Additionally, his eyes picked up on a dark mass that was looming in the distance, covering the land like some kind of disease. Joyce noticed his curious expression and seemed disappointed.
“Your curiosity is quite something as well. You're wondering what that darkness over there is?” the young man nodded in response.
“It's something that awaits all of us, but nothing humans can bear to look or fight against. Though I hope I'm mistaken. and it's not just a matter for us, but for mankind as well.”
“Does that mean we all are a part of something bigger?”
“I wish I had the answer to that, my child. The only thing I can say for certain is the following: It is how you act in the face of never-ending despair that forms us into the person we will become.” Gwyn's eyes dilated as if he had an epiphany. Something that finally seemed to make sense in his head.
“'The only one who can save me, is me', huh?” it sprouted forth from him with a big grin. “How wonderfully cliché. Tyr would've been on the brink of tears already.”
Right as he ended his sentence, a gigantic bubble encompassed his body, and like so many times before, he didn't know what was about to happen next.
Joyce, who was just standing beside him, disappeared before his eyes. The bubble began to fill itself with water. All his attempts at escape were futile, the world around him became distorted, and the water rose, and rose. As it was about to reach his neck, Gwyn ready to hold his breath, his vision blackened. His consciousness faded, the dark welcomed him with open arms, and the force of the river took its course.
Like the sound of a deep bang of a drum, Gwyn woke up in yet another unfamiliar place. He felt as if his body had been sucked through a tiny hole, crumpled up and wrung dry. Reassembled in a strange place, piece by piece.
“Ugh. What is happening? Have I not been through enough weird shit already?” hazy sight and a feeling of lightheadedness overcame him as he stumbled forward.
“Where am I now?” he asked himself while blinking many times, trying to adjust his eyesight, yet all he could make out were blurry blocks of gray and a slight touch of green. Everything felt dull and lifeless, unlike the places he had visited before, no mysterious or unknown aura surrounded him. He swept his hand across his face and tried to motivate himself. “It is not my time to give up yet.”
He realized a piece of paper underneath his shoe as he went along. Quickly he picked up the torn apart piece and read the words written upon it.
Holding it as close to his face as possible he couldn't believe it himself.
“Apocalyptic scenery – When will the chaos end?” he read aloud.
“Is this some kind of newspaper?” he said and went from one article to the next
“L-local hero Dominik R. (25) rescued seven orphans from a burning house before being buried alive by the collapsing building,” he went along, and all stories had a familiar pattern to them.
“What is this? Some kind of tragedy fetish? What does the date say?!” panicking, he turned the pages multiple times, but the pages were either unreadable or already decayed. “What the hell is happening here?!”
Slowly he had thought of a theory, thinking his brain had finally given up and he totally went insane. The words became stuck in his throat as he got a clear look at the scenery surrounding him. It was as if he had finally returned to his world, but everything was reduced to ruins. Not a single soul remained. The once proud and menacingly looking skyscrapers had become empty, gray shells. Half of them had sunk into the ocean that flowed through the ruptured pavements and disfigured geography. Rusted cars covered in moss, paired with military vehicles were decorating the destroyed city. Wild grass and plants had covered the surface, and the sky was covered in dark clouds, not letting through a single ray of light.
After restless wandering around, Gwyn had no clue where he ended up exactly. Abandoned buildings and bleak scenery with no human soul in sight awaited him. He almost wished to beg to return to the subconsciousness as he felt fear slowly taking over his body. Everything felt like a surreal dream.
“W-wait a moment, what is that?!” He noticed something in the distance what looked like a person that sat upon a worn down piece of a giant wall. He ran as fast as he could through the rubble and shouted at the figure. “H-hey!”
Without a plan and only a few breaths left in his lung, he raced towards the person. The black figure didn't acknowledge him upon his arrival, while Gwyn could only see the figure covered in a black coat from behind.
“HEY!” he repeated shortly after getting closer to the piece of the wall. “Can you help me out? I don't really know where we are, and I think I'm lost, and honestly scared like hell. Where are we?! What happened? Where are all the people?”
“Nyahahaha,” the figure started to laugh hysterically.
“What's there to laugh about?” protested Gwyn while a short glimpse at the person shook him to his core with fear. Roots of white hair were caressing the black hood of the coat. Just as he was about to speak again, he was interrupted by four shadows closing in on him from left and right, getting near the mysterious figure. White, empty eyes were staring menacingly at him, while Gwyn couldn't even recognize their appearance. All he could see were black, transparent bodies with claws, looking like a distorted image of a TV-screen. He rubbed his eyes many times over, but the distortion wouldn't go away.
With a calm and precise voice, the person, comfortably sitting on the wall, tumbling with his legs, spoke to him. “So you cannot see them? What a shame. I looked forward to this moment, seeing you managed to arrive here.”
Gwyn clenched his fists trying to not lose his mind while confronting the person.
“D-do we know each other?! I haven't had positive experiences with white-haired maniacs.”
