"A burden magnet? Who are you?" Timothy asked him
Blondie was next to him, watching what was going on.
"Mr Zero but call me Zero." He replied, moving away from him again
"Mr Zero..uh Zero. I thought you hated X. Why did you come back here?" Fallon asked him
Zero heard her but took a long pause to think about what he wished to say.
"I had no choice, Fallon." He sighed
"Don't say that! You're free to do as you please. Only you can choose the path that you want to walk." Fallon replied
"Why did you come here?" Zero asked her
"Because of this dumbass." She replied, pointing to Timothy
"I'm not a dumbass." Timothy mumbled
"So what did you learn? What happened to you? What's your name? Did you meet the trio? What about the borrower?" He spoke with sudden excitement
Timothy was taken aback by the sudden change in Zero's energy and didn't know what to say back.
"You should slow down." Fallon suggested
"You know. I don't like it. You are telling me what to do. So keep your mouth shut." Zero replied
"Make me." She retorted
Zero chuckled then turned his attention back to Timothy.
"What's your name?"
"Timothy."
"What did you learn?"
"To stay away from the blurred ones who'll pass you around like a blunt." He scowled
Zero tried his best to keep a straight face.
"Is that what happened to you?" Zero asked him
"It's none of your business." Timothy mumbled, crossing his arms
"Fair enough." Zero yawned
"Let's go for a walk. You and me. Fallon, stay with the baby." Zero suggested
So they went for a walk and Timothy was following Zero.
He noticed a couple dozen more burdens releasing from Zero.
"I can't believe that someone like you is here." Zero said to him
"What do you mean someone like me?" Timothy asked him
"Tell me the truth Timothy. Why did you come here?" Zero asked him
Timothy sighed, shaking his head.
"I wanted the ultimate experience which would give me pleasure." Timothy confessed
"You wanted to see the physical, mental and spiritual limits to your own pleasure?"
"Yeah I guess."
"My my! How sensual. I don't recommend it though. It's much too primitive."
"What's so bad about it?"
"If you ever succeed you will harm yourself severely before reaching that next high. Also you will live a slave like existence like the blurred ones. Look at them and what they do. You want that?"
"Can we stop talking about the blurred ones please?" Timothy asked
"Why not? They're here aren't they? They still exist even if we don't talk about them." Zero replied
"You're a horrible person and I don't like you." Timothy told him
"Why? What did I do to you?" He asked a bit too casually
"Just because you're strong enough to defeat the blurred ones you think that what they did to me was no big deal. You even said that I'd turn into one of them if I ever reach my goal." He replied
Zero shook his head again
"You know that's not true Timothy. And I was only warning you. And so they really did do things to you! Ha, I knew it."
"Hey!"
"If it bothers you that much, tell me what they did to you and why it happened."
"Why are you the only one covered in burdens huh? Answer that!"
"I'll answer that question after you answer mine. I promise." Zero told him
They were in a secluded area and they both sat down, next to each other.
They had a moment of silence and then Timothy spoke up.
"The trio tricked me and set a bunch of blurred ones on me after failing their stupid rigged test.
'More like your libido got rigged.' Zero thought but didn't show it in his face
"The blurred ones who I previously mistook for beautiful women, revealed their true forms and overpowered me. They took turns passing me around and having their way with me. Not even an inch of my body was safe from them. I will never forget what they did to me. It was disgusting."
"How tragic. To experience such wickedness being done to you. Yet you are still resilient. I am impressed. So have you given up on your goal of optimal pleasure?"
"No I still haven't."
"Why not?" Zero asked him, suddenly confused
"But don't worry. I won't search it in X. The exploration of optimal pleasure will only be carried out naturally in real life."
"Good luck Timothy. I really am happy for you and Fallon." He smiled
"Now you make do on your promise, Zero." Timothy replied, using his palm to hide his blushing face
"Now my story is quite tragic so prepare yourself."
"I love hearing about tragic or sad events. There's nothing interesting about a happy event."
Zero covered his face with his hand and looked down at the ground.
"I'm sorry Zero. Did that offend or upset you?"
"No it hasn't."
"Why did you cover your face?" Timothy asked
"Y-You remind me of..my younger sister." He replied
"What?! Your sister? How the hell do I remind you of a woman-"
"Let me explain."
"Her name is Sky. She's resilient and peace loving. Like you, she also possesses a childlike curiosity and is calm. But she's still more imaginative and cheerful than you."
Timothy didn't say anything back as he wanted him to share more information about himself.
"Timothy. I already went through my punishment so tell me why I still feel this way."
"I-I dunno. But why were you punished?"
"I was too reckless with my curiosity. I allowed him to use me for my imagination. It's my fault that people are suffering here and they will continue to suffer for as long as X exists. I watched them suffer and I-I-"
"What?"
"I wanted to die. I wanted to die then and there." Zero gasped
"Wait I am confused. Aren't people suffering because of the Blurred Ones. They're the monsters, not you."
Zero started laughing. His laughter started off quietly then it got louder and louder until he was coughing, his hands clutched to his chest.
"You're so simple. How blissful it must be for you!" Zero smiled
Zero stared off into space again and Timothy didn't interrupt him, letting the man have his moment of peace.
