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Little Silver MenNighttime had arrived and with it came the darkness. On the porch of her house, Allison was sitting on a rocking chair smoking a cigarette, the smoke swirling in the air making complicated shapes before they would disappear into the dimness of the night. A simple light was hanging from the ceiling of the porch, its light attracting different insects such as flies and moths. Somewhere around her property Allison could hear the sound of crickets. Further in the distance came sounds from traffic, although there wasn't much of it happening right now because of the time of day. There was some distance between her property and the closest settlement and she preferred it this way. She liked her privacy. The serenity of Allison's night was disturbed by the barking of a dog. Allison could distinguish that it was her own dog, Scott. She got on her feet and extinguished the rest of her cigarette on the ashtray that was placed on the rail of the porch, the tray containing too many cigarette butts already. She whistled into the night as she left the lit porch and waited for her dog to appear. Scott was nowhere to be seen, but he kept barking at something. Allison strayed from the light even more as she followed the loud sounds the dog was making. “Come here, boy!” she yelled into the darkness. And still, Scott continued to bark. It wasn't until Allison was getting close to where Scott was barking when he finally stopped and came to her, tail wagging. The dog was a mongrel about the size of a German Shepherd and to Allison, he was a perfect watchdog. “What did you find, boy?” Allison asked from the dog and ventured further in darkness. She heard movement nearby, a twig had just snapped. Didn't sound anything big, though. She should have got her flashlight with her, she cursed in her mind. Suddenly Scott dashed into the blackness, but stopped not far away and was wagging his tail. Allison could recognize a small figure, even in darkness. “Goddammit, Devon, what are you doing out here this late?” Allison lectured the little boy, feeling a little relieved that it was just her son and not something threatening. “Nothing”, the boy said sheepishly and looked at his feet. “Go to your bed and don't even think you have the right to complain that you're tired in the morning”, Allison said and started to slightly push Devon towards their house. They reached the lit area in no time and Allison urged her son to go inside while she remained on the porch. Annoyed by her little boy's nightly adventures, she decided to smoke another cigarette. Scott settled down on her feet after she had sat down on the rocking chair again, blowing abstract shapes into the air. “Damn that brat”, she mumbled to herself. A sharp and high-pitched noise suddenly pierced her ears, so sharp she felt it in her head. Allison had never in her life heard anything like this and got a little startled by it. Her heart trembling, she remained stationary as she focused on her hearing. Seconds passed but the sound didn't repeat itself. It had been just this single one, like a blow of a whistle. Allison let herself relax after some while, pondering about possible causes for the sound she had just heard. Maybe it was just a group of teenagers clowning around near her property – it wouldn't be the first time. Or maybe it was a really strange noise made by a bird. She didn't think much of it, though, and once she had finished smoking, she prepared to go to bed as well. She wasn't thrilled when the annoying ringing of the alarm clock woke her up in the morning. Early rays of the sun were attempting to infiltrate Allison's bedroom through the small gaps in the curtains. She rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling, her hand on her forehead. “Fuck this”, Allison muttered to herself and managed to lift her body from her bed. She opened the curtains and headed downstairs, starting her day. Her first task was going outside and opening the hatch of the chicken coop, letting out her precious birds. She had a fenced area for them to roam freely during daytime, so she could confidently leave them to do their thing while she was away from home. Allison gave the chickens food before she headed back to the house. She quickly smoked one morning cigarette and went back inside. It was time to prepare breakfast. Once she found her way to the kitchen, she immediately got the coffee maker going. It was bubbling in the background while she made toast for both her and Devon, putting the pieces of bread in the toaster. She also poured a glass of orange juice for the boy. Soon the slices of bread jumped from the toaster and Allison snatched them, putting just butter on her toasts while she spread raspberry marmalade on the ones that were meant for Devon. After this, Allison left the kitchen to wake up her son. The boy was still asleep when Allison entered Devon's room. She stepped towards the curtains and opened them and said: “It's time to wake up.” Devon let out a whining noise and protected his eyes from the flow of sunlight that was now flooding his room. But Allison was having none of it. “I told you don't have the right to complain”, she said as she walked towards the boy's bed. She tapped Devon's body a few times before she left the room, saying: “Get up and get dressed. And don't forget your backpack.” Allison then headed downstairs again to enjoy her breakfast. Her coffee was now ready so she filled her cup with that dark hot liquid and sat down on one of the chairs that surrounded a round table in the middle of the kitchen. She was scrolling news through her phone while eating and drinking and after a couple of minutes, Devon silently joined her. He didn't utter a single word as he took his place around the table and started to munch on the toast his mother had prepared for him. None of them spoke to each other during the breakfast; these quiet meal times were normal to them. Once Allison was done with her breakfast, she finally broke the silence by saying: “Now, get ready to leave while I change clothes.” “Okay”, Devon responded quietly. Allison stood up and placed her coffee cup in the sink, then headed upstairs yet again. She swapped her pajamas to something more decent; she worked as a cleaner so it didn't really matter that much how she looked. She was quickly finished with this task and descended the stairs one more time. Devon was already waiting by the door with his backpack and Allison just grabbed her keys and both stepped out of the house. Scott was left inside. Allison locked the door before heading to the car with her son. Devon hopped on the back seat while she sat down on the driver's seat. The engine roared a little as Allison turned the car on and soon she steered the vehicle on the only road that led out of her property and began their short and quiet drive. The vibrant rural area soon turned into a suburb. Less vegetation and more land shaped by human hand. More and more buildings appeared into the scenery, their familiar forms passing by as Allison drove through the same route as she did every day. Some time later she steered her car at the parking lot of the local elementary school and did a little turn in there. She stopped her vehicle for a brief moment so Devon could hop out. No words were exchanged as the boy stepped out of the car and headed towards the school building. Allison drove away, her current workplace as her destination. This is the pattern where Allison was stuck at. These mundane days, she felt like living in a loop. She would wake up and get ready for work while also preparing Devon for school. She would drop him off and head to work. Excruciatingly slow hours she would have to endure in her workplace that kept changing. Then she would pick up her son and on some days, go to the grocery store. Allison would head home and spend the evening just watching television and smoking cigarettes, having no strength or desire to do anything. Her life kept repeating itself over and over again and while she was very much dissatisfied with it, she didn't really know how to break out of the infinite cycle. The next evening Allison was again sitting on her rocking chair on the porch, blowing strangely dancing shapes of smoke into the chilly air. Scott was laying on her feet, keeping her company. Allison enjoyed the quiet dark evenings, having nothing around but nature. She heard giggling from somewhere nearby. This broke her peaceful moment and she knew immediately who the culprit was. Very much annoyed, she quickly fetched her flashlight from the lobby of her house and walked into the darkness, the bright beam of light cutting through the dimness. But as she was getting closer to the source of the noise, it then stopped completely. Still, she pressed onwards and soon enough, the light beam revealed the small figure of Devon. “What are you doing here again?” Allison asked with a very angry tone. “Nothing.” The boy gave the exact same answer as before, but this time, he said it more confidently. Allison thought nothing of it and grabbed her son by the arm and started to forcefully drag him back to the house. “Go to bed and stay there.” Devon didn't struggle against her. He behaved like a good kid and went inside, heading upstairs. Allison was about to turn off her flashlight when its beam suddenly touched something in the darkness, appearing as a silvery glimmer. She pointed her light at her surroundings, confused about what she had just seen. For a while she tried to find the source of the shimmer, but had no luck. She shrugged and clicked the light off, retreating on her chair again. Her ears were pierced by sharp high-pitched sound. The same sound she had heard yesterday. It hurt her head during the couple of seconds she heard it and then it just vanished. Yet again she was left to ponder what it was, but just like before, she had no answers. She decided to check around her property by morning when there was some daylight. Allison went to rest for the night, still bewildered by the sound that was haunting her. It was odd for the first time alone, but the fact she had heard it twice? It was strange. As the morning came around and she went to open the chicken coop, Allison also made a brief investigation around her property. She decided to check the area where she had found her son sneaking around in the evening, but she found nothing. No source of weird sounds or evidence of what Devon had been doing. Allison strolled around a little bit more, but still, she didn't notice anything strange. Everything appeared normal to her, but for some reason, that was exactly what she was worried about. She figured she could do nothing about it at the moment and just resumed her day as usual. The next evening Allison was prepared for any oddities to occur. She was sitting on her chair, her flashlight on her lap so she could immediately investigate if she heard anything weird. But the night remained silent and still, she could only hear the familiar melody by the crickets resonating in the chilly night air. There was just peace and blackness surrounding her. Allison pondered whether the unexplainable sounds she had heard were just random mysterious occurrences that she wouldn't experience anymore. Odd things tend to happen in life. She returned inside her house and went to bed. In the morning Allison woke up with a headache. It wasn't unbearable, but pretty painful nonetheless. Before eating breakfast, she consumed a couple of painkillers in hopes that it would put an end to her pain or at least make it tolerable. The headache made her very irritated and she found even the sound of Devon eating his breakfast annoying. But Allison simply exploded when the boy accidentally knocked down his glass of juice, spilling the liquid all over the kitchen table. “You fucking brat!” Allison roared as she suddenly stood up and hit Devon in the face. “That's it! No more breakfast for you, go wait in the car!” The boy was quiet and exited the kitchen as unnoticed as a shadow. He had learned that it was best to say nothing to his mother; she would always win. Allison's start for the day wasn't great and much to her dismay, she found out that her headache hadn't been going anywhere, making her work more unpleasant than it already was. Strangely the time tends to move forward as slowly as possible when you're waiting for it to pass, and so Allison's work day was just painful all around. Great was her relief when after a long and exhausting day she could finally go home. Taking more painkillers didn't do anything for her headache. Maybe it just was one of those strange ones that will linger no matter what you do. She simply tried to relax during the evening at home and mostly she was doing fine. As usual, Allison was smoking her last cigarette of the day on the porch when she was startled by the odd high-pitched sound again. It greatly grated her head, it almost felt like somebody was trying to drill onto her skull and she groaned from pain. However, the ache went away as soon as the sound faded and everything was completely silent again. Allison could think about the cause of that infernal noise only for a couple of seconds when something else got her full attention. For a very brief moment she could see something rushing through the darkness, at the edge of the lit area. It had a silvery shimmer in it and without it, Allison would have been pretty sure that it was some sort of animal. As far as she knew, no animal glowed in silver. This was the second time she had witnessed this phenomenon, but she could only guess what it actually was. She fetched her flashlight again and decided to look around a bit. Her guess was that it was just some teens messing around. She wandered around her property investigating, but her light didn't reveal anything abnormal to her. She paused for a moment, just listening to the sounds of the night. Seconds passed, but she didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. This outcome was frustrating to her, because the sounds and silvery shimmer she had witnessed were reoccurring things, not isolated cases. Something definitely was going on, but she wasn't able to find concrete evidence of it. Maybe she was finally going crazy. Maybe she was finally succumbing to her role as the "Cranky Ally", the boogeyman teenagers joked about. With a bitter heart, Allison returned to the house and was heading to bed. She had just brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas and was about to close the curtains for the night, but as soon as she reached the window, she let out a surprised yelp. There was someone behind the window, watching her. Or more like, something. A weird creature that had silvery skin, huge bat-like ears and ridiculously huge yellow eyes and a wide mouth with rows of sharp teeth. It appeared to be about the size of a ten-year-old child. Allison didn't have much time to inspect this critter when it had already vanished. Allison remained on her spot for a good while, heart trembling and shocked. She had no explanation for what she had just seen. And the fact that it had been just outside of her room's window… Her room was on the second floor. That thing had climbed to spy on her. It took Allison a moment to gather enough courage to step towards the window and take a look outside. She saw nothing in the darkness. But she knew, oh she knew, that the strange being was out there. She closed the curtains and dragged herself to bed, still shaken. She didn't rest well that night, she was so paranoid about the entity that it was like glued to her head, unable to think anything else than this terrifying encounter. Allison wasn't sure if the next morning was welcome or not. Maybe the daylight would keep the critter away, but she was so very tired because of last night. But work day is a work day, so she got out of the bed and started to prepare for the day. As she was drinking her morning coffee, Allison noticed that Devon was in an unusually joyful mood. He was smiling and his little legs were swinging back and forth; he even let out a quiet humming noise. It was irritating to Allison. “What are you so happy about?” Allison asked angrily, her voice sounding almost like a growl. “I'm going to meet friends today”, Devon replied. Yeah, some brats from school. Allison thought nothing of it and the rest of the breakfast went in silence. While at work, Allison developed another headache. It started as something rather mild, but it just kept growing worse throughout the day. And strangely, as it got worse, it also made Allison hear things. That weird high-pitched sound she had heard these past few evenings was tormenting her again, although not as strongly. Still, it was making her insane; it almost felt like a horrible hangover. It really was messing with her head and in the end she was feeling so nauseous that she had to leave work a bit earlier. She really hoped that taking a few painkillers and staying in the quiet comfort of her home would make her feel better. But she was wrong. She was in pain throughout the day. But the worst part was the infernal sound she was hearing; it did occasionally go away and Allison was grateful whenever that happened, but the noise would always come back and pierce her head like a drill. She was feeling awful and she started to think about whether she should seek medical help. This wasn't normal. Allison decided that if her condition wouldn't get better by tomorrow, she would visit a doctor. When the evening came around, Allison felt really drained for some reason. She didn't have strength to do anything and was barely able to stand. She followed her night routines and was sitting on her rocking chair again, smoking her last cigarette. While she was trying to relax, suddenly Devon ran past her, heading to the darkness. “Where are you going?” Allison yelled after him. “To play with friends!” Devon answered and soon his small figure got devoured by the surrounding darkness. Allison didn't have the strength to argue with the boy so she just let him do whatever he wanted. She could hear him giggling and whispering something, but other than that, she didn't really pay attention to what the boy was doing there. He would turn into a complete nutcase when growing up, Allison thought to herself in a bitter way. She finished smoking, inhaling the toxins into her lungs one more time, and extinguished the cigarette on the ashtray. She peered into the darkness, trying to spot her son. But she just heard him, although very faintly. Allison retrieved her flashlight and cursed in her head, she started to look for Devon. “Come here, Devon, the playtime is over”, she grumpily shouted into the darkness, moving her flashlight's beams all around to catch a glimpse of the boy. Everything was oddly silent, Allison noted. The owl, the crickets… She heard nothing but her own rustling steps invading the vegetation. Even Devon had gone quiet. But there had been so many weird things happening lately that she didn't really feel surprised anymore. Right now she just wanted to drag her son back to the house and go to sleep. Eventually Allison's light hit Devon; he had been crouching near a gooseberry bush. As soon as the light had revealed his hiding place, the boy stood up and turned to face his mother. “There you are”, Allison said. “Now, get back inside, it's your bedtime.” But to her disbelief, the boy shook his head. “No.” After getting over her astonishment, Allison then turned angry. “This is not a debate, Devon. Go to your room and stay there.” The boy shook