He recoiled instantly before falling back down astounded. He paused apprehensively. It wasn’t anything painful, but it had startled the ever loving crap out of him. For a moment, nothing happened as silence reigned in the room. Then, with the coast being clear, Jordan began looking around but felt something rustle next to him almost immediately.

About fucking time moron. Horrid hells this guy is dumb as rocks.

ALARM! ALARM! Oh boy. Everyone—get ready! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!

He lowered his gaze, and saw something black lying next to him. He poked at it. It sat there, rather unconcerned with the events transpiring around him. Gingerly, he picked it up to try and toss away the weird offending… pillow tube? It was long and covered with occasional bands of color, whatever it was. However, as he lifted it up, something pulled at him. Specifically, at the back of his head.

Jordan stared at the black braid of hair with colorful tie bands. It was attached to him. That didn’t make any sense though. Jordan had brown hair, and had never in his life had long hair. He couldn’t even remember going more than one, maybe two weeks between haircuts. Possibly three. More than that was… slander? Oooh, a callback! Hehehe!

But this hair was long, braided to perfection. Black, with a slightly silver tint to it, not unlike coal. He tugged at it again. His head responded with a small burst of pain. This couldn’t be right, he was missing something. Reaching around his scalp, he couldn’t find any indication that this wasn’t his hair. That wasn’t right. Had the pranksters glued a wig on him? He wasn’t balding, so had they shaved him completely to complete the act? But why? What was the point of this now? He–

He noticed now the hand holding the braid. At his command, it released the hair, which fell out of focus to his slowly panicking view. He lifted the aberrant appendage closer, until it consumed the entirety of his vision. In this moment, it was everything in the world before him.

He stared at the unfamiliar palm. It had no calluses, and the digits were thin and twiggy. A bit long, but the hand was overall petite, and the wrists narrowed delicately. This wasn’t correct. Jordan’s hands were thick, worn from working labor-intensive crappy jobs. His fingers were short and a bit stubby.

He turned the alien hand over. It was hairless, smooth as his cheeks were now. This was also incorrect. Jordan’s hands were so hairy, one of his friends had claimed he could pass as a gorilla at a Halloween party. It turned out that had been true, as one year Jordan had simply bought a gorilla mask and wore a T-shirt. He got a lot of compliments on his costume, but alcohol was involved so results were inconclusive.

What couldn’t be forgiven, however, were the long fingernails on the back of not-his-hand. They were red. Polish-covered nails crowned the tips of each finger. These were a girl’s hands.

Did you see that? Is that a red of yours, Rage?

KILL?

Nah, just his mind crackin’ a bit. No big deal.

Disgust… that is a BIG FRIGGIN DEAL!

Oh no, my delicate ears! Language, Vigilance.

Oh! I’m so sorry!

…seriously? It’s just too easy with you. Ugh.

He knew it had to be so, because while he would have been able to accept a man wearing black fingernail polish as trying to fulfill a fashion trend Jordan felt faded out decades past, he could think of no reason why a man would wear red. No, not just red.

Rose Red. He knew the difference? He’d never known the difference before… had he? No, he couldn’t know the difference! All his life he had been terrible with colors, why would he have been good at them? Red was red! But this wasn’t red. This was Rose Red. He knew the distinction, and he didn’t understand how. It was enough to make him start feeling nauseous.

Something… was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Animal. Laughing? It was back?

I’ll keep holding it back as long as I can.

He’d been ignoring that. He’d been forgetting that. He’d been running from that. But now? Now his eyes were open. Now he saw what was wrong. What his brain had been screaming all this time. The answer was on the tip of his brain’s tongue, but he refused with pure desperation to consider it. It couldn’t be the case—he had… missed something? He had to; this couldn’t be true. Red wasn’t rose and this couldn’t be true!

Jordan couldn’t accept his eyes anymore so he closed them. He listened to his breathing. Deep, slow breaths. He… coughed experimentally. It was hard to tell for sure, but it didn’t sound right. So, he made a small noise. Just a little, mindless tune hummed with enough air it could have been a vowel.

