I fight down a wince as the monstrous beast bellows a shrill shriek, an almost tangible force pressing against my body as it loosens its maw to an inhuman degree, masking its depraved leer for a moment before launching itself forward. A chill runs up and through my body as its stark white grin stains itself in my mind, its shoulder twisting in a monstrous manner as it shoves its blade forward, a rush of wind from the force of the stab brushing over my face as I barely side step out of the way, the crumbling sound of stone and dust filling my ears as I step into the monster with a strike to the side. My sword passes through its body as if striking air, a disturbing sounding giggling filling my ears as the monster fades into wisps of darkness, reappearing in its original spot with its condescending and cruel grin, its spare hand pressing against the blankness of its face as it throws its head back, a high pitched laughter echoing throughout the alleyway, my ears pressing down as I gaze behind myself for a brief moment. A deep holes been drilled into the once almost impossibly solid looking stone wall, the sludge of darkness dripping from the hole. Such destruction from a singular strike from this thing…
I grit my teeth and return my focus on the cackling monster, its dark hand slipping down its face as it stumbles forth, the dripping of darkness falling off of its arm and onto the rock beneath, fading into its irregular wisps. Alright, I can't get hit by this thing unless I want to fucking explode, shouldn't be too hard, right? How the fuck am I meant to hit this thing to begin with? If it can shift itself whenever it wishes, then it can't simply be killed by bonking it in the skull with the sharp part of a sword.
It's shrill shriek fills my ears once more as it rushes forward, it's disgusting looking blade raised high into the air as it stares down with a perverse grin, the muscles in my leg tensing as I leap away from the downwards strike, my eyes squinting to shield itself from the rock and dust kicked up from the force of the blow. The monsters head twists to face me as I land atop the stone, an unnatural cold creeping from my paws to my spine as its inhuman grin only widens further, a bead of sweat forming on my forehead as I crouch low, keeping my legs tensed and prepared to dash out of the way. Son of a bitch, I can't fight this thing can I? Just how fast can it move to begin with? Maybe if I get out of this alleyway I could try something? Maybe I could run it around until it runs itself out of energy? It's powers must have diminished over time in this place, similar to the orb, or at least with forcing itself into the town. Why would it deliberately limit itself otherwise? There has to be a limit to its stamina, right? It'd explain the chang-
It shrieking pierces my mind and my thoughts, my mind turning blank as the blood in veins pulsate with adrenaline as it lunges forth once more, rolling out of its rampaging path, my shoulder flaring up in pain as I tumble onto the hard floor. I stumble to my feet as I complete the roll and force my burning legs to move in an attempt to scurry out of the enclosed area, sparing a look towards the monster with the twist of my neck. Its sword arm's lodged deep within the stone of the wall, a shiver running up my spine as its maniacal cackling scrapes against my ear drums, almost sounding as if it's ricocheting off of the walls as I turn away from the sight, zoning in on the exit of this trap. I feel my friend jolt around in my cloak pocket, its chiming barely audible beneath the shrieking and devilish laughter, the thundering heart in my chest tempered only slightly by the desperate feeling of warmth that comes from the orb. The edges of my vision blurs as I close in on the exit, the cold air that fills my lungs clutch at my chest like an invasive hand, gritting my teeth and pushing myself towards the end. It's just in reach, where can I go from here? Does it matter? I don't know how to fight this thing dammit, what the fuck am I going to do!?
A gutteral yelp spews out from my throat as a flash of black erupts from the ground, stumbling and backing away from the wall of darkness, the black sludge twitches and flickers in the lingering light of the orb, as if mimicking a dark flame. I take in deep and shuddering breaths as I step away from the wall, a cold feeling running through my veins as my hands tremble. F-fuck, fucking fire, of course it's fucking fire. My teeth chatter as I twist around, holding my tremoring sword hand up and close to my chest, widened eyes sticking to the monster as it approaches. It trudges closer despite its unnatural speed, its back twisting at odd angles as it leans over, the tip of its blade digging into and cutting straight through the stone. The unnatural sound of it threatens to tear at the insides of my ears, a whimper escaping my mouth as I flatten them. W-what the fuck? What's this chilling feeling? Why can't I steady my sword towards the monster? Where'd all that bravado go Zeke, was it just an imitation of actual bravery that you just believe to be real, a mask to hide behind because you think you're a hero? Stupid, stupid fucking boy, stupid me, you're gonna die here, I'm going to die here aren't I? But it's just a dream, just a nightmare, why does it all feel so real then? Why can't I feel my limbs, why can't I think straight? So much for wanting to beat the shit out yourself, you fucking coward.
I can't even swallow down the clog that builds in my throat, the whimper that tries to escape it dying down inside of my chest as I feel the cold flickering of the wall behind me, my only exit barricaded off by that malevolent force. The encroaching dark smothers my vision, legs trembling as I wheeze for breath, a high pitched shrieking noise echoing throughout the alleyway as it approaches. The clattering sound of my sword hitting the ground before dissipating into a faint noise that fills my ears as it looms over me, its face dipping to level with mine, its monstrous maw widening. It's teeth encompases my vision as the thunderous beats in my chest reaches a peak. It's so close, so so close, I don't want this thing next to me, please get away from me! Get away!
