Down into the dark, finding something unexpected...

'Ever felt as if you made a mistake that you regretted and wanted to undo? A mistake so bad, so awful, you just felt as if you were the biggest idiot around? Well welcome to the club! Because you've joined me in it! Which means you and me are going to get along juuuust fine.'

'Wanna know why I'm outing myself as an idiot? Because I chose to walk down a creepy, narrow, very dark and spooky looking hallway without no second thought to it. I said I would be smarter on things like this! And yet I forgot, how stupid of me!'

'Even with my hair being the bright burning fire of life it is, it still felt as if the darkness was still as prominent as ever. Did I need a couple hundred flashlights to see or what? My eyes aren't enhanced to see into the darkness like a cat! Wish they were though, that would be wonderfully helpful.'

'Reaching into my pocket I took out my phone. Which I proceeded to turn on and activate its built-in flashlight. At least I had another source of light to depend on. Hopefully it doesn't run out of juice.'

'So, with another source of light, which slightly helped, I continued onwards. Walking forward was all I could do, no turns or corners to take. It felt as if the narrow hallway was almost endless, no end in sight. Please don't be some sort of cursed place that I can never escape, that would not be a delightful situation to be in.'

'Casting a glance to the walls I looked for a possible torch, maybe a lantern that was just hanging from a chain that I could snatch and use. Next time I see a room that's completely pitch black, I'm making sure to always have a flashlight on me, especially for situations like this one. The thought of not being able to see somewhat scares me. And yes, I'm somewhat afraid of the dark, but at least I know how to hide my fear pretty well!'

'Aside from all that, the darkness was still a problem. But, it wasn't going to be a problem for much longer. Mainly with the fact that I could see some light ahead! Finally, after so many hours of gruesome torture for my poor feat, I can finally see light at the other end of the tunnel!'

'Eager to see what was waiting, I began to pick up the pace a little. My feet were still aching, so I was somewhat careful with how fast I moved. I know I shouldn't be complaining about my aching feet, but could you blame me? I was walking around all day yesterday! And I hardly stopped to relax.'

'Even with waking up this morning I didn't take a breather. Immediately getting my clothes on and heading to the kitchen to snag a cup of coffee. Then got the coffee and started mapping out my castle. So yeah, no actual time for relaxation!'

'At least I was able to spare some time to grab some coffee. Not sure if I could have survived the day without it. Speaking of which, I ran out of coffee a while ago. So, the cup I was carrying was sadly empty, tis the saddest of days for me.'

'If you're questioning about why I have the cup still in my grasp, then I have no clue how to answer that. It's like wearing glasses and you forget that you even had them on when thinking you placed them somewhere else. That was the situation I was in, but also not, seeing as to how I knew I had the cup in my grasp, but nowhere to really set it. Leaving it on the ground was an option, or just tossing it to the side.'

'Which case I did just that. Throwing the cup to the side it shattered, somewhat loudly, but I didn't care. It was a single cup; I could always buy more. Or get someone to do it for me. No need to go out of my way to buy more cups.'

'So, with that little distraction out of the way, I continue onwards towards the ever so increasingly bright light source. Hope there's something amazing at the end, or I'm going to blow a fuse. I could have done so much within these few hours I've spent walking down this tunnel. So yeah, there better be something worthwhile or I'll be heavily disappointed, in life, and myself for not turning back sooner.'

'With that thought still lingering on my mind I continued walking, or more like jogging. Patience was running thin, more like on a tightrope. Patience was the person, while I was the tightrope that was about to snap. Which one's going to give first? The tightrope? Or patience?'

'Ugh, now I need another cup of coffee. Maybe my shadow storage can keep stuff heated? So, if I were to store a cup of coffee in it, would it come out still hot and drinkable? Future test for later, focus on the now.'

'Coffee, oh how I miss your wonderful caffeine.' "Should have drank something stronger, maybe adding more sugar would have been a better idea." 'Oh yeah, totally going to add more sugar next time.'

'Sighing I continued at a subdued pace, not to fast nor to slow, just about in the middle. Like, when would this torture ever end? I thought I was getting closer to the damn light! Is this some sort of trick? Some sort of deception that my minds playing on me? Curse you brain, how dare you play games on me without my say so!'

