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“You appear awfully frightened.” The darkness spoke. Cross was sure the voice belonged to someone, or something. He just didn’t know what. “There is no need to fear me, I have no intensions of harm towards you.” Cross felt a drop of sweat bead down his brow despite the soothing voice, it was almost lulling him to sleep.“W-what are you?” Cross’ voice was barely even a whisper, it echoed off of the walls of the black void he found himself in. Phonetically, he sounded terrified. At the sound of footsteps on stone, growing ever nearer, a spike of fear shot through his body. “Don’t come near me!” Cross shouted towards the empty nothingness.Paranoid, he looked around himself. Fearful of the darkness that seemed to be closing in on his being from all sides, yet nowhere at all. He felt a build-up rise in his soul, something that he didn’t know was about to happen. Fearing for his life, Cross sank to the ‘floor’ of the endless night. Hugging himself as he tried to hide from whatever it was that took interest in him.When suddenly the twisting feeling in his non-existing stomach ended. He came back to realisation. Where he found two languid, thin but long arms wrapped around his frame from behind. A head rested on the back of his neck and seeing as Cross’ bones didn’t tingle from any hairs, it was not human.“Be calm, mortal.” It spoke, Cross was certain this entity was the darkness for it had the exact same bass tone and an underlying sadness that made him want to cry. So he did. He cried, even more so when the tentacles of despair wrapped him up in their embrace. They were cold and wet, they felt like firm but glossy snow.Cross didn’t know for how long the nothingness reassured him. Its smooth voice cut through his non-existent ears and left him feeling empty like the void. It was as though the troubling thoughts swirling in his soul were pulled out and devoured by the comforting cold of the black, gloved hands which were resting just above his being.A few moments after the silence that followed after he stopped sniffling, the darkness rumbled: “I pray you take my hand when we meet next.” The idea that Cross would meet this entity again scared him, rationality washed away like how the shore kissed the ocean. Cross struggled in its grip, to no avail. Despite its strong grip, the nothingness let him go as soon as Cross gave up on struggling.With Cross leaning forward he thought he was going to hit his head on the ‘floor’ of the black void, instead he found himself falling forevermore. Cross shot up from where he had been sleeping on the ‘ground’ of the endless white space. After the shock was gone he slumped back down.With his eyes up, he automatically watched the patterns of blue coloured strings seemingly hanging from the ‘ceiling’. Tangled inside them were broken souls unfortunate enough to be caught up in the web they spun. He’d believed the white void followed him endlessly, into the very back of his mind where dreams were woven.Or rather nightmares, he supposed. It took him by surprise this time though, because it wasn’t a white nothingness this time. This dream, he’d never thought it before. What strange desires the unconscious conjures from the darkest corner of his constantly strangled in webs mind.It soothed him, the fact that he’d made up an imaginary friend to show up in his dreams. That would at least mean he wasn’t exaggerating when he went crazy in this endless plain somewhere in the middle of nowhere at the edge of the multiverse. Maybe he was crazy for thinking that way.Or maybe he was crazy for hearing the entity’s heels still. He felt the vibrations flow through his bones, they soothed him as the voice had. Cross’ skull pounded when he finally found the motivation to rise from his misery. No sleep schedule caused his biological clock to go insane, it didn’t know what to think.When he finally managed to get onto all fours he was rewarded with emptiness. Complete and utter emptiness. The world around him, the one that didn’t exist, was seemingly spinning around him endlessly. Like he was the middle point of the anti-void. Even if he didn’t want to be.All he really wanted was to leave this horrid hadal zone of a void. A laughing excuse of a place that shouldn’t exist. It did, however, and Cross was stuck in its blinding colours forever. All these rainbows filling his vision until he won’t even be able to remember his own name. The blank slate that replaced all his memories, against his wanting.“I am no mere voice.” Cross was a little startled at the realness of his hallucination. “Do you understand, mortal? I am no mere figment.” The soldier felt as though he couldn’t move when the pressure of eternal doom loomed upon his being, once more. “Eyes up, mortal.” Cross heard it say, “look me in the eye, look at me.”The soldier, as though on instinct, shot his eye-lights up in shock. There it was. The darkness, so small against an endless white space that filled nothing. Yet, Cross was so much smaller compared to the entity which had embraced him without the slightest hint of warmth. He was still so cold.Cross could see the darkness clearly now. It was wearing knee-high, five [12,7 cm] inch tall heeled boots, a quite tight pair of black pants seemingly held up by a black belt accented with a golden clasp, its bones were darker than the void of a skeleton’s eye socket and its own eye sockets were impossibly darker.It seemed to be wearing a blouse, Cross wasn’t certain, and on top a tuxedo, on its shoulders rested another pair of golden clasps from which a cape was growing, seemingly out of nowhere. Its eye-light was sea foam cyan, piercing right through Cross’ soul, all the while twisting its insertion uncomfortably.The soldier could feel himself cower at the aura of utter despair and hopelessness that flowed off of this thing, if you could even call it that. “Good.” It said, Cross shamed himself for the spike of approval that shot through him. “Predictable, are you not?” Its skull was tilted to the side as it raised a non-existent eye brow.“Tell me, mortal.” The soldier almost burst out in tears upon hearing a voice, he now realised was real, after an everlasting silence. It didn’t matter if the darkness was kind or cruel, it was real. “What is it you most desire?” The entity bore holes through his form, never blinking, as it waited patiently for a response.“I-I want to go home.” Cross watched shakingly at how the entity tilted its head in what seemed to be fascination. A soft: ‘oh?’ left its non-existent mocking lips. It approached him slowly and, in a near hesitant fashion, leaned over to be on his eye level. If Cross saw the void from the side he guessed the bend would be a perfect angle.“Where is that?” The nothingness questioned. At first, Cross thought it was asking him knowingly but as he mustered up the courage to look it in the eye, he found he was sincerely mistaken. This thing had no clue what he meant and, neither had he. Where was home again? He didn’t know.Cross was startled from his thoughts when he heard a snort come out of the darkness’ nasal-hole, apart from the noise of amusement there was no indication the nothingness was entertained. “Why ask me to take you where you do not know?” It stood straight, once again. “You truly are a strange creature, are you not?”“I don’t care where I go.” Cross spoke, more sure of himself than previously. “Just- anywhere but this place.” The soldier hated how it sounded like he was pleading. Hated the shallow feeling in his soul, trying to remember something it’d forgotten. Cross’ gaze slumped back down from where it had followed the movements of the entity.“Look at me.” Cross heard the voice demand as his chin was roughly grabbed to direct his skull up. Cross let the nothingness do as it pleased. The point of contact, where the darkness let him rest his head on a pair of its gloved phalanges, was completely numb due to the cold the hand emitted.“I may not be able to take you to ‘home’ but I can take you with me.” Cross felt a sparkle of hope ignite in his eye-lights. “Would you protest?” It was an invitation to get out of this hell hole, Cross couldn’t say no. At what cost though? Cross nodded his head fiercely, for as much as that was possible while still contained in the entity’s iron grip.It smiled, sickly so. “Good.” Was all it said before Cross felt the tentacles of despair embrace him once more. Only this time, their embrace was challenged by the dim ember glowing inside of him. A glimmer of hope that nearly melted them away. Sleep caught up to the soldier as the last glimpse of white vanished.
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When Cross woke up he found himself in a completely different space. A bed that was beyond the laws of comfort cushioned his back where he found himself laying still like a princess. For some reason the title Aurora came to him in his thoughts but he didn’t know where it lead or from hence it came.“Well well, would ya look a’ who’s awake.” Cross heard a pestering voice taunt. It was loud, a little scratchy and quite high. The soldier nearly snapped his neck in his hurry to locate where the voice sprouted forth. He was greeted with two eye-lightless sockets, staring him up and down.A smile was plastered onto the stranger’s face, wide and eery. There was a uniquely shaped soul, or at least Cross thought it was a soul, beaming a medium red glow onto the monster’s chest. All the while this husk stared at him, Cross felt a sense of danger linger around his hollow bones. This man was not to be trusted.“Are ya well ‘n rested? Cuz th’ boss man wants ya ta git started on ya trainin’ as soon as possible.” It said, seemingly oblivious to how uncomfortable it was making Cross feel. Training? Cross thought to himself. “You’re workin’ fer th’ king, now.” Killer answered despite Cross never voicing his thoughts. “You’re gonna be a soldier.”Cross felt the weight of the situation settle down on his shoulders. He was outside? He’d made it out of the world that didn’t exist thanks to the darkness? Frantically, he tripped on his way over to the nearest window he spotted. It was circular, tinted but most of all hidden beneath long purple curtains.Cross couldn’t stop the tears from flowing when he pulled the cloth out of the way, he was rewarded with a beautiful view of the garden while the sun shone high onto the different types of vegetation. He cried his heart out upon feeling the warmth of the sun rush through his bones.He’d returned to heaven.“Ya done?” The stranger’s voice cut through once he finally managed to stop his sobbing, a little embarrassment at his display of emotion showed on his features. Cross rubbed his eye sockets dry before nodding to which the skeleton seemed to sadly meet his eyes, then again without eye-lights Cross could never be sure.
