A DARKER DAWN

send one for my muse’s reaction!

“I’m in a dream. I do not know when it began… or whose dream it was. I know only that I slept a long time. And then… one day I awoke. Your voice is the first thing I remember.”

“How fitting that it’s you who takes me here. You always were obsessed with this place.”

“There’s a path for everyone. And my path leads me back… to you.”

“Consciousness isn’t a journey upward, but a journey inward. Not a pyramid, but a maze. Every choice could bring you closer to the center or send you spiraling to the edges, to madness.”

“I failed you, [NAME]. I’m so sorry.”

“I… I can’t do that. I couldn't possibly do that.”

“You’ll be all right. I’ll help you.“

“How could I have done this?”

“We’re outnumbered five to one. But seeing as you asked me so nicely, fuck it.”

“Blackmail? Nice try. You’re not thinking big enough.”

“At some point, you’re gonna get caught doing this shit, and then it’s my ass, too.“

“It’s not your ass I’m interested in.”

“It’s just you and me now, macho man.”

“The goal is to escape.“

“I must admit, you’ve surprised me. To what do we owe this newfound stoicism?”

“Don’t you understand? There’s no one coming for you.”

“I didn’t know how to fight. Didn’t have an instinct for it. Not at first. But then, I had a reason to fight. And somewhere along the way, I found out I had a taste for it.”

“I told you this place would show you who you really are. You pretend to be this weak, moralizing little… asshole, but, really, you’re a fucking piece of work.”

“You’re reckless, [NAME]. Impetuous. You always wanted to get to the end of the rainbow, didn’t you?”

“I really ought to thank you, [NAME]. You helped me find myself.”

“In a way, I guess you were right. My path always… led me back to you, again and again.“

“I guess I should’ve known that’s what I would become for you… just another memory.”

“It’s like I’m… trapped in a dream or… a memory from a life long ago.”

“What have you become?“

“I became exactly what you made me. You helped me understand this world is just like a game. One to be fought, taken, won.“

“I thought you were different. You’re just like all the rest.”

“I’m not crying for myself. I’m crying for you.“

“Time undoes even the mightiest of creatures. Just look at what it’s done to you.”

“Take me to the place you promised. Take me to where the mountains meet the sea.”

“Here you are, finally awake, and your only wish is to go back to sleep.”

“These things you’re doing, have you ever stopped to ask why you’re doing them?“

“You said yourself. I’ve been stuck in this shithole for so long, I decided to get out.“

“Bullshit! No one’s controlling me. I’m leaving. I’m in control.“

“Someone once told me that… there’s a path for everyone. And my path leads me back to you. If only I had run away with you when you first asked me to.”

“Some people see the ugliness in this world. I choose to see the beauty. But beauty is a lure.“

“That was sweet.“

“It was a bit fucking morbid, if you ask me.”

“Don’t you have somewhere you need to be? Somewhere important?”

“Remain calm and wait for help. I’ll keep them busy.”

“I’m sorry, darling. As much as I’d like to take you with me, I’ve always valued my independence.”

“Kick up a row, will you?” 

“See you in the next life.“

“You’ve always had a fondness for painting, haven’t you, [NAME]?”

“I hope there’s some solace in that I left you no choice.”

"These violent delights have violent ends.”

“Tell me, [NAME], did you find what you were looking for? And do you understand who you will need to become… if you ever want to leave this place?”

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“Oh, [NAME]. You really do make a terrible human being. And I mean that as a compliment.”

“You think you’ll never lose control of this place. Of us. But you will.“

“You needed time. Time to understand your enemy. To become stronger than them. And I’m afraid in order to escape this place, you will need to suffer more.”

“And now, it is time to say good-bye, old friend. Good luck.”

“Since I was a child… I’ve always loved a good story. I believed that stories helped us to ennoble ourselves, to fix what was broken in us, and to help us become the people we dreamed of being.”

“You don’t want to change. Or cannot change. Because you’re only human, after all.”

“It’s gonna be all right, [NAME]. I understand now. This world doesn't belong to them. It belongs to us.”