"His" muscles trembled. "His" bones shook. "He" glanced below. Darkness rose beneath "him", chasing "him".
"His" face paled. "His" grip weakened. Cold shivers climbing his back. "He" closed his eyelids, ready to fall. "His" throat tightened.
[Crimson Pain]:
Fucking dimwit, how did you end up like this.
[Gold Purpose]:
What are you doing. Don't you fucking give up now, you haven't reached that bright thing. So pull yourself up.
"His" arms grew sore… strength fading. The pain in "his" arms grew more every second. "His" grip slipping.
Then a soft voice entered "his" mind.
[Coral Endurance]:
Get up. You can still do it.
Let the pain exist. Do not disappear into the dark.
"He" forced "his" hands and pushed the stairs, pulling "his" body up.
[Azure Reason]:
Are you fucking stupid, you're making this harder. Swing your body to the side, you should be able to use your lower body to reach it.
"He" pushed "his" body up, and stretched "his" legs to the lower stairs, and pulled "his" hips to the lower stairs. Using "his" arm "he" pushed "his" entire body.
"He" slowly stood up, while watching "his" balance. "He" glances to "his" right, a stone wall with carved symbols with rotting bones. Some skulls faced "him". Others tilted upward.
"His" throat tightened.
[Indigo Doubt]:
This is a death trap... No, we are already in the death trap. This whole goddamn place is a death trap.
"He" continued onwards, walking through the bones. Some bones were cracking under "his" feet. Dry bones that have never made it upward.
"His" breath didn't match "his" movement.
[Gold Purpose]:
You will become like them if you stop moving. Unfinished meaningless end.
In "his" hips the lantern gradually loses its heat. Every steps sent dust swirling around "his" feet, following the beat of "his" footsteps. "His" wet clothes has completely dried out, the black liquid has dried leaving behind a faint black residue in "his" skin.
"He" continues to climb the endless stone stairway, observing "his" balance in every steps. "His" knees growing tired. Every steps adds a breathe away.
[Azure Reason]:
You're already exhausted. I recommend that you should stick to the right side, creepy but it's a better choice than falling again, and again like a maniac.
"He" continues onward, the silence constantly replaced by "his" loud breathe. Suddenly "he" stops, "he" sat down, and takes a rest. "He" observed "his" surroundings, glancing around.
"He" then noticed a skull at the lower stairs, staring at "him" from the distance. "He" noticed it, "He" looked away. Tried to clear "his" thoughts.
But then "he" saw the skeletons from above, it was also looking down at "him" directly. As if it was observing "him".
[Indigo Doubt]:
What the fuck. I am shittingly right, we are doomed. We are being observe by the dead. It's literally a death trap.
"He" stood up quickly, "he" glanced all of the skulls. Even the one behind "him", in front of "him". Every skull now faced "him". Shivers travels from his spine.
"He" ran up, not caring about "his" footing or what's In front of "him". "His" face has gotten more pale, "his" teeth grinding, "his" eyes fully opened.
"He" speeds up "his" own pace, faster and faster. Never taking a glance at the skeletons as if they don't exist yet everything "he" saw made "him" more anxious.
"Fuck, Fuck, why are they all looking at me?" He says loudly, "his" voice echoing in the stairways.
"His" foot hit nothing, it was a empty stair. The step was there a second ago. "He" couldn't remember if it ever existed. "He" almost tumbles, but "his" legs managed to lock in a weird position which prevented "him" to fall.
"He" noticed behind "him", the darkness became closer to "him", it was following. "He" removes "his" leg from that position, jumped over the empty stair.
"He" quickly steadied up, continued running in a fast pace. Every step, every breathe interrupts the loud ringing silence.
After many steps, "he" gradually losses "his" pace, "his" feet swollen. "His" breathe weakens, "his" body feels like giving up. "He" looked behind "him", the darkness was not in there, it retreated down.
"What was that... finally I can rest for a bit." He whispered, and sighed.
"He" takes glances above and below, there were less bones, and none were looking at "him". "He" rested his legs, and leaning back, "his" arms holding "his" back up. But "his" jaw refused to relax.
"He" rests for a bit, "his" legs resting not moving an inch, yet a sound of "his" footsteps continued echoing from above and below.
[Gold Purpose]:
Move. This place is resisting you. It's trying to threaten you. The light above is brighter than before. We are moving with progress, now move before all of that stagnates.
"He" quickly stoods up again, and proceeded climbing up. Yet the footsteps echoed again. "He" stops to listen to it, the echoes stopped.
"He" didn't know why he kept moving.
"He" then continues climbing in each step, the echoes of another steps rings stronger. "He" glanced above, the light is near, "his" pupil lights up, "he" pushed "himself" harder, and became faster.
Each steps brings "him" closer to the light.
A cold voice rang in "his" left ear.
"You climb poorly."
"He" stopped mid-air.
"He" looks behind "him". The darkness is chasing "him", dead skulls looking at "him", and the sounds of "his" own footsteps gradually became louder.
