Sempiternal

A Berserker's Rage

Cosmos’ bloodcurdling scream jarred me back to life. It had been a discombobulating feeling, being lodged in the mindscape, a perceived reality, and the real world. Right now, I was just relieved that I was still in one piece; though the same could not be said for my mind. Cosmos, who had been towering in a nearly imposing manner over my body just seconds ago had collapsed in a writhing heap on the ground. Chastising myself, I scrambled to my feet before rushing over to pacify him and allay whatever fears he might have. Well I did just dive headfirst (note the pun) into his mind without conferring with him beforehand. Yanking him by the arms, I managed to jolt the living daylights out of him; his body jerked once, twice before seizing up completely, withholding the unbridled tension that lay just beneath the surface.

 

“Cosmos, snap out of it,”I urged.

 

Surveying the area to make sure that the coast was clear and that the jocks were still lying unconscious on the ground, I turned back to Cosmos, “You went all… mental on me. It was like I was suffering from reduplicative paramnesia all of a sudden. And yes, I knew it was you so don’t go all jelly on me now when just moments ago you could have taken my life!”

 

This time, Cosmos responded, his tone gravelly, “I just suck at controlling my abilities. I swear I had no intention of hurting you at all. Everything just went overboard and then next thing I knew, I was the Big Ben and you were gawking at me in all my vainglory. Fast forward another moment and you were an arsonist threatening to tear down my innards. My head is throbbing now all because of you.”

 

“Big Ben? Seriously? Well, I had my own reasons for...pulsing. I… met someone in there, someone you should try to alienate yourself from,” I tried to reason.

 

Cosmos just shook his head, trying to dismiss the issue altogether. Just as I thought he’d leave it at that, he cleared his throat and remarked, “The time.”

 

I cocked my head to one side and he continued, “It’s like time froze for a minute there. If I remember correctly, this was the exact moment I ‘went mental’ on you.”

 

“Damn, this is scaring me,” I blurted.

 

Cosmos, as frazzled as I was, decided to cut to the chase, saying, “This calls for another meeting. We’ll have to go for assembly in five. Want to meet up after school today? We’ll need time to hash things out and I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to take awhile.”

 

Acquiescing to his offer and knowing that my life could have just been on the line back there, I nodded my head with more vigour than intended. Cosmos chuckled a little before waving me off. His eyes roved over to where the trio was clumped, all of them having been driven to the brink of sanity by Cosmos’ ingenious antics. I nudged him away from them and together, we  strode out of the Gym in a flurry.We rushed to the auditorium together and luckily for us, just in the nick of time too. The school bell rang, signalling the official start of a new school day. Groaning in protest, I merged with the throng of noisome bodies, becoming one and the same. For some disconcerting reason though, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of someone’s gaze on me. I’d been practically invisible in school, having floated through classes like an immaterial apparition on most days. Today, however, someone, something had set its sights on me. I found Cedonia shortly after but our reunion was short- lived because along came the announcements followed by a quick dismissal. We didn’t share the same first period so I was once again on my own. I liked it that way though; people bustled around me, unleashing a cacophony of voices, quite similar to the incessant trill of a thousand crickets, all helping to muddle my thoughts and keep me… oblivious.