Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Dying ❯ Chapter 1

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

There are many things that I remember throughout my existence. The things I did. The things I could of done. The things I regret. Some of those memories have since faded, yet some have stayed clear throughout the flow of time. But most of all, I remember dying.
I remember the cool, crisp taste of freshly fallen rain in the air. The soft caress of the wind across my skin. The morning sun making every thing seem ever so clear.
And then the cold steel slicing through my ribs, tearing through my organs, ripping through my spine. I could feel my lifeblood pouring down my chest and stomach, taking the warmth of my body with it. My legs grew weak, and I collapsed onto the ground, hitting the dirt with a thud. The gravel beneath me was even colder than I was, leeching whatever warmth I had left.
But although my physical form had hit the ground and stopped falling, I still felt like I was plummeting into the depths. My presence in the real world seemed like a far off window, growing even fainter with the as I disappeared into the abyss. Soon, it was gone and I was all alone. All alone in darkness.
I don’t remember why or how I died, or even who did it. These facts seem so unimportant to me now. But I remember the sensation of dying, and I will until the end of my existence.
I was alone for so long. I don’t know for how long, because there was never any change to the world that I now belonged. There was only darkness. And I was there for so long.
It had felt like I had been there forever when she came. She just strolled in out of the black, as if she just winked into existence out of nowhere.
She was tall and thin, with jet black hair down to her midriff. Her face was sharp and vulpine, but not without an attractive quality to it. Sly half closed eyes peeked out from beneath a tall black top hat.. She wore an old style black three piece suit, a white shirt with a high, pointed collar and a black silk tie. A pair of soft white gloves covered her hands, which clasped a needle like ebon walking stick. All her clothes were finely tailored, and she walked with a air of authority.
She walked up to where I had lain for untold ages, peering down at my crumpled body.
“Are you going to lie there forever?” she inquired, almost mockingly.
I tried to respond, but I couldn’t. All I could do was gurgle weakly, and twitch the fingers of my left hand.
The girl chuckled nastily.
“Surprising. You can still move after all this time. Most of those that wind up here can barely keep a cohesive form during the first quarter of the time you’ve been here. I’m glad you’re under my watch. Wouldn’t want anything else to snatch you up,” she said.
I tried to ask why, but again, could only manage an inarticulate gurgle.
“My my, aren’t we spirited. You really are something different,” she responded. “But now for the reason I came to visit. I have a proposition for you,”
I answered with another gurgle.
She chuckled again.
“It’s nice to see that you’re listening,”
She bent down low to me, and began to whisper.
“I’m going to ask you a question. I can see you can move your fingers. This is a simple yes or no question. Move once for yes and twice for no. If you take too long to answer this question I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again. I’ll leave you down here. The same goes if you give me an answer I don’t like. Do you understand?”
I twitched once, then went absolutely still, afraid to left alone in that horrible emptiness,.
“That’s good,” she said, smiling “Now for the important part,”
I remained motionless. Had I been breathing, I would have held my breath for fear of mishearing anything she said in those quiet, hushed tones.
“Do you want to move again? To walk again? To run again? To do all the things you did while alive and more? Or do you want to remain here and rot?” she whispered, her voice as clear as crystal. “Tell me, do you want to live again?”
Ever so slightly, I moved the index finger on my left hand. It was a tiny movement, barely noticeable, but she saw it.
She stood up with cheshire grin full of pointed teeth. She slammed the point of the walking stick onto the ground, or whatever passed for it. A glowing design began to spread from the point where the stick met the ground, filled with symbols I did not understand. The amount I could see from my limited scope of sight, led me to believe that this design was forming around me. But I was not prepared for what happened next.
The design began to encroach onto me, etching themselves into my flesh. The circle around me started constricting, growing smaller as more of it transferred itself onto me. I could feel it binding itself into my very soul, and binding me to something else, something indefinable.
Within moments of it beginning, it had ended as abruptly as it started. The design completely covered my entire body, I could feel it. As I looked at it, it flared for a moment, before fading into obscurity. After a few seconds, you would have never known it was ever there at all.
“There. The hard part’s over now,” the girl murmured. “You should come with me, unless you’d rather be left behind,” she laughed.
I attempted to move again, and found I could do so with ease. I slowly pushed myself up, wondering at my own movement, after lying still for so long.
As I got up, the girl was writing something in the air with her walking stick. Where it’s tip traced it left a glowing afterimage, like waving a well lit torch in a dark room. As she finished, it became clear what she was tracing. It was a door. Elaborate and slightly warped, but it was a door none the less.
She reached for the handle and opened it. Or at least she tried to. The handle went all the way down, and I could hear the click as the latch released, but the door wouldn’t open.
The girl scowled and unleashed a fearsome blow on the door with her palm. The door slammed open so hard I was surprised it didn’t rip off its frame.
She turned to me and gave a rather strained smile.
“Sorry. A minor inconvenience,” she apologized. “Nothing ever works around here,” she
continued, muttering more to herself than to me, as she walked into the light beyond.
I followed her into the blinding light that was the doorway. I shielded my eyes against that light and when I opened them again I was in a place that I didn’t think could exist.
Giant buildings, of every conceivable type of architecture, reached out into infinity, to only be stopped by other buildings going across the sky instead of up into it, blocking the sky out completely. Walkways and paths went from building to building, not only on the ground, but taking ninety degree angles and following up the side of buildings. Giant signposts sprouted from every corner, bristling with directions pointing everywhere. Large clocks dotted the place, all showing different times, coupled with enormous cogs, trundling away noisily, jutting haphazardly from the streets and buildings. It was all lit by numerous lamp posts, all emitting a strange, almost ethereal pale blue light.
And the people. People of every shape and size, creed and color flowed through the area, following the winding pathways, all going about their daily business. Some didn’t even look human. It was a veritable sea of people.
