1 Illusions and Delusions

Slowly, they trudged through the foul snow. How obnoxious. Terrible climate and bleak, hopeless, lifeless terrain. In this god-forsaken forest, it seemed only the monsters dared to dwell; any humans either had the instinct to stay the fuck away, or died, mutilated and devoured by the evil dwellers of the dark forest. It was the worst place one could find themselves in the slumber, especially as a new rester. Rester haha…what irony. No one could afford to rest in a place like this; in a hell like this.

Every steady step could be your last. After all, how could you know what was beneath the white sludge? A trap? Not likely, but possible. While many people may find themselves believing the creatures that dwell in this realm are mindless savages due to propaganda or the simple fact the truth may drive you to insanity, many of them were dangerously intelligent. Once one surpassed the ranking of Demon, the limit of possibility was shattered.

'I…fucking hate this damned world' he raged inwardly.

It'd been days since he'd eaten, his strength waning with each passing moment. Gradually, glimmers of hope were crushed by the shadows of the dark forest. When was the last time light had shone into his eyes? He wondered. In this forsaken world, not even light could reach him. Fourteen days it had been since he found himself here. Not a single living human he had encountered in this nightmare. Only monsters…and that sweetness had left him days ago now. How long ago? He attempted to count on his fingers, yet his tired mind could not keep up. Honestly, now, he didn't even wish to see a human being appear. That was the last thing he wanted. Could he dare be seen in such a sorry state? Or even worse, could he manage to restrain himself from devouring them on sight? A terrible scene appeared in his mind.

Recently, he had begun to see things in the shadows…hallucinations; dark figments of his imagination. Some were manifestations of his desires for a meal…just one simple meal. However, others were much darker and much more twisted than anyone could imagine. Full conversations seemed to break through his dreams and into reality. Or I suppose that was exactly what this was. After all, in the real world, he was now simply sleeping in a sort of hibernation state. If anyone saw his sleeping body, they'd be tricked into thinking he was fine right now. No. He was anything but fine.

Snow was his only way to hydrate. However, something seemed frighteningly off about the snow. Actually, it was around the time he'd begun eating the snow that all the illusions began to take over his mind. Around the time he began eating his…no, now was not the time to dwell on such matters. Although, at that moment, he suddenly threw up onto the snow. The repugnant vomit was shallow, he even felt somewhat ashamed of how little vomit he managed to release.

"Damned world" he cursed, his voice raspy and hoarse.

Back when he first showed signs of falling into the slumber, he was honestly glad. The real world felt like a prison to someone like Lex; someone who desired war. Finding out he would soon be traversing a world of freedom where he was locked down by no laws or legeslations, he was thrilled. Yet now, he looked back with a dark expression. His pale, starved face grimaced. How foolish he had been. How moronic. A world where he could simply unleash his rage on foul beasts that should never exist? A lawless world with no chains to drag him down? How could such a place exist without a twist. Of course, now he could only laugh at his former self, only inwardly however, if he attempted to laugh outwardly his throat would only writhe in pain.

'Now…I just wish I could fucking go home. Become a warrior? Haha. What a stupid dream. It seems I will not even die a worthy death in battle. Either the cold or this hunger will take me out. Not long now. Not long..'

He winced. Death was coming, and all he could do was wait.

Suddenly, a small figure appeared before him, as if out of nowhere. A hallucination? How grim. Is this where he dies? Looking at a silhouette of a false hope; a fabricated reality. A long, torturous death to both the bitter cold and raging hunger? It seemed it was true what they said about this world; it knew exactly how to break someone.

"Just kill me already…I'm sick and tired of this forsaken land" he mumbled.

In the distance, the dark figure become larger and larger, suddenly becoming clearer and clearer. Now, it wasn't a simple silhouette. No, it was a human; a small young man with white hair and a cheery grin. What was odd was his left arm…it was cybernetic. Lex recognised the model; ester. It's trademark blue alloy gave that away. Cybernetics were incredibly rare…so was a human in this twisted labyrinth. He chuckled.

'How odd. Such a strange illusion. Such a weird end. Oh well…life wasn't too bad'

"Are you alright? You look lost" a joyful voice called out.

Lex stared motionless.

'Hearing things now? How fun. It seems death is squeezing out what is left of my sanity' he spat.

"Hello? Wait…you aren't a monster, right?" the young man asked, retreating a little.

Lex sighed.

"Why would a monster tell you that, fool. Argh…how can a figment of my imagination be so dim" Lex said.

The young man seemed confused. After that, he kept his guard up. Still, he slowly approached. Observing the man before him, he was of average stature, well-built yet seemed oddly vascular, his face was malnourished, as though he hadn't eaten in an eternity. Yet, as he checked the man's arm, he took a step back in horror. There was a chunk missing, seeming chewed away by a monster. Yet the bite mark seemed too small, too human.

"What happened to your arm?" he gasped.

Lex looked at the young man with a dull expression. What happened to his arm? He wasn't sure. It'd been a long time since he'd gotten any sensation from it. Now, it was impossibly numb. Tilting his head, he observed his arm, noticing the ghastly bite wound that revealed the muscle beneath it. Ah right…he'd accidentally eaten it while entranced in one of his illusions.

"I ate it. I was…not exactly sane at the time. Even now…I mean I'm seeing you aren't I? No human enters this forest. Not unless they are courting death" Lex spoke nonchalantly.

The dim young man was taken aback. Eaten his arm? What type of insanity? How long had the man been in this forest? Now, the only thought in his mind was to get the hell out of the mysterious forest.