After the great horror that we had witnessed, Lisa was the only one with enough courage to go and check if it was safe to go through the tunnel, after taking the risk and seeing that it was safe for the moment to cross, we all followed her afterward. It was hard to describe the subway tunnels after that encounter, the same ones were still the same, but at the same time the feeling of claustrophobia had increased, the environment felt extremely hostile, where a mistake or bad luck could finish us off at any moment. We just wanted to get out of that dreadful place now that we knew the kind of infernal creatures that inhabited it.
How did my brother survive this?
Now we were trying to move as fast as possible. Tamamo had returned in his fox form and on his back he was carrying my mother, Levia and Tifa, while the rest of us followed Luna's instructions. We did not want to meet the True Dragon of Death again, as we knew of his power from the stories my brother had told before, how that unholy creature was able to kill with his gaze alone, how Orion's bastard was known as one of the best warriors that ever existed in Atlantis. Lachica dragon skillfully guided us around the place to find the place where she thought Caesar might be.
Our escape was interrupted by a bright corridor in the middle of the dark tunnels, where the lights were present and the place was in good condition. The shape of the place was extremely irregular, with walls of all sizes and angles, all of them of different colors, being the light colors the only common element in all of them, giving it a strange fantasy atmosphere, strongly contrasting with the cruel and hellish nightmare that were the subway tunnels.
[https://i.imgur.com/EXyEXBE.png]
"Oh, today we are lucky!"
"The passage to the Bubble Star Dungeon is open!"
"If we go this way we can get to the Plays room where the Emperor is really quickly!" Luna said in a calm tone
"The Bubble Star Dungeon?"
"Are you making up the names as we come across things?" I asked
"It used to be called The Castle of Glass but after the war, the Emperor changed the name."
"This corridor connects to the inside of the Castle in of Atlantis."
"His Play room is at the end of this place."
"Ever since he came back he has been there acting weird."
"Through that strange corridor?"
"The creepy one"
"Well, if you want, we can take the long way around by continuing on the metro."
"But our chances of encountering the True Dragon of Death will be higher."
"Ah no, not that."
"I never want to see that thing again in my life!"
Said my mother being the first one to enter the hallway, all the rest of us followed her because we all agreed on the same thing.
Due to everyone's fear of meeting the creepy monster again, we set off along the colorful route, unlike the subway tunnels, this one was completely in a straight line, with several doors along the way, but all of them were locked, there was no way to open them. The path was also really long, we had gone about an hour, but there was no way to tell how far we had gone, only Luna's word that we were on the right path was the only thing that kept us going forward.
"Ahg! I'm tired of walking!"
"This is boring!"
"I want my fishtail back!"
"This way of getting around is so inefficient, I prefer the wheelchair instead!"
"Levia, why don't you take advantage now that you have the chance to be a normal human and live the unique opportunity to experience what it's like to have human legs?"
"Easy for you to say, all you did is grow in size, but you can still use your wings to fly."
"Walking on the surface is extremely tiring"
"I have to move two different parts of my body to move forward."
"This is twice as tiring"
"And you think having wings isn't more tiring?"
"When you take a step I have to move a lot more!"
"Can you two stop arguing?"
"First of all, Levia, you should be an original human, at least use this moment to know what it feels like!"
"And you Tifa, you're the same size as everyone else, why are you flying in the first place? Can't you just walk like everyone else?" Adelis spoke, tired of the discussion.
"Hey, are we really sure about that monster Orion?"
"He won't suddenly pop out of some door, will he?" I asked Luna, still remembering the past encounter.
"Don't worry, bad things like death prefer the darkness"
"As long as we stay in well-lit places we should be in less danger."
"Well, if those things dwell in dark areas then it's best not to go back to them I guess."
"Excuse me a moment Luna"
"Are you sure that strange monster was Orion?"
"Goshujin-sama had mentioned him a couple of times, but according to his stories I thought he was a huge, extremely strong man."
"A great leader of a warrior race."
"The monster back there didn't look anything like that."
