If I'm honest, I felt like shit after my fight with the mind demon, everything hurt and I couldn't even leave my own mind. Apparently setting yourself on fire while fighting a demon in your mind is ill-advised. I couldn't comprehend the passage of time while trapped inside myself, but I spent a large portion battling for coherent thought. Once I was able to string together some ideas I began to actively repair my mind, which was hard coinciding I willingly trapped myself inside of a cage that held a demon. But after a while and a lot of effort I managed to get out of my cage and then was able to put my mind back together, with a few changes.
With my track record of begging mind raped I decided to try and implement the meditation technique, Mr wiggle told me about. It sounded very confusing when he explained it, lots of implementing ones will and incorporating memories into manifested mental objects but it essentially boils down to making a structure called a mind palace.
So with nothing better to do, I got to work. I collated all the memories I could find and used my will to change the layout of my mind to create one large structure, a mansion. I decided to base it around my fighting style, create as much confusion and fear as possible to distract from the lack of technique.
The mansion’s entrance hall was Escher infinite staircase which to get past the intruder would have to jump backwards off the staircases into the middle. Once through the hall of infinite staircases the intruder would be exposed to a labyrinth of copy and pasted corridors and staircases that lead back to the start or nowhere at all. Each corridor looked exactly the same including the same painting in the same place, this would in theory cause the intruder to believe that they are going in circles. While the staircases would either lead back into Escher infinite staircase through a one-way door or to a dead end.
Electricity ran through the labyrinth, powering hidden lights, holographic projectors, and speakers. If I wished I could turn off the lights and infuse the darkness with my memory of being trapped inside the cage. Using the speakers I could create small sounds based around thrillers and horror films from Pauls and my old world. The projectors would show a little girl a few meters away which would seemingly teleport in front of the intruder when they blink. Once teleported said little girl's jaw would be unhinged, producing a horrific scream, and would have maggots wriggling in the now sunken face. Similar jump scares were placed randomly around the labyrinth.
Air filtration vents were littered across the corridor which would fill the air with the stench of rotting corpses. The walls of my little maze were also infused with the memory of the times where I ignited my nerve endings to persuade people from trying to go through them. There was a reason I had to flip a switch to activate these defenses and didn't just fill the whole mansion with the worst pain and experiences I have. Simply put I had to constantly experience everything that was happening within my mental defenses. I also found out through trial and error that it's easier to think when there is a way to actually traverse my mind and its mental defenses. Both of these observations made me scrap my original idea of a complete dark ever-changing labyrinth filled with as much pain and discomfort as I could remember and create.
After making it past the corridor labyrinth, which was done by removing the fifth painting from the wall and taking the dumbwaiter down to the next level. This level was a large hall. It was filled with holographic projectors depicting horror and thriller films, some from memories and others, my own creation. Other projections include disturbing pornographic scenes from mine and Paul's old-world internet as well as when Paul got a little rapey. [At least I can finally put those memories to good use.]
If/when the intruder found the trap door they would find themselves in a high school chemistry laboratory with a wall covered in folders and binders. The chemistry gear was just to throw them off while the folders and binders themselves contained pointless and confusing memories. These memories would contain long and convoluted essay papers, random cartoons, and other pointless trivia with the occasional jump scare thrown in.
The new core of my mind, where all of my important and core memories were stored, was now the highly durable cage. Said cage was hidden in the maze of vents in the corridor labyrinth. After crawling through the tight vents which smelled of rotting corpses and infused with the memory of painfully awaking my power, they would find the cage filled with touch screen smartphones. One specific Smartphone, hidden amongst the rest, held my memories and control center for my mind.
If the mazes and twisted holograms were not enough monsters of my creation could be released into the mind palace, but not in the Escher infinite staircase as it improved the chance of the intruder falling backward and completing the puzzle.
Looking over the blueprints of my completed mental defenses I nod to myself in mild self-satisfaction. [I’ve been hearing distant voices which hopefully means whatever has been holding me in here has been weakening over time and I should be able to escape relatively soon. Then I can find some weak test subjects to see how my mental defenses hold up.] I tap my chin in thought [I wonder what happened to my physical body? Maybe I am in a grave and will have to create a new persona? I hope not that would be soooooo boring and I fucking hate bordem]
As if it was planned by the divine the distant voices become exponentially louder before a loud obnoxious voice echoes throughout my mind “...And quick frankly you're just a boring peasant.”
[The FUCK did you just call me?!?!] My mind tenses as I am filled with rage and I am catapulted out of my mind palace and through an unknown golden net which appears to be surrounding my mind palace.
Before I could think about the previously unknown golden net my consciousness snaps into place with my physical body.
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POV of Selena Heartstone
It's been 9 months since the attempt on my life was made and I met the...peasant lying on the ground in front of me after being put down by one of my new friends. [How pathetic, and to think I had a slight crush on him, despite his less than sane mannerisms. I thought he was strong but he must have used cheap tricks to fight in the past. But of course, he wouldn't dare to try that on nobility, which would explain his timid and confused behavior now that he has joined the twisted leaf academy. I don't even know he got into such a prestigious institute.]
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“...And quick frankly you're just a boring peasant.”
Leo mocked down to Jacob as his clones held him down as they kicked him as he struggled to get up.
“I can't believe you tried to be friends with such a low life Selena haha.” Giggles Charlotte in a clear jab at me for trying to eat with Jacob on the first day of the school year, a month ago.
“He was kind of cute...for a peasant,” I grumble as, once again, the fact that I tried to befriend the school loser is thrown in my face.
