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A Breath of AutumnAn inhale of cool air,A feeling I'd forgotten,Passing through then gone again,Take in a breath of autumn It's creeping in,Sneaking past,Poking through the summerA fleeting glimpse,It doesn't last,This heat is such a bummer.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.trophyThe SpectatorThe scene starts.I am in a room.It's filled with Gray. Beige.Brown.These colors. I don't like these colors.Especially brown.Too boring, too bleak.Too... ugly.I want to see colors.I want to seepeople. I look out my window.Not a single soul.Everyone in this hour is asleep.I should be, too.However, there was no one to spectate during the day.So I waited.That waiting required me to see only black for a fewhours in order to skip to the next day.There was nothing to do. Anyway, I will look at the screen.The screen.The portal to everything.I just use this portalto see more people.I don't interact with any of them,I just see people. Wow... People!Videos, Content, Journals, Messages,all made by people .They're all unique,yet feel the same.it's like the same patternwith different shapes. This person has curly hair.This person has straight hair.This person has blue eyes that shine bright,while this one has irises as dark as the night.This person has a beauty that shines likethe moonlight of the ocean.This person is ugly.This person has a nice voice.I think I will listen to him more. An hour passes by like a minute. 5 hours pass like 30.Just like that,my alarm rings.It's the first day of school.I wash up and get dressed.A good person must always look good to other people.I walk out the door.Time to see new people! At the bus stop,I see people.They're on their phones.No one's talking.I won't even bother.Who would want to speak to a spectator anyway?I pull out my phone, too.Looking for something to do.Not because I want to,But because I want to look like a person. We all get on the bus.I see the gray, muddy view like it always has.Not important.I want to see more.I go on my phone to see more people.Before I can,We've already arrived!sigh I sighed.Maybe next time. As I enter the building,I see more people.Three of them greet me.I give a little wave before continuing on my observations.They are my friends.Well, they're supposed to be.All they do is talk to each other.Don't get me wrong, they are friends.I understand that.However, I wish they would pay attention to me asI do to them and they do to each other.I'd need to be interesting, though.In a good way.I wish I was interesting.But alas, I must continue looking. Wait...This person...He's different.Why am I blushing?Why am I suddenly getting tense?No.No.Do not get hold of yourself.A person wants a player.Not a spectator. See? He already has a boyfriend.And friends.Let's just keep looking. I look for my classroom.Room 306, the room of the photography class.Hosted by Mr...Mr...His name is blurred out."Hey! You coming with me to Mr. Ovchinnikov's room?"I turn my head to see if anyone was talking to me."Yeah! Here, give me a sec, I need to..."Oh. Just a person talking to another person.I see them walk to... room 306.Huh. Hopefully, this doesn't sound creepy...I hope I don't look creepy to them,but I followed them into the room of Mr. Ovchinnikov.Thankfully, they didn't notice me one bit.Plus, this isn't their first hour, from what I see.The perks of beinga ghost, I'd say. More and more people come in.They lookinteresting.At least more interestingthan me.But that's not the point.Class is starting. "Welcome, welcome. Welcome to your 4th year of high school.You've made it."Barely."I will introduce myself. My name is Mr. Ovchinnikov.I am your teacher this year for photography."His words get in one earand out the other.Only 14 key points survive in my head,Briefly.I think that's all of them. This person walks up to me."What is your name?"My mother always called me"Avengeline."Stuck with it for almost 18 years.Why not?I will write it down on paper. Today had gone smoothly.Avengeline, Avengeline,BEEP!Avengeline, Avengeline, Avengeline.Actually, the whole week.No, the whole month!I've gotten to introduce myselfto all kinds of people.A lot of them looked the same,but still. They're so...interesting! All of them were so nice,until November hit. I don't know what happened,but all hell broke loose.I thought Halloween was supposedto scare the demons away.Why are they stillscreeching in my ear? Photography class was fine, of course.I got to learn how to make albums.That was fun.I don't know had to add personality to thembut it was still fun. Math class was, too.Solving problems,Finding measurementsand having to copy them?It's therapeuticto say the least. It was English class. In English class,we have this assignmentwe are required to doin order to graduate.In this assignment,we need to researcha topicthat is affecting usgreatly.We have to present itto the whole class, too. But