Delusion

The breeze down these halls grew with ever step. It was still a weak breeze, but it was much more noticeable now than earlier. Its air carried dampness and a strange, grainy texture. As I walked further, I saw a large, dimly lit room that had toppled shelves with books and quills scattered across the floor. The brick behind one of the shelves looked loose with cracks of light peering through it. Then I felt it, a slight breeze whistling through the cracks. I pushed against the shelf, the bricks behind it began grinding against each other. Finally, the shelf began falling and the bricks behind it toppled over. Dust shot up into the air, and a loud crumbling rang in my ears. As the dust settled, a sight I long awaited for was just ahead, though it was much different than I imagined.

The fallen wall opened up into a much larger chamber. The walls of this chamber have been scratched and mangled, making it unrecognizable as to what it could have been. I stepped through the newly formed hole to be greeted with cold air and a dim light. The wall right of me was completely broken, its bricks scattered everywhere, exposing the long and large corridor behind it. Just to my left, it was everything I had wished for from the start, yet there was not one part of it that I wanted. The left side was a gaping hole, leaving the entire room exposed to a panorama of open air on one side. Where the deep blue sky should have been was a cold cloudy one. These clouds were not normal, they were much darker than any clouds I have ever seen, nearly black. The light that passed through them was dim and distant, just barely illuminating the large room. I took a couple steps toward the open air, hoping to see what the ground below looks like. Then someone called for me.

"My, no one's ever come through there." I weak voice spoke from the other side of the room.

I began walking to it, tripping over rubble as the blur in my visions remained persistent. The half of the room furthest from me was cast in shade by a section of unbroken wall, making it hard to see who had called to me. As I approached, several dead bodies became apparent, each of them at different stages of decay. I began to see the shape of a man against the dark wall. He wore a familiar white cloak, though it was much more raggedy and stained, nearly tearing at its seams. He sat on the floor, back against the wall and arms in what was left of his lap. His bottom half was completely disfigured. Its gray color barely shown through in the dim light, but its texture was clearly pure chaos. Where his legs should have been was an amalgamation of flesh and skin all loosely twisted together. It was a grotesque sight to behold. I looked upon the mans gray face, his skin frail and his yellow eyes only slightly glazed over, showing much more color than I have ever seen in others of similar conditions. There was a deep scar on his forehead that moved toward his eye but stopped near his eyelid. He looked up at me through the hood of his cloak.

"Where didst thou come from?" He asked.

I told him everything since I first met the man in the garden.

"Oh my, thee hast met another one of us beforehand. To think his fear of corrupting another soul would catch up to him. Seems he has given up. If only I could've chatted with him one last time, it's been far too long." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Ah, I hate to tell thee this, but some of what that man has told thee is a lie, for truth can mean demise in this era." He said.

I twitched, and the man seemed to noticed my hint of anger to that statement. What part of what that man told me was a lie? It could not have been 'that' part right? I refuse to believe that 'that' was the lie he told.

"What good reason could anyone have to lie, especially to the one who saved this place?" I responded.

"Saved? Right... well if thee wishest for the truth, thou must heed my warning. It is said that it feeds upon those who know the truth, but this is not entirely true. It is not the truth that shall pain thee, but it is what thee makest of the truth. Now, wouldst thou like me to continue still?" He asked.

"How do I know you won't lie as well." I asked.

"Hast thee been losing sight in thine eyes? They're beginning to fade it seemeth." He said and I nodded, unaware of what my eyes look like now. "If thee taketh the truth strong willed, then there is no way of proof. Only in thy demise will proof cometh forth, so I beg of thee, don't go searching for proof."

Fear struck my body and my strength felt dampened, but if what the man says is true, then I knew I had to stay strong, even if I did not fully understand. I chose to listen to his stories, because I felt that I deserved the truth. I conjured up all the will I had left. I was the savior of Caelum, so I had to be strong.

"That pale dragon was the last hope of this forsaken city." The man said. "Its black miasma, corrupted by the void, yet remains fruitful in keeping the people of Caelum sane, for the Abyssal Mother of many names feeds off those who despise the truth. Those plagued by her seeketh the destruction of themselves, so that they may be one with her in darkness and silence. In removing people's memories, what truth is there to despair when one cannot recollect it?"

The man noticed the sudden regret in my eyes and followed up with this. "Thy deteriorating vision, she seeketh to call on thee, yet thee remaineth here still untainted, unlike myself who accepted the truth far too late. I tell thee this for thou hast made it to the top of Caelum, hast thee not? Surely thou hast the strength to know what is true. I have faith that thee won't turn out like the rest this of them."

I looked at the corpses that surrounded the man. I froze up, unable to respond. I was no savior, nor have I redeemed myself. Instead I have continued to ruin those around me. I had my suspicions since I met the other man and even more so when I continued reading "L's" notes, yet I ignored the signs for my own gratification. I was shrouded in my own delusion and reality is now caving back in on me.