Immortal Space Chapter Five; Goodbye For Now

Hey guys, I'm really sorry about how sporadic my Immortal Space updates are. I've written a post for my main blog that can help explain why. It's going up on Monday, which means I need to think of something for tomorrow. Monday is when the writers read, so it's good to have writing related stuff up then. If you see this Bryan or Brandon, yes I'm referring to you two.
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Trent woke up a few hours later, looking at his watch to see just how late it was. When he looked at his hand he noticed something and laughed out loud. Jeff heard the laughter from where he was and made his way to the room. He'd woken up himself a little earlier and was waiting for signs of life from Trent.

“You're awake now? What's so funny?” Jeff asked him, leaning against the door frame. Trent held up his hands with a huge grin on his face. Jeff looked at them for a few seconds before he realised what had happened. His jaw dropped before he started laughing too. It was mostly out of disbelief at what he was seeing. Trent had eight fully formed fingers on each hand, complete with two thumbs as well. Somehow, amazingly, his finger had grown back. Trent was not just impossible to kill, but his body healed any wounds, including dismemberment. Trent was almost tempted to see if his head could grow back. Almost. There was a limit to curiosity and definitely one to stupidity. He held that belief no matter how much humanity seemed to want to prove him wrong.

“Did that really happen?” Jeff asked. Trent stuck his hands in his pockets and fidgeted around, looking for something. After a few seconds of searching he pulled his hand out of his pocket and with it, the fingertip that he'd cut off.

“Somehow,” Trent replied, playing with the finger “that did in fact happen.” He laughed again and pocketed the finger again. He pointed at Jeff, still laughing. “It seems like you owe me a date”. Jeff buried his face in his palm.

“Why are you keeping that thing?” Jeff asked.

“Well that Osborne fella might not believe us”, Trent replied. “But you're avoiding the point. When can I meet your sister?” Trent teased. Jeff shook his head before replying.


“No, no, no you aren't getting to meet her. Is there anything else? I did not expect this to happen, and it will not happen,” Jeff said. Trent stroked his stubble, wishing he had a beard. He gave it some thought and slapped his hands on his legs when he was done.

“The ship” Trent said simply. “I'll call the date off if you call off that I owe you money for the ship. I'm out of money and I need the money I can get for myself, so I can be off on my way”. Trent explained. Jeff was a bit sad at this thought. He didn't really want Trent to go, and he did see this debt as a way to keep him around. It also hardly seemed like a fair trade.

“Do you really have to go so soon?” Jeff asked, before he could stop himself. Trent put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling.

“I think I'll be around for a few weeks or so, I don't know how long it will take”. Jeff's face dropped. “But”, Trent continued, lowering his head to look at Jeff, “you can still come with me if you want. This would still be partly your ship you know”. Jeff looked back up, smiling again. Trent smiled back and got out of bed. “Say, just when does your man Osborne finish work? Can we still go see him there now?” he asked Jeff. Jeff checked the time, and saw that they could still catch Osborne at work. So the two of them headed out and started walking towards the hospital. Trent was joking about how his date with Jeff's sister could have gone while Jeff was laughing it off and thanking Trent for saying he could still go with him if he wanted.

When they arrived back at the hospital they went up to the reception desk where they were greeted by a blonde woman who recognised Jeff.

“Good afternoon Jeff. You're in kind of early.” She said. She looked next to him and saw Trent. Trent smiled at her and she smiled back. Her cheeks reddened a little when she saw him and she had trouble looking him in the eye. “My,” she said softly, “who's your friend?” she asked. Trent put on his best smile, flashing her his teeth, which just reddened her cheeks more.

“Trent Saxon ma'am” he said. His accent sounded a little different but Jeff couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Trent extended his hand for her to shake. Thankfully this particular lady had not heard that they recently pulled in a dead guy by that name so she was more than happy to shake his hand. “Me and Jeff” he started, patting a stunned Jeff on the back, “are just here to visit Dr. Daniel Osborne, could you please tell us where we can find him?”

“Sure thing” she replied before checking her computer. “Let's see. Ah, at this time he's supposed to be in his office. You can find it on the second floor, I think Jeff knows the way anyway, don't you Jeff?”. It took another quick pat on the back by Trent to bring Jeff back into the world.

“Answer the nice ladies' question Jeff.” Trent said, “Do you know the way to Doctor Osborne’s office?”.

“Errr...yeah.” Jeff said. Shaking his head and snapping back into reality properly he continued

“Yeah I know where it is, thank you very much.”

“Oh it was my pleasure” the receptionist said, with one more look at Trent before he walked off with Jeff, waving goodbye to her.

“What was that about?” Jeff asked Trent as they were walking down the corridor to the stairs.

“What was what?” Trent said, playing innocent. His voice seemingly back to normal.

“What you were doing to her. Just what were you doing?”

“I was being nice and respectful to a lady, no one ever teach you to do that?”. Trent asked with a smirk. They reached the stairs and started climbing up. Jeff was silent on the way up but he started talking again when they were heading down the next corridor.

“Sure they did, but not...that.” Jeff said, looking away. Trent just laughed and noticed a door that had Dr. Osborne's name on it.

“Well maybe you should do it as much as you can” he said before knocking on the door.

“Come in” Osborne called from inside the room. Trent and Jeff walked in saw that Dr. Osborne was sat at his desk surrounded by paperwork. He looked up to see who entered and when he saw them, he stood up and motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. “Welcome back boys, have a seat.” Dr. Osborne welcomed them. He then sat back down.

“Thanks Danny” Trent responded before sitting down and relaxing, crossing his legs and leaning back with his hands behind his head. Jeff sat down in the other chair, resting his forearms on his legs and leaning forward slightly.

“What did you call me?” asked Osborne, looking aghast.

“Danny” Trent responded without missing a beat. “Cos your name's Daniel see.”

“Exactly. My name is Daniel, so, call me Daniel.” Daniel said. He wasn't a big fan of nicknames.

“Danny, Daniel, what's the difference doc?” Trent asked casually. He had no problems with nicknames himself and thought Daniel really needed to relax. At this Daniel looked pretty mortified.

“Doc? I thought I told you about that already?” Daniel asked, resting his head in his hands. This was becoming exasperating to him.

“Yeah you did” Trent said, pretending to ponder the question, “but again, doc, doctor, what's the difference?”

