Nero
I glanced around the dark chamber and saw nothing. No walls, but a darkness that voided the view to just a few feet. There was a damp fog about my feet, and I could hear a sloshing sound from around me. I turn, and ahead of me I see a figure. I know him. He's in dark apparel, and his skin is pale. He has a slight, rugged unshaven look about his face, and unkempt hair that sways in just a say that makes it seem intentional. Most importantly: his eyes. His eyes hold a sinister intent, and an emotion that I can only describe as sickeningly deceptive. As he nears, his scent is sweet, but I still have a sour taste on my tongue. I felt the need to vomit, but hollow inside. His smirk ran a wrecking shatter through my bones.
"'Ello Sorrow. I see again you are weak and vulnerable. A heart's a fickle burning bitch, ain' it?"
His name was Nero. He's a liar, or maybe it's even that he's the lie itself? It was impossible to tell what was true and what was a trap. He wove a web of lies, and when one string fell another was there to catch it, but only so much could build up before it falls apart and the spider must abandon the nest. It was hard to understand if he was a narcissist, or a sociopath. He seemed not to care for others, whether they be friend, foe, stranger, or even the poor person who was caught in his web of lies. If something grew boring to him, he would leave it to rot and fall apart in the condition of his wreckage. He never had remorse.
He never felt pain.
"Sorrow, 'ey!" He waved his hand in front of me again.
"y-You.." my voice finally scratched out. My throat ached from the screaming I had done at nothing. My hands ached from the striking I had done to a poor tree. My eyes.. they were swelled and red, the by-product of my earlier sobs.
"Heh, so you're alive, then. Still tryin'a act like a gentleman, eh Sorrow?" He slid his hands into his pockets. His posture was poor, and you would think that he'd feel an ache on his back after a long time of this.
I wouldn't think he could feel anything.
"Y-Yes.. Yeah I am." I said, finally regaining my composure.
"So, rough day in the Life department I see." His smirk deepened. "I could take th' edge off for ya.."
"No!" I shouted, then calmed myself. "No, I'm quite capable of handling it, thank you. Last time I let you take care of my problems you almost killed someone."
"'Ey, killin' someone is not the same as them almost killin' themselves. You don't count on me ta make it easier for others, you count on me ta make it easier on you. It's'a selfish thin' you do so you don't have to hurt. Ya let me make them hurt for you."
"I'm not going to let you do that anymore. That's why you're in here, Nero."
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and placed his hand on my shoulder, his boney fingers tapping away and a chilling cold shuddered through me upon his contact.
"Sorrow, Sorrow, Sorrow... We both know ya put me in here so this thing ya got wouldn' get all messed up... But now ya gone and messed it up for ya self. Let me take care of it for ya.. I can stretch my legs.. and you.. can avoid that burning.. pulsing.. writhing feeling inside your chest as if someone torn out ya insides and replaced them with smoldering coals, eh? Everyone wins!"
I shook my head, partly to get the though out, and partly to express my disagreement. "No. Not everyone. I lose this forever, she gets more hurt than she'd ever deserve, and you get a sickening thrill out of seeing everyone suffer. You might not even ever let me back out of here if I grant you even the slightest freedom."
He squeezed my shoulder harder. Enough force to actually cause a pain to stack up on the now freezing chill that was crawling across my body. I raised my arm up and pushed his away. He raised his eyebrows. "Look, Sorrow.." He shrugged, "If I let you do this, then you'll just hurt her AND ya self. Let me do it, because ya just gonna end up killin' ya self, and I'd like to live a bit longer too, if you know what I mean. Eh? Let me out. C'mon! C'mon!" He grinned more. I suppose he had a point. I was in so much pain, both emotionally and physically. He would be able to take that away from me for a while. I might be free of this.. but where the pain was before, now I'd be cold..
"Nero.. I-" I felt a new sensation, suddenly. A warm hand now upon my shoulder. A call of my name, and someone shaking me. I looked up to Nero. He seemed.. angry.
"No.. That little..." He let out a growl. "One day, Sorrow.." his last words echoed as I was pulled back to reality. A familiar, loving scent I recognized only as hers was around me. Her hand on my shoulder. My body still ached, my eyes still teary. I was staring down at an empty pill bottle, the pills in my opposite hand.
"Hey, are you okay? Speak to me, baby.." Her tender voice beckoned me, begging a response. I looked up to her beautiful blue eyes. She smiled slightly in relief, and moved her hands to my own, returning the stack of pills to the bottle. "Hey... I'm sorry. No more fighting. We can talk about it later..." Her face changed back to worry. "Is everything okay? .. What were you doing?"
