The sun was slowly rising, breaking through a layer of grey clouds, finding its way to Indel City. A few rays reached the large white block towards the east of the city. They fell through the holes of an old window cover made from cloth, tickling the face of a man sleeping on a smelly mattress. The man let out a few groans as his eyes slowly fluttered open.
The man was obviously Emmanuel. He stood up and stumbled towards a sink which was in the same room.
"F*ck it hurts!"
The man drew a sharp breath, careful not to touch the bruises all over his chest. He let the water flow into his hands and washed his long hair and face. His eyes stared at the sink. Despite the grey, dirty surface Emmanuel could still see the tinge of red mixed into the water.
"Did that wound open again?"
Rubbing his forehead Emmanuel found some blood staining his hand.
"So that's why that this damn headache won't disappear."
Emmanuel let out a sigh. He grabbed some clothes from the floor and dressed himself carefully. He didn't care that he hadn't washed his clothes since a few days ago. They were dirtied with so much paint that the drops of red blood were hardly recognizable, especially in the dim light.
Next, he dragged his groggy body over to the fridge. The nauseating smell of mould hit his nose as he opened the door. He grabbed some bread which seemed at least somewhat edible and had a short breakfast.
As he chewed the food which tasted like a mix of wheat and sawdust, Emmanuel couldn't help but show a disgusted expression.
"I deserve better!"
Memories appeared in Emmanuel's head. He saw himself in his first and second lives. During the times when he had been a celebrated artist. The rich and powerful vied for his attention. They prepared the finest food and most exquisite wine for his taste. Visits to the most luxurious retreats were common gifts. They did everything to gain his favour. Possessing an authentic 'Ellfand' or 'Quipp' was a symbol of one's status.
"Soon, soon…"
Emmanuel came back to reality. His eyes found the three conspicuous green packs of coffee resting on the counter next to his fridge. Confidence welled up in his heart. The Café of Dreams was back, and his rise was right around the corner!
As he thought of this, Emmanuel couldn't hold back anymore. He swallowed what was left in his mouth and placed the rest of his breakfast aside. With swift hands he prepared a cup of coffee. Olivier could definitely learn something from his skilled movements.
In no time at all a cup of the brown liquid was finished. Emmanuel's hands shivered as he held the cup and inhaled deeply. The familiar smell of the coffee painted a blissful expression on his face. His soul seemed about to leave his body. His skin became extremely sensitive, making each slight touch hundreds of times more intense. His body formed a special connection with the world around him.
Unfortunately, this special state didn't last long. Emmanuel was soon back in his own body. He couldn't help but shout in pain as the headache assaulted his brain with renewed vigour as if a hammer was hitting his head. It took a few seconds until he could focus on anything else again. The first thing he did was checking on the coffee in his hand. Relief filled his chest when he saw that he didn't spill any of the precious liquid.
"Perhaps I should wait until I'm in a better condition, but… I can't!"
An eerie glint flashed through Emmanuel's eyes. He sat down cross-legged on his old mattress, the cup of coffee in his hand. He opened his mouth, brought the cup to his mouth and… poured it all down in one go.
"Yeah! That's it! I missed you so much!"
Letting out a strange cry Emmanuel fell on his back, his eyes wide open, taking on a green hue. The world faded before him. It was replaced by green fog, constantly moving in mysterious patterns. Emmanuel flew towards the sky, passing through the fog. It engulfed his body, squeezing his muscles, providing an indescribable massage. Each cell of his body, each fibre of his muscles felt exhilaration.
After an unknown amount of time something changed in the green fog. Small dots of light appeared, breaking through the clouds like countless stars. Emmanuel opened his arms wide welcoming the stars into his embrace. He continued to fly upwards. The stars didn't move, yet they seemed to shift until one of them stopped in front of Emmanuel.
The man's vision was filled with endless light. Perhaps it lasted seconds, perhaps years. The light changed, separating into various colours, taking on all kinds of forms, real and abstract. There were unknown faces, incredible beauties, indescribable horrors, and mysterious patterns which seemed to present the truth of the universe.