“There's a lot of difference” Daniel said. He was going to continue but instead he just sighed and gave up, choosing to just let Trent do what he wanted. He leaned back in his chair before sitting forward again, leaning against his desk. “So what are you here for anyway?” Daniel asked them.

“Well,” Trent started, leaning forward himself, “With a bit of help from Jeff, I was able to get myself another ship. Now, I've asked Jeff if he wants to come along, and he's said yes. I'm now going to ask if I can actually borrow Jeff, and I'm also going to extend the same offer to you. You're welcome to come with me.” Trent explained.

“Please let me go” Jeff pleaded. He'd actually not thought about this. He wanted to go but he knew that he wouldn't be able to if Osborne didn't give him permission to. Well, he could go, but then he would have to lose his job. Daniel leaned back again, giving it all some thought. He leaned forward again and looked at Jeff.

“You can go Jeff, your job will still be here waiting for you when you get back” he started before Jeff's celebratory “yes!” interrupted him. Jeff looked away sheepishly. Daniel then turned his attention to Trent. “But I'm afraid I can't go too. I just have too many commitments here. I have a demanding job, and my family, to consider.”

“I can understand that” Trent said, standing up and smiling. “Thanks for letting me borrow Jeff though, I'll have him back in one piece.” Daniel grimaced a bit at that.

“Please do, he's not as indestructible as you. Don't forget that.” Once again, things Jeff hadn't considered. Trent was quick to reassure him though. He placed an arm around him and ruffled his hair.

“Don't worry none about him Doc, I'm only taking him on a journey, nothing dangerous. Just a bit of exploration.” Trent said. Jeff let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you from me too Doc-” Daniel raised an eyebrow at him “-tor Osborne. I'll be safe, I trust Trent. I just want to see some of the things he's seen is all.” Trent ruffled his hair again with a smile on his face.

“That's the spirit boy. I need you to be a bit patient though. I need to go back home before we can leave.” Trent said. Jeff looked a little sad at that.

“Where is that? Will you really come back?” Jeff asked. He was worried that Trent might actually disappear on him. Nothing this exciting had ever happened to him before. Once again Trent was quick to reassure him. He took his hat off and placed it on Jeff's head.

“I'm just going down south to pick some things up. I'll be back tomorrow. To pick up you and my hat. You be a good boy while I'm gone.” Trent teased him. Jeff punched him playfully in the ribs.

“I'm not a kid you know, don't treat me like one.” Jeff said with a smirk. Trent laughed at him as he let him go and walked towards the door.

“Then don't act like one, now, I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget to prepare for the journey yourself” he said as he left the office, leaving Daniel and Jeff on their own.

“Hey Jeff, did he ask you about your parents?” Daniel asked after Trent had left. Jeff shrugged and looked at Daniel solemnly. “It was nice he asked me, but surely he thought they would have an opinion?” Daniel asked. Jeff just shrugged again.

“I guess he just thought I was old enough to make my own decisions.” Jeff surmised. “Maybe he just thought you were my dad for some reason?” Jeff offered. Daniel smirked, showing that he did in fact have a sense of humour.

“Maybe. I guess you'll have to deal with that when it comes up. You heading back to the house now?” Daniel asked. Jeff nodded and put Trent's hat on. Daniel couldn't help but laugh at it. Jeff was about to take it back off when Daniel stopped laughing. “Hey, keep it on. It suits you.” Daniel said. Jeff let out a weak laugh.

“Guess I'll see you later then.” Jeff said, tipping his head towards Daniel. Daniel smiled at him and dismissed him. When Jeff was gone, Daniel looked down at his desk and saw the picture of his family that he kept there. In it, he was stood next to his wife with their two children in front of them. Between the two children was a very happy looking Jeff.

Maybe Trent just saw that and came to his own conclusions...Daniel thought to himself.

Immortal Space Chapter Four; New Things

Trent and Jeff walked down the street towards a destination Trent wasn’t sure of. Trent was taking in all the sights to really care. There were skyscrapers that were mostly very thick glass, as well as smaller shops with signs in the window proclaiming the various items they had for sale. The way the sun reflected off of the buildings made for quite a sight. He could see people going about their business and he could see the occasional slacker here and there too. He was also thankful to see a few spots of nature like a few trees dotted around the place. He knew they were planted by man but he was still always glad to see them. It was a shame there were very few natural forests left. Overpopulation had it's downsides. At least humanity had realised how vital plants were to life and had set up several tree farms and man made forests. They also served as natural preserves for the wildlife that would have lived in natural forests. Trent owned quite a few of them himself. Trent pulled a leaf from one of the trees they passed and stuck it in his pocket before turning to Jeff.

 

“Okay so first things first, I need some grub. You know anywhere nice then?” Trent asked Jeff.

 

“Sure do” Jeff replied, pointing to a shop in the distance. Trent could make out some tables outside, which identified it as a café. He sped up a bit, causing Jeff to run to keep up with him. Opening the door his nose was hit by the smell of well cooked food. Looking around he spotted some free tables and went up to the counter to order his food.

 

“What can I get you sir?” Said the guy behind the counter. He was the typical grease covered teenager you expect to find working at a fast food place. Some things never change, Trent thought to himself. Smiling at his thoughts he looked up at the menu and checked how much change he had.

 

“Just two burgers and some soda please” He said, turning round to Jeff asking him if he wanted anything.

 

“I'll take the same” Jeff said, after checking his own money. With their food in hand they sat down and started eating. Trent ate his first burger in a few bites; he didn't realise just how hungry he was. After taking some of his soda, he decided to take the second burger a bit slower. He decided to ask Jeff a question instead of digging straight in.

 

“Say, where is the shipyard around here anyway?” Trent asked. Jeff swallowed the burger he had in his mouth before replying.

 

“There's one a few blocks away. This is the closest food joint to there which is why I brought us here.” he answered. Trent chuckled and took a bite out of his second burger.

 

“Well I figured it wasn't the food.” he remarked. “Still, when you've not eaten in a few days anything will do.” he sighed.

 

“When was the last time you ate?” Jeff asked him.

 

“I think it was a day or two before I crashed. I was on my way back to Earth to resupply actually.” Trent replied. Resupplying was one of the few reasons he came back to Earth. Being curious about how much things had changed was the main reason.