"My sister..she was working on something. An artwork of hers. She would carry it around all day never letting it out of sight. Each day she would improve on her drawing and show me from time to time. I wasn't interested in her drawings but I appreciated how important it was to her. You would've thought it'd be her magnum opus or something, ha! We went to school and what did I see?"
Timothy watched Zero scowl, his hands trembling slightly. He gulped feeling the tension in the air. Zero took a deep breath then continued.
"Sky sitting on the floor crying her eyes out, her precious drawing scattered across the floor like confetti. A bunch of her long hair was cut messily which also lay on the floor. I was pissed off. She told me the three bullies who were responsible and off I went to see them."
"W-What did you do to them?" Timothy asked him
"I had a talk with them and asked them why they did it. They laughed at me. They laughed at my trembling but little did they know that I was keeping my rage under control so that I wouldn't kill them. Long story short I beat the absolute crap out of them until they couldn't move. The others heard it all and tried to pull me back apparently. Apparently I was too angry to be held back. I vaguely remember what happened because I was too enraged. My friends had to tell me in detail what happened."
"Oh so you're a type B fighter. The fighter who is driven by anger and usually fights his enemy until the enemy is unconscious or dead."
"What?! Where on earth did you hear that from, boy?"
"Oh it's nothing." Timothy spoke nervously, his left hand buried in his brunette hair lightly scratching the back of his neck
"You can tell me." He grinned
Timothy raised an eyebrow at the unstable man who seemed to switch emotions so fast.
"I-I saw it from one of Might's earlier works." Timothy mumbled, looking away from him
"Might? Y-You're a fan of Might? Really?" He scoffed
"I never said that I was a fan." Timothy replied
"So what did you think of Jillbow?"
"He was an awesome character. Now why are you covered in burdens?"
"Awesome? Ha!" He scoffed
"Why are you covered in burdens?" Timothy asked him again
"I already told you, Timothy. I am responsible for the suffering and deaths of many people. I've ruined people's lives-"
"W-Wait? Don't tell me you actually invented X?" Timothy's eyes widened
"I-I...It's complicated. Well not exactly but we-"
"HEY HEY HEYYYYYYY!" a voice spoke out overly enthusiastically
It was Z and he was alone.
Timothy froze and stared at the ground.
"What the fuck are you doing here in my territory?" Zero asked him
"Territory? You don't get to have territories here you know." Z chuckled
"What do you want?" Zero frowned
Z sighed as if he had a lot on his mind.
"Timothy. Are you alright? I should've stopped them. I tried to stop them. You're a strong man. I-I knew you could handle it. Things just went too far and I am sorry ok? I won't let anyone touch you ever again."
"It's ok. I-I get it." Timothy replied, surprised that the man apologised to him
"Oh Timothy. You're an angel! I saved you once from the Blurred Ones didn't I? If you want to, I can teach you all you need to know to not only survive this place but to conquer it! People like you have so much potential."
"Go away Z! Timothy, don't listen to a word that that pervert tells you ok?"
"Ha. You think you can control him, Zero. A real man has his own Way."
"His own way?" Timothy thought out loud wondering what he meant
"You are a sick fuck!" Zero hissed
"Look at him. Resorting to name calling. How childish. I'll take my leave now but think about what I said to you, Timothy. And Zero."
"What." Zero asked, grumpily
"You know where to find me." Z winked
"That wasn't funny." Zero mumbled
"Who is he really?" Timothy asked
Zero sighed.
"Just leave it." Zero replied
Timothy bit his lip, running his hand through his brunette hair.
"I think that there's something you're not telling me. Y-You can trust me. You and Fallon and X Y Z. You knew each other before. S-Something happened!"
"Wait Timothy. I'm not hiding anything from you. Z is a psychopath alright. He gets inside your head and creates confusion. H-He convinces you that you're something you're not and by then it's too late. You've done something you can't take back."
"You're crazy. You're not making any sense. Let's go back to Fallon and Blondie." Timothy spoke
"Crazy huh?" Zero chuckled
On their way back to Fallon and the toddler, they were mostly silent until Zero spoke up. It was barely audible as if he meant to say it inside his head.
"Me and Z." He started
"You and Z?" Timothy asked
"We worked on our project together. Project X. It was my idea. It was like magic. M-My idea, he made it happen." He let out a smile
"What happened?" Timothy asked
Zero froze, staring off into the distance again.
He felt pressure against his temples and he began to massage his head.
'Z! Where am I? It's dark. I am sinking. Answer me! Z!'
'These sub-humans. The little worms. They think you're weak. They want to break you! Humiliate you! Destroy you! What will you do?'
'Z, it hurts! It hurts! I-I can't breathe!'
'Focus! What will you do? What will you do?!'
'AARGHH! FORWARD..FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!'
Zero gasped for air, coughing loudly and stumbling.
"Zero. Are you alright?" Timothy asked feeling concerned about him
"Y-Yeah I am fine." Zero spoke calming himself down
'He can't be 100% ok.' He thought
As soon as they went back, Fallon skipped towards Timothy, grabbed onto his shirt and kissed him making him shiver the moment her warm lips pressed against his. He already missed her touches.
