This blog is where I post everything I have including; free short stories, free book samples, song/poem attempts, links to my work, and more! I'll even post about the interesting dreams I've had, manga, comics, video games, anime, and the like which you can find on here. Read to your heart's content and I hope you enjoy!
Monday, November 27, 2023
My latest book is out today!
Exorcism of the Hollow: The Good Traitor: Chapter 3 – Exorcising False Gods
Chapter 3 – Exorcising False
Gods
The statue brings me back inside
the basilica and to the front of the altar. With a single wave of its hand, a
hidden door on the floor moves aside to reveal a staircase that leads into the
darkness. It then points down and I follow its instructions. As I descend
further and further down the seemingly never-ending staircase, I think that it
actually won’t end until I reach the bottom where there’s nothing but dead
grass and dirt. There doesn’t seem to be anything here to build a legacy on
other than it being a secret place.
A light suddenly appears in the
dark and approaches me and I’m surprised to see that the source of the light is
the statue of Christ with a lion and unicorn behind him. My legs can’t help but
feel weak as I fall to my knees at this glorious sight.
“My Lord,” I say.
“It is, I, Braxton. I am glad that
you recognize Me after serving that false version of Myself,” the statue says.
Hearing this makes me unsure of
what to say or do. Is this a false Christ in front of me or were my original assumptions
about the living broken statue, correct?
The statue continues by saying, “I
understand and I will not rub your face into your failures like that false Christ
did. Instead, I will only allow you to save your empire and
serve me as the king you are meant to be.”
“So…I was never wrong? Going back
and forth between thinking I was and was not is too jarring for me.”
“I know it is, but I know that you’ll
come through. Remove all traces of falsehood from your mind and come back to Me,
King Braxton. The fact that you’re constantly fought over by me and demonic
forces is proof of your infinite worth. Bring the world under the grasp of the
British Empire and make it holy.”
I’m at the crossroads again and don’t
know what to do. Do I go back to the Christ that affirms everything I believe
or do I stay with the one that seems to be correcting me for my mistakes? You
know what? Today’s events have reminded me that I should rely on God more than
myself, so while on my knees, I pray to God to give me the right answer and
direct my actions and thoughts according to His will. This action sends a
shockwave of light from me that lights up the entire area and reveals the Christ
in front of me as an imposter. It now has only half of Christ’s face and its feeble,
hollow body is only half covered by a golden cape. The rest of it wears a black
crown on its head and its back has only one set of shriveled wings on it.
“You traitor! How dare you distrust
your god!” the pathetic-looking thing says, “I’ll give you one more opportunity.
Accept my help and your legacy will be great.”
“It’s funny that you mention that I’m
a traitor. So far, in the span of a day, I’ve fundamentally betrayed everything
I’ve stood for, everyone who’s helped me, and even the ‘god’ I worshipped, but if
God says to do so, then I’ll gladly take the title of traitor.”
Enraged by my answer, the false Christ
yells while flying at me. Taking out my spear, I pierce its hollow heart and
can feel a hole that I didn’t know I had in my chest fill as the false Christ
is banished along with its unicorn and lion and the area around me comes to life with green grass. Behind me,
the once-broken statue of Christ appears in a restored state to me and takes
off its veil to reveal the gentle, merciful, and smiling face of my Lord.
I kneel on both knees and say, “My
Lord. What are Your orders?”
“Use the land before you to grow
the community of exorcists to cleanse the world of demons. I will change this
world according to your needs to have farmlands, rivers, lakes, mountains, and
expand its lengths if need be,” the Lord says.
“How will I go about growing the
community?”
“Besides you, I have blessed many people
with the abilities of an exorcist who will be drawn to coming here, some of
whom are almost here. Also, a child of an exorcist will inherit their parent’s
blessing, so your ranks will grow in that way as well.”
“I understand. Thank You for
everything.”
“As for the final order that I have
for you, for now, continue growing closer to Me, My good servant.”
The statue of Christ disappears
into the sun of this underground sky leaving me with a feeling of hopefulness
in his heart. In the same sky, I see five people walking down the many stairs
from the entrance. One is a priest, a farmer with a cow and dog, a soldier, a
nun, and a woman all of whom wear the garbs and masks of an exorcist like me.
They are all surprised to see that I, of all people, have been chosen as an
exorcist and the leader of them and have many questions all of which I am glad
to answer. In this new beginning given to me by God, my past is buried and
gone, but my future is bright and looking to be a hopeful one because a traitor
to his God like me was able to be brought back and called a good servant.
The End
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Exorcism of the Hollow: The Good Traitor: Chapter 2 – Exorcising Others
Chapter
2 – Exorcising Others
The morning sun is now in the sky
rather unexpectedly. I guess the party and everything else that happened took
longer than I expected. People start to come out of their houses and go about
their daily business. Despite my appearance and many knowing who I am, none of
them acknowledge me and are even able to walk through me as if I’m some kind of
spirit. Looking into my reflection in a nearby shop window, I see myself and
the grinning gold and white mask that I’m wearing that appears to have a crown
of gold and a sharp red crown on it. The mask stays on my head no matter what I
try to do and returns to its original position. Behind me, I see the broken
statue of Christ float in the window’s reflection and no one takes any note of
it either.
“That mask is a penitential mask of
shame that exposes the sin that you struggle with the most,” the statue says.
“And that sin would be what? Being
royalty?” I ask.
“The sin of pride.”
I look back in the reflection and can
kind of see how the mask reflects the sin of pride. Now I can’t help but feel
that the mask is mocking me and accusing me of my deeds without saying a word.
“What of our invisibility? Why can’t
anyone see or touch us?”
“They see and touch what I allow.