The choking in my throat prevents even my screech from escaping my lips, raising a numb and shuddering arm up and punching it through its teeth, a shattering noise filling my ears as a fist brute forces its way through its once imposing looking teeth. My lips curl upwards as it falls limply on my arm with a gurgle, my hand wriggling around inside its head, it feels like my arm's covered in the same sludge it seems to be made of. Its sword arm evaporates into dark wisps, leaving behind a copy of its more human one, I continue to wriggle and shuffle the body along with my arm to test the waters. It continues to lay limp, like a heavy sack of potato latched onto my arm. A relieved and croaky sigh escapes my throat, chuckling soon after as I brush away the sweat that's beaded on my forehead. Really, that was it? That wasn't so hard! I was just overreacting, nothing more and nothing less. Haaaaah, that was a fucking joke, I feel so fucking baited from all that.
I hum to myself as I use an arm to grip at its shoulder, shoving it back as I try to yank my arm out of its mouth, a panicking feeling rising in my chest as I try to wrench it from the monsters insides. The hairs on the back of my neck stands on end as the limp body shudders, something in the thing grips at my wrist and pulls me back in, a slimy hand gripping at my shoulder as I freeze. It looks up to me with a revolting leer, darkness dripping from the holes in its mouth and over my arm, a frightened yelp coming from my mouth as I pull away. Oh god, oh please no.
My back burns as I press against the dark wall, the cracking of bones filling the air as it continues to drag at my arm, the dark reforming itself into a brutal teeth, that clutches at my forearm. The yelping turns into pained screaming as it continues to gnar at my arm, feeling as if sharp miniature blades cut and grind at me. Oh god, Zeke you fucking FAILURE, what have you done? The fear pounds in my chest as pain flares up all over my body, my blurred vision only intensifying as I gaze into the horror, my head feeling lighter by the moment. Oh god please don't do this to me, I don't want to die here, I don't wanT TO BE EATEN.
…
My eyes flutter open to the sight of a dark abyss, a deep seated feeling of heavy gloom weighing in on my chest as I stand stock still, a lifeless feeling imbued within my limbs. I half heartedly look around the area, nothing more than a dark black void of no discernable qualities surrounds me before looking down to myself, my body a translucent looking state, flexing my fingers in an attempt to feel them. They feel dead, like a lifeless limb. An uncomfortable snicker brushes past my lips as I hold my hands to my face, a maddening feeling grin appearing on my lips as I bury my unfeeling face into my hands. Hahah, ahahahah! Fantastic, fan-fucking-tastic, you've really cocked it up now haven't you Zeke? You dumn fucking bastard, did you really get yourself killed by that? Trying to punch out a monster because it's too damn close, you'd be able to use your legs if you didn't lock up and freeze like the slow bastard you are.
The snickering dies down quickly, my arms hanging limply by my side with a heavy feeling, neck craning to look over the rest of myself. Ahah, I look just like Adrian, now isn't that a nice dose of irony? I decide to risk my neck for my own snide shard of myself and end up looking just like him in the end! Fantastic, absolutely fucking fantastic, lets try beating our heads in with our fists instead of getting eaten alive by a demon monster. It'd probably be less painful.
I sigh and continue to mentally curse at myself, relaxing my body to fall limp into the void. Can't exactly say I'm excited to stay in this purgatory looking place until death comes around and gives me the lecture, when would that happen though? How long does it take for one to show up to begin with anyways, does time for it and the soul stop? With how many people can die, it wouldn't surprise if that was the case…
I hum and continue to wait around, patting myself down every so often to try to revive any sense of feeling in my body, the gears in my head turning despite the lethargic feeling of gloom that saturates this place. This, this isn't purgatory is it? No, I still remember how that place feels, the dank feeling of that place and its stygian darkness isn't going to leave my memory any time soon. This isn't quite that place, the chill that seeps into my soul lacks the same intensity that I can recall from it. It could be that I've just become used to that feeling, and yet, something scratches at my chest, a sort of faint hope that seems to strive to blossom in the darkness. I blink once, then twice, sighing and mashing my face into my hand. That's a rather… frivolous sounding thought if I'm gonna be honest, and it clashes quite a bit with the lingering fright that presses against my heart. Do I really want to try to see what's going on? Such a monster like that, could I even try to face that thing again? What if I freeze up again? If this is another chance, then I wouldn't want to waste it.
