“Nathan, get off those video games already. Go outside and get some fresh air, you spend the entire day cooped up,” his mother’s voice rang out, a mix of tiredness and love. “It’ll do you good to disconnect for a bit, my boy. Come on, you have the whole day ahead of you.”
Nathan sighed, letting the controller fall onto the couch. “Alright, I guess going outside every now and then isn’t the worst idea.”
With that thought, he decided to step out of his usual routine of video games. His mother’s words echoed in his mind as he walked toward the nearby woods. His plan was simple: explore a bit, maybe find something interesting like strange bugs or unusual flowers. Something told him this small adventure might break the monotony.
Thus begins this story…
-NecroMind: Fractured Realities-
As he walked through the trees, Nathan found himself reflecting. Honestly, I’m tired of being stuck inside all day… Maybe my mom was right. Sometimes you need to unplug… I’ve always loved fighting games; one day, I’d like to be a great boxer or martial artist. Who wouldn’t want that?
The fresh air of the forest cleared his mind. After a while of exploring the dense foliage, his thoughts drifted as he admired the scenery. However, something in the atmosphere began to shift. The sun was setting, painting the sky with shades of orange and purple. The place that had once seemed peaceful started filling with long shadows, and a strange feeling crept down his spine.
What is this…? he thought, feeling a chill run through his body. It’s like the forest is… watching me.
Suddenly, something caught his eye. A few meters ahead, hidden in the tall grass, was a box. It was old, covered in dust, with a peculiar design carved into the wood. A broken lock hung from it, as if it had been opened a long time ago.
His heart racing, Nathan approached cautiously. What the hell is this doing here…? he wondered, but his curiosity overpowered his caution. He opened the box slowly, and inside, he found an antique watch made of dark, slightly translucent metal. It was dusty, but as he wiped it with his sleeve, the watch seemed to glow, almost as if it had come to life.
“Wow, it’s… beautiful,” he muttered.
Without thinking much of it, he slipped it onto his wrist. Though the watch seemed too big at first, it adjusted perfectly to his arm, as if it had been made for him. A knot formed in his stomach—a sense that something wasn’t right.
Suddenly, the metal of the watch contracted, fusing with his skin. A searing pain shot through his arm, like thousands of needles piercing his flesh.
“Ahhhh!” Nathan screamed, dropping to his knees. He tried to tear the watch off, but he couldn’t. It was stuck to him, as if it had become a part of his body.
“What is this…? What… what’s happening to me?” he gasped, tears forming in his eyes from the pain.
A soft, mocking laugh echoed around him.
“Does it hurt, young master?”
Nathan snapped his head up. In front of him, out of nowhere, stood a man. He was dressed like an old-fashioned butler, with an air that made him seem out of place, like a shadow that didn’t belong in this world. His smile was the most terrifying part—twisted and full of strange satisfaction.
“W-who…? Who are you?” Nathan stammered, backing up against a tree. “Why did you come out of the watch?!”
The man tilted his head, like a predator toying with its prey. “My name is Skizo. And you… well, you’re now the bearer of the NecroWatch. Welcome to your new life.”
Nathan suddenly felt a sharp sting in his wrist. The watch tightened, and he could feel invisible spikes driving into his skin, making it impossible to remove. The pain was unbearable.
“Help me! Please, take this thing off!” Nathan begged, desperate.
Skizo shrugged, his smile never fading. “I’d advise against that, young master. Not only is it physically impossible to take it off, but if you try… you’ll die. And if that happens, you’ll simply revive with the watch on your wrist again. So… you’ll suffer over and over. Understand?”
Nathan let his arms fall, terror consuming him. “What… what am I supposed to do then?” he screamed, his voice breaking. “And how the hell do you know my name?!”
Skizo let out a deep laugh, but something about it made Nathan’s skin crawl. “Oh, young master, I know many things. And you won’t be saying that when the real horrors of this world come for you. You’ll beg for my advice when that happens.”
Fear swelled inside Nathan. “This can’t be happening! This has to be a nightmare!”
Skizo watched him coldly, his voice low and calculated. “Oh, you’ll wish it were a nightmare. But it’s not. This is just the beginning.”
Nathan screamed in desperation: “No, no, no! This can’t be real! This isn’t happening!” He grabbed his head, trying to withstand the sharp pain spreading from the NecroWatch, and slammed his skull against the nearest tree. The wood cracked and gave way under his strength, and both Nathan and Skizo fell together into the center of the interdimensional tree.
“Well… that was to be expected. At least we’re here,” Skizo said with a tired tone. “I’d recommend you check your watch.”
Still dazed, Nathan got to his feet and looked around, his eyes wide. “What is this place…? God… it’s a giant, beautiful tree, but… I’m still terrified. At least the fall cleared my head a bit. Skizo, tell me, what are those paths?”
