The poll still isn't done yet, but there are people who voted so- here ya go.
Features The Chosen One and ALL's Director.
Co-written with @lanxagethefossil. I write the parts, Lanxage makes the art in return. Think of it as a continuous art trade. It initially started as a teaser/meme but Lanxage made art for it, so yeah.
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Pretender [Part 1]
Choose your fate.
The Chosen One looks down at the desk. The only light bulb barely illuminating the cards on top. Three cards, three options. The Director wants him to play a game.
Don't pick anything and I will let the voices decide. You hear them don't you? Justice calls for ashen blood, and there's only so much protection that this Box can provide.
The light flickers and a chair appears. The Director walks towards it.
We can only hold them for long, so why not give the crowd the show they've long to see?
Accepting his fate, The Chosen One gestures to the middle card, and with that signature smile of his, he accepted the challenge. "Let the games begin."
Happy Valentine's Day fellas! This is a late upload, but here's the latest chapter for Pretender. It stars the Royal Family, Orchid, Royal Blue, and Violet from Animation vs. Minecraft. You may know them as Pink, Navy, and Purple.
This is three chapters but I decided to put them all in one single post. Read it and feed me your tears!
Art by @lanxagethefossil.
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Previously on Pretender…
The Chosen One stares at the card, and in it was a photo of his happier days. "Where did you get this image?"
If you flip the last one, you might find out.
He glances at the green one on the far left, but he doesn't dare to lay hands on it.
. . .
"What am I forgetting?"
"Something that isn't essential for your survival."
. . .
I am keeping that memory.
The Chosen One thinks back on the yellow card - a photo of his happier days.
He smiles to himself. Of course, Dark was in it.
---
Interlude
aka Pretender: Side A
So, what will it be?
Orchid looks up from the table to stare at the Director. "I am going back."
She picks up the card in front of her, the colour of- the memory is already starting to fade.
"I want more time. To see her grow up. My Violet."
Time in exchange for time. I cannot give you more. The extension is merely a facade.
"I have made up my mind. You have explained enough."
What about him?
"I- who?"
The Director gestures to something or someone beside her. She couldn't quite make out who it is, but the colour is definitely-
What will it be?
---
"I want to live in a world without her. Like nothing ever happened."
"What!?" Orchid stood up from her chair and glared at the now stranger in front of her.
"Face it. It was much better before when it was just the two of us." He held her hand, and on his face were the fangs of a wolf. She was but a timid sheep, with nowhere to go, and not even an ability to defend herself.
"We will leave her in a Mac. Besides, she would be a lot safer there, right?" Again, the sweet lies. He wanted her beside him so bad, but that is not-
---
"What I want is more time, with my daughter. Only my daughter."
Spring.
Orchid wakes up on the floor, Violet crying beside her.
The thing with children is that, if they don't understand something, they will not move. They will stay and sit there, for hours. Waiting… Just waiting…
It was nighttime now. She looked at the broken vases beside her.
Did I collapse again?, Orchid asks herself.
"Sweetie. Where you just crying here all this time?"
"Please don't disappear too, mother."
She wrapped her arms around the little girl. She wanted to say, It will be alright. Everything will be fine, but she didn't have it in her to lie. Orchid wasn't a liar, unlike-
---
"Imagine, you and me. We can go anywhere we want."
Who was that?
Summer.
Orchid stares at the window. It was a sunny morning.
Morning. "Wait. Huh? Violet! Where are you?"
She looked all over the flower shoppe. Everything is in a different spot. "Wait- these flowers, I don't remember procuring these."
"Mother, you're awake! Check this out. I got us some fresh eggs from the grocer and-"
"Violet?"
"Uh, yeah. What are you doing? Why haven't you opened the shoppe yet?" Violet walks to the front of the store and flips the Now Open sign.
"How long?"
"Hmm? I was gone for like, 20 mins. The rush hour was intense, and can you believe it? There was this guy selling corn dogs for-"
"How long was I gone?"
"What do you mean?" Violet flashed her a concern look.
"You were just little, a while ago. How are you this big already?"
