Chapter 21: Episode 5-George's Awakening (6)
<The Mall Scenario>
George was covered in blood. It splattered from above, and pooled onto the ground and seeped through his shoes. Marine trainees lay dead at the Asian boy's feet. The trainees had their limbs torn off from the Kruk-sword, while their bodies were pierced and broken by a blackened wood-stick. Ethan Nakamura stepped towards young George Machen. Jael Bodesh backed away from the two. Ethan knelt down to George's eye level and spoke to the younger boy.
"George, it's me. Your Sergeant Major. I'm here."
"E-Ethan?"
The head hidden under the dark cloak nodded.
"It's me, George."
Ethan began pushing his hood down, and took off his mask. George saw Ethan's face, which appeared so normal. It almost seemed... happy. Ethan's expression was too relaxed for someone who killed 14 people. They spoke again.
"I'm here to take you out of here, George. You're not supposed to be here," Ethan stated.
"B-bu-but this is...!"
(This is the past!!) George thought. (How are you here and-)
"George, this is not the past. This is the Illusionary Prison. Your stuck in a nightmare. Trapped within your own trauma, your own guilty conscience," Ethan said knowingly. "I came to get you out."
"But... how?"
(How are you here?)
Ethan Nakamura began looking pensive. George was finally able to see Ethan's eyes, which appeared dark. Ethan's full lips were pursed, and their face was turned downward in a frown. They began speaking again, but in a firmer voice.
"George, this isn't the past. I'm here because..." Ethan paused as he spoke. "I'm the part of your conscience that wants you to live. I represent the part of your mind that wants you to survive and be happy."
"Wah? But... if this isn't the past..."
"You deserve to die, Machen!!" Jael shouted. "You deserve to die for what you did!!"
Ethan turned his attention away from George and looked at Jael, the only person he didn't kill. Ethan stood straight, and turned towards Jael.
"George."
"Y-yeah?"
"That isn't Jael Bodesh, George. In any way, character or memory-wise."
"No!! He deserves to die!! He KILLED ME!!" Jael raged. "He deserves to burn!!"
Ethan placed a hand on George's shoulder as they both looked at Jael.
"No, he doesn't," Ethan said somewhat angrily. "George, look at me."
George turned his eyes towards Ethan.
"You must listen carefully. You ingested the Specter Stones, which constructs the Illusionary Prison within your mind. It awakens your greatest traumas, and drives you insane. We are in the prison, George.... You must see the truth to release yourself."
"O-okay... Ethan... how do I get out?" George asked.
"You must seek the truth yourself with your own eyes, George. Don't you have an attribute for that?"
"Yeah... I do, but how do you know?"
"I simply know these things, George. I know that you have an attribute that is called [Eyes of Truth]." Ethan said. "I also know this: private attributes are something that is ingrained into your being. The private attribute is something that only awakens because of the [Star Stream] system."
Ethan's gloved hand tightened around George's shoulder. Ethan's stare intensified, and a fire ignited within their eyes. George felt fearful, but he continued to look at Ethan despite that fear.
"So, what does this say about you, George?" Ethan continued. "What does this say about you, George, that you have a powerful attribute that allows you to see the truth of people?"
"Wha-what does it mean?"
"It means you wish to judge people's character, George, and whether they are truthful to others. But one cannot seek truth when they are not truthful to themselves, George."
As Ethan said this, the smoke trailing behind him lessened, and George saw something surprising. It was his parents. They were alive. Jael's parents too. They were still in the kitchen, and they were completely fine. They stood close to the doorway leading into this room, but they didn't cross it. They only watched with rapt attention, and showed concern in their mannerisms.
"George, activate your attribute. Look at the people around you." Ethan ordered.
"Alright..."
George Machen activated his attribute, and began to view people as if he were looking through infrared binoculars. He saw that his parents glowed with a warm golden light, along with Jael's parents. When George turned to Jael, he saw that Jael's golden luminescence was small; it was also surrounded by a black and red aura that appeared malevolent.
"George, if I am correct, then that is not Jael Bodesh," Ethan said. "It is you."