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“How did you meet the boss?” Cross asked inquisitively before he thought the better of it. Truth was he was dying to know. He’d just explained to the stranger, who’s name he’d learned was Killer, how he and the darkness met. He dug deep in his mind but couldn’t remember when it had started appearing.His question was processed in uncomfortable silence filled with nothing but the tapping of their soles as they marched down a pitch black corridor lit by cyan coloured flames. Cross’ shoulders tensed when the thought that he might’ve said something wrong popped into his numbskull brain.“I’ was somewhere round December.” Killer began. Cross searched his expression and discovered a dreaming look on the other’s features. “I’ was so cold, I was so cold.” A flicker came from Killer’s soul, only with open eyes would you have witnessed. “And suddenly there he was.”Cross brows furrowed at the tone of adoration, Killer sounded like a love-sick teenager. “He came to me in my dreams, just like he did with you. I can’t stand th’ thought o’ goin’ back ta how I felt before him.” With the last sentence Killer’s tempting voice turned ice cold. “Dun worry, soldier boy. He’ll save you too.”Killer wrapped an arm around his shoulder, though he could barely reach since the other was 4 inches [10,16 cm] shorter than him, as they approached a grand open archway that lead into a large room. There were a number of treadmills, punching bags and lifting weights decorated around the sides of the room.At the centre of attention was a giant square platform 2 feet [60,96 cm] higher than the level ground with a black and white contrast to the rest of the room. A back line was drawn through the middle of the platform, vertically from where they were standing. Cross was slowly comprehending all the possibilities in front of him.“Are ya ready ta brawl, Criss-Cross?” Killer asked after unhooking his arm from around Cross’ shoulders.“Sure,” Cross answered unassuming. “Who am I fighting against?”“Little old me, o’course!” The other exclaimed loudly after having removed his jacket, which with outstretched hands revealed the many cuts that littered Killer’s arms. Those were not the result of battle, they were not messy enough and not at all random. Killer made those himself.Cross found himself unable to move as he watched Killer ascend to the training field, all the while showing off his scars proudly. The other’s taunting voice, asking him what he was stalling for, snapped his head into shaking. After he was done giving himself a headache, remnants of the anti-void, he stepped onto the training grounds.“Have ya had any trainin’ before, soldier boy?” Killer asked while lazily spinning a knife, which appeared to have been pulled from nowhere, round his fingers.“Not that I remember, no.” Cross answered honestly, it sounded like he was a private reporting to a general.“Aw,” Killer taunted, the smile on his face never moving. “tha’ means I have ta go easy on ya.” And with those words the other charged at him. Cross barely managed to dodge the swing of Killer’s knife aimed for his chest. While Killer kept having at him, Cross kept dodging and he noticed a thing or two about Killer’s fighting technique.The other was nearly crouched down, making himself smaller than he actually was. This Killer seemed to prefer for the other could get good hits from down below. Cross almost felt like he was dodging a child with a knife. The next thing Cross noticed was Killer’s speed and stealth, the other had an incredible balance and he was lightning fast.Cross felt Killer throw a fast but hurtful punch to his abdomen. Cross positioned in defence but the other was already dancing around him, once again. Despite the strength behind the other’s arms, Killer was feather light. Cross recalled the weight he felt on his shoulders while Killer leaned on him, this would mean that the other was less strong body-wise. That’s why Killer pulled away quickly after he landed a hit.If Cross were to hit back a few too many times, it would be over for him.The soldier didn’t know where this newfound calculating part of his mind came from but he was not complaining. After all, his calculations led him to realise a possible weakness. All that while he had yet to make a move, Killer knew nothing about his fighting style yet. Something told Cross the other was just as good at discovering patterns.Cross was pulled from his thoughts by Killer swinging forward, once more. He saw this one coming, however. When the other’s knife was barely inches away from making its first cut Cross managed to pull the other closer to him by the knife wielding wrist. Cross felt his phalanges grab onto the scars on the other’s arm.He may have been too distracted at the feeling for Killer grabbed him by his lower arm roughly and threw Cross over his shoulder. Cross was held back by a knife pressed gently to his throat. “You’re dead.” Killer said while staring into his eye-lights from above, the smile on his face was forever present.After a few moments of confused silence, while Killer stared into his eye-lights as though searching for something, the knife was pulled away from Cross’ neck. His hand automatically rubbed over the spot. It still felt cold like metal, there was no sign that it had ever threatened him.Killer hoisted himself up from where he had been crouched down and stretched his hand out for Cross to take. “Ya ready fer another round?” Killer smiled down at him.The grin seemed less forced this time.
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“Dun worry, Criss-Cross. He’s a big guy, ye’. But he’s th’ biggest sweetheart you’ll find round ‘ere!” Killer boldly stated as they walked away from the shower stalls. Showering next to Killer had been an interesting experience. Cross was certain the flirt winked at him a few times, and that was not even mentioning the whistles, cat-calls and compliments on his physique.Cross blushed at the thought when he passed by another grand archway. This room seemed furnished with the goal of comfort. There was a green couch to Cross’ right with a tv mounted to the wall. A pile of video games and movie DVD’s were messily contained within the half-open drawers of a little table placed in between the couch and the tv.To Cross’ left was the kitchen area where a 7.6 [231,648 cm] foot tall skeleton monster was cooking what seemed to be mac ‘n cheese on the stove. He was so tall that he could barely look at what he was doing for the cabinets were in the way. Speaking of cabinets, they were also very high up. Cross doubted his ability to reach them.Finally, in between the kitchen area and living room stood a fancy black table. The black wood was decorated with a white lingerie cloth and three candles glowing with a cyan hue, which seemed to be a theme, for behind the head chair was a fireplace, also ignited by cyan flames. The table was already prepped with cutlery, ready for breakfast.Cross scanned all this while Killer started chatting happily to the big guy managing the stove. The monster didn’t reply or interrupt the flirt in any part of his talk. After Cross was done observing the room quietly the plates were already overflowing with the delicious dish the skeleton had been preparing.The big guy motioned him to sit next to Killer, one seat away from the head of the table. With this seat Cross had a full view on the kitchen, until the tall stranger blocked part of his outlook. It took Cross a few seconds to realise the monster was staring at him with an intense glare. It was not filled with malice rather expectation.It took Cross another long few seconds to realise the kind stranger was waiting for him to eat the food. Cross didn’t know why, perhaps he may want Cross’ opinion on his cooking? Cross was not a professional nor did he trust himself to judge anything at all. If the big guy wanted his input, however, Cross found little reason to protest.Looking down at his plate Cross noticed it was not just macaroni with a bunch of cheese. The big guy also added mushrooms, pepper and something green coloured, Cross didn’t know exactly what it was. He grabbed the fork to his right that shouldn’t be on his right and brought a bit of everything to his mouth.Before Cross could taste test the delicious looking food the fork was smacked down into the plate by Killer’s hand. It startled Cross a little and it seemed the clank sound also made the big guy flinch. “Why-?” Cross wanted to ask Killer with high raised non-existent eye brows but the flirt rudely interrupted him.“Quiet, th’ boss’ comin’.” He scream-whispered to which Cross non-existent ears sensed the sound of heels colliding with stone. He felt something crawl down his back, dread perhaps? The soldier noticed everyone present stiffen up as the room seemed to bask in a shadow one shade darker than before.The build-up was rewarded with a dark figure appearing underneath the arch way, Cross knew that form all too well. The thought of who what made him want to run. “Greetings.” It spoke lowly, a tone of boredom haunting its features revealed when the darkness made his way across the room and sat down, regally so, at the head of the table.Cross noticed how the entity didn’t rest on the back of the chair, its posture was well-educated and its manners were outstanding. The plate in front of its nose was shoved to the big guy by one of its tentacles, Cross only noticed now how they reflected in the cyan glow. “You may eat now.” It permitted, all the while dooming its imperial gaze on Cross.As if he was waiting for the command Cross finally took a bite of the dish. It was so good, it nearly made him want to cry. He didn’t cry though, he only caught the big guy’s gaze and told him that it tasted amazing. To which the stranger smiled wide and nodded his head for Cross to take some more.When Cross looked at the other again he was stuffing his face with mountains of it, including the darkness’ portion. Only now that Cross had a bite did he come to terms with just how hungry he’d been. Cross faded Killer’s chatting out and happily emerged himself into the world of food.“Where is Dust?” Was the question that brought him back. Killer had been rudely interrupted by this question. “Horror, I believe I ordered you to report to Dust that he would attend.” The nothingness casted its piercing cyan eye-light upon the big guy, his name was Horror apparently.“Did.” Was Horror’s short reply. From this simple exchange Cross picked up three things: Horror’s voice was hoarse, like he swallowed gravel, with a light and yet simultaneously dark undertone. It sounded as though he was shredding wood and he was talking as though it hurt to do so.There seemed to be another member to this group of people the darkness appeared to have granted a safe harbour. Cross should be prepared for more than one but something in his being told him this is the last.And lastly, saving him from the Anti-Void might’ve been planned. Seeing as the entity ordered this ‘Dust’ monster, which the soldier already didn’t trust, to come to lunch. The last party had to be told and according to that it’s likely that they don’t attend often if left to their own decision.Cross didn’t know how he felt about the fact that his rescue might’ve been a plan. Maybe he didn’t care, the darkness helped him get out of hell after all. Still, if his escape had been planned he might’ve also become a pawn in a much bigger plan. He decided to push the thought down for now since he didn’t know the case yet.“Killer, seek his whereabouts and aid him to here. No one is permitted to leave until he has properly introduced himself.” The nothingness commanded to which Killer jumped out of his seat with a small: “ya got I’, boss!” Cross watched Horror flinch at the loud spike in Killer’s high-pitched voice.The room was left with silence as soon as Killer disappeared round the corner. Seemed as though Cross missed the flirt’s company quite a lot more than he might’ve anticipated. The soldier went to take another bite of his food but the plate was already empty. Cross looked at Horror and found the big guy had also finished, a sad glance in his blood-red eye-light as it stared at the plate next to him, untouched.Cross dared to look at the entity and immediately tore his eye-lights away, that thing was looking at him like he was a snack to devour. “Cross,” it spoke, not as a command but the soldier treated it like one anyway. A smile plastered the darkness’ face upon seeing Cross’ willingness in turning to look at him. Cross couldn’t help but notice how the nothingness had quite the feminine shape to its features.“I believe I may have yet to tell you what I want in return for your stay.” Cross’ posture visibly tensed at that. He did not think this through. He didn’t blame himself though, he still remembered the white void. It made him feel sick, broken. Like he had been in a constant state of agony, all these feelings only made the darkness’ smile grow wider.“What could I possibly give you?” Cross questioned, he’d rather not know the answer. Something in his soul told him he must know.“Your soul.” The room turned back to silence. Cross’ soul weighed heavily in his chest. No, that couldn’t be right. What kind of thing was it, to be able to take his being and make it its own. At least, Cross thought that is what it meant. “At the end of your life here, I will prevent your death from occurring and your eternal servitude shall continue.”Living forever? That sounded horrible.“Look who I found!” Came Killer’s voice, cutting the tension like his knife cut throats. Next to Killer stood the one whom was likely the ‘Dust’ they had referred to. He stood at around 5.6 feet [170,688 cm] with a simple grey-gone white t-shirt and black jogging pants hanging loosely round his legs.His posture was slumped and a little slow as he walked over to the seat next to Horror. The big guy stood up and helped the grey-boned sit down, which was when Cross noticed the leg injury and the bandages peeking out from underneath the shirt’s collar. Dust’s chair was gently shoved forward and when Horror was still seating himself Dust’s eye-lights caught Cross’.They were red circles with in Dust’s left eye socket a blue one in the inner circle, almost fading to purple where the red and blue made a gradient into each other. His gaze was intense, his non-existent eye brows were furrowed down. He looked angry and like he was going to lunge at Cross any moment.He tore his eye-lights to the head of table soon as Horror’s large claw-like hand rested itself comfortingly on his shoulder. His features didn’t dare soften while in a staring match with the darkness’ own piercing eye-light. “It seems you no longer listen to Horror either.” That sentence seemed to be enough to make the grey-boned look at his plate.“I sincerely hope you will enjoy the extra work that will be bestowed upon you, Dust.” Its smile twisted back into a sickly grin. “Dust meet Cross, the new recruit. Cross meet Dust, one of my subordinates.” At the next sentence Dust’s eyes widened in shock, “you are here at the same cost.”Cross looked at Dust and Dust stared off into nowhere, past Cross’ skull. “Now, as the more perceptive among you might have guessed: I did not call you all here for a simple introduction.” Cross felt Killer practically vibrate off of his seat in excitement, Horror’s broken skull sank into his shoulders and Dust glared at the nothingness with a mighty stare.“No, I also called you here to announce the oncoming wishing-trial which shall commence in-,” The darkness didn’t seem bothered by its subordinate’s reactions for it simply rolled its sleeve up to its wrist, to which a watch was attached. “I believe 20 hours? Killer, do I stand corrected?”“O’course ya do, my king.” The flirt replied, Cross could see Killer practically salivating. The king smiled sadistically.“Then you all better commence preparation.” The entity’s eye-light scanned all of the monsters at the table. “You are dismissed.” It spoke last before its form melted into the floor.Cross looked to Killer for answers: “What is a wishing-trial?” Killer blinked at him a few times, processing the information.“Why, Izza trial fer a wish o’course.” The flirt said as though it was common sense. Cross kept staring at Killer with the confused look on his face, the other didn’t seem to understand what he was looking for.“But what does it entail? How does it work?” Cross asked at the same time as Dust got up and started undressing the table. Horror walked over to the kitchen sink and turned on the running water. Dust waggled over to him, skilfully balancing all of the plates and cutlery on and in his arms and hands.“It’s a way to get out of here.” Cross heard Dust reply from behind the big guy. The grey-boned looked at him intensely before he, nearly limping, walked over to the green couch and started playing a video game Cross had never seen before.“What did he mean by that?” Cross asked to no one in particular, Killer decided to answer.“I’s like a trial with games. At th’ end there will be one winner, who will ge’ one wish.”“And you can wish for anything?”“Anythin’.”“Even your soul back?”Killer just stared at him, for once in his life the smile was wiped from his features.“Anythin’.”