A chiming echoes in the darkness, feeling my ears peek up as I twist my neck towards the source, a flickering light dancing in the distance. Its light seems to dance and twist in the distance, its intensity and radiance growing in intensity with every passing moment. I sigh and stumble my way closer to the light, a bitter feeling in my chest despite the encroaching warmth. If I'm going to get another chance to do some shit, then I might as well take it, this is what, the third chance I think? All this feels as if it's a contrived way to make my mind more muddled, but it's not as if this place makes any sense to begin with. I close my eyes as the light finally arrives, borderline scorching my frail feeling body with its warmth as it washes over me, feeling returns to my limbs as I-
-take in a shuddering breath of air, a cold feeling returning and reinvigorating my limbs as my eyelids fly open, hunched over as I stare at the monstrous thing. It's once savage and proud grin reduced to one of an almost unbridled fury, a snarl coming from its lips as it pounces forth once more, its shadowy sword arm brought back into existence. My eyes widen as my feet remain rooted to the floor, refusing to budge despite the screaming of my muscles, the sound of my pounding heart filling my ears with the rush of blood as I hold my arms up in front of me, squeezing my eyes shut. Out of the shadowy pits and back into the blade of a beastly form of myself.
The squeezing of my eyelids softens as the sound of metal clashing against metal fills my ears, hesitating for a moment before opening them completely, a sense of confusing coming to the forefront of my mind as I look at my raised arm. My left hand grips at the reappeared blade, my right arm hanging limply by my side as I feel my teeth grit against itself, the feeling of a heavy strain placed onto my sword arm as I stare into the covered eyes of the monster.
I didn't do that. That's not me controlling my arm.
The monsters pushed away with a hefty shove, a shrill shriek coming from it as my arm darts forward with a quick slice to its chest, the edge of the blade glowing a bright gold as it carves itself through the pulsating darkness. Its shrieking continues as it fades into dark wisps, reappearing away from me, babbling and screaming an incomprehensible jumble of words. I purse my lips together and hold my blade up, the tip pointing to the grey sky as it glows gold once more before crouching, angling the tip of it towards its chest as I feel my eyes squint.
What the fuck? What's going on? Who the fuck dares try to control ME. The nerves in my brain pulses with an angry flare of pain, squeezing my eyes shut as I feel a hand press against my head, a screech echoing throughout my skull as I feel my body twist and twirl, opening my eyes to the spinning of the grey walls that surround me. The reverberation of my blade striking flesh is something I feel before I can see, my eyes catching up with the sight of a golden edge cutting through the monsters arm, a dark sludge spilling from the open wound as it slinks away, staining the ground beneath us and wriggling around like a snake. Its unrestrained vehemence is plain as day on its face despite its dark visage, its curled lips on the borderline of turning from furious to savage. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I shift slightly, the phantom feeling of my beating heart pounding in my chest. There's something inside me that's screaming, to the point it forces my ears to twitch despite the lack of control in my body. It's a trap, its a fucking trap, I know it!
Despite the internal screaming that occurs in my mind, my body still rushes into the beast, trodding over the squirming sludge that lays across the floor, its monstrous grin widening. A yelp of pain forces itself through my throat as the remains leaps and grips on my right leg, squeezing like a vice as a sharp feeling runs itself through my leg, dropping onto a knee with a whimper of pain. It pulses with my heartbeat and continues to jab into my leg, glancing down to it before looking back to the monster, a disgusting grin of victory appearing on its face as it shifts in front of me. It looks down with a mocking stare while it levels its blade to my chest, taking a small step back before driving it towards my chest, towards my heart.
My eyes widen and time seems to slow as I stare at the incoming blade, a black ichor smothering the tip of it that drips onto the stone below, flashes of memories flooding my mind. From the memories of my friends and the promise I made to Mabel, to the disgusting fight that pushed me into my mind to begin with. A bitter feeling stirs in my chest, a mix of disgruntled pride and stubbornness. I might be a fucking coward, a craven bastard who shat themselves at the threat of being eaten alive, but if I'm gonna die then I'll accept it in control of MY body. I'll die on MY two feet!
The concoction of emotions boils over and floods my veins with a determined fire that tears at my skull, my heart feels as if it's tearing at the seams of my body as I raise my arms up, forcing the overpowering energy to disperse around me. A high pitched cry spills out from the monster as it's blown away, a triumphant cheering pouring out of my throat as it tumbles across the floor, a gutteral angered growl as it shifts itself back onto its feet, still stumbling backwards. I grin as I stand onto my two feet, an energetic feeling washing away the once pained and lethargic weight that burdens my body, tilting my head back and looking down to the bastard. I dunno why the fuck I can feel like I can use magic now, and why the stabbing pain in my legs gone, but now we're fucking talking!
"I might be a coward for the most part, and this might just be a fleeting moment of the faux bravado that I seem to do, I don't feel too scared of you." I gloat to the monstrous thing as my grin widens. I stand still for a few moments, my grin waning quickly as I blink, did he uh, not hear me? No, I'm fairly sure I said that out loud, what the fuck? I tilt my head and stare into his face, a grimace clear on his face as it begins to heave, though it still holds its blade arm up.
...He's not looking at me, he's looking through me. I finally look down to myself, my eyes widening as I look though myself, as crystal clear as I was before, just outside of my mind instead. My gaping mouth opens and closes as I curl my fingers, oh my god, I'm a fucking ghost. A high pitched whine jolts me from my thoughts, twisting my neck to look behind me, and straight at myself.
