23rd Fragment: -PARALYSIS-
With a gleeful smile across his face, Silva barged into the room filled with people in PPE suits. He climbed onto one of the metal tables and clapped his hands to attract his audience’s attraction.
“We have good-No…great news, actually!” Silva exclaimed. “Rosa has come back to us, and she is a full-fledged Accursed!”
The entire chamber was immediately flooded with cheering and murmuring – the people in the PPE suits embraced and patted each other on the shoulder, repeatedly chanting ‘Lady Vidia’ toward the ceiling.
“Now, now, my fellow friends. Our duty is not over yet!” Silva cried out, silencing the entire room. “In fact, this is only the beginning! Starting tomorrow, our Retrieval Unit will be back in operation and we will continue our great work – the work given to us by the Envious One!”
“All hail, Lady Vidia!”
“All hail, Lady Vidia!”
qs********************************************
[Meanwhile…]
Sam did not have the slightest clue about how long he had been running or where he was heading. The only thing on his mind was to get himself and the girl on his shoulder far away from the room where the ghost Eidolon resided.
With the piling stress and fatigue, his whole body grew heavier with each step he took; the sharp pain along his injured left arm intensified. He felt like he was about to pass out at any moment, and the only thing that prevented him from doing so was the adrenaline pumping throughout his bloodstream.
After taking a sharp right at an intersection, Sam switched his flashlight off and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Then, he took a peek around the corner, ensuring the Distorted wasn't on his tail.
Suddenly, he felt a jolt on his shoulder, followed by a frail voice groaning into his ear, "Sam?"
"Hush, kid. We'll talk later," Sam softly replied before letting out a big sigh of relief. He shifted his focus back to the dark hallway, anxiously waiting for some movements in the shadows, or at the very least, the jangling of chains.
'Maybe...maybe it's gone,' Sam quietly convinced himself. Seconds later, he saw a flash of white light near the corner of his eyes. At first, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him – until he noticed a room across him with its door slightly ajar.
Although it was faint, Sam could see a flickering orange light on the other side of the hinged metal barrier - beckoning to him. Thus, without a sliver of hesitation, Sam carried Anemone into the dimly lit room and slammed the door shut - sliding the bolt into its socket.
He took a quick look around and noticed a human-size marble statue standing in the middle of the chamber surrounded by melting candles and more bouquets of withered flowers. It was a bust of a beautiful long-haired woman in a peplos; both of her arms reaching toward him. Resting on her slender hands was a glossy silver chalice with a snake coiling around its stem.
“Lady Vidia, I assume,” Sam muttered, shortly before hearing Anemone groaning again on his shoulder. “Oh, sorry! I’m gonna put you down now, alright?”
Sam carefully placed the girl on the sandy, concrete floor; his vermillion eyes quickly scanned her from top to bottom, searching for any signs of injuries. “Are you hurt? Do you feel any pain?” he asked.
Instead of giving a quick response, Anemone lifted her head and stared directly into the man's vermillion eyes. Her expression was that of anguish and confusion - it was the kind of look Sam was hoping to avoid.
“Annie? What’s wrong?”
“I heard everything. What…what did that voice mean by my true nature?”
“That’s…,” Sam let out a heavy sigh. “It’s…nothing for you to worry about.”
“Nothing for me to worry about? Sam, if it is bad news, then I can take it,” Anemone lashed at the man.
“No, you can’t…”
“TELL ME!”
Sam spun around and slowly walked forward until he reached the bolted door. The man placed his hands on his hips - he took a deep breath before beginning his explanation, “Do you know about the Cataclysm?”
“The day when of meteor crash? Yeah, everyone knows about it.”
“Well…there were seven events that happened soon after the meteor landed. Firstly, The Great Submergence: a giant ocean wave that sunk half of the landmasses of the earth – reducing the major seven continents of the world into four. Second, the Dissonance in which the world was split into three realms: the Mortal Plane, the Phantasmal Plane, and the Obscure Plane. Third, the Birth of the Royal Jewels: the four treasures of the four Kings of the four Continents. Next, the appearance of the Revolving Island: a small land that constantly circled the meteor crash site until today. Then, the rise of the Distorted and the birth of the Accursed.”
“That’s only six,” Anemone stated. “What’s the last one?”
“The last one…,” Sam grumbled. “A strange and rare phenomenon where the dead can be brought back into the realm of the living.”
