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The Mind Forest, as it was curiously named, was a beautiful
sight. All around for miles one could see large green trees expanding in to the
brilliantly bright sky, and flowers of all colours littered the grassy floor as
if they would form a collage if seen from above. Pleasing and tantalizing
smells would be carried on any light breeze that rustled the foliage and swept
through the hair of any visitors. Truly, it was an immaculate sight for any who
would behold it, and one they would not soon forget.
Not everything in the
forest was perfect however, and tales were told of a great and terrible Beast
who lived in some dark corner of the green fields. It was said that all around
him was darkness and despair, and nothing grew near him. He lived in a cave, away
from the light and colour, and slowly spread the darkness around him. Every so
often he would venture out of his cave, but only when enough darkness had
spread. The bright light of the sun would occasionally shine throught the
trees, and force the darkness back in to the cave, only for it to spread once
more later. It was a seemingly eternal battle that neither entity could win,
and it seemed like the Beast was no closer to a natural death than it had been
when it first entered the forest, at a time no one was quite sure of. The Beast
had arisen before living memory, and now only tales of it were told. Some would
seek it out, for fame, glory, or wealth, but none had ever returned. This fact
had never put anyone off trying, and people would still seek it out and try and
conquer the Beast.
Belua was one such
person. Though he sought the Beast for neither fame, glory, or riches. He
sought the Beast for revenge and, in his own mind at least, justice. The Beast
had claimed the life of his closest, and truest, friend. Amica had journeyed a
few years ago to try his luck with the Beast and even though Belua had tried to
warn him against such a journey, and told him to not go, his pleas fell on deaf
ears. Amica was a master of the sword, and a grand hunter, and sought out the
greatest Beast of them all. He set off after giving Belua a fond farewell, and
he was never heard from again. Belua had remained optimistic but after half a
year it was proving harder and harder to deny the inevitable to himself. The
journey to the forest only took a month from their town and after three months
it was most probably Amicus would never return. After six it had become
undeniable that he was lost forever. After another three months Belua had
become determined in his plan to try and tackle the Beast himself in his
friend's name. He had spent a year learning to fight, and to hunt, and now he
felt that he was ready to kill the Beast, or die trying. He mounted his horse
and, after ignoring the very same warnings from his family that he had given
Amica, set off towards the woods, and to whatever fate had in store for him.
During his journey to
the Forest he passed a lodging town, and decided to spend the night instead of
camping out by the roadside once more. He ventured in to the town and made his
way towards the inn. It was a small town with a few stores and houses so the
journey did not take very long. The inn was the largest building in the town,
and stuck out even from the entrance. He ventured inside and after enquiring
how much it would be to spend the night, handed over the money and ordered a
drink of mead for himself. As he was drinking he got to talking to the
bartender, a middle aged man with thick black hair that had grey roots, and a
beard that covered half of his face.
"So what brings you out here
lad?" the bartender asked him as he cleaned glasses left by the other
patrons.
"I'm
off to the Mind Forest." Belua replied, taking a large gulp of his drink
and savouring the honeyed taste.
"Plan
to take on the Beast do you boy?" the bartender asked, not looking up from
his work.
"How
did you guess?" Belua asked. The bartender set down his glass and looked
up at Belua, taking him in.
"Well
you're covered in armour for a start, with a fairly impressive looking sword
strapped to your back." the bartender said. Belua had indeed come prepared
for what he was planning to do. He was wearing the finest and toughest mail
armour that he could buy and the sword that was attached to his back was the
largest and heaviest he could hold and still swing freely. He wanted to make
sure he could damage the Beast, while still having his natural agility so he
also had the ability to hit it in the first place. All in all he felt that he
looked like an impressive sight and was sure that, in terms of weapons and
armour, he stood a fighting chance against the Beast, and a chance was all he
would need to take it down. "A lot of people come here on their way to the
Mind Forest too, it became easier to assume that anyone who came here with a weapon
was on their way there. Occasionally there's also a fool who comes by without
one." the Bartender added.
"So
a lot of people headed to the Mind Forest come by here?" Belua asked, as
he suddenly got an idea.