his head again, this time even more vigorously. “I want to be with my friends. You go.” “What the hell are you –“ Allison's sentence was cut short when she suddenly heard noises behind her. Something was rustling among the plants – and it sounded like there were multiple of them. She turned around and gasped from shock so hard that she almost dropped her flashlight. There were about six little silver creatures. Exactly like the one she had seen peeking from her room's window. Their huge yellow eyes stared at her in a very unsettling way and they were slowly approaching her, like a pack of predators that worked together to catch their prey. They were making strange clicking sounds and they tilted their heads over and over again, moving in an unnerving way. “What the fuck?!” Allison was instinctively walking backwards and she frantically pointed her light around, maybe even hoping that the beam would blind the creatures. But it had no effect. “Scott! Scott!” Allison had hoped that her dog would come and defend her from the creatures. She heard how something was moving fast toward her location and she was sure it was Scott. And she was right. The dog appeared from the darkness, but he didn't even acknowledge the presence of the critters apart from glancing at them briefly. Scott bypassed Allison and went to Devon, sitting down next to the boy. This shocked Allison; she felt like everyone was against her. “They're here to take you”, Devon said. “Take me? What do you mean?” Allison inquired, her gaze shifting from the creatures to her son. She felt a horrible pain in her head as the high-pitched sound impaled it once more, this time it was the worst one yet. Allison dropped her flashlight and she tried to shield her ears from the horrendous noise. It was like somebody was hitting nails on her skull and into the brain. She had never felt this kind of agony. The pack of weird creatures approached her and they struck their claws on her, grasping Allison by her clothes or skin. She screamed and tried to struggle against her captors, but they were surprisingly strong and flailing her limbs didn't stagger them at all. They began to drag her away, into the darkness of the night. Suddenly a blinding white light appeared and the beings were taking her towards it. Allison looked at her son and her dog that just remained on their spots and watched. She could see that Devon had a wide smile on his face. It was the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness.Songs Into Stories: MastermindA black midnight strikes and with it comes the winds of malevolence. They howl dreadfully like a pack of hounds from hell, desiring to bite any poor creature that would dare to wander outside at their mercy. In fact, there was a lone figure defining the harrowing breezes, veiled in a dark cloak. Carrying a bucket filled with ice, he hurried among the corpses of abandoned buildings to find the one he had taken as his lair. A cold rain started to pour from the black sky while the man was on the move, causing him to move faster. The shrieks of the wind sounded outright eerie and sinister as they blew throughout the area of forsaken buildings that were left to rot, sounding like cries of spirits. The man had seen apparitions during these many years, so it wasn't farfetched to think that these grounds were haunted. Such a reputation was totally fine with him; it would keep most curious eyes away and not meddle with his work. Through the labyrinth of rust and debris, he eventually managed to reach the building that was in decent shape, at least when compared to its decayed brethren. A weak light above the entrance was trying its best to cast away the surrounding darkness, but was barely able to do so. It kept flickering in an unnerving way, sometimes going out for several seconds. Still it managed to guide the man to this huge warehouse. He opened the rusty metal door that let out a horrible creak as he forced it to move; it almost sounded like somebody had screamed. Once the man had passed through its frame, the metal door became a guardian once more, closing behind the man with a loud thud. The warehouse concealed a terrible secret. A huge part of the building was occupied by a noisy machine, the finest work of the man, although it wasn't perfect. Most of the metal pieces were covered in rust and there were many spots that were either sparking or smoking. The whole contraption looked like it could fall into pieces at any moment. But against all odds, it still stood there firmly, waiting for the moment when it would be able to unleash its powers and fulfill its purpose. It was a doomsday device. The man had been working on it for years, in the solitude of his warehouse. He was a genius, though not one of a sane kind. With this machine, he would make the whole world kneel before him and he would rule as the supreme lord. He could see this grand vision in his mind, and had been seeing it for years now. He wasn't like the other miserable dwellers of the world, he was different. Once the machine would be completed, he would claim the world as his own. And he had tried, tried so hard to be one with the masses, but hadn't felt comfortable in his skin of false fellowship, especially after the tragedy took his dearest away from him. Now bitter and hateful, he shed this skin like a snake and strived to become the one who would mold this world anew. One strike of the heaven's fire was the last thing he needed for his machine to come alive. For this purpose, he had installed a long and crude antenna on the roof. It was reaching for the heaven like a hideous mechanical hand, desperate for power. The genius was looking upwards, gazing at the black heaven through the couple of windows there were in the ceiling. The rain was starting to pound harder on the glass and he pondered if a storm was approaching. The water from the sky was relentlessly tormenting the warehouse and the gusts of wind were growing stronger, violently toying with the antenna. Still, it was able to remain there even at the mercy of the black heaven. The genius held high hopes that night for it really seemed like he would get the final powerful touch that would make his visions of greatness real. He opened a hatch in the machine and emptied the bucket of ice in there, then he observed the weather, staring at the windows above him. He waited and waited, but he wasn't exactly the most patient man in the world. The harsh wind and rain were there, causing some sort of storm, but there was no lightning, the one thing he required. He was pacing around the warehouse for a while, but he needed something to do. He noticed that a part of his machine was barely functioning, the cogs were loose, and so the genius grabbed his tools and started to work on the doomsday device. However, one thing led to another and soon it occurred that he was dismantling the grand machine, bit by bit. It wasn't as perfect as he wanted. The warehouse was getting more and more quiet as he tore the device into pieces, only the clanking of metal echoed within the confinements of the building. The truth was that this machine wasn't the first one he had created and it wouldn't be the last. During his years in solitude, the genius had built many different versions of the doomsday device, mostly following the same pattern but some of them being slightly different. Perhaps this was because of perfectionism. Or maybe just a result of his mind's obsession with being occupied. He was stuck in a cycle, building a device he could use to conquer the world, just needing to capture a single strike of lightning in order to unleash the machine's potential, but he would never be able to wait long enough for that to happen. He had a brilliant mind for sure, but it was also his biggest downfall. Constantly getting distracted and bored, he would repeat building the machine, only to break it down a while afterwards. For years the genius had been doing the same thing over and over again. So many years later he managed to finally realize this. The warehouse was eerily silent since all the sounds of the machine were gone. Shadows were lurking in every corner, kept in their spots by the flickering of lights. The outside world was engulfed by darkness, and so was the mind of the genius. He was on his knees on the cold floor, holding his head and crying, while the broken metal was scattered all around him, their stillness telling the tale of his ultimate failure. All his tools and the pieces of machine, they were all the same, just useless debris with no function in their shattered form. Years of work. He had sacrificed so many years of his life into making the machine, but for what? He didn't even want to rule anymore. A portion of his life, wasted just like that, having all these visions of grandeur, but losing his desire to make them reality. Bitter tears in his eyes, he just wished he could go back in time and prevent himself from wasting all these years. An idea sparked in his mind. While the last of his tears were rolling down his face, he stood up from the floor. He could do that, go back in time. He was a genius after all. He would make the impossible possible. The genius rushed to his worktable to scribble down blueprints. A little bit of designing, a little bit of time and he would be able to travel back to the days when he hadn't yet wasted his potential. He committed to this project completely, nothing else mattered. Once he was fully focusing on something, he couldn't think of anything else. Eating or sleeping, he barely allowed himself to enjoy these necessities. Day and night he worked on his newest device and if it worked, it wouldn't be his last one. He scavenged new tools from the neighboring buildings, finding just enough and in decent condition for him to wield. But it's not like anyone would miss them anyway; they were left to decay. Now they would aid the genius in his finest work yet. And one evening, it was done. The genius looked at the object that now lay on the worktable, on top of the blueprints that had given the start for its existence. He felt rather surreal as he stared at his new device, but he was also proud of himself, even though he wasn't sure if it was going to work or not. But he was quite confident that it would function as it should. The object didn't really look like much; it was a rusty cube with wires and screws sticking out of it and was the size of about an alarm clock. Inside its core, it let out a blue shimmer. The genius was admiring his own work and he carefully picked it up from the table to give some late inspections on it. He eyed the cube thoroughly, but didn't find anything that should be fixed. It was ready to be used. He stood up from his seat and held the cube with both hands delicately as if it was the most fragile thing – though it would be a major setback if it happened to break. The genius let his gaze wander around the warehouse, feeling oddly sentimental about all this, like he was leaving and never coming back. But maybe that was partly true. He wouldn't see this exact state anymore. The genius activated his gadget by pressing a button on one of its sides and the device started to whirr. The blue shimmer spread from its core to all its external parts and from there, it kept devouring everything in its way, engulfing the genius inside its glow. A vortex of blue light dominated the warehouse for a short moment until it suddenly disappeared with a loud boom like if something had exploded. The genius was gone and so was his device. All that was left behind were the broken metal clutter and the curious little shadows that had followed his work for so long. A black midnight strikes and with it comes the winds of malevolence. They howl dreadfully like a pack of hounds from hell, desiring to bite any poor creature that would dare to wander outside at their mercy. In fact, there was a lone figure defining the harrowing breezes, veiled in a dark cloak. Carrying a bucket filled with ice, he hurried among the corpses of abandoned buildings to find the one he had taken as his lair. There was a scent of storm in the air and he wanted to get indoors before it would unleash its full might. A little bit of drizzle started to soak him already as he moved like a shadow around the cemetery of deserted buildings. It wasn't hard for him to find the warehouse he was residing in. The only light in this accursed darkness was hanging above the entrance of the man's lair, acting like a beacon that would guide him home. This light remained strong even before the might of the incoming storm and smothering night. The vile winds on his trail, the man opened the door to the warehouse and slipped inside, safe from their cold and ruthless fangs. The grand contraption that used to claim most of the space in the warehouse was no more. Or more like, it hadn't been built yet. The genius had successfully traveled backwards in time, years before he had started to work on his doomsday device. Sadly, his little time machine gadget had broken in the process; he would have liked to go even farther back. However, this was enough for him and he felt content, being years younger now. The genius walked towards a new kind of machine he had recently created. It was a rather crude mass of metal and wires, though the most notable part of it was a mechanical hand it was able to move. The device was placed next to a table and on the table, there was a chess board. The genius pressed a button to turn on the machine and it rumbled a little as it came to life. His opponent was ready. The genius sat down on a chair and contemplated his first move. He grabbed a bottle of beer from the bucket of ice and got immersed in the board game. It was one of those things he had always wanted to learn. And now, as he was years younger, he thought it would be a perfect opportunity to study chess. His little robot here would aid him with this. He had his whole life ahead of him, and if he wanted to pursue world domination again, there was time for that. But for now, he would keep playing, and the world could sigh in relief as the one madman had something else to do with his time. But the world was inside his head, his sense of reality fabricated. His spirit is bound to his own personal hell, unable to perceive life beyond his little plane of existence. Though you can't long for something you don't know anything about. Trapped inside his dark bubble, he would keep building his machines and living his life drenched in madness. He was all alone and being held in a cage.Whatever, man | Original poemIt is a joyous day outsideBeautiful bird flies in the skyWhatever man Children sing and playParents smile throughout MayWhatever man My godly bones can never breakMy workers can never be lateWhatever man, I don’t care It is a joyous day outsideDying birds fly in the skyWhatever man Children sing and playThe month of May is overWhatever man My godly bones can never breakMy workers started being lateWhatever man, I don’t care It is a horrible day insideDying birds fly in the skyWhatever Children grow up too fastThe month of May is overWhatever I am a fallen god, my halo slowly breaksMy workers started being lateWhatever man, I might just careSuffering In SilenceA thick fog had shrouded the town in its cold and dreary embrace. It felt unnatural, giving to the townsfolk the sensation that nothing could thrive inside its miserable guts. The radiant sun that had blessed the town just a while ago couldn't penetrate through the mist with its holy and life-giving rays, and so the town was trapped in dimness, for not even their artificial lights managed to bring illumination to their dwelling. The fog was like a dormant grand beast, sitting on the town's chest and smothered it, because the air seemed to stay completely still, there wasn't even a single gust of wind to be felt. The haze also silenced all the noises and within the weak-minded, it felt like they had entered a spirit realm as a punishment for something they didn't even remember doing. Not many people believed in spirits or any other supernatural things whatsoever anymore, but sometimes even these nonbelievers were left to ponder whether there was something behind the strange happenings that couldn't be explained by logic. No matter what their stance was regarding the existence of spirits, the eerie gloom the fog had brought over their town made everyone wandering outside look like lost souls, condemned to seek something they would never find. The mist had transformed everyone into dark figures that were unable to recognize each other and would just drift through the haze like nothing mattered to them. However, there was one individual who was constantly like this, not just on this particular foggy day. Milanvi had lived in this town for years, but still, nobody could recognize him. He was like a ghost, sometimes wandering outside, but not interacting with anybody. He was so dull that nobody ever paid any attention to him. And that day was no different, not to him. But that day, he was one of the many, he was part of the town in a strange way, since everybody was like ghosts to each other. But every day Milanvi blended in perfectly and no one could tell that he was there, had been all along. Milanvi was a very quiet young man. He seldomly started conversations with anyone and even when he did, he tried his best to get out of the situation as fast as he could. He just didn't want to waste anyone's time; he wasn't worth it. He was a stranger to everyone and thus, no one would miss him, no one would wonder how he was doing. He was an unseen background character, not someone people could remember or care about. Just a bland man you would forget within the same day. And since there was no one who could be considered as part of his pathetic lonely life, there was no one who could help him. Maybe it was his own fault, being so wretched that nobody wanted to be around him. Milanvi was carrying a lot of anguish inside, sometimes it felt crushing. But being the oddly silent man that he was, screaming his pain was something he was unable to do, it was like a curse and his lips were sealed. Sometimes he wanted to call for help, reach his hand from the pit of misery where he was dwelling, but there was no one out there who was willing to listen or grasp his hand. In the end, Milanvi had accepted his role as a living ghost. He remained in his pit that was getting deeper and filled with black water so he could drown. From the outside, he was a regular young man you would expect to bypass in the streets. Maybe you would occasionally see him inside the apartment building where you lived, maybe pondering who he was. But since he was so plain, you wouldn't waste any more time thinking about him. He just kept to himself, not wanting to bother anyone. From the surface he looked calm, like the water of a pond. But from the inside, there was a relentless chaos, deep under that still and calm water. It was killing him from within, and yet, he couldn't ask for help. He had understood that he had failed every aspect of his life and there were no brighter days ahead. He had suffered all his life and that would never change. He was tired of it all, so very tired. People tend to go for walks when they want to calm down and clear their head, but in Milanvi, it had the opposite effect. His mind was a busy one, and if there was nothing for him to focus on, darkness would easily veil it. But even with this risk, he still possessed a particle of the will to just go outside instead of counting the shadows on his walls or being mesmerized