Reality. This is the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them. Ideas of reality can include that of a fantasy or an illusion. It may not actually exist. The real question is how can one tell the are awake on reality or asleep in a lie? This.....only "Time" can tell.
I sit at the drop of the tide as it just barely touches my knee. It doesn't shrink nor come In any further. Tork keeps walking forward. Earlier I tried firing flames in his direction for a good hour until my spiritual power ran out, but it never reaches. Maybe at most a kilometer. I dont know I dont normally judge distances.
According to Stark the world is dead, the skies are dead, my family are dead. Underworld residents seem to roam Middleworld so I guess this is the end. And yet nothing is going through my mind but kill Tork. I should at least be able to do that right.....its my fault. If I had moved faster, if I didn't have such a problem killing that woman I would've closed the Hellmouth but now it's all over because I was too slow....too weak....if this was Ryan or Drake maybe the world would still be in one piece. So.....why a cook? I dont get it.. why did this happen to me? I was just trying to get home and hopefully have a dinner.....and then.....that woman.....she came and messed everything up.
The thought of that woman ran through my mind. I stand… walking the beach. One step at a time. I just walked. I thought that if I found her and if she's alive I have to kill her....i have to kill her slowly.....kill...kill...kill
A vivid picture of myself appeared in my mind. I was taking slow strides along the beach. The word kill was the only thing to escape my lips... lips? Where are they? All I see is a skeleton.
"KILL...." The skeleton says. "SON!" Stark shouts my name. I look up or rather I reclaimed my sanity. How long was I walking this beach.
"Son snap out of it...I don't think this is real."
"Huh?" Speaking, my voice shuddered as if I was hurt. My lips bled. They're chapped. Hands and feet sore. I fell at my feet and began taking in breaths for what seemed like a hundred years.
"What do you mean you don't think this is real?" I look up at the Spirit Snake now the size of a house. "Look around Stark it's all real! Everything is fucking real! The aches in my body, the constant light over this godforsaken beach, the hole in my heart...its all real!"
"No Son" Stark began. I simply cried. My tears burn my eyes. Tears of blood. "This is a trick. The witch set a trap for us. This is what you'd call a perfect nightmare. And 'We' are the architects."
"What do you mean?" purplexed by his question I look up at him.
"I felt the trick before we entered that door but I thought it was a trick of the mind due to being in a reality shifted area. In truth, it was your brain that was tricked and because our minds are connected I was tricked as well. We are in an illusion made real. if we want to leave we must kill the Dreameaters." Dreameaters? What?
"What are Dteameaters?" I ask
"Dreameaters are creatures of the mind and fantasy. They devour your dreams and memories based on your nightmares."
"So none of this is real? The battles and this world after entering through that door?"
"Technically. It's more like this is a new world created from your mind and made real by your belief. So this is real but to escape we must defeat the Dreameaters. You've already defeated two."
"I have?"
"The gold skeletons and the Black Lion. By the way" he continues "You've gained a new golem."
"I did?"
"Yes, two in fact. A Lion and a Gold Soldier"
"oh....cool?" I stand, still shaken by this world or…my mind? But if what Stark says is true then I should believe that there's still hope I can get home.
Again I dont know what to think. And as if that wasn't bad enough we hear something over the horizon. The body of Tork has stopped moving and the crimson sun began to bleed.
"Something is coming. The last Dreameater."
Starks words got me ready for another fight. Probably the biggest one of them all. I see a large dot coming from the sun. The figure comes closer and closer and as it does the tide raises. A Tsunami is coming. The dead whales and other fish rise with it. The Tsunami is terrifying. It's as if the entire ocean is rising up just to crush me.
"Get ready Son!" Stark shouts.
"Get ready?!" I turn around and run. But it means nothing. I hear a caw and the world floods. I open my eyes and see I'm still on the beach but the beach is now surrounded by the dead ocean and bodies. Bodies of me. I see a Red Eagle the size of a passenger plane descending down flapping its wings. It feels like a hurricane in my face. The smwinds are crazy. But now that I realized I've been tricked into despair I hold up my dagger.
