You know, I always believed life was simple. Problematic at times, but simple. You would work until you died, you would spend your entire life saving up for things, yet still not have enough to afford them. You'd get married and have kids, lose all hope for the future, and just settle down with whatever you had. You never strive for anything better, never care about your own well-being, you just exist to fulfill a space in the void. You exist purely just because you were born.
People chased glory, fame, and enlightenment, but I felt like those things were nothing but a coping mechanism to accept the reality of how shallow life truly is. It was a way to accept the fact that you're nothing but a clog in the machine. Your entire existence was to fulfill someone else's agenda, and you were nothing but a name on a data sheet.
My whole life was spent pitying myself and constantly doubting myself. When I think about it, moments like those reminded me of exactly what kind of man I was: a pathetic loser. Being thrown into a life like this is an opportunity for me to atone for my sins, for me to do it all over again. I don't care what I have to go through as long as I get to be where she is. I will suffer, I will endure, and I will destroy.
While I was there paralyzed, I felt like the whole world was moving in fast forward, as if I was never in control, as if the world around me was nothing but a prison. As I stared into the ominous white figure slowly making its way towards me, it felt like things were about to end right here, as if this was the end of my journey.
As the figure started getting closer and closer, it started glitching. The ground around it started distorting, the world was trembling and shaking, and despite no sound at all, it felt like a thousand words were being said at once without ever actually saying anything. As the figure got closer, the brighter its eyes got and the taller it became. I was scared, not for my well-being, but rather what or whom I was about to Face. I assumed it was another trick of the Entity, to trick me into being an obedient slave, a mindless and soulless vessel.
As the figure moved through the thick fog and got closer, I noticed something horrifying. The figure's movements were weird, walking in a strange manner and stomping its legs as if it were angry. The closer it got, the harder it stomped. Its hands were shaking profusely and its head was moving very quickly in all directions. I had never seen anything like this. Once it got close enough, things became clear. This ominous white figure had its entire body moving very quickly, right to left, as if it were glitching. I was horrified and couldn't process this at all, as everything was moving so strangely that my brain stopped processing for a second.
It walked in front of me and stood tall before my face, looking down upon me. Its eyes were hollow and dark as the void lurking inside my soul. It was motionless, standing there staring at me without stating a single word, as if it were fully aware of who I was or what I was. The air felt thick, like I was breathing in wet wool. I was scared from the inside yet emotionless from the outside. The white figure never said a single word, yet its presence itself was a message, something strange that could not be explained.
While I was letting my thoughts run wild, the ground started shaking furiously. It was strong, rapid, and uncontrollable shaking that would not stop, as if the ground was tearing itself apart. I was frozen in place while the world around me was tearing itself apart, and then, all of a sudden, the floor below my feet disappeared.
My body felt like it was being pulled down forcefully while I remained paralyzed. I attempted to close my eyes to brace for impact, to face my new trial, but I couldn't. It was as if my eyes were frozen in place and I was unable to close them. I was falling through a dark abyss, an infinite void of silence and loneliness that reminded me of some place familiar. Before I could muster up the strength to move myself, my eyes felt as dry as a desert, and opening them felt like trying to open large iron doors with broken hands.
I started hearing screams of a woman, screams so loud they could make your ears bleed, screams of pure agony. Assuming the worst, I started slowly opening my eyes and noticed something horrifying. A man was sitting in the corner with a large cigar in his left hand, with pitch black darkness covering his upper half. Despite his face not being visible, he had a very strange and scary vibe about him. Despite the screams of the woman echoing throughout the place, the man sat there unfazed.
I slowly started moving my head towards where the screams were coming from, and what I saw was a woman. Her face was covered with a cloth, and she was naked, very bloody and bruised, as if someone had beaten her repeatedly. The thing I noticed next was even more daunting. The reason for the bloody screams was her leg, which had a very bloody wound as if she had been stabbed with a sharp object. It was slowly being burnt by a lantern placed above her, the warmth of the bottom of the lantern slowly burning her skin. The woman screamed in pain, helpless as her legs were burning slowly while she was unable to do anything, tied and brutally beaten.
I wished I could do something. I wished I could help her stand and break her free from those restraints, but before I could think further, it was as if the man had noticed or sensed my presence. He slowly moved his glare towards me and stared at me for a few minutes before he started visibly shaking as if he were scared of me. He quickly stood up from his chair, and I realized then that he had been wearing a strange leather mask on his face. Before I could notice more, he started begging me not to kill him.
He slowly started making his way towards me and started begging. "Please don't kill me! Please have mercy on my soul, I promise I won't do this again!"
I tried my best to speak but couldn't. The man started slowly walking towards me and then, suddenly, he grabbed a knife and ran toward me with the blade pointed forward. He swung his knife at me, and I closed my eyes, accepting my fate. I was waiting to get stabbed, to finally end my suffering, but instead I felt lighter. My body felt lighter, as if I were standing.
