If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
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[David Lance POV]
As I ran through the forest, I continued taunting Trigon to ensure he would follow me.
With each charge on his part, I would dodge, sidestepping him effortlessly, causing him to stumble forward from the momentum more than once.
"What's wrong? Can't hit me?" I taunted him again as I ran in the opposite direction, leading Trigon away from the forest in the direction I hoped I would find a new scene.
"Is that all you can do? Run through the endless forest?" Trigon demanded angrily, his steps faltering for a moment as if he was debating on whether or not to continue following me.
"Why not?" I called back over my shoulder with a shrug. "If I am to be stuck with you in my mind, I might as well enjoy the moment. I mean, our fight so far has been pretty boring, sleep-inducing even, so yeah."
"Damn you!" Trigon roared, picking up speed as he chased after me.
He's mad. Well, that was surprisingly easy to accomplish; I'm honestly starting to think he's actually just playing along with my games, but I won't focus on that now; I need to test the limits of this stage and see if a physical escape is possible; I will have time to contemplate Trigon's actions later.
Running at full speed, I zig-zagged through the trees, hearing Trigon's angry breaths as he followed close behind me. After a few minutes of leading Trigon on a merry chase, I found something odd; a large tree with a hollowed-out center.
Lights came from the tree as if it was some sort of portal.
This could be my way out.
But what if it's a trap?
Honestly, I didn't have time to think about that; and seeing I was stuck in a loop, perhaps it was best to simply act without thinking which would fit what I was going for, which was to break out of my character.
This was a long shot, and I had no guarantees following this path would work. However, I needed to test this theory out before he caught up to me. With a deep breath, I leaped into the tree, not knowing where I would end up.
As I passed through the tree, I felt a sudden jolt of energy as I rolled out of the hollowed tree into the same old forest, but this time a scene was playing out in front of me. A teenager fighting a shadow, no... a demon.
I quickly scrambled to my feet, my eyes wide as I stared at the scene in front of me. I knew who this teen was; it was me years ago, fighting one of Trigon's followers and my first demon. This was also the day Raven and I first fought together.
I remember that now.
But why am I seeing this?
Before I could ponder on that thought, the scene changed, and I found myself in another part of the forest. This time it was daytime, and I was surrounded by what looked like small animals; Bunnies, squirrels, and deers; they all seemed unafraid of me.
In fact, they seemed to be intrigued by my presence.
"Still in the forest, but now it is daytime. I guess that's progress," I muttered, looking at the critters around me. Not only that, but Trigon is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this was part of his machinations, though I highly doubted he would use cute animals in any shape and form.
A hand touched my shoulder from behind, causing me to jump forward as I readied for battle.
"What are you doing here?" A familiar voice asked as I turned to face Raven. "You're not supposed to be here."
"Raven?" I asked, relieved to see a friendly face but confused as to why she was here, to begin with. Perhaps she was an interactive memory of sorts, God; I really hated this dream narrative I was being forced to play; nothing made sense.
"Raven?" Raven tilted her head. "So that's who you see when you see me. I honestly thought it would've been your sister."
I frowned at that. If she wasn't Raven, then why was I seeing her as such? I know I don't remember much, but I would never forget Rae Rae, not in a million years.
Perhaps it was Trigon playing with my emotions by using his daughter's form. However, it felt off for his general character. In the short amount of time we have interacted, I have gotten a decent grasp of his personality, and he's an old kind of villain that enjoyed straightforward methods.
Using Raven's form was one too many steps for him, and was without counting the beautiful setting I was in right now.
The girl in front of me let out a sigh as she closed her eyes before opening them again. When she did, her entire appearance changed. She went from looking like Raven to a different person, one that, while it shared many similarities with Raven, it wasn't the same.
Now, in front of me, stood a pale goth girl dressed in casual clothes, a black top, and an old pair of jeans. Around her neck, there was a silver ankh hanging on a silver chain, matching the eye of Horus around her right eye.
"I honestly got nothing," I said, looking at her. "If you're Trigon, and your intention was to confuse me, it worked. I... I don't know what to do with this... at all."
"Trigon, am I really that ugly?" The girl said with an amused chuckle.
Ok, she's not Trigon.
"No, of course not," I shook my head. "You're beautiful."
The girl smiled at that before she sobered up, looking at me with a kind and calm expression. "Beautiful? Careful there; Raven might get jealous."
I blinked. Were Raven and I dating? Was that one of the memories I was missing? No, that... wouldn't happen, or would it? She was my best friend, so perhaps at some point, we connected on a deeper level.
"Though I suppose it was to be expected on some level, seeing who you like and how I look, I guess you could say you have a type," The girl continued, interrupting my thoughts.
...
Did she really say I have a thing for Goth girls?
"I won't dignify that with an answer," I replied, crossing my arms.
The girl smiled before her expression changed to one of a more serious demeanor. "You have amnesia, don't you?"
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Hmm, I'm just me. You could say I'm just like any human, I've got a job to do, and I do it... When the first living thing existed, I was there. Waiting, and when the last living thing dies, my job will be finished. That day I reckon I'll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights and lock the universe behind me when I leave," The girl replied with a serene smile.
"You're Death," I replied.
Death smiled as she nodded. "I am. A pleasure to meet you."
