Øverturning the lies (a twenty one pilots fanfiction)

~Tyler~

He's back and he's back and he's not but he's remembering and he's here but not and it doesn't make sense but...

Think.

Just...

Think.

Try to find yourself.

For a moment he can't, can't remember who he is in this swirling mess of a mind...

Then he can.

At least, well, at least partially.

The facts.

Can't go wrong with the facts.

No.

He's inside a room that would be dark, would leave him blind, unable to see-if not for the neon lights.

They're everywhere.

His eyes are closed in an attempt to block them out.

No one objects to this, to his surprise.

But...there are many, many others in here along with him.

Opening his eyes the smallest bit he sees that no one has moved.

Feels the tiniest reassurance that nothing around him has changed.

But...still.

The neon is everywhere.

And everyone is transfixed by it.

Staring deeply, deeply, deeply at it.

He even sees some wrapping their bodies around the unearthly light, showing such fascination that its truly disturbing.

Deep down he can't even say he doesn't understand that...that pull towards it.

He can't explain it and doesn't think anyone truly can, besides the bishops, of course.

But.

It's dangerous.

He can sense that much.

Powerful, but dangerous.

Why else would it adorn the city?

This place is dangerous.

He closes his eyes again.

No one else is doing the same.

They're too distracted by the light to pay attention to reality.

But...why should they?

This place is nothing but dark and hollow, inside and out.

If it takes their mind off of things, perhaps it's not all bad.

But not all good.

It can't be.

No.

It's keeping them from truly seeing.

It's keeping them in a place that proclaims comfort, but truly only sells lies.

He opens his eyes.

There is in fact some neon light near him.

If he wanted, he could move towards it, try to fill this extra, useless time with...with something.

Surely that's better than nothing.

Surely.

Unless its not.

Some of his thoughts gravitate towards darkness but not all.

The ones that aren't...like these ones, they're just casually there.

Observing.

Yes.

Observing.

And if he can learn something about how this place works by doing that, how could it possibly be a waste?

He thinks.

Surely...

Surely, with as much time was filled up with the routine he was forced to carry out, day after day, then...exhausting his mind when he didn't have to...well, what was the use of that?

What was the use?

To keep us from seeing, he realizes.

To keep us trapped in these minds, these thoughts.

Which was, after all, the entire purpose of the whole twisted religion.

Too late, he remembers.

He remembers the distress and fear that comes with all mentions towards the bishops' rituals.

He tries to push it out of his mind but its still there.

He keeps his eyes closed, tries to fight it on his own terms.

"Child," Nico says, out of nowhere, and he doesn't even wonder where he came from or how or why, just accepts his sudden appearance.

He looks up.

"Is something wrong?"

He shakes his head.

"The neon is meant to help you. It won't hurt you. It's merely a tool."

In what?

"In life. In educating you further in the way you are meant to go."

Strange.

He never sees the bishop's lips move.

Just hears the voice, almost in his head.

"It may help you, child," Nico adds. "It may help you..."

The bishop touches his hand briefly to-

That's-

Why can't he think of his own name?

How does he not know that?

For a moment he loses track of everything else.

Tyler, he thinks. That's my name.

Y-

Yes.

That's it.

Well-

The bishop touches his hand briefly to Tyler's shoulder.

Then he seems to melt back into the shadows he came from.

It might help me...

Tyler thinks.

But also maybe not.

He really doesn't know.

Does he want to try?

No.

The fear of the unknown, not knowing what might happen, where it might lead...that keeps him paralyzed.

So he doesn't.

But even as he finds himself drifting off to sleep, albeit an uneasy, troubled sleep, he isn't completely sure whether or not he made the right decision.

What does it matter?

No matter what he does he will still be in the city when he wakes up.

He will still have to deal with the same problems as always.