by the television. On some days, he was glad of the sight of fellow people. But sometimes, he was afraid of them all, unable to stay out for long as he was filled with the desire to get back home, to safety. He would just sit there while his soul would rot, suffering in silence. This foggy day, it was strangely ordinary for Milanvi. He breathed in the still but fresh air, enjoying how it filled his lungs, even if the air would poison him. Under the cover of thick mist, he would dare to glance around more as he didn't have to worry about accidentally making eye contact with people. They were just dark figures, ghosts just like him, wandering around immersed in their own little world. The air was cold, but somehow Milanvi found it comfortable, giving him sensations of serenity and being strangely connected to the outside world. He had no particular destination set in mind as he strolled around the town of fog, he would just aimlessly go wherever his feet would take him. He didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen during his visit to the guts of the haze, he assumed this being just another mundane day in his life, but strange things tend to happen when you least expect it. Every form Milanvi saw in the fog appeared blurred and every sound was muffled, so he didn't think much of it when he saw a shadowy figure pass by near him. He assumed this was just one of the townsfolk. But then they bypassed him again, moving back and forth. This person's erratic behavior did catch his interest, even though he usually didn't want to pay too much attention to other people, not wanting them to feel uncomfortable because of him. But this entity here, they didn't seem… real. They didn't seem to be a human being. At first Milanvi tried to glance at them sneakily from the corner of his eye, not daring to look directly at them. But little by little he became more interested in this mysterious being and got courage to take a better look at them. By the first glance, the entity appeared as a human since it had the height of a tall person and because they were veiled in black, they didn't seem to differ much from the dark forms of the townsfolk that were walking around. But how this thing moved… There was something unnatural about it. They moved swiftly around despite not running and their limbs were twitching in a horrifying way. In Milanvi's opinion, it was like a glitch in a video game. The being was wrapped in black rags that concealed their whole body. This of course only highlighted the most notable feature they possessed; they were wearing a pure white mask, the only facial features it held were the eyes. Pitch-black, empty eyes that were crying blood. Milanvi wasn't sure how to feel about the strange entity that clearly wasn't human. Should he be terrified? Curious? Ignore them completely? Were they real or had he lost the last remains of his sanity? Did they happen to be a specter that had appeared only to him? No one else paid any attention to them. But was it because of the fog or because the entity refused to be seen by others, Milanvi wasn't sure. The entity moved around Milanvi, clearly having some sort of interest in him. But they made no sounds, so Milanvi couldn't tell what they wanted from him. At first, he had found their presence quite distressing, but as he continued to stroll in the mist, the creature started to seem more and more harmless. What a strange thing it is, the human brain. Milanvi was more afraid of fellow people than an unnatural entity. Even in Milanvi's mind this was pretty absurd. But despite the being's scary looks, they hadn't shown any signs of hostility. They just were there, fascinated by Milanvi, joining in his wandering around the town. They were a companion Milanvi hadn't expected to get, but surprisingly, he didn't really mind this even though he probably should have. But of course, the question was burning in his mind: what was this creature? What was their purpose, why did they appear to him today? He was afraid to open his mouth and ask these questions from the entity, because if only he could see them, he would seem pretty crazy in the eyes of the townsfolk. Milanvi remained quiet, walking forward with the strange being circling around him, acting normal just like he did every day. Perhaps it was his subconsciousness that had made the decision. Milanvi had somehow managed to walk to the small port the town had. He had this strange feeling inside, like he needed to be here. But why? The silence was hanging over the port just like it had done around the rest of the town, but in here, Milanvi could hear some noises that proved there was life inside the guts of the fog. He could hear the seagull's sad caw a few times, maybe it was trying to find somebody because it couldn't stand the loneliness anymore inside the mist. Then the bird's sounds faded away like an old man's memory. The only sound left behind was the waters that weakly crashed against the pier and the bottom of the boats that remained stationary, slumbering and waiting for the moment when they could fulfill their purpose once more. The port felt serene. Milanvi couldn't see anything except some of the dark forms of the sleeping vessels. The fog was leading into the nothingness. It gave him the impression that there was absolutely nothing beyond the curtain of mist. This town was trapped in the fog, cut from the rest of the world. Or maybe, if you took the risk and would get lost in the haze willingly, it would lead you to a new place. A better place, perhaps. Milanvi stared into the grey emptiness and wondered what could possibly lie beyond it. At this moment he also noticed that the entity had ceased their erratic movements. Milanvi glanced at the being, it was just standing there by his side, staring into the mist and its nothingness. It was a little strange to see them this calm. Did they feel the pull to this port as well? Slowly the entity shifted the gaze of its empty eyes at Milanvi. Because of the lack of facial features and being incapable of making sounds, Milanvi wasn't sure what they wanted from him. Then the creature raised their hand and held it in the air; a manner that suggested the creature wanted Milanvi to grasp their hand. For a short moment he pondered this, even though his response didn't linger in his mind for long. Was there anything left for him here? The answer was obvious. Wherever the creature was inviting him to come, it would be better than this. Milanvi grasped the entity's hand; it felt cold but the grip was strong. The creature's long thin fingers that had claws in them closed Milanvi's hand in their clutch, surprisingly tenderly considering their terrifying look. The being started to guide Milanvi towards the fog, walking along the pier. Only the sound of Milanvi's quiet steps could be heard. Once the man and the monster had come to the far end of the pier and there was nothing but water and mist ahead, the entity still encouraged Milanvi to step forward. The man had his doubts and fears, because what would happen once he would take the decisive step? But like a guardian angel, the entity urged him to let go and walk. Milanvi took a deep breath, his last one in the town of mist, and grasping tightly the creature's hand, he stepped over the last board of the pier and began to walk on the fog together with the entity. The sound of Milanvi's steps faded away. There was only silence. Hand in hand the man and the monster disappeared to the mist. Milanvi had been the silent unseen man all this time, so nobody would notice that he wasn't there in the background anymore. Eventually the thick fog that had veiled the town would fade away, and with that, so would the memories of Milanvi even existing. Behind him, he had left nothing but silence.Songs Into Stories: Church AsylumEvery individual carries sins with them and Milrath was no exception. But his sins were so heavy, his crimes so severe that he could feel their weight on his back constantly, no matter where he went, no matter if he tried to find some hidden purity from his stained and twisted soul. His sins were like a corpse that was riding on his back, reminding him of his bad deeds and laughing while the weight would crush him. And some of his sins followed him from the shadows, sneaking around him, watching, judging, sometimes they were pulling the shadow his own body casts. There was evil inside him, Milrath was aware that he was a bad man, but that was a twist in his life; unlike most people like him who have done wicked, terrible things, he felt guilt and wished for forgiveness. He wanted to get rid of the darkness that had a hold of his soul. For a long while already, Milrath had been running away from himself, but so far it had been futile. And yet, still he was trying. The snowstorm was awful that day. The visibility was very poor and the huge snowflakes were getting into Milrath's eyes while the freezing wind was cutting him with its cold viciousness and he had to protect his face with his arm. Traversing the mountain road was hard in such weather, it took a lot of effort to be able to proceed when there was a thick snow blanket covering the ground. Still Milrath found strength to keep going, refusing to let the storm overpower him. His sanity was being tested with the unnatural sounds he could hear from the depths of the mountain and occasionally he could see figures dancing behind the veil of snow, appearing and disappearing, and there was no way to tell what he saw and heard was real and what wasn't. But even though the mountain was playing these tricks, Milrath remained adamant and he continued his lonely journey. After some time, however, the mountain decided to show mercy on Milrath. As he was getting closer to the top, the snowstorm which had been tormenting him this whole time started to subside gradually and the wind lost its harshness, and Milrath didn't have to shield his eyes anymore. The blizzard had calmed down into a mild snowfall and as Milrath progressed, it then ceased completely, and suddenly the skies were clear and the great radiant sun was blessing the mountain with its light. Such an odd travel this had been, Milrath surmised in his head when he was unexpectedly basking in the golden rays of the sun. He wondered if the mountain had been testing him, to see if he was worthy of what he was seeking. It was the only reason he could think of to explain the strange weather anomaly. But now, as he was completely free from the snowstorm and could see around, he now had his destination in sight. A great building stood tall in the cold embrace of the mountain, surrounded by pillars of ice that never melted; it looked like the ice and the black stone had fused together. The building was a church and everything in its exterior looked sharp, like every nook of it was meant to pierce evil. A couple of towers were puncturing the sky and here and there Milrath could see gargoyles guarding the holy structure. He could feel their stony gazes at him as they silently observed and judged him; they could see all the sins he had brought with him. Milrath felt like they could get on their wings and attack him at any second. Under their harsh stares, Milrath cautiously walked towards the church, every now and then glancing at the stone monsters because he was afraid that they would come to life. But they remained stationary even when Milrath had managed to reach the grand double doors that granted entrance to the building. He raised his shaky hand and knocked on the dark wood. There was no response for a while. Milrath pondered if anyone had even heard his knocking. But just when he was about to knock again, one of the doors slowly creaked open and somebody peaked their head outside; a young man who was wearing priest's black robes. “How can I help you?” the young man asked humbly as he pushed the door more open. “I'd like to have a word with the high priest”, Milrath responded quietly. “Of course. Come inside”, the young priest invited him and stepped aside so Milrath could make his way in. Soon the door was closed again, leaving the coldness to the outside world. Milrath learned as soon as he had stepped in that the building was just as magnificent from the inside as it was on the outside. Beautiful pieces of artwork, whether it was paintings or sculptures, decorated the place moderately, portraying saints of the past. Gorgeous candelabras brought a little bit of light inside, together with the sunshine that flowed from the windows. The church was silent, but Milrath could feel some strange vibration in the air; maybe it was some sort of holy energy? “Follow me”, the young man said as he passed Milrath and kept walking forward. “The high priest is in the prayer room.” Without saying a word, Milrath started to follow the priest. The sound of their steps was muffled by the blue long carpet that stretched somewhere into the heart of the building. Milrath could distinguish a pair of doors in the distance and assumed that it was where they were heading. The journey wasn't long, but it felt uncomfortable to Milrath since just like the gargoyles outside, he could feel all the people in the paintings and sculptures judging him. Maybe he just had to get used to it. Once he and the priest had reached the doors, the young man pushed them open and they were allowed to enter the prayer room. It was the most magnificent place Milrath had ever seen in his life and he got filled with the radiating holy powers that dwelled in this room. It made him feel humble. The place was spacious; two rows of church pews took their places on the left and right side of the room. The most well-crafted candelabras were standing here and there and currently they were holding candles that brought a scent of honey into the air. At the far end of the room there was the altar, the heart of the church. Three tall stained-glass windows depicting holy figures were the ones that captured Milrath's gaze for the longest time. The altar consisted of a white pedestal where various objects were waiting for their use, though Milrath couldn't tell what they were used for. Then there were two other pedestals at the left and right side of the altar, filled with vivid flowers. Milrath was a little surprised as he saw the plants; they were blooming beautifully, even though they were inside a building located in the mountain where snow and ice never melted. Maybe it was just one of the holy miracles this place held. It really left Milrath with a sense of awe. There were a few people, all of them priests, on the altar, mumbling something Milrath couldn't hear. Soon they noticed him and the young priest walking closer and the whole group turned to look at them. Once they had reached the altar, the young priest made a slight bow and said: “A guest has asked to speak with you, your honor.” Milrath wasn't exactly sure who was the high priest as all of them wore the same black robes. However, there was undeniable authority radiating from one of the priests. A middle-aged man with long blond hair with certain dignity carved onto his face. And his eyes, Milrath had never seen such bright blue eyes. All the priests were observing him, but the one with those stunning eyes seemed to be able to look deeper, right into the very soul. Milrath felt so small, so insignificant in front of him. It was like the priest knew every bad deed he had done just by looking at him. Milrath's hunch about who was the high priest turned out to be correct. He opened his mouth and said: “Welcome, guest. Will you tell us your name?” Milrath fell on one knee in order to show respect and lowered his head. “My name is Milrath.” “Such a strong name”, the high priest said. “You may call me Casmia. What is it you seek from the house of Melresh?” Milrath barely knew what Melresh was; he was the great lord of the sun and this church had been built to worship him. But Milrath was pretty sure he would get more acquainted with this sun lord if he was allowed to stay and he said: “I'm humbly asking for your guidance and an asylum. Please, give me a place to stay and purify my wretched soul and I will pray to lord Melresh's name.” He lifted his head again and met once more the blue eyes of Casmia. For one short moment the high priest was piercing his soul and Milrath felt like he couldn't hide a single thing about himself. It worried him, for would Casmia let him stay once he knew the truth about him? “Very well.” Milrath almost couldn't believe his ears. The high priest had given him his permission. It was probably the greatest thing that had happened to him in years. “Oh, thank you, your honor!” Milrath exclaimed and stood up. “I will show my devotion to Melresh with all my heart.” “I do not doubt that”, Casmia said calmly. “Now, I will give you a little tour. Please, follow me.” It was that moment when Milrath thought his soul could be purified and he could gain a new start for himself, free from the sins of the past. Seeking guidance from faith was the last thing he could think of that could help him to redeem himself. He hated and feared the man he had become, but when you're born wicked, it's hard to not be like that, it's hard to strive to become something else, something better. Not all were able to resist their nature. But Milrath had this small strand of thought slithering inside his head, like a snake, that he could turn his life around. He allowed that snake to grow, absorbing its essence. Milrath himself felt like a snake as he gave up his clothes he had worn for a long time, thus shedding his skin. From that point on, he was wearing the black robes of a priest. These robes were his new scales and through them he could soak up the golden light of lord Melresh. Milrath adapted to his new life quickly. Living in the church was rather simple; pray and help those who occasionally would come to seek aid from the church. The high priest Casmia also demanded silence whenever they weren't praying, but that wasn't hard to achieve, although Milrath found this to be a little strange since Casmia was so adamant about it. But maybe it had something to do with this being a sacred place of worship and it was necessary to keep it devoutly silent. Just like the life of priests, their diet was simple as well, consisting of bread and water. That was probably the thing Milrath had most trouble getting used to, somewhere in the back of his mind was a voice that craved the meat of other living beings. But he wouldn't let himself consume flesh any more, his body had to turn into a holy instrument and shouldn't be tainted with anything, like with eating substances of other creatures; you'll never know if they've been even grazed by something evil. Bread and water should suffice as he would be vitalized by the holy light of Melresh. He thought that he had been able to run from himself and hide in the mountain of light. But radiant light also casts a dark shadow. These hands that now would be gently pressed against each other to pray had raised a blade to spill blood and end a life, more than once. These eyes that were allowed to witness the holy power of Melresh in the altar where the most vibrant flowers bloomed, they had been filled with hatred and watched how the light of a human life was extinguished. This black heart that was now letting in the golden sunshine had never learned how to love, only hate. Milrath had opened up his heart to seek guidance from the light, but it was hard to shed every bad deed he had done. He was able to feel guilt, perhaps that was a good sign. So many of his own crimes were haunting him in his