Chapter 3: Facing Darkness
Stride feels sore all over once he wakes up. It was not the most ideal sleeping arrangement, nonetheless he managed to get some rest. He walks over to the puddle of water and drinks as much as he can, cleanses his face. He dips his blistered feet in to alleviate some of the pain. Running for his life on bare feet has taken its toll.
*Sigh*
“I have to keep going.”
As much as he would like to stay, it’s too dangerous to linger around for too long.
Proceeding further down the cave, he enters a large ravine.
“Does this cave never end?”
He walks along the edge of the ravine and notices that the path is becoming narrower. As he looks over to the darkness below him, he decides it is safer to crawl on both hands and feet. He continues to hug the edge of the cave walls. As Stride peers over into the dark, he starts to get a better sense of the depth of the cave.
As his eyes wander along the dark, he sees something with the vague resemblance of a man walking way down at the bottom of the cave.
“What is he doing here?” He whispers.
If there is anything I have learned so far, it’s that everything in this land is either trying to kill me or has fallen prey to the monsters that live here.
If this ‘being’ lives here and can survive an encounter with those hounds, they must be dangerous. At the very least I am safe up here.
To his surprise, the being is clothed from the waist down. Looking closer, he sees a well-built, bald man.
Moving forward, I should be cautious of him.
Stride leans in closer to get a better look at him. Perhaps even get a glance at his face to find out if it is a person. He desires to see another person to get some information on his current circumstances. It should not notice him from up here.
How curiosity can sometimes get the better of us.
It is not a person that looks back at Stride. More like an abominable imitation of one.
A three-eyed demon…
It was too far for the being too hear Stride, nor did he make a sound. The three-eyed demon felt his presence and smiled at him.
Stride hides the moment the demon turns around.
Did he see me? There is no way someone would notice me from that far, right?
Please tell me he didn’t see me.
He lies there, dead silent. He does not hear a sound. It must be a fluke that he turned around. Perhaps he is not a threat, just equally as afraid of Stride, as Stride is of him.
Should I take a look?
As Stride slowly peeks over the edge, the three-eyed demon stands right below him. It stares at him with glee. Even in the darkness, Stride can tell that the three-eyed demon is overjoyed that he entered his lair. But there is another thing Stride picks up on.
This being is not only dangerous, I can sense intelligence.
Stride can no longer hide now that his position has been revealed. He must take action to ensure his safety. He needs to move quickly, so he stands up and looks down onto the three-eyed demon.
“I cannot play it safe,” reminding himself that his chance at making it out alive is for him to keep moving.
He hears a low *thud* below him.
Something pierces through the cave walls. He feels conflicted in looking down as he wishes the creature would just leave him alone. Hoping it is all just a bad dream he still has to wake up from…
When he does look below him, he cannot believe what he sees.
“It cannot be…”
He knows he cannot waver, he must continue on with his escape. He feels the fear settling in.
The demon is scaling the cavern walls with his bare hands and feet.
These walls are going straight, how is this humanly possible?
By piercing his hands through the stone, he is able to climb up effortlessly.
With no time to waste, Stride moves along the edge of the abyss and sees the pathway widen. The moment he sets foot on the open ground, he sprints as fast as he can. Away from that ‘thing’.
Running along the edge, he feels its presence nearing. Although he does not even look behind him, he senses that the three-eyed demon is close by. Little does he know that it already stands on equal grounds with him.
As Stride makes his way deeper in the cave, he sees the outlines of a mysterious entrance up ahead in the darkness.
Without hesitation, Stride runs through this entrance and enters a dark hallway. This sinister creature oozes danger. Getting acquainted with this monster is a death sentence-at best.
The hallway is supported by sculpted pillars, and banners that decorate the carved out walls. The banners carry a crest with three dots. He has no time to ascertain what the exact details of the crest are, but they remind him of his pursuer’s eyes. Although he does not have any other options, he does start to wonder:
Am I running right into its lair…?!
He arrives at the end of the hallway. His escape is in sight! For some reason he does not feel like the three-eyed demon is on his tail. Has Stride been able to outrun him? Stride can tell he’s in much better shape than yesterday, the rest has given him the much needed stamina to survive.
And then…
Stride stops dead in his tracks.
His legs tremble in a state of panic and disbelief. He feels the three-eyed demon slowly approaching, without concern for Stride’s attempted escape.
He looks down, as his eyes widen. The air lingers heavy around him and his breathing grows shallow.
For what reason have I tried to survive for so long… was it out of guilt for you, father? Out of spite against Byzma? Or was it my own innate desire to survive?
In the end, it was all for naught. The moment I set foot on this land my faith was sealed. And now, I truly stand in front of a dead end.
He peers down into the void. No matter how much his eyes adjust to the dark, he cannot see the end of the bottomless pit he is confronted with. Caught within an impossible dilemma. Certain death, and an excruciating monster.
He trembles in anguish as there is nowhere for him to run.
As he slowly turns around, to meet eyes with his pursuer, a horrifying reality reveals itself.
In a state of pure shock, Stride falls over. His surroundings distort as he looks back at the three-eyed demon. His perception of the real world shatters as he’s paralysed by fear.
It is unlike anything he has ever experienced – previous encounters pale in comparison to the being that walks towards him.
This… entity… that stands before me is an incarnation of evil, evil fuelled by the desire to instil fear in all that face it.
As if his thoughts can only focus on how afraid he is, the three-eyed demon walks closer.
The drums of his heartbeat soar through his ears as he attempts to move over and over again. His entire body feels strained and trembles with each attempted motion. His legs have become heavy as if he’s tied to the floor, his arms quiver uncontrollably.
He sits there, expressionless. Being held down by the mere gaze of the monster. Stride cannot look away.
The three-eyed demon no longer conceals his mirth with just a smile. His mouth opens fully to reveal rows of sharp teeth. His eyes widen in anticipation of the torment he intends to inflict on Stride. The demon savours the moment as he takes his time, moving slowly towards the incapacitated Stride.
In the exact moment that the three-eyed demon reveals his true nature, Stride has an epiphany.
That smile, that frightful grin on his face. It is something I recognise from those that seek pleasure in the destroying of hope, whose joy lies in inflicting pain, suffering and misery onto others. I have not only encountered far too many people with that-… that shit eating grin… No, I have suffered under far too many people with that same expression.
It felt all too familiar to him.
Instead of succumbing to his fear, his resolve hardens, anger gives him strength. Stride’s heart pounces as he stands up, not taking his eyes of the demon. He wants to convince himself that he is no longer afraid of what this monster represents: an oppressor.
“I have had enough. I will not fall victim again.” His voice trembles in both anguish and rage, barely annunciating his words.
“I would rather go out as a free man than to die by your hands.”
“Eat shit and die, demon.”
He accepts his own fate, no longer bound by fear or regrets.
He jumps, a leap of faith, deep down into the abyss.
End of chapter 3.