AiE Chapter 1: The Weight Of The World

>>(Wrath (r th, räth) n. 1. Forceful, often vindictive anger.  2. a. Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger. b. Divine retribution for sin.)


>As you lie inside the pool of darkness that is your mind you're clutching your head in agony while being assaulted by thunderous voices.
>"Nothing will save this world..."
"Damn, they're starting up again."
>"Only merciless judgement will pure the scourge that is man"
"Okay...just clear my mind, and they'll go away..."
>You take a deep breath as you clear your mind of the haunting memories that the voices brought back to you.
-----


>Your name is Anonymous and for as long as you can remember you've been able to hear these...voices that relentlessly assault your consciousness.
>It all started when you were a toddler at the age of three, abandoned at a local orphanage by who you assume were your parents; they left a small note that had simply said "Anonymous baby".
>As silly as it may sound, from that day on you were known as Anonymous.
>Around five you started hearing sounds inside your head, being so young they didn't make much sense to you. The odd and random voices would amuse you, and sometimes the low monotone of the voices would even comfort you; however, that peaceful phase of your life wouldn't last long.
>In your pre-teen years you grew to despise the voices that caused you pain and anger; their provacative and manipulative nature drove you towards acts of extreme violence and aggression, as you were only thirteen this was driving you crazy.
>Assuming  you weren't  already insane; since this was obvious to you this wasn't what normal people went through; however you continued to believe this wasn't your mind slowly slipping, but rather an odd sort of possession from birth.
>It wasn't until middle school when you had your first encounter with a bully twice your size that you had your first breakdown. His name was Wallace Feildman and he made it his life's mission to tourture and beat you up. He hadn't known you and you rarely associated with anyone else.
>In fact you never even made eye contact with him or spoke wrongly of anyone else.
>So why?
>Why would he slam your head against lockers everyday?
>Why would he beat you down until you cried?
>Why would he constantly destroy the work you did for your classes?
>Why did he only target you?
>Why?
>Well that's the million fucking dollar question with any bully isn't it?
>One day at lunchtime he sat beside you with a psychotic smile that made your blood run cold. You knew he wanted to hurt you so you did the most logical thing to do in that situation...you got up, and ran like hell.
>Wallace stormed behind you laughing maniacly; you tried your best to stay out of his reach, but the diffrence in size made it easier for Wallace to catch you.
>That's when he caught the back of your head and smashed it against the wall; creating a large cut that strayed across your right temple.
>The large aggressor held you down and quickly dragged you in a nearby bathroom; after slamming your head against the wall again he repeatedly smashed his fist into you skull.
>Blow, after blow, after blow, after blow succeeded in further disfiguring your face. Through broken teeth and busted lips you begged, through black eyes and bloodied vision you cried, and through the unbearable pain and urge to go into shock you pleaded with him to have mercy on you; to leave you alone so you could salvage what little bit of sanity you had left between his physical beating, and the mental beating of the voices; but he wouldn't stop.
>He then showed you one of the dirtiest, ugliest smiles that he could possibly muster on his face twisted in sickening joy.
>It was at that moment that everything had slowed down, and the voices that were screaming in your ears had become deathly silent.
>Then everything started going dark...
-----

>When you regained your senses your body felt like it was on fire; you were weak, and your head felt like it had been split in two.
>Though you felt surprisingly calm as the voices were completely silent, and that was something you weren't used to experiencing.
>Its only when you glanced up at the surrounding people that you realised something was wrong.
>They were screaming and looking at you with horrified faces; it was strange because their mouths were wide open and moving, but you could hear absolutely nothing escape their lips.
>You moved your hands and notice a warm liquid all over both of them.
>A red warm liquid that was dripping from your soaked fingers.
>This was blood.
>Blood that was dripping from your soaked fingers.
>Blood that was not your own.
>You lift your head up to see Wallace proped up against the wall; covered in blood, and behind him a list of words written with his own blood that reads:
>Extortion x46
>Assault x29
>Theft x16
>Attempted Murder x1
>Each of these crimes however were crossed of with a line of Wallace's blood going straight through the middle.
>You sat there; frozen in pain and fear, and completely unaware of what you had done.
>This was your first breakdown, but the voices say this was your first purge.
>It was straight to the hospitals and facilities after that fiasco.
>Wallace wasn't dead; although he had his arms broken in forty six different  places, and his legs were stabbed twenty nine times; he had sixteen teeth smashed out, and had a long laceration going across his face.
>Wallace would never harm another person again, or be able to get around without the aid of a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
>The incident was covered up in exchange for your freedom, as doctors ran countless 'experiments' on you.
-----


