( PH 2 )
Neon Harbour never sleeps.
Night here is not darkness it is another form of light.Green, blue, and red neon signs shatter inside raindrops, making the streets glow like a broken dream.
But
on the other side of this city,in a place where light never reaches,only pain breathes.His hands were bound.
His stomach, chest, face nothing remained recognizable anymore.
He didn't cry.
Because he no longer had the strength left to cry.At the center of a dark room,
on a raised chair,he sat.In front of him
A presence stepping out of the shadows.The face could not be seen clearly.
But the voice…
it was soft.Too soft.
"Do you feel pain?"
He didn't answer.
The next moment a soundless impact.
His body was thrown backward.Bones screamed.
"When I ask a question, you answer."
He coughed.
Blood spilled onto the floor.
"I… I feel it…"
The shadow stepped slightly closer.
"That's good."
A smile Not cruel.Pleasant.
"Pain is a test.
To know whether the mind is strong or weak."
He trembled.
"Do you know why you are here?"
"Because you are weak."
He shook his head.
That word echoed through the room
like a sentence Screens projected on the walls lit up.
Faces Men,Women,Children.
"All of them,"
he said,
"are just like you."
One face on the screen screamed in agony.
"Fear.
Depression,Dependence."
His voice slowly hardened.
"This world is not for the weak.
The weak are this planet's disease."
He raised his hand,One person on the screen went still.
"I am the cure." He smiled.
"One group, I remove.Another group, I use."
The shadow turned.Now only his eyes glowed.
"Do you know
which group you belong to?"
His voice shook,
"I… I want to live…"
For a moment the entire room fell silent
Then laughter.Very calm Very terrifying laughter.
"That
is exactly the problem."
He leaned forward.
"You want to live.But you cannot stand."
He pointed a finger.
"I will give you a chance."
Hope flickered in his eyes,
"Accept your pain.Abandon your weakness.Become a part of me."
Silence then,
"No…"
A faint voice.
The shadow froze for a moment.
Then
he stood upright.
"Then you have decided." He clapped his hands.
SYSTEM ALERT
Subject Status: MENTAL FAILURE
Classification: UNUSABLE
Protocol: CLEANSING
His eyes widened.
"No… please "
Before the voice could finish,the entire room was flooded with light.Then
darkness.On the other side of Neon Harbour,one more life was erased.
The shadow stood by the window.Watching the city.
"For them,"
he said to himself,
"this earth must be rebuilt."
In his eyes,
the reflection of a name.
"Elior"
The smile returned.
"You oppose me…
yet you listen to my words."
The neon lights of the city flickered.
"That is enough, for now."