He recoiled as a young girl’s non-male voice sounded out.

No. No please no, thought Jordan.

Is he seriously censoring his own mind like that? I feel like I should kick him or something.

Disgust, stop abusing your hold on him! We need to stand together—it’s prowling again.

So? If the fucking idiot dies he dies.

It’s better that way.

You guys are so useless!

Kill...

Dread was building. An unspeakable realization that grew in tandem with the pressure his defiance was causing in his mind. The animal in his brain was hissing, angry that he refused to see or maybe irritated at the increased atmospheric pressure in his cerebellum from the standoff that wasn’t happening. But he had closed his eyes after they became Open. He couldn’t see this. He couldn’t accept this!

Shakily, he lifted a hand to his chin. Smooth, thin, delicate. Several words came to mind to describe it, but he shuddered in revulsion. He lowered his hand underneath a light blanket that remained covering him. It must have rested beneath the comforter. He felt at the smooth shirt covering him for what lay beneath that layer.

The animal attacked, dark tendrils lashing out as Vigilance blocked. The others moved in concert, trying to—

His chest was flat, which was, at first, good. But his hands had been small and his voice high pitched. There were implications that could be drawn from these facts, but a flat chest could mean many things. Only a few were good for Jordan, and his stubborn brain refused to accept anything short of… Absolute Proof.

Over here big guy! Awe taunted the eldritch horror as it sunk its claws into grey matter, trying to spread its influence through the flesh as Vigilance’s guarding only bolstered the mind and soul. But the flesh of the body was too open, they needed—

His hand drifted further down. His stomach was flat. This was also not correct. Jordan had a beer gut, as slanderous as his three beers a night might be, they still took their toll. But he had to reach further.

Incoming! Vigilance called out and the group took cover. I can’t take this! Fear cried out, curling up as Love held them. The pressure is too great here, Vigil, we need a plan! Love warned as Rage charged in. After a moment, Vigilance pointed out a desperate opening, perhaps we can catch it off guard? But won’t it leave Jordan exposed? Love asked. We have no choice, Vigilance replied. With me! I knew I should have stayed home, Joy complained as they—

As his hand traveled downward, a strange peace filled Jordan. The pressure inside felt like it was close to boiling over, but he was getting oddly calm despite the fact that his emotions should have been rioting. His brain was surely moments away from exploding out his ears, but instead, it was like a silence punctuated only by the occasional soft static. Just a quiet sense of enveloping pressure, like sitting at the bottom of a pool as the world pressed at your mind, kindly promising to crush it and everything you held dear.

Well, what now? Awe asked. Now we prepare to die, replied Sorrow. Kill! Oh no! Rage don’t—

He knew what he needed to do, and he knew that no matter what he found next, things still weren’t okay. Something wasn’t right about his situation, but some outcomes were beyond anything he could accept. He had to know, and all his hopes rested on the next moment.

Hey, you guys seeing this? I swear if that fucker touches—Disgust! Watch out!—Huh? Wha—

His hand moved down. Down into a valley of soft curvature. The shapes there, so fathomable yet unfamiliar, had no coarse hair to impede his journey. It flew slowly further on, like a plane gliding over an unnatural landscape bereft of distinction or character. It was like finding oneself in a foreign world. One in which Jordan would have enjoyed had he been exploring it on an appropriately amorous and aged target, and yet to find himself in this surreal wasteland knowing it was in fact his own was like gazing upon his own destruction. The end of all that was Him. It unmade him as his head went pop and out came the weasel. Only—

There was nothing between his legs. Pop? Weasel?

Nothing, save for a madness he could not accept at any cost.

Fear no! Get back before—

Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Get it out! GET IT OUT!

And a young girl screamed. It made the earlier noises she’d cried out earlier sound tame in comparison. The squad of emotions held on for dear dream-life as the mind they inhabited split at the seams and an animal’s claws sunk in deeper.

