In a world where monsters were just stories, they didn't exist. They never had existed. There was no way that such creatures could be real, there was no way they could walk amongst humans like this... right?
That didn't change the fact that when they did appear, humans feared them and fought against them with everything in their power to protect themselves or each other. It was an endless cycle of hatred for what they once were and were now becoming. The only thing that would ever save those who fell victim to their cruel games was the ability of true heroes to come together and defeat them.
Of course, all stories begin with a beginning and ends with an end. In the story of my own life, things happened differently from how I had thought they would.
I was twelve years old when it finally began.
The summer air was warm on my face as my bare feet pounded on the hard ground. A smile stretched across my face as the cool summer breeze hit me square in the face, making me feel alive for a brief moment until a large, green monster came barreling down the street towards me. My heart leaped into my throat as I watched as it ran straight through a store window. A few moments later, a cloud of smoke started coming from inside the store.
My head snapped up towards the window as people screamed and shouted. I felt sick to my stomach. This wasn't supposed to happen. How was anyone supposed to survive that? And then I remembered something else, I knew what I needed to do.
I turned around and started running, pushing past people in the process as they continued screaming in fear at the creature that chased after us. The sun shone brightly overhead, making me squint but otherwise I felt fine. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as time seemed to slow down around me, the sound of blood pounding in my ears the only thing that made sense anymore.
I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd read in one of my books. About heroes that would defeat those same monsters one day. Maybe I could do the same... maybe not... But I didn't care. If that's what it took to stay alive, so be it. I wasn't leaving anyone behind.
"Hey! Watch out!" someone yelled from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder in time to see two men tackling another woman out of the way of the green monster. A small crowd of people were running away as the monster roared down the road towards us again.
Suddenly, something flew out of nowhere and latched onto the green monster, causing it to falter. As soon as the green monster stopped moving, I darted forward and stabbed the green monster in the back with whatever I had left hidden in my pocket.
It let out a deep growl as it stumbled forwards , its eyes glancing at me before turning back to the retreating crowds in front of it. I heard a couple of gasps and cries but chose not to pay attention to them. The green monster was injured, so what? I wanted to make sure that everyone was safe.
I ran up to the monster and looked at the red liquid dripping from between the monster's teeth and dripping onto the sidewalk beneath it. It took a step forward, then another, causing more of the same substance to leak from the holes in its mouth, but I wasn't deterred. With the adrenaline rushing through my body, I lifted my weapon once again and brought it crashing down on top of the monster's head. Blood sprayed everywhere and the monster slumped over, dead. It fell heavily to the ground and stayed that way.
I stared at the unmoving creature for a few seconds before taking a couple of shaky steps back, not wanting to touch anything. What if this is just some sort of prank and it's just a really tall robot that looks nothing like it? I mean, even if it isn't, what am I going to do? Run to the police and tell them that some green monster killed a guy? Then what will happen to me? They'll think I'm crazy.
As the sounds of sirens filled the air, I quickly turned and walked back to my house, holding my breath and praying that nobody would find me. The police would probably take me away and make me live in foster care... Or worse. After everything that happened today, I wasn't in the mood to deal with a foster family anyway.
When I got home, I immediately went upstairs and locked myself in my room. There was a knock on my door followed by the voice of my mother calling out to me through the door. I kept my eyes glued to the floor and ignored her.
"Honey, are you alright?" she said hesitantly after a while. My silence was enough of an answer for her and she sighed softly before walking away. My breathing slowed down and the adrenaline started to slowly leave my body. I sat down on the edge of my bed and hugged myself. Why did this have to happen to me? Why was I different from the rest of them? Why couldn't I have been normal like any of the others?
After a while, I managed to compose myself and go downstairs to help set dinner on the table. My father greeted me tiredly as he sat down at his usual place beside my mom.
"Did you finish your homework, honey?" she asked as I helped set the plates on the table.
"Yes, Mom." I replied shortly, hoping that she wouldn't ask anything more. She didn't.
Once we finished eating, my dad stood up and pulled me aside. He smiled gently as he squeezed my hand.
"Are you feeling okay, little man? You seem a little off tonight." he said quietly.