"Mother, you're scaring me. Do you need to lay down? I- You know what, we're not gonna open today, okay? You can sleep more." She gave out a nervous chuckle as she flipped the sign back again.
Orchid walks up to Violet and hugs her. "You're so big already." She gave out a teary laugh. "So pretty too."
"Mother, please rest. I don't want you to-" She couldn't finish her sentence, as Orchid planted a kiss on her forehead. "I will always pick you first."
---
Fall.
Orchids found herself still standing near the front door, but this time, she was alone. In her arms were not Violet, but a bouquet of neatly arranged hydrangea flowers. A colour so familiar but the memory eluded her.
She gets distracted by the two men bickering outside. They look kind of familiar but she couldn't remember exactly where she saw/met them.
The black one had red eyes that struck fear within her.
They were surprisingly normal, actually. Just asking her for ideas of what flower to pick to decorate their new home.
"When I asked them about what their house was like, so I could give a better recommendation, they started acting nervously and left in a hurry. They ended up not buying anything, but it was a very peculiar encounter."
"I wish I could've seen that."
Orchid looks at her daughter and smiles. "Be honest. How many times have I told you this story?"
"It doesn't matter. It's my favorite story."
"For me, it's my first time. But now that I look at you, I can tell more time has passed."
Violet lays the bowl of pureed soup back down.
"Mother, please."
"I don't think I am hungry anymore. Not that I remember eating anything."
Without a word, Violet stands up and goes to the kitchen. Soft, barely audible sobs echo around.
"Was I a good mother?"
"For the millionth time, y-yes."
"Then I picked the right thing."
---
Winter.
Snow falls gently as Orchid watches them from her bedroom window.
"How much more do I have left, I wonder? I was indeed given what I asked for."
She looked to her side, and there she was. Her beautiful Violet, is all grown up now.
"Not a child anymore. Now, I am confident that you won't just sit there and cry waiting for me to move again. I know that you'll eventually stand up and find a better place."
Orchid placed a hand gently on her head. "You grew up more perfect than I could ever have hoped for."
She finds herself tearing up. She weeps not for the end, but for the things in between. She got the best of things, the choruses of life. What was there amidst the Interlude? She will never know.
She may know. But she will never remember.
"Picking that card was indeed the right thing after all."
And with that, another song has ended.
Encore
aka Pretender: Side B
The thing with watching someone you love slowly break down is that you feel it too.
There are days when they're coherent, normal, and healthy. Jumping around without a care in the world. And there are days when they can barely recognize you, or even themselves.
The constant spacing out, and slowly losing the ability to even properly feed themselves.
What about him?
"I-who?"
This is one of those days.
What will it be?
Royal Blue glances at the person beside him. With a look in her eyes as if he was barely a stranger who probably didn't even exist.
"I want to live in a world without her. Like nothing ever happened."
Another regret. He curls and sobs on the table. "I can't go through all that anymore."
I only gave you what you asked for.
"What I want is more time, with my daughter. Only my daughter."
Looks like her choice is still the same.
"No. Not again. What did I do to deserve this? I can't-"
He tried to grab her hand but couldn't. "I cannot go on another lifetime with someone who's barely even there."
But why did you wished to see her again?
". . ."
Why are you back here?
". . ."
Your words do not match your wishes.
The Director makes a hand waving motion and blue flowers show up on the table.
Forget-me-not.
He breaks down again.
"Why can't she be perfect? I want her normal. I don't want another loop of this."
You're stuck in a false memory. The real you wasn't even there. You wanted a chance to be with her this time.
"I deeply regretted leaving them. I wanted to redo it all over again."
And that's what you have been doing so far.
Redo. Redo. Redo. "Why is nothing going as I properly expected? Am I the problem?"
---
Spring.
"Please don't disappear too, mother."
Royal Blue found himself home again. He watches them from behind, just crying there.
"Why wasn't I there? If I was, I would've immediately noticed the signs. We could've started looking for a cure as early as this!"
He laments his old dreams. The ones he picked instead of his family right here.
He wasn't there in the in-betweens. He doesn't know how the interlude goes.
"Because I wasn't there."
---
Summer.
He found himself staring at his wife. Streaks of light enter the window, making her glow slightly as she sleeps. He couldn't help but fall in love all over again.
