, I would have agreed with him.
Instead, I drew a breath, letting my outer body discern the palpable air coursing through in and out effortlessly. 'You want me to green lantern this shit?'
'Mm, essentially. You are not mincing your words, are you?' There were no emotions I could detect from him.
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
'We must… expand our training to achieve better results.'
Bah. I'm overreacting. This is Dubbilex we're talking about.
He wouldn't hurt a fly.
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : : ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
.
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'Hey.' I nervously laughed as a slew of sleet and snowballs rose to the substitute sky.
'I hear exercising is not purely a significant benefit for your physique, but for the psyche as well.'
'Can't we discuss this civilly?!'
If I could view his face, there's no doubt in my soul that he would smile at me while cackling on the inside.
'Let us see how fast your reflexes are, child.'
With no time to deliberate, I ran for my life as the makeshift sun was obscured and a raging barrage like no other descended on me across the tundra.
'You're evil, I tell you. Eeeeeeeevil!'
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : : ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
'What have we learned?'
'To avoid picking a snowball fight with you?' I flicked the remaining pelted ice off me and tiredly leaned against the w̷a̸l̷l̸.
'Never forget that this space…'
I stood by as the suspended fractals born from our battle melted, trickling into the d̸e̴p̶t̵h̴s̶ below, and swallowed by the m̸u̸r̴k̶ originating from my mindscape.
'This power is yours, and only yours.' He averred phlegmatically.
The field of d̸a̶r̵k̴n̶e̵s̸s̶ peered once more. Returning me to what it accustomed me to. B̸̯͆a̶̮̓c̷͈̑k̴͙̾ to square one, and the ŕ̶͈ĕ̸͜ä̴͜l̴͔͂i̸̤̅t̷̙̃y̶̟͛ of my situation.
'I wish it wasn't.'
Back to n̶̡̳̝͌̔o̶̢̓͋̉͘t̷̡͙͒̓̀h̵̼̫̚i̸̳̫͉̳̽n̶̰̒͐͠g̴̻̝̈́͒͒̋.
(When, when, when, when, when, when, when, no, n̴̥̼͗̏̑o̷̤̜̣̍̀ͅ, ṇ̶̱̭̝͔̍͗ǫ̷̘̠͎̤̋̌̍, n̶͉̊̅ơ̸̩̽͒̅̈́̕, ǹ̷̢̛̻̥͕̔̓̄̔̍͜o̶̦̖͎̗͂, ń̷̢͖̫͔̘͈̬͎͕͆͑͋̓͊̀͑͘͜͠ỏ̸̡̠̖̤̺̘͔̖̥͂̂́͊̂̊͑̽̈́̅, ̢͕̺͔̭̩͙̱̜̫̀̓̓́͗̓͋̆̌̌͋͜͠¿̴̗̭̗̬́̿̋̿̍̈̍́̎̇̅͗̽͋̕̕͝ɹ̸̛̦̮̰̮͖͖̙̖̱̬̮̥͕͓͔͚̀͌̈́̃̐̍̐́̀͑͋̋̋͑͘̕͝ͅǝ̶̬̪͔̜̼̙̤͙͉̝̃̃̒͋̏̂̐͊̌͝q̵̬̄̄̃ɯ̷̠̞̲͇͙͔͕̭͈͕̣̭̜͕͉͉̬͇̓̀͛͆̄̉̌̆͆́̚͝ǝ̷̑̋͊͐͑̂͜ɯ̴̗̩͍̟͚̾̓̅̀̄̈́̃́ǝ̶̧̡̛͇̙̦̹̱̤͚͇͚̽̿̈́͐̋́̀̇̀̎́̐̽̊̚͜͝ͅɹ̷̨͉̮͍̝̘͚͈͈̦͓̱͌̓̔͂̒̆̚ͅ ̸͔͓͉̽͑̀͑̓̌̀̄̋͌͗̄̐̉̉͗n̵̡̯̬̝͎̬̜̖͓̤͍͒̑̎̏̈́̓͐̐̊̃̕̚͜͜͝͝͝͠ͅo̴̡̜̙̜̪̰̝͋̓́̄̐̇̏ʎ̸̛̰̙̮͓̟̼͉̤̯͙̝̒͆̋͊̍̃̎̕̕̕̚ ̴͍̹̈́̆͜ʇ̸̧̢̡̢̤̣̰̲̙̖͖̞͚̱͎̜̓͛͋̿͗͌̎͠ͅ,̸̦̣̘̝͚̉̔̂̄͋̍͐̇͋̆̉͠͝u̵̮̙̤̦̺̜̪̍͌͒̂̀̈́̐͐͒̀̄̆̿̽͌̚͜ő̸̥̯͙̜͌͊̀̈͒̃p ̸̦̱̽͒̾́͐ɹ̷̨̤͓̠̦̼̣͎͌̏̃͗͗̽̈͆̅͊̀͘͝ǝ̴̳̞̼̭̤̺͐̇̆ʌ̸͖͚̮̻̝̺̥̪̘̹͖̱̠̬̙̲̔͂̍͂̏͆̋̂̃͠ǝ̶̨̛̣̯̜̹̤̗̝̝̖̳͎̜̰̞͕͌̈́͂̈̃̂̊̔̃͑͗͐͠͝ ̵̛̦͇͐́͂̂͝ʇ̸̡̢̺̯̼͆̈́͋̄͒̐́̈̽̂͊͜o̶̧̢̢̧͍͔̩͖̯̯̦̥̰͉̱̍͊͋̒̏̉͝ū̶̖̠͖̙͉̪̪̅̑̍̈́͗͊͂̽͂͂̚̚̕̕͜ ̵̢̪̻̰̖̖͓͈̱̼̻͍̮̠̝̇̅̏̇͋͐͐̅̍́̚͠'̵̨̮͕̫͎̹̙̞̥̫̘̤͔̜̈́̄̓̀̎̐̒͐͊̑̊̚͠͝ɹ̵̧͎̺̹̫̘̞̘͑͒͌̈̓̍̏̿̆̍̚ǝ̷̢̡̰̯̟̯͚͎͔̺̳̦͉̲̈̍͑̈́̔̍͋̏̽̉̕͠ʌ̴̨͈̘̹̯̹̜͓͓̞̼͎͕̫̫͎̍́́̉͗̋͂̏̾̉̂ǝ̷͇͙̰̿̿̍͋̈́̒̚͝ ̷̡̠̺̼̝̩͇͚̩̮̘̪̿́͌̀͊̋̒̄̈͛ͅʇ̴̨̻͕̦̥̜̩̦̪̦͉̩̩̮̓̇͘͜͜o̶̲͉̘̔͑̂̉̈́̅̇̊̀͛̎͛u̶̦̹͔͕̖͂͌͋̃̆̂̂́͋̓̿̑ ̷̘̝̝̂͆̔͑̏̍̍͑̊́̚͠'̶̠̰̬̮̙͕͕̳̫͕̑͒͐̃̋̓̽̉͝ɹ̷̡̡͈̯̫̼͍͇̦̬̘̜̔̾̇̊͂͛̇͒̿̚͜ǝ̴̞̦̝͈̭̥̰͕̿̾̆͒̃ʌ̸̛̣̠͕̬̘͆̈́̏͐̾̉̎̇̾̃̃̕͘͜͝͝ǝ̸̨̹̻̯̠̩͓̤̱̘͍̺̭͌̒̊̋́̔͛͛̂͂̍͠ ̶̙̺̖̗̱̪̿͌̊̈̍̋̀̈̒̕͜ʇ̸̡̛͔͕͚̉̀͌͊͒͑͗̓̈́̓̿̈́͘͝͝ȯ̵̜͖̲͇̹̿̽̎̈́͗͐͒̇̈́̈́̂͠u̸̯̗͉̞͕̦͈̮͆̊̄͒̓̒ ̵̦̮̬͖͎͇̰̖͕̭̬̩͕͚̜̃͜ǝ̵̧̡̼̝̟̥̙̪̙͕͓̹̗̺̭̐̅̽ǝ̷̯̼̙̦̰̣̺̬̺͔͕̰̓̕ɥ̷̣̇̕-̸̨̥͔̜͓̘͓͖͛̋̇̈͂̄́̇̀̀͊̀̃̓̕ǝ̶̰̯͕̫͚̹͆̓̍̽̆̎͂̐̚͘̕͠ǝ̶̡̢̭̖̲͕̹͍͎̝̪͇̑͋̑̏̾̽̋̀̇̽̌͑̕͜͝͝͝ʇ)
'Do you recall what we last spoke of?'
