As the moon's gentle light cascaded down upon the earth, a car slowly meandered its way toward a holiday rental house nestled amidst a dense forest. The leaves, in their final moments, danced with wild abandon, as the wind embraced the towering mountains. The stars twinkled merrily in the night sky, casting their reflections upon the puddles below, even as the clouds played hide-and-seek with the velvety expanse of the universe. The creatures of the forest listened intently, enraptured by the roaring sound of the Pick-Up Dacia and the soft melodies of the radio.
Amidst this idyllic scene, the man let out a melancholic sigh as he gazed back at the platform, his heart heavy with emotion.
"Seems like everything's in its place. Nice! I hope today's party will be lit, unlike the last one where everyone got so wasted they almost messed up my entire setup just because I didn't play "The girGirlth pearly hair." These guys are crazy!" The man continued his journey toward the agreed place. The engine's noise and the sound of crickets started blending as he got closer.
As he journeyed down the winding road, his eyes wandered from the path to take in the enchanting sight of the evening. After what seemed like a half-hour of driving, he finally reached his destination. The man was welcomed by a towering wooden fence, with an ornate gate that appeared to be hand-carved. He was struck by the beauty of the flowers that adorned the entrance, from the delicate astilbe to the vibrant violets, and the rustic sign above that read "Welcome!".
To his right, he caught sight of a tranquil fishing pool, surrounded by magnificent oak trees, with a grand gangplank leading out to its sparkling waters. But it was the grand wooden resort that truly captured his heart. The structure itself was a work of art, completely crafted from wood, with grand stairs leading up to the grand doors. A spacious terrace overlooked the scenery, with ample chairs and tables scattered about. The decor inside was a sight to behold, adorned with the impressive trophies of wild deer and boars, creating an atmosphere of grandeur and wonder.
Yet, a strange feeling crept upon the driver's mind as he pulled into the parking lot. The usual hustle and bustle of the resort were nowhere to be seen, and an eerie darkness engulfed the place, shrouding it in mystery. It seemed as if the world had stopped turning, leaving only him and the untamed wilderness in its wake.
"What the? No one's here?" - The person was outraged as he slammed the car door after he finally began to exercise his legs which rested quite nicely throughout his journey. He quickly made his way to the wooden house's door slamming his fist as a reference to knocking. "Hey! Is anyone in there?" - No answer, in vain of yelling. He clicked his tongue as he slammed his fist again into the doors, now in a more convincing manner.
As he pounded on the door with frustration, the person suddenly noticed a small camera lens glinting in the dim light. His face fell as he realized he was being monitored. With a deep sigh, he turned away from the door, his expression pained with disappointment.
"For real! What's happening?" - He quickly took out his rusty but trustworthy Nokia 3000 and called those bastards who called him out of nowhere.
The phone rang a few times before someone finally answered on the other end. He could feel his frustration mounting after driving for over fifty kilometers in the middle of nowhere and burning through gas like it was going out of style. He tried to keep his cool as he spoke to the person on the other end, but he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed by the whole situation.
"Hey there, it's Da-Synthy-Man!" - He spoke into the phone, feeling slightly awkward at the sound of his own stage name. "I've arrived at the designated spot, but it seems like nobody's here. Is there something that came up or did I misunderstand the time?" He tried to maintain a calm tone, though he could feel the frustration building up inside him. He didn't want to ruin his reputation as an entertainer, especially not so early in his career.
"Oh, hey, sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier, but the party got canceled." - A voice on the phone said, sounding scatterbrained and apologetic.
"What? Are you kidding me?" - Our man exclaimed, his patience wearing thin. "Do you know how much time and money I wasted driving all the way out here? I could have just stayed home tonight instead of spending all this money on gas and renting a car." - He added, trying to keep his cool.
"You know what, just..." - He was almost at the borderline to begin his trash-talk about this guy's lineage before realizing it was not worth it. "Have a pleasant night!" - Gauging the phone, he placed it back in his pocket with a savor face. He sat down on the first stair step while he looked at the ground.