Your descendants will be able to shift between being invisible and being
visible, but you will stay invisible to them for the rest of your life. You
have no use of it anyway.”
“Why’s that? I’m still the king of
the British Empire and I have a kingdom to rule.”
“You are a king no longer and are
only a new exorcist.”
What the statue says gives me pause
as it feels like my entire world has fallen out from under me.
“…what? No, that can’t be. I am a
king-”
The sound of yelling and screaming
coming from nearby startles me as it reminds me of the events of last night.
“Go save your servants, ‘king’.”
Running towards the sound, I don’t
find any demons, but I do find my own people killing each other. My feelings of
betrayal force me to strike down the traitors with my own hands, but the fists
merely go through them. The traitors get away and there’s nothing I can do
about it.
“That’s right,” the statue says as
it phases through the wall, “You can’t do anything.”
I fall to my knees and say, “Then
please do something! For their sake, not mine.”
“And not My own sake?”
“No, they’ll glorify You even more
if you save them.”
“They’ll end up killing each other
and following the example you set for them, which is an example that needs to
be erased. Watch and observe.” As I am teleported from scene to scene of
violence and betrayal, the statue continues saying, “You thought that you led
an invincible army and rooted out all traitors and had people in place to get
rid of them, but you are wrong. Men who are not entirely loyal to Me are never
completely loyal to the lords they serve. Thus, I allowed you and your allies
to be blind to the traitors in your mist. Look also at this. The Catholics that
you thought you purged from Vatican City are using this opportunity to take
back what is theirs.”
I had the entire country of Italy
under my control and was eating at Vatican City bit by bit, month after month.
This city was going to be my home away from home, the property of the
British Empire, and a staging place to reclaim the Holy Land. Now, all those years
of preparation are gone in an instant. I’ve stopped moving from place to place
in the city and am now on the roof of a church unsure what to do.
“You rise, Braxton,” the statue
says.
“What?”
“You rise from your sins. You will
no longer be the hollow man you once were and I will make you a new man, the
man you were always meant to be.”
The statue holds out its bleeding nail-pierced hand for me.
“How are You going to do that?”
“By giving you this opportunity to
make up for it. You will hunt down the demons who are corrupting humanity and have
been clouding your judgments as an exorcist. Take out your spear.”
“How do I do that? Why does it even
come out of my head and why a spear?”
“It comes out of your head because
that’s the center of your virtue and it’s a spear because it’s representative
of your personality. Remember who gives you the strength to do what needs to be
done. Put your faith in Me and you will accomplish wonders.”
With nothing left to lose, I do as
the statue says as I pull my spear out of my head and ready myself.
“What are your orders, Lord?” I say
with one knee down.
“I will teleport you to various
parts of Italy that require your particular kind of exorcism. Banish the demons
and you will help bring peace to this country and save innocents,” the statue
says.
“I accept. Send me in.”
I am sent to scenes of violence and
conflict in parts of Italy where I find the white hollow demons influencing
people’s actions. One after the other, I exorcise each location by banishing
the demons by trusting in God as my strength. It’s rather easy as long as I concentrate
on my silent prayers to God and not listen to the temptations to give in to the
despair of my lifelong plans being no longer relevant. The demons also talk to
me and say how I’ve been abandoned by God, that I’m a slave to a false Christ and that they’re actually angels, and that I deserve better. All these temptations
I drown out by continuously fighting and holding out the hope that I’m doing what’s
right.
There’s no reason that this isn’t,
as far as I know. The only doubt in my mind is the suddenness of it all and the
fact that God allowed me to do the things I did for as long as I did without
any kind of correction. It is possible that I ignored the warning signs or
thought they were temptations by the devil. In fact, I think that’s probably
the case at this point if demons are tempting me to go back to my original
thinking. There’s no way that these hollow spirits are actually angels since
they killed those close to me and are inspiring people to gratuitous acts of violence
and slaughter. After a while, I am teleported to the roof of the basilica where everything started, and am expecting more demons, but nothing appears except
for the broken statue of Christ.
“What? Are there no more demons for
me to exorcise?” I ask.
“You’ve done your part. Well done,”
the statue says.
Hearing sounds of violence and
seeing fires in the distance brings doubt into my mind again.
“Even though the city still burns?”
“Yes. There are demons that I am
not allowing you to see and fires that don’t need putting out because I am
allowing certain evils to happen for a greater good that I have planned. I know
you’re still concerned about your legacy, but do not be. Even though the legacy
you wanted to happen will be erased tonight, what you leave behind will be
greater than that.”
“I…I figured I couldn’t save my
legacy. It doesn’t help that you had to point it out and what You’re saying
doesn’t help much.”
“Then let us plant the final seeds
of your legacy so that it will begin to grow.”
Friday, November 24, 2023
Exorcism of the Hollow: The Good Traitor: Chapter 1 – Exorcising the Self
Chapter 1 – Exorcising the
Self
After hanging the noose around the
heretic, I throw him over the balcony to hang him with his cardinals and
archbishops. Now, the pope of the false Christianity is dead and the followers
of his sham of a gospel will follow as well if they don’t submit to the true
faith that is being captained by the good people of the British Empire and I, her
king. My subjects and the true servants of Our Lord Jesus Christ cheer for me
below and my three wives stand around me with their heads on my shoulders.
“Cheer, not only for me but for
yourselves, loyal servants of Christ! Today we celebrate the downfall of the
anti-Chrit’s Christianity and the next big achievement in establishing Christ’s
true Church on earth and dominating it for His sake, so drink, eat, be merry, and
enjoy yourselves to your heart’s desires! You’ve earned it,” I say as the crowd
grows louder with fervor and zeal.