"He looked like ....."
"Staring death directly in the face?"
"The form you describe was that of Orion before he became a true Dragon of Death."
"The king of the Atlanteans on his deathbed, in his arrogance accepted the curse that released all Dragons in order to bring death to the rebels."
"According to what I heard the human form of the True Dragon of Death reflects the agony of death that he had at that moment."
"...."
"And then there was what my father did to him afterwards ...."
"....."
"That's what left him with his current face...."
"How did Cesar kill Orion?"
"With a real desire to annihilate him"
"....."
"....."
"All right here it is"
"...."
"This is the door to the last Emperor"
"...."
"...."
"Please, since he came back he hasn't been the same...."
"...."
"He is acting very strange right now, so please be extremely patient with him."
"...."
"Seriously, be patient with what you see or hear, I ask you from the bottom of my heart."
The dragoness had stopped at one of the many doors in the hallway, this one was no different from the hundreds of others we had passed through before. At first we hesitated, but when we saw the seriousness with which Luna had spoken we realized that she was speaking the truth, we all looked at each other and nodded as a sign that we agreed with the request. Adelis took the lock in her hands and slowly opened the door.
[https://i.imgur.com/XJ8vCpA.png]
The other side of the door was an interior of many strong colors, but at the same time, the abnormal lack of light in the innermost parts of the place only gave a surreal feeling, like a strange combination between dream and nightmare. The place was a children's playground, the place was padded,children's stitches on the walls, but which in turn showed deterioration and abandonment. The plastic balls under our feet made an unsettling crunching sound as we moved forward. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel the tension in the air. We knew we were getting closer but we had no idea what to expect. There was strange music playing softly in the place, but I could not recognize it in any way, it was familiar music tunes but nothing I could distinguish, although it sounded vaguely like children's music, maybe.
"Hello?"
"Dad, it's me, Luna!"
"...."
"Are you here?"
"...."
"We have visitors... friends"
"....."
"These are..... are..... a couple of people who want to be your friends...."
"....."
"They are quite funny!"
"...."
"...."
"One of them is a fox girl!"
"That you didn't like that kind of girl?"
The dragon girl shouted from the entrance, her voice echoing throughout the place.
"Is she cute?" I heard the voice of a grown man somewhere out of sight.
"Yes, she is quite cute!"
"She is dressed in a kimono!"
"She is also very gentle!"
"And, and the tail?"
"Yes, she also has a wagging tail!"
"She has a big fluffy tail!"
"Okay, I'll be right down!"
"Just let me finish my candy and I'm coming!"
The conversation, far from sounding pleasant, sounded as if there was something wrong, out of place. The footsteps of someone walking at different paces between walking and running were disturbing to say the least, the screeching of someone sliding down the plastic slab sounded like a creature screaming in pain. But what came out of there, what came out of there was even worse, when even my mother held my hand tightly as if trying to wake up from what she was looking at.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
From the slide came out two children who were playing with each other as they came walking toward the place where we were. Both were quite different from each other, the first one was a girl we had already seen a lot, it was Elise the fox girl, the girl with terrifyingly white skin, although she was much smaller this time, this time she really looked like a little girl in everything, from her innocent appearance to her way of interacting. The other boy instead was quite different, his appearance was disfigured, his skin was a combination of mixed race and brown skin, his face had been brutally damaged, he was full of marks from the fire, he was the burned boy, just like my brother was in the hospital bed.
"Oh, visitors! How delightful! I haven't had visitors in quite some time!" Said the fox girl.
"Look, one of them looks just like you!" Said the boy with the bandages to his sister
"Who.....Who are they?" asked I in shock.
"My name is Elise, and this is my friend," she said, gesturing towards the boy.
"He doesn't have a name yet, but we are having so much fun together!"
"We've been here for quite a while now, but we don't get many visitors"
"Welcome to the kingdom of toys, here are many happy things!"
"Let's play, let's play!"
"Elise, we must not talk to strangers!" mentioned the shy boy to the girl.
