"Are you alright?" A young lady with blond hair spoke in the darkness.
The scurrying of rodents could be heard throughout the rusted metal linings of the building.
Water dripped from rusted pipes that had been forgotten for decades.
A variety of sounds that one would expect in such a place, yet all seemed too quiet.
In the distance, the groans of a pained man could be heard.
The dripping and sloshing of a viscous liquid accompanied the man's suffering as he slowly approached the young lady. As the moon shone through the cracks of the building, the man's face slowly came into view.
"I thought something horrible happened to you…you haven't been feeling well after all." The young lady exclaimed in relief.
"..."
The man showed no attention to the lady's empathy.
His eyes seemed cold as he stared forward with a seemingly lifeless expression.
The sloshing began to get louder as he moved further into the light.
Then, a crimson red revealed itself.
Blood began to run in streams as it exited the darkness.
"Are you there?" the beast spoke, tilting its head slightly.
The young lady screamed in terror as the man's true body was exposed.
"What happened to you?!'
While his face was still intact, the entirety of his body had been horribly deformed!
His ribs were bare to the air around him, expressing a mouth-like shape. His arms had been stretched to the length of an entire corn stalk. Although one leg had been twisted and torn, the man continued to slowly limp into the dimly lit building, revealing more of his deformities.
"Help me…" it said in a chilling voice.
The woman was seemingly stuck in place. Her legs began to shake rapidly as she tried to run away.
"No! Don't get any closer!"
"Don't leave…"
Limping closer, what was left of the man's humanity began to slowly fall to the ground in chunks of warm flesh.
The blond-haired lady tripped backward, trying to get away from the horror in front of her. However, as she finally managed to stand on her legs, the creature lunged toward the woman with inhuman speed.
"No!"
"Don't leave me…please…"
Blood dripped onto the woman's body, ruining the whites on her clothing. The beast caressed the woman's hips. Hugging her closer to its abnormal body.
A chill drove down her spine.
"Please…no…"
Her pupils contracted as the creature's hollow, fleshless face inched its way closer to hers.
Breathing heavily onto her pale skin, "it" suddenly let out a wide grin.
"You didn't leave me!"
The former human contorted its mouth into an obscure oval.
Its teeth meshed with blood oozing from its pores.
Though petrified, the lady had finally broken down into tears, softly crying as bits of the creature's flesh slid their way down her clothing.
"Please…don't hurt me…"
In an instant, the woman was stuffed into the "chest" of the monster.
Its second mouth began to gnaw at her body.
"No!"
Her final cries for help seemed inaudible to the world. The sound of rats and mice had seemingly gone quiet.
Upon finishing its meal, the monster bathed in the moonlight.
Blood continued to run like streams around it.
Suddenly, it turned to the witness to this horrific scene.
"Are you there..?"
Gasp
Ernst sat in front of his bed with his hand clenching his chest. Feeling his body, he could hear his heart rapidly beating.
Cold sweat ran down his forehead as he rubbed his hands down his face.
Another bad dream…they're becoming more frequent nowadays…
The young man made his way to the washroom sink and splashed water onto his face.
In the mirror, he noticed signs of sleep deprivation. In truth, he could not help but worry about the old Christopher, who continued to live in the marketplace in the plaza. Although he had planned to visit, he still had other reservations to attend to.
Noticeable dark areas had formed under his eyelids due to the improper sleep he had gone through.
Nightmares had been terrorizing Ernst since he was a boy. Oftentimes, they involved monsters attacking people he could not distinguish. Whenever he had dreamt of people, their faces would be blurred out, leaving few details for him to make up what they might look like. On the other hand, the faces of these monsters would always be clear as day to him. Guts spilling out of a deformed human body seemed to be a signature trait among these nightmarish dreams.
Present-day psychologists would suggest that dreams are connected to the unconscious collective mind. The mind would display a person's deepest desires and thoughts in the form of dreams. However, Ernst felt he was completely satisfied with his life. Perhaps he wished for his family to be whole again, but even he could deduce that monstrous beings had nothing to do with his late mother and father.
I'm getting stressed over things that haven't even happened…
After taking a cold shower to calm his nerves, he got dressed in a more formal-looking attire than what he was used to.