Downstairs in the basilica, I watch
and enjoy the fruits of my labor. First, I look at my wives. One is the
daughter of a royal family that I’ve known since childhood, another was a nun
until she was…convinced to abandon her vow of chastity and marry me, and the
last is a slave woman who previously helped clean my castle. Second, I look
over to my family and friends who made this possible. Without their influence
and resources, we wouldn’t have been able to overthrow the pope and his armies.
Third and lastly, I look at my servants who I also appreciate for playing their
part.
Everyone is happy and nothing could
make me happier than seeing this. While the party is going on, a few of the
drunks break the cross that’s at the very back of the basilica. This stops the
party for some as they go to see the broken crucifix and statue of Christ that
was attached to it and even condemn the drunks for this desecration of a holy
object. To avoid the party being spoiled, I clang my wine glass to get everyone’s
attention.
“Let us not make this spoil
enjoying our just rewards,” I say. “As for these drunks, they have done nothing
wrong. In fact, I was going to destroy that cross myself since it depicts the
false Christ of the Catholics. Our Christ is risen and not perpetually crucified
because all our sins of the past, present, and future are wiped away forever
and with our vow of faith in Christ we are saved no matter what mistakes and
sins we may make.”
The crowd agrees with me and calms
down.
“Now, bring in the statue of the
true Christ and put Him where the false Christ fell.”
Ten of my servants bring in the
statue I’ve brought over from Britain, place Him at the back of the Church, and carry away the broken trash of the cross and false Christ. This statue of
Christ depicts Him with the armor of a king with a lion and unicorn behind Him.
In His hands are the flag of the British Empire and a sword.
“This is a proper and true
depiction of Christ. Don’t you all agree?”
Again, the crowd agrees with me
before clapping and going back to enjoying the party. Many hours pass and
guests go home one after the other until around twenty remain, most of whom are
my relatives and close associates. They’re staying since we still have to
divide the riches of the Vatican and explore its vaults for valuables. Before
we can do that, the doors of the basilica close and the candles go out. A deep
darkness surrounds us that we can hardly see each other in.
We all take out our weapons and
call out whoever is pulling this trick on us and no one answers. I then see
bits of a creature that has a white body and a black hole in its chest. It starts
cutting down everyone I know one after the other and kills them in various
ways such as making them fly in the air before dropping them down or just plain
tearing their head off or in two. For some reason, it seems like no one else
can see them even when I see them look at the creatures point blank and tell
them about it. Taking matters into my own hands, I hunt the creature in the dark
and eventually find it, but when I strike it, the blade of my sword shatters
into pieces. Both of my wrists are then restrained by invisible chains and I am
forced to stay in place as I watch everyone close to me die.
With no other option, I call out to
God with all my strength for the opportunity to obtain justice and am only met
with the floating destroyed statue of Christ whose face is covered by a black veil.
Its chest and last remaining hand that has a nail through it bleeds and tears
seem to be on its veil.
“Lord? Is that You?” I ask.
“Do not call Me Lord for I do not
know you,” the statue says.
“What are you talking about?”
“You have persecuted Me by persecuting
My Church, My people, My both faithful and unfaithful servants.”
“Was I not supposed to bring Your
justice to the unfaithful? To the Catholics and the traitors among the British Empire
and those who call themselves Christians but are nothing but heretics?”
“You speak of heretics and you are chief
among them and chief among today’s sinners for killing so many and indulging in
sin and your own desires.”
“I’ve never done anything wrong!
You’re right. You don’t know me.”
“You ask Me for help, I bring you
the truth, and you decide to argue with Me. Know that My mercy outweighs My
justice by your continued breathing despite your countless blasphemies and by
giving you penance. This penance is to be the first among a new league of
exorcists that operate invisibly and can see demons.”
My royal blue, red, white, and gold
clothes change to a dull brown and black priest-like set of clothes that look
like a combination of priest and guard. Half a mask covers my face and I can
feel and see a long spear coming out of my head.
“You will use this spear as your
primary weapon and the first demons you must banish are your own. You must crucify
yourself first if you want to serve Me and save yourself,” the statue continues.
“How do I know that you’re not an
anti-Christ?” I ask.
“A divided kingdom cannot stand
against itself. I want you to take this second chance and be the faithful
servant you claim to be.”
I try to take the spear from my
head, but the chains on my wrists prevent me from doing so. Turning my head to
look at them, I now see a white creature on both sides, one has a chain coming
out of its head while the other has a chain coming out of its heart, and both
of which appear to have a mockery of my face as theirs.
“I can’t do anything!” I say.
“That’s right. You can’t do anything
without My help. Crucify your ego. Give Me your vow of humility by saying, ‘Ego
me primum crucifigo’.”
Doing as the statue says, I swallow
my pride and say in the accursed Catholic language, “Ego me primum crucifigo.”
My chains break and the two
creatures behind me are blown away allowing me to take the spear out of my head
and wield it. I’m not too accustomed to using spears, but I should be able to banish
the creatures if God truly wants me to succeed. The creatures come at me and
attack me with their blade-like claws and no matter how much I stab them with
my spear, I can’t manage to do anything. What am I doing wrong?
“You’ve already forgotten so
easily. You cannot do anything without My help,” the statue says.
Fine then. Somehow believing God is
the source of my strength makes the spear do damage and allows me to fight
better. Soon after, I manage to banish the creatures, and the candles in the basilica
are all relit at once. With a clearer view of the bodies of everyone I cared
about, I’m unsure of who to go to first to see if they’re still alive.
“None of them are,” the statue
says.
“What?” I say.
“None of them are alive. They died
after they were struck down by their demons and judged soon after.”
