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“But I ask only this, leave my loneliness unbroken.”
‘“Me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know its not some place you can look for because its not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something and if you find that moment, it lasts forever.”
‘Life is a paradise for those who love many things with a passion.’
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THere was a vurst of light and a pressure more in tense than a person with severe anxiety disoder waiting for the vote on american idol. I was spinning through the darkness, a white-out of bright white light totally blinding me. I also heard whispers and voices to, and They sounded like they were saying things that were really important. But I didn’t catch most of it because I was focusing on Joshery and his long sexy arm, which ended in a long sexy hand that was holding mine hand, flexing leanly. “Don’t let go! Of my hand!” He called, face stretching because of the wierd affects but still looking hot and dreamy.
With a burst of explosion, we whirled right back into existance. Instantly Joshery and Derek were at eacher’s throats, throwing out their huge muscular chests and clenching their strong sexy hands. “What the hell!” I fell over and almost puked but didn’t. “You OK?” Inquired Joshery, and he reached down to help me up. “Be careful,” Derek intoned, also reching down to help me up. Suddenly Joshery’s and Derek’s strong fists bumped into each other, and they instantly they were glaring again. ”Uh, a little help here please,” I refocused, pleadingly. Joshery nodded, then Derek nodded, as well, but he turned away in a sad, defeated kind of way. It suddenly made we want to comfort him. But, I can’t. “I guess not,” I alledged regretfully. “What?” Joshery piped (in), rasing a perfectly trimmed eyebrow. It was blonde and a little curly, unlike Derek’s which were slim, thick, and dark. Not like curly in like a wierd way though, just a bitty bit, and that was really cute. But that’s not to mean that Darek’s wasn’t cute though, cause it was, just that (a lot like the twoo boys in general,) they were cute in deferent ways. For example——and too return to the mustache example——Derek’s hairs were more, like, sharp, so they were all nice and orderly and dark and pointy (not in a wierd way tho) while Joshery’s hairs had a little bit of twist or curl to them at the end sometimes so they didn’t all lie flat but sort of bristled (but in a cute way like I said. Bristle and pointy are literally such bad words sometimes!,).
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“Huh?” I replied. Joshery returned: “You were saying something, or something? It sounded like you were, like, talking to someone. Which is cool with me.” Derek meanwhile rolled his dark mysterious eyes, but I nodded. “Oh, uh, yeah, it was, like, nothing really. I just talk to myself sometmes I guess.” I explained. Then Joshery nodded sagely, stroking his chin while he crossed his arms and leaned his head back and leaned against a piller, also crossing his tall tanned legs (giving me serious Dan Reynolds vibes, if Dan Reynolds was a bitty bit leaner). By the way, we had arrived on a flat curcular disk made of falt smooth stone and serrounded by twelve tall obeliskian pillers made of smooth stone all though they were ingraved with defferent markings and things that gave off an arcane* vibe. He was so hot it was crazy, and e was so hot I felt crazy.. Ten Joshery continued: “That’s cool, that’s cool. I guess I just worried. Your teachers tweaking? Getting kidnapped by an stranger? It must have been alot.” I nodded, staring deeply into his captivating, crackling, clear-crystal-blue eyes. “Thx,” I insisted eagerly, almost smiling, which is crazy because I like literally never smile. But Joshery makes me. “Yeah, it’s been crazy,” I admitted, tucking a loose strand of raven-dark hair behind my ear. “I still don’t know what’s going on! Like, I guess I’m gad to see you, but how the hell did you rescue us out of there we were totally trapped. Those guys had us cornered. Also, who were those guys, and why did they want to mess with us?!” I deluged, a little resentfully. I was still feeling confused and really just reeling about the whole past week but especially the past day.
