Inkless Archives: Scattered Files on The Floor

exhibit d: "unmask"

"My apologies..." I sighed, holding the broken porcelain mask. Her true form had been exposed, and there's no covering it anymore. She had been exiled from her own shell.

There's no denying it, too; everything, from broken jaws to sharpened claws, she had it all in her true form, almost like a monster that came from Pandora's box.

Not long after, chains held her bound as she screamed, cried and begged for forgiveness. Carriages pulled her out of this land, never to be seen again.

"Did I do the right thing?" I questioned myself, still holding the broken shards in the palm of my hands.

"Did I do the right thing...?" My thought finally escaped from the prison of my lips, to which the knight nodded to. But looking around, I'm not so sure anymore.

The forms differ from people to people, all wearing their masquerades to cover themselves. The knight's hand is a mace, the wandering trader having another couple of arms, the poor residents' facial parts all absent.

I couldn't help but feel pity to the people around me, so to suffer no more, I went to the library. The librarian had a pair of mouths, one counterclaiming the other in a cycle.

As I sat on a small corner, I opened the book and it revealed that every single one of people wear their masks on. They covered their flaws, or swept their sins under the mat, or both.

I returned the book to its shelf and headed home. I made my way upstairs to my bedroom. I left my curtains open and my lights turned on. Without hesitation, I removed my mask and threw it out of the window.

I took long, deep breaths as I peeked out of the window. The cruelty downstairs is unbearable. The knights will come for me, but, without the restricting mask, I feel real, living, and most importantly, human.

"A warlock!" They exclaimed from outside, as I continued to look at myself in the mirror. I looked humane, but they looked... they all look so terrifying. Not just ugly. Terrifying is an understatement.

Some of them have triple limbs, some of them without facial features, others having weapons for their appendages. "Oh... My goodness." I gasped, when they all started climbing up. "Oh my goodness, fuck!"

As they climbed upward, I decided to climb, too, but to the roof. The only thing in my mind now was literally trying to survive. "Get off me!" I exclaimed, kicking one of them down, as I continued my dangerous activity.

When I reached the roof, however, everything went back to peace. There was no one trying to chase me anymore, and I can feel it. When I explored the place, I walked upon other people, not wearing their mask.

"You successfully climbed up, too?" one of them asked. "Those... animals pull others down. Well, I'm proud of you for working hard."

"Just an adrenaline rush," I shyly responded, not wanting to take the compliment.

"Well, it's still all you," she replied. "If not for that brain of yours, you would've fell down... with those. If I were you, I'm going to try my best to not go down anymore."

"Why?" I asked.

"You don't want to risk everything you worked for, do you?" she asked me back. "There are some people here that we call 'gamblers'. They basically risk their lives for a prize. Anything - food, water, and such. But, don't worry, you won't be needing to think about those, we have a lot."

"Thank you for your warm welcomes." I muttered, slightly nodding. "I appreciate your support and help."

"No problem." she added. "Ask me anything, anytime. And remember, always be true to yourself, no matter what."

"Will do," I replied, before sitting in the middle.

This experience... restored my hope for humanity. No, this experience let me maintain my hope for humanity. Everyone below earlier isn't human.

But I still am. And I always will be.