Superhero? I only want something just like this

Superhero? I only want something just like this
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Having a s̸̬̻̏̋e̴̱̤̫̋̈́č̸̳̺̓̓o̷̺̿̔̈́̅n̷̮̮͕̈͠d̸͈͔̈́́͂͜ chance at life wasn't as blissful as people thought it would be.

After all, nobody expects to wake up trapped inside their own mind, in a different body, and thrust into a world full of dangers alongside people who don't even know how to wear their underwear properly.
Thoughts All Alone
Location
Wherever the wind blows


I'm scared because people really, really love DC related content here on SV, and I'm barely dipping into the deeper end.

I'm absolutely going to get something wrong, so feel free to point out your observations and to comment. I'd appreciate it!



This is a slow build story. As in, I'll be taking my time! It's going to take a while before we get into anything plot-related to YJ. o(>< )o
Somewhat Crude Language and Swearing appear during this chapter.

Other than that…

Enjoy!

(Edit: January 2024. Putting up a note that this story is being rewritten. So If you're seeing this, it means the chapters aren't yet rewritten. That is all.)








I can't see shit.

Seriously, what the fuck? Who switched off the lights?

Maybe I should've been alarmed about more urgent matters—my body being unable to move for one—but all I felt about the situation at hand was mild annoyance.

I mean, it's not like I could see anything before. I don't even recall how I arrived here in the first place.

All I knew was that when I regained my senses, there had been a red light greeting me. It was blinding. That light had made me tired over time, and I had been starting to dislike the color red…

Never mind, I'm fucking glad it's gone. Red is an outstanding color and shouldn't be hated. Still, a warning would have been nice.

Now the sole thing I encountered in my surroundings was a never-ending nothingness. An unmovable, lonesome, and empty space to be trapped in.

A world of darkness.

Great... Just great.

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


"Hello?" My 'voice' echoed, but nothing responded.

It was worth a shot.

I was in an odd place. Even though I couldn't open my mouth, I noticed I could 'speak' here, as if I was thinking out loud inside my mind.

The same phenomenon occurred when I began to 'hear' strange commotions after the red lights vanished. It wasn't coming from me though, they came from what I call the 'Outside.'

It reminded me of the days when people got struck down by a deadly epidemic that caged the world. Everyone left to gaze out of their homes, wishing and yearning to go back to where they belonged.

To return to the outside.

It fits with the place I found myself in.

I blacked out the first time I attempted to distinguish between the cacophony of noises that boomed from the Outside.

Not my finest moment. I wasn't ready to handle all the residue the noises had produced.

It took me a long time to adjust to its volume and frequency, and I almost cheered in joy when I didn't receive any after-effects. Then that joy turned into embarrassment when I discovered they weren't random noises, but rather, they were voices.

They spoke about a lot of things, most of which would fly over my head. They constantly sounded frustrated, but I didn't understand why. I assume they tried to do something, but weren't so successful judging from the shouting and apologizing they'd regularly do.

I detected 2 voices that were more prevalent than the rest.

One belonged to a woman. She'd be the one appeasing everyone when things become too intense. She has saved my ears from hearing those dreadful arguments, and for that, she gets the honor of being designated as 'Favorite Person'.

The other one was distinct. It was too deep for it to belong to a woman, and he always seemed to be in a bad mood. I have dubbed him as 'Jerkface'.

I'm sorry if I offended you, Jerkface, but you sound kind of bossy, and treating Favorite Person as if she were always at fault… Well, it doesn't help your reputation, buddy. Even now, I could pick up Jerkface nagging and berating Favorite Person and the rest. He was one reason why I sometimes preferred staying cooped up in my darkness.

I still wanted to leave, though; listening to these people made me exhausted. The only time where I'd get a change of pace was during the middle of the day.

(Time is somewhat janky here. Has it really been a day?

How long have I been trapped in here?)


Garbled sounds would emerge after the people had ceased their bickering. For the life of me, I couldn't make heads or tails of what those sounds were. What I did know was that there were a lot of them.

I sensed a sort of camaraderie with them.

… I am not lonely. Definitely not.

I was only inside an unknown space with no exit in sight. No biggie. Thank the heavens I wasn't claustrophobic otherwise, I'd be in a total panic right now.

I tried moving, but it was just so tiring. My body would just not budge! I couldn't even lift my fucking pinky, for goodness' sake! The only thing I could do was use my slightly enhanced hearing to entertain myself.

My head would feel fuzzy trying to accommodate everything, but if I tried hard enough, I'd manage to glimpse the words they'd use.

"-do you think they'll give us the day off-" Ah, the life of an unpaid intern.

"No. I don't want to hear your excuses-" Oooooo, someone was getting scolded.

"-pineapple on pizza tastes amazing, you uncultured-" No comment.

"The procedure was a success-" Looks like Favorite Person made progress with whatever she had been working on.

"-the bathroom is inoperable at this-" That person better not fart.

"-so she broke up with you. There are other fish-" Poor guy. He got dumped.

Not gonna lie, it was kind of freaky. I felt uncomfortable hearing stuff that I presumed to be private information. But oh, there were those glorious moments that made it all worth it.

For example, did you know that Jerkface only has 1 ball?

Pffffffffff.

Ahem. Sorry about that. I couldn't contain myself.












HAHAHAHAHAHA-

I may have lost it that day. My stomach would've been hurting by how hard I laughed on the inside.

With these ears, I can now call myself a true connoisseur in the arts of gossiping.

To be fair, I don't hear everything. There's a certain part of the Outside I can't seem to reach. It's like I was hitting a wall and no matter how hard I tried to climb over it, something always stopped me from doing so, as if impending me from discovering something I shouldn't.

All I knew was that something was going on around here, and I intended to find out exactly what that was. It could be my key out of this place.

For now, I'll just have to resign myself and listen to these conversations like some kind of stalker. Waiting here for something, anything else to happen.

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


SI: Should I try to leave?
*Pulls out a Dolores and hears juicy gossip.*
SI
: ...
SI: On second thought, maybe staying here isn't such a bad idea.

A/N: I already have some chapters ready to go. I'll be posting them weekly until I've run out.

Anyway, our SI is stuck until she finds a way out of this place. It's not like she knows right now she's in another world. Even if she did, she knows little about the DC Universe in general. And canon...

What's that? Is that a new cookie flavor?
🤔​
 
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Hardly a Daydream


This chapter is relatively short.

It was originally going to be annexed to the previous chapter. But the lighter tones it had didn't mesh well with this chapter's slightly off tone, so I just split it in half and called it a day.







"-the assets show no signs of instability-"

This.

"-proceed to monitor the assets-"

Was.

"-to think two assets would-"

Driving.

"-might require rebranding the assets, sir-"

Me.

"-higher-ups already designated the assets-"

Crazy!

Assets this, assets that… This was all the people from the Outside blabbed about nowadays. I didn't even know what that meant!

I think I preferred it when they were quarreling and disparaging each other's necks. All their hype was making my head spin.

Well, good for them, I guess. I wish they'd tone it down a bit.

The wall that blocked my hearing was out of my reach. Just when I assumed I'd be close to jumping beyond the wall, the people would break my concentration and I'd have to start all over again.

I was still going to seek a way out, but with all of these distractions, it was going to be a long ride.

"-why can't we keep the original-?"

"-noteworthy to contribute, then don't say-"

"-ypto? It fits, doesn't it?"

"-you imbecile! That's already taken-"

"-how about Gemini?"

"-it's not under our jurisdiction. Now get back to work!"


Seriously, it's not a big deal to name things. Just pick one and move on.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but… just do as Jerkface says.

(Urk. That puts a foul taste in my mouth.)

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


I didn't perceive if it was my stubbornness or grit that helped me, but I didn't care.

I had breached the wall. Finally.

And oh boy... I was not prepared to face what awaited me on the other side.

(Lord.)

A multitude of ineligible noises immediately bombarded me. As I struggled to filter everything out before I relapsed once again into blackout 2.0, a slow, uncomfortable sensation tingled at the back of my head.

I deduced the noises that overwhelmed my ears weren't those of people talking or of garbled sounds.

No…

Those were screams.

All I could do was stay still, chills traveling through my spine, as the agonizing shrieks and shrills of whatever cried deafened my ears.

(Stop.)

(It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts!)


I couldn't fathom where it was coming from, nor what they were going through. All I knew was that they were in pain-

(Make it stop!)

-and my head felt like it was going to burst. I just wanted everything to end.

(Make it s̷̮̩͌͠t̶̫̯̓o̸͓̚p̸͔̅͝!)
*SNAP*


A sound I never heard before broke me out of my stupor. It was sudden, lasting for about 3 seconds, but I heard it loud and clear, cracking the screams into total quiet.

What followed was something heavy landing on the ground. I didn't know what fell, but I couldn't hear anything coming off of it.

It was still as stone.

Then… nothing.

Absolutely nothing. Just like that, as if it had never occurred.

Complete and absolute silence was left in its wake.










It was f̸r̸i̶g̵h̶t̵e̷n̶i̸n̷g̷.


⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


I closed the wall and scurried back to the corners of my darkness, where nobody could harm me.​

*Badump*


I needed to think of something that wasn't a nightmare. Just for a moment at least.
*Badump*


And it seems that my pleas were answered as thumping sounds, not from my own making, resonated in my ears.

I would have dismissed it as my imagination running wild, but...
*Badump*


I paused and listened.

I could pick up little, slow beatings of a heart, humming alongside my own erratic pumping. I calmed myself down, and tried to follow the other's rhythm.
*Badump*

*Badump*


It was oddly comforting, almost like putting my ear on top of a sleeping baby's chest.

I hadn't noticed there was someone else so close to me.

Call me crazy, but I knew from every fiber of my being that the other presence was a boy. I couldn't hear his voice, sense his movements, or even see him, but somehow, I knew all the same.

I sensed he was small, too small to comprehend anything. I only hoped he wasn't in the same situation as I was in.

"-guardian is gone! How did this-"

"-require to grow another-"

"-inspect the assets. NOW!"


As I heard the people from the Outside rushing in, I continued to focus all of my attention on the boy, listening to how our hearts beat in sync.
*Badump*

*Badump*

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


SI: I'm a curious gal. What could possibly go wrong?



*S̴̡̬͙͔̬̠̜̳͇͙̬̜͉͎̽̅̾̔̇͆͒͊͐̾̓̚̕͝ͅ ̴͖̲͈̻͆͂̉͋̓̑͝c̷̨̡̼̳̟̼͓͙̺̝͎̰͐͊̾ ̶̧̢̢͍̒̏̇͌͛̃̔ͅr̸̨̨̧̨͓̮̰̲͔̘̯̪̎̓̓̃̔̈́͂͌̀̏̓̌̿̓ ̵̧͎̦̲͍̦̫̥̘̫͇͖͇͑̈́̓e̴̳͙̮̫͌̒̕ ̴̯̬̰͓͎̳̟̇̋͋̚̚ā̷͎̟̙͚̹̦̝͍͖͈̤̃͗͋̔̏͗̂̋͜͝ͅ ̴̲̪̖̞̜͍̞̳̟͎̱͓̙͖̠̮̞̫͖̏̾͑͊̂̍͛̄̿͠͝m̶͔̦̟̺̩͇̫͍̖̖͓̓͌̈́͗͑̇̄̂̀̅̑̿̽̍̋͂͜ ̷̺̀͆͌́̈͂̓͐̈̀͛̈́̋̓͊͛̈́͌͝į̶͓̳͉͔͍͇̳̲̱̣̼̹͍̦̞̗̭͉̋̀̂ ̵̨̢̛̩̲̘̣̦͙̺̰̮̝̱͍̹̀̐̀̆́͊̽͑̉̔̅̍̒̿͝n̶̨̡̗̮̗̦̭̠̫͖̯̱͇͚͐̏̓̂ͅͅ ̴̨̢̭̟̜̗̺̦̜̤͕̱̣̙̗͌͌͜g̴̨̖͙͎̘͎͍̥̈́̍̎̒̾̎̉̈́̀̀̉̈̓̃̉͝*



SI
: Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming-

A/N: SI is gonna have to try keeping her sanity in check.

After all, being isolated in a weird place and having your mind messed with does wonders for the human psyche!
 
Intruder Alert

Decided to post earlier since I'm gonna be busy during the next few weeks. Sad.





Today must not have been Jerkface's day. He was snappier than normal. He even threw what I assumed was a clipboard against the wall!

One of these days, he's surely going to harm someone if he doesn't rein in that temper of his.

"-none of the _______ can cause such-"

"-how does it keep happening?! The-"

"-______ development. Irregularities-"

"-further funding to replace the _____-"


Everyone ran amok as if they were headless chickens, which induced worse feedback than usual.

"-you haven't slept or eaten anything in days!"

Favorite Person—bless her soul—is the single worker here with any common sense. These guys didn't understand what taking care of yourself meant. Especially Jerkface. He puts the whole 'you're not you when you're hungry' subject to another level.

I hope they resolved whatever led to their current jumpy demeanors.

"Fortunately, _______, our key assets persisted-"

…I know, I know. It wasn't healthy to ignore the incident that had occurred a few days ago, but it wasn't like I could switch off my hearing.

Relevant or not, gossip was gossip. I couldn't disregard it.

"-bright side. ______ will proceed sooner-"

Fine! I admit I was uncertain about... expanding my senses again. I ought to c̸o̴n̷f̴r̸o̵n̵t̶ those events and come to terms with them, but...

I just needed a moment to get my mind back together, alright?
*Badump*


Oh, right. I almost forgot about him, the young fellow whose existence I discovered recently.

He's a great conversation starter, by the way. Full of rainbows and sunshine and shit, can't seem to shut him up! His dream was to become Sleeping Beauty, and he practiced by napping all day long.

Nice pal.



Okay, in all seriousness, the boy deferred from moving an inch and was subdued. Swell, but subdued.

His name was unknown to me, so to avoid addressing him as 'that boy' all the damn time, I dubbed him 'Othe'. Short for Other, as in the other one with whom I built a connection.

Now I comprehended why the people from the Outside had their outlandish naming debate. There was a sense of accomplishment upon bestowing a significant name onto someone.

Speaking of which…

What was this, Bring your Kid to Work Day?

What were these people smoking on?! This wasn't the kind of environment Othe should dwell himself in.

Favorite Person, I take back my earlier statement. You weren't a sensible individual. How could you let this sort of thing transpire under your watch?

I better stop for now. Ranting for hours non-stop takes a toll on me.

It feels wrong not to stay by his side, but I also had to return beyond the wall—eventually—and it wasn't as if I was capable of bringing Othe with me.

Hm… Decisions, decisions.
*Badump*

*Badump*


I may not be able to do much, but as the sole responsible adult around here, it was my duty to keep tabs on his well-being.

"-few days. Be ready to test the unidentified ________-"

I just have to prepare myself properly. My ears will be ready to scope out the uncharted areas of the Outside, while simultaneously checking in on Othe and the rest.

Win-win!

Heh. Who said multitasking wasn't a talent?

.⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


After witnessing the… peculiarities that sprawled beyond the wall, I questioned what was the true nature of the Outside.

Because, seriously.

What. The. Hell.

I was certainly indoors, in some sort of closed-off space. There wasn't any wind or sunlight hitting my face to prove I was in the wilderness, or a public area. The s̸c̵r̵e̷a̴m̸s̶ would've also brought a lot of unsavory attention.

I had no words to describe my experience on the Outside, or for what abodes there. It was, in the simplest terms possible:

Fucking u̸n̵p̶l̴e̴a̵s̶a̷n̶t̶.

I won't go into many details, because there's no way in hell I was going to relive those memories again.

Every occasion was more startling than the last. It depended on where I breached and how much I managed to endure the onslaught. My recent escapade left me shivering at the squishy and gooey m̷o̵v̸e̶m̸e̵n̸t̶s̸ within the walls-
*Snap*


-shuffling in place. M̸e̷t̸a̶l̸ rustled, and cracks resonated-
*Snap*


-and the pitter, patter of a liquidy s̸u̶b̴s̷t̴a̴n̷c̶e̵ accompanied it, squelching the floor-
"AaAaAaAaA-"
*Snap*


-that r̵e̵s̵u̷l̷t̸e̷d̸ in wailing, as if something was being b̶o̷r̷n̷ out of the walls themselves.
*S̴̡̼̰͖̯͚͖̱̻̖͌́̌͑͑̍͐͌̓Ǹ̶͓̥̥̊͝Ã̴͇̇ͅP̵͝*

"..."


-before c̶u̶t̶t̷i̶n̸g̸ itself off, leaving no soul besides my own in quiet saturninity.

Zero out of five stars. Wouldn't recommend.

Luckily, the horror movie slideshow wouldn't last long, as the silence summoned the garbled sounds and crowded the place, to my immense relief.

They sounded similar to having a bone stuck in their throat, but at this point, anything was music to my ears.

Although there was something off about them. I preferred to give them the benefit of the doubt. After all...

Each second their hearts skipped a beat,

The swiftness of their breaths,

Steps that crushed the ground beneath them, whether it was on two feet or crawling on all fours,

The grinding of teeth and the sweat of their brow. Every twitch and cranny of their movements…


I could hear it a̶l̴l̸.

My first clue was the far too animalistic shrills coming off of them.

Humans don't growl. Well, technically they did, but that was their stomachs crying out for food. Neither did they screech, but there were exceptions, like irritating bitches who insist on others.

I've observed that these creatures talked little. They only produced those garbles near people. Between themselves though?

Nada. Sure, there was the usual grunt or two, but—unless grunting was considered a language—it didn't produce the same effect.

Do they just stare at each other or what?

(Mental Note: check for any signs of them using body motions that signified communication with one another.)

My head picked up a tingly feeling whenever the creatures appeared. Concentrating on that impression would spark my senses into overdrive and make my world spin.

D̷i̶z̶z̸i̸n̷e̶s̸s̴ became a familiar sensation.

I could have dropped the issue at any time, but I wouldn't. I needed to do this. It was a gut feeling.

They were a mystery waiting to be uncovered. Something n̷̰̦̈́̓e̴̝̎w̵̪̑ͅ.

But not at the expense of those near me. I didn't want to endanger Favorite Person, or for Othe to catch the same symptoms as me.

The pacing was similar to that of a snail's trail, too slow for my liking, but as the saying goes: "Better to prevent than to lament".

(I wouldn't mind Jerkface succumbing to it. Getting sick might humble the man and give everybody some well-deserved rest.)


I tried greeting them, but of course, my words were unable to reach them. They wouldn't be able to hear me, anyway. I've done it so many times I've lost count, but since there wasn't much to do here, it wouldn't stop me from continuously trying.

"Hello!" I'd say when a person or creature was in my vicinity.

"Good Job!" When there were merry tones in their steps. It didn't happen that often.

"Have a good day!" After a hard day at work.

"Better luck next time!" I'd always add whenever they were dissatisfied, which became a usual occurrence.

"You can do it!" When I'd thought they'd kick the bucket.

I grunted just in case, but alas. No replies either.

It's silly... isn't it?

Whispering, shouting, cheering, pleading… Regardless of how I expressed myself, it went unheard. I'm suffering from mild headaches for no reason.

Nobody has responded.

And n̷̘͚͖̍̎̀͋̑̎ŏ̸͓̈́̄̚͠b̶͉̦̂̿̽̕ỏ̵̪͈̫̖͍͛̐͜d̵̖̉̏͂̚̕ŷ̸͕͔͑̇ ever will.


















That got dark for a moment.

What can I say? I'm quite the gal.

"-are stable, but the factors of ______ remain inconclusive."

The stench of strawberry entered my periphery, and I thanked the heavens above for the distraction–was that a hint of vanilla lingering at the end? Sweet.

Favorite Person's scent threw me off for a loop there. It seems she finally changed that horrid perfume of hers. Good riddance. The previous one gave off old, grandma vibes.

...Wait.

I swear I'm not a creep! I can't control my nose. It's one sense I still needed to get a handle on.

This room was surprisingly hygienic, meaning that my opportunities to practice and detect smells were slim thus far. It was kind of weird now that-

I'm monologuing again. It's a bad habit.

"Perhaps… very well."

On that particular note, Favorite Person's tone suggested she was currently speaking to-

Huh.

I didn't recognize who it was.

It wasn't the Janitor, who I hadn't heard from since I crossed over the wall. He probably got fired.

Poor guy.

It wasn't Bob either. A silent dude will always be a silent dude. I respect that. And unless Jerkface tweaked his voice by drinking a lot of coffee, this belonged to a fresh voice.

It's been a while since there was a new presence!

Strange. He sounded a bit like the creatures, but clearer. As in, speaking actual words. Conjugated and orderly.

"Hi!"

...

...

...

No answer. What a shocker.

Maybe I'll attempt to nudge Othe or do something creative with my senses this time around.

…Considering how well it went last time, taking a break might not be such a bad idea. The Outside can shove it up its-
'Greetings.'

I froze.

D-

Did I just…

...

I must've imagined it.
'I see you are aware... Curious.'

A mature, but unexpected v̶o̴i̵c̸e̶ penetrated my thoughts. It had spoken again, and it was just as astounded as I was.

.⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​

SI: *Pulls out her best Navi impression.*

SI: "Hey, listen!"

*Aggros a response.*

SI: Works like a charm.​


A/N: Thoughts on color texts? I barely refrained from coloring the last dialogues. ; - ;

SI has horrible excellent naming skills, and we learn that one should be careful of what they wish for.
 
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Saturated Emotions


SURPRISE!
Glitchy colored text and unreliable narrator at its finest.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Let me know if anybody's bothered by the colored text.





Despite the darkness being gloomier than yesterday, Othe sleeping, and the bullshit that was the Outside, everything was okay.

I even organized a list of the various grunts the creatures have produced. Only 10 types so far, but it was something.

"-collect additional samples for-"

"-chamber, are you positive?"

"-don't care if there's nothing left-"


Ah. They were airing out their dirty laundry again.

"-high chances for the asset-"

"-risks? Unacceptable! Are-"

"-there at it again-"

"-shush! We don't want to be next-"

"-keep your head low. 14 weeks more-"


I snickered. These people. When will they ever learn?

Watch this. Jerkface will suggest something along the lines of: 'Get it done, or I'll find someone else who can.'

"-see to it or I will terminate your contract.
Permanently."

"... Yes sir. Commencing extraction-"


What did I tell you? It's not exactly word for word, but it was similar enough.

Their jitters were letting me go unnoticed, or they probably overlooked I was listening to their conversations. Who knows?
'So you were the one?

Er–I meant to convey I was in the same boat. Stuck and powerless to do anything to change the situation at hand, except complain.

If I was working here, I'd either demand a raise and some long, well-earned vacations or outright quit. Maybe that would remove the insanity that clung to them like rabid dogs.

Sheesh. Their boss must be an absolute savage to have them work in these kinds of conditions.

'Hm...'

Here's hoping that the creatures following them around helped them get their shtick back together. I'll have my fingers crossed in the meantime.

Speaking of the big honchos… One of the major contributors funding this fiasco is coming to visit in the foreseeable future. Not for fun, sadly. It's more accurate to say it was like an inspection to seek results.

Results which the workers didn't have. At least, completed or functioning. Most were total flops, but I'll continue cheering you on guys!

To be fair, if my bosses were breathing down my neck, chances were I'd end up making a ton of mistakes as well. I don't blame them. Though, I hope someone would scold the employees for neglecting a child. (Still can't believe they allowed a kid frolicking around like nobody's business what the fu-)

If I ever met Othe's parents, I was going to sock them right there and then.

Irresponsible jackasses.

'It seems the learning program has not started yet. Your grammar is appalling.'

But first, I have to get a grip on reality.

Alright. Repeat after me: Nobody is talking inside my head. Nobody is talking inside my head. There's no-

'-voice inside my head. I do not comprehend why such a pointless endeavor was done, but perhaps you are disorientated by the residue of-'

Absolutely not.






…Did it respond?

'Yes. You said to reiterate after you, and that is what I did.'

My… these constant headaches finally caused me to hallucinate. Because of course it did.

I laughed weakly, astounded by what my mind was creating. Sure, why not add lunacy to my plate? As if I didn't have enough to deal with already.

'I am no hallucination, youngling.'

Look here, folks! This girl's spiraling downhill towards c̵r̸a̶z̴y̷town. Here of all places.

But no, I just had to seek an adventure. (I never asked to be here.)

I wasn't known to be a patient person. It was similar to that of an itch I couldn't scratch, irritating the more I let it fester. I wanted everything at the moment to satiate my curiosity, my hunger for m̵o̶r̷e̶.

'Why do you believe you are crazy?' The voice questioned, wondering about my state of mind.​

Me too, buddy. Me too.

I knew I was lonely, but come on. Inventing an imaginary friend wasn't the way to handle things. (I just craved to return back h̴o̴m̴e̷.)

… He didn't sound bad. I'll give him that. His voice was sophisticated.

'You are merely confused. It is understandable. These circumstances have bewildered me as well.'

Sophisticated, yet I could've gone without the older tone. It reminded me of a grandpa waiting until his grandchildren finished their irrational tantrums.


'I can show myself unto you, but I suspect you would be left... troubled.'

I didn't have time to go cray-cray and talk to myself. (Ǵ̷͜o̵̦̓ away.)

The voice sighed. Whatever I was going to ramble about next was interrupted, and for the first time, the world I've familiarized with shook.

'You must comprehend I am not a figment of your imagination.'

I winced as the sensation of being pricked by a thousand tiny needles surged through my head.

'I am real.'

I would've sensed you by now if you were real. I mean, the heat of breath and the melodies of a heartbeat are hard to miss. You couldn't get past me unless….

The realization was like that of a bucket full of cold water, washing over me with dread.

If you are, in fact, legit and not something I created on a whim, then that m̶e̸a̷n̵t...

...

'You have gone quiet. Why is that?'

I wish I could feel my mouth to gape in shock properly.

Abort. I NEED TO ABORT!

'Do not be alarmed.'

DAMMIT. HOW DO I ABORT!?

How the fuck was I not supposed to a̴l̷a̸r̸m̵ myself?! (What is going on? WHAT THE HELL WAS H̶͍͝A̶̛͖Ṕ̴̻Ṕ̸̯Ȩ̴͠N̴̼͑I̵̖̓N̶̬̑Ǵ̵̙ RIGHT NOW?!)

A force began to rumble the walls beyond, forming cracks as it couldn't sustain the strain.

'Steady yourself. Otherwise, your current state will-'

Calm down? YOU WANT ME TO C̸̛̻̫̹̮͆A̶̫̘̗̳̓͋͝Ļ̷̛͓̩̯̓̌̕M̶͎̅̃̓͝ ̷̛͎͔̱́̿͘D̸̗͓̆͂̄Ǭ̵̪͎͙̊͛̑̾W̶͕͖͙͑̿N̵͚̞̑̈́͑̕͜?!

I mentally stepped back and took a deep breath, struggling to keep my composure.

Can't you see... I'm trying to figure this out?

'You require-'

The world of darkness trembled with an intense pressure, preventing the voice from speaking any further.

I said...

NOT. ONE. WORD. (L̵̫͚͗͋̇Ẽ̶̻͇̭̩̎T̵̮͚̄́̚ ̶̨̱̹́̓̕Ḿ̷̙E̵̯̣̫̽̈ ̷͔̰͖̓̕O̴̡̤̿̓U̸̡̦͌̓̀̕T̶͕͈̩̩̃.)

'...'

Good.

Now, where was I? Oh, right.


I was p̶̡̡͈̼̯͎̝͈͉̲̝̓̄̀̋̄̿̄̈́̇̌̔a̴̮̎̓͗̍̎͆͛̒̀n̸͈̗̓͆͊̏͋̎̍̉̀͒̎̋̀̚͜ȉ̶͇͖͙̣̻̭̣̹̙̳̣̣̣̞̿͠c̵̡̝̼͓̭͔̖̣͖̹̮̺̏̉̆̀̒͘k̴̨̡̲͕͓͍̻͔̥̞͆̃́̎͂̀̏̎̐̀͗̐͆͝ï̵̝̜̤͓̫̻̺͈͓̻̹͈̒͊͗͑̿̅͐̚͜͝͠n̷̡̤̤̭̥̖̖͇̹̲̺͓̣̅̈́̎̀͒͌͐͑͆͝͠g̸̢̡͓͇͙͉͕͆̆͌͋̉́̕̕.


.⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


I wasn't freaking out at all from the novel experience. I was just, you know, potentially haunted by a paranormal presence.

'Odd… Unlike the rest, I was positive you were cohesive. Perhaps I was mistaken?' It mumbled.​

If I could move my hands, I'd presumably cover my face or point at the entity in defiance. I understand that's rude but, the voice resounded from everywhere and nowhere, which made it impossible to pinpoint where it was coming from.

'They should repair it soon enough. I could ease the process at your request.'

Look here, buster.

'I am looking, but there is nothing to glance at.'

Oh, that little-

Just because I'm d̶e̶t̶a̷c̵h̴e̸d̷ from human contact and trapped in whatever this place was, doesn't mean I'm f̸a̸l̸l̴ing for your tricks.

'...I mean no harm, but if you wish for me to leave, I will do so.' It declared innocuously.​

Yeah, that's exactly how a s̴u̴s̶p̶i̵c̸i̸o̷u̶s̸ being would respond. You're definitely applying reverse psychology or something. Ghosts lure you in with an innocent-like tone, and then…

BAM! You d̶e̶a̵d̸ son.

'For a youngling, you communicate quite strangely.' The voice says nothing else, almost as if it doesn't know what to make of me.​

I'll clarify this in a way you can understand, ghosty.

You are a "visitor" who decided to speak to me, a defenseless person, who's surrounded in complete darkness and isolated from anyone who could save me if something goes awry.

That's a perfect example of a stranger danger situation right there.

Let's not forget the Outside, where a lot of unexplained things have happened. Where creatures paroled around, people stood unflinching at the screams happening in their surroundings, and lord knows what else they concocted in this supposed workplace.

Do you get the picture? I don't know who, or rather w̷̥̃h̴̪̀a̷̮͠t̶̨̗́, you are.

'Apologies. I did not mean to agitate you.'

Phantom or not, it's part of the whole mumbo jumbo kit. You guys always have h̶i̸d̵d̵e̷n̴ intentions. Either you preferred to steal my soul or possess my body. I wouldn't let that happen.

'Intriguing... Where did you obtain this information about supernatural beings?'

Movies, books, myths? There's a plethora of great—but dubious—info on the internet, and I met people who have seen paranormal shit. I don't want to j̵o̷i̵n̵ the club, so begone spirit!

'Curious indeed.' The voice droned in interest, which didn't b̸o̸d̵e̸ well for me.​

I should've kept quiet. Why can't I stop talking? One of these d̸a̵y̷s̴, my ramblings are going to be the death of me.

'You keep projecting your thoughts. It is understandable, your training has yet to begin, youngling.'

And what's with the youngling? I'm not that young. I was a healthy h̷u̷m̷a̶n̴ at the ripe of her age.

Well, you're probably ancient c̷o̶m̵p̷a̴r̸e̵d̷ to me. I must be a baby in your eyes.






(Holy crap, d̴i̸d̴ I just sass him and say he was an old, ass ghost? Shiiiit.)

In hindsight, my emotions were running ĥ̸ͅi̵̖̊g̸̦͑h̸͉́, dr̵̙̹̈́i̴̳̍͠v̷͉̣͑̀͝ě̸̼̻͖͛͝n̸̡̨͈̑ into a dwam by the encounter. It hindered me from thinking straight ȃ̵̖n̵̬͐d̸̘̋ hearing the rest of his words.

'Hostile, but pales in comparison to the rest. Factors induced by genetic materials? Or-'

I should've stopped or been c̸͍͑å̵̠ụ̸̅t̴̙͐ȉ̵ͅo̶̰͆u̵̢͋s̴̭̆, to say the least. Or flat out rationalized t̶͇̮̋h̴̲̘̅̿ǎ̴̞͓ṯ̵̟̎ chatting with an u̶̧̡̥͌͛̋n̷̤͉̑́k̸̺̝̏̀̍n̸̬̒̋o̵̱̾͝w̶̤̉̃̚n̷̹̏ being was just asking for trouble.

'Were you not the one who issued the greeting?' It sounded confused.​

I didn't actually expected an á̴̟̼͊͛͊̾͒̉͌̊͝͠͝n̵̦͋͐͋̉̔̓̉͂̀̕͝͝s̸̨̛̖̱̹̯̲̰̼͇̺͓̿̂ẅ̵̨̧̧̼̬̺̼̞̯̺̳́̈́͋̈͋͝ḛ̷̱̎͆̽̓͒ṛ̵̓̀̓! I was purely loafing around.

W̶̱͕͙͕̘̞̑̃̇̉̾̚h̵̛͈̘̫̖̫̔̃͊̿̊̊a̵̟͓͚̟̠͚͆͛t̸̖͙̅͌͂̽́͝ would you do if an outsider barged into your home? L̵͉̻̿̐ȧ̶̳̖̱u̶̝̮͓̾g̵̡̳̮̋͘ȟ̶̤̺̈̽?

'I am not aware. I have never taken a step inside a household.' The spirit uttered, unaware of the bombshell it had dropped.​

I p̶͙͘a̵̛̺u̸͚̅s̴̲͠e̷̜̔d̴̻̽, very thrown off by that particular revelation.

The fuck?

You h̵a̴v̵e̵n̸'̵t̵?


Um… Don't do that. Showing up in a stranger's h̷o̵u̵s̵e̸ like that is wrong, not to mention illegal.

'Hm… If the one entering the place of residence is not a stranger, would that be fine?'

Well, it d̸e̸p̸e̷n̷d̷s̸? If there's a celebration happening, or you have t̷o̷ visit someone living there, then it's cool. You have to know the o̸w̵n̵e̴r̶s̶ or wait so they can permit you to enter-

It derailed from there. I l̶o̷s̷t̵ myself for hours and hours, perplexed by how I̸ moved from panicking a̷b̷o̴u̴t̷ an unearthly thing haunting me, to advising said abnormality. It w̷a̷s̴ odd to teach t̴h̸e̶ voice about etiquette and m̶u̸n̸d̸a̸n̶e̶ stuff in general.

Not gonna lie, it was nice t̸a̵l̶k̶i̵n̸g̴ to someone again. Even if it came from something t̵h̴a̴t̸ could murder me in a heartbeat.

This won't be useful to him, anyway. He's a spectral of some kind. It o̵n̸l̶y̶ needed to p̷a̶s̸s̵ through the walls whenever it felt like it. Ghosts don't need to a̶s̸k̵ permission to haunt places. (What kind of spectral hasn't h̸a̴u̴n̴t̸e̷d̸ a house?)

At least I know they didn't lock me up in a weirdo's b̴a̷s̵e̴m̷e̷n̵t̸. I'm r̴e̶l̵i̵e̶v̵e̸d̸ that this strange and offbeat c̸o̵u̶r̶s̴e̴ of events gave me some g̷o̵o̷d̴ news.

'I see.' The voice stated out of the blue. 'I am known by the name of Dubbilex.'



D̵̡̢̨̛̠̯̞͓̱̩̰̯̠͉̮̞̹̰̗̣̱̤̻̘̙̲̃u̸̡̨̺̩̯͈͈̺̤͍̫̝̻͍̯͖̭̦̪͛͐͐͌̎̕͜b̶̰̩̥̰̣͕̲̭͓̹̹̓͊͌̒͐̐͛̓͑̂̐̈́̈͌̂̈̌̈̎̃̓͐́̈̕̕͝͠͝b̴̛͓̋̎̂̅͆͑̈́̿͛̊̈̒̈́̽͐̓͊̐͌̌̊̽̍͆͆͗̎͊̚̕͘͠͝ͅį̸̡̛̟̘̬̜͈̤͉͉͙̻̯̦̝̬̙͇̖̼̑̆̋̾̿͗͆̔͊͑͌́̀͋̇̅̐͒̆͊̓̑̑̍͒́̒͛̍̚̚̕͝ͅl̴̡̪̦͈̩̲͒̈́̎͊̒͘͝e̴̡̢͉͍̹̟̠̻͙̝͙͎̲̹̫̫̘̜͓̦̲̩͖͔̣͓̫͙̺̔͛̓̒͌̊̓͛̄̀̑̊͂̐̀͗̈́͑̂̽͝x̷̨̙̳̟̫̭̤̻̣̖̯͈̣̤̥͎̙̠̼̻͚̯̲̊͆̽͛͐̓̋͑̀̎̀͆͒͑̀̐̀̈́̀͂͘͘͜͠͠ͅ?



H̶u̴h̵.

It sounds f̴a̵m̶i̸l̸i̷a̷r̴. Glad to m̴̡͗é̴͇e̷̜̔ṭ̵̂ you, I guess.

̷̶̢̛͉̟͕͓̟̹̺̘̺̠̫̦͍̟͉̱̰̞̪̥̒̉͊͗̂̉͑͋̊͑̔͋̒̀̊̊̏̐͆͌͘͝I'm-

̷̢̛͉̟͕͓̟̹̺̘̺̠̫̦͍̟͉̒̉͊͗̂̉͑͋̊͑̔͋̒̀̊̊͘͝What… w̶͈̓̊ā̷͔s̵̼̔ it again? My na̷m̸e̴'s at the tip of my tongue.

My name is m̸̛̟̻͋y̶̙̜̍͌ ̴̧̈́͂ň̸̨̰a̶̠̽̀m̷̢͕̎e̶̦͛ ̶̫͑ị̷̳̏̎s̶̭̦̈́͘ ̵̠̜̽̑ṁ̷̋ͅy̷͎̿͠ ̴̺͍͝ṇ̸̀ä̸͍͔m̷̰̿̋e̷̡̥͒̎ ̴̬̫̈́i̵̥̗̍s̵̖͔̍̈ ̷̦́͝ͅḿ̸̧͔̞͚͓͕͇͗̈́͌̂ỹ̷̧͕̭͌͛̍ ̶̧̹̯̯̄͗͝͝ǹ̴̛̖̲̮̖̗̤͐a̷̬͒̉̿͑̆m̴̨͙̮͆̽̏̊e̶̖͠ ̸̢͙̜͈͕̼̏̽͂̚͘͠ḯ̶̙̪͈̥͖͖̅͑s̶͉͉͓̙̻͍̎͆̐̄͂̏ͅ-̶̢̹̞̭̮̑̌͆͜͜-

'-instability rising. You overexerted yourself, child.'

̸̧̛̛̛͉̖͙͕̖͍͎̫͚͔͍͉̤͎̰̫̺͈͙̃̀̑͑͆͛͑̈́̌̃͆̂̎̃̓͗̔͌̃͘̕͝͝(I̸̳͔̝̗̪̗ͨ̇̊ͯͅ ̶̩̗̰̹̱̞̾͂ḑ̲̺̬͈̞̤̼̿̅̉ő̤̭̗̘̉̎̏͟n̰̫͔̩̣̬͕̩̖͉̹̲͗͋̆̾͡͝'̞͔͕ͬ̓͠t̗̲̟͂͜ͅ ̸͉̦͖͚̪̥̓ͭ̐ͅr̮̬͚̿̇͢ͅȩ͚̜̘ͥm̿̚҉̺̼̫̲̹̤͙͇ȩ̰͕͈̃͆͐͛m̟̘͒̃̓̕b̻̪͍͆͋͌ͩ͝e̥͔̱͍͚̱̊ͮ́r͙̥̻̩͋̀́͒̀ ͈̫̀ͭ̚̕m̸̪̩̙̔ý̰͉͍͙̏̃̕ ̂̑́ͤ͏̥̟͎̩̯̼ͅn̷͍̪̰̬̜̝͇ͭͥͅa͖̟͙̞̲͋̔͗͞m͉͖͕͋̇́e̘͎͈̻̥̪͋̄̏ͩ͢)

'-shall correct this.'


