Fragment of Helios

” Do you know why the man with mirrored eyes fears to open them?”.

Jack looked up at Fragment it had been silent for some time, and these were the first words that he’d spoken in some time. At some points Jack had to think that this creature regardless of how he looked acted more like the man from behind the door than he did Jack. He acted like the yellow eyed demon and yet looked like Jack, it was strange combination that sent chill’s up Jack’s spine at times. “ No, why does he fear to open his eyes?”. Jack asked the question but it was rather half heartedly. He didn’t really care about the answer, after all it wasn’t really going to be any kind of coheant sense. “ Because”.

Fragment whispered s if he was speaking some kind of secret, hands beckoning Jack to come closer as if they might share in this thing of his. So Jack played along moving his head closer to Fragment, who whispered delicately in his ear. “ Because, he’s afraid he’ll see whats inside his own head”. A man with mirrored eyes who didn’t open his eyes lest he saw what as inside his own head. Well if Jack had any reservations about this creature being mad it was all but banished now. But then, that made a strange kind of sense. What had Jack been doing ever since he moved behind the door but looking into his own past. In effect, looking into his own mind.

Even this, was in fact a form of self reflection, even if he had no idea where he was or what this creature was doing inside his head, which was in itself a rather worrying thought if he was going to be perfectly honest with himself. Earlier Fragment had called himself the man with mirrored eyes. So what did that make Jack, and if this Fragment had been the man with mirrored eyes, was this what had driven him mad? Jack lowly began to suspect that it was perhaps the company of this creature that may have driven the man behind the door insane in the first place, but then again. Fragment looked like him, and was part of his own subconscious. So, it was impossible that he could speak with the man behind the door. Wasn’t it?

More chuckles from Fragment. A spider crawled down his sleeve and he looked down at it. Fragment just grinned and pointed down at it. Jack brushed the arachnid from the sleeve and then looked around, he was doubtful that he would get much of an answer from the vagrant but it was as well to try. “ So, what is this place then?”. Fragment went quiet for a moment, his gaze was something that was rather fear inducing, much like Jack’s own arch demon gaze. Understanding was beyond him, and yet just as he was about to give up on the vagrant answering him, he spoke. “ Its a place of memory, a place where things tend to just stop for a moment in the throes of chaos. A long time ago someone once came here and stopped, much like me he never moved until someone came to rescue him”. Fragment tilted his head. “ I think”. There was a look of confusion on his face, and he gripped his head and began to rock back and forth. “ There are bits and pieces of it, Fragments like me that exist but beyond that, there is nothing, the puzzle is damaged beyond repair. Just a few bits remain, would w a few bits be enough to rebuild what was lost, maybe they thought that it was so”. Jack had now suddenly wished that he hadn’t opened his mouth, it had been like a tirade of water released from the dam once the sluice gates had been opened.

“ Dawn and dusk....the answer is the sun, a fragment of our world that remains within our eye, we ub and rub to try and dislodge it, but its stuck in there....watch the skies Jack watch the skies”.

More chuckling from the mad demon. But then, Jacks mind brought back the line of a memory. A line from long ago, words that Ceila had spoken. “ See you on the Spine of a sleeping god”. There was a strange sense to what Fragment was saying now, the dawn as it had almost universally been known, and now the word dusk. Everything was related to the sun. Not that it had to mean anything about the sun in itself. But there was something about that celestial body that seemed to be drawing conclusions from people about what had happened before the dawn. As if the sun had ever had something to do with it. Then again there were many that saw the sun itself as a symbol of a god, or an avatar or it. Life giving, but also wrathful twp sides of the one coin. Now where had he heard that phrase before?

More chuckling from Fragment. He was beginning to get off topic now. Fragment had spoken about this being a sanctuary of sorts. Not that it had been much of one, it smelled and was dank, dirty. Filled with grime. “ But its safe”. Said Fragment. Almost as if reading his mind, which in retrospect was perfectly plausible. After all, was this entire thing not just a figment of his own mind and imagination? Fragment drew ever closer to him, still bursting out in random fits of giggles and laughs.

“ Sometimes what we imagine, is the only true reality”.

EXP:1071
PWC:1006

“ This is a place of love, but also betrayal”.

Fragment spoke again, it had been what felt like hours since he had last spoken. This place had a sort of draining effect on the soul, now that Jack had been sitting he didn’t particularly feel like standing again, he was sat like Fragment, a dark mirror of himself looking onward to the other. “ Betrayal?”. Jack said in a half hearted manner, once again like before. It was as if he didn’t much care, but this time he was genuinely curious as to just what Fragment meant. And yet the life sapping nature of this place made his voice sound so, unenergetic. He tried to stir himself in an attempt to stand or do something but it was of little use. So he gave in and waited for Fragment to give him the answer. “ History tends to repeat itself, We in particular seem to have a knack for choosing women who don’t reciprocate our feelings....well...not you Jack, you don’t choose them do you? If you had your way your tear out their throats...I’m with you there...they just aren’t worth it, better to be damned and a demon, than damned and an idiot”. He chuckled again and oddly Jack found himself agreeing with the vagrant. Just what was he thinking getting involved with anyone? “ You know that’s the thing about our kind, we think that people can love us for who we are but in reality they only ever want to use us, we’re true to our nature, them, they’re just deceitful. Humans. Kami, all the same. Told that to the last guy but he didn’t much agree. Well. He paid for that didn’t he?...did he?”. Descending into nonsense again, not really knowing just what he was talking about but he was right. He was foolish to think anything could love or accept a monster for what they were. Better to just be true to his nature.

Better to be cruel.

EXP:362
PWC:333

Jack only began to recognise it when it was upon him. It had been there when he had witnessed the memory of Hanabi but it was more apparent now. When he thought of Iskra he didn’t se anything in there, no emotion. No friendship, no love not even pride in her. Sera, thinking about her. Just stark curiosity at her development, no lust. No love. Nothing. In fact, there was one thing. The burning resentment of her own nature as a kami against his nature as an Oni. It was an interesting state of affairs, whilst he felt almost free of the chains of whatever had bound him before to these individuals. There also felt as if there was something missing. As if the world had taken on an unnatural shade of grey that his eyes weren’t that used to. He liked it, but he also didn’t like it. It was easier. But also distinctly boring.

“ Missing something Wiseman?”.

Fragment chuckled again, “ Think you’ve got what you came for don’t you?”. Fragment stood up, looking down on him, there was that sense of dread again, he could barely move. Just as if he was under the spell of the Sloth demon once more. Fragment’s smirk turned into a fanged grin. “ We don’t give no answers, we don’t give no lies...we just give you clues......”. He grabbed Jacks head and forced it up against the stone wall of the alley. “ Now go back through the door, seek your own sun rise”. There was a flash of light in his eyes. And an immense pain. And all at once the alleyway disappeared. And became a grassy field. He recognised it. He was near Iskras area. It seemed that once again, he was in his body. The possession had ended. And he was left with no answers. Only more questions.

EXP:336
PWC:313