All of them were dressed differently, some in olden clothes, others in clothing that seemed from the far off future. Some were barely clothed at all, with only a couple strips of fabric to hide their modesty. Others wore so much that not even the shape of the person could be seen, let alone any glimpses of skin.
Strange devices and vehicles skimmed through the air, some carrying stranger passengers and cargo, all completely ignored by the walking crowds.
In the area we had entered, doors were clumsily arranged into a large circle, with many other doors scattered inside of it. It was from one of these doors we had entered this place.
The girl saw my awed expression.
“This is Medius, the greatest city in existence. Built at the very core of reality by Those Who Are, it’s a amalgamation of all the people, places and things that have fallen through the cracks in time and space. It contains at least an example of everything that ever was, is or will be. It even has some things that do not, or cannot exist. This area we‘re in now is the very edge of the city. It most commonly known as the Port, as this is where most people arrive into the city,”
“Wow,” I breathed softly. It took me a couple moments to realize that I was able to speak again.
“I can speak! I can speak again!” I said ecstatically.
The girl gave me a curious look. She opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated and smiled instead.
“Well, that statement speaks for itself,” she chuckled. “But now that you’re able to speak, I believe a formal introduction is in order,”
She extended a gloved hand in greeting.
“Julia Rex Obitus, at your service,”
I took her hand and shook it.
“I’m… uh… My name is… uh…,” I frowned. I couldn’t remember my name! I strained my mind trying to remember it but it was like trying to remember a half forgotten dream. I could grasp at it, but it was as smoke in the wind, slipping through my fingers.
“I… I’ve forgotten my name,” I gasped. Julia simply shrugged. “It happens to most of those that wind up here, sometimes even those like you,” she said quietly. The shock at the loss of my name jarred me, forgetting my surroundings and remembering the
situation I was in and how I had gotten here.
“Wait, so I’m dead and this is the afterlife? Is this heaven or hell? Or is it limbo? Or somewhere else? Or is this some horrible dream after some bad late night food?” I said frantically, suddenly confused.
“Well, you’re not quite dead. And as for the questions about the various locations of the afterlife,
I’m fairly confident that it’s not any of those places,” she explained.
“So I’m not dead? Does this mean I can go back to my life? Back to where I have a name?”
“Well…”
“I don’t have to remember my name to go back, do I?!”
“No, you don’t-”
“So I can go back?!”
“No I didn’t-”
“But I thought-”
“I didn’t say-”
“So I’m-”
“Stop interrupting me!” she snapped, her pointed teeth bared in an angry scowl.
I went quiet, scared of what was going to happen.
She closed her eyes and smoothed down her clothes, sighing.
“Your physical form in the place that you come from is dead, most likely dust by now. For all intents and purposes you are dead in the world you come from and you cannot return. Ever,” she intoned, driving the point home with a poignant finality.
“But your soul and mind are intact. And here, the immaterial has substance. You have a physical form because your soul still remembers the vessel that housed it during your life, and because of the bond I gave you. Had you been missing either of those, I would have been forced to transport you in a container of some sort, most likely a bottle.
Now, normally, when someone dies they go to whatever afterlife there is. Don’t ask me about it, because I don’t know. But you, you fell through one of the cracks in reality instead of passing on. Had you not fallen into the net that I had cast, you would have fallen into the outer darkness and your soul would have met with oblivion,” she continued. “or worse. That’s the basic idea of what has just happened to you and why you are here. Now we’re running out of time, and I’m late as it is, so I’ll explain the rest of it when we arrive at our ultimate destination, understand?”
I nodded meekly.
“Good. Now follow me and don’t get lost,” she growled, starting off angrily into the throng of people.
As I followed behind her I began to think. She said I couldn’t return to the life I once knew. Even thinking that I tried to remember what was the life I once knew. Again, my memory failed me.
Hazy memories flowed through my mind, falling through it like water between my fingers. But it was useless. I could not glean any strong feeling or recognition from any of them. I was truly severed from the world of my birth.
I considered this in silence for some time, following Julia as she strode through the masses, occasionally turning off into another street. Every once in a while she would look back, making sure that I was in tow.
Eventually, she stopped in front of a particularly large building with a swarm of activity at the entrance of it.
“I want you to stay here while I go inside. This is simply something I need to take care of and unfortunately I‘m not allowed to bring you inside the building. When I come back we can finish our travels and everything can be explained to you, but until then, while I’m gone, don’t move, don’t speak to anyone, don’t do anything, understand?” she ordered.
I shook my head in understanding.
She started to walk off, but stopped and turned around to speak to me.
“Oh, and if anyone attempts to disturb you, simply mention that you have the protection of “The Rex”,” she said arrogantly, before striding off.
I stared after her as she disappeared into the building, wondering what she meant by “The Rex”.
I stood there for some time, waiting for Julia to come back. I protected myself from boredom and awkward thoughts about my future by watching the passers by.
It was an interesting way to pass the time. The sheer variety of people ensured that I never saw the same thing twice. But as I watched people come and go I noticed that I had attracted the attention of someone else.
Two large, bulked-up men sauntered over to me. From the looks I could see in their eyes I could tell that they only wanted trouble.
The larger one was bald, muscular and had a vast assortment of knives strapped across his midsection. He wasn’t wearing a top, so I could see the ragged patchwork of scars that made up most of his upper body.
The other was swathed entirely in thick furs. The only visible part of his body was his head from the eyes and upwards. Long serrated blades protruded from his sleeves.
Both were horribly clichéd random thugs. Never the less, I was fairly certain that I couldn’t take on one, let alone two, so my best course of action was to humor them.
“What’re you doing here all alone like? Don’t you know that there’s bad people on the streets?” said the first one mockingly.
“Why, someone could just come along and snatch you up like. Isn’t that right Brod?” he said, motioning towards his furred companion. Brod simply nodded slightly, the tight furs restricting the movement of his head.