"Listen, I am sorry about what happened back then. The trio's test." Timothy sighed
"They set you up to fail. It's more enjoyable to them that way." She smirked, placing her arm around his waist
"Enjoyable how?" Timothy asked
"That doesn't matter. They drugged you didn't they? A drug inside another drug. That's crazy!"
"The purple plants. Z gave it to me."
"Purple plants only? You're lucky. T-Timothy. Does he-" Fallon asked but stopped herself
"What?" Timothy asked her
Zero and Fallon exchanged looks then she stopped talking.
"Never mind." Fallon spoke
"This is insane! I feel like I am out of the loop here." Timothy shouted walking away
"Timothy. Y-You don't understand." Fallon replied walking towards him
"I need space. " Timothy huffed
"Stay safe!" Fallon added
"I don't care!" Timothy replied walking away
Timothy stormed off, kicking some blue coloured rocks that were on the floor.
"Shitty secrets being kept from me. Shitty Z saves me from the blurred ones only to set them on me again. Shitty Zero wants to stop me from having fun, judging me for no reason."
Timothy bumped into none other than Z!
"What are you doing here all alone?" Z asked him
"What are you doing all alone?" Timothy retorted
Z chuckled in amusement.
"Oh you're angry. Good. Oh that is great!" Z smiled
Now I must admit that I am getting used to writing in dialogue form. The form itself doesn't matter. It only enhances and reinforces all that I have to tell you. Is Z totally evil? I'll leave that up to you to decide. I woke up and needed to tell you something.
What do you think of the civilised man?
Think about this carefully before reading on.
I think that it's a dangerous lie!
Nothing has changed.
Human nature has not changed.
We've used the civilised man to delude ourselves. They rob us from vitality at very young ages. They sacrifice the innocent hoping to gain more life force and to undergo transformation in whatever degenerate means possible! And you say 'Aren't we living in civilised peaceful times?'
Don't be so naïve. The 'they' in question are hiding in plain sight, those you trust the most.
Now where was I? Oh, when Z bumped into Timothy. Timothy told me that he had no idea what happened to him after that.
He had fallen unconscious and woke up in a very special place in X.
Y's lab.
Or should I call it by a more accurate name?
Y's lab of horrors.
But Timothy was safe. At least he appeared to be safe. He was lying down on a mattress which had red and golden silky sheets.
"What happened to me? Where am I?" Timothy asked in a panic
"Don't worry. You're safe." Z chuckled, giving the startled young man a smile
But Timothy felt anything but comforted by this man.
"Look at what I have here. Oh wait, what's your name again?"
"Timothy. And I'm not giving you my full name." He scowled
Z smiled again and revealed a bouquet of roses in his right hand.
Timothy stayed quiet but was confused, staring at the flowers.
He watched the older man gently blow into the roses like he was blowing out the candles of a birthday cake.
Three seconds later, Timothy watched the roses catch fire, seeing it disintegrate into ash. The remains spilled out of the bouquet and onto the floor.
"H-How did you do that?" Timothy asked enthusiastically
"You're in awe? And don't worry about the mess. X will clean it up for disrespecting me earlier." Z replied calmly, almost too calmly
Timothy felt dizzy again and was beginning to lose sight of what memories were real and which ones weren't. He would tell me later on about his episodes. I cannot confirm some of these things.
"Something is troubling you isn't it? You're angry. Why?" Z asked him
"I don't understand this place. Why does nothing make sense here? Why do they keep secrets from me?" Timothy sighed
"Who?" Z asked, feeling curious
Timothy hesitated to give the man an answer.
"Is it Fallon? Or maybe Zero. I can understand why. They are afraid. Afraid of your potential, Timothy." Z replied
******
"This place is like a dream." Fallon spoke
"Why do you think that Fallon?" Zero asked
"You can't expect to understand how things work here." Fallon replied
"What does Z even want with the boy?" Zero asked her
"Forget about it. You warned him didn't you? If you do anything about it now, he'll just push you away."
"You don't remember what he did to us, Fallon? Or were you too young and naïve to understand?" Zero frowned
"What do you mean?" Fallon asked
"He tortured you! Tortured the two of us. Worse of all, he got a kick out of it. Remember that Fallon. Because we cannot undo what he did to us, we must break the cycle by stopping the man getting his hands on Timothy." He spoke up
******
I am Might. I think that I've dangled the carrot in front of you for too long now. So I will explain exactly what happened.
I warn you, it's a lot of information to digest.
If I reveal it all at once to you, it won't be good so I urge you to be patient. This is a story that is far more complex than it appears.
The first ever volunteers were in a huge white field.
Zero was sitting on the ground with his legs laying flat on the ground, reflecting in silence.
Fallon was also there, the other volunteers looking at her as she walked towards them.
She decided to sit next to Zero.
Soon she noticed a man who was sitting all by himself away from everyone else, cross-legged as he stared at the ground.
"What's up with him?" Fallon asked him
"He was in here a day earlier than the rest of us. Who knows what he's seen out here in this godforsaken place." Zero shook his head
"Why?" Fallon asked him
"Emperor's orders apparently. I'd advise you to not disturb him." Zero replied
Fallon didn't say anything but continued to sit and wait.