----------------------------------------

People must have heard his hypersonic scream, as the large ominous door to Jordan’s own personal hell opened rather abruptly. He paid little mind to it as he stared blankly up at the ceiling, traitorous hands sitting punitively at his sides as the bearers of unbearable news. He felt like he was dissociating from himself, a floating spirit gazing down upon… he shuddered to even contemplate it.

The two people who entered did so quickly. The leader of the group approached the fluff-prison Jordan’s flesh-prison was stuck in and made herself at home, sitting next to him on the bed. He blinked a bit before turning to face the newest intruder. She was… both what he had and had not been expecting.

Her dress was long, a mix of colors primarily black with red. It covered her modestly like some sort of Victorian style dress, but it hugged her suggestively in a way that was most certainly not modest nor Victorian. While the damnable piece of fashion had far less bows and frills than the maid, it was still clearly composed of a multitude of layers. But what really drew his eye was the amount of jewelry the woman was wearing. It was astronomical.

Golden bracers/bracelet coverings, a sweeping v-shaped belt, multiple series of necklaces, even the hairpieces keeping her hair up were gold. And everything was adorned with a multitude of jewels – sapphires, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and dozens of other types Jordan could only begin to guess at.

She was like a rainbow bespeckled gothic princess! One who smelled of crackling fireplaces in cold winter nights. Warm and inviting, and maddeningly familiar. Who did he know who wore perfume like that?

She looked young too, barely into her twenties, if that. Her hair was dark, with that odd hint of silver that he had seen in his… own hair? No, it wasn’t his hair. Her eyes, however, drew him in. Her eyes were the inverse of the maid’s own, red around sets of black pupils, but they were wet with tears, and the way she looked at him disturbed him. Like he was the most important person in the universe to this stranger.

No, it didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. Jordan tried to convince himself of that, even as his whole world was falling apart and up was down and red was rose and why did she smell like campfires? Where was his father? His brother? He should be… There was too much emotion in her eyes, and it made him want to start crying too. The woman looked surprised, relieved, and then like she was breaking inside as she met eyes with Jordan and saw something that hurt her.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-14.png]

A man spoke out. A man? Also, what the hell had Jordan just heard? It was, without a doubt, that same strange, foreign language from before, but he could hear the static in his mind going crazy as some parts of the words were coming into clarity. Like it had shifted to fit what seemed right to him. It was so damn close yet still incomprehensible.

As he tried to sort out whatever it was he was hearing, a wrinkled hand came into view and gently poked Jordan’s noggin. It didn’t seem malicious, almost playful if his judge of body language on the old man was correct.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Jordan stared incredulously at the source of the poke. It came from a man that was ancient-looking, covered in wrinkles with dark, nearly black, skin smiling with large lips resting under his broad nose. He reminded Jordan of one of his coworkers from the Congo—a brilliant guy who had been a doctor before he and his family had to flee their home. Then he could only get a job as a custodian due to his inability to properly speak English.

That reminder was quickly lost, however, when Jordan noticed the terrifying hairdo the old man sported. The top of his head was bald, but from the sides and all the way around it grew damn near straight out, like a mix between Einstein and Curly from the Three Stooges. It stuck out a foot from his head white as the stars in the heavens but more defiant than a spoiled customer asking for a manager.

His face was covered in a thick white dusting, clearly nothing more than a shadow for a man that was follicularly gifted to the extreme. Jordan had no doubt if the man left his face be, he’d have a magnificent full body beard by week’s end. Stupefaction and envy warred in his soul at that sight.

Meanwhile, the man was wearing what could only be called a lab coat, with various parts of its pristine surface marred by the occasional minor stain or just missing parts, like it had been eaten by acid! Underneath it, he wore shorts and a t-shirt, which was plumped out a tad from a small gut. Compared to the dress code the women used, the man’s didn’t make any sense, but when he went to meet the eyes of the mysterious Dr. Dude Lebowski before him, he couldn’t meet the man’s gaze.

