The Visitor

“Who are you talking to?” A deep voice called out from the shadows.

From within them, a man appeared, dressed in all black and a glorious white trench coat. He was well built and seemed like a man who had lifted heavy things all his life. He walked forward, slowly, one step at a time, as his tailored shirt, fitted tightly around his frame, bulged with every movement he made.

The room was bare and empty, darkness filled all of its corners. A single source of moon light penetrated the room from an opening in the roof, illuminating a small circle in the center of it.

“Are you here to kill me like the rest of them?” A soft voice queried from within the circle. There she sat, radiating in the moonlight. Her slender red lips curved at the edges as she spoke.

“More importantly, what were you talking about just now?” The man inched closer, running his hand through his silky gray hair that hovered above his broad shoulders, moving them out of his line of sight. He wore a skull shaped ring on his left pinky finger and his arm was covered in cuts, bruises and permanent scars.

“It's none of your concern” she responded, staring at the brute with her vibrant crystal green eyes. They shone like shimmering gemstones as they met the moon light. Her prepossessing eyes paired well with her obsidian black hair that fell all the way to her lower back. The man could make out streaks of white running through her luscious locks which intrigued him further.

“Your whole spiel about Love, don't tell me you were talking about yourself?” He obstinately enforced his ideals, taking a step into the circle illuminating the center of the room. His chunky black combat boots hit the floor with a loud thud as he approached the young woman.

“It won't matter, this is the end is it not?” She whispered as she turned her head and focused her eyes at the darkness in front of her. She wore a single white gown with no sleeves and a round neck. Her collarbones peeked out from the cloth as her slender arms fell into a clasp of her hands in her lap. On one of her wrists was a black bracelet that had a black butterfly perched on top of it as a design. Her pale white complexion paired with her red lips and crystal green eyes gave her the appearance of a fairy.

She sat on the floor with her legs to one side, comfortably. The man now hovered right above her. He appeared to be of a monstrous height and it seemed as if he could easily crush her under a single stomp.

“Why are you so calm?”

The man was flabbergasted but the young woman did not respond. Her head stayed straight and her eyes remained focused. There was no fear. The man wondered what she could be thinking and paused.

Strangely, the man decided to sit down next to the woman and began staring at the void In front of him as well. He crossed his legs and rested his right elbow on his right thigh before placing his chin in his right palm. For the first time since he had arrived, the young woman felt irked by his actions.

“What are you doing?” She asked without looking at him.

“What are you doing?” He replied without looking at her, but she remained silent.

A few moments passed in silence as the two continued to stare at the emptiness. The silence was palpable and soon the sound of the man's heart beat began to fill the room.

For the young woman who had been living in solitude for a decade, the sound of this man's heart beating was too loud for her to bear. Every beat bothered her and it echoed in the room that surrounded her until she could no longer ignore it.

“Please leave me alone..” she sighed, hoping the man would leave.

“I can't do that. I have a mission to complete. But, even for someone like me, this doesn't feel right.” The man responded.

Instinctively, he felt an emotion well up inside of him that he hadn't felt before, causing him to stand up and walk back towards the darkness.

“When someone is about to die, love is meaningless. I've seen those who used their loved ones as shields, and the look in the eyes of those who felt betrayed as I cut their life short. They thought they were loved and look where it got them.”

The man lit a cigarette as he proceeded, causing the light from the burning tobacco to illuminate the darkness in a corner of the room. The young woman was now staring at the man and listening intently, a rare interaction for her in a life of isolation and solitude.

“ I heard you've been here for 10 years and no one has ever been able to kill you. That's why they sent me this time. But I come in here and you're talking about Love. Are you kidding me? Is this your way of trying to win me over and beg for your life? ”

The young woman seemed frustrated by this and exhaled deeply before turning away from the man.

“I care not who it is. It may not make sense to you but destiny will guide him to me. We were created as a pair, and we arrived here together. Neither of us remember this and I can not seek him out for this reason. So I sit here and wait. Patiently. I am a st-”

“Stone yeah yeah gotcha, I heard you the first time.” The man cut off the young woman as he flicked his cigarette and walked back towards her.

Without warning, he kneeled down and began poking her slender arms, causing the young woman's eyes to pop at the sensation of his touch. He was strong and his beefy fingers prodding her slender arms caused her to move back reflexively, a slither of a blush across her cheeks as her Obsidian black hair, lined with tiny streaks of white like salt and pepper, fell over her left eye.

“You’re pretty squishy for a rock.” the man laughed to himself causing his gray hair to bounce on top of his head. His lively attitude filled the room as the cigarette smoke flew overhead, lingering in the moonlight amidst the calm atmosphere of the solitary space.