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.
I ẗ̷̛̩̳̣́̌̋͋͛̿͐̊͆͐̈́̽̈́̽̇͘͘̕͝ư̶̧͈͍̺̼̥̞͉͈̹͉͈͉̥͍̭̩͙͚͊̋̓͑̓̌͠r̶͈̼̬̺̙̟̪͓̲̍͑͊̈́̋̈́͋̄ṉ̸̘̌̓͒̅̿̽͐̅̉̈͛͂̕͘̕͘͝e̸̡̨̗̫̣̤̳̻̖̯͕̗̗̮̘̝̾̈́̂͋͆̔͂̓̓͌̇͘̕̕̕͜͜͠͠d̴̢̢̛͙̺͖̦̣̖̬̣̪̱̟̈̃̈́̍͛̐̆̊ͅ around, noticing the ẻ̸̹̱̣̯̝͇̰̓͜m̸̜͎͚̈́͒̂͌b̴̙̔͋́̕ă̸̘̤̓̂͂n̷̨̜̮̈́k̶̢̜̙̜͘͝m̴̢̳̺̭̻̍̕ẻ̷̡̜̺͉̳̏n̶̨͚͚̤͍͔̣̓͌̅̽̀t̵͈̪̃̆͊̔̋̇́ͅ darting the gloom and d̶̩͕͇͕̓͒̋͒ọ̷͉͓͇̲̀̉o̴̜͉̯̐͋̏m̷̫̅̽̎̍ away, replacing it with sparkling pelagic waves extending as far as my v̷̱̄i̴̗̳̊̀s̴̱̆̔i̵̹͆̅ơ̵̠̘͌n̸̢̈́͌ could perceive, tending and clashing faintly with the i̷n̸f̷i̴n̵i̶t̶e̸ seashore grains.
If I̶͇̓ could raise an eyebrow, I would.
'Yeah, but weren't you e̵n̵g̴r̶o̶ssed in the heroes?'
'Call me inquisitive, if you will.'
If this was his way of changing the subject, then I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. 'Well, I can contemplate several. The Joker, Black Adam, Ra's Al Ghul.' Um, who else?
'Poison Ivy? Although she kinda drags herself out of it with Harley Quinn. There's also Lex Luthor to consider, big menaces such as Darkside and oh boy, there's a ton-'
His chuckle chimed like bells, distracting me from the edge his tone transmitted.
'So much to do, so little time.'
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : : ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
Weird noises such as the scribblings of a marker and a high-pitched gargle sound echoed as movements came and went in a hurried, awkward manner, generating a rustling or shuffling creak by what seemed to be a heavy metallic door.
I peeped via the wall to a certain extent, attempting to get a read on what was transpiring on the Outside.
"Excuse me for the delay. I was assembling the instructed accommodations-" Isn't that Favorite Person?
I huffed. Don't see why the hasty abruptness of our conversation was necessary. It's not as if Dubbilex hasn't chatted with company in tow before.
Sure it's all hush-hush, behind the scenes, just in case I accidentally prodded someone else's brain, but that hasn't occurred yet! Nor in the foreseeable future, if I had anything to say about it.
He's such a worrywart.
"-sufficient G-Trolls and G-Dwarves. Now that relocations of the assets are underway…" A clap reverberated loud enough for my eardrums to ring, leading me to miss most of their ongoing dialog.
"-inspection this month. We can't screw this up. Collecting another batch of DNA samples from - - - - - - - - has been declared as 'very difficult' by - - - - - -. Let's settle these weekly reports-"
"-it's daily, remember? And here I was, asuming you were the senior doctor-"
"-would you drop it? How about analyzing - - - - - - - - - adjustments? - - - - - - suggests increased synergy and encephalon activity when placed alongside Project - - - - -. Potentially an initial 5% in contrast to antecedent data-"
"-Is this what everyone's hyped about?"
I blinked. (Not really, since I can't move my eyelids and all, but it's the thought that counts.)
Another individual was beside her, and I hadn't realized that until now.
It was… familiar.
I slapped my metaphorical cheeks and rocked my brain, spreading my senses towards the new (old?) presence, and concentrated.
"-small. Doesn't look like much." The gruff voice stated impassively, which might have ticked Favorite Person off to a greater extent because she sputtered back.
"She's growing!"
"Shh! You want all the genomorphs to be down here?"
Ah, no wonder. It was the Janitor! I reckoned he had quit or gone missing for a while now, but I guess not.
"Ahem. The asset is still undergoing development. Height and weight compared to the - - - - - specimen can be attributed to biologically constructed features or the percentage ratio of - - - - - - - - - -, - - - - - and - - - - - - - - - genetics-"
"-not like I called her an it."
No. Rather, this was… his brother? They felt so similar I mistook them for the same person. How embarrassing!
I must be really out of it to make such a rookie mistake.
"You barely have enough clearance-"
"Not what you said a while ago-"
"-and don't forget. As opposed to your cousin, you are here to merely assist-"
"As you keep reminding me." The not-janitor quipped in a slow, lazy manner. Almost deliberately. "But that suits me just fine-"
My previous deduction wasn't wrong, per se. While this one was lax too, he was mostly sassy and a tad short-tempered. Lacking the nice and friendly disposition the janitor had when I surveyed him during my early days here.
Still, I perked up at the fact that he was indeed that guy's family.
"What's next?" Whooshes of a pen twirled with a skill I could never replicate, and I could tell the dude was smirking at Favorite Person. Either to obtain a reaction from her or to annoy her simply for the funsies.
"Continue noting down the analyses and," She pinched her nose and sighed in exasperation. "follow my lead."
I inwardly grinned.
Janitor 2.0 it is!
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : : ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
"-collected him from - - - - -"
"-the - - - - - was a success-"
"-implanted the - - - - - - onto-"
I zoned in on the muffled words and shed some light on them.
The employees were at it again. I didn't comprehend what the fuss from the Outside was about (as usual). It happens so frequently that I stopped bothering to keep track of it.
Not that the residue was a problem for me anymore, but it was annoying to deal with all the same. I had to pass the blocked information through various filters, so to speak. Then bust a gut to process and convert it into actual sentences, then flush all of my hard work down the toilet with an imaginary poker face.
Because, of course, none of it made any remote sense.
Bone marrow, growth procedure, memories? It was like playing broken telephone with a poor signal to boot. Ugh.
I could stop except, you know, I'm kinda trapped here and all. Got to take everything into account. Even if it comprised harkening to ridiculous murmurs. The other day, somebody debated which superhero was hotter.
Don't get me started on the one betting to slide into Superman's DMs faster than the Flash ever could.
… I can't believe I just uttered that.
Anyhow, I'm drifting off-topic, aren't I? These musings were akin to a deep ravine. Once you're sucked in, it's tough to claw your way out.