I started hearing more screams, but this time they didn't have agony in them, more like grief and anger. I opened my eyes and realized I was standing in the middle of a crowd. In front of me, a tall wooden tower stood where a man was on his knees, with a gigantic man next to him holding a strange looking Katana.
While I was overwhelmed by the screaming crowds and the smell of sweat, constantly being shoved around, I heard an eerie sound as if someone was singing. I noticed something while being pushed around: my body was moving, my legs were moving in the direction I was being shoved into. I wasn't paralyzed anymore. I could move freely, I could move my body, and I felt relieved at that moment. I was finally out of the bird's cage. Or was I?
I was standing in the middle of a crowd with women crying with babies in their hands and men screaming at the top of their lungs, chanting a chant I could never forget.
"YABABAK! YABABAK! YABABAK! YABABAK!"
I quickly moved my glare towards the man on the execution tower and squinted my eyes, and then it all clicked together. That man resembled the man from the portrait in the Highland mansion. He looked so similar, with that smooth skin, smooth silky hair, the body of a Greek god, and hands so soft they could stop wars. But there he was, shackled to the floor on his knees, waiting for his demise. What I noticed shook me to my core: the man was smiling. He wasn't screaming or scared, he was smiling as if he had no regrets in life, as if his choices were correct.
Another thing I noticed was a strange feeling coming from the Katana. An eerie feeling came from it, and when I focused my eyes, I realized the strange singing sound was coming from the blade itself. It had a strange pattern, completely black with white lines across its blade, and a handle with a gray shade that looked rough and withered. When I looked at the blade, the executioner's entire body looked tiny in front of that massive black shadow over him. The shadow had no face and was completely black.
I chose not to act, because if I had, I'd catch the attention of everyone. Was saving this person I've never even met in my life worth sacrificing my own? I didn't think so. I chose to stand back.
The crowd was screaming at the top of their lungs, their grief visible on their faces, and then it happened. The blade swung towards the man's head. It felt as if time had slowed down. I could hear the blade's swing, I could smell the metal, and I could hear that song. I couldn't understand it, but it felt like it had a rhythm to it, a cry for help masked as a song.
The blade was about to cut the man's neck, but then a bright light shined from the execution tower, as if a mirror was pointed towards me and light from the sun was shining towards my eyes. I blinked, and the ground beneath my feet started turning into moist dirt. It was as if I was standing on top of a swamp. Confused, I tried moving to stable ground, but I started slowly moving down as if I were drowning, drowning in the swamp I was standing on top of. I inhaled as much oxygen as I could and closed my eyes.
All of a sudden, I felt lighter. I was getting out of breath due to holding it in for so long, and I was scared I would drown, but it didn't feel like I was drowning. It felt lighter and cool. A cool breeze was humming around my body, and I could also hear strange noises, as if a bunch of people were humming music. Out of curiosity, I opened my eyes and let go of my breath at the same time.
What I witnessed felt like a dream, a dream you see once and never see again. It was a massive tall tree that was glowing in pure darkness. It was shiny as a diamond, its presence calm as the ocean, and its leaves were white as snow and bright as light itself. Its trunk was dark as the void itself, but bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. While admiring its beauty, I realized I was falling towards my demise. I was falling towards the ground at rapid speed, the ground being visible due to the illumination from the massive tree. It definitely was getting repetitive, falling towards unknown places and being unaware of my surroundings while hoping everything worked out. It was quite cliché, if you ask me.
Finally, my body hit the ground and a loud roar echoed throughout the world. Everything became silent, including the humming, and all I could hear was a faint metallic clink. It was subtle but audible. I groaned in pain, having felt immense pain due to falling head-first towards the ground. I heard the clink again, a bit louder than last time, and then suddenly I started hearing people, as if multiple people were talking to each other.
"How did this one get past?" a loud voice roared across the world.
"How would I know? YOU were the one responsible for keeping these things outside," a voice scoffed.
"Let us not indulge in such foolish acts. This pest must be dealt with," another voice said calmly.
"How about YOU shut your mouth and stop giving us orders, we don't take orders from YOU," another voice said in a sassy tone.
Still in pain, I decided to open my eyes, and right before me stood these tall figures. I was not able to make out their faces since it was quite dark, but I felt a chill go down my spine. It was like they were staring into my soul and judging me. I stood still in my place, being cautious, since I was not sure what a sudden movement would do. Maybe they would do something unthinkable. I could not look at them, for I was afraid of the unknown. Despite being introduced to a world of limitless possibilities like The Void, Andhkar, and The Entity, I still feel like there's more to it. This world is strange and limitless, and that scares me to my core.
All I could do was sit there and wait for them to make their move. I slowly moved my gaze towards the ground and looked into the distance, and then I spotted something strange: a young girl. She was holding a small stuffed animal and had her thumb in her mouth with drool coming out. I blinked my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, and as soon as I opened them, the child appeared in front of me.