My face is all sorts of fucked up, battered and bruised as I pant for air, though a faint smile still stains my lips as I look up. The smile widens as my eyes twinkle, my golden coloured eyes. A chill runs up my spine as I look down to myself, the gears in my head turning and processing this information. I uh, I guess that explains why I couldn't control myself. Man, I've kind of usurped Adrians job huh? I don't actually feel much beyond surprise really, I don't think that the realization of this hit me just yet. I shake my head clear of my thoughts and turn back to the monster, humming to myself as it growls, my ears twitching as I hear my body grunt. I wince lightly as the feeling of a phantom pain echoes through my leg while it twitches, I guess my body's standing back up then. The monsters growling turns into a feral sounding snarl as it dissipates into wisps of darkness, something that feels akin to a blizzards wind passing through my ethereal body, a grin still on my face despite the uncomfortable feeling. Oh man, this fuckers gonna get a rude surprise, fuck this guy.
I turn around as the monster begins to form itself once more, it looks like it's a lot more sluggish than it used to be as it raises its sword arm once more. Hah, maybe I was right about it having its limits, the longer the fights went on, the slower seems to become. A swirl of energy stirs in the core of my chest as I raise my arms, a flare of blue binding itself to my arms as I force it onto the monster, a strain on my chest and mind as I force the beast to hold still. It snarls and squirms in my grasp like a beast in a cage, a snide grin on my face as I glare at the back of its head, its mocking mimicry of myself seems a lot less terrifying now. I see my body stumble and close in on the frozen monster, its shriek of pain music to my ears as I see my blade driven through its dark chest. Its shrieking continues to echo in the alley way as it struggles in its magical chains, I'd feel sweat beading on my forehead if I had the capability to do it, pursing my lips together as my body continues to shank at its chest with wild abandon.
It's inhuman body continues to struggle, the once solid looking form of its body shifting and mutating like the monster it is, the battering of the energy in my body taking its toll as it fights. Jesus Christ, why the fuck won't you die dammit? An idea hatches in my mind as I see my body slow in its stabbing, I can hear the heaving for breath just under the screams of the beast, I still try to keep a solid hold on its squirming body as I float beside myself. I look over with a side eye, the golden eyes that's taking place of my usual blue ones look so tired, so drained, but I can still see the stoic determination at the forefront of its bright eyes. I wince as the strain in my core only swells with the distortion of the beast, nodding to my occupied body as I lay a hand on the hilt of the sword, passing through the physical hand itself. The blue and gold swirling magic mixes and combines with one another as we pull the blade back, the metal of the sword twisting and warping as we plunge it into the beasts chest. It stutters and chokes as a blinding light fills my vision, the only audible sounds being the dying cries of the beast along with the snapping of metal.
The bright light dies down eventually, as does the energy in my chest, heaving in gasps of dead air as I stare at the blank spot in front of us. There's naught more than the bubbling remains of darkness that stains at the rock beneath us, dissipating into shadowy wisps and disappearing. The sound of someone crumbling to the floor fills my ears, as does the gasping of air, looking down to myself. It looks up to me with a bright grin, golden eye twinkling with a strange happiness, a strange thankfulness.
I give it a nod before taking a seat in front of it, the remaining residue of energy burning lightly within my chest as I take in a deep breath. Fuck, that took quite a bit out of me, didn't it? I'm just glad it worked, I didn't think it'd take so many stabs to the chest, especially with how the orbs magic removed one of the monsters, before they formed anyways. A light cheer brings me out of my thoughts, a bright smile still stained on its face as it looks up to me. Huh? Oh, right, mind reading shit.
"So, can you guess that I probably have a lot of questions related to the whole… all of this really, mostly the possession thing, especially the possession thing." I rhetorically ask the current inhabitant of my body with a raised brow. It makes a worried chuckling motion with its shoulders, rubbing at the back of its neck awkwardly.
"I guess you still can't talk then?" I continue to pry at the being, its answer being a rapid nodding before standing onto its feet. I hover back into a standing position myself as it raises a hand to its throat, making a crossing motion with a finger. Hm, I guess it just doesn't know how to talk, not that it just lacked vocal cords. I hum to myself as it nods, a bright and oddly innocent looking smile on its face. Eaugh, it looks weird seeing that smile on my face, it doesn't fit. It makes a chuckling motion again, it's smile only widening, at least one of us finds this funny.
"So uh, how do we fix… this, I know I seem kind of calm at the moment with it and everything, but I'm almost entirely sure that the information still hasn't hit me properly just yet. I'd like my body back, please and thank you." I say with a huff as I cross my arms. Its smile turns to an abashed looking one, rubbing at the back of its neck before opening its arms out wide, making a hugging motion.
"I'm uh, meant to hug you? You're not trying to fuck with me are you?" I ask tentatively with a raised eyebrow, suspicion only rising as its chuckling motions return, nodding its head rapidly. I can't tell what type of 'yes' that means, but I guess I'll bite at least.