'Grumbling to myself I looked ahead, squinting my eyes to see somewhat more clearly in hopes of possibly spotting something in the distance. Not that I could make out anything. There was hardly anything to see up ahead. Admitting defeat was not an option. Not when I was this close to getting out of this hallway.'

'So, with a resolute face I walked on for a while, a few more hours at best. How was this even possible?! I could see the light! And yet it was so damn far away when I first saw it! How could it have ever been this bright? Is this some sort of trial to test my sanity and patience? Well, you won't ever win! I'll come out on top, whoever's up to this little gimmick won't win!'

'With my resolution to coming out the victor still intact, even if I was just trying to make some fun out of this, I continued to walk for what felt like hours, it was actually just a singular hour. Oh, how bored I felt from walking this long. Not even listening to music was helping.' "At least I'm at the end of this stupid tunnel." 'Tunnel, exit, I didn't even bother to care at this point.'

'The light was just in sight, a few more steps and I would finally get to see what this was all about. So, taking a deep breath, I walked out of the doorway. And what I saw, almost made me feel like crying from despair.' "Seriously...?" 'It was horrible, something I would have never asked to ever happen.'

'Before me was a cavern, a giant cave system that seemed to stretch for miles. No end in sight, somehow, someway, I had apparently been going down. Even though I knew I hadn't felt as if I was ever moving downwards, I still had gone down even without noticing it.'

'Glancing around I took in the sights. There was a bridge, a giant stone bridge that seemed way too big to be normal. All sorts of giant carvings were inscribed into it, almost as if a giant had made it. Old buildings laid scattered around, in ruined states that'd make any architect frown from the poor conditions they were in. Everything screamed abandoned city, a city lost to the ages of time.'

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Keep calm and rock on. ...I made a rock pun, damn it!' "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" 'All I could say were words that would make my mother's mouth go sour, cussing until I could curse no more.'

'Words kept coming out of my mouth until I was out of breath. Heavily breathing from the rant that I had been in. I needed that, very badly might I add.' "I...I'm good, no more cussing." 'With a tired sigh I ran a gloved hand through my hair, turning left and right as I decided a course of action.'

'There were a few options to choose from. One was to explore, two was to go back, three was just to stand here and look pretty. Which one did you think I was going to pick? Welp, I'm not going to even wait for an answer! I'll be choosing option one, thank you very much!'

'In no way, shape or form, was I going to walk back without at least checking the place out. Especially with that giant temple at the far end of the bri-, wait, temple? There's a giant temple down here? ...Is this some sort of orchestrated plan? Some sort of movie scene that I had no clue I was taking part in?'

'Squinting my eyes a bit I tried to check out the details of the temple. Which it seemed quite old, yet also still intact. Besides the entrance having a gaping hole that obviously meant either something smashed into what once was the door, or broke the door from the inside and allowed whatever was inside to get out. Whatever tried getting out must have been huge. I don't know if I ever want to meet whatever did what I'm seeing, especially with the fact that I can tell that the hole's huge, even from this distance.'

' It was hard to tell what happened, so all I could do was accept that something happened. It looked as if it's some kind of pyramid, typical, yet not so the same. A few pillars were built into the temple along with a giant archway that was obviously the entrance to it. Gazing up to the pillars I could tell there were some sort of giant bowls atop each one? No, it was a few giant braziers! Almost forgot the word for a second.'

'Looking back to the entrance of the temple was a different story. Only the entrance seemed to be in the worse state. Big enough to fit a trojan horse twice if not thrice the size of what the romans used. Wonder what's inside that place. Maybe a hidden treasure? An old book that holds some sort of map to said treasure?'

"Only one way to find out I suppose." 'Seeing I had already committed myself to this trip, there was no point in turning back.'

'So onwards I go, to infinity and beyond!'

================================================================

*Step* - *Step* - *Step*  "Ow." 'Walking sucks.'

'So yeah, welcome back to my daily struggles with living and not giving up and dropping dead on the spot. A record should be set in place for how many steps I had to take to get to this temple. Which you may ask a few questions, such as why I didn't fly? Because giant stalagmites were hanging from the top of the cave, so no, I wasn't going to risk having one of those things falling and piercing me while in the air.'