Literally he couldn’t! The man was wearing sunglasses. The old geezer had the slightest indication of mirth to him. The smile rested easily and familiar on his face, but Jordan could read nothing in his expressions past what he let linger.

His distraction wasn’t helped as Jordan’s gaze fell down to stare at the four arms the old man had. Four! More garbled nonsense came from the man with four forearms as Jordan laid there gaping like fish.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-15.png]

Jordan was sure by tone alone the man was asking him a question. Jordan, of course, didn’t understand anything the geezer was saying and the four-armed man was looking worried. Not as worried as the woman, of course, as Jordan looked between the two of them for hints as to what he should… do? Say? How was he supposed to communicate to them when listening to them felt like a radio tuned version of hangman? Not to mention, if this was a hangman game the old dude had an unfair advantage! You can’t have extra arms in hangman, that was cheating! Why could he see words when they spoke though?

The two ‘adults’ in the room exchanged glances. The woman spoke first.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-16.png]

The worry in her face was plain, but she also had an air of unreadability to Jordan. He’d worked his life in the service industry, and she reminded him of certain female customers. The kind that was used to, and expected everything to go their way. The kind that liked to ask for managers. Stubborn, like the four armed old man’s hair.

Still, her question, if it was one, was directed at Dr. Miagi standing to the side. He actually interrupted her mid-sentence. Jordan wasn’t sure on the power dynamic between the two, but perhaps he was the one in charge? She was obviously wary of him, though maybe it was just his hair or the four arms. Arm envy?

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-17.png]

It was so odd, Jordan was sure some of the… tone of the old man had changed. Worry as well? Before he could think more on it, the woman said something to him. It sounded a bit snippy.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-18.png]

The old man snorted in response before giving an equally snippy retort right back at the bejeweled goth.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-19.png]

Frustratingly, the only word Jordan was really clear on was ‘her.’ It was… a bit confusing though. Aside from the static and the weirdness and all that. The word, it was actually more like it was being implied rather than spoken. Was he understanding its ‘use’ because his brain was inserting it? That didn’t make any sense in English and God help him if he was going to have a test on grammar for some alien language he was hearing through an imaginary radio. Of course, God didn’t exist, so he was screwed six ways from Sunday. Four arms till Sunday?

The woman on the bed shuddered. Not that Jordan could tell easily with all the clothing she wore, form fitting or not, it was only noticeable due to the contact of her behind plopped next to his own… diminutive form. She turned to look at Jordan, meeting his confused, irritated gaze with a look of guilt?

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-20.png]

Okay, there was distinct hostility to her tone. The manager has been summoned! Then again, as she said—whatever it was that she had said—she never took her eyes off Jordan. They weren’t accusing him of anything though, it was like they were cradling protectively. Something about what she said also told Jordan she was distinctly addressing the man. Not that he had any clue where that indication came from.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-21.png]

Jordan immediately recoiled as the man said a word that raked his mind. He couldn’t even begin to explain the iMmensiTy of haVing cLawS

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-22.png]

Jordan hmphed softly. He was mildly perturbed as he was confused as to what just happened. The man had spoken something and then Jordan just kind of… blanked out? It had only hurt a smidge though, like a mild sting so it was easy enough to shake off despite the animal in his brain going nuclear. Regardless, he looked at both people accusatory, as the old man had put a hand on the woman’s shoulder as he spoke to her. They both looked… scared? Of Jordan?

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-23.png]

Jordan winced briefly. Something was partly said, and it didn’t really hurt so much as just startle him. He focused his gaze on the two of them. The next one to say… well whatever it was they were saying was going to get kicked.

Wait, had they said something? He couldn’t… remember.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-24.png]

Something, something, something, news something? This was like the worst game of telephone Jordan had ever heard. Though, now that he thought of it, he wasn’t even sure if he’d ever played the game—he’d only seen it in movies.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-25.png]

The woman buried her face in her hands. It sounded like she was… begging the old man for something? It was an incredibly vulnerable moment. She wasn’t exasperated, or angry, or… she was just breaking apart. Jordan knew what that looked like. He’d seen it before.