“Can You at least tell me if they
went to Heaven or Hell?”
“I can tell you that those who
appear faithful will suffer Hellfire because of the decay in their soul and
those who appear wretched obtain the highest seat in Heaven because of their
repentance and trust in Me.”
“That’s not much of an answer.”
“Their fate is not your concern.
You need to worry about your own and those you’ll lead. Now, go! Free your
people of their demons.”
I am lifted into the air by an invisible
force and thrown out of the basilica. Before I can get up, the basilica’s doors
close. Was that really God and was I really banishing demons? I guess I have no
choice but to accept it and hope that I’m doing the right thing at this point.
If I truly lived an evil life, please God forgive me and help me to do the right thing.
Saturday, November 18, 2023
My 250th book is out today!
Unremembered and Unimportant: Chapter 5 - Ending and Beginning Again
Chapter
5 – Ending and Beginning Again
Unknown to the inhabitants of the
city, Josephine and Memphis are moving from shadow to shadow to avoid detection
and the notice of the Light of the World they are tasked with banishing. The
two manifest themselves out of the shadows in a dirty alleyway as they plan
their next move.
“How are we going to get to the castle
from here? I didn't see any more shadows for us to travel to,” Josephine says.
“We can hijack someone’s shadow
assuming they’re going there or maybe go into several shadows like we were
doing as we move forward,” Memphis suggests.
“We were doing that, but it’s a bit
too risky since shadows don’t last long here except for this alleyway, I guess.
Isn’t it strange that this is one of the few places that isn’t lit up?”
“Every light casts a shadow.
Besides, it makes sense that they wouldn’t want a trashy area of their golden paradise
to be lit up. They want it hidden like their sins.”
“You’re right. I think we should go
with your plan seeing as how it’s the only thing we can do. We’ll just have to
deal with any difficulties from there-”
A sudden loud thud sound scares
Josephine. She looks around for the source and can’t seem to find what it was or
what happened. Turning to ask if Memphis saw anything, her words are caught in
her throat by how still he is. A realization of what happened freezes her in
place as Memphis turns around to reveal the gaping hole in his chest.
“Memphis!” Josephine says as she
runs to catch him as he falls to the ground. “Memphis! Memphis!”
There are no signs of life in Memphis
at all. The only thing that remains is a faint smile as if he were going to say
something reassuring to Josephine. An overwhelming light fills the once-dark
alleyway while Josephine cries and holds Memphis’ body. Three arms come out of
the lights and surround Josephine with their embrace. In the sky, a black light
forms, and now the entire sky looks like a singular eye.
“Josephine, don’t fight us. You see
the result of our power. The Servant isn’t doing anything to save you. You will
finally get what you deserve,” a feminine voice from the sky says.
All three hands point at Josephine
and slowly change her back to what she looked like. As this is happening, she
doesn’t do anything except continue to cry as any fight in her is gone and is
now replaced with surrender and despair. Now back to normal, Josephine feels a
faint numbness block out her sadness and bits of anger. The hands then move to
make Memphis’ body disappear into nothing, which spikes her feelings before the
numbness takes away the pain. She is taken by the hands out of the alley and
put on a pedestal in the streets to be seen by everyone.
“Behold, a true selfless servant. You
are to do everything she says. Shower her with praise. Make sure she is loved.
Protect her from hatred. If she wants you to be her lover, then you are to do
so without a second thought,” the feminine voice says.
From the crowd, Josephine’s family and
friends emerge. They seem to have a halo around their heads and a white light
shining from their eyes.
“What? Am I being put into a dream
again?” Josephine asks.
“This is no dream. This is reality.
I got them here and influenced your loved ones to always love you as they
should. I knew you were coming. I know your every desire and wish to fulfill
it.”
“You don’t know anything about me!”
“I knew you were coming. I know
about the feelings that you had for the boy and the feelings he had for you. Both
of you yearned for love and fell for each other so easily because of it. One
wanted to be loved because she thought she would be useless and depressed
without someone showing any love to her. The other wanted love because he
wanted to think he was worth loving.”
“So, why did you kill him and leave
me alive?”
“From what we’ve seen and heard,
you seem like the one who would be easier to convince to stop when given
everything you wanted and we appear to be correct. Live in peace and harmony
with us and convince the other Dead and Conduits who come here to do so as well
and you’ll get everything that you want and keep the people here happy. It’s
everything that you wanted, isn’t it?”
Knowing that she can’t disagree,
Josephine doesn’t say anything. The three arms disappear and the sky goes back
to normal. Everyone whom the Light has given to Josephine begins fawning over
her and asking her what they want her to do.
“Leave me alone!” Josephine says as
she runs back to the alley where Memphis died. She sits on the dirty floor and
starts crying again. “I’m back where I started…but in a worse condition…”
Appearing from the shadows, the
Servant says, “I am still here for you.”
“Are you?! Where were you when they
killed Memphis?!”
“Here.”
“And you had to let him die.”
“I did.”
“For what reason? Tell me!”
“It was his time to go so that you
would know the value of feeling alone.”
“I don’t see the value that you’re
talking about.”
“I do know that you at least see that
there’s no value in getting everything you wanted.”
“I kind of learned that the first
time it happened.”
“But you had to be reminded of it
so that you would come back to Me.”
“Come back to You? For what reason?
I have nothing to give You.”
“You still have your life.”
“My life is worth less than
nothing.”
“I can still make that into
something.”
“Why put me through this? Do you
hate me? Do you like seeing me suffer? Why not give these tasks to someone who
can do them better than I can?”
“I do this to make you into the person
you were meant to be because I love you more than you love yourself. This process
is painful, but I bear the pain with you and give you the strength to make it
through it.”