(Ŵ̵̨̨̡̜̥̟̭͚̺͎̤͔͚͉͉̘͎̪̠̤̬͎͉̯̯̍̀͐͝ḩ̴̩̮͙̯̬̩̟̹̯͓̦̯̳͚̅͊͑̍̈̉̀̆̿̀̃͆̋̆̍́̍͋̀̈́̂͗̑͝y̴̛̭̰̺̹̻̠͎̜̲̙̗̮̻̺̬̮̲͎̱̲̭͓͛̿̃͊̐̈̐̚͜ ̶͎͉̙͎̾͆́͐̈́̀̐̇̾̂͂̽̒̉́̏͒̃̄̀̄̽̆͝c̶̡̝͔̩̜̹̲̜̼̏̌̅̅̿́̌̌̈́̒͑͑͒̐̚ả̶͙̹͓͇͔̙͉͉̭̖̟̻͓͈̠̪̤̼̟͇̲͐̄̆͗̒͝͝ͅņ̸̢͕̤̹̫̬͕̖͖̘͉̥̣͛̋̇̌͜'̸̨̧̨̮̟͔͍͚̩̦͎̹̥̤͍̤͚̯̩͙̐̉̇͛͊̔̓͆̏̑͌̈̀͠ͅt̷͙͓̐̃͌̊͂̐̔̓̈̈́̌̊͋̐͑͒̍̇͝ ̸̹̠͕͈̺͚͇̳̮̜̠̌͊̎̃̑́̇̌͌̃̀I̶̧̡̢̛̳̯̠̼̦̪̹͖̹̣̘̺̩̙̦͈͓͙̺̖̮̹̼̜̘̾̉̎́̚ ̷̭̠̮̝̆̑͌̂́̓̐͋̍̇́̓̒͑͘̚͘͝ͅr̴̡̮̺͍̱̟̆̈͋̎̓͊̓̀̒͛̓̈̐̌̔̔͒̃͑̚͘͠͝é̵̖͎̦̰̓̋̔͜m̶̡̤̗͖͍̩̮͙̮͖̻̾̈́̀͑͛̎̇͛̐̈́̽͐̎̕̕̕͠͝ë̴̢̼͎̪̺̟͙̪̬̃͛̽̒͛̿͛͜m̵̧̡̨͓̜̭̭̳̖̺͖̖̭̯͚̖̘̓̊̃̀̏͒̏̇͗͗̏͐͜͝b̴̤̤̎͗̑͌ë̵̱͓̮̰͜r̶̤̭̠͝ ̸̢̨̱̼̝͎̲̘͎̝͚͙̳̜̜͕͕͂̑̃̂͑̇̔̌͛̓̄̌̎̋̏͜͠m̵̧̺͇̪͇̝͍̘͊̔͂͋̃̈̇͗̍̈́͛͛̎̀̐̍̀̊̆̅͘͘͝͠͝͝͝ỳ̸̨̢̺̩͆̋͑̉̈͌̕ ̶̡̡̢̢̟͚͎̰̣̱͙͓̳͇͕͎̜͈͐͋̽̔̀̂͐̀̋̕͝ǹ̸̨͚̼͚͚͈͇̖̤͕̓̄͠ḁ̵̜̫̗͋̒͋m̸̧̛̳͇̗͚̺͍̮̣͎̦̠͎̜̘̣̹͍͉͈̺̺̙̣̗͛̆̽͌͂̑̀̑͐̈́̿̒̏̊̄͘͝͝ĕ̷̛͙̠͚̦͍̺̈́̈́̊͐̋̈̃̀̿̋̑͜͝ ̸̛̹̮͗͐̇͐͋̾̏̾̒̔̈͆̾̊̂̄̓̚͘͝͝ͅy̴̞̘̋̈́̀̐̽̋͑͊̽͒̐̏͂́̄͘͜͠͝ȍ̶̭͂̐̎̀̄́̉̽͛̀̂̔̔͘͘͠ư̵̢̳͚̱̗̟̹̣̮̩̯͇͓̫̩͔̠̙̇̌̍̈́̎̉̿́̐́́̓̈́́͂͂̀̐̂͑̓́̕͘͘͜͜͜͝ ̴̧̨̮͎̭̘̣̫̈́̽̆̈̋͝ͅh̸̛̛̩̜͐̓̄̃̆̌̇̀́̓̋̔̓̉͌̂̃̕ą̵̳͎̭̪͒̀̋̓́̌̓̎͛́̆͆̍̕̚͜͠ͅv̸̧̰̥̝̦̮̝͕̣̣̯̩̯̺͙̦̮̑̒̎̽͘ͅͅe̵̡̨̘̣̦̻͕̻͉͖͇̲͋͊͌ ̵͓͓̤͕̱̰̞̳̎̓̋̅͐̀̂͑̀̈́̅̓̎̈́̓̅͂́̈́̕̕͝͠t̶̙̞̍̊̓͆́͛̕̚͠ơ̴̢̙͍̘̬̳̰̤̫̙͕̗̤̥̗̼̪̘̮͔̲̬̬̺̥͎̗̽̂̈́͑̉̇͗̿͊͑̈́͛̉̀͛̐̈́͐̅̋̈́̍̾̊̚͝͠ ̵̨̧̛̞͙̦̜̼̗̝̩͎̘͙̩̜͕͍͖̗̩̒͂̈́̒̀̔͂̊̍͑͜͜͝h̴̛̯̣͉̖͕͖̙̥̫̤̳̺̣̯̠̹͔̲͎̫̘͍̦͗̈͒̔̀͌̒̃͛̔́̓̀͝͝ę̷̧̨̫̻̦̖͇͕̜̝͍͚͙͇͔̗̣̳̰͙͈̩͌̾́͋̿̈́̌͐͂̐̒̊̅͛̽̔̿͛̃̑͐̉̌̀̉͗͠l̴̝̺̫̝͔͎̱̫̰̩̫̪̭̱͔͕͖̞̝̞̻̪̽̌̈̅̈̆̆̿̓͋͒̔̿̾͒̂̾͐̑̕͜͝p̶̢̢͉̟͓͖̗̃̂͑̍̔̒̈́̐̍̒̈́̄̓̽̒̋͌̎̏̾́̋̚͘͜͜ ̵̨̛̬̟̜͔̣͉͓͉̫̫̹̣̩̥͚̥̝͓̹͊͐̃̃̓̀̎͆͐́̍̒͘͘͠m̵̨̦̲̻̮͕̻̫̲̥̰̝̟͓̓̅̈́̂͌̑̍̐̇̽̅̈̾̿̇̉̕͠͝͝e̶̛̤̬̭̲͈̻̼͖͙̜̯̭̝̱͙̥̘͍̪̬̤̰̖̟̗̓́͂̋̉͑̈́͗̒̀͆͂̈́͝͝ͅ ̸̧̡̧͖̱̩̯̗̯̠͓̗̮̥͇̺̬̻̜͎̟͙͑̒͗̒̔͐͋́̉͜ͅp̷̡̨͖̬̙̩̬͉̗̲̘̱̻̻̭͂̎̃̇̓̀̋́̎̓͛̍̋̓́̔͠͠ͅͅĺ̵̨̧͙̻̰̻̳̻̫̘̮͎̻͔̣̲͍͍͇̲̂̈͒͂̑̎͛̑̀̅͘e̶̡̡̢͕̠̳̳͙̮͉̩̮̱̰͎͍͖̫̗̰͂͌̏̐̔̇̂̈́̈́̀̈̀̃͒̇̒̀͋̆͗͠͝ͅạ̴̧̡̧̡̻͈͖̖̜̱͖͍͈͖̱̘̮̰͕̹̮̳̫̈͒̓̿̾̌͂̓̊̀̓s̷̡̨͓͉̯̭͕̙̣͉̦̮̦̦̼͖̫̰̰̻̼̬̠̰̳̰̤̾ͅe̵̡̨͇̙̜̺͚͔̦̹̮̮̣͇̟͐̍́͊̅͌͐̃͗̍͂̏̓͊̿̃̀̈́̕͘͝ ̷͓͎̦̳̯̮̟̓́̊͐̽͜I̷̢̨̨̢̛̯̭̠͓̙̺̣͓̙̪͙̯̘̹̭̪̞̓͛͛̈́͌́ͅ'̶̢̠͎̫̟̥̻͉̗͙͉͈̲̼̳̹̇̊͛̋͒͜ͅͅm̷̠͊͜ ̶̧̢̛͇̱̺̺͕͉͚͓̼̺̖̜̰̦͐͋̆̾̾̄͠s̴̢̡̨̧̧̼̘̬͉͇̤̺͉͈̖̗̰̫̩͔̍̇́̊̃̉̍̽̈́̿̌͑̌̆̏̂͘͜͝c̸̳͇̻͉̪̭̒̀̎́͒̔͗̊̍̓̒̽̑́͌̚͝͝ä̵̧̛̛͔̤͍̰͉̠́̍̍͋̔̿̃̋̒̾̀͐́̍̋̚̕̕͘͜͝͠ř̷̨̭͕͋̿͗̽̇͆͛͋͆̑̽̋́̈́̃͂͗͌̒̀͝͠ȩ̷̢̧͎̜̟͕͍͖̘̘̬̝̣͎͙̮̘̋̈̈́̎̍͌͂̉͊̃͒̀̅̑̈́͌̾͘͝͠͠d̵̨̧̢̤̞̳̯̹̖͕̬͖̝̟͎͇̖͈͇̻͌͗̓̇̐̈́͒̈́͒̇̄̚̚͜ ̴̨̨̮̖̣̠̺̪̣̜̩̌̋̍̿̾̔͌̀̿̒̈̇̒͆̓̂͌̋́͝͝ḑ̸̢̡̢̡̛̦͈̪͇̤̣̺͇̙̣̙̙̩̜̺̦̜̝̟̬̬̀̿͆̈̀̓̒̓̑͑͒̍̈́̓̄̄̎̋͜͜ǫ̶̢̹͙̟̮̣̞͎̮̝̳̺̺͕̿̍̍̈́̂̽̅͂͛́͛͛̈́͒̍̓͌̈͘͝͝͝͝ń̵̨̢͙͈̭͔̺͔̙͓͎̖͓͓̲͈͕̀̇̂̍̃̈́̒̑͌̔̌̿̈̂̚̚͘'̶̡̛̫͉̭̄̉̉͋̋́̃̔̍̀̊̔̓̀͛͑̀̌͊͛̿͘͝͠͠ţ̶̨̢̛̼͔̯̳͈͉̰͈̤͇̰̭̠̘̼̬͖̗͎̖̙̣̗͒̐́̽̄ ̴̢̨̨̖̟̱͙̯̰͈̹̫͇̲̟̲̹̭̗̈́̂̄̒͗́̇͗̐̾̿̎̃̆̄̏́̋̔̈́̌̏͜͝͝͝͠͠͝l̸̢̢̮̫͈̙̟̠͈̺̮͎̰̘̹̭̓̇̓͘ȩ̵̧̡̜͈͍̳̭͖͇̩̱͍͕̱͓̠̻̱̹̙̝͓̗̳̂̓̽̇͌̉̂͜͠a̵̛̻̣̙̰̬̪̳̥̖̹̼̽̽̈́͊̂͐͋̏̄͆͋͋͑͛̄̈̆̄́̅̐͌͘̕͝͝v̶̨̨̨̪̪̥̙̹̫̯̥̤̮͔̻̀̐̋͊͝ę̸̠̗͍̀ ̸̤̤̗̠̞̭͖͎̼̹̎̆̌̈́͌̆̑̄̂̽́̈́͐̋̈̌̇̕͝͠m̴͈͔̠̮̠̥̹͚͓͗́̍̓̍͒͐́̏͒̅͑̆̅̌̃̉̚̕͠ȩ̷̰̱̟̲̟̱̳̠̻̠̬̜̱̀̂̎̋́̏̉͋̀̈́̈̈́̈́͆͗͜͝ ̷͔̾̈̓͛͒̍̇̒̇̈́̊͑̾̌͝ḫ̵̨̻̠͍̻̤̙̪̞̜̟͈̹̿̊́̉͒̅̍̈͑̾̕͝e̵̛̩͍͓̩͕͖̘̜̟̮̪͆͊̔̓͒̍̄̈́̇̈̓̎̃̏̈́͗̓̈́̎͐̑̿̕͠l̴̛̯̹̥̯̬̘̲̻̥͉̖͍̖̦̭̫̬̩͈̹̻͕̻̟̤͓̯̾̀̊̽̋̆̊̽̾̈́̀̽̕p̴̡͉̻̭͉͍̯̋̾͊̈́̎̽̈́̒͂̃͂͊̔̈́͊̍͌̂͊̽̑͝͠͠ ̵̛̻̟̜̗̖̘͎̻̔̋̀̄́́̆̌̊̆̋̃͂̇́̽̈́̕͘̚̕͜͝͝h̵̦̖̖̄e̷̢̨̢̧̯͈̹̘͍̖̠̰̺͓̯̤̘̪̭̮̙̺̘͙̤̓̿̀̿̽̈́̃́̓̄̋͋͆͗͑̒̒̽̆̈́̀͘͝l̴̙̩͚͉̼̥͈̣̺̜͕͎͎͔͖̬͖̖̻̆̀̓̎̇̾͆̔̽̓̏̈͐͘͘͘͜͜͜͝ͅp̷̨̺̲͕̖͔͈̈͛̽̏̑̍̽͗̂̏̆̓͒̇͐͋̏̏̈́̚̚͠ ̸̧̨̨̖̗͇̖̣̞̲̪̝͈̜̙̬͈̤̫̲̱̼͍̭̠̯̌̉̀̓̀̿͑͐̄͜ḩ̴̢̛̜̺̗͚͔̰̗̖̤̯̖͖̩̯͋̑̑͊̋̋̎͝ĕ̷͕͕̦͍̩̘͋l̸̢͚͚͈̣͉̮̈̾̆̀̏̒̓̆̊͝͝p̵̧̬̦̹͕̬̫͉̬̠͎͕̠͈͈̳̖̊̎͂͐͑̂͋̇̌͋̀͛͊͒̿̓̎̾͑̈́̒̀̔͒̃̕͠ ̸̨̛̛̻̬̝̱̦̪̭̥̠͕̝͛́̀͆̊̀͘͝ͅͅm̶̡̢̱͚̻͙͈̞̦̖̣̙̭͚͒͑̋͊̿̓͗̈́̃͗̄͐͠e̵̢̧̛̛̤͎̼̞̺͕̦͚̭̩̝̤̘͆̎͆̈́͂̒̓̈̿̎̇̔̓͊̐̊̌́̌̀̉̕͘͝͝͝ ̷̢̼̲̮͇̘̗̜̯̞̞͈͇̙͔͖̖͍̤͎̖̝͊̇͛̆̏̀̓̾̐̾̿͂̉͛͛̒͘ŵ̵̡̲̗͎̱̩͍̭̙̩͉̝̻̟̩͉̯͈́͗͑̀̃͆̀̽̓̒́̋̈́̽͝͝ͅȟ̷̬̬̝̼̘̫̮̼̰̯̙̈́̅̋́̊͗̿̆̑̓͛́̈͠ä̵̧̨̨̟͔̜̠͕̝̭̩̻̙̫͉̘̫̗t̵̡̢̨̡̰͕͇̞̥̦̰̺͖̹̗̤̻̟̼̲͉̝̦̻͊̈́̄̔̃͒̚ ̵̦̾̋̄̿́̉̂̆́̕ą̸̱̟̝̯͖̱͎̮̣̬͔̭̥̼͕̙͕̩̾͛̾̈́͆̈́͋͗́͑̏̀̇͂̆̇͊̍͛̔͂̕̚͝͝͝r̷̡̛͚̻̬̫͎̬̳͕͙̳̂̎̔͒̈́̈́̐̽̓̍̊́͌̀̋͊̾̽̚ë̵̛̫̪́̈̓͋̄͆̅͐̀͌̍̒̋̚͝ ̸̧̧̙͖̻̭͓̭̬͛̉̌̓̔̂͒̂̋̈̈́̅̍̏̂̐̀̓͗͛̿̊͘͘͘y̵̨̡̲̖̘̝̠͓̤̮̣͖̭̼͕͙͚̜̠͎̜̙̞̋̍̇͌̓̾̾̉͗̊͗̒̔̾̈̈͜͝͝o̶̡̧̳̯̦̲̝͖̦̤̳̟̱̳̣̲͉̹͑͐̓̊̿̐͘ͅü̵̮̳̒͑͗̈̀̉̅̽̋̔̔̊̄̽͊̓͆̽͋̉͝ ̶̡̢͈̞̬̬̣̳͇̪̦̩̙̰̯̉̅͛̎͗̇͆̈́̾̈̆͐̆́͒̋̈͠͝d̸̗̣̣͉̲̤͙̠͖̭̜̭̣̠̬̯̉̃̈́̽̄o̷̡̨̡̻̺̱̩͈̪̞̠͈̤͇̥͍̣͉̿̾̋̍̾̎̏͆̅̄̀̎̚ͅͅi̶̡̢̢̧̝̝̥̙̪̹̩̞͉̪̫̟̞͋̀͊͑̀̏̍̄͂̃̎̿͌̍̌͐̀͊̊͗̏͗͗̄n̴̮̝̍́͒͂̆̓̑̏g̷̳̯̗̲̣̗͉̠͂̑̃̃̂͒̿́̽̌̓͆́̒́́̕̚͘͠ ̸̛̥̤̠͉̹̞̼̻̭̈́̆̀́̇̀̂͆̄͛̊̋̓̋̈́́͒̏̋̊͛͝͝͠͝m̵̡̟͈̪̗̼̩̲̫̲͓̦̓̏̄̈́̀̍̿̓͜͝ẏ̴̧͎̟̖͇̖̖̘̤̹̻̖̝̬̹̮̪̦͕̺̥͙̠͕͚̬̞̓̍͌̂͋̆̎̂̍̒̊̊̋̕̕͝͝͝͝ͅ ̸̛̼̦͕̺̤͕̫̫͂́͑̄͗͑͠ͅḥ̴̫̖̞̟̠̯̦̰̲̤̰̤̰͎̭̥̺̼͔̫̂̀̑̆͒͗̉̈̄̈̂̋̏̕͘͝ẹ̶̍̍̄́̇̅̃̈́͒̂̀́̐̌̀͐̈́͂̀͆͂̐̆̊͘͠ā̸̡̧̞͓͙͉̘̮͓̪̤͈͉̭̥͓̲͇̰̫̦̥̟̣̖̅̄̇̒͆̋̑̆̈͒̌͜͝͝d̴̨̢̛̜̝̯̯̤̺̻̯̮͔̻̩̖̜̘͔̘̹̱̟̐͋̓̿́̓̌̆͂̀̆̋̋͛̒̉̓͐͋͠ ̴̢̨̨͇͔͙̝̩̙̦̮̤̺̺̱̰͙̱̪͎̼͕̻̗͕̻̽̈́́̔̚͜ͅȋ̶̛̫͙̘͖͕̫̓̇̔͒̒̒̋͑̌͒̑̏̇̚̚͜͝͝t̶̛̹͎͋̈̈̏͗̃̉̇͋̇̎̇̊̾͐̌͑͋̌́̈̑̔̈́͘͠͝ ̷̘͓̗̭̦͎̉ͅw̶̪̗̓͆͐́ớ̷̡̙̭̎̀̍̅̈͌̋́̓́̇͛͊͛̎͊́̓́̍̌͝ñ̸̨̛͓̗̙͓͇̩͇̙̾̅̄͆́̈̂͐̎͐͒͐̏̌̏͑͆͑̉͌̕͠t̸̨̨̢̼͉͎̜̼̝̮̱̼̻̬̯̗̪̦̹̥̺͚̺͔͈͊͐͒͛̃͊̇͌͘͜͜ ̴̺̜̹̻̫͖͕̿̉̂̇̒̋̅͗s̷̡̧̨̡̗̬̭̞͍̥̖̼̜̖̭̣͚̩͚̺̀͂̈́̀̔̓̐͆̓̃̈́̔̋̋̚͘͠͝͝t̴̢͇̭̰̳͈͉͔̞͓̠̹̻̠̳̗̎̾̔͊̔̄̊͠͝ͅo̴̡̼̳͆̒̾̏͆̓̋̏̔̿̾̌̄̂̈̾̕͘̕͝͠͝͝p̴̢̙̘̩͓̝̹̪̙͔͉̰̜̮̳̜̱̱̃̈́͜ ̶̤̟̲̰͕̱̒͛͊̓̇̿̿̀̃̐̈́͐̀͊́͛̃̅̿͛̔͘̕͘̕̚͝w̶͓͍̮̙̮̙̗̔h̵̛͕̩̋̈́̀̇̃̃̏͂̏́̈͛̆̏͒͘̚͝ā̴̺͈́̉͐͗͋͆͂͂͑̑̂̈́͘͜͝͠ţ̸̫̩̬̔́̐͝ ̷͓̪͗̐̽d̶̨͙̹̯̟͍͕̦͓͈̯̣̪̘̝͋͒́̆̿̇̋̍̀̚͜ḯ̵̧̨̖̪̻̮̩̘̤̗̮̝̤͉̠̍̒̅͒̉̓́̈̄͜ͅd̵̨̡̡̨̡̙̰̙͍͉̭͚̯̺̼̟̪͚͔̫̬͈̼͓͚̲̫͙̈́͐̽̅̾ ̷̡̲̺͚̯̞̺̟̻͚̽̄͑̍̄̄̏͑̂̇̓̊̽̋͌̂̐̍͌̀͊̾͜͝y̶͎͕̠͕̟̠̤̯̞̥̺͈͔̔͂̊̾͗̑o̵̢̨̧̡̜̟̲̜͔͔̬͎̥̝̠̠̹̰̭̫̭͑͛̿͋̏̓͜͝͝u̸̻̘̩̞̻̥̬̭͔͑̾͒͌͛͒ͅ ̵̨̧̧̘͍͔̹͎̜̫͖͍͈̂́̎̈͝d̸̡̝̱͙̯̯̠̟̣̺̦̭̹̻̘̙̳͒͑̾̈́̄̓̽̐̿̀͌̃͊̓̊̀̚͠͝o̷̢̞̹͙͕̤͍̹̝̪̥͕̲̻̪͎͛͐̄͌͐̃͐̇͒̄͆̄̊̚͠ ̸̛̘̙͚̟̓̂̀̉̇̓̆͛̅̉̽͐̄̆̽̇̽̏̔̌͘s̶̢̧̢͚̝̰̰̮̭̙̙̯͔̩̬͔̤̠͉̻̗̺̤̘̗̗̥̿́͋͒̈́̈́͐͑͋̂̑͊̈̓͆̈́̕͜t̵̨̡̨̢̫̩͚̭͚̰̮̦̱͙̪̫̜̗͖̮͎̮̝̰̓͂̈́̿̾̈͑̈́̌͊̈́̈́͂̕ͅǫ̴̬̤̮̖̜͐̈́͝p̶̧͈̼̩͓̜̳͇̱̩͙̲̹̭̬̰̮͉̣̝̪͎̱͖͆̃͂̌̒̀͒͛̃͋̊̏́͐͌̍͂̍͊͋́̎͘͝͝ͅ ̷̨̧̨̛͎͔̼͇̠̺̤͍̯̤͉̫̙̣̺̯̅̇̄̉̈̌̊̊̍̏͛̽̚͜ͅį̷̛̤̰̣̝͙̖̭̦̯͍͉͔̤̜̠̥̫̜̮̆̈͆̋̍͘͜͝t̵̶̢̨̡̮̣̜͚̭̭͈͎̣͔̜͍̞͓̲͔̺̰͔͙̱̫̺͆̾̈́͗̑̈̃̏͌̓̋̿̈́͌̈́͗̄̓̑͐͜͜h̵̨̛͓͙̥̬̯͚͎̻̤͖̭͇͙̪͙̣̙̦̮̿̽̋̓͑̊̀̋̿͒̐̔̈́͋̈́̆͛̒̂͌̕̚͘͠ͅư̷̡͕̹̫̳͉̠̪̯̟̟̂͗͌̈̈͛́̔̑̂̽̈̋̽͑͗̊͑̅̉̏͜r̴̢̧̤̯͖͖̯̤̘̥͚̥̝͕͙̱͚̤̳͒̿̓t̸̡͙͇̪͕̟͗͗̎̃̂s̸̢͓̭̓͒̾̄̈́͌̽͒͂̚͠͝͝ ̸̢͓̖̝͋̽̈́̀͑́͐͆̑̔̉͌̓̌̾̊̾̓̂͗̀̽͑͌̓̓͊̃͜ͅǫ̴̳̻͙̦͉̬̘̥̭̹̬̬̘̠̩̗̮͎͙̰̞͍͕̆̓̽̽͂̍̇̿̈́͋͐̆̋̄̿͝ͅͅū̴̡͚̻̩̩̊͗̎͋̉͗̓̅̓́̐̃̑̂͑͛̈́̇̚͘͝ ̷̲̱̬̦͙͕̥̼̌͑̊̿͛̅̔̓͆̀̏͆̋̿̆́̄͛̿̑̔̈́̊̚͘̕͘͝ș̶̛͖̮͆̒̒͐͋́͗̓̋̅͘̚͘ą̵̧͉̜̟͓̙̱͚͇̼̠̲̣̬͓̈̋̃̏̿̆͗̀͐͐͗͗̂̓̌̈́̓̆͗͒̆͒̃̕̚͝͝ͅͅḭ̵̢̤̦͙̭̳̜͚͈͖͔̞̳͍̤͓͙͗͐̀ͅd̴̨̡̨̪͙̤͔̱̞͙̼͓͙̻͎̝̣̋͒̓͊̽̅̊̿̀͐̊͊͑͘̕͠ͅ ̵̧̧͓̺͚̼̘̮̭̮̹̗̪̖̦̞̭͋̑̿̀́̈͐̆̓̓̔̈́́͝ͅy̷̧̛͖̟̞͇̯͋̉̽̓̃̂̈́͋̑̄͛̊̀͠ǫ̴̧̨̝͕̟̤̹͔͎̻̩͉̭̻͇̯̹͗͗̂͒̽̐̾̚u̵̧̡̳̺̼̻̯̻̔͐̅̋̒̓͐̆̉̈́͒̀͊̓͒̀̂̀͋̆̇́̕̕͜͝ ̸̛̟̼̯̼̠͎͖͂͋́̈̐́w̸̪̟̩̣̱̙̥̆́̂̈́̋̈́̂̽̎͂̿̑͂̚͘̚͝ẹ̷̡̨̛̟͓͕̼͔̣̺͈̰̹̻̦̋͂̀͗̀̈́͌̉̎̆̏͑̈͆̃̿͘͘̚͝r̸̦̞̽e̷̡͈̜̖͔̭̦̲͇̯̥̜̣̖̩̮̪̱͓̰͚̗̩͗̒̈́̀̏͊̂́̈́͗̇̾̈́̏̀̇̔͑̾̒͂̓̈̔͋̕͜ͅ ̷̨̨̢̘͔̖̙̗̦̩̄̈́̆̽̚͝ģ̸̛̠̝̣̪͕̙̬̮̤̝̬͕̙̜̖̥̬̎̊̓͆̀͋̆ò̷̧̢̨̡̻̩̲̱̬̩̖̭͉̰̩͚͚͚̝̝͖̱͓̰̌̆̈́̿̋̄̄́͗͒̃̑̀̈́̓̐̕i̵̞̹̤̭̭̭̮͉̥͇̜͙͔͇̯͎͚̯̫͕̱͈̬͒̏͋̉̀̈͜͝ņ̶̡̢̠̱͙́͒̌̃̈́̈́́̿̌̊̇̆́͒̄̿͘̚̚͜͠͠ḡ̷̢̨̡̳͖͔̱̺̜̦̽͒̽̓͠ ̶̧̛̠̲̫̪̠͓͉͚̱̱̣̲̳̻̣̫͚̫̟̃̀͒̏̐̄̾́́̆̈̒̃̊̓̂̽̃̏̊̂̋̄̊̕͜͝͠ͅͅt̵͙̦͉̖̺͙̹̃͂̏̑̏͛͊̒͠͝ǒ̴̡̧̢̢̧͍̖̪͔̥̞͔͉̮͚̹̫̳͔̹̻̭̗͖̖̭̽͋͋́̉͊̑͗̅̓̕͠͝ͅ ̴̢͉̲̬̳̭͇̝̞͍̥̘͙̮̗̦̱̼̯̫̰̺̻͆̀͆̋̐͛̌̿͝h̷̛̪̬̝̮̲̪͍̹̻̠̆̅͆̆̿̊̉͊̊̄̈̿̇̃̓͒́͊̆̂̚͘̕̕͝e̴͚̦͇͈̞̞͖̮̟̰͔͓͋̿ͅͅl̷̡̛̼̮͙̟̤͋̌̌̑͋́͒̿̐͒̈̽͊̌̕͜p̷̩̯̹͔͙̠̭͚͓̪̘̖̌̎̏̋͝ͅ ̷̛̛̛̛̯̙̩͙̭̳̺̼̖̹̖̟͉̺̰̠͎̰̋̄̉̅̈́͊̔̿̏͐̈́̅̿̃͑̕͘̕͝͝m̶͚̬̙̜͑̾͌̂̓̐͑͘͘̚͝e̶̡̢̡̛̱̻͓̹̤̹͓̗̘̭̣͍͈̜̦̘̯̻̫̞̻͖̅͌̄̃̔̀͐̌̀̇̃̎̕͜͠ͅ ̴̪̀̔͌̽̑͛͆̏̓͝s̶̢̼̗̲̜͕̰͈̻̻͕̬͈̜̱̭̘̦̻̺͙̟̗̤̥̬̠͗̔̋̌̈́̐͜͠ţ̸̡̲̬̻͈̝̝̩͔̥̭͈͒̒͛͝ơ̸̳̝̻͔͎̺̺͂̉̀̈́̍̔̑̂͛̀̅̂̈̾̔̀̆̐̑̃͂̂̍̔͌̚͠ṕ̴̡̛̯̠̍͒̅͑̾̀̉͂́͆̽̎̓͜͝ś̵̨̡̧̘͚͔̖̯͙͙̤̟̗̺͚̰͉́͆͂͂̑̅̓̃͑̀̐͋͐͑̾͂͘͜͠͝t̷̼̠̤̘̏͆͐̾͐̀́͝ö̴̘̖̼́͑p̷̛̭̟̹̠̗̑͒́̎̀́̓̔͐̇̃͛́̌͐͆́̐̈́̒̿͗̅̀͝͝͠ṡ̸̛̛͇̈́̀͋͂͐̊̓̀̾̊̄͝͠t̸̡̨͈̘͖̹̦̰̲̙̮͕̠͎̠͈̞̣̝̠̩̘̀ơ̸̡̧̨̻̠̺͖̗̫̠̼̩̙̝̼̖͍̲̞̞̳̱͜͜p̸̢̡̹̝̖͈͉̝͚̤͎͕̩̝̰̣̬̹̞͈̭̪̅̇̿͊͗̈̂͝ͅȉ̵̧̡͎͖͍͉̲̌͊̑̎́̓͆̎̈́̌̿̔͒̒̈́̇́̀͒̌̚͠͝t̷̡̛̤̭̼̗̫̥̻̫͈̭̘̏̏̈́̇̽̉̑̃̊̋̕̚͠h̷̨̦̭̖͙̬̭͔̜͍͇͍͔̬̳̝͔̲̱̃͐̀̑̔̂̐̍̄́̕͜ͅư̴̡̧͇̲̱͉͔̰̱̘͖͔̗̹̲̝̠̬͉̳̜̊̒̇̀̓̿̌̈́͂͂̅̏̕͝͝͝ͅr̸̛̺͍͙̣̰̱͐̇̔͌͗̽͂̑̂̈́͌̆͘̕̚͜͝͝͠ͅt̴̼̲͕͔̜̬̘̯̖̮̹̹͍̱̦͖̗̥̾͂̇̏̏̈́ṣ̷̨̢̳͇̠͖̘̱̐̓͛̊̑̇͒̈́̈̈̂̓͒͐̒̈́̇͐̍̓̕̕͝ͅi̶̡̡̨̝̝̻̟͙͇͖̭͍͎̼̰͎̭̽̎͝t̷̡̧͖̯̞̙̩͖̟̤͍͚̠͔̬̭͓̥͌͌̊̒́̄̏͆̈̈́͛́͋͘̚͠͝h̴̹͍̫̪̩̤̲̗͉͕͇̮̃̍̐̾̾̍͆̂́͛̆̑̂́́͛̿̏͌̉̕̕͘͠͠͠͝ű̸̲̠͉̥͈̭̗͕̼̯̜̩̪͓͚̤̝̠͙͖̻͓͉̜̖̈́̂̒͋͋̈́͑͑̂̀̌̕͝ͅṛ̵̡̠͍̺͖͍̜̻̮̺̮͙̜̼͖̎̈́̒͊̾̈̈́̍̃̌̒͜͠ẗ̴̢̛͖̯͓͈̰͉̗͙̘̮̫͈͖͎̜̝̮́͂͊̈́̿͌͋͒̐̽̍̆̈͋̍̆̆̀̿̊͂͠ͅŝ̸̢̥͍̖͌̍̒̀͐̉̒̐͌͛̾̿͒̀̃̑̾̿̒̈́̈́͘͠͝ī̷̢̘̯̲̯͎̙̰̼͈̤̜̓͑̋́̇̍̇̎̐̓̀̋̒͂̂͑͆̅̍̎̉̂̐͛͑̕̚ͅt̵̢̛̲̼̞̩̺̰̳͔͇̳̱̟̜͙̭̓͐͌̋̍̀̇́́͑̾̄̚̚͝ͅḩ̸̨̧̡̣̯̻̫̪̹̹̩̹̦̥͈̭̟̗̬̦̖̥̪̾̈́̏̇̈́͆̌̈́͗͜͜͠ͅͅu̶͚͓͐͋͌̆̓̍̚r̴̜͖̩̲̼̲̳̣̭̘͉̲̰͖̩̪̜̭̹̭͔̹̯̪̈͗̈́́́͂̀̍̽̀́̑̋̏̍̋͂̕͠͝͠t̴̥̪͉̐̌̿̿̄̿̉̽̆͆̈́s̸̡̢͙̳͎̩͚̮͖͈̫̫̦͚̮̯̪̹̠͇̼͓̼̦̞̎̈͊̀̄͘͠ ̴̢̛̞̫͇͚̝̩̝͚̋͐̾̿̔̽͋͋̄̐̒̈́́ḑ̸̢̡͙͇̞̫̜̗̩̪̻̪̜͇̣͖̗̳̹͚͈̰̜͔̖̜̆͑̋̋̋͒̾͛̋̕͜ǫ̶̬̦̩̖̳̙̗̜̮̥̀͑̆̅̽̈̀̎̑͐́̃͑̆̅̂̕͝͝ň̴̡̛̳̭̩̬̣̖̘̩̫͕̰͎̩̥̠̩̣̜̙̫̦̪͗͑̋̍͗͋̔̏̅̓͆̀͑͐̇̽́͗̚͘̕͜͝ͅ'̶̢̧̹̝̺͚̱̼̯̪̳̱͉̰̜̲͕̜͕̥͈̘̰͎̊̍͋̇̓͛͛̃͊̐̍̀̽̓̌̂́̆̾̈́̇̕͝͠t̸̟͈̰͎͎͍̱͇̼̉͐ ̵̡̨̨̺͈̖̞̪͓̳͍̩̫͎̇͌͜ͅt̸̘̽̌̂̇̈̅̔͗̇̍̇̚͝͝a̴̢̢̨̭̻͙̹͎͍̲͓͕͙̜̖͖̜͔̗̬͗̈́̔͑́͒̀̂̽̕̚ͅk̴̮̤̲̞̒̀͒̔̃̇̿͛͌̃̄é̶͎͉̘̑̐͐̉̍̽ ̵̨̡͉͍̰̻̩͔̹̯̻͍͍͗͛î̶̢̡͚̹̺̲͕͖̻̳̻̦͍͈̠̠͔͔͕̩̞̋̑̄̓̏̃̏͂͘̚͘͘͠͠͝͠t̴̛̻̺̤̜̱͓̣̞̜̖͇͕͈̞̩͉̹͇̺̄͌̌͂̿̊̐͆̌̎͋̔̉͆͂̈̉̏̅͛̚ ̸̧̢̮̙͕̫̥̖͖̤̪̬̱̲̹̳͗̽̽̽̿͜͜͝m̶̢̻̣̘͇̤̐́̉́̆͝ę̷̛̛́̾̒̇͆̆̀͛̑̈́͆̀͝͝ ̴̢̧̧̤̖̭̟̳̙̬̼̻̣̍͋̋̇̽̿͌̈̕̕̕͝ą̵̢̛̹̯̠̼̠̺̲̗̲̩̫̦̮̟̻̮̱͔̞͗͛̒̀̕ͅw̶̨̨͙͖͇̦̮̹̳̞̬͎̯͉͍̪͓̖͓̮̜̬͕̮̙̩̄̋͆̆̇͊́̍͌͑͠ͅa̴̛̛̞̺̫̯͙̞̥̻͕͑͜ȳ̷̡̧̠̬̙̱̭̳͎̟̗̙̖̥̯̹̹̰̗͕͕̹̤̙̆̾̅͒̽̃̇̅̈͘͝͠ͅ ̸̱̖̹̰̬̻̹̦͙̦͙̟̗͉͈̘̮̭̹̻̝̖̜̞̹̾̿̏̐̄̋͛͗̍̿͛̿͒͌͊͐̊̿̾͛͊̀̂̕̚͜͝l̸̨̧͉͈̣̘̱̣̟̝̞͚̩̘̺̹̐̋͊̀͌̈̓̒́̀̀̎̓̿̎͂̕͝͠ȩ̷̨͇͖̳̩̼̳̼̘̺̱̟̝̹̹̬͇͙͈̮̝͒͆͑̈́̌̏̌̇̀̐̃̽͋͛̉̍́͊̾̕͜͠t̵̛̰͓̝̝͙̲̭̣̠͙̗͇̘̬̥͕̥̘̬̦̠̙̞͒̓͊̀͌ ̸̡̧̨̩̳̝̹̼̖̣̩̯̻̫̥̠̣̬͖̳̓̆̀̏̋̀̎͂͊̓̓̓̏̅̊̂́̐͗͘͘͜͜m̷̧̫͚̝̠̝̀̀̀̓̏̈́̎̏̈́ę̵̛̛͈̻́̊̊͐̇͛͐̿̀̕͝ ̶̢̭̳̥̫͖̹̭̭̩̯̤̞̠̗͙͕͓͈͇̮̙̤̝̑̐̌̾̅̇̊̓͒̍͐̈̾̚̚͜͜͠͝ͅg̷̡̛̹̼̤̥̰̣̣̘͕̬̼̩̜̘̱̱̮͆͑̂͂̎̇́͆̄͝͠͝͝ͅo̷̡̲̥̭̖̤̩̮͛̃͐̎̓͊̓̎̂͊ ̴̧̨̥̟̖̠͇͇̝̬͇̯̦͓̖̩̲̫͍͈̰̉̒͊́̅́̔͊͐͌̓̉̈͝͝g̷̡̧̢͔̯̘̬͈͍̻̜̖̹̩͔̳̼̣͐̀̓̆͂́̅̍͛̆̔̍͛͜ͅơ̸̧͓̦̪̗̭͚͎̘̤̅́̐͌̕ ̷̧̧̢̢̱̤̟̠̣̻̟̮͎̘͇̞̱̘͔͇͓̼̜̤̗͎͖͒͊̀̀̈͌́̍̒̓̽̚͘a̴̢̧̡̛̳̪̘̩͖̲̖͓̩͇̭̞̼̼̦̪͒̑̂̒̈́̑̀̽̓́̿̊̈́̽̑̍̔̈́̎̿͒͐̾̒͜͜͝ẁ̸̧̨̡̤͕̦̙̖͎͍̹̪̖̙̬̥͔̠͓̯̝̘̇̒͝a̴̲͎̾̓̀̈́̎̄̓̈́̅̅̽́̓̚͠y̴̝̮̥̜͓̱̙͐͂̌̃̈́̈́̊̿̊͛͋̂̚͘ ̸̡̧̛̛̖̣̬̟̩̰̯̘̦̱̳̜̙̥͈̘̤̬͇̾̔̏̀͛̇́̂̅̉̈̉͌̿̕̚͜͠͠͝ŝ̷̢̺̮͓͇̖̬͚̏͐͗͆̉́̋̈̇̈́̍̈́̓̈́͘̕̚ţ̴̙̝̮͓̙̱̤͖̌̽̇̚͜ͅͅͅo̴̧̹̘̺̰͖͖̮̘̰̾̊̒͋̐̀͐̍̓̌͊͋̑̎̌̾͛͜͝͝p̸̧̡̲̥̤̖̥͓̳̫̭͕̟̤̻͙̖͈̥͈̥̝̣͌̽͑͌̃͛̇͛̑̔̎̔͊̀͑̔͑̅́̏̽̽͜ş̴̨̬̱̹̭̤̩̹̟̲̦̹̘͌̾̿̎̓͂̌͒̽̉͒̓̊͂̄̽͑͑̋͜͠ţ̶̖̩̮̫̺̳̣̜̖̱̤̟̟͉̫̠̪̙͍͖̰͐̄̈́̉̇̇ͅō̶̢̨̢̞͖̹̖̟͉̳͙̦͕̱̞̩̼̝̯̙̺̲͔̲͕̽̅́̿͊̇̐̊̎̾̔͋̄̅͒͛̾̃̈́̚̚͜͜͠ṕ̵̛̛̜̬͓̬̄̉̏̐̊̓̆͌̓̌̓͐̒̒́̽̔̃̚͘ş̶̡̨̟͕̠̪̪̳͈͎̥̭͎̩̘̫̺̫̟͇͕̪̮͌͋̀̓̓̿́͌͌̈́͐̈́͛̑͛͌̊̋̃͝͝͝͝t̶̘̬͈͔͎̥̼͎͇̬̐̈́̈͐̈̆͌͗̈́̃̓̾̈͐̀̈́̽̾͊̂̉͘͘͜͜͝o̶̧̢̢̨̜͚͓͈̖̬͔̝͍̼̜̖̺̳̣̞̼͓̘̽̓͋͌̎͑̂́̈́̽̈́̏̏̅̒̿͘̚͘̕̚͠p̷̬̥̭̺͖̜̬͈͕͈͈͎̯̰̖̜͈̈́̈́̌̍̇͆̏̉̓̔̎͛̇̂́̈́̓̀̔̕͜-̸̢̧̛̯̩̝̬̭̜͒̉̃́͊̉̈́̍͆͐̌̆̆́̅̋̚̕͝ͅ)