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Joshery glanced up concerningly. “Right, uh, totally. I get that, you must be like really confused.” Joshery agreed, then he glared at Derek, who was still standing sadly over there. “What’s your problem man?” Joshery interroagted. In a response, Derek glared at him. “I’ve got a lot of problems. You’ll have to be more specific.” He——Darek not Joshery——challenged. Wow, I thought to myself. I guess I never knew how tortured Darek really was. That made me feel a whole another level of respect and intrest towards him. I also wondered what he meant by that. Like, what problems did he have? “I MEAN, why didn’t you tell Chlyce about it?”, Joshery clarified aggressively. “And look, even though you helped help Chylce, the deal is your a stranger. I don’t even know you dude, and strangers aren’t cool to hang here. There are…rules…” Joshery teetered off, voice more serious then an elderly veteran executioner testifying at the death trial of his own 3-year old kid, and also suggestively (not like that, at least I didn’t think so——even though I kind of hoped so, so sue me!——more like he knew more than he was telling). “(Darak talked then:) Like you said, I helped Chlyce. And I’m not stopping now. Something tells me you aren’t exactly the big man here, so bring me to your boss already and then well talk. I don’t know you either by the way ” Derek challenged rebukingly. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah OK. I get it. You can stick around for a minute, until we talk to the Headmaster. Than we’ll see what happens,” Joshery abated in rep’ly. I stepped between their big muscled bodies; “Calm down you two!” I intervemed. I continued as well. “Calm down! Nows not the time or fighting or arguing each other. We need too fucos. I still don’t even remember what’s going on!” I said, reminding them of my plite with my last sentence. “Chylce’s right.” Joshery also said, after I finished talking. Derek shrugged solitarily. “Fiiiiiiine. It works for me. Soon you’y’all see that I’m not the enemy.” Derek conceeded, then sighed. “Great, then we san cop talking and get, like, walking,.” Joshery announced. Then we started walking.
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As we were walking, I realized we were walking through a green verdent sprawl of forests, fields, and sometmes a few ills. Of in the distance the verdent landcsape rose into hills that peaked into a single gray (not grey grey, more like a great grey tapastry of blue and purple and indigo and twilight and a litttle pink from the fading son up on the upper peak) mountain peak that rose up into the sky like a giant jagged exacto-knife blade made out of sharp stone instead of sharp metal. There were no roads or pathes except for four big roads wrinding in from the four qorners of the iland, and they met up and turned into one wide road that led toward the mountain (which was in the piddle of everything else, sort of like it was at the centre, and obviouslly the hills were in the middle to except they sort of bundled of to one quarter of the place to, some of them were just nearby the mountain; also the land was shaped like a syckel and so that side was closer to the middle so it wasnt so much of a stretch). We started arrived on a open field and I saw that, sheltered there in the foothils and crags of the mountain istelf, there was a a huge, sprawling, towering, imposing, massivem, huge, gargontion, totally enormious fortress that resembled a gothic castle decorated with a metric fucktonne of rot iron, stained ass windows, parpets, towers, halls, tall steepled rooves, bridges, and elevated catwalkways, and also a variety of metal spindles, icons, lighting rods, metal domes that looked middle eastern.. There were also some smaller buildings built around the castle too, also all looking strangely unmodern and definitivelly medieval but strongly qainte and quirky and beautifully built. The roads swept up through the buildings, which grew larger, taller, and more strange (strange in a artistic way though) looking as they went up——the buildings, or more like the hole town/campus really, were all built on a sort of hill, not a literal hill but I just mean they got taller as the got closer to the castle itself:;: some of that was cause they just had more floors but some of it was because the ground had been built up higher as it got closer and closer to the moutain.
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We walked closer up towards tee castle, Joshery just seemngg like he just knew just what he was doing, like he had done it many time before, but Derek kept glincing round, like he was watching for somone or something, kreeping a eye out. Allthough I couldn’t imagine what he wad looking out for though, allthough I did now that, whatever it was, it probablly wasn’t good. I mean, Darke ahd literlly killed too of my teachers in one go without even trying, and they were total maineac sychos. But I didn’t say anything though, although maybe I should have said soething, idk. We arrived at te gate to the town/castle area (there was also a huge wall, lile maybe like ten tall, made out of what looked like huge stone blocks that had been perfectly cut into shape, just like Darek’s jawline and probably his abs to ass well, although I haven’t seen those yet——not only sqare, but round and triangle and circulare and every shape inbeween;——each shape all fitting perfectly with the other shapes so tht the wall had no gaps or holes——even some star and ancient-looking cymbals; tjere was also the gate iself of course, which was also perfectly made only this time it was made out of rot iron or at least what looke like rot iiron, and it was also very tall and had spikes on top to). A pear of winged, gold-furried, spear-holding, armoured monkeys (they were wearing steel chestplastes ingraved with wierd desines that also had holes in theback for to let their wings——feathered with huge shiney feathers that dark with golden tips——out, that was over thick padded hoodies and they also had helments on therere heads, which were made out of the same dark-steined steel) stood gard at the metal gate. “Hello?” One monkey ventured, the samller one. “SHUT UP!” the bigger monkey roared, smacking the smaller monkey hard on his head. But than he turned around so he was facing us and talked too us too: “My apologees, but who the fuck are you three!” The (big) monkey hollered. I was sort of suprised to see a talking monkey, or at elast that’s probably what your thinking rn, but a;though it was wierd, you have to remember I’ve been dealing with talking monkies every day of my life allready. In fact these monkies looked uch less uglier than the normies at my shcool. “Will think you very much!” Thanked the bigger monkey, nodding proudly. “Finally somone who gives us our very deserved respect!” I said this then: “No prob. Hey, can you guys let us in so we can talk to your boss?” The big monkey nodded again, helment bobbing a bitty bit. “Sure, yeah. Since Joshery’s with you than sure, yeah.” The big monkey allowed conceedingly, also sweeping his axe toward the castle/througe the gate (thru the air, not on the floor obviouslly) which was ow open, by the way——I hadn’t noticed it opening, so it must have happened magically quick. What is even going on rn? This place is so wierd and strange and unusuale.. It’s true, but one thing was for shure: This place was way baetter then Wayvale.
