"A sudden change of heart?" Lucas thought while scanning the camp. No, it was beyond that. He simply decided he was going to listen to these people for the first time. Since they got here, he didn't even view them as real. It was more accurate to say he had a change of perspective.
Cool breeze moved through his hair as his fingers sank into the grass beneath him. It was moist, contradicting the dry feeling of the earth. It was slightly rough, probably pebbles, also… Digging into the soil, a soft material could be felt. With a gentle tug, he pulled a… a piece of paper?
He shook the dirt off, then unwrapped it. "Of course, it really is paper. Even here, someone still…" he paused, the piece wasn't empty.
"Soon," it read.
Immediately, he ripped the paper to shreds. "What could this mean?" Paper around A5, buried in a forest with only one bold word written on it. It was entirely unnatural, a dauntless reminder of his situation. How could a rat escape an eagle in an open field with nowhere to hide?
From its height, the eagle could see everything and easily predict the rat's next move. In such a situation, the chance of survival was basically zero percent. In their case though, they were much worse.
Their eagle didn't need to predict anything. It could read their minds, their past, their future and it controlled the entire field. It could be grass one second, then concrete the next, day one minute, night the next. This eagle could become an owl, or a cat if it wanted. Under these conditions, what was their chance of survival?
They could only convince it they weren't worth the hassle. Then again, who listens to their food? The elusive entity that was Nyxshade always communicated subtly. That paper was obviously a message.
He needed more to work with to plan his next move but…
"Dammit!"
It was so frustrating, whether real or not, everyone here was still its construct. The only person he knew was just as useless. When he finally started looking towards the bright side, he was reminded where he was.
Only a single word was necessary for Nyxshade to instill such terror in him. This is its world. In a moment, it transported them from the fifteenth floor to… this place. Using Austin's memory alone, fragmented or not, it was able to make a perfect replica of his experience.
It created people and gave them backstories, making a world that essentially mimicked their own.
Looking ahead, Lucas saw the party he organized. Bright lights, singing, dancing, drinking, what was the point of all this? He had over worked himself convincing everyone this was worth it. He made it look like he was giving Austin time to relax himself, all to kill the people he once fought with as brothers and sisters.
When he finally had a change of perspective and made up his mind to hear their stories, Nyxshade did a complete 180 on him. Was it because he wasn't killing them anymore? Was it because he found rest in a place of unrest?
"Nyxshade! Why now?! You wiped their memories before, so why now!" No response. Not that he expected one.
Since Lucas got here nothing went the way he planned. What sort of detective was he when he couldn't even keep his act together?
Nyxshade wiping out everyone's memories to aid his plan, pointless.
Organizing this event to please Nyxshade, pointless.
Finally understanding Austin's plight, pointless.
His desire to hear their stories, pointless.
If everything was pointless then what was the point? He finally understood Austin's crash-out when Nyxshade wiped the personnel's memories. The utter despair knowing there was nothing he could do.
Human VS God, a classic troupe in writing and cinema. The average person rising to take on a god. Such was impossible in real life. What could he do against an existence he couldn't even perceive?
The air's humidity suddenly rose as the wind became cool, like opening a freezer to a gust of cool air. Dark clouds filled the sky, purple lightning flashing within them. The smell of ozone filled the air, a storm was coming and from the looks of it, a big one.
The personnel continued singing and dancing despite the very obvious storm approaching. Austin only looked at the sky before staring into his beer mug once more. It was unnatural. No one sees obvious signs of rain and ignores it like it's nothing.
It seems Nyxshade had given him the answer to the question he had all along. These people weren't real. Since the memory incident, he had already come to a partial conclusion.
Looking up once more, a bolt of lightning descended, setting a distant tree ablaze. Whatever this was had to be the beginning of SOON.