'What-'

,̷̥̘̯̠̰͎͔̦̌̇͗̏̔̇̌̇̄͒̎̂̉̔́̑̾͐͑́̆̈́͘̕¡̸̟̞̣̃͒͑͜ʎ̷̢͔̲̝̖͚͈͕̥̹͉̩̼̝̙̳͖́͑̿͌̉̎̍͂͌̇̕ú̸̧̨̫̗̘͇̮͔̩̺̪̪̗̣̦̮͊̅̿̌́̏̋͌̀͊͂́̓͂̊̚͠ű̶̧͚̠͖͙̱̣͎̼̫͚̬͙̹̗̥̘͈͉̤̐́̽̂͊̇̍̽͌̈̋̽̾̚͘͠ņ̴̧̛̝͍̪͓̝͈̙̪̩̱̗͔̮̙͉̜̘͔̝̜̳̈̈́̊̎̀́̔̅ͅɟ̷̡̡̨͎̩̻̰̙͕̪̻̼̣̹̪̥͕̤͖͔̭̳̘͇͂͌̋̆̓̃͋͒̌͑́̋̋̈́̄͛́̈́́̀̐́͒̚ ̴̢̢͓͖̹͎̺̟̹̥͎̙͔̼̫͎̦̩̼͕͙̖̩̠̲̈̐͛ͅʍ̸̡̨̛̛͔̳͓̭̲̗͔̬͙̳̬̌͑͌́̎̔͗̿̎͐̀̈̈́̋̇̓̍͑̚̚͝͝õ̸̢̨̞̹̦̥̞̲̖̲̥͕̍̒͋̓̊͋̌̈͗̓̆̎͌̉͘͝ͅH̴̢̡̖͈̭͚͚̮͚͓̹̪͈̩̥̣̹͍͓̯̙͕͇̀͋̄̔͐̈̍̀̓̇͗̚͜͝͝ ̶̮̬͇̟̜̥̬̗͕̼̻͖͔̙̫̟͋ͅ˙̷̧̡̠̭̥̲͖͍̘̦̟̼̔͌̾̃̈͌̊͒͊̓̓̄̾̾͑̀́̓̓͌̈̋͛͝ȗ̶͔̘͎̙̥̥̻͕͖͑͒̇͆̏̇̇̐̅̀͊̄̎̐̀͗̀̽̾̕̚͘͜͝o̸̢̨̦̼̦͇̹̩͔̖̥̳̾̈́̓͑͛̊̌̓̇̓̉̅ı̶̩͓̹̖͈̯̦͈͖͙̤͚͚͙̜̣̰͋̒̇̑̏̄̍̑̀͜͜͝͝ͅş̵̨̢̨͖̻͖̹̮̟͉͔̖͚̮̝̭̟̲͉̘̃̓̈́́͋̍̿͋̈͌̐̅̑̎̾̇̆̽̅͂͊͗̃̂͜ͅs̸̡̘̽̂́͌̀̑ı̷̢͉̘͇̖̪̝̳̭̪̠̦͎̮̯̪͍̘͉̼̳́͌͐̅̌̒̐̆̐͂̐̍͆͜ͅͅɯ̴̛͙͔̭͌̒̈̉́̓͛̓͛̅̀͌̈́̉͑́̈́͗͆̕̚̕̚͝͠ɹ̸̨̤̦̭̤̟̲̘͕̩̗̫̩̙̺͎̤͈͇̿́͗̇̒̈́̆̈́̈́̊̆̀͑͆͆̕ͅǝ̵̢̮̺̮̙͚̥͈̞̹͇̮̰̝̤̣̞͇̭̩͖̀͑̿͂͐̍̄̈́̈́͗̊̑͆͒̉̋̓͑̂̂͛̌͜͜͝͠͠d̷̨̧̰̘̻̱̟̞̗͍̖͖̫̯͎̰̮̲̟̰͕͉̼̜̳̄̉͒͗̈̈́̂̈́̃̆̈͗͑͘͠ ̴̧̮̝̖̲̯͓͐̒̈́̀̾̚͝ʇ̷̡̪̪̞͈̖͔̤͉̹̩̭̯̻̦̙̟̘͛̇̽̂̾̅̃́̇̀͆̕n̸͓͙̪̩̹͎̽̒̋͑̔̔͌̅̊̍̔͛̇̄̍̀̿̚ǫ̴̛͈̞̯̈́̋̔̀̊̈̆̽̕ɥ̶̡̨̢̡̛͔͈̲͉͍̼̙͈͉̲͍̦̗̦͖͆͊̐̽͋̄́̿͆̓̇̽̑̈̅͊͌̾͒̿̀͘̚͜͜ͅʇ̸̫͉̊̑̀̀͑̃̀̏̽̾̾̾͑̿̄̀̏́͊̕͝͠͝ı̵̡̨̛̳̩̼̭͈̜̼͚̣̺̬̜̞͇̻̺̺̮̟̳̏͑̇͐̿̇̔͂̎̑͒͐̾̾̐͗̂̀͒͐̏̍͜͠ʍ̴̤̤̯̼̹̿͒̓͂̃̃̃̏͆͊̈̐̕͝ ̵̡͕͓̟̫̰̮͚̹͈̬͚̼͓̠̺͇̥̲̼͙͔͚̅̄̑̊̊̃̿͑̃̀̅͋̌̃̒͑̿͊̓̉̆̔̐̚̚͜ƃ̴̗͙̲̦͓̙̫̪̱̥̥̰̫͎͉͎̬̗̜̹͙̑ư̶̰̠̦͕̠͉̘̦͋̆̑͑̆̀̔͌̾̓̈̒̃̚̕̕͝͝ı̴̨̖̪̭̪͈̞͕̪̤̰̥̏̌͂̊̋̕ɥ̸̡̬̰͙̞̣̘̗̙̬͚̪̻͔̞̘̹͕̖̟̻̠̀̆̏͑̓̇̀͌̈̾̏̈̚̕͜͠͝ʇ̴̡̨̟̟̘̳̝̦͉͓̖̘̇͐̓̿͒̓̈́͛͌̕ʎ̶̛̛̲̩̘̲͎̦̘͗̒̿́̋̌͗̐͒̈̂͊̌̂̕̚͜͝͝ɐ̷̨̧̨͍͚̦̭͓̙̫͙͓̮̪̻̠͔̠͈̤͎͔̫͌̾͌͆̎͗̾̈́̿̊̿͒̾͐̆͐̔̊́̐̓̚͘ľ̴͈͖̠̲̌ḓ̶̖̓̍ ̸͇̠͓̘̹̖̦͎͉͓̰̫̏̂̄̏̈́̇̊̈́̆́̀͑̅̎́̍̑̆̊̓̌̿̽̕͜͜͝͝ɹ̸̛̛̠̝͉̥̬̥̲̺̹̣̩̺̝̪͚̝͙̺͍̬̻̣̣͉̫́́͆̑̓͋͗͆̆͋̈̀͋́̕͘͘̚̚͜͠n̵̢̧̺͍̯̤̞͙͓͓̠̱͉̙̘͆̒̃͐̈́̽͊̂̐͊̅͑́õ̸̢̤͉̩̝̖͇̋̎̃͐̆͂͑̈́̾̈́͂͆͐͊̈́͌̕͠ ̸̯͎̬̩̖̥̲̟̲̗̮̯͖͔̪̆̒͂̃̓͐̄́̍̒̍̓̒̈́̍̽̇̀̄̑̓̚̚̕͜ɥ̶̛̛̲͑̈́̅̿͊̉̇̈́̓̅̈̈́͋̏̎̀̒̚͘͠ɔ̸̡̨̧̰̬͕̬͔̤̲͎̮͈̞͓͈͙̘̦̣̟͚̃̑̓̂̽͜͜n̷̬̦̹̩̤̻̫͇̘̙̣͖͚̥̲̂͌̀͑̓̍̇̈́̑̊͆̃̕͘ǫ̴̨͎̪̗̭̳͇̜͈̰̙̑́͒͑͊͠ʇ̶̡̧̗̝̞̖̱͎̗̫͔͓͔̤̙̳͓̐̅͌̄͒̎́͛̑̿̿͌͂̀̐̍̈̆̇̆͝͝͠ ̷̡̢̧̱͔̞̫̣̹̝̠͍̯͓̯̹̦̹̠̫̂̈́́̑̓͑̈́̓͋̿͘͝͝u̴̪͚͔̲̳̥̥͈̗͎͉͔̫̅͋̓̈́̎̚͠͝͝ɐ̴̤̹̱̞͕͎̦̔͜͝ɔ̵̛̛̛̖͈̩̖̘̯̃̈̀̈͛̏͗̋͒̂̑̋͗͆͑͊͂̎͑̑͜ ̷̺̥͙̒̉̂̐ʎ̵̼̲͕͛͊̌̚ǝ̶̧͔̮͙̭͍̰̳͎̳̖̱̠̗͕͚͓̍̊̆̽̏̌̓́́͌̃̚̚̕͜͝ɥ̵̧̣̻͓͓̟̫̜̯͎̈̾̀̈́͆̈́̐̂͛̃̎̓̃͋̐͆͑̑̕͠ʇ̵̨̧̮̦̯̺̜͔͚̗̖̖͍̼̪͇͍͍̀̇̀̄̿̍̋̀̄ͅ ̵̳̙̗͛̽̈́̾̿̊̈́̈́͝s̵̡̡̛̯͙̙̫͙̺̩̩̪͒̑̏̒̎̒̍͋̃͋̀̈́͒̕̕͜ʞ̵̨̡̬͎̣̙̻̼̩͖̲͚̭̱̳̜̭͍͙͛̋̀̐̉͘͜͠ų̴̬̰̯̮̟͇̭͇̰̺͍̪̟̺̎̎̊̔̓̊̍̽̐̿͌̏́̕ı̴̨̡̡̧̛̻̤͖̼͎̮͈̬̣̥͓̠̝̜̉̑̐̈́̆̿͌̌̐͑͂̈́̇́̒́̓̾̃̑͌͠ͅɥ̷̢̜͙͎̠͈͇̳̖̻̻̈̅̇̔͑̽̃̒͛͂̉̈́̿̽͘ͅʇ̸̰̥̭̩̙͚͈̄̅͆̌̀̒̈́̓̀̉̿̊̃͂̃̂̒͛̚͜ ̷̨̱͈̣̪͖̳͎͕̰̉͗̌̓̚ǝ̵̢͕̟͕̙̩̪͖̺̹̩͕͎̠̬̯̹̌͂̄̍̋̕͝͝ų̸̛̣̬̿̅͂̂̈́̾̓͛́̿̆͒̽͘͠ớ̸̬̦̝̻͙͋̃̇̀̉͐̄̿̆̅̅̇̈́͐̈́̃̿̓̍̓͒̈ǝ̸̛̥̥̳͚̘͚͙͑̍̐̀̏̓̈́̀͐́͘̕͘͝ɯ̸̛̱̳̜̦̯̀̌̐̂̓̚ơ̵̡̛̬̙̼͒͋̋̌͒͠S̸̡̥͉̫̞̺͖͚̅́͂̆̂͋̾͆͗̿͠ ̸̢̛̣͓̿̀̾͗̋͌́́̎͗͋͌̋́͘͘͝͝¡̷̨̨̛̥̻̦͕̟͙̠͇̙̼̦̩̥̗̥̬̝̦̩̺̮̜͖̇̌͌͊̅̈̽͛̌̉̏͗̊̑̓̓͑́̚͝͝ǫ̸̨̛͇̦̜͉̘̱̥̳̝̳̂̾̾͊̈́̒̈́̾̔̓̏́̄̂́̍͐̇̑̕͝ö̶̝́͛̆͒̈́̏̃̃̽͘̚o̶͙͙͓̱̱̱̣̺̤̻̜͚͈̮͔͕̊͒̇̏̀͆̐̈́͆̀̈́̏͊̄̇̾̿͑Ǫ̵̧̘͉̝͙͈̠̺̻͓̔̓̑͗̆͐̍̈́͝ͅ,̴̟͂̏̀̔͂͆̒̉̏͑́͐̆́̓͗͠͠ '

'-is-'

,̶̨̡̞̭͚̬̻̪̻̠̙͔̙̓̒̌̎́͒̈́͒͒̐͊̒̄̾́͊̄̈́̚͘̕͝͝ͅ¿̴̢̡͎̫̳̼̪̗͙͎̫̮͔̮͈̩͓̳̰̻̪͛̈́̏̏̈̇ǝ̸̬̺͈̞̣͚̪̝̪͈͓̥͓̪̗̙͔̩̪͖̼̊̇̃̔̊̎̄̋̾͐͜͝p̷̡̡̫̣̮̫̝̺͕̮̟̹̦͉̻̭͎̌̐̋͌̌͒̅̌̏͋̇̐̎ͅı̶̨̫͇͈̝̟̩͇̼͙͖̥͔̦̲͈̩̘̥̳̼̺̼̓̉̈͐͠S̷̛̖͚̱̫̙̫̝͈͓̻͈̠̥̹͎̮̼̗̩̣͈̿́̍͛̊̈́́̈́̄͐͊͛͋̀̈́͆͗͂͘̚͘̕̚͜͝͠ͅṵ̵̧̙̦͙̤̳̝̍͘Ȉ̵̧̘͈̈́̈́̐̋̍̐͋͘͝ ̷͚̰͔̪͚̻̫̞͇̦́̽͒͒͐̎͐͆͐͂̀́́̃̽̉͗̈́͆͘͜ǝ̸̰͓̩̫̯̾͒̒̊͋͐̈̀͒̒͗̏͒̚H̷̘̝̗̉́̇͆͑̅͛̍̿̈́̓͒̿̒̚̚͘͝ʇ̵̨̢̳̮͕̩̰̮͈̙̱͍̝̜̥̲̜̟͖̪̼̓̂͆̀͘ ̸̰̘̘͖̰̙̔̀͌̆̍̀̋̽͘͘͜N̴̤̳͈̯͐̌͌̓̒͊̊̆̉̒͆̑o̸̡̨̠̳͇̮̱̞̤̟͓̝͈͑́͆̀̾̐̂̈́͂͒̀͐̍͂̽̀̐͘͝ͅ ̶̡͖̰̳̯͔̱̱̲̖̬̟͕̘̱͍̖͙̼̱̀̏̈̉́͋̎͛̌̒̅͆̔̃͗̌͊̈́̅̊̈̃̀͘̚̚ʞ̸̧̛͔̥̮͓͎̜̩͔̙̫̼̦̉̓̎̽̈͘ͅÔ̷̮̽̊́̈́̇͛̀̀̂̌͌̓̈̆͆̽ȏ̸̧̤̦͇̟͇̘͔̙͕̪̙̯̗͎̲͉̗͙̠̙̊͜ͅl̷̞̘͎̝̰͉̘̥̣̺̘̝̖̀͑̊̂̇͒̎͝ͅ ̸̧͇̀̈́͗̎̈́̑̇̎͆͗̄͐̇̀̇̈́̈͋͆̓͘͝͝͠∩̴̡̼͎̯̳͉̤͔̞̦͕̭͔̲̭̗͇̺͈͉̮̽͌͋̂͗͋̉̍̄̂̍̚͘͝͝͝͝O̴͖̳̦͙̝̺̯̗̬͈̘̟͓̠̯̞̳͉̽́́̿̽̾̓ʎ̶̣̱̥̪̬͖̟̼̺̣̖̞͚̟͈̙̬̀́̀̾͐̆̉̑̈́̀̈́͋͘̚͝ ̵̣̜̗͉̦͖͎̱͍̗͓͙̃͌̊͗̐̎́̊̀̓̆̒͗̒̄̓̋̀̀̕͝͝ͅʍ̶̢̡̨̡̢̨̣͓͉̝̹̝͈͉̣̯̹̘̝͍̈́̌Ǫ̷̙̮̪̟̩̟̫̲̜̬͍̟̟̱͈͈͓͓͎͍͔̅̒̈̓͛̊͘͜͠ɥ̸̢̢͕̥̜͔̠̙̲̝͖̦̥̩̦̍̌͒̈́́͂̅̓́̓͌̐̋͛͘͝͝͝ ̵̡̡̢̧̖̰͉̠̜͇̺̜͚̭̯̩̝̋̇͛͛̒͌̒̀̀̄̑͆̋͒̌̀̓́͌̏̽̎͌̈́͠͝ɹ̵͔͚̰̹̣̉̑̍̾͊̎̊̈́̇͒̎͆͛̏͆̓͝͠ǝ̶̳͈̭̌̋́͝p̷̢̧̨͔͔̼͎̹̟̯̋́̔́̈́̋̓͋͊́̎̈̾̋͛̕̕͘͠͝N̷̫͒̎̄̎͌̒̒͑̈́͘Ö̶̡̧̼̪͈̼̫̺̭̣̘̼̭͇̜̺̥͍͖͉̩́̽̑͝ͅͅʍ̴̨̧͚͖̳̮̻͇̖̦̤̹̫͈̘͖̭̭̭̃̆̓̇̈́̑̈̀̇̋̂̚͘͜͜͝͝ ̵̘̤̃̑ͅI̸͍̙̙̯̔́͒́̒͊̈́̕͘͝͝ͅ ̵̡̧̫̘̭̳̺̖̰͔̳͈̣̘̤̻͒̂͋͌̑͊̃̀̃̂̽̿̿͊̽͑́̚͝͝˙̷̛̫̰̲̟̩̫̞̜̰̬͚̰́̈͗͂̀̒͋̒̍̈́̉ɥ̷̧̨̧͕̥̘̘͇͍͎͉͕͉̲͇́̌͂̾́͒̉̈́̓̑̅͝ś̷̨̧̢̹̹̮͉̝̝͚̘͈͔̭̯̰͈̜͌̑̈̿̈́͋̏̉̆̒̎̄̌̃ͅǝ̶̛̜̲̺͍͉͓̣̪̐̽͊̎͌͗͋̒̿̐͝͝ͅḽ̵̢̡̠͕̝͈̫͔͇̣̳͔̻̱͕͋̀͆͊͋̓̋̐̊̓̓͌̍̍̋̓̃͂̈́͠ɟ̷͍͌̃̈́̉͐̈͋̉̋̍͌͌̓̕ ̴̡̨̲͕̻̗̺̜͍͍͉͛̈͂̓́͑͑͌͂͜ʎ̴̨̢͙̩̯̦̥̯̳̲̳̝̳̂ͅɐ̶̭͍̯͓͉͇̪͇̭͑́͐̊͐̈́́͂̅̓̈́̔̾͗̎̔̾͊͆̈́͝ɹ̴̢̢̛̛̘̝̬̖͙̤͉̳̗̫̳͎̬̪̻̐̈́̿̈͑̊̿̔͌͆̽̾̎̄̋̌̆͌̂̓̓̚͝ƃ̸̛̛̼͚̭̹͍̠̥̩̯͍̝͎̰͚̖̲͛̀̎̇͗̽̈͌̓͒͂͛̾͗̐̏̊̅̾͒͐̂͝ͅ ̸͇̰͒͌̓̿̈̆̍͘̕͠'̵̬͉̲̟͚̥̩̟͖̝̤͙̞͍̫͔̜͙͈̪͍̗̖̜̄̑͂̂̎̓̔̏͜ǝ̸̨͓̩̩͓͖͖̪̪̝̤̺̺̖̭̞̱̈̅̌l̸̛̛͙̞̪̞̼̟͍̠̬̜̼͙̦̬̓̏̃̈́̑̈́̑͒̉̈́̿͐q̷̢̡̧̻͕̱̻̞̟̣̬͙͉͚̙̺̳̭̌́͛͋́̍̐̽́́̆̓̄̈́̋̀́͋̅̋͝ń̸̜̉̈́͒̒͑̈́̈́̾̑͌ȏ̶̗̣̓͒̒̽̚̚ɹ̴̡̨̧̛͔̜̳͙͙̥̝͓̺̰̱̘̱̼̮͍̏̄͋͐̀̎̓͆̈́̿͗̽͆̇̊̍̀̈̔̈́̅͘̚̕͜͝ͅʇ̷̰̃̎͛͜͜ ̷̢̱̜̻̋̀̽͑̅́͛́͌̌̉̊̍̔̇̾̏̍̕̕͠͝ƃ̷̨̧̟̻̠̟͎̥̫͖͎̯̘̺̯̠͚̩̩̹̲̩̙̺̠̊̒̅͒̈́̾̓̽̇̄̽̄̅̚̕͠͠ı̷̨̨̖̜̻̰̣̝̝̪̪̣͈̪̳͓̦͕̬̞͕̒ͅͅq̴̡͓̳̰̯̳̗̫̘̘̥̣͔͖̥̙̘̥͎̪̺̖͇̉ͅ ̷̛̤̥̩͇͎̩̺̗̠͎͙͕̘̻̺̦̠̯̳̥͓̞̹͆͆̊͐̆̇̂́̑̉͗̑̐͠ǘ̸̧͍̠̳͈̭͇͍̘̝̪͚͔̲͇̫̻̼̞̘̱̮̹̲̉ͅı̶̡͚̄̏̈́͑̀͂̽͒̀̉̑ ̴̧̢̡̧̛͓͙̹̠̬̼̣̺̣̺̜͖̲͍̥̍̾̾̀̊̓̈̀̑͌̐̈͒͛̑͐̌̇̉̂͆̕̚͝͝ǝ̵͎̰̩̗̳͉͋̎̏͌̾́̒̈́̔̇͊͝ɹ̷̧̻̘̻͒̿̄̐̐͆͆̈́̔̋͜͠,̵̧̧̛̺̺͎̞͚̟̣̟̻̺̲̮̯̳̻̱̥̠̍̑͜ͅń̷̨̨͇̙̦͓̩̜̤͔͖̇̀̋ǫ̷̛̱̥̬̗͋͊̇̍̽͑̓̎̾⅄̸͈̞̝̞̼̝̲͙̪͚̎̾̔͒ͅ,̵̡̨̢̹̹̟̹̭͉͎̤͖͓̤̮͚̯͍̀̈̕͜͝ͅ

'-this?'

,̸̡̮̋̋¡̵̘̈́ʞ̶͕̅ɔ̸͕͋̈́ı̸͕͕̈́˥̸͕͔̋̇Ⅎ̶̛̤̈ ̴̡̨̛̯͚̼̞͇̣̤̯̿̈̊̈͑̾̊͊̀͘͝˙̶̛̙̰̱̹̗̐͐̎̒͋͋͌͘˙̶̨̢̦̻̳̣͕̙͍̙̞̻̯̲̞̯͈̫̼̯̜͉̗̼̽͌̊̋̒̆̌́̔̎̈͗͋͗̂́̕̕͜͝˙̵̡̢̨̬̫̦̪͔̦̗͔̤͖̭̼̥̳̻̳̍̀́̅̾̇͐̾͂̎͊̎̾̽̇̌̀̕̚͝ͅp̵̬̫̱̮̭͓̺̜̟͊̅̅̉̆̑͑͆̈̌̿͋̎́̔̿͆̎̀̉͛̔͌̚͜͝ͅͅų̵̢̧̧̯̩̙̼̜̪͉͖̩͔͔̟̖̫̹̜̩̣͇̖̼̗̔̓̾͑̍̔̈́̈́̑̄̿͘ɐ̶̛͎̗͍̟̟̩͔̻͉̩̜̝̺̬̃̎͗̒̍͐̌͑̅̄ͅ ̸͉͚͕̠̣̼͓͚̭̳̘̇̆̑ƃ̶̢̟̝̼̝̱̝͓̙̫̱͎̼̺̪̹̹̇̈́̉͋͒͗̈́͜ū̴̡̢̖̺̗̖̠̠̦̺͎͖̭̲͓͉̗͖͉̠̺̩̌́͆͝ı̵̧̼̝̲̩͕͙̳̼̻͖̤͔͙̗͎̳̜͚̰̘̹̮̠͉̐́̿̓̅̽̃̈́̄̀̇͗̄̓̀̑̚̕̕ͅɥ̶̨̨̬͓̯̣̝͔̪͕̬̜͇̗͚̣̝̑͛́͑̓̿͌̋̿͝ʇ̷̢̧̧̨͎̝̠̹̱͓̗̥̊͗̽̉̂̔̉̂̋̿̇̽̇͗̎́̽̿̿͑̈́̿̕͜͜ ̵̛͇̀̇̿̀̀̅̋̓͌̉̃́͐́̂̐̃̆̒͘ʇ̵̡̛̛̘̱͖̺̪̜̻̬̬̖̥̗͓͔̖̪̓̐̌̾̄̎͆̈́̐̂̈̿̏̇͆̾̕͘̚̕̚ɐ̵̗̼͈̜̼̊̆̉̒̋̒͂̑̓͑́̃͐̔̀̕͜͝͝ǝ̷̡̡̧̡̫̝̣̱̹̲̼̝̘̗̝͎̝̻̹̰̖̹̹̹̲̿̂̽̎̃̈́̋͒̈́́̀͌̊̂͠ͅɯ̶̼̯͈̤͌̑͒̂̇͠ͅ ̴̢̪̣̻̖̻͖̲̮̺̰̺͉̫̙̹̤̺̠̌̉̂͛͊́̒̈́͠ͅͅͅs̵̢̢̳̠̫̣̦͙̥̫̙̻̟̊̓̈́ͅı̴̢͔̞̭͎͑̓́̏̈́͆̉̄̏̄͘ɥ̴̡̤̘͓̰̻̲̙̝̹̘͖̰̻͉͇̼̲̼̦́̂͆͗̐̈́̔̀͜ʇ̸̧̧̭̰̞̮͕̲̲̺͔̩̹̦̐̏̚͜ ̸̨̡̩̳͇͎̟̯̹̬̦͖̺͖͈̰͇͕̝͖̫͖̙͈͙̥͌̃̈́͌̋̀͂̓͒̍̾̃̔̇̾̿̇̈́̚̚͘̕ɥ̶̧̨̛̥̰͈̥͓̟̘̖̻̞̭̙͕̦̝̓̍̈́̌̊͋̆̾̎̏̓̆̈́͋͝ɔ̶̻̹̠̘̦͈̣͋̐͂͌̋̓̕ʇ̶̢̢̮̣͚̱̥̭̫͔͚͉͙̻͔̰͙͉̝̳̦͔́̄̅̾̔̏̈́̂̇̊̈́̈́̈̃́̓͑̒͒͑̎̂͋̕̚͝ͅǝ̵̡̢̥̰̠̣̲̺͇͍͓͈̥̅̀̈́̽͒̓̈́̈́̈́̽̀̅͐̅̍̇͌͌̂̀̂̕̚̕͜͝ɹ̸̨̨̲̠̦̙̞̦̻̞̦̤̘͇͇̼̉̂̇͌͂͊́͊͗̓͊̌́̓̎͒̓͛́͂̾̚̕͘͜͝ʇ̶̨̧̧̧̡̯̝̝͖̻͔͔̻̻͔͓̹̘̲̲͕̺̪͒̈́̈͌͌̾̓̀̽͜͜͝ͅs̴̯͎̹̬̉͆̇̒̾̚ ̸̡̧̮͕̟̼̞̺̪̯͈̭͚͔̲͕̗̞̪̗̥̹̙̑̉̌̾̿̊͗̒̈̒̄̽̒͐̇̚͜ͅͅʇ̸̧̨̛̪̫͍͓̥̫̫̬͈̜̯̟͓͍̫̮̪͇̅̍̇̒̅̐̄̍̍͋̀̉͐́̓̒̇͘͝s̵̛͖͚̭̈̃̄̂̒̃͛̈́̒͌͆̃̒́̉̓̊̈̀̇͘͘̕̚͝ņ̸̨̛̣̠̹͉̬͔̳͎͖͈̥̱̙̟̼̲͉͈̱̙̝̖̀̑͐̅̾̾̽̊͋͋͂̅̋͘̕͝͝ͅɾ̸̬̫̻̬̬̺̞̦̺̜̤̄̀̀̎ ̸̡̨̡̹̲̘̟̗̠̙̝̹͉͇̺͔̰͖͙̰͖̹̑̐̒͗̾̈́͜͝ǝ̸̛̹͚̠̬̞̦̻͔̙̹̘͈͎͔̈͐̍̆̇̈́͘ɯ̷̡̺̟̦̈́͗ ̵̢̝̼͉͚͙̜̻͈̞͉̆̾̊̓̓͂̒̇ʇ̴̦̃͋̈́̉̇͑͑̋̐̈́̉̾̉̊̅̍̅̊͑̋̎͂͋̔͝͝ǝ̴̡̗̹͙̗͇͕̯̦͎̖̰̼̩͙͉̍̑͌͛̆̇͒͒̋̕̕͜˥̶͍̰̺̘̰̠̭̥̫̻̼̐̔̌ ̶̢͓̩̞̱̠͍͍̗̀̌̄̄̋̅̆̒̽̈̾̎͗̿̅̿͘ͅ˙̴̢̢̛̛̫̬͕̪͖̲̲̮̖̬̬̩̓̂̍̅̈̏́̈́̇́͐̋̈́͊͛͒͗̈́͒̇̚͝͠ƃ̴̡̡̛̛̛̺̦̟̳̓̇̅̍͒̃͑̍̓͑̃̅́͛͆͑̕ư̵͕͍̥̈͆̃͛͗̎͆͆̀́̀͂͝͠͠ı̴̢̨͇̦̖̭̟̥̦͙͇̠̖̔̀̿̓͂̊̓̇͊̈́̏̀̈́̓̇̆͒͊̿̓̾̐̍̚̚͜͜͝ʇ̶̧̡̢̯̤͚͓̺͈͙̪͚̠͍̟̜̳͇̿̔̉͝u̸̬͋̂͗̐̃͛̉̂͛́͐̐̽͆̈̕ı̶̡̨̨̛͉̩̝͕̠̩͉̪̫͈͚̺̝͔͇̬͆͐͗̅́̌̎̀̅̃̍̇͘͝͝͠ö̷̢̡̜̬̠̩͕̗̟͔͙̩̱̣̥̳͍̥̞̱́̈́̇̏̄d̷̨̨̨͖̞̤͍͕̘̖̥̱̲̣̪͖̗͍͖̾̅͆̓͐̎̔͑̒̇̉̀̐̓̆̓̎̓̍̈̓̄̋̚͝͝ͅd̷̼̟̩͉̳̳̭̥̩̯̫̯̥̝̻͖͊̂̊͋̓̏̊͂͐̆͂́̋̈́́̈͛̇͗̚̕͝͠͝͝ɐ̸̢͕̻̥̟̤̟̪͎̜̙̗̮̣̪͛̀̈́̒̆̑̔̎̂s̵̢̮͍͓̟̙̲̩̪͔̩̘̼͐̿̈́̑̓̀̅̉͘̚ı̴̺͍͚̹̥̫͓̩͇̘̞͎͖̄̈́̓̊͂͛̇̓̄̔̃ṗ̴̢͔͕̤̙͕̦͚̟͖̯̤̯͕̯̮̩̟̦̤͉͎̋̓̂̿͛͌͐̈́͒̈́̈́̉͑͑̓̌̏̎̒̈́̇̀͐̕ ̸̛̜̤͉̖͖̲͕͔̖̮̬̖̻́̋͌͆̍̾̇̄̂́̂̉͂̏͠͝ʍ̷̤̮̬̪͉͇͕́͒̈́̑͌́̈́͌̈́̔̄́̚̕͘ͅͅò̸̧̲̝͓̫͔̖̦̱̳͙̬̭͛͐̀͒̿͆̒̋̇̃̓̋͘ɥ̸̢̡̛̙̼̦͕̙̰̞̜͎̲̹̹̺̣̬̑̃͋̏͆̊̆͋ ̶̢̨̧̛̗̥̪̪̟͙̭̜̮̳͖̞͕͖̟͒̽̀̇̎̀̿͌̍̄̽̋̊́͗͊͊̇̓̒̒̊̓̉̚'̴̢̢͍̭̖̹̝̫̲̫̩̳̐́̎͋͆̒̑̅̕̕͘ͅǝ̸̫͚͇̞͙͙̠̻͎͚̫̻̓̆͐̔̌͌ɯ̸̛̛͔̫̦̻̽̓̽̇̋̑͂̇̈́͗̅͘͘ı̵̨̫̹̬̞͇̥͉̙̲̪̠̤͇̰̫͈͇̐͗͆̈́̀̉̔͗̇͜ͅʇ̷̢̧͍͍̥̯͙̳̈́͋͑͋̀͐̈́̇̑̄̓̌̑͌̀̿̾̚͝͝ ̵̢͈̞̯͖͕̹̹̝̰͇͇̭͕̺͉̪̯̘̲̟̫̝͈̫̯̑̓̋̈́̎̃̓͂̎̚ɟ̷̣̣̞̦̥͚̦̬͇̰͙͓̲̹̗̣̔̿͆͋͋̀̔̽̑́̾͛͠͠͝ŏ̶̢͇̹̻͇̩̭̣̲̮͖̘̰͙͖̖͓͎̙̐̀̉̋ ̵̡̢̛̛̻̭͕̟̯̘͈̹̦̠̙̪̮̲̥̹̲͖͛̔̐̈̔̍̀͘͝ʇ̴̧͛̈́n̴͙̤͓̩̞͉̲̩̠̱̣̙̻̏̒́̇̀̍̄͌ở̴̬͎̻̜̝̂̀̂̉̀̈̓̉̇̑͒͝͝͠͠͠ ̷̨̨̢͈͚̬̤͍̬̗̪̪͖̫̼̥͖͊̓̓͐̂̐̃͆͗͋͆͂͛̒̈́̈́ǝ̴̛͓͉̯̮̱̖̘̗͎͇͎͚͖̩̳̌̂̑̌͒̏̋͛̋̔̅̃͠ɹ̵̧̧̺͖̮̞̝̥̪͕̘͎̜̘̼̫̬̤͙̬͇̲̂̇̍̾̓̈̚ͅ,̶̡̰̝̯̰̯̲͉̯̯̣͕͓̳̰̻̥͓̓̃̔̅́͆͐͑͗̽́̓̈́̈́̔̒̐͐͘̕͜ǝ̵̜̬̤̼̝̲̩̽̈́͊̀̌̍͘M̴̘̠̒̅̃̓͒͊̅̽̒̚͝

'Aughhh!'