here's the catch.it all has to be symbolic.and it has to be in a form of a story.The entire essay. Now me,I had just the thing.Propaganda.I went through it,I've seen videos of it,and it's the most I've consumedduring my not-so-subtle onlooking. I knew just how to execute it.I had the characters, the animals,heck, even the actions needextremely deep analysisin order to understand them fully.I was so excited. So proud.So confident that I voluntarily asked to present first.Ms. Richards said yes. I go up to the board and clear my throat."My essay is about a daycare."A giggle ensues.I try not to worry about it.Use human lingo, Ave.They'll think you're just a normal human. "Um, I can like, read it off my paper butuhh...'There are two babies.'The giggling starts to uprise. I'm so nervous.My bowel system is starting tofeel like the gas stationafter a long driveout of state. "S-so there are two babies, one isa baby with brown eyes,one is a baby with blue eyes.The baby is playing with his toys..." Giggles start to turn into chuckles.The sweat is unbearable.I start to get insecure of my own scentbecause of the moist of myanti-perspirant underarms. "s-so, the baby is playing with his toys-""AYO WHAT KIND OF TOYS?"That one gym bro, multiple-girlfriend commentwas enough to make the class explode.They're laughing at me.Laughing.At me. Popular girls were whispering to each other.Smiling.All the boys in my class made faces.To mock me.I even saw normal people,rude, bitchy normal peoplemake the dirtiest, stinkiest looks,mouthing the words "Get on with it already." I asked Ms. Richards if I could check my locker."I think I might have forgotten something.""You have five minutes."I thank the English teacherand immediately go outsideto go to my locker.I think I heard Ms. Richards yell,but I couldn't tellwhat she said.What she saiddidn't matterbecause I was alreadywounded. I sat at lunch.Alone.I didn't want to talk toanyone.I didn't even want to look.I looked at my phone.Not because I wanted to look normal,but I wanted an escape.An escape from a burning buildingI'm trapped in.that escape?People.Other types of people. I stared at my phone.Watching. Watching.Watching like the owl I was.These people have so much better lives.Alas, it became my new escapism.Peoplethat weren't people here.Under the "she's so weird"'sand "she's kinda... off"'s,I found enjoymentin seeing other people happy.I even forgot to eat from the screen timeI was consuming. History class wasn't any better.Passing time, someone yelled at me.Another one was annoyed by my presence.Why?Why do people yell?Why do they hate me? When I finally got into history class,the teacher was stretching out the whole period,so I just looked at my dark reflectionin my assigned computer.Which, if you don't know,if you even dare not to pay attention,you will be called out.you will be humiliated.Why?"Maybe you should've been listening."I won't even be mentioning his name becausehe doesn't deserve to be acknowledged. My brain is completely corruptedwith what I've done.I don't even know what happened in gymor science.I wasn't paying attention.just observing.Why did I do that?Why did I decide to play?I wish I did.I wish I stayed a spectator. This is why I never want to becomea player.Players always put everything intowhat they play.Only to lose it all tosomeone better at the end.Not even someone better,someone that just wantsyou to fail.Without even thinking.I must staya spectator. I go back home.Absolutely exhausted.But what is this?I shouldn't feel exhausted.I made it another day.It doesn't feel like it.It's like I'm in a never-endingexecution display.Everyone,with their words,With their presence,they all decapitate me.For the heinous,absolutely despicable crime ofbeing unnatural. What do you expect me to do?I'm not a player.I used to be,but then I lost.To you.To him.To them.To her. I used to be a player,but then I was beaten.Beaten to a pulp.So call me pathetic all you want,But I'm just trying to live.And what better way to livethan to watch others live? They tell me to love myself,but who would want to lovesomebody who is anabsolute loser?Who in their right, player mindwould like themselves as a player?Who loses only a few rounds in a rowand stops playing the game altogether?Not me, of course. For that reason, I cannot be a player.I will not be a player.Why would you want to risk losingto everything and everyonewhen you could justwatch and learn?I will not risk it.I will not risk being embarrassed anymore.Because I'm putting on my maskand hiding from the world. I am not a loser.I am safe.I am strategic.I am observant.I.Am.The Spectator.Changed the belt on my vacuum cleaner today.I changed the belt in my vacuum todayI'm not sure if it worksI can see its chamber fillA lone dust bunny spinningBut I remember daysWhen the dust would crackleThrough her insidesAnd the proud mechanical whirOf her brush rolling on the carpetBut today a gust of