A drop of water in the ocean is rarely ever seen again. We can try to deny it, but even schmucks locking themselves in their rooms acknowledge that we humans are social creatures by nature. We can't help but seek interactions to fulfill our needs of… of…
.
.
Okay, I was just attempting to sound philosophical about my circumstances like a certain someone.
Notwithstanding that communication and networking are necessary for any society to work, why is everybody here a comic fan? I can understand a little variety from time to time, but solely spouting about topics from DC was getting out of hand.
How does Dubbilex do this constantly?
Can't they talk about other stuff? Why not about the weather? Like ordinary people.
(I'm looking at you, Jerkface! Your spiel about clones and something, something ultimate, has driven you nuts.
Receive help, please.)
'My methods of studying what you deem as the "Direct Comic" series, is nothing complex. On the contrary, it is quite elementary-"
He was expressing himself so honestly that I almost felt bad for interrupting his parade. 'It's a rhetorical question.'
'A parade? I am not celebrating a special occasion.'
'It's another human expression. I wasn't referring to a literal parade.'
Knowing where this was headed if I didn't nip the bud, I asked calmly, struggling not to come across as accusatory. 'You were scanning my mind again, weren't you?' I didn't crave for my face to be pelted by snow, thank you very much.
He hesitated for a bit, but ultimately, he clung to the truth. 'Mayhaps.'
However mildly disturbing that sounded (and believe me, experiencing it firsthand was no joke), I've grown to accept it. He was basically harmless to a fault.
Besides, he's my only c̷o̸m̷p̵a̵n̴i̴o̸n̵. I simply needed to remind him to tone it down a little, since he wasn't used to, well, not reading minds.
Whether Jerkface was planning mad sciencey stuff, Favorite Person conflicting with herself about something, me conversing with a Genomorph telepathically…
I believe everyone, including myself, is far away from whatever you call fucking normal at this point.
No shame in having a few screws loose here and there, r̸i̸g̵h̷t̷? We have to cope with our everyday lives somehow.
Dammit, I rambled off again. Where was I going with this?
(When will my l̷i̸f̷e̷ return to how it was before?)
I haven't lost faith I can e̸s̸c̵a̷p̶e̵ soon despite the absurdity I'm stuck with. After all, I don't think people wake up one day and will themselves to hear people's thoughts.
Or something. I get the ş̵̛h̷̭͊i̶̺͝v̷̱̎ê̸̞ṛ̵̛s̵̜̀ the more I meditate about it. That, or it had to do with the black gunk prowling around.
(Does home still exist?)
.
.
(Can I… e̶v̷e̵r̴ g̵̲̉o̷̧͝ b̵͇͆a̴̤͗c̶̝͐k̶̜̈?)
A headache brought itself into existence, but I m̵͚͙̟͕̤͇̈́̎̈́͛̓͗͋͋͠a̷̡̘̭̝͇͎͊̅̆n̸͇̼͙̙̪̪͔͙̹͑̑̌̽ạ̵̧̱̼̣͇̑̈͋̋͝g̶̡̡̭̣̏̾͝ē̵̻̤͈̣͇̫̭d̴͖͚̦̈́̓̐̇̕ to keep it under wraps as I accumulated the remnants of the murky substance in the center, and didn't hesitate to kick it elsewhere.
It flew sky-high over the background of sea-green oceans and boundless strains of sand, and splattered against the wall. The gooey texture smeared the rims and edges before the cracks seamlessly absorbed it.
Not a speck was left. As if I had imagined everything.
The technicality was lost to me, but parallel to white blood cells helping the body fight diseases and whatnot, my subconscious provided these mechanisms to safeguard itself from any intruder or the harm that might befall.
A.k.a. Me, on account of not having a handle on my brainpower yet.
As my invisible friend said long ago: "If one cannot control themselves, one shall forever be locked in their own mind. Until only a shell of what once was remains."
Which is a thing, apparently.
No problem. Exposing myself to my inner thoughts and demons is surely going to be perfectly fine!
'And yes, Dubbilex. That was sarcasm.'
Although, in a morbid way, whatever this gift was-curse? Ability? That last one sounded way nicer than calling it a freak of nature. I preferred to view this ability as a form of comfort, as it's also the reason I can maintain images of the real world without succumbing to the endless seas of boredom.
Got to be positive around here. Especially now that I can provoke my hands to twitch. My real hands.
No wonder he kept fussing. Though, I gotta admit, thanks to his tips, my stimulus has shot through the roof-
I paused for a second, waiting for him to interrupt me for answers about shooting, and why the target range was a roof specifically.
Those seconds passed. That sequence turned into minutes, and minutes t̷r̴a̷n̶f̴o̵r̴m̷e̶d̷ into an uncomfortable period of stillness.
'Dubbilex?'
My answer was not quietude, but complete silence.
'Wait.'
The atmosphere f̷̲̀a̵͈̾l̴̡̈́ṱ̷̆ē̵̯r̸̖̓ḛ̶̓d̴̫̔, crumbling from the unstable foundations I built it upon, scattering the memories of beloved areas I had visited when I was a "normal" human.
Regardless of being fixed in place, I ran out of breath.
I had no face, yet water strolled down from it.
'D̵̡̲̹͔̼̘̖͗́́̀͘͝O̴̠͓̥̰̬̮̾͘N̷̹͍̞̯̠̆̇̈́͐̄̈́'̶̢̞̞̘̿́͂̎ͅT̸̡͔͖̋̃̄̀̆̕ ̵̢̯̂͌̆͗G̶̨͉̭̬̪̲̑̄Ỏ̸̞̱̹͖̙̽̐͐̈́̀!' Without a voice, I screamed.
I could listen without ears to the conversations of the Outside; feel with no hands the heat of those around me, and having no lips didn't impede me from detecting the metallic taste tainting the air.
The fragments shattered one by one, exploding the blackened glut arising to devour the pleasant dreams.
I had interacted with Dubbilex in a roundabout fashion, but that was plainly another reminder of my confinement in perpetual darkness. My world of darkness.
Yes…
That's how it should have been.
.
.
(̷̧͕̹̩͍̭̱͕̫̝͚̗͖̻͚̓͊̎̂͋̅̔̓͝N̸̙̱̰̹̱̥̼̖̺̥̟͘ǫ̷̻̜̯̞͈͓̊̇̀̇ m̸̡̨̡̘͉̮͈͔͍̖̘͎̬̩͖͑͊̇̿͌͌̌̌o̷͎͎͙̖͑̈́̑̈́̇̈́͗r̵̢͈̱̯̪͔̳̱̣͖͍͖̃̏̌̊̾̏̅̅̍̽̒̂͐͑͘͠ͅę̸̻̞̠̩͕͌̋̏.̴̛͉͂̅̀̀̄̽)̶̢̧̪̟͇̟̜̱̩̜̬̣̮̖̋̂͋̑͆̍̏̑̊̃̌̍̌ͅ
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I p̵̢̖̟͉̯̱͉̖̺̮̹̮͓̦̠̠̻͖̤̎̒͂̇͐̾͋ͅu̷̱̰͇͚̬̠̠̮̮̰̾̌̓̐̀̃̒̃̆̓̈́͋͐s̵̡̨̛̰̫̲̖̬̗̘͕͙͙̝͔̳̪̅͛̉̈́́͂͂́̏̂̾͆̊͂̿̚͝͝h̶͚̭̟͇̣͙̣̾e̵̮͎̪͈̲̤͎̰̼̓͗͑d̵̡͓͔̭̫̪̝͍̟́̔̓͑͌̑͑̋͗̊̿͝ͅ.
Hollow rootstocks stretched out to ravage the tenebrosity, guiding the path to the source of my troubles and anguish.