“Why don’t you just come with us, and we’ll make sure that no bad people snatch you up. Alright?” said the larger one, a cruel smile plastered across his face. I could hear Brod sniggering beneath his clothes. It was an ugly sound, reminiscent of a man choking.
“I would, but I told some one that I’d wait for them,” I said quietly, trying to keep the shiver out of my voice. I didn’t know what they would do to me if I went with them, but I knew it wouldn’t be pleasant.
“Ah no, you should just forget about them. I really think you should come with us,” he said again forcefully, his smile beginning to get strained.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to upset “The Rex”,” I said, following Julia’s advice.
Both men’s eyes widened, but the larger one quickly shook it off.
“Ha, you think I’m scared of that little wench? I’d snap her in two over my knee if I caught her. Now you’d better come with me, before I lose my temper and stop actin’ so nice like,” he growled, the menace clear in his voice.
“She said she’d be out in just a moment so I-”
The man grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground, moving his arm until I was face to face with him. I tried to kick him and pry his thick fingers off my neck, but my legs just dangled weakly below me, and my hands couldn’t budge his steel like grip.
“I don’t care if she’s comin’ out now, you’re comin’ with us whether you like it not. And if there’s even a peep out of you, I’ll pull your arm off and feed it to you. I gotta bring you back alright, but that don’t mean I gotta bring you back in one piece like,” he snarled viciously .
“Bring back to who exactly?” came a voice from behind me.
Both men went pale. The large one dropped me and I fell hard against the ground. Turning around I saw Julia descending the steps to the building, looking mildly rumpled and with a strange box tucked under her arm. Her usual grin was replaced with an angry glare.
The two men started to back away hastily and the passers by were giving the group a wide berth. Several had stopped to watch, albeit from a considerable distance.
“Here, hold this. Don’t open it,” she said angrily, tossing the box roughly to me.
The thugs darted, trying to make a run for it. In an instant, Julia’s stick had hammered the ground and both men collided with an invisible wall.
She hammered the ground again, and glowing bars wrapped around each of the men, forcing and binding them into a completely straight position. With a single hand, she easily hefted the larger one off the ground, much as he did me.
“As I stated earlier, bring back to who?” Julia said, the anger in her voice as clear as crystal.
The man tried to struggle against his bonds in vain, his eyes trying vigorously to avoid looking at
her.
“I will ask you once more. Force me to repeat myself after that and I will make you regret every measly second of your pitiful existence. Your kind should be well aware of what I am capable of and that I am unafraid to implement said skills,” she said in a quiet voice filled with anger. “Now, this is your final chance. Bring. Back. To. Who?” she enunciated slowly.
The man nodded weakly. Julia leaned in closely to him and he whispered something quietly into her ear. Upon hearing this she seemed to only get angrier.
She casually tossed the man aside and took a deep breath, tilting her head and cracking her neck, trying to calm herself down. She turned and looked balefully at the two still bound men.
“Let this be a lesson to those who would stand against me,” she called out to the crowd, raising her stick and rapping it sharply against the ground.
A dark swirling whirlpool opened up in front of her. When they saw this, the two captive men visibly started to struggle harder against their bonds. As I watched the whirlpool dragged them closer with a current I could neither see nor feel.
The furred one, Brod, began to teeter at the edge when, suddenly, the pool collapsed into itself and vanished.
“This power, and worse, are at my disposal. And if anyone should ever,” she shouted. “Ever attempt to interfere in my business, I will drag them kicking and screaming into the outer darkness. Or
worse.”
With that she turned to me.
“Come. Let’s go. And please, no questions. This day is proving to be much more difficult than I
had originally anticipated, and I had anticipated it being quite difficult,” she sighed, obviously tired.
I looked back at the still captive pair, writhing away uselessly at their bonds.
“What about them? Aren’t you going to undo what you did to them?” I asked tentatively.
Julia chuckled.
“No, I think I’ll leave them. The binding incantation I placed on them will wear off… eventually.
Perhaps, with all that free time, they will meditate on why they shouldn‘t intrude on others people‘s affairs,” she said with no small amount of amusement.
I guessed they wouldn’t be going anywhere for quite a while.
Julia retrieved the box from me and so, we continued our trek through the city.
We walked for what seemed like hours. I didn’t mind. It allowed me to see more of the city. Occasionally Julia would speak up about the area we were passing through.
Apparently, according to her, we were only walking through the smallest fraction of the Port, which was the smallest of all the areas of Medius.
Eventually, it seemed we had arrived at our destination.
“Finally. We’ve arrived,” she said, relieved.
In front of us was a simple wooden door, badly made with the hinges sticking out awkwardly, and the odd nail sticking out of the framework. It was quite possibly the most pathetic excuse for a door I had ever seen, although to be fair that wouldn’t be that hard to do, as most of my original memory was gone at this point. It just hung there, floating unmovingly in the air.
Although I was fraught with misgivings about the door, Julia seemed quite happy to see it. She quickly opened it and beckoned for me to follow her. From what I had seen so far in this new world were that things were seldom what they seemed, but even so, I was still surprised by what I saw past that doors façade.
It was a huge ballroom, lined with dozens of doors, and a giant central stairs in the middle. The stairs spiraled up far past the ceiling, and looking up, I could see that it went on for some distance, with walkways to other floors intruding onto it intermittently.
“Welcome to my home. This is where you’ll be staying while we get things sorted out,” said Julia.
A small, rather sad looking girl in a maids outfit quickly came down the stairs. She traveled quite fast for someone who looked like they were only walking. She seemed to be only in her early teens and her fine black hair was tied up into short twin pigtails either side of her head. Her maid uniform was odd, as although it was in the picked out in the standard maid colors of stark black and white, it’s white areas were patterned after skulls. Even her hands wore a pair of skulls, the crowns and faces covering the backs of her hands while the teeth flexed and guarded her fingers.