"I... " I thought to myself for a brief moment. "I was speaking with my inner demon.."
"Well... what did you say?"
"I told him.. I told him that I didn't need him anymore."
"'Ello Sorrow. I see again you are weak and vulnerable. A heart's a fickle burning bitch, ain' it?"
His name was Nero. He's a liar, or maybe it's even that he's the lie itself? It was impossible to tell what was true and what was a trap. He wove a web of lies, and when one string fell another was there to catch it, but only so much could build up before it falls apart and the spider must abandon the nest. It was hard to understand if he was a narcissist, or a sociopath. He seemed not to care for others, whether they be friend, foe, stranger, or even the poor person who was caught in his web of lies. If something grew boring to him, he would leave it to rot and fall apart in the condition of his wreckage. He never had remorse.
He never felt pain.
"Sorrow, 'ey!" He waved his hand in front of me again.
"y-You.." my voice finally scratched out. My throat ached from the screaming I had done at nothing. My hands ached from the striking I had done to a poor tree. My eyes.. they were swelled and red, the by-product of my earlier sobs.
"Heh, so you're alive, then. Still tryin'a act like a gentleman, eh Sorrow?" He slid his hands into his pockets. His posture was poor, and you would think that he'd feel an ache on his back after a long time of this.
I wouldn't think he could feel anything.
"Y-Yes.. Yeah I am." I said, finally regaining my composure.
"So, rough day in the Life department I see." His smirk deepened. "I could take th' edge off for ya.."
"No!" I shouted, then calmed myself. "No, I'm quite capable of handling it, thank you. Last time I let you take care of my problems you almost killed someone."
"'Ey, killin' someone is not the same as them almost killin' themselves. You don't count on me ta make it easier for others, you count on me ta make it easier on you. It's'a selfish thin' you do so you don't have to hurt. Ya let me make them hurt for you."
"I'm not going to let you do that anymore. That's why you're in here, Nero."
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and placed his hand on my shoulder, his boney fingers tapping away and a chilling cold shuddered through me upon his contact.
"Sorrow, Sorrow, Sorrow... We both know ya put me in here so this thing ya got wouldn' get all messed up... But now ya gone and messed it up for ya self. Let me take care of it for ya.. I can stretch my legs.. and you.. can avoid that burning.. pulsing.. writhing feeling inside your chest as if someone torn out ya insides and replaced them with smoldering coals, eh? Everyone wins!"
I shook my head, partly to get the though out, and partly to express my disagreement. "No. Not everyone. I lose this forever, she gets more hurt than she'd ever deserve, and you get a sickening thrill out of seeing everyone suffer. You might not even ever let me back out of here if I grant you even the slightest freedom."
He squeezed my shoulder harder. Enough force to actually cause a pain to stack up on the now freezing chill that was crawling across my body. I raised my arm up and pushed his away. He raised his eyebrows. "Look, Sorrow.." He shrugged, "If I let you do this, then you'll just hurt her AND ya self. Let me do it, because ya just gonna end up killin' ya self, and I'd like to live a bit longer too, if you know what I mean. Eh? Let me out. C'mon! C'mon!" He grinned more. I suppose he had a point. I was in so much pain, both emotionally and physically. He would be able to take that away from me for a while. I might be free of this.. but where the pain was before, now I'd be cold..
"Nero.. I-" I felt a new sensation, suddenly. A warm hand now upon my shoulder. A call of my name, and someone shaking me. I looked up to Nero. He seemed.. angry.
"No.. That little..." He let out a growl. "One day, Sorrow.." his last words echoed as I was pulled back to reality. A familiar, loving scent I recognized only as hers was around me. Her hand on my shoulder. My body still ached, my eyes still teary. I was staring down at an empty pill bottle, the pills in my opposite hand.
"Hey, are you okay? Speak to me, baby.." Her tender voice beckoned me, begging a response. I looked up to her beautiful blue eyes. She smiled slightly in relief, and moved her hands to my own, returning the stack of pills to the bottle. "Hey... I'm sorry. No more fighting. We can talk about it later..." Her face changed back to worry. "Is everything okay? .. What were you doing?"
"I... " I thought to myself for a brief moment. "I was speaking with my inner demon.."
"Well... what did you say?"
"I told him.. I told him that I didn't need him anymore."