"No!! That's a lie!!" Jael shouted. "He's a li--"
As Jael raged on, George saw that whenever Ethan spoke, golden wisps would emerge from their mouth. When George turned towards Jael, he saw black mist emerge from their mouth.
(Does the color represent the truth of the word? No it ca-)
"George, the color of the aura surrounding a person and their words represents their truth and lies," Ethan stated. "I know this."
It seemed as if Ethan read George's mind, but it didn't matter. The words spoken from Ethan's mouth appeared as golden wisps.
(If I can see through lies and find the truth... if this is my own mind,) George thought, (then I'll be able to find my way out.)
George stared intently at Jael while having their attribute activated. To his shock, Jael began crumbling to the ground while screaming in agony: their screams were louder than before. It seems as if this was more painful than being stabbed and choked...
"Gwaaaahhhhh!!!"
After some time, Jael's very skin began evaporating into smoke. The red-black aura faded away, until all that was left was a golden one. When Jael stood up... they weren't Jael anymore. They were a 26-year-old George Machen, who was adorned in a marine uniform. The blood, the wounds, they were completely gone, but the belligerence was still there.
The George next to Ethan backed away a few feet.
"What the hell is this?!" Young George exclaimed.
"How it should be," Older George seethed. "You should've died with Jael in the first scenario... instead, you killed him. Your best friend since childhood."
After saying this, a knife appeared in this George's hand. They spoke again.
"That's why you should die NOW!!"
They charged towards younger George, but Ethan was quicker. He used his wooden stick to simply strike the knife out of their hand. Ethan promptly kicked them in the waist, and sent older George flying to the other side of the room.
"George," Ethan said, "look behind us."
When younger George did, he saw that his parents weren't there anymore, or Jael's. Instead, he saw four different Georges. One of them was 9-years-old, and they wore a chef's outfit.
All of sudden, a memory assaulted George.
"Mommy, can I help make the food!"
"Nonono, it's too hot," Vivian Machen said while smiling, "but you can watch. I'll teach you when you're older, and you can make it for us..."
George snapped out of it, and saw the other George. This one was 15-years-old, and was covered in bandages. Another memory flooded in.
"Okay, can you tell me what happened again?" an officer asked.
"Yes, sir. My friend - Jael - we were walking home, while a man we've never seen before drove to us while in their car. They began shouting at us and we tried to walk away from them..."
"What did the man say to you?"
"Uh... he mainly said it to Jael..."
This memory was more angering for George. This happened when George and Jael were walking home from their local convenience store; a man drove by and began harassing them. One thing led to another, and the man tried to stab Jael with a knife. George fought and disarmed the man. Later, they were convicted in court for racial hate crimes, and they inadvertently confessed that they attacked Jael because they were black.
George only won that fight because his father taught him several techniques when they were fourteen.
This memory, and these feelings faded away...
When George turned towards the other two George's, memories from the two emerged as well.
"Jael!! Don't climb this tree man!!" 17-year-old George shouted.
"Why not?!" Jael said as they climbed the tree.
"It looks really weak!! You might fall!!"
Another memory flashed.
"Okay, so we have to help your sister do her homework?" 18-year-old Jael said.
"Uh, yeah," George deadpanned.
"Bruh, she's in the freaking 5th grade, how much homework is she getting!?"
"I don't know, schools are crazier these days..."
After that memory ended, 13-year-old George was back in the room with Ethan.
"Do you see, George? You are in the Illusionary Prison."
(Wait... if that's true...)
When they turned to look at the older George that was sprawled on the other side of the room, they felt another memory coming towards them. It felt heavier, as if it would consume them entirely.
"Don't look at it, George," Ethan said. "I know the truth, George. You accidently stabbed Jael in the heart, and they shouted that you killed them. The scenario system confused that as an actual murder, and promptly killed everyone while leaving you alive. There are many plausible theories on why you survived. Perhaps there was a glitch in Star Stream, maybe the constellations that were watching unwillingly lent probability. Perhaps it was all of those things, plus more."
Everything that Ethan said came out as golden mist. As they said this, the older George that tried to kill the younger one got up.
