Nothing But Pain Remains Part III: ConstantMisery

Purplish-black blood ran from the myriad wounds that lined Izhari’s small frame. Her wounded leg was crushed and bent in the wrong direction. Being in her proximity boosted the influence of the burden sharing, and Tomita felt like he might double over from pain.

“Master. Manager. Izhari, Izhari, look at me. Look at me,” Tomita called over the howling force of Mathael’s ongoing bursts.

Weak, shaking hands reached up and met his face and head. Something felt different. It caused Izhari to chuckle to herself.

“Your head… It’s fixed…” she said as her paw rested on the space where the open wound had been for so long.

That was what Tomita felt when he was focusing on the bear. He didn’t know when it happened, but as he reached up for confirmation, his hand felt nothing but hair. Maybe it was during the teleporting. Maybe it was in Currtasi when she healed him. It didn’t matter anymore, but it did bring a smile to his face.

“Look at that! See, you’re incredible!” Tomita said in faked calmness.

Bursts of enraged energy exploded from Mathael but the barrier didn’t break.

“I’m sorry for everything,” she whispered.

Another burst shook them but they were safe.

“No. No. It’s okay.”

“SALARYMAN!! Turn and face me you wretch!” Mathael screamed.

Tomita leaned and pressed his head against Izhari’s before holding up a single index finger and glancing over his shoulder.

“One moment, please,” he said to their attacker.

Mathael let out a scream of frustration and sent another onslaught of energy at them. Within the barrier, they were unphased.

“I’m going to help you. I need you to trust me, okay. We can win,” said Izhari.

“How?” Izhari asked as she slumped forward.

“Death by a thousand paper cuts. Let me be your eyes and sword for once. I will envision the attacks, and you will channel them. Together, we may make it through this.”

“You’re willing to help me, even if it’s for hate?” she asked.

“Always,” he replied as he hoisted her onto her feet to face Mathael one final time.

Then, Tomita turned and smiled a devious smile at the enormous maji.

Mathael snarled and shook his wrist.

“Septons! Send me knowledge on The Voidspeakers! Now!” he commanded as he closed his eyes in preparation.

Nothing happened.

“Septons! Knowledge! Now!” he ordered.

Tomita couldn’t help but laugh. All of his reckless labor down below paid off. That might have been the most efficient project he had ever completed.

“Sorry, your workers are on break…” he said with a grin.

Mathael sneered and tilted his head in annoyed arrogance.

“Did you like my setup? I was inspired by your memories. Thank you.”

“It was a little too ‘open concept’ for me. But good effort.”

Beside him, Izhari faltered and fell forward. Tomita caught her and did his best to stabilize her as the barrier glitched and threatened to break.

“How touching. Have you come to save your master and win through the power of affection?” Mathael taunted.

Streaks in the sky moved by them at even levels now. Fog gave way to clouds and Tomita realized they were far above the ground. Something enormous shined above them and expanded across the sky as far as the horizon. Whatever it was, Tomita assumed that’s where the memory orbs were. Deafening, grinding creaks sounded like glass scraping against itself as the mysterious space shifted and strained.

Mathael grimaced and held his head as the dark streaks under his eyes spread across the entirety of his face.

Tomita stood up fully and faced Mathael in complete preparation.

“You see, that’s what you failed to learn about me. I am a salaryman. And a salaryman is it his purest base, a miserable, disappointed, bitter person. Allow me to illuminate you…” said Tomita as he pressed his hand against Izhari’s back and she slammed her staff onto the ground.

“Welcome to my reality,” said Tomita as the darkness of the sky vanished and skyscrapers shot through the heavens.

In the place of deep blue fog, garish halogen lights as big as cities appeared overhead and spat their stale light across the land. Alarms began to beep. Millions of alerts pinged across the realm. Digital text the size of Shinkansen formed from nothing and linked together like train cars before hurling into Mathael, who was so confused he could not yet react.

More alerts pinged. Phones rang. Thousands of phones. So many alerts.

THERE WERE ALWAYS SO MANY ALERTS.

RESPOND IN TIME. NEVER TAKE TOO LONG. YOU’RE LATE FOR A MEETING.