windPulls into a leak, somewhereAnd though the chamber is fullSo much has been left behindA loose red thread sticks to the floorMocking the two of usAnd I feel the ache in my wristThe weight of my bodyAs I pluck the thread to tossINSEPARABLEdownload and read our zine through the link below!! https://manyface.itch.io/inseparableBlood chrysalisI pick at my skin unzipping my charade, with enough scabful bloodletting I’ll be bathed entirely. As the blood will harden into a carapace, and I’ll emerge as perfect out of my blood chrysalis.Random Scribbles Pt. 10I'M A MAD TELEVISION HEAD There were creatures in the darkness, but no one saw them – except for Synthka. People were walking on the streets, bland expressions on their faces, walking wherever they needed to go at such late hours. The town was enveloped by blackness, it was like it was floating in a void; stars had fallen from the sky a long time ago. The many street lamps and neon signs offered their light for the people that were wandering around, but their artificial light was dreary. No one cared at this point, for it was the age of when machines and people were fusing together, so whether something was considered natural or not, it didn't matter. Synthka himself was a prisoner of this ideology. A skinny man, dressed in black as if he was mourning, Synthka was walking while nervously glancing around, the many critters around him watching him. Though, he didn't have eyes, so was he really looking around? Synthka's head had been long gone, replaced by a television. There were many things he didn't acknowledge about himself; for instance, he didn't know if Synthka was even his name, it was just something he had picked up from a monitor when he woke up with his current memories. What had happened to him originally, what was his past life like, he couldn't really tell. He knew he was just a victim of modification, nothing but a playground for madmen. His existence was a torturous one and contemplation of ending it all was not a stranger to his broken mind. So many strange cats, equipped with extra limbs and eyes and mechanical parts, they were infesting the streets wherever Synthka was going. But they weren't the only ones; there were numerous rifts around the town, masses of eyes peeking from them, their gazes fixed on Synthka. He could also see quickly moving creatures, both humanoid and animalistic in appearance, that would disappear from his sight before he could take a better look at them. Nobody paid any attention to them; it was all in Synthka's head. He didn't want to be here, he had to get away. He began running, not caring if he bumped someone in the process, their angry comments wouldn't be heard. There wasn't much choice where to go for a miserable wretch no one cared about. So Synthka headed towards the hole he called home. It was an apartment that had definitely seen better days. It was cramped, there were holes everywhere, wallpaper had come off in many places and there was water damage. But only there Synthka could hide from the overwhelming world. He had no idea if this apartment had belonged to him as there were no items that could reveal any information about who had lived within these walls. Synthka just happened to have a key. There was buzzing inside his head as he stormed into the place. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it for a moment. His heart was beating fast and he was instinctively gasping for air; however, he had no nose, no mouth, so he didn't know how he could breathe. After cooling down for a while, he walked deeper into the dark apartment, to a living space where only a couple of pieces of furniture waited for him, along with a mattress where he slept. Synthka dragged himself to the mattress and sat down, holding his heavy head. Somewhere within that television was the brain of a fragile man. A complex organ, hooked up with wires so carefully put together, it was like a piece of art. Having no face anymore, his identity had been wiped away. And still, everything he would think or feel would be displayed on the screen, robbing him of private thoughts. He was meant to be watched and observed by others. And occasionally, a special broadcast would be displayed on the screen, depriving him even the control of his body that was still made of flesh and allowed him to have some humanity left in him. Sometimes Synthka wondered if he was even a person anymore. But he would always come to the same conclusion: yes, he was. His life was full of suffering. And to suffer, you have to be someone. WE INVITED HIM IN AND NOW HE WON'T LEAVE Hare's memory was a fuzzy one, it was like there was fog in his head that veiled important events from the past two days, preventing him from revisiting what he had seen and experienced. There was just this mess of fleeting moments that kept repeating in his mind, but they appeared rather confusing. He could recall a huge explosion, flinging