There was silence for what felt like ages until Zero decided to say something.
"Hey. What do you think will happen in this lawless place? Maybe some civilised people will stand up and make some rules here."
"I-I don't know about that. Think about what you would've done as a kid if your parents decided to get rid of all the rules for you. No bedtime, no curfew. You could sleep all day, party all night. It would be chaos!"
"Oh my god. I-I am an idiot." Zero gasped
"Hey!" Someone else shouted, overhearing their conversation.
Zero turned towards him.
"What?" Zero asked him
"It's all your fault. Don't you dare act like the victim here!"
Zero stayed silent, deciding to hear him out
"If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be out here! It was your ideas. Because of those crazy fucking ideas of yours, X was made! You and that man sitting out there. You know what you've done! Everything bad that happens to us, it's all on you two!" He yelled out in anger and panic
"Hey! So the man made a mistake, you-" Fallon tried to defend him
Zero quickly made a signal with his hand.
"Don't speak up for me. I've got this." Zero told her
She nodded her head and watched in silence.
"Guess what you are? A real zero!" He yelled
The others watched in silence.
"Surely it's not true. You weren't responsible for X, right? I have to survive. I've got a family to feed." Another man spoke out
Zero stood up in the middle of the crowd, looking at each and every one of them.
"I know what I did." He started, making them gasp
"I came up with the initial ideas for X. I was laughed at and ridiculed for it. All except one man. Only he believed in me. He's sitting out there with us. Call him Z. I had the ideas and he had the connections and the wealth. We worked together with a group of people and put years of blood, sweat and tears into our project. Even when I was beginning to have doubts, Z handled it and pushed us forwards over and over again. I have always wished for this place to be a place for healing and self-reflection and that hasn't changed. My vision hasn't changed! I am one of the people responsible for X but the emperor was the main person who forced us all to volunteer and become the explorers of X."
"But you promoted the drug! That's the only reason the emperor even took notice! It's your fault!"
Zero sighed in response. It was clear that their words were affecting his morale.
"Fine. It's all my fault. I don't care if you hate me but focus on what really matters. Surviving through this for a month. Every time we get back to the real world, it'll be a breath of fresh air." Zero spoke, ending the commotion
All of a sudden, Fallon decided to sit next to Z who was sitting by himself.
"S-So, what are you thinking about?" Fallon asked him
"Nothing. I'm thinking about nothing. Nothing except this. We are sitting in a field where all is white, with no beginning and no end in sight. What do we wait for? Authority? No. We wait for the stars to show up. Then we can explore." Z replied
"Oh I see." Fallon said
"No. You don't see." Z spoke
"What do you-" Fallon interrupted
"Because you wait for authority." Z replied
Fallon decided to go back to Zero but when she stood up, Z grabbed her left ankle.
Fallon froze.
"Are you alright?" Zero called out
"Wait. Tell me your name. You can call me Z."
"Fallon. My name is Fallon." She replied
"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said, letting go of her ankle
******
"Z." Timothy called out
Z stopped tidying up his desk and turned his attention to him
"How long has it been since I've been here?"
"Do you want to know? Come with me."
So Timothy followed him out and then he was told to look up at the sky which was starting to get darker. There were lots of stars and they were all red coloured!
"Here. Wear these glasses. You'll find your star. Each star here is unique and is used as an identification for everyone here. If your star goes out, you die. If it blinks rapidly then you are on the verge of death."
"Wow, I found my star! It's blinking once every second." Timothy spoke enthusiastically
"That means it's still your first day here."
"Really? It feels like forever."
"4 days here is only equal to one day in reality. So one month in reality would feel like 4 months here." Z explained
As Z pointed up at the stars, his sleeves rolled downwards, revealing his arm which had several deep cut scars on it.
"Oh Ok. Also what's up with your arm? All those scars." Timothy asked him
Z quickly pulled his sleeves back up.
"Don't worry. I won't judge." Timothy reassured him
"That was from a while ago. After I saw the stars for the first time and began my exploration." Z sighed
"What happened to you if you don't mind me asking?" Timothy asked him
"Nope. Ask away! So I was walking through the white field by myself in search of peace and personal space. My mind was a cluttered mess, filled with worries and I was craving for something to drink. You can eat and drink here because the drug slows digestive processes down threefold. Therefore you can go for ages without food or water here. Where was I? Ah, my arm! So I saw a pile of bottles in front of me. Then I blacked out for a few seconds and I was worried that I lost my sight. I didn't. I reached out to grab the alcohol and guess what I see and feel?" He paused then gulped
"The bottle?" Timothy guessed
"Close. I felt the fucking shards of glass sticking out from everywhere in my arms. The pain went through my whole body in waves. Then a wave of dull aching pain came soon after. As soon as the stabbing pain left me, I felt so good. It felt so good!" The twisted man breathed, feeling like he was experiencing it again. As if he was getting off from it.
"That sounds painful. So how good did it feel?" Timothy's eyes lit up
"Oh Timothy. Why are you reminding me about this incident? My heart was racing, my face was starting to sweat and I was blissed out despite the pain. My mind's racing thoughts disappeared and everything grew still as I was lying on the ground bleeding out. What next? Oblivion? Well I welcomed it."
