Of Abyss And Chitin

Remember guys, read the authors thoughts. Today it might be a question, tomorrow it might be some interesting information.

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Throughout the entire walk back to the room my mind wandered about, searching for a way to divert my attention from the unreasonable insanity of my situation. The arduous nature of my trudge did not help me in this regard. No matter how many times I tried to wrap my head around this situation, it unravels like a falling ball of yarn. 

Everything I could come up with was a temporary bandage upon a gaping wound. I had read, watched and played through these types of situations thousands of times on earth.  They were not foreign to me in the slightest. And yet somehow that made it even less believable. Knowing that these types of things show up in fiction make me feel as though I am simply living a nightmare.

But I also know what happens to main characters who treat things like a game or simply dissociate. It always ends badly, and becomes a hard spiral to pull oneself out of. 

But if this truly is my reality, why was I specifically chosen?

I know that Maria is likely out there somewhere. She was hit by the same truck as me, and was in the same place as me at the same time. At least that's what I hope. If she's not…

I sighed, placing my hand against the wall of the tunnel. I arched my back and stretched slightly, earning myself a curious glance from Scola. 

'If she isn't then I truly am alone besides Scola.'

For a moment, I tried to consider and rationalise simply accepting life under Tyvelia.

The keyword is "tried". Tyvelia is simply far too volatile. A single mistake could lead to my demise, and possibly the demise of others. 

Though that does bring up the question though, is Scola actually on my side?

She is mostly intent on protecting me due to the orders of Tyvelia. On top of that, though she has seemed to be at odds with Tyvelia recently, that doesn't really seem to change their power dynamic.

If I look at this practically then she may just be a very friendly pawn.

'I mean she literally went and allowed herself to be killed by Tyvelia. Despite me understanding her to an extent and feeling at ease with her, this friendliness may cause my downfall when the time comes to leave Tyvelia's clutches.'

My mind slowly became a tempestuous sea of thoughts as I considered the implications of Scola's allegiance to Tyvelia and whether or not she could be trusted. On top of that, I was really unsure of whether or not that allegiance still remains to the full extent it did before.

And soon, distrust began to bloom and flourish like an ugly, disgusting flower. 

However a sudden flood of guilt doused it like pesticide, causing it to wither and shrivel. When I had broken down at the hollows entrance, it was Scola who consoled me. She was never truly left my side since Tyvelia had called her back the second time. She had never harmed me out of anger either.

Only once had she ever hurt me, and that was out of fear.

Though I do wonder, why did she fear me in the first place?

…

Finally, the warm glow of the lantern caused something to glint in the distance. It was my room door, its silver embellished surface seeming to flow and become alive under the sway of the flames glow.

However I couldn't focus on that.

All I could focus on was the fact that my door was ajar.

Remembering what Tyvelia told me, I steeled myself in preparation to meet the gloom. Scola then reared up to her maximum height, putting her bladed arm against the door before pushing it open.

Nothing however, could ever prepare me for what I saw beyond the entryway.

It was a being composed of the deepest shadows one could imagine. It's mere presence seemed to dim the room and deepen every corner .

It was but a simple black ball, floating in the middle of the room.

And yet the sheer weight of it's existence seemed to want to press me flat. I could barely even manage to suck in a breath as Scola stepped up in front of me, brandishing her blades like scythes.

Sweat dribbled down my forehead as I barely managed to bring myself to peer at Scola. And the moment I did, I saw her eyes.

They were an empty abyss, so deep that no matter how long your gaze lingered, nothing would ever even glance back. The gloom could never hold a candle to what I saw in that moment.

The simple pressure it exuded could never hope to contend with what I had seen.

And it seems it knew it as well.

The gloom began to melt, dripping down to the floor in long oily black strands. As it dribbled its essence down to the floor, a new form began to take shape, humanoid in nature.

The orb never moved or shrunk, constantly pouring out its essence. Finally, it stopped as a full body formed below it.

It had no features, not muscles, nor a face, or even hair. It was as though the void had taken human form.

Then from its head, a pair of eyes swirling like a whirlpool bore their way open. However they were completely unlike the rest of the body.

They were simply dark. As though a weak shadow had been cast over them.

I then realized I could move again, staggering slightly as I regained control of my body.

Scola however, simply lowered her arms before twisting herself to look back at me. Though I was unsure whether she would understand the gesture, I gave her a thumbs up to attempt to alleviate her worries. Not that the heavy breaths I was now taking were helpful.

Scola immediately returned to normal, shedding her anger in less than a second as she lowered her arms.

She then rushed over in a wave of clicking chitin, supporting me with her secondary arms as I attempted to stand again.

All the while, the gloom never moved an inch.

So instead, I mustered some courage and spoke.

"So I believe Tyvelia sent you?'

The dark being stared at me. As it stood unmoving, I began to wonder if it could even understand me. Finally, after an uncomfortable moment of silence, it nodded its head.

It then placed a hand to its chest, before slowly pushing its hand deep within itself.  After a moment, it pulled it's hand back out, bringing with it a massive marbled slab of meat.

It then placed the meat onto a large platter in the stove of the kitchenette.

Then it turned and stared at me. Its eyes seemed to whirl like a storm as they scanned me both inside and out. Then, the floor seemed to turn to liquid as the body promptly fell away leaving only the orb once again. It then dropped into the depths below, shadows splashing up as though it had been a final drop in a cup of water.

The gloom was gone.

The entire room seemed to brighten the moment it withdrew. The cold glow of the blue crystals washed over my goosebump laden skin, as I let out a sigh of relief.

"Before we go get the utensils and everything else, lets just take a moment to rest."