"Hello Mister! How are you today?" she said in a calm and soft tone.
I was very confused and was not sure how to act. I stared into her eyes for a while, wondering why a child would be present in such a dangerous environment. What would a child do in this place? How could she be useful? Is this a trap? Thousands of questions flooded my mind with little time to think.
"ANSWER HER!" another loud voice roared, their tone filled with far more fury and anger than the others.
"I'm fine," I mustered up the courage to say. I kept a calm tone to make sure the child was not scared, as I'd hate to be the one who makes her cry by my answer. She reached her hand out to me and placed it gently on my cheeks, slowly moving towards my face, and said:
"Honey, Wake up!"
Then a bright light shined in front of me and my eyes were blinded. It felt like I was directly looking at the sun and my eyes were burning up. Then I heard it, a soft, calm, feminine voice saying, "Hey Babe, what do you want for breakfast?"
I couldn't think and I was confused, so I decided to open my eyes quickly since I was afraid this was another one of the Entity's traps. What I saw was a woman standing in front of me dressed very well and modestly, wearing a blue apron with ocean waves as a design pattern. As I slowly moved my eyes up, I noticed something strange that I could not describe. The woman was holding a bowl and she asked another question.
"Babe, you alright?" she asked calmly.
It horrified me even more because this woman had no face, just a head with blonde hair and a white headband. It shook me to my core. It definitely wasn't something I was expecting. When that young girl approached me, I assumed the worst, but here I was sitting on a stool in the middle of a jasmine-scented kitchen looking at a woman who doesn't have a face. It felt like I was in a fever dream. Before I could get a hold of my thoughts, she spoke.
"So, would you like some sourdough bread?" she asked sweetly. "Or are you in the mood for something else? If you know what I mean..."
She said it with a flirtatious tone that caught me off guard, and I wasn't sure how to respond. I wasn't sure where I was, what this place was, or who she was. Unaware of what to do, I decided to play it safe and play along with her.
"Sure, I'd love that. Could you make me some tea as well?" I said calmly with a smile on my face.
She looked back at me, crossed her arms, and said, "You're quite demanding, you know! But sure, for you, I'll make an exception."
She tilted her head slightly and it felt like she had winked at me. I felt like my mind was playing games with me. How could a woman with no face wink at me? Is it even possible? A chill went down my spine as she went back and started making tea.
The kitchen felt strange and had a very odd vibe to it. Everything was neatly placed in perfect order with not a single stain on the floor. Everything smelt fresh, like a newly moved-in home, but at the same time it felt similar and quite comforting, as if someone had lived there for ages. While working, she would slowly move her waist and snap her fingers, and it looked quite funny and a bit cute to look at. Around her, I weirdly felt safe and comforted. It was this weird sensation between feeling that everything is going to be fine and knowing she could kill me at any moment, that this was nothing but a trap set to entrap me for eternity. I wasn't sure what it was, but I did have a solid guess. I suppose it makes sense why people choose to work themselves to death if they could come back to this every day. I understand their motivation.
I wonder, if I had the same motivation, could I have done better in my life? Could I have been happier? I guess some questions are meant to be unanswered.
She calmly placed the tea onto the table counter and said, "Here you go, hon. I put some extra sugar to your liking, I hope you like it!"
The sweetness in her voice was overwhelming and honestly scary. Why would someone like her choose me?
"Also, by the way, I tried adding more flavors to the tea. I'm experimenting with some new teas, just be careful, it's a bit hot."
That kind tone she had made me feel like the center of the world, as if I was finally happy. Or at least that's how I felt. I stared at her, admiring her beauty and questioning myself. How beautiful would she be if she had a face? I wonder what she likes? What is her favorite color? While daydreaming, I decided to take a sip from the tea, not realizing it was boiling hot, and when the tea hit my mouth, it felt like I was literally burning in hell.
"OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!" I yelled in pure agony, flapping my arms around like a bird that was at its last stance.
She ran towards me and placed her arms on my shoulders, yelling loudly, "HEY! YOU ALRIGHT? YOU'RE SHAKING TERRIBLY, HEY! HEY!"
While looking at her, I noticed something strange. Despite my entire body burning from pain, all I could do was stare at her, and I noticed something very bizarre. Her face was slowly morphing into something else, as if her entire face was melting into a new person. Then suddenly, I heard something strange again, slow but very clear.
"Wake UP! You're getting late!"
Those words echoed through my brain, and then I suddenly woke up. I felt so out of breath, holding onto my dear life and trying to grab as much oxygen as I could. I smelled a very strange scent coming from near me and decided to look around. I noticed that I was completely wet due to heavy sweating, my entire clothes soaked. Then I heard another voice, something familiar.
"So, you're finally awake?"
End of chapter.....