The Goldstar Paradox: Practice chapter
The tunnel is still. Air turned to light fog, as the pathway constantly changed shape. They didn't know the way out. But, they followed the water source. It had to be flowing from somewhere.
It had to be.
William dragged himself forward. His eyes, a light shade of yellow, just barely illuminating through the fog.
Wearing his usual school attire, though that world had been left far, far behind by now.
Infront of him, Meili trecked on. A delightful hum echoing through the tunnels as the only sound that cut through the followed stream. A smile on her face, as she skipped along.
The two continued walking. For a few more seconds. Until suddenly, William halted.
"What are we doing?"
He asked. His voice sharp.
Meilis skipping halted. Her humming died.
"Meili, we've been down here for hours now. We have to have walked out of the city district by now."
Meili slowly began to turn around. Her lips gave off a slight twitch. Though nothing more.
"So, what the fuck are we doing?"
Williams voice spat out like venom. But more than that, there was a slight tremble.
Meili pauses. And then answers with a small smile.
"We're escaping the water ways."
"You call this escaping? I call it "We're going to fucking die if we don't do something.""
Williams voice rang out. And then, another pause from Meili, her mind quietly calculating.
"And what do you think we should do, Goldstar?"
William took a single step forward, placing his hand on his chest as he point behind them.
"Remember that thing down there? That's still coming for us, Meili."
"Yeah, but we can take it. We're the dynamic duo afterall." Meili replied, a smile on her face, though it briefly cracked.
"So, let's keep goin. Can't let any draptors eat us up today!"
Meili said, as she began to resume humming and skipping.
...
"Stop."
Time itself seemed to freeze.
The tunnel died.
"Just stop, Meili."
Meili stood as still as the air around her. The ambience of the stream the only thing preventing palpable silence.
"I'm tired. We can't keep running forever."
"Tired? Cmon Goldstar, where's your warrior spiri-"
"I SAID ENOUGH."
Williams screamed out. His dry, raspy voice reverberating throughout the entire tunnel.
"I'm fucking done. I'm tired. I'm thirsty. I'm hungry. And we're not getting any closer. Its like we've been going in circles."
"And?"
William paused. His eyes widening, briefly turning a light shade of red. Meilis words stabbing his mind.
William clenches his fists. So hard his nails began to dig into his own hands, blood began seeping from them.
"And?"
Williams hands begun to shake. His fists & forearms began shaking.
"And!?"
William put his hands behind his head, clawing into his hair.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? We've been stuck, stuck in this shit stained, piss filled sewer system for hours. Fuck, maybe even days for all I know. And the best you can say is "and?""
The Blood from his hands seeped onto his black hair and the collar of his white shirt.
"And maybe I'm fucking fed up with you treating this like it's some goddamn school outing. We might die down here, and you're skipping and humming like a prancy little bitch. If I didn't help you back at the hall, you'd be de–"
"I KNOW."
Meilis voice rang out like a deafening screech.
"I KNOW, WILLIAM."
Her body began to slowly convulse.
"I'm weak. I know. I'm pathetic. I could never live up to my sisters. And I'd be dead without you. But what does it all matter?"
Her words gasoline. Her voice fire. The tunnel a forest.
Meili turned around fully. To finally face William. Tears ran down her face.
"I'm scared, William. I'm so, so scared. I don't wanna die. My feet are so sore. Every step I feel like my bones are gonna crack."
Her face contorts once more, as she bites down on her lip so hard blood seeps out.
"But I keep going. And going. And going. But it never takes me anywhere. It's like I'm stuck in some fucking loop. But I have to keep on smiling, because, that's what I'm supposed to do."
William paused. Not solely out of shock, but also, a hint of something more. Understanding.
But then, he remembered. How she was such a hypocrite. She didn't even have to remember. Remember how many times he, how many times they had had themselves disposed of.
Only he knew. Only he carried that weight.
Oh. How he recalled. Entity 404s words.
His eyes flickered another shade of red. Deeper.
A sadistic grin begins to form on his face, and then–
Splash.
Meili collapses. Onto the floor, and into the small stream.
Williams eyes turn a deep shade of green, as his smile fades.
"...Meili?"
His eyes widen in disbelief for a few moments.
He rushes towards her collapsed body. Gently, he cradles her in his arms. Her blue hair now soaked in filthy water. Yet, William held her like she was gold.
"What, what's happening?? Are you okay???"
Meili tried to reply. But, swiftly began to choke and asphyxiate, barely breathing. She grabbed onto Williams red tie and shirt.
Williams hands began to tremble as his grip onto her tightened.
"...meili?"
She managed to cough out a few words between breaths.
"Th-theyre... coming"
Williams heart sank. His eyes fully widening.
He knew what "they" meant.
A thousand thoughts ran through his mind at once.
And yet, none of them could help.
He became entranced by his own mind for a brief few seconds.
Before even that was shattered what he heard next.
A single soft splash.
A footstep.
Behind them.
It sounded like one at first.
Then two.
Then three.
Draptors. Raptor like monsters with long, sharp, needle like teeth. So stretched out they couldn't even close their mouth, leaving it constantly hanging at an angle, like their jaw was broken.
