Erasing the Boundaries (solo)

[Jaleco]

This is a solo, please do not interfere or post anything in this thread. Feel free to read, though.

A distant owl screeched in the night, its voice echoing through the dark, starlit sky. The trees rustled together from the cool air, almost as if in response to the owl’s call. Jaleco perceived the dirt road to be desolate and forsaken, “A fitting place.”

Jaleco walked slowly to the side of the road, kicking up dust as he neared the whispering trees. His memories that had grown distant with each step were pains he was glad to let go of, though as always they returned, causing him to collapse to his knees in a whirl of flagrant memories.

“There are no words to describe the atrocities you have committed against your own, beast!” a nearby figure spat harshly at him. The guards continued to drag him through the mass of people, the people he was once adored by. All sorts of things flew free from their hands in his direction, but he could feel nothing. All that was apparent was that the white clouds below turned darker with each step he took, each time he continued to close the gap between him and the entity looming ahead of him.

Suddenly Jaleco awoke, and was back into the void in which he lived. He lay there, staring at the heavens, envying those that remained. Nevertheless, he knew he must get up and head back into the trees before wandering eyes captured his image. Always judgmental, they despised him. He was a disgrace, half demon, half angel. There was no escape from their speculative minds, not even death could save him from this nightmare.

Jaleco leaned against a tall tree, his wings enclosing him in their warmth. He reached into his bag and retrieved a book, the book that had for so long befuddled him. Its intricate runes remained a mystery to both himself, and every scribe he had inquired. His memories of it lay dormant somewhere inside of him; he knew this to be true. “In death you lie, and in life you hide,” he muttered to himself.

The sun’s once welcomed light began to peer over his shoulder, causing the runes across the book's surface to sparkle brightly. He slid the book back into place in his bag and rose, once again, to delve further into the forests. There he may find a small haven of sanctuary and rest for his ongoing peril.

[Jaleco]

It was noon when Jaleco’s eyes opened, glimpsing the sparkling light through the leaves of a small ash tree. His mind was soon to follow. Are my dreams, the only connection between myself and my home, gone so soon? The voice in his mind raced through his memories of the night before stopping only to catch back up to itself. The flashback… it happened again. He leaped down to the soft grass below him, landing with a dull thud.

Singing, instruments, laughter, told him of the road that lay just a ways ahead of him. Jaleco weaved his way through the trees toward the caravan of humans. They sang songs of the joys of this world. What joy lies in this society of filth? His own thoughts echoed and reverberated throughout the depths of his mind, creating an illusory feeling of self pity. “I was robbed of my joys! What makes these peasants any different?”

The thoughts grew louder and more defined, shaping themselves into one thing, then another. Jaleco screamed as the world around him sunk into blackness. The birds, the grass, the trees, the rocks, everything fell into chaos. Reality, the reality that he had created for himself faltered, tearing the fabrics of his life into the shreds of a void redeemable only by the insanity of the enlightened. “The tricks that are your world seem more fragile than one would think,” A voice calmly reached toward him from somewhere in the abyss.

“Who are you?” Jaleco barked at the darkness.

“Who are you?” The reply came without emotion. “Who are you?” It came again, “Who are you?”

“Don’t taunt me!” Jaleco groaned.

“Who are you? What are you? Why are you? When are you? How are you? Where are you?” The voice continued on, as if speaking to itself.

“What the hell is happening to me?” Jaleco howled in misery.

“Don’t be scared…” came a new, soothing voice.

“I’m not scared…” he replied.

“Don’t be scared!” it said again.

“I’m not scared!” His voice echoed through an endless tunnel.

“Why are you afraid?” It came again.

“I’m not afraid! Am I?”

The wind blew Jaleco’s hair across his chest as he lay on the ground, faces surrounding him above. The world suddenly came back to him in a blur. The voices came next. “Are you okay?” one of the faces asked.

To the side a mother held her child, “Shush, dear. Don’t be scared.”

“Who are you, son? Who are you?” another face inquired. Then the face disappeared as Jaleco unwillingly laid his head back and lost consciousness.

[Jaleco]

The clanking of metal pots and saucers tortured Jaleco out of his daze. He was lying on a brown cot inside of a small wagon. It was dark out, a nearby fire providing just enough light to see. There were splintered boxes and wool sacks with all sorts of supplies stuffed in them. It was a tight fit for his wings, but Jaleco managed to sit up. As he did so the voices around the fire became clearer.

“I wonder if he’s an angel, or some kind of demon,” an old croon’s voice stated.