“Ah, Desdemona! I want you to put this with the others,” said Julia, handing the girl the box. “And I would like you to please make a room ready for our guest as well. See to it that it‘s one that‘s relatively easy to find, as I don‘t want certain someones getting lost and finding things that they shouldn‘t.”
Desdemona nodded.
“Yes sir,” she murmured quietly. “Dinner will be ready in a short while,” she announced, still in that quiet voice, and then she vanished as quickly as she had come.
“She’s great at what she does,” commented Julia aside to me. “Why if I didn’t have her my workload would be doubled. On top of that she cooks, cleans, serves and guards the house against intruders,”
I looked at her in surprise.
“Guards the house? But she’s tiny, barely up to the waist of those thugs from earlier. They’d eat her.” I said in disbelief.
Julia shrugged casually.
“I taught her how to box. She can take care of herself better than you might think. In fact, I’ve used her as an escort and body guard more than once, and each time she’s held her own. Even I would have a difficult time defeating her in one to one fight,”
Desdemona reappeared unsettlingly next to my arm. I didn’t even realize that she was there until she tugged on my sleeve.
“Please follow me to your new quarters sir,” she intoned softly.
I looked to Julia for approval.
“I’ll explain your situation fully over dinner. But for the time being, Desdemona will try to facilitate your needs and will change your lodging to your liking. Try and make yourself at home. You may be here for some time,” she said.
So, I followed Mona up the stairs. It was almost as if glided across the ground, as she moved, instead of walked. As I walked behind her and got a proper look at her feet I realized that she was gliding, her feet hanging around an inch above the ground as she went.
We went up several floors, and down a corridor. It wasn’t a hard route to remember. Mine was the last room on the left.
“Is everything to your specifications sir?” she asked as she opened the door.
“Yes, of course,” I replied, peeking inside.
“That’s good sir. I will return for you once the dinner is ready, and please do not stray outside the room while I’m gone sir. Thank you,” she said, disappearing down the corridor.
I entered the room and closed the door behind me. It was a fairly large room, the ceiling almost two stories above me, and the length and breath of the room were almost as generous. A large window dominated the right wall, looking out onto the Port. Gazing out I could see that I was quite high up, but still not high enough to see past the gargantuan buildings and witness the sky.
The room itself was built on two levels, the higher level at the end of the room farthest from the door. A small iron wrought stairs led up to it. A vast array of empty bookcases were located beneath this raised area, whilst on top of it rested a comfortable looking four poster bed, a bedside table, a chest of drawers and a full body mirror. On the lower level, there was only a small table and high backed armchair.
All in all, the room was nicely furnished and seemed to be nice enough place to reside in, and considering the fact that I might be staying there for an undetermined amount of time, I wasn’t complaining.
I mildly regretted not asking Desdemona to change some things in the room before she left. Not having any books or possessions to amuse myself with, and not wanting to spend time with my depressing thoughts about my recent death, I blanked my mind and stared out the window, mindlessly watching the activity of the Port’s inhabitants outside.
But even as I watched the frantic wanderings of millions of strangers enshrouded in pale blue light, little thoughts began to intrude upon my mind.
What was I going to do? What was my future going to be? I had no past, nothing. I was lost. It was depressing. I stared past the window and into nothingness as these thoughts enveloped me.
After a while there was a slight knock a the door. “Come in,” I murmured. The door opened and Desdemona stood at the doorway. “Dinner is ready sir. Would you please accompany me downstairs?” asked Desdemona in that
quiet voice of hers.
I sat up and slowly followed her back downstairs. It seemed that was the only thing I was good for now. Following people.
We didn’t go down to the very bottom, where I had arrived earlier. Instead we stopped off at the first floor and descended into the maze like corridors. The distance was not far and within moments we had arrived at what I had presumed was the dining hall.
It immense, almost as big as the ballroom that I had entered the building in. The dressing of the room were opulent, almost gaudy. On every ornament there was the glitter of gold and a giant crystal chandelier hung over the table, hanging from a gold chain held by several stone gargoyles that were clutching at the ceiling.
As I saw the gargoyles I noticed that their design permeated everything, be it engravings on the furniture or patterns on the wall. They all seemed to be leering at me. I felt less like I was going to dinner, and more like I was going to be dinner.
Julia was already seated at the far end of the long table bereft of her hat and coat. However, her ever present walking stick was leaning on the chairs arm. Without her hat on I saw that Julia’s ears were elongated and pointed at the tips, a good inch or two longer than a normal persons. Just another of the slightly odd things about her appearance, like her pointed teeth.
Desdemona held a chair back for me and seated me at the table. There were several platters on the table, all covered in some strange food I didn’t recognize. Still, it all looked delicious and I was suddenly well aware that I had not eaten for what could have been centuries. As if awaked by the thought my stomach began to ache in protest.
Desdemona moved swiftly and soon had a large plate filled with portions of everything that was on the table.
“I hope it is to your taste sir” she said as she laid the plate down in front of me. I looked over at Julia and saw that a plate already rested in front of her. She saw me looking at her and raised her fork in a gesture that I was positive meant “Dig in”. So without another moments hesitation I began to eat.
The food itself was delicious. I found myself savoring every bite, despite the fact that I honestly couldn’t readily identify anything I was eating. I would have asked but that would have required me to stop eating and I was too hungry for that to be an option.
I had eaten everything on my plate before Julia was even half finished. She was eating hers much more slowly, in calm conserved bites.
Seeing my already empty plate, Desdemona quickly glided over and asked if I wanted seconds. I nodded in reply. I had over three more helpings before Julia finally finished her plate.
I was still hungry but Julia seemed to want to start talking, so I declined an extra helping.
“Now I believe I told you that I would I explain your situation after dinner. Well, I intend to keep that promise,” she started.
Suddenly there was a sound like a ringing bell. Desdemona looked towards her master.