 

“Oh”, Jeff replied before going back to eating his burger again. Then a thought struck him.

 

“Wait you can't die, do you really need to eat?” Jeff asked. Trent rolled his eyes.

 

“Well yeah”, was Trent's sarcastic reply, “My body still needs proteins and energy, and I get hunger pains just like everyone else. Let me tell you after going longer than most people can without food, you really start to hurt, and you get pretty weak too.” Trent explained. Jeff hadn't actually thought of that. The rest of the meal passed mostly in silence. When they were done they threw away their rubbish and headed out the door.

 

“Alright, which way now?” Trent asked Jeff. He looked around and couldn't see anything that really stuck out like a shipyard. Normally you could notice them from quite a distance.

Jeff looked around and pointed to a skyscraper. “It's just past that place over there”, he said. “Homeworld Shipyard.” That explained why Trent couldn't see it. A skyscraper like that would hide it quite well.

 

The two of them headed off together down the street. Trent was taking in the sights again. He really had been away for too long. He was a big fan of natural beauty, which he supposed explained why he enjoyed being in space so much. There wasn't as much natural beauty on Earth anymore. The human race may change the way the world looks but even they would have trouble changing the way space was arranged. He had some favourite spots on Earth but he was always being distracted by space. If he had stopped staring at the sun and turned round just a few minutes earlier, he might not have been shot down actually. Though he considered the trouble worth it for that sight. He was very content to just let the universe move around him and go with the flow.

 

They reached the shipyard and Trent let out a whistle as he looked around. There were ships of all sorts here. Some destroyers that were mostly military class but civilians were able to get some of them, mostly for protection. A few merchant ships that focused on hull space and shielding, with some weaponry to fend off pirates or thieves. Most merchants typically took an escort though if they expected any real danger. He found a desk in the middle and walked up to the it, this one operated by a tall woman with long blue hair.

 

“See anything you like sir?” She asked Trent with a playful smile. Trent ignored her flirting for the moment and looked behind her and pointed to a ship that was a good size for him. It was small but livable, just what he was after. Something he could live in, but not so big that he'd get too lonely and be tempted to take too many people with him. From the information on the board above it, this ship held 4 or 5 people comfortably. It was also known as “The Piranha”. The weird names people think for their ships thought Trent. Still he wasn't much use at naming things himself sometimes. The few times he had bought a ship first hand he hadn't bothered naming them at all for a while until he randomly thought of something.

 

“How much for The Piranha back there ma'am?” Trent asked the receptionist/saleswoman. She looked slightly disappointed at this reply before regaining her demeanor and checking the records.

 

“Let's see here...” she said, thumbing through the pages “Ah here it is. The Piranha, 4 person ship but can handle five, 2 manned gun turrets and 3 automatic ones, missiles can be mounted but you need a license for those.” At this Trent pulled out his license. The lady gave it a once over and handed it back, “Okay so you can have missiles attached. It also comes with a heavy duty shield and an engine that while not that powerful, can be upgraded. Though it's light speed engine is out, and you'll have to buy a new one. Because of the engine it's on offer and will currently cost you 30,000 credits.” she finished. Trent checked the money in his pockets. He was just shy, having only 28,000. It'd been a while since he had needed a new ship. He turned to Jeff.

 

“Hey Jeff could you lend me two grand? I'll pay you back pretty quick.” He asked. Jeff was taken a bit off guard, but he had grown to like Trent. He thought having a reason to keep him around, like him owing money, might not be too bad. He thought he might have made the decision a bit fast, but once he had made it, he knew he wouldn't be able to convince himself not to.

 

“Um, okay, but let me just go get it.” Jeff said once his mind was made up.

 

“There's a cash machine over there sir” The lady said, pointing to an ATM that was outside a bank across the road. She had a little trouble comprehending just who would walk around with twenty eight thousand credits in their pockets. If he was going to pay cash then he had to pay it all in one go. At least the ATM was close and Jeff wouldn't have to walk far with a large sum of money. Jeff thanked her and went to the machine. He came back a few minutes later, two thousand credits in hand. He handed it over to Trent who handed it over to the lady along with his own 28,000 and asked her for The Piranha. She took his money, put it away, and gave him the paperwork to sign. Once that was all taken care of she handed him the launch codes and ignition keys he would need to take off, as well as the keycard to open it up in the first place. Trent and Jeff went to the ship, opened it up and had a look inside. It was roomier than Trent thought. He found the cockpit, which had two main chairs at the front and then three smaller ones behind those. He found a kitchen, complete with a fully stocked fridge. He wondered about the quality of the food, and decided he should check it out later. Or maybe just replace it outright. He found a main sitting area in the middle with a large table, and what looked like a projector in the middle of it. He found that the ship had 4 bedrooms. Each one had it's own bed, causing Trent to believe something on some other part of the ship became a bed. He found a medical bay, and a fairly large hold too. All in all he had found a great ship. Or so he thought. It was then he found the engine room. The lady wasn't kidding about the engine. It was in terrible shape. The only reason it was still in the ship was to show the person who was buying it how it was fitted. He figured he was going to need a new one. He already owed Jeff money too. After finding everything he went back to one of the bedrooms and laid on the bed there.

 

“Now what?” Jeff asked him as he walked into the room. He'd had a look around the ship himself and found it to be very impressive. He'd never been in a starship before and so the experience was very new to him.

 

“Now,” Trent replied, shutting his eyes and sticking his hands behind his head, “I try to get some sleep. Neither of us slept last night, you must be tired too.” Trent surmised.

 

“A bit”, Jeff admitted sheepishly.

 

“Well get yourself on a bed and get some sleep. This ship is partly yours you know.” Trent said, surprising Jeff a little. He smirked as he heard Jeff walk off to another bedroom. Jeff also had a pretty big smile on his face. He couldn't really believe he did actually partly own a ship. He found another room, laid down, and dreamed about what he might see if he took off in this ship that was partly his. 

