I felt the smooth oiled hardwood floor around my lying body on the floor.
It wasn't like I wanted to feel it...but i couldn't find it in me to move an inch. My body was heavy. Far too heavy to carry. Weighed down by the bitter resentment and scorn I've accumulated across my entire life.
*Tap *Tap *Tap
The water droplet falling on the empty sink echoed across the dimly lit room.
I thought... I was more than this... no. I should've been more than this.
Was I never truly special?
Only the water droplets replied to my noisy thoughts.
And then I...
"Hey ya finally up now?"
I awoke to the darkness, no... It was merely my face planted firmly into the wooden floor, making a soft creaking noise.
As I came to my senses, as if my body had caught up, a sharp pain shot through my entire body as I moaned in pain and discomfort.
"Well, well... that's what you get for resting on solid ground. I tried wakin ya up you know. Yet you stubbornly stayed put for about three hours or so."
"No matter, I'm used to this pain. It's nostalgic even. Reminds me of what life was back then."
The man talking to me let out a sound expressing his disgust at the now soured mood I bought.
"Ugh what a downer. I'd rather not deal with people like you but... we're stuck in this place. *sigh ain't got no choice now do we?"
I let out a self deprecating chuckle as I propped my still heavy body up.
"Wow you sure look like a mess huh?"
"Well that's rude. Who even are you and why the hell were you watching by me for...what was it again? Three hours or so?"
"Ho? Don't you get that feeling inside you that you already know who I am?"
It was an odd reply but weirdly enough he was right...
"Come to think of it... who truly are you?"
The man let out an exaggerated sigh
"Come on Chrys weren't you listening to her earlier?"
Her? I haven't the faintest idea about who that may be-
"*sigh the goddess. You get it now dontcha? I'm your grace given boon! The hanged man." He said with a smirk, interrupting my current thoughts.
I couldn't digest the information going through my head at this moment... it still wasn't sinking in. And from the look of this so called hanged man, he completely understood how I felt.
"Well... it's not so easy to take in getting transported to a death game hah hah. Don't worry I won't rush you. For now though we need to get out of whatever this dump is. Place is giving me the creeps ya know."
I finally adjusted to my surroundings. I looked around me and was quite rattled by the sight before me.
What seems to be a massive neverending library which stretches on endlessly in both directions. A purple to indigo colored mist enveloped the various floating bookshelves and a twisting convoluted wooden pathway stretched on, looping on itself and intersecting in various directions. I could only scan my surroundings in awe.
It was beautiful yet eerie how devoid of life this place was.
"How the hell are we gonna get outta here..."
"Beats me *sigh dontcha have some sort of broken ability given by the her?"
"An ability? Considering all of the circumstances I wouldn't question it but... am I really given such a luxury?"
"Oh, don't worry the six of you are very special people, there's no way you don't have something that can break us outta here" said the hanged man, his gaze piercing a hole through my skin.
"Special huh..." those moments came to mind although rather, intrusively.
But as I was recalling my past I felt a strong aura building up in my palm. As if I was forming a typhoon within my hands, purple mist started to build up and then..
"A stopwatch...? A vintage one at that... what does this even do?"
The hanged man gave me a rather disappointed look before replying.
"The f*** would I know? Man that's it?! Really? Goddamn that is hella lame brother."
Losing my patience with this random stranger, I retorted "shut the hell up already!! Right from when you woke me up you've been acting like such a piece of trash! How about you present an idea of your own? Aren't you supposed to be some "divine" boon?! Well some sh***y blessing you are huh?!!"
The hanged man let out an ominous chuckle and then after a short pause.
"Heh sh***y huh? Well I'll show you. Here we go. Come to me! O quietus sing the song of farewells!!!" As he chanted, a beautiful silver gun appeared in his hand. He pointed it to his left temple.
"Woah woah woah wait a sec!!! Let's not get too hasty now!" I scrambled as I tried to grab the gun to keep him from shooting it but...
A loud bang reverberated to the library's empty, lifeless halls.