"Sure
do." the bartender replied, eyeing Belua suspiciously. "Why do you
ask?"
"A
few years ago a friend of mine set out for the Mind Forest and I was wondering
if he found his way here like I did." Belua replied.
"A
few years ago?" the bartender replied. "I'm not sure if I could help
you, but I can try. What did he look like?" Belua began to describe Amica
to the best of his ability. He took care to explain as many little details as
he could remember, especially in his clothes and armour. He wanted to be as
precise as he could so that the bartender wouldn't confuse him with someone
else, and to help him remember. When Belua had finished describing Amica the
bartender stood in thought for a few seconds before smiling.
"I
do remember a young lad named Amica who fits that description. You're right in
your assumption that he stopped by here. It was nearly two years ago now but
you tend not to forget someone as loud and brash as he was." the bartender
said. Belua grimaced as the description the bartender had given had given of Amica being loud and brash matched
his own memories of his friend.
"That
sounds like him alright." Belua said, smiling at his memories. "Tell
me, did he ever return here after he left?" Belua asked, though he already
knew what the answer would be.
"I'm
afraid he didn't." the bartender said simply, his face becoming more
sombre. "Despite how he was, he breathed some life in to the place while
he stayed. I was hoping he would return, but he didn't. I've never seen anyone
return in my time here." Belua's heart sank, but not too much as he was
expecting the answer he had gotten.
"That's
what I thought." he said, taking another drink. "No harm in asking
though."
"None
at all." the bartender agreed. After that the conversation moved on to
more menial things as the inn was empty besides the two of them, and both of
them were interested in having a little company and someone to talk to. A small
part of Belua's mind was aware this was probably the last time he would talk to
someone, so he was determined to make it a good conversation. After an hour or
so of drinks and conversation Belua excused himself and headed towards the room
he would be spending the night. Just as he was glad that the last time he spoke
to someone was a good conversation, he was glad that the last bed he slept on was
warm and soft to the touch. His sleep may have been slow to come, and fitful at
best, but at least he was comfortable.
The next day Belua waved goodbye to the bartender after
breakfast and set out on the road once more. He was tempted to stay another night
but he knew that if he put off going to the Forest for longer, then he would
probably never go in at all. A small part of him was beginning to see the folly
of his plans, and thought he was being foolish, but he had enough determination
to quash those thoughts, and to face the Beast. He knew even if he could not
win, this was a fight that he had to face. To him it felt like he was trying to
defeat his own inner demons, and he was left with a deeper understanding of why
people went to face the Beast even if they knew they would never win. It was
the greatest challenge imaginable, and if someone could actually defeat it,
they would feel that there was nothing they could not do. He thought that
perhaps someone people also saw it as he was beginning to see it. As a way to
defeat their own inner Beasts. No matter who or what came his way before he got
there, he was more determined than ever to see this through to the end, no
matter what that end happened to be. It was becoming less about revenge and
justice, and more about his own personal growth. In the time between the loss
of Amica, and him setting out upon the journey himself, he had grown far more
than he ever thought possible, and he was beginning to want to test that
growth, and see just how far he had really come. He thought that people would
likely try and tackle the Beast before doing something major such as proposing
to their prospective wives, or hoping to impress a prospective woman. He spared
a thought for all the people that were left without their loved ones as a
result of the Beast, as well as wondering momentarily on how a Beast that never
left the Forest could affect so many people, and change so many lives. With his
mind still racing, he tapped his horse on its flanks, and set off down the road.
Belua didn't run in to many people on the road, but he did
stop in a few more lodging towns on his way towards the Forest. The people
there told him the same thing he had heard in the first town he visited. Amica
had passed by the town, but he hadn't returned, and neither had anyone else who
passed by on their way to the Forest. As beautiful as the Forest was, no one
went there just to visit and see the scenery because of the Beast. He lived in
the centre of the forest, but his darkness could spread far, and fear was an
excellent deterrent. As he passed through one lodging town he saw a woman being
accosted by a small gang of three men. He let go of his horses reins and
charged at them, planting his armoured boot in to the back of one of them.