Immortal Space Chapter Three; Further Introductions

Hey gang, sorry about how long it's been since I posted an update here. It's been a good few weeks now. I've had some major problems with my publisher which I talked about on my main blog. I had trouble even looking at Immortal Space, much less posting it here or working on it more. Right now though I'm doped up on energy drinks so let's do this!
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Dr. Osborne was on his way to the morgue in the morning when he heard laughter coming from there. He was pretty sure only Jeff should be in there at this time, and was slightly worried he'd gone mad from all his time alone with the corpses. Jeff was young after all. When he opened the door however he saw Jeff sat on a chair next to the autopsy table and a man sat on the table itself. He was wearing a leather jacket and a hat from what Osborne could make out; his back was turned and he was laughing.

“What's going on in here?” Dr Osborne asked. Jeff’s job description stated specifically that no unauthorised people were to be allowed entry to the morgue. It was pretty much his one and only job and he’d seemingly failed at it. Jeff nearly jumped out of his seat and the unknown man looked around. He looked almost familiar but Osborne couldn't quite place him.

“H-hello Dr. Osborne,” Jeff said to him, “I was just talking to Trent here about some of his adventures.” Jeff explained, motioning to Trent.

“Trent?” Osborne asked, starting to go a bit pale, “Why the only Trent in here is the stiff in that free-”. He had looked over at the freezer in question, and he found it was open. “Well...just who is he then, and what happened to Mr. Saxon's body?”. Dr. Osborne demanded. Now it was the other man's turn to speak. Trent, for it was he, turned around and saw a fairly tall African American man staring at him in disapproval. He was clearly not expected. Not that he expected to be. He was supposed to be dead.

“You're looking at it doc” he said before hopping off the table and shaking Dr. Osborne’s hand,

“Trent Saxon at your service. You might want to rethink your autopsy procedure by the way, it sure hurt when you cut me up.” he joked. Dr. Osborne just stood there with a dumb look on his face, completely perplexed. Trent turned to Jeff and pointed at Osborne’s face,

“Hey that's the look you pulled Jeff. What is it with people and pulling that face at me?”

This just caused Jeff to laugh, which brought Osborne back into the room. He looked Trent over, and noticed something.

“Wait a second”, he said, holding up Trent's hand, “You're missing a piece of your finger. Trent made it out in one piece, amazingly. Now just who are you?”. Trent took his hand away and put it into his pocket. He produced a severed fingertip and held it up.

“Here it is. I have a bet going on with Jeff. We worked out the details overnight”. Trent explained.

“A bet?”, replied Osborne, “Just what is going on here?” He was finding it just as hard as Jeff had to process everything that was going off in front of him.

“Well”, said Trent, putting the finger back in his pocket, “if my finger grows back, then I get a date with Jeff's sister. He showed me a picture of her and she's pretty cute. Plus he really thinks it can't grow back.”

“Well he's quite right”, said Osborne, “fingers can't grow back and dead people can't get up. Especially after they've been autopsied on!” Dr. Osborne flustered. This caused Trent to sigh.

“Say Doc, is there any way I can convince you that I am Trent Saxon, in the flesh?” Dr. Osborne thought it over for a minute, rubbing his chin in concentration.

“Well”, he decided eventually, “Where was your corpse found? No information has been released yet.” Trent whistled and put his hands behind his head.

“I'd love to answer that, but wasn't I already dead at that point?”

“Ah, but you said you couldn't die.” Dr. Osborne pointed out. He felt that he had already won the argument before it even had a chance to begin. Whoever this man before him was, there was no way that it could be Trent Saxon. It still left the mystery of what happened to Trent’s body, but that could be handled later.

“Well, I can and I can't. I die but I'll always come back. When I die it's like I'm just asleep. If something that bad happens to me anyway. I stabbed myself in the heart for Jeff over there without any trouble, but my brain was pretty damaged in the crash, and my body was absolutely mangled. Even if you can't die, would you want to be awake for that pain?” Trent asked. Even when dead it was like some small part of his brain was functioning and he had instincts that other people didn’t have. It knew when it was safe to revive him and when to wait a little longer. Osborne did think that was a good point. Even if you can't die, you can still feel pain. There are points where pain is incredibly intolerable.

“You stabbed yourself in the heart?” Dr. Osborne asked him.

“He sure did”, spoke up Jeff, who had been watching all this quietly. He pulled out a scalpel and threw it at Trent. Trent caught it and then plunged it into his chest, like he had the night before. Dr. Osborne grimaced at the sight.

“Go on, take it out, so you know it's not fake”, Trent said to Dr. Osborne. Osborne did as he was told. He pulled out the scalpel and checked it over. He also checked out the wound on Trent's chest. It was right where his heart should be, and the scalpel was covered in blood. It was totally solid and even he couldn't deny that he really had just seen a man shove a scalpel into his chest and appear completely unharmed. Into his heart no less.

“Okay”, Osborne conceded, “You may be Trent, you may not. Either way you certainly do seem to be pretty hard to kill. But you have to appreciate how difficult this is for a person to take in.” he said with a little exasperation. Nearly everything that medical science had told him was being disproved right in front of his eyes. Trent cracked a smile.

“Well your boy Jeff there took it pretty well” Trent said, pointing at Jeff. Jeff stood up and walked to Trent and opened his arms, practically taking the man in.

“Well it's just so freakin' AWESOME. I'd love to not be able to die, wouldn't you?” he said to Dr. Osborne. “Imagine what you could see, and do”. Dr. Osborne sighed and shook his head.

“No I don't think it would be all that good”, he said, “imagine all the people you love dying. I mean, you'd get bored eventually wouldn't you? Your heart would break again and again. You wouldn't be able to stay around people because you'd just be so afraid of losing them. Right, Trent?” Trent laughed out loud at this and stuck his arm around Dr. Osborne.