“Nyhaha, I know. I have watched you struggle quite a bite,” the figure giggled full of joy.
“E-excuse me?!”
“Don't let your courage escape you, human. You're an important piece of the puzzle,” the sinister grin that followed was instantly recognizable for Gwyn who had seen a similar grin many times over. “You will notice that soon for yourself. I'm quite eager to see what will happen next.”
“I have no freakin' idea what you're talking about, and I don't really care at this point. I'm here for myself. There is no higher meaning or greater cause. I just want to be me.”
The beasts were growling at him and clawing themselves into the concrete while they mustered him.
“Isn't that the wonderful part about it, little human? But you're right. We shouldn't talk this much. You still have quite a lot ahead of you, Gwyn,” he was met with a jubilant voice.
Directly afterward he heard a loud snap of his fingers and out of nowhere the beasts and everything around him began to distort even more. Before he could even react, it all had disappeared, and the mysterious figure was the only one left in the ruins. With a soft sigh, the person swept through his white hair and spoke to the gray sky that was drearily guarding this world.
“I really would've liked to encourage him some more. I like him.”
A second voice echoed through the gates of the skies, answering the figure.
“It is not your task to intervene this directly into their lives. They have a lot left to learn.”
“I know, I know. But aren't all of them my children?”
The sky began to darken even further, and a loud roll of thunder could be heard.
“I hope you don't plan to betray us, after all? This would mean your end.”
“My end, huh?” The figure looked down at the silent sea that had buried most of the cold concrete. “Don't fret. Even I agree that mankind has to find its own way.”
“We will advise you to follow that ideal,” the voice demanded. “Betrayal will not be tolerated.”
Slowly the figure stood up and dusted his coat off. Resting their hands on their hips, throwing a hopeful gaze upwards.
“Calm down, humanity doesn't need me as much as they
always think they do. Don't you feel the fresh wind of change that is about to hit us?”
“You don't really believe that a handful of humans could change something? After all this time, you're still nothing but a fool.”
The figure on top of the rubble began to laugh
“I think you underestimate humans a little bit too much, but you're not completely wrong. A handful won't make it. They all have to evolve in order to survive. But a handful is enough to get the ball rolling.” It stopped for a moment and the four, covered in shadows companions to his side, were silently admiring his words.
“Those three are only the beginning of a new wave that will turn all of it upside down. I'm sure of it. Insanity, Disappointment, and Guilt. All of them follow their own goal, opening the gates for a new era of mankind. Have you never thought what that would be like?”
“Don't ask irrelevant questions,” the voice lectured him from above.
“You would be well advised to remember our warning. This world exists since ancient times thanks to our order. If it falls, all of us will fall with it. It is your place to keep reminding them that they are at the end of that chain. Should you fail at this task, you will be replaced immediately.” With these last words the voice vanished from the skies and left the figure to his companions.
The mysterious stranger closed his eyes and a smile began to appear on his lips. He whispered something to himself. Something that traveled through the air to the open, distant sea, finding its way through the destroyed lands.
“Mankind will always be met by newer and even harder challenges. I'm excited to see how far they can go in their endless efforts and naivety. The subconsciousness will remain a constant obstacle for them to overcome, and only a few will survive it, but I will be damned if I don't anticipate the grand finale.” Just as he finished his words, his attention got caught by three albatross flying over the debris and ashes of the once proud civilization. Their white wings extended over the unknown wide ocean in search of a new horizon.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the river Ascendere, Leandro and Destare had met with Delirias. All of them arrived safely, with Gwyn being the only one missing. Impatiently Leandro rushed to Delirias and grabbed him by his collar.
“What have you done to him?!” he burst forth.
“Nothing more than usual, kiddo. I wonder where he went myself,” the aspect answered with his usual grin.
Leandro was distracted for a moment by his rage before he noticed that white-haired aspect wasn't playing along out of fear, but because he enjoyed the escalation. His sinister looking pupils dilated and were pulsating with excitement.
“Ugh! Disgusting freak,” moaned Leandro and pushed himself from the aspect whose green eyes were staring at him like a snake ready to devour his prey.
“Why so bitchy? It was just about to get good.”
“If you have done anything to Gwyn, then…” he answered full of anger.
“Enough! This is not the time and place,” Destare intervened.
“What then? Will you give me a reason to tear you to shreds?” Delirias responded, and a strong aura came from him, which was unsettling to the both of them. It was like something upset him, something he had not under his control, and now he was lashing out.
“For that to happen you'll have to go past me,” Destare went past Leandro and stood between the two, ready to take Delirias on.
The white-haired aspect began to laugh. “Is that really such a bright idea, Destare?”
“Whenever Leandro is in danger, I will be there to protect him.” He extended his metal fist into Delirias’ direction.
Without notice, something shot out of the river behind them, and giant fountains were coming forth.
“Fufu, speak of the devil,” Delirias giggled.
