Our, obnoxiously loud, quiet life

1| Second Chance

You walk upon a familiar path, but you can't seem to concentrate on your surroundings. Was it familiar as you thought before? You didn't know anymore. Was the gravel consisting of puny or large chunks? Was the path straight or curvy? Is it continuing or has it already ended? No matter where you were heading now, your mind seemed to travel elsewhere.
The ground morphed into itself and the world seemed like it was collapsing. It seems you were holding onto a single string, all that was left of the thick rope that kept you here leading you to a certain direction in your life.
Only yesterday you were laughing around with your friends as you all ran across an overgrown field. Breathing in the pollen and absorbing the vivid hues of the world. Enjoying life, laughing, smiling, pushing each other around. Since there was a stream nearby you would all splash around and walk around while trying to find the coolest rocks. Even though everyone was having fun, including you, that happiness was temporary. As if it was an illusion. Now, all that was in the distant past. Today, all that consumes your mind is the mortified and animated and charcoaled ghoul within you.
It stood there in your mind holding on and controlling what you felt. Not budging or moving for anything. You had no way of getting rid of it as of now. As if it was a parasite, it took over the present consciousness. Sometimes you'd realize its presence, but overthinking stopped you from taking action against the entity; this made you  vulnerable to it. What causes it, you don't know.
You know not of how you ended up at this moment in time, but may you one day remember. May you remember the beginning of rebirth. The beginning of a new life. The beginning that followed the ending.
You couldn't handle all the built up rocks that weighed you down. Even if you had so many happy memories, in that moment you didn't care because it put a blindfold on you. You were blind with your judgment and forgot everything else. You lost control, again. But maybe this time it was more serious than one might anticipate.
The next moment you stopped, your feet didn't carry you forward and your heart didn't lead you to your future.
Why can't anyone notice? You said to yourself. Why can't someone pull me out of this hell hole? Guilt and sadness flowed into you like a waterfall. Why do I have to be thoughtful and kind to others around me when no one does the same for me? You were tired of it. You worried that it made you toxic.
The next moment confused you, but it didn't surprise you. This time the ground really was morphing into itself; this time your string led you towards a different direction, like a magnet. As if it was glitching, the ground formed a colorful burst of energy, magnetic and electrifying. It seemed like a tunnel that led to somewhere else. It called you.
Since your mind told you it was a great idea, you jumped into the mysterious sparkling portal without a second thought. One step and you're down. One step and you'd never have to struggle again.
As you kept flying downward your hair flowed vigorously, swaying side-to-side. Your body went limp and your mind went blank. All your senses relaxed and let the free-fall experience consume you. It was just you and the tunnel. The portal and just a girl. Although when you opened your eyes you noticed the lack of space, making you claustrophobic. Next you realized how far down you were going. Then following the chain reaction, the adrenaline rush exploded your brain with thoughts, with imagination, and with regrets.
What have you done? It seems you are going to really die. There isn't a way out. And if you could make it out there is no way you would be happy like you used to be prior in your life and doing so would be most difficult and maybe falling is a peaceful thing but on the other hand maybe it's not maybe you shouldn't have jumped maybe you should've tried to improve your life or maybe this was destiny.  Will anyone miss me?