*Badump*
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(W̴̛͕̺͓̟̝̍̿͐͋̃̍̇͝h̵̡̛͙͉͈͓̥̤͎̀̋̒͒̆̆̓̈́̕y̶̼̝̝̽̍̐͆̃̽̿ ̸̰͇͒͋̌̆́̆̀̕d̸̡̢̧̯̹̦̑̍̐̋̈̎̍͜͜ö̴̲̦́̉͛ń̵͇̌̃̃͂͗ͅ'̵̝͈̰̪̦͒́̎̋̀͊ţ̵̤̝̼͈͙̝̞̝̙͑͋̊͂̽ ̴̮͉̳̿̓̃̉͐̊͜͝y̸̻͌͋͒o̶̥͑̾̈́ü̶̢͉͕̺͖̱͘ ̸͎͚̠̪͔͇̩̭̼̃̏̈́̂̀̒l̵̡̢̹̟̟̭͎̱̩̘̓͂̈́̓͝͝ě̶̤̞̈͒͑̊́á̶̳̖̤͉̥̠͚͇͑̿̓̾͘v̷͔̳̭͖͛̂̍͆͗͌̕͝ȩ̸̠͔̭͉̖͋̈́͑̂̌͆́͂̆̕͜?̴̗̩͚͆͂̕ ̶̶̧̨̧̨̡̭͖͍̖̜̬̞͖̟͎͙͉̤̺̞̜͉̟̓͛̏̆͗̏̊̍̀̽͋̚͠ͅʎ̷̛̺̱͈͕̮̣̦̣̳̺͓̩̦̾͌̀́͌̔̿̂́͜͠͠ͅs̷̬͉̫̀̂̓̆̂͐̅͊͒ɐ̶̗̙̯̓͂͊̋̉̽͂̑͋̈̈́́̒̉̽̇͠͝ǝ̷̨͍̙͎̱͋̎̈́̇̈́̋͂̓̑͛͒̔̒͂̚͘͘͠͝͠͝ ̸̟̮̟̗̗̻̺̗̬͎̗̼̱͍̪͎̯̤̼͕̎̌͑͐͊̄̍̎́͊͌̉̀͗͑͆͘̚͠o̴̠̪̓̀́̐͛͗͒͂͋̆̎͛̎̄́̅͊̈́̐̆͠ś̷̢̺̮͕̯̟̦̗͈͓̫̩̈̄́̏͘͜ͅ ̴̜̗̋̂̈͋͑͋̄͒̂͜͝s̵̛̪̱͉̯͈̙̯̗̤̫̺̺̟̘̠̞͇̻̀̾̈́́̈̀̈́̇͗̏̒̇́͂̈́͛̂̓̋̂͘͝͠ͅ,̷̛̜̤̤̟̳͉̥̰̑͌̌̃̾̽͑̾̔̔̚ͅʇ̸̛̦̯̹̰̐̓̓̏̋̓́̆́͒͂̿͆͗͆̌̒̃͊͐͘͝I)
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And p̵̢̖̟͉̯̱͉̖̺̮̹̮͓̦̠̠̻͖̤̎̒͂̇͐̾͋ͅu̷̱̰͇͚̬̠̠̮̮̰̾̌̓̐̀̃̒̃̆̓̈́͋͐s̵̡̨̛̰̫̲̖̬̗̘͕͙͙̝͔̳̪̅͛̉̈́́͂͂́̏̂̾͆̊͂̿̚͝͝h̶͚̭̟͇̣͙̣̾e̵̮͎̪͈̲̤͎̰̼̓͗͑d̵̡͓͔̭̫̪̝͍̟́̔̓͑͌̑͑̋͗̊̿͝ͅ.
The steady and strong barriers preventing me from interacting with the corporeal realm quaked uncontrollably.
*Badump*
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(̸͚͇̲̝̻͚̭͖̺̍̀́͆̊̉̽̃̀͋̈͌̉̀̕͝Ļ̴̜̺̝̫̯͙͓̳̅̌͛̇͊͗̅̓̽̓͘̚͝e̸͉̩͎̦͛́̃̔̑̐̏͗̍̀̓̓̽̌̇̈́̿͘à̴͚̠̘̼̣͍̙͓̼̆͐̉̈̔̈́̔̕̕͘̚͝͝v̴̨͎̗͉͕̪̰̲͙̯͉̥͉̱̓̔̂̏̕ę̶̛̱͑͊̆͊.̴̙͇̗̺̣̪̤̱͍̤͗͛ ̴̢̨̢̧͓̘̲͔̟̤̝̪̩͔̹̩̝̎͛̔̚͜͜L̴̨̦͉̫͖͖̝͇͓̳̙̰͛̍́̀͑̈͊́͆̄͘͝ȅ̴̢̦̭̱̞̚ȧ̷͈͗̎́͂́̇̐̽́̋͑͘͠͠v̸͇̯̯̰̣̤̲̹̙̞̠̭͇̰̽̽̄̉̿͝ē̷̡̢̗͓̦͇̳̹̠̙̪̝̖̯͑̀̔́͜.̴̧̰͙͖̭̲͔͕̩̞̺̭̝̥̇̃̀̇̌̉̄̕ ̶̛͓̬̻̭̱̫̻͓̼̱͙̅͋̎͒̐͆̒̿ͅL̵̛̛̞̏́͛͋̓͑̌͂̑̽̾́́̐͝e̸̢̧̜̼͈̺̬̝͖͋̆̂̿̈́̿ạ̸͚̫̙̤̰̳̼͔͌̄́̚͜v̷̖̝̬͖̙͚̪̖̍͐͐̉̓̇̀̓̈́̅̓͊̎̊̚e̵̢̨͓̭̩͋̃̾͆̏̈́.̶̥̼̪̟̞͔͎̰̼͉͉̓̾ ̴̖̟͇̘̩̳̳͜͠ͅĻ̶̨̮̞̠̫͇̣̺̺̱͉̫̥̗̟̻̔̊͗̐̕͝è̸̢̢̲̳̭̤̪̭̜͕̙̣̙͔̿̐͝a̶̢̨̢̧̡̺͚̳͙̼͖̳̖̤̺̙̮̼̒̃͗͒͜v̷̡̢̳̭̦̬͔̭̗̹̜̖̜̋̓͝e̶̜̖͐́͒́̓̿͐̉͒̆̕͝.̵̺͌̅̈́͛̌͊̎̔͊̑̄̉̈́͋̕)
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And I p̵̢̖̟͉̯̱͉̖̺̮̹̮͓̦̠̠̻͖̤̎̒͂̇͐̾͋ͅu̷̱̰͇͚̬̠̠̮̮̰̾̌̓̐̀̃̒̃̆̓̈́͋͐s̵̡̨̛̰̫̲̖̬̗̘͕͙͙̝͔̳̪̅͛̉̈́́͂͂́̏̂̾͆̊͂̿̚͝͝h̶͚̭̟͇̣͙̣̾e̵̮͎̪͈̲̤͎̰̼̓͗͑d̵̡͓͔̭̫̪̝͍̟́̔̓͑͌̑͑̋͗̊̿͝ͅ some more. To what end? I did not know.
All I knew was that I needed to get out.
