"Hmm!? MMRRFF!" I attempted to scream, but it was muffled.
My senses were constricted! I'm blindfolded, tied up to a chair, and my mouth is taped. I wished whoever tied me would've also covered my nose; it smelt horrible! The chair rocked back and forth as I struggled and attempted brake free, but it was no use. The rope had been way too thick for my thin arms.
"MMRRGGHH!" I continued to struggle.
I could be stronger if I spent more time with Dad.
I wasn't planning to give up anytime soon, but the rope wouldn't budge. My struggle caught the attention of whoever was there as footsteps could be heard clicking down some stairs. As this person got closer, the stench got even stronger. The room already had a terrible odor, but this person amplified it. My heart would not stop banging my chest.
"Well, well, well! Looky what we have here! Hehehe!" A crazed man cackled.
He sounded old, maybe in his 60s? His voice also reminded me of some crazed smoker lunatic who escaped from an asylum. My mind raced to retrace my steps and figure out how I got myself in this situation, but I came back with blanks.
"OOH! JOLLY! YOUR SCREAMS OF DESPAIR FILL ME WITH JOY!" The man went on.
The man yelled directly in my face, spewing all kinds of disgusting smells onto me. I could already picture what this dickhead looks like. He was the type to kidnap girls to his basement and do unspeakable things to them, where he would either murder them or keep them. I can't believe that's the situation I'm in right now! I continued to struggle even harder, knowing he would enjoy this. What choice did I have, though? Accept it?
"OOH BOY! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!" The man continued to cackle, dancing around sporadically.
I could tell he was dancing by his footsteps tapping the floor.
'Just stop talking, you creep!' These were the words I wanted to shoot him with, but they only came out as incomprehensible, muffled noises. Without warning, the creep ripped off my blindfold, and it revealed how horrid he was.
"MMGH!" I gagged, my body twitching.
He looked exactly like you would expect. The only thing this disgusting creature wore was an oversized lab coat, I'm not kidding…
His hairy and grimy skin was exposed, and his nose was longer than the average person's. Unsurprisingly, he was balding, too, and his smile was just… disturbing. I gagged the more I looked at him.
The room was very fitting for a man like him. It was a square room filled with ragged and dirty clothes sprawled all over the floor. Besides just clothes, blood and many sharp tools you'd see at a hospital were spread on the floor. The surrounding walls were a grimy yellow, and many areas looked moist. A box is surrounded by an army of flies and insects in one corner. I could barely make out the substances that oozed from its holes. In the opposite corner lay a broken desk with a computer. The man himself was leaving me on the edge of vomiting, but the room topped it for me…
"Bleghhhh…" I vomited through the tape, most of it escaping while the rest…
"I will disregard your reaction to my abode due to the fact that you look so very interesting. IN FACT! You should be the UTMOST proud that you caught "MY EYE." A child such as yourself has been gifted! You're one of the few gifted who will provide ME with the answers I NEED!" The man explained, raising his arms and looking at the ceiling.
In a state of rage, I retaliated by screaming through the thick layers of tape, but it didn't work.
"OH! HOW JOLLY YOU ARE! PERFECTION, I MUST SAY! *Ahem* The opportunity arose when I invited you to my humble abode, but this is not a one-way deal. Oh no, no, no… I shall conduct experiments upon you in exchange for seeing my wondrous home. The HONOR IS ALL MINE! HEHEHEHE!" The man went on and on with an even more crazed expression.
How was that an equal exchange!? Your house isn't beautiful in the slightest!!
"MMRGH"! I struggled harder, making very slight tears in the rope.
"OH! STOP YOUR SQUIBBLE SQUABBLE! This is ABSOLUTELY necessary!" The man demanded with a more severe expression.
Let me go! I'm not your guinea pig! Those words escaped in the form of another muffle. During the entirety of my struggle, he stood in front of me, laughing hysterically. Eventually, the unstable chair lost its strength and cracked. The legs broke, making me fall right on my ass. When I landed, I squished something soft and oozed out from under the seat. This did not amuse him; he got extremely pissed.
"Oh, ohh, OHHHHH! YOU DECIDE TO TRASH MY HEADQUARTERS EVEN AFTER BEING BLESSED WITH SUCH AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!? I understand."
He bent down, grabbing a rusty sewing needle from the sea of tools at his disposal.
"I was going to do this nice and painless, but YOU leave ME with NO choice!" The man declared, needle in hand and staring me down like some ant.