“Man you could not be more wrong. When I was growing up, we were confined to just this one planet. I saw it all, and then when I had done. I went again! Things had already changed, there was already more to see. Eventually we humans finally got around to discovering faster than light travel and space was opened up to us. There was even more to see and to do! By the time you've “done everything there is to do”, you realise there's even more to do, even more to discover. Humanity changes in the blink of an eye. Look back to the invention of the internet, do you think people even twenty to thirty years before then would ever believe what the internet could do? Hell when I was growing up we didn't even believe in faster than light travel. We didn't think we'd ever truly see the stars.” Trent said. His voice was full of wonder and excitement. Even after everything he had done and seen his eyes were still open to new possibilities. One thing his travels had taught him was that space really was near infinite. There was always more to discover and he never tired of discovery. His face took a more sombre and sad expression before he continued, “Yes, you can easily lose people you love. Yes, it still hurts when they die, or they go. It hurts anyone when someone leaves their life. It doesn't make a difference how long you've lived. If anything I'm thankful that it still hurts. That I'm still capable of feeling that loss. I'm thankful I even met them. Even if they left my life, for a time they were in it, they made it better. They made me better. Think of all the people you've met in your life, how they improved you, or changed you. Now think of how many people you could meet who could do that in two lifetimes. Now think about ten, and just keep going. It is always, always sad, but it really does still make me happy they were there. That they cared about me. That I was able to love, and still am. I don't think I could ever get tired of that. I hope I don't at least.” Trent said, looking away wistfully as memories of his departed friends came back to him. Dr. Osborne thought about his wife, and his kids. How much they had changed him, and how glad he was to know them, and be loved by them. He thought back to the friends he had made over the years. Trent was right, he realised. It hurt when someone left your life, but he knew he was glad that they had been in his life. He knew that he was glad he had met them, and he knew that he hoped he always would be. “Enough of this depressing talk!”, Trent said, slapping Osborne on the back, causing him to jump in surprise. “I’m pretty hungry and I need to find me another ship. It's also been a while since I was back home, so I need someone to come with me and tell me where to get them. Who's in?” Jeff ran up to him, almost literally jumping at the chance.

“I'd like to come, my shift ends when the doctor turns up anyway.” Jeff said, pointing to Dr. Osborne.

“Well that's one down”, Trent replied, turning to face Dr. Osborne, “How about you doc? You want to come?”

“I'd like to,” replied Dr. Osborne, “but I have to start work now, I've only just got in. Maybe I can chat with you later” he offered. He was very curious about Trent and would welcome the chance to ask him questions. He wouldn’t have minded studying him a little too, to see what made him tick. There might have been biological evidence to suggest why Trent was the way he was.

“Sure thing Doc” Trent replied, pulling up the collar of his jacket and tipping his hat. “Until later then.” Jeff followed him out the door leaving Dr. Osborne on his own. Osborne poked his head out the door after them. “By the way, the name's Osborne. Daniel Osborne, not 'Doc'!”, he shouted at them. Trent raised his hand to show he got the message and continued on the way out, Jeff beside him.

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This is one of my absolute favourite chapters just because of the speech that Trent gives to Doctor Osborne. I remember when I was that optimistic about life. I should, I wrote it after all. 

Immortal Space Chapter Two; Some Explanations

Trent noticed that Jeff had stopped, and so he stopped himself.

“B-b-but-” Jeff stammered. He had been taken completely by surprise by what Trent had said. He realised that Trent had been quite right once he heard it. There was no other way that Trent could have survived all of that and come out in one piece. It was still taking time for his mind to process it all. Near impossible things always did. Especially the stuff that was supposed to be impossible.

“Not this again”, Trent interrupted, “spit it out kid”.

“But everyone dies.” Jeff said, “Don't they?” he added after a few seconds silence.

Trent shrugged and walked on.

“Guess not everyone does. You saw how I was, you know nothing could survive that, believe what you want to believe.” Jeff caught up with him and stood in front of him to stop him.

“No way, no way can you not die. There's no such thing as someone that can't die.” Jeff said. He was still a little adamant in his beliefs despite the evidence that was in front of him.

“Yes there is” Trent said before pushing past him. “I'm living proof. I probably always will be too”. Jeff caught up with him again.

“Prove it”, Jeff said. He pulled out the scalpel he had earlier, having kept it in his pocket.

Trent stopped, took the scalpel from Jeff's hand, and plunged it into his chest where his heart was. After a few seconds of not dying despite having a scalpel in his chest, Trent pulled it out, and gave the blood covered instrument back to Jeff. Jeff stood, once again, dumbstruck. He was able to snap out of his thoughts and once again catch up to Trent, who had continued walking again.

“So, you really can't die?” Jeff asked.

Trent sighed and said “Yes, I really can't die. You know that scalpel isn't fake, and you saw how far I put it in.”

“What about if someone cut a piece of you off?” Jeff asked, curiosity taking over.

“There was one time I lost a finger actually. I went to bed and when I woke up, it was back.” Trent teased sarcastically.

“Seriously?” Jeff asked with a serious expression on his face. Trent once again took the scalpel, and this time cut off the tip of the little finger off of his right hand. After a brief moment of screaming in pain and an extended moment of cursing he handed the scalpel back and put the finger in his pocket.

“I suppose we'll find out won't we?” He said, winking at Jeff.

“Wait, you have no idea what will happen? Why did you do it?” Jeff asked. He was surprised Trent would do something like that without knowing what would happen. Trent held up his hand and looked at where part of his finger had just been.

“Well, you can always learn something new, even at my age.” Trent said, examining his finger.

“Just how old are you anyway?” Jeff asked. This time Trent was the one to stop. He thought about it before answering. He'd never really thought about his age. Time just passed for him without him taking the effort of noting just when it was. He would also spend a large amount of time in space. There was technology to keep track of the time and date, he just never used it.

“I actually don't really know,” was Trent’s eventual reply. “When you live as long as I have, the days just meld together you know? You lose track of these things. I'm not even sure what year it is.” Jeff, however, didn't know what it was like to be so old that the passage of time meant nothing. He chose not to point that out. What he did point out though is that they were coming up on the Janitor's closet, and with that, the lost and found box. With that, hopefully, some clothes for Trent. He also knew what year it was.

“By the way,” Jeff said to Trent as he looked through the box to find some clothes, “it's 2520, that's what year it is.”

“Really?” Replied Trent, picking out a pair of trousers, a black shirt, and a pair of boots. I guess that makes me about five hundred and twenty two years old. Give or take. These clothes will do for now too thanks.” He pushed Jeff out of the closet and shut the door before getting changed. Leaving Jeff, once again, dumbstruck.

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Sorry this is kinda later than I usually post this stuff.

Immortal Space Chapter One; Introductions

The autopsy Doctor Osborne performed proved what he already thought to be true; the man called Trent had died when he suffered a large amount of trauma to his head. In Doctor Osborne’s opinion he was lucky to have died quickly and before his body ended up the way it did. He put everything back where it belonged, and stitched the body back together and placed it in one of the freezer compartments the bodies were stored in. He didn't know what kind of funeral the man would have as he wasn't able to find any next of kin for him. Normally when a John Doe with no next of kin came in to the morgue the body would be used for organ donation if there was no last will and testament on record but Trent’s organs were in such bad condition they would be no use to anyone. If no one could find a use for the body then he would be given a quiet cremation after a few more days of trying to find anyone who knew him and who could take the body themselves.

