The Portal

by Charles Sterling

  “What?” said Nero.

  “I don’t want to say it.”

  “Say it.”

  “Idolizing him.”

  Doug had a chuckle.

  “Why?” Nero narrowed his eyes.

  “Imagine a guy like him walking through the normal American streets. Every girl would want him, and he’d probably drive a classic Ferrari or something.”

  “So you’re idolizing his style?”

  “He said something to me once, and it inspired me. I can’t say I’m idolizing him after getting a knife run through my back though.”

  “Right,” Nero nodded. He was clearly out of mood right now. We heard a little static from behind the tree as Violet emerged.

  “Are we ready? Did you find Wilmort?”

  “No, we were waiting for you,” I replied.

  “You could have found him while waiting for me, don’t you think?” she said.

  “That’s a very Violet thing to say,” I said. “Shall I put on a Regal act?” I faked a British accent, “Ah, you chaps did not find Wilmort in my absence, no matter! We shall find him right now then. Jolly on!”

  We took flight, but stayed rather low. The mist was still thick, and the rain was still gently pouring. They were following my lead, since I knew the general direction he was going.

  “He said something about a city,” I said. Nero jetted forward with an impact. He flew back to us moments later.

  “There is no city.”

  “Just another lie then,” I said.

  “But there’s a cabin in the forest, might be worth taking a look.”

  We followed Nero towards the cabin. There was a wide open area with no trees, just patches of grass and pressed down earth. On the side of the open area was a single small wooden cabin. It looked like walking here would have been inconvenient due to the strange terrain and closed off trees. It almost looked manmade, the way the place was blocked off.

  We landed in the center, and walked towards the cabin. Wilmort was sitting on the porch, smoking a pipe.

  “So you smoke too?” said Nero. “How many more secrets do you have from us?”

  “Nero, shh,” said Violet.

  Wilmort blew out some smoke, and remained comfortably seated.

  “I thought I killed you,” said Wilmort. “So you can fly, and you’re immortal?”

  “The pendant, Wilmort,” said Douglas.

  “His name is Reed,” I said. “Reed Faust.”

  “Reed Faust?” said Violet.

  “Sounds evil, doesn’t it?”

  “So there really is two of him, huh?” said Doug.

  “Well if you want the pendant,” Reed placed his pipe down, and stood up. He walked towards us calmly. “You can have it.”

  He pulled it out from his pocket, and handed it over. Nero snatched it from him roughly.

  “Is this it?” he confirmed with me. I looked at the shining incredible galaxy stone in the center.

  “Yes, this is it.”

  “What lengths men would go for, for such small things. Myself included, of course,” Reed smiled eerily.

  “Well let’s not mess with anything else,” said Nero. “Let’s go back.”

  Nero began moving his palm in circles to create a portal, and got shot in the face, blood splashing towards Doug and I as he fell to the floor.

  Reed Faust darted back, but it wasn’t him who fired.

  “NERO!” I yelled out.

  “Get down!” Doug pushed me to the ground. He had his rifle out, aiming for the forest. He took a few shots, but couldn’t see anything. Another gunshot ended Doug’s life, half of his face bursting into bits and onto the wet ground.

  Violet screamed his name. I got up and grabbed Violet by the shoulders. Out from behind the tight trees, came our very own, Wilmort Strayer.

  “Calm now, both of you. Be very, very calm.”

  “Wilmort…!!” I called out his name in rage. He had a long and classy pistol pointed at us. I wouldn’t be able to do anything fast enough to get him first. “WHY?! YOU KILLED NERO AND DOUG…” I was about to dart at him with all the built up rage. Violet was holding her face and crying. I conjured up lightning in my hand. The air became static and vibrant, it was loud and bright, and violent and threatening and it was about to kill the piece of crap back stabbing scum named Wilmort.

  Wilmort shot me in the stomach. All the lightning stopped abruptly, and I got down on my knees. My body was shaking, and my vision was getting darker. I coughed and choked from the pain. Wilmort walked right past us, towards Nero’s dead body, grabbing the pendant from his hand.

  “As I just said,” said Reed Faust, “what lengths men would go for, for such small things.”

  “I think it is best you head inside, Reed,” said Wilmort.

  “I wouldn’t defy my own voice then, you have fun,” he turned jovially and headed back towards the cabin.

  I was holding my stomach, my hands completely covered in my own blood. I wanted to turn back to look at Doug and Nero, but couldn’t move. I could only hear two things. The rain, and Violet’s heavy sobs.

  I painfully moved my head up to look up at him. His gun was pointed at my head.

  “Now that I have all five items, I have no use for you anymore.” This was the first time I saw him without a smile, and a true serious face.

  “Why…?” I said in a shaky voice.

  “Because it is men like you that make me sick,” said Wilmort. “You like writing stories of struggles, don’t you? DON’T YOU?!” He yelled at me. “You like killing people for the sake of the plot, don’t you? You know how it feels?” he pointed the gun at Violet’s head and shot her dead. “THAT’S HOW IT FEELS.”