"Just my luck!" - He spat at the ground. "This is the fourth time in a row." - His heart began to race with hopelessness. "Not only do I have to pay for my college internship, but I'm stuck with these bastards as my clients. If this keeps up... I don't know what I'll do. I became a musician to bring happiness to people, that's why I went to music academy, that's why I started working as an entertainer. But now, I don't even know if it's worth it." He grabbed his hair and began to run his fingers through it, a single tear falling down his cheek.
Looking up at the endless sky, his greenish eyes sparkled with the slowly multiplying tears, as did his black, flossy hair.
"You, above us all! If you really exist, answer me this, please! Is 'this' my purpose in life?" - He screamed, all the stress and rage that had built up over 22 years exploding from him.
His voice echoed four times before settling down. Birds, once resting, were now scared and cawing and chirping. Animals scurried away from the source of the scream. But the man in the black coat was unchanged. He stood up and took his newsboy cap out of his coat pocket, adjusting it on his head as his cold gaze shifted away from the calm autumn sky.
"So that's it, huh? Why did I even bother?" He laughed desperately at himself as he adjusted his cap. His whole perspective on the world began to crack and shatter into millions of tiny pieces that even the mysterious forces that maintain the cogs of this world could not repair.
Before he could take a step, the wind suddenly began to blow with inhuman power. It was so strong that he almost lost his balance. "What in the world?" He looked around, searching for a reason for the sudden change in weather.
Before he could analyze what was happening, a sound shook the mountains. A voice mightier than thunder, powerful enough to rival an atomic explosion, yet it felt as if the voice had no source.
Before he could analyze what was happening, a sound struck the mountains. A voice that was mightier than thunder, and its power matched that of an atomic explosion. However, it felt like this voice did not have a source.
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"I told thee, man: square, trusteth, and beest full of desire!"
The man in black couldn't express his fear in voice or facially. This fear was on a completely different level than the fear of death. Yet, he was still curious about whose voice this was, but he quickly realized that it seemed his words had finally been heard. His heart eased up from the pressure and hesitancy. He continued his deepened gaze upon the sky, which wasn't even bothered by the clapping sound of the trophies hitting each other amidst the mighty wind.
When he finally managed to realize that something was off, his eyes met with the horn of a deer approaching with the speed of an eyeblink.
The horn brutally pierced through his chest, not even letting him move an inch. His body fell instantly upon the sudden impact, traumatizing his body. As he fell, his back burst as the horn perfectly drilled its way through his right lung, now stopped by Mother Nature's skin, the green lawn that now completely falls to the charm of the crimson-red blood's seduction.
The pain, oh the pain, it was so unbearable that the man couldn't even scream from the shock. His eyes widened as he tried desperately to scream in pain as his instinct urged. This unfortunate being was deprived of the very right to manifest his pain into voices full of terror. He tried to gasp for air to relieve himself, but it was all in vain as the gaping hole in his chest wouldn't let him fulfill his desire. As a matter of fact, this little act of survival only made things worse, as he now started to cough up blood relentlessly, not allowing this unfortunate man even a few minutes to spend in peace.
As the coughing subsided, he found himself slipping away, the grip of Death slowly tightening around him. His final thoughts were filled with despair and bitterness.
'So this is it.' - He thought. 'My 'purpose' was to die alone in the middle of nowhere, leaving my family to mourn a failure of a son. How cruel...'
But as his breathing slowed to a critical point, he suddenly felt a strange warmth spreading through his body, mingled with an eerie coldness that seemed to seep into his bones. He couldn't explain it, but he knew what it meant.
'This must be what it feels like to die...' - He thought, his consciousness beginning to fade. A sudden 'click' sound swirled through his line of thoughts with such loudness that almost made his breath skip if it wasn't already, jolting him back to awareness for a brief moment.
[𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝! "𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭-" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 "𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞" 𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝!]
A robotic voice droned on in a monotone tone, filling the air with a lifeless quality that sent shivers down the man's spine. Despite his shock, he lacked the strength to question the source of the voice.
'Please...just be quiet...' he muttered under his breath, his head swiveling back and forth as he struggled to remember what he had been thinking of. The loss of blood had finally taken its toll, and the once-crimson stains that had shone so brightly in the starlight now seemed like a distant memory.
