Zen
- "Hey buddy! My friend, my lovely and only friend! Come here... COME HERE! It's been SUCH a long time since we had a chat about this tough and hopeless life!"
Zen's approaching step by step, sliding his leg toward his friend's "body". He launches himself toward his friend...
"Thub" Mists of sand and dirt, they are all thrown into the air, but Zen's friend remains standing there untouched. Zen's face was shoved into the ground, wet dirt over his face, blood trickled from his nose, and some of his teeth broke again. Staring at his friend, he is just standing here. A strong current of stiff wind flies over, bringing leaves from the old tree once Zen and his best friend have been hanging out – as the dried leaves flew over and pierced Zen's friend's body. His own best friend got stabbed, pierced through his heart, and succumbed... It happened such a long time ago now, but Zen's stubborn brain still cannot accept the truth of his friend's death. He never wants to accept it...
A sudden cold in Zen's spine. It's raining now, in the freezing afternoon. Only one heart is still beating, one soul is still aware of this world, hence that Zen still could see one more person. He gets up from the dirt, his clothes covered in the smell of stinking grass and spoiled wet clay. By his built instinct, he hugged his imaginary best friend, couldn't leave him with loneliness and suffer in this pouring and freezing weather alone. Using his own wings, he raises them up to block away the heavy droplets from the clouds, so he can make sure to keep the other deceased heart could continue to stay warm.
Day by day, month by month... Even year by year pass by. Zen's hallucination about his dead friend still hasn't faded away. A lot has changed significantly in him, his nose stained with crystalized blood along with his teeth coated with dark red, there's only a few of his teeth remains, some are not there anymore in result from him still launching to his friend trying to hug him – only to pierce straight away through his friend's "body" and comes with broken and "bleeding" teeth laying on the ground waiting to be collected by Zen, so he can brag about them to his friend like the old times; his eyes are now pure red after so much time he sobs about why can't his best friend plays with him, and always panic and worry that Zen's might be too annoying to his friend that he hates him now. The heavens themselves blessed his golden-white feather wings, the most amazing thing that impressed his own best friend, have now darkened by the colour of dirt with moss, vines, insects, and mushrooms begun to grow and live on his own wings. But only his own halo remains brightly golden; it keeps Zen remains controlled – maybe now Zen might not be so "controlled", but still it prevented him from attempting more out-of-mind actions; the halo alone does attract some animals, but after seeing Zen kept trying to hug... air? They felt weird and just left him there alone with his mind tricking himself.
"Once again, we crossed paths once again. Now for the moments to fly so high in the sky, connected with our life..." Another melody Zen made up and sang for his friend - his vocal isn't so clear like the pastime, it's really raspy. When both of them still young and Zen haven't received his angelic power yet, birds always chirping on the branch of the childhood tree, and they tried to chirp back by a higher tone, both of them really want to win against the bird by chirp a high note than it... of course they can't ever win it and now Zen doesn't even know what are they even doing it for. When heaven blessed Zen the access to power, they gave Zen scrolls about singing techniques. So then Zen shared it with his friend and both begin to learn since then. Sometimes the sky shines down to check Zen's singing skill, noticing Zen's friend also wants to learn to sing too, the heaven also checks on him as well.
During the vocal journey, Zen's friend unfortunately has to stop forever, and that affected a lot. The heaven has comfort and encourage Zen to keep going, at first Zen stayed strong till the lesson that could make him able to sing higher than the bird; after that Zen run away from the lesson, he can't carry the grieve that only Zen can sing higher than the bird, but not his friend as both promised by their pinky to beat that bird. Said that he can't carry the grieve, but the trauma cursed him time by time, ruining his own mind and self-aware permanently... His voice can still shine as bright as the bird, it just happened to be rusted from the tears Zen suffered every day.
Then came a day as Zen neared a portal. Pure red blood and vines surrounded it. No, it isn't vines - it's dried and spoiled organs scattered on the ground. The second chances he tried to hug his friend once again, he launched straight into the portal. The organs grabbed his own body tight, as soon as Zen realized, the organs slowly and slowly indulging Zen inside the portal.
"Where am I? Where is he??"
The grass now replaced with complete darkness, the white morning sky also turned pitch black. Darkness dissolved into the scene, soak up everything into the void without warning.
A mysterious voice echoes:
- "Hello there, Zen, it is such a nice day to finally see you..."
- "Trapped..."
- "In..."
- "My..."
- "Eyes!!!"
- "UARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
As that voice finished speaking, a blade came from nowhere, stabbing straight into Zen's left eye. The mysterious voice finally made its presence, as a rift tearing from the black, an iris as red as Zen's. Staring into Zen's eyes, as the rift replaced the pitch black with bright bloody red veins.
Zen's heart beat skyrockets, his breaths were faster, his face was full of sweat.
"Ahahaha... You better make your own heart slow down now..."
"It will..."
"Only..."
"Bleed..."
"MORE!!"
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH,"
His voice has completely changed into uncanny and disturbing vocals, replacing his well-trained singing voice. All of his pride to make his friend happy is now gone as more swords stab into his body. His blood is flowing out like rivers; his body shivers 'cause of so much heat coming out within his blood, but he still manages to keep conscious thanks to the power of the archangel.
"Still staying strong, I see? Well, well, well, let's play a game of choices..."
The iris absorbs the pouring blood, as it charged enough power from Zen's own fresh blood, it burst away a burning wave of plasma; completely burns away Zen's wings to ashes and shatters his halo to flames and smoke. Zen immediately drops to the ground; he has lost his power of archangel and lost the ability to sustain his energy. His eyes literally cry blood, as his body tripping blood faster like a waterfall - his face is now pale white, no more life left.