Before the other two had time to react to their associate's cries of pain Belua
grabbed their heads and brought them together with a harsh crack resounding as
they collided.
"Begone
you damn fools!" Belua shouted at them and continued to scowl at them as
they made their escape, cursing and threatening Belua as they did. Their
threats fell on deaf ears and when they were gone Belua turned to the young
lady. She was sat on the ground where she had been knocked and so Belua helped
her to her feet.
"Are
you okay, mi-" was all he managed to say before she slapped him around the
face.
"You
fool!" she chastised, hitting the other cheek for good measure. "You
don't just threaten the men of the Prince of Thieves."
"But
they were hurting you" Belua protested, confused beyond belief by the
woman's actions.
"Yes,
and now instead of hurting just me, they're going to hurt the entire town! I
say, once more, you damnable fool!" she shouted.
"Tell
me, where can I find their Den?" Belua asked her, taking stock of the
situation and just what he had done. He had angered one of the most notorious
criminals in the land. The retribution visited upon the small town would be
swift, brutal, and without mercy. He was going to everything he could do to
prevent it, even if it meant that he never got to face the Beast. If this was
as far as he was going to go, then he was never ready to face the Beast, and he
would just die a little earlier than he intended. If he managed to win, then
perhaps he would be able to beat the Beast after all.
"You
really are quite the fool aren't you?" the woman asked, but she had begun
smiling at him now. "What, pray tell my gentle fool, do you intend to
do?"
"I
intend to fix my mistake madam. I intend to save you, and your entire village,
from that gang of beggars and thieves." Belua replied. He had been serious
in his reply but from the look of suppressed laughter on the face of the woman,
it was not being met with as much seriousness as he intended it to be.
"You
truly are a fool if you think you can do that. If you're really in such a hurry
to die, then you can find them on the edge of the Mind Forest." she
replied.
"They
live in the Forest?" Belua asked, confused as to why anyone would live
there.
"Right
at the very edge, yes." the woman replied. "You see they know none
dare enter it, but they themselves dare not enter it either. So they live right
at the very edge. Even the most dangerous of thieves fears the most dangerous
of Beasts."
"I
fear neither the forest, the thieves, or the Beast." replied Belua, but
even he wasn't sure he believed those words. He was unafraid of the bandits at
least. He chose to focus on that when he saw the woman actually laugh at his
delcaration.
"If
you say so sir." she simply said.
"I
do say so." Belua replied, trying, but failing, to look indignant. He
whistled for his horse, who appeared shortly, and climbed upon her back.
"Now, in which part of the Forest can I find these men?" he asked the
woman.
"If
you truly wish to go then just follow the path you would have took. It leads to
the Forest and they live just beyond it. They use the path to come here and to
other places further along it."
"I
just take the route I would have anyway? It almost sounds like the machinations
of fate brought me here." he responded almost absently, lost in thought.
"I
think the only thing that brought you here, good sir, was the road you must
still travel down." the woman replied.
"I
suppose so." Belua replied, snapped out of his thoughts. "Well anyway,
I shall see you soon I believe." he said, tipping his head to the woman.
"As I probably won't return from fighting the Beast, I shall endeavour to
return here first before going back in, so you know that the Prince of Thieves
and his men are defeated. What say you to that?"
"I
say once more, that you be a fool." she replied. "But a fool with a
heart that is in the right place, don't you think?" she added, with a
smile. Belua smiled back and nodded before kicking his horse in the flanks and
setting off down the road towards the Forest.
"I
do hope he returns." the woman said to no one in particular as she watched
him go.
The journey to the Forest took a further day of riding but
soon enough Belua had arrived on the outskirts of his destination. His months
of training, his month of riding, everything he had been through for nearly two
years, had lead him at last to this one destination. He smiled as he took a
look around the outskirts before he headed in. He could see naught but trees
and not much between or beyond them. It was as if the forest itself was trying
to fence people out and tell them to stay away. Given what he knew of the
nature of the Beast within, and the way it's power seemed to influence the very
nature of the Forest, he wouldn't have been too surprised to learn that was the
case.