Rather than his regular grey khaki pants and blazer, Ernst donned a pair of black dress pants, a leather belt, and a grey vest that his late father had once worn. His favourite tweed cap was also a memento that his father had once worn. Holding great sentiment for the accessory, he felt that it was appropriate to wear it to top off his outfit.
Knocking on the door, his sister Emilia entered the room. Catching sight of her brother, she spoke, "Wow, you look like Dad wearing all of that. Never thought I'd see the day when you become a proper gentleman."
Ernst smiled awkwardly, thinking how it did not suit his regular choice of clothing.
"I'll never get used to this," he said with a stiff expression.
Emilia laughed as she heard her brother's opinion on his appearance.
Although she felt a comforting sense of nostalgia seeing her father's clothing on her beloved brother, she could not help but agree with him. The awkward and rugged brother she had known all her life was disguising himself as a responsible member of society. Emilia watched as Ernst continued to inspect his own appearance through the small mirror lying on his desk. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.
"Oh! I have an idea!"
The young lady quickly left the room, seemingly in search of something.
After a few minutes, she returned with a large piece of clothing in her arms.
"Dad didn't have many opportunities to wear this," Emilia said, looking down at the old, long coat in her arms.
Although its colour had faded, one could tell that it formerly had been a dark shade of black. Despite the passage of time damaging its colouring, the piece still maintained an air of formality. It's now a grey fabric that fits around Ernst perfectly, complementing the rest of his outfit.
"Perfect! You look like a full-fledged scholar, Mr. Philosopher," Emilia said teasingly.
Yeah…I'm really not going to get used to this.
Ernst cleaned up his messy black hair, had his usual Gaudnarian breakfast, and left home in search of work.
The streets of East Bauner were as bustling as usual.
Although locomotives had been popularized in the Eidenshire Empire, their prevalence had only been taking root in Gaudnarian culture as of recent.
The smell of gasoline filled the air. Accompanying the sour stench, a variety of conversations were taking place in each direction.
Despite the usual rustic scenery that one would usually catch in Bauner, the sky was fairly clear.
Walking alongside the road, Ernst thought up potential areas he could look for work. While newspapers would sometimes have advertisements requesting help, they were mainly for obscure tasks or factory workers. The young man had high hopes of finding a job that would launch a lasting career for himself. To him, the best way to look for a job was to merely ask up front. That day he had planned on visiting his secondary school as well as the University of Bauner.
Although Ernst knew he had no formal connections to anyone since he acquired his degree, he felt it was still worth trying to reach out to these institutions.
After walking for some time, he found himself in front of a large brick building. On its outside, the structure looked visibly aged, showing signs of cracks and moss. However, upon looking through the window, one could see the bustling movement of students as they made their way to class.
His mind wandered to the past as he imagined a younger version of himself entering the building with youth akin to his age at his side. Although Ernst was not too fond of education itself, he did not forget the joy he had felt alongside his friends.
As he approached the entrance, the formally dressed Ernst saw a familiar face exit from the building.
"Karl?" he said out loud in a moderate tone that was not loud enough to attract the eyes of others.
Karl was an average height man with a fairly round face. His gut could be seen slightly protruding from his suit, yet he still carried an adult air around him.
"Ernst! I haven't seen you in ages!" The round man said in response to Ernst calling out to him.
Ernst had known Karl since he and Emilia were young. Karl was a kind brother who also cared for his beloved sister. The four of them would often get into an abundance of mischief in their youth, often getting scolded by their parents.
To this day, he and Hannah maintain strong ties with the Adler family. Oftentimes, Karl and Hannah would invite Emilia to attend a weekly mass held by the Church of Forms.
"What are you doing here?" Ernst asked.
"I was applying for a position here. I destroyed the other candidates," he said boastfully.
Well… that's one option down, Ernst thought internally.
"You're job hunting as well?"
Biting off his pride, Ernst responded to Karl with a laugh, "Yes, but it seems you've beaten me to the punch."