>You crack your eyes open to find yourself sprawled on your couch with a colt 45 in one hand,  and for some reason a flawless red jewel in the other.
>"What the hell?"  You think to yourself as you hold the red jewel up into the sunlight that seeped in through the blinds over your couch. The jewel had a hexagonal dimension, and was razor sharp around the edges.
>When the sunlight hit the jewel it almost seemed to glow a dazzling red with an orange tint that made the jewel seem like it was on fire.
>You continued to stare at the jewel while passing it through you fingers, wondering how you ended up with it in the first place.
>Last night was an enigma, as all you could remember was stumbling into your apartment and passing out.
>As you glance at the digital clock next to your bed you see it was 7:38am.
>You still had about an hour before you had to go to work, but from the ranting of the voices you figure the possibility of rest is relatively low. >While sighing you rise from your couch and make your way to the shower.
>Small whispers can still be heard throughout your consciousness; faint enough to be undecipherable, but loud enough to be acknowledged.
>After a quick jump in the shower and change of clothes you glance down at the peculiar red jewel that you mysteriously came onto possession of.
>Something about it made you uneasy; it almost seemed too perfectly made to be real. You pick the jewel up and drop it in your pocket before grabbing your coat and opening the front door.
>Figuring out where it came from would have to wait.
>Taking one last look back into your small living quarters, you sigh and say to yourself "one day I wont have to live in such a dump..." before closing the door and locking it.
>The irony of that statement never dawned on you until you realised that was the last time you ever saw your apartment.
-----