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“This is the place used by NecroRune Users to travel between dimensions, planets, and more… in an easier way,” Skizo responded with a sinister smile. “Oh, and of course, your worst nightmares can come true here too. Hehe…”
Nathan shuddered. “Hey, the watch says I have to complete three missions,” he said with a growing sense of fear, looking at the inscriptions on the watch.
“Ah yes… the initiation missions,” Skizo replied.
“And what happens if I don’t complete them?” Nathan asked, his voice trembling.
“Oh, that’s simple. You’ll die,” Skizo said, laughing mockingly.
“WHAT?! How can you just say that, Skizo?! Explain it better! I don’t want to die here!” Nathan shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Calm down, kid. You’ve got three lives, okay?” Skizo looked at him with a smile that did little to comfort him. “For every mission you fail, you lose a life. And well, if you complete a mission, you gain a life back. Oh, and I almost forgot, when the tree claims a life… it’ll be a long and painful process.”
Nathan swallowed hard. “Damn… Do you know how old I am? I’m only 13! Tell your damn god to get me out of this nightmare.”
“I don’t even know who my creator is, let alone your god,” Skizo shrugged. “The only thing I know is that I’m here to serve whoever holds this watch.”
“Well… you better hurry up. You’ve got 7 hours to complete the missions.”
Nathan started hyperventilating. “Only 7 hours…? I thought I’d have more time to process this!” He collapsed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. “I miss my parents!”
Skizo crossed his arms and sighed. “Listen, kid. You and I are tied together. Not in some poetic way, but if you die, so do I. So at least try to complete a mission so we can both keep breathing, alright?”
“I’m just… so scared,” Nathan sobbed, clutching his injured arm. “This is horrible… the pain in my arm is unbearable.”
“Alright, while you keep crying, I’ll tell you where we need to go,” Skizo said, impatience creeping into his voice. “Looks like all the missions are in the same place… the Rotten Kingdom. You’re lucky, the first ones are easy.”
“Rotten Kingdom? What is that?”
“It’s the most decrepit and terrifying place you can imagine,” Skizo replied, smiling maliciously. “But hey, it’s been a while since I visited… maybe there are worse places now.”
Nathan shuddered. “This keeps getting worse.”
“To start, the simplest mission is to get a fruit and eat it. Nothing too difficult,” Skizo explained, as if it were a mundane task.
Nathan collapsed to the ground. “It’s hard to move like this… I’ve lost a lot of blood. I’m falling asleep… I need to rest… go back to my parents…”
“You’re just a kid… Fine, I’ll let you rest for an hour. Just one,” Skizo muttered, watching the boy with a hint of compassion.
An hour later…
“Wake up, crybaby! Come on, your hour’s up! We’ve got missions to complete!” Skizo shouted in his usual mocking tone.
Nathan jolted awake, startled. “What’s happening?! Oh, shit… this is all real.” He looked down at his arm, feeling the weight of the watch. “Damn it, I still have it…”
“Stop whining. Come on, we need to keep moving.”
“I don’t want to go to that place… I don’t want to be here… I want to go home,” Nathan said, his voice breaking as silent tears streamed down his face.
Losing his patience, Skizo got closer, his voice turning harsh. “Enough! Listen, you can’t run from this fate. If you don’t fight for your life, you’ll just be another missing kid in your world, and your parents will cry over you. They would want you to fight, not sulk like a child.”
“You don’t understand what it feels like!” Nathan’s voice trembled, barely containing his anger.
Skizo let out a laugh. “I don’t understand? I’ve lived far longer than you, been through worse things. Don’t think you’re special, Nathan.”
“Shut up!” Nathan yelled, feeling the rage boil inside him.
“Still gonna whine? Or are you going to do something about it?” Skizo mocked, daring him.
In a burst of frustration, Nathan swung a punch at him, but his fist passed right through Skizo, as if he were smoke.
“Heh… Relax, kid. I’m like a ghost. You’ll never be able to touch me.”
Nathan took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Fine… How do I complete these damn missions?”
“Finally accepting your fate, huh? Well, Nathan, all we need to do is walk down this path along the tree. Eventually, we’ll come across an interdimensional door that will take us to the Rotten Kingdom,” Skizo said, with a smile that did nothing to ease Nathan’s nerves.
Nathan shot him a tired but defiant look. “I’m not accepting any fate… I just want to survive. But I’m still scared. I’m not doing this because I want to… I’m doing it because I’d rather stay alive. And you and your damn fate can go to hell.”
As they walked, Skizo began talking about the creatures that lived in the Rotten Kingdom. His mocking tone contrasted with the seriousness of his words. “In that place, creepypastas—those dark stories humans make up—come to life. They’re not just tales; they’re entities that feed on fear. And not only that, the place is full of killers. Every corner is crawling with monstrosities.”
A chill ran down Nathan’s spine. The thought of facing his worst nightmares made him hesitate, but he kept walking, driven by the fear of dying before even trying.