“Desdemona would you please take that for me. Tell them I’m currently busy, unless the situation is truly dire,”
Desdemona nodded and left to answer whatever it was that rung, leaving Julia to continue her
explanations.
“You see, I need an assistant,” she stated.
“What?” I said, confused by the statement.
“I need a protégé. Someone to help me with my workload,”
I was really confused now.
“Wait, so the whole time you were helping me was to just get me to work for you? Why couldn’t you just get another person like Desdemona to help you out? Why me? Are you just using me for labor?” I asked, perplexed and a little angry a finding out I had been used.
“Desdemona’s kind are expensive and I don’t have the materials to produce another. I’m also quite fond of her and don‘t want to demean our friendship. As for you, yes, in a way the reason I was helping you out was that I wanted you to work for me. But before you get angry at being used, remember, I was the one who saved you. I bound you and gave you strength. I protected you against the thugs. I’m feeding you and giving you a roof over your head. I’m going to provide you with a job and training in order to give your life some meaning. And why? Because you asked for it. You were a weak mewling kitten, far from home, and when I came to you, you would have sold your soul for release from that hell. Had I not saved you, you would no longer exist. So if you have any complaints about your situation blame fate, or better yet, blame yourself,” said Julia cruelly.
“Now would you like to take the job, home and purpose I’m offering you, or would you like to return to that dark abyss I found you in?” she asked in a sweetly mocking voice.
I looked at her and thought about what she said. But in the end I had no real choice. It was this or oblivion.
“I accept your job,” I said in defeat.
“That’s good,” chuckled Julia. “I never thought that someone would be so reluctant to accept a job of this position,”
“What exactly will I be doing as your assistant?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of my growing resentment of Julia.
Before Julia could answer me Desdemona appeared again, but this time with two visitors at her side.
“A mister “Ed” insisted on seeing you sir. He said it was urgent,” said Desdemona, gesturing to the older looking of the newcomers.
He was of average height and size, with a close kept goatee and circular shades. He was wearing an old pinstriped suit complete with hat, tie and suspenders. He had his hands casually stuffed into his pockets, and an apathetic look on his face.
The other, from the looks of it, was his assistant. He was struggling with a pair of large suitcases and was dressed much the same as his boss, albeit without the hat or shades. His short hair was slicked back by an impressive amount of grease.
While the boss had an impassive expression, the assistant had a look of pure disgust directed solely at Julia, who was ignoring it pointedly.
Seeing his expression myself and thinking about it, I realized that while we were walking on the streets earlier most people had looked at Julia like that. At the time I had thought I was because of the stunt she pulled with the thugs, but as I remembered, they had been looking at her like that from the very beginning.
Julia extended her hand in a business like manner and shook Ed’s hand. She attempted to do the same to his assistant, but he recoiled in horror. After a warning glare from his boss he gingerly accepted the handshake.
Julia didn’t reveal a hint of expression during this.
“So what was so inexplicably urgent that you couldn’t wait for an hour?” she asked.
“It’s about Able,” said Ed nonchalantly.
With those three words Julia’s mood instantly darkened.
“There seems to be a severe change of plans,” she called to me through gritted teeth. “This will take much time to resolve so I’m afraid that the rest of our little conversation will have to be filled in by Desdemona. Desdemona will also cater to the rest of your needs as I will be most undoubtedly unavailable for the next few hours, if not a day,”
Julia picked up her stick and left the room in a huff, with the two men following close behind. I could hear Julia muttering sarcastically something about it being the perfect end to a perfect day as she left. As soon as they were gone Desdemona asked me if I wanted anything more off the table to eat. I replied in the negative.
Moving with flickering speed, she quickly cleaned the entire table of everything on it, the plates and cutlery vanishing as she touched them.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting sir. Do you wish for me to accompany you back to your room and explain the situation there, or would you prefer to continue here?” asked Desdemona quietly.
“I think I’d like to do it in my room. Besides I’ve got a couple other things I want to ask you as well,” I replied.
“As you wish sir. Do you wish me to lead, or do you remember the way?”
“I think I’ll be fine leading,” I said, starting off. The way back to my room was simple and I easily remembered the route back.
“As Master Julia’s assistant, it will entail you aiding her in all ventures and business’. She and I will train you in the areas that are needed in this profession, such as the histories, the alliances, the people and the areas. And the ability to fight and defend yourself, as neither Master Julia and I will always be on hand to defend you should things go wrong sir,” explained Desdemona slowly as we entered my room.
“Wait, so what does Julia actually do? And why me? Why not someone with more experience or something, because I don’t even have the basic knowledge of this place,” I inquired.
Desdemona took a long look at me, as if she was sizing me up.
“Julia is something of a negotiator and a merchant. She deals in everything from information to real estate. But she is not well liked. I would even venture to say that she is hated, with the exception of a select few individuals. As a direct result, few will work for her. However since she is the best in her field, many are forced to deal with her. You’ve seen first hand how people react to her presence today. That is
why she picked you. You have no prejudices, no biased feelings. But not only that, you have potential,”
“Why is Julia-”
“It is Master Julia’s matter to explain, not mine. If she wishes to tell you, than she shall. If she
doesn’t, then she doesn’t. But, please sir, don’t mention that I had this conversation about her with you. She would less than thrilled to hear of it,” Desdemona said quietly.
“Now if that’s all I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast sir, before you begin your physical training,” she finished, preparing to leave.
“Well there was a couple things that I would like to ask,” I interrupted.
Desdemona sat back down.
“I was wondering if I could get some books or something in here. It’s kinda depressing having to look at empty bookcases all the time,” I asked.
“Very well sir. I will have them filled with books concerning the subjects you will need to learn. You will most likely find them interesting to say the least as they contain histories and biographies of the important places and individuals of the city,”
“And one more thing. Earlier Julia said something about… producing your kind. What did she mean by that?”