Belua wasn’t sure how to find the exact location of the
bandit camp but he had a few ideas in his head of how to do it. The woman had
told him that the bandits lived not far beyond the path so he continued in as
straight a line as he could from the path in to the forest itself. He made sure
to go slowly and deliberately. When he found it hard to see the path when he
looked back he turned around and went back towards the edge of the forest. When
he reached the edge of the forest and the start of the path away, he turned
around and headed back in to the forest once more. He repeated this process a
few times and branched further out on the left and right when he went in to the
forest, making sure to always keep the edge of the forest in his sights and not
head too deeply in to it. Eventually he got a sign that his plan was working as
a blunt arrow struck his armour and bounced off it, flying in to the air.
“The
next one won’t be blunt, and it won’t be aimed at your armour.” A voice called
from the trees. “Turn back lest you face naught but death.”
“And
why is that? I see nothing before me that may kill me.” Beluah shouted up at
the trees in the direction the voice had come from. He heard laughter come from
several of the trees surrounding him.
“Ahead
of you lays The Beast, and around you lays us, and we will kill you if you do
not turn back and leave.” The voice replied.
“I
repeat, for you seem hard of hearing, that I see nothing before me that may
kill me. You all hide away like the cowards you are. Only something before my
eyes may kill me, and you are not.” Beluah replied. He heard the twang of a bow
being snapped and quickly pulled his shield up to his face. A pang from the
shield as an arrow bounced off of it told him he was right to do so.
“An
arrow will be before your face, and it shall kill you.” The voice in the trees
said.
“I saw
no arrow, and it did not kill me. Nor shall you pathetic excuses for humanity.
You hide away, and use fear and let me tell you now; I am not afraid of you.”
Beluah called out once more. He heard the sounds of two more arrows being
loosed and quickly rolled off of his horse as two arrows flew overhead. If he
had reacted a second later they would have torn through his neck from the
sides. This was something he had been waiting for. As he was leaning against
the side of his horse he reached in to the saddle bags and pulled out a short
bow and a few arrows. He quickly fired one where the voice had been coming from
and two more where the other arrows had come from. He heard three thuds but
only two bodies fell from the trees; one of the arrows had missed. The voice
that called out from the trees was a different one and Beluah surmised he had
managed to kill the original speaker.
“You’ll
pay for that.” Was all the voice said in a gruff tone before seven more men
dropped out of the trees. “You will definitely pay for that.” One of the men
said as he brandished two swords.
“I’m
out of coin I’m afraid. I was hoping you could give me some.” Beluah replied as
he threw his bow to the ground to draw his own sword.
“The
only thing we can offer you is a slow and painful death, which we shall now
gladly give you.” The man said as he advanced on Beluah. The rest of the men
advanced from all sides to cut off any potential escape routes.
“What a
startling coincidence. I was going to offer you the same thing.” Beluah said,
shouting the last word as he charged towards the bandit leader, his sword held
high. The bandit struck out with his sword but Beluah used his shield to bat it
aside as if it was nothing before bringing his sword down, forming a large cut
on the man’s chest. Before the bandit had time to respond Beluah brought his
shield about in the other direction, striking the bandit leader in the face. He
cried out in pain as Beluah thrust his sword quickly in to his chest. Beluah
was trying to take the bandits down one at a time as quickly as he could to
prevent them from ganging up on him and overwhelming him with numbers. The
bandits had other ideas and were not so keen to let him just pick them off one
at a time. When their leader fell the other six men charged at him from all
sides. Beluah reacted quickly by casting his shield aside, running back to his
horse and vaulting over it to kick one of them in the head with his armoured
boots. Beluah followed through on the jump and pulled out a dagger, sticking it
deep in the bandits chest to take out another member of the gang. The remaining
members of the gang were becoming nervous. Here was someone who it seemed would
not be affected by numbers or by fear, their two greatest weapons. They were
still determined to punish someone who had embarrassed them as much as Beluah
had so they took up the charge once more. Two men were ahead of the pack and they
reached him first. Beluah blocked the attack of one of them with his shield,
and blocked the other with his sword. He relaxed the arm holding the shield,
causing the man he was blocking with it to fall forward slightly and be knocked
off balance. Beluah kicked him hard in the shin to knock him to the floor and
then stamped on his leg causing him to cry out in pain and taking him out of
the fight. He let his shield fall off of his arm and using his sword with both
hands pushed back at the other man he was blocking. He too was knocked off
balance and Beluah struck out with his fist to the man’s face, knocking him to
the ground. Beluah stomped on this man’s legs as well as a repeat of what he
done to the other one and picked up his sword to prepare to fight off the last
three men who were almost at him. He looked up at them with a fierce
determination in his eyes and a lack of remorse over what he had just done. As
they were about to strike him they stopped in fear found themselves surprised
to see the man they were threatening earlier. The three men left alive were the
ones who were responsible for everything happening in the first place. As the
realisation hit, and the fear showed on their faces, they dropped their weapons
in surrender. They had seen their comrades fall and had no desire to join them.