"I have so, so many fucking questions, do you think any of them's gonna be answered sometime soon? Cause holy fuck I wan't some god damn answers" I ask it again as I stand in front of it, rolling my eyes as its eyes dart away. Alright, I'll chalk that under 'maybe' I guess. I step forth and wrap my arms around my chest, an uncomfortable feeling stirring in my chest as feel arms wrap around my shoulders, a painful tugging feeling at the center of my chest, squeezing my eyes shut-
-before they shoot open again, a woozy feeling weighing on my mind as I groan, reaching up and gripping at my head as I stumble. I blink rapidly as I look around, taking in the stale air as I look down to my hands, clenching and unclenching them as I look down. I wince at the pain that jolts through my right hand as I do so though, the dried blood staining my hand visible underneath the torn leather glove, why'd my right side of my body get so fucked by this? This is bullshit, I'm miffed that it fucked with my cloak too, bastard of a monster. Chiming brings me out of my thoughts, looking up to the familiar sight of the golden orb darting in front of my vision, I let out a soft sigh as I look down to my leg, wincing at sight of it. I'll uh, I'll deal with that later, or just let the wound clog up naturally, that sounds like a good idea too, I'll just play it safe and pray I don't have to do any running.
"So little buddy, any idea where we're meant to g- oh." My question dies off mid sentence as I look around, although the dark flame wall's still raised and obstructing our path, the once dead end's now opened up into a ruined clearing. Well, it's the only way out of here I guess…
I sigh as the orb charges ahead into the clearing wincing with each step I take as I limp after it. I can already see all this 'excitement' catching up with me and kicking ass later on, I can already feel the exhaustion in my fucking bones.
…
I take in slow deep breaths as I trudge across the mossy stone walkway of what looks like a village center, remains of wooden stalls and wagons strewn throughout the area itself, a crumbling waterless fountain at the centerpiece of the area. I limp around it, my eyes squinting as I scrutinize the carvings in the stone, grunting as the pain in my leg flares up. A seething hiss shoves itself out through my teeth, gently seating myself down onto the overgrown stone, my hands rubbing at my abused leg, the still bloodied and wet feeling fur brushing against my hand between my torn seams of the ruined glove, a cold chill running up my spine as a stiff wind brushes around me. The orb chimes and hovers before my face, pressing its cold body against my nose for a brief moment before zipping over to my leg. At least this gives me some time to let it heal, even for a brief moment.
"Don't worry about that, I just need to rest for a bit, save the rest of your magic for when I actually need it." I hiss to the concerned looking orb, the thing jolting away from me soon after. I sigh to myself and rub at my face with my spare hand, tacking a soft 'please' at the end of my demand soon after. The pain in my leg dulls down eventually, my neck turning to face and reading the inscriptions, shaking my head to rid myself of the blur that creeps at the edges of my visions. Mn, maybe I'm a little bit more roughed up from that fight than I first thought,then again, these are really small carvings... Besides, there's nothing wrong with a little break to calm down, right? It'd give myself some time to recover after all, it'll be a short short one, I promise you that.
I reach up and grip my hands against the sturdier looking parts of the stone wall, the muscles in my arm burning as I force it to drag myself closer to the stone. I ignore the troubled sounding chiming of my friend as I hum, squinting my eyes to read at the depictions, brushing a thumb over some bits to wipe away at the grey dust that's built up from… some time of neglect I assume, everything else looks like a run down pile of garbage, minus the more war torn parts of course. My humming persists as I purse my lips together, the orb chiming once more as its bright light hovers above just behind my shoulder, I can feel the heat that it's giving off rather intimately, more so than normal anyways. Hey, I think I kind of know what this is, it's not exactly objects that's being pictured in this stone, but I know it's something I've seen before, but where? Oh, wait, these are words, aren't they? Son of a bitch.
"...I cant fucking read this." I finally say aloud with a blank tone, pushing out a disappointed hump as I slump against the wall, using it as an uncomfortable and hopefully short lived resting place. Of course it's something that I can't fucking read, that was a fucking waste of time. A confused sounding chime comes from my friend as it softly rests atop my injured leg, I can't tell if the golden wisps of its magic is actually helping me or if it's like, a placebo effect from being used to it doing that. Regardless, it's at least comforting in a way, I just hope that it's not wasting its strength any more than it needs to. I raise an eyebrow to it as it remains still on my leg, the mental image of a fox looking upwards with a puzzled expression flashes past my mind, squeezing my mind shut and shaking my head soon after. It's just your mind Zeke, it's just your mind, nothing more and nothing less, it's not actually her.
"What? Are you confused or something? This isn't in English, or human, however you wanna say it, so I can't read it." I explain in a huff, furrowing my brow as its light chiming flows through the air, the soft tinkling sound forcing my ears to twitch, its body jolting up and down rhythmically. Hah, you're laughing at me again, aren't you little buddy? Glad one of us finds this situation amusing. Its chiming dies down slowly, the orb floating up and brushing against my cheek with a warm feeling as I squirm a little, readjusting my back against the miniature stone wall, it's a pretty poor pillow to be honest, but I'll make due. The leathery padding of my cloak's at least intact, so it's somewhat cushioned despite the somewhat scuffed look of the rest of the coat. Thank god this is all just a dream, none of this should carry over into the real world. At least I hope not, who the fuck knows, I can't tell if this is real or a dream or a nightmare dammit.