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The little monkey led us up through the winding street, past shops, apartments, townhouses, stores, watchtowers (as in watching for enemies, not like Tv, duh),, courtyards, little parks, and pretty gardens, greenhouses (not actually green houses, juste glass buildings for growing plants, although there were also literally green houeses and in fact lots of the buiedings were made inwith diffirent colours which was such a shock——in, like, a good way!——after sending so kong at gray old searwood),which was an had always been gray and boring), all connected by stairs.And winding streets and elevating hallways and…”Wow,” I breathed voicelessly, almost silent. It was incredible and totally breathtaking. “Admit it, this is totally better than Grayvale.” Yeah, OK, it totally it. And best of all, non of it was grey. Actually that’s not true, there was plenty of grey stone au rond, I jute meat it wasn’t cringe like at Wayvale. We waled up the , following Joshery as he deftly wove right through the maze filled with masses of people. There were dozens and dozens, dozens of them; some wearing mltilaered black uniforms with coloured——red, blue, white, green——detailing, others wearing strange clothing that looked like it culd have been yanken from a high end fashion botique I’ve never heard of(silk leggings, jeweled leather belts, stylish bombers, robes, halter tops, buckled boots, silver-shot gloves, flared too-tone felt coats, tinted glass-shard shades, jeweled gold chains, old-timey pirate tricorner hats, ); they were all worn by allmost all mostly 7 or 8/10s(which was anothe big shock after the flood of gross normie jerks tat I was used too) allthough Joshry and Darek were bascially way chotter then them even, like 10/10. There were also other less cool people mixing in, wearing wht looked like nouveau-medieval renascance clothing, running the shops and businessesses, weeping the cobbelled streets, that kind of thing, and also monkeys.
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Suddenly there was such a beautiful, stunning, shocking view that I stopped mid-tracks and stared right at it for a while. “Beautiful and stunning, right?” Jorshry interpreted, smiling handsosmelly. “Yeah, wow, it like totally totally is!,” I gushed, fangirling a bitty bit. What? Look, you’d do the same shit if you were in my glossy 3-inch Martens, allright? Sue me! Joshry smiled sagely. “Welcome to Evermorne Island, my top dig.” He announced, grabbing the attention from the crowd passing-by. “All this is an iland? (He said yes, it totally was). But Joshery…” I trialed off, unsure. I looked at hi m more seriouslly before speaking up again: “This is all so so wierd! Like, I like it, but this day has been literally like the wierdest thing out of all wierd things, even including Michael Jackson.” I ranted. Meanwhile Joshrey nodded. “Look, I could give you the powerpoint version, but really it’d be way easier if we just waited till we got to the school. Then we’ll have the time and people to explain everything, kay?” I ignored him then, walking over to Derek, who was standing and leaning back cooly against the wall, watching everything in a detached but aware way. His dark eyes widened suddenly when he sas me apporach. “Chlyce…” He murmured. I nodded while speaking: “Look, Joshery wants too wait, but I’ve been literally waiting for like years at this point. Just give it to me, OKay.” Derek rased a perfect eyebrow in a sort of sexy intriguing way, so I also said “Pleeease? Look, if you tell me rn, I promise I’ll stick up for you here, you know, make sure Joshery and his boss don’t kick you out,”, then Derek nodded gravelly and started talking: “Fine, deal. Let’s start simple. You know how you’re teachers attacked us?” Inodded in response. “Yeah.” I confirmed. “Well, guess what. Your teachers aren’t teachers at all, never have been. They’re soemthing else. Something even worse. Incubim.” The word hit me harder then a giant hydrolic hammer powered by a nucklear bomb. Incubim… Incubim? “Incubim?” I repeated, slowly, razing an eyebrow slowly. Derek nodded. “Incubim. Your kind call them something else though. Demons. They’re just like you Chylce——they moved here from far away, somewhere no mortal’s ever been. You guys have a name for that place too.” My brain spun, working overtime. I could practically feel the cogs whirring. Than it clicked. “Hoy shit. You mean…hell?” I extrapolated, agast. Derek nodded again, totally serious, but, just like a broke homeless bum lusting after a luxorious five-star meal, I just couldn’t buy it. “Hell? Demons? What the hell are you talking about?” I sputtured, reeling. Derek looked darkly into my eyes with his own dark gems. “Just that. Hell.” Suddenly Joshery broke in, shoving Derek into the wall with a crack. “Fuck, Derek. She’s obviously upset! You didn’t need to tell her everything at once!” Derek glared daggers right back. “Bullshit I did. She needs to know.” I broke in: “Need to know what? What aren’t you telling me?” Joshery and Derek glanced at each other. “Nothing. It’s not important,” Derek dismissed. “At least, not right now,” Joshery agreed quickly. I huffed in frustration and stomped my Martens, crossing my arms in frustration. Deerk looked sad again and turned away, but Joshery sighed, hadning me a boque of flowers that he bought off a passing elf. I took them reluctantly, using them to shield my face from Joshery so I could make the meanest most vile expression I could contrive at the elf bitch, who had been way to eager to hand Joshery the flowers.