"No!! That's not true!!" They said. "You killed Jael!! He didn't want to die for you!!!"
All of the words that came from their mouth was tinged with black and red mist.
"You have succeeded, George," Ethan said. "You have succeeded in finding the truth."
"I have?"
"Yes. You know why you hated yourself, and why you wanted to die so badly, George. Now you know that the truth you perceived as reality was actually false."
As Ethan said this, they gently steered 13-year-old George towards the open doorway. The other four George's backed away to clear a path. The older George that was kicked farther into the marine-sleeping-area scrambled to rise, but they kept on falling down from pain.
Ethan and young George turned towards this George, who was still spewing spiteful curses. Ethan raised his Kruk-sword.
"They will die because this 'ocean' exists, right?" Ethan quoted. "Then I will destroy this 'ocean'."
With that weird statement, they thrusted their swords at the doorway that connected the two rooms together. The younger George that was with Ethan was enraptured. The other George that was in the other room - completely alone - began crawling towards the doorway.
"Gah!! You bastard!!" Older George shouted as they stared at Ethan. "You shouldn't be here!! How did you-"
-!!THWACK!!-
With one more thrust, the two rooms separated and unlinked like a train. The marine dorm that older George was in began falling away into a dark void. That room became smaller and smaller, until it was a dot; shortly after, it became nothing. All that remained was a void, but that sight was obscured when the kitchen door reconstructed itself. When Ethan opened the door, a normal hallway was there.
"Well then, that's over," Ethan said in relief. They turned towards 13-year-old George and said, "I'll let you settle the rest. When you're ready, go through your front door and meet me at the end of your front-yard."
Ethan began walking towards the back door that they shattered, and exited the house. George was all alone now. They looked around the kitchen, but no one was there. His mother, his father, Jael's parents, or the other versions of George were nowhere to be seen.
George didn't know what to do, but they froze when they heard heavy footsteps come from the hallway. An unseen person was walking through the hallway, but they eventually emerged from the dark shadows, and into the light.
It was Jael Bodesh, who was wearing army fatigues. They held a knife in their right hand, while a soft blanket was tucked between their left arm and body. Before George could run, Jael began speaking in a gentle voice.
"I'm not here to hurt you, George, I swear."
George saw golden wisps emerge from this Jael's mouth. When Jael approached, George froze in place; it was due to fear, but curiosity was another factor.
This Jael placed his knife into George's hand, and wrapped George's small fingers around the handle.
"George, whenever the future seems uncertain, I want you to stab yourself forward, and find yourself where you want to be," Jael said softly.
Jael wrapped the blanket around George's shoulders, and tucked it around George's young body.
"Whenever your cold, I hope that you'll seek the warmth that can save you..."
As Jael said this, other people began emerging from the hallway. It was the rest of his family. It was his mother, his father, their friends, and so forth. The one who caught George's eye was Jess. She was older. She looked 18. George was eight years older than Jess. If she was eighteen...
"George, we can't be there for you anymore," Jael said remorsefully, "and I'm sorry for that."
Golden tears leaked from Jael's eyes as golden wisps emerged from their mouth. After a moment, they said their final words.
"But... you have someone who can stab towards the future, and keep you warm."
"Sergeant Major... Nakamura?"
Jael nodded their head and said, "Regrettably, yes."
Jael hoisted young George into his arms, and carried him towards the front door.
"But we know that you'll make it."
George's family began crying, while others seemed happy for him. Still, the atmosphere was tinged with melancholy. Jael unlocked the front door, and opened it. Arid heat poured in, while red light began to peak through the sky, even though it was supposed to be night.
When George looked through his windows, he saw that the sky was covered in thick clouds, while the world burned in blazing fire. George inhaled the air that flowed into his home, and began coughing. The air was filled with the smell of smoke, and flakey ashes floated through the atmosphere.
Jael set George onto the front porch, and backed away into the house.
"I'm sorry, George. But... we know that you'll make it... to the end of this world..."
Jael pointed somewhere and said, "And they'll help you."
George saw that Jael was pointing to Ethan Nakamura, who was standing patiently at the stoop of the stone-steps that led to the house. Jael began closing the front door of George's home, while staring sadly.