It Caws like a god, wailing. As if it sensed my resolve. My hatred. I've realized this was a dream for it to devour and now I'll save myself and go back into reality.
The battle begins.. .
Running along the beach I summon my skeleton warriors along with my gold soldier. My gold soldier can give commands just like me. I hears its voice asking for permission to order my soldiers. Of course u agree so i can actually focus on the fight. Fire ball fly at the Dreameater as it sends out spikes from its wings.
I avoid the projectiles and send off fist sized rocks in it but it seems to do little damage. I allow my spiritual power to recharge. I stab my blade into its wing and it swats me aside. After my Spiritual power replenishes itself I summon the Lion. Nearly all my energy is hone upon see a normal sized lion made out of Earth appear.
I play my song of empowerment and it strengthens the groups attributes. My power is reduced to almost nothing but I power through to replenish my energies. The lion moves at hyper speed slashing up the enemy and it seems like it's working at first, but then the Eagle flies high and swoops in like lightning I jump out of the way but one of my skeleton warriors is caught by a spiked wing and is destroyed. I think its gonna land but it merely swoops in for anoth attack. I dive out of the way again and my other skeleton warriors meets the fate of the previous. Its jus me, my gold soldier and my Lion left. I play a song that causes the water to spike out and it knocks down the Eagle.
"You dont have much spiritual power left. If you run out you die." Stark informs me.
"Let me take over. I assume stark is going to transform into his large form but instead I lose control of my body and I see through Stark's eyes. He uses me like a pro. Playing a song I dont knos and replenishes my spiritual power. Then he begins to attack like a fearce Spartan warrior, fighting side by side with my gold soldier and my earth Lion.
The battle becomes intense and the Eagle calls down.....RED LIGHTNING!?" Somehow star avoids it
How fast is my body currently? Or maybe these are Stark's reflexes? Regardless he's making me look like a boss.
"This is no good." Stark begans, "We need to use my body. It has much more spiritual power and can deal more damage. "
"Of course," I realise I can use my own body again. "But how?"
"The song is already in your knowledge."
I began to access whatever i can from Stark and find the right song for the job.
i play it as my summons distract the enemy.
This song is different from the others. The others were composed by Yule, the original owner of this flute, but this song is Stark's. it's a strong and yet sad melody. And upon finishing it mist appears and my body erupt into a large Whote scaled snake the size of the blood red eagle. I can feel the power flow through me. its exhilarating. Stark and I are truly one now. He has so much spiritual power it feels like I can beat anything. We began attacking the eagle and it throws lightning ourway. We slither away from the incoming attack. Hissing, fire eruptsfrom our lungs and the eagle is ignited. We sink our teeth into the eagle and suffocate it with our body. It was ended right then and there.
Now back on the grounded beach I ask Stark how we get out of the illusion.
"Don't worry" be says, "I'll wake you up."
Suddenly he's gone.
I sit for what must've been an hour and then...surrounded by a wall of dead water and dead...me. I fall asleep.
My eyes open. Vision blurry. The air smells stale. My head hurts. Like a lot. It feels as if my head was thrown through a blender. My vision clears as I sit upright. I turn and see Stark in his bracket sized form.
"Finally up eh." his voice is sounding pretty nice right now. Even though I waited on that beach for an hour it felt as though it was an eternity that eventually pit me to rest.
We go down instead of up A long staircase.
"Stark, if Tork get loose with all of what we saw really happen?" My question caused him to look to me.
"What we saw in there could possibly happen yes but not on that scale. That was just a nightmare." I nod but if I want to keep it from ever happening I gotta buck up and kill that woman. it's her or the world as we know it will cease. This is my reality.
We reach the end of the stairs and it leads into an open door. We see an alter of blood and a gigantic hole in the ground.
And then I saw "her". The witch. She sees me too judging by her sick smile. I walk in the doorway and see a large area. large enough to fit an entire airstrip. The size of this place is crazy.