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“Who are you?” Cross nearly snapped his neck in his haze to locate the source of the voice. He found, not even 5 feet [152,4 cm] away from him, a small skeleton. Small enough to be called a kid but big enough to not be called a baby-bones. His clothing was purple and golden with accents of white and black, not to mention his purple eye-lights.Cross, despite his manners, crawled over to the other lifeform and wrapped the kid up in a tight embrace. “Who are you?” They asked once more with an inquisitive glint in their eye-lights. Cross had to stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks as he offered the other lifeform an answer.“I’m Cross.” His voice sang, all the while he wore a reassuring smile on his face. Like a porcelain mask, it would break the moment it collided with the floor.“No, who are you?” They asked again, giving Cross the impression that something was off. “You look familiar, do I know you?” The monochromatic skeleton monster casted his gaze down to the ‘floor’ of the endless while void. With an answer on the tip of his tongue he raised his skull to reply but found the spot next to him empty.No trace was left of the kid in purple, the kid who had been curious as to who he was. He didn’t know. he could not answer that question. He didn’t know who he was, who he had been or who he would become. He didn’t know what he’d left behind, what he’d lost or what he still had that he had yet to lose.His soul.Cross shot up from the comfortable mattress, awoken in a cold sweat. With shaking hands he traced along his sore throat, on instinct his hand directed itself to his nightstand where he strangely enough expected a glass of water to await use. Upon the realisation that there was no water however, he slowly forced himself from the comfortable sheets of his bed.Killer had directed him to a room he would call his own yesterday evening. The walls were barren dressed in a thin coat of white paint and the room was empty save for a bed, nightstand and the small chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A lone spider had decided to call the chandelier its home for a web was woven in between the head and one of the many arms. The candles were forever in agony at the burn of cyan flames.Cross found himself sympathising with the lonely spider as he made his way to the door outside, or what he thought was outside. Instead of the ominously dark halls of the castle he was greeted with a white bathroom. He had his own bathroom? He face palmed when he recalled the memory of Killer explaining its existence jealously to him.When his hand left his face he was struck with his own reflection. Shock was evident on his face when he saw his reflection staring back. Was this what he looked like? His still shaky hand traced along the scar underneath his right eye socket. He swallowed down the tears threatening to spill and marched out of the bathroom.He didn’t like the look of himself. He couldn’t stand it.After he let a shaky breath escape Cross opened the other door and felt his anxiety spike. Everywhere in the thick chilly air hung the promise of demise. After another breath escaped his hold Cross marched confidently down the corridor. He didn’t try to think about what he looked like in the meagre light.After descending some stairs and walking a few more ominous halls Cross finally arrived at the room in which he had eaten his mac ‘n cheese. His whole body jerked back when he heard a sound come from the kitchen area. Into the cyan candle light stepped Dust, although Cross had to blink twice with the hoodie covering part of the monster’s face.“Rough night?” Dust asked in a foreboding tone, his right hand held the ear of a coffee filled mug. “The first night’s always the worst.” He said as he slowly inched the caffeine brew to his ‘lips’ where he slurped down an audible sip. The way he drank was odd, instead of tilting the mug he seemed to sip from the rim using pressure.Cross stood awkwardly underneath one of the arches, fiddling anxiously with his fingers. Then a thought came to mind. “Why are you awake?” The question seemed to startle Dust for the coffee was inhaled which resulted in a coughing fit. “Like, it’s really late.” Cross looked at the clock above him for certainty and confirmation.Dust’s eye-lights followed his sight. His brows furrowed as they bore holes through Cross’ skull. “Well, that ain’t none of your fucking business. Now, is it?” Cross flinched at the harsh reply. Whereas just now, Dust had put on a more calming act it had once again shifted to that look that said: “I’m gonna rip your fucking throat out.”Cross raised his hands as a sign of peace. He hadn’t meant to anger the monster. “Sorry.” He said to which Dust rolled his eye-lights while muttering a quiet: ‘whatever.’ Cross watched as Dust slowly stumbled past him. “See you at the wishing-trial.” He said, awkwardly waving his right hand.Dust stopped dead in his tracks.The grey-boned turned to him, his frown bore millions of shadows and agony. “I’ll see you at the wishing-trial, alright.” He phrased it like a fact. “I’ll also see you at the one after, and the other one after, and the one after that-” Dust kept on mumbling to which Cross’ soul slowly sank further down his ribcage.“And the one after that because let’s be honest,” he looking at Cross with crazed eyes, getting right up in his face. “Neither of us are going to win this game.” He paused before continuing. “Not when Killer is playing.” Now it was Cross’ turn to frown, why would Killer have any impact in the game? Was he that good at it?“Tell me Cross, what do you actually know about the wishing-trial?” The question seemed easy enough and Cross was about to answer but Dust beat him to it. “Do you know what kind of games we’ll be playing? Do you know how many contestants, how many rounds?” Dust speaking such a word as contestants sounded strange to Cross.“No, I don’t.” Cross admitted shakily, he felt as though he was being scolded. He intertwined his fingers and hung his head, it looked a little like he was praying.“I don’t either.” Said Dust, like he was answering a question to himself. Cross looked into Dust’s eye-lights, they were calm again. “It’s a guessing game. No one knows.” With that Dust turned around again and finally let himself be swallowed by the hollow parts of Cross’ vision.Cross felt another shaky breath escape him. It reminded him of how thirsty he was and why he descended three sets of stairs in the first place. He hobbled over to the cabinets and managed to reach them on his tippy toes. He couldn’t find a glass so he’d have to drink out of one of the many mugs.Just as he was about to tap the sink his eye-lights spotted a coffee machine on the outer end of the counter. Dust must have forgotten to turn it off for the screen shone brightly in his tired face. Cross walked over to turn it off but he was distracted by the options it showed on the screen.Coffee, cappuccino, hot water [mainly for tea] and hot choco. At the sight of hot choco Cross felt his soul swell up, it looked delicious and made his mouth water. He needed to try that. With a press of a button Cross’ mug was being filled with a sweet brown coloured liquid.Excitedly, he took a sip.He nearly jumped as he burned his tongue but the heat was quickly forgotten when he tasted the sweet chocolate. Cross didn’t see it but his eye-lights hazed a little around the edges. With a spring in his step he made his way back to his room, trying not to spill anything as he walked the no-longer-as-ominous halls.Once in his room he finished his drink happily, his legs swaying back and forth in contentment. When he was done the empty mug was placed on his night stand, he was not going to walk all the way down to return it. Cross knew that going back to sleep was a losing game instead he felt the urge to take a shower.Anxiously he stepped foot into the bathroom, his bathroom. While trying to avoid facing his reflection he checked to see if he had any towels in the drawers. He did, upon opening the top drawer he found rows of white towels in different sizes. Cross grabbed the biggest-sized towel and set it up on the counter.After a few minutes of figuring out how to turn on the shower, he managed to get a nice temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. Slowly he started to undress himself. His plain white t-shirt, which he now noticed had a chocolate stain, and black joggings were neatly folded and placed next to the towel.Cross checked the temperature again to make sure it was still the same and after he concluded it was, he stepped into shower-tub combo. He quickly closed the glass behind him so it would fog and hide his reflection. In a small racket mounted to the wall he discovered a tube of Elmex toothpaste with which he washed himself.Cross smelled fresh when he emerged from behind the glass. He rushed over to the towel but caught his reflection as he wrapped it around himself. Call it a trick of the light but he could swear, he didn’t look that bad.
