Ego

Chapter 2 - Ego

For an unknown amount of time, I laid down on my back, staring at the empty white sky.

I eventually decide to get up and walk towards the door in order to leave this desolate white space in favor of the unknown.

When I stood in front of the door expecting something like the letter to happen again, I was disappointed to see that nothing happened, so I just decided to go through the door.

As I walked forward and reached out to open the door, I was bewildered, seeing what lies beyond the door.

It was an eerie dark hallway, with walls that looked like black stone, with its ceiling bending in an arc akin to half a circle. The hallway was dimly lit, and I couldn't see very far, barely a few meters away with all this light.

After taking in a deep breath, and another breath, and then another breath-(while I was breathing, that led me to a thought. Am I even breathing? I should be dead, right?)-I cautiously stepped through the door, and fully entered the hallway.

I unconsciously looked back, and saw that the white door was no longer there. Instead what awaited me when I looked back was a stone figure, somewhat appearing like a wall.

Observing it closer, I saw that the stone figure was split down the middle, with one half representing a man with a beard and the other half representing a woman.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say I was wholly startled when I saw that thing. Like who wouldn't? First, my route to leave disappeared, replaced by a solemn and creepy figure, sitting in the darkness.

It would scare almost anyone.

Already feeling scared, I nearly jumped into the air when it began talking without opening its mouth.

"I've been waiting for you...

my lost child...

I am Ego Rex...

I administer the rules...

What you will find

here with me

Is you...

Yourself..."

"...what? Are you sure you were waiting for me?" I, almost getting over the fact the stone wall sculpture thing was talking, was confused about what it was talking about.

Unfortunately, I was only answered vaguely-actually, I wasn't answered at all. Instead, it left a vague response.

"All your questions...

Will be answered In time...

But for now...

The time Is upon you...

...Go to Es..."

The stone figure named Ego Rex, answered cryptically, and vanished Into dust after it finished Its words.

I stood there taking in what Ego Rex said with only one prevalent question in mind.

"Did he say he was an Ego?" I said, realizing too late what Ego Rex said.

I stood there not moving an inch, and not knowing what to do as too many questions plagued my mind.

It continued...until a random memory entered my confused mind.

'Don't worry about it' The wise words of who I remembered to be Gigguk entered my mind, easing it from frustration…

"Heh...hehehe..."

A small chuckle escaped me as I was thinking that I'm slowly going insane from all of this nonsense. Not knowing where to go, and who or where Es Is, I eventually decided to just go down the dimly lit hallway,

Picking a direction I started walking down the eerily dark hallway in front of me. I mean, what could go wrong?

As I was walking, random philosophical thoughts slowly began to appear inside my mind and thoughts.

'What am I?'

'Who am I?'

Deciding it to be just random thoughts from my already questionable mind, I continue walking...until I eventually reach what looked to be the end of this hallway.

What awaited me at the end were three doors, the one to the left looked to be an old door that looked to be from the Victorian Era, the one in the middle is a simple wooden door that had a plaque that had the word 'Egress' on it, and the third door was a very familiar door, a white door with black outlines similar to the one that brought me here.

'Egress...wasn't that Latin for exit?' Looking back at the second door, for some reason, I remembered that particular information from when I saw it on the Internet.

Back when I was human.

A small sigh of nostalgia escaped my lips. My human life seemed so far away.

'This must lead back to the InBetween,' I mused, feeling a bit of relief from seeing that door.

I don't want to test the other way to get back to the InBetween.

'Hopefully, I'll never have to test that way of getting back.'

I shuddered from the thought and pain of having to die again just to get back to the InBetween.

Deciding to enter through one of the doors, barring the white one of course, I chose to enter through the left one. The door that had the word 'Egress' on it.

"What's behind door number one?" I muttered as I opened the door. What was inside the door confused me, as I didn't expect to see such a thing in this place.

What awaited me behind it was a small room that looked to be a study. Inside the room was a...young woman with long dark hair, braided and swept to her side. She wore elaborate formal European attire, along with a pair of white gloves busily reading a book.

I, after hesitating for a moment, stepped inside the room.

Looking around I saw the walls of the room were filled with shelves. And on those shelves...were books.

Many, many books. Large ones, small ones, you name it. So many that they were uncountable from where I stood.

My immediate thought on this was that she really likes books.

Looking around some more, I noticed that In one of the corners of the room was a grey couch, long and big enough to fit one person lying horizontally on it.

While I was looking around, something must've gotten the attention of the woman, because she seemed to notice me, calling out to me abruptly.

"Well look who showed up...I grew tired of waiting," she said in an airy, nonchalant voice.

Before I could respond, she continued to speak.

"Sorry, but I'll get right to the point. I have 12 questions for you. Don't think too hard, just answer honestly," she said with a neutral, business tone of voice.

