artifice || offgun

v.

TW: viol3nce

Continuous ringing resonated on Off's head, tormenting him to utter desperation. His trembling hands covered his ears tightly, in hope to lessen the deafening sound but as much as his vigor showed, it failed to achieve the result he wanted to have. It was pitch black; eyes were firmly shut as his forehead creased into a deep frown.

He wanted to shout and distract himself from his misery, and so he did. He shouted on the top of his lungs, a light sting tapping his throat as he considers this cry as the loudest he had in his life. However, as how his previous efforts were all fruitless, this one proves to be the same. The striking ring remains firm on his head, a long enunciating cry similar to the flat line of a machine when someone's heart had stopped beating.

Off suffers continuously. It was a miserable darkness but sudden flashes of unknown occurrences starts to appear in front of him. A short image of a burning village followed by the sudden vision of a sword battle between uniformed knights and cloaked people. Is it a war? Or is it a judgment? He had also seen a clouded visage of a white-robed person; amidst the chaos and heavy smoke, the soft satin flutters in the air with grace. The person was crying in outmost agony, in which his sobs seems to carry collective emotions of various people. As if he was weeping for them; his back stained with impurities, crimson blood flowing from the fabric until the life drops on the ground.

Even though the ringing was still there, Off vividly heard the pleads of help. It was hopeless, he had thought. The voices were consistent; countless people were desperately calling to save their lives but Off knew from that very emotion that it was impossible to redeem them. It is too late; they had dared to ask for a miracle, was the initial message he had received.

The sorrowful cries felt heavy on Off's head, following the tightening of his chest. Cold beads of sweat starts to form on his forehead as his breathing strained on the binding sentiments of those people. He grabbed a fistful of his hair, diverting his pain to it.

Off gasps for air as the ringing as well as the weeping on his head slowly subsided.

"You will regret saying that name," Off listens to the familiar words and instantly opens his eyes. He saw himself standing on the side of the peaceful stream, gentle gust of wind brushing on his cheek as the calm leaves swayed with it.

He inhales the tranquility of the place, confused as how his misery was too real to be an illusion; nevertheless, his breathing was now stable and his head was light. Off lifted his gaze to the owner of the voice and saw Tay on the water; a sinister smile plastered on his face which alarmed him. Off, without hesitation, ran towards Tay and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off to his feet.

'He surely knows something,' Off thought and tightens his hold on Tay's collar.

"Tell me what happened!" Off shouted on Tay's face, darting a sharp gaze on the other. He clenched his teeth as he felt a rising anger within him, a subtle hint of fear blooming on his chest.

"You threw me on the water!" Tay reasoned out, the sly smile long gone on his face and instead, reflects innocence with a glint of confusion on his dilated irises.

But Off remains unconvinced. In his eyes, Tay was just pretending and Off refuses to believe his falsehood. It was obvious that there was something going on, one moment he was just in the old ruins and after that, he was back in time? Off was sure that this was the moment he threw Tay on the stream; the exact same day when Tay told him about the legend of forbidden name.

'It was complete nonsense,' Off thought. Could all the days he spent after that incident be just his imagination? He refused to believe that idea for if it was the truth, then the old ruins as well as Gun were just his fantasies.