'Neo…Neo?'
A soft voice whispered into his ear as he slowly awakened from his slumber. With drowsiness, he couldn't comprehend what was happening.
He could feel all of the hair on his body raise up as the voice continued to whisper. Each little noise he hears makes him flinch from nervousness.
As soon as he opened his eyes, a small amount of smoke obscured his view of everything. Confusion strikes him as he moves away from the location where he was lying down. He is stuck on a high and inaccessible platform supported by a massive marble pole.
He could see a monster underneath him trying to crawl up to where he was. Shocked, his body instantly grasped the statue behind him for protection. When he glances up at the statue, he sees a familiar face.
"Elio?"
Why was he in a Cathedral dedicated to Elio? Where was his mom? What was this place?
Glancing back down to look at the creature, he realized it was halfway up from the ground. Blood began to leak filling up the ground. Within the blood, he could see squirming hands reaching up to where he was.
The sight of his mother falling down the abyss filled his mind, causing him to stumble backward. He couldn't breathe trying to get rid of the image from his head. His mother was truly gone.
His eyes seem to die as he continued to think about everything. It wasn't real. It can't be. This was a dream, everything that has happened is fake. Within the next few seconds the creature roared, shaking the pedestal he was standing on.
'Neo.'
It was the voice from earlier. An electrifying pain rings from his head down to his hands. Once the pain slowly subsided, he could feel his heartbeat thumping quickly and loudly. He felt the sweat from the back of his neck.
'Won't you take refuge here? I'll protect you.'
The statue behind him appeared to be communicating to him, but it could not move. Neo panics as the creature gets closer and closer.
If he stays here, will he be safe? The longer he watched the creature, the more he noted how it avoided getting too close due to the statue. The pool of blood grows deeper and deeper, and the limbs continue to seek for something.
'Put your faith in me.'
Taking in a deep breath, he stepped backwards to the statue. There was pain coming from his head, body, and veins. He needed to calm down and focus on relieving those pain.
Remaining locked in his place, ensuring that he does not fall from the high perch; Neo kept himself close to the statue, hiding beneath it for protection.
The ground shakes as more blood seeps from the ground. He could hear the limbs cracking and squeezing against one another. He whispered to himself several times, keeping his mind at bay.
"It's okay." He repeated.
The cathedral began to tremble violently. Pieces of stone and bricks fell some falling on the ground he was standing on. But as he gets closer to the statue, nothing falls on him.
He takes a steady breath in, keeping his heart still. Pain penetrates his body again, this time considerably worse than before.
He could feel his entire body cramping and twisting. Some sort of pattern was glowing and heating from within his flesh.
Neo's eyes widened with anxiety as he became frustrated with what to do. What exactly was the situation? The creature screams once more, dizzying him.
The smoke from before grows thicker, enveloping nearly all of his surroundings. Neo holds his head as the anguish spreads through his body once more. To relax himself, he covered his ears and closed his eyes.
If he could get through this everything would be fine. As long as he stays in the pro-.
'Heh.'
Swiftly looking up at the statue, Neo was certain he had heard something. He wasn't sure what he was hearing, but he didn't want to make any assumptions.
He blocked out any thoughts about what he had heard and crept closer to the statue. His breath unsteadies, and his mind erratic.
Another shake, and the stones started falling again. This time, Neo is hit in the head and back, and blood begins to flow from his head.
He could feel the ache coming on again, but this time it was burning. He grits his teeth as he grips the statue behind him.
The agony in his head worsened as he felt blood flowing from his head. Neo attempts to get up while breathing quickly but fails.
The longer he stayed still, the surer he was that he would be okay. Despite that, he could feel himself fainting from the blood he was losing. He continues pinching himself to stay awake and attentive.
As he slowly closed his eyelids, he began to feel drowsy and tired. A period of silence fills the air as Neo's breathing becomes more consistent.
'Heh.'
Neo's ears perked up once again, he was certain of the sound this time. Neo opened his eyes and thought to himself. The higher the pool of blood got, the closer the beast might get.
His breathing was labored as he gazed down at the small pool of blood that had trickled from him. Neo grimaced slightly as he looked at the bloody reflection.
"Elio."
'Hm?'
The statue responded to him. Neo looked up at its sparkling eyes. Despite the fact that it was a statue, Neo could tell there was emotion in its eyes.
His brows twitched as he examined it. The doubt and itch that was plaguing him drove him to do something. He gently rose from his seat and grasped his trembling hands.
"You are not Elio. Who are you?"
The statue's eyes sparkled with delight as Neo asked so. The Cathedral's roof began to shake, hurling numerous stones and bricks at Neo.
Neo rushes to the ground, clutching a brick in his hand. He aimed it at the statue observing its reaction, but it remained eager about what was to come. It had no fear in its eyes, even though Neo was about to break it apart.
The skepticism from earlier. It had claimed to be able to protect him from the creature below, from everything. Despite saying so it failed to protect him from getting hit by the bricks. All along, it had been chuckling and mocking him for a while now.
Neo gaze remains on the statue. What was truly the purpose behind all of this? Why was he here? The longer he thought, the more he came back to his senses.
Really, its goal was to make Neo wait silently for his own death. But this statue isn't a regular one; it had remained intact even though it had been hit by multiple falling rubbles. So, he could only make one last assumption.
In the next second, Neo spins around and slams the bricks into the creature's hand. The blood from his head had dripped into his eyes, blocking half of his vision. The beast had finally clutched the edge of the platform Neo was standing on.
