The clock counts down to 3

Thales slept soundly; at least he thought so at first.

Soon what was calm was a rocking boat; ripples appeared in Thales's mind.

The bed creaked as mind and body twisted and turned.

Uncontrollable moisture dripped from the cave that was Thales's mouth.

Wet, dribble, saliva a concoction spilling out of the corners of his mouth wasn't he too old for this?

Vagaries appeared in Thales's dreamscape he could smell unclean smells, he could feel an otherworldly burning sensation.

It was not his skin that burned was it skin at all?

Unimaginable pain was what Thales saw, the moon was red.

A man

His body buckled across the floor he saw Thales he slithered to him, he was not a man this was not an identity a man would have, the beast had a hollow, pale face and infernal eyes, long messy hair, the worst were his eyes infernal yes but they were sunken and had dark rings around them like the beast never slept.

The beast-man face dripped like wax like it was not well painted or like it got lazy of the disguise, but it didn't feel like a disguise unless you could remove the meat off your bones like it was a costume.

Chains wrapped around Thales, the beast's mouth opened wide, rotten long sword like teeth, what did Thales see? Blissful dreams, horrible nightmares all at once a spectrum of light marvellous it filled the heart with wonder.

Thales wanted to run but he really couldn't.

The beasts fingers played with Thales, Thales had started to process what was happening to him.

"Who prayed for you, what god were they praying to??"

"I don't care about much just a little hungry hopefully you'll go down well, hehe."

"The beast started to tear but not by choice?"

Coldness familiar coldness, Thales hated this he gagged.

Thales woke up, blood dripped down his nose warm blood he appreciated it.

"Only a nightmare" Thales thought but then he was proven wrong.

"Why did that path rise what does this all mean? Was that a vision?"

"I don't believe in fate anyway."

"I don't believe in fate and only men make plans and plans can fail."

"I don't believe in prophecy just the cries of desperate men who want to unite but don't realise they dwindle whatever illusions of will we posses." Thales chanted this in his heart, he wiped his nose with his shirt, dirty but he would be changing shortly.

Thales felt groggy, he felt unwell but not physically.

He shook his head, this isn't good.

"I was speculating what if The Mystery is worse than that what I need to find it please man I don't want to..." He had cut the thought short it was not that coherent.

"I'll just do some work I hope my hand is steady, I shouldn't be too sloppy, yes steady hand. But moving bodies a bit different." Thales mumbled quietly out loud.

"I'll need to do that thing too we can cover our bases." And off Thales moved sluggishly but he moved.

Thales ran into Beatrix his dear friend.

Thales ran his feet across the ground feeling it deeply being accustomed to it he trotted to the library and that's where she was having a nap it was the middle of the day after all she was snoozing away on a beanbag who knew even places as grand as this could have casual resting places.

He thought sleep looked peaceful and with her it looked out of place to see her so vulnerable the girl who could tell a half truth with horrors easily looking so tranquil.

"Err... Thales, are you staring at me?" She emphasized.

She was awake.

"Me? I wouldn't dream of it."

"Just appreciating the antiquity of the library and you just happened to be encompassed in my view."

"Oh yeah, these dusty books are interesting yeah."

"Well should I tell you a story?"

"Do we have time to do that, aren't we competing in <<1+-1=0>>?" that was the real name of the infinite game as a whole. To shave off one's self and to still exist who could win a game like that?

"Well yes but you need to pace yourself, take a break and then you can do better than you would have easily firing on all cylinders after being rejuvenated. It allows for the spirits to flow better."

"I don't know about spirits but even I am lazy a human should be lazy after all so I'm fine with a break."

"Weird reasoning no need to put on airs, I'll tell a personal story I think?"

"Why did you phrase that like a question?"

"I honestly have no idea scouts honour!"

"I don't think you were in the scouts."

"Doesn't matter I'll just tell the story it's called the fairytale prince."

Thales snorted.

"Did you come up with that name yourself hahahhaa?" Thales was wheezing.

"It's not that funny, it's rather serious."

Beatrix admonished Thales, but she realized he wasn't that much shorter than her she was 5'9

And at age 10 he was 5'8 and ¾.

"Damn are you going to be taller than me?"

"Well yeah." Thales said with pride and said it as if it was a matter of fact.

"Whatever I'll start the fairytale prince."

"The prince was a bee in a faraway land he had no idea what to do he had no self, but people told him he needed power to have purpose in the world so that is what he did, the prince must become the prince, so he travelled far he travelled wide, the prince felt free, no one could call the bee a slave like most other bees."

"Eventually the bee made it to a hive, the bee liked the hive it was sweet it was welcoming it offered fame and riches, the prince at first liked the simple stuff but realised he would need power to protect these simple interests, the prince never had a self at first now he went onto gain one how dynamic would this reconstruction be?

"The Bee met the Queen and the Bee met a future queen, the Bee met his rivals in the kingdom, the rivals never met the bee, the bee became the prince was it worth it to discard your morals to weave a kingdom. Or did the bee have no morals to begin with?"

"To sting them with your poison, they were bees too and yet still it swam through their veins, Where did the bee learn to poison was it in the hive simply by living?"

"Well I'm done how that Thales was?"

"Lacked some substance, was that it?" "No, there are more fairy tales about the Prince."