A diamond hidden within the gray line

Chapter 26: The encounter within the darkness, the dollhouse and the barn.

Heads up, this chapter has nudity, but nothing leading to a nsfw moment, i assure you. The video above is the the theme song for the strange realm, the dollhouse as well as the barn. Credit goes the owner of the music video.
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-Max pov-

"Wake up..." I hear a voice say, and i immediately recognized it as marx's voice. I barely remember what i did upon accepting the fact that i'm far from human after fawful tried to kill me...i know that i had no desire to unleash...whatever it was that made me feel so angry against my own family. "Wake the fuck up, or i'll leave you here." Marx says, as i woke up, finding myself in a...nearly pitch black area. Every direction seemed to be empty space...except for what was ahead of me. I couldn't make out what it was...but as i sat up, i quickly took a look at my arms.

Nothing. No weird, painful cracks, just human skin...i think...it's hard to tell in this weird place, given how fucking dark it is. I dare not look down at my body though...especially where i was hit.

I can't bare to look at what will likely be there forever.

"About time. Man, i actually thought you would never wake up." Marx says to me, while i watch him float around, but without that giant ass lollipop weapon of his. "Where..where am i? Am..am i dead?" I ask. "Far from it. I would say that you're in purgatory, but..you know, this is definitely not something the dollhouse has. Emptiness within every direction...ah, i could create anything here! But alas..nothing can be built here even if i had the tools to do so. What a fucking waste." Marx says with a sigh. "Purgatory? How very helpful..." I say sarcastically. "I know, right? Anyway, i think you've been placed in this darkness for a reason." Marx says to me.

"Uh...what reason is that?" I asked, before i began to sense a dark, yet familiar aura. "You can sense him, can you? This xaczhar, or xacandcheese?" Marx asks me, "His name is xaczxar. And i don't know why i even know that..." I respond in a annoyed tone while starting to walk. It wasn't just nearly pitch black here...it was also soundless. Well..almost soundless since i can hear my voice producing a little bit of an echo. "I'll let you have this encounter. Just don't run." He says, before he vanished with a 'pop' sound.

"'Run'? Where the hell am i gonna run towards?" I wondered, as i walked towards the the seemingly tiny light that, even if i were to run towards the light, i had no way of knowing if it was getting bigger...or smaller. I could question why marx has this different mood to him, but you know...questioning that would be just as feckless as questioning why there's a sentient white teddy bear following you around who seems to know so much about you. I suppose such a question will never have a logical answer...that i am aware of. While i walked, i found myself wondering...how did i get in front of roy so quickly? That part happened so fast that i barely had time to prepare myself for it...hm...highly doubt i will get an answer to that question in a place like this.

-Narration-

Max walked for what felt like a long time. Minutes? Hours? He hadn't a clue. There was no else there with him...until he heard a voice. "I was once a being who had no emotion. No future to look forward to. Doomed to live a mundane existence where chaos was abound. But all of that changed...when i met him. He saved me from that place, made me feel emotion, showed me a future that i could look forward to, and...he made me feel loved. So much had changed..." Says the voice, which to max, sounded deep, and echoey. "Who's there?!" Max asked, who couldn't see anyone or anything but the incredibly small light ahead.

"That voice...it cannot be...you sound like him, but..." The voice got closer as the darkened ground started to shake as heavy footsteps were heard walking towards him from his left. What he saw was at first, glowing red eyes that he looked up at, before it slowly revealed themselves to be...bowser? No, this wasn't bowser....it was dark bowser himself.

His body looked like bowser's, but their scales and shell were a dark blue color. He had black hair that stood up like a mohawk. His horns and the spikes on his shell were a pale, white color, which also included his snout and stomach. It didn't help that dark bowser was...naked, but max didn't dare to look down below as the glowing red eyes looked down at max, who was obviously too stunned to utter a word. And even though he did not show it, he was frightened. "...You look nothing like him! Who are you?!" Dark bowser demanded. Max said nothing, but could only wonder...is this...xaczxar?

