Mystical Theatre

Siddhartha

Where am I? Why is everything black? I can't see anything. I can't make out anything in front of me. My eyes are starting to adjust, but it's not helping. How did I get here? The last thing I remember was watching a movie. What was the movie again? Oh yeah, it was Pulp Fiction. Ah, what a great film that was. I can't believe that I didn't watch it sooner. Back on topic! I can't get distracted. What happened next? After finishing the movie, I went to bed, woke up, and found myself in this giant empty room. Was I kidnapped? No, that's ridiculous; there is no way that I was kidnapped. Then where am I, and how did I get here? Also, why is it so cold in here? Wait, I'm naked! What the fuck! Why am I naked?! Then I was kidnapped, and I was stripped of all my clothing! Why was I kidnapped?! This isn't good! Wait, why am I not bound up? You would think that a kidnapped person would be bound up to prevent them from escaping. Then why am I not tied up? Well, I should at least try to escape. I cautiously walked forward with no idea where I was going, trying to find an exit. There has to be an exit somewhere in here, but this room seems to go on forever. Why is this room so big? Am I underground or something? Maybe that's why I wasn't tied up because they knew that I couldn't escape. No, that's stupid. Come on, Sid, you're smarter than this. Think, why am I here? How did I get here? Can I get a hint? It felt like an eternity when I finally found something. It was a white pillar that seemed to be glowing. The pillar is so bright it's hurting my eyes. It's kind of like when snow reflects the sun's light. Well, it probably looked like it was glowing because of how dark it was. Well, it looks like my theory was correct. I must be underground. Man, this pillar is freaking tall. What is going on? This room seems to stretch forever, and it looks like it is the same for the ceiling. At first, I thought that I was kidnapped, but now I know that this has to be a dream. That's the only way to make sense of all of this. Wait, what's that? I don't know how to describe it, but I have this feeling that something is watching me. But I don't see anything. It's just nothingness as far as the eye can see. Even so, I know that something is lurking in the darkness. What should I do? I could run, but I don't know where the thing that is watching me is, so I could run right to it. And if I don't run into it, I still don't know where to go. This still could be just a dream, but it doesn't feel like one. My heart is pounding; why? Why am I so scared? Wait, is it getting closer?! It's coming right to me! I need to run even if I don't know where I'm going. It's better than just staying here and waiting for it to reach me. I ran into the darkness with no clue where to go, frantically looking all around me to see if I could spot the thing that was watching me. Please, God, I will be good for the rest of my life if you save me! Please, I will be better! I will try harder if you save me! I looked behind me, still not seeing the thing that was following me when… I turned my head and saw another pillar. I tried to stop myself, but it was too late. I turned to my left shoulder to lessen the impact. I hit the immovable pillar of stone and bounced off of it a few inches away, hitting the ground with my knees and catching myself with my right arm. It took a second before the pain engulfed my left shoulder. "Aaaahhhh! Shit!" I think it's broken, but I don't want to know if it is or not! I don't want to move it! It hurts too much! Wait! What the fuck is that! I looked in front of me and saw what I could only describe as a person peering out of the darkness. It looked to be a poor imitation of a human, almost like it didn't know what they looked like. Most of its lower body was hidden in the darkness, but I was able to see its upper half. The thing was also naked like me. It had no hair, and its face and body were riddled with holes that exposed the muscles that were underneath the skin, making it look like Freddy Krueger. It gave a wide, toothy smile with some of the teeth chipped. It looked at me with two empty eye sockets filled with black nothingness.

"Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid!" 

Its mouth moved, but it didn't match with the words it was saying. It was like the mouth was moving faster than the words. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. Sweat drenched my body. I stood still, so still that it felt like time had stopped. If I stay still, maybe it won't see me. The face stayed still as well, looking at me, saying nothing else, still smiling at me.

"Be not afraid, child. I am your creator. Your god. Do not fear me; instead, worship me." 

I stared at it, still saying nothing. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, its smile was replaced with a horrifying frown. Its teeth were no longer visible; instead, it was replaced with darkness.

"Speak! Your creator demands that you speak!"

"Are… Are you going to kill me?" I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. It looked like it was processing what I said, then abruptly its frown turned into a smile, and its teeth could be seen again.

"You are already dead, silly."

Wait, what?! I'm dead! What did it mean, I'm dead? I can't be dead, right? No! No, no, no! This can't be happening! "I'm… dead." 

"Yes."

"How did I die?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does!" 

"How dare you speak to your creator like that? You should be grateful that I have been so merciful thus far."

"'I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in." 

"...Well, I will let this transgression slide for now."

"Thank you. But if I may be so bold in asking, could you tell me how I died?"

"Sorry, I can't do that. If I tell you creatures beyond your wildest imagination will come after you and kill you in the worst way possible. So, it is best for you not to know."

What?! Creatures beyond my imagination will come after me? What a terrifying thing to imagine. So not only that a god does exist, but some creatures will kill me if I'm not careful. Hey, wait, my left shoulder doesn't hurt anymore! Why? Doesn't matter; I have more important things to worry about at the moment. Like, why am I here in the first place? "Hey, um… Wait, what's your name?"

"You shall address me either by God or Lord. You may not address me any other way."

"Okay God, why am I here?" As I asked this question, he went quiet. Why did he go quiet? It took him some time before he spoke again.

"Ah yes, I have brought you here for a specific purpose. I have chosen you as my champion. You will be reborn in a new world. Your divine mission will be to slay the evil knight Uriel."

"Wait, champion?! Reborn?!"

"Yes, you will be reborn in a new world similar to your own but also very different."

"I'm being reborn in a new world. This is so much to take in. Wait, is there magic?"

"Yes, there is."

Then its right hand pierced out of the darkness. The hand was flat with the palm facing the ceiling. Then sparks started to form around its hand, briefly lighting up the darkness, and then a flame appeared in the center of its palm. The flame was small but slowly grew, getting larger and larger. Parts of its body that were not previously visible before were now able to be seen. The flame then started to move. The flame was still growing, circling the god's head. Then the flame shot by me. Briefly, I could feel the heat that came from it. I looked back, trying to locate the flame, but it disappeared in the darkness. I looked back to God. 

"Was that magic?"

"Yes."

"That's amazing!"

"I take it that you are pleased?"

"Yes, very much so. But you said I need to slay a knight?"

"Yes, Uriel. He is my revival."

"Is he evil?"

"Yes. He is very evil. He's similar to a figure you mortals like to call the devil. But I can assure you that he is much worse than the devil."

"Is the best solution really to send me after him? I mean, you are God, right?"

"Of course I am!"

"Sorry, I meant no disrespect."

"...Trust me, I would go after him myself, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"If I die, everything dies. That is Uriel's greatest desire. To destroy and kill everything. And he is strong. Of course, I'm stronger, but there is a good chance that I might lose, and I can't risk it." 

"Okay, but what hope is there for me to defeat him?"

"Don't worry about that. You will be able to grow stronger if you train."

"Okay, how?"

"That's not important for now. Don't worry; I will tell you later, but for now, this is everything you need to know."

"So will I see you again?" 

"Yes. The next time we talk, the war will have started. In the meantime, try and get stronger."

"Okay, I will. Wait, war?! What war?!"

"Well, this is where we part ways."

"Oh, I guess so."

"Good luck." 

My vision started to fade, and the last thing I saw was its horrifying smile. And as it said, I was reborn into a different world in a different body with golden eyes.