>"Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth,  as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen."
>While making your way Downtown you can hear a priest from a church reading scriptures from a Christian bible.
>As you glance up to look at the man you notice that he has ghost white eyes that you can only make the pupils and outlines out from, and his hair was also pure white as well.
>"Man it looks like somebody went crazy with some bleach" you think to yourself; although, the more you look at it, the more natural it seems.
>However what seemed to stand out most about the man was a silver cross necklace that hung around his chest. The edges were illuminated in the sunlight, which seemed to make the whole cross look as if it where really blessed.
>The gray jewel in the middle was flawless, but there was a dark shadow in the middle of the jewel in which not even the sun could shine light on.
>This sent a feeling of dread through you for some reason; like the jewel didn't belong on him, or on anyone else for that matter.
>"What troubles you my son?"
"Huh?"
>"You seem lost"
>It was only at that point did you realize you had been standing there in a daze looking at the necklace, still disoriented you can only mumble "what?" and "huh?".
>The priest notices you locked on the necklace and quickly tucks it away out of sight; after a good five minutes you seem to snap out of it.
"Damn, my head..."
>"Are you alright my son?"
>You were about to reply when someone suddenly grabs your collar and places a hard and cold piece of metal against your right temple.
>You glance to your right to see a .9mm glued to the side of your face, and a tall medium sized man with a black ski mask, and a flawless diamond ring around his finger looking at you before saying "alright kid cooperate with me for a few minutes and we can both get the fuck on with our lives".
>Before you can say anything he shouts to the top of his lungs "ALRIGHT YOU PIGS , STOP RIGHT FUCKING THERE OR I PAINT THE DAMN SIDEWALK WITH THIS KIDS BRAINS!!!"
>Taking a look up from the gun attached to your head you notice ten police officers and a sherif a few feet away standing in a line holding guns with ragged breath.
>They looked like they've been chasing this guy for awhile now, and are nearing exhaustion from the excessive running.
>"LET GO OF THE HOSTAGE AND SURRENDER THE MONEY DIRTBAG!" the sheriff shouts while pointing his gun at the two of you. >"YOU WOULDNT SHOOT A INNOCENT HOSTAGE WOULD YOU!?" the masked man says while slowly retreating and dragging you alongside.
>The sheriff steps forward and motions for the rest of his men to stand down, the first one on his right slowly lowered his gun and the rest followed suit.
>As the sheriff makes his way towards you, he sighs and shakes his head before speaking.
>Sheriff(S): "Son, Have you ever heard of a hero?"
"Ummm... what?"
>S: "A hero is an individual who's willing to sacrifice themselves to keep the lives of their fellow man safe; now let me ask you this: Are you willing to make that honorable sacrifice?"
"What!? HELL NO!"
>S: "You would be remembered greatly as the god loving American hero that stopped crime, and served an international criminal justice".
"Are you deaf!? I SAID DON'T SHOOT ME!"
>S: "There would be a silver plaque and an American flag that sways gently in the wind placed by your grave."
>Criminal(C): "Hey! Don't talk the hostage into dying for you assholes; you're supposed to be negotiating with ME!!"
>Cop 1(C 1): "Well if it we're me I know I would make the sacrifice for my country sir."
>Cop 2(C 2): "Stop kissing the sheriff's ass Marty."
"WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS!? HELP ME!!!"
>Cop 3(C 3): "We don't have to kill the kid; we just need to shoot them through their vitals so that he and the criminal  would both bleed to death in a matter of minutes. THEN we save the kid, and let the criminal die."
>C 2: "I like that idea, that way the kid at least has a chance to live."
>C: "Wow... what the fuck?"
>S: "Guys you're all going about this the wrong way, we shoot him through the heart so he can die like an american hero. That way we can be sure to kill the criminal along with him"
> C 1: "How about we just have the sheriff close his eyes and shoot; that way fate decides who lives and dies?"
>S: "I like the sound of that... like one those action movies were the bullet will mysteriously curve, and hit the criminal leaving the hostage alive."
>C 2:  "SIR! The criminal and hostage have dissapeared!!"
>S: "..."
>C 1: "...."
>C 2: "..."
>C 3: "...."
>S: "Well now that's just plain rude...."
-----

>You're currently sitting in the back of a car that the masked man smashed the window out of and hotwired while the cop's were arguing.
>Now the two of you are speeding through town; narrowly avoiding collisions as the car rounds each curve.
>This man was clearly insane as he seemed to be casually laid back in the drivers seat, and even makes conversation with you as if you two were freinds talking inside of a supermarket.
>Criminal(C): "Sorry for dragging you into this kid, but if I don't get this money into the right hands I'm a dead man."
"Look can I please just go? I didn't see anything and I don't know anything"
>C: "Sure, but its gonna cost ya..."
>Realization hit you as  you notice he was looking at your pockets.
"So on top of holding me hostage and kidnapping me; you're also gonna rob me?"
>C: "Pretty much"
"Wow..."
>After giving your wallet up to the masked man he passes it back to you after emptying it of all it's cash.
>While scowling at the man that just robbed you of your hard earned money you start to feel a sharp pain in the back of your head.
>"This human is scum; greed has rotted his soul black."
"Shit... just my luck"
>The constant throbbing causes you to clutch your head and moan in pain. The voices have started back up and the timing couldn't have been fucking better.
>"Destroy this man...he is nothing but evil."
>"Man cannot learn anything...he will only take again..."
"Ughh..."
>The masked man breaks your attention away from your internal struggle by shouting "ALRIGHT KID ITS BEEN A PLEASURE, BUT HERES YOU STOP!'
>Suddenly he slams on the breaks and turns the car sharply; causing you to crash through the passenger door onto the sidewalk.
>As you hit your head on the sidewalk you hear a sickening crunching sound before blacking out.
-----