If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
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[David Lance POV]
Did… she say she was… fucking Death?! As in: I'm gonna harvest your soul, Death?!
"Why are you here?" I asked, keeping my tone as respectful as possible, looking around. "Is this some sort of cosmic intervention because I made some bad life choices?"
"Oh no, nothing like that," Death chuckled as she shook her head. "If anything, you're the one that dropped unannounced, which I have to admit, is a first for me. This is my realm, my room if you wish."
"But, I was... in my mind a few moments ago," I asked, looking around. "I mean, this place looks exactly like the one I was before, but... prettier."
"Hmm, a nightmare at the hands of Trigon, I suppose," Death replied, her lips forming a thin line. "And as for the similarities between this place and your nightmare, well, sometimes woods tend to look similar, I suppose."
I nodded. "I guess that makes sense. As for Trigon…. Well… Based on what I know, I'm stuck in a nightmare loop with him."
"That would explain why you lack a physical form right now," Death mused as she looked at me. "Half of your soul is here, and the other is keeping Trigon at bay, it's rather remarkable."
My soul was doing what?!
"What do you mean by that?" I asked with an awkward smile.
"Well, your other half is keeping Trigon trapped in the stage he created, stalling him for as long as possible, giving you time to... remember who you are," Death replied, her expression turning serious. "That, however, doesn't explain how you got here. Not even my siblings can come here without an invitation."
Oh shit. I invaded Death's privacy. That's it, I'm fucking dead, I will die not even remembering why I don't remember most shit about myself.
What a terrible ending.
"I'm sorry," I replied, hoping not to anger the literal embodiment of Death if I hadn't already. Perhaps I could appeal to her softer side?
"Don't be," Death replied with a smile. "I know you didn't come here on purpose. Besides, I'm rather intrigued, to be honest. Like I said before, this is a first for me."
Good, the embodiment of Death doesn't want to harvest my soul just… Yet. Good... that's good.
"I know this is a long shot; I mean, your title pretty much tells me you must remain impartial, but... is there any chance you could help me remember?" I asked, I mean, what did I lose by asking her for some help.
"Hmm, that's a difficult question," Death replied, looking thoughtful. "As you said, my station requires me to be as impartial as possible, especially with the living. If you were dead, I would have more liberties, but you aren't. You see, when it comes to the living, I can't or shouldn't pick sides, as it would unavoidably disturb the natural order of things, so for the most part, all I do is guide souls to their final rest. However, in your case... I may be able to do something."
"Really?" I asked, barely able to contain my excitement.
"Yes," Death replied with a nod as she leaned forward with a smile. "You see, between you and I, you're technically out of the natural order of things."
I was out of the natural order of things? Was... was that good? Can it please be good?
I really need a win today.
I have enough shit with Trigon using my head as a low-rated Airbnb, or a budget horror film studio.
"How so?" I asked, confusion evident in my voice.
"You're a ghost," Death replied matter-of-factly.
I blinked. "A ghost? Wait, am I dead then?"
I fucking knew it! I pissed her off by entering her room, and I died.
"No, it was just an expression; my apologies, though. I can see why you would take it the wrong way," Death replied with a shake of her head. "What I meant to say was that your existence is out... well, the natural order of things."
That... answers nothing. But at least now I know I'm not dead yet.
"I'm sorry, but could you elaborate on that?" I asked. Perhaps it was the fact she was on an entirely different level of existence compared to me, but I didn't understand her point very well, at least with her last comment.
"Well, it's hard to explain, but I'll try," Death replied with a smile. "You see, everything in this vast multiverse, from the darkest corner of the creation to the brightest one, from the strongest being to the weakest, was born from the light and darkness of a single being; one that humans call God."
And if I was out of the natural order of things, that meant. "Everything but me, right?"
Death nodded. "Correct."
"Will that anger... God?" I asked, seeing my problems escalate out of control. First, it was Trigon I was dealing with, then it was Death, and now it's God. I have no idea what I was doing before having to deal with Trigon, but whatever it was, it led me down a dangerous path.
Death chuckled, her eyes closing as she shook her head. "No, it won't. You see, for a being that has seen it all, all that has been or could've been, all that is being and could've been, and all that will ever be or could've been, you are a breath of fresh air."
"I won't lie. That's not exactly reassuring," I replied with a sigh.
"It isn't," Death replied with a smirk. "I mean, that's not the real reason he won't wipe you out of existence."
....
I'm getting a lot of mixed signals from her about my standing with God.
"The real reason why he won't hurt you is because the two of you share something, something that no other being has ever shared with him, and that's the mystery behind your creation and his," Death continued, a calm expression on her face.
Wait, if God created everything, but something created God... Does that mean there's an even higher rank of power out there? Oh god, this is escalating out of control even more...
"But that's neither here nor there," Death said, waving her hand dismissively as she walked toward me. "What really matters is that I can help you, as long as I want to, seeing you don't enter the natural order of things."
I had a lot of questions about what she had said, but I could tell from a simple glance she was done talking about the mysteries of my existence. "Thanks, you don't have to. But thanks."
"You're welcome," Death replied with a bright smile. "Now, come." With that said, she extended her hand toward me, warmth expanding out of her body to mine, even without contact. Without hesitation, I took her hand, and as soon as our skin made contact, a bright light engulfed us, and I felt myself being pulled into the void.