"I'm...what? You're joking right?" Lesley couldn't believe what he heard.
He was dead? But he couldn't be. If he was, he would know.
Right?
Liv walked around him casually, his expression amused and curious," You are dead and don't misconceive any ideas. Few souls rarely know they are dead, before or after their passing. Especially in my Cycle."
"But I can't be dead! Not again. I can't, it can't happen to -"
"What? Do you think you're special enough not to die anymore?" Liv smiled dubiously," Has our presence made you believe you are immortal?"
"No, dumbass. I just," Lesley wiped a nervous hand across his face," I don't understand. I don't...how did I die?"
"Why are you nervous? You've died thrice if not more. I stopped counting after you committed suicide to escape that variant you're with." Liv talked over Lesley's question," Since you've played games with your life, I would think a mortal would be more accustomed by now. But I'm not a mortal so I would not know."
"Don't dodge the question." Lesley took a threatening step forward," For all I know, it was you or Lych. You two were always telling me to kill myself."
"Yes, we did." Liv sighed and the black water grew still as glass, frozen solid and a reflection of Lesley was on it's surface. From horizon to horizon, it was a pure black mirror, under an abyss sky.
"Why did you do that?" Lesley took a slow step, fearing to break the glass.
"This is your soul, you can't break it by taking a step." Liv said with a smile," Your eyes, constantly glancing at the waters. Focus on me, what we discuss is important. Unless you would prefer I leave you, to die alone."
"I thought you said I was dead already?" Lesley narrowed his eyes," And I am not forcing you to be here, but you came. So stop being a smart aleck and answer me. How did I die? Or am I dying?"
"Perceptive and ignorant. I don't know if that is going to be a good combination." Liv looked at Lesley hard," Do you remember what I told you? When you first came here?"
"No. I think you said something about restoration and annihilation...oh, and about stopping something or someone." Lesley crossed his arms," I forgot. But answer my questions."
"Forget what I told you, it is useless now. The threat I saw of... nevermind. Such knowledge would tax your mind of what resolve you will need." Liv chuckled as Lesley gritted his teeth in frustration," Calm your temper, I'll answer. You are not dead yet, but you are not completely alive as is."
"What do you mean?" Lesley felt a sinking feeling in his stomach," Am I-"
"One of my brother's things? An undead? No. You are not." Liv became grim, the jesting tone vanishing without a trace," But if we don't so something soon...you will be and that doesn't bode well for anyone."
"What do you mean? What's going on?" Lesley was so confused.
Liv gave a small smile that didn't reach his eyes, slowly he raised his hand and waved it in a small motion. The obsidian glass cracked, like the mirror of a heartbroken mistress, it broke. Lesley barely had time for his eyes to widen before he fell through the cracks, plummeting into a pitch black void.
Lesley screamed in terror as the darkness ebbed around him, his decent seemingly without end. His heart was racing, his fear expanding as once again he found himself helpless to the whims of Liv and Lych. Bitter regret and anger joined his fear as he shut his eyes, not wanting to gaze into the endless dark.
Suddenly he stopped falling, his body suspended itself and started to fall up instead of down. Lesley waved his arms around, feeling like a yo-yo on a string. Briefly he questioned the reason he even humored Liv and didn't continue to demand for Liv to leave.
Thud!
"Ow! Ahhh." Lesley gave a small groan as he hit what felt like solid ground. With warranted hesitation, he got up slowly, his gaze roaming around to see where he was.
Gone were the black waters and the obsidian glass floor, instead there was a ground of black soil and a thick grey smoky mist clung low to it, drifting with no sense of direction. The sky was still a pitch black abyssal void, with no clouds or sun. However, this time there was light, but not from the sky.
In the distance, Lesley saw a bright green glow, shining and ebbing like a heartbeat. The green glow was illuminating, reaching everywhere with it's glow but it did not penetrate the mist or sky. Like a single candle in a pitch black hall, it could only do so much, and what it offered was great and better than nothing.
Lesley, who did not want to be alone in the near dark like last time, started to move towards it, his feet brisk and his hands clenched in a whirlwind of negative emotions. Shame, anger and regret. Gritting his teeth, Lesley shoved those emotions down, refusing to wallow right then. If Liv was telling the truth, then Lesley didn't have time to go through what he's going through. So like last time he was in that place, he raced towards the light, desperate to get away from the dark.
He had to get answers and to the light. Right now. As Lesley got closer, he saw a figure by the green light.
A young man, with blood red wavy hair and dark jewel green eyes was there. The man wore a black long sleeved inner robe with a golden grey collar, black pants and black boots with golden rims. He had a muscular build, with black gloves that had golden grey knuckles and highlights. A cloak of green flames was on his body, swaying and emitting the subtle sounds of a forest fire. The cloak had golden highlights and shoulder pads with green gems like amber of emerald. It light the space around it with a cold green flame. Lesley knew who he was instantly.