sleep, the faces and the screams and the begging of all of his victims just repeated themselves in his nightmares. He wanted to forget them, perhaps even yearning for their forgiveness although he was sure he would never deserve that, so he continued to pray. Such a tormented soul. And every day he could feel the gaze of judgement by Casmia's piercing blue eyes. The high priest seldomly spoke with him, but Milrath couldn't help but notice that he was often staring at him. Casmia always remained expressionless so Milrath had no way of knowing what he was thinking or what he was searching for with his invading gaze. But it was uncomfortable, like he was keeping track of the beast Milrath had tried so hard to conceal from everybody. However, Casmia still let him stay in the church, so Milrath felt also a spark of hope whenever he was looking at him with those eyes that seemed to see everything. Milrath tried so hard to become a better man through faith, there was no doubt about that. However, no matter how much he prayed, no matter how devoted he strived to be, a monster still lived inside him. It never went away, it was merely slumbering, waiting for the day when it could raise its ugly head again. It had been there since the very beginning of his life; there was no way it could be separated from him. It didn't take long before Milrath would kill again. The monster was whispering to him, making him crawl back to his old tendencies. All it took was a quarrel with another priest and in a fit of rage Milrath had ruthlessly taken his life by stabbing. He just left the corpse to rot for other priests to find. They were merely the first drops of blood that would be spilled in the church. The beast was now loose and it would attack anyone. The faith, the radiance of sun and holy powers of Melresh, none of them were able to chasten the monster, and Milrath's attempts at striving to become a better person had ultimately failed. He would sin again, killing people who had shared their lives, food and prayers with him. He would take lives as if he had the authority to decide when someone's life should end. Why was he doing this? Even Milrath himself wasn't sure. He had been born wicked and as wicked he would stay. His desire to kill was unnatural, but so tainted and twisted his soul was that he didn't even care anymore. He had tried to run away from his true self, but it had caught him and stuck with him until the day he would die. The mountain church soon transformed from a holy place to a house of horror. Murders would happen frequently; the blood of the priests were staining the holy ground. Anxiety blossomed among the priests as they didn't know who or what was carrying out these murders and of course, Milrath's lips were sealed. In fear for their lives, some of the priests even decided to flee, abandoning the church that had been their home for decades. Some adamantly stayed, like high priest Casmia. Milrath had avoided him as well as he could, for he was sure the high priest was able to just take a quick glance at his soul and find out the truth behind the murders. However, he wouldn't get away with these slaughters forever. In the end, the culprit would always get exposed. One morning, the atmosphere inside the church felt heavy somehow. Milrath could tell something was different the moment he left his quarter. The church was always silent, but that morning, it was even more quiet, like in a grave that had been sealed for centuries. Milrath saw no one as he slowly walked towards the prayer room where all the priests gathered first thing in the morning to make their first prayers of the day. The great double doors were open and Milrath noted that everyone else was in the prayer room already. They had been muttering something between each other with low voices, but as soon as they noticed Milrath coming, they went silent. It was suspicious. Very suspicious. There was tension in the air, but nonetheless, they held the morning sermon just like any other day. Once this was done, however, Casmia then spoke to Milrath: “Brother Milrath, could you please kneel down?” Milrath instantly felt a sting in his black heart. Casmia was staring at him with that familiar piercing gaze, but somehow, it felt even more intense than ever before. He knew. He definitely knew. Nonetheless, Milrath did as the high priest had told and fell on one knee, just like he had done the day they first met. There had been many eyes judging him during all these years, but Casmia's gaze was without a doubt the sharpest one, giving Milrath even physical pain. For a moment Casmia just watched him and let the tension in the air drill into his skull. His back felt heavy as if all the sins he had carried throughout the years were gathering into a single mass, wanting to crush him. “Brother Milrath.” Casmia's voice resonated powerfully within the prayer room. “You came here asking for guidance and an asylum. I accepted your presence and granted them to you and you took lord Melresh into your heart. Or so I thought.” The sunlight behind the stained-glass windows suddenly became brighter and Milrath found it blinding. He had proudly stared at Casmia's face, but the light forced him to look down, making him look more humble than he wanted. “When I first saw you, I knew you were a sinner. That is the reason you came here in the first place, am I correct?” A moment of silence followed these words. However, Casmia soon continued. “You wanted to wash away your sins. That is a noble idea. You hoped that from faith you could find a blade of light that could slay your inner demons. But devoting your life to lord Melresh was not enough to kill them.” Milrath felt like there was a clawed hand inside him, crushing his heart more and more firmly with each word that came out of Casmia's mouth. His heart was a black one, but still a heart nonetheless. From the start Milrath had felt like Casmia could read his soul, but just how accurately he was able to do it was frightening. “I pity you, harbinger of darkness. You gave in to your inner evil and disturbed the house of Melresh. You wanted to feed your demons and so you fed them with the blood and flesh of your brothers. That can never be forgiven.” Milrath heard how multiple steps came closer to him. He could practically feel the eyes of priests on him, judging and despising him. He remained stationary like a statue, his head still low because of the brightness of the sunlight. He knew that this was the day of ultimate judgment, but would he accept it? “Brothers!” Casmia's voice echoed strongly in the room, so strongly that it almost felt like the building was shaking. “What is the fate of Milrath? Is it absolution and exile? Or is it execution?” There was only a short moment of whispering among the priests, they all came to the same conclusion very quickly. Milrath's black heart was trembling. “We have decided that Milrath's fate is…”Sushi Pack Reimagine Chapter 1 Chapter 1A Strange Customer Today, The Green Donut was unusually busy for a Saturday, many customers (primarily tourists) were visiting in droves.Although this is certainly great for business, the number of customers became quite overwhelming, especially when there were only three employees: Ben, the Green Donut's owner's son, Francis Huffman, and Heidi Yip. While Francis took over as the cashier for noon, Heidi and Ben were juggling trays full of donuts just to keep up with the sudden increase in demand. "Ugh, I'm so tired!" Heidi moaned, and her arms ached from carrying so much in a short period of time. "I agree, dude," Ben replied "let's just hope we can close the place for lunch."A simple hour flew by and then, the Green Donut now only had two customers much to the trio's surprise, relief, and delight. Finally! They can take that needed breather!A couple of minutes later, the customers have since left happy with their donuts."That was the best matcha donut I've ever ate!" One of the customers yells out, "thank you all so much, I'm coming back here for sure!"Francis gave them a thumbs up whilst quietly mopping the floor and Ben grabbed the keys to close up shop for now.In the break room, the three enjoyed their lunches with the TV turned on as entertainment/background noise.As a joke, Heidi picked up the remote and switched to Channel 5 to see what news stories to laugh at this time. Then, the most absurd one they've ever heard was beginning."This just in," Sophia Tucker announces "we got reports of two fish people gangs attacking each other in Downtown Wharf City!"The employees were intrigued but skeptical. A video clip was shown of those fish people knocking one another into buildings and cars with some of them having superpowers to boot."This just has to be a real good marketing scheme," Francis commented "I mean, this looks like people with amazing costumes with special effects mixed in."Heidi agreed with him. "Yeah, this is so ridiculous." Ben shook his head with amusement, joining in with the comedy.They began to laugh about the whole fish people story, from the nonsense premise to how Sophia took the whole thing seriously and with a straight face no less. Unfortunately by 1:30, it was time to open back up for the afternoon and not as many customers were coming in. On one hand, it was back to the store's normal, slow pace but on the other, it got super boring. Heidi was cleaning the floor this time but would often stop and check her phone every ten minutes.Whilst texting a friend of hers, she heard the bell ring but then saw something peculiar; a light green rabbit wearing a blue tracksuit."Hi, welcome to the Green Donut! What would you like?" Ben said, greeting this rather odd customer. The rabbit gave Ben this sweet, innocent look, eyes twinkling pure cuteness with their arms reaching out to him."Aw, you're so adorable!" He cooed, "Do you want a donut?" The rabbit nodded cutely and pointed to a jam-filled donut."Fantastic choice, that'll be $4.75 please."The rabbit stopped and stared at Ben, no longer doing the puppy dog eyes. He flinched a little but clarified that they still needed to pay for the donut. However, it seems this rabbit did not take no for an answer as it immediately climbed on the counter and crawled into the display case, shoving some of those trays down to the floor. "Hey, you can't do that!" Ben yells but to no avail. No amount of "get downs" or "stops" well, stopped the rabbit from grabbing the donut and running out of the Green Donut."Catch that thief!" Heidi shouted, and Ben began chasing after the thieving bunny. Running from one street to the next, he tried to keep up but the thief was much faster and had a heading start.Then, Ben saw something both amazing and strange at the same time; it was those same "fish people" he saw on the news earlier today, and he could not believe it."I guess these fish dudes are real after all," Ben thought to himself, "or possibly what Francis said, a really good live performance and I'm seeing it all in person!"As he approached the scene to find that scoundrel thief, he was halted by an invisible force and was now a few feet off the ground.Then, he saw this fish woman wearing purple and pink clothing walk closer to him with one of her arms being lifted up in place."What is someone like you doing here?" The woman asks Ben, "this is far too dangerous for a civilian to get tangled up in. Please just get back to a safe place."She gently placed him back down, which still surprised Ben greatly. "Thank you miss, I'll go now," he said to the woman as he ran back to the Green House.As Ben returned, Francis greeted him. "Yo man, what happened to our donut thief?"Ben explained everything to him, or at the very least tried to. He was impressed to know that the news story had some truth but wasn't fully convinced just yet. Though for the rest of the afternoon shift, everything went back to normal like nothing ever happened.When he came back home, his mom greeted him and asked how work went. He explained to her about the waves of tourists visiting the shop and how many customers in general arrived that day, intentionally not bringing up some of the weirder stuff that went down today.His dad also greeted him and was quite proud of his son for the amount of work he did."Not too shabby for dealing with visitors coming for Sakura Season," his dad remarked, "you have promise with running the Green Donut when you become an adult."Ben felt this was a compliment but had his worries regarding that future.The Mizuyama family ate their dinner for the night and Ben went to his room preparing to go to bed.Unfortunately, he couldn't sleep at all with all that he saw today but after a few glasses of water and a good book, he finally fell asleep.Pokemon Mystery Dungeon :Explorers of... Well Something! PT. 1Flare slowly got up, man, last night was rough… thankfully though there’s always to-She got up, this… wasn’t her house. It looked nothing like her dingy apartment.She looked at her hands, these weren’t her hands either.She quickly looked into a puddle and screamed, looking back at her was a Ralts.She was… Pokemon? She stepped back for a moment, trying to understand her surroundings. “Hey.” A voice behind her said.She screamed once again. “Oh my goodness… Did I startle you?” She turned around, and looking back at her, was a Scorbunny, speaking perfect English.“Yeah… A little bit?” She said softly. “I heard you scream and.. I came as fast as I could…” Scorbunny said with concern.“Oh it’s um… nothing…” she said, still looking at her reflection. “He’s gonna think I’m crazy!” She thought to herself.“Well… what are you doing out of town… it’s dangerous you know!” He said with a bit of intensity. “Oh I just… got lost… you know?” Scorbunny laughed.“Oh that’s all? Where are you from? I’m sure I can find it!” Scorbunny said.“What’s your name? And where are you from?” He said, questioning her.“Oh I’m Flare! I’m um… from Mauville!” Scorbunny looks at her confused. “Where… is that?”“It’s in Hoenn…” Scorbunny squints at her. “Hmmm… seems suspicious…”She starts sweating bullets. “But no problem! Come on, let's go to Red Town! I’m sure you can find help there!”She follows behind him, and they quickly arrive at the nearby town. “Here we are! Red Town!” Flare looks at him with some doubt.“Is that… what it’s called?” Scorbunny looks at her like it’s a no brainer. “Of course! What else are we supposed to name it after!”“Anyway! I got some work to do! Wish you luck!” He starts running but stops himself. “Oh yeah! Almost forgot! The town hall? It’s a big building, can’t miss it!” He runs off.She heads to the town hall. There’s a Slowking sitting at the front desk.“Um… excuse me?” She says in a hushed quiet tone. The Slowking looks at her. “Oh… Hello… do you have something to tell me?”She’s hesitant but she says, “Do you know where Mauville is?”He sits for a sec, pondering the question, “Never heard of it, sorry.” Flare looks at him for a sec, “Oh… ok thanks… I guess..”she exits the town hall.The Wallet: Fanfiction“EEEEEEEEE!!!!” exclaimed Stimpy as he pressed his face against the glass window. His eyes bulged with delight as he stared at what lay behind the transparent barrier. “Steempy, what’s up with you? We’re going home remember?” inquired Ren Höek as he ambled over to Stimpy’s side. He waved his hand in front of Stimpy in an attempt to capture his attention. “Looooooooooooookkkkkkk!!!!” the cat chirped, pointing his finger to the object he had his eyes on. Ren’s eyes followed the finger’s direction before landing on a plush brown mouse that stood proudly amongst the crowd around it. “That mouse? But Steempy, you already have dozens of catnip mice,” Ren said as he turned away from the toy store. “But, Ren! Don’t you see? I must have it! It’s so fluffy and cute and other adjatives!” Stimpy replied before resuming his gawking. “Awhhhh no, not this time!”snapped Ren, his face reddening.”You have plenty of mice at home. This one ain’t so special. ‘Sides, it’s 30 fucking dollars! Who in their right mind would pay that much for a toy? It doesn’t even talk or light up or anything!” “Please, Ren! I’ve never wanted anything as much as this! Please please pretty please with coconut shreddings and bacon strips and gumdrops on top?!” pleaded Stimpy as he kneeled to meet Ren’s gaze. “The answer is no, you twit! We’re already having problems paying bills and buying food! We don’t need to spend any money on some stupid rodent!” Ren retorted as he pointed at the rags both of them were wearing. “But…But…” blubbered Stimpy in total disbelief. I do everything for Ren. Why can’t he get me a lil toy? “Let’s go, ya big blithering bag of sand,” groaned Ren as he grabbed hold of Stimpy’s left arm. Stimpy struggled against Ren’s grip, but it was no use. Ren could be surprisingly strong despite his short stature. He just didn’t like to show it often. Probably so Stimpy couldn’t nag him to do more chores around the house. They arrived home shortly after. Stimpy’s left arm was raw and sore from Ren squeezing it so tightly during their walk. He whimpered in pain, but Ren didn’t respond. Typical. Ren guided him to the living room sofa, which was frayed and torn in many places. Stimpy was made to sit in Ren’s lap, which was made even more awkward due to their size differences. Ren wrapped his arms around Stimpy’s midsection, anchoring him to the spot as he rocked back and forth. “Ren?” Stimpy shyly asked, his eyelashes fluttering. “Yes, my simpleton?” replied Ren, tightening his hold on the cat on his lap. “I still really want that toy…” Stimpy confessed, immediately flinching afterwards. “And I still really want more money, but that’s not how the world works. You see, us poor people are purposefully kept in this state so that we don’t get rich. No being rich, no being happy. It’s simple science, Stimpson,” Ren answered while patting Stimpy on the back. “Yeah, well. The world should change,” grumbled Stimpy, crossing his arms like a spoiled toddler. “If only, Stimpy. If only. Now, go get ready for bed and bring some snacks over from the cabinets. We’re eating junk food for dinner tonight,” ordered Ren, reaching to gently grasp Stimpy’s face. “Okay, Renny…” whispered Stimpy before he stood and retrieving a large bag of chips from the pantry. The Manx cat then traveled towards the bedroom, chips in hand. He sat on top of the downy blankets beneath him, the soft material putting his mind more at ease. If only there was one way I could get that toy, Stimpy thought to himself. The 5 cents I get every weekend from Ren would never be enough to buy the mousey… Unless… Stimpy’s eyes snaked over to the dresser. On top of it laid Ren’s wallet, which was crusty and old with age. He approached it, the floorboards creaking with every step he took. Do I dare? Stimpy went over his choices. To take or not to take, that was the question. If he took it, he would have his new toy. Sure, Ren would be mad, but he’d still have it. Ren usually never broke things that cost money. He had his limits. But if he didn’t take the wallet… well, he didn’t even want to think about that. Right then and there, the feline snagged the wallet from its resting place. He tucked it into his fur, which enveloped the wallet like a thick blanket. Suddenly, he heard the telltale sound of Ren’s footsteps outside the door. Trembling, the cat pulled the covers over himself and squeezed his eyes shut. “Awwwww, sleeping like a lamb,” Ren cooed as he walked over to the bed. Before Stimpy knew it, he was enveloped in Ren’s embrace. Ren’s fur felt even more sweltering than ever, and Stimpy cringed as the Chihuahua’s hot