“Hey, Skizo… where did the box that I found this damn watch in come from?” Nathan asked, trying to distract his mind from the growing fear.
Skizo let out a short laugh. “Oh, that’s simple, dear user. A God places boxes with NecroRune watches all over the world. They appear randomly every so often. A little cosmic game.”
Nathan frowned. “That sounds… ridiculous.”
Skizo raised an eyebrow, amused. “Oh, really? Then tell me, how do you think I came to be? I’m a creature that defies logic itself. Trust me, in this world, nothing is as it seems.”
Nathan looked over the edge of the path. A dark, dense void surrounded them, swallowing any light. “What’s down there? If I fall, what happens?”
“Well, why don’t you jump and find out?” Skizo smiled maliciously.
Nathan shot him a furious look. “Seriously, stop messing around.”
“Alright, alright,” Skizo replied. “If you fall, you’ll die. Plain and simple.”
Nathan’s heart sank. “Makes sense…” he murmured softly.
“And hey, what does this watch really do, anyway?” Nathan asked, staring at the rune on his arm.
Skizo rolled his eyes, irritated. “You’re exhausting me with all these questions… But fine. That ‘thing,’ as you call it, is the NecroRune. It amplifies your power by absorbing energy from your body. It’s complicated to explain, but basically, it makes you stronger. Much stronger than a normal human. And not just that, you’ll gain stamina and speed much faster too.”
Nathan was impressed, though he still had many questions. He thought about Skizo’s past and how lonely this whole journey felt. “Hey, Skizo, do you…?”
Suddenly, a door of light appeared before them, cutting off his question. Nathan was left speechless, both awed and terrified.
“There it is,” Skizo said with a confident grin. “The interdimensional door I told you about.”
Nathan looked at him, confused. “And why do I have to go in first? Can’t you go in?”
Skizo extended his hand toward the door but was stopped by an invisible barrier. “Like I said, I’m bound to you. I can’t go in unless you do first. So… let’s go, you don’t have any other choice.”
Nathan cursed under his breath. “Shit… Well, here we go.”
He took a deep breath, took a few steps toward the door, then hesitated. “Are you sure you can’t go in first?”
Skizo shook his head, visibly amused. “No, kid, I can’t.”
“Fine…” Nathan sighed, resigned. “Here goes nothing…”
With fear clutching at his chest, he ran toward the door. The light enveloped him, and just before fully crossing, he glanced back at Skizo. “I’m terrified… But the thought of not living what’s left of my life scares me even more.”
Nathan stepped through the door, and the world around him shifted drastically. Everything seemed to twist in a strange dance between space and time, as if he were traveling through a wormhole. Visually, it was surreal, a chaotic mess of colors and shapes that made him dizzy until, finally, he passed out.
Moments later, Nathan woke up on the ground, disoriented. “Shit… I’m here already, aren’t I? I feel… dizzy,” he said weakly.
Skizo appeared beside him, arms crossed. “Obviously. But we don’t have time for you to complain. We’ve got four hours left to finish the mission. So, get up.”
Nathan, still feeling the nausea, tried to play it off. “Could you scout the area for me? I’m not feeling great…”
Skizo gave him a look of disbelief. “I can scan up to 250 meters around us. Beyond that, you’ll have to move. Don’t get your hopes up.”
Nathan gave a weak smile. “Thanks… friend.”
Skizo sighed and began scanning the area while Nathan caught his breath. The atmosphere of the Rotten Kingdom was thick, heavy with an ominous feeling. The air reeked of death, and the vegetation looked wilted, as if life had been drained from it.
After a while, Skizo returned. “Nothing here. Now it’s your turn to search.”
As they walked, Nathan noticed a strange spot. Skizo stopped and began telling him a story. “See that place? In 1735, in New Jersey, a woman named Deborah Leeds cursed her thirteenth child. According to the legend, the child transformed into a creature with bat wings and disappeared into the night. That beast is known as the Jersey Devil.”
“Damn it! Why are you telling me this right now?! You know I’m already scared!” Nathan yelled, visibly upset.
Skizo laughed wickedly. “It’s just stories, right?”
Nathan swallowed hard, feeling even more fear. “This guy… has no mercy,” he thought.
They kept walking until they found a tree that stood out in the desolate landscape. Nathan noticed a bright apple hanging from one of its branches. “Finally… The apple. Let’s get out of here, Skizo,” Nathan said, excited.
But the smile on his face faded when Skizo, alarmed, said: “Nathan… Look behind you.”
Nathan turned and saw it. A tall, pale figure with a twisted smile and empty eyes. “It’s… Jeff the Killer…” he muttered, his voice breaking with fear. His body began to tremble, and the instinct to run overtook him.
“Look at your watch, scan him,” Skizo ordered, disturbingly calm.
With shaky hands, Nathan looked at the screen. “He’s got a high bloodlust… Shit!”
Jeff lunged at Nathan with a knife in hand, and all the boy could do was scream as he started running.
End of the chapter.