“So how do you know it's not me?” The man asked, causing the young woman to regain her composure and sit back in her position comfortably. She looked away from him once more and closed her eyes, clearing her throat before responding.

“My killer? Does it make sense to you?” She asked rhetorically, causing the man to stand up and ponder.

“Stranger things have happened, trust me. But for now, I'm just gonna say that I don't really feel like killing you. You've piqued my curiosity so I'm going to make you mine. What was that about birds and cages you were rambling about earlier? It should work for you right?” A smile appeared upon the man's face betraying his ulterior motives, yet the young lady remained unmoved.

“Do as you like, but do not disrespect me. This is my first and final warning. Whatever happens beyond that is out of my control.”

The man was taken aback by her sudden threat. He had heard of this young woman being immortal, but he never bought the story. An urge rose up within him to test her bluff, but what if it was true? Her confidence made him freeze and he decided not to attack.

“You're really something. Was that fear I just felt?” The man questioned himself as he stared at his hand, slightly quivering

“I don't know if it's my adrenaline or…” he rationalized out loud as the young woman kept staring at the darkness in front of her, expressionless, emotionless.

For the first time since he had arrived, the man focused on her visage. She was beautiful, divine, otherworldly, a dream. To the tainted eyes of the man, she was untouched, pure. The man felt filthy in her presence. The odor of his cigarette laden body was overwhelmed by the fragrance of her aura. He felt ashamed. He felt intoxicated. He was hesitant to approach her.

“Love huh?” he murmured to himself

“At least we should know each other's names. I'm Silver, and you are?”

The man asked, offering his hand to the young woman. She looked over at him and stared into his eyes for a few moments, before clasping his hand softly.

“Vanessa.”

Meanwhile, In a quiet little shed on the outskirts of an unknown town, a mysterious man sat down to drink a glass of water. The room he sat in was so quiet that the sound of his gulping the liquid could be heard all around the dimly lit chamber. Across from him sat a man on a wooden chair which was chipped at the edges with some wear and tear.

"Hey Fester?"

The man ushered the old man, wiping the water from his plump red lips.

"What?"

Fester responded, opening his eyes and lifting his bald head.

"Have you ever heard of the phrase, 'You can't tell time. Time tells you.' ? "

"What about it?"

Fester rebuked, stroking his thin white beard. The old man's wrinkly hand tiredly ran through the few strands of hair left on his chin. His back slumped and his eyes narrowed as he began to think about the phrase the mysterious man had just uttered.

"I think Time and Nature are related."

The man replied

"Our control over these things is nil. It's impossible to rewind the minutes we spend and it's impossible to change the course that nature takes."

"I see.." the old man responded "..but there are things that we can control right? I control the things I eat don't I?"

"That's not the point Fester." The man replied

"Don't you think we have very little control in how things turn out? We can't get any younger. We can't stop the day from being consumed by darkness, or the sun from coming up in the morning.."

"What are you trying to say? " Fester queried, puzzled by the man's rambling.

" Everyday, I see people running away from time, running out of time. Those worthless idiots...all they do is give into their primal nature. Disgusting filthy animals. I hate them, I despise them. "

The man's face contorted, slightly frightening Fester who simmered in his chair.

"They think they are so much better than everyone around them. When in reality, they can't see further than the air in front of their moronic faces. Why? Why won't they realize that there's no time. What's the point of their stupid fantasies? When will they realize there's no meaning to any of this."

The man finished his rant, resetting his face to a careless stare. He had a nice jawline and piercing emerald eyes that complimented his fairly fawn complexion. His black hair was slicked back with a few strands falling down his face from the edges of his forehead. He wore a black shirt with the sleeves properly rolled up near his elbows. He donned a sapphire waist coat and black trousers, paired with a white belt that wrapped around his curvy hips.

Fester looked bewildered. This was the first time he had found himself so terrified of the man. But the old man had known the man for a while, seeing as he was the grandfather of his bastard child.

"Why do you keep visiting me after all this time? I don't want you to keep coming to my house and spouting such hatred, especially after what you did to my daughter! "

Fester snapped back at the man who began to take his leave. As the man grabbed his long black coat and porkpie hat off the rack in the corner of the room, Fester had a few more choice words to add.

"You don't even know half the things you're talking about. It's complete nonsense! You need to take a good hard look in the mirror. What exactly is in your control even after knowing all of that? Are you in control of your own life? I doubt it!"

The mysterious man didn't respond as he opened the door

"Goodbye Fester. I'll see you next week."

"Don't come back!!!"