breath lingered on his face. “I love you, Stimp. Tomorrow awaits us both. Until then, sleep tight,” Ren whispered while simultaneously stroking Stimpy’s soft fur. He planted a wet kiss on Stimpy’s cheek before he closed his eyes, strengthening his hold on his lover. Stimpy felt sick to his stomach, and not just from the putrid smell of the dog hugging him. The guilt clawed at his chest like a ferocious beast, ready to devour him whole. Just to be safe, he gently tapped Ren’s forehead. No response. It’s now or never. Stimpy wriggled himself out of Ren’s arms, sweat pouring down his trembling body. He tiptoed out of the room, careful not to press his feet to deep on the floorboards beneath. Before he knew it, he was at the front door. He looked behind him, fearing that Ren was somehow watching him. Seeing no one there, he grabbed hold of the brass doorknob and stepped outside. The gentle breeze whispered to him, beckoning him to wander further from his residence. He chose to listen to this conscience. He took this time to look around the almost-empty streets. He had never before noticed how… bleak it looked. Rubbish overran every corner, its presence creating a foul odor that was impossible to mask. A thick blanket of smoke smothered the sky, a result from the constant output of factories and machinery nearby. Stimpy couldn’t help but cough as the smoke entered his nostrils without his consent. Just then, he found it. The toy store shone like a beacon, its bright colors sticking out amongst the gray and black that the town had to offer. Stimpy’s mouth drooled with excitement, a child-like grin etched upon his face. He ran into the store hurriedly, not wanting to waste any time. Thankfully for him, the plush mouse was still available, its soft fur awaiting his touch. Stimpy rushed to the counter, where his gaze fell upon a balding old man. “Dahhhhh, I’d like to take this liddle mouse to frolick with and play with until I can no longer roam!” Stimpy said, the mouse held up to his chest. “Okay, that’d be… let’s see now… 30 dollars,” grumbled the old man, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. “Ooh! Gimme one sec!” Stimpy chirped. He reached down into his fur and retrieved the wallet burrowed inside. He pulled out a handful of dollar bills from inside the wallet and then placed them on the countertop. “They’re all yours, now, Take care of em,” said the man, a small smile on his face as he watched Stimpy raise the mouse high above his head with glee. “Bye, sir!” Stimpy beamed before exiting the store with his loot. As he made his way to the house with the mouse in hand, he couldn’t help but feel a tad wary about how Ren would react to the whole thing. But that was later and this was now. “STEEMPY!!!!” Stimpy snapped back to reality in a flash, his eyes wide in horror. There was Ren, his teeth barred and his hands clenched into fists. He stood out in the front yard, looking as if he would maul Stimpy right then and there. “What in the ever loving FUCK are you doing out of bed?! It’s way past curfew!” snapped Ren, pointing to his handheld watch. “I was… just uh… nothing,” Stimpy mumbled, taking care to hide his new toy behind his back. “You… wait a goddamn minute. What do you have behind your back?” Ren interrogated, stomping closer to Stimpy’s shivering frame. “It’s nothing! Really! I just feel like putting my hands behind my back, haha,” Stimpy whined. Ren pulled Stimpy towards him, forcing his hands into his own. “Why do you have that mouse?! You little THIEF!!! You think you could just run off to that kiddie store and steal it! Not on my watch, bucko!” Ren yelled. “Um, I didn’t actually steal it, Ren. I… uh… bought it…” Stimpy confessed, his face reddened with shame. “YOU WHAT?! WITH MY MONEY?!” screeched Ren, his blood boiling with indescribable rage. “Yeah… I’m so sorry, Ren! Honest!” Stimpy began to sob, fresh tears dripping down from his eyes. “Oh you’ll be more than sorry once I’m done with you! Lemme show you what happens to kitties who don’t play by the rules,” Ren snarled, ripping the toy mouse from Stimpy’s arms. “Ren, what are you doing?” Stimpy dared to ask, his teeth chattering together rapidly. Ren didn’t answer. Instead, he brought the mouse closer and closer to his face. Then, without warning, he ripped his teeth into the mouse’s fur. He pulled with all his might, his face straining with the effort. “REN!!! STOP!!!!” Stimpy screamed. Ren paid no attention as he continued tearing the mouse to shreds. Pieces of fluff and fur fell onto the pavement, a gross reminder of how far Ren was taking this. “There! All gone!” Ren announced, a smug grin implanted on his wrinkled face. “No! How could you? I… I…” Stimpy wailed. He kneeled down to touch what remained of the mouse. “Must… put it… back together…” “Oh, no you don’t! Inside with you! You will pay for this, you ungrateful swine!” yelled Ren as he hoisted Stimpy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “No. No. My… my mousey…” whispered Stimpy before the front door slammed shut, closing off his view of the outside world.you've died many timesI could bury you,just like I did with those before you.You get better at it with age;letting go.Just like you taught me.ЖаждаПеределай нашу жаждув море глубиной ступней.Раскрывай наши жаждыв нереальную модель. Покажи нашей жаждечто у всех вкус ужасный.Покажи как ты видишьнашу реальность. (Ух, какая гадость.)The colorful night - add more to bonni lore?The sky was dark, but not entirely dark. The darkness dimmed out by the colourful glowing lights from the building, and the flickers of a nearby billboard. A beautiful blonde hair girl gracefully to the screen - posing and gazing down at the crowd below. Through the eyes of hers that never truly met theirs. Lior and Zaida were moving down the busy street, while the colourful lights casting soft glow over them. As they were about to walked past the glowing billboard, Lior stopped in their tracks, and their eyes widen staring up at the screen in deeply awe. Fortunately, Zaida caught the looks in their eyes, with a tint of something that is almost jealously... She quickly turned away her gazed, then bringing her eyes up to where Lior was looking. "Woah... Shes beautiful..! Is that ai?" Lior questioned while their voice tinged with curiosity. "I guess ai has really came far now adays! It's seriously getting so hard to tell which is real or not anymore, right?" Lior spoke up enthusiastically, finally lifting their eyes toward Zaida. Zaida, her eyes were still focused on the billboard, giving a short nod. Her expression were intense, her gaze staying firmed as she responded. "Yea... I guess so." Lior watched her closely for a moment, but then shrugged it off, thinking nothing more to it. Zaida, still the one who was yet lost in her thoughts, under the spell at the image on the screen. Barely a sound as if it meant for no one but the wind. She muttered to herself, "Seems like this is the path you are heading.. huh, Bonni?" Lior peeked their head up. Glancing at her with curios and their usual effortless annoying smile. "Hm? Did u say something?" Caught off guard by Lior, Zaida quickly masked herself with her usual calm and unreadable smile back into place. "Oh.. no, its nothing. Probably the wind, no?" She suddenly reached out her hand, lightly patting Lior head in a playful way. "Comon, lets go home now, shall we?" Flushing bright red like a tomato, the orange hair one swatted her hand away with flustering looks. "Okay, okay.... that was so unnecessary..." Zaida letting a laugh filling through the quiet calm yet colourful night. But right as they were about to leave, she turned and took one last glance at the billboard then quickly pulled her gazed away - not once looking back.Bonni Lore and redesign!!Bonni, a model but also the face of a virutal assiant. An ai, a lifelike model, that is cheerful, bubbly, and bring everyone to smile. The new generational of ai that is not like those emotionless ai and inhuman like. Although her contract was different.. odd? It was never told to the public. Bonni, she was bonded to the ai. Although she was not the ai, but her consciousness is tied to the ai core. She can feel the ai thoughts, absorbing most of the data the ai consumed, and can see most of the time what the users asking the ai. The reason for all of this is to make the ai better than any other ai. To make the ai closer to human understanding, more humanlike... The developers of the ai wanted to teach it to think, and be more of a 'person'. By using bonnie consciousness as it vision. But that wasn't what the ai wanted, was it? No, the ai wanted to use her, not to learn, but to experiment. Testing, eating each pieces of her mind, her consicouness, bit by bit. Until the tiny bit of her sanity drives her insane. It urge to taste the madness of human.The Flowers Are LyingA tender breeze caressed a deer's hair and ear as he lied on the ground on his side. It was a soft spot to lay on, the grass felt like a pillow, and so he had no haste in getting up. A delicate smile appeared on his face and he nudged his face against the soft grass. Maybe he could just lay there for a little while longer… The spot was so comfortable, like a finest bed. He was sure he had never slept in a bed that was as cozy as this one. He pondered this for a moment, until he realized something and suddenly opened up his eyes. He had forgotten who he was, except for his name; Kimene. At least he thought it was his name. A distressing observation to anyone, but for a reason Kimene didn't really understand, he wasn't that bothered by it. He felt calm and relaxed, but also curious. He decided to heave his body from the ground and was in a sitting position. He looked around him and was quite stunned by his surroundings. The scenery was dominated by various hues of blue; the grass, the trees, flowers, the creek and the sky… everything was blue. It was like straight from a fairy tale. Kimene was almost waiting for some little sprites to come out and dance on the flowers or on the surface of the water. But he didn't spot anything or anyone. Though, maybe he could find somebody around these parts, somebody who could tell him what this place was or how he had ended up here or perhaps even who he was. He got on his feet, still marveling at the miraculous world around him and started to stroll around. Kimene could hear the mellow sound of water flowing as it ran through its designated path. The kind wind was rustling the leaves of the trees and played with the grass, creating a soft concert. But in addition to these natural sounds one would expect to hear, a different kind of and a little mystifying noise made its way to Kimene's ears. It was like a chime of wind chimes, delicate and gentle. Kimene couldn't tell where it was coming from at first, but eventually as he continued to listen, he figured out that it was coming from some of the flowers. Upon this understanding, he ceased his quest for finding other beings for a moment and just observed the strange flowers. He liked flowers. Maybe that was why he found these ones so pleasant. And there were so many different kinds of flowers, like some had gold dust sparkling and dancing above them and some even emitted a little bit of glow. This delighted Kimene greatly, now he felt even more that he was inside of a fairy tale, just like the ones his mother used to tell him. Wait… His mother? Kimene suddenly felt bewildered. Somehow, through the fog in his mind that was shrouding his memories, he could reach fragments that were related to his mother. It was an odd sensation, getting back a piece of his life like that. But there were still many puzzle pieces missing. Perhaps he could find them if he looked around a bit more. Kimene got on the move again, still feeling a bit baffled, and accompanied with the need to learn more about himself. However, the chime of flowers filled him with a sensation that everything was well. This place seemed like a sanctuary of some sort. But no matter how wonderful it was, Kimene couldn't shed the desire to find someone else. Even if this was a paradise, it would be an awfully lonely one. He wandered around for some time, but the only beings he saw were butterflies that enjoyed the nectar of the gorgeous flowers. It was still nice to see there were some critters here. Soon after spotting the butterflies, Kimene also noticed a tree with fruits. He did feel a bit of hunger, so he decided to pick one. He stepped towards the tree and reached for one of the fruits, grasping it tightly. He picked it up and examined it a little bit. It resembled a yellow apple and its surface was smooth and flawless. Kimene took a bite and focused on the fruit's flavor. Oddly, it tasted more like a peach than apple, but it was still pleasant and sweet. Kimene consumed it happily and picked up a couple more, putting them inside his bag. He resumed his exploration in this beautiful place, feeling a bit more content now that he had found something tasty to eat. He put a mental note on where the tree was, but it was likely that he could find more of those elsewhere. Kimene's attention was completely stolen by a sudden golden light that was shot right into the sky, just a little further ahead of him. For a brief second he watched how it kept climbing higher and higher until it faded away completely. But, he was curious to see what had caused it in the first place and he began to move to the direction where the light had come from, behind a line of trees. Upon further inspection, Kimene noticed that the trees had grown in a weird formation here, they formed a circle. The light had probably originated from the center of this circle, but right now, there was nothing noteworthy, just a patch of crimson flowers. Though it was a little strange, considering how everything in here was blue. Then Kimene's sensitive ears picked up a sound nearby; something was coming towards him, rustling the vegetation near the circle of trees. Kimene was curiously staring at the direction where the sound was coming, until finally, somebody appeared from behind the trees. He wasn't quite sure what this person was, he looked like a feline but with dragon-like characteristics. His fur was mostly red with black stripes decorating it, but there were bits with light brown. But what Kimene found the most striking about his appearance was the stunningly blue eyes. However, his looks aside, Kimene was plagued by a feeling that he knew this person, but he couldn't reach his memories of him, not just yet. But he was happy to finally meet someone, it didn't matter whether they were acquaintances or not. “Hello there!” Kimene said cheerfully and raised his hand in a greeting manner. “I'm Kimene. Who might you be?” The feline dragon was staring at him in a similar way as how Kimene had just observed him. It seemed like he too was getting the sensation that he knew Kimene, but wasn't sure how. “I'm Amaru”, he answered as he took a few steps closer, turning his head slowly to look at the sky. “I followed the golden light…” “Oh, me too!” Kimene exclaimed and shifted his gaze upwards as well. “I wonder what it was.” “Huh. Just one more oddity this place has to offer.” Amaru then looked at Kimene again. “Are you… from these parts?” “No”, Kimene answered and shook his head slightly. “I just woke up here a while ago, all my memories gone.” He tilted his head a little bit. “Don't tell me your story is the same.” “Well, unfortunately it is”, Amaru said. “Oh…” Kimene was pondering something for a brief moment. “Maybe we should stick together, what do you say?” “Fine by me”, Amaru answered. “Great!” Kimene was happy to have some company. “Let's look around a little.” They picked a random direction and infiltrated through the vegetation to proceed. All the blueness around felt mesmerizing and tranquil as they wandered around this strange land. A serene feeling had conquered Kimene's soul, meanwhile Amaru, he had a seed of doubt inside. Kimene was happily strolling and investigating his surroundings, but Amaru couldn't shed a feeling that something was wrong here. Very, very wrong. But since he had lost his memories too, he couldn't quite understand this nagging feeling. It was frustrating. They came upon a patch of flowers again that were glowing in light blue color and they chimed their song. Kimene was the first one to stop and listen. He tilted his head from side to side, in a tune that Amaru couldn't perceive. Of course, he could hear the pleasant chime of the flowers, but it seemed like Kimene was more captivated by them than he was. “Do you like flowers, Amaru?” Kimene asked. “I think so”, Amaru replied. “But don't you think… that there's something off about these ones?” “Hmm…” Kimene was thinking again for a little while. “I don't know. They're beautiful. This whole place is beautiful and feels like a sanctuary.” “Can't deny that”, Amaru said quietly. “But it's like I can sense things… And something definitely is wrong here.” “Maybe you should just let yourself relax a bit more”, Kimene said and turned to face him, a smile decorating his face. “This place doesn't seem hostile. What if we took a break here? Perhaps resting will make you feel more comfortable.” Kimene gently captured Amaru's hand and looked him in the eyes. A small gesture of tenderness, but with strong consequences. A vortex of sensations suddenly surged through their bodies. There definitely was a bond between them, they could sense it now more clearly. It was like their hearts were beating as one, that their souls were entangled tightly. Insides filled with warm and strong emotions which they had forgotten for a moment, but now they were trying to come back, breaking through the shroud that lingered in their minds because of something they didn't remember happening. And still, their shared memories refused to be seen, something was causing them to run away. But at least now they were sure that there was a bond between them, something so powerful that wasn't shared with just anybody. Kimene felt confused and overwhelmed for a minute because of the spark he had just experienced after touching Amaru's hand. Still he continued to hold it, still he was looking at his stunningly blue eyes. But it all was so strange. How did he know this man? He didn't remember him at all, but why did it feel like this was the most important person in his life? Maybe Amaru's hunch was right… Maybe something truly was wrong with this place. “I want to remember you, but I can't”, Kimene spoke silently, sadness dripping from his words. “I can sense it… You're important somehow.” “I feel the same”, Amaru responded and touched Kimene's cheek tenderly. “But we'll find a way to get our memories back, okay?” “Okay…” A weak smile appeared on Kimene's face and he touched Amaru's hand. “Let's look around more, then”, Amaru said. “Surely there is something helpful we can find.” Hands were then separated, but only to find their meaning back. Kimene and Amaru decided to follow a creek, the water leisurely flowing forward. A silence had fallen in between the duo, for the bewildered feeling still remained. Both were trying to process it, but it was hard when you couldn't remember what those sensations meant. It seemed now that trying to restore their memories was an even more important task than before. There was a crack in the flawless surface. Amaru noticed how some of the flowers they saw on their path were flickering, like they would disappear for a blink of an eye, but then return to their spot like nothing had even happened. It gave a sensation that this was a