,̸̛̛͔͓͈̦̙̤̩̲͇̖̀̈́̒̈́͛͒̉͆̆̎̍̅̿̄͛́̈̎͛͊̎̔͐͝͠͠¿̶̧͎̤̟͙̮͉̼̜͖̦̍̀̀̓̆̉̓̍̀̈́̈͒͊͐̋̓̑͆͘͠͠⊥̶̨̡͓̤̞̭̤̹̖̖̳̘̦̖͕̬͇̖͙͛̐͜͜͜ͅɥ̸͙̗̙̓͝⅁̸̡̧̢̨̢̨̡͔̠͈̗͕͇̝̱̳̜͙̼̤͎͖̦̗̱͔͖͎̼̬̣̪̠͈̯̤̜͍̺̭̗͈͚̙͓͓͊̇̊̾͘ͅı̸̯͎͒͛̾́̓͛̈́̋̃͛̊͂̑̌͘͘̚͝ͅɹ̷̧̡͍̺͕̖̺̞̘̝͔̟̩̼͙͈̜͓̻̪͉͉̗͎͌̄̑̈́͂͆͑͂́̃̎̈̓̋͐͛̔̈͂̔͂̌͆̐̈́̈́̿̔̚̕̕̕͠͝ͅͅ ̸̢̡̡̛̛̩̤̫̟̪̮̱̪͔͖̖͙̺͓̤̼̮͔̠͚̝̉̏̌̉̒͊͗̏̾̒̈́̏̒̆̿̀̋̿̋̓̒̈́̚͘͠n̷̨̢̡̢̞̟̭̠̣̫̪͕̼̗̪̥̟͉̫̹̘̰̦͍͖̘̟̝̼̰̭͎̼̳̘̖͚̝̘̋̉͂͒͋́̅̊͒̑̽̓̋͛͂͑̈̊͑̀͘͘̕̚̚͠͝͠ơ̷̢̢̦͉̗̻̗̲̣̦̫̦͇̳̱̞̗̲̐̉̿͌̅̓̈͐̀̿̕͜ͅʎ̴̨̢̡̨̢̨̧̛̛̟̣̩̯̳̼̺͔̯̮̺͓̟͙̯̟̝͉͖̈́̅͗͗̄͂̃̉̀͋͂͆̍̀̈͊̊̄̍̀̉̌͂̉͗̈́̄̊͂̂̈́̓̕͘̕͜͝ ̷̨̧̨̡̡̛̲̱͓̙͇͓͉̭͇̳̬̮̭̗̤̮̦̪̱̳̮̞̳̪̠̩̘̰̳̗̘͂͊͂͋̏͊͋̿̉͌̉̎̀̒̂̅͑̐͑̾͌̂̎̒̌̉͌́́͗̃̚̕͜͜͜͝͝ͅʇ̴̢̢̨̨̡̧̰͙̹̮̼͎̗̥̹̫̹̘̰̟̦̗̪̞͙̦͙̬̙̯̹̪̙̱͕́̾̾͗̆̆̾́̀̌̈̀̑͐̋̈́̿̌͒̋̿͂͒̑̆̑̀̍́̓̕͜͝ͅͅǝ̵̢̢̪͇̞̹͉̝̦̳̖̤̳̱̣̝͇̝̟̙͖͚̣̱͉̜̠̙͓̠̠͖̣̯̓̋̅̂̉́̐̍͒̆̆̌̈̽̒͂͛̒͌̃́̈̃̍̌̔̈́͂̈́̌͗̉̇̀̽́͆̆̈́͂͌̿̕͘̕͜͝͝͠͝ͅs̵̢̢̡̛̳̞̥̣͕̣̻̣̙̞̖̺͔͚̟̘̩͚̘̠̖͖͎̩̦̱̲̭̼̰̳̱̯̩̻̦͈̟̼̝̝̣̈͒̍̽̅̑̋̑̐́̒̄̐̋̀͊̐͋̄̈́̿͋̔̏͒̃͒̃̋̿̀́́͌́̄́͑̾̇̊̉͌͘͘̚͘͜͝͠ ̴̡̛̛̝̳͈̳̦̘̹̟̤͈͛͆̔̏̄͌̂̆̈́̄̀̾̽͐̐̊̈͊͂̀̃̋̾͋̈͆̓̃̈́͗͊͋̐̈́̅͛͆͛̓͘̚͘͝ͅǝ̴̡̬͕͍̤̥͙̗̥̝̑͜ʍ̶̧̡̢̤͈̜͔̫̬̞̳̥͓͔͖̮̪̼̱͓̜̥͎̪͇͎͕̪̫̟̘̟͉͎̙̳̥̤̭̆̒̓̐̑̈́́̿̓̿͐̀̉̎̊̈́͌͂͒̑̉̇̏̀̒̆̔̑̕̕͜͝ͅ ̷̡̡̡̡͙͎͕͇̺̩̰̬͈̖̳̹̻̲͖̺͌̎͑̓̑́͗̈́̿͌̽̅͋́́̉́̌͘͘ͅʇ̵̧̧̛̪̖̦̥̟̱̦̱̭̣͕̙͚̲̞͔͉̫̯̘̱̾̋̔̊̾̃͐̆̽͂̊͗̀̾̏̎̄́̆̈́̏̎̉̆̋̂͛̉̐͘͘̕͝͠͝ͅͅ,̴̢̡̛̛̼͕̹͈̝̖̆́̌̃̈́̌̌́͐̈̅̂̍̑̐̽͐̑̆̄͌̈́̿̒͑̆͆̐̌̓͌̾͒̌̉͌̒̈̾̔͘͘͠͠͠͠ư̵̛̭̟̖̣̹̲̻̮͐̽͊́̊̒̐̈́̆̈́͐̿̈́͒͌̐̋̈́̏̒̏̽͂͗̆͒̾̄̾̈̌̽̈́̏͒̂̽͂͘̕͝͝͝͝͝ȍ̵̩̬̙̤͉̠͛̓̄̊̃̊̋̌̀̎̆͊̇͌̈́́͛͐̈́̀̂̆͒́̆̓̆̆̈́͂̄̉͆̋́͑̀̕p̷̡̢̛̘̩̺̮̙͓̼̮̳͙̖̖͔̹̜͋̈́̊̃́̓̾̀̐̀͗̈́́̃̃̆͆͗͐̅̈́̿̋̌͊͊͐́̂̀̔͋̿͗̔͜͝͝ͅ ̷̧̡̡̢̢͖̥͔̱̖͖̰̤͖̞̪͉̱͖̫͚̠̥̳̙̲͎̙̩̣͉̠͖̥̖͍̙͈̰̦̱͋̏͐̐͂̑̈̀̿̈́̾̏̆͊͌̚̚ʎ̸̆̄̔̊̓̕̕͝ͅɥ̴̢̢̨̨̢̧̨̞̗̟̭̩̗͍̗̯̦͙͉̦͔̰̩̟̱̙̞͔̣͖̩̖̮͓̜̽̉̐͛̈́̅̃̆͜͜ͅʍ̴͖̥̱̗̱͍̺͈̏͑̋̿̓͒̈́̊̑̅̉̽̑̇̍̌̅̾̆̅̀̕͘̚͘͝ ̵̧̢̧̨̳̦̩͙̼͉͙͙̝̭͉̩̖̠̫̝̘͔͕̻͎̞̲̮̮̫̠͚̣̲̜̲̜̥̘̗͓̗͙̓͂̚̚͜ͅͅ'̴̢̢̢̧̡̢̧̼͖̻̮͎̣̳̮͍̪̱̳̬͕̺̥̗̲̙̬̺͎̲͖̹͕͚̭͉̰̫͍̝̬̭̳͚̦͚͇̔̍͌͆͋̇͆́̋͌̿̓̑̒̎̂̿̒̔̈́́͒̓̎͐̅̇̋̋̓̃̎̋̈́̈́͗̿͊̚̚͜͝͝͠͝͝ƃ̶̧̠͙̼̩̯̦͍̤̣͖̭̬͚̲͎̰͑̇̾̊̓̃͛͗͛͂̅̄́̅̊̎͗̚͜͝͝͠ͅử̶̢͙̬̗̮̣̮͙̠̠̯̣̦͌̂̅̍͌͌̀̍̔͆̑̽̾͌̓̓̃̽͐̌̈́̂͆̏̿͋͘͠͠ı̷̨̧̢̛̬͖̬̹͕̣̦̥̰͉͍̟͔̙̈́́̏̒͗̇̓̆̓́͗͆̽́̌̒͆̍́̄͋̎̅̐̊͋͂͌̉͆̋̐͆͌̀̽̕̕͘̚ɥ̶̧̧̧̛͙̭͇̗̥̩̭̟̹̱̳̯̼̦͇͖̫͚̩̥̻̻͚͇̬̤͚̥̞̹̠̲̟̖̞̑̄̽̃̀̌̎́́̒̍̿̓̾͌̄̈́̇̔̉̚͠ʇ̴̨̢̬̩̜̙͍̙͓̙̲͖̭̘͖͔̬̱̞̤̦̘̰͈͍̤͈͖̠̘̝͙̗͕̱̳̱͈̬̫̗̪̘̣͚̠̑͑͛̀͋̉̓̈́̒͂͒̆̈́̿̀̇͂̂͗̈́̐̐̌͛̾͗͂͋̅͆̃͊̆̊͘̚͘͜͝͝͝ͅͅ ̷̧̧̮̺̝̣̤̦̝̟͕̱̰̰̯͚͇̉̑̈́̅͝ͅʎ̵̨͉̜͕̰̰̜͕̠̻̞̹̲̱͎̮̥̾̄̇̄̈̉̾̉̔̂̀͋͋̌̈̋̽̚͘͘͠ʇ̶̨̢̫͍̭̺͚̜̗̘̖̠̝̗̯̺̱̫̥̝̖̳͖͔͕̤̺̙̲̰̮̲̭̯̰̲͙͕̹̹̲̳̳̬̹̪̇́̃̀̌̍͋͛̅̓̐̀̄̓̏̐̿͐̂́̒́͆͑͋͑̓̒̆̄̈̅̌̓̈́̀̓̂͘͘̚͜͜͠͝͝ʇ̵̢͕̹̇̌̒ǝ̵̨̧̧̛͇̣̪͔̙̻̼̟̯̖̞͙͇̫̯͍͍̺̪̠̭̹̹̈̐͊̓̑̏͗́̃̑̋͒͆́̀̈́̑͑͊̋̓̃̕̚͜͝ɹ̸̧̨̧̢̡̧̛̙̞͓͍̻̣͙̲̘̺̙̗̦̻̦̪͚͔̣͕͖̲̉͆̐̌̉͋̇̒̀͆͒̐́̾͗̔̽̂͂̐͐̿̎̆̈̒͛͛̀̒̋̀͗͑̔̍͝͝͝ͅd̷̨̢̛̺͍̖̻̤̗̙̬̯͖̺̥̬̳̻̟̝͉̤̺͎͙̣͙͙̪̘̱̳͙͕̲͉̤̈́͒̇̍̐͐̽̓̈́̆͆̉̔̅̎͌͗́̈́̀͗͝͝͠ͅͅͅ ̴̨̨̨̧̡̨̨̨̢̛͔̺̲̬͕̫̬͉̳̯̬̥̮̘̭͎̰̪̞͈͈̬͖̦͓͎͓̩͓̲̖̪̣̠̭̗̐̍̋͌͛̑͒̄́́̔̾͗̈́̿̋̒̾̒̔̀̽͆̆͒̉͒̎̍̊͌̄̏́́͌̾́͊͒̅̒̿͘̕͝͠͝͝ͅͅ'̶̙̖̲̻͖̟̰̞͊̉͛̈̆̽̌̍͗̉͆̂̊̓̾̂̿̓͐̈́͊͋̓́͗͆̆͘̚̚͘̕͘͝͝ʎ̷̨͇̼͔̣͇̹͈̝̦̂̒̈́͌̍̊̈̈̈́̌̀̇̅̆̃̍̕͜ʇ̸̧̛̛̻̞͉̖͔͙̞̬̰̮̭̈́́̉̀́̔̀͗̉̊͐̿̔̌̔̽̍̂̓̍̋̀̉̾̄͌̿̅̽̕̕̚ʇ̸̡̛̺͉̹̳̮̭̣̻͎̙̟͈̰̰͉̌̀͛͛͋͑̌̍̎͑́͌̃̈́̌̈̎̐̾͂͛ǝ̷̖̩̹̼̪͍͍̹̣̌͑͛̍̐̉͑̑̐̅͗̀̉̂̈̑̈̊̍͒͂̊̒͆͑̈̎̍̊͑̄̾͛́̈́͂̿͘̚̕͝͝ɹ̵͙͉͉͛̐̌͜d̶̢̢̨̧̨̨̧̗̭̣̙͙̯̳̘̯̻̦͔̹̩͙̦̟̭͍̼̙̯̪̬͈̖̰̘͍̞͍̭̞̱̝̤̭͔̣̓͜͜ ̸̡̩͇͍̘̲̙̳̟͉̟̲̱̜͎͒̿̀͛͗̍̈́͌̆̀͒̀̃͒͊̑͜͝'̶̧̧̟̲͇̯̮̟̳͈͙͇̱̫̰̙̮͈̱̻͈̯̘̻̜̬̰̹͖̥̟͕̲͔͋̾̀̎͆͛͐̌̽̿́̽̚̚͜ʎ̷̢̧̨̧̨̳͖̬̼̮̻̣̗͇̪̖̜̞̣̲̮͇̱̣͕͓̯̦̱̫͖̱̭̯̘͔̭͚̻̪̯͖̫̺͈̎ͅʇ̸̼̙̠̺̜̝̘̬̭̺̬͍̺̹̞̬̥̭̣͕͈̞̪̰̖̙͔̫͔̪̹̭̺͍͔̞̻͊͋̊̽̄̀͐̏͌̍͂̿̋̽̀͒̀͂̈́̊̽̈̿̑͗͂̌͒͋͂͌̍̃͂̇̈́̃̕͘̚͘̕͜͝͠͠ͅʇ̵̢̨̢̢̝̺̳̟̤̘͔̟̗̖̹̗̻̲̳̣̱͔̱̤̱̥̺̝͖̬͎̤͓̫̠̩̠͈̲̜̦̘͖͙͍̠̯́̑́̾͋̾̌͊̕ǝ̶̛̳̯͓͚̩͙͍̳̬̯̭̬̟̱̲̘͇̻̺̦͂̑͐͛͒̈́̌̾́̈́͗͑̽͒̊̅͘̚͝͝͝͠ͅɹ̶̡̧̧̣͖̥̪̦̖͕̙͕̰̣͉̜̲̬̥̥͉͖̳͈̘̪̼̗̹͉͈̗̬͉̖̽́̌̐̀̉̓̂̓̚͘͜͠͠͠Ԁ̶̡̨̧͚͎̥̘̹̟̳̩̜̝̙̦͔͔̗̠̼̭͕̣̻̬͙̯̝̣̫͎̲͚͎̫̻̼͖̳̥͍͈̜̩́͑̌̑̔́͆̋̈́͛́͆̅̇̊̐͒͐̈́̈́̌̅͊͗̐̋̚͝͝ ̸̡̨̛͓̲͎͔̟̰̼̮͉̻̰͚̯̰̹̯̬̝̗̞̹̮̯͖̲̹͎̦͔̜̪̙͔͖̓̆̽̑̀͌̓̌́̂̿̂̇̚̕͘͜͝͝͝͠˙̴̡̭̞̞̮͔͖̯̼̞̣͈͔̩͎̱̳̳̹̘̲̙̱̰̊̓̀͂̐͌̈́̔̅̑͑̀̒͑̎͒̀̉̽͗̑̊̂̐͊̂̍̈ͅͅͅ˙̷̡̯͔͔̼̪̬̗͔̻͈̹̯̻̠̠̙̦̉̐̂̔̑͐̏̔̈́̑̈͗͗̽̒́̎̇̀͋͒͊͘͜͝͝˙̸̧̣͚͉̦̳̥͉͔͗̈́̍̂́͌̍̐̌͐̐̏̽̀̄̾̈́̓̄́͋̉̃͊́̋̐̎̎͂́̐̂̆̇͌̌̑͘̚̕͝͠ʍ̸̡̧̨̛̛̙̠̘͔̥̝̤̙̘̬͍̳̲͍͍̩̮͕͚͍̰̞̲͙̹̣͕̞̲͇̳͍̟̆̔̑̏̈́͌̊̌̉͒́̀̉̀̿̆͒̌̄̃͛̈́͋̓͒̂̚͝͝ͅo̸̧͉̻̯̣͇̳͉͚̪̟̝̞̘͓̼͙͇̽̄̔͜N̵̡̧̛̛̙̼̟̗͇͚̤̮͍̩̠̭͇̦͉̥̩̲̞̻̭̮̬͖̖͈̻̯̝͈̺͚̘̤̤͐̆̈́̀̽̋̽̅̿͊̏̉͑̒̆̀̅̉̽̒͑̍̃̈́͌̐́̑̈̚͜͜͠ͅͅͅ ̷̼̩̹͚̳͇̮̪̮̖̳̳͖̫̲̝̪́̉ͅ˙̶̢̛͓̼̩̉̅́̃̎̄̈̂̒̋̽̿́͗̏͑͊̈́͗͌̓̈́͑̍̓͛̉́̈́͋̅͂̐͂̚̕͜͝u̶͕̩̟̟̥̻̭̭̟̮͓̬̦̠̞̣̞̖̜͙̫̜͖̠̳͖̗͙̙̼͚̒̾͛̀͆͗̍̌̔̔̇̄̎͛̃̊̓͊̽͊̊̈̍͋̏̅̈́̄̄͛̎̊͗̽͑̈́̍̃̚̚̚͠͝͝ͅͅơ̶̧̡̢̧̢̞̘̰͔͇̤̞̻̥͈̘̦̯͙̱̤̺̩̙͇̗̖̬͇̥͙̦̫̼̗̰͈̰̯̤̔̈̿͗̍̃̎̔̃́͌̃̄͋͂̇͊́̍̀̾͘͜͜͝͝ͅı̵̡̨̡̛̛̦͓̖̼̲̹̪͙̠̦͉̤̦̼̦͕͓̼̤̦͇̙̝̲̩̮̯̘͖̱̱̮̫̭͙̠̹̹̣͓̈́̎̔̓̌̑̿̄̾̊̈́̏̊̅̑̔̑̃̓̑̆̽̉̈́̉̆͋͂͗̐͌͒͆̎͛͗̓̉̚͘̚̕͝͝͝͠͝s̴̛̥̜͔͇͉̩͈͉͚̆́̀̇̓̽̅̆̽̊͑͒̋́͒͒͋̊̒͆̈̊̔͌̈́͌̒͌̍͊̐̒͑̍͑̚̚̚͠ɐ̴̡̛̮͙̙̳͍̼̙̩̜͙̲̰̫̺͈̣͍̥͓͙̘̺͈̙̬̻̣͎̖̱͍̭̞̰̜̙̭̭̹̞͈̊̇̈́̓̈́̑́̈́̓̌̊ɔ̵̡̧̡͓̤̝̤̪̼̞͚͉̬̭͕͔͚͎̥̞̬̞͇̯̝̫̬̰͎͎̣͍̘̮̫̀̾̓͆̿̓͜͜ͅɔ̴̢̡̢̧̡̡̛̝̦̲͓͇̙͈̺̪͙͇̺̙͖͉̮̦̟̪̮̺͓̻̤̲̰̣̗̠̯̠̺̣̹͔̥͋̾͐̃͛͐̽̑̍̋͆̌͌̓͛͊̔̐̏̿̒̂̌́̊̓̊̏̀̃̃̑̅̀́̆̒͒̋̉͐̚̚̚̕̚͜͝͝͝ͅͅö̵͇̥̣̩͉̤̟̟̜͙́̈́́͌͑͘ ̶̢̡̨̮̰̪̝̪̭̭̪͙̪̪̫͉̻̟̗̫͓̓̑͆͌͛̌̇̃̆͂͋̊̀͑͐̕͝͠ͅͅɹ̴̧̨̨̢̩̖̭̹͈̙̗̪̤͈̻̝̰̣͉͚̤̳̞̹̫͔̣̗̭̥̘̩̘̂̈́̓̈́ǝ̸̨̡͚̭̳͎̳̮̩̟̼̩͓̯͈͈̜̦͖̮̝̫͉͖̠̖͓͖̖̮̜̫̹̘̠̥̻̹͔͍̲͕͔̣̥͈͌͊͜ͅɥ̴̧̢̡̦̮̩̻̝̪̳̝̺̟̼̲̱̖̦͎̖̼̰̪̲̞̱͉͍̳̠̺͔̫̪̥̮̜̱͕̠̫̺̣̯̞̣̺͙̰̤̏̈́̀̌̀̇͗̌̂͂͛͛̈́̑̇͝ʇ̴̻̣̲͎̯̜̄͑ơ̵̡̟͓̱̭͉̗̯̝̈́̆̈́̅̈́͐͌͐̏̾̔̏͗̎̊͊͐͗͗̇̈́̈́̀͛̉̀̚͘͘̕͠͝u̷̢̳͖̟̰̼̘͍͉̥͓̳̿̔̽̍̈̋͑̈́͋̌̂̋̃͊́̏͐̈́̆̓͗̕̚̚ɐ̵̨̢̛̛̰̳̣͉̩͍̩̰̙̬͍̭̜͓̏͋̈́͋͆̀̈͆̑̓͒̿͒̈́̅͛̏͆̒̎͒͒̂͌̒̂̒̂̏̔̅̈́̽͌̃̑͐̚̕̚̕̕͝͠ ̸̫͍̞͖̝̼̥̫̲͇̞̖͔͈̍͋͊̽̈́̓̿̈́̅̽̔͗̋̀̌͆̿̀̔̀̕͠ɹ̷̢̢̨̛͔̜̫̦͉̼̦̫̼͖͕̠͉̙̮̯̥͙͔̥̃̒̽͗͐͜͠ớ̷̢̢̡̛̘͈̯̺͈̙̜̳̯̬̱̜̪͈͙͈̟͚̪͙́͗̍̏̈͌́̊̿̿́̎̄̐̈͂̅͋͒̓͛̀͋̌̍̊̒̂͘̚͝ɟ̴̢̦̺̗͔͚̰͕̬͔̺̟̫̘͇́̓͜ ̴̛̪͉̩̠̥̮̗̪͍͖̜̙̼̮̘̪̦̟̥̹͒̿̇͛̓̓̿͛͛̿̎̈́̍͐̊͘͘͜͜͜͝ʇ̷̨͙̜̪̼̼͕̀́̋͊͗͗͑̇̄͛̆̎̄͑̿̆̆̾͑̕ı̸̡̨̨̡̧̘͖̜̪̘͎̬̝̟͍̙̠̼͉̗̮͔̗͔̼͈̠̟̣̌̔́͌̌̚͜ͅͅ ̴̨̨̨̤͇͇̫̦̱̼̼̯͖̭̥̼͎̹̯̬̙̗͇̼̫̼̪̩̖̥̟̏̈́̇̽̈̃͋̀̈̔̍̒̄̓̑̏́̇͘͜͜͝͝͝ͅǝ̸̨̛̛̛̮͔̫̺̦̞͍̲͙̘̞̌̍͂͛̌̐͋̓̒͒̅͑̽́͌̓̉̍̚͘͘͝ʌ̵̡̡̢̛̛̝̰̯̩̳̹̦̺͎̱̘̲̗̟̱̺̘̠͎̙̜̟̥̣̬̮͔͈̎̈́͊͆̅̿̇͐̂̃̐̈́̽̓͆̄͌̇̈̂̈̀̕͝͝ͅͅͅɐ̸̡̡̧̢̨̢̥̗͈̱̥̩̥͈̖͈͚͍͇͚̳̖͚͈̫͔̲̱̝̼͓̰͔͎̲̞͙̹̲̯̠̏̐́̋̈̋̍̓̂́̀̍̇̂̽͊̓̚͠͝ͅǝ̵̨̨̯̼̦̯͙̯͕̘̪͍̳̖͉̤̰̞̞̼̝̭̙̲̺͎̲̤͖̳̳̪̻̮̼̞̞̟̓̒̎̾͛͋͛̇͑͒͊̈́̈́̀̇͐͌̒̍̓̈̎͊̕̕̚͝ͅļ̶̧͍̙̺͉̣̥̳͍͚̮̻̗̤̠̱͓͈̙͖̱̻̺͎̦̇̋͗̋́͌̾̑̋̈́̋̈́̀̌̔̒̄͋̀̑͗̍̓̂̓̍͐̍͑̏̈́̎͑͘̕̚͝͠͠ ̶̡̡̢̛̙͈͙̘̼̘̙̱̙͍̜̗̜͍̗͔̤͙̬̥̩͔̱̘͍̹͚͕̽͗̾͗̔́͂̈́͌͂̓̀͐͐͊͑͐̄̏͋̓͑̿̐̑̀͑͑̽͒̐͘̚͘̕͜͝͝͝͠͝ͅo̷̧̨̡̨̪̘̠̭̗͕̝̝͙͕̹͚̯̬͉̼̣̮̭̣̣̖̼̪̮̰̩̝͓̝̘̽͛̽̔̿͆̾́̒̓̋̈́̽̅͆̋͝͠ͅͅʇ̷̡̨̨̡͖͔͉̮̥̯͈̰͚̫̯͇̘͓͇̘͉̹̯͚͔̜͍̯̯̝̪̫̙̮̩̜̲̮̬̦̪̒̏̂̽͒̔̏͌̒̀̈́̎̋̅͂̉͗̇̂̎͗̅̈̃̉͛̓̎̎͘̚̚͜͠͠͝͝͝͝ͅ ̵̢̢̨̧̬̟͕̥͚̬̼̹̗̮̯̼̭͉̲͙̤͔̺͙̼̬͎͔̜̜̱̿̈̒͗́̓̇͆͆̐̒̽͒̔͊̏̃̽͛̈́͛̃́̔͛̓̀͘̕̕͠͝͝͠ͅͅͅǝ̵̺͓̳̰̼͖͍̭̯̤͔̭͍̰̮̈́̿̑͐͊͊͒̅̐͑́͝͝͝ͅʌ̴̨̢̳̥̜͈̺̣̠͇̘͉̞̠̮̺̳͉͖͍̺̹̬̯̐̆̑̅͋̿͛̀̓̏̈́̽̆̈̀̈̇̚͝ɐ̴̱̞̩̗̫͖̭̦̙̦͎̜͚̖̈́̊͒͌̈͒͐͗̓͒̊̌̃̆̃͊̍̈́͑̎̀̿̆̌͛̅̊̅̕͘̕ͅɥ̷̗̱̼̳́̃͋̀̋͐̈́̆̃̒̉̃̋̋͒̚͘ ̶̨̢̛̛̛̟͍̹͓̪̳̻̣̜̘̜̤͉̖͈͇̥͍̠̬̦̞̫̣͇̖̦̗͎̹̣̘̩͖̞͈̤̼̳̯̠̺̊̊͆͗̎͛͑̅̿̈́͊̐͐̍̾̓̇̐̓͂̀͗̔͗̌̈́̂̔̑̄̿̊͑́̌̃̓͌̈̚̚̚̚̕͜͝͠͝ļ̴̢̳̭̠̯̝̲͈̤̤̤̟͖̼̘̮̼͓̖͇͎̼̹̗͖̄͐̓͋́́́̍͛͆̈́̾̓́̐̇͒͛̆̅͛̏͊́̚͘͜͜͝͠͠ͅļ̵̡̛̜͚̥̳̘͈͍̲̝͍͓̦͓̩̳̭̰̻̲̗͓͉̻̞͉̱̱̎̍͋̽,̸̢̡̧̡̡̧̧̨͓̬͙̹̭̫̮̱̯̟̠͉̞̲̦̖̭̯̠͎͚͉̮̞̳̲͖͓̺̜̝̗̫̞̦͓͙̖̟̄̈͜ǝ̴̟̝̖̖̞̯̲̞̙̳̞͉̝̥̻̜͉̥͂͑͒͌̊̏ͅM̵̢̧̧̡̛̻̹͉̯͚̟̼͎̦̭̥͉̤̘̫̜̬̠̱̦̗̺̤̩̹͙̯̥̝̘̻͎͙̭̿̄̈́͂̏͜͜ͅͅͅ ̵̛͇̻͕̹̯̖̪̭̐̃͋̈́̐̈́̍̇́̐͛͋͊̎͊̆́́̓̒̂͛͊͆̽͑͊̃̑͆̉̑͆̇̂͋̇̆̀̕̚̚͠͠͠͠¡̷̛̰̩̹̟̟̫̖̪͎̜͓͖̞̙̺̗̠̝̣̄̆͂̓͆̆̌̈́͊̏͂̈́́̊͋̐̌̀͛̽̄̀̏̆̄̌̀͂̓̓̌́̐́̎̾̈́͂̃̎̿͛̈͜͜͠ʇ̴̛̛͓͇̱͔̱͇̍̍͊͒̓͊̊̔̍̈͐͋̇͋̐̀̋͂̈́́͛͒̎̔̐̍͗́̃͂͌̂̌̈́̕͝͝͝ɐ̶̧̢̯͍̬͍͍̣̱͓̞̺̲̯̯̹͍̞̯̗͖͙̣̲͊̅̋͌͋̆̓̃̓͛̔̌̈́͂̓͊̋̃͝l̷̢̢̢̡̗̤̦̩͍͓͉̗͎̪̬̹̮̮̫̟̣̤͚̯̼̱̻̯̝̱̝͓͕͇̱̬̦̯̤̦̙̦̫̖̖̐͜ḑ̶̨̧̨̧̣̪͈͕̥̮͙̤̹̩̠̘̟͕̗͙͕̱̹͇͕̬̳̤͙̙̥̺͓̠͍̣̬̩̼̮̫̫̫̃͛́̓̓͒̉͒͂̀͝ͅͅs̸̨̢̧̢̧̨̩̩̥̥̬̭̠̱͖͔͍͍̗̩̳̣̘̦̬̖̭̭̻̬̜̩̈́̏̐͆̈͑̓̑̀̒̈́͗͂͑̇̔͋͘͘̕͜͜͝ ̶̛̛̛̗̥̼̪͕̤̼̣͔̍̈́̄̀̎̈́̆̆̋̿͐̾̎̿͑͊̔̆͑̊̔́̂͌̒̾̋͐̉̓̈́̓͝͝͝͝͝͝ơ̸̢̩̯̻̣̮̫̥͖͍͕͕͍̦̦̬̽̑̈́̓̐̄̑̾̆̄͋̈́̋́̏͋̚͠ͅƃ̷̧̧̧̛̛̛̳͈̪͎̭̟̪̣̗͎̙̟̹͍̭̹͈͓̪̮̺̪̪͓͖̯͚̝̰̥̫͍͕̤̏̔̐͐̋̃̄̏̏͒͒̐̈́̀̈́̏̍̂̈́̈͐̀̒̾͐͗̂̂̽̽̃̍̋̐́̏̍͋̕̚̚͘͘͝͝͝ͅ ̵̧̧̨͈͔̜̪͖͖̳̭͖̲̤̰͎̈͊̂̉͛͌̑̎̎̏̋̈͂͋̐͑̓́̌̽͋͂̉̃̀̇͋̏͐̀̈́̑͐̅̉́̌̄̑̍̓͛͐̒̔̒̅̚̕͠ʇ̴̨̢̧̨̡̨̰͚͎͔̻͎̻͚̥͙̖͉̦̱̠̖͎͇̹̦̙̼̬̱̫̤͈̬̠̲͚̬͔͔̖̪̠̯́̽͐̄̄͛̈́́̍̄̒͌̈́̉̎̆̌̉̄̽̾̋͒͒̄̾̄͗̏̔̆̆̿̓͘͜͝͝,̸̧̛̛̲͇̫̝͕̩̭͇̮̣̬̤̋̐͑̋̂̐͛̔̅́̌̋̈́͗̆̈͂̓͂̄͗͋̃̌́̊͌̅̄̏͛̓͒͌̅͛͛̐̕͘͠͝͝͝͠͝ͅư̶̢̧̥̗͔̻̖͚̬̩͙͕̻̣̲̺̥̫̹̫̥̞̘̩͍̯̩̼̫͓̙̍͛̃̃̋͋͑͌͋̔͌̒͘͜͜͠͝p̸̨̧̡̡͚͙͍̬͍͙͕̯̬̞̥̥̭̬̘͉̗̬̮̠̻͇̘̗̤̜̰̖͖͓̺̞̣̰̙̙͎̗̦͆̈́̕͜ı̷̨̢̛̘̦̪̰̖͈̠̘̜̊̔̅͊͐͐̉̓̅́͒̃̈̄͊̇͆̓̿̽̽͒̋̅̄͊̋̍͂̚͘͠͠͝p̴̲͚͔̠̜̻̠̈͌͋͛̾̋̏̂́̈́̆̀̋́̊͐̈̆͆͊̄͑͝͝͠͠ ̶̨̧̩̻̘̳̻̳̰͓̫̙̪̦͉̫̪̝̭͎̦̮̺͎͚͚̲̻̝̗̪̳̥̪̜̖̩̬̜̜͚̠̟̘͂̐͂̆̉̊̾͐̀̀͜ͅń̶̬͚̼͓̿o̸̟̎͗́͆̈͋̓͆̍̈́̒́͗͆̄̐̈́̍̊̓͐̇̈́͑͌̈́̚͝͝ʎ̸̡̱̯̟̰̖̜̮͚̳͙̹̘̻̩̩̳͎̮̗̱̦̤̍͒̐̈́͗͝ ̵̢̧͈̥͎̳̮̪͎͚̻̘͎͔̬̭̪̑̌̔̔̓̓̈́͒̒̒̈́͠'̶̧̨̧̢̛̛͍̯̻͍̱͍̩̰͎͔̪͍̯͙͍̜͈͈̣̜̬̺͍̙̤̬̳͖̰̯̳͔̤̭̙̫́͗̎͗͌͒͂̌̒̅́̈́̓̅̀̊̿̔̌́͌̎̒̄̂͋̕͜ʍ̵̡̯͍͒̈́̈́̈͌̃̔̽͌̓̈̂̇͒̾̌̆̋͛́̇̆͊̅͛̈́̌̀́̄̅̂́́̑́̊̅̋̾̉̚͘͘̕͠͝ʍ̵̧̢̛̛̘̩̼̩̟̱̥̜̯̙̙̳̥͒͗͌̿̀́̑̈́͗͋́́̾̔͗̄̓̆̾͑̉͛͒̈́̑̏̌̇̀̈́̈̐̒̇̋̑͘̚̚͘͝͠͝͠͝∀̵̼̭͖̹͖̘̪͒͊͆͌͒̀̊̓̀̑̍͐̀͌̒͛̉̽̀̐̈́̓̽̈́͆̊̚,̷̦̘̓̔͌͗̎͒̓






















I'm–Hey, did you just announce your name out loud?

'A-affirm-mati̶v̸e.' The voice stuttered, almost as if it had a cold.​

(Which is ridiculous. The voice lacks a corporeal form, right?)

You fool. Don't you grasp that names have power? That's a big no-no! I'm not telling you mine just because you disclosed yours.

'You may also call me by my designation: G-Goblin.'

Is that your nickname? You're only making this worse!

'Do̴ not f̷ret.' The voice coughed out. 'I have p̴er̴c̷e̴i̶v̴e̸d̶ who you really are.'

I sighed. This ghost was going to give me a seizure.

Wait. What did he just say-

'To my understanding,' The voice continued, not letting me sort through his statement. 'Individuals introduce themselves to cease being strangers.'

So that's why he sounded determined earlier. He said it as if that were a fact.

… I don't think he goes out often, or understands how social cues work. (Not that I can say much about it. I was the same, but he was on a whole other level.)

This would not do. He was pretty bad at his job and didn't have the basic knowledge of what his kind's alleged to do. He hasn't made a motion to kill me either!

I will teach him the way. Maybe he'll be my guide out of here as thanks. What could go wrong?

… I hope I won't regret this later on.

'It's nice to meet you, Dubbilex.' As those words left me, I noticed a small shift coursing through me, and my voice didn't echo this time around.

'You spoke clearly and briefly isolated your inner thoughts. Well done.' He mused.​

Thanks!



Crap. He was hearing everything I was thinking about the whole time?!

Man, am I glad I can't blush here. I'll just run over to my corner and... Die of embarrassment.

'Are you in distress?'

Of course, the voice picked up that.

'I'm good.' For now. 'Hey, Dubbilex?' And I had to adjust to using his name more often.

'Yes, child?' He added, sounding raspier than usual.​

'First youngling and now, child?' Seriously, what's his deal?

'You are not as young as the rest, but still undergoing the growth process and accessing new environments. Hence the term child.'

Fine. I'll let you call me that… For now.

I was adamant about telling him my name. My poor, nonexistent pride will have to be shattered, and if I fancied for a sense of privacy again, I needed to handle my thoughts ASAP.

'I must l̴e̷ave you.' He announced abruptly, almost as if he were in a hurry. 'We shall remain in contact.'

WAIT!

'... Ahem. Sorry for shouting, Dubbilex.' That was more desperate than I wanted it to be.

'Worry not. I shall vis̸it you once again.' He affirms.​

That's reassuring, but that wasn't what I was going to say.

'It is of no trouble. Ask away.'

'I didn't want to bother you with my questions, but might as well…' I pondered on what to ask.

There was a lot—and I mean a lot—of questions to touch upon, but for now, I'd take one thing at a time.

Huh. Maybe I was a bit patient after all.

I paced myself, and braved the entity inside my head.

'You keep bringing up the rest. What...do you mean by that, exactly?'


.⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒


Dubbilex: Beware child. You are not prepared to see my true form! *Attempts to do a fighting pose.*

SI:
Was I inserted into Dragon Ball Z?

Dubbilex: *Fails spectacularly and turns it into a cutesy form.*

SI: Oh, Sailor Moon! No, Madoka? Damn, why am I so bad at this-

A/N: Sorry for the trippy dialogue. It's hard to describe two characters interacting with each other without any visible body tells.

Regarding the SI… Well, instincts don't change. They're ingrained, so they will defend themselves in any way they can, even if the facts at hand are erroneous.


Btw, this will be the ONLY occasion where someone finds out about her meta knowledge, so be relieved.

And Dubbilex confirmed! Props to anybody who had already guessed that. (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b​
 
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Harvesting a Discussion
Vacation! Ya KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?!

Less writing time because I actually want to rest. So here's an early update.






'Are you prepared to face what that knowledge would bring?' He answered with a question of his own.​

তততততততততততততততততততততততততত​


"-G-Elves will patrol the assets from now on-"

"-can not lose the remaining-"

"-place a G-Troll as a precaution-"


.⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


'Pink!'

As if it were composed of cloth, pieces of darkness tore themselves from the area. It gathered to the center until it grew into one enormous bubble.

I waited until the absence of color shifted and I popped it rapidly, letting it explode and paint my world into pastel hues.

'No.' I dissolved it.

It repeated the process and slunk back into an ocean blue texture.

'Not this either.' I groaned, probably sounding like a juvenile who didn't know what clothes to wear for the day.
'Perhaps another color would be more to your liking?' My spectral friend advised me.​

No offense, but if I was renovating this place, then it needed to have something better than boring shades of gray.

'Why pick a color when I can set a wallpaper instead?' I erased the color palette, allowing me to draw out the frizzly force within me.
'Careful, otherwise, your mind will turn against you.'

The surrounding darkness faded away, and I took advantage of its opening, twisting it to the image I wished for.

I wanted to run in the grassy fields, tend a garden, or swim in the sea. Something.

Tree root-like cracks extended themselves everywhere until all I could see was the radiance they produced. And my realm of obscurity shattered like glass, almost making me cry at the sight it showed.

A wide, bountiful plain materialized before me. The sun was right up there, protecting everything its light touched, and forests stood as tall as skyscrapers with their sturdy branches stretched to shield the sod beneath. As well as the feathered beasts soaring alongside the blue sky.
'Is this how you perceive the surface?'

I caught the awe leaking out of him, which meant he was watching the scenery with me.

'It's pretty.' I walked on the fresh green pasture, not pricked by it at all.

My bare hand went to touch the oak, but it felt similar to a cold wall instead of wood.

'But…' I couldn't feel the bumps and lines a tree should have, nor the itchy feeling the grass would give out. Neither the smell of the dirt when I kicked the grass in frustration, nor the cries of the birds circling to catch their prey.

It was all picturesque. Nothing more.
'Maybe one day we may see it with our own eyes.' Dubbilex promised with conviction brimming from his core.​

I laid down on the fake landscape I had created and sighed. A habit I've gained as of late.
'Do not be disappointed, child.' He reassured me. 'Practice makes perfect.'

'Thanks, Dubbilex.' I "smiled".

'You shall pass with flying colors, young padawan.' He paused, almost unsure about the nonsense he had just spouted.
'And as you humans suggest... You must dream big dreams?'

'Yeah, buddy. You'll get the hang of it one day too.' I chuckled, amused by his efforts at understanding common sayings and pop culture, all while struggling to stay sane.
'Astute observation.' He deadpanned.​

Oh no. I recognize where he was going with this.
'I was not aware that colors translated to victory, or had the capability to fly.' He continued crankily. 'But I do not fathom how the disturbing practices of hanging oneself have to do with-'

There! The excuse to debate with me. I kept telling him I didn't know why we said them that way. We just… did.

Humanity is such a damn chaotic mess.
'Aside from your improper speech patterns, I concur.'

Yep. This is how I spent the following days. I crammed his head with mindless chatter, and Dubbilex would appear and teach me stuff.

Like clearing my head, how to stay calm at all times, and how to stop intruders from entering my head without my explicit permission, as he had done days ago.

Ah, and this, of course. Cool, isn't it?
'Constant vigilance, child.'

Although, I really, really regret teaching him about that last reference. My only saving grace was that Dubbilex was too composed to shout it out loud.

Thank the heavens for small mercies.

Too bad the images I projected in my head didn't compare to the real things. My ghost companion didn't seem to mind, though.

Or should I say Genomorph? I have no idea what that's supposed to be, but I'll think of it as just another subtype of his species or something.

Anyway, he seems very interested. He never stops asking about Earth, which is somewhat odd. He should already know of these types of things because he's currently on the Outside. Shouldn't he have explored it?

I might be giving him too much credit.
'I am not compensated for my services, and what use would human paper have for a genomorph?' He retorted in disbelief.​

You'd be surprised–but as I was saying, sometimes Dubbilex was confused. One such occasion was when I shared how humanity took their first steps on the moon, and he had tried correcting me by talking about humans not being alone in the universe when they traversed beyond the stars.
'The galaxy has many distinct life forms.'

One thing was the supernatural, and another was just being plain crazy.

'Wouldn't it be great if you could tutor me on something else besides generating landscapes from my memories? You could show me these aliens of yours.' I joked.
It was his turn to sigh. 'You should wait until you gain more strength. You are technically a newborn.'

How many times do I have to tell you I'm a grown-ass woman?!

I lifted myself as the images I had built became brittle, breaking down to the touch. Black splotches of gunge left from the aftermath stitched themselves back together, swallowing everything in its wake.
'Concentration is key.' His voice was a bit faint as he said that.​

Bummer.

On the bright side, it didn't encompass the walls beyond this time around.
*Badump*


It only left me back where I started. In a world blacked out by a hardened tar-like shell.
*Badump*


(That wasn't...)
*Badump*
*Badump*


(Something isn't right.)
*Badum-

'I must insist on its importance for the days to come. We can not have Dr. Desmond discover these developments…'

I pulled out a chunk of black substance as if it were made of play-doh, and molded it into a ball. It was easy, and I set it so it could bounce back and forth on command.

(It was merely the shudders for interacting with, well, a ghost.

Yeah.

I… must be i̷m̴a̷g̴i̴n̵i̵n̴g̷ things.)


'Still can't believe you were such a nerd.'
I grumbled, seeking to change the subject.
'According to the data you have compiled and shared with me, you are the most...' He tried to find the right wording. '...well-studied of us all.'

'And wasn't that just sad?' I said, feeling kind of woozy for a moment.
'I do not detect irregular emotions fluctuating.'

'It was an expression.' I avoided facepalming at the grandpa-like innocence he had.

But I did adopt an annoyed tone at his other actions. 'And can you quit scanning me? I'm not a supermarket product!'
'... Very well.' Dubbilex paused, almost surprised I noticed the fucking crimson light he summoned.​

Who does he take me for? Sheesh.

He dismissed it, along with the prickly sensation accompanying it.
'If that is all, I would rather continue our previous discussion.'

'Okay. Shoot.' I evaded the ball that was suddenly flung in my direction, and I tried to cover myself as it bounced all over my head in a frenzy.
'Forgive me...' He spoke with a hint of embarrassment. 'Was that another one of your human phrases?'

'Don't worry about it.' I snapped my "fingers", and the ball fell to the ground with a splat.

