It was then that he heard something splash as if someone was diving into the lake. He felt the whirl of water churning around him, and suddenly his outstretched hand was grabbed. Warmth that he had never felt before pervaded into his body; he felt life.
Aurelius' eyes bolted open, staring through the thick dark waters. He tried his best to see through the reflective pool, but the shimmer made it difficult. The only thing he could feel was the soft feminine fingers that interlaced with his. It felt like centuries since he had felt such delicate skin, bringing a whirl of emotions that was bottled up in his heart. Snake tattoos with feathers decorated around their ring finger, up the wrist and into the arm itself. It gave him the feeling that whoever was saving him wanted him alive.
Aurelius wanted to see the face of his savior; the one who he was indebted to for pulling him out of this hellhole. Gasping for fresh air, he gaped open his mouth in an attempt to breathe in the sweet nectar of life. His finger laced around anything that could pull him up out of the water, and he felt around for support.
At first, Aurelius grabbed something wooden. He didn't know what it was, but it didn't help pull him up. He pushed it aside and searched around some more until he found something solid to pull himself up. Hacking up black water, Aurelius saw a dark worm squiggling on the ground as he coughed out from his lungs. He flopped to his side. Exhaustion riddled his mind and body; telling him that he had overworked himself.
His chest expanded as he breathed in deeply, trying to rid the pain of inhaling too much water. A couple more times, he coughed until he cleared out his throat.
The black worms that he coughed up wiggled until they finally dried up and died. Revulsion set in Aurelius' mind as he saw the disgusting creature that he coughed up from his body.
He weakly got up, looking around for the person who had saved him. Instead, what welcomed him were black humanoid figures that surrounded him, wearing a variety of masks. They disappeared and reappeared like static
They were many different expressions and sizes, but none of the costumes had much color except gray and brown. Some had long noses, with others having sharp eyes that looked feral, and many had crooked smiles that brought chills to his very bones. Each step they took toward him made him feel uncomfortable and scared.
"Who are you?" Aurelius asked weakly. Instead, they replied with a chuckle.
"Where am I?" he asked again, but more of them cackled around him.
"Why are you laughing at me?" Aurelius frowned at their rude behavior.
Finally, laughter broke out in a frenzy as their shoulders were thrown back. They crept toward him with lunatic expressions. His arms reached up to his legs, wrapping around them. Aurelius wanted to hide away from their frenzied laughter that wouldn't stop; the high-pitched cackling that gave him shivers.
He felt horrible, as if they were laughing at him, for his own weakness and self. They continued on and on until he was swamped by negative emotions that choke him. He wanted it to stop, but they wouldn't and intensified even more.
"Stop laughing at me," Aurelius said in a soft whisper. He curled up tighter, bringing his knees together.
"Stop laughing at me…"
He couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop laughing at me!" he screamed at the masks of people who at first didn't let off on the laughter until he shouted back. His voice was harsh and cruel, shaking the masked people's cores. They stepped back a few paces, surprised at the sudden burst of ferocious energy that he gave off. Looking at each other, unable to figure out what to say, they quietly stared at Aurelius, who was curled up tightly into a ball.
Suddenly, he could feel a strange power around him spark off erratically into an electric dance. Overhead, he glanced up through his arms. The dark rolling clouds of thunder beating with vigor, creating a beautiful light show.
Each rumble, each flash of electricity shot downwards around them in a rippling snake motion, snagging and jumping around back up into the sky. Fear laced the mask people. They stumbled backward, trying to escape the unknown energy rolling in. A flash of lightning was followed by the roar of thunder. The electricity changed into an electric dragon. The dragon tore through the mask people; eating and obliterating them where they stood.
Firework of explosions went off each time the dragon went in through them. They burst into a confetti of some black substance, disappearing into the darkness. The soul-shaking sound didn't stop as the thunder roared, trembling the very ground itself.
In a blink of an eye, all the black shadows with masks disappeared. Once again, Aurelius was left alone. The thunder receded, he peeked out from his arm and took a good look around him.
Nothing.
It was as if they weren't there in the first place. Only the scorched land was present, telling him that what he saw wasn't a dream. Even their laughing voices echoed away covered by the receding thunder. Pleasant wind picked up around him, pushing him up onto his feet.
Aurelius got up one foot at a time. He wasn't sure what to make of all of this. Everything was happening too fast, especially in a surreal way that gave him nagging feeling in the back of his mind.
"C… o… me…" the wind whispered softly, blowing through his ears.
Something was singing to Aurelius' soul, telling him to walk again and not be afraid. His mind went blank, allowing him to focus on one goal. With new resolve, he moved forward.
Flocks of black ravens crowded above him as they flew overhead toward an unknown direction.