"Shut up, can't you see we finally have someone else to talk to!"
"People don't want to talk to us because of you!"
"This is happening to us because you are ugly!!"
"But Elise! You're guilty too!"
"You're a boy, not a girl!"
"People will only laugh at us if we go outside!"
"They will laugh at you for being ugly!"
"Stop pretending to be something you're not!"
"You monster!"
"Pervert slut!"
"Deformed!"
"Faggot!"
"AAAHHH!" The fox girl lunged at the boy and started hitting him hard.
"Damn cross-dresser!"
"I won't let you keep hitting me!" The wounded boy began to hit the albino girl back and hit her hard as well.
"AHHH!!!!"
"HELP! he's biting my ear!"
The children stopped their chatter and instead focused on fighting with each other.
"Eh? now there are two of them?"
"Which one is the real Cesar?" I asked in astonishment
"Hey! Stop it you two!"
"Stop fighting!" My mother stepped in to stop the fight between the two of them.
"He is to blame!"
"He is ugly! Ugly!"
"He started it!"
"He's the crazy one!"
"He thinks he's a girl!"
"He started it!"
"I don't care who started it!"
"Just stop it!"
"If we are in Papa's mind why are there two of them?" said Kasumi.
"If they are only one why is each terminal acting differently?"
"Why can't they work in sync like they should?" added her sister Charlotte.
"Well, this is the mind of a person, not an artificial intelligence like yours."
"Not all living things work as a hive-mind in perfect synchrony for everything"
"....."
"On some occasions, the mind can work against itself "Momo replied to the twins.
"Listen to me well"
"You don't have to call your brother ugly."
"And you don't have to call your sister a faggot."
"Do we agree?"
"No!"
"No! We don't want to listen to the crazy old woman!"
"You never listen to us! You will only make us hurt "
Surprisingly it was something in which the two children were in complete agreement, they responded in the same synchronistic way that the androids used to do. My mother was stunned without moving, she did not know how to respond to what she had been told, it had been many years since she had heard that, but with it, she remembered how she had earned that nickname that my older brothers had given her.
Since my mother didn't seem to be able to continue, Luna decided to step in and help a little.
"Oh, hey Dad!"
"It's almost time to feed your toys."
"Why don't we take the opportunity to show them your stuff?"
"What do you think? Isn't it a good idea to make more friends!?"
"Don't you want to make more friends?" Luna said next to him trying to motivate him to do something.
"What's the point?"
"My friends never stay"
"They all left without me a long time ago" Said the burned boy sadly.
"Come on don't be like that Dad!"
"Are you planning on abandoning your toys?!?"
"Oh no! Of course not!"
"Let's go feed my funny toys! Elise replied instead.
The two strange brothers, as if they had not fought, took each other's hands and began to run with little jumps towards another entrance, several of their idioms were quite reminiscent of those of the twins, were they imitating them?
We started walking behind the siblings and Luna and crossed a different door through which we arrived. It led to another hallway as long and colorful as the previous one, Luna told us to follow them and that is what we did after exchanging glances again confirming that all of them agreed to continue. As we moved forward my mother spoke quietly with Tamamo seeking advice.
"Tamamo, you are the wisest person in the group."
"Do you think about this?"
"Well, maybe they are him"
"Or maybe we are following the wrong track"
"What do you mean you don't know exactly? What do you mean by that?"
"Are they he or isn't are him?"
"They doesn't act at all like Cesar we've all seen! And why there are two kids?"
"Well, two people represent two different points of view, don't they?"
"Most of the time" Tamamo said after looking at her daughters for a moment.
"......"
"But I also want to remind you that this is not real world, this place is the subconscious of Goshujin-sama's mind."
"Probably what we are seeing may not be the Cesar we know and have seen."
"These two could be different ways of how Caesar sees himself"
"That is the real question we have to solve"
"Why are there two of them so different"
"..."
"Or if they are only two and no more"
"Is Elise really a boy?"
"She looks pretty much like a girl."
"If she's really a man, why does she dress like that?"