He paused then chuckled, his fingers brushing his eyebrows.
"Oh wow." Timothy sighed, a bit too intrigued by his story
It's really not that surprising dear fellow readers knowing about Timothy's sadomasochistic tendencies.
"Mr Zero. He caught me like that and he immediately tore off a piece from his clothing and tied it around my arm. I wasn't even in any danger because in X, you can heal extremely quickly. The only large threat here is a heart attack. Of course he made fun of me and had to point out to everyone that I got this hot over shards of glass when he picked me up." He explained
"About Mr Zero. I just don't understand him. And you. Why are you being so nice to me after you set the blurred ones on me?"
Z approached him and put his left hand on his right shoulder despite him flinching.
"Why?" Timothy asked again, the hurt was evident in his tone of voice
"B-Because you failed the test. I despise degenerates. You see the blurred ones, they are degenerates who would screw anything that they could get their hands on. If people think that X is a realm of pleasure and behave so inelegantly then I will make them regret it! You seem to be coming around. You aren't the same as the blurred ones."
"What gives you the right to test the people here? Like you're some kind of deity." Timothy asked
"Nobody gives me that right except me. What? You have an issue with what I do? You have strong morals or something?" Z asked
"No! I just- I hate what happened to me. I cannot help but think, how dare you do this to me!" Timothy replied
Z started laughing
"What's so funny?" He hissed
"Your face. The pure anger that radiates from you. That look in your eyes. Ah, just like Fallon. Oh I really shouldn't be thinking about her right now. Not after what she did to Y."
Timothy started to walk away.
"Where do you think you're going?" Z asked him
"I want to find Fallon."
"Why?"
"I want us to have sex. Zero will be our bodyguard in case the Blurred Ones are nearby."
"W-What?! What are you saying?" Z coughed out at Timothy's remark
Timothy gave him a blank look for a second until he realised the misunderstanding.
"I wasn't talking about you, you idiot!" Timothy yelled, his face turning bright red, marching away
"Oh. Alright. Wait. Before you go, I want to tell you something. Life is full of tests. I don't give anyone tests out of malice. Don't you want to see your highest self? Or will you continue to live in fear, never daring to live and die for what you want? What do you want, dear Timothy?"
"I want to see my optimal pleasure." Timothy's eyes lit up
"That wasn't one of the choices. But if optimal pleasure is what you want, I can help you get there no problem!" Z spoke confidently
"Really? How?" Timothy asked him
"What a beautiful goal you have! It's definitely not easy but I believe in you. What exactly is optimal pleasure? As you know, the opposite of pain is thought to be pleasure. If pain comes from being conquered and overpowered by something, pleasure must come from having power over something. Optimal pleasure isn't given. It's earned and so rightfully taken. Do you understand me?"
"Yeah." Timothy replied
But Z sensed that Timothy was uneasy.
"You need to trust me, Timothy. I won't let the Blurred ones touch you again."
"Z." Timothy sighed
"Please. I want you to say it."
"I-I'll trust you, Z." Timothy replied
"Ahh it really is the sweetest sounding thing, hearing your name being called out loud isn't it?" Z replied chuckling
The next thing that Timothy recalled was when he was shown a machine inside X called The Borrower 5000.
One would go to the centre of the machine which had a reclining chair. Then a beam of white light would be made to run through your body. Then your Burdens would be removed from you temporarily. Doesn't sound so bad does it? Well, you'd be wrong.
Stay patient. This is a long story.
"What is this? What do you want me to do?" Timothy asked him
"Do as I ask. Even if it gets tough. I promise that you'll be thanking yourself later. Time to show your strength. Your true strength is unlike that of Fallon and Zero. Your energies! One you become at one with imagination, there's no telling what you'll become!" Z spoke, light in his eyes his soul ablaze
"Yes, Mr Z." Timothy smiled
He followed the older man's instructions.
"W-Wait. It's dark!"
"What can you hear?" Z asked
"It's noise. Just a whole bunch of noise. I don't get it. Why do I feel so heavy?"
"Calm down. You're safe. You're here. You're here. Just follow my voice." Z spoke softly reassuring him
"I-I am drowning. I can see a blurry hand. A hand that's pushing me under. What do you want?!" Timothy spoke
"Timothy. You have potential. Push through your fears. Let go of what makes sense. That is what hinders you. Control. The need to take control hinders and suffocates you, like weed does to plants."
"Wait. What is this child? Is that you, Z? Is it me? Why are they yelling? You're being dragged into a dark place. No I can't do it! There's too much yelling! Too much chaos! Too much grief. I can feel it all. I'm scared, Z. Please get me out of here!"
"What? You don't want to transform? Be direct with me. I never do anything against anybody's will."
"Everything's burning. Nothing makes sense. Nothing."
"Do you want this, Timothy?"
"I am tired, Z. Tired of thinking."
"Good."
"I don't care. Know why? I-I'll trust you. I'll trust you. I'll trust you. I trust you Z." Timothy spoke
'The type of boy who recovers fast, that's Timothy.' Z thought, smiling to himself
When Timothy woke up and resumed to his normal state, he noticed Z stumbling and sitting down in front of the machine. Now, the machine had transferred Timothy's burdens onto Z!
