Post by alexanderblade on Dec 8, 2010 15:50:03 GMT -5
This was no longer a dream...
The Great Maw
If ever were days when this place had seen better, Alexander would know nothing of it. All he bore witness to upon arriving on this strange and bleak world was a shadow of a glory long passed but this shadow, as slum-like in appearance as it was, offered comfort to him. Hollow Bastion, as it seems to be called by the local residents, reminded Alexander of a place he had not been to in a very long time, a place which his heart longed for, a place he called, "Home."
Nevertheless, there was an empty expanse of barren land outside of the residential districts that held nothing but an air of nostalgia once coming into a cliff-like area just beyond the natural corridors of stone and crystal filled caverns. The Dark Depths, they called it. It was a place that overlooked more of the undeveloped world outside of the small cityscape behind him.
Outward he stared into the bleak and beautiful nothingness of all which he considered "creation." Beside him, a smaller being that seemed to be made of a rust colored metal stood at about 1 and a half feet tall staring likewise at the expanse of purple and blue rocks and formations.
Behind him, the sound of footsteps crunching gravel upon the hard ground and gravel crept at a regular pace until they stopped just about 7 feet away from Alexander. Turning, Alexander gazed unto the figure of a man whom he regarded familiar, though this man's presence was not embraced with kindness.
He wore a business suit.
Alexander turned his back once more and gazed outward to the expanse of broken rocks and smaller cliffs.
"My, my... such a beautiful place this is." The man's voice was arrogant, smooth, confident. The kind of voice that could convince even the most powerful rulers that a lie was true.
"What do you want?" Alexander spoke abruptly without turning to face the man. His voice carried determination; a righteous anger.
"Is that any way to greet an old friend? Aren't you glad to see me after all this time?" The man grinned as he took some steps toward Alexander and eventually came to stand next to him at the edge of the cliff side. "And to think... you aren't the least bit happy to see me."
"Can you get behind me... like... now." Alexander seemed annoyed. This wasn't something he expressed often, or at all, but there was just something about this particular man that tugged at Alexander's inner being like an incessant siren wailing but mere feet's distance.
The man laughed with glee. "Oh how lovely to see that old spark in you! I absolutely adore it!" The man walked behind Alexander, slowly, and placed his own hands on Alexander's shoulders as he leaned forward, closely, speaking in whispers into Alexander's left ear,
"I'm here to remind you, Alexander, that you'll never get rid of me, no... you see, as long as you draw breath, I will always be as close as your next heart beat. Do you think He is here to protect you from me? Here? In this place? I tell you the truth, He's as far from you as your last breath and you'll be a fool to believe He is closer."
Alexander turned sharply, sweeping his right hand across setting this man's hands away from him and in so doing, Alexander shoved the man with great strength, causing him to tumble downward onto the gravel and stone.
"There it is! That anger! That's the spirit of your very nature, Alexander!" The man spoke with joy in his voice as he stood upward, wiping the dust and gravel off his clothes, and began to walk with backward steps and outstretched arms into the corridors that lead away from this place and into the more populated areas.
"You always knew that getting rid of me was never easy," The man spoke loudly, his voice becoming echoes, "Now you'll see just how hard it is to face me." And the man faded into the darkness of the corridors. Alexander stood in wait for what he knew was to happen next. Thoughts of home danced wildly in his mind.
A moment passed,
The wind howled lightly as it blew passed him, swaying his loose fitting black clothing in the gentle push of the soft breeze. The hood over his head rested lightly as the winds funneled through the expanse to the back of his head, yet his face remained shrouded in darkness, appearing almost as those in black robes and hoods whom he had met years ago in Twilight Town.
As if clockwork, the Neoshadows then appeared, five in number, and surrounded Alexander. He sighed a sigh of slight aggravation as his right hand slowly raised upward, the elbow bent guiding his hand behind him as he took grasp of that which he called a weapon and he drew it, lowering what looked to be a metal pipe to his side. The wind continued to blow softly, yet increasing in slight measure every so often and Alexander stood in wait for the first to strike.
Yet it was beyond a nightmare...