What is he gonna do with that!? STOP!! I struggled even harder, tearing the rope gradually, but it was useless. He pushed me against the slimy wall. I tried kicking, but my leverage for kicking didn't work well in this position. Tears ran down my cheeks as the realization struck me.
"C'MERE! I NEED your delicate little EYE! GIVE IT HERE!" He screeched.
Instinctively, I shut my eyes, but he pried one open even with my resistance.
"MMRGH! MMRFF!" I fought back.
"HOLD STILL," He demanded, the needle inching closer and closer.
Closer… Closer… Clos-
"AAAHHH!!"
— — — —
"AYE! What the hell!?" I shouted, waking up.
A wave of deja vu flooded my mind as my body regained consciousness. Was that another "dream"? Damn it! What are these?
But it seems I become aware of them after I wake up. The "dream" before is the one I reentered. The second time, I was aware of my surroundings but couldn't do anything of my own will. Hmm…
"Wait, where am I?" I asked myself, noticing my wooden surroundings.
We were in the hallway, right? That shadow chased me… Then Sothis and I met, and… ugh. The memory of being eaten alive from the inside is what happened shortly after…
I don't feel it right now, but just thinking about it makes me feel like I am.
"Not again…" I muttered, holding my stomach.
But back on topic, that "dream." I was a girl for some reason. Actually, I hadn't questioned it. Maybe because I wasn't aware. Maybe my consciousness becomes aware rarely, but that's not a fully backed-up explanation.
"Oh yeah, where am I again?" I asked again after getting distracted.
The pain wasn't there anymore, but my vision was somewhat blurred, but it wasn't like I couldn't make out details. I was on some fluffy material that reminded me of a polar bear mat you'd often see in these types of homes. The only difference was that there wasn't a blizzard outside.
There was a table and chairs in the center of the room with cups of something hot on the table. It gave off a sweet scent. A window was directly behind me with a wooden counter beneath it. Below that were some cabinets. There was a warm atmosphere originating from a small fireplace several feet away. The chimney was made from stone with what looked to be thin glass separating the fire from the rest of the home. It was empty but warm. It was soothing to wake up to something like this. To top it all, the stench I got from the trash was gone. That or I got used to it during my rest. A shower would still be preferable…
"...ARGH!?" I groaned, squeezing my right eye.
It was as if something was penetrating my eye! The feeling spread to the rest of my head soon enough into what I'd assume cluster headaches feel like…
"What t-the hell!?" I writhed in pain, attempting to stand but failing.
But how!? It was the same situation as the last "dream" I had. Right after, I began feeling physical and emotional pain similar to the events of said dream. Like last time, I could feel everything, but nothing was happening.
Sothis wasn't anywhere in the home right now, so I decided to call out to him.
"Sothis!? You there!?" I called out to him in a pained voice.
"Yo Comet! What's up?" Sothis quickly responded, entering with an excited expression.
His expression soon turned to worry when he saw me clenching my head.
"Oh shit, again!?" Sothis assumed, walking fast.
The pain grew more intense, forcing me to focus on numbing it. Sothis began some chant.
-From within me, take my power, my resistance, heal my target, and forgive him.-
-SothisPente, Curse-Dwelling Medicine!-
That sounded a lot like magic. Does that exist? Well, magic or not, it was helping soothe the pain. With it subsiding, I could finally open my right eye. Sothis' palm was just a few inches from my face, with a yellow light… aura hovering before his palm.
The aura soon faded, and Sothis retracted his palm. He wore an expression of worry. I stood up to Sothis, opening his arms as an invitation for a hug. It was awkward, but I went through it.
"My bad, you have to go through this again," Sothis said, lamenting.
Moments passed and a nostalgia trip hit me like a truck. It was like getting deja vu and nostalgia but not knowing where it originated. We soon let go.
"Now that you're up, we've gotta lot to talk about. Other than the important stuff, why don't we catch up for a bit?" Sothis suggested, sitting on one of the chairs and grabbing a cup.
"Yeah, there are many things that I'm curious about, but first, where are Kaleb and Katie?" I answered Sothis, following his lead.
The sweet-smelling cup seemed to be filled with hot chocolate.
"Ya don't gotta worry about them, they're fine! I'll show you where they are when we start walking outside.
"Alright, now looking at it, the outside looks amazing," I commented, looking behind me and finally noticing the broken door.
"Heh, yeah, I broke the door by accident when rushing here," Sothis explained himself.