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“Come on Chlyce, ”Joshery smiled softly, giving me a look like “yeah ik this is crazy but just follow me anyway, OK?” So I didid, follow him I mean, up the sone stopes that wound their way up to the final pair of gates, which were huge and made of stone as well. Also I noticed they ad been covered in lots of magical/acient looking markings and ingravings and instep with precious gems and expesnive metal(s) framings, shit like tat. Suddenly the doors, which were like twelve feet tall and cased inside a massive stone entrace area that had been incarved with tonnes and tonnes of carvings and hiroglyphs (and, even, some scuplptors and some gargoiles to as well) swing inwar,d silently, with only the slight creek of wood-and-hinges-to give he movement away. “Come in,” sneers a slimy, silky sort of voice. Then Joshery and me do, Derek to. Inside there was a massive entrance hall that was taller than a Sudanese leg model who blew her life avings on a shitload of hieght extension surgeries in Korea. So like, really tall, but not only that, the entire inside ws supported by grothic pillers, built of stone and wooden beams and decorated with bannars and clothes and tapasptries and even more gorgoiles and other assortments of scultures and tatues (plus lots of bokshelves and candles and chandeleers hung everywhere from rot iron chains, all lighted with strange-coloured flames).
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The whole place glowed with all these defferent lights;: orange-yeellow, blue, purple. The man who had talked to us at the door earlier was apperently a teacher or something (who, by the way, incidenttally, was dark-haired, middle-aged, with black eyes not in a cool way blike Derk but more in a lame creepy pedo type way, he wore three layers of tight jeweled tops and three layers of black glittering robes of varying shade and glitterness all under a final felt overoat, grey with show-straps, and overall he just gave off a nasty vibe that made me cringe and wince. It was kind of like he was trying to hard to be cool and dark but failed cause he was really just a normie teacher although prob a pedophile) cause he gave us a bitty bit of a touere as we followed him to the main hall, which is how I saw so much if you weren’t paying attention. The whole place had a main, central, building that was, mostly, filled by the entrance and also main halls (along with a few other places to) but that connected to a bunch of other outlying buildings. Overall it had a wierd but cool vibe, like a cross between a campus, a lodge, and a olde castle, although magical.“We’ve all been…expecting…you, MR. Joshery.” States the teacher guy slimilly. Then the doors magically swang open and we are greeted by a raoar of noise; panick, suprise, happiness, apathy, its all there. There are a bunch of sudents and a bunch of eachers, although not ass many. The space is super spacious, cieling towering way up above us, the magical lights flicking, massive circular wooden rings set in the stone floor. Meanwhile a really old man strides forward from the other teachers, and holy shit is he old locking. I mean I have nothing against old people really ig but this guy is literally on a hole another level. He’s wearing a fluted double vest——stained cyan with mystical embroideries——over a puffed antiuqee-retro shirt drawn with silver metal strings, meanwhile he’s rocking the oldest stiffest buckle-up clogs youve ever seen in your life as if they were yeezies, over all that sht he’s got a silky see-through robe set with thousands of little diamonds so it glitters magically, a feathered overcoat that’s cut into a coat-of-nine-tails at the bottom (NOT HIS! Eww! I’m not into old men) and raised into a stiff (OMG stop) collar at the top, framing a collection of neckalces, amulates, and jewels that would make David Yerman more jealious then a normie girl watching her out-of-league boyfreind make out with a hotter girl——he’s even got on two or three rings on each finger and snakeskin-pattern leather belts, meanwhile he’s face looked craggier and more wrinkled than thousand-year old leather that’s been used as toilet paper by a immortal man with massively strong asscheeks, only there wasn’t any shit on his face).