'Even small rocks breaking off from the top of this underground system would have been pretty dangerous. Which would be a good test to see how durable my new body is, and yet I don't want to test and see if I'd make a good test dummy. Nope, no falling rocks for me! At least, I hope so...'

'Anyways! Back to the present, which is me facing a certain problem.' "I don't want to go in there." 'Me being somewhat hesitant to even step inside.'

'Something inside me was flaring my danger indicators. A feeling I've hardly ever felt, since my old life, or this new life. I mean I know what fear is, seeing I have a few fears I won't entirely mention, but you most likely already know about them. And yet this type of fear was different. A type of feeling you get when you know you're really in danger and should run away and never look back.'

'Glancing down to my arms I pulled back my left sleeve, seeing all of the hair's on my arm standing on end. I wasn't afraid, seeing it was just a dark doorway, a heavily damaged one at that. But the fact that my body was feeling so odd confirmed that my natural survival instincts were going into overdrive. Maybe this was a sign to just step away and forget about this?'

'...Fuck no! If there's some sort of ugly monster in there, then I'll spit in its face and say screw you! Nothing was stopping me; no way was I going to give in now. Especially with the fact that something was in this temple. Obviously there must be some sort of hidden treasures, or items that could hold some value. Maybe a locked away spirit that hopes and beckons for freedom?'

'If there was even the chance that someone was in need of help, then I'll gladly oblige and go in and save them. Even if they're just a ghost I still wouldn't ignore their pleas for a savior. Not sure how ghosts would work when hell and heaven exist, but maybe I could get an answer from them if they knew? Heh, I'm already expecting something when I don't even know what to expect.'

'Reaching behind I grabbed out my only means of actual protection, which was my gun. At least I had a weapon to defend myself if things went south. But what would a pistol do against some sort of super crazed monster that has skin thicker than iron? Hm, only one way to find out I suppose!'

'A few practiced motions and the gun was ready. Safety on, the slide slid back to cock the gun. No way was I going in without a bullet loaded in the chamber.' "Ok, just a quick peak, no more than that." 'If things get dicey then I'm booking it, no exceptions.'

'With a deep breath and a slow exhale, I stepped into the entry way, heading into the belly of the beast. What's to be expected, traps, traps, and more traps? Who would build traps in this place? Surely there was none, right?'

'Step after step as I moved forward. Always looking left and right from time to time. My senses were still screaming at me to run, but I wasn't listening to them. Yes, it's a cliche movie scene that everyone questions, which is the cast going towards the danger instead of running away from it. However, I'm the director and the cast, so I was the one who wrote the script, kind of, ...not really.'

'Ok, I admit that I'm doing something stupid. But can you honestly blame me? I've only been alive, again, for 6 or so days now! Living life to the fullest is kind of my agenda, even if what I'm doing is pretty risk inducing.'

'Risks also sometimes came with rewards. If what I was risking came with a shiny and valuable trinket at the end of all of this, then it'll definitely be worth it. And you'd probably ask why I want something that's valuable when I have all the money I could ever want or need. That's easily a simple question to answer.'

'I like collecting stuff, weapons, photos, rocks of varying sizes and colors. All sorts of stuff that tickles my fancy. I'm not a hoarder, but just a general enthusiast when it comes to certain item's that I'm generally happy with having. I mean, who wouldn't want some unique or fancy collectible that nobody else has?'

'Speaking of collectible items, there was quite a few things laying around. Old broken weapons, shields, armor, all the signs that could indicate a battle. Everything I was seeing was leading to a conclusion that was pointing to one simple fact. One so obvious that even a toddler wouldn't miss the obvious clues laying around.'

'A battle, that's what I was seeing. Once a battleground but now a graveyard. Bones scattered around, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Armor of all varying shapes and sizes that indicated differentiating aspects of the once proud warriors now turned dead and silent. It was a bit chilling to see it, even with being right in the middle of it all. Some bones were just too large to be normal, odd with how big they were. Even a few giant skulls that had teeth in them still appeared sharp, even with how old all the bones looked.'

'Now, was I going to be a respectable person and leave the dead alone?'

...Maybe.