rubble in the air. Trench full of mud. He had gone down fast; something had hit him in the head. Hard. Most likely he had survived just because his helmet had protected him. This is where his consciousness faded. However, as he momentarily awakened later, it became apparent that he had survived. His comrades had rescued him and brought him into the safety of their bunker. A doctor had examined Hare right away, but miraculously, there wasn't much exterior damage to his body; just some bruising and cuts that weren't deep. However, the doctor had suspected he could probably have a concussion. This hunch proved to be right when Hare started to vomit. He also complained about headaches, so the doctor suggested that he should focus on resting. Hare tried his best to sleep, but struggled with this a little bit as he would keep waking up every now and then. He could fall asleep again after a while, but his dreams were restless. Eventually Hare managed to get into a slightly better condition. He could walk around a little bit, but had to take it easy as he experienced some dizziness. He hadn't recovered enough to go back to the battlefield, so he had to remain in the bunker and to occupy himself, he would do small tasks such as tinkering with various electrical devices and make sure everything was running as smoothly as they could in this little hole. Though, soon Hare would take whatever tasks were available just to get his mind off of something that had started to trouble him after his concussion. One day, by the entrance of the bunker, Hare had seen something… or someone that wasn't there before. Seeing this figure had caused him to question his own sanity. Standing in the shadows, there was a tall black figure, wearing robes that looked ancient. The entity had the head of a raven, a feature that is out of this world. Hare had spent a moment just by staring at this figure. It had stared back at him. Then Hare thought that he was probably just seeing things because of his head injury, especially since nobody else was able to see that thing, his comrades kept passing it numerous times a day, but never acknowledged the being's presence. Hare tried his best to just ignore the thing and just do whatever needed to be done. It became a much harder job to do as the creature started to appear in every corner of the bunker. Mess hall, storage, sleeping quarters, around the hallways… Hare started to see the entity everywhere. Sometimes he saw it following around one of his comrades like an odd shadow. It started to imitate what they were doing, like whenever Hare and his fellows would sit down and drink after day had turned to night, the raven-head was there too, drinking the same wine as them. Hare would glare at the creature every now and then, but he never became intoxicated enough that it would slip from his tongue to tell the others what he was seeing. He really didn't want to be labeled as a madman. Days passed by but the raven-head didn't leave the bunker. Hare had gotten used to its presence as it didn't seem to be malicious, but it was still a great mystery what its purpose was. It had never tried to communicate with him or anybody else. It just was… there. Watching. Mimicking. Until one day, Hare finally got the answer for what was the intention of this strange entity. Two dead soldiers were rushed in. Hare caught a glimpse of them as they were transferred to the infirmary. He also saw the raven-head standing by the bunker's entrance, waiting, as if it knew what was going to happen. Then it did something which Hare couldn't fully comprehend at the time. The entity began to walk beside the convoy and made weird motions with its hand, as if pulling something invisible. Two small and blue spheres rose from the chests of the corpses and the creature quickly snatched them, hiding them inside its robes. Then the creature retreated back into the shadows, leaving Hare to wonder what he had just witnessed. There was a hell outside and more bodies would come. It started to feel like every time a group went out of the bunker, somebody would come back dead. And every time, Hare saw how the raven-head would pull these blue things out of the deceased. Hare still had no explanation for this, but he had once again started to feel odd about the entity. Was it just a coincidence that the death toll was rapidly increasing after it had appeared? Sure, Hare and all his comrades knew it well that they might not return home alive, but it started to feel like this creature was a seriously bad omen to them. As more and more people kept dying, Hare became confident that the raven-head was to blame. Desperation and death prevailed. Less and less men were still alive in the bunker. They had tried to call for reinforcements but they had never appeared. Hare was one of those few survivors. Morale was as low as it could, the men remained somberly quiet. The sounds of artillery haunted them. And the