  “VIOLET!!” I fell over. It hurt so badly, physically, mentally, and everything. “Wilmort…” I mumbled. “I swear I’m going to kill you… I’m going to kill you so bad.”

  “Too late, Raymond. I’m shutting off your portals, and I’m destroying the engine. Have a nice life.” He pointed the gun at my head, and pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 18

  I appeared in my living room, my face pressed against the carpet, my head ringing really, really badly, and streams of tears puddling beneath my cheek.

  I couldn’t move, and nor did I want to. He killed them.

  He killed them.

  He killed them.

  There were strange lights and buzzing sounds around my conscience. Everything was vibrant and ringing, as if getting struck by lightning.

  He killed them.

  The sounds and memories of them began playing over and over again.

  What will become of Regal? …

  He killed them.

  I can’t enter the portal anymore? He’ll kill those worlds? I won’t be able to see Cyl?

  He killed them.

  The lump in my throat began hurting. An hour passed. An hour filled with jovial memories of training, and discussing, and fighting. I regretted not asking them enough questions, not finding out more about their stories. I didn’t care if they weren’t real… they were real to me, they were more real than so many real people out there.

  Another hour passed. An hour filled with hatred and disgust. The sounds of gunshots and Violet’s cries tormented me. I hated him. I hated his guts. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands till his blood gushes out from his pores and then burn his body and use the remains as target practice.

  He killed them.

  Another hour passed. An hour filled with remorse and stupidity. It was my fault. It was my fault. I messed up. I should have known better. I’m sorry.

  I got up another hour later, only to sob quietly on the kitchen counter.

  There were broken cups and plates all around me. The couch was flipped over, and the table was on the other end of the room against the wall.

  He killed… them…

  If life didn’t feel meaningless before, guess how it feels now? And the worst part of it was, I couldn’t do anything about it, could I? Could I…? I went over t
o the remote.

  Seven, seven, eight, five.

  It went to channel eighty five, and nothing happened. I dropped the remote. This was it.

  Heh… This was it.

  This was how it ends. With defeat. A very gruesome, terrible, defeat.

  My phone rang.

  The hell did I care?

  I sat down in the corner of my room. I needed to swim in this pitiful hatred a lot longer before I became functional again.

  The phone rang again.

  He killed them…

  The phone rang again.

  The phone rang again.

  And again. I was about to get up and throw the phone against the wall.

  It was an unknown number.

  “Hello?” I said, my voice dry and dead.

  “Raymond?” it was Violet’s voice.

  “Huh…” I closed my mouth. “Violet?”

  “Raymond, listen! I need to see you. I’m in New York with Nero, give me your address, right now.”

  “You’re not real…” I said.

  “Raymond!”

  “Violet is dead…”

  I heard a rumble through the phone.

  “Raymond!” said Nero. “You piece of crap, get yourself together. Violet had a plan! She hid the stopwatch, and she told Regal about everything. We need to see you right now!”

  I dropped my phone and held back the loudest cry in the world.

  “Raymond?” I heard his voice through the phone.

  “My address is…”

  “We’ll see you soon. It’s a three to four hour drive from New York to D.C. Wait for us, don’t do anything reckless.” He hung up.

  Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick…………………

  Oh my god, please don’t let that be an illusion. Holy crap I can’t take these emotions right now.

  I needed a coffee real bad. I moved my hands around to conjure myself up a cup, but obviously nothing happened. I shook my head and went over to the kitchen to get myself a real coffee this time.

  Cleaning took thirty minutes, no more. Everything was spotless, and all the glass was in the bin.

  I opened up my laptop, and typed in, “Reed Faust.”

  Freaking bingo. From the movie ‘Two Names’, came out about twenty years ago.

  I got my streaming service online, and put it on to watch the whole two hour movie while they got here.

  The opening cinematic started. I didn’t get any popcorn or drinks for it, I just had to see who exactly we were dealing with, and why he was so omnipotent.

  There were characters running around a village area, a bunch of kingdoms with petty politics and not much else of interest visually. The main hero, Sam, seemed to be a man from one of the larger kingdoms who was in love with a woman of nobility. All seemed to be going well with them and his charm progressed their timid relationship. One day, the King calls out an order to remove all village-men from the Kingdom, Sam included. He was cast out with the masses, and the villages became overcrowded and unmanageable.

  Lots of people fought, and many people died over resources or petty things. Women were being discriminated against and children neglected. Fake rumors began to spread for the sake of killing off the unwanted in violent assaults, whether at home or on the streets.

  Reed Faust was a man from the village, but was none-the-less an outstanding philosopher and scientist. He often mixed the two together in his literature and his work allowed him to live in the Kingdom, until the King’s order came to, and a rat snitched him out, forcing him into a miserable life within the villages.

  Him and his family would not stand this life, and would not feign being poor for the sake of safety. They would dress as fashionably as they had to to upkeep their noble appearance, despite originally being from a poor village. They made a little house not far from a fenced off village where they could live without the perils of people’s madness.

  Meanwhile, Sam’s only wish was to reunite with his lover in the Kingdom. He worked day and night on a plan to re-enter it and start his life anew, pretending to be a high class young gentleman. His efforts were met with sabotage by the villagers.