"Lych." Lesley hissed with venom.
"Lesley Woodsman...you return and this time, you enter my space within." Lych said softly, his voice was like a piano playing alone in a crypt, eerie and nice. "Sadly, I am too focused on this to converse with you."
"What are you doing?" Lesley got a good look at Lych as he got closer.
Lych sat cross-legged in the air, his cloak billowing behind him. Green wisps of fire were emerging out of his cloak, and a slight sheen of sweat was on his brow. The flames were flowing into the ground, making the mist near their feet swirl in a green miasmic fashion. Infront of this swirling miasma was a glowing green sphere the size of a goat. It sparkled like a thousand green stars and yet held a touch of darkness, making it look like a ball of a green stared night sky.
"I am... preventing your demise, for as long as I can." Lych said softly.
"Wait, what? I really am dead?" Lesley looked at Lych hard and received a blithering disinterested gaze.
"My bother is many things, but we both share a trait; We do not lie to the weak. Such things are beneath us. Now, quiet, I must focus." Lych drew a slow breath and the mist swirled more as even more green flames emerged from him.
"You don't lie to the weak? Besides insulting, I don't believe that. Didn't you two want me dead? Always whispering and muttering, I swear-"
"Mortal!" Lychs eyes and voice grew darker and colder," Do not confuse my lack of action as benevolence. I would not care whether you were living or dead at first, both are useful to me, but at present, your death benefits none of us. Your suicidal nature might suit your temperament but I am not letting a boy decide my fate."
"I am not suicidal. What do you mean anyway? You're not making sense, just like Liv." Lesley stood next to Lych, his being feeling the waves of soul numbing coldness that Lych's flames gave off. The mystical green sphere ebbed and glowed more as Lesley stood infront of it, unbeknownst to them, a small crack appeared on its surface.
"You are in the state of dying but I am preventing your bodies decline and my brother is holding your soul in place, we are keeping you alive." Lych said simply," We do not know of who killed you, when your eyes shut, we see nothing. All we felt were sensations and the fading of your life from you."
"Show me, I want to know. I know you can show me what you felt, I'll understand what happened better." Lych gave a small sigh.
"What makes you believe I can share my senses with you? And more importantly, why would you want to feel yourself be killed?"
"You gave me nightmares for days...making me feel bad is your specialty." Lesley replied sharply but Lych barely reacted to his tone." And I don't trust your mouths, you guys are so vague, I can't understand anything."
"Do you believe the sensation of dying is something you can handle? Unlike suicide, being murdered provides sensations of terror none of mortal kind should feel twice, lest their minds break." Lych gave a small smile that died before reaching his eyes," But, if you think you can handle it...I see no reason to deny you."
The mist below the green sphere rose up and plunged into Lesley's eyes, nose and mouth. Lesley's body spasmed and convulsed as his mind was filled with sensations, he couldn't see but he felt what had happened to him.
He felt he was being lifted of the ground, for a while that's how he was, dangling between rough hands. After a few pauses, he was tossed onto a hard flat surface. His hands and legs were pulled, tied with a tough stringy material, pulling his limbs out and making him spread out on his back. Lesley felt his top clothes be removed, ripped off in haste and feelings of terror racked him like knives.
Was he going to be raped?
But when his top was finally removed, his bottom clothes were left alone. Relief had never felt better and Lesley basked in it for a moment.
A cold metal object touched his stomach and a flash of agonizing bright red hot pain shot out from his spine after, as the metal object object plunged into his gullet like a knife. Harsh strong hands twisted it up, cutting him open like a fish, flaying his skin in a straight line from lower abdomen to the chest.
Lesley's body spasmed more, the agony from the memory filtering through his present body. Lych did not look at him, his eyes focused on the green sphere, his flames mixing with the mist in a green swirl, flowing into Lesley's true body somewhere, keeping it alive.
The memory grew worse for Lesley as his skin was pulled aside, his innards viewable and out in the cold air. Multiple hands plunged into his body, pulling on his guts like toys before children. Lesley felt every tug, every pull and twist on his small intestines, his colon, his kidneys and liver. The hands ripped his organs out with no care or hesitation, he was gutted without mercy.
Lych turned his head, gazing at the spasming and writhing boy in the air. He gave a small smirk as he turned back to his task.
Lesley's next sensations began, his ribs were smashed open with a hard metal object. His ribcage cracked, snapping like twigs under the blunt trauma. The next thing to be taken were his lungs, they were yanked and tugged from his chest with a violent pull.
It was when they grabbed his heart, that Lesley's mind broke. His resolve, his perseverance and fortitude reached a limit he did not know he had.The blood in his veins ran cold, his lungs if they were still in him in his memory or at the present drew a large cold breath.
Lesley screamed.