"My beautiful Cherry Blossom." He gently fixes up the soft blanket draping over her. "Imagine, you and me. We can go anywhere we want."
She shifts slightly but doesn't wake up.
"I should've taken you to more dances. I should've hugged you more each night. I even wanted to show you the Sakura trees."
My past dreams. They all included you.
"I will always pick you first."
". . ."
"Sometimes I wonder if you could still hear me because you respond at times."
The Director called these false memories. I am just watching a playback of a song. But the song skips a lot and I already know how it ends.
---
Fall.
Royal Blue immediately recognized the two men from the Newgrounds. He tries to get their attention by shouting in their ears.
"Get the hell away from my wife!"
Eventually, like before, they will leave. They always act perturbed, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of hope, that his bare minimum of an existence is somewhat helping.
Fall again.
"Was I a good mother?"
"And a good wife." He croaks out before joining in on the sobs.
She's degrading more and more each time. It's hard to watch, but yet-
---
Winter.
"I am still here." He hums a song along with the falling snow. Orchid started singing the same song as well. It's something they wrote together.
It was a silly jingle that was supposed to be the theme for their flower shoppe. The ad would play and it would just be his Cherry singing to herself while holding a small bouquet of blue forget-me-nots. It doesn't matter what kind of flower, she can make anything prettier.
The ad would end with the camera panning upwards to show the name of the shoppe, as she waves.
"How much more do I have left, I wonder?"
"I have all the time in the world. I will keep replaying all of this over and over and over again."
"Picking that card was indeed the right thing after all."
"Indeed it was-"
For a second there, he knew, that she was looking at him. She recognized him for the first time. In a long time.
With more tears in his eyes, he reaches out, "Let's continue writing that song."
She gives him a nod and takes his hand this time.
THE END
That final scene was inspired by this song.
I write and write, until it made me cry. But it didn't matter, because I was free. (Referencing my other Chosen art/poem)
Interlude & Encore: After Story
I will be answering some questions I got from Lanxage and other people here.
😭 It was beautiful. Pink/Orchid what has my head canon done to you and your family? I will use your names for them while in this discussion. I like that you left the timeframe of when this takes place open to interpretation, seeing as there is a gap from 2011 when we first see the family fleeing their video in the newgrounds massacre to 2018 when Blue and Green first meet Violet on the Mac.
I can see this story as how things could have actually went for Violet, in the backstory told to Green.
Thank you for the tears. They have been relished to the finest.
Your Dementia headcanon was a real journey to write. It's my first time writing something like this.
Yes. I decided to use my names for them so it's Orchid, Royal Blue, and Violet.
Also while reading this I kept getting flashes of your animation in my head from the MAP "Everybody wants to rule the world." I can't say for sure how many times I've watch/listened to that video.
That MAP animation. Hmm… That one has a different backstory entirely. That Orchid died from overworking. But yeah, since it ended with Violet crying and finally standing up in front of the grave, I can see that it works as an after-story as well.
Speaking of videos the the song you included at the end was so sweet. I could totally see this as Royal Blue and Orchid's song.
The song, flos. I wanted to show you one with English subtitles, but this is the exact version that inspired me for the ending.
Did Royal Blue want to abandon Violet on the Mac? And if so why did he feel life without her would be better?
I will start by explaining Royal Blue's personality. He is a perfectionist. Not to himself, but to others. He has a vision of how everything should go or work, and if they don't meet his expectations, they will be deemed undesirable or will be prioritized less. The latter is more likely.
He wanted Orchid to be his delicate Cherry forever. To not oppose him in any way. Not that he was a bad or abusive husband. He trusts her to keep saying yes to everything he says.
After Newgrounds, he started training Violet, but since she couldn't meet his expectations, he decided to look for other ways to protect her. He actually has good intentions. He genuinely thought that Violet would be safer away from them. Especially since they never caught the terrorists.
The Royal Family had already lost their video file, so any danger is real danger. Royal Blue had to prepare for the worst.
But of course, Orchid, as the mother, would not let this happen. This conversation created a rift in their relationship. She opposed him for the first time and started doubting his "great ideas" after that.