It's not like I was mad; I mean, how could I be. It wasn't my home.
"Anyways, what you used to soothe my pain was magic, right?" I asked curiously.
Every day, people like you and me would be baffled to see something as impressive as magic.
"Well, I wouldn't say exactly, but it's something similar, but the only ones who can properly use magic are beings who are given a "gift."" While sipping hot chocolate, Sothis explained, "The most common type of gifts are Constellations, or The Power of the Connection of the Stars."
"That sounds oddly familiar… Wait, the gold ball had The Phoenix, right?" I asked, sipping hot chocolate.
"Blaa!" I stuck my tongue out due to its heat.
"Ha! You should've blown it first," Sothis grins happily, "It's good, though, right?" Sothis asks.
"Yeah, of what little I tasted," I replied, slightly annoyed.
I couldn't deny that it was good.
"Anyway, yeah, the etching was The Phoenix Constellation. It's one of your constellations, but I can go into more detail later. For now, let's get you caught up on the objective after we catch up a bit more." Sothis responded, downing the rest of his hot chocolate like water.
I just continued taking sips and cooling it down.
"So I wanna ask 'How's life been?' but I already got a gist of what's currently happening in recent events, and all I'm wondering is why? It must've hit you hard, didn't it?" Sothis sympathized, looking a little angry.
"I guess you could say that, but it's fine," I responded drily, reclining and crossing my legs.
"But your siblings were helping you through, even if they didn't have the full picture?" Sothis asked.
"I mean, if it wasn't for them, then there'd be nothing to fight for, honestly," I said those words with vigor because they were true.
If it weren't for my siblings, I'd most likely not be fighting the way I do. My parents were thrown out of the picture a long time ago, and I know it's my fault. Most people who interacted with me hated me, so I did not talk to most. The only people who spoke to me were my siblings and Michael, but he couldn't be in the picture that often due to… circumstances.
"Anyways, enough about me. I know, as of right now, I don't really remember you all that much, but I have a strong feeling," I said, "So, how've you been?" I asked Sothis.
"Honestly… Kinda lonely. Whenever we fail an attempt, I'm usually alone for a long time." Sothis lamented, sounding a bit regretful.
I guess in a way that was to be expected somehow? However, there was one thing that bothered me about that comment: the third cup of hot chocolate beside us. There was even another chair.
"Then who's the third cup for?" I asked curiously.
"Oh, I forgot to mention 'her'. You've probably heard her voice before." Sothis remembered.
"Voice…? Oh! I think I have, but then why isn't she here?" I questioned Sothis.
"It's not like she can't be here, but we can't be together for long due to circumstances," Sothis replied, looking up in annoyance.
"I see"
That means she's in a similar boat with Sothis. Both had sent a wave of nostalgia my way, so it couldn't be a coincidence.
"Alright, now for the more serious shit," Sothis announced, standing up.
"One last question, since we've apparently known each other in the past, what would that mean?" I asked, wondering this the entire time Sothis was present.
"Good, that was the first thing I was gonna touch on," Sothis said, crossing his arms around his back.
"This isn't your only life," Sothis announced, stoned-faced.
You're joking, right? But considering how he's acting and my gut, it's possible.
"Haha! I wish I was joking!" Sothis cackled, "You're 'What the fuck' face is priceless!"
"Wait, you can read minds, and you're not joking? So is it like reincarnation?" I asked, ignoring Sothis.
Were those lives what I saw in my "dreams"? It could be a possibility, but I don't know for sure.
"Ahem! Well, I wouldn't just say just regular reincarnations. There's more that goes into the process, but that's something I don't even understand, mainly because I'm neither the one who goes through them nor causes them." Sothis explained after laughing.
A special reincarnation? What would that even be?
"Well, if that's the case, how many lives have I lived? Actually, how old would that make me…" I contemplated, questioning my current life.
I mean, this is so outlandish that I shouldn't even believe it easily, but considering what I've seen, it's not out of the question.
"Ima be honest with you, I can't answer that. Not because I don't want to but because I don't remember…" Sothis replied, wearing a pained expression, "I'd imagine that we're both old farts!"
"..."
I stood in silence, not really knowing how to respond. It was something to take in, but processing it was different.
I'm currently seventeen in this life, but according to Sothis, that's wrong. Imagining many different lives is honestly tricky, considering a thing like reincarnation. It would be hard to comprehend if you've never experienced it before.