"Well, he never mentioned that he disliked his current clothes."
"....."
"For now I am more interested in the body of the burned child itself."
"...."
"His wounds....."
"...."
"None of them are battle wounds"
"They are not the marks of a warrior"
"....."
"They are much more peculiar in shape on his legs"
"...."
"Like those of a belt"
"...."
"Is there something you haven't told us Okā-san?"
Tamamo looked at my mother with one of her eyes, with total seriousness, one of true contempt that I never thought would come from her. Like a Goddess judging the actions of a mortal, the fox girl's assumption was correct, to which my mother could only respond with surprise as she realized that one of her secrets had been exposed to others. I could not respond either, I had been an accomplice as well, and just as in those occasions, I only kept silent.
"He...."
"....."
"He was...."
"...."
"Cesar was our first son....."
"....."
"There were a lot of things we didn't know how to do in the early years."
"...."
"So we just did what we were taught to do."
"...."
"We did what we thought was best to teach him."
"....."
"It was when it was too late that we decided to change our method with the others ...."
"....."
"That one over there was mainly his father."
"...."
"Mainly it does not mean only"
"...."
"...."
"It is said that children raised by such methods tend to be much less social and detached."
"...."
"Goshujin-sama doesn't seem to be a person of many friends by the looks of it."
"And his fear of fatherhood was present even before the war"
"I'm sorry...."
"I... I made a mistake..."
"A very cruel mistake....."
"It's hard for a child to notice that something is wrong when it's the only thing they know."
"...."
"But for him to still remember it in a certain way even so many years later."
"....."
"How old was he when you stopped making that mistake?"
"Sorry! I'm sorry!"
"It's my fault! I must have done something too!"
"I'm sorry!"
My mother was crying, it was the first time she had ever seen Tamamo reduce someone to tears, and she had never even been a grocer, she only gave her glimpses and shadows of what happened. A very perceptive girl just as her legend said, but never rude, she just spoke her mind for the best of her husband's. She wasn't angry with my mother but she had clearly shown her disdain for what had happened, Adelis also understood this, she knew that Tamamo was not being cruel to her, she had only mentioned the truth. And I couldn't do anything about it, because at that time I didn't know anything, but did that make me innocent to never say anything all this time?
After walking for a while we arrived at another new door, this time it was much different from the others. It was a much more detailed door than the others, with drawings and designs of hearts, the same side with a lot of locks of all sizes and shapes on both sides of the door. Each of the brothers took out a set of keys and began to open each lock from memory. they opened each lock without making a single mistake. Then opened the door and went in first, then let the rest of us in to watch.
[https://i.imgur.com/SLN2NN9.jpg]
It was another children's park, this time much more innocent, warm, and cozy than the previous one. In this one, there was no trace of decadence and everything was functional, a warm and welcoming glow emanated from inside, inviting those who ventured to approach, the place was clean and well-lit. Bright colors painted the walls, creating a magical and enchanting atmosphere that captivated the hearts of visitors.
Animal sculptures decorated the place, as well as warm and fluffy carpets were everywhere, brightly colored pillows and cushions invited to sit down and relax anywhere, nature music made the place feel soothing and relaxing, and toys of all shapes and sizes were arranged on neat shelves, waiting to be discovered by curious little hands.
Which only further highlighted the horror that was in the middle of the room. A group of girls were bound by chains from the large metal collars anchored to the floor that each of them possessed. All of them were exactly as we imagined them to be, each of them were familiar faces. They could not move an inch from where they were, but far from showing discomfort or fear, they were all calm with serene expressions and resignation, until they saw the kids approaching, which put them in a good mood, as if they were pets. Elise, the girl, approached each one of them and offered them water or food, at the same time conversing with them in a kind and affectionate manner.
"What do you think of my toys?"
"They are very cute, aren't they? They do everything I tell them to do!" Said the the burned boyas he stroked the head of the chained Tamamo to the ground.
Tamamo, the real goddess standing next to me could only watch in shock at what was happening in front of her.