“You mean, like a ghost?”
“…Not exactly. You see, instead of the dead themselves, this phenomenon affects the living, especially those who went through immeasurable pain and loss. Their traumatic memories act as sort of like a catalyst to the occurrence…”
“I’m…I’m sorry, you’re kinda lost me,” the girl interjected.
“Anemone, you are an image from someone else’s memories – in other words, you are not a human. You are an Echo – an imitation of a real person who is highly likely no longer alive.”
“No…that’s…that’s impossible,” Anemone as she gradually shuffled away from Sam. “How can I not be real? Look!” the girl began pinching both of her forearms. “See? My skin! They turned red! And I can feel the pain! If I’m a ghost, then I shouldn’t be able to feel this sensation! Moreover, you carried me here!”
“An Echo can be as real as a living human being. As a matter of fact, most of them do not even aware that they are…not what they think they are.”
“So…so, I’m dead?” Anemone’s voice briefly cracked. “No…no…that can’t be…I’m not…”
“Tell me then, Annie. When was the last time you feel hungry, thirsty, or even tired?” Sam’s question rendered the girl completely speechless. “Several prominent characteristics of an Echo is they never experienced those three basic human traits – that also include memory loss. But you already knew that, don’t you?”
Anemone proceeded to lower her head toward the ground. She quietly stared at her hands, fully fixated on each wrinkle on her glistening palms. “Back then, when we were inside the room, I saw something. A vision…or maybe it was a dream?”
“A vision of what?”
“I was lying on the floor with my chest…cut open. Oddly enough, I don’t feel any pain – I just feel cold. Then, when I turned my head around, I saw people in white coats and PPE suits drenched in blood – their bodies were in pieces as if they were torn by a monster.”
With tears flowing down her rosy cheeks, the girl lifted her head to look Sam directly in the eyes. "The people in the white coat told us we were special – that we could help them kill the Distorted. So, every day, they took us into the labs upstairs – injected us with many things, and put us in constant pain. When we cried, they simply comfort us by saying that it was all for the greater good. I watched my friends die puking out this disgusting black lump, that smells like rotten meat.”
“And the people in the white coat – they didn’t do anything to help your friends, did they?”
"No. All of them just…watched. That is all they did, every single day. Then when tomorrow comes, they’ll adjust their formula and try again. Those who rejected the treatment died on the table covered in their blood and vomit, while the lucky ones as they called it, were sent outside for the next stage.”
Sam frowned as he recalled the footage he watched earlier. “I see. That must have been utterly difficult.”
“It was. God, I was so stupid! I should have known that they were up to no good,” Anemone spouted before wiping her face.
“There’s nothing you could possibly do. You were just a child, after all – no offense.”
“None taken,” the girl calmly replied. Seconds later, she scrambled up to her feet and dusted the sand from her clothes. “Anyhow, if what you said earlier is true, then why am I still here?”
“I don’t know. However, for an Echo to exist, the one who…created you must be alive somewhere in this place.”
Anemone’s eyes immediately lit up and she blurted out, “My friends! It’s them, I’m sure of it.”
“Annie, I don’t think-.”
“No! Trust on me this, alright? They are real! Please, you have to believe me.”
Sam pinched his forehead as he silently reflected on the girl’s plea. They barely escaped the Eidolon and now with the Distorted roaming around, he was not sure whether they’ll be lucky the second time. Additionally, he also wasn’t convinced that Anemone’s friends were still alive. ‘Hm, I wonder…,’ Sam murmured to himself.
“Very well,” the man reluctantly nodded his head. “If we’re going to get to your friends, then we need to be extra careful.”
“Actually, there’s no need for that. My friends and I made some secret pathways during our time here. Now, if only I could remember where one of the entrances is,” Anemone grunted.
“Well, before that, here,” Sam handed the flashlight to the girl. “I believe this is yours.”
“Thanks. Huh, I thought I lost it,” Anemone remarked, smiling from ear to ear.
Suddenly, the candle lights near the statue danced wildly as if they were hit by a gust of air. The two glanced at each other; a sense of impending doom gradually filled the air around them.
“Sam…,” the girl uttered, shortly before a loud bang caused the entire room to shake.
Anemone let out a gasp after she saw the front door bent inward. She could feel the Eidolon’s terrifying presence creeping in between the cracks in the walls.