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Cross had been prepared to fight bloody battles to the death. A thought that became more likely with his nervousness increasing as the hours ticked by. He couldn’t go back to sleep and pretty soon he saw a beam of light radiate from under his door. With much difficulty he hoisted himself out of the bed and walked to his bathroom.Upon razing a drawer open he found rows of clothes in mainly black and white. The thought somebody had placed them here, likely for him, disturbed him a little. Mainly because it was exactly his style but in the end he chalked it up to coincidence and grabbed a set of robes.It was a double sleeved shirt, the bigger part was black and the lesser white. Some black and white shorts with white and black striped socks. After he put every garment on, he found the look reminded him of Beetlejuice. He did not know from where that thought came or where it lead. His dirty clothes were thrown into a beige woven basket.Just on time, his non-existent stomach reminded him he was hungry. He rushed out the door before hurriedly making his way back to pick up the mug from that night. With the mug in hand he strolled down the corridors which were basking in the glow of the sun. when he arrived in the main room he was met with silence.He scanned the lifeless place but he was unable to asses any information before a feeling of dread crawled onto his back. A cold familiar hand tapped his shoulder playfully. “Are you perhaps lost?” The darkness boomed behind him. Cross turned around and suddenly found himself face to face with the entity.It looked at him with a sickly grin, awaiting an answer. “I- uh. No- uhm. Do- where is-?” He stuttered. Back when he hadn’t been the only one in its presence, he’d been able to speak more flawlessly. Now that it was just him and that however, he realised its aura was much more affective when its prey was alone.“The participation of the wishing-trial is not solely for my subordinates. They have gathered in the great dining hall.” It explained but Cross found he was having an awful lot of trouble connecting the dots. “Come, I will show you.” It foretold, holding its hand idly in Cross’ space.Cross felt he collapsed in on himself as he realized it would not show him without him taking its hand. He stared at the gloved phalanges with an intense gaze, the fingers were long but thin. They carried some elegant weight with them as Cross studied it further. “Well?” It rumbled, scaring Cross into taking its hand.Its hand was cold, Cross felt like he was sticking his hand in a bucket of ice. “Good boy.” It praised to which Cross felt a heat flare onto his cheeks. The purple hue was given little notice as the entity started strolling down the hall at a heavy pace, like it was in some kind of hurry.Where its heels collided with the floor little lock sounds drowned them in a sea of consistency. Cross felt his hand starting to hurt where he touched the darkness. The burning reaction against cold bones which felt more like velvet due to the gloves and the sound of clinking keys distracted him from anything else.A cackling laugh from down the hall seemed to snap him out of his trance which had been terrifying yet peaceful. After laughing came talking, voices conversing about topics he had yet to know. He turned around a corner and was met with an intricately designed door, that’s where the sound was coming from.The nothingness led him closer to the door upon which the intricate carvings revealed more depth to them. When they were no more than 3 ft. [91,44 cm] away from entering, the noise on the other side stopped. Cross heard the exact same thing they seemed to hear, the clicking of heels growing ever nearer.Grandiosely, the king opened the door widely using blue magic to which Cross saw thousands of monsters, mainly skeletons, gathered around an, seemingly, endless stretching dining table. All eye[-light]s he noticed were focused on him or the spot of connection where Cross couldn’t even feel his hand anymore.A couple of gasps echoed through the hall, some eye[-light]s stared at him in disbelief. Cross had the gnawing feeling they were confused about something. “Greetings.” Its baritone voice rumbled off of the walls. Cross felt grateful for all the eye[-light]s shifted over to the nothingness and off of him.The monochrome felt eye[-light]s straining on them as he and the entity made their way over to the head of the table on the other side of the hall. He had no choice but to follow seeing as there was little reason in trying to escape its iron grip which was holding him captive.Cross made eye contact with Dust as he strolled past the rows. The grey-boned stared at him with an intense gaze, maintaining eye-light contact all the while he slurped some soup off of a spoon. In that same strange way he drank his coffee, he had almost finished his soup.Next to Dust sat Killer who was also staring at him, a look of jealousy and rage covered his features. His tongue, which Cross now noticed had a piercing, licked some of the flowing hate from his eye sockets off of his cheek. Cross winced when he witnessed Killer digging the piercing into his cheek to the point of drawing blood.With a metal scraping sound still ringing in his non-existent ears Cross was sat down next to the head of the table , where the nothingness seated itself next to him. A sickly smile adorned its ‘lips’ as it instructed: “you may head to the 5th floor and enter the 9th chamber on the right soon as you finish your soup. You have 65 minutes to do so including the task that awaits you there.”Monsters were already stuffing their faces with the soup as they listened to it speak, Cross followed their lead. He quite caught on that the trial was seconds away from officially starting. “The clock starts in 3… 2…” It counted down all the while observing its watch. “1…”Some monsters were tilting their bowls so they could drink the soup faster but Cross was already burning his tongue by sipping from the spoon. Killer and Dust were off first, followed by a group of skeletons. One by one the monsters ran towards the door from which Cross had emerged minutes ago.He felt wronged by the darkness, no one told him this was how it was going to go. All the other monsters, which had previously been gathered around the table, seemed as good as finished when he entered. Now, he was the last to arrive and the last to leave. He could only hope they wouldn’t find the door, but what kind of hope was that?He glanced to his right and saw the cyan eye-light staring at him, at ease and amused all the same. Cross felt the panic start to set in when the last few monsters disappeared behind the door which was looming over him as the seconds ticked past. His dumb thoughts reminded him that this was not just a game he could lose.His soul was on the line.He glared at the bowl of broth as though that would make it go away, he probably would recognize it for Horror’s cooking if he’d taken the time to appreciate it. He found himself unable to however. There was no other way. Cross picked up the entire bowl with two hands and pressed the rim to his teeth.One last glance towards the entity branded a smiling snake into his memory as he tipped the potage into his mouth. The burn made him want to scream, he nearly choked. It hurt all the way down to his non-existing stomach, it felt as though he was swallowing lead. he didn’t know it was possible but as he drank faster, the brew became hotter.The searing sensation slowly calmed down after he tipped the entire bowl backwards, it hit the table with a clang and cut one of Cross’ fingers as it shattered into pieces. The soldier didn’t have the strength to speak as he stood up and ran towards the exit. A baritone voice he barely registered spoke: “the trial begins.”
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Cross couldn’t feel his legs or the hand which still held the icy feeling of misery. He was struck by a certain sense of numbness as the corridors he ran past reverberated his laboured breathing. His skull was pounding, the cut on his phalange was burning with a lesser boiling agony than his non-existent stomach.His throat was burning, he felt like he wanted to throw up and the adrenaline pumping through his magic induced veins was not helping him calm down in the slightest. Overall, he felt like dying. He knew he shouldn’t do that because then it would have his soul and doom him to an eternity of servitude in its name. If it even had a name.Cross didn’t know for how long he’d been scaling the halls when he felt his soul urging him to take a left. His intuition hadn’t exactly been wrong before so Cross took his chances. When he turned the corner he was met with an empty hallway, no doors, only a lonely plant on a pedestal, cyan flamed candles and accompanying bookshelf.The bookshelf was situated against the furthest end while the plant was ominously lighted by the cyan flames. Cross hadn’t noticed the weather taking a turn, outside was a raging blizzard. He was entranced by the snow but soon reminded himself there were more important things to focus his attention on.Why had the feeling in his gut directed him here? The others had probably already found the 9th door, he should dismiss this hallway to join them but decided to indulge in the call of his being. Confidently he strolled towards the bookshelf, it wasn’t that tall, tiny in comparison to the looming halls which seemed to close in everywhere.Still, its grandeur was unmatched by anything but the windows. Beautiful intricate carvings told a story Cross couldn’t decipher. He studied the wooden planks, they were all dusty except for a certain spot. Cross noticed that a dull purple coloured, what seemed to be, journal had been grabbed and replaced a few times.Curiously he snatched it from its place. The book smelled strongly of formaldehyde, the cover was blank and left everything up to the imagination. There was one corner nearly burnt to a crisp with charring black edge that left traces where Cross brushed against its particular spot. Finished with a purple bookmark nestled comfortably in between the old paper confinement.Cross squinted his eye sockets to brace for something familiar and opened the book. The first page reminded him of the kid in his dreams, blank white, like the anti-void he’d been trapped in. It scared him. Not as much as the next page though, dried out blood splatters covered the paper with gruesome truth. Cross closed the book.Who did it belong to? Had he the right to know? what if it belonged to that purple kid in his dreams? Since the journal reminded Cross of the skeleton he decided he should only check for a name to see if it rang a bell. Back to the bloodied page he flipped. Soon enough, hidden beneath stains in the left corner of the page was a name elegantly written: NightmareThat did ring a bell, Cross was simply unsure which one. He decided he wouldn’t pry further and went to put the book back in its place when he noticed something odd. The bookshelf either had a metal plated backside or that which he saw in its back was a key hole, it looked like one.Cross felt an amber of hope ignite deep within his bones. That was definitely the 9th door but where was the key to opening it? His eye-lights drifted to the plant, it was the only other hiding place in the room. He looked under it, inside it and sure enough, an odd looking key had been buried beneath the dirt.Cross had to pry a few times but eventually he locked it and turned, it was silent for a few seconds as he was concentrating. When he heard a click, he jumped. The sound had been unexpectedly loud. Not as loud as the sound of turning gears afterwards however, Cross watched the bookshelf slide back and to the right.Cross felt an eery feeling crawl up his back, the revealed chamber was pitch black. At least, Cross thought it was. Until he moved his hands and found it was a smoke mirror, meaning to hide what was on the other side. The tapping of soles filled Cross’ non-existent ears. He looked behind him and saw few groups of participants run towards him, likely alarmed by the loud sounds the door must have made upon opening.The soldier wasn’t worried however, the corridors were long so it would take some time for them to get to him. He stepped through, key and book in hand and found himself on the other side. A cosy room illuminated by normal flames for once, before he explored further he turned back to the bookshelf and stuck the key back into its hole. He put the journal in his inventory.Reversing his doing, the bookshelf slid back into place locking the other monsters out.Cross turned back around and found himself surrounded by bookshelves, piles of meter high books and old wood study desks? The tables were set in the form of church benches, strictly behind one another with a space left between the two rows.At the end of the rows stood one almighty desk, at the corner laid an apple and a burning candle which was melting wax all over its surface. Cross picked up gentle but rhythmic tapping from black gloved fingers which belonged to the king, it was slumped down from its usually polished posture.“The first, welcome.” It said, eye-light swiftly catching note of the key in Cross’ hand before letting a smile of amusement adorn its face. Rather than malice, Cross saw it as comforting. Confidently, the soldier strolled down in between the rows of benches. He was ready to take on the task.What the nothingness shoved over to him was a thick piece of paper covered in numbers, very closely next to each other. “I require you to find the average of every three set of numbers.” He said as he held out the paper with a mischievous grin. Cross took it hesitantly, still shaken from his earlier encounter with the entity.Cross sat down at the table in the front directly on his right from the darkness. Cross didn’t dare look at it, so instead he focused his full attention on the piece of paper. He didn’t know how to do this. He didn’t even know what an average was. He picked up a pen from one of the holes in the desk and started thinking.Every three sets of numbers? So, the first three were 367. He didn’t know how to continue from here. Hesitantly he shot a distressed glance towards the only other presence in the room. Instead of a mocking grin, Cross found the smile wavered when he looked at the nothingness with panic.Cross nearly jumped when the entity shoved its chair backwards and made its way over to the soldier’s side. He felt confused by the whole ordeal and even more so when the taller observed the paper from over his shoulder. Curiously enough, Cross felt no sickening aura flowing off of it in spades. It almost felt like a regular skeleton.“What is 3 + 6?” It asked, Cross felt a little shame for the way it was talking to him. As though he was a toddler learning math for the first time, he supposed he’d have to relearn it. Cross was pulled from his thoughts by a gloved hand stretching out towards the paper. “What is 3 + 6?” It asked again.“9?” Cross replied questionably but his shoulders let out a bit of tension when the darkness rewarded him with: “Good.” Cross and the entity had a long few seconds of eye-light contact before he turned to the page, once again. The soldier had a feeling he was supposed to add the last number into the calculation as well. “16.” He said, more confidently this time.“Indeed, now all that is left to do is divide the number by three.” The darkness watched Cross struggle to comprehend what it meant by that. Sighing it grabbed a calculator from seemingly nowhere. Cross was a bit startled by the sigh for it went right down his neck. “You see this symbol here?” It asked, Cross nodded along.It said no more as his hand retracted behind Cross. Instead, Cross’ hand replaced its previous spot, typing 16 and the symbol afterwards followed by a three. Cross waited anxiously as the darkness chuckled. It pressed its index finger against the empty button saying: “This is the equivalent.”On the screen showed a 5.3333- Cross didn’t know how many threes. “Roughly 5.3,” the entity confirmed. “Now, you need only repeat these steps again.” With that an empty paper was slammed against the desk on the spot next to him. It was blank, likely for writing down the answers.Heels pierced the creaking wooden floors as the nothingness elegantly swayed back to its own desk. Cross wrote down the answer before hurriedly continuing. He may have the room all to himself but there was still a time limit. Not to worry, for Cross finished the paper swiftly and handed it back to the king. Whom assured him that he had won the first trial.Cross was barely containing his happiness while he opened the 9th door once more. He quickly hid the key in his inventory for fear of it being snatched away. Once on the other side, he was greeted by chaos. Monsters were slamming each other into walls, they had seemingly tried to break the bookcase.All eye[-light]s were on him now that he had emerged from the secret chamber. “Your turn.” Cross said before marching down the halls, back to his room. Killer shot a nasty glare his way and Horror was busy holding Dust down, who was trying to murder another skeleton monster.Cross heard the contestants scramble and scratch to get to the door. Loud bangs and clangs haunted him all the way to his room. Along the way he noticed an old grandfather clock swaying side to side. He was pretty sure he’d walked this corridor before, even though there were no visual differences between most of them.What was odd about the only clock he’d seen since his first arrival here was, it seemed he only took five minutes in total. He’d spend only five minutes on the entire sheet of numbers including opening the bookshelf. Either that, which seemed unlikely, or time ticked differently behind the 9th door.Cross decided to spare himself the headache for now. After all, it seemed as though the darkness was willing to help him with some disputes. Cross hoped that was what he should be expecting when he reviewed the new events. He will admit, there had not been a single day without adrenaline ever since he’d first arrived in this estate.