*Badump*
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(̴͎͙͈̯̇͜Ǧ̷̘̭͕̥̬̙̪͂̍͒́͝͠͝ờ̴̃͌̐͛̒͠͝. T̷͈̟͕̒̎̍h̸̡̖̪̗̲̥̟̻̳̠̜͎̤̗́̔̾̎̐͐͗̑̌̽̀̿̈́̿̚͠ȩ̸̨̧̛͙͙͔̻͖̹̬̲̮̦̞̪͚͉͖̥̈́͑̓̅̾͌̈́͆̕͝ŕ̴̡̨͈̟̭̫̦̱̈́̈́͆̃̂͌̾̒̇̆̔̂́̕͜ė̶̡̛͕͙͉̬͍̗̖̣͚̬̣͒́̑̾̒̅̀͘̚ͅ ̸̢͈͎̲̹̫͉̱̩͈̝̞͍̠̬̼̼͉̮́̿̈́̽̄͑̽́͂ͅi̵̧̛̮̠̟̗͍̖͙͗́́̌̅̈́̈́͒͊͜ͅs̶̡̥̻̫̩̱̹͎̽̇͂̽͋̄̿̒͆̕̚͝ ̶̨̡̧̠̤̘͇̖̼̝̩̗̖͍̥̥̭̞̈́̓̈̅̌͑̊̕͝ͅm̴̧̹̖̳͚̖̙̔͌͐͊̈ơ̷͓͙̤̠͚̓͋̽͂̽͋̔̒͗́̽̓̚͠r̴̢͚̪͈̟͎͎̹̻̼͛̐͌͛̐́̒è̸̪̟̻̘͔̻̥̱̩̘͚̭͌͋̚͘̕͠ ̴̢̡̮̲̤̻̺̲̣̭̫͈̠͓̈́ͅẗ̶̨͚̖̘̦̥̝̗̥̩͇͇̲̞͓̜̹̯̳́́̔͛ͅẖ̵̺̜͎̺̘̮͔͈̣̼̓͒̀̆͘͝ã̷̡̪̳̯̻̻̻̘͋̃̆͛̉̒̉͛̓̏n̵̡̧̟͕̦͖̳̬̜̜͇̰̲̪͙̟̈́̽ͅͅ ̸̧̪̲̘̗̩͈̰̜̮̰͖͈̩̣͇̣̣͊̃̄̌́̾͒͗̂̄͐̇͘͘͘͜͜j̴̼̼͈͇͓̳̓̉̇̅̉̉̽́̉̐͂̊̈͒̈́́̈́ų̷̖̺͈̗͍̹̬̀̿̑s̴̫̱̞̞̫̦͇̠̲̥͉̞̗̻̗͎̱͂̂͊̿̄͊͛͌͘̚͝͝ͅt̵̢̲̺͉̣̰̞̩̜̳̺̹̣̰̊̀̐͗̎̅̈́̚͜ ̷̢̢̛̝̜̘̯͈̙͙͔̲̫̬̀̏̍͒̂̆́̃̋̅̈́̏̐̓̄̈̉̚͠͝ͅd̴̹̺̺̺̫̠͔̮̣͆ȃ̵̡͚̝̥̘͖͈͙̳̪̞͚̱̳̭̑́͗̉r̸̛͔̜̥͚̺̟̭͇͎̘͓̺̹̿̌͐͒͛͑́́͆̽̏̏̽͒̋́͝ḵ̶̨̡̧̨̛̗̜̺̲̣̳̰͕̫̯̹̦̤̀n̵̙̬̜̺͓͕̿̎̀̅̅̉͆̉̑̄̃͆̚͘͘͝͝ͅͅe̸̡̨̤͉̟̞̻̲̅̊̏̄́̋̀̉̅̉̋̂̽̆̑̕ś̵̢̢̲̯̣̟̝̫̹̗͈̲̼̓̈́̒͆̔̅̄͂͒̎͌́̂̃͐̋͆͒́ͅs̴̔̌́̅͗̄.̸̡̢̢̛̛̤̣̥͇̀̆͌̀͐̓̀̀̓̒̽̓̉̃̉̈́͛͆͠)̷͚͍̼̪̜͈̘̖̻̃̍̑́̾͒̈́̊̐͒̔̇͘̕
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*Badump*
The world I once discovered, explored and cornered myself in, dissipated into the gloaming birthed from the fissures.
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(.̷̧̨̨̢̬̭̩̭͖̗͖̬̺̩̳̟͕̺̠͕͓̹̉͋̇B̶̼͔̹̺̙̽̊̏̐̒̃̓͐̔͘ŗ̵̛͍͕̥̺͉̾̀̔͌͒͌́͛̉̀̂̂̃̄͝͝ë̵̢̡̧̛͕̟͖̥͔̙͙̜̞̱̪̞͇͈͓͙̪͎́̍́̒͊̀̄̏̆́̆̿̓͘͠ͅͅa̷̗͙̹̘̫̼̦̼̋͐͑̀͌̑͊̿͆̽̀̂̍̓̓͊̆̂̈͝k̵͚͍̻̭͓͕͇̦̺͎̙̙̖̞͉̩͙̦͗̈̈̏͒̕ͅ ̴̨̛̪̪̣̼̦͍̤̬̱̣͈͊̈̄́̾̓̚͘͜l̵̲̟̙̮̿̉̃͗̆́͛̃̏̉̊̓̅̾̕͘̚ǫ̷̧̬͖̹͙̟̜̼͈͔̖̣̬̔̊͛̅̀͌̆ó̷̡̩͈̯͔̙͔̟̭͙͇̗͂̑͗̿̓̅̎̿̀̀͒̊͂s̷̹̼̼͎͓̻̞̜̼̜̖͎͚̮̺̙̻̝̠̟̪͕̿̑̈́̄̎̍̆̅̉́̄͝ë̵́͋͛. ¡̷̧̡̧̻͍̬̻̜̟͎̝̟̮̩̹̥̞͎̱͇͖̭͎̫̝̣͓̱̪̲̖̻̯͇̤̠̬̫̠͚͈̳̔̐͂̑̍̉̑̈̀̅̌̀̎̅̑̐̑̐̈́̀͜͝͝ʍ̵̨̢̡̛̞̭͕͖͇̰̠̞͉̖͓̱̻͔̟̹͚̠͍͕͎̜̠̫̩̦̪͉̤̥̌̽͂̂̋̎̃̑͌̅̓͛̎̋͝͝͝ͅǝ̸̢̡̧̛̞̪̩̘̪̙̲͉̹̮̳̪̳̫̣͓͈̹̮͈̲̝̪̠͖͎̹̮̳͓̳̯̳͉̲͍̱͇̘̟͖͕͉̺̒̅͆̾͊̈́͌̀̾̈́̀͂́̈́̆͂̀̿̓̄͑̎̽̉͆̑̍̾͂̐̃͊͛̑̔͋̏̏̂̈́̄̈̚̕͘͘͜͝͝ư̶̧̡̢̨̝̠̪̤͕̱̖̘͖̼̰̖̹͔̙̣͚̼͚̯̯̗̗̺͙̘̋̐̍̐̉̐̾̍̃͋̈́͆́́̅̃̃̅͂̋̒̽̏͊̊̃͐̈́̈̔̑̄͒͊̓̄͋̈́̀͂̉̀̇̕͘̕͘̚͜͠ͅɐ̴̱̹̳̖̏̂͑̈́̔͂̆̈́̀̎́͆͌̿̿̈́̀̏̌̂̀͗͗̓͘͝ ̵̮̽̌̓̈̓͊̓̆͊͗͑̄͝͝ș̵̢̛̛̝̰̂̾̃͂̏͒̂̆̄͗͂͂͂̄́̍̈́̆̑̊͊͋͌̈́͑̋̋̓̅̌̉̎̇̂͂͂̈́̌̂͘̚̕͠͝n̸̘̗̪̙̰̄̑͊̿͂̔̄̔͗̾̾̀̍͂́̋͑́̒̋̈́̐̇̉͗̋͂̂͊͋̂̑̃́͘ ̶̡͎̻̼̗͚͓̱̜̞̫̰̓͘ų̴̡̡̧̨̛͉̠̠̞̗̠̮̳̪͎̻̱̳͇̥͈̺͕̘̥̖̠̫̮͖̽͋͛́̐̄͋͗̈́̄͛̃̉͌̎̐́͜͝ᴉ̴̛͔̩͚̘̠͉̖̪̭͔̳̗͇̤̬͓̺̩͖͔͚̣̗̤̮̈́́̅̾̍̀̓̈̃̄̄̒̅͋̅̕̚ͅɐ̷̢̨̢̨̡̡̧̛̞͓̦̦̭͍͙̰̦̟̥̮͉̞̱̖̙̪̭͚̝̙̜͍̗̘͖͙̭̖͕̙̣͎̼̭̤̜̬͗̈́͑̅̎͑̈́͌͒̋͛́̽̆͛̌̄͋͋͗̓̃͛͛͘͘̕͝͝͝͝ͅͅʇ̷̢̢̢̢̨̧̛̺̙̞̮̖̱̝̳͖̣̲͖̥̯͕̺̺͎̺͇͙̞̮͈̈́̇̀̀̌́̂̎̋̌͐̃̀͛̽̍̇̐̆̿́̓̄͘͜͜͝͝ɹ̴̛̠̖̖̙̲̜̻̜͚͍͍̂͐̀̈̌̏̊̈͆̄͑̒̍̃͐̿̿͐́̑̾̌̄͒̅͑͂̏́̑͘̕ǝ̸̨̧̛̹̠̯̰̥͇̗͔̙̠̰̲̥̤͉̬̺̤͉̳͇̟̤̹̬̠͓̙̥̝̳̗̻̈́̍̈̃̾͜͜͜ͅʇ̴̢̛̳͙̭̓̇̈́͑̆̊̂̅͛̇̈́̃̽̈́̇̄̍͋̈́̍́̌̄͋̈͆̾̒̈̂̒̓͆̈́̽̆̽̾̽̑͠͠ͅư̸̧͚̪̝͉̘͈̹̰̻̺͓̟̠̺̥͇̰̦͕̬̩̭̰̻͕͙͈͖̭̤̘̱̜̮͇̰̩̤̞̪̟̍̾̅̊̈͜͜ͅǝ̵̢̨̫͓̟̺͕͇̗̩̟̹͖̭̲͚̼̙̳͑͐͆̊͆̏͌̈́͒͆̋̇͂̊̌̈́͗̊̀͆̎̌̒̄̎̿̑̈́́̉͆̽̃̈̈́͒̄́̑̚̚ͅͅͅ ̵̢̢̧̧̧͇̖̮̫͚͙̗̺̺̟̰͔̙̯̝̹̠͉͓͇̺̩̬̱̩̗̹̝̟̲̮̤͛̔̿̃̑̒͛̑̐͌͊̒̋̃̊͛̿͂̚̚͝ͅp̷̧̡̛̗̟̬̭̘̩̯̦̩̺̙̟̱̼̦̍̒͛̉̍̊̆̔̀̑͋̒̐̑̍͐̀̍̕͝͠ͅữ̶̴̡̢̧̢̢̧̡̧̡̱̭̞̙͖̯̥̗͚̪̬̣̲̻̘͍͙̗̲̞͕̻̻̦͎̥̣̝͔̹͓̰̩͇̭̱̥̬̗̩͍̤͍̰̪̲͎̱̭̫̮͎͇͇̰͕͙̎͆̐̀̈́̓̒̏̀̄̓͑͋̉̅̊́̍̈́̒̈́̈̍̋͆̽̀͐̐̽̄̎͛̌̌̏͆̎̚̕̕͠͝͝͠ͅ)
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I didn't have eyes, yet I saw that glimmer of hope…
*BADUMP*
*BADUMP*
The wall collapsed, and I r̷̨̧̨̟̝̣̭͚͕̠͚̭̟̳̝͙̝͇̜͚̺̬̠̜̜͓͙̺̦̣̜̖̮̯̯̦̠̦̪̹̖̤̓̄̓͋̈͐͒̔̓̈́̓͛̓͘͜͝ȩ̴̡̯̯̯̳̜̪̤̗̺̣̺̬̖͛̉̿̄͑̊́̂͊͂́̈́͋̔̍̊̑̇͋̓̈̈́̆̂̄̏͐̈́̑͂͜͜͝͠͠ͅą̸̧̣̺͚͇͚̹̙̺̭̆̓͆̈́͛́̈́̄̏̇͒͛̊͘͝c̴̡̨̡̩̱͖̤͈̦̬̘̙̩͍̗̯̖̼̬̳͔̳̩͉̙̺̘̗͈̦̱̘͎̙̳̳̪̬͔̥͚̳͖̗͉͛͆̈́̎́͂̉̒͑̊̄͆̂͋̀̌̅̒͑̿͐̈͛̄̑̇̀̋͒̋̇̏̉̚͘͝͝h̸̡̢̡̠̜̖̠̜͙̦̳͉̙̭̖̪͙̓̌̉̐̌͋̾͜͜ͅȩ̷̦̫̩͚̹͉̫͚̮͍͔̲̠̪̣̦̝̖̼̃͛̾͂̀̔̓̈́̾̽̏̋͆͂̂̽́͒̍̈̈̒͆̀͂͂̋̓̑̀̂̌̌͘͘͜͝͠͝͝͠d̸̡̢̡̬̟͇̙̗͔̱͙̜̣̝̰̮͍͉͕̺̼̗̱̰̮̃̎̄̆̓̆͛͌̽̈́̈́̊͑̎̓̃̀́̍̐̾̎̄́̚͜ͅ out for the light.
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : : ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
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There was no eluding the absence of color that coated wherever I found myself. W̵̧̰͙̺͎̑̔̐̕͜ḣ̷̗̝͎͙͓̞̑̊̕ȉ̷̘̹͇̲̙͙̹͊̐͜t̴̝̹̗͇͍̰̉̋̇́̈́̽͘͜ę̶̧̡̫̻͙͈̈́̑̿̿̈͝ enveloped me alongside the over-the-top luminosity it shed.
"Uuuuu?"
I w̸̪̤̮͙̻̜̼̪̲̣͚̱̮̞̮̍̊͛ͅḩ̷̢̡̨̞̳͙̦͚͊́̉͆̿̄̌̀̓̚͘͘̕i̷̢̡̡̡̨̤̜͔͕͖͇̙͉̹̼̙̖̳̥̗̭̯͇̠͚̲͔̟̻̲̣̮̖͕͐̈̍͗̅̽̏͘͠p̷̡̧̢̢̡̛̛̲̹͓͈̼̪̭̳͚͕̮͍̗͓̣̬̞̪̪̗̥͇̞͈̤̞͍̀́̽͒̒̌̋͌̋̏̏͌̀͂͂̔̊͛̍̔̅͐̕̕͝͠ͅp̵̡̡̧̡̡̨̢̛̯̣͇̪̰̯̝̠̥͎̙̲̣͕̼̻̖͕͕̐́̅̏́̈́̃̅̂͌̂̿̇̿͑͐͌̓̃̏̽̉̄̊̿̀̉͋̆͊̚̚̚̚͜͝ͅͅę̴͍̟̤̫͉̯̣̲̺̪͓̬͍̬̖͍͇̑͐̀̏̔͂́͒̍ͅͅͅd̷̨̡͇͎̯͈͉̦̯͍̤̭͈̥̉̌͛͛̈́̈͑͗̀̾́̕͘ my head to the enunciated pronunciation. The proximity was too close for it to be echoing.
Voices haven't been so near before, so clear. But while checking where it stemmed from, nothing appeared.
'H̵̯̥͇̉͛̑͋̂́̄̃̔̆̃͛͘̚̚͠͝ę̸͕͎͖͓̣̖̝̮̺͚͎̥̰̲͎̬̭̗͐l̵̦̻͉̆͐̈l̷̡̨̡̼̩͈̪̪͚̱̟̞̽̆̏͆̀̈́͒̈͘̕̚o̷͚͈͍̪̤̳͕̩͖̜̭͍̺̅̃͊̇̄͆̾̚̚͘ͅͅ?' I decided to try my luck.