The look max had given him wasn't of frightened awe, but of saddened pity. Something that max was not aware of, but it was something that dark bowser, even though max saw that there was barely any emotion, he saw it change immediately to that of anger. "YOU DARE LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT?! YOU WILL ANSWER ME!!!" Dark bowser raged, who then reached towards max after he didn't answer. "I WILL TEAR YOU APART!!!" He says in anger, but max noted that there was a hint of sadness.

He was fully expecting to be grabbed, but instead...dark bowser vanished as if he was an illusion just as his hand was close to his face. He was left there, alone, and looking like he had just seen king boo for the very first time. "Wow...what an angry guy." Marx says, after reappearing, and saw the look on max's face. "Dude, you ok?" Marx asked, who was caught by surprise. "I think...i-i think that was xaczxar. But..he looked like dad." Max says, who stammered for a bit.

"Ahahaha...you're joking, right? That guy? He honestly looks like an emo version of bowser!" Marx says, who laughed at what max said, but then saw that max wasn't joking. "Oh...you're actually serious....fuck, this just became rather interesting." Marx commented. "Who would have thought that xacmax would be here?" Marx wondered to himself, who simply couldn't pronounce his name. But before max could say anything, the light that appeared to be far off begins to shine brightly. "Ugh..!" Max shielded his eyes as it got far too bright for him to see, but it didn't last long.

A minute later, he unshielded his eyes and saw the very place he saw in a earlier vision. It was a old looking dollhouse that was three stories tall surrounded by overgrown grass, and yet...he saw that it was built with bricks, and overgrown with vines. He saw a chimney on the side that had a tiny bit of smoke coming out of it and roof was painted blue. There were a couple of windows, but they were boarded off...almost as if they were put there to keep something in. Looking up, he saw that there was an actual sky, but it was strange looking. It looked as if a storm from hell was brewing.

Looking back, he saw that there was rundown barn that he wondered what purpose it could serve in a place like this, and a massive field with overgrown grass that went on for god knows how many miles. "What is this place?" Max asked.  "Eh..hell if i know. This place has been my home for a loooong time." Marx responded while max decided to walk to the strange dollhouse's front door, which max walked cautiously towards. What he didn't know however, was that there is a 10ft tall nutcracker nearby, watching his every move, looking as if it was ready to strike before marx floated up to him. "Not yet, candymaker. The time for you to strike is not now." Marx says to him as the nutcracker looks at him. What max did not know, was that the giant nutcracker, and marx, had a unknown purpose that he is far from aware of.

-Max pov-

Slowly i walk up the porch of this place...the steps creaking as well as the porch itself, but the moment i try to turn the door handle...the door wouldn't budge. "Locked..." I mutter, looking around for a key, thinking that maybe i needed a key. "Ah, ah, ah...i'm afraid that you won't be finding a key. Your first time here is coming to a close. Besides, it's time for you wake up." Marx says to max who slowly floated towards him. "W-wait, where i am gonna wake up at?" Max says, who slowly began to fade away.

"Trust me, my dear max...you are in safe hands. But two things you should know: One, is that you're about to have your whole world be turned upside down. And two, i have left a...surprise on your nightstand. You'll find it to be very useful later on. Ta-ta for now!" Marx says, who simply vanished with that same 'pop' sound. Oh, for fuck sakes....i guess i better get prepared.

-Narration-

As max vanished as if he were a shadow, he felt as if he was at peace when he suddenly began to hear beeping sounds you that can only be heard within a hospital room. "Wake up! God, i can't fucking stand this!" He heard a familiar voice say. He knew it to be bowser, his adopted dad. He could hear...that was a good sign. But he also hears that bowser was choking up on his words. As he slowly opens his eyes...he had no way of knowing just how much has changed for him...especially since he was getting ready to find out for himself.