Vol.2.C9 - An Unattainable Psyche

V2.C.9 - An Unattainable Psyche 

☆The World of Human Mind☆

These little eyes of the abyss always seemed to bring a hurricane of disaster wherever they went.

In this case, Ryker might be their next target or plaything indeed. His body was going haywire, his eyes were out of control. He muttered aloud, enough for himself to hear: “Am I screwed for good? Oh well, I always was, the moment I rather forcefully was dragged into this bizarre world.”

He stumbled upon his own steps, he could feel his mind getting hazy and hazier every passing second. Time did not seem to work here; neither did everything that was normal back in his real world. “I'll go insane at this rate!” He groaned, as he fumbled on his own steps, slipping and tripping on his feet on the slippery, unnaturally wet grass.

Squelch. Plop. Drip.

The wetness of the grass was too overwhelming for poor Ryker. He knew he had to find whatever test or challenges the Present's Gleamlord had for him in the store by himself. There was no other choice for him.

After making a rampant decision, he decided to head out to search. But it looked like he did not need to, as those Nanocosmic Eyes were staring at him unblinking, like they had a scheme in the making for him. He couldn't help but flinch. Those eyes were nasty news, after all. They were strange, it was like they had an ultimatum under wraps under those soulless pupils that were blacker than an empty, shineless void. He shivered involuntarily, he did not know why they affected him so much. Just their mere presence sends them into a looming whirlpool of dread and impending doom.

This was unhealthy. Very unhealthy. The word ‘very’ isn't enough to describe how much he wanted to run away right now, but those Eyes had him in their grip like a rough, hard rope hanging around his neck, ready to snap any time. And it was true. After all, this was exactly how he felt every time those Nanocosmic Eyes appeared out of nowhere just to add to his fear and daily dose of adrenaline.

They drained the life out of him, not even sparing him any space.

The Eyes were ominously hovering above, their gaze piercing his soul.

And, something strange happened. Stranger than what reality was.

The pair of Eyes that stared in his own. For him, it felt like they were paralysing him. It was beyond his assumptions and expectations. 

He tsked and tried his best for those eyes not to get to him. It was getting too much for him.

They had stared far deep into the abyss of his dark, lonely eyes that showed nothing but loneliness, and did not blank even for a second.

It was so scary he would rather face anything other than these eyes right now. And it was as if his prayers were answered.

☆The Wrecked Ones Live☆

In the extremity of the silence, he heard a noise behind him; one that made his skin crawl.

He wanted to turn back and see, but he did not dare to; he didn't have the courage to do so. He was afraid he'd see something he wasn't supposed to see. The noise sounded something close to the hums of sacred mantras chanted in a trail in Buddhist temples, with some voices that seemed to wail and cry for something he couldn't quite name despite the mess he was facing. 

Of course it was something far beyond his basic human understanding. Something that would give him sharp goosebumps if he tried to uncover what the hell was following him. He had enough. He slightly glanced over his shoulder, and saw something that made his hair stand on the end. It was a mass crowd of glitching figures that had lost their way to Heaven, or Hell, or had not got any kind of salvation in their life. The figures looked like distorted holograms that had malware, like they had lost their will to fight even in eternity, which was not even in their Book Of Luck, and had no stroke of hope left in humanity anymore. 

Ryker's eyes widened, his heart started beating a little faster than usual, and his palpitations increased. He saw that mess of a crowd; the source of the sound. He definitely did NOT want to end up like them. Surely, he knew he would end up alone in heaven or Hell, but somewhere at the back of his mind hopes that he does not become like them.

As his mind was lost in this sea of madness and probability, the ground shook like an earthquake. The crowd of distorted and forgotten figures began to run behind him like they were being under control of some puppeteer, and Ryker ran. He ran for his dear life. He did not know why, but there was a part of him that wanted to submit to those distorted figures and be eaten by them. His life would be worthless anyway. ‘My friends would miss me though, can't have my found family cry because of me.’ He muttered aloud as he ran for his life.

Ryker ran and ran, the figures behind him were catching up to his pace. “JESUS CHRIST I GOTTA RUN FASTER!!” He screamed as he speeded up. But as he ran,the nature around him, or what it looked like, was closing in on him. He was out of breath, but the path he was running on, started to levitate. His eyes went wide, his teeth were chattering as he ran on the levitated stone pathway that had soulless eyeballs for decorations, along with white and black angel wings that stood beside the pathway, illuminating the otherwise dark chamber. What the hell was happening? Was he just too tired that he was starting to see things? 

He had no idea, but it was worth trying. The figures were getting closer and closer, their nonsensical humming echoing through his ears, making him yell in frustration. “GODDAMMIT STOP IT, WHAT THE HELL?!” He yelled, plucking his own hair in annoyance. 

It was too much for his own sanity. His eyes were out of coordination, his forehead burning like cookies baking inside the oven at 180° C, and his sweat glands reacting crazily. He thought he would go insane, that his wrecked self won't even spare anything to his poor soul.

☆ Fight or Flight? ☆

As Ryker ran for his life, he heard something that made him halt in his tracks like a badly hit brake in a car. Whatever it was, he tried his best not to turn back. Maybe it was finally his time to go, is it? Something was off the rails. It wasn't just… natura compared to what he had seen and experienced in Elysvereth so far.

That sound alone sent chills down his nerves. He really did not want to know what it was. It sounded like a dark, mournful dirge, something that was calling for him. Yes, it indeed was. The petrifying sound was suddenly whispering his name. “Ryker….. you came so far. You have to take it… don't leave me alone…” It whispered right in his ears, that made his hair rise.

Did he finally lose it and started to hear things? It surely… couldn't be his beloved aunt. Or could it? 

Things were so weird in this dreamland that egery whisper, every sound had some or the other much darker schemes behind their soulless nature. It was just that breathtaking… and also soul sucking.

In short, he had to find out what the hell were these whispering and wailing figures that were distorted like a forgotten fragment of a memory lost in time. Things weren't looking good for him. He flinched every time those figures came near him and whispered sweet nothings that his aunt and mother used to; it was cathartic.

There were some things that were better left unknown, as you could never know what these truly were, they might appear something lost and begging for help; but would eye you like a kid at a candy store choosing which candy to eat. This was exactly what happening to Ryker. The figures from the empty Abyss were staring at him like a hungry wolf salivating at the sight of its delicious meat; it sent his heart beating faster than usual, and even skipping a beat that frightened him out a bit too much. He swallowed the saliva in his mouth, and finally, halted.

 Then, something in front of him made his eyeballs move in his skull and back. It was huge.Full of bright, pure, white light that blinded his eyes for a short period of time. It was oddly familiar. The Altar of the Pure light, the monument that he left behind while running, was right in front of him.