“Then why allow me to fail so many
times when I’m trying to do what You want?”
“Your failures and losses bring you
closer to Me. In victory or defeat, I can make you into something greater. Only
trust Me a little and you will be able to move mountains and overthrow false gods.”
“Okay then. I did trust You a
little before. Maybe it’s time that I trust You more.”
The Servant reaches out His hand to
Josephine who takes it. A deep and yet somehow bright darkness enters her that
dispels the light around her. Seeing her newfound power, she walks out into the
streets towards the castle where her target is. As she is walking toward it,
those who are under this Light of the World’s influence are freed from it once
her darkness touches them. Most are confused and unsure what to do or where
they are while others remember that they are Conduits and use the abilities given
to them by the Servant to dispel more of the light and destroy the angel apparitions
of light that this Light of the World has conjured.
Again, the eye in the sky reveals
itself and attempts to strike down Josephine with lightning from above, but
none of the strikes can manage to pierce her darkness. Every servant that the
Light sends against her is blinded by the dark or runs away in fear because of
it. Now at the castle, the other Conduits make their way inside while Josephine
sits on the steps of the entrance.
From above, the same feminine voice
from before says, “I can give you whatever you want. Just get rid of that
accursed darkness you radiate!”
“It’s not my darkness and I don’t
need anything,” Josephine says.
“You know that’s not true. I know how
you truly feel! You want what I just gave you and more! I can bring Memphis
back to life if you help me. Watch and see.”
An apparition of Memphis appears in
front of Josephine who appears more handsome and well-dressed than he was
before. Knowing that this isn’t him, Josephine turns her head and the apparition
is consumed by the dark.
“Stop denying your emotions and
desires!” the Light says.
“It’s better that I do because
following my feelings and getting what I want has only left me miserable. It is
the right thing to do after all,” Josephine says.
No further words are said by the
Light and the rest of its false light is dispelled from the city. Presuming it
to be banished, Josephine leaves the city. People in the streets are either celebrating
their freedom, hurling insults at Josephine, or running away from her. Looking
into her reflection in one of the store windows, she sees that she’s changed.
Her clothes, hair, and eyes are all different though the scars and stitching on her body remain the same. She smiles at her new appearance and because of the satisfaction she has from learning something new but old. For the rest of her life, she’ll continue to learn this lesson, fall and rise, and grow in wisdom. Though she may be hated, forgotten by the world, and mostly alone for the rest of her life, she’ll be remembered in the heart of the Servant, the only place worth being remembered in.
The End
Unremembered and Unimportant: Chapter 4 – A Tease of Hope
Chapter
4 – A Tease of Hope
It’s been a few days since Memphis
and Josephine started working together and they’ve managed to banish many
Lights of the World and grow in strength, especially Josephine who can
bear with the hatred she faces and the enemies that the Servant sends them
towards. Today, they enter a settlement that the Servant has cleansed from the influence
of the Lights of the World. It is inhabited by Conduits whose purpose is to keep
this area pure and make a simple living here. The weather and daylight cycle is
natural here with days and nights passing along with days of rain, snow, low
and high winds, and the occasional spike or drop in temperature. All seems
normal until the light grows brighter and a being manifests from it.
This being is comprised of three
heads. One of which is an old man with a crown, another is a head with a crown
of thorns, and the last is that of a bird. A spiky cross is on the being’s body
and the entirety of it gives off a comforting feeling.
“The Servant has appeared to us
again!” a Conduit says as everyone in the settlement drops what they’re doing
and races over to give the being praise and homage.
“What do you think? He doesn’t look
like He usually does when I see Him, but He seems like the Servant. His presence
and radiance sure feel like it,” Josephine says.
“You’re right, but there are subtle
things to watch out for,” Memphis explains, “I don’t think the Servant would
tell us to go here just to see Him again in a different form.”
“Maybe it could be that and to take
a break. I need one after all the traveling and banishing we’ve been doing.”
“We’ll get our rest when we get it.
I don’t think now’s the time yet.”
“I guess there really is no rest for
the Dead.”
“Just take my hand. I have a
feeling that we’re going to have to use our abilities soon.”
“We might as well always be holding
hands at this rate,” Josephine says before the two hold hands without a second thought.
“Are you seriously suggesting that
we do? I mean I don’t have a problem with that!”
“I…um. We should pay attention to
what’s going on.”
“Right, right.”
Memphis and Josephine can’t help
but blush and smile at each other before turning their attention to this
supposed manifestation of the Servant.
“Blessed are you, my child,” the
entity says, “For all your hard work, you shall be given rest for a time as I will
be protecting this area with my own hands as a reward. Your crops will grow
larger and cattle will multiply without your input and your illnesses will be
cured.”
As the entity is speaking, what it
promises happens in front of the eyes of the faithful as people are cured,
fields of crops grow larger, and cattle multiply. Josephine contorts her free
hand while the entity continues to speak. Eventually, Memphis notices her doing
this.
“Remember, you’re a Conduit, not
the light itself. We can’t just use our banishing abilities when we want to,”
Memphis says.
“Yeah, I guess I should know that
by now. Still, I want to get this over with if something is up. Whoever this is
seems to be the real deal,” Josephine says.
The entity notices the two and
floats over to them.
“Josephine, Memphis, my faithful
servants. You made it just in time for me to give you your due reward,” the
entity says.
“As much I want to be rewarded, I’d
like to ask you some questions before enjoying them,” Memphis says.
“Of course. Ask me anything.”
“What do you mean by resting for a time?
Should we stop working?”
“You should. There’s nothing wrong
with resting since you need to refresh so that you can later go back to work
with renewed strength.”