Emmanuel opened his eyes wide taking it all in. His entire body spasmed as if suffering under a high voltage. His brain heated up. Finally, it became unbearable.
"AHH!"
Emmanuel let out a painful scream before falling unconscious. All the visions disappeared. Nothingness.
A few minutes later groans could be heard in the room. Emmanuel slowly stretched his body. He was still hit with conflicting emotions of pain and bliss, his body drenched in sweat, and even the mattress suffered a similar fate.
"Great, great, great! I'm brimming with inspiration! I have to hurry up! I can feel a masterwork in the making. World, you got your most brilliant artist back!"
Mad laugher echoed through the room. Emmanuel supported his body against the wall, standing up despite the complaints of his joints. After only a few steps Emmanuel was already painting heavily but he had reached his target. He pushed open the door in front of him and entered another room.
Emmanuel's bare feet stepped on the cold tiles which decorated the floor and the walls. The room was anything but spacious. Right in front of Emmanuel was an old easel carrying a small canvas. For convenience Emmanuel had destroyed the sink which used to be there. Next to the canvas was a small cupboard meant for medicine and the like, which now contained Emmanuel's precious colours.
The man showed an anticipating smile. He couldn't wait to get his hands on a brush. It was time to create another masterwork, to announce his return to the world! But as he got ready to begin, Emmanuel's pulled his eyes away from the Canvas and they fell on the walls where he had placed his previous paintings. Instantly his eyes were red with rage.
"You! You! Why did I even create you! No one ever bought you! Useless! Trash!"
Emmanuel's voice sounded hysteric. He jumped forward ripping two paintings from the walls and throwing them to the floor. He trampled on these failures until the canvas was torn apart and the frame fractured.
"Ah!"
Pain shot through Emmanuel's body as the wood stabbed his foot, drawing blood.
"You pieces of…"
"Hmm. Mhmm."
At that moment a muffled sound reached Emmanuel's ears. He stopped what he was doing and looked to his right. There was a man sitting on the floor with dishevelled black hair stained with dried blood. His mouth was forcefully shut with tape. Eyes portraying a look of pure horror stared at Emmanuel. He tried to move but his wrists were chained to the wall and his ankles bound together.
"Oh, did I wake up the sleeping beauty? Or are you trying to get my attention? Haha, don't worry, I won't forget about you. After all, you are my most important ingredient."
"HHHMHH!"
"What? Why are you struggling so much? Or are you excited? Yes, that's it! Of course! Who wouldn't be excited knowing they can be part of a masterwork which will be part of art history?!"
Nothing Emmanuel said seemed able to calm the man down. He continued to struggle until something fell out of the pocket of his jeans. Emmanuel glanced at it but he didn't pick it up and instead smiled at the bound man.
"Is this your wallet? Haha, nice try. You want me to pick it up and look at your ID, don't you? So that I know your name and develop sympathy. Perhaps there is even a nice picture of your family in there. Nonono. I'm not falling for that. This is not my first rodeo, my friend."
Emmanul laughed and lightly patted the man's cheeks, scaring him so much that he thought his heart might stop at any moment. This only amused Emmanuel even more. But he had no time to play around with the man. He had to start painting as long as his inspiration was still at its peak. Thus, Emmanuel stopped dallying. He opened the cupboard and took out all his utensils.
He carefully prepared all his colours on an old wooden board.. Yellow, green, blue…
However, when it came to red, he grabbed a glass which still contained stains of dried red paint. A metallic smell rose from the glass, wafting towards Emmanuel's nose. The artist was used to it. With practiced moves he opened his tube of red paint and emptied it into the glass. Next the picked up a small knife from the cupboard and turned towards the bound man.
"HMHMHMHM!"
Instantly the man began to thrash in panic and horror. To his eyes Emmanuel's dimly lit figure looked like the most terrifying monster in the world.