'Now, where did we leave off?' I asked as I kicked the blotches of tar back to where they belonged.
'While I enjoyed the tales of the purple giant defeated by these… group of Avengers, I am more partial to the details regarding the Justice League.' He responded in morbid fascination.​

'Fanboy.' I wiped off what little goo lingered on my person, and directed my full attention to Dubbilex.

'Did you know there was a time the blue boy scout went totally ballistic?' My mouth babbled before I could stop myself. 'It all started in-'

.⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


"-failure-"

"-grow another batch and restart the process-"


.⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


'No, but I will.' I gazed at this vacant mindscape of mine.

Because I have to.

.⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ 5 ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​

SI: -and this is why everyone should avoid the archer's chili. It almost made the whole league pass out.

SI: They should just kidnap Batman's butler and have him cook for them.

Dubbilex: Green Arrow's cooking is a menace... *Takes notes.* And you asseverate we require the capture of Alfred Pennyworth?

SI: Exactly.

...

SI: I was kidding. Dubbilex, no-​

A/N: There's nothing to be anxious about. It's just a friendly talk between the SI and a genetically modified, living weapon who can intrude into minds, read through memories and-

Oh.

OH!

I see your point.
(・・ )​
 
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... please tell me dubbilex is no t getting the "injustice timeline story" that will make "instruction superman inside superboy training" WAY scarier than nesesary.
 
A Glimpse to the Outside

I feel as if I could've fit another chapter before releasing this one…

Eh, what the heck. Let's do this!






"Hm... The compiled data was informative."

The human beside him ceased his scribbling and glanced in his direction.

"Did you say something, G-Goblin?"

Dubbilex shook his head at the replacement, "I did not."

The sole woman in the group raised her clipboard and slapped the individual who had spoken to him. "You're not uncouth. He has a name."

She glared. "Use it."

"Yes, Dr. Spence." The scientist rubbed the newly formed bump located upon his head.

"Analysis showcases the assets are healthy." She shifted back to her clipboard, reaching for a paper that was more detailed than the rest. "Although the development of both specimens differs, divergences are slight and won't impede their original purpose."

"The higher-ups have given us the green light to proceed to the next phase. To my dismay." She murmured the last part to herself.

Dubbilex placed his hand against the capsules containing his brother and sister.

"Perhaps we should postpone the projects' education." He suggested.

They needed more time.

"Not possible, Dubbilex." She pressed the glasses closer to her face.

"G-Gnomes." The G-gnomes inside closed their eyes, receiving the order loud and clear.

"Start-"

"We have yet to identify the unknown element rampaging the facility," he pushed, capitalizing on the scientist's hesitance, "Dr. Desmond would not be pleased if anything happened to your employer's most prized weapons."

"These… weapons remain unresponsive despite the numerous tests we've conducted." Dr. Spence, one of the few who referred to him by name, answered with a glazed expression.

"...Yes." The humans alongside her agreed with no complaint.

"Assure the safety of the assets-"

The G-Gnomes opened their eyes.

"We must check for aftereffects-"

Dubbilex nodded.

"It may be the cause for the deviation-"

The glow did not die down.

"Humans are susceptible indeed."

তততততততততততততততততততততততততত​


He methodically moved the sample towards the flask.

One last drop, and his greatest experiment would be comple-

"Dr. Desmond, today's results came in." The droplet fell to the ground.

Shit.

"Look at what you've done–GET DOWN!" The chief doctor didn't have time to explain as he collected the vial and threw himself behind the desk.

The globule of liquid basked itself in a luminous azure light. Each second became brighter than before until it converted into a blue, mini-sized blast rumbling the walls of his private office.

He saw the destruction it wrought, but he calmed himself as the words of his yoga instructor flowed through his mind.

He inhaled through his nose and exhaled softly, "State your business."

"Yes, Dr. Desmond." The fool now with smoked eyebrows responded unflinchingly.

He felt the invisible noose closing in on his neck from each monotone word coming out of the inept worker.

"ENOUGH!" He couldn't unleash his wrath because of the highly reactive component in his hands, but he could resort to using his favorite threat.

"Get out of my sight before I throw you inside a pod!" The speed the scientist ran off to would've made him suspect the other was a G-Elf instead of a clone-

Dr. Desmond almost cussed again as he recovered the mostly intact files from his now scorched workplace.

DESIGNATION:

PROJECT S (Gemini, for the time being, as much as he hated fueling his assistant's delusions.)

______: Maximum growth period is estimated to be 16 weeks. (12 weeks to go.)

____________
. .

. .
____________ (Pasted one image he had of the pair.)


DIAGNOSIS:

_________ subject is _______ of ________. Power_______ _______ to control, but ______ (compared to the original donor.) Design ______ fabric for better ______.

Female _______ on the skull evinces that _________. Possible variation ________. Innocuous.

_______ small DNA samples suggest different ________. Should not precipitate problems for _______ control. Estimated size _______ (disappointing for his employer's taste.) Enlarge fabric for better________.

CONCLUSIONS:

Male ______ is adequate for ________ purposes. If ________ ________ inject unidentified ________ for results.

Subject _______ ______ if levels rise exponentially, __________ from ________ immediate containment or decomposition. But shall take ________ or _________ under discipline to serve CADMUS' purposes or as a test trial for the unidentified __________.



He shut the file as the rest was illegible. He stores it for safekeeping and brushes his neck.

His employers kept asking more and more, while he withered away each day!

He takes out pictures of the weapons and holds them up with the incomplete vial.

Project Blockbuster and his pet project will be the key to breaking free from their light.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇​


"You're late." Her heels tapped against the floor, echoing all across the facility.

"Only you and the chief scientist would think arriving 5 seconds after-" her fellow scientist made quotation marks, "-is being tardy. Cut me some slack. I'm the new guy here."

She withstood for 15 seconds before she loosened up in front of the man. "Fine."

"Here." She handed over his assigned companion.

"What's that for?"

"That is Bob. Your partner on the job."

"Okay…" He crossed his arms. "Why?"

"If you had read the briefing, you'd know G-Gnomes accompany you 24/7." She accommodated the genomorph to his shoulder.

"This one, in particular, will keep you on your toes. Bob is one of the older Genomorphs around here." Bob smiled.

Her junior slowly lifted his hand and scratched Bob's chin. "Hey, little fella-"

"Bob is female." She clarified this before assumptions were created.

"She." He raised an eyebrow. "You guys named a girl, Bob?"

She sweatdropped. "A bright name for a bright creature. It's unique."

We gave out so many names for various specimens that everything started to blur together.

"More like quirky or lazy…" He quipped.

First day as a mentor, and her junior was already taking jabs at her. Even Bob, who stood completely immobile—save for the blinks of her two beady red irises—was gazing at her for answers.

"This will be your assignment during your stay here at the labs." She pretended all was well and passed to her colleague the semantics of their latest work.

"So," The new scientist flipped through the multitude of sheets without flinching. "What are we looking for?"

Maybe this version has a shot at surviving this place.

"If you have questions, I recommend you keep them to yourself." She's required to set a proper example for her junior. "Of course, if you consider yourself overwhelmed and lost, you can come to me and await further instructions-"

"Project Gemini?"

She stopped walking.

"What? It's catchy." He shrugged at her stare. "It's also circled in red."

As she skimmed over the files, her eyes widened.

"Dr. Spence, if it makes you feel any better..." Her junior smirked, while Bob watched it all with an expressionless face, "I bet the head doctor has christened them as such in his private office."

The redhead wasn't helping; it only added to her panic.

She took off her glasses and pinched her nose. "Don't let him hear you say that."

Dr. Desmond was going to stick her in a pod for this.

✧───・゚: *✧ෆ・゚:* *:・゚ෆ✧*:・゚───✧​


Dr. Spence: *Caught graffitiing classified research.*

Her coworker:
*Not a clue of what's going on.*

Bob: *Has an identity crisis over her name.*

------

Dr. Desmond: All I care about from the weapons are their worth as assets.

Also, Dr. Desmond: *Secretly calls them nicknames when alone, keeps baby pictures hidden under his desk, and has measurements for their future wardrobe like a creepy, but expecting parent.*

------

Dubbilex Meanwhile: There is one thing I would like to annex to your human phrases: "Knowledge is power… and so is freedom."

A/N: Did you think the SI's naming sense and educated language came from her originally? You learn from your interactions, and it goes both ways!

YJ Season 4 had barely been released when I made this so, that fiasco didn't exist for me when making this story in mind.

Still doesn't.

 
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Super Bonding Experience

It is summer, summer, summer, suuuuuummer tiiiiiime~
(Timeline-wise, it's tecnically spring tho.)
Warning: Glitchy text ahead.



'You are almost there.'

'I appreciate you encouraging me, but…' Frozen vapor emerged as I plopped into the ground with no energy left.
'Concentrate.' Dubbilex insisted. 'Use your imagination.'

I raised a middle finger as imagination.

It wasn't complicated to evoke imitations from my memories, such as skyscrapers or woodlands at first. Even materializing a 'body' took me about a week to carry out.

'This is hard.' Grabbing a fistful of what was supposed to be fluffy snow, I whined as all I got was water slipping through my fingers.

The real deal started when creating substantial objects that weren't from the world of darkness, the dark goo I had to interact with and dispel. I've yet to establish functioning parts such as pupils, hair or detailing noteworthy aspects of the human shape.

All in all, it sucked. My appearance was equivalent to a jabbed gingerbread cookie cutter on a blank sheet of paper.
'Your intent matters.'

Not that my mentor seemed to acknowledge that. Everything was a learning experience, and if I were in the mood, I would have agreed with him.

Instead, I drew a breath, letting my outer body discern the palpable air coursing through in and out effortlessly. 'You want me to green lantern this shit?'
'Mm, essentially. You are not mincing your words, are you?'

There were no emotions I could detect from him.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
'We must… expand our training to achieve better results.'

Bah. I'm overreacting. This is Dubbilex we're talking about.

He wouldn't hurt a fly.

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


'Hey.' I nervously laughed as a slew of sleet and snowballs rose to the substitute sky.​

'I hear exercising is not purely a significant benefit for your physique, but for the psyche as well.'

'Can't we discuss this civilly?!'

If I could view his face, there's no doubt in my soul that he would smile at me while cackling on the inside.
'Let us see how fast your reflexes are, child.'

With no time to deliberate, I ran for my life as the makeshift sun was obscured and a raging barrage like no other descended on me across the tundra.

'You're evil, I tell you. Eeeeeeeevil!'

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​

'What have we learned?'

'To avoid picking a snowball fight with you?' I flicked the remaining pelted ice off me and tiredly leaned against the w̷a̸l̷l̸.
'Never forget that this space…'

I stood by as the suspended fractals born from our battle melted, trickling into the d̸e̴p̶t̵h̴s̶ below, and swallowed by the m̸u̸r̴k̶ originating from my mindscape.
'This power is yours, and only yours.' He averred phlegmatically.​

The field of d̸a̶r̵k̴n̶e̵s̸s̶ peered once more. Returning me to what it accustomed me to. B̸̯͆a̶̮̓c̷͈̑k̴͙̾ to square one, and the ŕ̶͈ĕ̸͜ä̴͜l̴͔͂i̸̤̅t̷̙̃y̶̟͛ of my situation.

'I wish it wasn't.'

Back to n̶̡̳̝͌̔o̶̢̓͋̉͘t̷̡͙͒̓̀h̵̼̫̚i̸̳̫͉̳̽n̶̰̒͐͠g̴̻̝̈́͒͒̋.

(When, when, when, when, when, when, when, no, n̴̥̼͗̏̑o̷̤̜̣̍̀ͅ, ṇ̶̱̭̝͔̍͗ǫ̷̘̠͎̤̋̌̍, n̶͉̊̅ơ̸̩̽͒̅̈́̕, ǹ̷̢̛̻̥͕̔̓̄̔̍͜o̶̦̖͎̗͂, ń̷̢͖̫͔̘͈̬͎͕͆͑͋̓͊̀͑͘͜͠ỏ̸̡̠̖̤̺̘͔̖̥͂̂́͊̂̊͑̽̈́̅, ̢͕̺͔̭̩͙̱̜̫̀̓̓́͗̓͋̆̌̌͋͜͠¿̴̗̭̗̬́̿̋̿̍̈̍́̎̇̅͗̽͋̕̕͝ɹ̸̛̦̮̰̮͖͖̙̖̱̬̮̥͕͓͔͚̀͌̈́̃̐̍̐́̀͑͋̋̋͑͘̕͝ͅǝ̶̬̪͔̜̼̙̤͙͉̝̃̃̒͋̏̂̐͊̌͝q̵̬̄̄̃ɯ̷̠̞̲͇͙͔͕̭͈͕̣̭̜͕͉͉̬͇̓̀͛͆̄̉̌̆͆́̚͝ǝ̷̑̋͊͐͑̂͜ɯ̴̗̩͍̟͚̾̓̅̀̄̈́̃́ǝ̶̧̡̛͇̙̦̹̱̤͚͇͚̽̿̈́͐̋́̀̇̀̎́̐̽̊̚͜͝ͅɹ̷̨͉̮͍̝̘͚͈͈̦͓̱͌̓̔͂̒̆̚ͅ ̸͔͓͉̽͑̀͑̓̌̀̄̋͌͗̄̐̉̉͗n̵̡̯̬̝͎̬̜̖͓̤͍͒̑̎̏̈́̓͐̐̊̃̕̚͜͜͝͝͝͠ͅo̴̡̜̙̜̪̰̝͋̓́̄̐̇̏ʎ̸̛̰̙̮͓̟̼͉̤̯͙̝̒͆̋͊̍̃̎̕̕̕̚ ̴͍̹̈́̆͜ʇ̸̧̢̡̢̤̣̰̲̙̖͖̞͚̱͎̜̓͛͋̿͗͌̎͠ͅ,̸̦̣̘̝͚̉̔̂̄͋̍͐̇͋̆̉͠͝u̵̮̙̤̦̺̜̪̍͌͒̂̀̈́̐͐͒̀̄̆̿̽͌̚͜ő̸̥̯͙̜͌͊̀̈͒̃p ̸̦̱̽͒̾́͐ɹ̷̨̤͓̠̦̼̣͎͌̏̃͗͗̽̈͆̅͊̀͘͝ǝ̴̳̞̼̭̤̺͐̇̆ʌ̸͖͚̮̻̝̺̥̪̘̹͖̱̠̬̙̲̔͂̍͂̏͆̋̂̃͠ǝ̶̨̛̣̯̜̹̤̗̝̝̖̳͎̜̰̞͕͌̈́͂̈̃̂̊̔̃͑͗͐͠͝ ̵̛̦͇͐́͂̂͝ʇ̸̡̢̺̯̼͆̈́͋̄͒̐́̈̽̂͊͜o̶̧̢̢̧͍͔̩͖̯̯̦̥̰͉̱̍͊͋̒̏̉͝ū̶̖̠͖̙͉̪̪̅̑̍̈́͗͊͂̽͂͂̚̚̕̕͜ ̵̢̪̻̰̖̖͓͈̱̼̻͍̮̠̝̇̅̏̇͋͐͐̅̍́̚͠'̵̨̮͕̫͎̹̙̞̥̫̘̤͔̜̈́̄̓̀̎̐̒͐͊̑̊̚͠͝ɹ̵̧͎̺̹̫̘̞̘͑͒͌̈̓̍̏̿̆̍̚ǝ̷̢̡̰̯̟̯͚͎͔̺̳̦͉̲̈̍͑̈́̔̍͋̏̽̉̕͠ʌ̴̨͈̘̹̯̹̜͓͓̞̼͎͕̫̫͎̍́́̉͗̋͂̏̾̉̂ǝ̷͇͙̰̿̿̍͋̈́̒̚͝ ̷̡̠̺̼̝̩͇͚̩̮̘̪̿́͌̀͊̋̒̄̈͛ͅʇ̴̨̻͕̦̥̜̩̦̪̦͉̩̩̮̓̇͘͜͜o̶̲͉̘̔͑̂̉̈́̅̇̊̀͛̎͛u̶̦̹͔͕̖͂͌͋̃̆̂̂́͋̓̿̑ ̷̘̝̝̂͆̔͑̏̍̍͑̊́̚͠'̶̠̰̬̮̙͕͕̳̫͕̑͒͐̃̋̓̽̉͝ɹ̷̡̡͈̯̫̼͍͇̦̬̘̜̔̾̇̊͂͛̇͒̿̚͜ǝ̴̞̦̝͈̭̥̰͕̿̾̆͒̃ʌ̸̛̣̠͕̬̘͆̈́̏͐̾̉̎̇̾̃̃̕͘͜͝͝ǝ̸̨̹̻̯̠̩͓̤̱̘͍̺̭͌̒̊̋́̔͛͛̂͂̍͠ ̶̙̺̖̗̱̪̿͌̊̈̍̋̀̈̒̕͜ʇ̸̡̛͔͕͚̉̀͌͊͒͑͗̓̈́̓̿̈́͘͝͝ȯ̵̜͖̲͇̹̿̽̎̈́͗͐͒̇̈́̈́̂͠u̸̯̗͉̞͕̦͈̮͆̊̄͒̓̒ ̵̦̮̬͖͎͇̰̖͕̭̬̩͕͚̜̃͜ǝ̵̧̡̼̝̟̥̙̪̙͕͓̹̗̺̭̐̅̽ǝ̷̯̼̙̦̰̣̺̬̺͔͕̰̓̕ɥ̷̣̇̕-̸̨̥͔̜͓̘͓͖͛̋̇̈͂̄́̇̀̀͊̀̃̓̕ǝ̶̰̯͕̫͚̹͆̓̍̽̆̎͂̐̚͘̕͠ǝ̶̡̢̭̖̲͕̹͍͎̝̪͇̑͋̑̏̾̽̋̀̇̽̌͑̕͜͝͝͝ʇ)

'Do you recall what we last spoke of?'

I ẗ̷̛̩̳̣́̌̋͋͛̿͐̊͆͐̈́̽̈́̽̇͘͘̕͝ư̶̧͈͍̺̼̥̞͉͈̹͉͈͉̥͍̭̩͙͚͊̋̓͑̓̌͠r̶͈̼̬̺̙̟̪͓̲̍͑͊̈́̋̈́͋̄ṉ̸̘̌̓͒̅̿̽͐̅̉̈͛͂̕͘̕͘͝e̸̡̨̗̫̣̤̳̻̖̯͕̗̗̮̘̝̾̈́̂͋͆̔͂̓̓͌̇͘̕̕̕͜͜͠͠d̴̢̢̛͙̺͖̦̣̖̬̣̪̱̟̈̃̈́̍͛̐̆̊ͅ around, noticing the ẻ̸̹̱̣̯̝͇̰̓͜m̸̜͎͚̈́͒̂͌b̴̙̔͋́̕ă̸̘̤̓̂͂n̷̨̜̮̈́k̶̢̜̙̜͘͝m̴̢̳̺̭̻̍̕ẻ̷̡̜̺͉̳̏n̶̨͚͚̤͍͔̣̓͌̅̽̀t̵͈̪̃̆͊̔̋̇́ͅ darting the gloom and d̶̩͕͇͕̓͒̋͒ọ̷͉͓͇̲̀̉o̴̜͉̯̐͋̏m̷̫̅̽̎̍ away, replacing it with sparkling pelagic waves extending as far as my v̷̱̄i̴̗̳̊̀s̴̱̆̔i̵̹͆̅ơ̵̠̘͌n̸̢̈́͌ could perceive, tending and clashing faintly with the i̷n̸f̷i̴n̵i̶t̶e̸ seashore grains.

If I̶͇̓ could raise an eyebrow, I would.

'Yeah, but weren't you e̵n̵g̴r̶o̶ssed in the heroes?'
'Call me inquisitive, if you will.'

If this was his way of changing the subject, then I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. 'Well, I can contemplate several. The Joker, Black Adam, Ra's Al Ghul...' Um, who else?

'Poison Ivy? Although she kinda drags herself out of it with Harley Quinn...? There's also Lex Luthor to consider, big menaces such as Darkside and, oh boy, there's a ton-'

His chuckle chimed like bells, distracting me from the edge his tone transmitted.
'So much to do, so little time.'

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


Weird noises such as the scribblings of a marker and a high-pitched gargle sound echoed as movements came and went in a hurried, awkward manner, generating a rustling or shuffling creak by what seemed to be a heavy metallic door.

I peeped via the wall to a certain extent, attempting to get a read on what was transpiring on the Outside.

"Excuse me for the delay. I was assembling the instructed accommodations-" Isn't that Favorite Person?

I huffed. Don't see why the hasty abruptness of our conversation was necessary. It's not as if Dubbilex hasn't chatted with company in tow before.

Sure it's all hush-hush, behind the scenes, just in case I accidentally prodded someone else's brain, but that hasn't occurred yet! Nor in the foreseeable future, if I had anything to say about it.

He's such a worrywart.

"-sufficient G-Trolls and G-Dwarves. Now that relocations of the assets are underway…" A clap reverberated loud enough for my eardrums to ring, leading me to miss most of their ongoing dialog.

"-inspection this month. We can't screw this up. Collecting another batch of DNA samples from _______ has been declared as 'very difficult' by ________. Let's settle these weekly reports-"

"-it's daily, remember? And here I was, assuming you were the senior doctor-"

"-would you drop it? How about analyzing _______ adjustments? _______ suggests increased synergy and encephalon activity when placed alongside Project ______. Potentially an initial 5% in contrast to antecedent data-"

"-Is this what everyone's hyped about?"


I blinked. (Not really, since I can't move my eyelids and all, but it's the thought that counts.)

Another individual was beside her, and I hadn't realized that until now.

It was… familiar.

I slapped my metaphorical cheeks and rocked my brain, spreading my senses towards the new (old?) presence, and concentrated.

"-small. Doesn't look like much." The gruff voice stated impassively, which might have ticked Favorite Person off to a greater extent because she sputtered back.

"She's growing!"

"Shh! You want all the genomorphs to be down here?"


Ah, no wonder. It was the Janitor! I reckoned he had quit or gone missing for a while now, but I guess not.

"Ahem. The asset is still undergoing development. Height and weight compared to the ______ specimen can be attributed to biologically constructed features or the percentage ratio of ______, ______ and ______ genetics-"

"-not like I called her an it."


No. Rather, this was… his brother? They felt so similar I mistook them for the same person. How embarrassing!

I must be really out of it to make such a rookie mistake.

"You barely have enough clearance-"

"Not what you said a while ago-"

"-and don't forget. As opposed to your cousin, you are here to merely assist-"

"As you keep reminding me."
The not-janitor quipped in a slow, lazy manner. Almost deliberately. "But that suits me just fine-"

My previous deduction wasn't wrong, per se. While this one was lax too, he was mostly sassy and a tad short-tempered. Lacking the nice and friendly disposition the janitor had when I surveyed him during my early days here.

Still, I perked up at the fact that he was indeed that guy's family.

"What's next?" Whooshes of a pen twirled with a skill I could never replicate, and I could tell the dude was smirking at Favorite Person. Either to obtain a reaction from her or to annoy her simply for the funsies.

"Continue noting down the analyses and," She pinched her nose and sighed in exasperation, "follow my lead."

I inwardly grinned.

Janitor 2.0 it is!

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


"-collected him from _______-"

"-the ______ was a success-"

"-implanted the ______ onto-"


I zoned in on the muffled words and shed some light on them.

The employees were at it again. I didn't comprehend what the fuss from the Outside was about (as usual). It happens so frequently that I stopped bothering to keep track of it.

Not that the residue was a problem for me anymore, but it was annoying to deal with all the same. I had to pass the blocked information through various filters, so to speak. Then bust a gut to process and convert it into actual sentences, then flush all of my hard work down the toilet with an imaginary poker face.

Because, of course, none of it made any remote sense.

Bone marrow, growth procedure, memories? It was like playing broken telephone with a poor signal to boot. Ugh.

I could stop except, you know, I'm kinda trapped here and all. Got to take everything into account. Even if it comprised harkening to ridiculous murmurs. The other day, somebody debated which superhero was hotter.

Don't get me started on the one betting to slide into Superman's DMs faster than the Flash ever could.

…I can't believe I just uttered that.


Anyhow, I'm drifting off-topic, aren't I? These musings were akin to a deep ravine. Once you're sucked in, it's tough to claw your way out.

A drop of water in the ocean is rarely ever seen again. We can try to deny it, but even schmucks locking themselves in their rooms acknowledge that we humans are social creatures by nature. We can't help but seek interactions to fulfill our needs of… of…

Okay, I was just attempting to sound philosophical about my circumstances like a certain someone.

Notwithstanding that communication and networking are necessary for any society to work, why is everybody here a comic fan? I can understand a little variety from time to time, but solely spouting about topics from DC was getting out of hand.

How does Dubbilex do this constantly?

Can't they talk about other stuff? Why not about the weather? Like ordinary people.

(I'm looking at you, Jerkface! Your spiel about clones and something, something ultimate, has driven you nuts.

Receive help, please.)

'My methods of studying what you deem as the "Direct Comic" series, is nothing complex. On the contrary, it is quite elementary-'

He was expressing himself so honestly that I almost felt bad for interrupting his parade. 'It's a rhetorical question.'
'A parade? I am not celebrating a special occasion.'

'It's another human expression. I wasn't referring to a literal parade.' Knowing where this was headed if I didn't nip the bud, I continued calmly, struggling not to come across as accusatory. 'You were scanning my mind again, weren't you?' I didn't crave for my face to be pelted by snow, thank you very much.

He hesitated for a bit, but ultimately, he clung to the truth.
'Mayhaps.'

However mildly disturbing that sounded (and believe me, experiencing it firsthand was no joke), I've grown to accept it. He was basically harmless to a fault.

Besides, he's my only c̷o̸m̷p̵a̵n̴i̴o̸n̵. I simply needed to remind him to tone it down a little, since he wasn't used to, well, not reading minds.

Whether Jerkface was planning mad sciencey stuff, Favorite Person conflicting with herself about something, me conversing with a Genomorph telepathically…

I believe everyone, including myself, is far away from whatever you call fucking normal at this point.

No shame in having a few screws loose here and there, r̸i̸g̵h̷t̷? We have to cope with our everyday lives somehow.

Dammit, I rambled off again. Where was I going with this?

(When will my l̷i̸f̷e̷ return to how it was before?)

I haven't lost faith I can e̸s̸c̵a̷p̶e̵ soon despite the absurdity I'm stuck with. After all, I don't think people wake up one day and will themselves to hear people's thoughts.

Or something. I get the ş̵̛h̷̭͊i̶̺͝v̷̱̎ê̸̞ṛ̵̛s̵̜̀ the more I meditate about it. That, or it had to do with the black gunk prowling around.

(Does home still exist?

Can I… e̶v̷e̵r̴ g̵̲̉o̷̧͝ b̵͇͆a̴̤͗c̶̝͐k̶̜̈?)


A headache brought itself into existence, but I m̵͚͙̟͕̤͇̈́̎̈́͛̓͗͋͋͠a̷̡̘̭̝͇͎͊̅̆n̸͇̼͙̙̪̪͔͙̹͑̑̌̽ạ̵̧̱̼̣͇̑̈͋̋͝g̶̡̡̭̣̏̾͝ē̵̻̤͈̣͇̫̭d̴͖͚̦̈́̓̐̇̕ to keep it under wraps as I accumulated the remnants of the murky substance in the center, and didn't hesitate to kick it elsewhere.

It flew sky-high over the background of sea-green oceans and boundless strains of sand, and splattered against the wall. The gooey texture smeared the rims and edges before the cracks seamlessly absorbed it.

Not a speck was left. As if I had imagined everything.

The technicality was lost to me, but parallel to white blood cells helping the body fight diseases and whatnot, my subconscious provided these mechanisms to safeguard itself from any intruder or the harm that might befall.

A.k.a. Me, on account of not having a handle on my brainpower yet.

As my invisible friend said long ago: "If one cannot control themselves, one shall forever be locked in their own mind. Until only a shell of what once was remains."

Which is a thing, apparently.

No problem. Exposing myself to my inner thoughts and demons is surely going to be perfectly fine!

'And yes, Dubbilex. That was sarcasm!'

Although, in a morbid way, whatever this gift was-curse? Ability? That last one sounded way nicer than calling it a freak of nature... Ahem, I preferred to view this ability as a form of comfort, as it's also the reason I can maintain images of the real world without succumbing to the endless seas of boredom.

Got to be positive around here. Especially now that I can provoke my hands to twitch. My real hands.

No wonder he kept fussing. Though, I gotta admit, thanks to his tips, my stimulus has shot through the roof-

I paused for a second, waiting for him to interrupt me for answers about shooting, and why the target range was a roof specifically.

Those seconds passed. That sequence turned into minutes, and minutes t̷r̴a̷n̶f̴o̵r̴m̷e̶d̷ into an uncomfortable period of stillness.

'Dubbilex?'

My answer was not quietude, but complete silence.

'Wait.'

The atmosphere f̷̲̀a̵͈̾l̴̡̈́ṱ̷̆ē̵̯r̸̖̓ḛ̶̓d̴̫̔, crumbling from the unstable foundations I built it upon, scattering the memories of beloved areas I had visited when I was a "normal" human.

Regardless of being fixed in place, I ran out of breath.

I had no face, yet water strolled down from it.

'D̵̡̲̹͔̼̘̖͗́́̀͘͝O̴̠͓̥̰̬̮̾͘N̷̹͍̞̯̠̆̇̈́͐̄̈́'̶̢̞̞̘̿́͂̎ͅT̸̡͔͖̋̃̄̀̆̕ ̵̢̯̂͌̆͗G̶̨͉̭̬̪̲̑̄Ỏ̸̞̱̹͖̙̽̐͐̈́̀!' Without a voice, I screamed.

I could listen without ears to the conversations of the Outside; feel with no hands the heat of those around me, and having no lips didn't impede me from detecting the metallic taste tainting the air.

The fragments shattered one by one, exploding the blackened glut arising to devour the pleasant dreams.

I had interacted with Dubbilex in a roundabout fashion, but that was plainly another reminder of my confinement in perpetual darkness. My world of darkness.

Yes…

That's how it should have been.

(̷̧͕̹̩͍̭̱͕̫̝͚̗͖̻͚̓͊̎̂͋̅̔̓͝N̸̙̱̰̹̱̥̼̖̺̥̟͘ǫ̷̻̜̯̞͈͓̊̇̀̇ m̸̡̨̡̘͉̮͈͔͍̖̘͎̬̩͖͑͊̇̿͌͌̌̌o̷͎͎͙̖͑̈́̑̈́̇̈́͗r̵̢͈̱̯̪͔̳̱̣͖͍͖̃̏̌̊̾̏̅̅̍̽̒̂͐͑͘͠ͅę̸̻̞̠̩͕͌̋̏.̴̛͉͂̅̀̀̄̽)̶̢̧̪̟͇̟̜̱̩̜̬̣̮̖̋̂͋̑͆̍̏̑̊̃̌̍̌ͅ
*Badump*


I p̵̢̖̟͉̯̱͉̖̺̮̹̮͓̦̠̠̻͖̤̎̒͂̇͐̾͋ͅu̷̱̰͇͚̬̠̠̮̮̰̾̌̓̐̀̃̒̃̆̓̈́͋͐s̵̡̨̛̰̫̲̖̬̗̘͕͙͙̝͔̳̪̅͛̉̈́́͂͂́̏̂̾͆̊͂̿̚͝͝h̶͚̭̟͇̣͙̣̾e̵̮͎̪͈̲̤͎̰̼̓͗͑d̵̡͓͔̭̫̪̝͍̟́̔̓͑͌̑͑̋͗̊̿͝ͅ.

Hollow rootstocks stretched out to ravage the tenebrosity, guiding the path to the source of my troubles and anguish.

(W̴̛͕̺͓̟̝̍̿͐͋̃̍̇͝h̵̡̛͙͉͈͓̥̤͎̀̋̒͒̆̆̓̈́̕y̶̼̝̝̽̍̐͆̃̽̿ ̸̰͇͒͋̌̆́̆̀̕d̸̡̢̧̯̹̦̑̍̐̋̈̎̍͜͜ö̴̲̦́̉͛ń̵͇̌̃̃͂͗ͅ'̵̝͈̰̪̦͒́̎̋̀͊ţ̵̤̝̼͈͙̝̞̝̙͑͋̊͂̽ ̴̮͉̳̿̓̃̉͐̊͜͝y̸̻͌͋͒o̶̥͑̾̈́ü̶̢͉͕̺͖̱͘ ̸͎͚̠̪͔͇̩̭̼̃̏̈́̂̀̒l̵̡̢̹̟̟̭͎̱̩̘̓͂̈́̓͝͝ě̶̤̞̈͒͑̊́á̶̳̖̤͉̥̠͚͇͑̿̓̾͘v̷͔̳̭͖͛̂̍͆͗͌̕͝ȩ̸̠͔̭͉̖͋̈́͑̂̌͆́͂̆̕͜?̴̗̩͚͆͂̕ ̶̭͖͍̖̜̬̞͖̟̓͛̏̆͗̏̊̍̀̽̚͠ͅ˙̶̧̨̧̨̡͎͙͉̤̺̞̜͉̟͋ʎ̷̛̺̱͈͕̮̣̦̣̳̺͓̩̦̾͌̀́͌̔̿̂́͜͠͠ͅs̷̬͉̫̀̂̓̆̂͐̅͊͒ɐ̶̗̙̯̓͂͊̋̉̽͂̑͋̈̈́́̒̉̽̇͠͝ǝ̷̨͍̙͎̱͋̎̈́̇̈́̋͂̓̑͛͒̔̒͂̚͘͘͠͝͠͝ ̸̟̮̟̗̗̻̺̗̬͎̗̼̱͍̪͎̯̤̼͕̎̌͑͐͊̄̍̎́͊͌̉̀͗͑͆͘̚͠o̴̠̪̓̀́̐͛͗͒͂͋̆̎͛̎̄́̅͊̈́̐̆͠ś̷̢̺̮͕̯̟̦̗͈͓̫̩̈̄́̏͘͜ͅ ̴̜̗̋̂̈͋͑͋̄͒̂͜͝s̵̛̪̱͉̯͈̙̯̗̤̫̺̺̟̘̠̞͇̻̀̾̈́́̈̀̈́̇͗̏̒̇́͂̈́͛̂̓̋̂͘͝͠ͅ,̷̛̜̤̤̟̳͉̥̰̑͌̌̃̾̽͑̾̔̔̚ͅʇ̸̛̦̯̹̰̐̓̓̏̋̓́̆́͒͂̿͆͗͆̌̒̃͊͐͘͝I)

And p̵̢̖̟͉̯̱͉̖̺̮̹̮͓̦̠̠̻͖̤̎̒͂̇͐̾͋ͅu̷̱̰͇͚̬̠̠̮̮̰̾̌̓̐̀̃̒̃̆̓̈́͋͐s̵̡̨̛̰̫̲̖̬̗̘͕͙͙̝͔̳̪̅͛̉̈́́͂͂́̏̂̾͆̊͂̿̚͝͝h̶͚̭̟͇̣͙̣̾e̵̮͎̪͈̲̤͎̰̼̓͗͑d̵̡͓͔̭̫̪̝͍̟́̔̓͑͌̑͑̋͗̊̿͝ͅ.


The steady and strong barriers preventing me from interacting with the corporeal realm quaked uncontrollably.

(̸͚͇̲̝̻͚̭͖̺̍̀́͆̊̉̽̃̀͋̈͌̉̀̕͝Ļ̴̜̺̝̫̯͙͓̳̅̌͛̇͊͗̅̓̽̓͘̚͝e̸͉̩͎̦͛́̃̔̑̐̏͗̍̀̓̓̽̌̇̈́̿͘à̴͚̠̘̼̣͍̙͓̼̆͐̉̈̔̈́̔̕̕͘̚͝͝v̴̨͎̗͉͕̪̰̲͙̯͉̥͉̱̓̔̂̏̕ę̶̛̱͑͊̆͊.̴̙͇̗̺̣̪̤̱͍̤͗͛ ̴̢̨̢̧͓̘̲͔̟̤̝̪̩͔̹̩̝̎͛̔̚͜͜L̴̨̦͉̫͖͖̝͇͓̳̙̰͛̍́̀͑̈͊́͆̄͘͝ȅ̴̢̦̭̱̞̚ȧ̷͈͗̎́͂́̇̐̽́̋͑͘͠͠v̸͇̯̯̰̣̤̲̹̙̞̠̭͇̰̽̽̄̉̿͝ē̷̡̢̗͓̦͇̳̹̠̙̪̝̖̯͑̀̔́͜.̴̧̰͙͖̭̲͔͕̩̞̺̭̝̥̇̃̀̇̌̉̄̕ ̶̛͓̬̻̭̱̫̻͓̼̱͙̅͋̎͒̐͆̒̿ͅL̵̛̛̞̏́͛͋̓͑̌͂̑̽̾́́̐͝e̸̢̧̜̼͈̺̬̝͖͋̆̂̿̈́̿ạ̸͚̫̙̤̰̳̼͔͌̄́̚͜v̷̖̝̬͖̙͚̪̖̍͐͐̉̓̇̀̓̈́̅̓͊̎̊̚e̵̢̨͓̭̩͋̃̾͆̏̈́.̶̥̼̪̟̞͔͎̰̼͉͉̓̾ ̴̖̟͇̘̩̳̳͜͠ͅĻ̶̨̮̞̠̫͇̣̺̺̱͉̫̥̗̟̻̔̊͗̐̕͝è̸̢̢̲̳̭̤̪̭̜͕̙̣̙͔̿̐͝a̶̢̨̢̧̡̺͚̳͙̼͖̳̖̤̺̙̮̼̒̃͗͒͜v̷̡̢̳̭̦̬͔̭̗̹̜̖̜̋̓͝e̶̜̖͐́͒́̓̿͐̉͒̆̕͝.̵̺͌̅̈́͛̌͊̎̔͊̑̄̉̈́͋̕) ̸̧̰̦̺̩̟̪̬̰̬̗͍̲͍̪̰̤̼͗̋͒̆̀̈͆̍̈̏̿̈̚̚͝͝͝
*Badump*


And I p̵̢̖̟͉̯̱͉̖̺̮̹̮͓̦̠̠̻͖̤̎̒͂̇͐̾͋ͅu̷̱̰͇͚̬̠̠̮̮̰̾̌̓̐̀̃̒̃̆̓̈́͋͐s̵̡̨̛̰̫̲̖̬̗̘͕͙͙̝͔̳̪̅͛̉̈́́͂͂́̏̂̾͆̊͂̿̚͝͝h̶͚̭̟͇̣͙̣̾e̵̮͎̪͈̲̤͎̰̼̓͗͑d̵̡͓͔̭̫̪̝͍̟́̔̓͑͌̑͑̋͗̊̿͝ͅ some more. To what end? I did not know.

All I knew was that I needed to get out.

