The Shadows Within Us

Innovative Thinking

A blur of green filled the shapeshifter's vision; blades of thick, unkept grass shooting up from the ground. The wind rushed past Key's face in a frenzied panic, the stinging bite of the current forcing their wide, terrorized orbs tightly shut. It was true, what people said about time growing still in dire moments such as these. It was as though death itself were taunting them.

Wrrsshhhh!

Key felt the soft blades of grass brush past their visage hurriedly, a tickling sensation like that of a pom-pom being shaken in their face. The fall had only just begun, because suddenly, as if reaching the peak of the world's largest roller coaster, Key plummeted downwards into a spiral.

Their body fell even faster than before, the weight of gravity pulling them with a stronger force than should've been plausible. Key's heart thudded resoundingly in both eardrums, lilac orbs shooting open in distress. Below, and all around them seemed to be a hole of ungodly depth. It was like the iconic scene in Alice and Wonderland, though somehow even more disorienting and hellish. Dirt walls surrounded Key on all sides, roots and deep layers of thick, cemented soil protruding from the uneven surfaces. The shapeshifter screamed, but the sound was quickly lost; the Creature's body plunging too quickly for even the soundwaves to keep up.

The wind continued to whoosh past violently. A screeching sound that could only be compared to knives on a chalkboard emitted from the seemingly endless pit, growing further deafening the deeper Key helplessly descended. They couldn't tell whether they were nose-diving into the core of the Earth or the pit of Hell. 

Overwrought with agony for the ear-splitting shriek that now exceeded the volume of anything Key had ever heard, they slapped their hands over their ears. It did little to ward away the blaring sound, though as a burning picture frame rapidly soared past the Creature, their attention momentarily diverted. There was another, and then another; old wooden frames caught ablaze and whipping their fiery tails against Key's cheeks as they defied gravity, soaring upwards. Granted, Key wasn't so sure which way was up, and which way was down anymore.

Among the frames, the breeze also carried with it the disembodied faces of individuals. And though they ascended too quickly to make out any features, the faces held an eerie familiarity to them. It was hard to pinpoint just when and where Key had met any of these people; that is, if they had ever truly met them at all.

Key's burning eyes squeezed shut once again, their palms cupping tightly around their ears in a desperate attempt to escape the ever-growing screeching. They panted heavily, the sensation of a warm, syrup-like fluid beginning to dribble from their eardrums. Blood seeped out, a ringing static threatening to render the tortured being deaf. 

"aaaAAAGHHH MAKE IT STOP!" Key desperately pleaded, the misery of their pain becoming too great to bear. This was even worse than death. 

Just then, in between the roaring of wind and the shrieking of splitting metal, a melodic voice softer than the fluffiest of cumulous clouds suddenly spoke. 

"You bear the inner strength comparable to that of an Ancient god." It stated, the voice echoing off into the surrounding abyss with a hint of astonishment. "You must accept the unknown, for only then can you begin to comprehend your truth."

The mysterious voice seemed to speak from within, rather than from any external source. The dialogue was clear and audible, cascading over the treacherous ocean of blinding sound, Key found themselves just as perplexed and lost as before; if not more so. 

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?" They screamed in reply, uncertain if this was simply another hallucination, guiding them deeper into a state of irreversible madness.