>As you regained consciousness you shoot up; remembering the events that have transpired. This was a horrible idea, for as soon as you sat up quickly you nearly passed out again from your newly acquired head wound.
>From the amount of pain you're feeling you're pretty sure you fractured the side of your skull. Long gashes were burning the side of your face while droplets of blood were slowly running down the edge of your cheek before plummeting onto the ground.
>Turning your head slowly you can make out a slender figure sitting beside you; a homeless man with a stained black shirt and ragged blue jeans with holes in the knees. His head was hanging down facing the floor, and as he snored loudly a small trail of drool slowly formed at the side of his lip.
>You noticed dried blood on the tip of the man's fingers then at where you were laying, it was small abandoned building with holes in the floor and trash everywhere.
>Nailed up boards blocked the windows from where previous intruders smashed the glass in order to get inside. Cracks traced the corners of the building and branched off into different directions, and different  obscenities can be made out from the graffiti spray painted onto the walls.
>"You.. finally.. awake?.."
>Turning to the homeless man you see he raised his head to look at you.
>He had dark circles that covered his eyes, and he wore a tired and pained expression on his face. His voice sounded cracked as he spoke in a slow monotone; it was as if he were mulling over each word in his head before speaking.
"Yeah, thanks for moving me out of the street."
>"Uh.. huh.."
"Ummm here, its not much but this is all the change I have left."
>You reach inside your pocket; grabbing the last of your currency the masked man had spared you, and set it beside the homeless man.
>"Much.. appreciated.."
"Thank you again, sorry but I gotta get to a hospital to get this treated."
>You sit up with pained effort and slowly make it to your feet;  while holding your head with your right hand you stagger towards the door and open it.
>Before closing the door behind you loud snoring can be heard from where the homeless man sat.
>"Must be tired" you think to yourself as you head down the stairs and walk away.
>You didn't notice the small silver necklace with a blue flawless jewel that was hanging from the homeless man's neck as he snored loudly inside of the old abandoned building.
-----

>You look up at the sky that was once clear and warm that had now been darkened by oncoming storm clouds. Soft thunder can be heard rumbling in the distance as droplets of water began hitting the cold and dry sidewalk.
>You keep your head down as you walk to avoid eye contact with the people who were staring at your injuries and blood stained clothing.
>Your head felt like nails were being slowly forced into the base of your skull. You felt like a wreck; so many things had gone wrong today aside from the usual bullshit.
>After walking a couple of blocks you had to sit down for a minute to regain your strength, as you felt light headed from the continuous loss of blood. Spotting an empty bus stop with a shelter you make your way to it while limping and swaying slightly.
>The light drizzle from earlier has now escalated into a heavy downpour, as treaks of white lightning can be seen blazing across the sky before dissapearing behind the stormclouds.
>You're surprised as you hear your phone ring, having thought it was destroyed by the impact. As you pick the phone up you see an incoming call from Frank Deguallo.
>Frank was your boss who agreed to let you work under the table at the convience store; he was fair but strict, and didn't like excuses.
>You grimace at the thought of the conversation ahead of you as you press the talk button.
"Hello?"
>"Anonymous I think I have been more than tolerant of your lazy conduct..."
"I know sir, but-"
>"Please don't interrupt me Mr. Anonymous,  as I was saying your flawed attitude towards your job and lack of effort to even call in has forced me to fire you."
"But sir I -"
>"You can come collect your last payment, and it's been a pleasure knowing you Mr. Anonymous."
>The phone had clicked off before you could even state your excuses to your boss.
"Fuck..."
-----