THAT DEADLINE IS PAST.

THAT DEADLINE IS LATE.

YOU’RE LATE.

Alerts.

Alerts in your ears. In your face. In your sightline. In your mind.

They were in an elevator now and they needed to reach the top floor but every floor had a stop.

I’VE BEEN IN THIS ELEVATOR FOR DAYS AND I’M LATE GET ME OUT OF HERE I HATE THIS

Mathael roared in confusion and tried to send a wave of energy but it was stopped.

A popup window blocked his attack like a shield and a robotic voice spoke from the ether.

“Have you submitted the correct processing forms for this spell?”

Another attack was attempted.

“Have you submitted the correct processing forms for this spell?”

“AAAAAaaaarrrrggggghhhh!!!!” Mathael screamed as beams of light shot out from his body in every direction.

More alerts pinged all around him as the space beneath him transformed. Desks slammed into him before rearranging and changing into new workstations.

“We are relocating you to a different team. This shall be your new workstation.”

Slam. Alert. Beep. Elevator pings. Email messages. Digital team calls starting. Printer failure alerts. Alerts. Alerts. So many alerts. It was all so overwhelming.

NO PERSON WAS MEANT FOR THIS AMOUNT OF FEEDBACK!!!

Izhari strained from the chaos but she dug into her staff for support. It was miserable, even for her. She finally understood Tomita’s mind, and it was terrifying.

“We are relocating you to a different team. This shall be your new workstation.”

This was his life.

“We are relocating you to a different team. This shall be your new workstation.”

I WOULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF AS WELL.

“We are relocating you to a different team. This shall be your new workstation.”

You are exhausted but you still have hours to go.

Eat your cold lunch and be thankful for a moment of rest but it’s interrupted by the INCESSANT FUCKING NOISE!

“We are relocating you to a different team. This shall be your new workstation.”

Feel the burn in your eyes as your retinas start to tear. No amount of eyedrops can save you from the screen fatigue that comes from decades of staring at monitors.

Beams of white tore through the reality and Mathael almost caught a break, but Tomita doubled down.

Before you can finish that attack project, I’m giving you some more projects. These take priority. Your attack will have to be pushed down in the work order. Your attack will have to be pushed down in the work order.

Your attack will have to be pushed down in the work order.

Your attack will have to be pushed down in the work order.

Your attack will have to be pushed down in the work order.

Your attack will have to be pushed down in the work order.

Your attack will have to be pushed down in the work order.

Your attack will have to be pushed down in the work order.

“It’s working Tomita!”

“Stop this! I NEED TO THINK!!”

No matter what you do, it’s never enough. There was never enough time. You were never respected, so you’ll never be promoted out from this hell. This is your life. Every day. Sixteen hours a day. Six days a week. Sixty years of it because your pension is underfunded and your investments failed.

DIE WORKING THAT IS ALL YOU ARE MEANT FOR.

More email text tore through the sky and struck Mathael’s chest. Alerts rose in intensity until there was no sound to be heard save for the horrendous cacophony of pings and chimes.

“I NEED A BREAK! I NEED TO THINK!!!”

Izhari dared to smile as Tomita held steady and kept his eyes on Mathael.

The streaks of black were spreading down Mathael’s neck now as he flinched and his elongated fingers dug into his face in desperation.

“I. SAID. I. NEED. TO. THINK!!!! SILENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mathael roared as pure white force erupted like a grenade.

The force was unlike anything they had yet experienced. Barrier structures snapped then shattered, and the two of them were exposed. Izhari’s legs buckled from the strain and she fell to the ground. Tomita’s focus broke as he tried to catch her, but he failed. She struck the ground just as Mathael let out a final scream of hysteria.

“ENOUGH!!!!” he screamed.

White lights shone in his crown like targeting beams that came to rest on Tomita’s head.

Tomita noticed but it was too late.

“Crap,” he said just as the beam of light struck his head and he fell to the ground.

All of the imagery and noise stopped and faded instantly. The silence terrified Izhari, and it was only worse when she felt Tomita fall limp against her legs.

“T-Tomita?” she whimpered.