̷͎͖̲̳͖̲̗͉̥̫̗̤̗̞̖̪̉̓͊͂̓̃̋̆̈̍͘͘̕ͅͅ.
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(̸̡̪̘͉̙̦͓̳̬̣̙̯̣͔̰̤̬̯̤̳̳̬̇̂͂̅̀̍̀̈́̇̂͒͗͋͊̉͆̃̅̀̾̊̔͠͝¿̸̨̨̢̛̺͈̮̺̱͍̮͚̠͓̬̹̜̳́̀́͛̑̏̃͌̌̃̊͛̿͂̊́͘̚͝͝ǝ̷̨̛̛̭̦̫̪̳̠̘̺̪͊̉͒̍͊͂̄̍̄̓̋͌̑̈̐͌͗̒̐̏̏̑͒̒̇͊͌͂͜͝ɹ̴̛̤̲͓̉̂̀̏̀͊͛̀͐̄̆̓̃͒͌̈́͊́́̋͆́̎͒̌̑̇͒͑̏̂̓̅̾́͑͋͗̔̓̀͛̕͠͠͝ǝ̴̡̛̛̞̞̱̮͚̬͖̭̤̺̼͍͈͕̖̦̮̽́̏̉̃̂̀̿̿̄̓̋̔̐̇̊̾͂̄͑̀̆͘̕͝͠͝͝ɥ̵̧̨̘̩͇̻̱̹͈̈́̐̐̿́̏̔̔͒̀ ̴̨̧̡̢̦̝̣̫͖̫̳̗̭̼͈̜͈̖͉͉̙̖̳͓̪̯̣̜̱̞͍̜͔̺͈̼̮̹̥͇̬̩̗͍̻̓̔̈́̽̀̈́̄͆̋̏̒͆̓̈́̏͐̆̿͗̍̆͑́͊̉̓̊̈́̕͜͝͝ͅǝ̶̢̢̨̡̨̛̛̦̰̟̦̩̯̜̩͕͔̳͔̱͈̱̟̀͊̂͑̋̃͑̀̊̒̓̿̒͑̈̄̑͂͘̚͘ʌ̷̢̧̡̢̧̩͚̹̰̘̰̞̙̤͇͓͖͍̮͉̰̻͚͖̻̥́̎̍̏͒̓͆̔̀̿̀͒̽̒͛̇̒̀͊̏́̇̾͘͘͝͠ͅͅɐ̸̢͕̳̲͚̦̫̟̿̒̋̅͌͆̍͐̽̀̾͌̾̚̚͜͠͝ɥ̴̡̧̦̙̯͙̥͓͕̺̯̯͍̳̝͈͇̦͓̹͍̹͚̜̤̓̄̉͑͋͊͋͗̽̅̃̽̃͌̚̚̚͠͠ ̵̢̡̛̣͉̼̤̥̮͚͙̂͒͛̈͑̎͒̎͛̌̾̈̅̏͌̈́̅́̏̄̅̅͌̔̇͌́̑͋͆͂̾͘͘̚͜͝ǝ̵̧̢̢̛̟̗̰̼͚̞̟͕̮͉̖̥̜͕̳͓̥̥͖̪̰̪̞̟͈̰̰͙̲̲̲͓̑̒͂̆̑̀͌̍̓̇̈́͆̅̄̃̓͛́͐̉́̍͒̎̋̚͝ͅʍ̶̡̛̗̲̤͍̟͇̩̟̠̻͈̠̱̼̩̼͎̪̠̠̻̠̱̥̠̳͕̉̆́̈́̾̀̈̓̈́͊́̂̅̏̑͒̀̈̒̐̈́̅͒̎̌̌̐̆̆̃̏̇̓̕͘͜͜͝͝ͅ ̸̢̧͖̠̹̪̠̺̺̥͗̽̈́̔́́̋̅̇̈́͒͋͛͛̃͝͝ơ̵̧̢̧̧̩̰̜̪̯͙̻̪̭̖̱̪̬͕̦̻̭̰̲̟̞͉͎̓̈̾̄͗͑̓̒͊̅̓̾̈́͌̃͌̽̔̂̍͐̀̎͗̏̈́̄̈́̽̇̚͘̕̚͜͝͝͝ṕ̵̢̡̧̡̨̛̼̣̥̗͉̤͖̺̥̤̜̱̜̖̜̳̩̩̭̘̗̲͖̥͔͈͚͍̻̟̯͎̹̭̙̖͇̳̲͂͒̏̏̃̆͋́́̽͛̈͌̓͛̊̓̀̐͋͐̄̈́̾̃̀̽̊̽̑̐͒̐͌̒̈́̀̓͑͛̿̚̕͘̚͜͜ ̷̝͖̝͓̋ʇ̴̠͉͉̭͎͉̼̹̼͍̲̫͕̜̞͕͔̗̙̱͚̻̼͎͔͎͒̇̉̌͜ɐ̴̡̢̨̢̡̧̡̛̛͎͍̯͍͍̠̳̠̲̠͇̦̬̩̜̜̠͍͓̙̫͎̗̭͇̮̹̦̰̤̝͎̭̗̝͓̪͇͐̑̋͒̈͗̉̀͂̑͂̊͒̇̅͌̀̂̔̓̿̀̎̓̾͆́̈́̑̃͛͜͝͝ɥ̶̢̛̺͚͇͔̫͕̲̫̫̞̥͎̜̪̞̠̻̣̦̩̫́̾͐̂͋̐̾͆͗̐̍̆͂̊͒͋̓͂̂̓̋͊̅̈̀̓̏̇̋̓̀̀̐͑͛̐̚̕͝M̸̨̨̛̰͚͚͔̟͈̣̌͛̄̅̈́̉͒̽̍̈́̎͂̂̆͌̎̋̄̔̎̋̈́͒̂̎͊͗͠͝ ̡͔̘͙̜̦ʎ̶̛͕̭̣̳̎̿́̓̍̓͊͆́́̄̎̑͛̐̃̽̈́̾̾̈͘̚ɯ̵̨̢̛̛͔̘̣͎̦̼̬̤̳͔̻̟̜̗̭͖̞͕̺͚̣̦͚̠͚̦̹̅̎͛̏͗̆̑̏̈́̏̇͐͋́̄̐̎̉͂̾̈̋̆̓͂̀͋̅͑͌̓̊̌͑͊͆̅̚̕͝͝͠͝͝ͅ ̶̡̨̡̢̛͍̙̼̱̯͉̙̘͕̙͈̯̦͗̏̈̃̌͌͆̂̈́͐̓͋̈͂̓͂̃͗̇̽͊̀̔̒̏̐̅́̃͐̿͆͛̚͜͝͝͝ͅͅ'̸̢̪̰̳͍̪̬͈͕͎̰͓͈̫̣̤̘͎̙̫͕̤͇̟͍̲̭̠̖̘̫͙̬̉̍͒̋̓̂̊̽͋͜͝ͅͅʎ̸̧̨̧̡̮̰̯̳͍̜̣̦̮̺̥̩̘̹̭̦̲̺͎̪̥͈͖͉̖̰͑́͑̈́͂̄̋̉̒̿̑͆͛̇̚͘̕ͅɯ̷̛̱̒̐͗̓͐̔̾̏̃͂̽͂͛̚ ̴̛̰͕̺̤́̎̽̎͊͊͝'̸̛̛͍̳͔̬̮̋̂̈́̈́̋̋͌͂̍̆͊̏̈͐̑̈́̈̈́̊̑̀̏͌̽̏̍͗͋̿̈́̂̓̌͘͠͠͝͠ʎ̶̧̢͍̫̫̺̰̠̫̙̼̄̉̅͌́̊͐̑͑͌̂͗͗̽̂̊̾͗̐̈́̈́͑͌̔̓͐̌̐̽͒͋̚̕̚͝͠͝͝͝ͅẆ̶̢̨̢̝̖̩͕͎͓̫̪̘̣̤̰͚̖̫̤̹̠͙̻͕̺̜̼̯͓̯̣̑̈́̏̽͛̐̍͗́̐͗͑͋̈́̐̿̓̔̓̋̀̃̊̏͗̍̃̈̽̔̒̑͘̕̚͜͝͠͠)
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Instead of receiving a r̴̳̯͉̞̖̠̟̄͌̇̇͑̆ͅȅ̶̢̨̻͚̼̦͓͚̟̻̘͎̰͍̣̥̼̺̪̥̪̞̼͉̼̲̣͋͗̎́́͋̅̿̄͂̊̋̌̽̏̽̐̉̇̔͗͘̕̚̚͜͜͜͠͝s̸̨̢̡̛̛͖̤̣̺͎͎͈̺̖͇̳̱̭̗̘̼̞͍̜̖̪̫͈̦͇̭͈̘͇̠͈͗͜͜͝p̵̡̢̢̡̯͕̰̙̖̗͖̩̫͚̮̪̻͎̦̲̤̘͎̟̫͈̺͔̱̩̲͎͇̩̼͋̏͛̊̽̏̿̀̉̋̓͘ơ̴̡̨̨̩̻̮͍̠̞̲̹͓̺̯͕̤̯̠̲̪̦̱̼̩̝̖̝͙͉̳̯̪͆̾͂̓̈́͐͌̔͛́̓͆̿͂̏̈́̃͗͐̈́̾̑̑̾̀̉̈́̋͛͛̈̍͗͘͘͜ͅn̵̡̧̪͉̫̙͍̲̻͉̳̮͖̍̈̃̒̆̄̓̎̂̀̓̈́̂̈̓̔̈̊̆̇̒͊̈̊͌̏̈̀̈́̈́͋͆̌̇̈́̎͆̀͘͘͜͝s̷̢̧̢̡̨̧̧̛͉̼̼̺̦̤͇̫͔͖͉̭̱͙̺̪͔̲͙̩̗̙̍͛̋̏͗̄̂̊̽̍̇̓̈͊̃̇̇̉̉͒͛͆̈́̍̓̊̇̀͊̓̒̂̄̚̚̚̚͜͝͝͠é̸̢̢̨̨̛̠͕̲̦̺͖̱̩͔̙͕̗̞̱̜̰̝̮̝̹͉̣̙̦͕̝͔͙̞̗̖̝̖̱̞́̐͑̆̋́̿̀̃̑̍̏͒̏͐̀̊̌̀̀̑̂̒̂̓͒̓̆̅̈̍͘̕̕͘͘̕͠͠, something radiant floated down from the top of the false ceiling s̴̨̗̝̳͕͔̞̭͕̽̀͑́̋̋̀̈̉̎͒̅̍͜͝ẗ̵̢̜̳̫̞̭̬̞̮̯͈͔̥͚́͋̀̌̎̒̏̿͝͠r̶͕͈̭̫̰̝͖̠̙̼͙̦̺̅́̑̂̆͛̾̕ͅǘ̷͓͓͔̯̇́́̏͐̉̐̀̀c̴̡̀̅̐͋̂͗̈̃͐͋̈̈́̀͘͜t̷̰̫̙̹̖̻̙̰̥͚͈̖́͑͒̐͑́̔̈́̂̋̾͑̊͘͘͜ͅu̴̧͈͚̥̤̺̜͚̭̩̬̞̥̠̭̐̓͊̎̆͛̃͋͆̋̾͒͋̚͘͝ͅͅȓ̸̢̨̧̪̺̤̪͍̱̻̺͖̦̈́ͅę̴̦̠͖̤̩̥̺̠̜̘͔̅̑̓̎͆̈́̓.