"I kind of recognise some of these symbols though, I think this might be basitin writing, I don't suppose you can translate this shit right?" I ask the orb sarcastically, mumbling it in a low tone as I continue to shuffle around, just a few more moments here to sooth the pain, I promise I'll be up and moving soon. Its chiming response is low and dull, placing itself back onto my leg and turning silent afterwards, it almost sounds apologetic. I bite down the sour feeling that pushes itself through my throat, a bitter sounding 'tsk' being my only reply as I lay my head against the rock, looking out into the expanse of the grey and black sky. I continue to hum tunelessly as I brush my fingers against the glass body of the orb, caressing it idly. There's a ghastly but intriguing allure to the sky above, I'm used to the bright blue colour that seems to constantly permeate the sky in the real world, at least in the memories that I can recall. I can still remember how that looks at least, and putting it next to the down-trodden look of this place is… interesting, I suppose.
I think I'm just killing time to laze around at this point, just stirring in my own thoughts, angry at myself for freezing up like a deer in the headlights when I was pushed. I think it might be best to force myself forward to take my mind off of it, at least till I get to somewhere else, somewhere that hopefully has Adrian. Keep focused Zeke, that's why you're here, because you miss the voice in your head that constantly chews you out for existing. I'm not exactly sure what that says about me as a person where I consider that a friend, don't think I want to sit on that topic very long either.
I grunt as I force myself onto my two feet, a pained feeling flaring up and pulsating through my wounded leg, biting the inside of my cheek as I feel my leg tremble, choking down the whine that threatens to push itself out of my throat. My friends chiming pipes up with a renewed sense of worry, zipping from side to side as it nudges against my face.
"I'll be fine, little buddy." I say slowly through a shuddering sigh, gently pushing it away with a hand, wincing as I put more weight on the leg. Ah, fuck, that's gonna hurt for a bit, but I'll be fine so long as I don't have to do any more fighting, or running. I don't think I can last if it has to take control again, too. I limp away from the fountain, mumbling to myself as I try to smother the bitter feeling that builds in my chest, looking down to my sluggish legs as I mindlessly follow after my small friend. I didn't exactly like being controlled like that, in the end it's what had to be done so we both lived through my own mistake, but I hate it, such a fucking terrible feeling. Part of me feels like I've been yanked from the jaws of death through mere luck alone rather than me actually trying. I know I can fight to save my life, I've murdered to do it for fucks sake, loathe as I am to admit it. Why couldn't I face myself without outside interference, is it just because of this place alone?
The dull sound of my miniature friends chiming brings me out of my thoughts, looking over to it with a hum and a raised brow. It jolts and circles around my head briefly before dragging my sight around, craning my neck as I look upwards, an impossibly large building appearing in front of me. It looks like a town hall with how it's structured, though just… oddly oversized, in a way that seems to shift and mutate at the edges of my vision, what does this remind me of? What the fuck is this made of to begin with to do something like that, or is that just a trick of the mind? It doesn't like the last town hall I've been in from the outside, is it going to be as church-like as that, or is this meant to be something different? I don't even begin to recall that towns name, it feels like it's been an age since I've even thought of it, it wasn't Dartwood, right? I purse my lips together as I look over the lofty looking doors, the dark sturdy wood that it's made of seems surprisingly well maintained despite the overgrown look of the arch that encompasses it. Such a stark difference in quality… why is that? The little orb chimes once more as it hovers in front of the door, a light knocking noise echoing into the dusk as it bounces off of the wood with a light thunking.
"I assume you want me to get in there, right?" I ask the floating orb with a dry tone, the things cheery chiming is far from a surprise to me. I hum to myself as I step closer to the doors, the looming height of the thing seems to grow ever higher as I step face to face with it, a scratching feeling at the back of my mind. This thing… It's only really helped me so far, but it's shown that it can make me do things at the expense of its own power, what's to say that there isn't more subtle manipulation going on behind the scenes. It chimes once more and thuds against the door, I guess it really wants me to get inside then, huh?
A heavy sigh escapes my chest as I push myself onto the door, the creaking of its metal hinges screeches and scrapes uncomfortably against my ears, a lethargic feeling washing over my body as I stumble into the room, eyes rapidly blinking as I look around the hall with the little friend lighting the way. Wooden pews line the church looking hall from one end to the other, my claws clicking against the marble floor as I divert my gaze around the rest of this place, the dull coloured stained glass windows still twinkle in the grey moon lit rays, depictions of strange things laid out within them. The vast majority of these glass stained windows seem to be entirely artistic, grey coloured roses and crosses catch my eyes immediately, although there's other pieces of art that's held within their glass portraits.
From mosaics of masked beings clad in dark cloaks that seem to flitter within the twinkling, obscuring something they surround with an almost possessive need to protect from view to the fantastical look scaly dragons that's placed beside them, their white and grey draconic wings seem to beat up and down with deliberate and heavy force despite being simply pictures of glass, fire splayed from their gaping maws towards other obscured beings. I stagger and limp further into the hall, the vastness of the place seems ever growing. Another piece of art catches my eyes, an oddly regular piece planted within the glass, a soft faced human wearing a stark white robe that sparkles from the everlasting gloom, deep brown hair flowing from her scalp down her back and falling against a pair of pure white wings that sprout from her back.
