Floating in the darkness, I could feel motes of light around me
These were memories,my memories And one shone particularly brighter than the rest, so I reached out to it.
And I found myself sitting in a chair. In front of me was a long table and sitting across me was a figure I don't know how to describe accurately
It was a figure made of liquid darkness, a humanoid silhouette with inky black tentacles and countless eyes.
The positions of its eyes didn't seem fixed. Every time one closed, another one or two would open somewhere else on its face. It had no facial features per say.
Its face, if it could be called that. looked like a black wooden mask, the only detail that hinted otherwise was the eyes
They were inside what seemed like a massive hall, with a giant dome supported by thirteen pillars.
Mysterious symbols were carved into the tall pillars
The dome bore murals depicting some ancient tale and purple mist permeated the hall, making it harder to see far.
A deep, weary voice rang out. It was layered, something a human voice box should be incapable of producing, but then again... With all those tentacles and everything else, the figure couldn't exactly be called human, could it?
"How many times have we done this?", The figure asked and without waiting for an answer it continued
"Don't answer—I know exactly how many times we've done this. Thirty-one times. I mean, how narcissistic do you have to be to stare into a mirror at least thirty-one times, hard enough to trigger an identity crisis?"
"That sounded very wrong didn't it?"
"So what's the first question?"
A normal person would have been freaked out by the strangeness of the situation.
The only reason I was calm was because of the instinctive knowledge that nothing could harm me here,This was my memory fragment.
"A normal person would have been freaking out by now",the figure said in mock disappointment
Ignoring his comment, I asked, "What are you?"
"Such basic questions, really? Let me guess; you'll ask where we are next.
I didn't know amnesia brought stupidity but seeing you ask the same questions every time is getting a little boring."
"But to answer your questio, well I am you. A fragment of you, tinged with your imagination, conjured by yours truly to help yours truly, if that is too complex for you to understand.
Then, in simpler terms:
You are delulu, and I am here to solulu that."
"And we are inside what humans call a mindscape. At least, a primitive imitation of it. A real mindscape requires the person to have a firm sense of identity, something we just seem to lack"
"Now, next question please." figure said with one of his tentacles pointed at me
"how?"
"How to fix ourselves? Trust me, we can't. We have tried and failed. We can only live with some memories while suppressing the rest and even that is a temporary measure."
I pondered over the figure's words for a moment then asked the second question
"when?"
"From when did we become like this?Fragmented?
Three months ago. At the age of fifteen, humans of this world go through an awakening. We had already gained a compatible human vessel by then.
The awakening, for humans, brings forth their gift. It did the same for us once we became human but it also brought forth the cracks in our identity, highlighting the self-inflicted wounds of our soul"
The figured added in a resigned, somber voice
"And for three months, we have been trying to fix ourselves."
"If there is no solution, then what next?", I asked getting more anxious
"Would I have to live without memories?"
"you cannot live without your memories, they always come back, all you can do is have firm self of self that you don't be overwhelm, something we have been failing to do"
"then...?"
"Don't be impatient, we are thinking, We tried selective memory retention. It failed. Reordering memories failed as well
This time,
we have decided to make another attempt."
Figured then started murmering to itself, I couldn't catch all of what it said but i heard phases like
"human mind cannot comprehend eternity
and how we see ourselves differs from how others see us "
Snap!
a snapping sound echoes throughtout the hall
The figure just snapped his tentacles- wait it could do that?
"We have never tried this before. This time, we shall suppress everything about ourselves and leave us with only three memories"
Figure said more to itself then to me
Snap
Three cards appeared in front of me
Each had a text written on them
They read: man, beast and a child respectively
"So would you see them chronologically? Or randomly"
I chose chronologically because it would be too confusing otherwise
"Let's start with the man then"
Figure's tentacle stabbed me before I could react and darkness took me