"Yeah... yeah I'm fine." I tried to reassure him. It didn't work. I could tell by the look on his face that he knew something was wrong. After everything that had happened earlier, I just wished that he didn't know.
He put a gentle hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Alright, if you're sure. If you need anything let me know." he said before giving me a gentle pat on the arm and letting go of me.
"Thanks, Dad."
"No problem, kiddo. Make sure you get some sleep." he told me before heading back to his study. My mom followed him and gave him a tight hug as he walked away.
I waited for them to leave the room before grabbing one of the plates and cleaning up the dishes. When I was done, I placed them in the dishwasher and walked over to the living room. I climbed up onto the couch next to my mom and curled up under the blanket that was hanging off the back.
She gave me a soft smile before picking her book off of the coffee table and starting to read again. A small smile appeared on my lips as I watched the light reflecting off of the glass.
This must be what I want. To live here.
I wanted to become a hero. Just like every other kid my age.
Chapter 2
Tears blurred my vision as I watched the last bit of dust fall from the coffin lid. I wanted to believe that it had meant something, that I'd actually gotten to say goodbye. That this was just a tragic dream and that I could wake up from it anytime I wanted. Instead, the cold, hard stone under my fingers made my chest ache.
The tears spilled from my eyes onto the coffin lid as I knelt down and wrapped my arms tightly around the box, not caring if I touched anything. I sobbed loudly into the coffin lid as the tears stained my skin and dripped onto the floor.
A gentle tap on my shoulder caused me to jump back a bit and wipe away my tears as best I could. Looking up, my brown eyes met my mother's concerned blue ones. I tried to force a small smile as my bottom lip started quivering. I hadn't cried like this since I'D lost my first tooth.
"Is there anything that I can do to help?" she asked softly. I shook my head. I didn't know how to explain what I was trying to do, or what I needed to do.
Her eyes softened even further as she pulled me into a hug. "It's alright, sweetheart. I understand," she whispered into my ear before kissing my forehead. "I'll make some tea so that you can relax and calm yourself down a little."
After she disappeared into the kitchen, I laid down on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. My thoughts drifted through my mind as I waited for my heart rate to return to normal. The tears dried up pretty quickly though, replaced instead with a numb sensation throughout my body as my mind went back to a time when this was all new to me. Back when life was still fun, despite the fact that there was always some sort of pain involved.
My heart ached slightly. Even now, knowing that things could have been better, I still felt pain. Pain that reminded me of what I'd experienced these past years. And for some reason, the fact that these feelings were so familiar, that I was so used to them hurt me in a way that I hadn't expected.
I should've known something would've gone wrong eventually.
That's why I never ever planned on getting close to anybody. I was going to end up in foster care either way. At least this way, I would at least have somewhere safe where I could live, away from the dangers of this world. But, apparently fate didn't care about what I wanted anymore. No matter how much I begged her for anything, she still decided to take me away from where I belonged.
With a sigh, I sat up and grabbed my journal that was resting near the pillow I laid on. I opened it to the page where I had scribbled all my fears and worries and tried to write it all out and hope that at some point, I would be able to stop shaking so much. After several attempts, I finally had written all that I could remember and hoped that that would suffice. Closing the journal, I got off of the couch and headed back towards my bedroom. Once there, I changed into my pyjamas and crawled into bed.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I suddenly realised that something was missing. Something that I had been clutching onto desperately, keeping me afloat in a sea of uncertainty and despair. Someone.
I had forgotten to bring my stuffed dinosaur with me.
The words flashed across my eyelids as I began to drift off into the depths of slumber. '
', they called to me. '
.'
"Oh god, please let her be safe! Please don't let her get killed!" I screamed into the darkness.
waking up to a familiar ceiling was something I'd become accustomed to. Although I never really remembered falling asleep, I knew instinctively when I woke up because it felt like I was being pushed out of my own body. I had no idea who or what was pushing me out, but when I came back to reality, I found myself looking around in complete confusion. This wasn' e real, right? Where was I? What was going on? What had happened? My entire body felt tense and I knew that if it was any tighter, I would soon break. Slowly, the memories started to come flooding back to me and I realized what I had dreamed.
I had been dreaming. About the monsters.
