Post by Khaos on Feb 1, 2021 13:38:06 GMT -5
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(Writer's Note: This is my first episodic roleplay-adventure with Damien "Khaos" Carter, hope you guys enjoy!!! )
(Admin note : I placed another copy in this post for everyone to see)
The In-Between
Damien Carter sat up with a start, his breath ragged, his heart racing. His eyes darted frantically back and forth, taking in his surroundings. The darkness was all around him, forcing him to strain his eyes as he looked for something – anything – that would give him an inkling of just where the hell he was. Without realizing it, his hands began searching over every inch of his body, as if they were trying to find some foreign parasite. How did he get here? Where was here? Too many questions, not enough answers. He struggled to remember… something… anything. As he did, he felt something brush against him. His body flinched in response as his body grew unnaturally cold, as if he had just touched death itself. He looked for the source of it, but found nothing. Damien rose to his feet, looking down to see that it was as if he was standing on nothing but thin air. Looking up, the same could be said for the “sky” above him. This place seemed vaguely familiar yet, Damien couldn’t put his finger on it.
“Hello!?” Damien cried out, his voice echoing off some unseen walls.
He heard nothing in response; in fact… he heard nothing at all. No sight, no smell, no sound… just the emptiness, pure and complete. Hesitantly, Damien began walking forward, or at least… he thought he was. In reality, it felt like he was on some treadmill, barely moving in any direction. With no visual landmarks to navigate, Damien couldn’t tell if he was moving forward, sideways, up, or down. The only evidence that he was moving at all was that, after about an hour, his legs grew tired and weary. Damien’s voice had grown hoarse from calling out for someone to answer him, to explain what just was happening. Could this be a dream; a simple nightmare? He dropped to his knees, closing his eyes as he tried to will himself awake.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a soft female voice cut through the air, startling Damien.
Damien’s eyes fluttered open as he searched for the sound of the voice.
“Who’s there!?” Damien managed to squeak out, clearing his throat as he tried to find his voice again. “Show yourself!”
“It’s not time to stop just yet,” the voice responded, ignoring his questions. “You still have further to travel.”
Irritated, Damien pushed himself to his feet.
“Who are you!?” Damien demanded, spinning around, looking for any sign of this apparition, but finding only endless darkness.
All was quiet again, and Damien began to ponder if he had imagined it all, if not for a dull light shining off in the distance. Though barely illuminate, its radiance cut through the darkness like a knife through butter, forcing Damien to shield his eyes from it. It almost hurt his head to look at it, but like a moth to the flame, he pressed on. He wasn’t sure how long he was walking for, all sense of time and reality lost to him. He felt like he had walked for miles, the light staying the same distance away. He was weary, frustrated, cursed the voice he had heard, but he pressed onward regardless. Besides, where else was he going to go?
On the verge of giving up and just crumpling to the ground and letting the darkness consume him, he heard it… the sound of water. He licked his lips greedily, realizing just how parched he was. All this walking had left him on the verge of collapse, his whole body aching as if he had been put through a meat grinder. The light was getting closer, somehow… someway. He was almost there. And then the cold ran down his spine again. He wasn’t alone. He saw them now, all of them, all around him. They walked with the same purpose he did, towards the light. Unlike them, however, they didn’t seem to be aware of his presence. He walked shoulder-to-shoulder with all of them, yet felt no flesh on his skin. When he stopped to take count of just how many bodies were in the crowd, they walked on, some even passing through his very body. Damien shuddered, the cold gripping at his heart again. Once more, he fell to his knees as he began to cry out, his screams falling on deaf ears. Or so he thought…
The light came to him, like a beacon, it floated above him, blinded him. He submitted to it, let it wash over him, he knew where he was now, knew what was happening. He shielded his eyes as he did his best to look upon the aura that radiated around him. The brightness made his eyes water, made his skin feel as if it were burning, but he was helpless to move away, to save himself. And that’s when he felt the slender hand on his shoulder…
“Come on my child,” the female voice, the same he had heard earlier, soothed him. “You still have further to go.”
Damien grasped at her hand on his shoulder, clutching it within his own, afraid that if he were to let go she would disappear again. He forced himself to look upon her face, unsure of what sight his eyes would fall upon. The woman stood before him, barefoot, her body clothed in a Grecian gown made of white silk. Her face was concealed by a soft veil of tulle, her dark eyes piercing through, looking into Damien’s very soul. She was beautiful, familiar, yet… distant to him; why couldn’t he remember?
“I’m not ready,” Damien blurted out, not fully understanding what he wasn’t “ready” for.
She smiled sweetly in response and, ignoring his pleas, helped him back to his feet. Damien noticed that those that were walking with him now, whether they realized it or not, would actively step around him to get to their final destination. They didn’t deviate from their course for him but, rather, for her. Damien turned away from her, watching as the horde of bodies descended onto the river. Awaiting them, on the edge, was a series of long wooden boats, spacious enough for maybe a dozen or so souls at once. When one boat would fill to capacity, it would launch, sailing across the River Styx. In its place, another boat would magically emerge from the depths below, allowing the next handful to board.