"Ah, that's too bad. I'm sure you'll find work elsewhere. My position isn't too great to be honest. I'm simply here to monitor the children — making sure they stay out of trouble. All in all, I'm technically not a "teacher." If anything, I'm merely a supervisor," he said in hopes of providing some minor consolation to his childhood friend.
Karl had always been tactful to the people around him. Ever since he was a child, he had been easy to talk to. Ernst could not recall a single time when he had seen Karl lose his composure. This behaviour was something he admired growing up. Many kids like Ernst thought of Karl as an adult, seeking help from him whenever they were in need of something.
Not wanting to waste his friend's pity, Ernst replied, "It's all good, I'll be heading to the university anyway."
"That's great! It was actually my second option as well." After repairing the potential damage he had thought he had done through unintentionally bragging about his recent achievement, the two men left the building, catching up on what they had missed in each other's lives.
Karl had graduated with a degree in education. Although this career was more popular among women, he expressed his desire to help the next generation.
Ernst thought of his friend's nobility as something praiseworthy. He felt no judgment whatsoever of his friend's dream. If anything, he felt that his career choice fit him perfectly. As he continued to chat with his friend, he remembered how thankful he was for having grown up with him.
Hannah was supposedly continuing her education at Bauner University. The young lady was studying the biological sciences in hopes of one day becoming a doctor. The two siblings' father had become increasingly sick over the years. Her worries may have been a catalyst for what would set her on the path of entering the medical field. After losing their mother, Ernst could not blame Hannah for feeling so driven to cure their father of their illness.
The two caught up while heading in the direction of their former university.
In a motorized taxi, sitting across from Ernst, Karl asked, "By the way, when are you coming back to Mass? Hannah would be delighted to see you."
Ernst glanced at his friend, who had asked his question with utmost sincerity.
It has been years since Ernst had attended church.
Ever since his parents had passed away, he felt no obligation to attend.
In his mind, the young man felt it was wrong for him to attend for the mere sake of showing up. Feigning his deep-rooted beliefs would not only be wrong to himself, but also wrong against the religion he was raised in.
"I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back yet…"
Silence filled the motorized taxi.
The sounds of the loud engine as well as the daily bustling from outside had seemingly become inaudible to the two men.
"..."
Rather than pressing the matter forward, Karl simply smiled at him.
Ernst looked outside, seemingly in deep thought. As the silence continued to fill the car, Karl spoke up.
"No worries at all! When you're ready, you're ready. In the meantime, I'll have your sister all to myself each week… except Hannah being with us, of course." Karl said in a mocking tone.
Heh, he's always been careful of others' feelings…
"My friend...I don't believe you're a fit for her," he said sarcastically
"In no world would she be into weak men!"
"Perhaps when you're able to do 100 pushups, 100 squats, 100 sit-ups, and a 10-kilometre run consistently without fail, I might consider you worthy of her." Ernst proclaimed, indulging in his friend's banter."
When the two young men attended public school, the regimen Ernst proposed was something many adolescents dreaded every few months.
Naturally, a nation at risk of war had to prepare its men for anything.
Karl's eyes twitch upon hearing Ernst's hurtful comments. Rather than feeling offended, he retaliated in response, "Give me 10 years."
The two laughed obnoxiously upon hearing each other's comments.
They continued a light-hearted conversation as if the previous tension had not occurred whatsoever. Eventually, the vehicle reached Ernst's destination.
The friends saw each other off as Ernst entered his university's campus.
The well-dressed man began to scour each building, asking each faculty if there were any jobs in need of a degree holder. The young man did not care if it was not directly related to philosophy, as he had hoped; he would at least find some work that paid decently.
Walking into a lecture hall, he spotted another familiar face.
A well-dressed man who was hunched over due to his elderly age was seemingly ready to depart for another building.
"Excuse me, Dr. Thomas," Ernst spoke clearly, calling out to his former professor.
The man slowly turned toward the entrance of the room and saw Ernst.
"Ah, a question for today's lecture?" He smiled warmly as he looked up at the young man.
Walking closer to the maturely aged man, Ernst said, "Actually, I'm not in this class."
The educator continued to pack his documents while giving some of his attention to Ernst.
"In that case, what can I help you with?"