raven-head still lingered around, tormenting Hare. He had had a lot of time to think and he was pretty sure he knew why this creature was here. It was just waiting for them all to die. Then it would harvest their souls. As soon as it had first made its appearance, it had doomed them all. There was no escape from a gruesome demise. ALL THESE BROKEN HEARTS First it's black. Then it's white. And then black again. Then white. This reality around me just kept shifting and changing constantly. Now everything was black and I was stuck in this endless void. But there were stars scattered all around, I was walking on a path made from their dust. It was beautiful and brilliant, reminding me that even in the middle of darkness, there was beauty. The stars were twinkling in such a way that one could find hope and comfort from their light, but for me, it was getting harder and harder to do. I was a sinner, cast away into this dimension I couldn't even understand, just to suffer even more. Along the path of stars, I could occasionally find a heart lying on the ground. Countless people before me had walked on this same path, just seeking for a way out of anguish. And for some, leaving the heart behind was the best choice. Then I would find them and I would take them. Inside my chest was nothing but a black hole, the perfect indicator for others to see where my misery was coming from. I would try each heart I was able to find, put them in my chest and see if they could work. So far, no luck. I knew it well that they were all broken, but I simply held onto hope that maybe I could come across one that would help me feel connected to you again. You took mine and banished it inside a dark world where I never managed to retrieve it. But I thought that maybe… Maybe I could replace it with one that got discarded. I can feel their ache and despair, their sorrow and hatred, all the wicked things they tried their hardest to seal away and all the twisted things they wanted to unleash. There was so much darkness a human heart could carry. And I would feel them too as I switched around with the hearts I had found. Maybe they were tainting me slowly, corrupting me even further. But I simply didn't care. I was driven by desperation, I was chasing the shadow of you. I yearned for your presence, your touch. Even if it takes a million years, I'll continue to search through hearts no one wants anymore, attempting to find one that matches yours. Perhaps it's all futile, because how could a broken heart heal anything? But the truth is, no one throws away unbroken ones. There was nothing else I could do but to keep looking from the abandoned hearts. As the strongest dark emotions a heart can possibly contain keep filling me, I can feel only pity towards these people who carried them. For that reason, I keep all the hearts I have collected. Whatever may the reason behind their abandonment be, these emotions were a mark of humanity. Perhaps I'm a fool here, but I think these pieces they tore off from themselves are still valuable. They were a burden they would rather not hold anymore and I won't judge them for that. But once there was love in them, love and hopes and dreams, all of that just got contaminated with darkness. And I continue to walk in the world of black and white, following the roads of stardust, I keep collecting the hearts like a child collects seashells from the beach. They're unique and beautiful and since nobody else wants them, I will take care of them. Is it my new purpose, to walk through this space gathering hearts that were left to rot in the void? Or am I simply cursed to suffer because of my sins, looking for something that can't be found? I don't know, I don't know anything anymore. At least the twinkling of the stars soothes my soul. I'm most likely damned, but maybe my time here in this dimension won't be constant torment. But everything is shifting and changing and so will I and my sensations. I'm like embedded into this space, so I think I should just get used to it. ONE-WAY ELEVATOR TO HELL Raneshu was sitting behind his desk, writing down the last wishes, regrets, grudges, desires and needs of dead souls, using a fountain pen and a notebook that never ran out of pages. It wasn't really a duty of his, it's just something he enjoyed to do while doing his actual work. With his large pointy ears he could hear well the echoes of the dead, both from hell and when they were just on their way there. There were many paths to hell and only a fraction came through the one where Raneshu was stationed. He was quite an unusual sight in the eyes of humans as he shared the same kind of body as them, but his head belonged to a black dog. But, usually people hardly paid any attention to his looks since they already knew where they were heading. A few lamps were attached to the walls, giving illumination for Raneshu as he was immersed into his writings. The room where he was working