In Royal Blue's POV, the one who was supposed to always back him up, and believe in him, didn't. He was hurt, yes. After that conversation, Orchid started questioning all his decisions. He never understood why.
But they still love each other, and there are good, healthy, "normal" days, as he would put it.
Royal Blue eventually left. Him not being there was him prioritizing a different dream, but it doesn't mean he actually "left" them.
He wasn't there because he just wasn't. It could be interpreted as him working in a faraway place with zero communication (possibly to avoid arguing with his wife). He could also just be investigating the Disappearance phenomenon or was in other Macs.
He has a vision. An ad for a flower shoppe, and he needs a secure future to do it. Whether it be money, or preparing for more potential terror attacks.
I can get why Orchid was with the Director, but why was Royal Blue there as well? I can think of thoughts as to how he got there but I can't elaborate on here.
I think you already know why. He did the same thing Chosen did.
Sometime after Orchid's death, he came back, and now all his vision was gone.
His Cherry was no longer there and he had no idea where Violet was. He kept assuming the worst of things, and eventually convinced himself that Violet was already dead, or doomed either way.
Violet went to the Mac because she knew that Royal Blue wanted her there. She couldn't run a shoppe by herself either, so she left. Her mother wanted her to leave as well. She waited for Royal Blue, but he never came. (He was already gone too.)
This eventually convinced her that she was not desirable enough to be prioritized more. Hence, the obsession with power that we saw in AvM and AvLoL.
Royal Blue wanted to see them again. He wanted to be there this time. To Redo things and be better.
And he met the Director.
The first time, excitement and joy, immediately turned to horror as none of them could see him. He watched the story of what happened to Orchid and each time he felt- I don't know what word to use. If you have a family member who is so sick, but you had to be there to watch, it's that feeling. A combination of helplessness, frustration, guilt, denial and blame (to them and to you), anger, depression, etc.
He watched her fade away for the first time but wanted to see her again so badly, so, he looped back.
The next loops was him experimenting to find a way to change the story somehow. Until he couldn't anymore. None of his ideas are working.
And this is where Encore happens. He thought he had grown to hate Orchid and was ready to stop the loop, but in the end, he decided he would still be there, over and over and over again.
He finally accepted what he couldn't change, and even fell in love again, despite her being really sick. That was the key.
The Director stopped the loop and finally let the past Orchid and future Royal Blue be together.
In Orchid's POV, she never saw him because he wasn't there when she talked to the Director for the first time. And when she finally faded away, there was her husband, singing by the window. Still him, but somehow different.
She doesn't know about the loops. All she knows is that he's back and loves her even more. No more visions of grandeur, just the two of them writing a song.
Also is the ending implying that Violet is truly alone in the world, an orphan in the truest sense of the word, until she finds King?
Yes. The obsession with power was just a facade for being clingy. She wanted attention and any kind of attention was good enough.
She was hardworking and proved to be a great leader. Started her own Kingdom with the initial goal of being more desirable.
Meeting The Salads made her realize that there are sticks who are better than her, somehow.
Orange came for Green and Blue, but Royal Blue never did for her.
So, she went to find them. In AvLoL, she wanted to know why they're being adored so much. Probably wanted to be friends too, but didn't know how. Making an entrance as the villains was the way to go. XD (I approve.)
In AvM S3, she thought she was helping someone out, and when she knocked on his door and realized it was an old man just like her father was, she immediately proved herself to be desirable.
We both know that King Arthur was using her.
She helped capture The Salads. You could imagine Green beating her down while yelling, "I thought we were friends!?"
It was a very confusing moment for her, but grownups know everything. They are the ones who know best. So, she continued the mission.
On that ledge, when Arthur took the Minecraft Icon, he whispered, "Run away and save yourself. All of this will be gone soon."
She was devastated. She finally found someone, and now he wants to disappear too. "Should I not have helped him? Should I have?" She just wanted to meet expectations and yet she always fails somehow.
Green told her that there were no expectations and he liked her the way she was. "I'm sure my friends think so too."
She joined the fight with Arthur, not because he was a villain, but because she wanted him to live. I don't think Violet intended to fade away in the Vortex, but she probably disappeared with relief in her eyes, as she watched Arthur run after her.