"Damn it. Of all the times…," murmured Sam. As the man placed his right hand on the handle of his katana, he felt a tingle in his fingers. The next thing he realized, he was sitting on his rear with both legs completely paralyzed. "Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me," Sam groaned as the prickling sensation spread to his torso.
"Sam?!"
Anemone cried out in panic, but the man calmly told her, "I’m fine. Just do me a favor – hide behind the statue and close your eyes. Whatever happens, do not open them until I said otherwise.”
“What? Why?”
“There’s no time to explain. Do what I said – NOW!”
The girl unwillingly followed his instruction and scuttled behind Lady Vidia’s bust.
“Good girl. Now,” with his remaining strength, Sam unsheathed his blade and pointed the tip towards the entrance – patiently waiting for the monster to barge into the small room.
BANG!
A bony claw punched through the door before yanking the entire thing from its hinges. Freezing winds rushed into the room, extinguishing all the candles except for one.
GRRR!
The Eidolon snarled as it stomped into the room; its warped face was already fixated on its next prey. With its skinny arm, the creature casually slapped the katana off Sam's hand before grasping him by the neck. The man could only heave as he was lifted off the ground and brought closer to the monster.
"If there’s one thing I could say right now, thank you," Sam muttered with a little smile across his sweaty face, "For making it easier for me." He placed his palm on the Eidolon's wrist, and its hand and forearm disintegrated in a blink of an eye.
Sam fell flat on his back, his clothes covered in the monster’s powdery residues. He watched amusingly as the Distorted scratched its arm in exasperation, only for it to unknowingly accelerate the process.
"See you later," Sam spat. “Or not.”
The creature let out one last, bloodcurdling scream before its entire body crumbled into a mound of grey ashes.
Sam rested his head against the ground, the dread he felt earlier had already subsided. Soon after, he heard light footsteps approaching him, followed by Anemone's concerned voice calling his name.
"Sam? Sam? Are you alright?"
The man wanted to say something in return, but all that came out of his mouth were incoherent words and gagging sounds.
‘Oh no,’ Sam thought. He couldn’t feel anything.
Not his hands.
Not his legs.
And not even his fingers.
As he moved his eyes upward, he saw Anemone’s frightened face; her thin lips curled into a grimace.
Then, everything faded to black.
23rd Fragment: -PARALYSIS-
With a gleeful smile across his face, Silva barged into the room filled with people in PPE suits. He climbed onto one of the metal tables and clapped his hands to attract his audience’s attraction.
“We have good-No…great news, actually!” Silva exclaimed. “Rosa has come back to us, and she is a full-fledged Accursed!”
The entire chamber was immediately flooded with cheering and murmuring – the people in the PPE suits embraced and patted each other on the shoulder, repeatedly chanting ‘Lady Vidia’ toward the ceiling.
“Now, now, my fellow friends. Our duty is not over yet!” Silva cried out, silencing the entire room. “In fact, this is only the beginning! Starting tomorrow, our Retrieval Unit will be back in operation and we will continue our great work – the work given to us by the Envious One!”
“All hail, Lady Vidia!”
“All hail, Lady Vidia!”
qs********************************************
[Meanwhile…]
Sam did not have the slightest clue about how long he had been running or where he was heading. The only thing on his mind was to get himself and the girl on his shoulder far away from the room where the ghost Eidolon resided.
With the piling stress and fatigue, his whole body grew heavier with each step he took; the sharp pain along his injured left arm intensified. He felt like he was about to pass out at any moment, and the only thing that prevented him from doing so was the adrenaline pumping throughout his bloodstream.
After taking a sharp right at an intersection, Sam switched his flashlight off and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Then, he took a peek around the corner, ensuring the Distorted wasn't on his tail.
Suddenly, he felt a jolt on his shoulder, followed by a frail voice groaning into his ear, "Sam?"
"Hush, kid. We'll talk later," Sam softly replied before letting out a big sigh of relief. He shifted his focus back to the dark hallway, anxiously waiting for some movements in the shadows, or at the very least, the jangling of chains.
'Maybe...maybe it's gone,' Sam quietly convinced himself. Seconds later, he saw a flash of white light near the corner of his eyes. At first, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him – until he noticed a room across him with its door slightly ajar.
Although it was faint, Sam could see a flickering orange light on the other side of the hinged metal barrier - beckoning to him. Thus, without a sliver of hesitation, Sam carried Anemone into the dimly lit room and slammed the door shut - sliding the bolt into its socket.