“You’re
choosing to surrender then I take it?” Beluah said, pointing a sword at each of
the men on the left and right as the three men were now stood next to each
other in a small line. “Wait, I remember you three…” Beluah added as
realisation began to hit him. “You’re the ones who were attacking the village
weren’t you? You’re the very reason I came here!” The three men nodded in
reply. “Well then this is your lucky day. Do you know why?” Beluah asked them.
They all shook their heads. “It’s your lucky day for if you go now to the
village and apologise, I shall let you live.”
“You
would let us live?” The man in the middle said, the hope evident in his voice.
“Aye,
you may yet live. But if I hear that you did anything you shouldn’t, I’ll
change my mind pretty quickly.” Beluah replied.
“You
plan on going back to the village then?” The man on the left asked.
“After
I kill The Beast yes, I shall return and I shall hope to find you there making
up for your mistakes.” This response surprised the men. They would have laughed
at Beluah’s bold declaration but didn’t want to push their luck. He was letting
them live and there was no sense in potentially aggravating the man who had
shown them mercy when he had shown their brethren none. Instead they nodded
their heads and hurried out of the forest in silence. One of the men showed no
such discretion and laughed heartily when the other three had disappeared.
“The
thought of you being slaughtered by that Beast will make my trip to the
afterlife that much sweeter.” He remarked shortly before Beluah thrust a sword
in to his back and silenced him.
“And I
shall send you there swifter.” Beluah remarked before collecting his shield,
jumping atop his horse, and setting out in to the depths of the forest. The
little extra quest he had taken on was done and he was keen to get back to his
original one.
Beluah continued in to the forest, marvelling at how serene
and peaceful it was despite the terror that lurked within. All around him he
could see the most beautiful trees stretching high in to the air and flowers
around them. He was sure he could even hear a bird calling out every so often
although he never saw one. The beauty could only last so long however and after
a few hours of gentle riding he began to see the corruption, and the true
colours of the Forest. The grass began to vanish and be replaced by cracked and
parched Earth. The trees were black too, and with no leaves upon them. It was
as if everything had simply been burned away by a torrential fire. Given the
dark and foreboding feeling that overcame Beluah when he entered the lair of
the beast, he felt that if it was a fire, it’s purpose was not cleansing. If he
stopped to look closely he could see the corruption shift and change ever so
slightly as the Beast and Nature continued their fight for dominance of the
Forest. A small part of him took hope that it seemed the Beast was losing the
fight and Nature was seeping in to the dark parts of the forest floor. He had
no real indication of which direction to head so he continued on in as straight
a line as he could.
Eventually he found foot and hoof-prints in the soil and
knew that he was close to the lair and heading in the right direction. He was
now in the part of the Forest where Nature never came. He was in the part where
the Beast was close, and would always hold dominance until someone came and
took the Forest away from it. Beluah climbed off his horse at this point and
tethered it to a tree. He was sure to tie it loose enough that it should be
able to break free and run if he didn’t make it back alive and it needed to
escape from the Beast. Beluah saw no reason for the horse to die alongside him
if it came to it. There was no need for the horse to pay for his own
foolishness.
