Fragmented Shadows (On Hold)

Chapter 1 -part 1: Through the Dark.

A poorly lit corridor stretches far before my eyes; actually too far into the darkness which makes it hard to make out much detail of the things that lay before me, but that doesn’t matters now. All I care now is for Ventus and me to be able of escaping the tunnels of the Agartha Underworld. We came here in search of one of the pieces of my persona or mask, either way you call it, it’s the same. This so called mask is the manifestation of my memories that got fragmented when I got sent to this place. According to Ventus, this place is called Tartarus, a legendary place where people with the most unforgivable sins are sent to. Once they awake in this place, they don’t remember anything of their past life; who they were, what they did or if they had any family, nothing but the ability to talk, move or think is left.

Each one of us Nero Animus (black souls, that’s the name that was given to us, the wicked ones; I believe it’s because of our sins) are given a Virgilius or guide, and such Virgilius give us an identity. Ventus is my Virgilius and the identity he gave me was Athena, which apparently is the name of an ancient goddess of wisdom and war, but wisdom and my ability to fight aren’t of much use right now. The only possible thing I could think off was to run and find a way out of this hell.

As we run through the passages, the echoing sound of our foot-steps makes me feel uneasy and I begin to feel that fear is slowly taking a hold of me, but no matter how hard I try to shake it off, I knew something horrible was about to happen.

-“Look Ventus! A door! If we get through we might slow them for a while!”

I said with a little bit of hope of being safe from the things that followed us which made horrible noises that filled the air, when suddenly every went silent and i listen to a loud "thud" sound behind me. As I turn around i see that Ventus is on the floor trying to crawl away of whatever had gotten a hold of his leg.

-"Athena! help me!" Ventus said to me with a face that could define terror very well, but I just stared, afraid of what was going to happen next, afraid that the next one could be me.

<< What should I do?!>> I thought to myself looking for an answer, when suddenly a hoarse sinister voice invaded my mind

<<<Leave him, he is already done for anyways. No matter what you do, if you fight or think of something to set him free, you'll  be next. It's better his life than yours right?>>>

I tried to fight the thought of abandoning Ventus in a place like this and started to run towards him when i suddenly notice something black as shadows and similar in appearance to tar slowly creeping up his body, as if he was being eaten by darkness itself. Soon afterwards, agaisnt my own will to help him, my body started to move on its own, running in the direction of the door.

-"No wait! dont leave me! Athenaaaaa!!!!!"

As I listened to Ventus despair, tears began to run down my face. Once I reached the iron door, I closed it shut, but that didn't stopped Ventus screams from coming through. Probably he was being torn apart by the shadows and all I could do was stand there, lost in fear incapable of doing nothing but to fall to my knees and cry, as each scream was like a blow into conscience.

<< What have I done?!>> I told myself in misery, but yet again the voice came echoing into my head to mock me.

<<< You did the same thing that you did when you were alive. Here let me show you <3 >>>

And as the voice breaked into a laughter, I began to see pieces of my past....