I stare into the hollow eyes of the woman within the painting, the way she gazes down to me seems… odd, very odd, the unwavering stare of her seems to look through me. With how wild this place is, would a glass stained window like this have thoughts of its own? Does she look down to me with an uncaring stare, or with a sympathetic pittance? And what of the rest of this church looking place? While some panels seem to be nothing more than fancy window dressing, surely that the more detailed pieces have some sort of meaning, right? I think I remember what this thing's meant to be, that's an angel right? Does the image of angels exist on Mekkan, I can't imagine that they would, what's what the Masks are for after all.
Something inside's screaming at me the more I drift around this hall, an uncomfortable feeling stirring in my chest that my companion of light can do little do dull despite its attempts, the washing of its once comforting light feels like a shadow of what it once was. Jesus Christ, this nightmareish place is a drag on my god damn mind and body, fan-fucking-tastic.
"Hey, light buddy, I already told you to knock it off until I actually need a good jolt of that stuff. I'm just tired is all, it's not as if I'm gonna be rendered immovable from walking around, a scratch isn't gonna stop me from doing that." I remind the glowing orb in a croaky tone, staring at it as it hovers in front of me. It's chiming brushes over my ears as it hangs low, an almost dejected feeling coming from the surprisingly expressive orb. I bite the inside of my cheek as I rub at my face with a hand, gently brushing at the glass feeling of its body with the other.
"Ah, I don't mean to actually make you upset little buddy. I really am tired of everything from this pile of garbage place in general, not solely you. You're the reason I'm still standing after all, this place is sapping at my patience and energy." I continue to brush at the orb as I comfort it, a soft chirping noise flowing from it as a small smile graces my lips, forcing myself to tear my gaze away from it to examine the rest of this hall. Why does all this seem so familiar? Is this meant to be some sort of amalgamation of whatever I can and can't remember? It'd explain the strange melancholic feeling that weighs on my shoulders as I walk around here, but I can't imagine that'd answer everything, right? Tsk, fuck this place, bloody nightmare…
The chiming of my miniature friend brings myself back to attention, shaking away the hazy fog that presses against my mind as it flutters in front of me, the orb nudging against my cheek for a brief moment before pulling away again. My eyelids feel heavy as I rub at my face with a palm, the other resting upon the hilt of the shattered blade in an effort for comfort. I just wanted to drag Adrian out of here, and yet…
I sigh and fall limply onto a wooden pew, the wood feeling odd beneath me as I continue to rub at my face, leaning against the stiff back of it. The golden orbs chiming echoes throughout the hall as I throw my head back and stare into the ever expanding ceiling, the golden light of my companion hovering above me as I clear my throat.
"Do you think you can lead the way for a while longer? I know that's how this started, but I feel like this places been draining at me, numbing my fucking senses for a long while, and if I'm gonna be honest, I… I dunno what we're actually doing here to be honest, I have no idea what's going on, I have no idea what any of this shit is beyond face value. I just wanted to get Adrian and get out, but what about you? Are you going to be okay at the end of this little adventure? Is there anyone else that 'lives' here? And there's the whole, you know, weird almost possession thing, I was actually kind of worried that was what Adrian was gonna try to do funnily enough, eheh.." Despite my attempts to keep my throat clear, I can feel it clog up as I finish my rambling questioning, the edges of my sight watering as I sniffle and rub at the back of my neck, a familiar feeling of an overpowering concern stirring in my chest. The orb chimes sadly as it rests atop the edge of my nose, I feel my eyes turn cross eyed as I try to look at it. The golden wisps doesn't seem to do anything now, another sigh escaping my lips as I turn my eyes to face the window once more, the grey and white angel looking down on me.
So much of this place makes fuck all sense and I hate it, but this little orb here, there's an intelligence behind it's actions that makes me think that it's more than merely a memory, but I can't exactly prove such a theory, especially not at the moment. It's constant gold coloured hue and magical strain seems… somewhat intentional in a way, not exactly a malicious ruse by any means, but I can't imagine it's just a coincidence. I don't know much about magic, let alone magic in this place, but my own magic's just a pure blue in my eyes. Perhaps I could ask Lucy about it when I wake up? If she has the stomach to face me, anyways. Pfah, listen to me, rambling on and on about this again, I suppose there's not much to do when I'm just trying to catch my breath, and catch up on my thoughts. The golden orb that occupies my mind brings me out of it with another chiming noise, my ears twitching as it travels down my ear with an almost ringing. I'd like to imagine that it wouldn't take too much offence to a simple question, right? It might be a bit sensitive, but...