Desdemona froze.
“What?”
Seeing the sudden change in mood I realized I may have said something wrong.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, just forget I ever brought it up, okay?”
There was an awkward silence for a few moments. I was worried that I had really offended the girl. She just sat there motionless, staring off into space. The minutes ticked by as I sat alongside her, unmoving, afraid to get up.
“I’m a homunculus,” Desdemona said suddenly, breaking the icy silence.
“A what?” I asked.
“A homunculus. An artificial being created from a sample of blood. We are created to serve our masters until death. We are stronger, faster, more intelligent and durable than average people. However, since we are created artificially for another, most look down on us as objects to be used and disposed of when it suits them, rather than living, breathing sentient beings. Master Julia is different though. She treats me as a friend and as a confidant, and she means it. I have met no other being from this realm that treats me with such respect and dignity,” explained Desdemona softly.
“Is that all sir?”
I nodded silently.
“Then I shall wake you in the morning sir. Oh, and if you have need of me, ring the bell,” she uttered, gesturing to a bell pull embedded into the wall next to the door. Master Julia would prefer it if you would restrain going outside of your rooms and wandering around. Goodnight sir,”
Then she quietly left the room.
I was left all alone in the room for the night.
Time passed slowly. Although there was no celestial light outside with which to measure the passage of day to night, the frivolous activity of the people slowed and the lamps dimmed. But even though the commotion below had slowed to a crawl, it never truly subsided. There was always the flicker of motion on the surface.
With nothing to do, I decided to try and sleep. I undressed to my undergarments, leaving my ragged clothing neatly folded on the top of the chest of drawers. I turned off all the lights but one, a small dim lantern on the bedside table, as even the reminiscence of the darkness I had laid in was unsettling.
I laid down on the bed and wrapped myself in the cool soft blankets. But despite the comfort of my surroundings sleep was a long time in coming.
The thoughts I had put off all day, the thoughts about who I was, about my past and future, all the unpleasant thoughts that had been whispered into the recesses of my mind by my subconscious that day, all of them came at me once. They tore at me, and sadness, and fear, and anger, and longing and loneliness all rose up like terrible monsters in my gut.
I was afraid. I was terrified and I was alone and I didn’t know who or what I was. It overwhelmed me and before I knew it tears were streaming down my cheeks as I felt a lump rise up in my throat. I wanted to scream with the frustration of it.
Turning my head into the pillow, I did just that. I screamed myself hoarse into that pillow as it dried up the tears. I soon fell asleep, the tears still leaking silently from the corners of my closed eyes.
When I woke up, the pillow felt slightly damp to the touch, but strangely I felt fine. All the depressions of the night seemed to have vanished, like the hours of darkness before dawn.
I rose from the bed and went to retrieve my clothes, but found that they were missing from where I had placed them. In their stead was a set of clothes not unlike the ones Julia had worn, only that these were my size, had slightly different buttons and patterns, and was shade of red so dark it was almost black. There were also no hat, gloves, waistcoat or cane.
Lacking anything else to cover my modesty with, I reluctantly put them on. They fit quite well, and their feel against my skin was soft, yet tight. I looked into the mirror too see how they looked on me.
I was surprised at how different I looked. The clothes seemed to have transformed me into someone completely different. Someone confident, self assured, and tough. But it was me. I smiled and so did the me in the mirror.
I was prepared to leave, but I remembered that Desdemona had warned me not to venture outside, but to ring the bell instead. Not wanting to get on either hers or Julia’s bad side, I rung the bell.
The door opened instantaneously, with Desdemona entering the room, brandishing a tray filled with an assorted breakfast.
“Ah, you’re awake already sir. I had left you to sleep in a little late, as Master Julia still has not returned from her business trip. However she did leave me with some instructions on what to do with you should she not return soon enough. So sir, after you finish breakfast, if you would please accompany me and we’ll get underway with your training,” she said quietly.
“Oh, and the suit fits you very well sir,” she added.
“Thanks. It’s nice that you had some that were my size lying around,” I responded, tucking into the food as she laid it down.
“Oh, they weren’t lying around sir. We had those custom made overnight for you. If you’re going to start working for Master Julia, you must be dressed the part, as everything you do represents her,” she replied.
“How did you get my measurements? And what did you do with my old clothes?” I wondered aloud curiously, taking a drink of water.
“Your measurements were supplied by Master Julia. She has an eye for such things. As for your old clothes, I disposed of them sir. They were saturated in dried blood and dirt, not to mention irreparably damaged. I’m sorry if you had wished to keep them, but unfortunately, they would have not looked well on someone of your new position sir,” she answered regretfully.
“No, that’s okay,” I responded. The clothes were a link to my irretrievable past. It was better that they were gone.
I finished the food quickly, not wanting to keep the maid waiting.
“So where are we off to?” I asked Desdemona as we departed out the door.
“As I said last night, we’re going to get underway with the physical aspect of your training. You must be in peak physical condition if you’re to work for Master Julia. So that is why we’re descending to one of the training rooms,” answered Desdemona, in that quiet little voice of hers.
The route we took this time was much unlike the previous one’s we took and was much more complicated. I doubted that I could have remembered any of it. The twists and turn of the labyrinthine establishment was mind boggling.
As we descended deeper, the walls changed to rougher, stone hewn walls, the occasional metal bracket on the wall lighting the way with some sort of small fiery creatures trapped inside of them.
Eventually, Desdemona led me through a large metal door into a room filled with training paraphernalia, dominated by a large circular pit in the centre. The pit was built out of roughly carved rocks that had been cemented together. Pale white sand covered the entire floor. Stairs curved round the outer side of the pit and led down into it, blocked off by a metal portcullis.
“Here we go sir. Today I will be teaching you the basics of self defense as well as exercises to increase strength and reflexes. If you would please put on the training gear and then we’ll get started,” she said gesturing to a set of clothes on one of the benches.
