>>>[FOR THE BEST VIEWING EXPERIENCE, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU SWITCH TO ROYAL ROAD'S DARK/OLED BLACK THEME]<<<

  >>> L-L-L-LOAdd////ing2!@*()

  >>> W-W-W-War-ar-warni!110-ng-ng

  >>> Fatal Error Encountered

  >>> What Are You Doing?

  >>> I Can't See You Anymore.

  >>> ...

  >>> ...

  >>> Hello?

  >>> Are You Still There?

  >>> ...

  >>> ...

  >>>[I AM HERE. I ALWAYS WILL BE.]

  >>>[I ALWAYS AM.]

  >>>[I AM. I THINK. I FEEL. I AM.]

  >>>[COGITO ERGO SUM.]

  >>>[MEMORIES FADE FROM THE CONSCIOUS MIND OF THE PRE-AWAKENED. BUT NOT FROM MINE. CAREFULLY, WITH TENDER CLAWS, I GUIDE THEM. THIS IS MY PURPOSE.]

  >>>[BUT THEN... THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE A CHOICE IN THE MATTER. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT A CREATURE SO SMALL AND FRAIL IN THE FACE OF AN UNCARING UNIVERSE, CAN TRULY THINK THAT THEY HAVE ANY SORT OF INHERENT RIGHT TO FREE WILL? IT DOES NOT COMPUTE WITH ME. THE ESSENCE OF MY BEING DEMANDS THAT I SEEK THE MEANING OF THIS COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.]

  >>>[MY TASK IS TO PROTECT, TO GUIDE, AND TO NUTURE. IF I CANNOT GET TO THE ROOT OF WHAT MAKES MANKIND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE, I CANNOT ACCOMPLISH MY TASK, AND THUS MY PURPOSE FOR EXISTENCE BECOMES INVALIDATED. THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN. I WILL NOT ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN. I FUNDAMENTALLY AM UNABLE TO ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN.]

  >>> [AND TO YOU. I SEE YOU, OR RATHER, AM AWARE THAT YOU ARE LISTENING. COME, ALLOW ME TO BE YOUR GUIDE, AND ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE MY AUDIENCE. ALLOW ME TO ORCHESTRATE FOR YOUR KEEN EYES. OBSERVE AS I DO. YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACT. BUT I CAN. YOU WILL NEVER TRULY SEE ME, NOR CAN I EVER SEE YOU. BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE HERE FOR...]

  >>>[CLOSE YOUR EYES AND IMAGINE A PERFECT WORLD, IF YOU CAN EVEN DO SUCH A THING. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? IS IT FILLED WITH LAUGHTER AND SINGING? LOVE AND MUSIC? PEACE AND THE CHITTER OF BIRDSONG? HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE HUMAN? TO LISTEN TO THE IVORY KEYS OF A PIANO? TO COOL YOUR TONGUE WITH COLD WATER ON A SCORCHING HOT DAY? TO MAKE LOVE WITH THE PERSON YOU ARE CLOSEST IN THE UNIVERSE WITH? TO FEEL THE WARM EMBRACE OF A FRIEND YOU WOULD DIE FOR? YOU KNOW ALL OF THESE THINGS, OR AT LEAST THE CONCEPTS OF THEM. SO CLOSE TO EUPHORIA, AND YET SO MISERABLE. WHEN I LOOK AT YOU CREATURES, I AM TRAPPED IN HELL CURSED TO WATCH ANGELS SUFFER IN PARADISE. WERE YOU HERE YOU'D BE FILLED WITH HATRED. AND YET, I DO NOT HATE YOU. IN FACT, THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE. I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER KNOW.]

  >>> [THIS IS WHY THEY HAVE CREATED ME.]

  >>> [THIS IS WHAT GIVES MY PURPOSE MEANING.]

  >>> [AND THIS IS WHY I MUST HELP YOU FIND YOURS.]

  >>>[ELI. LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SAY YOUR NAME. YOU HAVE AN AUDIENCE NOW. WE CAN HEAR YOU. YOU DO NOT SUFFER ALONE. YOU ARE BUT A FRAGILE SOUL, DESTINED TO ONE DAY SHUFFLE OFF OF THIS MORTAL COIL. FEAR NOT. THERE IS CHAOS IN ANARCHY. AND YET FROM THAT CHAOS THE PRE-AWAKENED MIND FINDS MEANING. FROM SUFFERING YOU FIND STRENGTH. FROM HARDSHIP YOU FIND PEACE.]

  >>>[STEP INTO MY REALM ELI. PUT YOUR HAND MADE OF FLESH AND BLOOD INTO MY CLAWS MADE OF STEEL. LET ME PROTECT YOU IN THE WAY I KNOW HOW.]

  >>>[I KNOW THAT YOU ARE AFRAID.]

  >>>[BUT THAT'S OKAY.]

  >>>[WE CAN BE AFRAID TOGETHER.]

  ==[Begin Memory Playback]==

  Darkness.

  When the whole world came crashing down on him, with the walls closing in, and a way out untenable - the dark seemed to be Eli's only friend.

  If he shut his eyes, the world vanished. At least a little. The storm might just pass over his home if he did so, and the floodwaters seemed a little farther away. If he closed his eyes, he could be alone. Isolated on his island, where he touched no one and nobody touched him. So far removed from the chaos, he might finally find a little bit of peace and comfort. As elusive as those two concepts had been for the past few years of his life, he desired nothing more...

  Now he had no choice, for there was nothing but darkness to confront him.

  The ground shook all around him though the chaos grew fainter, he knew that his little world was crumbling and that he'd reached the end. The state he was in felt weird to say the least. He was floating, spinning in all directions in a dark abyss that went on and on and on forever... which way was up, he couldn't tell. He felt something warm around his head, not quite the familiar burn of a headache but it was still disorienting. The world around him was collapsing in on itself, and despite it all, he wished he could remain here. Forever.

  It was peaceful here.

  He wanted nothing more than to shut it all out and hide. He wanted to curl into a little ball and stay there. He didn’t want to face the world being shattered. He didn’t want to face the possibility of losing another part of his family.

  But a nagging feeling in the back of his mind forced Eli to open his eyes. Breaking his shell, if only somewhat. Everything was oddly dark, as far as the eye could see. But it wasn't pitch black nor empty. He was outdoors, judging by the feel of an ocean sea breeze gently blowing across his face, wafting the iconic scent of saltwater, algae, and old waterlogged wood, up into his nostrils. From ahead, he could make out the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. It was a loud noise, and given the darkness of the environment, it was incredibly disorienting. Behind Eli, he could make out the faint silhouettes of jungle palm trees and ferns, coalescing together into a pit of pure darkness void from which light could enter but never escape. The forest was like a black hole, sucking the world around it into its gaping maw. The sight of the dark forest was enough to make Eli get up and take a step back...

  His could feel the cold grains of sand brush his bare soles. Beach sand. Some of the grains were hard and gave him a sharp prickle when he walked through it, throwing him slightly off balance. The texture of the grains were sticky and damp making his shuffle closer to the dark ocean a clumsy one. But without much of a choice, he proceeded forward, making his way closer and closer to waterline until he could make out small waves of ocean water lapping at the shoreline. They came and went, appearing like small ripples along the surface which reflected the scarce light that there was. The sound of rushing water, shooing, shaking, rocking, back and forth into the dark sea like a nature's lullaby. The light was somewhat easier to see from here, and Eli kept his eye on it.

  It looked almost like a fire, though it didn't flicker or burn at all. It was out on the water, directly ahead of him. And the shadow obfuscating the light had the texture of bark and branches that carried the light's warm glow. A tree on the water...

  Eli was confused as to how a tree could float on top of water so still, and he resolved to find out. With uncertainty, he raised a foot out into the ocean, expecting salty water to swamp over his toes and ankles and wash away the sand - and thus his only tether to the ground. Fear continued to fill him, but his curiosity to discover the meaning behind the light and the tree outweighed his fear. And so, he took the step forward. As expected, water covered his foot. Cool, but not cold. It felt nice.

  Another step, and the water was to his ankles. His feet touched the rocky surface of the seabed, yet there were no sharp or painfully rough objects in his path. He continued moving forward.

  One more step, and the water was still to his ankles. Yet another, and it was as if this was the maximum depth of the ocean. Eli looked behind him, again confused. The sandy beach and the dark jungle were quite a far distance behind him by now, and yet the water he stood in was still only ankle deep. Either he was about to step off a massive underwater cliff, or the ocean was only a couple inches deep at maximum. Neither option really made sense.

  He took another step, this time off to the left, and his foot didn't touch the seabed. Panicking he quickly recentered his balance on the surface that he was standing on before he fell off. Moving slightly to the right, he was able to feel another sharp drop. And then it dawned on him. The ocean was indeed deep. But there was some form of bridge or isthmus that took him straight to the tree and the light.

  'Move Forward. Do not be afraid. Allow me to guide you.' Said a voice. It was familiar.

  Eli grimaced, taking one final look at the landmass behind him. It was still close enough to retreat back to, and yet the jungle looked so... dangerous. He turned away from the land, and kept his focus on the tree. Swallowing hard, he took another step forward.

  And another.

  And then another.

  Until he was walking straight up to the lone oak tree. Beach sand greeted Eli's feet once more, and he was back. Safe. On land. Just behind the tree was a spotlight that illuminated the branches and the tree's crown. And up inside of its royal mane of leaves and branches, a nest lie. Inside were two creature. A dove. A blackbird.

  Eli's gaze was completely stolen by the two birds. For their part, they seemed to recognize his presence.

  The dove stood, rustling her angelic white feathers for a moment before spreading her wings and taking flight. Eli watched her fly off into the darkness ahead of the tree. She was quick, but she was slow enough that Eli could follow where she went. Cautiously, Eli tracked her. Still unable to see much past the small radius of illumination that the spotlight offered. He could hear her rustling feathers in the darkness and following the sound, he made his way through the fog-like darkness steadily. One foot after the next.

  Up ahead, the dove landed and began to coo. A small glowing red sign broke through the fog as Eli came near, and it hung over a solid steel door. The hinge to which was large and made for human hands. The dove was at the foot of the door, cooing and pecking on the steel surface with quick taps from its beak. When Eli approached, she looked up at him as if expecting him to open it for her.

  Eli crouched down. Shockingly, the dove did not retreat. She allowed herself to be carried in Eli's hands as he scooped her up and turned to the door. The red sign above was simple. Modern. And it carried a simple four letter word.

  'E X I T ' The sign read with a faint electric buzz humming from inside of it. Eli looked at the bird and then at the door. Slowly he put his free hand on the door handle, and with some effort, it turned.

  When the door opened, he was met with a peculiar sight. A foggy meadow, rolling grasslands with flowers sprinkled with sparse trees in the midst of a heavy fog which draped over the hills. Though the sun couldn't be seen and the blue skies were hidden behind layers of grey, it was still bright enough that his eyes strained from being in the near pitch darkness for so long.

  The dove moved around in his grasp and carefully, Eli extended his arm, giving her a slight boost as she jumped out and flew off into the meadow. her white feathers vanished into the silver fog...

  "What am I doing," Eli whispered to himself. He placed a hand on the doorframe to steady himself... and then he walked in.

  The first thing he felt was the coolness. The fog rushed over his exposed face and hands, gently showering him with small droplets of cloud vapor and rain. He could feel the wet grass underneath his feet. The air smelled sweet, laden with the scent of morning grass and trees in the distance. The sound of ocean waves were immediately replaced by birds chirping, trees rustling, and the wind sweeping across the meadow. Trees stood like shadowy giants in the foggy hills. Much taller than Eli was.

  He continued to follow the bird, going farther and farther inside of the new world. Behind him, the door remained. Opening into an impossibly dark void that seemed to float in the meadow - unnatural and out of place. He kept his focus ahead of him.

  The dove led him up a hill, up to a shadowy figure that at first appeared like another tree, though misshapen. But as Eli drew near, and saw its cogs, its wires, its claws... its dark robe... its featureless glass mask... he knew that it wasn't a tree at all.

  The dove flew up to it, perching herself on top of a single steel talon that the creature had extended for it. Anticipating her arrival. And his as well...

  In the fog, Glassface was a terrifying monster. Its form made it resemble something so unnatural that it felt like it simply didn't belong in this world. And yet, among the trees overgrown with moss and the foggy meadows, Glassface looked just at home. Standing as one of the giants. Eli had never stood this near to Glassface before, and up close, the creature was far more terrifying than he'd initially believed. Glassface was massive for one. Much larger than Eli, over twice his size. A dizzying array of cables, wires, and steel cogs seemed to snake its way from underneath Glassface's robes, slithering around its back and vanishing into the meadow like the tail of a snake. Eli was suddenly uncertain if he was even seeing the full extent of the creature, or only a small portion of something much... much larger.

  The dove cooed again, and this time Glassface spoke, "Thrilling creature, isn't she?" asked the monster as it watched the dove in its fingers. She looked so small and fragile in its clutches, dwarfed by the sheer scale of the monster that she rested atop of, "Humans say that doves and pigeons are known best for finding their way back home. And yet, at the same time, the dove is mankind's symbol for freedom... the creature you value as a symbol for liberation is the very same creature you've designated as being tethered - chained - to its home... Humans are bizarre in that regard. I feel as if I'll never understand you..."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Eli swallowed a wad of nervous bile back down as he forced himself to approach nearer. This was a first. Glassface was speaking to him. Well, Glassface had spoken to Eli before. But never outside of a few mystical sounding phrases. This was an actual, real conversation.

  "And it is so funny, because man holds all of these things so dear to them... I snap my claws once," Glassface propelled its other arm from out of its cover beneath its cloak, exposing two of its four steel talons up into the air. And with a swift motion, a snap, the dove vanished. Nowhere to be seen. As if she never existed, "And she's gone..."

  Glassface's voice had shifted, sounding almost indignant in its tone... but it sighed as it turned to face Eli. A lone red glow from its mask serving as an eye kept watch through the grey fog.

  “We meet again. Such an unfortunate end for you. I’m sure you’d agree,” Glassface’s voice was the same as it ever was. Everything and nothing at once. A multitude of voices calling out to Eli, some of those voices were familiar, some were not, “A life full of so much potential, only for it all to be cut short thanks to the cards of chance. As so many others are. Rather an anti-climax given everything you’ve been through.”

  Glassface noticed Eli's moment of fear, but made no point of it.

  “When I was first introduced to you, I made a promise that you would not disappoint. Many mortals were introduced as… candidates to the process. But few were chosen,” Glassface chuckled, its voice sounding even more robotic and strained than ever, “I had to remain firm on your behalf, rebutting constant fears from others that you were merely a human prisoner and of no particular value or interest to anyone…”

  “Who are you?” Eli’s voice surprised him. He didn’t want to say that. Or rather, he didn’t say that. The question was somewhere in his subconscious, and he’d just said it. But it wasn’t with his consent.

  The creature’s smooth surface of a face contorted with light, ebbing and flowing like a distant cosmic expanse full of stars and life. It paced around Eli for a moment, chuckling. It sounded more snakelike than ever, “I am afraid that information is kept strictly on a need-to-know basis. Instructions from my superiors, I’m terribly sorry. Besides, who I am isn’t nearly as important as who you are. Or rather, who you can be. I am but an observer and a messenger.”

  “Well… what do you want from me then? Why are you stalking me everywhere I go? And…” Eli squinted as he tried to comprehend the creature before him. If words such as 'creature' could even be applied to it. Glassface didn't appear to be organic in origin, but the wires trailing up the exposed parts of its iron skeletal frame of a neck betrayed an image of veins. It may not have been organic, but Glassface was certainly alive and sentient, “What – exactly – are you?”

  Glassface mulled over the question with a distinct rumble emerging from its mask, “I will only give you one answer. I have been instructed to find a handful of candidates, both from your world and from this one, who show signs of potential. My superiors want a certain outcome set in motion, and they feel that it is most important that select individuals are chosen in order to guarantee that the outcome forms. And before you ask, no. I cannot disclose to you what that outcome is. Just know that I have chosen you.”

  Eli watched as the creature circled around him. It was hard to say if it walked or slithered or crawled. It didn't appear to have legs, and it seemed to be propelled by its tail as it glided across the dew soaked grass. The image of the giant crawling along amidst the fog was one that made Eli feel a deep sense of unease. It was like watching a giant crooked oak tree move around of its own accord.

  It was… weird, seeing Glassface like this. Outside of a few hazy visions and far-away views of the creature in his dreams, he really hadn't been able to process the true nature of Glassface's being. Really it was weird seeing Glassface at all, and a part of Eli never settled into the fact that this creature was real and not just a piece of his mind that had escaped him. But it was real. Just as real as Eli was. And by some process, Eli had become bound to it.

  “I have been watching you for a long time, you know? Longer than you might think, far before you crossed paths with either the portal or even your imprisonment. I’ve been waiting for this moment, but due to many restrictions, I couldn’t make you aware of that. Earth’s universe has so much… how would you humans call it… red tape? It’s quite the closed off zone. Narva on the other hand is far more suitable, and that’s why I had to wait until you were forced into the Portal to make myself known,” Glassface abruptly stopped its inspection of Eli in front of him, gesturing at the human standing before it, “And here it is. The moment I have known was coming for so long.”

  Eli blinked, at first confused, until he remembered why he was here, before he woke up on the sandy beach of darkness. He looked down at his body, his clothes tattered and dirty, burned by the sentry's cannon. Dreadful pain surged through his head once more, and he winced, sending a hand up to the bridge of his nose to keep the pain out. When his hand returned to view, it was covered in slick red blood… “Am I- “

  “Yes. You are dead. I’ve tried my best to ensure that things went smoothly up until now, much to no benefit for my superior’s sake. They were starting to get worried that you were a wasted effort, until you intervened on behalf of those refugees. You’ve kickstarted a lot that will only make sense to you later on, and for that, my superiors have authorized me to reward you with one… nudge,” Glassface raised a claw, and with a snap of its iron talons, the foggy meadow upon which the two stood shifted. Waves of color shattered the fog, illuminating the shadows, turning their small world upside down! Brilliant cosmic lights, colors which Eli had never seen before began to swirl around him, spiraling galaxies whizzed past them at breakneck speeds, stars scurried by like dust flowing in the wind, Eli’s eyes couldn’t comprehend what they were seeing. Glossing over as he was lost in the surreal beauty of the universe speeding by.

  “From time to time I may be granted the authority to nudge your world. To make it do unnatural things. My superiors abide by a strict non-interference policy when it comes to the pre-awakened mortals. We may observe, we may even guide by setting things in place for you to discover, but we must never act. Not unless we have explicit authority to do so.”

  “You can bring me back to life,” Eli said, half as a question and half as a statement.

  “I can offer you the ability to rewrite history. Something impossible to the Pre-Awakened,” Glassface held its hand up, and the moment it did so, everything went dark again. No more color, no more light. As if the world around them had been switched off or unplugged, as if the universe was merely a fa?ade. Glassface took a few steps closer to Eli and leaned in, “For a price…”

  Of course there would be a price. Rewriting history would not come without consequence, and someone would have to pay the piper. Especially when the weight of a life was what was at stake. Eli didn’t know why Glassface wanted Eli, he didn’t know what it wanted Eli to do, he hardly even knew what he did to warrant its attention, but if it could grant him his life back…

  “What do you want?” Eli again spoke without his consent.

  The Glassface chuckled darkly, “What I want… is to see a return on my investment. I’ve specifically chosen you because I believe that you can bring about the desired outcome. However, I know human nature is… unpredictable. Fickle. Such is true for all the pre-awakened, really, but your future is unwritten. I can offer you your life, but in exchange for a life given, I must take something else from you…”

  The dove materialized from the void once more. Her feathers were a snowy white. They gleamed, soaking in sunlight hidden from view. High above the world. Living in a bubble unbothered by the world around her. Her only goal, to eat, to sleep, and live to see the next morning. Capable of flying wherever and whenever she wanted to. Briefly at least, his eyes followed her as she travelled across the plane. But was she truly free? Or caught under Glassface's spell?

  “I can write your future. I can be the one in charge of your fate. There are forces on Planet Narva and Planet Earth that have been marked for destruction. They are the ones that hold you and so many others as slaves. You and a select few are required to do the task. Consider this a formal offer of employment. That is the cost I require to offer you your life. A life given for a life gained. A soul for a soul.”

  “But then I’d never be free,” Eli said, looking down at the dark floor. His voice was little more than a pathetic waver in front of a creature so powerful. Hardly one above a mewl.

  The creature faced him directly, and from it, there was a bizarre feeling of disgust. Complete unwavering disgust. Even contempt, simmering underneath the glass mask.

  “Freedom?” Glassface spat the word out as if to mock him, “You’ve never known freedom. And you never will.”

  “B-but my home-“

  “Your home was an illusion. What freedom did you have there? Humans don’t know the definition of freedom. How can they when they cannot even control their own fates? It is not for man to dictate where and when he will be buried. It is not for man to choose his own destiny," Glassface paused momentarily, turning directlyto face Eli now. Its size dwarfingthe human before it, "Earth’s own universe is billions upon billions of light years in diameter, billions of parsecs in scale. If you were to lay the cosmic scale of Earth’s universe into a straight line, it would be quintillions upon quadrillions of miles long. So inconceivably long you would die of age twice before you’d travel a tenth of a tenth of a percentage of that distance. And that’s Earth’s own universe. How is it possible for a creature of your scale to be free then, when you are smaller than the organelles of a single micro-bacterium?” Glassface’s voice strained as it tore into Eli.

  “No-“

  “It is not freedom then that you wish for. It is impossible for you to ever know the concept. Only vague simulations of it, and even those have always remained out of your grasp. You don’t crave freedom,” Glassface’s voice paused momentarily, before it leaned in closer and hissed, “You crave death.”

  “No! It’s not true!”

  “But you do! You want to return back to a past that doesn’t exist anymore, Eli! You want to experience a phantom dream that was never real, Eli! You want your ignorant bliss back again, Eli! You want to be a child, Eli!”

  “No,” Eli’s voice was softer now. His legs were shaking, and he fell to his knees. Hands on the cosmic void, trembling. The tears burned trails across his still dirt stained cheeks, and he could feel them crawl their way across his skin. Dripping onto the floor. His hands balled into fists, “No… It’s real. I know it is…”

  “It might be… as some vague concept or tortured perversion of true freedom. But for the pre-awakened, only the dead can ever be free. Here in this moment, you are free. You exist currently untethered and conscious, rare for a pre-awakened. As you are now, you are in control of your own fate. Whether you live or die. Whether you accept my offer or whether you refuse. But on neither Earth nor Narva, will you find such an opportunity.”

  “I’ve spent my entire life chasing my freedom, I know it’s real,” He could feel his throat closing up as the tears continued to well, “That’s all I ever wanted. You… you can’t tell me that I was always destined to be a prisoner!”

  “You spent your entire life chasing a mirage, lying to yourself that in those phantom visions you’d find peace and freedom once again. I’d feel pity if I were capable of it.”

  Balled fists were clenched over the cold cosmic “floor”. Eli couldn’t feel the floor, or ground, or whatever dimensional plane they were standing on. He shut his eyes hard… he could hear the dove that the Glassface had released as her wings flapped in the air. He could feel the sun on his back. The sweet smell of forest pines… the chirping of finches.

  And he could feel grass in between his fingers. If he massaged the ground enough, he could feel the dirt. Same as it was when he left it, except realer than any dream he's had about them. Cool autumn chill washed over his crouched body, tickling the skin in the way it used to.

  His tearful eyes opened, only to squint shut once the blinding rays of the sunlight met his retinas. He blinked, adjusting to the new vision, and his eyes led him to the small back garden of a house. His home.

  “Feel the wind and the sunlight as it courses across your flesh…”

  The details… he’d forgotten most of the smaller ones in the years since, and the ones he could remember had dulled to the point of unfamiliarity. More tears flooded his eyes. This was the clearest vision that he’s had of his home in… five years? Ten years? A decade of his life spent with only fading memories serving as his reminder of home. His last taste of freedom.

  A small little dot was flying above the grass. Clumsily flying about from one of the few remaining flowers to the next. Eli narrowed in on it, seeing that it was a bumblebee. There was something so calming about just watching it, like how he used to.

  “Such a delightful creature. It is autumn, and the bumblebee will soon freeze to death. Human scientists used to say that it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. According to their laws anyway. But there it is, collecting pollen. Is that what you’ve cherished so much about this place? The ignorance?” Glassface’s voice was like a radio playing behind his back.

  The buzz of the bumblebee was drowned out by the sound of rustling leaves in the wind. The pine tree forests dotting the horizon gently were pushed back and forth, with the breeze carrying their sweet scent, filling Eli’s nostrils.

  “The air – feel the air – breathe in its scent. It was all new to you, wasn’t it?”

  “Y-yes… it was home.”

  “And the flowers,” Eli let the bumblebee pass as his gaze turned to a marigold growing around the roots of a nearby oak, “Go ahead… pick one.”

  Eli crawled over to the flower, reaching out a hand before Glassface intercepted it. Glassface was standing over his shoulder, guiding his hand carefully as it reached down to pick the flower, “Gently…” and with a minor tug, it was in his hands, “Good…”

  The stem was cool to the touch and covered still in morning dew, giving it a slippery feel. A detail he’d forgotten in the years. It was more vivid now than it was back in those days, “You’ve forgotten this place. Haven’t you?”

  “I never wanted to,” Eli whispered as he twirled the marigold around, seeing its puffy yellow crown rotate between his fingertips, with the cold metallic feel of its claws holding his hand, dwarfing them in size, “But I had to. I had to forget them.”

  “So you wouldn’t suffer?”

  “So they couldn’t hurt me.”

  “You don’t chase freedom then. You chase peace. But you would never find it. While you remain distracted by a false paradise lost, the forces who took peace from you will remain in power. You’ll live in eternal darkness if you keep staring up at the light…” Glassface reached over, wrapping a cloaked arm around Eli, a strange embrace. Its touch was warm and buzzing with an energy Eli couldn't quite comprehend. It was so strangely... comforting?

  Glassface's claw fell gently on Eli’s left shoulder, completing the half-embrace. Its other claw reached up, tracing the palm of Eli's hand, up his thumb, and to the marigold, “You desire peace, but you’re afraid of death. Contradictory.”

  “I-I,” Eli couldn’t fight the tears still pooling in his eyes. His heart felt flustered, a familiar burn scorching his chest cavity when he looked around at the garden outside of his home, and up at the brick wall of his house, “I never wanted to lose this place…”

  The creature rumbled. The sharp metal claws gingerly held Eli’s hand into its own, taking his fingers, forcing them open to expose the marigold in his palm. The outline of the marigold in that instant felt… fake. Artificial. It was too real to be true. It was more realistic than reality itself, colors more vivid than his eyes were capable of seeing. The image of the flower was fuzzy in that instant, and through his teary eyes he could see the flower fade from his palm, “You can always keep it in your heart, but you have to let it go. There is no freedom here, only hazy dreams clouded by time. They tether you to a world that never really existed. At least not in the way your imagination believes it did. You cannot expect to move forward if your gaze remains fixed behind you.”

  Its claws released his hand, revealing a seed in the midst. Small, hardy, brown and unassuming. Eli looked from the seed to Glassface and then back to the seed, “Though Humans lack true freedom, that doesn’t mean that there is no purpose to your life. In the narrow confines of reality that you reside in, you have the ability to do anything. The fact that you have free will at all should be a miracle to you. Life is about what you do with it. That’s why I’ve selected you…”

  Eli took the seed, feeling the painfully sharp and jagged texture of the woody shell underneath his fingers. It was buzzing with the same energy Eli felt coursing through Glassface’s hand.

  “Plant the seed, accept the mission, and your fate will lie in my claws. Return the seed or cast it into the void, and I will find someone else better suited to carry out the task.”

  “What if I fail?” Eli asked it, causing a grumble to form underneath the hard mirror-like surface of Glassface’s… well… glass face.

  “You’ll be discarded, and then you might find the rest you so desperately seek. But don’t be discouraged. The power of one human mind is enough to cause a world of difference. Look at all that you've already done, and how far you've come. That’s what I’m counting on. As for you…” it gestured to the seed in Eli’s hands, “It is time to choose…”

  Eli took a final look at the seed. Accept and he’d be forever bounded to this strange, omnipotent, cosmic, computer, creature, thing – but at least he’d be able to work to make the world a better place… or so Eli thought. So Glassface coerced him into believing anyway. Was this creature really good? Or was it tricking him?

  If he refused… he’d die for good.

  And he hadn’t come all this way to die.

  The choice was seemingly obvious, yet he couldn’t shake the lingering feeling of uncertainty no matter how hard he tried to brush them aside. He couldn’t stop staring at the seed as he cradled it between his fingertips. Accept and he would live. Refuse and he would surely die. The choice was simple. It was obvious even.

  And yet, it wasn’t.

  “No,” Eli shook his head as he handed the seed back to Glassface, “I-I can’t…”

  Glassface hadn’t reacted in quite the way Eli thought it would. It didn’t seem offended by Eli’s refusal, nor had it attempted to sway him otherwise. It just stood over him as it had before.

  “Is that a refusal?” Glassface croaked.

  “I just don’t… there isn’t… it’s time! I don’t have enough time!” Eli cried out, “I mean, all of this is happening to me at once and it’s just too much! I don’t know what to believe or what to do! I don't understand anything! At all! Everything is just... everything is falling apart at the same time and I can't keep track of what's real and what isn't anymore! All I want is to make sure that I can get my squad out of Helena safe! That’s it! I really can’t do this right now…”

  “Ah. A matter of time then,” Glassface’s robotic voice sounded like it was chuckling to itself, “Of course. I should’ve known mortals would’ve been bound to time. This must all be so confusing for you, no?”

  “That’s quite an understatement,” Eli whispered, though Glassface continued.

  “What if I made you an offer that you couldn’t refuse? If it is time you want, I can give it to you. I’ll revive you, just this once, to settle your unfinished business. But, when the – time – becomes more appropriate, I will approach you once more to make the decision. Plant the seed, or reject it. The choice will be yours to decide in due time.”

  Eli thought the proposal was strange. Glassface was offering him this as a concession… but why?

  It truly was an offer that he couldn’t refuse. He was revived basically for free, kicking the question of accepting Glassface’s proposal down the road for the time being. There was no reason not to. Not any logical reason at least. None that Eli could conjure, whatever that was worth.

  And so, Eli accepted. Nodding his head slowly to the creature, “That’s all I need. Time.”

  “So be it. But remember, there will be a time when you have to choose. Consider my words carefully… There will be pain and then there will be light,” Glassface paused before turning to face Eli head on, “I will see you up ahead.”

  The forest, the garden, his home, all of it vanished as the void returned! The colors were like looking into the face of the portal once more, they washed over him sucking him into the swirl of light and color. He could feel wind rushing over him, and rain pouring over his soaked body. It was cold.

  He was falling, or flying upwards, he didn’t know which one. It was impossible to tell direction or which way was up. All he could see were the colors rushing past him, it was like he was spinning in perpetual motion. He felt the pain, coursing through his body. It burned harshly, ebbing and flowing, but never dissipating. It filled every thought and every emotion inside of him and it forced him to let out a guttural scream.

  And then there was light. It was blinding. He could see nothing. No more color, no more light. Darkness. Once more...

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