'.....What? You expect me not to look around and claim some of this stuff as mine? It's all just sitting around and collecting dust. What use does it all have if it's all lying around being unused? Some of it looked still intact, so there was a good chance I could make some use out of all of the various items lying around.'

'Sadly, I didn't have the time to go looting. Only enough time to check this place out, then leave. Maybe when I can spare some time I'll come back, but until then, I'll just take this chance to explore and maybe and I mean maybe, take a few mementos to remind of this place. Forgetting about all of this would be funny, especially with the fact that it'd be hard to even forget about.'

'All in all, I will definitely come back if I ever have the time. So now let's get back to the present, which is me figuring out why I still feel as if I should go deeper into this temple.' "This isn't one of those moments where I'm being called for some sort of fated destiny, right?" 'Fuck, I might have jinxed myself by saying that out loud!'

'Realizing I said that out loud I bit my tongue, flicking my head left and right. Nothing that would indicate anyone speaking up and saying yes, no voices, weird doors, nothing. Just a bit of darkness and me, how fun. Murphy better not act up or me and him are going to have a problem. Fist to face, mono e mono.'

'Sighing in relief I relaxed a little, which was a mistake, as the tip of my shoe caught the edge of a fallen shield and fell to the ground with an audible 'oof'. "Damn it..." 'Grunting I lifted myself up, then came to face with a skeleton's eye sockets.'

'In a moment such as this, the only thing I could say was.' "Hello handsome, have we met before?" 'Pff, really? A pickup line to a skeleton?'

'Chuckling I stood up and checked my pistol to see if it was ok. No damage as far as I could tell, so that was good.' "At least I have you as company." 'I said to my only companion, which is my lovely gun.'

'Talking with my gun to keep myself occupied, huh, maybe I should give it a name and draw some eyes on each side of the barrel? Hehe, that'd make me definitely look crazy. Crazy with all capital letters. Only crazy people talk to inanimate objec-...shit. I think I'm crazy, wait, I'm already crazy! Ooga-booga!' 

'Jokes aside, it was time to focus. So, looking back up from my gun I looked around. And something caught my eye. A door, the only one that was closed. Turning around I also saw some other doors, each one open and what seemed to lead into rooms that were either possibly barren or filled with who knows what.'

'The singular door that was shut was different from all the rest. For starters was the fact that it was made of solid gold, as in gold that could make you filthy rich. Gems and jewels, carvings galore. It was a beautiful piece of work that I couldn't help but not be drawn to it. Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have said what I said out loud! A giant shiny door is definitely suspicious.'

'Suspicion aside, I couldn't help but run over with the eagerness of a child, oohing and aweing at the piece of art that would sell for who knows how much. Paying attention to its details was a must. The wooden door I had complimented on before had nothing on what I was comparing it too now. All over the door was carvings and hieroglyphs that depicted angelic figures fighting what seemed to be demons. Demon's that made any other demonic figure I've seen so far pale in comparison to what I was looking at now.'

'Each demonic figure seemed twisted and warped. Anger, hate, rage, that's all I could see over their faces. And when I looked to the angel's, they seemed scared, afraid, but above all else, eager. Eager for the battle to end? Eager to just fight them?'

'Curiosity was getting to me, especially with wanting to know what was behind this door. Hopefully it'll be easier to open then the wooden door. But I highly doubted it. Seeing the door was massive and appeared to be quite heavy.'

'A blockade was in my way. So, it's time to either use brains or brawn to solve this situation. Obviously, I was going to test my strength first. Maybe the door easily opens? Heh, that's probably a pipe dream.'

So, I rolled up my sleeves and put away my gloves and walked up to the door. Bracing a hand on each door. Did I forget to mention it was a double door I was going to have to put in a lot of effort if I wanted to push both open. Time to muscle up, wooh!'

'With a sudden push I leaned into the door, tensing my entire arms and bracing my feet as I pushed all my weight against the door. Every second felt like an hour, the strain on my arms was intense. Burning agony running through my arms and legs as I kept up my attempt in opening it. It would budge, it wouldn't be like the last door!'

'Gritting my teeth I pushed harder, my hair burning more intensely as I put some of my rage and anger into this. My worst foe yet, a door! I will not be almost bested by a door again. This door was going to open, one way or another.'