"I wanted you to live," was her final thought.
---
Lanxage is in charge of making Chosen cry. While I am in charge of making everyone else cry. MWAHAHAHAHAH
Wow, that took me way longer than I thought.
I ended up writing more to answer your questions. XD
And making me cry all over again in the process.
I think I might have a problem. I like fading AB characters too much. 😔 I feel bad for Alan. Good thing he never visits here. (I also post the stories in the Members' Server.)
I have made Rocket Corp, Royal Family, and Checkers (Chosen and Dark) content. I think I need to show King some "love" too, next. >:)
But for now, I want to draw Orchid with a bouquet of forget-me-nots.
It’s also incredible how you managed to give royal blue goals and a story that makes him human and understandable in a likeable way rather than just « nah, abusive navy, we hate you doh »
I love giving villains reason to be actual villains.
No one is just a villain, they must have a reason, a story, to be one.
And that's how you got human Royal Blue in Encore. 😌
You and Lanxage are creating such beautiful, heartbreaking, bittersweet stories here! The details you add… big themes like the significance of our choices and the ravages of dementia, interspersed with a cameo from TCO and TDL choosing floral decorations for their latest lair… even Corn Dog Guy gets a mention! But my favourite detail was definitely the significance of cherry blossoms: no wonder Violet placed some by Orchid's grave in the actual short Cherry Blossoms.
I love the motivations you place on the characters too, especially Royal Blue. Now that we know about the Decimation, and that the family were all there in Newgrounds during the massacre, it is an ideal time to reassess everyone's motivations; not just victim, GUI and Grey. I have wondered about Neon Yellow… you know, King's wife and Gold's mother (briefly discussed by Alan and DJ at the end of AvG Reacts: AvM S3 IRT). She's never seen in flashbacks in The King: but maybe she was killed in Newgrounds too when Gold was young, leaving his son the one precious thing in King's life?
I certainly always think of Royal Blue as broken: he lived well at first; but then inevitably realised that he'd thrown away everything of true value in his life, entering a limbo of despair.
And I've STILL got to remember to join Tumblr to read more about the Director and ALL!
Sometimes I think they can read my mind.
I also wanted to say that I appreciate the nostalgia your mentioning of Side A and Side B brought me in thinking about my younger days with cassette tapes.
:3 That was intentional.
They're both sides of the same record/tape.
I wanted to say, playing at the same time, but one side stopped earlier than the other.
Characters from a song.
THE END
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I got a story request regarding Neon Yellow, King's wife.
Hope you include her in your story. Died-in-the-flashback characters deserve some fan attention: at the moment, only Mitsi gets any!
There's not much substance for Neon Yellow.
Me about to create another OC just to fill the wife role I want to make fan art of, then getting way too attached, that I regret shipping them to canon in the first place. 😭
But yeah, expect a story with Neon Yellow next time.
Dark slowly approaches Chosen from behind, taps his shoulder and held up something to him. Chosen looks at the groaning thing that Dark is holding, and with a disgust on his face, he asks-
Uhh- Dark. What is that?
Dark flashes him a smile so wide, both his fangs are showing.
A new friend.
This is not the first time Dark has recreated a random video game abomination to life. He looks at the thing drooling saliva on the floor. Chosen has seen the memes so he has a vague understanding of what a headcrab is. With an exasperated sigh, he says,
No.
Why not?
Look at it. It looks like it's in constant pain.
No it isn't. It's just its idle animation.
Still no. I don't trust it.
Oh come on, I made sure to make it docile enough. See?
Dark proceeds to put the crab on his face. It didn't control him yes, but Chosen could clearly see the thing biting down and slobbering all over Dark's face.
This video is currently unlisted so people on Tumblr and Discord can view it in advance. I plan to have it live by Saturday, so if you try to watch it, and it doesn't work, just wait for Saturday. WIP Post
Read the pinned comment there for an explanation for the video.
I will let Lanxage continue the story from this point forwards. Aside from the hands, she's free to interpret the story however she wants.
But, I will still send the Secret Ending I wrote yesterday.