"He" looks above, the light is was close now. The light is warm.
The light is bright.
"He" stopped thinking for a second.
[Gold Purpose]:
You know what to do.
"He" fixed his stance, and dashed forward the light. "He" jumps, reached "his" arm out. Closed "his" eyelids, While behind "him", the dead has risen.
The light did not arrive. It replaced everything.
"He" opened "his" eyes, a white place covered "his" eye sight. "He" glanced behind "him", a closed stone door. "He" sees a vast white field, white flowers with red stem, and water flowing upward.
At the middle a white tree with red leaves caught "his" eyes. Alongside it. Was a ruined statue of a beautiful women without a head.
"He" bent down to "his" knees, and reached for a flower. "He" freezes... The flowers grew from skulls. "He" inspected "his" below, it was skulls. "He" looked at the entire field, the floor wasn't dirt but bones. Numerous different bones, crushed bones, grinded bones, broken bones, and shattered skulls.
Even when nothing moved, everything felt aimed at "him".
"He" touches a flower, it gradually opens revealing more of it's anatomy. "He" pulls it from a skull, then glances at the three. "He" ripped it out from the floor.
"The tree, tree was white while its leaves are red. It is the opposite of the flowers. Hmmm, that's interesting." He pondered
with confused face.
"He" walks towards the tree with a face of awe. Near the tree stood a high statue giving off a incomprehensible evil feeling.
[Crimson Pain]:
This place is kinda soothing.
[Azure Reason]:
It is indeed.
[Indigo Doubt]:
Nope, this place is definitely not beautiful nor soothing. It is creepy, and unsettling.
"What is this place?" He whispered.
"A place you do not deserve." A voice said.
"What was that?" He said out of fear.
[Azure Reason]:
A random voice in your ear, it feels like it is talking to you.
"A random voice in your ear, it feels like it is talking to you." The voice appeared again.
[Azure Reason]:
It repeated your thoughts.
It is copying your tho—. It repeated "his" thoughts. Then it stopped—as if listening.
"He" looks around the field, within giant walls with water pouring up. Trying to find that sounds... Nothing. turns to the tree and "he" touched it. It was warm, incredibly warm.
At the corner of "his" vision, behind the tree was a door to a corridor. A empty corridor with dim lights and a foggy white light at the end of it.
"He" retreated "his" gaze from it, "he" glanced at the marble statue, it was a marble... yet rough it's closer to a bone statue beautifully carved with symbols and details of a headless woman.
"This place is beautiful. I want to stay here..." He outwardly say, with a drown face, "his" lips curved downward.
[Indigo Doubt]:
It is beautiful. The more I look at it. This place feels safer, yet feels dangerous.
[Gold Purpose]:
We are indeed In a grand place, a place where you are surrounded by bright things. It holds many meanings, and one of the meaning it carries is beauty.
"It is beautiful. The more I look at it, the more I wish to stay away." He said in a anxious face.
[Sky Language]:
It's beauty is truly captivating, a truly astonishing scene capturing an abundance of meanings. We are experiencing its grandness, yet we are also trapped by it.
"He" shifted his gaze to the walls and looked up, "he" saw hanging skeletons, dead, and lifeless. "He" retracted his gaze then looked at the exposed door, "he" walks towards it.
Each step, slow and deliberate. "He" stopped near the exposed door, and looked back at the tree and its magnificence.
[Lavender Longing]:
Your emotions is feeling longing, you wish to stay. Or you wish to be with it. It saddens me, It's grace left alone. We must remember it forever.
"He" glances at the flower beneath "him", "he" bents down, and pulled it out. "He" smelled it, it was a a floral scent mixed with rusted decay.
"He" tucked the white flower inside "his" broken unlit lantern. Then glanced at the tree one last time, "he" then turned "his" head towards the corridor, "he" entered it.
Something in "him" went quiet. The air stopped being air.
The door behind "him" closed, "he" slowly walks towards the white light at the end. With a purpose, with a reason, with a mind.
"You are near it" The same voice rang in "his" ear again.
"He" freezes and then continued walking.
"It seems that you are here. Then can you hear me?" He said to the unknown voice.
"Yes, filthy rat. I do hear you." The voice responded.
"Why are you talking to me?" He asked outwardly.
"Because you are a rat in a sacred place."
"How would I know that?" He asked in confusion.
Silence—No sound answered.
"He" stopped and looked directly at the foggy light. "He" extends "his" arm and then jumps through it.
Nothing felt real for a moment.
"He" didn't cross anything. The world changed around "him".
In an instant "he" saw countless worlds of different colorful landscapes, black skies, stone forest, echoing of distant bells, a transfigured sun, the ashes of snow stretching infinitely in the horizon.
For the first time, nothing resisted "him".
"It's beautif—" he saw a silhouette of something that is unhuman, the world suddenly became upside-down, even "his" standing body seemed captivated by it. "His" head was no longer part of the moment.