A large black lion leaps from one of the cliffs above us. A hella large blood red eagle descends down from the roof of the cave and a golden knight walks and stands at attention by her side. Its obvious how familiar they are. Were the Dreameaters created from they're image? Most likely they were. I already cam tell I'm going to have to fight them. So I prepare to play a song.
"Hello again Oz." she speaks and though her accent is enchanting the menace behind her words keep me on my toes.
"Who are you witch? Why are you trying to revive Tork?"
"I am Almira." welcome to my humble abode. This is Goldie" she points at the Knight, "Bear" she runs the lions mane, "and Birdie" she points upwards as the eagle caws that familiar caw." "You were right." Stark began. "She's completely lost it."
"Hello there Snake god. It is a pleasure to meet you." She bows. "I am reviving Tork to destroy the world of course. And with the "Shadow Stone" it shall be easy enough."
"Son you have to kill her." Stark's voice was so steady it scared me. His Jersey accent was gone. "If she fuels Tork with the Shadow Stone the world we saw will happen in a matter of days."
"Im sorry Almira." I hold up my dagger. "I cant let you kill my family. "
"That won't be me silly." She smiles and her lion approaches me. "That'd be old man Tork. Now shall we begin the ritual. "
The black lion appears and I summon my earth lion and they tussle. Rocks fly everywhere as her beast uses magic to command the element of earth
Mine does the same. Her Eagle then attacks but Stark transforms into his true form netting the eagle's advance. It's a battle of giants. Her "Goldie" Steps up in from of her. I play a song calling on my skeleton warriors and my Hold Soldier. That leaves me and Almira. The wicked witch. And just like that the area was turned into a battlefield.
"You could just lie down and die Oz." she circles me.
"My name isn't Oz. Do I look like a wizard to you." I keep my eyes on her. "On second thought...dont answer that."
"But you look like an Oz." she continues.
"I am not an Oz." I run towards her and we battle. Our fight is like that out of an action movie filled with magic and martial arts. Everytime she attacks she twist up my reality with her spells but I push through fixing that which is real and dispelling her illusions.
Her blade catches fire and she falls into a thrust towards my chest. I weave out of the way but her foot impossibly catches my stomach. It was as it she didn't thrust but kick. Once again she twisting up reality with her tricks. I grab her foot tossing her. I then get down and move like lightning jabbing my blade across her chest. As it impaled her I know better and keeps my eyes fixed on my surroundings. She appears behind me like air jabbing hgv er blade towards my back. I narrowly avoid a fatal hit in my lungs. instead I move escaping death and face her. We stand a distance of twelve feet from eachother. At this point I can tell given enough time I should win in this fight. Shes quick and a better combatant than me by far, but she lacks physical stamina. I'll outlast her.
Shes noticed this as well. We're both bleeding from cuts all over our body. If it wasn't for the adrenaline running through me I'd be sore all over.
"Its about time we wrap this up, don't you think Oz?" Ugh I ignore her purposely using the wrong name. Why Oz?
Her body glows with what looks to be magical energies and a dark light surround her. I run toward her but she floats and I can no longer reach her I instead use my control over elements to try and down her but I can't. It's as if it's making her stronger. I feel like whatever shes doing it's a one hit kill...for me.
"Stark we have a problem!" Stark is too busy to help. I brace myself for whatever is about to come. I play a song of empowerment but I can tell..."This is it". Just then the light disappears and she falls. Her body Is about to hit the ground but a man in a suit catches her
He just....appeared out of....darkness?....wait....I think that's...Dark?
Dark Shadow. The guy I met earlier.
I run up a to see a hole in Almira's chest and blood leaking from the left side of her lower lip. I think....shes really dead. But how? I look at Dark and I see he's holding a heart in his hand. He looks up and smile at me...
"No one was at your house so I got worried and looked for you." bewildered, I simply stay quiet out of shock. He sounded so normal. "Its a good thing I came when i did."
Again, i don't know what to think. All i know is....this is my new reality.