fabricated reality. Amaru probably shouldn't have been able to see what he did and the flowers knew this, too. They started to chime even more enticingly and spread a fragrance that had soothing properties. It started to take hold of Kimene again, for some reason he was more prone to their intoxicating effects. Amaru looked at him with worry, because he didn't want anything to harm this deer, the feeling was so deeply rooted in his heart that it didn't matter that he couldn't remember Kimene. They had to get out of here, they just had to. Amaru wondered what would happen if he destroyed the flowers. He put this thought in the action as he started to stomp on the closest ones, crushing them completely with his feet. Their chime turned dull and their bright colors faded away. He ravaged every flower he saw and as he did so, he could hear a faint screech traveling to his ears from somewhere far away. For him that was enough proof that this wasn't a paradise, this was a fake. “What are you doing?” Kimene asked after watching Amaru stomping on the plants for a moment. “Something in these flowers… They're harmful to us”, Amaru responded. He damaged the last flower that still remained and was pretty pleased with his work. “Did you hear the scream? Something didn't want me to destroy the flowers.” Kimene shook his head. “I didn't hear anything.” “Well, I did. Clearly what I just did affected this world somehow”, Amaru said. Before they could say anything else, a golden light suddenly appeared from ahead, behind the trees, and rushed towards them. It circled around Kimene and Amaru for a little while, like a comet, before it went back to the direction where it had come from, disappearing from sight once again, leaving Kimene and Amaru to ponder its true nature. “Do you think… that it wants us to follow it?” Kimene asked quietly. “Perhaps. I think it's worthwhile to check out”, Amaru answered. “Come on, let's go.” The duo resumed their journey, except that now they had a little different goal in mind. Whatever the golden light was, it didn't seem malicious. Maybe it was trying to aid them. Maybe it had helped them to find each other when it had first appeared. Amaru had decided to trust in its guidance, especially since he got a different feeling from it. The light didn't possess this veiled oppressive sensation that the rest of this world had. They hoped that the light had gone straight ahead, because following anything was a hard thing to do when there were so many trees and other plants in the way. It was yet another strange thing this place had to offer; it was like vegetation had turned significantly more dense the further Kimene and Amaru were wandering. It felt quite smothering and gave this haunting sensation that the plants didn't want them to go. They wanted to keep them here, forever. It was unclear whether the plants had been growing this tightly from the start or had they just suddenly shifted their roots to create this thick formation. Unfortunately, it started to seem that it was the latter. The plants were like a cage, imprisoning Kimene and Amaru inside. “Amaru, I don't know if we can get further here”, Kimene groaned as he tried to push through a thick bush. “Maybe… maybe we can find another way around”, Amaru said, stopping for a moment, pondering their options. “Maybe if we go back and try some other direction…” He knew that they were pretty much stuck here. Without a proper tool, they had thin chances to get through the walls the plants had built on their way. It was probably only getting worse. With their branches and vines, they would form shackles and prevent them from ever escaping. Such a hopeless picture had been painted. However, miraculously, before Kimene and Amaru were able to lament their fate that much, the golden light appeared to them once more. It pierced through the dense formation of plants like a beacon and stopped in front of Kimene. The deer looked at the orb of light with confusion, especially when it started to circle around his hand. He raised this same hand and saw how golden light particles began to float above it. It was magic. “What the…?” Kimene was staring with wide eyes at his own hand and Amaru had gone silent, too. The golden light had awakened something within Kimene, the gift that had been granted to him when he had been a child. Eventually the orb of light moved aside and disappeared again, but its effect remained. The little particles around Kimene's hand turned green and as he clenched his hand into a fist, a green flame burst out and consumed it. But this didn't hurt Kimene, it was empowering him. He unleashed his newly found might and touched the plants in front of him. They immediately were engulfed with green flames and the fire just kept spreading. Kimene's magical flames destroyed all the obstacles on his and Amaru's path and now that they had the means to counter the smothering forest, they could freely proceed. The screech Amaru had heard earlier rushed into his ears once more, but more sharply, sounding more frustrated than before. Harming the plants apparently was making it angry. That gave Amaru an idea. “Kimene, burn every plant you can, especially flowers and trees”, Amaru said. “Okay, but will you tell me why?” Kimene responded while maintaining his green flames. “I heard the shriek again”, Amaru explained. “Maybe it is the entity that trapped us here and took our memories. If we can lure it out, maybe we can confront it and get out.” “Oh, alright”, Kimene said and did what Amaru had suggested. It was time to burn the paradise. The green fire consumed pretty much everything on their way as they kept going forward. Kimene was bewildered by the power he wielded, but the longer he continued burning the plants, the more familiar his abilities started to feel. It was a skill he had forgotten, but little by little it all was coming back to him. It was part of his core. Eventually, however, casting the fire started to feel really draining and Kimene was getting exhausted. He hadn't expected himself to be able to use magic for a long period of time, but finding out his limits was still a disappointment. He delivered the last few flames from his hand before he had to stop. He felt so weary, like if he had just done physically hard work. He had to catch his breath for a brief moment. “You did well”, Amaru praised as he came by the deer's side and patted him on the back. Kimene didn't get much time to rest when suddenly reality started to shift. He snatched Amaru's hands and grasped them tightly, afraid of what was happening around them. Some purple lights appeared that devoured everything, absolutely everything so Kimene and Amaru were standing in a black nothingness for a second. Then a really bright white light appeared, so bright that Kimene and Amaru had to shield their eyes. When it faded away, they found themselves standing on a blue plain that seemed endless, but as they let their gaze wander around, they couldn't possibly miss the most disturbing aspect of the place. At first it had looked like there were oddly shaped clouds in the sky, but then Kimene and Amaru realized that they weren't clouds. They were pale faces. Sorrow and torment had been carved onto them and they glided through the sky, disappearing and then reappearing. Out of nowhere emerged an entity that stole Kimene and Amaru's full attention. It was a hunched figure, dressed in dark purple robes that were filthy and ragged. Vine-like appendages filled with thorns were sticking out of various parts of the creature's body, moving eerily like snakes. A hood was covering most of the entity's head, but Kimene and Amaru could still see an abhorrent half-rotten face of some predatory beast that was emitting purple saliva. The creature let out a horrible shriek and at that moment Amaru knew that this thing was the one whose screams he had heard earlier. “Ruiners, filthy ruiners!” the creature yelled with a horribly gruff voice. “You won't leave! Ever!” The entity crouched and touched the ground with one of its hands. A few vines with thorns grew immediately from the ground and they rushed towards Kimene and Amaru. They embraced each other tightly as the vines were forming a cage around them. Kimene was still exhausted from using magic, he couldn't possibly do anything to get out of the situation. Amaru didn't know what to do. Maybe there was no other option than to just surrender to your fate. Something dropped from the sky and broke the upper part of the plant cage. It was the golden light again. “No!” the entity screamed. “You can't! Begone!” The golden light made a couple circular movements inside the cage and it managed to destroy the vines; it was like they had got consumed by golden flames. This effect reached all the way to the entity who got stunned by the burst of light. Kimene and Amaru were still holding onto each other, feeling quite astounded by these sudden events. They simply watched at the creature that was on its knees, the power of the golden light still affecting it. But, as Amaru stared at this mysterious entity, a strange but also familiar feeling found its way into his soul. He could feel a tingling sensation in his left hand. He let go of Kimene and started to slowly approach the creature. While doing this, he was unwrapping the bandages on his left arm and hand, revealing that this limb had a blue shimmer in it. Once he was standing in front of the entity, he touched its head with his blue hand, guided by some instinct he could feel within his heart. By the moment Amaru touched the being, a blue light engulfed its whole body. It glowed in the color of the sky for a little while, but then the light started to scatter, breaking down the creature's figure. A wind swept away these pieces until nothing remained, like if the entity had never even existed. Amaru and Kimene were left to wonder what it actually had been. Once the creature disappeared, the surroundings around Kimene and Amaru shifted again. The plain simply faded away slowly, a different reality taking its place. They found themselves in the middle of a forest, but this time, it was a regular one, so it had to be real. There was absolutely nothing out of ordinary and after experiencing the twisted paradise, it was a welcome sight. Kimene and Amaru kept glancing around happily, being just so unbelievably glad to be back in the world they belonged to. It was nighttime and the silvery moon was glowing in the sky; everything was bathing in its light. Seeing it and the stars that accompanied the great pale sphere, it was washing away the horrors of the parallel world. Soon after Kimene and Amaru were back to their own world, their memories were freed as well and they came back with a blast. They finally knew who they were, but most importantly, they remembered each other again and how much the other one meant to them. Kimene and Amaru stared each other in the eyes as the overwhelming love came back to them and they could feel again how every single little memory they had was enhanced by their true feelings. They rushed towards each other and got locked in an embrace, hearts beating as one. They held each other and kissed passionately, being just so incredibly happy that they had survived this horrifying ordeal. Everything would be alright. They had survived. Together. The golden light appeared to them one last time. Kimene and Amaru broke their embrace for a little while to acknowledge its presence. The light circled around them a few times before it stopped in front of them. “Thank you”, Kimene whispered and smiled. Then the light shot itself upwards and Kimene and Amaru watched it go until they couldn't see it anymore. They weren't sure what it had been, but it was thanks to this light that they got out. Under the blessing of the moon, Kimene and Amaru began to walk away. Hopefully their journey would lead them to pleasant experiences next time.Adding upI saw an angel sitting on my porch this morning.A man with brilliant silvery wings and dark skin, clad in a silky white dress shirt and holographic jacket, sitting on the bench resting outside in the morning dew. They were looking down at some sort of dizzyingly complex tablet as it floated in front of them. They did not touch it, but it remained in place as numbers were written into it.Cautiously, I approached them. They were muttering something, and as I got closer, I realized what it was.“6… 5… 10…”My curiosity now getting the better of me, I walked up to them.“Excuse me,” I asked. “What are you doing on my porch?”The angel briefly looked up at me with desaturated yellow eyes and deep, navy blue pupils, then went back to their tablet. “Oh. Hello there. 20… 2… 12…”I huffed and crossed my arms. Divine entity or not, I demanded I know their business being on my property. “That didn’t answer my question, why–”“Sorry, I’m a little focused right now. 40… 2… 80… I’m doing some important work right now, been moving around a lot, and this spot looked comfortable enough to rest a bit, so. 12… 29… 5…”I looked down at their tablet and its steady flow of seemingly meaningless numbers. “And… what is it you’re doing, exactly?”“Counting. 67… 8… 7…”“Yes, I can see that. But it’s rather out of order, isn’t it?”“It’s not counting up, it’s gathering numbers. 2… 120… So, really, I’m not counting, I’m adding- well, it’s adding.” they gestured towards the tablet. “487… 68… Numbers appear, I say them, and they’re added to a sum in a different program for collection- data’s important.”“Seems rather inefficient that you’d need to speak into it, doesn’t it?”“Well, it keeps my hands free. 9… 15…” They said, not doing anything notable with their hands. “Besides, if I did use my hands, I’d surely lose them from how much I’d have to type.”The angel suddenly paused, looking worried. “Wait… hold on.” they scrolled upwards on their tablet. “487…? Geez.” They swiped at the screen on their tablet, causing a second screen to appear beside it. They typed something on it as they continued babbling their strange numbers, but I couldn’t see it.I sat down next to them. “What’s it for, anyways?”I seemingly caught their attention again. “Oh, I can’t tell you right now. Maybe in a minute or two, depending on how severe this gets. 860… 1647?! Shit! It is going up! What the hell?! 2… 78… 346…”“I thought angels didn’t cuss.”They stifled a laugh. “That’s a stereotype- I sure as hell do. 2689… 345… 32… You would too if you had my job.”“And… your job is…?”“Again, I’ve already told you, adding up. 2345… 456… 823… 25…”“Surely it can’t just be that, right? Surely there’s something else to it, right?”They sighed a little. “Yes, but I don’t believe I’m allowed to tell you that either. 3007… 124… 743… 6789…”“Why?”“It’d scare you. 599... And I’d get in some real trouble if someone found out. 12786…” They scowled. “12786- Fuck me! What’s going on right now?! 345… 2345…”Well, it was no use trying to get any answers at this point. I figured they couldn’t tell me much, so I decided to ask them something else. “What’s your name?”They smiled a little. “Mavu. And I don’t believe anyone here has bothered to ask that before. 3245… 8275… 1235…”“Mavu huh?”“Yep. 456…”“Say, what’s it like being an angel, anyways?”Mavu chuckled. “You ask odd questions. 23467… 9032… 5678…”“What do you mean?”“Most people don’t ask these sorts of questions. 46256… 23435… 2345…” They suddenly seemed incredibly nervous, and looked through the previous numbers. They mumbled something vulgar under their breath, but shook themself and continued. “Usually it’s stuff relating to their religion or whatever. You know, what happens after death, who god is, etc, etc. Both questions I’m not allowed to answer, by the way. 3245… 13567…”“I’ve never been a super religious person. Besides, I guess I’m just curious.”“Hm, I see. Well, an angel is just kind of what I am, it’s my job that really matters. 213245- I… GOD! What the hell?! Sorry- that wasn’t at you, 2468… 8927… As for my job, it’s… not fun, but someone’s gotta do it. 9348...”“I see. Does your job pay well, at least?”“Angels don’t have a need for money. 345…”“I almost envy you…”Suddenly, they stared blankly at their tablet, almost in a horrified way. “938237… 4234… Ok, no, this thing has got to be broken.” They pressed a button on the screen and the same number appeared again. They pressed it over and over, but the same thing happened every time. Tears began to well up in their eyes. “No… no… no… no…” They briefly looked my way. “I’m sorry, this is sudden, but… can I… hold you?”I woke up a little, both surprised and perhaps a bit flattered. “Uh… any… particular reason?”Mavu went quiet for a moment, then wiped tears from their eyes. “I’ll tell you in a minute. Just… please. 1023478… 583394… shit… I… I… just really need some comfort right now, that’s all.”“Ok, sure.”“Thank you.” Mavu gently grabbed me and pulled me closer until I was leaning aganist them, and wrapped their wing around me. They rested their head on my shoulder and squeezed me tightly, almost like one would hold a cat while they were stressed. “14568646… 435567… 4358892… 239884111… oh god… no… no… no… This can’t be real, it can’t be…”“You know, for the record, I believe this counts as cuddling.”“I know… 100023478… I’m sorry…”I sighed, trying to blow off some steam. Their tension was rubbing off on me, not helping my already confused state.I looked up at the sky as they went back to softly muttering their strange numbers. The sun had only risen a few minutes ago, and birds were chirping everywhere.Everything seemed remarkably normal, and rather peaceful, until I turned my eyes to my right. On the horizon to the north, was an ominous rim of glowing red light. Unexplainable rumbles could faintly be heard, and I could’ve sworn they were getting closer.Mavu squeezed me even tighter, their tears now soaking my shoulder. “302983217… I… I believe I can tell you what my job is now. I-I don’t think the numbers will matter anymore in a moment…”“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know. I don’t mind.”“No… I… I think it’d be the right thing to do at this point.”The rumbles in the distance were getting noticeably louder, so much so that it was obvious it wasn’t from a thunderstorm.“Alright, then what’s your job?” I asked.Mavu wiped away their tears. “I’d like to apologize, first. For being so clingy, I mean. You see, I-I’m not usually this way.”“Hey it’s alright, don’t get all bent over that. Besides, this is one hell of a story to tell my friends. If they even believe me in the first place, heh…”They chuckled a little, and teared up even more.“Hey, it’s ok, I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.”“It’s not that. I wouldn’t mind either way, I know very well nobody would believe you.” They looked up at the sky in a lonesome sort of way, then back down at me. “Thank you for comforting me like this.”“It’s really no problem, it’s just the kind thing to do. But I do think you’re dodging my question.”They rested their head on my shoulder again, closing their eyes. “I’m not sure if I want to tell you.”“Again, you really don’t have to.”