Coagulation

Chapter 2: Depth

Coagulation

Depth 

Rushing water forced him deeper into the darkness, making him crash into every invisible object on the way down to non-existence. Many possibilities were stretching out before David, all suggesting this or that about what his current situation was. Each suggestion was tinted with a hint of delusion, poisoned with a dab of reason and shrouded in a murky cowl of deception.

‘I’m either having a heat stroke,’ he thought, ‘or I’m suddenly the kid with brain problems.’ The rushing water came to an abrupt halt at the bottom of the darkness; could have been the top of the darkness, the boy didn’t know which. Up, down, left or right, these common conceptions for direction were easily misplaced in this blind realm.

Giant crimson ovals with sharpened points at both ends opened before him. Tiny black slits stood frozen in the blood-red pools, drawing his very soul closer and closer to the core of the void.

Those slits almost look human, don’t they?

“That voice again…” The boy spoke, his words coming out weak and shriveled. Little was holding him together as his “body” made contact with one of the gigantic, crimson ovals that recently emerged from the crushing darkness. The emptiness down in the void was crushing, and the demons that dwelled in its depths were hungry for human souls.

You’re fortunate that he is gracing you with his protection. Were it not for that, then you would be long since devoured in this netherworld.

Each change in tone for the sake of emphasis stung David with a searing pain in his spine, and a tingling in his nose that ran deep; there was a parasitic quality to the type of energy that was pulsing through his soul now. Something was bonding with him – rather forcefully – as he floated across the watery red space within the oval.

Wake up, little Snake.

Suffocation gleefully awaited him on the other side of the red eyes. He was no longer floating across them, but slowly moving up towards a burning sun. What movement he had before was slowing to a grinding halt now; he could barely move his fingers in the mire, no less comprehend how he was ascending in the crimson waters. ‘Where am I?’

Tension gave way to surprise when he was plucked from the ocean of blood by an invisible force. Chest heaving in and out, eyes as wide as a fish’s, David’s head swiveled on his shoulders like a crude bobble head, taking in every detail of the place he was now in.

An infinite, expansive ocean was set before him. Statues stood among the horizon, some with their arms missing, others with their mouths and eyes gone, and many more that were disfigured in varying ways. From here, they looked as large as his pinky finger would if he put it near his eye. Up close, they might have been gigantic.

Painting the background behind and above the ocean and statues was a drowsy grey sky that greatly conflicted with the burning yellow sun nestled at its core. Strong arcs of blue lightning flashed against the grey sky, followed by grand tremors of thunder that raised waves in the ocean.

“So, here you are.” Came a voice from behind him. The power holding him in midair swiveled him around, arms and legs flopping around helplessly like a ragdoll.

What David noticed first was the gigantic statue anchored to the ocean. It was bound in chains, many chains, which were showing the starting signs of rust and decay. Fortifying these chains were overlapping layers of leather. Why leather was used and not some other material, he did not know.

His hazel eyes dropped to the young man perched on a chair amidst the sea. Unlike the rest of the area – which was thrashing about with blood and howling from the wind – the radius around the statue was calm. He suspected, then, that there was a force field or barrier keeping this small region safe from the harsh conditions outside.

The young man had a hint of a smile on his lips. He had turquoise eyes with a hint of gold around the pupils, complemented by his ivory pale skin and immaculate complexion. His hair was a strange color, stepping between black and blue with some blonde mixed in. It had long, relaxed spikes around the sides and front, almost imitating horns in a way.

His clothing of choice was a short-sleeved vest that covered his stomach and shorts with a fading, yellow color to them.

David’s mind – or soul, since he was sure that he was in a totally different place now – registered this to the best of its capabilities. The first question that came to him was:

“Who are you?” The puzzled teenager asked.

“Me?” The young man said sarcastically, pointing to himself. “Haha~. You can call me…Anaheim. Yeah, that’s a good name.” Anaheim bent his knees and hunched forward on the chair, examining the teen more closely. “And you must be…Snake.”

“Snake?” David remembered hearing that before his eyes opened. He certainly was confused as to why he was being called that, when it was clearly not his name. “No, my name is David. David Ausporre.”

Anaheim chuckled and sat back, his attitude and personality coming to life. “Oh ho, you’re being too mod~est here. That’s only the name that your human relatives gave you.” With a snap of his fingers, the power keeping David in the air was released. The teen screamed in surprise as he descended, thinking that he might drown in the mighty ocean below.

But, to his surprise, he never fell through the crimson waters. In fact, they almost felt exactly like solid concrete or land did.

“Sorry if I seem a bit slow with all of this…” David said, slowly gaining his footing on the surface. “But, where exactly am I?”

“Oh, this place? Why, this is His realm. Or home, call it what you like~.” Anaheim stuck his thumb out and pointed to the gargantuan statue behind him.

Looking more closely, the statue had wings to top off its size. The only details David got from it were the ones present on its face – which was the only part that wasn’t covered in leather and chains – and the weird bit hanging out of its mouth.

“Him?” This definitely failed to make sense to the high schooler. “The statue has a gender?”

“Aha~, you’re silly. This isn’t just a statue, it’s…” Anaheim paused, as though he was weighing something in his mind. Then, a complacent grin spread across his smooth lips and he leaned back in the chair, arms resting on his stomach. “You know, never mind. You’ll figure that out soon.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Asked David, becoming slightly irritated and off-put by Anaheim’s strange behavior.

“You’ll see~. Besides, isn’t it about time that you get back to your world?”

The timing couldn’t have been any better. Anaheim, the statue, the sea of blood, all faded to black. David was wandering through nothingness again.

“I wonder if he’ll be worthy~?”