Like a cannonball, Gwyn was shot from the large body of water and landed ungently on the ground before the group. As if he was a newborn, he whimpered before them in dizziness.
“Gwyn!” shouted Leandro and stormed towards him as the others followed.
“O-ouch. W-what was that? My head feels like it has been squashed,” he moaned and held his head while standing up. “And why is it so bright here?!” Gwyn didn't know what was happening to him. Leandro hugged his friend with a slight jump and explained the situation to him. He was the last one to arrive on this side.
“So we really did make it?” he asked shortly.
“Looks like it,” answered Delirias who pointed forward. The young man couldn't believe it at first since it already felt like a small eternity ever since he arrived in the subconsciousness.
They had indeed traveled to the other side of the river, and it was like they were transported to a strange world all over again. Two suns were shining down on their heads, filling the layers of the landscape with a touch of warm brightness, the kind they had been mostly missing on the other side.
“It's much more pleasant to the skin and much warmer here, not that it wasn't good on our side,” Gwyn was already stuck in his head, comparing the two sides.
“I like the sun much more, too,” Leandro chimed in. “Though this side doesn't look more pleasant than the last one, right?” he asked Gwyn, making him take a good look around.
Despite the bright suns, it didn't look all that inviting. Before them spread an empty scenery with the ground looking like it had been scorched. Giant spikes made out of stone loomed aloft like stalagmites, with sharp edges more akin to the teeth of an enormous beast, as they moved on.
“Guys, stay together,” Leandro yelled who raced over the rocks, making the rest pick up the pace.
“Is this really the side of the heavenly virtues?” Gwyn asked himself.
“Maybe these are the footprints of Despair? Didn't he flee to this side?” answered Destare.
Gwyn was thinking the same thing, and silence returned to the group. They trotted along the land masses, passing the tracks of devastation along their path.
Indeed it didn't take long for them to find the first signs of tents and battlefields in the near distance.
“Leandro, Gwyn, look!” Destare waved them to him, and they all could see what awaited them. Between the tooth-like rocks stood a stronghold that had previously been hidden. Large smoke clouds were escaping from it. All camps outside were torn apart or destroyed. The wooden stakes of the palisades were no longer intact, and everything had been thrown into chaos.
The closer the group got the stronghold, the more they were reminded of the massacre of the masked ball. This was the purest form of war, casualties, and grief they had ever seen with their own eyes. Through the confusion, they tried to gather what was happening and who had been winning, sadly to no success.
Disfigured and burned bodies impaled by wooden spikes paved the way through the camps. Mountains of corpses were blocking the way everywhere, and screams could be made out in the distance, with small fires surrounding them on all sides. The smoke burned inside their lungs as the two friends moved along.
“I-it is gruesome,” Leandro trembled, making Gwyn stay by his side. Both of them felt the same, even though Leandro was the one that tried his hardest to mask his uneasiness. Delirias was the only one that experienced some strange excitement from all this lunacy and trotted comfortably and jumpily behind the group as they slowly progressed.
“It truly is not easy, but this is our chance,” Gwyn encouraged his friend.
“Gwyn's right, unfortunately. If this is Despairs stronghold then this is our best shot at making a difference,” Destare answered, thinking about what Leandro said to him.
They hastily made way for the emptied-out entrance of the building.
“Eww,” Delirias said out of nowhere as he passed the fallen bodies, halting at one of the statues at the entrance.
“What's u-” Gwyn and the others turned around and realized that the stronghold was dividing itself up into many different paths, plastered with statues all over, showing the way.
Their horror grew as their fear fin
ally allowed them to see the grotesque statues that were a part of this decorative madness. The limbs of the construction seemed to be alive, being sewn together at each end. The heads were hollowed out like puppets and Gwyn was once more reminded of the theater at Malice's crypt. Strings had been attached to the limbs that made them stand up straight. They pointed towards the paintings that all had some variations of eyes that were looking down on the statues of puppets.
The group felt watched by these never-ending paintings, and they hastily went on their way. Past all the sorrow and maimed bodies, they couldn't see anyone. Only after they started to get lost into the long, dark corridors, they arrived at a room that looked like a barracks.
Pushed over barrels and wooden banks laid around, while a constant stench tormented their noses. In the thick of it were some distraught soldiers, trying to end their fight. They could tell that all of them were weakened, their bodies at their limits, but the rage behind their movements helped them to not give in. Six men were left standing with swords and axes, plus another figure that stood before them, looking like they had just finished something up.
“T-that c-can't b-be…” Gwyn began to stutter and gulped heavily.
“Kikiki, round two arrives earlier than I had thought, how nice of him,” laughed Delirias who immediately somersaulted himself into the front rows, waving happily towards his enemy.
The men unable to adapt to the sudden shift in the atmosphere were abruptly rendered unable to fight as branches impaled them through their chests, flinging them to the ground before Delirias’ feet.
“You?!” the creature stared at them in disbelief. “Don't tell me you're the reason why all of this is happening?”
My Insanity Page 45