He strode on, keeping to the prints on the ground, until he
came across a cave. He knew that his quarry had to lay within.
“Come
out Beast! I have come for your hide for what you have done!” he yelled as he
drew his sword and held it high. He heard a great and terrible roar rend the
air and a bright flash caused him to close his eyes. When he opened them again
he saw that a figure was standing at the mouth of the cave. He was face to face
with his enemy at last. The sight of it was not one he was expecting, and one
that stunned and shook him to his core. In front of him stood what could easily
pass as a mirror image of him. Not who he was now, but who he had been back at
the village. It was the same height as he was; the same build. It had the same
length and colour hair and the same facial features. The eyes were what
reminded him that he wasn’t looking at himself, and it was the eyes that
snapped him back to reality. They were black as the void of space and without
iris or pupil. It was as if someone had placed charcoal where the creature’s
eyes should have been. The Beast held out it’s hand and darkness coalesced in
the palm, forming a sword forged seemingly of darkness itself. The Beast roared
once more and charged at Beluah, bringing the sword back to strike. Beluah
barely had time to react but managed to get his shield held up in time to
deflect the blow. The sword sliced through the shield like butter, narrowly
missing Beluah’s arm. Beluah threw the shield to the ground and held his sword
in both hands, hoping that it would be enough to stop the sword of his opponent
when the shield had failed so miserably to do so. Beluah didn’t have to wonder
long as the sword came down once more. Beluah swung his own sword and mentally
sent out a prayer of thanks to whatever deity was watching over him as he
managed to parry the blow. The Beast was momentarily stunned and Beluah took
the chance to strike at it. He slashed it across the chest and let out a
triumphant cheer as his sword pierced through it’s clothes and left a large cut
across it. His moment of reverie was cut off however as the same darkness that
had been used to create the sword now formed around the wound, sealing it. The
Beast looked down at the sealing wound and let out a maniacal laugh before
charging Beluah down once more. This time it attacked not with it’s sword, but
with it’s hands. The Beast grabbed Beluah and tore away at his armour with
inhuman strength. When it had finished tearing away all the armour that
protected the top half of his body the Beast struck Beluah in the stomach with
a fist, sending him to the ground. Beluah coughed and spluttered on the ground
as he curled up in pain. Eventually Beluah rose to his feet once more but it
was obvious he was battered. He was using his sword for support to allow him to
stand. Instead of taking the chance to attack the Beast had watched him
curiously, studied him almost. When Beluah was standing under his own power the
Beast resumed it’s attack. It grabbed Beluah by the legs and knocked him to the
ground once again. This time it tore at his leg armour and tore through it as
easily as it had the chest plate. It was as if the armour was nothing to the
creature. Beluah struggled to fight back and though he landed a few blows on
it, the Beast didn’t stop in it’s task. When the Beast was done Beluah was left
with nothing but the simple clothes he had worn under his armour. Not a scrap
of it remained on his body. As inexplicably as it had started it’s work, the
Beast stopped. Even more perplexingly it stood up to presumably admire it’s own
handiwork with tearing off the armour. It was looking down at Beluah thoughtfully
and waiting, once more, for him to stand up. It was actually waving it’s arms
about, urging Beluah to stand up. Beluah suspected if it was capable of speech
then it would have been shouting at him to get up.
After a few minutes of painful struggling Beluah was able to
stand up again under his own power. The Beast snickered and charged in for
another attack. Beluah surprised even himself by being able to sidestep it at
the last second. He knew his armour was heavy but he didn’t think it would have
slowed him down that much. He looked around the clearing in an effort to find
his sword. He found it laid on the ground a few metres away and dashed to pick
it up. He surprised himself again with his speed. Even if the armour wasn’t
slowing him down anymore, his injuries should have been. He felt free and
unburdened as he grabbed the sword, held it high in the air, and charged down
the Beast. The Beast was fast but now Beluah had somehow become faster even
than it. He stuck his sword out as he ran past it, slicing it cleanly through
the chest. Before the wound could heal Beluah spun around, raising his sword
and cutting straight through the creature’s neck, decapitating it in in
instant. He heard a resounding thud as the Beast’s head landed on the ground.