Williams entire body trembled with fear.
Meilis eyes began to pour out tears.
Yet neither of them moved a muscle.
Until Meili let out a voiceless plee. Her jaw trembling as she clung even tighter onto William.
"Help"
And then, a loud, gut wrenching raw. The sound of broken vocal chords and damned souls.
The Draptors had found their pray.
William got up, picking Meili up with him, and ran. As fast as his exhausted, broken and bloodied body could.
But he wasnt fast enough.
He fell to the p Draptors were, and then—
Snap.
A wet crunch.
As dozens of needle like teeth sank into Meilis leg.
Meili let out a horrible screech.
And then another wet crunch.
Another leg bitten.
William tried to fight them while holding onto Meili.
But he couldn't.
He tried to kick. He tried to punch.
But nothing worked. Nothing ever worked.
He was just a human.
He was weak.
The two draptors began thrashing side to side, ripping Meilis bottom half clean off.
The stream now soaked in blood. The still tunnel a orchestra of violence.
And yet, despite the injuries, Meili clung to William. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Holding on for dear life.
Her eyes fully balling out in excruciating pain and fear.
She begged.
"WILLIAM"
She begged.
"DONT LEAVE ME HERE."
She. Begged.
"IM SCARED. WILLIAM."
But it was far, far too late.
Her blood, draining out of her body.
The two draptors behind her, still ravanously devouring her legs.
And then, the big one appeared.
The Alpha Draptor.
And it charged towards William and what was left of Meili.
William didn't even have any time to react, as the Draptor leaped onto him and Meili.
It's foot stomping through Williams abdomen.
It's jaw, picking up Meilis upper body gentle. Slowly.
A look of absolute fear and pain on her face, wide eyed, and pale.
She looked down on William.
And then.
Crunch.
A sickening sound, as Meilis head was crushed.
Her remnants raining down on Williams face. William couldn't move. He couldn't talk. Not that it would've helped.
And then—
Crunch.
Williams right arm severed clean off.
The big one swallowing it whole.
Crunch.
Williams left rib cage severed.
And then, the big ones jaws opened above Williams skull.
And then, one final wet
Crunch.
Williams face was no more.
Suddenly the tunnel, the draptors, everything began to peel away, disintergraging into an unending stream of infinite code lining the entire sewer.
Before everything suddenly disintegrated into the finest specs of dust imaginable.
And there stood William.
Watching his body slowly be restored. The blood, the brain, the flesh, returning to him, rebuilding themselves.
No matter how many times he went through this process, it never got better.
Each individual cell being ripped apart and put back together trillions of times every microinstant.
His eyes wide with the near incomprehensible yet calculated agony. Just enough to traumatize him, yet, just less than what was needed to break him.
And, infront of William, there stood... William.
No. This thing, whatever it was, it wasn't William. Rather, a cruel imitation of the young man.
It matches his clothes, his red tie, his white school shirt, and grey pants.
It even copied his black hair, sharp nose, and build.
But it's eyes.
They weren't human. Two pits of blackened nothingness. Oozing a corrosive black liquid.
Yet, behind those hollowed eyes, there were two faint red pupils, almost hidden in the back of its head.
It's mouth, a toothless grin, salivating with the same liquid void as it's eyes.
It stood. Unmoving within the Void. Hunched over, it's neck bent like it had been broken.
It didn't speak. Just occasionally twitched and jolted it's limbs, it's movements robotic.
And, as suddenly as it came it dissapeard
Finally, the world put itself back together and—
[RESET]
The still tunnel air quietly flowed through the tunnels again.
Meili hummed and skipped infront of William.
...
William had respawned. Again.
He had looped.
Again.
His collapsed to the ground.
His knees on the floor.
Williams head began bleeding. His nails piercing through his scalp as he began hyperventilating.
He wanted to scream, wanted to cry, but couldn't. They'd here them.
Meilis humming and movement died down, as she turned to face William.
Her gaze dropping to the pool of blood beneath him. Her eyes widening in shock.
"Goldstar!?"
William looked back up, his eyes bloodshot red. A terrible pain is his abdomen.
He clutches his stomach, before vomiting blood.
As he looks down at his splattered insides, both arms on the ground as he watches his scarlet remnants washing away with the gentle stream.
Meili rushes towards his side. Noticing just how badly he was injured.
Her eyes widening as she locks eyes with him. His eyes now a shade of yellow.
"Are you okay??"
She said hurriedly.
William doesn't even answer. Instead, wrapping his arms around her legs. Still on his knees, embracing her tightly. As though letting go would kill her.
He closed his eyes. The memories all flooding him at once.
The chase, the Draptors, the blood.
He hugged onto her tighter and tighter.
For a few seconds, the stream was the only noise that cut through Williams frantic breathing.
And, slowly, he calmed down. His chest rising and falling with a more soothing cadence.
Meili for her part stood still. What else could she do? A knot began to form in her throat.
And then, William finally spoke through sobs.
"I'm... I'm so sorry. I couldn't."
"What? William? What are you talki—"
"MEILI."
Williams voice screeched. His hands trembling.