After Doctor Osborne finished the rest of his working day he headed home to his family to wind down and prepare himself for yet another day of being a doctor. He counted himself lucky to have been able to find a wife and have kids with her when he had such a demanding job, but she was understanding. Of course love happened to play an important part in keeping them together.

Jeff was the in charge of guarding the morgue that night. He had never really understand why the dead people needed watching but they had never bothered him none so he liked his job just fine. He liked the peace and quiet that came with it. All he had to do was sit in a chair and keep an eye on people that couldn't move anyway. It was a pretty cushy job to have in his opinion.

He was snapped out of his musings when he heard someone knocking on a door. He jumped out of his seat in fright, thinking it was one of the bodies. Rationality took over quickly and he walked to the morgue door to see who was there. He opened the door and saw that no one was at the door. He was getting a little nervous and while he was checking the corridors to see if he could see who knocked, he heard the sound of knocking again. This time it was coming from behind him. There was no denying to himself this time that it came from one of the freezers. He shut the door to the morgue and sat back down on his chair. He began rocking backwards and forwards in fright. He couldn't believe this was happening and didn't want to believe it was happening. In his time doing the job this had never happened before, and he didn't want it to start happening now. He jumped as he heard the knock again and this time it sounded more impatient.

“W-wh-who's there?” He asked, his voice quivering with fear. He didn't get an answer, just a louder knock in response. He thought he was an idiot to respond and let whatever was in there know he was around. He cursed himself for not just running and finding some help. No one would have believed him anyway if he started talking about how something was alive in the morgue. At the very least they would have teased him and made jokes. The knock sounded again, and Jeff was able to work out which freezer it was coming from. He finally got up and went to the freezer in question. He looked at the tag and saw the name “Trent Saxon”. He remembered that there was someone brought in today with that name but he'd already been autopsied. He'd been taken to pieces and then put back together again. If they had accidentally put a live person in the freezer then someone would have noticed. If they didn't notice the person would be long dead by the time the autopsy was over. Jeff had enough sense to realise if something was in that freezer, it probably wasn’t going to be alive.

The sound of yet more knocking snapped him out of his thoughts and back to reality. He grabbed the sharpest thing he could find, in this case a scalpel, and slowly opened the freezer door. He didn't think he could do much with the scalpel, but he reasoned to himself a sharp object is still a sharp object. When the door was open all the way he hesitantly began unzipping the body bag. The body inside it was totally still and was still blue from the freezer. He looked inside the freezer to see if something had somehow got inside but couldn't spot anything. While he was looking in the freezer he felt something grab him from behind. Whoever it was placed one arm around his neck and the other hand around his wrist of the hand that was holding the scalpel.

“Where am I?” Jeff heard someone say. The voice was low and husky with a touch of a Southern accent. To Jeff it sounded male.

“I-i-i-in the hospital.” came Jeff's nervous reply.

“Which hospital?” The man squeezed harder on Jeff's throat and wrist.

“I-it-it-it's Northwest Community Hospital.” Jeff answered. “Um...sir”, he added, for good measure, in case his unknown assailant would appreciate good manners. Jeff felt the man let go and then pat him on the back.

“Ah Northwest Community? Not my first visit here, but the first time I've met you. So what's your name kid?” Jeff turned round to look at the man and saw that he was covered in stitches and scars. He was also naked and still slightly blue from the freezer. Jeff kept his eyes on the man’s impressive upper body. He was lean but very well built with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes.

“J-J-Jeff. My name is Jeff. Yours?” He asked, though he expected he knew the answer.

“Trent's the name, Trent Saxon. How do you do?” he replied, holding out his hand for Jeff to shake. Jeff was totally flabbergasted but he reacted naturally and held out his hand. Trent shook it with a smile but adopted a more neutral expression when he saw the look on Jeff’s face. He was very pale and looking Trent up and down with his brown eyes which Trent could see through his scraggled black hair. Everything about him screamed “scared teenager”. He looked like he had been trying to grow a beard too as his face was unshaven, suggesting he was in his late teens.

“What's the matter kid? You look like you've seen a ghost” Trent asked him.

“I think I might be” Jeff said as he snapped back to reality. “Aren't you supposed to be dead?” Jeff asked nervously. Did the dead even get offended?

“Wouldn't be the first time, probably won't be the last,” Trent said, flashing Jeff a smile. “Though I have to say that you guys are getting pretty rough. I'm lucky I was able to pull myself together.” He had a small laugh at his own joke. “Well actually I guess I don't need luck, I'm good.” He added after a few moments of thought. “Say, you got any clothes?” Trent asked, taking notice of his nudity and looking down at his uncovered body. Jeff stood in silence for a few seconds before finally answering.

“Well the ones we found you in were pretty damaged, all but that hat.” He said. He pointed to a Stetson hat that had been left on the floor and Trent picked it up and dusted it off before putting it on.

“Well I'm glad my hat survived at least.” Trent said. “What about my ship, where you keepin' that?” He asked.

“I'm sorry sir but your ship was too badly damaged and we've had it scrapped. Anything important we found was placed in a box and put into storage.” Jeff replied.

“Can you go get it for me?” Trent responded after his mind had processed what Jeff had told him. “Or at least tell me where it is, and give me a gown to put on or something. It's cold in here.” He said, hugging himself to show his point. Jeff was glad for any reason to look away and opened a locker. He pulled out a surgeon's gown and handed it to Trent and then he pulled out a box as he waited for Trent to put the gown on. Jeff handed Trent the box when he was done putting on the gown who took it gladly, happy anything had survived and been recovered. The box itself was kind of small so Trent didn't really know what to expect, but he opened it up anyway. He was a little sad to discover there wasn't much inside it but his mood picked up when he saw what it was. There was a safety deposit box and amazingly enough, one of Trent's leather jackets neatly folded up. Trent put the jacket on and revelled in the comforting feeling of the leather around his knees before he searched through the pockets of the coat and produced a key. He took the key and opened up the box, taking out the only things in it before putting the empty box in his jacket pocket.