"I've actually graduated recently, and I am currently seeing if there are any research positions within the university." The well-dressed Ernst rested his hands in front of him. "I truly enjoyed your lectures as an undergraduate, so hopefully something related to your field of study."
Although his claims were not a complete lie, he did not have a strong preference when it came to his studies in philosophy. Dr. Thomas was a professor who focused on ethics and morality.
To Ernst, this area of the field felt like a decent fit.
After he finished packing his things, the elderly man faced Ernst with a sympathetic look.
"Unfortunately, I do not know of any positions at the moment. The faculty only accepts so many graduates for this sort of work."
"However, if you keep searching, I'm sure you will find something."
"I wish I could help further, but I should be heading to my next lecture." The elderly man patted Ernst on the shoulder.
As he saw the man leave, Ernst made sure to thank him for his time and began searching for another professor he looked up to.
Unfortunately, this cycle would inevitably repeat itself.
Moving through a variety of lecture halls and offices with no sign of luck, Ernst began to feel increasingly discouraged about his prospects.
His previous professors did not seem to recognize him from any of the classes he had attended. Although Ernst felt some pain from being unrecognized, he acknowledged his unimpressive academic portfolio.
Perhaps I should have put in a bit more effort into making connections… It's not like I didn't want to… I was just too busy…
Ernst had taken no part in any research nor made any significant academic contributions. Rather than spending extra time on campus, he would immediately head back to the bakery to help his sister.
As he walked around, he could not help but feel a bit of nostalgia as he caught sight of the buildings he had once rushed past while being late for lectures.
After continuing to face rejection, Ernst would routinely visit the centre of the university, strategizing his next steps. However, to his dismay, he slowly began to run out of professors to consult.
The young man spent some time walking through the outer hall of the central building of the university. As he lamented his previous mistakes, he let his mind sink into his thoughts once more to break from his growing stress.
Originally, the central building had been a courthouse used by one of the former kings of Gaudner centuries ago; however, it was now used as a library for students to access.
Ernst's eyes followed the long white pillars that merged into the ceiling. Above him was imagery depicting the three main gods that the eastern nations believed in. Spanning in a circular motion around the building, the art roughly depicted the divine influence on humanity.
Through his curriculum, Ernst was required to learn about the gods, as it was heavily related to philosophy.
Long ago, the gods became mortal to guide humans. Each god came down at different periods to establish their own religions and beliefs. Through the varying faiths they established, one could be saved from eternal suffering and stand alongside divinity.
Along the outer ring, the artwork depicted the three gods that represented three core constructs that uphold reality.
Ernst began to rehearse what he had learnt a few semesters ago…
Matter is represented by the hammer…
The God of Matter became man about two thousand years ago. "He" gathered a group of followers set on creation and preserving life. Ancient scripture from the Church of Forms also states how "He" pioneered much of the sciences we use today. After completing his task, it is said he returned to the divine skies, waiting to return one day.
Time is represented by the hourglass…
The God of Time entered humankind at a relatively difficult period. It was said that she provided careful guidance to the King of Iscalvia 700 years ago. Despite the deity's intervention, her presence did not directly stop the ongoing wars between men at the time. However, through her guidance, the King of Iscalvia was able to unite previously existing nations into Iscalvia itself—until the unknown catastrophe occurred.
Perception is represented by the eye…
The only divine being that had not yet entered the world was the God of Perception. Believers in the Church of Consciousness believe that "she" will descend upon the land and provide a final chance for humanity to repent for its wrongdoings.
Although the guidance of the divine had set humanity on a bright path, greed had inevitably poisoned their morality once more.
While Ernst held a vague understanding of the gods that made up the world he lived in, at this moment, he was more focused on finding a job.
At this point, I'll not only be able to count how many pillars surround this building, but I'll also be able to do the same for the tiles that make up the ceiling. If the gods were real… they'd give me a job right now, Ernst thought bitterly.
Tap tap tap…
While most students were busy attending their lectures, Ernst had been the only one walking around the campus, with the exception of faculty members. As his head drooped to see whose path he was blocking, dark brunette hair caught his periphery.
The woman who had passed him turned back to see whom she had just walked by.
It's the woman from yesterday…