He took a quick look around and noticed a human-size marble statue standing in the middle of the chamber surrounded by melting candles and more bouquets of withered flowers. It was a bust of a beautiful long-haired woman in a peplos; both of her arms reaching toward him. Resting on her slender hands was a glossy silver chalice with a snake coiling around its stem.
“Lady Vidia, I assume,” Sam muttered, shortly before hearing Anemone groaning again on his shoulder. “Oh, sorry! I’m gonna put you down now, alright?”
Sam carefully placed the girl on the sandy, concrete floor; his vermillion eyes quickly scanned her from top to bottom, searching for any signs of injuries. “Are you hurt? Do you feel any pain?” he asked.
Instead of giving a quick response, Anemone lifted her head and stared directly into the man's vermillion eyes. Her expression was that of anguish and confusion - it was the kind of look Sam was hoping to avoid.
“Annie? What’s wrong?”
“I heard everything. What…what did that voice mean by my true nature?”
“That’s…,” Sam let out a heavy sigh. “It’s…nothing for you to worry about.”
“Nothing for me to worry about? Sam, if it is bad news, then I can take it,” Anemone lashed at the man.
“No, you can’t…”
“TELL ME!”
Sam spun around and slowly walked forward until he reached the bolted door. The man placed his hands on his hips - he took a deep breath before beginning his explanation, “Do you know about the Cataclysm?”
“The day when of meteor crash? Yeah, everyone knows about it.”
“Well…there were seven events that happened soon after the meteor landed. Firstly, The Great Submergence: a giant ocean wave that sunk half of the landmasses of the earth – reducing the major seven continents of the world into four. Second, the Dissonance in which the world was split into three realms: the Mortal Plane, the Phantasmal Plane, and the Obscure Plane. Third, the Birth of the Royal Jewels: the four treasures of the four Kings of the four Continents. Next, the appearance of the Revolving Island: a small land that constantly circled the meteor crash site until today. Then, the rise of the Distorted and the birth of the Accursed.”
“That’s only six,” Anemone stated. “What’s the last one?”
“The last one…,” Sam grumbled. “A strange and rare phenomenon where the dead can be brought back into the realm of the living.”
“You mean, like a ghost?”
“…Not exactly. You see, instead of the dead themselves, this phenomenon affects the living, especially those who went through immeasurable pain and loss. Their traumatic memories act as sort of like a catalyst to the occurrence…”
“I’m…I’m sorry, you’re kinda lost me,” the girl interjected.
“Anemone, you are an image from someone else’s memories – in other words, you are not a human. You are an Echo – an imitation of a real person who is highly likely no longer alive.”
“No…that’s…that’s impossible,” Anemone as she gradually shuffled away from Sam. “How can I not be real? Look!” the girl began pinching both of her forearms. “See? My skin! They turned red! And I can feel the pain! If I’m a ghost, then I shouldn’t be able to feel this sensation! Moreover, you carried me here!”
“An Echo can be as real as a living human being. As a matter of fact, most of them do not even aware that they are…not what they think they are.”
“So…so, I’m dead?” Anemone’s voice briefly cracked. “No…no…that can’t be…I’m not…”
“Tell me then, Annie. When was the last time you feel hungry, thirsty, or even tired?” Sam’s question rendered the girl completely speechless. “Several prominent characteristics of an Echo is they never experienced those three basic human traits – that also include memory loss. But you already knew that, don’t you?”
Anemone proceeded to lower her head toward the ground. She quietly stared at her hands, fully fixated on each wrinkle on her glistening palms. “Back then, when we were inside the room, I saw something. A vision…or maybe it was a dream?”
“A vision of what?”
“I was lying on the floor with my chest…cut open. Oddly enough, I don’t feel any pain – I just feel cold. Then, when I turned my head around, I saw people in white coats and PPE suits drenched in blood – their bodies were in pieces as if they were torn by a monster.”
With tears flowing down her rosy cheeks, the girl lifted her head to look Sam directly in the eyes. "The people in the white coat told us we were special – that we could help them kill the Distorted. So, every day, they took us into the labs upstairs – injected us with many things, and put us in constant pain. When we cried, they simply comfort us by saying that it was all for the greater good. I watched my friends die puking out this disgusting black lump, that smells like rotten meat.”
“And the people in the white coat – they didn’t do anything to help your friends, did they?”