Z calmed himself with breathing exercises and closed his eyes.
"What do you see?"
"A dull and torturous lifestyle." Z replied
"Hey. Are you seeing my memories? That can be drawn out from my Burdens too?" Timothy asked
"Quiet boy. You're distracting me. God dammit you're so boring! All that vitality, all that creativity of yours? Where is it hiding? When does it come out? You have a powerful energy so surely it leaks out sometimes." Z spoke, getting frustrated
"No real friends. No girlfriend. Well until..ooh it's Fallon!"
"Ok. That's creepy. Snap out of it now. I don't want you to see anything."
"I can't. Borrower 5000 won't let me. I have to see it all. Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me. My secrets are with you."
"But I-I didn't even understand any of it! That's so unfair!"
"You're so easy to read. So obvious. Wow, how interesting. Oh, that's where it all unleashed. In your sex life-"
"Ok stop it." Timothy blushed
Z turned silent all of a sudden.
"Hey. What's wrong? Say something!"
"It's Fallon."
"What about her?"
"I miss her."
"Ok shut up!" Timothy scoffed
Z burst out laughing until he was about to cry which made Timothy laugh with him.
"You're such a stupid fool" Z cackled, wheezing
"You're such a silly old man!" Timothy wheezed harder
"Ah, I am so proud of you. You've passed the second test. There won't be any more tests for the rest of the day. Meet me here tomorrow for your third and final test. I assure you that if you manage to conquer this, you will be unstoppable. Zero couldn't. Even Fallon couldn't. And I tested them at the same time."
"T-Thank you. And wait! The third test is that hard?!" Timothy asked, worried
"What was your goal again? Oh, optimal pleasure. That won't be a problem once you pass this. You may even want something more."
"What does this test involve?"
"My trusty Borrower 5000, an amplifier and a remote control."
"Z. I am not going to go insane right?"
"No! Of course not! I care about you so I'll give you a hint. Think of it like a game."
******
They said their farewell and then Timothy decided to go back to Fallon and Zero.
The scene that he walked into shocked him!
Zero had the toddler Blondie in his hands and was swinging her around. She was upside down and giggling hysterically. Zero was laughing too whilst swinging her around.
"That's dangerous. She could fall." Timothy said
"But she likes it. Look." Zero replied
Blondie looked like she was about to cry or throw up which made him stop immediately. He gently cradled her in his arms.
"You're a good person you know." Timothy told him
"Thanks." Zero replied, as if he didn't believe it
"So do you have children or-"
"I do but I only get to see them every other weekend or something. C-Complicated." Zero spoke
"Oh. Ok." Timothy replied
Zero put Blondie down and let her roam free.
"Look! I know you don't wanna hear it but Z is bad news. Stop associating yourself with him." Zero sighed
"But Zero. I-I feel like he can help me transform."
"Timothy. He will pollute your soul. He will push you to the furthest extremes. He will keep pushing you and like a toy, once you break, he will cast you aside. Trust me!" Zero spoke
"Stop it! You're making me feel confused." Timothy yelled out
"Why you stubborn fool? Why does all your logic fly out the window with him?" Zero yelled back losing his patience
Fallon came rushing towards them.
She had just overheard the trio's conversation.
"Is it true Timothy? You passed the second test? You didn't retake the first test? But it doesn't make any sense. Are you alright?" She spoke fast, placing her hands on his shoulders
Timothy smiled, feeling happy that she was worried about him.
"That's all true. Trust me Fallon. Something good's gonna come out of all this. The man that you deserve will make his appearance. I promise." Timothy spoke seriously
"But how did you pass the second test so easily?" Fallon asked
"I am tougher than I look." Timothy grinned
"And he's so nice with you. I don't get it. I don't trust him. I feel like he must be hiding something. I'm sorry, Timothy." She sighed
"Hey. What are you trying to say? Are you jealous that I am his favourite?" Timothy asked her
"What?! No! I can't believe that I was worried about you, you asshole." Fallon scoffed
"Wait ok. Forget I said that. Anyways we just swapped memories. It wasn't too terrible."
"Just swapped memories huh? You saw all of those awful things and weren't fazed at all?" Fallon asked
"Yeah." Timothy shrugged his shoulders
There was a brief moment of silence until Fallon decided to speak again.
"I-I think that Z has feelings for you. If that's true, you must be careful!"
"Wait w-what?" Timothy stuttered, shocked as he had no idea how she arrived to that conclusion
"What type of feelings then? So you're telling me that he fancies this boy? H-He wants him? Eww." Zero asked her with a look of confusion and disgust.
"No. Not like that but there's something there. I don't think it's sexual but there's definitely something. That also explains the gentle approach that he's taking with Timothy." Fallon explained
I have come to interrupt again. I don't want this to get confusing so I will explain briefly the real terror of Borrower 5000 before revealing Zero and Fallon's experiences with the machine and Timothy's test.