It was followed shortly after by another dull thud as the body fell. Beluah
looked down upon the corpse of the Beast and was happy to see that the wound on
it’s chest was still there. The Beast was not going to heal any time soon, and
was truly dead. Beluah had done it. He had done what none other before him,
even his best friend, had been able to do. He had slain the Beast and freed the
forest from it’s grasp. The effect on the forest was almost instantaneous as
the darkness that was creeping through it began receding quickly. Beluah
admired the sight for a few moments before collapsing on the ground. His
injuries were finally starting to catch up to him and he needed rest. He passed
out shortly after, feeling new grass and flowers sprout beneath him as the corruption
wavered and was defeated. A smile formed on his face shortly before everything
went black.
When Beluah awoke he wasn’t in the forest anymore. He seemed
to be underwater, if he was anywhere at all. The world came in to focus and he
could see that he was indeed in some kind of green liquid but he could still
breathe. He was wearing a mask over his mouth that was passing oxygen in to him
and allowing him to breathe. He still panicked at the thought he might die and
panicked even more when he heard a loud sound as the liquid was drained away
somehow. When the liquid had gone Beluah could see, barely, through some kind
of glass that had been keeping the liquid inside with him. He couldn’t be sure
of what he was inside though. The outside looked strange. He could make out a
wall that was adorned with several large windows. He couldn’t be entirely sure
of what laid beyond those windows but they looked almost like buildings to him.
He heard the sound of pressure being released and there was an odd smell in the
air. He passed out again shortly after smelling this unfamiliar gas.
Sebastian woke up and as the world came in to focus and
stopped spinning he discovered he was on a couch in a very large room. Around
the walls were countless certificates, degrees and diplomas that were proudly
put on display by whoever owned the place.
“What
happened?” he said to no one in particular.
“It was
quite an experience, wasn’t it?” came the rather unexpected reply. Sebastian
had thought he might have been alone.
“What
was an experience?” Sebastian asked. He turned to face where the voice had come
from and saw a middle aged man with slicked back shoulder length brown hair and
a moustache looking at him.
“It
takes a few minutes to adjust back so take it easy for now. I’ll explain
everything in a minute.”
“Adjust
back to what? Where am I?”
“Why
back to reality of course.” The man said, as if he were trying to explain
something to a child. “I’m Doctor Lawson and you have just been through some
very intense psychotherapy. Just relax and let it all come back to you.” Sebastian did as instructed. He laid back and
closed his eyes, willing his mind to sort out everything for him. It took a
minute or two but everything started to fall back in to place. He had been
having difficulties dealing with his depression and the problems of his past
that were still haunting him. He decided one day he’d had enough and had come
to see Doctor Lawson for psychiatric help. The doctor had suggested something
he had called Intense Regression. Instead of seeing a past life such as with
Past Life Regression, Sebastian would see a visual representation of the
innermost workings of his subconscious mind. He would become an avatar of
himself within his own mind. After he made the decision to go through with it
Doctor Lawson had placed him inside of a large machine and strapped a breathing
mask over his face. He had begun to worry when it filled with a green liquid
but the doctor had reassured him that everything would be fine. The liquid
stimulated his mind and body to help create the effect and it helped keep him
in the unconscious state necessary for the therapy to work. After that he
didn’t remember anything until he woke up again on the couch. At least, he
thought he couldn’t remember something else. He was sure that there was
something else inbetween those two times and he focused as hard as h could on
it. It was hard but his effort was rewarded as several more memories came
flooding back to him. Memories of seemingly a whole other life spent in another
world. He remembered setting out on a journey in to a forest to avenge a friend
that he had lost. He remembered saving a girl in a small village and then going
on to save the entire village by taking out a gang of thieves. It seemed
incredibly fanciful but he remembered it all in very vivid detail.
“Whoa…”
he said simply when it had all come back to him.