They were a set of rough gloves, a very wide leather belt and a sort of padded helmet that only covered the sides of my head, leaving the crown bare. I removed my jacket and put them on, wondering what exactly Desdemona was going to do.
Seeing that I had put the items on she quickly led me into the pit and closed the portcullis gate behind us.
The pit was deep enough that I would be unable to leave by any other way then one of the gates. Small wooden hatches dotted the walls, but they were all locked tight. So were all the gates. Now I really curious as to what Desdemona was going to do.
“Sir, in order to get a full estimate of what I‘ll be working with I‘ll be sparring with you hand to hand. Please take any fighting position you feel comfortable with,” said Desdemona seriously.
I frowned. I took the traditional pose of two legs set squarely apart and my fists raised in front of my face.
“Now please sir, don’t hold back,” she said.
I didn’t want to hurt her, as she was only little, so I decided I’d only tap her lightly on the head.
I moved towards the girl and unleashed a lackluster punch.
In a single movement she easily shrugged under my fist and hammered an uppercut into the centre of my abdomen, following suit with another uppercut to the jaw that sent me flying several feet away. The whole thing took less than a split second.
I landed with a thud onto my back, quickly turning around to violently puke up half my breakfast.
“I did tell you not to hold back sir,” she said in the same quiet manner she always did.
I wiped my mouth and stood up.
“Please take the position again, and this time sir, please be more serious,”
This time I was unafraid to hit her properly.
I lunged at her, attempting a right hook. She pulled her head back and the blow flew by harmlessly. I tried again with a punch from left, aiming squarely between her eyes. She moved to the left and seemed to watch my arm as it went past her. Along the way she found time to land a punch directly to my left kidney. I went down hard.
“That’s good sir, but try to use less momentum. It’ll only be used back on you,” she advised.
I got up again and took the position.
This time I feinted a right and followed with a kick to the knee. A little underhanded, but those
punches had really hurt.
The feint didn’t fool her and when I kicked she caught my leg and pushed it up, forcing me onto my back.
“That’s good sir. Try to use any advantage when in a fight. Better to fight dirty and live, than fight
honorably and die,”
Now I was beginning to get irritated.
I unleashed a barrage of punches, trying to land one on the little maid. Most missed and those that didn’t she lightly pushed aside. It was like trying to punch a ghost. Wherever I tried to land a hit she instantly wasn’t there.
She caught one of my wayward punches and pulled me towards her. I stumbled, unexpecting the move, falling directly on the perfectly positioned fist that collided with the small area of my chest between my ribs.
I collapsed, gasping for air, the pain nearly causing me to black out.
This went on for some time, with me trying to assault the girl and with her easily evading my fumbling attempts to attack her and launching a devastating counter attack that left me either winded, vomiting or nearly blacking out from the pain. Sometimes it was all three.
And although that sad little expression on her face never changed I could have sworn that I saw the hint of a smile on her lips.
Eventually, when my breath was coming in ragged gasps, Desdemona said that we had finished for the day.
“Now unfortunately, this is the last time we’ll spar for a while sir,” she said.
I thanked whatever luck I had that had pulled that.
“Now that I have an accurate depiction of your physical health, I’ll set up a training schedule and teach you how to fight properly. Then, after a while, we’ll try and spar again. Is that okay sir?”
I wheezed a reply, resolving to throw myself into whatever training regimen she devised, wanting to be able to at least hold my own again her, instead of getting beaten up like a weak child again.
“Now I’ll take you to the washroom so you can clean up before we take the mental aspects of your apprenticeship,”
I nodded, my breath still not having returned to me.
Desdemona waited for me until I could stand up straight, and then took me back through the way we came. We progressed all the way back to the corridor where my room was situated. But we didn’t go in. Instead we took one of the doors on the right.
She stopped right in front of the door across from mine and opened it for me.
“Here is the bathroom sir. Everything that you would need to wash up is in there, including towels and such. Also if you could please leave your clothes when you’ve changed out of them on the table next to the door and I’ll clean them up while you wash,”
I thanked her and entered the bathroom. The area, like all of those inside Julia’s abode, was immense and lavish. It seemed to be entirely made of smooth white marble, even the miniscule tiles beneath my feet. Baskets of colorful sweet smelling flowers were hanging from the many pillars which supported the dome high above. A large pool was situated directly beneath the dome, surrounded by smaller, elevated satellite pools, from which flowed numerous waterfalls into both into adjacent pools and the large one. Various tropical plants were delicately placed in and around these pools, though not enough to crowd it, nor few enough to make it look sparse. A thick wet mist hung low in the air, giving the place a humid atmosphere.
As I looked on, I realized that what I had originally taken for walls between the pillars, were actually openings that were simply shrouded by the mist. Walking up to one I found myself looking down onto a veritable jungle paradise.
Trying not to get distracted by the wonder before me, I found the towels located next to the scented soaps in a small niche in one of the walls.
I quickly changed out of my new clothes, which had admittedly gotten quite dirty while I “trained” with Desdemona, and wrapped myself in a towel. Seeing how dirty they had gotten, I made a mental note to ask Desdemona for some clothes for training so I wouldn’t mess up my suit.
Leaving the clothes on a plinth next to the door, I took some soap and descending into the large central pool.
The water hot, very hot. I had to slowly ease myself into it lest I scald myself. Finally able to sit down in the hot, yet soothing water, I exhaled contentedly.
` As I washed the dirt and sweat from myself, I felt a mass of hard flesh sprawled across my torso beneath my hand. I had been so awed by my surroundings that I failed to notice the scars from the wound that had taken my life.
It was spread over the majority of my left side, the tissue gnarled and twisted, feeling rough to the touch.
I traced my fingers over it, my mind running back to my final moments so long ago.
I was lost in thought for several minutes, until I remembered that Desdemona would be waiting on me to continue our lesson.