  Reed had to travel to the fenced village every now and then for food and supplies, and on an unfortunate day he was followed back to his house in the forest. The snitch cast rumors about them – pretentious nobility, the wife, a witch, and the two children, messengers of the devil. Their existence in their comfortable solitude was mockery to those who struggled.

  Reed was unable to defend his family. His wife burned, and his children fed to wolves. He was left alive to forever reminisce of his guilt of wanting the best.

  Sam broke through one day, and with the help of some devoted villagers, he snuck into the Kingdom and reunited with his lover. The Kingdom was much well off without the indecency of those who were no longer here. The King was proud of his decision.

  Reed was overcome with madness. His madness was great, and his thirst for blood even greater. He sought for help where armies dared not go. The dreaded mountain upon which a witch lay dormant for hundreds of years. To summon the witch, a mere spillage of blood upon the altar was needed, and to the witch your soul would go.

  She came about, covered in a white veil that blocked her entire appearance, asking Reed what was it that he wanted most in exchange to for his soul?

  Reed surprised himself with his answer, for at that moment he asked the witch, that it was not vengeance or blood that he wanted, but he wanted the truth. The truth of why the King made such an order, why the village people were so cruel, and why his family had to die such a gruesome death.

  The witch gave him the truth, just as he asked.

  “You are part of a story meant to show that arrogance is evil, and love prevails in the end. Your family is fated to die over and over again, and your memories reset every time you lose, only start anew and lose again. Our chronicle is a small nick, part of a bigger universe that not all have the power to comprehend.”

  Reed was overwhelmed.

  “Who is to blame?” he asked.

  “For your story, Jason Danielson, author of Two Names.”

  The witch bestowed a favor upon him. Every time Reed’s story would reset, he was fated to come to her without having remembered anything. She would give him his memories back each time – after every single infinite loop, so that he may slowly grow out of the story.

  Thus began Reed’s hatred not for the villagers, but for us, humans who crafted Reed’s story to be tragic.

  Reed wanted to take vengeance on the creators, but he could not, for his soul was tied to a witch and his story was set to endlessly repeat itself.

  In the meanwhile, he has done something no one has ever done before in any story, ever. He manipulated Light.

  He spent his months learning to control it, learning to create it, and learning to use it violently. Every time the story would end, he would lose his control over Light, but every time the witch gave him back his memories, he would become more powerful. His story was set to loop endlessly, but he grew stronger with every loop as his understanding of the Light began piling up.

  He went back to the witch after he became all powerful, and asked if he may know how his double was doing, for he could not know himself. Was there truly any progression towards being free?

  “You will see your reflection soon,” said the witch. “A man named Raymond Smith will come upon you. Kill him, and bring what he bears to me.”

  I covered my mouth when the witch said my name, and continued watching attentively.

  Sam had successfully married the woman of his dreams after much political struggle. He was found out to be a village man, and yet won the hearts of the people of the Kingdom with a powerful speech. In the background, Reed went over to the village that made his life the tragedy that it was. He visited a tailor, and asked that he make the most wonderful suit for him.

  Upon wearing the suit, he mercilessly killed the tailor. Then he went out, killed the drinking man, killed the blac
ksmith, killed the two children, killed the horse, killed the woman, killed the man, killed the other man, killed the next man, killed the next man, killed the next woman, killed the waitress, killed the family, killed the farmers, killed their animals, and killed everyone. The fences were locked by him earlier, they could not escape. Every single person and living creature within those walls was murdered. Roars of a will to fight quickly turned to screams and pleas of surrender.

  He slowly exited the village, and made his way back to his little house. On the way there, he heard a name being called.

  “Wilmort! Wilmort!” it was my voice.

  The rest played out exactly as I remembered it, with a knife in my back and him taking the trinket away. The story continued later, as Violet, Nero and Douglas were with me, confronting him by his house. He gave the trinket back, and I began weeping tears as Wilmort killed us off with gunshots from the forest. That was not a scene that I wanted to re-watch.

  I noticed something peculiar – I did not see it before as my back was turned towards Nero when this happened. In several seconds, Nero’s dead body disintegrated into pure Light and faded into the air. Later when he killed Violet and myself, the same thing happened to us – but not to Doug. Doug was dead.

  Reed came out after it was done and talked to Wilmort briefly.

  “The mission going well then?” said Reed.

  “The mission is quite over,” said Wilmort. “Expect our family to die no longer.”

  Wilmort teleported out, and the movie continued.

  Reed had gone on a slaughter fest in the Kingdom and killed everyone, except two people. Sam and his lover – for love would always prevail in the end. That was the rule of this world. The movie ended abruptly and indecisively. My intervention in that movie messed up a lot of things for the story.

  I sat upon my couch contemplating everything. Wilmort was incredibly motivated, and incredibly malevolent, that much was clear.

  My train of thought broke dozens of minutes later with heavy knocks on my door.

  I immediately opened it. By the gods, it was truly Violet and Nero. I leaped at them both and embraced them tightly. They were kind enough to give me a moment.

  “So this is your house?” Violet looked around.