“Where are they all going?” Damien asked, fearing the answer.
“Don’t you already know?” the female responded.
Damien felt sick to his stomach, his head began to spin. He knew where he was now, he remembered… at least, this much.
“No!” Damien pulled away from her grasp, turning to face her, pleading. “I’m not supposed to be here! I’m not…”
The memories came flooding back to him then, overwhelming him all at once. It was too much, too fast. He couldn’t distinguish it at all, only able to piece together part of the puzzle. A crescent shaped moon; a wolf howling in the distance; a shrouded figure opening Pandora’s Box; the fire burning brighter; her hair as dark as blood; her chocolate-colored skin against his, the flash of sharp fangs; the kaleidoscope of colors, a falling star crashing to earth, a diamond sinking to the bottom. None of it made sense! Damien buried his face into his hands as he struggled to remember.
“You’re trying too hard,” the female reassured him, placing her hands atop his and pulling them from his face.
He was forced to look into her eyes now, those dark eyes; something so familiar.
“What is the last thing you remember?” she asked, gripping his hands within her own.
Damien felt as if he was looking into a mirror, her eyes reflecting back to him what she saw.
“Darkness,” Damien responded. “I am the darkness.”
Through her eyes, he saw it, his body transformed. His armor as black as onyx; his blade as dark as obsidian. How many men had he killed? How many women? Was this his doing? Were all these people here by his hand?
“What else?” she questioned again, his gaze unable to break hers.
“I was…” Damien began, struggling to comprehend. “I was searching for someone, something – feels like I’ve been searching for my whole life. I’ve always felt… out of place. But he took me in, gave me a home, a family.”
“Yes,” the woman responded, smiling reassuringly. “Keep going.”
“I had a friend,” Damien recollected. “She was my best friend, but… something happened. The fire, it consumed her. I tried to save her… but I couldn’t.”
“Not everyone can be saved,” the woman solemnly stated.
“Yes,” Damien agreed. “I said that once, I think. Or… not everyone deserves to be saved… was that it? Damn it, why can't I remember!?”
Damien began to grow aggravated again, but he still couldn’t pull away, no matter how hard he tried. Her grip remained firm on his hands as she kept his eyes locked on hers. Why couldn’t he pull away from her? Who was she!?
“Concentrate,” the woman instructed. “You still have further to go.”
“Why don’t you just tell me!?” Damien snapped. “You obviously have the answers! Tell me what I’m missing! Tell me why I’m here!”
“You know why you’re here,” she responded, callous and cold. “Now focus Damien.”
Damien tried to relax, take a deep breath, and do as she instructed. She was unnaturally strong for such a petite woman, and there was no breaking away from her, no matter how much he wanted to. She held some sort of sway over him. Who was she!?
“There was… this strange occurrence,” Damien began to recall. “Something that I’ve never seen before; I don’t know how to really describe it. Almost like… worlds were colliding?”
“Yes,” the woman answered, as if she could see it through his eyes. “You’re almost there, Damien.”
“Gods at war with each other,” Damien’s vision began to become clear. “Vampires, werewolves, the darkness consuming all. I am the darkness… no… I WAS the darkness, but something happened. I’m not strong enough, and she knew it. She…”
Damien stopped, feeling the dagger plunge deep into his chest, piercing his heart. His mouth opened in a silent scream as the blood rolled from his lip. He looked into her eyes, seeing the tears welling behind them.
“…killed me.” Damien finished his thought.
The woman let go of his hands, her task completed.
“No,” Damien shook his head. “No, I can’t be dead. Not like this, not like that… I wasn’t done yet, I had…”
“Further to travel?” the woman finished, repeating her sentence from earlier.
“I don’t understand,” Damien professed, trying to rationalize. “I did everything I was supposed to; everything that was asked of me. How did this happen?”
For a moment, the woman looked to the souls as they departed on their ships, traveling to their afterlife; whatever that was.
“Come with me,” she spoke after a long moment, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her.
Together, the two walked over to an area where a tall pedestal was erected, its base made from a pearly-marble. Atop the dais was a large silver reflection bowl. She motioned for Damien to step forward and look into its watery-depths. Hesitating for a moment, he did as he was asked, staring down, seeing only himself.
“What am I…?” Damien began.
“You’re not ready,” the woman declared, sensing the confusion within him. “This will prepare you for what is to come. You will be able to see just how you came to us – in the In-Between. Then, and only then, will you be ready.”
“Ready for what?” Damien countered.
“You’ll be ready to accept that all roads, no matter what path you take, lead here,” the woman retorted.
Damien looked back at her, confused. Why did she seem so familiar to him?
“Death waits for no man,” the woman decreed, waving her hand as the water shimmered to life.