I quickly finished up and reclaimed my clothes from the pedestal by the door.
As Desdemona had promised, they were spotless and mildly warm. I hadn’t even heard her open the door, but then again, knowing the strangeness that this world was founded on, she might not have needed to open it at all.
Desdemona was waiting for me when I re-entered my room. She had fulfilled another of the promises she had made; the bookshelves were now filled to bursting with vast amounts of old hard backed books. Even though they had been placed there in such a short time, they were arranged immaculately, and from what I could see, in perfect alphabetical order as well.
At least, most of them were. There were several that I could see in the far areas of the shelves that were written in texts that were alien to my eyes. Of these I could not even read the words, let alone know what they meant.
Luckily for me Desdemona already have a couple of books already set out for me.
“It would be best if you started out with these sir. They will give you the basic information that you will need in order to fully understand the later volumes,” she explained quietly.
I picked up the closest one, briefly scanning its opening paragraphs.
“…strangest of places. Those Who Are all have either chosen a specific place to inhabit, or have created one themselves. Usually the place reflects their personality and preferences, and in certain places their moods. Even if the area in question is the complete opposite of The One Who Is inhabiting it, their very presence often warps it automatically over a short period of time. This is why Those Who Are rarely inhabit the same area, as their combined presence twist the already fragile fabric of reality to dangerous degrees, often initiating violent warp storms of dark matter such as the…”
“It’s a book specifically about Those Who Are sir,” whispered Desdemona, as if reading my mind.
“Master Julia quite often has to deal with most of them directly, as they are the potent rulers of many different districts of Medius, as well as being some of the most powerful entities in known reality.
“Where did they come from?” I wondered aloud.
“They didn’t come from anywhere sir. They have always existed. Their existence is infinite. When the first stars were born they were already here. They’ll most likely still be here when the last one goes out,” she stated.
“Really? Why is that?” I asked her.
“You’d have to ask one to find out sir, because they’re the only ones who know. But I wouldn’t suggest it sir. The best of them can be capricious at times and they might not respond well to such a question. It would better to learn what you can from the library here,” she said. “Especially since you’ll be needing that information for your apprenticeship with Master Julia,”
“Would you prefer to read these books by yourself sir, or would you rather that I teach you
personally? Which do you feel would help you learn the most?” she asked.
I flicked through the book for a few moments before answering.
“Honestly, I’d prefer to read myself, but if I find anything I don’t understand I’ll ask you. Is that
ok?” I replied. “I’m sure Master Julia would find that sufficient sir. Now if you don’t mind, I have duties to
attend to. As per earlier, if you would have need of me, simply ring the bell near the door,”
“Don’t worry, I will,” I assured her.
And with that she left, vanishing silently in the manner she always did.
I sat down and began to read the book in earnest, with the occasional break to stretch my legs. I didn’t know what time it was, or even what manner of system they used to measure time here, so I didn’t really know how long I was reading. Taking notice of the fact I didn’t even know how to tell time here, I made a mental note to remember that the next book I read one on the topic of day to day life here in Medius.
As I read, the city outside dimmed in it’s imitation of night, but I did not notice, so engrossed was I in my subject material.
Eventually I heard a tentative knock at the door, which I was sure was Desdemona.
“Come in,” I invited.
Sure enough, Desdemona glided in ever so silently.
“Master Julia has still not returned yet, but even in lieu of her absence, dinner has been prepared at its daily time. Would you like to eat now, or wait until later?” she asked.
Looking at the page number and remembering it for later, I put the book down and stood up.
“I think I’d like to eat,” I said stretching, a series of minute clicks emitting from my spine.
I followed her down into the dining room and ate an uneventful dinner, with Desdemona standing at the ready. Although I asked her to sit and eat with me, she declined fervently, stating that it would not be fulfilling her duty as the maid if she did that.
Silence permeated the course of the meal, an awkward void of noise. Desdemona may have been a wonderful teacher, chef, maid, athlete, fighter and probably other things, but a conversationalist she was
not.
I departed for my room after the meal was done, and made sleepy by the large meal, I quickly disrobed and went to bed. Mentally and bodily tired, I slipped away rather quickly.
Strangely, I awoke during the night. Even the lights outside were dimmed to almost nothing, being faint sparkles in the sea of gloom that blanketed the Port.
I wondered groggily what had woken me. Not thinking straight, with sleep addling my brain, I toddled out of my room and down the stairs.
As the cold, slick stone of the floor against my feet slowly cleared the sleep from my mind, I began to hear voices coming from the central ballroom below.
“…got with that damn sword of his. Shredded right through! This was one of my favorites! Not to mention all the…”
I could make out the faint voice of Julia. She sounded tired and angry and relieved and somewhat
triumphant, her voice a mishmash of emotions.
“…stains out. Hopefully I can do the same for this. Now let me see that arm.”
That was the voice of Desdemona. Hers was even harder to make out, as she was speaking in that
ever present quiet manner she always did.
I peeked over the banister of the stairs, hoping to see what was going on.
Julia was jacketless and hatless, and was walking with Desdemona, clutching her right arm, blood
seeping through the white fabric of her shirt. Her face, although pained, was grinning in satisfaction. Despite the wound in her arm, she was still holding onto her walking stick.
Desdemona seemed to trying to tend to her arm as they moved across the room.
“…solid this time. I made absolutely sure. I tripled sealed it. I simply wonder, how does…”
Julia’s voiced trailed away as they walked out of my line of sight.
Although I was burning with curiosity as to what happen, considering the almost superhuman feats both of the women had displayed over the past few days, I was disinclined to follow them, as they would have most likely have found me out swiftly. Not to mention I was still only dressed in the underclothes I had gone to bed in.
I quickly disappeared off to my room and to bed, but the incident was aglow with inquisitiveness in my mind and kept me wondering until I finally drifted off to sleep.