Extending my arms, I cupped my palms and carefully caught the oddity. A tiny, shapeless thing. It was so tiny that a simple breeze could blow it away, and it would be ̶̨̛̩͔̱̤͕̘͎͔͉̻͔̖̲͈̩̩̉́͐̊͗̆̌̀͑͊̕̚͝͝͠ͅg̶̛̬̋̿̋͆̓̎͑̏̓̀̀͘̕̕͠͝o̴̪̬͉͐̊̎̃̊̃͑͌̏̍̋̃͛̓̂͝n̵̨͕̬̗͚̝̝͇͙̩͖̺̝̫̹̿̽̈ͅȩ̶̨̛̛̞̲͓͔̪͈̱̥̺̖̲̼̲̭̖̹̞͖̫̲̭͓̖̝̝̺͖͓͉͊̈̿̑̓͗͆̑̀̾̉͑͊̀̏͛̔̈̽͐̕̚̚͜͠ͅ ̵̡̢͕̍̀̐͌̑͊̆́̂́̊͆̅̚͠͝ͅf̴̤̹̗̌̽̈͜ȍ̵̧̭̪͔̬͔͚̹̝̪̭̖̺̲̯̳͚̝́̚͜͜͝ŗ̴̞͚̥͙̗̮̼̥̠̬̹̖͊̉͌̓͐͆̌͒̀͛͋̂̈́͛͂̋̂͘͝ͅe̴̡̧̛̛̲̗̗̙͍̭͕̲̱͉͙͚̟͈̹̱̦͙̮̜̅̅͛̍̒̿͌̾̉͒̈́̂̿̽́͆̅̓͆́̓̊́̍͒͆͋͜͝͝͝ͅv̵̢̡̡̢̼̣̗͉̳̼̣̲͕͔̻̱͎̥̬̟͈̱͔̣͈͉͚̥̤̦̈́́̎͌̔̀̏̔̈́̾̅̏̾͌̀̀̃͌̓̔̈́̎͛̊̓̑̓͘͜͜ę̷̧̢̢̛̛̺͇̩̩͔͉͍̥̜̠͉̜̱̖̗̣̭͕̦͇͎͚̮̟̳̹̹̬̤̭̇͌͛͛̋̑̓͌͗̾̃͆̇͋̈̿̏̒͌͗͑́̎̀͆̔̐̐̚͜͝ͅŕ̵̬̭̠̎̉͗̓͐̆̊̾̈̔͂̓̓̀͝͝͝͝.
In contrast to the bright, pale backdrop, the little light glowed in a bluish tint.
I wasn't unnerved by it. In fact, I was actually relieved for some reason. It made me want to protect it. The warmth, the calmness, the soothing...
Almost as if...
I recognized where I was, and who had spoken to me when I arrived.
That's impossible! The only ones I've interacted with were the ghost I was searching for and-
*Badump*
An oh so acquainted beat.
My limbs froze in place and became stiff at the realization of whom that heart belonged to.
No, no, no.
I fell to the pristine floor. The spongy surface belonging to the new settings did not comfort me in the slightest.
Unaware if it was my inner or outer bod that was quivering, I took a shot in the dark and whispered to the twinkling star in my grasp, praying desperately to be wrong.
'Othe?'
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*Badump*
*Badump*
Oh.
*Badump*
*Badump*
"uUUuu."
Oh god.
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : ུ۪: ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
SI be like:
Dubbilex: I will be back. Do not do anything stupid.
SI: *Proceeds to barge into someone else's mind.*
A/N
The wibbly-wobbly mind shenanigans were inspired by season 2 when M'gaan scrambled Kaldur's memories.