'At least...let me go peacefully.' - He wheezed, coughing up a mouthful of blood that threatened to choke him. His body convulsed in agony as he struggled to expel the offending fluids, each spasm taking him closer to the brink of death.
Once again, the enigmatic clicking sound resurfaced, accompanied by a bright and fiery glow in his mind.
[𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝! "𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫" 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝!]
The monotonous voice repeated once again from an unknown source.
The man let out a frustrated groan. 'For Fuck's sake... What did I just say?!' - He managed to cough out, struggling to catch his breath. 'Thinking back... I should have become a waiter or something. It might not have been as stressful as being someone who has to meet everyone's expectations while they threaten my life with a broken beer bottle.' - He muttered, a hint of bitterness in his voice. 'Heh... of course. Everyone is... is smarter when they look back at the past.'
His eyelids began to drop slowly, the pain and exhaustion finally catching up to him.
[𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝! "𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞" 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝!]
As he heard the monotonous voice again, preceding the annoying 'click', the man furrowed his brows in frustration. He was utterly exhausted and couldn't summon the energy to think anymore. All he wanted was to rest...to rest for all eternity. And so, he tried to do just that.
'My wounds... they aren't hurting anymore... what a miracle. And my lack of breath feels like it's gone...' - He calmly stated, as his body began to feel numb. In his mind, something flashed again, as the upcoming words appeared once more from the maze of his own thoughts. The sensation of nothingness, for him, was a relief that nothing could suppress, yet the upcoming words were enough to upset him again.
[𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝! "𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞" 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝! 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 𝐃𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬: "𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧-", "𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝-" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 "𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞" 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐛𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 "𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝" 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐞. 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐭?]
The enigmatic voice made another proclamation. The man, whose moments were sparingly numbered, grew irritated by this 'senseless voice.' He desperately wanted to find a way to silence it, but as he attempted to concentrate, his mind was instantly enveloped in a haze, and with a heavy heart, he weakly acquiesced, realizing that his fate would go unnoticed and unremembered by all.
"Whatever... do as you will..." - A sharp 'click' reverberated throughout his mind, sending waves of vibrations throughout his entire body and soul.
[𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝! "𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝" 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞.]
Summoning all the strength he had left, he struggled to formulate a question, despite the knowledge that it was likely futile. His mind was in disarray, shattered by his own shattered dreams and hopes, and his thoughts were barely coherent. 'What...what is the purpose of all this? Who are you?' - His words hung in the air, followed by a deep, impenetrable darkness and an eerie, all-consuming silence that lasted for what felt like an eternity.
[𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞?]
He couldn't respond. He couldn't even think straight, all kinds of pictures began to appear in his mind that he cannot explain.
[𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 '𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐬,' 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫!]
As he widened his eyes, the man realized that his fate had been sealed by the mysterious voice. He didn't bother with it anymore, as he knew there was nothing he could do to change what was to come.
"So... Am I really...?" he began to ask, but couldn't finish his thought as another tear streamed down his face. He no longer held back the flood of emotions, wishing his body could support buckets of tears to rain down on his face. He knew that his death would only bring more pain to his family. He didn't mind dying, but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving his mother behind. She had always been there for him, supporting him through every hardship. It was thanks to her that he was now a student at the academy. He wished he could do something to make her happy, but as he thought about it more, the tears continued to flow.
His cries slowly subsided as the pixies of Dreamworld kissed him on the forehead. He closed his eyes, and let his life slowly slip away. The unforgiving fight between life and death came to an end, as he stretched out his hands, offering his soul to the gluttonous death.
"I hope... at least I can hear His comforting voice... Yes... I hope..." he whispered, as he finally passed away. A mysterious force tore apart his mind and freed his unconscious from the mortal coils. He didn't know what was happening to him, but he felt a warm breeze stroke his face with a gentleness that even his mother couldn't achieve.
[𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐂𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐃!]
His consciousness now drifted through the infinite, timeless void. The man, whose identity remains a mystery, would be discovered lifeless the following day by maintenance personnel.