Down the Twilight Path

It just raises too many questions

A/N: Its the first DtTP of the new year! As slow as the publishing schedule is, I still plan on continuing this tale until someone forcibly stops me. Today's chapter finally gets the plot going, so enjoy!

Scene 3: It Just Raises too Many Questions.

As Jason limped out of the woods, his vision began to blur. The stress of his encounter at the mansion, however brief, had taken its toll on his body. He tried to at least make it back to his house, but before he could even get halfway there, his legs gave out on him. As he collapsed, he became dimly aware that someone was running up to him...

Will you let this be the end?

Jason opened his eyes to find himself back on the mysterious glass pane from his dream. When he looked down, he noticed that under the black stain, the pane was now covered in a myriad of cracks.

"What happened? What's going on here?" he asked.

You have arrived at a crossroads. Will you simply fade away and let yourself be engulfed in the cradle of darkness? Or will you force yourself to face the light and the harsh realities that come with it?

"Oh, stop that. I don't remember ever being so mindlessly dramatic."

Out of the pane, a dark shadow began to rise until it was at Jason's height. It then morphed itself into a replica of the boy, with yellow, glowing eyes.

"So, do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?"

Jason took another look around him to affirm his suspicions.

"I'm inside myself. As for you...you're me, except different."

The shadow Jason snorted. "You still insist on hiding from the truth," it said. "This is what's known as the Dive to Heart. In this case, this is your Heart."

Upon hearing this, a name rose to the front of Jason's mind, "This place...it's called the Station of Delusion. I don't know how I know that, but I do."

"You just said this place is inside you," Shadow Jason pointed out. "But you are correct. You are currently operating under a fatal delusion, one that keeps you from seeing the world as it truly is, represented by the current state of your heart."

In theory, that made the solution simple; all he had to do was expose and purge the delusion from inside his mind. But right out of the starting gate things got sticky, as Jason had no idea where to start when it came to tracking down this so-called delusion.

"And already your mind is shielding you from the harsh truth that lurks in your heart," Shadow Jason said. "It's not time for you to face you this delusion. There is something you need to learn before you can do so."

"Jason! Jason, wake up!"

"But you will return here. You have to, unless you wish to simply surrender yourself to the oblivion."

The Station began to tremble, before shattering again like during Jason's previous visit, and once again Jason plunged into the bottomless abyss...

Jason's eyes snapped open. Tendrils of pain wracked his body, forcing him into awareness.

He was back in his house, lying on his bed. The first thing he noted was that he no longer had his shirt on, which revealed the various cuts and bruises he'd earned from his encounter at the mansion. Most of them were either swabbed with alcohol or bandaged, if not both, explaining the pain that had awakened him.

"You're awake."

Jason turned his head to see his twenty-four year old sister, Eileen, scurrying over to him with more medical supplies. Eileen was dressed in her usual outfit of a thick, woolen sweater and unflattering denim pants. She wore thick glasses that obscured her bright, lime-green eyes, and her dark-red hair was pulled into its standard messy ponytail. All in all, it gave off the impression of a careless, slovenly person. Jason knew that nothing could be further from the truth.