“Right. What about these miracles
you’ve been performing? What’s with the sudden and gracious reward?”
“My faithful deserve this after all
the suffering that they’ve done, don’t you think? Are you saying that you want
more? I can make that happen if you want.”
“I want nothing more than what I deserve.”
“And what do you deserve?”
“Whatever the Servant says as I deserve.”
“Are you saying that you don’t
think I am who I appear to be? What other signs should I make to make you
believe me?”
The crowd of faithful believers
begin to crowd closer to Memphis and Josephine all of whom are either beginning
to feel hostile towards them or begin to question if who they are seeing is
really the Servant.
“Of course, it’s the Servant. This
place has been purified from evil and look at everything we’ve been given,” one
argues.
“But do we deserve such gifts so
suddenly? It seems like something a Light of the World would do,” another asks.
“My faithful people, do not let
your doubts shake your trust in me. If what I haven’t given you is enough, tell
me, I will listen, and I will give.”
“The only thing we want is what we
rightfully deserve and we pray that we get it,” Memphis says before bowing his
head down in prayer.
The other faithful do the same and
Josephine follows them. Even though some don’t pray and just
watch to see what happens, the entity begins to contort and break apart until
the true Servant emerges from it. The light in the area seems to have been
adjusted as if the sun’s radiance had dimmed. Everything that the fake Servant
had given the people disappears as well in a flash of light as if they were
never there.
“You did well, Memphis,” the Servant
says.
“Thank you, Lord,” Memphis says.
“What about our reward-” one of the
people says before the Servant disappears.
“Your reward is the life you are
living now. Treasure it.”
Besides the people here who are
sour about not getting anything, the faithful among them thank Memphis for
helping them see the deception of the false Servant. They tell him and Josephine
to stick around and relax while they prepare lunch for them as a reward for
helping them.
“No, we shouldn’t. There’s still a
lot that needs to be done,” Memphis says.
“Like what? The Servant hasn’t
given us any new task yet, so I’m sure we can stick around for a bit to catch
our breaths,” Josephine says.
“I guess you’re right. Okay, we
accept your gracious gift, but also, pray for us so that we’ll know what the
Servant wants us to do next.”
The faithful thank the two and bring
them to a small restaurant that they’ve established that is surrounded by a
garden of flowers. They tell the two to sit and relax while their meal is being
made and speak to them as if they were a couple, which makes them realize that
they’re still holding each other’s hands. In a moment of embarrassment, they let
go and apologize to one another before sitting down in awkward silence.
“So, why do you want to keep
rushing to the next destination?” Josephine asks to break this silence.
“Because the world is still largely
under the influence of the Lights of the World. Not even a place like this is
safe from them as you saw,” Memphis says.
“There’s plenty of other Conduits
out there who are taking care of them. Didn’t you say that everyone has their
role to play in the Servant’s plan?”
“Yeah. Now that you mention it, I
wouldn’t be able to stand being like these people who are tasked with settling
down, but on the other hand, I wouldn’t complain too much if it really was what
I was supposed to be doing.”
“I’d prefer it over constantly
being on the move.”
“Believe me when I say that we don’t
have it as bad as other Conduits like us. Some can manifest
their abilities at will, speak words of unfathomable wisdom that can convert
the hearts of hundreds at a time, and are known for great deeds and because of
it, they are constantly asked to help out and can hardly catch their breath
since most people know them.”
“All blessings seem to come with a
curse.”
“Or rather they come with crosses
and responsibilities all of which I gladly accept.”
“Because it’s the right thing to
do?”
“You know it.”
“But why does doing the right thing
bother you so much besides the matter of fact of it?”
The owners of the small restaurant
bring Memphis and Josephine their lunch and then leave them alone. While they
eat, Josephine watches Memphis and waits for an answer.
“Come on, you can tell me,”
Josephine says.
“What’s there to tell? You already
know the primary reason,” Memphis says.
“What’s the secondary one then?”
“Something that belongs in the past
and one that I’m still trying to make up for.”
“Tell me about it. We’re working
together so we might as well tell each other what bothers us.”
“Alright, fine. Before I followed
the Servant or even cared about what was right and wrong, I was a human trafficker.
I sold and bought prostitutes for my boss and had my way with them to test
their ‘quality’. There were even times when I had to kill them for running
away.”
“Before, I was a prostitute myself
who did heinous things and was told to convince others to do the same. I
hated every second of it.”
“But if you were a prostitute then
that means we could’ve met before and never knew it. Josephine, I’m sorry for
everything that I did even if you don’t remember seeing me or knew that I was
behind you being sold or given away to another slave master.”
“Don’t worry about it. Like you said,
it’s in the past and you’re making up for it now.”
“Still, it doesn’t feel like I’m
doing enough.”
“How about we walk around this
place and enjoy the sights? It’s one way to repay me if you still feel guilty.”
“Alright. We haven’t gotten a sign
as to what to do next so we might as well.”
Josephine does her best to hide her
excitement and only barely manages to stop from giggling. After lunch, the two
take a tour of the area and are shown around the nearby garden, the farms, and the church. They are told the history of every place they visit and talk to the faithful
here and get to know them. Before they know it, it’s dinner time and they are
invited to supper and a celebration afterwards. Memphis has his doubts about
staying, but Josephine and the other people here convince him to stay. The two
sit around the center of the settlement and are served meals while the
musicians start to play their music.
At first, they play songs of
suffering and strife and then move on to playing more uplifting songs and
finally end with songs of love and happiness as if they are telling a story
with each song. When the last set of songs begins to play, the people begin to
sing and dance and get Josephine and Memphis to join them. Even though Memphis
is shy to do so at first, Josephine takes him by the hand and makes him dance.