“What was in there?” Jeff asked him. Trent was tempted to reply it was none of Jeff’s business, but the boy had been kind to him so far. He held up in one hand a seemingly large amount of credits, the universal currency of the world and several other planets, and in the other he held what appeared to be a locket. The design of the locket was a cross with a circle in the centre where the bars met. Jeff could make out a hinge on the circle which showed it could be opened up. He had no clue what was inside however.

“How did they survive the crash?” Jeff asked, curious as to how anything could survive that wreckage.

“Well, it was mostly the box” Trent replied, flipping it around in his hands and showing it to Jeff. “This baby can stand pretty much any amount of heat and force. I won it in a poker game actually. It's where I keep my most prized possessions”. He held up the money and locket again, to show what he meant.

“Money is one of your most valuable possessions?” Jeff asked. He sounded almost derogatory. Trent smirked and put the items in his pockets before answering.

“Not quite. Let's just say that this isn't the first time a ship has been destroyed on me. This money here is enough to buy me a new ship in an emergency, and allow me to go back out into the stars. Those are my most valued possessions” he said with a far off look in his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling.

“What about the locket?” Jeff asked. Trent looked back down, not quite meeting Jeff's eyes as his face darkened. Jeff thought he looked almost sad.

“That was given to me by someone who was once very close to me. I'll never forget her, and I'll never give this up either.” Trent replied, holding the locket tight in his hand. Jeff frowned, and looked at him apologetically.

“I'm sorry” Jeff said apologetically, looking down at the ground. Trent smiled and hit him playfully in the chest.

“No harm done kid. I just wish I had more clothes, can't exactly go out in these now can I?” he pointed down at his strange ensemble of a surgeon's gown with a leather jacket over it. Jeff laughed and remembered that there was a lost and found that might have something in it.

“I think I might know where to get you some clothes, just come with me and we'll see what we can do”. He walked towards the door and motioned for Trent to follow him.

“A'ight then”, Trent said, walking out the door and down the corridor with Jeff. As they were walking Jeff suddenly realised something.

“Say, just how did you survive that autopsy? And being stuck in that freezer. And that crash actually, I've seen the pictures, it was pretty brutal.” Jeff asked Trent as they walked down the corridor.

“Well what do you think happened? Isn't it obvious I just can't die?” Trent answered nonchalantly and not even breaking his stride. Jeff on the other hand stopped immediately as what Trent said made its way in to his brain.

The Return Of Immortal Space; Prologue

I decided to just go for it in the end. I'm making you all aware right now that I will NOT be publishing the full version of Immortal Space here. As well as discouraging sales, it actually goes against my publishing agreement. I'll be posting back up to where I was before I left, in the new and improved version, or until the document is finished. It'll pretty much be a case of what happens first. What's most likely to happen is that I'll end up getting back to where I was first.

I'm just posting the prologue for now and will save chapter one for next week actually. After that it should be an update on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Supplying updates to you guys spreads the word and also keeps me in check as far as writing updates goes. Anyway, enjoy the rebirth of Immortal Space. You might not notice much different until later on, but I assure you this IS the edited version.
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Trent looked out of the window of his ship from his chair in the cockpit and thought to himself that no matter how many times he would see it, the Sun would always look good. The closer he got to it, the more impressive it looked. He also knew that his shields wouldn't last very long if he got much closer and that he should turn around and head back home, but he found the view irresistible. The way the flames of the Sun moved across its surface in a cosmic dance was a spectacular enough sight to keep him entranced.

After a few more minutes of watching he heard the sound of the ship’s alarms telling him his shields were almost dead, and he was left with no choice but to leave before he was blasted with the full heat of the Sun. That wouldn’t have ended well for him so he turned his ship around and set off for Earth. He turned on the autopilot so along the way he could still take time to take in all the sights of the universe around him. He never got tired of the endless boundaries of space; seeing stars burn their brightest, looking at the different planets he could see and wonder about the ones he couldn't see. He thought to himself that this was why he flew his ship at cruise speed. It made the journey longer, but it was perfect for getting a good look at everything. Some people were always in a hurry. Trent was not one of them.

He had just passed Venus when the sound of another alarm rang through his ship. This alarm told him that someone had locked on to his ship and fired a missile at it. He was able to act fast enough to dodge the first missile, but another came after him not long after the first one was evaded. He was not so lucky a second time and the missile struck his ship. His shields were down and there was too much damage for him to do evasive manoeuvres to try to get away from his attackers. He decided his best course of action would be to turn towards Earth and set his engines to full power. He knew that no matter what happened, it would be fine as long as he managed to land on Earth. He regretted going full speed as he would miss the sights but he reasoned to himself that when people are shooting at you, and you can't fight back, your best bet is to run. He knew he could always come back and see the sights later.

He saw Earth in the distance, and fired up the engines, managing to just avoid a missile that would have finished off his ship. He was too shaken up to do much else and the sudden increase in speed threw him off his seat. In his hurry to escape he had forgotten to strap himself in to his chair. He hit the wall hard and saw nothing but darkness before he passed out.

Doctor Osborne rushed to the scene of an accident that had happened in the city. He had heard that a spaceship had crash landed and he was part of the crew on their way to see the extent of the damage and if anyone could be saved. He didn't expect to find any survivors and wondered why they would even send a medical crew. The crash hadn't happened in a built up area so there wasn't likely to be any bystanders caught in the crash. There was still the tiny chance that someone might have survived and it was one his superiors were willing to take. He had ever seen anyone survive a crash like this himself, so he wasn't as willing to take the chance. That he could see the smoke from the crash before he arrived confirmed his suspicions. That was something no doctor heading to a crash site wanted to see if he hoped to find survivors.

When he arrived at the scene he saw that there wasn't much of the spaceship left. Most of it had burned up on re-entering the atmosphere, and what was left was crumpled from the crash. It had formed something akin to a large and jagged metal ball with holes in it. He saw a hand poking out from one of these holes and was able to check it for a pulse. He didn't find one, but he wasn't expecting to. A hand implied a body, and if there was an intact body he would need to take it back to the morgue at the hospital. He called over the rest of the paramedics and together they were able to cut into the wreckage. Osborne had gotten used to seeing gory scenes and they didn't faze him much anymore but one of the paramedics he was with was new, and the sight of the body inside made him retch and vomit. The body was held together enough for Doctor Osborne to make out it was a male body and, while he couldn't work out everything that had happened, he could tell by the body being out of a chair that the man had been blown out of his seat somehow. The head was almost completely caved in so whoever it was had hit it pretty hard on something;more than likely the wall. He thought that the body being broken and twisted into shapes no human could achieve was more than likely caused when the ship hit the Earth.