Neo had been distracted by the statue and falling bricks the entire time, and it had been slowly but surely climbing up. Though he wasn't certain, he was driven by both fear and anger.
He proceeds to smash the brick against the creature's hand, gradually tearing off each finger. Instead of the beast shrieking, Neo hears a loud shriek behind him.
His ears caught the sound of the statue rupturing. His foggy eyes seemed to have lightened up from the sound.
Confirming his dreaded thoughts, Neo treads on the creature's boney flesh and drives the bricks into it. The more damage he caused to the beast, the more the statue began to break.
Neo could feel his heart beating as he continued to injure the beast. The cascading stones and bricks had come to a halt, allowing him to go as he pleased without the dangers of being hit by anything.
With one final blow, Neo severs the creature's finger tendons, causing it to collapse into the pool of blood beneath. Neo swiftly turns to face the statue, drained of breath.
It had cracks all over it, almost completely destroyed except for the eyes glaring down at him. Neo managed to finally smile looking over his bloody hand. The cuts on his hands didn't compare to the pain he had experienced earlier.
"Was it fun? Playing with my life?" He asked.
As Neo stood there, the statue began to shake violently, eventually splitting apart. A booming scream echoed throughout the Cathedral, rocking it once more.
The statue had turned into a very different beast from before. It was oozing dark blood from all over its body. Neo could see there was something wrong with this beast.
Not sparing a second it moved to his side and hits his stomach as such a fast speed, Neo almost mistook it for teleportation. Spitting out blood, he clung onto his arm. The beast turns to his back and kicks him, causing him to fall to the ground hard.
It ran towards him, about to stomp onto his face but he was able to roll away, making sure he stayed on the platform. The creature teleported in front of him, its hand up, punching him within the next seconds.
Neo kicks at it, somehow hitting it in the stomach once. The creature disappears from him; Neo's whole body tense up as he looked around desperately. He was unable to keep up with the constant moving of the creature.
From different angles, Neo was getting kicked and punched everywhere. His lips bled and his cheeks were swollen. He held onto his stomach keeping himself aware of the thing.
Although the teleportation of that creature was undetermined, he could make out the faint noise that it leaves behind. Including the ones that will point out where it will move next to.
Neo quickly looked up at the thing that was running towards him. With a stone slab in hand, he grits his teeth and swings the stone, hitting its arm causing some sort of liquid to splatter onto his body. The liquid burns the part of his flesh that was exposed.
Angered by Neo's attack it rushed forward, slamming his hand onto the ground. Neo yells in pain as he could feel his limb beginning to break. Scared, he finally takes the sharp gem that had been portraying the statue's eyes and jammed it to the side of the creature's head.
It screamed outrageously at him, continuing a barrage of attacks. His body ached from being unable to keep up with the creature's speed as it attacked him. Neo resorts to a protective stance, hearing and feeling his flesh being cut as the beast lashed out at him.
Exhausted, Neo begins to stumble. The ringing in his ear continued as the pain meddled with his consciousness.
The creature takes a hold of his neck, choking him continuously as he grasps its arm trying to stop it. It laughs and holds Neo on the edge of the platform. He could see the pool of blood from down there with the limbs still reaching up to him.
"Fuck."
Neo swore to himself as he glanced back at the creature. It smiled at him struggling to get out of the chokehold. This feeling again.
This scenario has once again reminded him of his worthlessness. He was a weak person who could do nothing to help himself. How will he save others if he is this pathetic? He couldn't even save his mother.
He had watched on as his mother silently succumbed to her death. He watched as the people around him lied for their greed and selfishness. He did nothing. He let it be.
The intense anger in his eyes dies, somewhat giving up on trying to live. If he was going to continue living like this, maybe it would be better to just give up.
He was so tired from everything that had happened. It wasn't only his whole body that was beat up but also his whole being, his soul and his determination. He would at least be buried into the grounds where he can reunite with his mother.
Slowly, closing his eyes and accepting his fate, the grip on the monster's hand loosened. His face turns red from not being able to breathe properly.
There was darkness and nothing else.
'How does it feel, Neo?'
Enjoying the suffering of Neo, its eyes gleamed in excitement. It only has to wait for a bit more and fruition will come.
"Like shit. You bitch."
Neo opens his eyes suddenly, concentrating his last energy and wraps his legs around the creature's arm. Surprised by the action, the creature attempts to scuttle backward, briefly losing grasp of Neo's neck. His heavy weight continued to drag the creature towards the edge of the platform.
Neo takes advantage of this by biting down on its arm, tearing apart its muscles. He kicks at the creature's face several times, attempting to beat it down. Despite feeling the burning sensation on his flesh, he didn't care.
Whatever happened, Neo was determined to see this creature died. Then his death will not be a regretful one. Neo's grip on the monster remains firm as they both begin to fall down the platform.
The creature turns in a rush, attempting to take hold of the platform. Neo extends his leg, wrapping it around the creature's neck and tugging it down. It bit onto his leg as a last resort, but Neo remained unphased.
Provoking a rat too much can cause it to bite back. Neo closed his eyes and prepared himself for the painful death he was going to experience. Everything goes dark as he loses his own consciousness.
—
Gasping for air, Neo began to cough multiple times. Dust began to spread as he observed his surroundings. There was light shining through the cold and dark cells that he was surrounded by. Glancing in front of him, he noticed that there was a secret passageway leading to light.
With his last energy, he began to crawl towards it. Inching closer and closer, he finally got up and began to run.