Chapter 9 : sleep the pain away

Haze's eyes flickered open, and she winced as the bright lights pierced her brain. She groaned, holding her head, "Oh fuck…. My head feels like it's gonna explode!"

The lady entered the cozy, makeshift home nestled within the roots of a dead tree stump.

"See who decided to wake up," she said with a warm smile.

Haze rolled her eyes. "How was your sleep?"

Haze chuckled, "had better."

Just then two huge rats scurried in, carrying food supplies in their mouth. Haze freaked out, trying to summon the mist, but her headache worsened. "Ahhh…no…no…no."

The lady cautioned, "try not to use the mist for a while. Your stamina levels are low. You need to recharge."

Haze asked, still disoriented, "where the hell are we?"

The lady replied matter-of-fact, "inside a rat house. Which wouldn't be the weirdest thing you've seen so far."

Haze sighed, "you right!"

Just then, Jaxon and Orion burst in, their loud banter filling the space. Haze rolled her eyes and covered herself with dried leafy cloth, "they never shut up."

The lady laughed, "i know right. My ears bled from all the loud, goofy talks. I have never wished to be knocked out so bad."

Jaxon and Orion plopped down on a couch made of fluffy cotton, looking like they were settling in for a cozy afternoon. "Ouuu, comfy," Orion smiled, snuggling into the softness.

Jaxon asked, "are you alright, haze."

Haze smiled weakly, "apart from an awful headache….I'm good."

Jaxon nodded and turned to the lady.

"I know…there's a lot you need to know. But first, allow me to introduce myself."

She began, "I am sapphire, and I have the ability to manipulate the emotion love to my advantage." She explained, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Jaxon and Orion nodded, intrigued, and sapphire continued, "now ask your questions."

Jaxon leaned forward, "sapphire, what were those things chasing us?"

Sapphire's expression turned serious,

"Shriekers…."

"Shriekers?" repeated Orion.

Sapphire nodded, "yes, creatures invulnerable to pain."

The group exchanged worries glances, the weight of their situation settling in. Haze rubbed her temples, her headache still throbbing.

"Great, just what we need. More things trying to kill us."

Orion asked, his brow furrowed with concern,

"And why were they after us?"

Sapphire's expression turned somber,

"The shriekers are lost souls, beings lost in time. They seek human souls, hoping to regain life's warmth."

Orion's eyes widened in stunned realization,

"It was smart to run. We had no idea what we were up against."

Haze snorted, unimpressed, "errhhh, we could have taken them. They're not the only ones who manipulate the mist."

Sapphire's voice took on a serious tone,

"The shriekers are eerie, hollow, and shadowy beings that move with unsettling speed.

They are so fast their movements are almost impossible to track with the naked eye.

Their forms are vaguely humanoids, but their bodies are composed of a dark, mist like substance that seem to waver and shift constantly allowing them to effortlessly blend into the shadows, becoming invisible when they choose to.

They also possess the ability to phase through solid objects, allowing them to ambush their prey from unexpected angles."

Sapphire sighed, her hand patting haze's leg.

"I need you to understand, haze, that your chances of escaping those things are far higher than your chances of killing them.

I acknowledge your profound abilities, but the shriekers are not ordinary mist beings. They're top tier entities, holding down the asylum - a territory even gods fear to tread."

She paused, emphasizing the gravity of the situation, "the shriekers are relentless creatures, nearly impossible to defeat.

Your bravery is admirable, haze, but sometimes wisdom lies in knowing when to retreat."

Jaxon's face reddened as he lost his cool,

"I am so done with all of this! First, it was gristle the troll," he mimicked the troll's voice, "I am the greatest troll of all.

He tried to eat us….ALIVE!"

Jaxon's voice rose, "then, that freaking puma! My heart almost popped out of my chest.

But no…no….no, that was not enough.

We just had to be chased by some insanely fast creatures who happen to be impossible to defeat!"

Orion tried to calm Jaxon down, holding his hands, but Jaxon snatched them away, "Don't touch me!"

Sapphire attempted to intervene, "calm down, ja—"

But Jaxon cut her off, his anger boiling over,

"Do not tell me to calm down, sapphire! You don't know how it feels like to not be at peace.

It feels like everything around me is trying to kill me, and plot twist, they are!

I am sick and tired of this twisted world. I may not know where the hell this is, but I WANT TO GO HOME!"

Jaxon's voice echoed through the space,

"You hear me! Whoever brought me here, I WANT TO GO HOME!"

His scream hung in the air, a desperate plea to escape the chaos that had become his reality.

Sapphire's expression turned incredulous,

"I beg your finest pardon, but what do you mean by 'I may not know where this is'."

Orion chimed in, "well, he's right. We don't know where we are."