Was this about him? Was he going… going to die? The animal in his brain was so loud right now. What was it saying? IT HURT

He’d accepted death earlier, but that was before finding that, well, finding he wasn’t the same person and everything was different. If he was being honest with himself, he was still in a rather surreal state of shock. None of this seemed real, and he needed time to process it all. But, he couldn’t be dying already? Right? It was just a prank? A bad joke?

The old man squeezed the woman’s shoulder before forcing her to look at him.

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-26.png]

Cursed? Jordan thought over the only word he’d managed to pick up clearly.

The woman gripped onto the old man’s hands as if her life depended on it. A soft affirmative noise is all she made as the maid, coming in outta nowhere, came up with a handkerchief that she used gratefully. Maybe he needed to pay more attention to his surroundings? No, wait—

He… he had heard the man correctly, right? Cursed? The old man retreated back towards the nearby beaker covered table. Now that Jordan looked at it, the various glassware filled with mysterious liquids seemed right at home with his lab coat.

Was he experimenting on Jordan? Or was he treating him?

Jordan didn’t know, and this half translation crap wasn’t helping. No, it wasn’t even half—he was straining his brain to understand these people and at this point he was on the verge of screaming at them! Like the animal in his brain.

Am I cursed? Am I going to die? Why are you all crying over me? Who the hell are you all!?

Of course, Jordan said nothing. He glowered at them. He just felt so… trapped. Confused and angry, and the damn animal in his brain would. Not. Shut. Up. Every time it slipped his mind, he’d hear it again out of the blue. Watching him. Reminding him. Screaming silently at him. What the hell did it even want? Jordan knew something was wrong—he’d figured that part out already! He didn’t need it blaring out alarms like a seatbelt reminder. Too bad all those Emotions had been defeated, they could have helped, Jordan… thought? What? And was Jordan… purring?

The woman looked briefly amused by Jordan’s confusion. What was that about? He glared at her in response, but that caused the woman to recoil slightly. Jordan felt a bit guilty at that, but he couldn’t be bothered at this point to stop. He’d glare at her, at the wizened old ‘doctor’ nearby, or at that stupid fucking animal in his God damn brai—

Jordan’s thoughts were interrupted mid curse as the woman bent down and scooped him in her arms. He instantly struggled, preparing for kicking time, but then he had to stop. He had to.

It was warm. He’d been hot and overheating all day, but this… this was warm. A hug, so simple so gentle so normal it couldn’t be described. When was the last time he’d been hugged? Held by someone who cared unconditionally about him? It was so warm.

He lost himself in that embrace. He was held, cradled in the moon by the stars. He gazed down upon a world of woes and failures, but knew none of it mattered. At this moment, he was alive and he was free. He was warm in the arms of a person that was telling him it was alright. It’s alright to hurt, it’s alright to be angry and to shout, and it’s alright to be sad. I’m here. That’s what it told him.

He wasn’t in the arms of some stranger anymore. He couldn’t see her. He didn’t see some tiny little Brat’s body, a stupid bed with stupid sigils starting to glow as an animal began to tear his soul to pieces. He didn’t see the maid or Dr. Four-Forearms or any of them. He saw… his own mother. Holding him after he had run away from home again. He’d been doing that a lot since his brother… He was scared and upset, but she just held him. No yelling, or scolding, just love and warmth and everything he’d ever wanted but ended up running from his whole life.

He cried, but he didn’t hate himself for it. Not this time. Any man held in his mother’s arms and finally told how much they meant to them, that they were loved and accepted no matter how many times they’d fucked it all up would know that this was finally an okay time to cry. Maybe it was the only time. Why had he forgotten that? Why had he run from this?