(̴͎͙͈̯̇͜Ǧ̷̘̭͕̥̬̙̪͂̍͒́͝͠͝ờ̴̃͌̐͛̒͠͝. T̷͈̟͕̒̎̍h̸̡̖̪̗̲̥̟̻̳̠̜͎̤̗́̔̾̎̐͐͗̑̌̽̀̿̈́̿̚͠ȩ̸̨̧̛͙͙͔̻͖̹̬̲̮̦̞̪͚͉͖̥̈́͑̓̅̾͌̈́͆̕͝ŕ̴̡̨͈̟̭̫̦̱̈́̈́͆̃̂͌̾̒̇̆̔̂́̕͜ė̶̡̛͕͙͉̬͍̗̖̣͚̬̣͒́̑̾̒̅̀͘̚ͅ ̸̢͈͎̲̹̫͉̱̩͈̝̞͍̠̬̼̼͉̮́̿̈́̽̄͑̽́͂ͅi̵̧̛̮̠̟̗͍̖͙͗́́̌̅̈́̈́͒͊͜ͅs̶̡̥̻̫̩̱̹͎̽̇͂̽͋̄̿̒͆̕̚͝ ̶̨̡̧̠̤̘͇̖̼̝̩̗̖͍̥̥̭̞̈́̓̈̅̌͑̊̕͝ͅm̴̧̹̖̳͚̖̙̔͌͐͊̈ơ̷͓͙̤̠͚̓͋̽͂̽͋̔̒͗́̽̓̚͠r̴̢͚̪͈̟͎͎̹̻̼͛̐͌͛̐́̒è̸̪̟̻̘͔̻̥̱̩̘͚̭͌͋̚͘̕͠ ̴̢̡̮̲̤̻̺̲̣̭̫͈̠͓̈́ͅẗ̶̨͚̖̘̦̥̝̗̥̩͇͇̲̞͓̜̹̯̳́́̔͛ͅẖ̵̺̜͎̺̘̮͔͈̣̼̓͒̀̆͘͝ã̷̡̪̳̯̻̻̻̘͋̃̆͛̉̒̉͛̓̏n̵̡̧̟͕̦͖̳̬̜̜͇̰̲̪͙̟̈́̽ͅͅ ̸̧̪̲̘̗̩͈̰̜̮̰͖͈̩̣͇̣̣͊̃̄̌́̾͒͗̂̄͐̇͘͘͘͜͜j̴̼̼͈͇͓̳̓̉̇̅̉̉̽́̉̐͂̊̈͒̈́́̈́ų̷̖̺͈̗͍̹̬̀̿̑s̴̫̱̞̞̫̦͇̠̲̥͉̞̗̻̗͎̱͂̂͊̿̄͊͛͌͘̚͝͝ͅt̵̢̲̺͉̣̰̞̩̜̳̺̹̣̰̊̀̐͗̎̅̈́̚͜ ̷̢̢̛̝̜̘̯͈̙͙͔̲̫̬̀̏̍͒̂̆́̃̋̅̈́̏̐̓̄̈̉̚͠͝ͅd̴̹̺̺̺̫̠͔̮̣͆ȃ̵̡͚̝̥̘͖͈͙̳̪̞͚̱̳̭̑́͗̉r̸̛͔̜̥͚̺̟̭͇͎̘͓̺̹̿̌͐͒͛͑́́͆̽̏̏̽͒̋́͝ḵ̶̨̡̧̨̛̗̜̺̲̣̳̰͕̫̯̹̦̤̀n̵̙̬̜̺͓͕̿̎̀̅̅̉͆̉̑̄̃͆̚͘͘͝͝ͅͅe̸̡̨̤͉̟̞̻̲̅̊̏̄́̋̀̉̅̉̋̂̽̆̑̕ś̵̢̢̲̯̣̟̝̫̹̗͈̲̼̓̈́̒͆̔̅̄͂͒̎͌́̂̃͐̋͆͒́ͅs̴̔̌́̅͗̄.̸̡̢̢̛̛̤̣̥͇̀̆͌̀͐̓̀̀̓̒̽̓̉̃̉̈́͛͆͠)̷͚͍̼̪̜͈̘̖̻̃̍̑́̾͒̈́̊̐͒̔̇͘̕


*Badump*


The world I once discovered, explored and cornered myself in, dissipated into the gloaming birthed from the fissures.

(.̷̧̨̨̢̬̭̩̭͖̗͖̬̺̩̳̟͕̺̠͕͓̹̉͋̇B̶̼͔̹̺̙̽̊̏̐̒̃̓͐̔͘ŗ̵̛͍͕̥̺͉̾̀̔͌͒͌́͛̉̀̂̂̃̄͝͝ë̵̢̡̧̛͕̟͖̥͔̙͙̜̞̱̪̞͇͈͓͙̪͎́̍́̒͊̀̄̏̆́̆̿̓͘͠ͅͅa̷̗͙̹̘̫̼̦̼̋͐͑̀͌̑͊̿͆̽̀̂̍̓̓͊̆̂̈͝k̵͚͍̻̭͓͕͇̦̺͎̙̙̖̞͉̩͙̦͗̈̈̏͒̕ͅ ̴̨̛̪̪̣̼̦͍̤̬̱̣͈͊̈̄́̾̓̚͘͜l̵̲̟̙̮̿̉̃͗̆́͛̃̏̉̊̓̅̾̕͘̚ǫ̷̧̬͖̹͙̟̜̼͈͔̖̣̬̔̊͛̅̀͌̆ó̷̡̩͈̯͔̙͔̟̭͙͇̗͂̑͗̿̓̅̎̿̀̀͒̊͂s̷̹̼̼͎͓̻̞̜̼̜̖͎͚̮̺̙̻̝̠̟̪͕̿̑̈́̄̎̍̆̅̉́̄͝ë̵́͋͛. ¡̷̧̡̧̻͍̬̻̜̟͎̝̟̮̩̹̥̞͎̱͇͖̭͎̫̝̣͓̱̪̲̖̻̯͇̤̠̬̫̠͚͈̳̔̐͂̑̍̉̑̈̀̅̌̀̎̅̑̐̑̐̈́̀͜͝͝ʍ̵̨̢̡̛̞̭͕͖͇̰̠̞͉̖͓̱̻͔̟̹͚̠͍͕͎̜̠̫̩̦̪͉̤̥̌̽͂̂̋̎̃̑͌̅̓͛̎̋͝͝͝ͅǝ̸̢̡̧̛̞̪̩̘̪̙̲͉̹̮̳̪̳̫̣͓͈̹̮͈̲̝̪̠͖͎̹̮̳͓̳̯̳͉̲͍̱͇̘̟͖͕͉̺̒̅͆̾͊̈́͌̀̾̈́̀͂́̈́̆͂̀̿̓̄͑̎̽̉͆̑̍̾͂̐̃͊͛̑̔͋̏̏̂̈́̄̈̚̕͘͘͜͝͝ư̶̧̡̢̨̝̠̪̤͕̱̖̘͖̼̰̖̹͔̙̣͚̼͚̯̯̗̗̺͙̘̋̐̍̐̉̐̾̍̃͋̈́͆́́̅̃̃̅͂̋̒̽̏͊̊̃͐̈́̈̔̑̄͒͊̓̄͋̈́̀͂̉̀̇̕͘̕͘̚͜͠ͅɐ̴̱̹̳̖̏̂͑̈́̔͂̆̈́̀̎́͆͌̿̿̈́̀̏̌̂̀͗͗̓͘͝ ̵̮̽̌̓̈̓͊̓̆͊͗͑̄͝͝ș̵̢̛̛̝̰̂̾̃͂̏͒̂̆̄͗͂͂͂̄́̍̈́̆̑̊͊͋͌̈́͑̋̋̓̅̌̉̎̇̂͂͂̈́̌̂͘̚̕͠͝n̸̘̗̪̙̰̄̑͊̿͂̔̄̔͗̾̾̀̍͂́̋͑́̒̋̈́̐̇̉͗̋͂̂͊͋̂̑̃́͘ ̶̡͎̻̼̗͚͓̱̜̞̫̰̓͘ų̴̡̡̧̨̛͉̠̠̞̗̠̮̳̪͎̻̱̳͇̥͈̺͕̘̥̖̠̫̮͖̽͋͛́̐̄͋͗̈́̄͛̃̉͌̎̐́͜͝ᴉ̴̛͔̩͚̘̠͉̖̪̭͔̳̗͇̤̬͓̺̩͖͔͚̣̗̤̮̈́́̅̾̍̀̓̈̃̄̄̒̅͋̅̕̚ͅɐ̷̢̨̢̨̡̡̧̛̞͓̦̦̭͍͙̰̦̟̥̮͉̞̱̖̙̪̭͚̝̙̜͍̗̘͖͙̭̖͕̙̣͎̼̭̤̜̬͗̈́͑̅̎͑̈́͌͒̋͛́̽̆͛̌̄͋͋͗̓̃͛͛͘͘̕͝͝͝͝ͅͅʇ̷̢̢̢̢̨̧̛̺̙̞̮̖̱̝̳͖̣̲͖̥̯͕̺̺͎̺͇͙̞̮͈̈́̇̀̀̌́̂̎̋̌͐̃̀͛̽̍̇̐̆̿́̓̄͘͜͜͝͝ɹ̴̛̠̖̖̙̲̜̻̜͚͍͍̂͐̀̈̌̏̊̈͆̄͑̒̍̃͐̿̿͐́̑̾̌̄͒̅͑͂̏́̑͘̕ǝ̸̨̧̛̹̠̯̰̥͇̗͔̙̠̰̲̥̤͉̬̺̤͉̳͇̟̤̹̬̠͓̙̥̝̳̗̻̈́̍̈̃̾͜͜͜ͅʇ̴̢̛̳͙̭̓̇̈́͑̆̊̂̅͛̇̈́̃̽̈́̇̄̍͋̈́̍́̌̄͋̈͆̾̒̈̂̒̓͆̈́̽̆̽̾̽̑͠͠ͅư̸̧͚̪̝͉̘͈̹̰̻̺͓̟̠̺̥͇̰̦͕̬̩̭̰̻͕͙͈͖̭̤̘̱̜̮͇̰̩̤̞̪̟̍̾̅̊̈͜͜ͅǝ̵̢̨̫͓̟̺͕͇̗̩̟̹͖̭̲͚̼̙̳͑͐͆̊͆̏͌̈́͒͆̋̇͂̊̌̈́͗̊̀͆̎̌̒̄̎̿̑̈́́̉͆̽̃̈̈́͒̄́̑̚̚ͅͅͅ ̵̢̢̧̧̧͇̖̮̫͚͙̗̺̺̟̰͔̙̯̝̹̠͉͓͇̺̩̬̱̩̗̹̝̟̲̮̤͛̔̿̃̑̒͛̑̐͌͊̒̋̃̊͛̿͂̚̚͝ͅp̷̧̡̛̗̟̬̭̘̩̯̦̩̺̙̟̱̼̦̍̒͛̉̍̊̆̔̀̑͋̒̐̑̍͐̀̍̕͝͠ͅũ̶̡̢̧̢̱̭̞̙͖̯̥̗͚̪̬̣̲̻̘͍͙̗̎͆̐̀̈́̓̒̏̀̄̓͑̚͠͝͝∀̴̢̧̡̧̡̛̲̞͕̻̻̦͎̥̣̝͔̹͓̰̩͇̭̱̥̬̗̩͍̤͍̰̪̲͎̱̭̫̮͎͇͇̰͕͙͋̉̅̊́̍̈́̒̈́̈̍̋͆̽̀͐̐̽̄̎͛̌̌̏͆̎̕̕͠ͅ)

I didn't have eyes, yet I saw that glimmer of hope…
*BADUMP*

*BADUMP*


The wall collapsed, and I r̷̨̧̨̟̝̣̭͚͕̠͚̭̟̳̝͙̝͇̜͚̺̬̠̜̜͓͙̺̦̣̜̖̮̯̯̦̠̦̪̹̖̤̓̄̓͋̈͐͒̔̓̈́̓͛̓͘͜͝ȩ̴̡̯̯̯̳̜̪̤̗̺̣̺̬̖͛̉̿̄͑̊́̂͊͂́̈́͋̔̍̊̑̇͋̓̈̈́̆̂̄̏͐̈́̑͂͜͜͝͠͠ͅą̸̧̣̺͚͇͚̹̙̺̭̆̓͆̈́͛́̈́̄̏̇͒͛̊͘͝c̴̡̨̡̩̱͖̤͈̦̬̘̙̩͍̗̯̖̼̬̳͔̳̩͉̙̺̘̗͈̦̱̘͎̙̳̳̪̬͔̥͚̳͖̗͉͛͆̈́̎́͂̉̒͑̊̄͆̂͋̀̌̅̒͑̿͐̈͛̄̑̇̀̋͒̋̇̏̉̚͘͝͝h̸̡̢̡̠̜̖̠̜͙̦̳͉̙̭̖̪͙̓̌̉̐̌͋̾͜͜ͅȩ̷̦̫̩͚̹͉̫͚̮͍͔̲̠̪̣̦̝̖̼̃͛̾͂̀̔̓̈́̾̽̏̋͆͂̂̽́͒̍̈̈̒͆̀͂͂̋̓̑̀̂̌̌͘͘͜͝͠͝͝͠d̸̡̢̡̬̟͇̙̗͔̱͙̜̣̝̰̮͍͉͕̺̼̗̱̰̮̃̎̄̆̓̆͛͌̽̈́̈́̊͑̎̓̃̀́̍̐̾̎̄́̚͜ͅ out for the light.

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°:☽。.。☽:*・゚゚・⭒​


There was no eluding the absence of color that coated wherever I found myself. W̵̧̰͙̺͎̑̔̐̕͜ḣ̷̗̝͎͙͓̞̑̊̕ȉ̷̘̹͇̲̙͙̹͊̐͜t̴̝̹̗͇͍̰̉̋̇́̈́̽͘͜ę̶̧̡̫̻͙͈̈́̑̿̿̈͝ enveloped me alongside the over-the-top luminosity it shed.
"Uuuuu?"

I w̸̪̤̮͙̻̜̼̪̲̣͚̱̮̞̮̍̊͛ͅḩ̷̢̡̨̞̳͙̦͚͊́̉͆̿̄̌̀̓̚͘͘̕i̷̢̡̡̡̨̤̜͔͕͖͇̙͉̹̼̙̖̳̥̗̭̯͇̠͚̲͔̟̻̲̣̮̖͕͐̈̍͗̅̽̏͘͠p̷̡̧̢̢̡̛̛̲̹͓͈̼̪̭̳͚͕̮͍̗͓̣̬̞̪̪̗̥͇̞͈̤̞͍̀́̽͒̒̌̋͌̋̏̏͌̀͂͂̔̊͛̍̔̅͐̕̕͝͠ͅp̵̡̡̧̡̡̨̢̛̯̣͇̪̰̯̝̠̥͎̙̲̣͕̼̻̖͕͕̐́̅̏́̈́̃̅̂͌̂̿̇̿͑͐͌̓̃̏̽̉̄̊̿̀̉͋̆͊̚̚̚̚͜͝ͅͅę̴͍̟̤̫͉̯̣̲̺̪͓̬͍̬̖͍͇̑͐̀̏̔͂́͒̍ͅͅͅd̷̨̡͇͎̯͈͉̦̯͍̤̭͈̥̉̌͛͛̈́̈͑͗̀̾́̕͘ my head to the enunciated pronunciation. The proximity was too close for it to be echoing.

Voices haven't been so near before, so clear. But while checking where it stemmed from, nothing appeared.

'H̵̯̥͇̉͛̑͋̂́̄̃̔̆̃͛͘̚̚͠͝ę̸͕͎͖͓̣̖̝̮̺͚͎̥̰̲͎̬̭̗͐l̵̦̻͉̆͐̈l̷̡̨̡̼̩͈̪̪͚̱̟̞̽̆̏͆̀̈́͒̈͘̕̚o̷͚͈͍̪̤̳͕̩͖̜̭͍̺̅̃͊̇̄͆̾̚̚͘ͅͅ?' I decided to try my luck.


̷͎͖̲̳͖̲̗͉̥̫̗̤̗̞̖̪̉̓͊͂̓̃̋̆̈̍͘͘̕ͅͅ(̸̡̪̘͉̙̦͓̳̬̣̙̯̣͔̰̤̬̯̤̳̳̬̇̂͂̅̀̍̀̈́̇̂͒͗͋͊̉͆̃̅̀̾̊̔͠͝¿̸̨̨̢̛̺͈̮̺̱͍̮͚̠͓̬̹̜̳́̀́͛̑̏̃͌̌̃̊͛̿͂̊́͘̚͝͝ǝ̷̨̛̛̭̦̫̪̳̠̘̺̪͊̉͒̍͊͂̄̍̄̓̋͌̑̈̐͌͗̒̐̏̏̑͒̒̇͊͌͂͜͝ɹ̴̛̤̲͓̉̂̀̏̀͊͛̀͐̄̆̓̃͒͌̈́͊́́̋͆́̎͒̌̑̇͒͑̏̂̓̅̾́͑͋͗̔̓̀͛̕͠͠͝ǝ̴̡̛̛̞̞̱̮͚̬͖̭̤̺̼͍͈͕̖̦̮̽́̏̉̃̂̀̿̿̄̓̋̔̐̇̊̾͂̄͑̀̆͘̕͝͠͝͝ɥ̵̧̨̘̩͇̻̱̹͈̈́̐̐̿́̏̔̔͒̀ ̴̨̧̡̢̦̝̣̫͖̫̳̗̭̼͈̜͈̖͉͉̙̖̳͓̪̯̣̜̱̞͍̜͔̺͈̼̮̹̥͇̬̩̗͍̻̓̔̈́̽̀̈́̄͆̋̏̒͆̓̈́̏͐̆̿͗̍̆͑́͊̉̓̊̈́̕͜͝͝ͅǝ̶̢̢̨̡̨̛̛̦̰̟̦̩̯̜̩͕͔̳͔̱͈̱̟̀͊̂͑̋̃͑̀̊̒̓̿̒͑̈̄̑͂͘̚͘ʌ̷̢̧̡̢̧̩͚̹̰̘̰̞̙̤͇͓͖͍̮͉̰̻͚͖̻̥́̎̍̏͒̓͆̔̀̿̀͒̽̒͛̇̒̀͊̏́̇̾͘͘͝͠ͅͅɐ̸̢͕̳̲͚̦̫̟̿̒̋̅͌͆̍͐̽̀̾͌̾̚̚͜͠͝ɥ̴̡̧̦̙̯͙̥͓͕̺̯̯͍̳̝͈͇̦͓̹͍̹͚̜̤̓̄̉͑͋͊͋͗̽̅̃̽̃͌̚̚̚͠͠ ̵̢̡̛̣͉̼̤̥̮͚͙̂͒͛̈͑̎͒̎͛̌̾̈̅̏͌̈́̅́̏̄̅̅͌̔̇͌́̑͋͆͂̾͘͘̚͜͝ǝ̵̧̢̢̛̟̗̰̼͚̞̟͕̮͉̖̥̜͕̳͓̥̥͖̪̰̪̞̟͈̰̰͙̲̲̲͓̑̒͂̆̑̀͌̍̓̇̈́͆̅̄̃̓͛́͐̉́̍͒̎̋̚͝ͅʍ̶̡̛̗̲̤͍̟͇̩̟̠̻͈̠̱̼̩̼͎̪̠̠̻̠̱̥̠̳͕̉̆́̈́̾̀̈̓̈́͊́̂̅̏̑͒̀̈̒̐̈́̅͒̎̌̌̐̆̆̃̏̇̓̕͘͜͜͝͝ͅ ̸̢̧͖̠̹̪̠̺̺̥͗̽̈́̔́́̋̅̇̈́͒͋͛͛̃͝͝ơ̵̧̢̧̧̩̰̜̪̯͙̻̪̭̖̱̪̬͕̦̻̭̰̲̟̞͉͎̓̈̾̄͗͑̓̒͊̅̓̾̈́͌̃͌̽̔̂̍͐̀̎͗̏̈́̄̈́̽̇̚͘̕̚͜͝͝͝ṕ̵̢̡̧̡̨̛̼̣̥̗͉̤͖̺̥̤̜̱̜̖̜̳̩̩̭̘̗̲͖̥͔͈͚͍̻̟̯͎̹̭̙̖͇̳̲͂͒̏̏̃̆͋́́̽͛̈͌̓͛̊̓̀̐͋͐̄̈́̾̃̀̽̊̽̑̐͒̐͌̒̈́̀̓͑͛̿̚̕͘̚͜͜ ̷̝͖̝͓̋ʇ̴̠͉͉̭͎͉̼̹̼͍̲̫͕̜̞͕͔̗̙̱͚̻̼͎͔͎͒̇̉̌͜ɐ̴̡̢̨̢̡̧̡̛̛͎͍̯͍͍̠̳̠̲̠͇̦̬̩̜̜̠͍͓̙̫͎̗̭͇̮̹̦̰̤̝͎̭̗̝͓̪͇͐̑̋͒̈͗̉̀͂̑͂̊͒̇̅͌̀̂̔̓̿̀̎̓̾͆́̈́̑̃͛͜͝͝ɥ̶̢̛̺͚͇͔̫͕̲̫̫̞̥͎̜̪̞̠̻̣̦̩̫́̾͐̂͋̐̾͆͗̐̍̆͂̊͒͋̓͂̂̓̋͊̅̈̀̓̏̇̋̓̀̀̐͑͛̐̚̕͝M̸̨̨̛̰͚͚͔̟͈̣̌͛̄̅̈́̉͒̽̍̈́̎͂̂̆͌̎̋̄̔̎̋̈́͒̂̎͊͗͠͝ ˙̡͔̘͙̜̦ʎ̶̛͕̭̣̳̎̿́̓̍̓͊͆́́̄̎̑͛̐̃̽̈́̾̾̈͘̚ɯ̵̨̢̛̛͔̘̣͎̦̼̬̤̳͔̻̟̜̗̭͖̞͕̺͚̣̦͚̠͚̦̹̅̎͛̏͗̆̑̏̈́̏̇͐͋́̄̐̎̉͂̾̈̋̆̓͂̀͋̅͑͌̓̊̌͑͊͆̅̚̕͝͝͠͝͝ͅ ̶̡̨̡̢̛͍̙̼̱̯͉̙̘͕̙͈̯̦͗̏̈̃̌͌͆̂̈́͐̓͋̈͂̓͂̃͗̇̽͊̀̔̒̏̐̅́̃͐̿͆͛̚͜͝͝͝ͅͅ'̸̢̪̰̳͍̪̬͈͕͎̰͓͈̫̣̤̘͎̙̫͕̤͇̟͍̲̭̠̖̘̫͙̬̉̍͒̋̓̂̊̽͋͜͝ͅͅʎ̸̧̨̧̡̮̰̯̳͍̜̣̦̮̺̥̩̘̹̭̦̲̺͎̪̥͈͖͉̖̰͑́͑̈́͂̄̋̉̒̿̑͆͛̇̚͘̕ͅɯ̷̛̱̒̐͗̓͐̔̾̏̃͂̽͂͛̚ ̴̛̰͕̺̤́̎̽̎͊͊͝'̸̛̛͍̳͔̬̮̋̂̈́̈́̋̋͌͂̍̆͊̏̈͐̑̈́̈̈́̊̑̀̏͌̽̏̍͗͋̿̈́̂̓̌͘͠͠͝͠ʎ̶̧̢͍̫̫̺̰̠̫̙̼̄̉̅͌́̊͐̑͑͌̂͗͗̽̂̊̾͗̐̈́̈́͑͌̔̓͐̌̐̽͒͋̚̕̚͝͠͝͝͝ͅẆ̶̢̨̢̝̖̩͕͎͓̫̪̘̣̤̰͚̖̫̤̹̠͙̻͕̺̜̼̯͓̯̣̑̈́̏̽͛̐̍͗́̐͗͑͋̈́̐̿̓̔̓̋̀̃̊̏͗̍̃̈̽̔̒̑͘̕̚͜͝͠͠)


Instead of receiving a r̴̳̯͉̞̖̠̟̄͌̇̇͑̆ͅȅ̶̢̨̻͚̼̦͓͚̟̻̘͎̰͍̣̥̼̺̪̥̪̞̼͉̼̲̣͋͗̎́́͋̅̿̄͂̊̋̌̽̏̽̐̉̇̔͗͘̕̚̚͜͜͜͠͝s̸̨̢̡̛̛͖̤̣̺͎͎͈̺̖͇̳̱̭̗̘̼̞͍̜̖̪̫͈̦͇̭͈̘͇̠͈͗͜͜͝p̵̡̢̢̡̯͕̰̙̖̗͖̩̫͚̮̪̻͎̦̲̤̘͎̟̫͈̺͔̱̩̲͎͇̩̼͋̏͛̊̽̏̿̀̉̋̓͘ơ̴̡̨̨̩̻̮͍̠̞̲̹͓̺̯͕̤̯̠̲̪̦̱̼̩̝̖̝͙͉̳̯̪͆̾͂̓̈́͐͌̔͛́̓͆̿͂̏̈́̃͗͐̈́̾̑̑̾̀̉̈́̋͛͛̈̍͗͘͘͜ͅn̵̡̧̪͉̫̙͍̲̻͉̳̮͖̍̈̃̒̆̄̓̎̂̀̓̈́̂̈̓̔̈̊̆̇̒͊̈̊͌̏̈̀̈́̈́͋͆̌̇̈́̎͆̀͘͘͜͝s̷̢̧̢̡̨̧̧̛͉̼̼̺̦̤͇̫͔͖͉̭̱͙̺̪͔̲͙̩̗̙̍͛̋̏͗̄̂̊̽̍̇̓̈͊̃̇̇̉̉͒͛͆̈́̍̓̊̇̀͊̓̒̂̄̚̚̚̚͜͝͝͠é̸̢̢̨̨̛̠͕̲̦̺͖̱̩͔̙͕̗̞̱̜̰̝̮̝̹͉̣̙̦͕̝͔͙̞̗̖̝̖̱̞́̐͑̆̋́̿̀̃̑̍̏͒̏͐̀̊̌̀̀̑̂̒̂̓͒̓̆̅̈̍͘̕̕͘͘̕͠͠something radiant floated down from the top of the false ceiling s̴̨̗̝̳͕͔̞̭͕̽̀͑́̋̋̀̈̉̎͒̅̍͜͝ẗ̵̢̜̳̫̞̭̬̞̮̯͈͔̥͚́͋̀̌̎̒̏̿͝͠r̶͕͈̭̫̰̝͖̠̙̼͙̦̺̅́̑̂̆͛̾̕ͅǘ̷͓͓͔̯̇́́̏͐̉̐̀̀c̴̡̀̅̐͋̂͗̈̃͐͋̈̈́̀͘͜t̷̰̫̙̹̖̻̙̰̥͚͈̖́͑͒̐͑́̔̈́̂̋̾͑̊͘͘͜ͅu̴̧͈͚̥̤̺̜͚̭̩̬̞̥̠̭̐̓͊̎̆͛̃͋͆̋̾͒͋̚͘͝ͅͅȓ̸̢̨̧̪̺̤̪͍̱̻̺͖̦̈́ͅę̴̦̠͖̤̩̥̺̠̜̘͔̅̑̓̎͆̈́̓.

Extending my arms, I cupped my palms and carefully caught the oddity. A tiny, shapeless thing. It was so tiny that a simple breeze could blow it away, and it would be ̶̨̛̩͔̱̤͕̘͎͔͉̻͔̖̲͈̩̩̉́͐̊͗̆̌̀͑͊̕̚͝͝͠ͅg̶̛̬̋̿̋͆̓̎͑̏̓̀̀͘̕̕͠͝o̴̪̬͉͐̊̎̃̊̃͑͌̏̍̋̃͛̓̂͝n̵̨͕̬̗͚̝̝͇͙̩͖̺̝̫̹̿̽̈ͅȩ̶̨̛̛̞̲͓͔̪͈̱̥̺̖̲̼̲̭̖̹̞͖̫̲̭͓̖̝̝̺͖͓͉͊̈̿̑̓͗͆̑̀̾̉͑͊̀̏͛̔̈̽͐̕̚̚͜͠ͅ ̵̡̢͕̍̀̐͌̑͊̆́̂́̊͆̅̚͠͝ͅf̴̤̹̗̌̽̈͜ȍ̵̧̭̪͔̬͔͚̹̝̪̭̖̺̲̯̳͚̝́̚͜͜͝ŗ̴̞͚̥͙̗̮̼̥̠̬̹̖͊̉͌̓͐͆̌͒̀͛͋̂̈́͛͂̋̂͘͝ͅe̴̡̧̛̛̲̗̗̙͍̭͕̲̱͉͙͚̟͈̹̱̦͙̮̜̅̅͛̍̒̿͌̾̉͒̈́̂̿̽́͆̅̓͆́̓̊́̍͒͆͋͜͝͝͝ͅv̵̢̡̡̢̼̣̗͉̳̼̣̲͕͔̻̱͎̥̬̟͈̱͔̣͈͉͚̥̤̦̈́́̎͌̔̀̏̔̈́̾̅̏̾͌̀̀̃͌̓̔̈́̎͛̊̓̑̓͘͜͜ę̷̧̢̢̛̛̺͇̩̩͔͉͍̥̜̠͉̜̱̖̗̣̭͕̦͇͎͚̮̟̳̹̹̬̤̭̇͌͛͛̋̑̓͌͗̾̃͆̇͋̈̿̏̒͌͗͑́̎̀͆̔̐̐̚͜͝ͅŕ̵̬̭̠̎̉͗̓͐̆̊̾̈̔͂̓̓̀͝͝͝͝.

In contrast to the bright, pale backdrop, the little light glowed in a bluish tint.

I wasn't unnerved by it. In fact, I was actually relieved for some reason. It made me want to protect it. The warmth, the calmness, the soothing...

Almost as if...

I recognized where I was, and who had spoken to me when I arrived.

That's impossible! The only ones I've interacted with were the ghost I was searching for and-
*Badump*


An oh so acquainted beat.

My limbs froze in place and became stiff at the realization of whom that heart belonged to.

No, no, no.

I fell to the pristine floor. The spongy surface belonging to the new settings did not comfort me in the slightest.

Unaware if it was my inner or outer bod that was quivering, I took a shot in the dark and whispered to the twinkling star in my grasp, praying desperately to be wrong.

'Othe?'








*Badump*

*Badump*

Oh.
*Badump*

*Badump*
"uUUuu."

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆


Disclaimer: No children were harmed in the making of this chapter.
☆'.・.・:★'.・.・:☆~~ヽ(⌒▽⌒(。。 )

Dubbilex: I will be back. Do not do anything foolish.

SI: *Proceeds to barge into someone else's mind.*
 
Last edited:
A Transformation to Remember

I... have nothing to say.

Huh. That's a first.


As your bright and tiny spark,

Lights the traveller in the dark.

Though I know not what you are,


Twinkle, twinkle, little star.




You know, figuring out you could do heebie-jeebies mind stuff wasn't how I imagined my day would turn out.

If I did, subsequently my non-existent eyes wouldn't be as wide as saucers from the way I was staring openly, and rather stupidly might I add, at the source of my current bafflement.

Which was a kid. The same one who I had chanced upon during my first escapade through the walls of the Outside.

…Sort of?

I tentatively nudged said kid, who reacted by emitting faint flashes of light.

As in, aglow.

Frail.

And… blue.

I, uh, I don't believe children are supposed to glow or pop up as small-scale, spherical kindles. He even fit right into my palms!

Then again, individuals don't usually strand themselves inside of their heads, much less intrude on other people's. Something that I, apparently, somehow managed to accomplish.

(I didn't ask for this! H̵̠̮̪̠͒͂̓̄͑̍̂͘o̶̢̺̺̖̳̹̤͕̝̬̲͗͌͋̄͆͋̽̚͠w̶̭̼̿̓́͑̑͝ ̸̙̯̫̘̠͍͗̀̈́̐̓̈́̚ç̵̥̦̲̓ŏ̸̮̝̒͛̍̒̍̒̈́́u̴̧̟̫̇̏l̶͍̩̱̘̯͉̣͉͚͒̓̌̔͆̂̔̈́̆̓̄͜d̷̪͗̌̉̿̽͐͘ ̷̨͖̲̺̪̲͚̬̐̂Í̶̩̤̗͇̤̥͌͝͝ have–I̵̢̧̮̰̜̟̰͎̘̼̫̳̝̼̻̮͓̼̟͋͆̓̄̈́̍̅̊̔̽̇̈̒͜'̶̛̛̝̤̻̣̤̱̩̂̒͂̆̀͛͋̈́̄̇͘͜m̵̧̧̯̮͖͔̫͍̻̱̼̬̠͇̘̻͎̗̝̼̔̈́̀̒̉̐ ̶͈͉͇̾̾͆̀̏̓̈́̌s̵̭̜̳̠͓̫̠̞̿̓̇̇̅̉̓̕̚̕͜͠ỡ̶͚̭̙̲̬͆̌̐̄̄̏̆̌͂̅͋̉r̷̙̻̭̱̗̜̳̊̊͛r̵̀̍̃̈́̆̆̃͐̆͑̐̀̂̽͂̃̓͜͠͝͝͝y̶̧̡̧̡̛̰̱͎̥̩̯̠͇̯͎̣̥͇̙͉̼̼̐̀̒̏̿͆̕.̷̧͇̞̙̰̗͓̩͓̥͗̎͂̈́̏͛͌̿̊̃̈́̀̔̀̏́̎̚͘̚͝ I̶̧̝̰̝̺̺̩̙̖̻̥͙̘͖͈̝̜͔̝̲͖͕͓̪̲̹̭̹̼̔̈̉̐̃̋̈́̋̇'̶̡̣̳͉̲̗̰̭̬͔̘̪̙̥̼͙̰̜̹͍̟̠̟͍͕̙͕̕ͅm̸͈͒̀̅ ̵̢̡̧̛͙̤̩̖͎̻̤͔̞̠̘̈̓̓̇̄̀̆͊͑̽̄̄͋̂̀͂̏͑͐̀͘͘̚̚͜͝͝͝͝ś̶̨̧̛̛͙̜̞̭̩̞̠̫͔̟̣͖̳̤̱͍̱͉̜̻͉̩̪̿̓͆̉̒́̊̓͆͌̃͌͒͆̋̎̌́͜͝͝͝͝͠ơ̶̡̢̧̨͔̹̞͇͉͍̯̫̻̭̜̥͈̮͔͒̆̓̐̾̏̋̀̔͜͜͝ř̴̤̘͕͖͙͙̬͚͕̣̊̓̾̏̍͂͗͒̕̚͝r̵̢̡̡̧͔̰̗͉̬̱̪͕̻̞̠̮̖̭̰͇͓̥̿͜ͅͅͅy̴͎̤̼̥͌͝!̷̙͍̼̼͕̳̠͒̌͋̔́̈͑̑͐̌̔̀̾̀́̀̈́͋̆͋͒̚)


As if hearing conversations from far away or studying the creatures from the Outside wasn't boggling enough. Now I have to deal with this whole debacle.

If there's one thing I've learned during my unwanted vacation here, it is that the laws of nature and common sense don't exactly apply. It produced more questions than answers, but at least it clarified some of the crazy shenanigans occurring all around me.

Still, ẗ̸̢͔̤̣̮̿͜ͅḧ̷̨͚͈̭͚̬̭i̴̫͕̱̲͍̹͗́s̷͎̘̥̦̦͎͔̟̖̽̊͌̒́̽ was the cherry on top.
"U Uu uu."

I tried to find the proper words for the ball of light, but found myself tongue-tied as he curled closer to the nubs I called hands.

In my ghostly friend's declassified mindscape survival guide, or basically: How To Use Your Brainpower 101 For Dummies (patent not included. Dubbilex heavily emphasized that tidbit). It interprets how everyone—and I mean everyone—has mental defense mechanisms.

Whether it's subconscious or with our acknowledgment, those defenses will surge as an avatar we can relate to.

People we admire, respect, or love, recollections of places we have strong attachments to, or good feelings allocated to particular objects; we will invoke anything we identify as a "safe place" into guard dogs within the bounds of our psyche.

All to ensure our protection.

(W̶̡͎̦̼̰͙͉̲͓̯̗̘̙̜̝͔͗͊̿̐̓̊̍̀̈́̀̋̈̆̿̈́̀̊̚͝͝ă̵̡̛̞̮̹̫̤̹̲̠̘̑̌̈́͗͝ì̸͉̹͖͙̿̈̂̾̍̿̉̔͛̅̚̕t̷̢̧̗̗̥̲͚̣͉̘͖̣̘̙̠̰͙̹̟͆́̅̏̃̚͜.)

If you're the one parading around in your head, you'll see a personification of yourself. It's trickier to explain, but it comprises the outer appearance of the present you manifesting in your inner world.

An exact, intangible copy. And few have the knowledge or desire to change themselves otherwise.

Why would they? If the eyes are the window to the soul, then our thoughts, our convictions, and our reveries are the reflections of our true nature.

Shallow waters that mirror what kind of person you are deep inside, and it was something fundamental that even you could not deny. Regardless of what the truth was.

But…

(D̵̡̢̢̧̛͕̼͉͔͓͖̥͕̥̼̰͎̞͎̞͙̲̝͚͉͍̦̼̫͚̟͚͈̐̄͑́̿̈̆̄͗̎͋͌́̅͒̃͂͑́̈́̾̕͠͠͠͝͝ͅͅǫ̷̠͓̣̣͎̺͚̪͈̯͙̰͙̘̣̬͚͔̝̹͍̭̣͇̣̯͉͍̗̗̘̣̠̥͍̲̗̣͍̗̲̔̈͒̒̑̓̀͆̐̓͑̉̊͌͑͒̎͗̔̽̀͊̊̊̀̈̿̉́̎͑̊͘̚̚͜͝͝ͅe̷̢̧̡̧̨̧̡̧̨̡̛̼̟͖͔̲͙͖̙͓̠̲͇̭̻̦͇͍̖͈̩̪̻̲̳͈̰͎̺͎̰̩̣͈͎̣͒̿̆̀̑͂̒̏̓̐́̾͂͑̎̀̓̊̀̉̇͑̃̈͊̆̾͂̇̈́̈͑̆̋͒̏̐͒͐̍̀̾̏͘͠͠͝͠͠ͅͅs̷̨̨̨̨̢̡͍̭̼̗̥̤̥̞̪̙̜̘͉̖͍͇̝̳̩̤̤̗̭̳͇̣̗̖̯̆̀͜ͅ ̸̡̡̮̖̭̜͔̲͖̻̥̦̬̻̲̤̫̮͎̰̳̩͋̃͂͌̈́̇̌͒͋̉̑́̍̓̽̈́̽̄̅̐̂̅͒̊̎̔́̇͒̾̆͐̑́̌̍̒̄̃͝͠͝͠͝ t̷̡̨͙͖̤͚̼̠̬͍̖̳̻̝͈̝̮̪̙̼̝̣͖͔͔̗̤͉͓̔͌̄̍͆̏̾̅͗͆͑̓͆̈́̈́̊̈́̊̋͆̚͘͜ḩ̶̢̛͕͓̃̾̌̅̊̐̄͒̐̒̈̃̓͑͗́̈́̀͗̾͑̚̚ͅǎ̵̧̡̛͉̥̻̞̯̭͎̘̞͎̟͉̣̮͖̫̙̜̩͉͕̣̠͍̯̓̿͆͊͊̽̊̄̓̋̀̊̿̆͑͐́̿̐̂̿̌͊̃͆͐́̓͆̚̚ͅť̸̢̡̛̲͚̻̲͇̺̩̻͍͔͕͔̜͔͓̼̦͚͇̻̣̦͙͚̩͈̝̖͍͈̠͎̰͕̤̱͆̀͌̎̎̈́͊̌̈̍͐̂̈́̚͜͝͝ ̵̡̡̲̲̞̺͓̫͉͔̗͈̞͕͕̭̩̬͔̖͓͓̩̗͎̭̫̻͍̜̤̜̞͈̪̹͖̭͓͈͎͚̓̉͑̂͂̔͒̀̏̉̐̑̒̀̈̿̀͘͜͝͝͝m̶̨̢̩͔̤̫̦̻͉̯̯͍͉̮̣͉͚̍̆̾̋̃̑̒̓͆̇͂͒̓̚͠e̷̙͎̙͋̅̅͒̐͂̈́͊̒̈́͐͋̒̈́͊̂̀͒͛̆̌͑̈́͋͆͐̚̕̚ą̶̩̤̼̳͚̳̬̜̦̯̲̯̪͓͔̦͓͖̥͖̪͍̲͔̀͐͂̆́͋͒̏̒̊͑̃͋̌̊͊̃̿̌͐̆͛͐̾̀̏̌̐̄̾́̄̽̚̚̚͘͜͝͝͠ͅn̷̛͕͂͂̍̽̿̎̉̄́͌̀̆͊͆͊͝-̷̎̊͌͐̓́̍̅̚͝)

'You don't have a sense of self.'
I whispered, aghast, taking in the vast white room.

The space that should represent Othe was devoid altogether. His very essence all amounted to a wispy, almost phantom-like luminescence.

I caressed him, softly tending his formless lapis lazuli body, surprised by the minor quakes in his glimmer increasing along with the radiance. Not because I gauged him to be scared or have negative sentiments, but because those movements belonged to tremblings akin to what I assumed was glee.
"uu UuuU!"

His peal of laughter was silent, yet flared so vibrantly with an azureous intensity.

As if barely cognizant of self-awareness. Close to what a newborn's mindset looked like before attaining the childhood phase.

And that's what unsettled me the most.
"UuuU?"

A sense of self allows humans to recognize themselves, understand and tune in to their emotions, thoughts, and actions. Because a form of identity is crucial to grow and live on, to distinguish reality and connect ourselves to it.

He doesn't comprehend much. If anything at all. Purely an instinct that I can't fathom that's allowing him to interact with me. And if he, a child(?), took so long to emulate sounds (mentally or verbally), then it puts into question…

What else is he missing?