I decided to call this the secret ending because it explains how Chosen got there, and what the game is truly about.
It's a bittersweet one, with implied ChoDark too.
Do you think angels weep for lost futures?
Staring into the eyes of old friend, The Chosen One felt shackled once again. All ethereal wings plucked as he plummets down into the dark sea.
Dark.
Sin.
The sin of giving up.
I wonder who's screaming for me this time?
"I don't mind you immediately tearing up upon seeing me, but you could also not shout." The Dark Lord gave a slight chuckle.
It was always just me.
"Cho- why are you crying?"
Once there was a King who was feared by all. He rules a lonesome kingdom in the sky, and all who touches him end up burning to cinders. He does not do it intentionally, nor does he try to avoid doing so.
He was as beautiful as a rose, protected by its sharp thorns. You shouldn't come near him, lest you want to get trapped amongst his deep thickets.
"We should've just kept flying." His voice now hoarse from crying, has only managed to utter regret. "We already rule the skies. Nothing could've reached us."
"We were never kings to begin with." Dark paused for a bit, before leaning forward. "Atleast I wasn't."
The Dark Lord reaches for the viraband and plays with it. Just sliding his finger round and around. Chosen followed it with his eyes, and found himself slowly calming down.
Wiping his tears, was a muffled, "My throat hurts."
"Hard to breathe, I bet. You really should wake up soon."
"What am I forgetting?"
"Something that isn't essential for your survival."
He instinctively reaches for Dark's hand.
"I am not coming."
The King cannot dwell on worn-down paths, so no one can and should ever tame him. He is the personification of chaos that shines brighter that any treasure combined.
His eyes may always look forward, but he's always behind Destruction itself.
What does he see when he looks in the mirror?
"You already know what I'm going to say, so don't make me say it."
Let's run. The both of us.
The Dark Lord smiles. He always had that creepy-looking smile. Just slightly too wide for comfort, but it was Chosen's comfort.
"I want it back."
He sees a face of someone who got left behind.
The King of Thorns is indeed captivating, eyes always follow whenever he passes by, but he does not know how to properly hug, to cherish, and to love.
He squeezes Dark's hand, gently.
"I loved the sky, not because of freedom and the new life, but because I was flying with someone. I was flying with you."
Don't take that away from me.
It was the first thing they did together after running away. Just flying and laughing, round and around.
I am keeping that memory.
The Chosen One thinks back on the yellow card - a photo of his happier days.
He smiles to himself. Of course, Dark was in it.
But one thing that cherish and can live among the thorns, is the Unsung Spider. It was the spider that wanted to build a home. It told him stories of the future. Stories that the King wanted to be a part of.
He did not dare lay hands on the spider, for he doesn't want to burn it too. But he wanted the stories to last forever, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Where are we now, Dark?"
"Why do you want to stay here with me so badly? It's much better if you just choose to forget."
Because my sky is only blue with my aluminum.
"That version of Chosen is not a happy one."
"Look at you. That thing on your head. You're Corrupted now too, aren't you? Just go back."
"The Director scares me. To think that someone knows me better than myself."
The Dark Lord, dismayed by him obviously being stubborn, another thing he missed about him. Chosen closed his eyes in amusement, and to feel a sweet peck in the-
"I missed you too, idiot."
Was the King of Thorns sinful? I personally don't think so. He looked forward to enjoying the new life with his blue sky, and now he has finally chose himself.
So, the next time you go watch the neverending horizon of the sea, think of the king that chose to follow it to the end.
"Now what?"
"We fly."
---
The Director walks amongst the shelves of ALL. With a book in hand, a new story was added to the Collection.
THE END
Imma do one more art for this ending because I really liked it.
One more note, here's what ALL is about.
Also, explanation for the ending.
One day, The Chosen One woke up and decided to just fly towards the neverending horizon of the sea. He wanted to find the same beautiful sky he once saw with Dark. As was expected, he eventually got tired and plummeted. This time he just let the dark sea swallow him.
The Director found his lore interesting, so he was offered multiple chances at a new life. One of which was the Red Card. Going back to his World, but forgetting all about The Dark Lord, and the Angel of Death. Giving him a new perspective of everything, since he basically don't remember all of the bad stuff. Kinda reminds me of The Chosen One's Return.