'Heaving I pushed even harder, the ground cracking under my feet as I finally began to make some headway with it. Sweating was impossible as the heat I was emanating was making it all evaporate into steam as I put more and more power into my attempt in opening the door's. It was a good workout, that was for sure, but a workout I didn't want or asked for. At least I'm enjoying the strain, albeit just a little bit.'

'It slowly opened as I pushed. Sliding back more and more as the door groaned and creaked, as if needing some fresh oil for its hinges. Each second of effort I put into all of this was a pain in the ass. It felt so exhausting trying to open these doors. What did they even weigh!?'

'Finally, after was felt like a grueling amount of time and torture, the doors finally opened, sliding backwards on their own as I stepped back and tried to catch my breath.' "T-t-that was fucking exhausting..." 'Who need's weights for your arms when you have a giant pair of doors to work with?'

'Catching my breath was a relief. Fresh air for my lungs. It's an elixir for my poor soul. Burn baby, burn! Need some oxygen to keep my burning spirit going, hehe.'

'Raising a hand up I felt around for any sweat, which there a lack of any. Mild surprise crossed my face before I just smiled in acceptance. No need to deal with a sticky aftermath when working out! Fire for the fricking win!'

'Smiling was all the emotion I could express, thanks to my breathing being a bit stinted. So, after a few seconds of relaxation, I pulled down my sleeves and put my gloves on, finally walking in with the door's no longer in my way. Eager to see what possible rewards were awaiting me on the other side. Hope it's something good, and if not? Well, let's just say that those two giant gold doors will be coming back with me, ...somehow.'

'Humming a tune was the best way to pass the time. It was just some random sounds, nothing fancy.' "A bottle of water would be nice." 'And maybe the thought of getting something to drink was also making me a bit eager to leave.'

'The condition of the corridor I was walking in was much different from the giant open space that held all the bones, weaponry, and destruction. The tapestries on the walls were in a much more pristine condition. Banner's embezzled with all sorts of signs and images woven into them. Even the paintings had barely any paint peeling off or hardly any signs of wear and tear. The door's must have kept any dust from getting in.'

'I couldn't help but stop and gaze at some of the objects on the walls. All the art was skillfully made with almost a soft and delicate care to it. Everything seemed almost perfect, no, it was perfect. Nothing had a mistake, no threads overlapping, no paint accidentally blending with something it shouldn't. Whoever made this must have had a hand in the golden door's making, maybe even the wooden door as well.'

'Only a few more seconds of silent praise passed before I turned away and continued walking down the corridor. I didn't come here to be amazed at some art piece; I came here for something else. The art may sell for a good fortune, but I didn't want to take them. Each and every piece can stay exactly where it is.'

'Walking and walking, the tapping of my shoes against the solid floor. There wasn't much to do besides staying quiet and keeping my head on a swivel. I didn't know what to expect, so I had to be careful. Traps could pop out of anywhere at a moment's notice. So being wary was definitely something I had to express.'

'Honestly, it felt as if I was reaching the pinnacle of a game's true moment, the boss fight. A boss fight this early in? Heh, I must be a speed runner if all it took was barely a week. I hope it doesn't come down to a boss fight though.'

'That thought alone was enough to give me goosebumps. Fighting an endgame boss is what most gamers hope for, and dread at the same time. I can't even recall how many times I've died from fighting some sort of end game boss from the plethora of game's I've played. To many deaths, waaaaaaay to many.'

'Every time I got close to beating a boss, they'd have some sort of extra stage. I call bullshit on that! How is that even fair?! Another stage after fighting you for hours and hours with no end in sight? It's like getting the shortest straw, and everyone else is guaranteed a long straw.'

'Good times, good times indeed. Heh, who am I even kidding? It was a pain in the butt, hands down a way to induce a headache and a heart attack at the same time. Every gamer would understand what I'm saying. That's why people created therapy! To help deal with the stress of being a gamer...and all that other side stuff.'

'E-hem, anyways! Speaking about endings, I was almost at the end of this hallway, or corridor if you prefer calling it that.' "About damn time, I was thinking it was going to be the same scenario with that wooden door." 'If it came down to that, I would have truly cried.'