>Your name is Anonymous, and in one day you've managed to be held hostage, kidnapped, robbed, severely injured, and fired over the course of four hours.
>That job was the only thing keeping your rent paid so you could live in this god forsaken town, and just like that they cut you off and moved on to the next person.
>Regardless of how many hours of your life you whittled away, or how you had to force yourself to smile for the assholes that trodded in and out of that shitty store.
>Now what would you do? You had no income now, and nobody to call for help.
>Nowhere to go, and nowhere to return to.
>Defeated emotionally and physically, you can't muster any strength to move your body at all.
>All you can do is sit on the bench, stranded at the edge of town, and watch the rain pour down.
>Why you?
>Why did your life just seem worse than everyone else's?
>You had no parent's, and only one friend you assume was dead.
>While everyone else had families and friends to help support them.
>Anger began to well up inside you, life was just too cruel to you sometimes. The phone in your hand shattered under the pressure of your hands grip that was turning a shade of red.
>The voices in your head were screaming now, but you couldn't find anything to calm yourself down with, and in your current mental state you'd probably welcome a breakdown.
>You were tired of it all..
>The pain of being alone.
>The empty life you strived to get.
>Having to fight for the right to even be free.
>You were just sick and tired of this whole damn world.
>???: "Then grab the jewel and shatter it."
>You turn your head to see a man in a red hooded cloak with a black dragon going up the right sleeve.
>His facial features were hidden inside of his attire, and his voice sounded like two people talking in unison.
"Who are you? And how did you know what I was thinking?"
>???: "It doesn't matter who I am or how I know the things I know, but what does matter is what your decision is..."
"Look, stop wasting my time buddy"
>The man laughed deeply at your last comment, as if you had said something hilarious to him.
>???: "Time? Look around you my friend! You have all the time in the world!"
>You realize what he meant when you take a look at your surroundings.
>Everything around you has completely stopped and the only ones unaffected by the mysterious anomaly were you, and the hooded man.
>Even the rain and wind ceased to move, the site was very disturbing to you.
>???: "Aren't you tired of living in such a cold and cruel world?"
"So what if I am?"
>???: "Hear me out... What if I said that there was a world out there that wasn't anything like the world we live in? No killing, no wars, no crime, and everyone was treated kindly and fairly. Even someone like you; who would look nothing like them, would be accepted and treated almost like family, but I guess an orphan wouldn't know anything about that."
"Heh, you and I both know that's bullshit. Even if such a world existed aside from our own it wouldn't be as perfect as you're describing it."
>???: "Well since my explanation seems so flawed and unrealistic for you, why don't you go and see for yourself?"
"And if I refuse?"
>The hooded man simply shrugged his shoulders and pointed at your head injury.
>???: "The choice is entirely yours, however we are currently in a space where time doesn't move forwards or backwards; which is why you haven't been feeling any pain. As soon I release this space you'll bleed to death on a matter of fourty five minutes. In fact the only reason you can see me is because your body is in a near death state."
"I don't trust you....but you're probably right about the head injury;  so I have a question for you: Why me?"
>The strange hooded man cocked his head slightly to the left and shrugged his shoulders before replying "why not?" and dissolved into nothing before your very eyes.
>Suddenly the pain from your injuries returned and seemed worse than before.
>The rain started to pour and the wind was blowing hard again.
>You would of thought what you just experienced was an illusion or hallucination created by your mind, but this wasn't your first encounter with something abnormal.
>After all, you aren't exactly normal yourself.
>So now you have the ember colored jewel in your hand as you stare intently at it. You didn't trust the man, but you did know your body enough to realize you weren't gonna make it to the hospital in time to stop the bleeding.
>Your head felt dizzy and you vision was starting to blur as you held the rare jewel up and tightened your grip on it.
>If you were probably gonna die anyway you might as well play along you figure.
>With one last sigh you tightened your grip until the jewel crumbled under the pressure.
-----

On the top of a nearby building a red hooded figure looks down and watches carefully as Anonymous crushes the jewel and screams in agony as his body was engulfed in flames.
People near him were running and screaming as he flails around trying to put the flames out until his screams stop, and nothing but the crackling of the fire can be heard as he was burnt alive until nothing remained.
>???: "Be grateful Anonymous; for those are the flames of hatred you have been blessed with, and they will serve you well against the others in the utopia known as Equestria."
The hooded man gets up and stretches before walking away and dissapearing into the distance.
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End Of Chapter 1: The Weight Of The World