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Cross felt his feet shift their balance to remain strongly in his steps when climbing the cliff. He almost slipped a few times already but some sense of determination forced him to keep going. No matter how many times he fell back into the shadowy abyss that rested between the deep gash.He fell, again and again. Each time he corrected his missteps and thanked any gods out there for allowing him to try again, again and again. Until he finally reached the end. An indescribable sense of euphoria flooded his soul when he was greeted with the beautiful sight of Sakura blossom trees.His bony feet felt dry and scrapy against the harsh beigy rocks as he hoisted himself up to the flat top. His breathing was laboured and immediately taken away when his eye-lights landed upon a small outline. Resting beneath the nearest tree was a skeleton dressed in darkly tinted robes with a golden crescent emblem strung round his neck.His eyes were closed as he basked in the kind shadows protecting him against the harsh sun in the sky. Cross approached with care. Until where he sat down next to the sleeping skeleton monster. “These are my favourite trees.” He said in a familiar voice without ever opening his sockets.Cross swallowed thickly and as he spoke he questioned himself on why his soul was beating out of his chest in nervousness and excitement when talking to this stranger. “May I know your name?” An innocent giggle was his reward along with a long look into the strangers eye-lights.“You speak as though we are strangers Cross.” A familiar smile adorned his ‘lips’. “I told you my name in confidence, you know who I am.”Cross awoke to the sound of three slow knocks at his door and a giant shadow casting down the tiny little space from underneath. He must’ve fallen asleep after the first game. First, he disentangled himself from the freshly washed sheets and sleepily walked over to open his bedroom door.In the door opening stood Horror’s large frame, in his hands rested a silver platter and on the platter rested some delicious smelling food. “Eat.” Was all Horror needed to say as Cross took the cuisine from his rough hands. The big guy stared at him intensely, waiting for him to take at least one bite to prove he was willing to eat the rest. “15 min.”“15 minutes until what?” Cross asked softly albeit a little sleepily.“Training.” Horror replied in the same tone as Cross, if not a little softer. From where Horror’s eye-light had previously filled his entire eye socket, it slowly relaxed as it witnessed Cross take an eager second bite of his food. “Good luck.” He grumbled before slowly sliding away along the floor.After Cross finished his food he put the plate onto his night stand and made his way towards the training room. Anxiety slowly crept into his bones as he recalled the glares Killer shot his way during the trial. He could only hope that Killer didn’t hold anything against him, but Cross doubted that.With Dust’s words echoing through his skull he arrived in the gym of sorts. In the middle of the room stood Killer, stretching in uncomfortable positions high upon the platform. Cross prepared himself for the hateful glare but found he was pleasantly surprised when the flirt shot a smile his way instead.“Ya ready, Criss-Cross?” Killer spoke in an announcing voice soon as he ascended the stairs.“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Cross shot back, earning a grin from Killer. Soon as the words left his mouth Killer pulled a red blade out of thin air. Cross was a little surprised at the show of magic, but quickly found his way to deal with it. He made a few attempts at countering Killer’s swift movements but always landed on the floor horizontally.“Stop!” Cross had never heard Killer scream, not with such haste. The flirt looked at him as though he was going to try and take his precious life. The soldier could only stand still awkwardly as the other ran across the training grounds, to him. It was only when he felt a pressure nudge his lower leg that he noticed the orange tabby next to him.By the time Cross had comprehended the situation, Killer was already there, smothering the cat with affection and black goo. “Soop, where ‘ave ya been?” The feline purred affectionately when the flirt hoisted them up in the air. “Hey, lil’ fella. I’ve been worried sick.” Cross couldn’t help but blink dumbly at the unravelling before him.“Oh, you’re probably starvin’ right now!” Killer exclaimed while cradling the furball in his arms like one would a baby. “Let’s get ’cha somethin’ ta eat.” The soldier had to catch up to his thoughts as the flirt started walking to the gates of the room. Panting as he struggled to catch up to Killer in his haze.“Is that your cat?” Cross asked soon as he’d caught his breath. Two ocean blue eyes were staring at him with lazy contentment.“He is.” Killer confirmed, “I found him outside by th’ frozen lake.” The other pressed a finger to his teeth while making a sussing sound, motioning for Cross to keep his mouth shut about the pet. “Don’t hurt ‘im, okay?” Cross raised his hands in surrender when the flirt’s smile slipped off of his face.“I thought you hated me.” Cross admitted after a few long minutes of listening to nothing but footsteps. Killer looks at him with a grin and wide eyes, amusement was clear in his voice as he spoke: “Why would I hate ya?” He said, and although it was probably meant as a simple question, it sounded more like: ‘oh, really?’“I don’t know. During the trial you looked at me like you were ready to stab me-” Cross was startled by a loud cackling, as was the cat who’d fallen asleep in Killer’s damaged embrace. The soldier had no doubt about the fact it was Killer who was wheezing his non-existent lungs out.“I do hate ya.” He said without sounding even remotely condescending. “You’re an idiot.” Cross blinked owlishly at the strange confession. Killer hated him because he was an idiot? “I hate ya because ya beat me twice at th’ trial ‘nd I hate tha’ ya got ta hold my king’s hand.” The soldier felt a twist in his non-existent gut.“Are you jealous?” He asked disbelievingly. “Of me?”“I’m only angry with ’cha at th’ trial, I won’t try anythin’ outside of it” Cross was ready ask why but Killer beat him to it. “Cuz I’m gonna beat ya, fair ‘n’ square.” Killer mumbled something inaudible into the fur of his cat while Cross was contemplating. Killer could easily hurt him, he was a very tight sleeper.The thought of Killer actually digging his knife into his throat ran down his spine in the form of a shiver. The talk with Killer had been weird, it sounded too honest, like the flirt was hiding things from him still. Cross didn’t doubt it as a fact.After one weird thing came another, however, for when Killer and Cross arrived at the kitchen neither of them expected to catch Dust and Horror making out on the counter top. They weren’t stopping either, not until Killer gave a flirty whistle. Cross watched with white hot shame as blushes erupted on both of their faces.Awkwardly, Dust excused himself and Killer chased after him for details Cross did not want to know. Horror observed the ground bashfully as did Cross. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that.” The soldier admitted. He felt like he was intruding and to be fair, he kind of was. That clearly wasn’t something meant for his nor Killer’s eyes to witness.Cross only realised Killer had dropped his cat on the ground when the feline brushed between his legs. What was his name again? Something like Soup? Cross hesitantly held his hand out for the furball to sniff, Soup was uninterested and coated his black pants in a layer of orange fur instead. Cross was thankful for the distraction, at least.His memory wandered back to the moment Killer exclaimed Soup must’ve been hungry. Cross looked up to find Horror staring at the cat with curiosity. “Hey, Horror?” Horror was startled out of his daze by his voice. “Do you have some cat food? Milk? Or maybe some tuna?”Horror took a few moments to blink away his confusion before he made an ah-ha face. To prove he’d understood Cross’ unspoken question he reached his hand into the fridge and emerged with some slices of tuna. Needless to say, the cat’s attention was piqued immediately. Cross smiled when Horror adorned a small plate with the slices before placing it on the floor.They watched the cat eat in uncomfortable silence which was broken by Horror’s creaky voice: “Don’t tell.” The words were simple, as was often the case with Horror. “Please?” He asked when Cross got it through his thick skull. What would it do to them when it found out? Probably nothing good if Horror’s serious tone was anything to go by.“I won’t tell.” He said, looking up at the big guy into his eye-light. “I promise.” For an awful long moment they stood in silence. Cross couldn’t help but feel like he’d been here before. Horror asked Cross if he would like something to drink. “Choco milk.” Was his request. The soldier watched how the big guy pressed some buttons. While the brew was streaming down, a packet of giant marshmallows was plucked from one of the unreachable cabinets.Soon as Soup had finished his meal, he began complaining, Horror plated some milk for the feline to feast on. Cross kept staring at the coffee machine. When the machine finished its dispensing Horror ripped open the package of marshmallows and placed two big ones on top of some cream from the fridge.Horror didn’t get the chance to hand him his drink, Cross snatched it out of his hands. With a bright smile on his face, he leaned against one of the counters. Horror didn’t seem to mind but even so, Cross tried to stay out of the other’s way. Cross nearly chocked on his drink when Killer’s face popped back round the corner.“Oh. Oh!” He exclaimed when he caught Cross sipping from his drink. “Can I have one too?” Horror nodded with a slight blush on his face, obviously the effects of getting caught during heated times had not fully dozed off yet. Cross was startled again when Killer banged his arm next to the spot where he was lounging.“Ya know wha’ I think?” He asked, Cross had no idea what the flirt was referring to. He raised an invisible eye-brow. “I think ya’ll be ready ta run your first shift tomorrow.” Right, Cross had completely forgotten about that for a moment.“Okay.” Was all he found to say to that. Another uncomfortable silence followed. Killer watched Soup rub his fur all over Cross’ pants. “Hey Soup, are you still hungry?” The soldier stared down at the cat with disbelieving eye-lights. Then again, Soup was one of the fattest cats he’d ever seen.“I’s not Soup. Soop, wit’ two o’s.” Killer explained, Cross couldn’t figure out how Soup sounded different from Soop but with the other’s strange tendencies he expected nothing less. “Speaking of soup, how did ya manage ta finish your dish so fast?” It wasn’t a question Cross had been anticipating, he answered nonetheless.“I downed it.” Killer looked at him with sparkling hollows and Cross couldn’t help but feel like he was giving a bad example for a toddler.“In one go?” Cross nodded hesitantly, he could still remember the burning sensation. It had not been pleasant. “I gotta try tha’!” Killer vibrated in place but Horror’s stern: ‘no.’ snapped him out of it. “When th’ big guy ain’t watchin’.” He whispered into where Cross’ ear would’ve been.A dread started pooling in Cross’ soul at the thought of Killer hurting himself for fun. His eye-lights automatically drifted towards the cutting marks across the flirt’s arms. Killer undoubtedly noticed his staring but didn’t say anything about it. When Horror handed him his chocolate milk, Killer appeared to be anticipating something.Soon enough, Dust’s silhouette emerged from the darker depts of the hallway. With a slight blush on his face when he announced: “The second game is ‘bout to start.” Quick as he’d appeared, he went. Horror’s frame was hard to miss as he bolted down the corridor, after wherever Dust lead him.Cross would have run after him if not for the staring match Killer had dragged him into. He was locked on the flirt, his eye-lights forced to watch him chug the smouldering chocolate down in one quick swoop. It hit the counter with a thump, “Ready ta lose, Criss-Cross?” He teased as Cross cringed at the idea of what it must’ve felt like.Calm as could be, Killer started to stroll out of the room with Cross on his tail soon as the soldier’s thoughts caught up to him.