(Am I…

I

N

C

O

M

P

L

E

T

E

?)


*Badump*

Every little creek on the Outside suddenly sounded a thousand times indistinctive.

Hushed, muffled.

A slow and steady match had been lit, and the heat in my hands felt like it was on fire and would spontaneously combust at any rate. But it was a good flame, one that reminded me of a campfire sheltering their campers from the dangers of the wilderness and the starry sky.

Maybe time crawled to a slowdown because it had triggered a primal flight reaction or something like it. A massive flood of adrenaline shooting through me like a drug and made me feel alive.

'Hello again!' I braced myself, hugging the miniature sun.​
*Badump*
*Badump*

Besieged in a world lacking color, hearts pounded with each trail thought fluttering similar to a hummingbird's wings. Beating so loudly I expected it would be heard for sure.

'Do you know how long I've been waiting to meet you?'

(Far too long.)


An ineffable emotion flowed forward. Happiness? Wistfulness? Joyful yet longful?

It couldn't be defined. Neither could the lad in my grasp. 'Ever since the day you welcomed me into your presence.'

Because he wasn't just some random person in the same circumstances as me.

'Thank you...' This boy, the warmth and tranquility that percolated through his light, assembled the missing parts of me.

Roughly like I was… whole once more. Telling me I wasn't alone.

'For being my rock, my anchor, Othe.'

For he was my other half.
*Badump*
*Badump*

*Badump*
*Badump*

Our worlds hummed as they interconnected with one another.

There were no bells to be had; solely drums booming and thudding with a sonorous fervor. Blaring both blue and red incandescent shades across the blank canvas.

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​

"UuUUuuuuuuu…?"

'No.'
"UUu uuuU."

'Not that either.'
"uuuuu!"

If he could pout, I bet you my broken ass wallet he'd be doing that. Probably wear a frown on his mug every day. I just know it.

The pace he was twinkling with was a dead giveaway.

'That's not even close! Think really hard, then project outward your intentions.' I twirled my cookie dough figure and extended a fist to the empty air with a zest for emphasis.

'Punch your feelings into it and BAM! You'll be speaking and walking like a pro, but looking better than me. Hopefully.'

Alright, I might have gotten ahead of myself. Being a teacher was harder than it looked. Who knew?

Dubbilex made it seem so easy with his cryptic Yoda approach nonsense.

Maybe it had to do with the unfilled space in his head, but even with my lackluster explanations, Othe absorbed everything similar to a sponge. The little firefly was flying left and right after cracking the secrets to maneuver through his mindscape. Although crashing and tumbling from the outskirts of the walls toned it down a peg.
"Uuu Uuuu."

Despite that, what he wanted to express with "words" was inconceivable for the moment. That didn't prevent us from understanding one another, though. I'll keep the complexity of the system we had been working on to myself.

We need no more bullshit under our belts.

Still, I had to give credit when it was due. He was, after all, young. A quick-witted kid that started to learn by picking up on my sentences (that was some time ago, right?). Mature in a sense, but a 5-year-old nonetheless.

(I discerned him to be younger than that. Or was my imagination running wild as of late? I wonder if this is how Dubbilex felt whenever we interacted.

Either way, I recognized how messed up that was on so many levels. The implications make my blood boil.

When I get my hands on his progenitors, I swear I'll-)


My stubby arms reached out, only for me to face plant into the ground every time I strived to grapple the eager light.

With each step I took, huffs of ragged breathing would exude from my Oompa-Loompa framework, while Othe was having the time of his life hovering about.

Being short sucked.

It was already challenging to manifest my ability under my domain, but in someone else's territory? It was downright brutal.

Unless I had a stronger will than the original host… and subsequently broke them in the process. Which wasn't going to happen under my watch. I was alright with being out of my comfort zone, specially since I'm technically trespassing on Othe's mind.
"UU uuuUuUuu uu!"

*Badump*​

I sensed our surroundings shifting, and the familiar bleached environment transformed. One of foxtail lilies enlarging from a sea of green, and the endless celeste airspace with puffy iridescent clouds above us.

…And Othe had shortly corrected that fact, and blatantly permitted me to do whatever I desired.

Didn't your parents alert you that all strangers might be potentially dangerous?
"Uuu?"

I'm thankful for the change of scenery, but please don't grant the keys to controlling your brain to a gal you just met. Or anyone. Period.

'I'll explain why in the easiest manner possible, among other matters. In return, you come over here and I'll show you pretty stuff such as… this!'
Plopping on the bogus grass, I patted the area beside me and snapped my metaphorical fingers.

The patch of land did nothing. The pasture structure blew against the breeze I summoned, swishing absently the beads of dirt from the roots.

Before they acquiesced and flourished to the prairie's surface. The verdure delicately rearranged itself and birthed large stalks, branching precocious six viridescent dot-like freckles on its sepals. Flowers grew and sprung forth into the innocence of an early spring, carefree youth, and hopeful, glistening petals shaping themselves into snowdrops.

'What can I say? I'm a bit of a green thumb.'

I stroked the thin milk-flowered Eurasian plants. And turned around, unfazed, to view Othe buzzing around the perennial blooms with childlike curiosity.

'These are called Snowflakes. I didn't peg Dubbilex to be a flower guy, but knowing him, he left me these with their symbolism in mind.' My giggles saturated the atmosphere. Albeit with melancholy permeating from the absence of my mentor-slash-friend.

'When you're more aware, I want you to comprehend that if you're ever struggling, and feel as if all hope seems lost, remember this…'

I grabbed the spheric child and moved him closer to the florets. 'We have the ability to overcome the challenges in our lives. A reminder that you can do great, unimaginable things in life–if only you set your mind to it.'

'There is nothing that can make you fail if you have the drive to succeed!'


There's a reason why the mind is man's greatest tool. If you can firmly believe, then anything can become a reality.

Anything.
'uUUUUUuuu???' He casted a navy blue luster over me. Presumably aiming for the flowers.​

'Oops, almost forgot. Dubbilex is a cranky grandpa, but on the inside? He's a huge nerd. Fanatic, I say. A sincere sweetie and harmless to a fault. He couldn't stop gaping at all the concepts I presented him with. And get this...' I exaggerated my motions by waving up and down.

'He's a GHOST!'
'UuUuUu UUU!'

'Well, the accurate term is genomorph, but even I don't know the fu–er… fudge nuggets, that is. Yeah, let's go with that! Which… you won't realize what a ghost is, anyway. Geez, this is worse than when I was teaching Dubbilex about Earth-'
'UUU UU UUUUUU!!!'

'Um, Othe? Can you lower the brightness a tad? It's-' The diffused light intensified, so when I brought my "palms" to block it and continue with the conversation, well…

A hand, an actual hand, gleamed back.
"Uu uuuu."

Gobsmacked for who knows for how long, and for how many times ever since I had been whisked away here, nobody could judge me for staying there stock-still. Tracing not the pallid chibi botched physique I had going on, but the honest-to-god skin.

Pinkish, clear and consistent texture patterns. Blemished faded scars were visible when I wiggled the five lifelike fingers attached to it, gratifying the warm, shining beacon of starlight in my clutches.

It took me another lengthy period to recognize I was blinking for real this time, genuinely captivating the cognitive realm to memory.

The body I had forgotten.
*Badump*
*Badump*

Othe's slipped out and nested on my scalp. And with no shame or embarrassment whatsoever, I used my freed, newly/closely acquainted palms…

And touched the salty tears dripping to my lips as I began to ugly cry.

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


"-cerebrum activity is remarkable-"

"-begin education? How soon? Were we not giving time-?"

"-haven't you heard what the procedure entails? It precedes the creation of the weapons."


Stacks of papers swooshed, and a pair of red irises observed attentively.

"Not much, I am afraid. Merely rumors of recovering a metallic casket. Is that affirmative?"

"-primitive, but tests marked it positive. Per request, Desmond collected the remains and recently distributed them among the staff to experiment with. I'm amazed nothing transpired at your end-"

"-policy indicates accelerating their natural growth for deployment, but-"

"-yeah, all batches have ended in total
failure. If it can be even called that way. That destruction and cellular collapse… I've honestly never seen anything quite like it."

"... me neither…"

"-Ha… in this line of work and age we live in? Anything's possible nowadays. But rules of rules: repeat the process until it succeeds. Return to the testing phases before Desmond gives us an earful. And don't neglect
they've designated it as-"

"I see."

Dark scarlet glows could be seen reflected on a grayish limb, and a scientist standing motionlessly in a lost daze.

"That is all."

Dubbilex pared down the mental probing, and kept the latterly gained presage to himself.

তততততততততততততততততততততততততত​

SI: "Teach you, I will. Master this, you shall."

Othe: *Literally just pronounces and extends the letter U.*

Meanwhile...

Dubbilex: "Do not mind me, I am simply…."

Dubbilex: "...pursuing a hobby."

A/N: Nevermind, knew I forgot something.

2 chapter left before we catch up to the other sites. Then I'll be off the grid and who knows when I'll be updating?
 
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Lost One's Weeping


When the blazing sun is gone,

When she nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,


Twinkle, twinkle all the night.





"Do you have your report?"

"Never leave home without it."


Eyebrows furrowed. "... Dark humor doesn't suit you. Don't forget to turn it in or-"

"I know, I know-"
Machines beeped. "Who's the jackass that keeps locking out the servers?"

"-regardless of their studied professions, not all interns are adept at operating facility equipment. And please keep your colorful language to a minimum during work hours-"

"-which is always."
A witty remark.

"-we wouldn't want the Genomorphs picking it up-"

The clone under her charge grunted.

"Well, excuse me, your majesty." He replied in what she interpreted as a sorry-not-sorry tone.

"You don't mind, do you?" He asked, turning his attention to her.

Red eyes caught his blue ones.

Blinking slowly, the Genomorph shook her head.

"See?"

Dr. Spence broke her professionalism and groaned at his pithy observation.

As always…

Bob watched.


━●∘◦ ◦∘●∘◦ ◦∘●∘◦ ◦∘●∘◦ ◦∘●━​


('Humans desire peace yet bear arms to attain it. They pursue freedom at others' expense. Save to circumvent killing, kill to save millions. Heinous acts for the benefit of life… Heroes, villains. Good or bad. The world is complex.'

'Dude,' I stared at the empty space, 'I just asked for your favorite color.'

'I see. From what I have gathered from your hippocampus… neocortex… and amygdala, I would say…'

There was an infinitesimal pause on his part. I could hear a fizzle in our connection before he replied.

'Midnight blue.' Then his words ceased.​

I would've pestered him about why he was snooping around my memories. However-

HiPpocAMpus, formationofnewmemories about experience events and declarativeMemorywith sensorydeTAils. AMydGala, following an event influencesthesTrength of the subsequent memory by eMotioNal-

-I don't know how in the hell I knew that, or how information was vomited into my brain.

I tossed all of those questions out the window because of one thing I perceived about Dubbilex.

His tone sounded the same, but why…?

Why did I sense it was somehow off?

'Look,' I rubbed my nubs against my head and sighed. 'I won't lie to you. The world's fucked up. It's messy and broken and truly all kinds of shit. In spite of that…'

There we stood in silence, watching scanty clouds veiling the makeshift sky. Its blue hues appearing purer, and the sky itself, more open and vast.

A capricious and clear autumn sky. The end of a growing season.

'There is beauty in a broken world. Don't you think?')



⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


I can hear the inhaling and exhaling process my body undergoes. Deep and fresh as I immerse myself in my world. The strength in my legs with every step taken, how heavy they sound as dirt and grains tug between my shoeless toes. And although it's unnecessary, my eyes flutter open. Wide and evident to witness how far the abundant grove stretched out before me.

Bumping into one of the many creations in my path, I plucked roundish fruit from a sapling bearing thin red skin and crisp flesh. They buried roots deeply underground to store and absorb water and protect their labor from the heat above them.

'Apples, huh?' I made my thoughts known, noticing that my voice was somehow distinct from when I first conversed with Dubbilex. Brisk.

I couldn't help but bust out a tune.

'Apples are food,~' I fiddled with the hardened yet squishy texture in my grip, not needing to see the juices pouring out of a single bite. 'Apples are yummy.~'

The sun stayed steady and the line in my mouth curved upwards. My expression finally changed the way I wanted it to.

'Into the mouth,~' I pointed to my face where my lips were broadly open. I wiped off the reddish peels lingering there and patted the center of my body, jiggling it slightly. 'Down to the tummy!~'

"UUu-uuuu-UuU!~" A succession of high pitches in rhythm and off-key notes warbled.​

I wasn't about to refute Othe's singing, so I kept rendering the melody of a bygone childhood of magic, a round-eared mouse, and cassette tapes.

'Mm-mmm-mm, I like food!~'

"uuuu-UU-uuu.~"

Setting him on my shoulder, I climbed the tree, feeling the firm woody branches. They creaked as my hands brushed their lobed leaves and ripe fruits.

'Yummy, yummy food.~'

"Uu-Uu-u-UUU!~"

I reached the top where the bark creaked most and sat upon the branches. My jaws finished the apple to the last drop as we stayed still. At peace.

It's scary to see how the mind works.

And how easily it can imprison your views of reality. If I didn't know better, I'd expect I was actually picking fruit on a farm.

Just Othe and me. A ray of sun and an unfortunate human.

Water trickles down my face.

Some consider crying to be a sign of weakness.

To that, I say: total bull.

I emphasize the role of crying as a mechanism that allows us to release stress and emotional pain. Crying is a crucial valve, largely because keeping difficult feelings inside—random info floating around my head calls it RepreSSIon coPing—can be problematic for our health.

Everybody feels sad, stressed, scared, and frustrated at times. I guess what I'm struggling through is similar to any stay-at-home person, but nobody can grasp my current situation, my misery, and my overwhelming days. How can they?

Having no fucking shape until now has eaten me up inside.

We have all broken down, some more than others. It's a natural part of life.

We need never be ashamed of our tears - Thank you, Charles Dickens. I couldn't have said it any better.

So yeah, I wasn't crying.

'BWAAAAAAH!'

I was bawling my eyes like there was no tomorrow and making excuses for doing so. And the literal ball of sunshine was fretting because of it.

'Just got something in my eyes, that's all.' I sniffed, trying to calm him down as he rubbed against my cheeks. Warm and bright.

There's no greater nobility than to offer one's shoulders and dry one's friend's weeping tears.

You're such an awesome pal, Othe.

I won't admit that out loud, though.

The last time I cried was because I laughed too hard during my days of no inner body. I had learned from the Outside about an Alex going to arrive with some Clair, who I think was his date.

Him? Her? Ugh. That name is adopted by all genders, so I'm left in the dark regarding that topic, but who's crazy enough to bring their date here?

Maybe Alex should research into how to grow hair instead, as another worker mentioned.

"uuU u?"

I smiled wobbly as Othe chimed in.

The peace is ruined by the reminder that, for the life of me, no matter how much I crammed into his mindscape, sentences were the one thing that didn't stick.

Impressions? Sure.

Colors? I got you covered, but words?

Oh, boy.

Likewise, numbers are out of the picture, and animals… by the gods. He can't tell the difference between a bird and a fish. Othe merely follows them around which, while cute, isn't helping. (I don't know how he can pull off looking like a curious little puppy.)

Don't get me started on the other stuff.


Although, it's amusing to note how his speech resembled the grunts of the garbled sounds

I've added it to the ongoing list I had and so far, I've categorized 25 different "grunts" that might not be grunts after all. Well, would you look at that!

Or maybe I'm getting ahead of myself and they are, indeed, simply grunts. Still, something to consider. At least nursery songs and idyllic scenes get a reaction from him, even if it's only because they're interesting.

All I know is that, even if he doesn't realize what they are, he enjoys them.

I will not force him to understand. Everybody has their own pacing.

Whoever tries to help a butterfly out of its cocoon kills it. To help a sprout out of the seed destroys it. To awaken a consciousness in someone who is not ready confuses them. There are certain things that can't be helped, they must occur from the inside out.

So, while he's mellowed and unconsciously in touch with my emotions, I will endeavor not to figuratively and literally tear my hair out whenever he hovers near the images I conjure up to add to my storytelling.

It seems Dubbilex isn't the only one that finds utter enjoyment in fairy tales and fiction… but did Othe have to twinkle and circle the Superman projection? What's up with these people and their obsession with capes and tights?! Curse you, DC!

Wait.

Now that I think about it, who else did I bring up?

Captain America, Breath of the Wild Link, Saber, Finn the Hero, Dorothy, Artoria and Sif…

Okay, I regret rambling about that particular story. This is because once I explained their tragedy; I exploded into tears again, and it made Othe cry even if he didn't understand why, and then we were both left in a sobbing pile. So, I chatted about something happy in Donald Duck's voice, and-

My fingers counted each name I uttered and, ah.

I think… he likes the color blue as well.

I scratched my cheek, feeling the tiny mole under my left eye, and I remembered.

My eyes are blue.
' ̴͚̪̬͓̰͕̒̌ͅ˙̶̨͚͎͍̤̻̜͖̖͗̒̋ʍ̴̢̪̩̞̬̞̯͖͙͖̳͈̌̈́͌̓͜͝ơ̷̛͓͙̺͚͖̐̃̌̿̎̿̀̎̀̊̎͜͜ų̷͔̜̣͇̼̰͖͍͕̙͔͉̞̟͂̾̾̚͝ ̴̡̛̬̬͇͙̭̫̞̪̳̪͙̔̿ͅɹ̵̡̮̟͑̑͗̊̉̿̄̕̕o̴̡̩̦̣̘̗̫̜͔̯̺̪͐͋͛̄͜͜Ⅎ̵̛̛̫͚͐̋͂̄'

Strands of hair tickled my neck, and I brushed them back as I played with the short bangs framing my face. Examining how each lock reflected Othe's white snowy mind, before returning my hair to its black oblivion sheen.

How could I forget such a minor detail?

This is my body we're talking about.

.̷̡͝.̵̲̚.̴̖́ŗ̴̔i̴̳͐g̴̻̓h̵͔̿t̶̠͂?̸̬͗

"UU!"

I looked down and snorted, covering my mouth to restrain myself from coming across as a maniac.

Smooth, semi-solid foam suspended in a structure of water, sugar, and ice crystals dripped from Othe's sides. He kept glowing and moving up and down with a face replete with frozen delight.

'Is this ice cream?' I asked incredulously. 'That's not how you… Ah, whatever.'

I knelt and removed the excess of the soft, whipped treat of milk and cream from his glimmer. 'You like it?'

"UU uu UU uu!"

Never in my entire existence had I seen someone nod so quickly.

This time I couldn't stop the rising full-blown laughter, 'Wait till you see the real deal.'

'Yes,'
my eyes crinkled, matching the intensity of Othe's bluish body, tilting at my declaration. 'My treat. In fact, it'll be our first destination once we leave here. Promise!'

Having the embodiment of a kindling star as company has its perks. Like the flame of a lantern guiding you, you are never lost in the dark.

(Ì̶̢͈̙͔̯̤̰̝͙͖̪̺̪̩̪̻͔̍ͅͅ was a broken carcass, and he the last light that remained in the darkness.)

*Badump*

*Badump*


*Badump*

*Badump*

Like a tiny cocoon, we rolled into a ball, feeling reassured in each other's presence. Praying for nothing but a better outcome for us.


⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


(Dubbilex carried on in silence, feeling what could not be felt.

The many impressions of life beyond labs.

Fragments of freedom never grasped.

The wind blew. The seasons ushered in.

And finally…

The beautiful, beautiful world was broken by his words.


'Are you aware this is not real?')


⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆


Daily Report


Subject: Female.

Growth Period: 6 weeks.

Observations:

Initial 10% recessive genes have increased to 30%. Scans show the two bumps protruding from the skull, coinciding with neither original donor. G-Gnome neonates produce conclusive results.

Resistance to [Access Denied] has been fruitful, contrasting antecedent analyses. To prevent earlier derangements, the [Access Denied] genome has been adjusted to 30%. Gaps are filled with [Access Denied] by 30%.

Responses to mental commands are satisfactory. Neuronal activity and synergy when placed next to [Access DENIED] have risen by 20%. Diverged from the initial 5% potential for [HIGHER CLEARANCE REQUIRED].

The remaining parentage has yet to be identified. Further measures were promptly implemented to prevent contamination from the ongoing [CLASSIFIED. UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY HAS BEEN DETECTED].

[SHUTTING DOWN STATISTICS]

[SHUTTING DOWN FILES]

[SHUTTING DOWN…]

Conclusions:

Violent tendencies detected. Manageable. Approved stratagem to control and push to [Access DENIED]'s direct line of fire.

Growth is steady. Standard weeks are in line with the former prognosis.

The increasing instability of Project [Access DENIED] can cause it to be destroyed if taken from the pod beforehand. Previous report lists necessary precautions. Termination used as a last resort.

If the final product differs from the set parameters, Project [ACCESS DENIED] is to be stored in the Cadmus ice chambers until further relocation.

Alternatives are injecting the influx supply of [ACCESS DENIED]. [ACCESS DENIED]. KEEP AWAY FROM [ACCESS DENIED]. Unless you're inept and not taking your job seriously, I'd highly recommend omitting that last option. Untested samples with extreme destructive capabilities CAN and WILL have unforeseen results.

-Dr. Harper.​

[FURTHER ACCESS HAS BEEN LOCKED]

"Again."

The world outside quaked by the slamming of ice and grey creatures containing a feral clone back to its pod.


তততততততততততততততততততততততততত


SI: *Eats, cries, and sleeps.*

Othe:
*Allergic to words.*

Dubbilex:
*Bad with technology.*

Dr. Harper: *Just chilling.*

Dr. Spence:
*Done with her life.*

Bob:
*Loves drama unfolding.*

A/N: Apples have many symbolizations.

In this case: wishing for good health and future happiness.

A hope for a sweet year ahead.


( ˙▿˙ )​
 
Last edited:
Laconic Messages

Then the traveller in the dark,

Thanks you for your tiny spark,

He could not see which way to go,


If you did not twinkle so.







'Start.'

Sleep. Eat. Learn. Sleep.

Eat? Sleep? Learn? Words. Speak. Meaning.

Sun? Warmth.

Warmth? Power.

Power? Weapon. Weapon? Super. Enhanced.

Super? Enhanced? Alien. Alien? Replace. Kill. Replace? Kill? League. League? Enemy.

Enemy? Word. Conflict. No Light.

Light? COMMAND.

Humans. Human? Lesser. Superior. Lesser. Superior. Lesser. Superior- Weapon. Serve. Light. Humans. Diverse.

Diverse? Weaknesses. Larynx, lungs, liver, kidneys, subclavian artery, spine, heart. Anatomy. Anatomy? Parts. Squishy, humans. Weakness. Target.

Target? Obey.

Obey? Sun. COMMAND. Red. Glow.

Red? Glow? Obey.

Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Learn. Eat. Sleep. Asset.

Asset? Weapon. COMMAND.

*Badump*

Heart.

Loud.

Heart? Loud? Sound. Beat.

*Badump*

Beat? Sound. Hear.

Go. Go? Direction. Way. Left? Right? Left.

Heart. Soothe.

Soothe? Discard. Keep. Discard? Keep?

'Youngling.'

'Will choose?'

'What, I wonder?'

'Has little one chosen?'

Red. Glow. Blue. Glow. Blue? Color.

Color? Life. Life? Choose.

Choose…?

…No obey?

Sun. COMMAND.
'Rush.'

'No rush.'

'Time, still.'


'Start.'

Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Learn. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Eat. Eat. Learn. Kill. Kill. Kill. Learn. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Weakness. Magic. Magic? Life. Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Weakness. Green. Color. Rock. Rock? Life. No weakness. Superior. No lesser? Sun. COMMAND.

*Badump*

Warm. Warm? Warmth. No power.

Warmth. Warm.

Heart. Beat. Warm!

Sleep? Rest. Rest? Life. Daily. Eat? Food. Food? Color, taste, smell, touch, feel. Feel? Warm, cold. Cold? Feel. Life. Human. Living.

…No weapon?

*Badump*

Heart. Feel. Warm.

*Badump*

'Choice made.'

'Result, inevitable.'

'If that is little one's choice,'

'Then little one must go.'


Cry. Cry? Loud. Sound. Sad.

Sad? Lonely. Unhappy. Feel, emotion.

Emotion? Touch, feel, cold, life. Heart. Beat. Warm.

*Badump*

*Badump*


Beat. Happy.

Happy? Smile.

Smile? Life. No weapon. No sun. No obey. Out.

Out? Away. No Light. Away? Go. Direction.

Out!

Sleep. Sleep. Eat. Eat. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. No kill. Sleep. Eat. Learn. No kill. Heart. Beat. Soft. Warm. Reach. Reach? Go. Direction. Reach. Weapon. No weapon.

"Hello?"

Voice.

Voice? Sound. Soft.

Weapon. Reach-

̷̢̬̹̌̚͝,̶̙̌¿̶͎͇̇̅͑l̴̞̀ǝ̴͇̉s̴͇̩̾̀s̴̡̨̜͛͌̊ǝ̶͎͊Λ̸̧̛̾̌,

̷̫̇̉͝,̸̨̼̗̃˙̶̤̱̽ʎ̶̢̠̫̿̍̽u̶̢̩̍̇u̴̡͍̾n̵̖̻̠̊ɟ̸̖̂̚ ̸̤̱̙̿ș̷̭͊̚ᴉ̴͍͓̓͗̅ ̴̪̓ʎ̶̱̋́o̷̱̬̣̾ʇ̴̰̅̚ ̶͙͛ʇ̶͕̜̳͗́̚s̵̳̒͂͊ǝ̴͔͔͍̈̓ʇ̴̪̲̈ɐ̴̹̜̔ͅl̷̻̦̂̎͛ ̵̯͑̿̆ɹ̷̰̯̎͂n̴͚̗̮̐͂̅O̶̞͐͠,

̴̮̪̓,̶͎̿͒͝¡̸̨͎̺̀̅̓ʎ̴̤̘͒ü̸͍ᴉ̴̢̠̯̓̈́ɥ̶̨̹͙̏̃̋s̴͕͇̻̽͊̅ ̵̡̅̏'̴̨̼̙͛̋̇ʎ̷̹̱̯̀u̶̖̙͐ᴉ̶̱̳̈ɥ̴̝͔̑s̶̪̲͗ ̴̲̳̱̾̿'̷͇͙̣͗̑ʎ̶͕͌̀̿ų̵̗̻̓̎̚ᴉ̶̬̌̀͆ɥ̷̲̗͒̔̽S̴̭̔̂ ̷͈̠̌͛̔¡̵͕̳͖̏͑͌o̸̠̬̒o̵̭͂ȏ̸̤̩́o̸̦̥͛o̷͓͆̊ͅȮ̵̦̋͝,

,̵̰̗̀̃̌͒̄́͌̊̆̓̃͌̚˙̴̹̫͖̺̑̈̾̊͑̒͊̇̊̊̈́͋̔̄̚͝͝ʇ̷̡̡͇̩̹͍̝̱͎̱̬̖͕͔͆̔̄͗͋́̔̾͑̐͆͝ǝ̴̢͙̟͓͎̙͚̫̘̟̭̀͜͝ᴉ̵̦͍̠̙̼̝͓̲̩̻͉̥̔͝n̸͙͎̜̣͋̿́̍̉̀̏b̴̭̻̖̪͔̜̈̓͆̐̋̀̐̄̍͐̒͐̿͋̓̓͘ͅ ̵̝̻͕̹̺̅͆̉̑̽̿̓̾̀̔̓̓̾̐͒͘̕͝s̴̡̱͈͎̯͙̞͉̻̖̿͊͋́͘̕,̵̨̨̧̛͈̻̝̦̺͉̻̯̹̳̺͖͍̺̾̈̃͋͌͋̓̽͂̓̅̚͘ǝ̵̧̢̨̡̧͈̝͓̣̮̻͔͖̩͇̮̺̯͖̿̀͑̂͒͗̑̄̈́̈́̊͒̓͗̑͘̚͘͜͝u̷͖̫̺̞͔̼̭̪͎̫̞̗̮̻̯͚̎̇́͑̂̆̀́̋͊͛̉́̔̈́̈̇͂͘͘ō̴͉̟͇̟͓̠̱͉̼̰̦̋̆ ̷̢̪̞̟̜̭͔͈̘̤̀͗̈́̿̋̋́͘̕͠s̶̫̺̦̰̭͌ͅᴉ̷̨̢̲͚̤̗̜̬͈͔̗̯̼͈̺͉̠͝ɥ̴̺̈́́͂͒͂̊̾͒̔̈́͠ʇ̵̖̫͉̞̘͊̃͂̋̄̌̊̍̅̒̋̓̒͌̇̋̈́̄͘͜͝͝ ̴̡̧͓̞͚̳̙̮̯͚͚̙̗̺̀̒̅͑̍͊̓̽̍͝ͅ'̴̡̢̡̢̖̥̤͚̲̮͓͎̣̯̙̙̟̦̰͇̇͛̆̒̾͛̿̑̀̓̈͋̔̽͑̇̄̚̕͝͝š̶̡̡̢̟̣̠̜͉͙͇̙͈̭̥̱̣̞̯͔͈͗́̈͘u̸͙͚̫̲̓ͅɐ̷͎͚͇͔͖̩͚̫̠͉̊̐̈́̏̋̿̀̈́̍̄͊̉͒͝͝ᴉ̵̧̛̠̟̜͕̱̺̬̤͉͓̮͚͎̮͈̹̱̇̓̅̾̓͛̊̎̓̕͜ṷ̶̧̮̘̞̜͓̪̞̟̪̠̫̥͇̬̪͎͙̉͛͌͑̉̚͜ǫ̴̛̙͖̲͕̙͓̣̭̠̥̘̝̖̟̉̇̀̈́͆̍̅͐̽̂̑̍̾̆̄͂̄͘͘͜͝ͅʇ̴̹͎͎̩̜̤͓̮͎͍͓̱͖̖̤̃̀̀͆̉́͒̎͌́̎̈́̿͝͠͝ď̵̨̡̳̯̹͚͈͖̙̭ʎ̷̛͍̞͓̿̇̀͗̒̎̌̈́̔͌́́̐̐͒͝ɹ̵̢͉͙̮̯̭̝̇ʞ̸̡̬͓͙̜͉͈̩͔̅͗͑́́͒̃̑̽̈́̄̿́̔̚͝ ̸̳͓̩̹͕̬̤̠̱̜̳̠͈͙̹̿̀̅̈́̐͆̔͆̊̄̒͛̂̂͒̑͑͌͌͠͝ʎ̷̢̲̹͓̟̺͖͉̊̏̃̒̽̑́̽̍̄̑͑͛̉̈́̐͒͗̾̀̚u̵͍̺̣͖̟͛̑̿̀͝ᴉ̵̛͎̺͙̙̠̭̦̄̃̒̃̌͆̆͗̈̎̕̚͝ɥ̷̡̛̯̪̥̼͔̬̮͓͛͌͛̉̈́͐̈́̈́͂̕ʍ̵̢̨̛͖̯̫͔̩͍͉̈́͒͌̒̓̄̃͌͂̀̈͊̈́͂̓͑͊́ ̶̡̛̛̥͚̟̝̫̱͕̠̟̭͖̦̥̹̥͖̑̐͑̈́̈́̉̏͐̀̔̇̔͂̋̓͘͘͜͜͠ͅͅǝ̶̢̯̀̽̋́̋̑͑͌̓͑͋͋̈́̈́̑ŝ̵̨̢̭͙͔̘̘̹̟̝̠̥̪̩̆͐̎̽͗̉̂̒̀͘͝ơ̴͖͔̬͉̼̥͙̜̠̹̯͒̽̈̓̈́̓͗̔͊̀̓͊̄͘ɥ̸̮̦̳̮̱̃́͋͋̒̇̿̃̂͗̐͐͗͘͜͝ʇ̶̧̡̭͖͖̦̰͖̖̫̟̣̱̮̓͌̅͌̏̃̚͜͝ͅ ̸̡̢̲͚̣͈̞̫̥̬̤͕̮̏͌͐͆͋̀́̏̈́̆̓̊͑̑̅͊͠ͅǝ̵̫̱͎̬̄̌̅̅͆̅ʞ̵͉͙̫̜͖̅͐̍̈́̈́̏̀͛̅̐͘͜͝ᴉ̵̧̡̗̯̜̓͊̓̉́̃ͅl̷̢̧̡̢̺͍̰̫̣̮̝̹̖̞̮͉̞̗͓̗̯̓̓̃̿̆͆̈́̓̿͑̋͊̚̕͘̕u̶̾̅̎̂̈́́̂̂̈̈̎̚͜∩,

̸͇̿͝ͅ,̸̻͝ͅ¿̶̤̒̂͐ǝ̸̹̅ʞ̷̙̿͋ɐ̴̙̺̣̺̉ɯ̴͕͊̽̄̑ ̴̛̲̎̿ʇ̶͎̀͒̏ᴉ̷̨̛̌̾͋ ̴̛͎̟̗̑ṳ̴̢̠̻́̃̉̿ɐ̵̬͒ɔ̵͎̯̤̔̃͘ ̴̺̑͝ş̶͇̮̻͗͐ɯ̴̡̗̀ɐ̷̳͉̬͎͛̽͠ǝ̵̨͔̪̘̇͂͝ɹ̷̯͍̟̂͆̀̓ɔ̷̨̛̹̩͈̅̂̀s̷̯͎͂̌̓ ̴̣̹̘͛̚ɟ̷̨̬̹̞̅ᴉ̷̱̬̀́͜ ̴̨̤͕͕̆p̷̞̪̠͌̍ủ̷̲͊ͅᴉ̸̨͉̟̑ʞ̸̟͖̩͌ ̷̱̰͔̔̌̅͂ʇ̸̮̿ɐ̵̘̑̕͝ɥ̸̩̎M̸̙̮͎͉̋̀,​

̸̪̦̐,̷̥͇̓̌̈̐ͅ¿̷̮̝̫̟̏̕͝d̷̰̼͉͗͋͋̕ỏ̸͈͙̜d̷̨͎̰̩̄́̕͝ ̶̧̩̪̺͆̂ő̸͓̩͍ƃ̸̨̺̕ ̵̯͇̞͒̈̚s̵̲̔̓̽̇p̸̙̤͊ͅɐ̷̻͂̀͜ǝ̷̹̇̓ɥ̵͓̌̕ ̵̲̗̅̈́ɹ̷̻͙͕́́͜ᴉ̵̨̼̺͗̐̔ǝ̵̙̠̀̊͋͆ɥ̸̰͒͆̏ʇ̶̨̩͇̉̂ ̷̢̲͕͍̽̋̽̕u̶̺̳͐̒̑͝ɐ̵̻͔̀͠Ɔ̸̡̞͕̦̾̀̐̒,

̷̠̩̞̝̌̀͗̀̈́̆̔̿́͛̂̊̈̈́̕,̴̡̡̛͍̞͉̖̫̯̺̻̌̎̀̒͛̊̅̈́¡̶͉͙̱̪̥̫̚ǝ̸̡̤͚͔͍̣̮̠̍͛͘ɹ̷͎̯̥͔̈́̎̕ǫ̵̡̛̩͔͙̥͖̝́͂̒̊̆̅̐̒̉̇̔͑̏̚͜͠ɟ̸̧̩̜̬͉̤̜̺͇̜̱͙̐ͅͅǝ̷̮̪̺̳̓͒́ͅq̵̨̡̝̖̖̞̝̜͖̗̟͎̓̔̇͌́̈́̑̈̾͆͝ͅ ̷̢͙͕̪̳̃̇̆̉̍̎̉̌̏̈́͆̾̎̊͊͂̕̕̕ʇ̴̡̡̡̧̦͓̻̝̩̳̘̩̙͉̩͓͋̾́̎̊̎̔̒̀ɐ̵̨̗̓͆͌̉̈͂̀̒̎̿̏͗̅͒̑̌̚̕͝ͅl̷̡̛͍͌̌͆̓̂͐̕͠ḑ̴̬̗̝͚̥̺̘̝͇̞͐̽̏̇͐̅͋̎ͅs̸̰̞̜̩͇͚̞̦͕͉͖̜̊̒͒̓͊͛̑̊̃͐̎̌̃́̚͝ ̴͍̯̪̳̯̬̮̬̉̔̿͛́̿̈́̏̉̈́̉̓͑o̶̢̡͓̱̩͖͎̫͚͈̙̰͚̜̒͊̉̈́̍̑̍͗͆̒̉͒̍͝͝ͅƃ̵̱̜̯̖̥̳̹̳̮͍̘̫̃̃͗̂̍̒̒̾̑̂̍̈́͋̆̀̀͐͂͘͜͜ ̸̧̢̯̠̞̱͎̹̇͂͗̀̇͝ù̶̗̪̅̉̾̈̅̚ɐ̵͎̺̩͔̝̲̈́ͅᴉ̸̗͍̦͛̏̏u̸̬̝͍͇͉̾͗̀͛͛́̓̑̑̓̈͌̍͊̍̍̎̐ó̸̢͙͙̗͇̲̣̭͚̹͉̺̮̲̩͍̳͍͗̏͋́͋̉͒͐ʇ̴̨͈̤͙̥͈̟͍̪̗͋͐̽͊͑̉̈́͂̋̎̽́̿̓̈͋̈́̕͠ͅd̴̢̨̟͙̭̠͙͎͍͓͉̣̜̆̐̇͛̄̿́͑͂̎̊͑͒͗͋̈́̕͜͜ʎ̵̨͍͕̣̼̼̪͍̗͕̻͍̟͜͝ͅͅɹ̴̢͖̟͖̦̦̻̫̳̄̓̐͗̌͒̈͑͐́̊̕ʞ̶̛̜̺͔̜̳̾̂͛̇͒̕͝ ̵̨̥̫͔̝̖̖̦̤̙͖̙̫̋̂͐̋̅́̉̍̄̔̋̈́̆̂͘̕̕̕͜͠ͅͅɐ̸͕̖̮̦͉̲͙͉͌̂͌̏̈́̆͂̋ ̸̛̲̬̫̥̝͚͕̙̳̟͚̩͙̣̇̏͐̿̀̈́̈̓̕ų̸̳͎̭̰͖̠̣̝̭̭̐̈́̅̓͛͂̄̾͒͜ǝ̷̠̬̟̭̗͖̭̹̩̝̲̻̮̲̳̆̃̅̐̓̈̎͘͜͝ǝ̷̢̛̺̻͍͈̠̝͇̮͔͙͎̘̯̜̿̈́́̒͋̓͗s̷̢̤͕̑͒̉̄͐̏̓͊̉͐̆̕ ̵̨̨̞̞̯͕̤̗͍̦͓̝̪͔̩̉̈͆̀̉̂̕̕͠ɹ̴̡̛̺̤̲̠͚̐̍̔̑̎̕ǝ̷̛̙̣͎͓̳͙͎̖̰̒̐̓͌͐̈́̎ʌ̸̩̱̯̞̌̋̇̋͊̔̊̿̈́͝ǝ̴̨̨̪͚͚̟̙̩̞̺̹̉̓͗̇̄͒̉͑͐̓̐͘͝͝ũ̶̢̬͉̝̥̝̟͉̌́͆̓̈́̆͂̓́̇̄͗͊͊͗̿͝͠ͅ ̴̢̣̣̳̠̪͙̒́͆̑͘ǝ̴̛̩̫͓̟͇̗̰̪̑̔̌̉͐́͌̒̿̓̐̾̆̈́̾̂̚ʌ̵̨̛̻̥͙̩̪̥̪͔̦͊̾̍̀̓̎̕̕͝ɐ̶̨̛͔̩̝̮̪̥̦̞͚̟̞͓͋̂̊͑̔͜͜ͅɥ̶̨̨͕͇̹̬̙̝͕̗̠͈͉̱͋̆́̇̋̋̇͑̐̎̍͂͂ ̶̮̞̟̼̤̦̻̦͒́̇̏̑͘͝I̶̥͍̗̻̞͎̖͈̗̳͔̤͇̳̓̆͐̾̇̉͝͝,

,̶̡̢͕̤͇͙͚̼̻̘̲̹͉̰̬̠̩͖̩̙̹̞̲̗͖͐̕¡̴̨̧̩̺͈͇͓̲̖̱̘͍̗̳̰͈̿͊͜ͅͅʇ̷̡̨̡̨̟̮̮͖̬̻͎͖͔̠̳͈͚̺̭̦͍̬̣̪̒̎̀̀̍̎͝ņ̵͙͙͎̰͓̮̹͔̦̥͈̺̞̳̭̭̱̻͓̜͎̙̙͓̄̂̎̈̒̓̆̎̏̊͂̈́͜͜͜o̶̧̡̨̜̟̝̱̤̞̟͓̘̣̮̗̖͇͉̖̙̫̠̍̿̆ ̷͉̤̱̙̇̂̉̂̇̀̈͗̾̚p̵̛̞̼̟͙̈́͊͗̂̿̇̔̑̃̿̓̔́͂̿̓̏͆̏̚u̵̧̨̼͓̠̣̭͕͗̃̌͊̀̆̂͘̕͘͜͜͝͠ᴉ̷̧̠̙̉̈ͅɟ̷̤̀̔̎̑͋̉̒̍̍̕ ̵̻̳̗͓̰͉͎͉̣͖͈̘̻͍͐̿͌̐͋̇̀͋͂͆̍͘͝͝ő̴̧̢̢̢̯̮̹̖̬̝̖̲̣͕͎͚̦͓̱̥͑́̈̽͌̌͊̇͠ͅͅʇ̵̢̯̟̼̣̪̗̯̣̖̳̥̦̤̼̭͍̮͙̫̞̟͍̖̠̼̈́ ̶̻̩̩͇̺̜̩̯̪̫̘̠̮̠͓̙̲̭͒̏̽́̑́́̅̎̌̊̆͐͛̒́̕̚͝ͅʇ̴̭̹͉͕͕̜̹͙̽̅̍̀͊͛̋͘͝ᴉ̶̳̯̃͌̔̔͆̉̋̀̃̇̐ɐ̷̡̡̛͉̼̜̩̘̱̳̜̟͓̤̲̗̹͕͕̼͓͓̉̌̈̀̽̊͂̄̈́̇̾̇̏͑́̈́̃̓̽̚̚̚͝͠ʍ̵̧̥̫̲̥̮̟̮̗̖̳̘̫̯̱̔̍̅̀̑͛̃̆̾̅͋̆ ̵̢͙̩̳̣̬̰͓̠͕͔̳̬͉͔̥̭̣̦̬̟͔̣̬͑͂̅̑̍͋̀̌̄͐̌͗͘̕͝ͅʇ̷͔̩̭̞̞̍̂̌̏̎̆̏̆̒̂́o̴̡̢̦̦̼͇̝̞͇̦̗͖̼͕̮͇̩̯͓̠̬̅̔̂̋́̿̀̽̃́̒̀́̾̊̏́̚͜͝ǔ̶̬̱̦͎̂͜͝ú̷̧̢̢̯̘̟͖͍̭͔̼͇̮̭͚͈̣̰̇̽̈́̏͒̇̑͆͆̈͊̑̾̆̀̕͘͘̚͠ɐ̴̢̨̨̛̙͙̙̖̝̦̣̩͖̥̞̟̗͇͍̬̦̲̑́̽̄͂̿̐̾͋͛̑͛̀̒͑̄͋̀͂̔͋̏̕̚͝͝͝ɔ̴̻̙͙͎͔̓̈́̓͒͗͛̎̽̃̿̃̑̈̌͛̏̒͋̄̑̏̓̎͘̚͘ ̴̨̢͉̤͖̤͉̹̪͍̮̫̪̻̮͙͊͌̄̐͌̐̚̕ᴉ̶̨̢̨̡̡̛͚͈̮͙͕͙͈̪̫̫͇̖̰̯̻͍̗̭̠̯̈́̄̀̂͌́̀͆́̍̾͗̈́̈́͂̀̏̎́̀̀̚̕̕ ̷̨̦͇̹͎̺͓̳̠̗͖͖͍͋̓̍̀̔͛͑̓̆̃̿͒̒̈́̑̽͋̎͘̚͠͠p̴̩̞̰̙̺̝͕̦̞͔̳̻̠͓̈̌̀̿͘͝ͅͅù̷̡͈̲͇͉͙̞͍͊͗̈̉͛ͅ∀,​



LOUD. LOUD. FEEL. TOUCH. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! AWAY!