He called for a body bag and with a little effort and help from the paramedics he was able to get the body into it. He quickly searched through the man's pockets to see if he could find any form of identification. He found a Space Explorer's license that registered the man as able to fly a spacecraft and named the man as Trent Saxon. It informed Doctor Osborne the man was 30 years old and was originally from Earth.

“At least you got to come home one last time before you died” Osborne solemnly thought to himself as he looked down at the body of Trent Saxon.

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PS It also looks much cleaner in the document and will make one fine looking ebook. 

The Bullet (Update; The Bullet Will Be Back Soon)

This is something I was able to piece together. I got an idea and then let it sat for a while before finally starting work on it. As per usual, it ended up different than the original idea but I've started seeing that as a good thing. This is nice and short, so I hope you enjoy!
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This story has been redacted and taken down for now, and will be back soon. I've submitted it to a flash fiction contest which means there needs to be exclusivity at first. Hopefully the fact it was already published here doesn't mean it's ineligible as it was one of the most well received things I've written.

Animals

I teased it on my podcast last week and so here is the first section of my non-fiction book. It's all about animals and personally I feel it could be much longer. Some sections are going to be way longer than others. The sections on education and on religion are HUGE. Like that text. Anyway, here's the first section of my non-fiction book that is part collection of blog posts/part memoirs/all awesome.
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As I’m trying to keep this in alphabetical order I can’t think of a better place to start than the letter A. A is of course for animals. I have a huge love of animals and especially those of the cute and fluffy variety. I think I’m possibly most known for my love of cats. They’re small, cute, and independent. I see people use their independence as a knock against them but to me it’s a plus. Dogs are loyal, and that’s to be appreciated, but I do like the independent thoughts of cats. They’re more like roommates than pets. Except roommates that don’t pay their share of the rent and just eat all the food they expect you to give them. So I suppose really they are just like regular roommates after all. You don’t own a cat, it chooses to live with you. My one great ambition in life is to actually be a crazy cat man. If no one has heard of crazy cat men then they will by the time I am finished.

Of course, despite my love of cats, my favourite animal is actually a variety of dog. That is the wolf. Or if a wolf isn’t available I’ll take a husky. My true favourite animals are mythical creatures such as dragons and phoenixes. I can’t decide between the two so don’t ask me to.

One subject that comes up often with dogs is the subject of banning particular dog breeds, especially those with a penchant towards violence such as bulldogs and boxer dogs. A friend asked me if I think that some breeds of dogs should be banned. While I do get that there are some dogs that seem to be bred for fighting and violence, I don't think it's the dog's fault. I don’t think dogs should be punished for something like this. You don’t punish a child who came from bad parenting. Well, you do I guess, but you also lay blame upon the parent for not teaching them better. For the most part, nearly all animals can be domesticated; they can be taught that certain humans are important to them and shouldn't be harmed. There may be dogs, and other animals, with a predisposition towards violence, but I think they can still be taught not to be like that. I accept, to a degree, that it's very tough to fix a mentally damaged dog. It's very tough to break the programming that a bad person will ingrain in to them. I still think however that it can be done. If someone goes to a cult, and gets out, you don't just put them down because you can't reverse the indoctrination; you try and do it anyway because they are a human, and human life is sacred. You try and save them from what happened to them. With a dog, you can just put it down because it's not like it's a human. I can accept this to a certain degree. I was there when my dad drowned one of my hamsters because the poor thing’s leg was broken. You can really perform surgery on a hamster or correct it so it heals on its own the right way. Hamsters are tiny little things with fluffy faces. The ordeal still traumatised me to though. Now I'm older I can appreciate how tough it must have been for my dad too. I really could never hurt an animal. I would say “unless it’s tasty” but now I’ve switched to vegetarianism I can’t really say that either. Don’t get me wrong though; I’m not some kind of major animal rights activist. I want cruelty to animals to stop and I want more to be done to save them, but I’m not about to demand the whole world follow me on the path of vegetarianism. Humans are omnivores and are designed for eating both flora and fauna. I didn’t even become a vegetarian out of love for animals. I did it to try and lead a healthier lifestyle. It didn’t really work very well I’m afraid.

While that was mostly about when it's too late to "save" the animals you can still stop them from growing up like that and becoming violent. Even a really tough and angry breed of dog can be a kitten in the right hands. Alsatians, or German Shephards as they’re also known, can be taught to lick the hand of a child, but bite off the hand of an intruder. Police dogs are usually quite soft with their handlers despite their behaviour towards the criminals they’re put against. Outside of that environment a police dog can be very soft. Should we say people can't have German Shepherds because they have this predisposition towards violence? No. The police raise them very well, and they get good results.

I really don't think you should ban certain kinds of breeds of dogs and instead you should ban the people who breed them for fighting from owning them. The sort of people who breed them just to have them and scare people shouldn’t be allowed to have them. People who abuse animals have the right to own a pet taken from them. Why doesn’t messing with their heads and failing to train them count as animal abuse?

For those of you who are old enough, or nerdy enough, to remember, it's kind of like the episode of Pokémon where the Pokémon end up on an island and Ash's Pokémon actually cooperate and become friends with the Pokémon of Team Rocket. They say in that episode that there’s no such thing as a bad Pokémon, only a bad trainer and I really believe the same applies to animals. I also may have lost any and all credibility I had by referencing Pokémon but that’s neither here nor there.

The friend who originally asked me what I thought about banning dog breeds told me  I have good points, but doesn't really know how to feel about it. She's not as big an animal person as me though except for when it comes to cats.

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As always I need opinions and feedback. 

The Beast

This is a story I wrote based on a poem I wrote. I'm quite proud of this story so I could probably do with some constructive criticism. Anyway, enjoy the story folks. This one comes in at seven and a half thousand words (plus four) so strap yourselves in for the long run.
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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.