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The sunrays were pleasant as well as overwhelming. It took Cross a few moments to adjust to the bright light. The slight breeze that wafted past him nearly caused the soldier to burst into tears. He’d completely forgotten how the wind felt where it tugged against his bones. Leading him to the group of monsters who’d passed the first test.There seemed to be only skeleton monsters left. All the other types appeared disqualified. The contestants stood in a circle, around an object or person of interest. Cross wormed his way through the group with surprising ease. Now that he was closer, he could make out the shape of a football lying innocently on the stone path.“All of you have arrived.” A voice boomed from behind him, all too familiar. It sent shocks of terror down his back. “Good.” It rumbled. Cross turned around to face the nothingness. It was standing in the cool shade of the entrance to its castle. Wait- holy cow, Cross had been walking around in that building?The sheer size of the king’s estate sent shivers through his body, it was intimidating. He figured it must’ve been big but this was just ridiculous. Why would it need that much space? There were only four skeletons that lived beside its presence. Surely, it was overreacting.“I wish to witness first-hand what this little game called soccer is all about.” Cross tilted his head in interest, was the entity curious about mortal culture? “I have already divided you mortals into groups, you get no time to decide your strategy. The losing team will be disqualified. You are free to use violence as you please.”Cross was crossing his fingers, praying that he wouldn’t have to oppose Killer. “The first group is-” It proceeded to list the teams. Cross was on one with Horror and Killer but Dust was on the other side. He’d have to beat Dust if he wanted to win. Moreover, how were Horror and Dust going to navigate that considering they had been… y’know.That make-out session hadn’t just been for fun. It was filled with passion, adoration, love. Cross was certain he’d seen it. Like a flicker of flame igniting deep within the both of them, the feeling felt familiar. Either Horror and Dust were now horribly unprepared or, they had planned something.Cross had a feeling in his gut telling him Dust and Horror’s relationship ran far deeper than he could comprehend. They weren’t intend on hurting each other but they still decided to participate in the trial. The trial wasn’t a necessity. On the contrary, you could stop at any moment you liked.That left Cross with little hesitation, there was something bigger to this.“To the field.” Commanded the king and all of them turned to where it was pointing its gloved index finger. Cross could slap himself in the face when he realised his density failed to notice the white streaks outlining the play area. He blamed the sun and its blinding light for this mishap.Cross joined the marching forces as each of the groups stood at their respective side. So far, he wasn’t witnessing any violence. Apart from Dust’s gaze, by gods. Cross felt himself cower at the sheer anger that was storming through his veins. If he’d thought the maniac looked mad before, they just went a level higher.“Commence the game.” Ordered the darkness just as Dust scowled long enough for Cross to feel like he was about to be disembowelled. He was unsure how, taking into account he was a skeleton and whatnot.Instead of murdering Killer, the skeleton currently wielding the football, Cross found himself shocked when Dust impaled the first skeleton on his team that tried to take the ball. From the team he was supposed to be opposing. Killer giggled like a little girl as he raced past the opponents. Cross watched in amazement as he scored the first goal.The team cheered, the other team stepped away from Dust with shocked and fearful faces, or some of them, others scowled. “He was on our side, dickhead!” One of the skeletons on the other side exclaimed. Cross was well aware that Dust knew exactly who belonged where, he just didn’t care.Cross found himself overthinking the situation in its entirety. He glanced towards Horror who stood at the side of the field, in one of the most uneventful spots. The soldier noticed Dust’s hint of possessiveness over Horror, who was being covered in blood by the barrier of bones the maniac sent towards anyone who came even close to the big guy.Cross gulped as he watched Dust poke a sharpened bone attack into the eye socket of the guy who’d called him a dickhead. What was most noticeable would be the way Killer dodged all of the maniac’s attacks, while still holding the ball in his hands. This wasn’t even close to football.Cross noticed Dust wasn’t the only aggressive one. Both players from both teams were very hostile and even violent towards each other. Before Cross could analyse the situation any further his attention was stolen by Killer’s attempt at scoring. Killer threw, fucking threw, the ball at the net.To the surprise of nearly everyone, a certain skeleton jumped like 7 ft. [2, 1336 m] in the air and slapped the ball off of its original course. The ball flew through the air with incredible speed and in Cross’ own amazement he didn’t notice it was headed straight towards him. He heard a thump then everything went black before his very eyes.When Cross awoke he found himself in a blinding white room, in a hospital-ish bed, wearing a different set of clothes. He tried to sit up but was gently pushed down by warm gentle hands. The headache made him groan and his vision swam for a few seconds. After a few seconds of blinking he recognised Horror’s blood-red eye-light staring at him in worry.“Horror?” He croaked, coughing to unstuck the lump in his throat. “Where am I? What happened?” The big guy stared through him with a kindness in his gaze. Cross chuckled, “Wait, no. Never mind. I remember.” Horror smiled at him laughing. “I’m guessing this is an infirmary?” Cross questioned, Horror nodded his skull.Horror’s carefree and kind expression darkened when a sudden coughing fit started next to Cross’ bed. Slowly, painfully Cross turned his skull to find Dust laying next to him. The maniac was couching his non-existent lungs out and Cross’ eyes widened when he noticed the bandages covering his entire neck.Hurriedly, Horror stood up and worried over his- lover? “I’m fine.” Dust spit, clearly unhappy. “For fucks sake.” He muttered underneath his breath.“Sorry.” Horror mumbled, guilt edged into his face. Instead of hovering his hands near Dust’s form, Horror opted to sit on a creaking chair struggling to hold his weight. Cross watched this exchange unfold. He gasped when he noticed the spots of blood bleeding into the bandages.“W-what happened to-?!” Cross questioned before he could stop himself. Dust closed his eyes, as though he was pained, and Horror stared awkwardly at the ground.“He hurt, Killer cut his throat.” Horror mumbled. “My fault.” He said to which Dust shot up from his lying position.“Like hell you did-!” From there on out they went on arguing back and forth about- well, nothing in particular honestly. It wasn’t until Dust started throwing plastic cups at Horror that Cross decided to intervene.“Whoa- woah, could you stop that?” He asked but the couple couldn’t hear him over their own fight. “Hey, stop.” He said, a little louder this time. They remained oblivious. “Stop!” He shouted to which both of them obeyed immediately. Dust and Horror were looking at him in some sort of shock. The look of pure surprise unnerved Cross slightly.“What is going on with you two?!” He finally asked. This was too confusing for him. Horror opened his mouth signalling he was going to talk but Dust shut him up.“Don’t you dare tell him.” He threatened and Cross couldn’t understand why Horror told him anyway, he must’ve known something the soldier didn’t. Why else would he defy Dust? Someone who could end his life with a snap of his fingers. Not that he would, considering them making out and all.“T’was my idea.” He mumbled and Cross listened intently. “To join trial. Wanted to help him. Us.” Horror’s explanation was vague and didn’t answer any of Cross’ questions. Not until Horror admitted something that was not in his right to confess. “Dust has cancer.” The world seemed to slow down for a moment, Cross witnessed Dust sink into himself.That made a lot of sense actually.“He die, no goin’ back.” He said, staring at Dust sadly. “Gone forever.” Horror seemed to blush a little as he continued speaking. “I love him.” Dust met his eye where Horror crouched down to his lover’s level. “Don’t wanna lose him.” He confessed to which the maniac silenced him with a soft kiss. Cross could only stand by while a feeling of dread swarmed his soul, these familiar moments were making him feel sad.“I love you too, big guy.” Dust wore a small lobsided grin on his face, Cross had never seen Dust smile before. “But you’re a fucking idiot sometimes.” Horror held Dust’s damaged hand and simply smiled at him. Cross was busy taking everything in. The moment was interrupted by the clicking sound of heels marching down the corridor.Weirdly enough, Cross felt no fear as the darkness approached. The door opened slowly, with its opening, the other side revealed the entity to them. Which was staring at Horror and Dust’s point of contact in a daze. It seemed to snap out of its trance, the dooming eye-light looked to Cross.Call Cross crazy but he would swear, its shoulders seemed to relax by the minimum when it saw him. “I see you are awake.” It said walking over to the soldier. Cross laid himself back down onto the bed as the nothingness sat on the chair Horror had previously used. Elegantly so, it crossed one of its legs over the other and rested its slim hands on its lap.“Yeah,” Cross answered dumbly. “Why are you here?”“I meant to tell you that I have permanently filled your soldier position. Currently, no occupations that fit into your profile are left.”“Then what would you have me do?” Cross questioned with a frown. He tried not to give too much thought to a job he knew nothing about.“Horror already cleans most of the castle but he could use a helping hand.”“Are you putting me on cleaning duty?” Cross asked with an offended tone before he could stop his stupid mouth.“No,” the entity smiled an amused grin. “Though Horror could use a helping hand, he does not need it. My instincts also tell me it would be a waste of your talents.” Cross looked at the entity with an expectant expression. “Therefore I offer you the position of my personal guard.” Cross blinked owlishly at the proposal.Dust and Horror also seemed surprised. Just as Cross opened his mouth to speak, the darkness interrupted him. “I do not expect you to make such a decision immediately.” The entity spoke, regally standing up. “Report to me when you have come to a decision.” With that it marched towards the door and disappeared into the corridor.“We need your help.” Dust admitted first thing soon as the nothingness disappeared in its entirety. Cross was still blinking owlishly, the world was moving too fast for him. “If Horror can win the trial his wish will be these words exactly: let anyone who wishes to, be free from your deals. You hear that Cross?” Cross perked up when hearing his name.“You’ll still be able to leave if Horror wins. Everyone will be able to leave, if they want to.” Dust erupted into coughs before catching himself and continuing the explanation. “There’s only one major obstacle we have to face, Killer.” Cross’ brows furrowed, Dust looked seriously at Horror. Who nodded in confirmation. “We need you to kill him.”