"Hey... Are you alright?" said a deep voice that sounded oddly familiar to me.
My heart skipped a beat and I looked up at the person sitting opposite me. They looked exactly like the monster that I had seen in my dreams. It was the same black horns protruding from their head; the same sharp teeth that were bared at me as they stared at me curiously; and the same glowing, bloodshot eyes. I jumped back in surprise as I saw the monster's bright red eyes flash. The demon had noticed that I'd reacted to him.
"Hey… Don't worry! Nothing' t gonna harm you, I promise. I'm just here to talk." he said calmly, showing nothing but kindness in his red eyes.
He continued talking to me, telling me stories about himself. The things that he knew of. Everything he knew and more. His name was...
"Your name is..."
"Chaos. I'm Chaos. Chaos, the Devil." He answered with a smirk before continuing, "And you are...?"
"W... Wait a minute… How did you-"
Suddenly, I saw a burst of light appear behind Chaos. The light quickly grew brighter until a figure was revealed behind him. The light died down a moment later, allowing me to see the stranger. I gasped slightly upon seeing him. His long white hair fell gracefully over his shoulders and rested on the floor behind him.
His face was almost entirely hidden by a huge pair of pointed horns. Unlike Chaos, however, his horns were shaped differently. One was long and pointed and seemed to be curved into itself. His mouth was open in what I think was supposed to be an attempt at a smile but ended up more like a grimace due to the sharp points that were sticking straight out of it.
But the strangest thing about him was his eyes. They were a brilliant golden color and matched Chaos's, although they held none of the evilness that I was expecting. I felt almost relaxed while gazing at them.
"... Your eyes are... beautiful…"
The figure looked taken back by my reaction and I saw his cheeks turn red as he scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.
"I uh... Thank you." he said softly. His cheeks remained flushed as he stood there awkwardly for awhile before his gaze shifted back over to Chaos, "Are we ready yet?"
Chaos's gaze flickered towards him before turning back to me and offering me a small smile, "Almost, but we' re taking a little detour first. We don' want anyone to get suspicious."
"Why?" I asked as I furrowed my eyebrows. I didn't know why he needed to take us somewhere else for a little while, but something told me that it wouldn't be good.
Chaos smiled before glancing at Chaos again, "We're going to meet someone."
The thought of meeting another monster made my heart beat faster and my breathing grow heavier. But it only took one glance at Chaos's eyes for him to melt away any concerns I had for the unknown man that Chaos wanted me to meet. "So are you coming?"
The question caught me off guard, but I nodded, not wanting to seem rude by refusing. Chaos turned on his heel and started walking towards a door that was standing open. The two of us followed him, the sound of rushing water filling the air as we walked down a long corridor. As we walked deeper and deeper within, I felt a sense of dread fill my chest. I could feel a lump beginning to form in my throat and my heart was beating frantically against my ribs. I clenched my fists together tightly as I swallowed hard and tried to keep my voice stable.
"Where are we?" I managed to ask between shallow breaths. The panic was evident in my tone and as I spoke, my voice trembled. I had to try to calm myself down, but it was difficult without the comfort that unnamed man provided me.
Chaos chuckled, causing my body temperature to rise higher than it already was. I shot him an irritated look which only caused him to chuckle louder. "Calm down. We aren' t in danger." He stopped abruptly and gestured to a hallway. A set of double doors were sitting right at the end of the room and the two of us stepped towards it. As I approached it, I was greeted with a large metal door, covered with scratches and cracks. The scratches seemed almost like claw marks. They looked like they'd have been made by countless claws, many of which were sharp enough to slice through steel.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"This is our destination. You may never understand why you need to go there, but rest assured, everything will become clearer once you meet him. For now, we are going inside."
When Chaos opened the doors, he walked inside first. The second I entered the room after him, I was struck immediately by the sight of someone sitting in an old armchair. When I saw him, I froze completely. Because I recognized him instantly.