“I told
you; it’s quite an experience isn’t it?” Doctor Lawson replied.
“You’re
telling me doc, but what does it all mean?”
“I’ll
tell you but I need you to tell me what happened first as the experience is
different for everyone and every tiny detail can mean something. Don’t miss
anything out.” Doctor Lawson replied and pulled out a clipboard. He was ready
to take notes of Sebastian’s experiences and help him connect the dots and
realise what it all meant.
Sebastian began at the best place to begin; the beginning.
He explained the fantasy setting to Doctor Lawson, and the two worked out that
when Sebastian allows himself to be happy and when he’s in a good mood, he can
be quite a fanciful person. He had talked in the other world, as it felt far
too real to be called a dream, in what his brain thought was a rather
fantasy-ish manner. He had often dreamed of having adventures like the one his
mind had given him. Him losing his best friend had been a symbol of everyone he
had lost in his past, be it friends or lovers. He had set out to avenge every
loss inflicted upon him by his own personal Beast. His own inner demons and to
a degree even his mind. He had suffered from trust issues and anger issues that
had meant during his life he had lost a few people along the way. He didn’t
trust himself and he couldn’t believe others would either. This was one of the
behaviours he had come to Doctor Lawson in an effort to stop. The Mind Forest
had been called what it was because it was a representation of his actual mind.
The battle between Nature and The Beast, and the corruption and restoration of
it, had been a representation of his own struggles with his mind. As he had
been travelling he had saved a girl in a village and then gone on to save her
entire village by getting in to a fight where the odds certainly weren’t in his
favour. He had gotten in to the fight in the first place by getting the wrong
idea and doing, in the girl’s mind, the wrong thing. The girl represented all
the people he felt he had let down or been unable to save. For once he did
manage to save someone before something terrible happened. Saving the village
was his want to save everyone he could. Sebastian was, in his heart of hearts,
a very kind man who tried to help everyone he came across. It was also a step
that was necessary to be taken before taking on the Beast itself. His mind was
clouded and he was unsure, and he couldn’t do anything in that state. He needed
to clear his mind and his conscience. He accidentally did the wrong thing
because he was always afraid of doing that. He wanted to help people but he was
afraid of doing the wrong thing. His brain was showing him that even if he did
ever do the wrong thing, he could always make it up and do the right thing in
the end. He did what he thought was right, and that was the most important
thing. He had helped the girl, regardless of the consequences.
The fight with the Beast itself was something both Sebastian
and Doctor Lawson were interested in. The Beast had looked like a shadowed
version of himself because that was what it truly was. It was a representation
of the dark depths of his mind. It had been able to heal it’s wounds because if
it was that easy to defeat then Sebastian would have done it himself under his
own power years ago. The loss of his armour was a necessary step to being able
to defeat it. He needed to be free of his burdens to be able to do it. After
the armour came off he was able to find the speed and strength necessary to
overcome his past by unburdening himself of it. As for why it was the Beast
itself that had torn the armour off and effectively allowed him to win; Doctor
Lawson theorised that was his own inner desire to achieve success. He wanted so
badly for the therapy to work and to win the fight came through. In the end he
had managed to overcome the darkness of his mind and had set himself free of
the burdens of his past. It would take a little longer for his mind to put
everything in to place but he was effectively cured. He had personally ventured
in to his own mind and taken matters in to his own hands. He had defeated
representations of his problems and in the process had managed to defeat the
actual problems.
“I feel
better already.” Sebastian said to Doctor Lawson when he had finished
explaining everything and getting all of his answers.
“Give
it a few days and you’ll feel amazing.” Doctor Lawson replied. Sebastian
chuckled and shook Doctor Lawson’s hand.
“I’m
looking forward to it. Thanks for everything doc.”
“Happy
to help. Good luck with everything.” Doctor Lawson replied as he shook
Sebastian’s hand. The handshake ended and Sebastian made his way to the door of
Doctor Lawson’s office.
“Thanks
doc, but something tells me I won’t be needing luck anymore.”
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P.S I'm aware there's barely any formatting.