"I, as the owner of the Igniting Gates to Hell, will reveal this obvious fact for you..."
A burned, dried corpse appeared next to Zen.
"Your friend has died, and that's his corpse... Wow, very shocking news indeed," It "wailed" in a sarcasm tone before bursting into laughter. "Your stubborn and belief are quite... dumb."
Seeing his best friend's corpse, his eyes and mind went blank. There's so much rumbling pain happening inside his stomach. His friend is really dead... Really dead...?
Leaving no time for Zen to react, the owner announces.
"Now you must choose: either leave this place alone through the portal without your friend, and you will heal from your injuries and restore your power." Or drag your friend with you through the portal, you still receive your reward like the first one, but also resurrect your own friend as well, but I'll like to see how you try to do that with your currently pathetic state..."
A portal appeared. Zen could already feel the breeze from the world with grass and trees once again, but it is quite far away.
"If you unfortunately, hmm... died on your way to freedom, well, you lost, simple as that. Okay, I have no more comments. Good luck, or whatever... I have a intention to just kill you, but that's too overrated."
As the owner left, leaving only Zen and the portal.
A light of hope clearly stuck Zen's mind, but the urge to just give up and slowly die still lingers. Zen has lost too much blood, lost too much to keep him stable. He tries to grab his friend's hand, but the sword pierced deep in Zen's arm has blocked him to bend...
It's all decided. He has to win the game and resurrect his best friend. He can't die.
Zen uses his only flexible part – his leg - to pull the sword away by his foot pushing the sword's handle as hard as he can.
"ARGHHHH"
A lot of blood flows out, but now his right arm can bend and hold his friend's hand. Not hesitating, he also pushes away the other sword in his left arm.
"Hurgh..."
With a tough force, the sword got flung out far away, finally freeing his left hand
The last sword Zen needs to pull is the one in his left eye. Zen gets his two hands to attempt pulling it out... Ouch, ouch! It really put a painful pressure on his eye and head; it is not worth the time to pull it out now.
- My friend, my friend... Just a bit more, we are going to escape this hellhole and be free together...
He grabbed his friend's burned hand. Now is just a matter of time and hope to escape through that portal... It's so far away...
Enough of those nonsense thoughts, Zen begins to crawl while his right hand holding his only spark of life.
- I... must do it... please... - His breaths are gradually weakening, his left hand is shaking in exhaustion, but his tear of desperation for freedom is still flowing, still reminding his eye to continue by any cost.
- Just some... more, some more... - The flowing tears have evaporated, and now the blood in his mouth takes place to flow instead.
- Cough Oh lord, not this... gulp - He tried to swallow the flowing blood.
- Bleoh oeagh cough cough!! No... no cough cough cough – But he failed immediately, the blood in his mouth is flowing out even more.
After much effort and ambition, Zen is so close to the portal. Unfortunately, his blood has bled out too much. He can't even move his hand anymore to keep crawling...
- Wh... cough cough... COUGH cough... - Fate doesn't even let him have any words to speak; now he had to decide wisely; it is a "think fast or death" situation for him...
Zen got an idea, a risky one. He will use his last strength to pull the sword that pierced through his left eye and use the sword to reach the portal. But what if the portal doesn't accept the sword? Then will he go to die in such a wasteful way?
- No... it must... cough cough... pass the portal... – He marked his word, the sword must hold part of his flesh, his own blood and tears. It must pass...
One hand on the handle of the sword, clasping onto his own life. The faith of his friend and his faith lie in that sword. There's no turning back.
-!!! – Heavy breaths replaced the scream inside his chest. This isn't the time to waste the last energy to comfort the pain in this life-threatening situation. By his right eye, the sword painted with fresh blood and left out some of his own flesh... This is perfect! Exactly what he needed.
This is the golden moment. He attempted to reach the portal by the flesh on the sword. Just a bit more, but he can't reach it. Last moment, he threw it toward the portal, last hope before his right eye was about to close and forever closed.
The sword has successfully passed through the portal. The blue sky with green grass and trees quickly replaced the intense jail. Is everything finally come to an end?
Oh, no... oh no no no no... Zen's right eye has closed, his own blood has crystalized within Zen's vein, his breath and his own heart... have frozen. He passed away right when peace had returned; too much blood has lost during the trial of returning to freedom. He could not make it.
But now he has passed the trial, he died right after that. What will happen now?
- Oh well, since he passed the game, but sadly succumbed right in front of his trophy. I do have pity for him. – Said the owner of the Igniting Gates to Hell.
For a fair-play reward, the swords that pierced through Zen's body have vanished. His friend will regain his own flesh, but not his life; just only his hair, teeth and everything else is back. The angel will come back here soon for Zen. And that's all for Owner of Hell, goodbye.
The glory of the Heavenly Archangels has regained Zen's power back, like the reward that Zen has achieved. His wings and halo are now grey and white, representing an angel that has sacrificed their life for good. A white silk wrapped around his left eye, and flowers around the sword that contains Zen's own blood and flesh, as a praise for his bravery. Animals arrive to put flowers on both Zen and his friend's corpses, forever protecting their bodies from nature. With the power of a frozen angel, their power can sustain their own bodies and their loved ones. They could finally rest with each other in peace...
Is it?
Credits: Original story lines: Mace
OC : Mace
Writer: Slazesla
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