resembled a hotel lobby, at least for now. It had changed many times during aeons, but just as humanity progressed, so did hell. There wasn't much in the room aside from Raneshu's desk, the most notable thing being the elevator that was on his right side. Then there were a few things to make the place appear more welcoming, such as paintings hanging on the wall and plants sitting on their pots. Because this entrance wasn't used for people that had to be punished, no, this was the gateway people used when willingly wanting to get to hell. It had been a long time since the last human came this way. But now, Raneshu could hear uncertain steps coming from the corridor ahead of him. He did a quick glance into the complete darkness that shrouded the corridor, not yet seeing who was walking along that path. He focused on writing again, allowing the arrival to come at their own pace. The steps kept coming closer and closer until they reached the room. Raneshu was still writing, not yet paying attention to the person. “Umm…” Even the voice was hesitant. “Is this the way to the underworld?” Raneshu raised his head to look at the arrival. A young man with a pained expression, something that wasn't an unusual guest around here. “Yes”, Raneshu replied and resumed his writing. “Great, I have to go down there”, the young man said, seeming slightly more confident now. “My… the love of my life was taken from me. I have to save him.” Raneshu had heard this countless times before. It was one of the most common reasons why people wanted to descend into hell. What an incredible force the love was, making people do insane things. “I have to give you a warning”, Raneshu said, still keeping his gaze on the notebook. But before he managed to continue further, the young man already got agitated. “I refuse to go back without him! I will get inside and you won't stop me!” Raneshu looked at him again. “I'm not stopping you. I'm simply giving you advice.” “Oh…” The young man calmed down immediately. “What is it, then?” “This elevator here”, Raneshu said and pointed at the device, “it will take you to your destination. However, be warned that it won't take you back. Once you're in hell, you have to find your own way out.” “I will.” So much bravery – or foolishness – behind the man's words, but it was all the same to Raneshu. “Thank you for your advice.” “Good luck to you”, Raneshu said and started to write again. He heard how the young man walked to the elevator and entered it. It took him a brief moment to figure out how it works, but soon Raneshu could distinguish the noise of the clanking machine that headed downwards. After the elevator's sound had faded, he could hear rumbling as the new elevator took its place in the lobby, waiting for the next traveler. Now there was one more soul in hell. It didn't really matter if he had gone there voluntarily. And Raneshu didn't really care about his fate. He was just another lovesick fool that thought they could just enter hell and find the one they loved dearly and manage to return back to the world of mortals just like that. They would rot in hell. But if nothing else, at least they could suffer together. MOCKING GODS A fox, an eagle, a tiger and an ox… These were the sacred and celebrated gods of the little village Kangama. Long time ago they helped the ancestors of Kangama to make the region a habitable place, for back in the day it was a barren and desolate land. The ancestors were refugees that had escaped the disaster of their homeland, eventually ending up in the harsh region where they were barely able to survive. The four gods took pity on them and combined their strength to create a good place to live. They shaped the land, made it fertile, and created a lake and rivers so the earth would never be thirsty again. They made the plants grow and soon the woods dominated the landscape. The region became like a piece of heaven and the ancestors rejoiced, praising the four gods. Generation after generation the respect for the deities prevailed and were celebrated through festivities and offerings. The tale of their good deeds lived on, being passed from parents to their children. The villagers had built a shrine for the gods and there were statues representing each one. It was a holy ground for praying and showing respect. It was clear that the relationship with the people of Kangama and their gods was a strong one, even after so many years had passed. So when the destruction struck the peaceful little village by weaponizing the image of gods, it truly was an act of evil, a cruel joke. The people of Kangama had gone to sleep without worries, but little did they know, their lives were about to be changed forever. The winds had started to howl in an unnatural way, bringing forth dark clouds that would unleash torrent and rattle the sky with thunder. The sounds of the incoming storm woke some up, but they just thought it would pass over