Eventually, he enjoys it and even sings along with Josephine and the others. The
final song that the musicians play is a slow love song. A song that is only
danced to by couples and one that Josephine makes Memphis dance to as well.
“I’m…I’m not good at this. Dancing
that is. Heh, I must look like a fool to everyone here,” Memphis says.
“I don’t think that. I think you
danced great even if you were a bit silly,” Josephine says with a giggle.
“Josephine…I don’t know if we
should-”
“Shh. Let’s enjoy this moment
together.”
As the two look into each other’s
eyes and the song ends, Josephine and Memphis kiss each other at the same time
as if they were thinking the same thing. While everyone goes to sit down to eat
dessert or go home, the two continue to look into each other’s eyes.
“I can’t believe you’d kiss and
fall in love with someone like me,” Memphis says.
“I can’t believe the same thing. I’m
just a nobody after all who would be useless without you,” Josephine repeats.
“That’s not true. I’m sure you’d be
fine alone.”
“I’d rather not think about that.
Just promise me that you’ll never leave me and will always be at my side.”
“I will. I promise you that and
that…I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Josephine and Memphis kiss again
before resting for the night in a room in the inn prepared for them. They rest
together in the same bed while holding each other’s hand with smiles on their
faces and a peace and warmth in their joyful hearts that they’ve never felt
before.
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Unremembered and Unimportant: Chapter 3 – Bringing Back the Lost
Chapter
3 – Bringing Back the Lost
“Josephine! Breakfast is ready!”
her mom says from downstairs.
At the sound of her mom’s voice,
Josephine jumps out of bed with a smile, stretches, and runs downstairs. She
eats breakfast with her parents and gives them a big hug and kiss.
“What’s gotten into you? You act
like you haven’t seen us in years?” her dad says.
“I just love you is all. Is
something wrong with that?” Josephine asks.
“No, not at all. I love you too,
baby.”
After eating, Josephine and her mom
cook meals and clean up the house for the get-together today while her dad
tends the garden, lawn, and outside decorations. Once that is done, the family
eats lunch together and Josephine’s parents tell her that they can handle the
rest and she is free to see her friends. She does so and visits them at a park near
a lake that they like to frequent and speak of old times. A bit of time passes
before they go to Josephine’s house, have their daily get-together, enjoy the
sight of the stars, and then say their goodbyes. While she looks up at the
stars, Josephine feels both happy and empty as usual, but at the same time, she
wishes for this day to happen again and again for the rest of her life.
For the many days she’s been here,
Josephine has hardly changed the formula of the day. She may include more work,
have her loved ones praise her deeds more, and get kisses from a crush she had,
however, she’s happy in the cycle that she’s trying to perfect no matter the
changes. During the next day, the neighbor comes down to her from the sun.
“Josephine! I’m glad to see that
you’re enjoying yourself and happy as always,” he says.
“I am and thank you again for
allowing me to have it,” Josephine says, “Will you be joining my family and friends
for our get-together today?”
“Thank you for the offer, but not
today. I came here to inform you that one of the Conduits of the Servant may be
passing by here and to stay on your guard. Don’t let this news disturb your
happiness though. More Lights of the World should be here soon so that you’ll be
granted the same powers as I so that you can make people happy in a similar way
to the way I do.”
“Okay, thank you for letting me
know. You should stop by more often to spend time with us. It’s great having
you around.”
“I love spending time with you as
well. Your reality is wonderful and you are one of the few people I’ve met who
are as selfless as I am and that only wants to see people happy for the rest of
their lives. I’ll see you again after the Conduit is taken care of.”
The neighbor dissipates into light
and leaves Josephine slightly worried.
“Nothing should happen,” she tells
herself, “The Servant let me get overtaken by the neighbor. Surely, this other
Conduit will as well, but then again, I was never anything special.”
Josephine’s friends and family appear,
surround her, and give her support to take away her worries and make her smile
again. Another happy day passes before another one comes. As the day goes along
and Josephine is spending time with her friends, she sees an unfamiliar face in
the park that she didn’t put there. In the distance, she sees a young man standing
on a rock looking around until he sees her.
“Hey!” he says to her while waving
with a friendly smile on his face.
This young man wears black rags,
has gray skin with only one patch of light beige skin around his mouth, and
green eyes with a faint gold glow in the center. A gold light seems to emanate
from the man which makes the surrounding light seem dim in comparison. Josephine
knows that this must be the Conduit that the neighbor was talking about, however,
she doesn’t know why nothing is being done about him and why he’s here in her reality.
In an attempt to get rid of him, she shifts reality in a way to exclude him
from it and even resorts to imagining people shooting him all of which have no
effect on him besides amazing him with what’s happening as if she’s performing
simple magic tricks for him.
“Woah! How are you doing that?” the
young man asks.
“Because this is my reality and I want
you out of it,” Josephine says.
“Your reality? This place is a
dream and not reality because reality is reality, and in reality, you’re sitting
on a park bench with two older people. Are they your parents?”
“Yes.”
“I kind of figured since you look
like them. I’m sure you want to get them back to reality, so you should help me
so we can get everyone out of here. We don’t have much time since my light can
only keep the neighbor confused for so long.”
“I don’t want to.”
“What? Why not? I thought that was
why the Servant sent you here.”
“It was but look at me now. The
Servant didn’t help me one bit and I’m glad that He didn’t because I finally
get to be happy in the way that I want.”
“And what way is that?”
“By making my friends and family happy.”
“What friends and family? This is
your dream and everyone in it besides you and me is fake.”
“They’re real to me! They’re real
here.”
