A continuation of my tale from Part One
….
It had been two days since I arrived… Wherever this place is. I could feel that thing try to connect with me whenever I open myself up, and blocking him out is hard and strenuous, so I only open up to connect with her and make sure I’m going the right way.
I was tired and hungry, worse off try it as I may the lack of all hope and the slow dying of every soul around was draining my soul. People didn’t bother talking to each other much from what I’ve seen. They get up, they leave for what I can only assume were these mines. Vans with no windows or windshields, just all metal, would pull up to the curbs where people would file in, heads down and void of all hope. When I got the occasional glimpse inside the back of one of these vans, I saw chains with small spikes on the inside of cuffs. They were obviously setup to make it uncomfortable but not outright damage people.
The vans headed off for a strange mountain in the not too far distance, it looked unnatural and evil. Words cannot put description to just how these mountains looked. Bleak and void of qualities you’d find in natural mountains. The first time I saw one I felt… Something.
I saw a coal truck pass once, again no windows or windshield, and in the back I saw a purple glowing rock. And I knew that is what they were mining, thankfully I am getting quicker with my reflexes, I blocked myself off before I could connect with it. But I got the sense whatever it was it was living in some way.
….
And then I felt it again, but it was different this time. It was ready for an attack again. And a mental barrage was unleashed upon my mind. I lost myself for a moment, up became down and down became up. Left was now inside out and right was traveling through time. And then I felt it again, The Abyss had arrived. And I heard its voice, and I knew it wasn’t the voice others heard. This was The Abyss’s true voice. And it haunts me till this day.
Almost angelic, full of an evil retribution it rang out to me.
“I know who you are, I know where you hide,” and I returned to myself as I saw The Abyss standing before me.
“I am what humans fear, the dark part of yourself that is always slightly uneasy at night. I exist in all of darkness, I travel throughout existence and consume all life. I will never be happy until there is nothing left, and then I will sleep”
And I was filled with a vision, an infinite amount of universes all empty. Not just all life stamped out, but every soul extinguished. A fate far, far, worse than death.
My fear started to rise again As The Abyss stood up taller, far too tall to be natural for a bipedal creature. Wings made of Abyss black bones sprouted from his back extending far up into the air. He pointed his head towards the sky and rose until his head was a good three feet above mine.
“You can no longer hide from me,” his eyes locked right onto mine and suddenly I found I could not look away. In this moment, I knew I was done with. I would be no match for The Abyss, it had lived an eternity before me and would live for an eternity after there was nothing left.
I lost myself, for a few moments I was nothing. Consumed and extinguished. Then something strange happened, I was floating in an Abyss but I had a string of conscience thought. I’m not gone. Then I felt her again. It was small, but a reminder I had something to live for. I could lose myself, but I had to save her.
So I pushed, I pushed as hard as I can, and then I felt something push back. The Abyss was angry, and was that fear? I’m not sure if anything had ever happened like this before. Whatever brought me here, whatever has awoken in me, The Abyss was scared for the first time ever. I felt a since of retribution that filled me like a holy light. And a light flickered in the Abyss, for the first time ever something had penetrated its unfathomable darkness.
And I was back in my body, The Abyss stood before me with a gash on his chest. My divine retribution had physically hurt him. Was this the first time The Abyss had been physically damaged? It had to be, no wonder it was so scared.
And I felt a vacuum pull the air out from around me and The Abyss’s wings folded around him and as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. I got bold for a moment, and I opened myself up and purposely reached out for The Abyss. And I felt fear, that then closed itself off to me. I knew he wasn’t done with me; The Abyss wouldn’t stop until one of us was dead.
Unfortunately, I knew it would be me. I had gotten some lucky wins, but only because this is new to it. Its never had to fight something before. But I’m just a mortal, a man. Normal things make me hurt and bleed, I won’t exist for all eternity, and I am fragile.
I feel despair fill me as I drop to my knees and weep. I weep not only for her but for all the other countless souls I will fail.
I pull myself back up and wipe away my tears. I will fail this; I have no chance. But I have to try. It will be hard, and my failure will mean the loss of everything and everyone. Even worse though, it’ll be the loss of her.
I pull myself up by the bootstraps and open myself up, The Abyss was hiding for the moment. I could play with my new talent; I will need the practice. So I connect with everyone, and I send out hope, and happiness, and a sense someone is fighting for them. And it only lasts a moment, but I feel a small relief in the grief and despair. Then it returned, but I smiled anyway still.