“Ha! Little shit has passed out? I barely put any effort into any of those kicks.” Yells out Leo as if he needs to draw attention to the fact that he is so much stronger then the bruised boy lying on the ground.
I feel my stomach grumble. “I’m going to get dinner. “ I say as I step on Jacobs’s unconscious form on my way to the dining hall.
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POV of MC
[What's going on? Where am I? Why am I covered in bruises and on the ground?] Thinking that I should hide so I can properly access the situation, I look around and notice that I appear to be behind a large brick building with no one around. [Still has the scent of multiple people though so I should move.]
Unfurling my arachnid limbs, and breaking my shirt in the process, I quickly climb onto the roof of the building while avoiding the multiple large windows. Once atop the building, I have a quick look around and notice that I am In what appears to be a large compound made of large fields and multiple castle-like buildings. I look around in confusion [How the bloody frickidy fuck did I get here? Did my body move on its own? Or was I controlled? What's to stop it from happening again? Am I even still in control?] I start to panic slightly as my doubt and confusion start to grow.[ Focus! Right. First things first I need to check my health, especially after the whole possession thing.]
Hoping that my body isn't too damaged my consciousness seeps into my body to inspect it. [Well shit. Looks like I am back to step one, at least the groundwork is still there but considering it was burnt with a flame that appears to feed off atoms and magic it's in good shape.]
Before I could investigate further My mind begins to become foggy and unfocused. [Shit!] I activate all my nerve endings in an attempt to clear my mind but it has little effect. [There is no way I am letting someone control me again.] To stop whatever is happening I send my consciousness back into my mind palace.]
[But what if I can't stop it.]
My consciousness stops momentarily and I notice the large golden net that I noticed before.
[I’m no expert, but that's properly what's fucking me over.]
The gaps in the net start to fill in with translucent golden light. [Why didn't I investigate it before? And now that I think about it, the same golden light from the time I first talked to Mr hiss hiss noodle hair.]
The gaps start to clove faster.
[Now's not the time for analysis. How to stop it?] I try to exert my will over the golden light but nothing happens. [Shit.]
My mind starts to feel heavy as my consciousness is dragged to my mind palace. [Double shit.] I inflame my nerves as I try to find the source of the golden light. My consciousness starts to rush around to find the source. [ My head is still covered in lead and it stands to reason this energy would take the path of least resistance so it's properly not coming from the cranium. It doesn't appear to be attacking the mind palace only sealing it. The body moved on its own. The central nervous system! (spine and brain) It must be coming from the spine at the base of the skull for the path of least resistance and most efficiency.]
With a thought, I disconnect my spine to my brain, and golden light stops and starts to fade away from my mind but my body starts to move so I deactivate all of my nerves causing my body to collapse back down onto the ground. I then create multiple internal saws made from bone which cut my spine into sections.
Once I had successfully created a neurosurgeon’s worst nightmare I start to slowly incorporate each section of my spine back into my body in the hopes to find the area which is causing the issues. After a while of fixing my body, I arrive at the culprit, the Atlas. (C1 which is part of the cervical vertebrae which is the very top of the spine.)
[Looks like me hunch was right.] With a snarl I rip the chunk out of my body before I make a new Atlas in its place with my limited body mass [I’m going to need to collect a lot more bio-matter again aren't I?]. I sigh in annoyance.
[I should go over my body again to make sure everything is suitable and see if I can access memories of what happened to me while I was trapped.]
I get into a meditative position. [But is there even any point? I got my ass kicked so bad I had to set fire to myself and now I am back to step one.]
I pause for a moment [I...I like the exhilaration of a fight, I love the pain, the adrenaline, the self-improvement, the carnage. I will do whatever the fuck I want, so shut up!] I harden my emotions and concentrate.
To calm down I sit in my meditative position for a few hours as I fix and improve small parts of my body and refining some of the new cells which have grown. Finishing with the body’s improvements I’m about to try and find out what has happened in the time I was gone when my new Atlas glows golden for a second before a net starts to seep into my mind again. [Can people stop trying to violate my mind for 5 fucking minutes!] I quickly detach the Atlas from the rest of my body and create a dense bone and lead barrier around it. Once again creating a new Atlas I stop to think for a bit.
[ What's the information I currently have? Golden light keeps trying to seal my mind. The golden light that looks eerily similar to the golden light that tried to possess me when I was kidnapped. When Mr. Hiss hiss noodle hair was cosplaying as Mr void he said something about the angels having a device that controlled people.
Why wasn't this happing before? Is it the new location?... Unlikely, this is what probably caused me to move around when my mind was sealed and I wasn't anywhere near a large castle campus, I would have noticed that when I was looting or flying around before saving Dave. I had a demon infestation before. If what he said was true the presence of a creature of chaos would combat a mind-controlling device based around Order. Him telling the truth is unlikely, but it's all I have to go on, and given the current evidence it's what we shall assume.
Next up, it appears to be automated. Otherwise, a thing that can seal my mind would send other people after me after I removed it. That means it will just keep coming as long as it ‘knows’ what I am not under its control.
Solution? Well, I'm definitely not putting another demon in my head. Maybe I can trick it into thinking I am under its control if the possession net thingy is still in my body? May as well give it a go.]
With my long thought process completed, I began to alter my body once again. Noticing that the ‘net’ was successfully sealed by the bone and lead barrier, I began to alter the contaminated Atlas into a small yet efficient brain dead central nervous system. I based it around what I remember of a crow due to its small yet intelligent brain. Once the decoy was created I smoothed out my features so It wouldn't be noticed.
By the time I was done It was dark and I hadn't had any more attempts of a procession. [I guess I will call that a success for the moment. Now let's see about those elusive memories so I can figure out what is going on.]