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The sound of metal clanging and panting echoed off the walls surrounding Cross. He’d been stressing non-stop about the idea of killing Killer. He turned to training as a way of forgetting about his problems, if only momentarily. It didn’t work as well as he’d wish it would but still, he remained stubborn and steadfast.He thought back to the talk he’d had with Dust and Horror. Telling him they didn’t care if he slit Killer’s throat while he was sleeping or beat the flirt fair and square during the trial. Dust assured him, he could certainly try. But it seemed that as long as Killer was in the game they would have no shot of winning.Cross didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know who to trust. Could he win this trial? Did he want to? Of course, he wanted to win. He wanted to keep his soul. Do Horror and Dust have any alternative motives? Cross did trust them, but also, he’d only known them for a few days.Was his own freedom worthy of Killer’s life? He didn’t know. He didn’t think he was the guy who’d get to decide that. Where his obsessive training couldn’t distract his mind from his thoughts, the music could. Cross skipped to a halt when he heard the catchy tune. Without giving it much thought, he followed the noise.It led him down the other end of the corridor, to some intricately embroidered gates. All the doors were unique so it hardly fazed Cross as he opened the screeching wood. He was met with an endless maze of books on shelves, swarming through the strange patterns and random falling novels, he reached the source.His gaze shifted from the record player to the tentacles, organizing the books neatly. When he looked at the king’s face, he was already being watched. While the entity stared at him, he got the chance to notice the darkness had made a change of clothes. Instead of the uptight and elegant suit, it was wearing a comfortable looking turtleneck.“What is it?” It asked, rather snappy. Was it in a bad mood? Cross didn’t say anything as his gaze moved to the record player. “Is Elvis Presley bothering you?” Cross raised an invisible eye-brow. The deity sighed and decided to ignore his presence. The silence caused Cross’ mind to wander, thinking of things he didn’t know or understand.He saw a silhouette shifting in the shadows, dancing and singing to the music:
Well, it’s one for the money
Two for the show
Three to get ready
Now go, cat, go
But don’t you
Step on my blue suede shoes
Well, you can do anything but
Lay off of my blue suede shoes
He would recognize that shadow anywhere, it was him. He had been here before, he’d danced here. But when, and how long ago? He looked to the nothingness, as though it knew all the answers. He caught it staring at him but it turned away before Cross could read its expression. The song faded, along did the heavy feeling.“What will you do if I don’t take your offer?” Asked Cross. “You’ve not given me much choice.” He waited for a response in the quaint silence.“I suppose you shall take the offer or win the trial.” The deity turned to him casting its meagre light in the dark corner of the library. “And if I don’t win the trial and don’t take the offer?” The darkness interrupted Cross by saying exactly what he was going to say, with a shockingly convincing mimic. “Then you’ll stay in your room until you die.”Cross swallowed thickly. “Perhaps, if you manage to kill Killer, I will not have the need to do as such.” Cross locked eye-lights with the darkness, the look on his face must’ve been one of pure shock. “How do you know?” It asked itself. “I am not a fool, mortal. You live within my walls and, in my domain, I hear everything.”“Wait,” Cross said that a little louder than he probably should have, but the deity didn’t seem to care at all. “You want me to kill Killer?!” The silence that fell between them was awkward as it was comedic. The darkness stared at him with a silly scrunched up face, Cross would’ve doubted to ever get to see that again.“Is it not obvious?” It stated more than asked. “Killer has been winning the trial every four years and each time he requests the same thing.” A look of pure disgust washed over the nothingness’ features. Cross asked it what Killer asked for. “A kiss.” It replied, leaving another awkward yet comedic silence between them.When the soldier put his hand over his mouth to stop the laugh from coming out, it stared at him with an offended face. It had a lot of faces that Cross knew nothing about moments prior. “Do you believe my misfortune to be entertaining, mortal?” He swallowed down the bubbly feeling and replaced it with a thoughtful face.
Was a kiss worth more than three lives?
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Cross was a little startled to say the least. He was surrounded by sky, glass and metal. Both rustic and new. He was in a completely different universe, he realised. Around him stood his competition. He could feel Killer’s invisible gaze on him in the corner of his vision and Horror was stood next to him. Cross stood in the big guy’s shadow.He took most of his time observing his surroundings. He concluded that they were in a city with pretty much only skyscrapers and no ground to be seen. It was all parkour and apartments, there was no living thing in sight. It seemed like a perfect place to host the next round of the trial, which all of them had assumed it to be by now.When the air suddenly burst into cyan flames, Cross knew he was right. Out of the fiery abyss came a piece of paper, the fire seemed to spit it out like a bad omen. The nearest skeleton, Killer, picked it up and read aloud. The paper explained the rules of the game. They had to find a specific button and press it to win.How are we supposed to find one single button in an entire world? Cross thought as most skeletons started searching. He was pushed out of his thoughts by the tiny jab Horror gave him. “Where to?” He asked and Cross probably shot him a look at the amused crinkle in Horror eye-light. “Anything familiar?” He questions, Cross did another scan.“I’m sorry.” He says, although he has no idea why he’s apologising. Like he’s supposed to know where the button’s located. Though he knows he doesn’t, that gleam in Horror’s eye tells him he’s not looking at the full image.Either that, or Horror knows something that he doesn’t.Horror offers to work together and Cross agrees. Seeing as Cross both has a plan with Horror and Dust as well as the fact that the first half of contestants who push the button go over to the next round. They decide to split up and call with a signal when either of them finds something. Cross doesn’t know why Horror insisted on bird sounds but decides that’s the least important thing right now.Cross doesn’t turn to watch Horror walk off in the other direction and focuses on the task at hand instead. The many blocks of buildings make it hard to navigate for every turn looks the same. Cross didn’t know how many times he’d turned a corner when a sudden sight caused him to experience déjà vu.The broken down bar looking building brought up some feelings of familiarity. He’d been having those constantly. Like a magnet, he gravitated towards the building and entered with a harsh push to the door. The air inside smelled dusty with a lingering sense of good old times.Cross’ non-existent ears picked up on a light beeping sound, like a distorted static but less erratic and more rhythmic. He followed the noise to the cooler behind the bar. He crouched down to find the on and off button on the electrical power point. He switched both of them, but nothing happened. He concluded that this wasn’t the button.He straightened himself out and turned to leave when his eye-lights fell on a record player stood in the corner. Unlike the rest of the bar, which was practically covered in dust, this record player was clean and new. On top of that, it looked like the one in the nothingness’ library.Cross walked over to the player and noticed the record was one of Elvis Presley’s. His white fingers moved to place the needle on the record as it began to spin. The room filled with a lively sound. Cross didn’t know why, but he started crying. Memories of a past that he could barely grasp passed through his thoughts.They were gone before he could reminisce. He wondered if they were even real, and admitted that his mind could be making up happy memories. But he did know that his feelings were real, and they told him that something was amiss. He’d definitely been here before.He turned off the record player quickly as he could and tried his best to choke back the tears. He could cry later. Right now though, there were more important things. Like helping Horror and Dust, and with that, getting his soul back. He picked up on the whistle that swarmed through the buildings and immediately knew that Horror had found the goal.Cross hurried out the bar and started to scale the buildings in hopes of cutting some corners and saving some time. The whistle sounded like a bird in spring, happily tweeting on a branch. Cross smiled to himself as he thought about how he definitely couldn’t do that whistle.He ran down the hallways and twisted the corners, scaled the floors and barged through appartements. When Cross spotted Horror across the other apartment complex Horror stopped tweeting and motioned him frantically which caused Cross to create a sense of urgency. He motioned Horror that he’d be there shorty, when the big guy frantically pointed over his shoulder.Cross turned around and was met with two pitch black eye sockets. He knew it was Killer the moment he turned around. Before he had a chance to react however, Killer pushed him to the ground and crawled over him like a bug infestation wielding a knife. Cross managed to evade the knife directed at his skull multiple times.How he managed that was beyond him. It happened too fast for him to remember. Killer growled in frustration and grumbled under his breath: “stay still, you wriggly worm.” Which would have been a funny line if Cross’ life wasn’t currently hanging on a thin strand of wire.Killer pushed the knife down while aiming for Cross’ soul, Cross grabbed the knife in desperation. His fingers bled purple blood as Killer pushed the knife further down with increasing strength. “Why?” Cross gritted through his teeth in the hopes of- something. Anything at all.“Cause you’re startin’ ta get annoyin’.” Was all Killer had to say for Cross to start praying to something that wasn’t there. Looking over Killer’s shoulder, he could see a glimmer of the sky through a hole in the ceiling. Just as Cross’ fingers started to protest in a growing pain, the pressure stopped.His eye-lights focused on the sky, even as he heard a sickening crunch. Horror was the next skeleton to loom over him. “Look left.” He said and Cross turned his skull, albeit hesitantly. Killer was knock out on the floor, next to him, with a crack in his skull, bleeding from the wound. His head was likely smashed into the concrete ground.“I’s okay.” He comments. Even as Killer starts to twist and turn, slowly returning to consciousness. “C’mere.” Horror mumbles and hoists Cross onto his feet, dragging him by his wrist seeing as his fingers are bleeding dramatically. Practically holding him upright as Cross feels too numb to know where his legs are stepping.Horror drags them over to the apartment complex across the street and into an overlapped alleyway next to the entrance. Where he shows Cross a button next to a door. Horror nudges him to press it and Cross does just that, cyan flames engulf him and take him back to the castle.“Welcome back.” Greets an eerie voice. Cross looks up into the darkness’ single cyan eye-light. The twisted smile that adorned its face slowly falls down as Cross notices it staring at his fingers. Horror emerges from the air of flames as well, next to another skeleton who’d already been standing there. Cross turns to look at him but is grabbed by the darkness as it pulls him out of the living room.Its steps were hurried, almost as though it was panicked, but Cross couldn’t find it in himself to care right now. The hallways were almost the same with minimal differences dividing them in their uniqueness. Cross was dragged into the infirmary, the same room he woke in after the second round of the trial.A chair was shoved towards him and the king urged him to take a seat. Cross watched as the deity methodically pulled out a first aid kid and started to rummage around trying to find something. Cross tore his gaze away and dared to look at the state of his fingers. It was bad. Very bloody, the tip of his right ring finger was gone.The darkness walked back over to him and poured some alcohol straight onto his cuts, the liquid making splashing sounds as it hit the stone flooring. Cross hissed but didn’t comment further. He disassociated a little as the nothingness then proceeded to gel his wounds, wrap it with bandages and put some healing magic into his bones. Cross couldn’t help but feel like he’d been here before.Nightmare’s magic felt just as cold as it’d always been.