“But that doesn’t make them
actually real. Is making fake people happy what you want to do?”
“No, because I’m happy here as
well! The neighbor makes so many people happy by giving them their own reality to
live in.”
“You don’t make people happy by
making them live in a dream. Besides, there’s more to living life than trying
to be happy all the time.”
“And what would that more be?”
“As far as I know, it all boils
down to doing the right thing with your life and making the most of it even if
you don’t get to be happy for most of it.”
Josephine immediately remembers
what the Servant told her about making her life right and the responsibility
she felt in doing so. It’s almost as if she can hear the Servant’s voice in the
man’s own.
“Tch.”
“You know it’s true.”
“So what if I do? I can’t help you
banish the neighbor.”
“Yes, you can. With my help that
is. That’s why I’m here. Take my hand.”
As Josephine reaches out to the
man, she sees that part of her is transforming back to normal along with her
dark aura, however, her darkness is complementary to the man’s light both of
which begin to dispel the light of the neighbor.
The reality created by Josephine’s
mind and the neighbor’s power begins to dissipate along with everything and
everyone in it. In the distance, she can see her friends and family disappear
and cry out for her to help them.
“Look at me,” the young man says to
get her attention, “They aren’t real, but they are real in reality. You can
make them happy there.”
“My friends abandoned and hate me
now and I don’t know what my parents would say,” Josephine says.
“There’s a chance that they’ll
accept you for doing the right thing. You’re their daughter after all. Why
would they hate you?”
After a moment of hesitation and
consideration, Josephine takes the young man’s hand causing the false reality
around her to shatter. Her parents alongside her also wake up and are confused
as to what happened.
“Mom? Dad?” Josephine tepidly says
as she approaches them.
Her parents are a bit confused and
startled at first by their daughter’s appearance.
“Josephine?” her dad says.
“Is that really you?” her mom adds.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“What happened to you, and who’s
that boy?” her mom asks.
“I was brought back to life by the
Servant and this boy helped me free you from the neighbor’s light.”
“Why did you do that for? I was living
such a good life.”
“Why are you helping that devil,
the Servant? It causes so much suffering for people who just want to be happy.
I thought you wanted others to be happy,” her dad says.
“I do, but I’d rather do it in the
right way.”
“Right way, wrong way. What does it
matter when it’s all a matter of opinion? What does it matter when people are
happy?”
“It-”
“We were perfectly fine in our
reality. We weren’t hurt and no one could be hurt in those wonderful dreams of
ours,” her mom says.
“But-”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses.
You’re obviously not the same daughter I raised who did whatever she could to make
people happy even at the cost of her own happiness.”
“But dad, I-”
Josephine’s parents don’t listen to
her as they walk away. The sky turns dark and it begins to rain making
everyone run away from it or into shelter except for Josephine and the young
man. Again falling to her knees like last time, she covers her face and tries
not to cry while also keeping back a burst of hysterical laughter.
“Josephine, don’t worry about them,”
the young man says.
“I hope you’re happy!” Josephine yells
not only at the man in front of her but also at the Servant. “You got what you
wanted! Now leave me alone!”
“Josephine…”
“I gave up what made me happy and
now I’m hated by my friends and family and there’s no chance that I can get any
of it back! Is this what doing the right thing is like because I hate it!”
“Doing the right thing can be
painful and it involves suffering sometimes without getting any relief, thanks,
or payment for it.”
Something about what the man says
resonates with Josephine as she knows it to be true from experience from before
even helping the Servant. The man then hugs her.
“But you don’t need to do it alone
because I’ll be helping you and together, we’ll fulfill our purpose in life for
the Servant,” he continues to say while giving Josephine a reassuring smile.
A tidal wave of emotions fills
Josephine as she feels reinvigorated by the man’s words. It feels to her as if
she’s been swept off her feet by him and feelings of love begin to grow inside
her. The moment is interrupted as the man notices the Lights of the World who are
with the neighbor approaching them all of which are covered by their light that
shields them from the rain.
“What did you do?! Why did you ruin
our happiness?!” the neighbor says.
“It was the right thing to do,”
Josephine says as she stands with the man by her side.
“Well, the next right thing for you
will be to suffer and die for what you’ve done to me and the friends I’ve made.”
“Take my hand!” the man says while
holding out his hand.
When Josephine does as the man
says, a bright light bursts from the man’s other hand that he’s holding up. The
skin on his body turns completely beige while Josephine’s skin doesn’t turn all
grey like last time. Darkness brighter than the Lights of the World come from
her and from her darkness rats with the limbs of cats and the claws of monsters
come out. While the light from the man burns the lights and keeps them disorientated,
Josephine’s rats tear them apart and eat them from the inside out. By the end
of it, there is nothing left of the neighbor and the other Lights of the World
besides muck and decomposing flesh. The young man’s body turns back to what it
once was and the light from his free hand disappears.
“Glad that’s over. It was cathartic,”
Josephine says.
“Doing this can be from time to
time. Thank the Servant that it ended in our favor,” the young man says.
“I’m surprised that your body didn’t
turn completely grey.”
“That’s because my body and mind
are mostly in tune with the Servant. You’ll reach that point soon enough and I’ll
teach you how.”
“Yeah. Thank you…for everything. I
don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“Don’t mention it. I also couldn’t
have banished all those lights without your help as well. My name is Memphis,
by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”
“My name is Josephine. It’s
nice to meet you too.”
Memphis and Josephine smile at each
other and blush a bit before Memphis clears his throat and looks away.
“We should get out of the rain,” he
suggests.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
The two make their way out of the
area together as they begin their journey. For the first time in a while,
Josephine feels as if her life will get better and that it is worth living as
long as she is with Memphis.