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Your eyes widened as they opened and your heart pumped your blood swiftly throughout your body. Your lungs began to work quicker and your head was stabbing you in a rhythmic tempo.
What happened?
Something instinctively told you that you weren't in the same place as before. It still looked like the same old Japan you knew from before. The same old place you lived in the previous chapter of your life. But it was like you were in an alternative universe.
Everything seemed, brighter. Everything seemed to move quicker. Unlike you, who was still slowed by your emotions.
Suddenly all the demons in your head came back in a rapid rush. You began to shake and take in the air heavily. With every breath you began to consciously feel your arteries carrying blood all throughout. From your chest, to your shoulder, next to your arm, then to each individual finger; The blood flowed through your neck as well creating an uncomfortable experience as you felt it. Instinctively you covered your neck using the palms of your hands.
You put your hands against your head right afterwards to have some sort of comfort as you seemed to shake hands with anxiety. Disgustingly you knew you were also building up a cold sweat.
This time as you experienced these battles, a new feeling came upon you. This time something began to radiate from you. The dark matter surrounding you was similar to the one of the portal. It sparkled like lightning and flowed like a calm breeze.
At first this energy was calming and soothing. Distracting you from prior. But then it became overwhelming. So much of it flowed around you. It was like a gust of wind; it felt like it was pushing your body around. More. More. More and more was swirling around you like a black hole.
Not only were you feeling depressed and anxious, you were now feeling terrified. You had no idea what was happening.
The distance between you and the ground grew as you took to the sky. You were losing control. Control of what? You didn't know.
As if a storm, the dark yet colorful matter surrounded you, making you the center. Your sight blurred and your body stirred.
Your cheeks were painted with a bright red and were streamed with rivers. Something was happening and it was out of your hands.
Lucky for you something, no, someone came flying towards you. They flew above the air and cut through the thick cloud to get to the middle. To get to you.
The force produced by them extinguished the cloud and pulled you away from it. They held your hand tightly as you glided with them, heading downward.
"We're gonna fall!" you yelped in a panic. Suddenly, and fortunately, you appear to have abandoned your demons and woke up from your depressive state. Suddenly again, this time unfortunately, you scream in a panic because you are about to kiss the unmorphed ground.
The wind slices your face and dries your mouth as you scream. Then roughly you and the boy that held onto your hand slow down and land close to the ground and onto an invisible cushion. You bounce a few times before you realize you're not dead yet.
As you regain your ability to think, you take a look around to assess your situation. The invisible cushion seemed to lightly radiate that same electrifying aura you've encountered twice before. And the boy that saved you appeared to look like a middle-schooler with a bowl cut. Then you look to your right and see a man approaching you with his hands in his pockets.
"Good job Mob!" He said as he walked closer. He had blond hair and wore a gray suit accented with a magenta tie. "So who is this pretty lady?"
Your boy savior answered, "She's the strong aura that I felt from before." He placed his fingers on his chin and looked down to ponder.
"So what's the name?" the suit-man asked you.
"Y/N," You answered. He extended his hand to you.
"And my name is Reigen Aratka." He pulled you up off the ground and back onto your feet. You still feel wobbly after everything that has happened. "Where do you live? We can walk you back." You stared at him intently looking for the right words to say.
You were really far from home. You had no idea what to do but there were multiple things you could say: I'm okay I could walk myself home, I don't have a place to go, or I jumped in a magic hole thing and ended up here making me homeless. The choice was obvious.
"It's okay I can walk myself home."
The three of you exchanged glances and waved as you walked into different directions.You were in a new setting, in a new city, in a new life.
Perhaps this is an opportunity. No one knows you in this place, so you could start over your life. Take a second chance.
You walked on a not so familiar path. It was time to come up with what you'll be doing now. All that was left of your previous life was what was on you. You took out your phone from your pocket and opened it. Miraculously it connected to the internet so you were able to use it. Something else that you still had possession of were your clothes, your earrings, and necklace.
The necklace was long and silver. Your fingers reach to the chain to fiddle with it. Intertwining with it, you fealt the small details of each piece of metal. Brushing on it downwards you touch the pendant. It was circular and relatively heavy. Just enough to fit between your fingers. Inside it, the engraving was masterfully done to encapture the essence of the sun. Swirls of light surrounded the sun as if it suggested a black hole.
The one who gifted it to you was an old friend. His name was Shoya. Walking down the streats of the city reminded you of him. He'd always want to convince you to shop with him; he really enjoyed finding all kinds of small trinkets in small shops. The one day you finally gave in he got you this very necklace. He also confessed. Although it saddens you to remember you can't help but regret when he-
Bang. The ally you were walking in explodes with cement. Something bursts from out of the wall to your right. The dusty air taints your lungs and causes you to cough. You open your eyes and focus them on the thing in front of you.
It was a large and tall amalgamation, made up of gross transparent goo. Everytime you moved an inch, trying to get away from it, you found yourself closer to it. One step. It was about 4 feet away. Second step. It reached out to you. Third step. It got a hold of you.
It's nasty arms wrapped around your neck and held you up. You tried to free yourself by scratching at it, but nothing affected it.
One moment you're almost dead, again, then the next Mob and Reigen appear behind the monster. Mob raises his arm which makes the thing holding you disintegrate. It yelps in horror as less and less of its body remains.
Once again, Mob, your hero, saved you again. The second time today in fact.
"Arataka Reigen of Spirits and Such at your service."