CHAPTER: 2 "The One We Believe in"

It was a warm summer evening, the sky looked redder than usual. After school activities, I was running back home as fast as I could.

Post-class activities are typically reserved for boys. I dodn't get the point of girls having to participate in them too. Rushing throughout the way while contemplating my boring monotonous school life, I felt pretty depressed. Wake up, dress up, breakfast, school, return, study, more study, anime, dinner and sleep. It was like I was trapped in a perpetual cycle, by such large margin that even brushing my teeth in the morning started to give me a sence of deja vu.

Plus didn't have many whom I could call friends. It's wasn't like I was unattractive or a subject of bullying; If anything, I was often the one who bullied, though most of my target of bulling were delinquents — I am a harbinger of justice. So it was not the action either, it's just that my school life was too bland.

Having consumed a lot of manga and anime, I envisioned my highschool life to be a vibrant tales of love and adventures. Yet, my enthusiasm dropped with each passing day, my energy levels dwindling to those of a middle-aged recluse.

As I walked along the sidewalk waiting for the signal to change being impatient as always I started complaining about this world and rotten government. At that moment something suddenly slammed on my face.

I blacked out.

What followed remains a blur in my memory; how long I was held captive? Why me? how did I managed to escape? and how I died?

I don't want to remember any of it, I just harboured no desire to recollect those mem.......

"Wait? You wanted a happy ending? Sorry, but....you asked the wrong person in the wrong life."

*********

"Don't worry, that's what I'm here for," the reply was energetic and full of enthusiasm.

Shoving her hands into her pocket to search for something, Blue took out what seemed like a blue-hued divination crystal ball. It had a lustrous surface, a typical piece of decoration every mysticism enthusiast have.

Bringing it closer to my face, she exclaimed, "Here, touch the ball."

"Pardon?" I asked squinting my eyes at her, questioning my choice to believe this airhead. When she realised that I wouldn't touch it on my own she pressed the sphere on my hands.

At the moment of contact, a radiant burst of rainbow light erupted from the seemingly ordinary, maybe larger than normal crystal ball. It was bright and beautiful, maybe a bit too bright, since the dazzling brilliance forced my eyes shut. IT ALMOST BLINDED ME!!

After the bright light subsided, I felt like the air felt more humid and the wind had a soft warm tough to it. Opening my eyes the scenery in front of me left me awe-struck. This is what I would call "worth dying for."

Blue ran upfront, after running a short distance she stopped abruptly. Turning her head towards me slightly, putting on a sheepish grin she shouted aloud.

"Grey Wolff, welcome to the Paradise of Lost!! A land made for pure enjoyment before you are separated between good and evil. So, what do you see there? You can share with me."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Ugh, are you actually stupid? There is a vast ocean and the beautiful beach in front of you?" I pointed out the obvious, slamming my palm against my face, softly.

"Sorry, but the Paradise is different for each individual. As for me, it's a lush forest with canopy dwelling." She sure was enjoying her time here as she hopped from place to place.

How do they managed to pull it off? I pondered while thinking about how differently Blue viewed this scenery compared to me. But on the second note, they even have Grim Reaper and dead souls. So it isn't that suprising.

"So, how will you help me?" I returned to the main topic, uninterested in the fake happiness this place brought. Well, it sure was my dream to have a resort in this kind of place.

"Bahhh, Grey, you are no fun. If you act like this, you won't get a boyfriend." Blue was poking her tongue in disagreement, while still hopping around. One day she sure will bite off her tongue.

"Why would I even need a boyfriend? I am already dead, for God’s sake." I replied pinching the bridge of my nose, unable to understand her train of thought.

Looking around it didn't seemed like this place had anyone except for the two of us.

It wouldn't take Sherlock to guess why was that the reason. They must have all left this place way before I even arrived.

"You are right, since you were so stubborn and I was told to not force you out of your own accord. Most of the people already left leaving only you and me behind the schedule.

"Are you reading my mind?!" I asked in horror, thinking about all the things she must have read from my mind it made me feel cringed out.

"Nah, you were the one saying those things out loud like a typical anime cliche." Blue retorted back, making the atmosphere awkward.

Stopping in front of a resort-like building, Blue turned towards me and muttered to me before entering. "This is where you will find your help." She paused of a second while staring at me, her eyes full of mischievous twinkle. "Oh! And please fix your hair; you will scare others inside the building."

Feeling by her teasing, I swiftly fixed my hair. Well, not that my silver hair was all that difficult to fix anyway. All it needed was running my fingers through my hair, smoothing it with practiced ease, a gesture both familiar and effortless for me.

"But whom are we meeting?" I asked binding my hair into a ponytail while walking inside the resort.

"One of the children of God. He is the creator of this place, Dream," she replied, full of reverence. Her pretend praying pose looked hilarious since she didn't look like a pious believer.

"Children of God, huh? Well, what can go wrong with it?" I paused, thinking about the worst that could happen and continued with a laid back tone. "It's not like I will die again or anything, right?"

Blue didn't reply back as we reached the end of the corridor tight in front of Dream's office.

Wait we already reached the office, didn't we just entered the building?

Blue entered the office of the owner of this resort without replying back at all, and I was to confused to mind it either. But I should have minded her silence, for what stood before me was what I could only describe as a monstrosity.

At first sight, he looked like a normal man wearing a dark cloak, he had nothing notable about him except for the cloak that was black on the outside and white on the inside.

But on closer inspection, his face was covered with mist, deep dark illusionary mist making his features obscure, only his softly smiling lips was there to guess his mood. Tentacles were protruding out of the cloak making slithering noise, moving animatedly, it was as if the tentacles had it's own consciousness. And the cloak, which I thought was his clothing, was actually a part of his body releasing a ghastly aura, creating symbols and thread that was beyond this realm.

Detecting our presence he moved his gaze towards me, his eyes meeting mine, those eyes, those pair of dreadful eyes could not be that of a living being, lidless and completely black. It felt more like looking at an empty void than a pair of eyes.

The moment his gaze was set on me, my mind went blank. I felt like I would lose my mind if I looked any further. The primal instincts in my body told me to run away, but when I tried, I found myself paralyzed, unable to even take a step back. My body fell to the ground, completely out of my control.

What in the world is this?.... Were my thought before my thinking ability started to dwindle, starting to lose my thinking ability the last thing I saw were.

Black smoke rising from every corner of my body, the floor stained with vomit of some kind of crimson liquid that was similar to blood, but had words written on it, not any random words, but my life story, my narrative. It was a horrible sight.

The more I tried to resist the worse the effects got. As I started to give up, Blue pressed her hands on my ears.