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“Hello, hello, hello. Joshery, I see you’ve returned safely indeed. And with some new freinds, I think, yes. Ees. (Joshery explained how we get here, how he found Darek and me trapped together in the sewer) Ah, es. Yes. Good job, Joshery, good job Joshery HOWEVER, I must beg my condolences because I’m frogten my manners. Where are they? (he looked around here, trying to catch someones eye but they all ignored him). Oh yes, right here in front of me (he said, then he took his long spidery fingers and used them to make a snatching gesticulation right at the air, which suddenly made a burst of sparks flass in midiar, startling everyone, and he chuckled). Thou must needs be Chylce, Chlyce Esastellar. I am Sir Solomonon, I am the Headmaster of this Stronghold, and I am also Pleased to Meet You, right at this moment in time, at least. You must needs be feeling moste severely confunded at this current moment in time, shar’nt you not?” The old man adds stridingly. Speaking of tall by the way, Sir Solomonone was that too the tea.; Even although he was old ass shit he must have been like 6’5 easy. “Uh, yeah, that’s me. How did you know?” I conformed. Meanwhile Solomonon nodded wisely, peering down tih his long crooked nose and though his crooked, multi-levelled gold monocles encursted with wizard bling. “Well, I must admit I know many things, especially important ones.” He croaked leatherly. I looked suprised then because usually I’m a really humble person, butt Solomonon shakes his bearded head again. “Oh yes, importanst thou art indeed, indeed, indeed.” Solomonon explained, strongly reminding me of an older and taller Nicolas CAge. Than he spoke up loader, speakin so all the hall could hear him: “Everone, pay attention please, thank you. Yes, thats it now. Jooshery has returnest triumphent, successesful in his Quest! this young lady art, err, is Chylce Esastella!” there was a huge amount of noise then as everone reacted to me. I noticed oost people seemed pretty chill but some people, epecially some gaggle of giggly normie girls that literally gave me PTSD flashbacks of Jenni Lickspit that were all gathered around some faker wearing lots of makeup and expensive clothes. No matter Where you go, I thought to myself, there’s always haters. Meanwhile the teachers and students were congralatuing Joshrey——he seemed popular, ut not to pupolar like to a obtoxious degree, just a little bitty bit. “What’s going on? I guess I’m a student here now?” I esked quietly to Derek, who strangely had been sort of ignored this hwole time. He nodded, but before he could answer Sir Solomonon shat his way into the conversation,: “Yes. Professor Vipus (it turned out Professor Vipus was the doorman form ealrier, the pedophilish one) has informed me of thine story and plight. But worry be unto thee not at all, for be it so, for this here Stronghold was named well inddeed, indeedn indeed. Thou shallt be most sure here, safe indeed from thine wicked adversaries.” Solomonnono suggested slyly, leaning his body over towards us out of nowhere (since he was so tall he could just lean over and have his head right next to us). Instantly I was so reliefed. “That’s like such a relief too here,” I expressed, totally truthfully. At least we’ll be safe from my psycho stalker teachers! “Yeah, right/?/” I answered myself back. But then Solomonon looked at me strangely, almost like he heard me. But then everything was back to normal and he stopped being so wierd.
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“Off course, to join mine esteemed ranks, this here student body, you can’t just show up. You must to take a test first.” Sir Solomon proclaimed loudly. “That’s fine,” I shot back, retorting. “What’s your stupid test? Whatever it is, I accept that shit. Bring it on.” Joshery froze in fear and panic, meanwhile Darek was also laughing in the background. Solomonon nodded sagely, and began stroking his beard although his figners got tangled so much he immediatly gave up.“Great to hear. It’s called The Trial, and it’s very important. Basically you have to win a death tournament.”
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* like not the show the real meaning. Duh.
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