Fester shouted out as the man closed the door on his way out.

"I really don't know how he gets in here every single time. What is he a damned ghost?"

Fester thought before going back to his afternoon nap on the table.

Meanwhile the man was already making his way back into the city. He walked through the slums swiftly and without being noticed. The path he was walking curved slightly upwards In front of him.

The community he walked through was situated on a mountainous terrain, segregated into ascending levels of society. As the hill sloped upwards, the class divide became more and more apparent with the poorest and most unfortunate at the foot of the hills and the richest and most lavish near the top.

At the end of his sight in the distance, the man could make out a tall and magnificent structure, in the heart of the most elite sector of the area.

The Academy.

The man continued walking through the slums until he reached a checkpoint between two sectors. He showed his identification badge to the guards posted there who let him proceed to the next area. The man made his way through this phase of the community which consisted of slightly better living conditions before arriving at the next checkpoint and repeating the process until he arrived at the third sector.

The people in this area were dressed much better and seemed cleaner as opposed to those of the previous two areas, indicating yet another improvement in living conditions until the man arrived at yet another checkpoint.

At this point the man had to go through a three stage verification process before he could proceed which included an ID check, followed by a body check and a baggage check.

Since the man wasn't carrying anything, the guards chose to check his pockets instead. They procured a small pair of sunglasses, a rectangular piece of chewing gum and a small butterfly knife which had an interesting purple and green design on the handle. After admiring the craftsmanship for a few seconds, the guard handed the knife back to the man who proceeded towards the most lavish sector of the town yet.

There were cafes, fountains, parks and everything else the heart could desire. The women were scantily clad and the men were built like Hercules. The mysterious man walked through this area unfettered, and strangely unnoticed by the inhabitants. It was odd at how invisible he was considering his bulky and muscular frame coupled with his incredible height at 6 foot 5.

The man walked like this for a while until he arrived at a peculiar fountain where a woman was seen begging for money. This woman had a newborn baby suckling on her left breast, but no one seemed to care. The people had as much money as they could want but no one came close to the woman to help her. The man stopped by the woman to drop some money into her lap.

The woman grabbed the man's hand on the way up, thanking him for the generous amount. She immediately got up and scampered away upon contact with him. The man saw the woman dash away happily as he stared at his left hand, clenched into a fist.

He opened it to reveal a small piece of paper that the woman had slipped him. The man opened up the paper and read the contents before crumpling it up and throwing it into the fountain. The man then walked towards the final checkpoint beyond which was the most splendorous part of the kingdom. The only way to get past this checkpoint was if you were allowed by the ruling class.

The man approached the gate to the entrance of this checkpoint and rang the buzzer by pressing a button on the front. The zapping sound gave way to a few moments of silence before a voice appeared through the speaker on top of the entry.

"Please state your name into the microphone on the right"

The voice requested as a camera attached on the top right side slowly began to tilt downward at the man.

"Ezekiel Sapphire"

"Ahh, Instructor Ezekiel, you really are like clockwork. Back at exactly 12:00 pm again, let me buzz you in."

The voice responded, releasing the magnets holding the door shut. Ezekiel opened the door and walked through the checkpoint, arriving at the most magnificent part of the town. This was where the elites of the town lived. The Mayor, the King, the head of the religious faction, popular celebrities, the warden, the judges, all of them and more lived here, alongside their children who were mostly students at the Academy which was also situated in this area.

The Academy was the most important institution of this nation, where magic and the dark arts were taught. To be a part of the academy meant that you had a chance at glory and recognition. It was a gateway toward ultimate power and a shot at a better life. Naturally, everyone in the nation, from the slums to the elites, dreamt of getting into the Academy. However, it was not accessible to all who wanted to enter. No matter how royal or well connected, you couldn't buy your way in. You had to be selected and worthy. The Academy worked by its own set of rules, detached from the hierarchal nature of the community that surrounded it. It was a linchpin of justice and fairness, where lineage didn't matter.

Ezekiel continued to walk through sector S of the town until he arrived at the gates of the Academy. Shades of crimson, azure and emerald decor painted the existence of the Academy, highlighting the vibrancy of the institution; a mixture of dreams, miracles, laughter and mysteries, where whispers foretold tales that were once buried. Ezekiel paused at the gates as he reflected on his journey to the top of the hill.

Every sector was categorized according to one’s value. Based on what? Wealth, fame, lineage and… luck.

" Bullshit."

Ezekiel did not buy any of that crap. Why? Because he lacked all of the above. In his own twisted way anyway. His emerald eyes glinted at the structure before him, reflecting shades of gold as he entered through the drawbridge of the Academy.