The Borrower 5000 can be used in 2 ways: To swap Burdens with the associated memories between two volunteers or To get into random memory loops until you respond to the painful memory in an optimal way. The second way has the potential to become absolutely terrifying. To explain it simply, this was the torture that Zero and Fallon were referring to. Also, the fact that they were forced to watch the horrid actions of the Blurred Ones until they could barely take it anymore. Especially Zero. Being involved in X's creation he took it the hardest, most of the guilt and hatred accumulated formed most of his Burdens.
Zero and Fallon were tested in this way and as soon as they swapped Burdens at the same time, Fallon winced at the heavy weight of all the Burdens that suddenly latched onto her making it extremely hard to move a muscle.
"Don't do this Z! This is not right!" Zero spoke
"It's too late. Now shut up and enjoy it." Z replied
'So this is how he feels about all this. I wish he didn't blame himself so much. It's obvious that he was used. Oh, so that's how he looks without all the Burdens. Dark and handsome.' Fallon's mind was busy with racing thoughts
Z got bored from their lack of a reaction so he strapped Fallon onto the machine, putting her into a forced memory loop of her most painful memory. When she woke up, she gasped and was frightened as if she'd had a nightmare.
"Awake? Now this is my favourite part. Let's watch." Z spoke, pressing some buttons on his remote control
"What do you mean?" Zero asked, who was currently tied up and forced to watch
Fallon was too distressed to speak.
'Mummy. Guess what? I got a gold sticker today in maths class. It's in my book. Look.'
'Mummy, what's wrong? Why are you so quiet?'
She looked up at her mother's face which had tears running down them and her eyes were all puffy.
There was a moment of deafening eerie silence between them.
'Oh hey sweetie. I know that I've been weird these past few weeks but I want to make it up to you. I-I am trying and I want to say something to you.'
'What mummy?'
'I love yo-'
'Nooo, mummy! Wake up!'
Her mother was shot dead.
'Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.' She spoke, shaking the body
She finally paid attention to the sound of the footsteps that were approaching closer to her.
'Daddy?' She said, turning around to see her father
He was pointing his gun at her, ready to fire.
'Why?' She asked him, too shocked to cry
'I-I can't do it. What was the point?' He spoke, his hands trembling as he aimed the gun at her
'...'
'I lose, oh great one! I lose!' He yelled, pointing the gun at his own head
After a fit of hysterical laughter, her father shot himself in the head.
The little girl, too shocked, was paralyzed with fear and immediately fainted.
Then that terrible memory of Fallon's childhood was looped over and over again. By the 6th time, she sensed the feeling that her mum would be in danger. The terror of this machine is that when the memory is relived, you relive it with the same mindset as the time that the memory was formed. That means that it's nearly impossible to change your actions there. Each time the memory replayed, Zero felt sorry for how much suffering that Fallon was going through. By the 27th time, Fallon's actions finally changed to her running to get the phone to call an ambulance but then the scene changed all of a sudden, making the present time Fallon black out.
"What did you do to her now?" Zero asked him
"Nothing. It's the machine. And this means that she's making progress." Z explained
"You're so disgusting! Our lives aren't some reality tv show. It's not your entertainment bitch. Yeah, I see the look in your eyes, pervert. I'm telling you if she gets all messed up I'll mess you up tenfold!" Zero spoke, threatening him
"Who's the one tied up right now? Ha, look who's talking." Z asked, chuckled
"Ooh a school. This is gonna be good." Z said
'I don't want to be here. I don't want to talk to them. They keep on saying it.'
'Yeah it's bad but ignore them. They're all dumb.'
'Haha!'
'WHAT?!' Fallon yelled out fiercely
'It's your fault your parents died. It's because you were too ugly. You were so ugly that they shot themselves! They couldn't stand to look at you anymore!'
'That's not true!' Fallon replied, tears forming in her eyes
'I-I can't stand them looking at me. Pointing. Whispering and staring.'
The memory repeated again.
'It's your fault your parents died. It's because you were too ugly. You were so ugly that they shot themselves! They couldn't stand to look at you anymore!'
'That's not true! Leave me alone!' Fallon replied, tears forming in her eyes
The memory repeated again for the third time.
'As much as I try to move on and focus, my heart cries out for my mother. It hurts so much! When will it end? Nobody can hear its cries. Nobody except me.'
'My father spoke and said: I lost, oh great one! I lost! I still don't know what he meant. All I know is that it was totally out of character. Why did this happen? Why? I must know why! It's driving me crazy.'
The memory continued repeating over and over again and the more distressed she became, the worse it got for her, causing Zero to speak up but he was ignored by Z who was grinning at the projection of her suffering shown on the screen.
"Let go of what makes sense. Let go of control, damned fool." Z spoke
Present day Fallon began to shake and was having a panic attack similar to the memory that was currently being shown by the machine.
Z immediately rushed over to her, touching her face and neck to bring her back.
"No stop! Stop! Why are you doing this to me?" Fallon spoke, and for the first time, her fear was clear from her voice.
"Shhh..you'll be alright. Want to overcome it all my darling? Of course you do. You want this suffering to end."
Fallon regained her composure.
"Look. I don't think I can do this. Leave us alone. We'll part ways.." She spoke truthfully
Z pulled her in for a hug then let out a low sounding hum which was felt against her ear.