I blinked, and nodded to the woman to continue, while preparing myself for tough questions. Besides the fact that we don't know each other's names, I mean, what else should I do?

She, seeing my agreement, began to ask me her questions.

"Do you tend not to get emotional?"

"Yes."

"Are you easily influenced by others?"

"No."

"Are your tastes easy to discern?"

"No."

"Do you get jealous easily?"

"No."

"Do tough situations make you work even harder?"

"No."

"Are you often irritated by uncertainty?"

"Yes."

"Are you unhindered by fear?"

"No."

"Do you prefer things to be black and white?"

"No, never."

"Are you often deceived?"

"I...I don't know," I answered with uncertainty.

'Who even knows when I was being manipulated or deceived?'

"Do you like being the center of attention?"

"No, I absolutely hate it," I said with certainty.

"Do you ignore those you dislike?"

"Yes."

Those should be all the twelve questions right?

"I see...interesting," Es said, putting her hand over her chin. Then, she looked back at me again seconds later.

"Your defense mechanism is...Denial."

I blinked. Denial?

"You're the type to turn away from anything that may breed anxiety or pain," she said. "Similar to a stubborn child, you close your eyes to anything you dislike."

Her head then tilted slightly to the side.

"Why not try facing your problems every once in a while instead of shunning them?"

The woman's words were filled with a neutral tone of voice. It felt as if she was giving me what seems to be advice, while seemingly denouncing me at the same time.

The problem was, I couldn't deny what she said. Talk about first impressions am I right.

'She's not wrong, which is why I hate It even though I barely remember most of my life before I died. I know one thing for certain...and that's that I shut myself off from going outside too much back when I was human.'

I then started to remember faint voices and faces telling me to go and get professional help for myself.

But those memories only lasted for a second before I started to forget about them, and I started to listen in to what the girl was saying.

"Well did that clear things up?" She asked me with the same neutral voice. As if she didn't fully analyze my entire personality, mistakes, and fears.

"Yes."

I answered depressingly, thinking that someone I just met was able to see through me easily.

'Why do I even try anyways?' A depressing thought came to mind, which I immediately shook my head, focusing back on the matter at hand.

"You don't know much at all do you?" The woman asked again. I could detect a faint trace of pity.

'Tch.'

Deciding not to answer I remained silent.

"Not about this place or about who you are...no matter, we've only just begun."

'How can she see through me so easily? Who is she? I need answers...'

I decided to ask her questions that I've had for a while now.

"What is this place, and who are you?" I asked firmly. I was determined to know.

"This place is closed off from the outside world, It doesn't have a name, To me that's all there is to It, As for who I am...that bastard Ego Rex must have already told you my name," she muttered.

So she must be Es that Ego Rex mentioned. Although I could hear a lot of anger when she mentioned Ego Rex, I decided not to ask her about it.

Let's not antagonize the woman that's supposed to give me answers.

"Now please, come visit again once you have sorted out your mind."

I blanked out at that. Wasn't I suppose to ask more questions. I opened my mouth to speak, and then shut it. Something tells me I shouldn't push my limits, especially with a stranger. I also have no real social experience or skills after all…

I then turned to the door...and remembered that I don't have anywhere to go.

I then turned back to Es, who was reading her book again, and asked-

"Could I stay here and sleep?". She looked at me straight in the face-no, mask. Her eyes, moving and analyzing me, hid what her thoughts were.

After a few tense seconds of waiting and fidgeting, she eventually spoke.

"Fine, But try anything and...I'll kick you out of here," Es said warningly.

"I'm just going to take a nap. It's been a while since I've had a comfortable rest," I replied.

It had actually been some time since I last took a good long rest.

Actually now that I think about it, I haven't slept since i woke up in the InBetween…

It's probably because I've been too busy trying to reason with myself about the strange situation I'm in.

I started pondering as I walked towards the sofa.

Finally reaching it, I lied down on the sofa. It felt comfortable. It was warm...yet homey.

I took a glance at Es, and seeing that she got back to reading her book, I began to think about my first impressions of her.

'My first encounter with a 'human being' since I got here, and she immediately began to dissect my personality.

Speaking of personality, she seems to be very cold and distant to me. I mean, that is to be expected since it's our first time meeting, but couldn't she at least show a bit more emotion? At least emotion other than anger towards this Ego Rex?' I thought as I slowly began to feel drowsy.

'But at least she's cute, so I guess I'll let what happened slide.'

Those were my last thoughts as I succumbed to sleep.

Chapter End

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A/N:We meet again,congratulations are in order for making it this far again I had to rewrite this chapter, 2 times since the first one was meh at best. hopefully this ones better but hey what do i know i'm just a newbie degenerate fanfic writer, So once again make sure to leave a power stone down below its free and you can always just wait 1 day before it recharges Es_simp signing out see ya.

If you didn't know, this is being edited by DaoistofBoredom.

Thank God for the editor in making this readable.