NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Another Knightmare
I opened my eyes, and jolted up. That’s when I saw I was in a black void, with white dots scattered throughout it all. It resembled space, but… the white dots were more blobby than pointy, which is what you’d expect from stars. No. This wasn’t space. This was… something more.
Then, the memories started flooding back. I’d been here so many times, ever since… that day. The day I lost the one one person I cared about most.
I started looking in every direction, hoping to find a large enough gap in the blobs.
Eventually, I laid my eyes on two red dots, staring at me.
“Knightmare…”
The dots started moving closer, and a figure was slowly revealed. A pitch black, humanoid figure, with a black cape and black electricity sparking around their insides. They seemed to be made up of some gas.
“Why are you wiping my memories of this place?!”
“Why do you think?”
“Because… because this has to be your home. And you can’t trust me knowing about it, aside from when I’m here.”
“Close… but no.”
The figure started slowly moving in a circle around me, putting their hands behind their back.
“You, I can trust. But it’s what’s part of you that I don’t trust.”
…
“Pemo?”
A red line appeared below Knightmare’s eyes, resembling a creepy, sadistic smile.
“You still got a lot to learn Steve. A lot.”
“So… why did you drag me back here again?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to tell you your future fate. Not that important.”
“Fate is a bunch of bullshit. Our lives are determined by the actions we make.”
Knightmare was dragged through the air towards me, allowing him to stand menacingly over me. He was probably 10 feet tall.
“Are you kidding me? You’re talking to a fucking Grim Reaper, inside a dimension literally made of terror. And you’re saying you still can’t keep an open mind?”
Shrugging, I replied “I just don’t believe that a bunch of strings can be what determines how we live and die.”
“You know what, let’s just get this over with,” I continued.
“Hmm,” Knightmare mumbled, floating back.
“Alright. You will continue to go on your quest for vengeance… despite everyone telling you to stop, and in the end… you get what you want most.”
“To be expected. There’s no way revenge is a bad thing.”
“But… in order to get to it, you will lose the one thing you care about just as much.”
…
“Why are you even telling me this? I know about Raen and Pemo, and I’ve figured out you’re obviously a reincarnation of Raen.”
“Because,” Knightmare replied, a sinister smile appearing, “I’m the villain of this story.”
Once he said that, the white blond began rapidly expanding, taking over every square inch around me, until I realized I was awake. The sheet covering me flew off as I sat up, but something seemed to touch my leg, immediately calming me.
I looked to my right, my vision still blurry, and I saw Dylan, staring into my eyes with a calm, protective smile.
I grabbed him for a hug, and he returned it gladly. After a couple seconds, Issac hugged us both from the side, before a fourth individual picked us all up, squeezing harder than all three of us combined.
As my senses started to come back, I began hearing the breathing of 7 people in the room, which included myself, Issac, Dylan, and the fourth hugger, likely Luke.
One the hug was done, I sat back down on my bed, and turned around, seeing Isabelle, sitting down in a plastic chair and on her phone, and Rose, overwhelmingly concerned.
But, along with Luke, who was stepping back from the hug, beside Isabelle, there was a black man sitting, with brown hair, incredibly dark brown eyes, and was wearing a black suit and purple tie.
“What are you doing here, Josh,” I asked.
“I got worried.”
I looked down at my arms, and saw I wasn’t wearing my suit. I then looked at Dylan, who nodded, confirming that he stashed my stuff back in my room.
“You don’t get worried. Your only job is making sure everybody is doing their’s.”
“Just because I am high in the U.S. government hierarchy, doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart.”
I stood up off the right side of my bed, walked around it, and up to Josh.
“Maybe. But if you keep worrying about us individuals, everything else is going to fall apart.”
The whole room was silent, as I stared untrustingly into Josh’s strangely unreadable eyes. But, eventually, someone spoke, breaking my attention away from him.
“Are you alright, Steve?” Rose asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because you’ve been in a coma for two weeks.”
“That always happens,” Dylan said, stepping forward.
“He always ends up using those swords too much, and he faints.”
“S-swords?” Rose stuttered.
“You wanna explain, Steve?”
“No. You explain it to them. I… actually need some alone time. To rest, and yada yada,” I said, staring at Luke, who was giving me a strange, yet familiar feeling.
“Alright. Let’s go everybody.”
Almost everybody left, except for Josh. Who just stood there.
“Didn’t you hear me? Get. Out.”
Josh frowned, and stated “Look. I know you hate Cooper, and me by association… but I’m not nearly as bad as him. Just give me a—”
“I won’t ask you again.”
…
Sighing, Josh walked out of my room, and the automatic door closed behind him.
I waited a couple seconds, then said loudly “Initiate privacy mode.”
In response, a clicking sound came from the door, signifying it was locked, then I walked to the bed and slowly laid down on it.
You didn’t need to be so hard on him. He’s just trying to be nice.
So he can lure me into a trap and use me for his advantage.
Just give him a chance. He doesn’t seem to be like Cooper.
…
I’ll… think about it. But I’m not making any promises.
Okay.
…
Is there something you wanna tell me, Steve?
There’s something weird about Luke… I’m getting this same feeling I had… around Rowan… and Rob as well.
…
Pemo?
Don’t worry about it for now. Your main concern at the moment should be your new team.
I guess… but I’ve never been very good at “teamwork”.
What about with Rowan?
Shut it, Pemo.
Alright. Shutting up.
I pulled myself to the pillow, pulled the covers atop my side, and then, with a tired sigh, I closed my eyes, and went to sleep.
And now… for the story to really kick in.