Chapter 2

Act 2:

After I explored the place, I asked them what they were doing here; Rei replied that they live here. I was confused because there were no shelters nearby. All there was on the other side were forest and rivers.

"Where do you guys sleep and eat?" I asked with a confused expression.

"What do you mean? We sleep and eat here on the fields." They all replied at once.

It made me more confused but then I remembered that they weren't "normal". They didn't ask me about my origins or relatives at all. I did all the asking. They then all stood up at once.

"Ok, it's time to prepare dinner." Rei announced.

We split up in 2 teams, Rei and the twins will be going to the west so they can gather up woods for the fireplace while me and Farnese went fishing. We walked for a very long time to the point I almost passed out on the way. Farnese asked if we needed to take a break but I kept my pride and continued walking. There were no roads at all, it was just empty grass fields with trees. Looking at the lake was beautiful, nothing but pure nature. When Farnese started fishing she immediately caught one like it was nothing, but she no longer had an empty expression, she looked excited and happy;she was like a whole new person. After a few minutes she returned to her empty expression and asked me "What is your escapism when you're in deep stress" in a very gloomy voice

"Uh…I read comics to soar away from this desolate reality, and I can finally make relationships with people that don't exist, but it matters not for even if they never existed the ideas they created for me will be everlasting" I replied in a brief response.

"That's nice, mine is to fish which is why I ask to do this job." Farnese replied back.

"I don't want to face my problems because I'm afraid of the consequences, so escaping them is the best option for me... What if I make a mistake and things become worse? With a disgusted expression, Farnese stated, "The greatest option for me is not to fight back, but to ignore it in the hopes that things will get better."

I completely agree with her; I've never tried to solve my problems and have simply given up. I never sought to argue with my parents and instead accepted their punishment and mental torture. My old way of expressing my difficulties was crying to my brother, but now that he's gone, I'd like to find someone else with whom I can share my deepest and darkest sentiments, and that someone doesn't exist but is made up.

"Ok it's time to go back" Farnese said while packing up the fishes we caught in a box.

After that, I followed her to their "house." It was another lengthy walk, made considerably more difficult by the fact that I was carrying fish on my back. It was strange because the girl didn't appear to be tired at all. The fireplace was already lit when we arrived, and they were just waiting for the fish to be cooked. They sat on a pile of logs covered in bear fur to eat. They simply lay down on the ground and slept, with no covers or pillows, after we had eaten. I was so cold that I asked if they had anything to keep me warm, and they told me that I could sleep in the bear fur. I used it because there was no other option.

If it meant seeing my brother again, I wouldn't mind dying. I'm not joking when I say that I was prepared at one point, but I was stopped by a strange feeling that I was still missing something.

I woke up in a weird place, the atmosphere was dreadful. There was a dark crimson aura all over the place. The clouds were gloomy, and life had been extinguished. There was no sign of life anywhere. The only thing you can see is a gory crimson waterfall gushing down from the mountain's peak, dried up terrain that seems like it's been through a drought, and a dark red sky above you. I was terrified, I didn't know what to do, I ran and ran in hope I could find someone who can help and guide me back to safety. I screamed and screamed for help but no one answered. I kept running and running. That's when I heard "Hello, sister" from the sky above me. I looked up and saw the winged bird descend, spreading word of the sky to the cripples. That was, without a doubt, my dear brother.

He was looking at me from the sky while flexing his free wings.

I then yelled out to him "WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS PLACE, AND WHY ARE WE HERE?!"

He only smiled at me and didn't respond to my question. He then requested that I follow him, which I did. Despite the fact that I walked for miles and miles, the scenery remained the same.

"Now, let me ask you a question: did following me here help you find an answer?"

"No," I simply said.

So, what makes you think that following in my footsteps will make your life better?"

"You're just following me down the rabbit hole."

"Life isn't perfect, so make the best of it by avoiding the pitfalls that others have fallen into." With a similar grin on his face, my brother said.

"NO... I'm not ready!" I'm afraid I can't... How can I simply abandon the herd when I was born to follow... That's why I've always followed you because I need someone to open doors for me."

"You're the only person I've ever been able to confide in and rant to about my problems." I can't choose the proper way without you."

"What makes you think I'm on the right track?" "Just because I don't complain about it doesn't mean I don't have to deal with it."

"You can always better yourself no matter what, life is long and has so many choices." he said as I stared at him discouraged. "

You can stroll down any street and still be happy." He kept going.

I gave in; I had spent my entire life attempting to impress others rather than impressing myself. I've never done anything that I actually desired. It was usually something I was told to do or what someone else did. And the one person I follow is constantly telling me to trust my instincts.

"Rather than following in the footsteps of others, compete with them and try to outperform them." Competition pushes you to be a better person in general. That's why I formed gangs: to fight and compare my strength to that of others in order to inflate my ego. Before you can love someone else, you must first love yourself. Otherwise, you'll just be a piece of thin paper that can be destroyed any time."

"Rather than hating and doubting yourself while loving others. Paint your own future and dreams to love yourself. Your brain is the painting board, your dreams are the colors, and you are the brush." My brother was completed.

The background became plain white, my brother became plain white, and I became plain white as well. Yes, I've finally discovered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I've finally discovered the solution to making myself perfect. My brother began to fade away into the void, but I screamed out, "WAIT, ANSWER MY EARLIER QUESTION! WHERE ARE WE AND HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!"

He smiled and answered "I am not alive, I am only part of your mind and this place is your own mind."

Before I could say anything 2 hunters shot him down. I then woke up.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!!?!" Those 2 hunters yelled out at me and said a bunch of stuff acting like they were my real parents in front of the cops. But that wasn't what I was worried about, I couldn't see any of my new friends, I looked to my left and right but I found no trace of them. When I asked the cops if they noticed any unusual creatures near me as I slept, they stated I was just sleeping alone. The hunters took me in with them, I tried telling them that they weren't my parents but they just disciplined me and it felt like they were actually my parents. I didn't know what was happening, it was all happening at once. I was grounded for four weeks after that, and I couldn't even walk behind the mountain to see my friends. So, after the second week, I stopped being terrified of my difficulties and chose to return to that location. I waited until the hunters were asleep before attempting to escape. I also decided to bring supplies such as knives, food, spoons/forks, clothes, and blankets with me. I ran all the way behind the mountain till I spotted Rei seated on a ledge. I rushed over to him and hugged him, telling him how much I missed them. He, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised at all, as if he expected me to arrive; I asked as to where the rest of them were, and he answered he had no idea. So I went looking for the twins and Farnese till I came across a horrific sight that I wish I had never seen, and after about 10 minutes of searching for them, I came across....

(To be continued).