It was my dad, Or rather,
was my dad. And he looked just as awful as I thought he would in the nightmares that I'd had during the night. I couldn't believe my eyes, or my brain, actually. My mind refused to accept what I was seeing right in front of my eyes. Even more, though, I was shocked that he would still be alive despite all of that. He looked so pale, so frail, so fragile. Almost like I had imagined it. But even worse, there was a certain look on his face that seemed so different. There was such sadness and longing mixed together. I knew then what was causing that pain. I could see it in his eyes and every time they flicked to me, I could see them glimmer. I could see how he wanted me to run to him and tell him everything would be okay, but I also knew that he needed some time alone. So, I stayed silent. I didn't say anything. I didn't move. I just watched him.
After a few moments, he looked up at me and gave me a weak smile. "Hello, son."
I didn't respond. I just stared at him. I couldn't speak. I couldn't do anything. After a long silence, I suddenly felt tears prickling my eyes. I tried to wipe them away, but a tear escaped. It ran down my cheek. As my father reached out a hand to me to try and comfort me, I jerked away. I shook my head at him sadly.
"No... Please.... Don't touch me."
I heard him sigh deeply as he sat there quietly for a few moments. I couldn't bear to look at him. I hated to admit it, but this wasn't him anymore. If this was my dad... I couldn't stand it. The way he looked, the way he acted... The way he talked to me... I could only imagine what he must've gone through. My hands balled into tight balls at my sides. I needed him to remember who he used to be, not who he is now. And I wanted that back.
"Do you remember why you're here?" he finally asked after clearing his throat.
That simple question brought me back to reality. I looked up at him with a confused look in my eye, "Er… What do you mean? I'm here to meet you, right?"
"Yeah, you are. But do you know why?" he questioned gently.
My head began to hurt from thinking too much. Was this really going to happen? Were these really going to help me forget my terrible memories? What if I forgot everything? What if it was all just a dream? All those thoughts raced around my head as my breathing became quicker and harder. I didn' t notice that I had begun crying, but I felt tears streaming down my cheeks nonetheless.
"I... I don't want to forget. Please... I can't forget... Please..." I begged as my legs began to shake uncontrollably. It wasn't fear that I was feeling. It wasn't anger either. It was... sorrow and regret. It was guilt. And most importantly, it was loneliness.
"Kid" I looked up when I heard someone calling me . Chaos's gaze softened slightly as he knelt beside me and placed a gentle hand onto my shoulder, "Hey, stop worrying, alright?"
"... Why are we doing this...? Why did my father die? He was supposed to protect me! Why did he... Why did he die?..."
My words seemed to make him sad somehow. He leaned forward slightly and put his other hand over mine, "Because he loved you very much."
"... Why? I hate you." I whispered angrily as I pulled my hand away from him and wiped my tears away with the sleeve of my shirt. I wasn't sure why, but I felt angry. Angry at Chaos. Angry at my father. At the world. At fate. And most importantly, at myself.
My dad died because of my stupidity. And that was on me. If I hadn't left that stupid house... If I hadn't forgotten my mother... If I hadn't gotten so obsessed with Chaos...
If only things weren't like this.
My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden hug from my father.
"I don't blame you for any of this, son." He whispered to me, hugging me tighter as he buried his nose into my hair. My father was crying. Tears were rolling down his face. He held me close, his grip tightening every now and then.
"Dad, stop-" I said softly, trying to push him away. "Let go!"
He tightened his grip even more, "I can't let go. I can't let you go."
A sob escaped my mouth as tears continued to fall down my cheeks, "Dad please.. Let go."
"I won't. Never. Ever. I'll always be your father. That's never gonna change."
I closed my eyes. I didn't say anything for a few minutes. I just stood still, wrapped in his arms, letting my tears fall freely. Then, I slowly moved my arms up until they rested on his shoulders and hugged him back. The moment we both embraced each other, I felt the familiar sensation that came when I teleported with my mother. The same sensation of being transported back to Earth. Back to her. hearing my father's voice one last time.
"Your mother needs you son, stay strong..."
I soon found myself in her embrace again. She hugged me tightly, her lips pressed against the top of my head as she cried softly. "Oh, my baby... I love you..."
"I love you too mommy." I whispered back as I rubbed small circles on her back. I looked up at my fathers fading figure for a moment before looking back down again, "Thank you... Thank you so much..."
"now sweetheart, tell me how you defeated that big bad monster." my mother said, as I told her all that happened today.