For my grandma, rather myself;
The gentle coolness of the wind embraces the shadow of death as the city of the damned transmutes into a modern tomb.
Betwixt this turbulence some crystalline eyes gain a new shrine of shadowy clarity.
What is it that our soul desires, what is it that makes us lay in bed, ready to succumb?
The reaper backs my semblance, an immaculate demeanor and a shadow of prior purity, shattered vanity.
What sucks us of our strength in the bad times, and sinks the worst of the damned to the lowest.
The death of all beings is the same, the only constant factor, the only eternal human prowess.
Ode To Pain
A shadow loomed over a locker. It was destroyed, with many bumps, and its lock would never be able to be opened again. It lowered its backpack to the ground and directly broke the door off its hinges with some kicks.
The door fell, making a metallic sound as it impacted against the ground. Viewing the now defenseless locker, he rummaged inside and started to pack his belongings one by one, on his old backpack.
Without even caring for the repercussions nor how the district would react, he left the detached door there, as if mockingly. Its eyes wandered through the door and the locker.
' That fucking bitch ' He mused, as he got ready to get out of the scene. ' I can't wait to get fully into energy refinement. ' His eyes were locked in a neutral state. He went through that and many more thoughts, while leaving the building.
Before getting out, he systematically placed upon his face a medical mask, of a cyan-ish color. He gently opened the doors, a stark contrast between his prior actions. As he got outside, he found the world again.
The eyes of people were dead, with a broken human spirit, yet the deceased was still pulling the strings, making humanity march forward to a grim destiny. Most people were on their phones, or just completely distracted.
When the weight of the soul, with the virtues ornamenting it, stops being a relevant factor in a conventional society, the price of love and compassion is overshadowed by the efficacy of machines.
The buildings were all full of color, with mesmerizing ads each trying to grab your attention and reel you in. The streets, however, were dirty and unsafe. If you walked around 50~ meters you would encounter someone performing some kind of crime.
' So many people, yet there is no original thought. Our eyes are veiled by the gentle yet indomitable hands of ignorance, transmuting what we think is right into our truth. '
He started walking, taking some turns and arriving at the bus stop. It had some ads, yet he didn't read them. He didn't dare take a seat on the dirty benches. He pulled out a cell phone with a broken screen, and started to play around with it. Then, he gently placed it in his pocket before he stood still. He again entered this detached state, as ten minutes passed in a hurry.
As the bus passed, he got in it, placing his wrist close to something similar to a box, cold and metallic to the touch. As his skin grasped the box, it emitted a green light. Getting that confirmation, he walked into the bus, going right ahead to the back. There were many seats, but he just decided to stand.
—
Back in his home, he held the child protection services letters. He was getting a monthly salary due to the sudden disappearance of his father. There was no kind of hint that could march the case forward, so it was just abandoned. On the mail, in one of the envelopes, a very ominous seal could be found. ' Together We Shall Strive ', the seal referred to. An ancient political party, with liberal beliefs, was elected by the people of Macedon once again.
He grabbed the money inside the envelope, before heading out to the backyard. He started watering the same lush spot, where grass seemed to have grown for less time than the rest.
' Does he stare at me from down below as I live, yet as lifessly as he lies? '
' The book. It should come here tomorrow. ' He thought as he stopped watering the same spot. He gently placed the watering pot on an old wooden table that faced towards the yard.
After that, he stretched lazily, as he watched over the abyss. 'I should get on exercising, a good body is crucial for the energy system after all.'
His prints were left on the grass, as he walked inside his house. He started doing some push-ups, sit-ups and other exercises. He also made sure to shadowbox. After that, a long session of stretching followed.
* Knock, Knock, Knock. *
' …? '
Fear. He felt fear. Nobody ever visits anybody, and strangers never ask for something.
He quickly walked to the kitchen, with steps that couldn't be heard. He got a knife out of the drawer, heavy and cold to the touch, just before getting interrupted. His wrist pulsated with a blue light, emitting a sound ' The user has gained authority to train himself in energy arts. Please retrieve the package. '
' Oh, it's just that. The party got the date wrong. ' He threw the knife to the sink, to wash it later, even though it was still clean. Afterwards, he walked to the main door, opening it silently.
Outside, two men were found. Both dressed with full black clothes, yet not formally. They both had the signature hats of the party.
He slowly stared into the men's eyes, as he found humanity morphed into monstrosity. Only God knows, if there is one, how many sins they've participated in. One of them extended his hand ominously, just to hand him the package. Like that, they both left.
When they finally left, he closed the door cautiously, locking it and leaving the key in the lock, so nobody could peek inside nor insert anything. He opened the box after placing it on a table next to the entrance, getting a book out.
Sitting on the couch, he finally started to read.
' There are certain stages in the energy arts, it seems. The book doesn't expand much on that, it seems like the government won't let me learn much more. I should probably make up my own way, or something, but I don't believe I am a genius. '
' First step, meditate and get your mind into a blank state. Then, you are to find the hidden power inside you… Why does this sound like bullshit? '
' Then, make it go around your whole body. '
He got in his bed, closed his eyes and did what he was told. After 5 minutes, he felt the energy. He took 10 more minutes to make it circle around his body, making sure to commit no mistakes.
' Hey, this feels amazing. ' He mused, as the power just kept on circulating. It was vast and torrential. '
' The book mentions how you can channel the energy into some limbs to strengthen them, but it doesn't say much more, the rest is practically gibberish and political speech. It does briefly mention superior forms of energy. I should get into that- '
Closing the book, he placed it below his pillow. He left the room, went to the kitchen and made himself something to eat. Meat, eggs and other meals were not obtainable by people. You could only eat wheatrina, a type of grain created by scientists. It grew fast, it was sort of nutritious and it was cheap. '
' Tomorrow I have to deal with my school again. I hate them all so much. ' Finalizing his thoughts he grabbed his cellphone. Turning it on, he watched the apps on the screen. Three different kinds of social media. One for streaming and uploading videos, one for meeting people and a final one for posting photos and stuff. They come, by factory design, on your cell phone and you can't delete them. '
Watching the screen, he got into "Bella". He had thousands of notifications, from all sorts of people. It was a video recording and uploading app, equipped with tools for streaming. The videos in the main page all had upwards of 20b views, even though they were fairly recent.
As he scrolled through short videos on the app, he found all sorts of content, but mainly unoriginal content such as dances and harmful pranks. One video kind of stuck with him, of a man cooking. He had so many condiments, meat and such.
He looked down at his plate for a moment, before viewing the screen again with his cold and analytic eyes. He laid the phone on the table, before tapping it once more to close the app.
'...'