Meili went silent. And simply observed. She didn't move. She couldn't.
William then cried out even more.
"You don't understand, Meili. I... no, we di—"
A searing pain instantly shot through Williams head. He let go of Meili for a time, placing both his hands on his head.
It was as though each neuron in his brain was being impaled every single unending second. Again, and again, and again, in an unending symphony of sheer agony
William grit his teeth as hard as he could.
"Shit. Shit. Shit."
William began violently banging his head against the concrete floor.
Scraping his hands against the surrounding ground so hard his skin had begun to peel away.
Because he'd forgotten. And then, remembered.
Entity 404 wouldn't allow him respite.
And let out a quite, low whisper.
"Oh. That's right."
His voice cracks.
"I'm alone."
He whispered under his breath.
Time froze like glass.
And then— it shattered.
Smack
The sound of flesh on flesh.
Meilis hand digging into his face, his head swinging to the left.
"WILLIAM!"
She yelled.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
William paused. Putting his hand on his cheek.
His arms began to tremble, pulsating, as he his face began to contort into a scrowl, his eyes narrowing in anger.
He looked down as his bloody hands.
As Meilis eyes followed.
And his thoughts began to spiral. His eyes glowing a scarlet red.
She... she had the fucking nerve to...
She didn't even have to remember.
She didn't have to suffer.
So, so many times.
And yet, she's acting like she's been through half the shit I've gone through.
This... stuck up little—
Splash
He'd seen a single drop.
The sound of a tear falling as though it'd been a heartbeat cloaked by complete silence.
Williams head slowly began to tilt upwards.
And there lied Meilis face. Covered in an in a slow, yet, unending stream of tears.
Williams eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he even could, Meilis knees dropped to the floor with a thud.
In her eyes lay not anger. Atleast, not at William.
She wraps her arms around Williams neck, and cries into his shoulder.
She wanted to talk, but couldn't bring herself to. A knot tightening in her throat.
Williams fists tightened and begun to twich uncontrollably. His eyes growing a shade of yellow.
This time, through her own sobs, she begins to talk.
"You don't have to be sorry, William. I'm the one who got us here. You're always saving me, always looking out for me, and yet, I'm still useless."
Williams entire body slowly softened, his fists beginning to gradually loosen.
"You're always so strong. Even in the worst situations, you always find a way to escape. A way to win. But here I am. Dragging you down, over and over."
She pauses, slowly inhaling.
Williams hands hover over her back. White. Cold. He wanted to, to accept it. But he couldn't. He didn't deserve to.
"But you don't have to be. You don't have to be strong. Not by yourself. I know, I'm pathetic, I'm weak, and I'm stupid. And I can never be like my sisters. But I want to try. Please. We can get through this. I know we can. We have to."
Williams hands shake. They still weakly hover over, but, begin losing strength. Or perhaps losing will, as they began to fall. Wrapping Meili around in a warm embrace.
Then, nothing moves.
It's cold. The surrounding air is still, dead even. Nothing, not even the insects found peace here.
And yet, there they were. Their bodies close, melting together. Perhaps not out of love, but rather, out of necessity.
Yes. That's all it was. Necessity.
A Longing. A desperate attempt to cling onto each other for the last trickles of hope they have. The last hope they shared.
Their remnants of hope as scattered as the scarlet remnants that had once flooded Williams mind, body and soul.
Meili clung onto Williams neck, arms wrapped around as though her sanity depended on it. Her head resting on his shoulder, their minds leaning on each other just as much as there heads are.
Dried tears still lingered on her face. And yet, she held a small, bittersweet smile.
It wasn't much. Wasn't some magic cure. Not a loud, passionate speech.
But it was real. Maybe not deserved, maybe fleeting, but, for this single moment?
It was enough.
Williams body and heart had sunk. Melting under the warmth of her embrace.
And, for the first time in a long time, he didn't push back. He didn't make some sarcastic remark, or some immature joke to deflect, to remind himself that none of this was real.
For this single moment, that fact did not matter.
He sat still. As unmoving as the surrounding air.
His eyes, fully closed.
His breath, slowed as though a gentle, sweet melody.
And then, he began to draw one final breath. And exhaled.
He hesitates. Memories of all that had happened up until that very moment.
But that was then. And this? This was now.
Finally speaking, his words barely above a whisper.
"Thank you, Meili."
Meili felt her heart skip a beat. Those soft, sweet words? They gave her true comfort. Like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.
And with them, her will returned.
Not completely. But subtley. Partly.
She coulf allow herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't such a burden afterall.
"No. Thank you, William."
The two gently separated. Meili offering her hand to help William get up.
Williams eyes fluttered open. A deep shade of green washing over them, as he smiled softly. And took it.
Standing together, William dusted off his pants.
Meili then spoke. Wiping dry tears off her face.
"...what do we do now?"
Her voice rang out as a gentle whisper. Barely audible, but nontheless, real.
William paused for a moment, his hands freezing. A brief flash of what happened before coursing through his conscious.
His fist tightened. Meili looked down, noticing his hands shaking. But before she could respond, they stopped, and William answered.
"Meili. Tell me everything you know about the Draptors"