I was scared to open my eyes until I felt a cool breeze across my skin. I moved my hands from face as I rose to my feet. In front of me was a massive, angelic fountain. It was divine. The water leapt towards the sky and returned the ground with a melodic splash. Birds circled above, singing a warm and inviting song to the rising sun. I leaned forward and let the water douse its refreshing elixir all over my body. I dove head-first into the brilliant, blue water and swam through the ripples, laughing and crying all at once as my mind realized where I was; I, the Wanderer, had survived the most hellish travels and was now directly in the center of the golden city. It was more magnificent than my wildest dreams had ever imagined. Above me I stared towards the whitest clouds and the bluest sky I’d ever observed. The buildings were majestic and regal, the grounds manicured and ambrosial. The air was light, the trees green, and the atmosphere wondrous.
Right before my eyes, a tragic surprise; the water stops.
I’m sure it took several minutes to happen, but it felt instant. The clouds turned grey, the sky turned purple. The trees were bare, the leaves dead on the ground. The buildings had begun to crumble to the ground, the birds were gone. In spite of all of this, the most terrifying thing still stood beyond the fountain. As the last drip fell from the sky, the once stunning fountain revealed a nightmare that would shake the soul of the most noble man. There she stood; the Temptress. Only now, she was draped in black, her skin cracked and bleeding, her eyes projecting an unspeakable horror. The veil still covered much of her face, but I could feel the spiteful, malevolent smile that dwelled underneath. Without a single thought, I scrambled from the water and took off running.
The chase was on. The Temptress was on my heels in an instant. Dear God, she was fast. I craned my neck and saw that her feet were barely even touching the ground, she was almost floating. There is no way I will be able to outrun this kind of speed, survive this aggressive attack. She was laughing, but it was not the laughter of a delicate woman, nor did it match the timbre of her shrieks in the mirror maze. This was guttural, this was angry, and this was hungry. I’ve heard this laughter before, not very long ago it would seem.
It feels like I’ve been running for days. Wickedness will rain down and drown us in her sorrow, and her thirst. If I hope to survive, I must think faster, I’m losing ground. These footsteps feel familiar. Should I stop and face her? Should I pull back the veil?
All around me the city erupted into a riot. Temples crashing down; all around me, panic. Buildings were bursting into flames, collapsing to the ground. The citizens of the golden city were running towards me, towards each other. It was chaos. Blood was being spilled in all directions, the bodies of the innocent being mauled, the thirst of the damned poisoning this utopia. I could not escape the notion that all of these people seemed identical, hoods over their heads, disguising their identity. If only I could see their faces. I was running out of time, the gate was just ahead.
The footsteps were gaining on me, closing in on me.
You had me convinced that together we could fly until I started scratching at the surface and I saw beyond your masquerade. Your body is an illness.
Curiosity rained down on me with an unspeakable fury. I had to know. I had to know who was causing this mayhem, destroying the golden city inch by precious inch. I ran straight towards one of the rioters, came to an immediate stop, and fell to the ground. The Temptress, only a few steps behind, fell over me, crashing directly into the unsuspecting masked man. I climbed on top of him, no longer caring about the Temptress who lay eerily still off in the distance. I slammed his arms into the ground as he struggled to get to his feet. I pressed my forehead to his and screamed, “Stay still, you filthy bastard! You are destroying it! Why?! Answer me, you maggot! Why would you ruin something so beautiful?! I’ve come all this way and it is because of you that I will not find salvation! Tell me why! Why would you do this me?!
How could you do this to me?!”
I tore off the hood and found my answer. I stared for what felt like hours. I tried blinking, I tried shaking my head. The earth fell still.
It can’t be. This is not possible. My blood runs cold, I fear I now know the truth. I tear back the cowl and stare into my own eyes.
The poor, tortured soul beneath the hood is me.
The Temptress was on me before I could even react, a blow to the head. I drifted off into the blackness, unconscious.
All shall be made clear.