It sounded like a mantra of some kind.
Fallon started to feel different as if she was in a trance-like state.
"Oh, honestly I just want to overcome my fears if possible." She sighed
"If possible? Of course it's possible! Don't you worry." Z spoke enthusiastically
"Very well. I'll join you." She told him, then forced herself to smile
******
Fallon woke up in Y's lab and this time, Y was there. He had entered the room holding a cup of tea.
Fallon caught sight of him and stayed alert just in case he had decided to harm her. But he didn't. This is what he did instead.
"So uh, I made you this cup of tea. Want it?" He spoke
He looked nervous in her presence. This made her smile a little. She was very aware of her interest in awkward nerdy types like him.
"Yes I do. Thank you." She smiled
She drank the tea and within a few minutes, she felt different.
She felt incredible and more awake than ever.
Her never-ending thoughts moved to the background and for the first time in a while, it felt less chaotic in her mind.
She watched him pick up a book and sit down in his chair, adjusting the seat so that he could lean back.
Y noticed her watchful piercing gaze of hers, causing him to nervously shuffle against his seat.
He continued to read silently.
Fallon didn't care about his book until she noticed the title on the cover.
'Oh Great One!'
"Hey. So what is that book about?" Her voice boomed out
Y looked at her and immediately closed his book, pressing it against his chest.
"W-What?! Don't tell me it's dirty." Fallon laughed
"What? No it's not! Mind your own business." Y huffed, turning red in the face
Meanwhile, Zero was with Z who was pushing him further, intending to bring out the man's true nature. It was via a torturous method: being shown the brutality and inhumanity of the Blurred Ones over and over again, being drugged by Z which increased his susceptibility to the environment which caused him to see hallucinations. Still, the look on Z's face showed Zero that he was capable of doing so much more! The younger man (Zero) was stuck in a hypnotic trance and it seemed that almost every time things got too much for him, he would wake up the same way. Zero crouched on the ground or him stumbling about, only to find Z's hands on his face and neck to which Z lifted upwards so that their eyes could meet. His gaze was almost always the same. That look of superiority, and a look which translated to 'I want to study you.'
It was nothing but morbid curiosity! A twisted perversion! An abomination!
And that gaze was always returned with a hateful glare from Zero.
******
Now we turn our attention to Timothy again.
'This place has potential. I will find my optimal pleasure. But there's one thing that I am uncertain about. What will I do next? What will happen to me? How do I know that Z isn't using me? If anything, I am going to use him! I have other motives. Motives that I haven't told him yet. And Zero. I don't buy his story at all! If the realm of X is such a terrible place then what is he doing here? Oh I know. He's nothing but a self-pitying thrill-seeking masochist! This is a time in my life I must review everything. What about Fallon? What is her value? She taught me how freeing it can be to surrender to the person I love. I am not used to it, you know. Not used to the experiences that she gives me. But I don't dislike it. I love it so much even though it can be a scary thing, being outside of your element. What do I desire the most? Freedom. Freedom from that tight grip I have on everything. Freedom from my fears. How do I get there by all means possible? How do I ease my suffering? I don't know.'
"Power. I realise that power is what human beings crave the most. Even pleasure itself! It all comes from power. But you may be asking, what are the means to power? There are several different ideas in my mind right now but I can't seem to articulate them." Z spoke, walking closer to Timothy
"What the hell? Are you some kind of mind reader?" Timothy chuckled
"Aww. No I am not but it's written all over your face." Z replied, grinning
Z spoke again.
"Hey Timothy. Ever seen something so beautiful and so breathtakingly captivating that you just..stop. Your thoughts cease and all you can do is look?" He sighed
"What's up with that question?" Timothy spoke defensively
"Everything becomes clear at that moment. You feel as though you are in control again. You are the driver, awakened once more. By total surrender. It is by total surrender that you begin to see what the people call, 'Oh Great One!"
Timothy let out a small gasp. He was fascinated by the older man's words.
"Who are you really?" Timothy asked him
"I am a truthful person my dear. You should ask Zero that same question."
"W-Why?"
"He's hiding something from you. Something huge. But it's not out of malice. He is an incredibly private and cautious person. He is still evaluating whether or not he trusts you."
"Why can't you tell me his secret if you know it? And does Fallon know it?"
"I cannot. I am forced to keep quiet about it on pain of death. If he warms up to you enough, he'll tell you himself. I don't know if Fallon knows either." Z spoke
"Never mind Z. I've already lost interest. From now on, I will follow you only. To achieve my goals."
"What about Fallon and Zero?" Z asked him
"Fuck em! I refuse to associate with those who don't have good intentions for me. Total surrender did you say? Well, I'll submit." Timothy snapped
Z burst out laughing.
"Be careful about what you wish for, boy." Z said
'What about Fallon and Zero? → Fuck em!'
These words echoed over and over again in Fallon's mind who was actually nearby.
She was hiding and watching over her boyfriend but it became awfully clear.
This is how he truly felt about her.
For as soon as she heard these words: 'Total surrender did you say? Well, I'll submit.' from Timothy,
a stream of tears flowed down her face.
TO BE CONTINUED...