"No. All of them just…watched. That is all they did, every single day. Then when tomorrow comes, they’ll adjust their formula and try again. Those who rejected the treatment died on the table covered in their blood and vomit, while the lucky ones as they called it, were sent outside for the next stage.”
Sam frowned as he recalled the footage he watched earlier. “I see. That must have been utterly difficult.”
“It was. God, I was so stupid! I should have known that they were up to no good,” Anemone spouted before wiping her face.
“There’s nothing you could possibly do. You were just a child, after all – no offense.”
“None taken,” the girl calmly replied. Seconds later, she scrambled up to her feet and dusted the sand from her clothes. “Anyhow, if what you said earlier is true, then why am I still here?”
“I don’t know. However, for an Echo to exist, the one who…created you must be alive somewhere in this place.”
Anemone’s eyes immediately lit up and she blurted out, “My friends! It’s them, I’m sure of it.”
“Annie, I don’t think-.”
“No! Trust on me this, alright? They are real! Please, you have to believe me.”
Sam pinched his forehead as he silently reflected on the girl’s plea. They barely escaped the Eidolon and now with the Distorted roaming around, he was not sure whether they’ll be lucky the second time. Additionally, he also wasn’t convinced that Anemone’s friends were still alive. ‘Hm, I wonder…,’ Sam murmured to himself.
“Very well,” the man reluctantly nodded his head. “If we’re going to get to your friends, then we need to be extra careful.”
“Actually, there’s no need for that. My friends and I made some secret pathways during our time here. Now, if only I could remember where one of the entrances is,” Anemone grunted.
“Well, before that, here,” Sam handed the flashlight to the girl. “I believe this is yours.”
“Thanks. Huh, I thought I lost it,” Anemone remarked, smiling from ear to ear.
Suddenly, the candle lights near the statue danced wildly as if they were hit by a gust of air. The two glanced at each other; a sense of impending doom gradually filled the air around them.
“Sam…,” the girl uttered, shortly before a loud bang caused the entire room to shake.
Anemone let out a gasp after she saw the front door bent inward. She could feel the Eidolon’s terrifying presence creeping in between the cracks in the walls.
"Damn it. Of all the times…," murmured Sam. As the man placed his right hand on the handle of his katana, he felt a tingle in his fingers. The next thing he realized, he was sitting on his rear with both legs completely paralyzed. "Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me," Sam groaned as the prickling sensation spread to his torso.
"Sam?!"
Anemone cried out in panic, but the man calmly told her, "I’m fine. Just do me a favor – hide behind the statue and close your eyes. Whatever happens, do not open them until I said otherwise.”
“What? Why?”
“There’s no time to explain. Do what I said – NOW!”
The girl unwillingly followed his instruction and scuttled behind Lady Vidia’s bust.
“Good girl. Now,” with his remaining strength, Sam unsheathed his blade and pointed the tip towards the entrance – patiently waiting for the monster to barge into the small room.
BANG!
A bony claw punched through the door before yanking the entire thing from its hinges. Freezing winds rushed into the room, extinguishing all the candles except for one.
GRRR!
The Eidolon snarled as it stomped into the room; its warped face was already fixated on its next prey. With its skinny arm, the creature casually slapped the katana off Sam's hand before grasping him by the neck. The man could only heave as he was lifted off the ground and brought closer to the monster.
"If there’s one thing I could say right now, thank you," Sam muttered with a little smile across his sweaty face, "For making it easier for me." He placed his palm on the Eidolon's wrist, and its hand and forearm disintegrated in a blink of an eye.
Sam fell flat on his back, his clothes covered in the monster’s powdery residues. He watched amusingly as the Distorted scratched its arm in exasperation, only for it to unknowingly accelerate the process.
"See you later," Sam spat. “Or not.”
The creature let out one last, bloodcurdling scream before its entire body crumbled into a mound of grey ashes.
Sam rested his head against the ground, the dread he felt earlier had already subsided. Soon after, he heard light footsteps approaching him, followed by Anemone's concerned voice calling his name.
"Sam? Sam? Are you alright?"
The man wanted to say something in return, but all that came out of his mouth were incoherent words and gagging sounds.
‘Oh no,’ Sam thought. He couldn’t feel anything.
Not his hands.
Not his legs.
And not even his fingers.
As he moved his eyes upward, he saw Anemone’s frightened face; her thin lips curled into a grimace.
Then, everything faded to black.