'Knowing the end was in sight I upped my pace a bit. No reason to move slowly, I was tired of all this walking. I wanted my fricking second cup of coffee! No more shall I suffer from the lack of caffeine!'

'As I have said before, I shall say again, I miss the taste of coffee and it's wonderful life giver known as caffeine.' "I feel thirsty just thinking about having something to drink." 'All that effort into pushing those doors open really tuckered me out. You'd feel the same way if you saw how big they were, especially how heavy they felt if you tried pushing them open.'

'Coffee, oh how I can't wait to taste you again. ...Almost feel's sexual talking about it so much.' "Heh, a kink for coffee? Is that even a thi-...woah." 'Hold the phone, I see something amazing! And no, it's sadly not a coffee machine at the end. Would have been hilarious if it was a coffee machine gilded in gold with jewels all over it.'

'My eye's widened at the sight of what I was seeing. I had finally reached the end of the corridor. And what was waiting for me was something any medieval collector would rant and rave for. It was...!'

"A fucking badass suit of armor! And holy crap look at the size of that halberd!" 'The suit seemed almost made for me. Tailored to my size, the colors blending in so well that I swear someone had read my mind in the past and decided to build both the armor and weapon, setting them here for me to find.'

'Excitement spread across my face as I ran over to things that I was most definitely taking. It was so cool, so awesome, so fricking amazing!' "If this is for me, then I swear I'll take care of it." 'I highly doubt it was made in preparation for my arrival, but who knows?'

'The armor just screamed 'take me with you, damn it! I've been collecting dust and haven't been used at all! What good am I if not used in battle' and the weapon was like 'Meh, I'm just the side character. I'll go wherever he goes.'. That's how I felt seeing the armor and weapon. No way in hell, heaven, or earth, would I simply walk away without taking them.'

'So, reaching out I touched the weapon. Slowly sliding my hand down as I gripped the bottom of the shaft. The halberd was interesting, a design that seemed to twist and turn, different angles and yet such perfection that I couldn't help but be careful with it. Having to hold it was a must, so I gripped bottom of the pole and began to raise it from its stand. But it was a mistake as soon as I tried lifting it.'

'Grunting in pain I tried to pull my hand back, but my grasp on the handle of the halberd wouldn't loosen a single bit. It was as if I had no control over my left hand. A searing pain was running throughout my entire hand, as if my hand was being dipped in lava, then raised into a burning fire, then back into the lava. Each time I tried pulling back was a failed attempt.'

'All I could do was stand and wait. Bearing through the pain and waiting patiently, even though it hurt like crazy. I didn't know what was happening, but I had a few ideas within the time it was all happening. Just want to make sure my first guess is on the money or not.'

'Some time passed before it was finally done and over with. And was I damn glad it was over. "Took long enough." 'Flipping my hand around I gazed at something that wasn't there before.'

'What was embedded into my hand was a symbol. An image that looked simple yet a bit difficult to trace. Never thought of getting a tattoo, but I guess it was inevitable.' "Let's see what it does." 'I had a feeling that what I was about to do was going to be pretty awesome.'

'Turning back to the weapon I raised my hand to it. Slowly waiting, slowly reaching out for it. And it answered, the giant weapon flew to my hand, not hard but softly. It came at a speed most would fear of, and yet it stopped in my grasp with a gentleness that almost made me believe that it was alive and fearful of hurting me.' "Well, aren't you quite the obedient?" 'I said, gazing at the weapon as I hefted it up. You would think I'd need to hold it with both hands, but it was surprisingly light.'

'I looked to the weapon and thought of storing it. But, when I thought of putting it away, it slowly burst into fragments of light. Fading into my hand as it receded to nothing. The only proof of it once being there was the image on my hand slightly pulsing before dimming, then just looking as if nothing had ever happened.' "Huh, neat." 'Storing it in my shadow storage was an option, but if the tattoo can act as a way to store it, then who am I to question it?'

'Knowing I wasn't done, I turned to the armor and grinned, a grin that was wider than ever before.' "And you're my next test subject." 'Let's see how good it looks on me...'

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WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! YEAH BABY! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! Another chapter, ye :D

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