George stared in return.
(I... I don't want to leave...) He thought sadly.
George turned their attention towards Ethan.
(But I know that this is fake now...)
"Thank you," George said to no one. "Thank you."
George descended the stone-steps as they ran towards Ethan. As they did, Jael and his family smiled, and finally shut the front door.
"Private George Machen, reporting for duty, sir!!"
George stood straight and saluted his Sergeant Major. This caused the blanket around him to fall to the ground.
"I think I'll have to upgrade your rank later, George," Ethan said casually. "Anyways, at ease."
George relaxed his body as he tightened the grip on his knife.
"Remember what I said, George. You have to destroy the Bulbs of Flare and Disease. Find the source, and destroy it. It is highly volatile. I forgot to say this, but as you throw the grenade, you have to ingest at least one Specter Stone to avoid the blast. If you don't, you'll die. Got it?"
"Sir, yes, sir!!"
"Alright then," Ethan said as he unlatched the front gate. "Let's go."
As the duo stepped onto the street, the scenery morphed into a mall. George found himself standing on a mall floor, with several levels below and above him. The knife they held as they went through converted into their Springfield rifle. 26-year-old George Machen was finally in their real body. Currently, they were a vaporous specter, but the effect would wear off soon. Thankfully, they had more stones to ingest.
When they turned around, they saw Ethan Nakamura fighting against the hordes of Flare-zombies.
[George Machen's private attribute "Eyes of Truth" is still in effect!]
[George Machen's stigma "Total War" is blossoming!]
(I'll trust you, Sergeant Major Nakamura,) George thought as they started running. (I'll trust you, even if your entire body appears completely black and red, with no gold in sight.)
[Stigma "Total War" is activated!]
[This stigma will allow the user to identify weak-points and resources, and how to destroy them!]
(But I'll follow you because you're the only person who speaks the most golden truth...)
With those resolute thoughts, George Machen began charging through and past Flare-zombies. They used all of their skills, stigma and attributes to find the Bulbs; they sought them out with all of their heart. George Machen would destroy these Bulbs. It was his first mission as a Marine.
***
[Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Stage 3 has been deactivated!]
I was finally out of the Illusionary Prison. We had escaped successfully.
(I didn't know it was that bad...) I thought to myself.
George's trauma didn't receive that much attention in TWSA, so I didn't think much of it, but seeing it in person.... I realized that it was more vicious that I originally thought. It was very hard to break through, and incarnate myself in George's mind, but I did it.
(Activate character summary; display private attributes only,) I thought.
A small holographic window appeared in front of my eyes as I fought.
[Character "George Machen" has evolved their "Healing Marine" attribute into "Resolute Marine"!]
It seems that I was able to help George through his trauma, and quell the darkest voice in George's head. I smiled proudly under my mask.
(Don't worry, George...)
I slashed and hacked through the Flare-zombies.
(We'll make it to the end of these bloody scenarios...)
I intensified my attacks, and began shouting to draw attention.
"Watashi no namae wa Isan Nakamura!!!" I declared. "I'll kill everyone single one of you!"
[Constellation "Emperor of the Large Golden Palace" is smiling smugly at your perilous situation.]
(I'll kill everyone single one of you smug bastards... I'll tear the stars from the sky, even it if burns my hands.)
"I'll rip and tear until it is done..."
(I will kill the men, the women, the teenagers, the old, the nobles, the peasants, the very Constellations themselves.... I will kill them all.... All for the conclusion that I seek.)
I stared towards the sky as I activated one of my attributes.
[You have activated Anger Lord!]
[Your Strength and Stamina stats will triple!]
I felt my conscious mind be repressed by my own anger. I felt the adrenaline rushing in, and the anger flood my amygdala. This is what I've been suppressing with my Anhedonia skill. It was unleashing here and now. A rictus grin adorned my face, and I began to laugh.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!! DIE!!!!"
Anger is a very powerful, wonderous thing.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
EnderGolem997
EnderGolem997 The Healing Marine attribute has been updated to Resolute Marine.
George Machen will finally be able to go forward.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone