Chapter 1: The Sound Of Fear

. . . Am I Dead?

Water.

That's the first thing I noticed when I reopened my eyes water floating above me, then there was the white stone on the ground. Slowly I got up everything was spinning yet I could still hear a simple sound.

The sound of a foot-tapping impatient on the stone, "Awake are we?" the man questioned.

"Where am I?" the question left my lips.

The man rolled his eyes, "Either dreaming or you're dead, doesn't matter much considering right now you're in my way." The man reached out and grabbed me by the hair throwing me to the side.

He then knelt down and inspected a red glowing crack, "...an anomaly?" the man narrowed his gaze and turned to me.

"W-Who are you?" I questioned getting to my feet shakily.

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance debating how best to answer that question, "Lighting." He muttered walking towards me, "The real question is why you haven't faded yet!" He put a finger to my face irritated with my presence.

"Faded? I really have no idea what you are talking about…" I put my hands up defensively.

"Bullshit you do-" Lighting stopped looking down at my shirt, "...What the hell?" I rose a brow and looked down. A red glow came from my heart.

"...I Wayward Dreamer?" Lighting muttered the name. Looking me over, "I suppose you'll do." Lighting then reached into his cloak and pulled out a yellow key and handed it to me, "At the end of the hall there will be a yellow door. Use that key to unlock it and get out of my sight."

I looked down at the key setting it in my jacket pocket, "But what is this place?"

"I have neither the time nor the patience to answer your question kid. Not to mention this place is unstable right now… If you don't leave you might get erased." Lighting began to walk off.

I blinked and sighed walking down the hallway.

I probably could have tried to press him for more answers but something tells me he's not the talking type.

I blinked looking at the golden door. It seemed out of place in this empty hallway almost unnatural in a sense.

Nevertheless, I pulled out the key and unlocked it.

My hand lingered over the handle, so I took in a deep breath and swung it open only for blinding light to envelop me.

Chapter 1: The Sound Of Fear

My eyes snapped open, my body convulsed, I shot upwards, I felt like I was going to barf, everything was spinning.

I could hear a voice screaming in my head.

It wasn't mine.

It wasn't Lighting's.

It wasn't Grannys, it was new it was different, violent even. It scared me.

(Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. )

That's what the voice screamed to me. I was scared I wanted to leap out of the bed, but arms latched onto me pinning me down.

I screamed panic filling my body, then a sharp pain entered my right arm, the world grew darker and I fell back into a deep sleep.

***

How many times have my eyes opened now?

Well, It's not like it mattered at this moment, I was more concerned with the fact that I couldn't fill my lungs with air.

Instead, water filled them, I gripped at nothing desperately attempting to grasp at everything, the water drowning me seemed to laugh at my attempts pushing me farther down.

Soon I realized just how foolish my attempts to struggle were. I lowered my arms and smiled solemnly, if I was to die I wasn't going to go out pathetically lashing to nothing… That just isn't my style.

I grit my teeth staring forward in deficiency, I hate this, I hate every second of this, I don't know where it came from, a surge of power flowing through me if someone looked close they would see a Golden glow coming from my left eye.

And the water around me parted I hit a stone-ground and began coughing, taking in any bit of air my lungs could take, and emptying the water from it.

Clap, Clap, Clap.

Black gloves slapped together the water parted revealing a hallway, a man walked through it wearing a dress coat, "Well now that was an interesting site." the sinister voice entered the air, black boots stopped just short of me.

He extended a hand, to me his eyes were an ocean blue, he looked down on me as if I was a simple meal and he was waiting to strike.

On reflex I reached out and slapped the hand away, causing the man to blink in surprise and look down to his hand, "...Perhaps I was a bit hasty in my attempt to eliminate you…" The man muttered to himself.

I grit my teeth glaring at him definitely, "Who the hell are you?" I growled out.

The man rolled his eyes bowing, "Just call me the Gatherer." His posture returns to normal, his eyes twinkle, he begins to circle me, "You are aware of what Stasis is correct?"

I slowly get to my feet, nodding never letting my eyes leave the man.

He raises a fist pointing a single finger upwards, "It is a rather interesting disease, happens at the worst of moments for most… For example when you pay a… visit to your creators." The man lowers his fist sighing and shaking his head, stopping his circle. "What a corpse they could have made."

My eyes widened. It took me a second to fully process what he's saying that didn't stop me from taking a single fearful step forward, "You're a murderer."

This didn't go unnoticed, "Mhmm, I think of myself as a failure. Never did manage to kill my target despite all odds." Gatherer sighed, shaking his head, "That is because Stasis hit me… I'm curious if the same will happen to you?"

Suddenly my courage was regained and the question formed in my throat despite the dread, "W-What the hell are you talking about?"

Gatherer's fanged smirk suddenly reappeared, "How do you think it is that I am talking with you boy?" the Gatherer started taking steps forward, "A man who is trapped in eternal sleep, talking with a young boy who's in the waking world… Nobody else has done it so how are you?" Gatherer smirked.

Fear gripped my heart, I grit my teeth standing my ground as the Gatherer reaches out putting a finger on my heart, "Thump."

Thump.

"Thump."

Thump.

"Thump~"

Thump.

"That's my heartbeat ya know, I can feel it here…" He then slowly moved a hand to his own chest, "But I wonder why I can't hear it here." that smile crept upon his face once more, "Ah," he lowered his hand from his chest, "This will be fun."

With that word the water that parted fell to the ground consuming, everything around the both of us.

***

This time I woke up for real, I could no longer hear the voices doctors and nurse rushed around, and then one pointed out I was awake.

They gave me the news.

I put up a rather convincing performance, even though I already knew oh how I knew.

See it turns out when your on death door your the perfect candidate for some tests, and when a murderous bastard has a disease that no one knows who to treat, well… Who's gonna complain if a killer like him loses a heart.

Needless to say, this was far from over if anything the horrors and magic.

It all started when the new heart started to beat.