night. But, as soon as people started screaming, the rest of the villagers knew something was going on and came out of their homes to find out a reason for the commotion. Buildings were on fire and the flames were abnormally dark. The rain seemed to just strengthen them and the fire kept spreading. However, the thing that horrified the people wasn't the destructive flames themselves, but the reason why they had ignited in the first place. It wasn't something natural like being struck by lightning. No, it was because the four gods were wreaking havoc. But they were tainted, their beautiful and vibrant colors had been turned black and there was just malice in their eyes. The ox and the tiger would maul people that came too close to them while the fox and the eagle would keep spreading chaos. The villagers were sure that these creatures weren't the actual gods for they were known for their benevolence. Somebody or something was just using their images to inflict more pain onto them. But who or why, that was something they never got an answer for. Amidst the great calamity, some people were able to escape, just like their ancestors. But the whole settlement was burnt down and many lives were lost that night, their harrowing screams would forever echo among the ruins of homes. The four beasts were never seen again as they didn't hunt down the survivors. Those who made it out alive didn't want to go back, it was simply too painful and they were afraid. Something evil would definitely linger there, a malicious force had surely been behind this great tragedy. The survivors would probably never get answers for all the questions behind this attack, having no other option but to move forward. Why hadn't the real gods helped them? It was the one question that was burning the most fiercely inside the minds of the villagers. There had been no trace of them, not even when the survivors had prayed for help and guidance from them. They had remained silent and unseen. It made the survivors feel like they had been betrayed by their gods. Some people were confused and grieving, but some started to harbor resentment towards the deities. In the end, they would wander far away from their precious homeland. And along that journey, the farther away they would go, the less and less they would think of the sacred fox, eagle, tiger and ox. Eventually they would fade away from their minds. And what good is a god that no one remembers?3/9/25When I was 20 I returned to the charred husk of my mother's house. Fog hung heavy in the dawn air and the chill cut through to my bones, but still, I stripped. I picked my way through the burnt ruin in the skin she sought to destroy, shivering but warmed by the ghost of the fire that freed me from this place. Where my room used to be, the remains of my few childhood possessions lay, blackened and showing evidence of 12 years exposed to the elements. I recalled moments of joy, fleeting and blurred by the trauma my scars would not let me forget. I sat, alone in this room once again, and sifted through the items that had been my lifeline. Most were disgusting, rotting, melted. I picked up a small figurine of a medieval unicorn, scorched and discolored but remarkably intact. I gripped it hard in my paw, and stood, surveying the rest of the house. I found her remains. Just bones, brittle and black. I crushed her skull under my foot, shards prodding at my scales but not slicing through. I stared down at what was left of her, mind blank and pressure in my ears. She looked so small. I sat by the fish pond next to the house. The water was dark and stagnant, algae and dead bugs hanging on the surface. The sunrise crescendoed in vibrant pinks which shone off the water and off my scales. I laid back in the moss and watched the sky through the dark frame of evergreen treetops, the hard pressure of the ground against my stretched back. Something unnamable swirled in my gut and shone from my eyes. That such beauty could've been right outside my prison of 7 years. That I had reclaimed the beauty, reclaimed my life; that I could drink it all in now. The sun rose higher and the sky turned blue. Damp and cold, I lay there for hours, watching the trees sway.Still hereAre you still here with me?With your paws and your feet?Are you still here with me?You sweet little thing? If you are still here,then you never will leave.Past death will persist,your sweet little ears. Past death will persist,and they never will leave.Your sweet little patters,your whiskers and caress.Past death you persist,you sweet little thing. And I’ll carry you, I’ll carry you, I’ll carry you;forever with me.Past death you persist,you sweet little thing And I’ll carry you, carry you, carry you, carry you, carry you;so you can still persist.You sweet little thing. With your sweet little eyes,a ticklish design,and your sweet little ears,forever with me.

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