He didn't want that. And so The Dark Lord was eventually sent in (or he volunteered, both is correct) to convince Chosen to go back, wake up, and live.
But in my ending, he ended up choosing the Yellow Card, to giveaway Noogai3's code. The thing that makes him The Chosen One. He chose to become the King of Thorns, and Dark became the Unsung Spider.
Together they fly round and around in a new World, under it's new sky. Corrupted as they may be, they are happy.
I like endings that make me conflicted. Am I happy? Why am I crying then?
The Chosen One inspects the new items on the table. On his left is a hydrangea flower. In front of him was a viraband, and on the right is a torn up canvas.
Just like before, the one on his right was an image of him. The Angel of Death was what they called him in the news.
With warm wings that burn whatever it touches, a halo adorns a righteous head. Nothing can stand against angels, for whatever they decide to do are the right thing. Do you think angels weep for lost futures?
It was surreal to see news about yourself. To see what you look like to other people.
"I never understood what it all meant."
One always cower upon the witness of true power. Struggle as they might, the weak ones are still weak. Survivors of the flames still need to nurture and heal those burnt wounds, but the reflections will always remind them that they're not who they used to be anymore.
He did not say a word in response.
The hydrangea, what colour is it?
Like before, the one on the left is something he didn't want to look at.
"Probably blue… or red."
Look at it. Tell me what kind of blue.
"It has been plucked from the ground. It shall wither soon, so pale blue."
In certain fiction, it was often portrayed that hydrangeas will bloom red if there's a body buried under it.
The Director gently picks up the flower in front of him.
That is incorrect. Depending on the stage of decomposition, the earth would eventually gain lower levels of acidity.
The Chosen One watched as the flower bloomed into a beautiful fairy blue on the Director's hand.
You would gain a shade of blue and purple.
He felt entranced by the constant colours shifts. It reminded him of the sky that kisses the neverending horizon of the sea. He dreamt of soaring under it. A real sky, unlike those never-changing wallpapers that once adorned his prison. A place so high where no shackles can ever bind him down.
Blue is the colour of death. Or so "we" believe.
You know what else makes a hydrangea blue?
The Director gestures to the middle of the table.
The presence of aluminum.
The final item. He looks down at a memento of his friend. And like the previous items before, he didn't touch it either.
He had so many ideas… so many plans… And he used to look forward to them.
"What is the point of these items?"
You tell me. You were the one who picked them.
"I don't understand."
Because you don't look.
". . . It feels like I lost something important, but I am not sure what."
Then atleast tell me what comes into your mind right now. What is the first thing you want to see?
The light flickers one more time, and in front of him was not the Director anymore.
The Chosen One watch the Director sit down on the chair. Leaning forward, the light should've atleast illuminated those eyes more, but he sees nothing. Just the silhouette of a person judging him from across the table.
Have you ever tried to look at the sides?
The middle was what he saw first.
Sometimes he wishes he could fly at the speed of light, but doing so,
It limits your vision.
Exactly. No other choice but to look forward, and for a while, he had something to look forward to. A red one, who can move at the same speed he does.
It was fun staring at his back. It was fun to not be ALONE.
The Director flips the card to reveal the hangedman.
Seeing things on a different perspective is harder than it sounds.
He enjoyed following for a while. It should've been fine, as long as I kept looking forward.
Closing your eyes does not drown the sounds.
The screams were always there.
"For a while, I wasn't the one screaming. I wasn't the one begging for it to stop. I wasn't the one TRAPPED helplessly."
Where are you right now?
"I am not sure anymore. I am tired of making choices."
You're tired of your choices having consequences.
"I wished someone would have chosen me as well."
The Director flips the yellow card on the right.
You didn't pick yourself either.
The Chosen One stares at the card, and in it was a photo of his happier days. "Where did you get this image?"
If you flip the last one, you might find out.
He glances at the green one on the far left, but he doesn't dare to lay hands on it.
You're still not looking... Why?
Instead of answering the question, he glares back. "When are we going to start?"
The light flickers and now the items on the table have changed.