“No, I do have to. I’ve got my arm around you, I’ve been talking to you. You deserve to know. You see… my job…” Mavu put his hands together, and his tablet turned into light, retreating into his pocket.I waited in anticipation, watching the sky. As Mavu hesitated a little, I saw streaks of red dash through the clouds, burning them away and giving everything a red tint.Soon, the entire sky was ablaze, waves of fire dancing across the sky like a hellish version of the northern lights. I could feel the ground shaking, car alarms starting to go off and birds taking off into the air.The air was getting hotter, too hot to breathe, screams were echoing in the distance, steadily growing louder, and a horrendous, terrifying roar like a motor was rising up from the depths of the earth, becoming louder and louder.It was then, softly, Mavu spoke again, scarcely audible over the now deafening turmoil around us, his voice somber and quiet. “My job... is tallying up human deaths for soul collection.”The monkey’s manuscriptWhen Audrey found the old, rusted typewriter in her grandfather’s attic, there was one emotion racing through her mind: excitement.She’d been trying to find it ever since she was a little girl, for it was no ordinary typewriter. Her grandfather made sure to hide it well, fearing the consequences it could bring to the family, or the greater world should someone find it.According to him, anything written using it would come to fruition, but with unpredictable, and often unfavourable consequences.He’d told her it’s story a thousand times;First he found out by accident. The start of a small story had included a brass trawler lamp crashing to the ground. Only moments later, the same trawler lamp appeared before him and nearly lit his study ablaze as it smashed into to the floor.Then, he’d written about the family acquiring a fortune. In the next few hours, the government had arrived at his door, offering an enormous sum for him and her grandmother to move so the new highway could be built there.After moving houses, he’d hidden it away, fearing severe consequences should he continue using the typewriter.And now, after checking under a loose floorboard, Audrey had managed to find what neither her mother, her many aunts and uncles, nor siblings could ever find. The typewriter of family legend, the one which could change fate to her whims.She scooped it up in her arms, and began carefully taking it downstairs and to her room. After setting it down on her desk next to her laptop, she studied it from a distance, contemplating what to do next.Naturally, she had many ideas. Winning the lottery, becoming famous, finding her soulmate, world peace, all of the above at the same time, etc, etc. The possibilities were truly endless with such a thing, and her grandfather had hardly scratched the surface!But... she wasn’t stupid either. She knew how horribly all that could go, she’d seen the monkey’s paw, she’d heard of the genie who takes wishes literally.Get too ambitious, and she could send the world into a dark age. Get too personal, and it could cost her her life for all she knew. Play it too safe, then what’s the point?She scratched at the back of her neck staring at it, and her eyes began to wander around her room.Meet her favourite band? No, what if they turn out to be criminals? See that movie for the first time again? No, that’d definitely result in one way time travel. Give herself that one figurine she always seemed to be missing from her collection…? Maybe, but that seemed a bit boring for what she was faced with.Then her eyes locked on her laptop. More precisely, what was open on it. It was her current project- her first attempt at writing a story.Right now, it was almost done, but she was desperately stuck. She’d gotten to a point in the plot that required her to come up with a bunch of new ideas, and that’s what kept her stumped. She felt like giving up, but was far too attached to the protagonist Jay to do such a thing.She smiled, getting an idea. A couple of ideas for a book's ending surely can’t cause that much harm, can they?She sat down, and slid a piece of paper into the typewriter."Audrey gets ideas for her book."Just like clockwork, an idea for how to finish her story appeared in her head. Though… it wasn’t exactly what she wanted, and involved killing off Jay in a big final battle with the main antagonist.She sighed, maybe she expected that. Oh well, it was an easy fix. She’d just change it up a bit and make it so Jay instead survives within an inch of his life. As rushed as it was, she'd polish it up later.After that, much of her evening was spent writing away, jotting down ideas before she forgot them in the morning. By the third hour, she’d gotten a summary of the new ideas written down in the document she’d made for her notes.She leaned back, and stared up at the ceiling. Her room was dark now, it was getting around the time she’d usually go to bed, and she was tired.She marvelled at her predicament. A simple sentence had saved her possibly months of work in only a couple seconds, and the only consequence was just having to change it up a bit.She looked over at the typewriter still sitting on her desk. It’s surface had rust in spots, but it still shone brilliantly as it was hit by a beam of moonlight from outside. Now that she thought of it, those ‘consequences’ her grandfather always went on about never really seemed that severe, did they? Nobody died, no lives were ruined, just a small inconvenience.What could she really get away with?Her eyes wandered around her room again, and the same ideas about the band, the movie, and the figurine went through her head. All those felt boring now that she knew what she knew. Even though part of her still screamed ‘CAREFUL!’ she couldn’t help but think bigger and bigger.If the result outweighed the consequence by this much, then why should she even worry about it at all?She could just undo anything bad that did happen, couldn’t she? Even if it was just three wishes, she still had two left. Worst come to worst, she could just undo her previous wish entirely.At last, her eyes paused on her bed. On top of it laid a plush of Jay she’d gotten commissioned.An idea crawled it’s way into her sleep drunken mind.Yes. That’s what she’d do next. That's exactly it.Something she wished almost every night holding that plush, every time she drew Jay, every time she wrote him.She turned around, faced the typewriter, and stared at it’s keys.She took a few deep breaths, trying to slow her heart, which was suddenly pounding.Oh what the hell. Worst come to worst, he’d probably just appear dead or something. She could just undo it when it got too much."Jay becomes a real person"Jay blinked. He was suddenly in an entirely different house, away from his friends.He looked around frantically, but found not even a trace of where he was before.Trying to calm himself down and assess the situation, he noticed a typewriter and laptop sitting next to each other on a nearby desk. His confusion helped distract him- why would someone need both?He first picked up the typewriter, it was easily the strangest out of the two. Though it held a piece of paper, not even a letter was written on it. In a way it made sense, the laptop would be infinitely easier to write on. ...But why was it here to begin with?He set it back down, and looked at the laptop next. There was a document open, it looked to be a story of sorts. Curious, he picked it up.It was a story about a girl named Audrey, and it was almost finished by the looks of things, just missing the ending. There was also a few notes open about the story and the ending whoever was writing it had planned.It looked like the original ending had involved Audrey being killed off, but had been changed in a very rushed, sloppily written way. Strange. He wasn't the best writer, but he knew bad writing when he saw it.He took another look at the document, then back at the notes.He shrugged. Might as well finish it. Whoever was before clearly didn't know what they were doing.Jay sat down and began to write.Apartment PrincessA single drop of water from the tea cup. What are we doing here, apartment princess? Drunk on the platonic concept of two stories, and fairytales about suburban homing. Oh, chinita bitch, this is not your calling. Set down the white porcelain teacup, don’t spill it on the awning. The fable cat is sleeping, tired of talking about the swan princess. High on the concept of a home with spiral stairs, fungus is circularly growing on the mattresses. What’s so crazy is that you eyed your friends apartment, fantasize about letting the bathtub tap running until the entire edifice is coated in liquid. What are we doing here, apartment princess? Let it burn and let it drip.mundanity exhaustedI am layingOn the floorMy guts spilled outI am exhaustedMad at myselfI did againA mundanity I cannot manageLullaby for the end of the worldFreedom in the form of a water drop Wind gently carrying me Let this place burn to the ground And from it sprout the night’s dream Waves in the pottery Glaze what’s left of the earth Kiss my cheek and wish me good luck I will be weightless and float upwards I’ll fall in love with the sunrise I’ll say goodbye when the sun falls Curtain going down on the landscape Mantle of night I can see all A clear map of the sky dome Etheric waterfalls when I close eyes Interlace fingers with the firmament Kiss me goodnight and I’ll slumber Like the glimmers of the sea when the night comesThe Guide to the Garden MultiverseA Class: Desolate universes containing only one thing or a small collection of things (an asteroid, star, star system, etc) with nothing but void everywhere else if only ranked A. (Nothing bigger than a galaxy.) Some universes may briefly become this class near the end of their lifespan, making this class very commonly paired with N and D class. B Class: Universes filled with nothing but, or a lot of the same thing, sometimes floating alone in space (Nothing bigger than a galaxy.) Some of these universes can repeat areas over and over, making them very confusing to traverse.This class, thanks to how similar it is to A class, is very commonly paired with it. C Class: Universes that have fused with other universes. (Not to be confused with Q class, where the universes are linked in a way but still separate places.)This class, while common and naturally occurring in D and N class universes, also occurs unnaturally during the events of the series at a rapidly increasing rate thanks to an unknown force.Populated universes that have fused together often do so very violently, causing fatal results for those living in it. If the residents of a fusing universe aren’t killed immediately, the change in the reality’s rules can still have devastating and fatal effects on them later.For mimic universes, the fusion cause damage to the viteroite nucleus/nuclei and result in painful psychological consequences or even death. D Class: Dark era universes. These universes are typically found on the outer edges of the multiverse, fading into Akyliss. They have little to nothing in them, and are sometimes completely empty.M.U.E.C.I.F positions devices in these universes that send a repeating signal back to their headquarters. They track the rate at which these devices stop sending back signals to determine both how fast the multiverse is expanding, as well as how fast universes are fading out of existence. Thanks to their research, it’s very clear that the multiverse grows at a pace faster than it’s edges fade.Because of the nihilgenesis, these universes are created unnaturally all throughout the multiverse during the course of the main plot. E Class: Universes with mysterious “man made” structures. They can be abundant, sparse, or even just a single structure. In some extreme cases, the universe can entirely comprise of one of these, or a fusion of several.The rules of these universes allow the structures to last much longer than they normally would, and any damage done to them is silently repaired by natural forces over the course of hundreds of years. These formations have priority over anything else, and often outlast everything else in the universe- some even lasting until their protons decay (if applicable to the universe) or even akyliss.Structures in these universes are formed alongside the universe, and created by ???’s memories. They’re often misremembered, causing a majority of the structures to be surreal or nonsensical. Despite what one might think, there is no link between E class universes and P class universes, and the two classes don’t overlap any more than any other class. E class universes instead heavily overlap with J class.M.U.E.C.I.F frequently sends out notices to their interns that the structures in theses universes are odd, but ultimately a normal part of the multiverse and shouldn’t be reported as anomalies. These notices are often in vain. F Class: A classification that doubles as a warning. M.U.E.C.I.F enforces this class when they identify a major anomaly that’s consistently in the universe and could potentially cause issues. When put in place, they will urge people to either be cautious in the universe, or avoid it entirely- sometimes issuing evacuation orders if the universe is inhabited, though that’s much easier said than done. Once the threat is resolved, or it’s been determined that the anomaly is not an issue, the class is removed.All F class universes include a severity indicator. There are 7 levels of severity, 7 being the most severe, all indicated by an additional number following the letter F in the classification. (For example; F6-PK52O.) The F is always at the beginning of a classification, since it’s always the most relevant.Each number corresponds with a specific anomaly threat level, those being;1 = Benignant (Only used in special circumstances, where the anomaly's risk is known to increase under the right conditions. For example, FL-CONVERT's presence in a universe would mark it as F1)2 = Quotidian3 = Deleterious4 = Periculous5 = Baneful6 = Virulent7 = CalamitousWhile Calamitous entities do in fact exist, no universe is ever marked with 7 thanks to the only two entities that ever obtain the title being both incredibly fast moving, and destroyed before M.U.E.C.I.F can properly mark any universes. However, they still keep 7 as a possibility, ‘just in case’.Affiliated, Benignant, and Inscrutable anomalies are (usually) automatically exempt from marking universes as F due to their nature.M.U.E.C.I.F urges people to not class nymtrott hives as F due to how common and relatively easy they are to deal with with proper equipment. This is also to prevent “oversaturating” the classification, and leading people to assume a major threat may just be nymtrotts. G Class: Universes with disproportionately more gases than solids or liquids, often forming with a sort of ‘universal atmosphere’. Most sophonts assume the atmosphere makes these universes more habitable, but they’re mistaken, as these universes tend to have a dangerous cocktail of gasses in them- some unique to the universe, and are therefor more dangerous than universes without one.These are often considered an uncommon variant of K class due to how similar they are, but that’s not the case, as it’s rare for the same celestial bodies that form in K class universes to be possible in a G class universe. When this is the case, a universe is classed as both… but this is usually short lived unless there’s some sort of intervention (see P class.)These universes are actually closely related to T class universes, and form very similarly. H Class: Universes that have been created artificially through some means. This classification is widely considered to be speculative in the local multiversal filament, with the exception of Serenus’ palace, which was created through unknown means.However, this class is very possible- albeit rare and very situationally created. I Class: Universes that (usually) have a constant gravity everywhere in them and no other celestial bodies (again, usually). (Imagine an infinite, flat planet. Or… just ‘flat’ like a normal Minecraft world- but I couldn’t describe it like that in the actual books for obvious reasons no matter how much I really wanted to because it’s really hard to explain how these universes are otherwise.) They’re the most common type of universe and are almost never classed as a single letter. J Class: Extremely small “pocket universes,” ranging from the size of an average main sequence star to a single room. However, smaller have been documented on rare occasions.These universes, despite common misconceptions, don’t last any longer or shorter than normally sized universes. They are however, less susceptible to unnatural universe fusions thanks to their size.They’re very commonly paired with Q, P and V class. K Class: Universes that are created from a ‘spark’ of ximorenis and explode outwards from a single point, creating empty spaces between matter. K class universes are usually densely filled with stars and other celestial objects, but not always.There is three types of K class universe; accelerated expansion, decreasing expansion, and standard expansion. Accelerated K class universes expand at a rate which causes them to be torn apart, decreasing K class universes expand at a rate so slow it causes gravity to collapse it in on itself, and standard K class universes expand at a non-harmful rate.Standard expansion K class universes are the most likely to have intelligent life in them out of all universe classes due to the optimal conditions they create and their longer lifespan.K universes are the most likely to paired with P universes out of all classes. L Class: Universes with one of a kind properties that are prevalent enough to be classed on their own. Mimic universes used to be classified as this before they were understood to be a common phenomenon. M Class: Universes that are still in early stages (Primordial era) , and are still in the process of being formed. Also used for universes that are chaotic for non-anomalous reasons. Sometimes N class universes are mistakenly classed as this. N Class: Late degenerate and black hole era universes. (Once the universe enters it’s dark era, it's considered D class.) N class also applies to any universe that is destroyed, dying or collapsed, but can’t be classed D.These universes are frequently caused by the nihilgenesis during the events of the series. O Class: Universes which have their stability supported by a single object called a “core”. If the core gets destroyed the universe collapses in on itself. What the core is can vary a lot, but there’s two main types:O Type 1: A universe where the core is a large, star-like celestial object. This celestial object is usually the centerpiece of the universe, often being at the very center or some other obvious place. This is the most common type of O class universe since they’re typically more stableO type 2: A universe where any object could be the core. In universes like this the core could be anything from a paperclip to a planet’s moon. Anything the universe cannot survive without is considered a core. This is often, unfortunately, found out by accident.This type of O class can sometimes have multiple cores as well. In cases like this, the universe will become more and more unstable the less cores there are. Sometimes, what the core is can change over time- but most people are unaware of this thanks to how impossible it is to track. P Class: Mimics that have formed as universes rather than standard entities. Every universe with viteroite in it is either P class, or was P class at some point before. The viteroite is often spread across the universe in patches (or as planets), and not all of it functions as a nucleus. Harvesting the viteroite usually doesn’t effect the mimic, even if it’s serving as a nucleus, since mimic universes tend to have thousands. However, of the mimic has very few nuclei, this could seriously harm or even kill it.Most mimic universes either aren’t awake, or aren’t sapient, making it very hard for