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-27.png]

Jordan sobbed quietly into the woman’s arms. She was by all rights a stranger, but there was one truth he couldn’t deny. She was a mother and currently, somehow, he was her child. She loved him, and she would love him no matter what happened.

As the woman eventually pulled back, Jordan felt so small inside. His whole life felt petty and stupid, like pride and vanity had blinded him to such simple truths. He felt guilty and sorry, and if he was honest, he just wanted her to hold him forever. But the animal inside didn’t like that, and its tendrils had dug deep.

It growled, and Jordan’s eye twitched briefly. Jordan got… angry?

The problem with that, however, was Jordan didn’t feel that way. How could he after that embrace? In this brief moment, it felt like something else had suddenly reacted within him, attempting to override him? It was pissed off, recoiling from the feeling of being… loved? Why would his base instincts be to treat love with revulsion?

Was he really that bad of a person? Why was he a bad person? Why couldn’t he be not a coward and just… do something? Why were roses blooming in the bleeding folds of his brain?

You need to run Jordan. Something’s wrong, but I’ll do what I can. Run. Run! RUN AH… AHA… AHAHA AHAHAHAHAH!

Jordan heard the voice licking him behind his eyes but—

Instantly the woman’s eyes grew wide. Panicked. She turned to the old man–

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-28.png]

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-29.png]

“You told me she was clean! YOU SAID THERE WERE NO ABERRATIONS!”

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-30.png]

“I didn’t know for sure, Mercia. It was a possibility, and I couldn’t have you making a fuss…”

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-31.png]

*SNAP*

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-32.png]

The case the old man was opening popped open and he pulled out… a sword hilt?

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-33.png]

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-34.png]

An o u t l i n e appeared in the air as Jordan tried to vomit/choke on his tongue.

Like an invisible blade surrounded by aimage [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/image.png]

Something started screaming at that

and Jordan’s inner mind turned to look at the animal part of his brain.

It was oddly personified and… solid. Was that normal? It was like a bobcat made of tentacles with teeth woven throughout. It was prowling around hissing, screaming, and gnashing. It really didn’t like what it saw. Was it supposed to be here?

It was making her body struggle. No, it’s his body, remember? He’s not her! No! It’s not his either! It wasn’t hers or his? Hahaha! And soon, they’d be nothing all together!

Why was the thing flailing and why was the woman holding Jordan-thing down? She looked scared too, but she’d look prettier if she was bleeding.

Give into me Jordan. I’ll protect you… well… what’s left of you! HAHAHAHAHA!

Jordan-thing wanted to say something to her-thing, but someone was screaming. A little… girl? cLAw HEr EYES oUt nOW whILE YoU cAN

Jordan-thing looked at the animal-thing. It looked at him. It screamed at Jordan-thing but Jordan-thing couldn’t scream and he needed to scream but he had to move but

[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-35.png]

The animal twisted in on itself, like an eye gazing at him through an endless expanse. The eye screamed but had no mouth, so Jordan became a mouth and screamed for it. Then a [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-36.png] stabbed through Jordan-Animal. It didn’t hurt him, but the screaming not-mouth thing screamed at Jordan to scream for him as they[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/null-37.png]

And he did.

He screamed as his throat tore open.

He screamed as his muscles ripped.

He screamed as he strained against the two adults.

He screamed and…

He screamed.

It–

Come lit-tle demons ~ The time’s come to play ~ Flowing from lands of enchant-ments ~ Come lit-tle demons ~ We’ll take them away ~ Here into gardens of Sor-rows~

Muffins sang an Eerie song as Jordan felt what it was like to be Unmade.

----------------------------------------

Will he make it? We didn’t get to play at all!

I hope so. I want to help him see the good inside himself.

We did what we could. The rest will be up to him.

Ugh, assholes like that usually stumble their way through. Like cancer!

We’re really going to leave so soon? There’s so much more to see! What kind of Skills do—

KILL! KILL! KILL!

Ack! Help—Rage is trying to eat me! Leave me alone! No!!

Lucky…

----------------------------------------