“Either that or some sort of male harpy,” a man's voice offered.

“Maybe he’s seen Annabelle somewhere in those woods. She’s been missing for three days, you know?” added the woman

“I think we’ll have to wait to ask him until he’s had a bit of rest,” the man replied.

Then a third interjected, “Well I think it was foolish to bring him with us! What if his home was nearby the place we found him?”

“Oh come now, Falius, stop worrying, I’m sure he was a traveler, just like us. After all, I reckon it’d be pretty hard to stay in any one place for too long looking like that,” the previous voice retaliated.

Jaleco stared down at his hands. They rested on his knees, beautiful and smooth. He was not of this world; these people had no understanding of him. I’m not afraid… His mind whispered within itself. They are the ones who should be afraid! His anger grew and he swore under his breath.

“Quiet, did you hear that?” the woman muttered.

“What is it?” the man named Falius responded with worry.

“I believe our guest is awake!” She slid toward the wagon’s back opening and glanced inside. Lying on the floorboards was nothing but a few boxes, sacks, and an empty cot.

[Jaleco]

“Hello?” a frightened voice called from somewhere in the thick woods. Silence pervaded the still air for a short time, then another cry. The voice was that of a little girl, lost in the trees. Jaleco looked down upon the girl from his perch on a nearby oak. She wore a blue dress with white frills and a red ribbon adorning her blonde ponytail.

“You look a little lost, dear child,” Jaleco beckoned her nearer.

“Wh-who are you?” The girl managed to squeak out of her quivering lips.

“Me? I am all that is wrong in this world, all that is fear, rot, and decay. I am the stench of death come to your eyes. My dear, I am your only escape,” Jaleco cackled, a hint of insanity sparkled in his eyes.

The air stood still once more as both sat waiting for the other to speak. “Escape from what?” The girl asked, tears beginning to show themselves as she realized what was to be her fate.

“Escape from yourself!” Jaleco grinned as he swooped down upon his screaming prey. He took her in his arms, sword to her throat. Then the air stood still, yet again…

[Jaleco]

The cold whispers of the wind haunted him as Jaleco looked upon what he had become. He cried silently. Nothing, it seemed, could reverse his now fragile mind to what it was before. Nothing could restore him to glory after falling so far into the darkness as to let it consume you and take you over.

Bones were piled about in front of him, all picked clean. They were that of a small humanoid creature. The bones were in an oddly organized fashion, with perfect lines of blood running between and around them. The blood formed a pentagonal shape, with five more shapes that encased the bones inside of the larger. The pile of bones in the center were charred and blackened. Trees that surrounded the area were broken, scratched, and burnt, leaving an obvious path of destruction.

"What have I done?" the words shook their way out of Jaleco's lips as he raised his quivering hands to his mouth. He stepped back a few feet as he began to remember the events of the previous night. He remembered the screams of a little girl, the taste of a little girl. He remembered the flames emerging from the center of the shape, and from those flames a monstrous, black demon. The demon cackled wretchedly as it walked towards Jaleco, its massive arms swinging at its side. Jaleco chanted words from his white and gold book, words unknown to him. The black beast reached quickly to grab Jaleco, narrowly missing and scraping its claws against a tree.

"Your quarrel should not be with me, demon. I am the one who's summoned you," Jaleco said in a calm manner as he continued to back away from the monstrosity.

"My quarrel is with whoever I feel like killing at the moment, and seeing as you're the only one here, you will be the one to die." The demon laughed after bellowing out these words. Then with its muscular arms outstretched the demon bathed the area in flames. Jaleco could remember no more. The fight had nearly claimed his life, that much he knew from the sense of weariness that held him.

"I swear to the souls of all whose lives I have taken, to everyone that hath fought for the lord and the light of righteousness, that I shall not let this infernal beast cause any more mayhem. It will perish at the hands of its own birth. I will not let the darkness overtake me in this, or any other action. I will fight to recover what has been lost of my soul, and return once more to the heavenly clouds above!" As Jaleco spoke, he leaned down to retrieve the book used to summon the demon, surprised by its still perfect surface. The book was that of holy origins, not one of dark intent. Jaleco knew that the demon's spirit must have taken over his body and warped the book's words in order to free itself.

After he had gathered all of his things, Jaleco set off. He followed the path of devastation that was left upon the ground and trees. There was nothing that would stop him from achieving his goal, nothing that would prevent him from slaying the demon. In this, he was erasing the boundaries.