Story Edge of Reality

[LadyMara]

Here we go, I hope this is what was meant with this section and I hope it fits the original idea.


The Edge of Reality
(by LadyMara)
Chocolate.
I’ve been here now for a few days, here in this strange place that seems to be stuck between the worlds, between the earth and some other place.
The light of my lantern makes the fog look even spookier than normal. I almost regret killing the poor man for his lantern, but I needed the light.
I’ve no memory of how I ended up here, in this forsaken place, actually, I’ve no memories at all, not of who I am, not of where I came from, but no-one around here seems to have them. Some remember their names, but not me. I’m an empty shell, nothing left on the inside of who I once was.
I brought nothing to this place, only an old, rusty sword, at least I think I brought it with me. It’s also possible I stole it from a grave.
There are a lot of graves around here, a lot of people dying around here. By the strange creatures that roam the forest at night or by themselves, driven crazy by the longing for food.
There is no food here, not a single crumb of bread. Strangely enough this does not bother me, I think it’s convenient. Only….chocolate…
I shake my head. I should not be so silly, if there’s no bread, there’s no change of finding chocolate around here.
I close my eyes for a second, it’s not night yet, so it’s still safe to do so. The pictures of the dead man won’t leave me alone. My sword sticking through his body, his accusing eyes with a speck of relieve in them, the way he defended the lantern like it was the most precious thing he had ever possessed.
I possess the lantern now, I will defend it with my life now.
I buried the body, letting him keep his clothes and the strange silver earring he was wearing. He did not seem the man to wear an earring to me, but who am I to judge people? Someone without any memories, without a past.
His last words are ringing in my head like he’s constantly whispering them in my ear. “Remember, lass, there’s no way out, never, only death is the exit. None of those cursed doors will bring you out of here.”
These words, they made me curious about the doors, they seem to be everywhere. I saw them disappear every morning at sunset, and other appearing out of nowhere at the same moment. The doors just lead to nowhere, walking past them is as effective as walking through them. But the others, they are interesting, the doors with the strange markings. The lead to somewhere else, like you’re transported by unknown forces, like the wind, but it takes no time. I think you can travel across the entire world with one of those without losing a single second.
I shiver, the fog is getting thicker, the sun is setting. Holding the lantern firmly in my left hand and my sword in my right. I know the demons are coming, from their hidings under the trees, from the swamp that is close by. All trying to find the lost souls that ended up here, all trying to get a soul.
I walk through the forest, banning the thought of chocolate, the one thing I miss, the one thing I can remember I liked to eat, to the deepest corners of my mind, along with the dying man’s face. I try to make no sound.
A door, right in front of me. It’s a door with runes, a portal door. I feel the demons coming closer at me, but they won’t reach me, the light is keeping them away. I open the door, carefully, and step through.
I look around, a ruin. I sit down in a corner, wondering where I am now. Half of me wants to believe I’m already dead and I’m in Hell now and that dying means going to Heaven. The other half thinks this is a world between worlds, between Earth, Heaven and Hell, and that where you go next, depends on your actions in this world. A ridiculous idea, both of them. I look at the sword, noticing the bloodstains that cover it, some are old, some are fresh, like the stains from a few days ago.
Once again, I wonder who I am and why I am here. But I can’t remember.
I get up to wanderer around a bit in this ruin. The strange runes are all over this place, but I can’t read them. I don’t even know if I was able to read once.
I hear strange sounds in the distance. In all the days I’ve been here, I’ve not encountered one of them. Actually, the man I’ve killed is the only living soul I’ve seen here. There must be others, it cannot be that I’m the only one living here now.
I follow the staircase up to the tower and watch over the foggy forest beneath. I see shadows moving in the dark.
Evil does not sleep, Evil never sleeps, never misses a change to deceive you, to hurt you and eventfully, kill you. Evil does not sleep.
I don’t know where these words come from. My mind is spinning with the lack of sleep. I’ve not slept for days, not eaten for days. But I do feel the need to sleep, not the need to eat. Hunger does not exist here, only craving, craving for food, for water.
Chocolate.
Actually, I don’t know what it is, but I crave for it.
I shake my head fiercely, don’t think of that. I wander through the deserted ruin.
Suddenly I feel like the blood freezes in my veins, a demon is coming for me, it’s walking through the hall way, in my direction. But I do not turn, I walk straight at it.
I put the sword away, and stretch out my hand. So does the demon. But my fingers do not encounter it’s claws, no they meet something cold… A mirror!
I stare at the demon in the mirror, into its deep, black eyes, and realise I’m staring at myself. I look at my hands, and see claws. I feel my head, and find horns.
I smile, showing myself my white, pointy teeth.
Now I understand why the demons only followed me, but did not attack me. I am one of them, but I had to reach my true form yet. I smile again, feeling less empty now, more complete.

I walk back to the balustrade, calling out, suddenly knowing what to do, my instincts taking over. A demon bird lands beside me at the balustrade, it’s gigantic claws crumbling the stone. I pet his sharp beak. “Hello my beauty.” I say, smiling still. “It’s time to hunt.”
I climb on its back, sitting comfortable in front of its shoulder, just behind the head. I still hold the lantern in my left hand, it will help me hunt.
In the days that have passed since I’ve stolen the lantern, the light did not decrease, it’s burning forever, like the flame does not need anything to feed on, just like the humans that are lost in this realm do not need to eat.
The bird stretches its wings, taking us into the air. It circles around the ruin once. “You will find it back after the hunt.” I say softly, deciding this place will be my base.
Down there, things are moving in the shadows, some are on my side, some should be but are still against me. It’s everyone for themselves, but I’m the stronger one. I was human once, but I gave it up, gave it up for this, for power.
I remember now, I remember who I was, what my plans were.
But the memories are for later.
Now, it’s time to hunt.

