Chereads / StarDuster / Chapter 8 - Night Thoughts

Chapter 8 - Night Thoughts

Scarab assigned me a room upon this ship, it was rather luxurious for the conditions we were in though still rather plain and simple. There were little to no colors for anything, just the greys of dusty cloth and uniformed steel.

There was a cabinet space with a sink inside of it, a mirror dotting the back of it as well. Looking at myself, I gotta say… despite everything, it is still me. The cabinets were filled with rather plain-looking products. Bottles of Soap, Cleaning Supplies, Towels, and Clothes on one side of the cabinet and Food Stuff on the other. 

It was mostly canned food, including kinds of pasta and meats in a sauce, though there were a few meal containers with strange symbols on them… the cabinet they were stored in was frigid.

There was a stove, though only with a single place to put a pan. There were silverware, pots, pans, and many other things stored underneath the stove.

There was a small… device above the stove, I've never seen something like this before… oh, a microwave. 

These memories being leaked into my brain, while not fast, are very informative. What an amazing device a microwave is, I suppose I'll try it out. 

I believe I am supposed to put one of those frozen meals in here… for… four minutes? The back of the packaging was in strange symbols, but my souls were slowly translating it for me. I hope four minutes is the correct translation.

I placed the container labeled 'Instant Fried Rice and Grilled Chicken' into the microwave and set it to four minutes, just as my souls said. I felt a sense of relief as I sat in the bed and listened to the microwave humming.

I'm glad the souls figured out how to conversate without interrupting my thoughts… It's been such a long time since I've been alone in my thoughts, though I suppose they are still affecting me slightly. These personality shifts have been quite… jarring. I can recognize it as if I were from an outside perspective to my actions. That fact scares me a little, but I'm sure it's no issue.

I suppose being calmer and rational would greatly benefit others, though I'm sad to say my constant need to put myself in harm's way for the sake of others is still at an all-time high. If I want to be more responsible I'm going to have to act more responsible… but… I've never really done anything like that.

I like to believe I'm reliable, or at least consistent. 

Anyways… This chicken and rice combo taste pretty good. It makes me miss… ha… Damn, I haven't really thought about them since the incident but… poor Arch. Luriel… 

He actually loved her, like LOVE love. That's something… I can't do. 

I can only imagine what he's going through, it's probably much more than I went through… and yet, our reactions were completely different. His was a silent determination, and mine was… weakness.

Damn… These memories hurt, almost physically too. 

I suppose I will sleep now, the pillow looks awfully comfortable and I'm not one to refuse some relaxation time. I laid down in the bed and, yeah, it was comfortable alright. It makes me miss my old beds but it works.

I relaxed and calmed my thoughts for a moment. 

So… I laid in bed. 

Sleep is meaningless to me, monsters don't typically need sleep. Maybe it's because my body is no longer a monster, but rather some amalgamation of the different races.

Oh! Wait, I know what those halo things around my soul were! Damn, it took me a while to figure out… sheesh. They are clearly remnant souls from the Angel and Demon bodies! Of course, that makes rational sense. They mustn't be powerful enough to retain their trait, so they cling on to my Soul. 

Haa… I really should get some rest.

When I awoke, I was in an entirely new space.

An empty throne of platinum surrounded by ruby flowers, shining brightly as the stars above twinkled down light. I sat upon the throne, my hand on my cheek gazing out into the empty halls of a throne room.

The throne room's ceiling was gone, and glass stained windows allowed the moonlight to fill the room with a cold glow. The doors to the room were ajar, and behind me, a grand depiction of me stood resolute within a painting. 

I stood up and felt the cold platinum beneath my feet crumble as I stepped into the flowers. Underneath my feet, I felt the flowers explode into a thick red liquid… blood coated up to my ankles. 

A flicker of light appeared at the end of the hall, and a flicker of flame entered through. It was bright yellow, and after sparking and settling down before me… it faded into a yellow silhouette of a person. It was facing away from me, and it seemed to be unaware of my presence.

"Ah shucks… where am I this time?" He spoke, his voice was eerily familiar… and I did actually recognize it. That's the yellow soul, the 'Cowboy'.

"Hello-"

"AH!! What in tarnation!! Oh. Hey, it's you!" The yellow soul said to me.

He did look like a cowboy, I suppose. He wore a large brown ten gallon hat that was much too big for him, one with a sheriff's star on the front. He wore a plain, dusty shirt with no sleeves. However, his bottom half was covered in large, mechanical armor made of black and gold metal. 

His hair was similarly yellow, almost like Arch's. He had yellow pupils,  a large revolver on his side, and a lever-action rifle on his back. 

"Hi, I suppose you might have been brought into my dream." I told the yellow soul.

It scratched it's chin and replied "Odd, well, I oughta introduce myself properly now we can actually look ya in your eye."

"Oh? You have a name?" 

"Course'. All us Souls do, mine's Justice." He smiled, and offered to shake my hand.

I took his hand and shook it, and commented, "That's an awfully weird name."

"Well, truth be told, us souls rather change our names from our original… I mean, we aren't really our old selves any longer. Plus, we did die, so if we go by our original names now it might cause a ruckus." He answered.

I noticed he was shifting anxiously, and so I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him an easy smile. He calmed down and smiled again. 

I said to him; "I suppose my soul is affecting you as well, huh."

"Yeah, it all feels off. Oh! Before I forget… that purple fellow, going by 'Ambition', has fully mapped out your abilities and such. When ya catch a break again, contact him."

"I suppose I should, anyways… I wonder why you are here."

"Well, I oughta be the oldest out of the souls. So, maybe it's that. Or… maybe it's some sort of sign I'm special or somethin'."

Hmm… I guess that will do for an answer. 

"Hmm, well... take care. I sense I am about to wake up soon, tell the other souls about this for me, will you?" 

"I suppose. See ya round'"