Sapphire sighed, massaging her forehead,

"Tell me you're joking."

Jaxon gave sapphire a serious look,

"Does this face look like it's in the mood for jokes?"

Orion pressed on, "why? Do you know where we are?"

Sapphire tried to play it off, "of course not! I mean, I'm just a….player here like you."

Jaxon's eyes narrowed, "what do you mean by 'player here'."

Sapphire stumbled, "i meant a person like you….silly me."

Haze called her out, "yeah, no one's buying that."

Orion nodded in agreement, " you're a terrible liar. Tell us the truth. Where are we?"

Jaxon's eyes locked onto sapphire, pleading,

"Sapphire, I'm begging you. The only way we can get out of here is if we know where we are. Sapphire….please."

The group's gaze bore down on sapphire, waiting for her to crack and reveal the truth.

Sapphire's expression turned grave, and she sighed heavily. "This is going to hit hard. You see…apart from our world, there are countless other spaces: realms, universe, galaxies and many more. Each has its own reality and rules that keep them alive.

But here's the thing; the slightest imbalance between good and evil can push their entire existence to the brink of annihilation."

Orion's eyes narrowed, "you're still avoiding the question."

Sapphire's pause was palpable before she continued, "we are not in our world anymore. We're far from home, Orion. We are…w-we are in a….game."

Time seemed to freeze for Jaxon. The words echoed in his mind like a mantra: "in a game."

Sapphires voice brought him back to reality.

"We, along with others, were chosen to save this reality," she explained, her voice laced with a mix of determination and fear. "And I am afraid that until we do, we have no possible way out of here."

The group's silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the weight of Sapphire's words. Jaxon's mind reeled, struggling to comprehend the enormity of their situation. They were trapped in a game, forced to play by rules they didn't understand, with the fate of an entire reality hanging in the balance.

Jaxon shook his head, tears streaming down his face as he smiled in disbelief.

"No…no…no, this can't be true. No…no…no, you're messing with us, right? You're messing with us!"

Sapphire's expression was empathetic, her voice soft. "I wish I was, Jaxon."

But Jaxon was beyond consolation. He broke down, his body wracked with sobs. "I-I never signed up for this! I nev-never wanted this! I'm not supposed to be…here."

He stumbled out the door, almost falling, and his friends followed close behind. Jaxon looked around frantically, surveying the paths as if hoping to find a way out. But with no knowledge of which path to take, he collapsed to the floor.

"No…no…no…I need to get out of here!" He cried out, his voice cracking with desperation.

"I have a life out there! My mother is diabetic and she needs me to care for her. My cat needs to be fed. My plants need to be watered and put in the sun.

Please I need to get out of here!"

As he spoke, Jaxon stumbled to his knees, his body shaking with uncontrollable sobs.

Orion knelt beside Jaxon, trying to offer comfort.

"Hey, everything's gonna be okay."

But Jaxon wasn't buying any of it. He snatched himself from Orion's hands, his fingers pointing accusingly.

"You! You did this to me! I told you not to accept it. I told you to quit the game . You never listen to me,You've never listened to me. Th-This is all YOUR fault!"

Jaxon's grip tightened on Orion's shirt, his voice shaking with anger.

"Th-This is all your fault! You asked me why I'm so watchful over you? You really want to know right?

I lied to you, told you what you wanted to hear. I don't care about you… I'm so watchful over you because all you do is cause me more and more problems.

All you do is screw up my life. I have to face the consequences of your actions. All you do is be ORION, the child who can't get over one traumatic experience. Your father left you ages ago, but you use that to justify every action of yours. You must always have it your way.

Grow up, Orion!"

Tears welled up in Orion's eyes as he whispered, "you don't mean this."

But Jaxon's expression remained unyielding.

"Oh but I do, Orion. And you can't imaging how long I have waited to do this. I'm not lying anymore."

The words hung in the air, a stark and painful truth that seemed to shake Orion to his core.

Jaxon's sniffling grew louder, his words laced with venom. "And I'm starting to see why he left you. You're a fucking problem, Orion."

He glared at Orion, his eyes blazing with anger. "I hate you, Orion… I hate you for what you've done to me. And I swear on this very day, if something happens to my mother, I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you, Orion. I'm going to kill you."

Sapphire watched in concern as Jaxon's fury reached a boiling point. She knew she had to intervene before things escalated further. With a gentle touch, she placed her hand on the back of Jaxon's neck, using her power to induce a calming sleep.

"Sleep, Jaxon…" she whispered, her voice soothing. "For it is the only escape from pain."

As her words took effect, Jaxon's body relaxed, his anger and anguish slowly giving way to a troubled slumber. Sapphire held him steady, her eyes never leaving his face, while Orion looked on, his own eyes filled with tears and regret.