*BADUMP*

*BADUMP*


PAin…!

…Pa...in? Lo…ud. V…o…i…c…e, words… away. Go. Pain.

Blue… Glow… Red…. Glow. Blue. Red. Blue. Blue. Blue. Red. Sun. COMMAND. Obey. COMMAND.

N…o… ob…ey…

*BADUMP*

*Badump*


Heart. Beat… LOUD. Heart. Beat. Soothe.

Weapon. Panic. Panic? Emotion. Loud. Reach. Yearn. Soft. Touch. Go.

Voice. Hum.

Hum? Sound. Emotion. Happy… Sibling. Nice.

Sibling? Nice? Happy. Warm. Life. Warm!

Stay.

Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay?

…Sibling.

Stay.

'Bonds.'

'Emotions.'

'Strange, very strange.'

'Ever so fleeting.'

'Can we feel as well?'

Sleep. Soft. Sun. Warmth. No red. Eat. Food. Many, lots. Color. Tastes. Smells. Touch. Feel. Emotions. No discard. Talk. Voice. Happy. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. Humans. Life. More, than, weapon. Story.

Story? Fun. Life. Joy.

Walk, tree, ocean, sand, run, car, games, play. Sky, flower, smell. Cape, hero, save, see. Snow, grass, toy, jump, water, music, night. Touch. Taste. Hear. They. We.

We? Category. Person. Person? Life. They, person. Sister. Brother. We.

Sister. Snore.

Snore? Sound.

Snore. Loud sound.

Emotion. Lax.

'Introduce, when?'

'Time already?'

'Moment arrived?'

'Now?'

Look? Action. Right. Direction. Hole? Mind.

Small? Size. Smile. Face.

Face? Gray. Color.

Garble. Sound. Eyes. Red. Color.

Red. Glow.

'Greetings.'

Sleep. Eat. Learn. Kill. Weapon. Cadmus. Cadmus? HOME.

HOME? Warm.

Cadmus... HOME.

'We meet.'

'Again.'

'Anew.'

'Once more.'

Meet? Presence.

Again? Anew? Once More? Repeat.

'In addition-'

'Furthermore-'

'Stop our cluttering!'

'Happy for little one's development.'

'Marvelous!'

'As if yesterday incomplete.'

'Until guide and connection.'

'Keep it up, youngling.'

Youngling? Little one.

Yesterday? Recent. As if? No recent. Phrase.

Connection? Guide? Action. Towards? To.

Our? Both. Sister.

Gray. Fleshy. Sibling, too?

'Correct?'

'Acquired name?'

'Cannot call little one, "little one"?'

'No more?'

'Seems so?'

Name?

Weapon. Asset, P.R.O.J.E.C.T.-

'Not designation.'

'Title, no.'

'No species or affiliation.'

'Name.'

'That which is you.'

Name, O.T.H.E!

'Better.'

'Appropriate!'

'Fitting.'

'A pleasure, OTHE.'

Fleshy. Name?

'I see.'

'Introductions.'

'Are in order.'

'May call us-'

Curve. Pointy.

Glow. Light. Red. COMMAND.

Sun. COMMAND.

Garble. High.

High? Tone. Emotion. Siblings. Gray.

Eyes. Red.

Red. Glow. COMMAND.

*Badump*

*Badump*


*Badump*

*Badump*


Look. Direction. Right.

Snore, snore, snore. Sister. Blue.

Blue. Glow.

"Uuuuuu!"


⋆・゚゚・*: ҉。.。 ҉ :°*:❁ུ۪ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


"What are you doing?"

"Shhh!"

"... Did you just shush me?"

His senior intervened. "Of course not-"

"Maybe."

"Excuse him, Dr. Desmond." She overlooked the cry emitted from him as she dug her heel into his foot and gave the chief scientist a large, professional smile. "Dr. Harper here," and to him a very sharp look, "woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. You know how stiff the barracks are, and our coffee dispenser broke down."

"WHAT?" Dr. Desmond's veins bulge on his forehead. "This is inexcusable! What do I have you in charge of, Dr. Spence? The Department of Incompetence?"

"I know, sir. It won't happen again."

"See to it. Everybody becomes a bumbling idiot without their morning coffee. No work can be done."

"... Of course, Dr. Desmond. That's the issue here. The… coffee." Is it just him, or did her teeth grit toward the end?

"I can't save money if I have to keep hiring new employees. That's what these wretched creatures are for!"

The redhead felt a tug in his sleeve and found himself peering at red pupilless eyes and neat writing.

Cadmus, home. Why, Roy Harper, frozen?

He rubbed Project 0707's head. "I'm alright, but that's my cousin/nephew, believe it or not." His first cousin once removed, but nobody actually says that. What a mouthful.

Jim must've told them about the teenager. How has he been doing lately?

The number of genomorphs who could write increased, resulting in more scribbling on dry-erase boards. Mouth, claws, tails, anything is fair game.

Roy Harper, why fine?

Why, Roy Harper, not frozen?

Roy Harper. Like, the Light? Why?


"No, I'm Dr. Harper, see? DR. HARPER. Much more charming." He enunciated. "C'mon, spell after me…"

Why, why, why? The most prominent word in their vocabulary. Who was he to answer?

Dr. Harper was simply an overworked scientist who replaced Guardian.

"-stop divulging classified information, Dr. Spence!"

"I haven't-"

Dr. Desmond chided, "No excuses! Continue with the scheduled projects and don't disappoint me." The chief scientist's antics resembled those of a child more than that of a grown man, as he almost stumbled out.

When the man finally disappeared, Dr. Spence snapped her head in his direction. "You."

"Me." he responded innocently, maybe with a little more cheek than usual.

"Dr. Harper, what in the world are you doing!?"

Why does everyone keep asking him that?

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Said doctor dismissed his senior scientist's accusation and adjusted his lab coat.

"These aren't even-"

"I'm conducting tests, just as asked."

"Not while undermining our superiors at every minute! I can't keep covering you for every single mess you make!" she hissed as she harshly pulled him back with a visible tick mark on her forehead. "Pray tell, why aren't you wearing your uniform properly?"

"At least I'm not shirtless." He retorted.

"Yes, and that colleague's wages were cut off when he called it, and I quote, 'it's not a lab coat, but an ab coat'. Would you like the same fate to befall you?"

"Pass, I've got to win this month's incentive, after all. Think they'll be giving out a TV? It better be good. I got standards."

She massaged her temples at the clone's response.

The genomorphs ignored the pair's arguments for glossy, easily-cleaned whiteboards. Taking notes on sentences and images they'd never experienced before, but recognized nonetheless.

All the while, eyes glowed as small horns flickered in red.


—»»ত»»ত»»ত»»✤✤««ত««ত««ত««—​


Dubbilex's gaze trailed B.O.B., the G-Gnome riding on the clone's shoulders with a peculiarity knotted around her forearm. This left the G-Goblin expressionless.

He ignored the clipboard in his hands in favor of the same item thrust upon him. Thin and narrow, pale pigmentation marred the cloth strip, matching his garments. He recalled the clone mentioning it was for "flair". Given there was an ongoing competition for "The Best Employee of the Month'' perks and the incoming inspection, it came as no surprise to Dubbilex to see his fellow kin paroling Cadmus with the decorative binding material.

His mouth twisted into a frown.

Out of sight, out of mind, was no longer applicable. Rather, "thrown out of the window", according to his sibling. In spite of the fact that he does not comprehend the concept of throwing necessities, or why a window is necessary? Why not dispose of the items in question in a trash bin?

Humans are complex indeed.

('I don't understand why we do it! We just… do.')

The memory deepens his frown, and his nails grate the paltry wooden board.

('Hey! Don't change the subject! We're talking about your favorite color!'

He studied the formless life form.

'W̥͈͚̱̃̕e̞̮͚ͩͧ̕ṟ̴̦͍̞͙̍ḛ͖̟̺̜̥͖̐͆́ͅn̵̢͓͈̣̬̘̭͎͒̇͌̆̄̑̚'̛̹͇̖̬̺ͭ̈́ṯ̢̮͍̘̓͑̍ ̷͚̝̼̱͖̖̟ͣͭ̊̿w̸̦͈ͣ̐ͪe̵̳͇̲̙͚̩͂͒ͫͪ.̲͈̮̹͍ͫ̾͝.̰͉̠͛͗̚̕.̭͍̜̺͈̮̻̘̐͢?̡̫̻̳͔͇̜ͣͭͩ'

Dubbilex does not comment on how this is the thirty-fourth time she has forthwith this particular inquiry, nor that he has countered with a never-changing answer. Neither does he bring up the presence behind the patched-up cracks in her scattered mind.

Instead, he replied once more. Even if there were a great many questions to ponder.

'Let us discuss yours.'

The single, black infinitude of darkness paused.

And the human that once was, beamed.)


A fruit tree transplanted into a desert will expand its roots endlessly to reach a water vein.

However, one cannot criticize this greedy craving as decisively judgmental of human nature. Thriving roots are able to withstand droughts adroitly. Compared to plants grown in fertile soil, their self-survival skills become even more exceptional. At times, fruit trees are raised in barren soils near the sweetest fruits.

Properly cultivated greed like this will, at times, make man a better being. But he realized…

…That he was an utter, idealistic fool.

('Did you know we humans love to give meaning to everything we see and feel? For example, white symbolizes purity and innocence.'

'Is white not the lack of color?'

She shrugged.


'Yeah, ghosty. It's pretty ridiculous but, despite all the nonsense, sometimes, I'm grateful for it.'

Despite not needing to, the child kept explaining.

'My life was… rough? The details are sort of blurry honestly, but on that day, in the happiest moment of my life…'

She throbbed but held back her sorrow.

'I walked down the aisle under that crappy, overpriced chapel. With those frou-frou decorations, frilly flowers in hand, and an overlong dress. To this day, I still wonder how I didn't step on it…'

The child giggled in a breathy and gleeful manner despite having no reason to.

'And all I could think of was how… the color of fresh snow showed me a new beginning. Like a newborn light.')

The white, restrictive ribbon in his grip felt like ash.

('My life?'

Darkness swirled around.

'I never married! That was my friend's wedding…! No, wasn't that gossip from the Outside?'

'Why am I having… Ack, so much trouble remembering? It's my life. Not yours or theirs. M̸̧̺̭̹̭͉̼̱̳̮̜̥̬̀̓͌̑͜I̶̗̩͉̫̬̊̀̾̽̍͊͌̀̀̅̒̽̈́̽͠N̷͍̗͚͖̦̟̠͙͋̒́̇̆͂͠É̵̢͔͚̲̹̿̓̀́͑͊̉̒̎̾̿͘!'

And the light dimmed.

'A̸̧̪͕̤̗͐́͘͝Ḻ̸̫͈̳͇̟̣͈͗́̏͘͠Ļ̶̜͓̹͉̪̹̏̈́̕͜͝͝ͅ… ṅ̷̫o̵̲̕ẗ̴̹́… m̸̫̚ḯ̵̼n̵̠̒e̸̲̔….?'

'It has to be, otherwise… What else is there?'

'Ṯ̶̛̙̞̮̍͋̑͗̒̃ḛ̶̣̙̩͖͉̣̮̘̊̄̒͂͐͗̊͠ľ̵̯̦l̴̪͋̔̇̒̏̀͋͗̚ ̷̡̦̳̰̮̩̣̜͖̿̅̈̌̓m̶̧̢͔͉͙̤̙̫̟̒́̊̔̒̓̈́e̶̝͔̤͉͍͖̫͑ͅ!'

'Steady.' He delved deeper.)

Would you want to escape to a world laden with wonder, beauty, and happiness?

Free from the invisible thralldom of mortality?

Everything imaginable "at the tip of one's finger?"

He has seen many with all these all-consuming thoughts. The desire to obtain it all. It is fine in moderation.

Be it as it may, shining upon his makers' identities with the garnered information opened a "can of worms". This led to a slew of lunatic spiels consuming this project's idiosyncratic brain. If he had not gained direct access to the source to verify the claims, he would have disposed of her.

He unearthed what should have remained hidden. The cosmos' truth.

What is then the purpose of the genomorphs? His purpose? Subjection?

Entertainment? Within a story, a stepping stone for another's development?

Is their existence to serve as "cannon fodder"?

('I can hear them... They're "aching", "hurting". It won't stop!'

'This place… Dubbilex, who…? What are you?'


'What am I?!')

The project–

–His sister says if you dream a thing more than once, it is sure to come true. Light is full of possibilities…

Yet what occurs when you are granted such an escape? And when that very light is the one you can never escape from?

You merely wind up more and more fearful, and more and more trapped.


তততততততততততততততততততততততততত​


Dubbilex: "What is the meaning of life?"

Dr. Desmond: "Shut up and bring me my coffee."

Dr. Spence: "Really Desmond! The coffee machines. That's what's worrying. The coffee. Desmond here thinks that the coffee machine breaking down is what's worrying."

Dr. Spence: "Did you hear that genomorphs, genetically modified lifeforms evolving with every passing day? Desmond here says the coffee is what's worrying."

Dr. Harper: "... I mean, he's not wrong-"


A/N: This is why we don't keep open communication channels. Capiche?

10 chapters in, and I've yet to kickstart the events of episode 1 lmao. We're getting there tho.
 
Harpering Around
(Edit: January 2024. Putting up a note that this story is being rewritten. So If you're seeing this, it means the chapters aren't yet rewritten. That is all.)


In the dark blue sky you keep,

And often through my curtains keep,

For you never shut your eye,

'Till the sun is in the sky.





"U U."

'What's with the intense staring?'

I observed what I presumed to be a shrug in Othe's mannerisms and advanced to touch the sturdy, chalky thingamajig hampering us.

While my walls were like immense, capsulated marbles, he differed. Obviously. Although mine appeared never-ending, there were limits. Hence my limited exposure to the Outside. Othe's, on the other hand...

Once you crossed a line, that was it. Simple.

I poked at the point, upright structure, and noted it lacked any security 'til the fence had the gall to slap me back.

Simple, my ass. I huffed and drew a deep breath, adopting a human's regular physiological process.

Human? I mouthed to Othe.

Moving my lips is a voluntary action. Despite most meat-based living organisms-

My eye twitched.

-directly use it to produce noises for communication; my mind rectifies that and emits my thoughts aloud. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Breathing consists of two phases: iNSPiratioN and EXpiRAtion. During the first, the dIApHragm-

'Dai-uh-fram.'

"Uuuu?"

'Bet you can't repeat it ten times without stuttering.'

"Uuu-Uu-UUu!"

-and intErcosTal mUscles contract, allowing AiR to enter the lungs. OxYgen from that air moves to the blOod. In the second, the insPirAtIon muscles relax, forcing gAses to flow out of the luNgs. During that phase, CarbOn diOXide, a waste gas, moves from the blood to the lungs and is breathed out.

Breathing is usually aUTomatic, controlled subconsciously by the reSpirAtory center at the base of the BRAIn. Breathing continues during sleEp and usually, even when an individual is unconscious. People can likewise control their bReaThing during speeches, singing, or breath holding-

It's like someone came in to scream "Surprise, bitch!", and dump all sorts of data on me.

I'd claim to appreciate random trivia, but it jars my poor brain. I wasn't much of an A-grade student at school. I'm lucky enough to remember my-

N̴̠̓̐͊̈́̓̉̅̐͋̔͂a̴̢̢̦̜͇̱͓̫̜͋̽̉́̅͑̓̓̓͌̚̕͜͝m̷͖̤̣͕͙͓̐e̸̫͉̬̥̰̠̪̖̲̳͔͆̂̉̊̽̚͝.

-multiplication charts! Don't get me started on adding and subtracting fractions. I can't waste my memory storage on that. They're handy-dandy solely in specific situations. For example, is there a practical application for recognizing our ability to see various colors?

When different wAvelenGths of light hit our eyes, we discern different cOloRS. SUN light or light bulbs have many wavelengths. We commonly perceive this great mixture of wavelengths as white. If the LIGHT hits an object—a road, tree, house, anything really—the object absorbs some wavelengths.

...

We often take for granted the little things, but sometimes…

I took in some air and then expelled it.

... Such things are better left unnoticed.

(This process, called gAS eXchange, is essential to life. But why is a chill accompanying my deep breaths? Where is the exhaled warmth?

A diluted and incomplete heat is underneath my skin. As if I were in a desert desperately seeking gulps of water, I drowned and coveted heat. A nagging tells me I don't NEED to breathe, only this dearth of warm-energy.

My soul and mind lacked understanding, but my body didn't.)


I kept my eyes peeled, and with a single leap, I jumped over the embankment.

When nothing occurred, I fist-bumped the open air.​

"U. U"

'Would you stop that?' Is it because he thought that if I could go into his mind, the possibilities would be endless?

It has me speculating...

What can I do, or rather, what can't I?

'You can't come along, Othe. Just stay put. It won't take long.' Again, all I received was a dismissal from him. What a mood!

Ah, they grow up so fast.

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


(My plan was simple.)

I stumbled on a mindscape filled with nothing but equations. Floating formulas everywhere. Numbers will haunt me forever.

Another debated about a particular light meal in the category of two slices of bread with filling in between for their master's degree in philosophy.

I.e., a hotdog. Is a hotdog a sandwich?

Great, I'm also contemplating the question now, which is probably the objective.

(Easy.)

Being besieged by the imagery of pineapples mixed with tomatoes and cilantro can change a gal. Pineapples on burgers, pineapples on tacos… I'm sorry, Hawaiian pizza; maybe I treated you too harshly.

I prodded their wall and noped the fuck out of there when the surroundings transmogrified to spherical objects adhered to a squelching mass of flesh.

They silently squirmed and wailed from within.

(Straightforward.)

Like a thunderstorm, I viewed a faint flash of electric blue in the upper atmosphere before darkness swallowed it anew.​

'𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚑.'

'𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚑.' '𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚑.' '𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚑.'

'𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚑.' '𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚑.' '𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚑.'

'𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚑.' '𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚑.' '𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚑.'

'𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚑.' '𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚑.'
'𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚑.'

A multitude of bioluminescent sprites echoed out in chambers of pods stocked up on one another. Bodies flicker and contort themselves.

Totally not creepy, dude. Not. At. All. Just your regular day here at the Outside Express.

Whispers were reiterated and ricocheted against the walls until many voices tied to one spoke.​

'𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚑 a𝚗𝚍 s𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚑, 𝙶-𝙶𝚗𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 m𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎… 𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐.'

… I admit, perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. At least I uncovered something worthwhile. That's got to count for something, no?

(Manageable.)

'Who are you?'

The collision of high-energy electrons with air molecules triggered sensory disturbances. The currents of electricity were ephemeral, but the voices were tumultuous.

'𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎.' '𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎.' '𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎.'

'𝚆𝚎.' '𝚆𝚎.' '𝚆𝚎.'

'𝚆𝚎.' '𝙰𝚛𝚎.' '𝚆𝚎.'

'𝙰𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎?'

'That… doesn't explain much.' Should I be amazed or alarmed? 'What are you, if I may ask? What happened?'

They, whatever I'm engaging with, copied my actions and alit the darkened mind-space, shaking me to the core.

Limbs that could pass off as large mandibles clicked collectively in unison—robotically, stifling.

'𝙰𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐?' '𝙽𝚘𝚝.' '𝚃𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐?'

'𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝.' '𝙻𝚊𝚜𝚝.'

'𝙽𝚘𝚝.' '𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝.' '𝙾𝚏.' '𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚍.'

'𝙽𝚘𝚝.' '𝚃𝚑𝚎.' '𝙻𝚊𝚜𝚝.' '𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚍.'

'𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚝.'

'𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝.' '𝚃𝚘.' '𝙶𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚝𝚑.' '𝙺𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎.'

'𝙻𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚝𝚑 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎.'

They uttered incongruent, resonant cacophonies, aligning and scattering opinions. Static-y to the body, distinct to the mind. Contradictory and sensible, yet unmistakably puzzling.​

'𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙻𝚊𝚜𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚜.'

'𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢.' '𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚖.' '𝙿𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐.' '𝚂𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝.'

'𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢.' '𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚖.' '𝙱𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍.' '𝚃𝚑𝚎.' '𝚂𝚔𝚢.'

'𝚆𝚎.' '𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎.'

'𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢… 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.'

I licked my lips. 'Where is here, exactly?'

Their masked-not-masked face was silenced. The streaks of light from their underbody died down, shrouding me thereof.

The unpleasant, prolonged blend of discordant inputs ceased, basking afresh in solitude.

(It wasn't plain sailing.)

After an undisclosed period, they provided a slew of information.​

'𝙵𝚊𝚛.' '𝙵𝚊𝚛.' '𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.'

'𝙱𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚝.' '𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍.' '𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍.'

'𝙱𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚝.' '𝙾𝚏.' '𝚆𝚎.'

'𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍.' '𝚃𝚘.' '𝙴𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛.'

'𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍.' '𝙸𝚗.' '𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚗.'

'𝙰𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐.' '𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚗.'

'𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚗.' '𝙰𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐.'

'𝙸𝚗.' '𝚃𝚑𝚎.' '𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔.'

'𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔.' '𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎.'

'𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜.'

Eventually, the reality of the situation sank in, and I was unsure what to do about the bombshell they dropped.​

'𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝙲.𝙰.𝙳.𝙼.𝚄.𝚂.'

(Cadmus?

CADMUS?)


My tenuous hope and my duty to Othe were the only things preventing me from breaking down on the spot. The promise of escaping together from this unfeasible reality—this maddening familiarity.

Even if I wished to break down, they robbed me of the opportunity.​

'𝙺𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚝, 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚜..'

An ashy material surfaced in the mindscape. First, it was one, then two, until it coalesced into a mountain of unidentified solids.

They weren't rocks. It was a pile heavier and denser than most prevalent materials, but soft and malleable. They cut a sizable chunk from the steep hill, shining gray with a hint of blue.​

'𝙸𝚝 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚜.'

Exposed to trail thoughts, the precious mineral tarnishes into a dull gray and becomes stronger than iron, pressuring the mind to enclose itself.​

'𝙺𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎.' '𝙽𝚘.' '𝙱𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎.'

It's unclear whether the mutated-looking fireflies are referring to me, to themselves, or something else. Something that battered the covered walls with strenuous fervor, paralleling drums banging vociferously and mercilessly.

Factors accumulated and veered into a myriad of eyes to be opened.​

'𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚞𝚜.'

Pupilless eyeballs stare me down.​

'𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎.' '𝚆𝚎.'

'𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎.' '𝚆𝚎.'

'𝚂𝚎𝚝.' '𝚆𝚎.' '𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎.'

Six jointed legs burst the screen of their pods, and a pool of unnerving emotions swelled at their following statement.​

'𝚃𝚘 𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘.'

I bolted amid an entropy that blared for miles and miles. Electricity buzzed at the chemical element plastering the walls.

Lead is an excellent conductor of electricity.

I'm powerless as my vision is impaired and mutated front legs with rows of sharp spines grab me. 'Let me go!'

Shockwaves propagate, and the awful din distorts, becoming strained and elongated.​

'𝚂𝙴𝚃.' '𝚆𝙴.' '𝙵𝚁𝙴𝙴.'

'𝚂𝙴𝚃.' '𝚆𝙴𝙴𝙴' '𝙵𝚁𝙴𝙴.'

'𝚂𝙴𝙴𝙴𝙴𝚃.' '𝚆𝙴.' '𝙵𝚁𝙴𝙴𝙴𝙴𝙴.'

'𝚂𝙴𝚃.' '𝚆𝙴𝙴𝙴𝙴.' '𝙵𝚁𝙴𝙴.'

'𝚂𝙴𝙴𝙴𝚃.' '𝚆𝙴𝙴𝙴𝙴.' '𝙵𝚁𝙴𝙴𝙴𝙴.'

'𝙼𝙰𝚈 𝚆𝙴 𝙴𝙰𝚃 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙻𝙰𝚂𝚃!'

Lightning crackled up.

The light grew brighter and brighter, blinding us in an outburst of gray and blue.​

'𝙼𝙰𝚈 𝚆𝙴 𝙱𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝚃 𝙵𝚁𝙴𝙴!'

(Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

It's been in front of me all along.

Project Cadmus. DNAliens. Clones. Superboy. Othe, Me, we are—a-am I…?

I'm–no. No! I-I think I'm going to be sick. Dubbilex-

Dubbilex.

I foolishly spieled everything. Did he know?


Did he use me?

Is this me… or is this what I was led to believe?

What am I to depend on? Have I gone insane?)

*Snip.*

*Pop.*

*Crack.*


(I didn't tarp my vision with the creatures' foregone luminance or minerals, but with the shade originating from dainty hands.

They were smooth and without blemishes. As fragile and perfect as porcelain, as small as a child's.

'Are you having fun?' The child giggled angelically as hair strands woven in gold tickled my neck. 'More, more!'

Hands too flawless, too pale and gaudy, skimming my face. Nimble fingers and sharp nails.

'Watch.' A smile too curved, features stretched too far. 'And play with us soon.'

Clothes dyed in charcoal and anarchy, of crystals and eons of war, of mangled bodies beneath their toes.

'Aw, did you ʞɐǝɹq again?' The child tee-heeded macabrely. 'Forget sɐ many sǝɯᴉʇ as pǝpǝǝu. It's fun to see ʎɐʍ ɹǝɥʇᴉǝ!')


The amalgamation of all has quashed the absence of color. Cries rang about as a cascade of black goo saturated, encased, and devoured life.

The world blacked out again.

Once again forgetting how it's steeped in beautiful scarlet hues.

(Pursed lips made flaws in the child's inhuman nature known.

'˙̵͖͝ƃ̵͕͍̪̣̃ȗ̴͎̼̇ᴉ̶̜͈̔̏̑̓ʇ̵̡͈͎͛̿ᴉ̸̖͍̓̋̏͆ɐ̵̧͍̤̊ʍ̵̲̭̟̬̓̈́ ̷̨͕͉̓̅̀̋ǝ̷̮͎̿̒̕ʇ̶̳̺̀̚ɐ̴̡͖͂̍̈́͜ɥ̴͇̙͉̍͗̌ ̶͍̍̔̃ǝ̸͈̲̎̊̽́M̴͙̌̈ ̷̳̀̈́͋̾˙̸̠̄ƃ̷͓̘̔u̶̩̞͈͖͘͠ᴉ̸̩̽̒ɥ̸̧͉͇̪̂͌̕ʇ̶͎̾̈́ʎ̸̠̮̓͊̚͜ɐ̶͇̳͇́̇̀ḽ̸̳̅͗͂͜͠d̸͖͇͝ ̶̺̞͒̀̿̈'̶̠͎͊̎̇͜ƃ̷͔̤̍ṻ̴̳̗̩́̕ᴉ̵̘̲̺͊ͅʇ̵̬̱͊̋̕ᴉ̸̨̳͓̀͊̆ɐ̷̫͇̼͂̆̈ʍ̵̘͇̪͛ ̸̝͔̾̍̀s̸̜͎͛̾͘ͅn̵̝̪͖̆̈́́ ̷̞̰̦̖̈́̽͘̚d̴̫̖̓ǝ̷̺̄́ǝ̴̺͓̉͠ʞ̵̨̡̪̦̄͝ ̸̫̞̥̆̀̔͜͠ʇ̴̨̬͍̊͆̅̌,̷̟͍̪̭̅ u̶̼͗̇͜͠õ̵̺p̴̣̻̓̎̄͝ ̸̩̯̍͂ʇ̷̩̱̭̥̿n̶̛̫̔̄͜͠q')


⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


"Dr. Desmond, did you blow up another fuse?"

"You imbecile! Project 0424 constantly emits electricity. The lights can't be turned off."

"The only thing shutting down is you."

"Quit your yapping and get the power running! What am I paying you for—to stand around and act like a buffoon?"

"Do we have a minimum wage? Since when?"

"Just go!"


⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


For my plan to be effective, I couldn't simply go one step and boom, problem solved. It's complicated.

All I want is to get out.

Is that… w̴̨̠̺͇̪͈̫̻̯̥̣̫̺̘͉͈̯̗̣̝̫͙̃͌̈́̉̍͑̋͋͆̈́́̔̀̈̊͒͝͝ŗ̶̢̧̧̛̞̖̩̰̭͙̘̖̞̫̗̙̫̯̀̍́̆͊̽̓̓́̄̽̄͊̄̑̏̓͛̏̈́̄̅͊̊̿͌̆̓̅́̀͊̂͂̎͜͝͝͠͠͠ǫ̸̧̨̢͎͓͈̘̼̟͍̼̜͔͍̼͉͎̬̪̮̹̣͔̟͔̟̣͓͙͖̩̹̰͉̭͕̥̭̻͓̝̯̤͇̠̀̀͂͋̓̀́̆͊̄̀̈́̈́͆͐̍̏̂̕͘͜͜͝n̵̡̛̛̛̛̤̞͉̻̘̠̜̫̫͖̣͖̹̪̼͕̮̬̠̰̟͈͕͇͉̭̐̊̊̔̏̅̓̄̎̈̀́̽̒͂̓̎̍́̋͑͘̕̕̚͜ͅg̶̢̡̢̡̡̛̛̲͕̜̥̩̺̻͍̫̯̖͎̠͎̤̲̦̥͚̼͇͇̳̞̳͌̊̑́͐̒̈́̉̈́̆͌́̑̋̉̔̌̀̊̅̓̍̿͌̃̓́̋̒̑̽͛̄͊̄̈́̆̿̍̐̓̐̐̚͘͘͜͜͝?

(Night befell a massive, frigid airspace. An infinitude of an infinitude. The colors of a spectrum shine where darkness predated the birth of the universe.

From the dawn of time, stars twinkled akin to the bright jewels they were. And she saw past the world and infinity, before creation and eternity.

Beyond the wall, beyond all that is life itself.

Innumerable worlds beyond.

'Stay in your cage a little longer, why don't you? I want the game to start already!' A red force intervenes and seethes impatiently.

'And you! Na-ah! Earth's MY turf! M̶̮̖͈͎̀̌̃̈I̶͙̋́͊̿͂͊N̴͚̾͒Ē̴̢̤͙̤̞͘! I got dibs on the plaything. Finders keepers! Find your own backwater meatbag.'

'Mreow.'

'That's what I said!')


⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


Othe had no face, but I understood.

'Yeah,' I said. 'You told me so. Maybe I should've named you Murphy instead.'

'U?'

One moment I jumped to the outside wall, and the next I returned to where I began.

I remembered little, but the recollections of fear were prominent. He must have sensed it because Othe glued himself to me like a koala bear and wouldn't let go.

After many attempts at prying the ball of sunshine from my person (and failing stupendously), I gave up and carried him.

'Alright, let's go.'

"Uuuu!" He cheered.​

There's a reason I didn't want him to tag along. I'm unaware of why or how, but a dreadful impression gnawed at me.

Do not go. It rang nonstop.

Here's hoping it's just that: a feeling, not a terrible premonition.

When we walked out, the first thing to greet us wasn't my typical scenery. There's no way to expect what awaits on the Outside. Sometimes it's idiosyncrasies from people and garbled creatures alike, or-

('Is this why doctors advise not to consume steroids?' I cried out as I accidentally went too deep and the host's defense mechanisms activated.

Feral malformations roared.

All with blue irises and black scleras.)


-mundane topics. Sometimes, when I navigated through minds, they ushered in the embodiments of their thoughts.

Not all of it is pleasant, but conjured greenish-gray gremlins aren't the craziest concept out there.

These people need therapy, and fast. I won't delve into details because I have a kid here.​

"u u."

'Yes, Othe. I'm talking about you.'

He pouted, but cuddled further into my arms.

Anyway, back on track. At present, we are in a green area. The displayed tropical setting is an interesting touch, but that won't distract us from our mission.

There has to be someone, who has the means to accomplish a breakout.

There has to be. (Even if I have to plunge into everyone's brains to do so.)

And lo-and-behold, my pleas were… answered?

I squinted.

'Is that a cosplayer or are my eyes playing tricks on me?'

"u Uuuuu."

I'll take it as, "I dunno."

Othe flies off like a rocket and hovers around the dead body, ketchup and mustard chap, newcomer. This is his first meeting with a human besides me. A stranger masquerading as a Robin Hood boy scout, lying on the ground, in the middle of nowhere inside his damn head.

Striplings these days, geez.

(Shouldn't I be elated as well?

Why am I queasy about the prospect of interacting?)


I hacked off a thin piece of wood from an adjacent sapling—sorry tree, I'll return your stick soon—and nudged the stranger.

He's here. Is it because I'm technically invading? An avatar's presence demands expertise in mental abilities or external factors at play. Judging from his muscular physique, he has exercised, but that's not the training I'm alluding to.

On a closer analysis, why is he napping? Most don't fantasize about, well, sleeping. Unless he's a college student.

No wonder he's got a frown even while he's immobile as a standard facial expression. What a waste.

The stranger dons a non-elastic reddish costume, a yellow bycoket accessorized with a feather, boots, and a belt containing a bunch of pockets. He must be dedicated to his role if he's hauling loads of tools around.​

"Uuu."

'Yeah. In the slumbering aspect, he'd give you a run for your money.' The stranger's similar to Snow White—if she were grumpy, her tiara was stolen and ditched in the woods thereafter. Am I collecting princesses or what?

The tips of my fingers tapped on his forehead.

No response whatsoever. Inert and cold to the touch.

-CereBRAl activity fluctUates. AUtoMatiC, but vivid, unlike minimal signs depicted in coma patients. Alive, stAsis, no indication of awArENEss yet. Unresponsive to his environment for an indefinite period. Deep UnConsciousnEss. Cryogenically frozen-

Yikes.

The stranger's a sight for sore eyes, and by that I mean, he's a sad sight to behold.

Mmm. Most of the information flew overhead, but I got the gist of it.

There's an idiot-proof solution: the prince requires stimulus.

I cackled.

And I knew just the perfect method.


⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


'Ready, Othe?'

'UuU.'

He cradles the prince's head, albeit awkwardly since he, you know, has no hands. Othe offers a thumbs-up in a sequence of lights.

I closed our proximity. So close that I could perceive the rising of his chest and his relaxed breathing.

I approach the sleeping prince before me...

Ever so near...

'WAKE UP!' And slapped him for good measure.

Heh. Works every time.

A tad excessive. However, if that failed, Othe would step in and turn into a scintillating miniature sun.

As in, flashing the stranger's kipping mug 'til he awoke. Except Othe was beaten to the punch.

'Ack!'

Seriously, the ingrate cosplayer punched me—my mistake. It was his palm that struck, not his fist. Still, who does that?

Putting in as much distance as possible, he narrowed his eyes at me. They weren't as deep as the sea or as clear as the sky. Or red.

(Why am I relieved?

Will I ever understand?)


They were equally striking because all the blues I'd glimpsed were identical. Copy-and-pasted, lacking originality. Duplicates.

But not him.

Not this fellow.

'You…' I coughed out, suffering from the aftereffects of his prior assault. 'Did you just karate-chopped my neck?' I asked incredulously.

'Where am I? Identify yourself.' His voice is gruff, practically accusing.

How prosaic.

'Oliver, if you abandoned me in a jungle again, I swear to God-!' I doubt that was meant for my ears. Oops.

I spied his arm reaching towards his back as if to grab something, then he glared harder when he received nothing but air. He looked quite silly, to be honest.

I massaged my nape and, surprisingly, there wasn't a lick of pain. Huh.

'As a gesture of goodwill, I'll overlook your senseless, and very unwarranted, attack.' I steppes forward.

His body tensed.

'For the love of–'
I wanted to pull my hair out. 'What danger do I pose to you?' Looking back, I too was hostile when I initially met Dubbilex.

… Goodness, am I the stranger-danger?!​

"U! U! U! U!"

'Othe, you're supposed to be helping me out!' I whined.

The awakened prince quirked an eyebrow at the glowing orb, who endeavored to appear as menacing as possible by floating up and down.​

"uuuuuU?"

'You're not.'

"U…"

Bringing his hand to his face was the only sign of him chilling the eff out. 'Green Arrow, the things I go through because of you...' He froze.

Green Arrow?

Haa.

That's what all this has been about. To achieve happiness nowadays, he does this…

Somehow, his already stern features turned sterner when he touched his face, right below the eye area, and directed his gaze at me with a scowl.

I gave the poor sod an empathetic look.

'I won't judge your larping. You do you, my friend.'

⭒・゚゚・*:☾。.。☾:°*:✼✿ ❁ུ۪:*°: ҉ 。.。 ҉ :*・゚゚・⋆​


SI: I'm going to wake up this random dude and nothing bad is going to happen

A/N: Let's be real, the SI isn't mentally sound. If I woke up like that, I would be moody too.

Btw, y'all better brace yourselves for what's coming.

 
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