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“You look different.” He said, but as the words fell from his mouth he didn’t know why he said them. If that wasn’t strange enough, he didn’t even recognise who he was talking to. Whomever it is, they turn to look at him with a glare. “Sorry, but it’s true.” They sigh in a way that seems all too familiar.“Is it a bad kind of different?” Cross shakes his skull, even though he hasn’t a clue what he was asked. “Then why comment?”“I don’t know.” He replies, and as he fumbles with the fluff on his hood, a strange feeling worms into his soul. His soul pounds in panic, echoing the cries of his other self which had been left somewhere else. It was like a ghost of his past, scratching beneath the surface of his bones. Screaming at him to remember.“Cross, are you alright?” The stranger asked.“No,” he replied with a shaky voice that didn’t sound like his own. “I just-” he takes a choked breath in. “I can’t shake this feeling that something bad is about to happen.” He concentrates on the strange movement of his soul. The pounding of his magic, drowning out the voice on the other side. Someone he can barely see.He loses the sense of where he is and who he is as the pounding becomes louder and louder. To the point where he can’t hear his own screaming over the panic soaring through his body. To the point where he can’t even feel how dry his throat feels with the vibrations of his soul.Cross wakes up in a cold sweat. The first thing he thinks as he opens his eye sockets was that the dream he’d just had must’ve been more of a nightmare with the bad taste it left in his mouth. The second thing that came to his mind was the notebook that he’d plucked off of the bookshelf during the first round.He couldn’t even remember why he picked it up in the first place.He reached into his inventory, driven mostly by deliriousness. He’d convinced himself to not look into the journal because he was afraid to invade privacy. However, the name written on the top page with that elegant handwriting ignited a spark of fondness in his being. A soft amber much like his own.Cross dared to flip past the bloodied page and read the entire thing. It was page after page of poems that each had their own gnawing question, along with the fact that Cross knew certain lines without having ever read them. As he finished the last poem, his shaking fingers brought him back to that bloodied page.Nightmare, the purple boy in his dreams, the darkness. It all seemed to connect in a way that was unclear to Cross, puzzling most of all. He had no clue what to think. With every way that he looked he found something familiar nestled into the walls of this castle. He got off the bed and took a shower to wash the sweat off of his bones.He undressed and took the bandages off only to find his cuts had fully healed. Leaving nothing but sensitivity and a few scars.Even as he scrubbed and rid himself of all sin, the haunting echo of the past thrummed through his skull. Cross got out of the shower and dried himself somewhat roughly. He pulled open the drawer but wasn’t satisfied with any of his options. He pulled open the drawer beneath that one and his eye-lights immediately landed on the neatly folded suit.It was all white with a tuxedo, fancy pants, button up and tie. It was accompanied by a black belt. Cross didn’t know why but it grabbed his attention for it was soaked in that same familiarity that followed him everywhere. He pulled it out of the drawer and was startled by the clanking sound from something falling to the ground.He crouched down and picked up the golden coloured heart locket that had fallen out of the packet of clothes. Much like most things surrounding him, Cross felt like he’d seen it somewhere before. He opened the heart and found some scribbles drawn on the inside. His soul ached with fondness but he couldn’t remember why.As if on instinct, he summoned his soul. His soul started pounding when Cross saw the state he was in. Two halves of two different souls mended together, he couldn’t help but wonder why the darkness would want this broken monster. His panic rose the longer he looked at his soul, how was that possible?Cross hurriedly dressed himself, he even pulled out some fancy black shoes to go with the formal look. While folding the tie, Cross had another wave of unknown nostalgia wash over him. With the locket round his neck, his button up slightly opened underneath the tuxedo, Cross decided that he wanted some answers.The sound of his footsteps stalking the corridors reverberated seemingly endlessly. Cross paid it little mind and focused on following the agony that would lead him directly to the king’s chambers. Cross knew that he arrived where he intended when the door he greeted flowed with familiarity.He knocked, the door opened. A single cyan eye-light bore straight down to his core, striking unimaginable fear into his being. Despite having just taken a shower, Cross felt the sweat on his brow. “We need to talk.” He croaked, the darkness fixed him with a long look before stepping aside to let Cross in.“I agree.” It spoke in that bass voice, almost too low to be mortal. Cross walked past and into the king’s bedroom. He noticed, as the nothingness offered him a seat, that the deity was dressed in a cyan silk bathrobe which did little to distort its curves. “You look upset.” It observed, Cross couldn’t help but scoff.He sat down to where the darkness pointed, which was next to the fireplace onto the peculiar couch, and sighed long and low. “Why do you want my soul?” Cross asked. “You don’t need me to help, so why is that the price you chose?” The deity huffed, mulling over its thoughts as it reclined back in the cushions.“To ask that of all things, oh.” It breathed, Cross swallowed. “What else could you possibly give me that hasn’t already been taken?” It hummed while Cross conjured up his next sentence.“You didn’t have to save me from that horrid place. Yet you did anyway, and in return you want this broken mess of a soul? I don’t understand.” Cross pulled his soul forward, out into the open, despite his better judgement. The darkness stared at it with a fuzzy eye-light.“I happen to be quite fond of that broken mess of a soul of yours.” He replied.“I’ve been here before, haven’t I?” He looked the deity in its eye and saw nothing but uncertainty. “I’ve worn these clothes before, you’ve known me-”“I still do.” It interrupted, Cross swallowed as he asked how they knew each other and why he didn’t remember. The nothingness seemed to hesitate as it bit its ‘lip’. “You will be better off not knowing. I know what a shock it will be to you and I have no intensions of tying you down.”“Please, I need to-”“No.” It cut off again, more sternly this time. The soft edge its voice had taken was gone again. Swallowed by the void. The darkness stood in an attempt to appear more omnipotent. “You should leave.” Cross grabbed his hand in an attempt to stop him.“Nightmare, please.” He said to which the deity stopped moving. “Tell me.” He begged with a cracking voice. Nightmare turned to look at him with a watery eye socket and a wobbly eye-light.“You remember me?” He whispered with some sort of hope spun into his voice. “You recall my name?”“Nightmare, what am I to you?” Cross pushed while still holding onto Nightmare’s ice cold hand. The hesitation bled into his features again.“Get out.” He commanded, stern, unmoving. Cross sighed in defeat and a bit of fear as an aura of lonesomeness washed over him. After a moment of silence, Nightmare pulled a magic trick which had the room distort. Cross was spat out of the chamber which the deity closed in a hurry with a loud bang. Cross was alone again, completely and utterly alone.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Ya look different.” Killer commented. Despite Cross’ recent revelation, he couldn’t help but feel like he was still missing something. Of course he was missing something, only Nightmare wouldn’t tell him.“How so?” He replied with a huff as he took in Killer’s state. The flirt looked different as well. His black tears had been wiped away which left wipe marks all over his cheeks, defining any scars he might’ve had in that area. The cuts on his arms had recently been opened again and the smile on his face was gone.“You look,” Killer took a long moment to look at him. Cross started to ponder if he’d even finish his line, or if he’d completely lost his train of thought. “Tired.” He said, and the observation didn’t surprise Cross.“I do?”“Yeah.” Killer’s voice had an edge to it, even sharper than the edge to his knife. It was something that Cross couldn’t figure out. “Havin’ a nice lil’ lack a sleep, ain’t cha?” Cross deflated. Of course, what else could this be about.“Don’t come at me, I don’t know why you’re sticking your nose in my business. Also, a kiss? Really, Killer?” He spoke, although a bit louder than he’s used to.“Ye’, ya go’ a fuckin’ problem with tha’?”“What, are you gonna apologise?” Cross asked with a tone of disbelief in his voice.“Hell no, I ain’t apologisin’ fer shi’. No’ like I’m doin’ anythin’ wron’ anyway.”“What?” Cross’ voice quivered as he thought through all the memories he’d conjured up so far. “You tried to kill me. You slit Dust’s throat!”Killer cackled at the insinuation, and Cross couldn’t help but growl in response. “Ye’, I guess you’re righ’.” Killer smile was plastered back onto his face and Cross’ features only scowled. Whatever had been bothering Killer, it was probably gone now.“Then why’re ya here? Ta beat me fair ‘n square?” Killer said and Cross couldn’t help but take in his surroundings. They were in preparation of the final round, an arena style fight to the death. Were swords would swish and heads would roll. Cross didn’t know what Killer meant.“I’m gonna make sure you don’t hurt anyone else.” Cross said with a competitive glare. “On top of that, I’m gonna get payback for the time you slit Dust’s throat. I’m gonna beat your ass for all the times you tried to kill me, which was once but still.” Killer giggled.“I look forward to it, Cross.” With that, he turned to walk away. Cross witnessed as Killer’s footsteps stopped right before he turned the corner. “Oh, almost forgot.” He mused aloud whilst turning to look Cross in the eye-lights. “Happy birthday, Criss-Cross.” Cross blinked, and he was gone.