And, after some thought, apparently, the power I can have in this realm, was even worth giving up on chocolate.

 

[JustTooRadical]

I liek.

 

[The Living Ghost]

Om nom nom story :3

 

[JustTooRadical]

Write more!

 

[LadyMara]

Okay, I wrote a second piece:

The Edge of Reality, part 2

I look around, trying to figure out what creatures are hiding in the fog between the trees of this damned forest. The small light of my lantern keeps the things away, but only just far enough not to be killed.
Since I came to this forsaken place, I’ve not seen many others around here, and even less alive. I found the lantern between the roots of big tree, in the rotting hands of a corpse. It had been there for a while, the state of decay was so far it was hardly recognisable as a human.
From the people I’ve met, most briefly, I’ve learned that I’m trapped in this strange realm, that is called the Edge of Reality for some reason. There is just no way out, only dying is.
They told me about the ghouls, the demons, the zombies and other vile creatures that lure in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to kill you.
I hold the lantern firmly in my left hand, the sun has set long ago, but only at daytime it’s safe to sleep, or in the villages that seem to be here.
I’ve only seen ruins, or I just don’t know where to look.
This realm is a strange place, the endless fog, this endless forest, the lack of food but no need to eat. It’s maddening, all of it.
But somehow I made it through the first week, a big accomplishment apparently. I remember waking up with a stinging pain in my ear, and when I reached for it, I felt a small earring. I’m absolutely not the person to wear earrings, so it surprised me greatly.
Later that day, at least, I think it was that day, I met someone who told me it was a token that I had survived my first week at the Edge, and that it protected you, but that he did not know what from.
So I decided to keep the earring, and we parted, both going our own way.
Since that moment I’ve been wandering through this endless forest, listening to the sounds of the creatures around me, looking for signs of civilisation. I found only ruins and corpses.
They all die, and all in different ways. Some are eaten by the gigantic bird-like creatures that hunt the trees, others are taken by demons, but most die at their own hands, not able to live here, not able to cope with the permanent danger, the feeling that you’re hunted, constantly. They kill themselves, or just walk into their enemies outstretched claws.
Not me, I don’t want to die yet, there’s too much left to discover about this world. Too many interesting things left.
These doors for example, they disappear every morning, and others turn up in exactly the same way, but if you walk through, they lead to nowhere. All doors are different, some are old, some are new, some are from wood, others are made of stone or iron. Some look like they are collapsing any moment, and other look like they are brand new.
But the most interesting doors are the doors with the runes on them, they bring you to different places, I was told. I haven’t tried one myself, so I can’t say it’s true or not.
No-one of who I’ve met till now can read the runes on the doors, or in the ruins. They say there is a man living in an old manor, they called him the Scientist. Maybe he can read the runes, for it’s said he has been here for a very long time. And he’s just one of the interesting creatures living here.
I wander forward, or backward, since direction has no meaning here, you won’t recognise places you’ve been before anyway.
Suddenly I hear footsteps behind me, I turn around, but see nothing. Holding my lantern a bit firmer, I walk through, hoping this thing will not attack me.

It has been some days now, the thing is still behind me, probably attracted by the light of my lantern, but I cannot part of it. I feel I’m slowly losing my mind. I do not dare to sleep anymore. I feel my body craves for sleep, but I won’t. The thing behind me will not get me.
And yet it did…
I’m lying on my back, slowly dying of the wound in my stomach. She stabbed me, the woman that was stalking me all those days. She pulled the lantern out of my hands and let me here to die.
I hear other creatures coming closer, but I’m not afraid anymore, it’s over anyway. I’ve been taking every single door in my way to lose her, but she found me every time. I don’t know how she did it.
The way she walked at me, just before she killed me, was not like the others approached me. She did not seem afraid, the way she was moving had some arrogance, like she exactly knew what she was after, what she wanted.
She had not been here long, she did not have the silver earring yet, but she seemed perfectly at ease. She just raised the old, rusty sword and pushed it in my body.
At that moment, I got a good look at her eyes. They seemed to be covered with some sort of shadow. She was human, but she felt different, she felt wrong.
She just looked at me as she stabbed me, with no feeling at all, like she did not care about live and death.
I told her that she had to remember that there was no way out of here, never, that only death was the exit. And that none of those cursed doors would bring her out of here.
But she just smiled at me, looking into the fog, like she wasn’t hearing me at all. She disappeared in the fog.
And now I’m lying here, thinking about my short life here in this strange forest, because I’ve no memories of before. I only remember the fog, the trees, the strange sounds. Now I’m dying, this place doesn’t even seem so bad at all.
I feel the life seeping out of me. I close my eyes and let darkness take me.
I hear soft footsteps close by, did she come back or is something waiting to feed on my body?
I don’t know, I don’t care, I let myself slip away in the darkness.
Dying is the only way out.