His feet shuffled forward, and he eventually broke into a run through the open plain. He chased after the ravens flying high above. The thought of flight filled his heart with longing; he knew what he wanted as he ran.
The world around him quickly shifted and changed. Ancient buildings budded out of the ground like trees, turning into giant skyscrapers. It wasn't similar to the city back at home made alongside nature. The walls were harsh, cold, and metallic. The overflowing feeling of dominance and loneliness echoed proudly among its fellow brethren soldiers going to war.
They were lined up in perfect formation, not a single one out of beat. Even running through the paved street was harsh on his feet. His breath was heavy, and his lungs were tight. For he did not stop. He felt himself filled with energy as his soul flew with the birds over his head.
It was a blissful moment that only the ravens and he could share, a deep secret that only they understood. Flying, running, jumping, and turning through the dark streets, Aurelius ran until he could no more. He followed the ravens to the only building that towered over the whole city. It was a giant obelisk, pointing up toward the sky at the moon, siphoning off the moon's energy as if that was its own birthright.
The obelisk building stood proudly as if it was the King itself, looking down upon him with its overpowering presence.
Aurelius didn't stop. The ravens fluttered over onto the windows, cawing out loudly in a hypnotic rhythm. With slow steps, Aurelius felt his heartbeat thump heavily as he walked up the smooth stairs. Each step was heavy and felt strangely oppressive. The door in front of him flung open to welcome him in.
The hallways were once again dark and suffocating. The same red splatter of blood that he saw back at the cave was present. It was splattered all over the wall as if it were art. He remembered now why he had left to follow the blood trail in the first place.
The moment he stepped through the door, an eerie sound of organ music washed through the hallway, giving him goosebumps. He could feel his body tensing as fear choked up in his throat. It was a strange, haunting sound that told him that whatever was up ahead was probably dreadful.
Why is the music so creepy?
Aurelius personally liked the light-hearted feeling given by the piano more than the organ. He didn't know if he could make his way any further. Still, he pushed forward. Something was drawing him through the endless maze, coaxing him to continue forward toward his goal. Hundreds of mirrors were hung against the wall, echoing his figure in an endless dimension until finally, he came to the end of the hallway.
In the middle of the large room, he saw a large grayish-white rectangular wall.
The closer he got, his stomach twisted and turned. What stood proudly under the soft moonlight were a pair of wings hammered into the wall with nails: one jet black and the other completely snow white. Streams of blood trickled down at the base where it once connected to living flesh.
Aurelius could still see the clump of flesh and fresh blood dripping downwards onto the ground, creating a small pool. His stomach churned, and he shuffled forward, stunned.
Slowly, he reached out and touched the soft feathers that tickled his smooth fingers. Warmth he had never felt before washed over him like a storm. It was a euphoric feeling; he couldn't explain but knew that what was before him was very special. His hand dropped as he stared flabbergasted at the beauty of the wings. A sharp shock riddled his back, and he scrunched over, trying to keep the pain from going out of control.
It was hard not to scream at the muffled sounds of grunts and groans. Panting hard, drops of sweat began to drizzle down his body. Each dropping sound drummed loudly into a steady beat, pounding into the ground as the mix of haunting music continued to play
Hacking up blood, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. What caught his eye was the mirror that was on both sides of him. There was red blood pooled behind each shoulder blade, slowly growing bigger and bigger.
Confused, he frantically pulled off his shirt and turned his back against the mirror. Droplets of blood continued to pour out of the ugly open wound. White bones jutted out of his back, broken into pieces. His head whipped back toward the two wings in front of him that stood proudly in its former glory.
Aurelius knew then whose wings those were. They were his. From his own flesh and blood, ripped away from his back.
They were his dream. His hope. His freedom of flight was taken from him. An ugly, festering darkness boiled in his heart; an eruption of emotions swirled in his body.
"What have they done?" He stuttered, his hand shakily coming up toward his wings. "What have they done?" He repeated it again, horrified.
"How could they do this to me?" Tears trickled down his eyes, sadness swept over him, covering him. "What did I do to them?"
Aurelius shook his head, muttering in hysteria. "No. No. No. No!"
Rage built up in his heart in a turbulent storm. Angry at the people who stole his future, angry at the world that did this to him, his fist pounded into the ground until it became bloodied.
"How could they?" Aurelius hissed. "How could they…" His voice became low, almost demonic.
All the rage that had built up in his body erupted out of him. He punched the ground, cracking the marble floor around his fist. He felt his body shake, and his eyelids became heavy as he crashed into the ground, the energy drained out of him.
"Why?" he whispered. "They… will… pay." Darkness wrapped around him like a tightly woven blanket.
It was then when he heard the fluttering of wings above him as a dove's voice cooed toward him, gently wrapping around him. His eyes became heavy. He fell back into a deep slumber, not wishing to wake up ever again.