M.U.E.C.I.F to detect them. Some mimics like Rankine (PK52O) are able to create a sort of “avatar” for themselves, and move around physically within themselves, some being able to interact with the world around them. mimics like this may also effect the universe itself in more major ways- but most don’t bother with this and are more content with just observing things.Historically, P class was used for universes that expressed ‘life-like’ properties since it was believed that universes couldn’t have Souls. However, with the discovery of mimic universes, this was changed and all universes previously classed P that weren’t mimics already were changed to something different.P is most commonly paired with K and J. P class universes, very rarely, can spontaneously split into multiple universes, forming a pair of Q class universes and killing the mimic in the process (along with everything else living in the universe.) Q Class: Universes that are directly linked to another universe (if the universe it’s linked to dies, it dies.) This link is created through the universes being partially fused with eachother, or linked together by a sort of ‘thread’. This type of universe is very rare, and how exactly they form is a heavy topic of debate, especially because of how hard they are to detect.These types of universes are harmless, and form naturally. A splitting P class universe can also create a set of Q class universes. Some Q class universes are a part of massive chains of universes- which has catastrophic results if one universe in the chain dies.There is no link between C class universes and Q class universes, but it’s not unheard of for two Q class universes to fuse together- just understudied. This class tends to go hand and hand with type 2 V class. R Class: Universes that are constantly changing their classifiable traits, but stick to a few set rules. These universes have been damaged in some way, and are slightly unstable as a result.M class universes are naturally this class for a short period of time. S Class: Completely unstable, ruleless universes in constant chaos. These universes, much like R class universes, are the result of universes being damaged. They are incredibly dangerous to enter, sometimes having progressed to a state similar to the genesis sea, and therefor impossible to live in.S class universes, over the course of billions of years, will stabilize into an R class universe again, and eventually an N class universe.These universes always have S at the beginning, and commonly pair with Z. T Class: Waterworld universes or any universe that contains disproportionately more liquids than solids or gases. These universes are related to G class universes, and are often very similar in how they form. U Class: A universe from a different timeline. This can be either a different version of an already existing universe, or a completely new one that’d only exist in said timeline.These universes are purely speculative, but some theorize higher beings would be able to access them. V Class: V class universes are universes that you can stumble into by doing a certain action or going to a certain place. There are two types of this class.V Type 1: Constantly moves between universes and appears within them (Sometimes appearing in set conditions). They’re usually smaller and can be walked into without knowing.Most of these universes are stray universes from the nearby Grey Multiverse, meaning an overwhelming amount of them are N or D class, and not often that interesting. Universes like this are usually short lived as well, having a tendency to harmlessly fuse into the universe they’re intersecting with.V Type 2: Acts similarly, but stays in a set location in the multiverse. Rather than the universe itself appearing within other universes, doing a certain thing in a specific spot, touching a certain object, etc will take you to it. It’s usually pretty noticeable when you end up in a type 2 V class universe. This class commonly goes hand and hand with Q class universes. W Class: Universes of multi-universal importance. Including, but not limited to; M.U.E.C.I.F’s home universe, their outpost universes, and The Stardust Palace. X Class: A universe that’s been discovered, but is yet to be or cannot be fully classed. This class may also be used as a placeholder while the classification is still pending. Y Class: A universe confirmed to be belonging to/from another multiverse. Very few universes of this class have ever been documented, and they're all overwhelmingly D or N class, being strays from The Grey Multiverse. Z Class: A universe with many incomprehensible properties, anything ranked Z class on its own or first is completely incomprehensible. Universes except for the genesis sea (and some VERY rare exceptions) with this letter high in the classification are unnaturally occurring.A Z lower in the classification isn’t always a cause for concern, but M.U.E.C.I.F still recommends people stay away from them all together. Universes commonly have more than one of these properties. The order of letters is always determined by which classifications are most important and prominent. For example; a universe with unknown properties that could be potentially dangerous would have X as its first letter, while a universe with unknown properties that are of minimal concern would have X as its last letter.The number in the middle of a universe’s name determines how far away it is from the center of the multiverse (average number of universes away.) This serves to track the age of the universe, and shouldn’t be used to determine location.“Ruins of reality” (DNLCZ990000~A) is the farthest and “The Stardust Palace” (WHGAJ1K) is consistently the closest. The center of the universe, “The Genesis Sea” (ZXLSM0Z) usually isn’t counted because of its complete incomprehensibility and absolute inaccessibility (and also because it isn’t a universe, it's the multiversal core! It’s just given a classification in order to be understood better.)Type 1 V class universes and Y class universes are an exception to this and are given ‘#’ instead of a number. Any universes that are unable to be classed under this for whatever reason and aren’t type 1 V class or Y, use ‘?’. The letter at the end of a universe’s name determines what type of life exists in it consistently and is the most relevant .A: NoneB: Only visitors from other universesC: Only settlers from other universesD: Only one to ten beingsE: Predominantly beings with B or C type soulsF: Predominantly beings with type A soulsG: Sapient creaturesH: Sophont creaturesI: At least one dominant sophont species (stages 4 to 6)J: Majority avruniansK: Majority deities or deities and avruniansL: Early stage sophont species and avrunians, no deities.O: Early stage sophont species and avrunians with deities.M: Stage 7 sophont (capable of travel off planet or equivalent)N: Stage 8 sophont (capable of travel outside star system or equivalent)P: Stage 9 sophont (capable of harnessing star, universal core, or equivalent)Q: Stage 10 sophont (capable of terraforming within reasonable time period)R: Stage 11 sophont (has spread further than a lightyear from origin point)S: Stage 12 sophont (Is the majority species in home universe)T: Stage 13 (Able to exit it’s home universe without the use of gates or other outside forces)U: Stage 14 or higher sophont that’s not deities or avruniansV: Artificial lifeW: Used to have lifeX: UnknownY: Nymtrotts (this should be saved for exclusively nymtrott hives and heavily infested universes)Z: N/A or beyond comprehension(The most prominent trait takes priority, a universe cannot have 2 letters at the end.) Blacklisted universe combinations Some universe class combinations under no circumstances can be paired together due to conflicts or some other complex reason.The full list of universes classes that cannot be together is: Any class + itself F on it’s own W on it’s own H on it’s own P on it’s own Y on it’s own U on it’s own O on it’s own P + H P + S R + S Q + C (a Q class universe fusing with another universe severs it’s connection to the other universes it’s connected to)Painted In StoneIt was an exceptionally bright summer day that woke Kanin up. Many moons had passed since the last time she was awake, she couldn't really tell the exact time, but it wasn't anything unusual in her case. When the sun was at its highest point in the cloudless sky, the warm and golden rays managed to travel through the holes on the ceiling of the cavern and shine on Kanin's face. As a reptile, she found the warmness of the sun quite enjoyable. She raised her head and looked up, making an observation of the above world. It seemed to be a beautiful day, not only because of the sunlight, Kanin noted that a mellow breeze was rustling the leaves of the trees, all of them possessing stunningly green foliage, some even had grown flowers. Kanin nodded her head approvingly, as if somebody had asked her if today was a fine day. She got onto her feet and stretched her limbs because it had been a while since the last time she had used them. She rustled her colorful feathers a little and she was ready to go. Kanin lived in a cozy cavern; there were a few holes scattered here and there that let in the light of day. But of course, it also gave shelter against rain and wind, making it quite an ideal place to live. But she didn't dwell there alone, her best friend Upai shared the cavern with her. And then there were also the fossils, remnants of the past, that had survived since the ancient times. Among them, there were crystals as well, preserving something miraculous and magical that otherwise would be forgotten. The cavern was quite a mystifying place, but more importantly, it was a home. As she walked around the cavern, Kanin pondered whether Upai was even awake. She kept glancing around, trying to catch a glimpse of her best friend, but didn't see her. It wasn't until Kanin had made her way to the grand entrance of their dwelling when she spotted Upai. So, she had woken up as well. Glad to see her friend again, Kanin started to walk towards her. They were quite different, Kanin and Upai. Kanin was a raptor that had lived since the lost times when dinosaurs inhabited the world. She had a very colorful plumage, making her pretty gorgeous sight. Upai, on the other hand, she was like a salamander, having an affinity with crystals. There were a few of them growing from her body, holding the colors of the rainbow. They had met aeons ago and formed a friendship that had lasted since ancient times. A bond like that, it was a treasure. “Good morning, Upai”, Kanin greeted as she emerged from the cavern. “It's technically not a morning anymore”, Upai pointed out, but maintained a smile on her face. “I think it's morning whenever you wake up and start the day, no matter what time it is”, Kanin explained her logic. “So, you're saying that if you woke up in the middle of the night and you decided to stay up, that's morning to you?” Upai inquired. “Yup.” Kanin sat down next to her friend. “Fine. Whatever you say”, Upai dropped the subject, but still remained amused by her friend's logic. The two friends were silent for a minute, looking at the wonderful panorama in front of them – it had been a while since the last time they had seen it in this glorious state. There was a stunning valley, filled with green since there was a lot of woods. The view was especially beautiful in autumn. But there were a couple colorful patches even in summer because of the flowers that bloomed. All the colors blended in together perfectly, it was like the whole scenery was a work of a talented artist. And who knew, maybe that was the origin story of the valley. It was also a peaceful place, Kanin and Upai had lived there for thousands of years. The wind started to blow slightly more strongly and it carried the smell of flowers which was a delight to Kanin and Upai's sense of smell. The breeze played with Kanin's feathers and rustled them while she would look at the clear summer sky and watch how birds were flying by. It truly was a serene moment. “Do you ever wonder who created all this?” Kanin suddenly asked her friend, her gaze still fixed at the sky. “What do you mean?” Upai asked. “You know what I mean. Like, did someone just snap their fingers and everything came to be? Or maybe an artist with a giant brush painted everything? Or did everything just… started to exist without anyone giving guidance to living beings and the world around us?” “Wow, you're pondering the weird stuff again”, Upai chuckled. “Maybe you've been asleep for too long, your head is getting fuzzy once more.” Even Kanin managed to snicker a little. “Yeah. Maybe.” They sat in silence again for a couple of minutes, just admiring the world around them. Whoever had created all this, they had done splendid work. Then Upai turned to face her friend again. “You know what we should do?” “What?” Kanin asked, looking at Upai with curious eyes. “We should paint!” Upai said; there was a spark of excitement in her eyes. “It's been so long since the last time, I honestly can't even remember.” Kanin seemed to think about this for a brief moment, perhaps trying to recall when was the last time they had done this. Whether she succeeded in this or not, she didn't let her friend know. Instead, she just nodded her head after a while. “You know what, I like that idea, we should definitely do that!” “Great!” Upai exclaimed, seeming even more excited now that she got an approval from Kanin. “But! Let's make this interesting.” “Oh?” Kanin tilted her head a little, being all ears. “I think we should form teams and do a challenge! The team that manages to get more paintings done wins.” “I'm in!” Kanin replied and she got up from her spot. Upai started to slither inside the cavern and Kanin followed her. Upai was glancing around the insides of their home, trying to recall where they had left their artistic tools. “Do you remember where our brushes and paints are?” Upai asked her friend. “I can't quite bring it to my mind, it's been so long.” “I think they're in this section”, Kanin answered and took a turn to the right, heading to a small chamber. And that indeed was where their tools had been stored. Clean brushes just lying around, ready to be used to create something beautiful. And many stone bowls filled with paints of various colors, they were something Kanin and Upai had made together. They had been sealed shut with flat stone covers, which had gathered a layer of dust since they hadn't been touched for a long time. Kanin approached one of their homemade paint containers and opened it, peeking inside. It appeared the paint had been preserved well. “As far as I can see, we have everything ready here”, she informed Upai, who had been checking something else. Upai found a pile of thin stone plates that had nothing in them. They had used these kinds of plates before as their canvases, it was great that there were still quite a few of them left. “Nice, we can begin now”, Upai said and took a batch of the plates, starting to carry them to a more expansive chamber, suitable for working. Meanwhile Kanin had taken it as her task to carry all the bowls of paint to the said chamber. The two friends prepared a little workshop in there; it was spacious and there was plenty of light coming through the holes in the ceiling. Soon everything was ready and they were about to begin painting. However, there was this one thing they had to do first. “Time to awaken our buddies!” Kanin exclaimed excitedly. She rushed around the cavern, touching all the stones that contained fossils. With her touch, they started to come alive; a green glow appeared on their surfaces, waking up the ancient creatures that had slumbered for a long time. Various dinosaurs came forth from the fossils, just as whole as back in time when the world had been ruled by them. They stretched their limbs, shook their heads, trying to get used to moving their bodies again. While Kanin was going around awakening her fossilized friends, Upai was doing something similar as well. Within the crystals that were scattered around the cavern just like the fossils, they hold something alive in them as well. Upai's touch made them glow too, but with different colors, depending on the crystal. A life could be seen pulsating inside the crystals, then the glow would grow even brighter before disappearing. In the place of the crystal would stand a creature similar to Upai, a diverse cast of animals that had crystal growths in their bodies. And just like the dinosaurs, they had been asleep for a long time, so they were doing the same kind of rituals using their bodies after their great rest. Once Kanin and Upai had managed to wake up their friends, they watched happily as their little crowd gathered inside the grand chamber. It was a wholesome moment, old friends meeting again and catching up, talking about what kind of dreams they had been having since the last time they had seen each other. A light chattering filled the cavern, a sound that hadn't been heard within its stone walls for centuries. Kanin and Upai allowed the friends to talk for a while before they caught their attention. “Listen up, everybody!” Kanin yelled loudly so her voice could be heard by everyone in the cavern. The crowd went silent immediately, numerous curious eyes now staring at Kanin and Upai. “We have now gathered here because of a fun little event we thought you would enjoy”, Upai started explaining. “It's a little art challenge! We form two teams and the one that's able to get more paintings done wins!” A chatter burst throughout the crowd again, everyone seemed excited. Upai decided to keep a brief pause before she continued. “It's fossils versus crystals, everybody! Now, if you all are ready, start painting!” After her declaration, the game was on. All the creatures rushed to get their brushes and stone plates Kanin and Upai had prepared for them. Everyone found their own little spot, dipped their brushes in paint and started to create art. Kanin and Upai joined them and so everyone in the cavern was busy with painting. The joy of being able to create and express yourself, the sensation is wondrous. All the creatures were filled with this feeling. Everyone was having so much fun that they ran out of stone plates rather quickly. But it didn't stop them from creating, they just started to paint on the cavern's walls instead, making it more beautiful than it had ever been. The pictures they painted depicted many different things, brought into the canvas with vibrant colors for everyone to see. Some of them were portraits of those who were once dear to them. Some were landscapes of their former homes. And some were simply things they just felt like painting. But they all told a story of some kind and with the power of their brushes, they were able to bring these things to life, in a way. The aspect that this was a game was pretty much forgotten after some time since all the creatures just enjoyed creating art. Since this thing was Upai's idea, she had tried to keep track of who had painted what and how many paintings they had done, but even she had to admit eventually that it didn't really matter and went with the flow. So much joy, so much passion… The cavern became a little art gallery. The creatures would fall asleep again, but whenever they would wake up once more from their slumber, they would be reminded that they had shared an inspiring moment when they all gathered around and created something with great desire.trophy

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