"..Who are you, little buddy? Why do you remind me of Mabel? She can't be here, so why do you mimic her? You aren't trying to pull anything out from under me, are you?" I question the orb with a wooden tone, looking at its glass body once more. It doesn't answer, it can't answer anyways, its fucking glowing orb, why'd I expect it to grow a mouth to speak to me? I let out a pessimistic 'tsk' as I rest a hand over my eyes, squeezing them shut as I sigh again. Fuck, this place must be grinding on my gears then, I'm not normally that cynical right? Maybe a little bit dark sometimes, but this much has to be a bit more abnormal, right? The chiming of my little friend brings me back to my senses once again, rubbing at my closed eyes before opening them once more, pushing myself to my feet, my bones cracking and shifting as I twist my body. Maybe this place is just getting to me, and I need to put a bit more trust into it. This little buddys has done nothing more than help me since I've forced myself into this place, sure it's surrounded with shit I don't understand and it has the mask of her, but… am I just being paranoid again? I sure hope so, it's not like I know anything that's going on here god dammit. I'm rambling again, it's probably for the best if I just try to keep moving despite my hesitation, I'm sure putting more borderline blind faith into this mess isn't gonna be a horrible idea.
"Alright, I think I've gotten enough rest for now, you wanna take the lead little buddy?" I pipe up as I brush myself down, twisting to face the floating orb. Its chiming sounds tentative yet deliberate, hovering around my face and brushing against it. My lips curl up into a small smile as I pat at the glass body once again. You can listen to my thoughts, right little buddy? I'll be fine, I won't make a promise that I don't think I can keep, but I'll do my best for you. My smile widens as the orbs chiming echoes once more, both in my mind and throughout the hall, brushing past me and circling around my head, the golden dusting of its magic falling upon my body. I let out a relieved sigh and a snicker, continuing to loosen up my joints and limbs with another stretch. The magic feels like another nice little jolt of energy that pulses through my veins, not nearly as overpowering in its invigoration as it once was, it's effects diminished through the constant suppression of this place and overuse. I did say to save that till I really needed it, I think I've said it twice, but I guess I don't have room to complain about it right now.
The chiming of the orb sounds like a dainty little giggle as it floats away from me, down the hollow sounding hall, my claws continuing to clack against the marble as I follow after it. I look upwards and into the ceiling once again, eyes squinting as I look into the darkness, an odd flickering seems to be stirring within its seemingly never ending void. I tear my eyes from the view and continue to stumble after the orb, I'm not gonna be looking into that mess, lest I lose track of time again, not to count myself. The altar area that rests at the end of the hall seems very familiar, what looks like a large piano built into the chapel section of the hall. A faint memory brushes past my mind, wait, I know what that is! That's a fucking organ, I've seen it before! It was in that memory where-
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, my heart beating faster as I limp faster after the floating orb, guiding me along the side of the chapel. There's no fucking way I'll actually meet her here, right? She wouldn't exist in this place, at least not as a human. And yet, why does my thundering heart beat like a jackhammer at the possibility? Who is she, was she important to me? She seems far from a kind person, from word of mouth and from my memory of her, but a part of me feels like it's longing to meet her. I gulp as I stand in front of the door, rubbing at my forehead with a hand, the phantom feeling of me bashing it against that mans skull flashes in my mind. I really hope that man was okay, whoever it may be. I take in a deep breath and reach for the door handle, tentatively pushing it open
The door opens with a squeak, the rapid beating of my heart only intensifying as I step into the room, the light orb zipping past my shoulder and continuing to guide my way as I shut the door behind me with a click. Bookshelves line the walls, scrolls and work books tossed and strewn across the wooden floor, my claws clicking against it as I limp through it all. I can feel my heartbeat in my ears as I approach the desk, the golden orb taking its place on my shoulder as I look around, hesitantly taking a seat. It feels weird to be here, taking a seat in a relatively normal looking office with what I've been through today, it feels off. I bite at the inside of my cheek as the room seems to shift around, always changing at the edge of my vision. I gulp as a seat appears on the opposite side of the desk. An unfamiliar lady appears in front of me as my heart sinks, clad in a pure black robe that loosely hangs on her body, a dull looking gold trim lines the cuffs and collar of it. She rests her chin on top of her hands with a blank expression on her face, her light brown hair's done up in a long ponytail, her skin marred with ink plots and other grime on her unkempt face. She looks like the studious type of person, I can imagine her small nose buried deep into a book as she scribbles away at her notes for whatever reason.
"Don't look so disappointed." Her blank sounding voice matches her equally blank expression, bringing me out of my thoughts. I grin shyly and rub at the back of my neck, though I don't respond to her verbally. I really thought it was gonna be her here, or maybe a part of me hoped for it? I'm not sure.
"I'm sure you've plenty of questions about this place, don't you?" She asks this time, her voice as blank as before, lifeless blue eyes staring into mine. I slowly nod, tapping my fingers against my thighs. Something seems off about this lady, I've seen some expressionless people before, but she takes this to a different level. It's off putting to say the least.
"You ought to get comfortable then, this is going to be a long night."
Authors note: This chapter may have some details re-edited some time later for clarity reasons, this shit is long as hell and I'm a little bit tired at the time of writing this. If a reader sees an issue within this chapter, do send a pm if you've the time to, it'd help.