Fantasy A New Kind of Wonderland

[StarryKnights]

It had all happened so fast. One minute she was just walking across the street...
Next thing she knew, there was the loud screeching of tires, and the shouts of somebody nearby. Annalise looked to her left, eye widening in horror as she saw the truck barreling toward her.
She caught a glimpse of the panicked driver right before the sound of twisted, crunching metal over took her.
Everything went pitch black.

"Isn't there something you can do!? Annalise's mother stares helplessly at the doctor, the man held a clipboard and his expression was one of sorrow.
"...I'm sorry ma'am...but we've done all we can for her".
"Bullshit!" The woman cried and slammed her fist onto the table. She sat there, fuming at the bedside of her unconscious daughter. If not for her husband, who placed his hands on her shoulders, she might've swung on him.
"She's been asleep for two weeks, YOU said she'd wake up!" The woman was yelling now, but through it all the doctor remained calm.
I understand ma'am...but these things aren't always so simple. With the amount of head trauma your daughter sustained...it...it is a miracle she is even alive at all. We will keep monitoring her condition, but for the moment, there is nothing we can do".
Annalise's mother broke down in tears, her baby was hurting and there wasn't a thing she could do about it...

Annalise drifted along an ever expanding sea of darkness. She felt nothing here. No pain, no hunger, no cold no thirst. Nothing but the bone chilling feeling of being utterly alone. She couldn't even speak, when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. Yet her thoughts echoed in the vast empty space.
Where am I...? What happened? Where is everybody?
The only response she ever got was her own voice echoing back to her.

Zaxs

 

[Zaxs]

The day was overcast and not a single hole in clouds to let the sun peak through and shed some light on this dark grim world, as a man with a mask with two dark dots for eyes and a wicked wide smile poorly drawn onto it. It gave off a very creepy atmosphere. The mans name was Zaxs as he began to walk along a dirt path. The path was littered with trash, garbage, and other small bits of rubble from rocks. The path lead to a river which was nearly black with dirt and who knows what. The man walked down stream along the shore for a while, a good mile away from the dirt path he was on previously.

He suddenly stopped when he stumbled across a girl laying nearby the river, the ends of her hair in the water while the rest of her laid across the sand towards the Zaxs. He walked over to the girl and gave a somewhat wicked laugh.
"Well she is pretty, wonder what her story is?"
The girl had long pink hair that came down past her shoulders though now it was somewhat soaked in water. She had a very young face that looked to be maturing still, maybe she was around the age of an adult? Maybe just turning into one. Who knew, though one thing Zaxs did know was that he need to wake her up. He could just leave her out here, but that wasn't right. So he knealt down a bit and tapped the girls shoulder trying to wake her, he even shook her a bit as he whispered softly.
"Hey wake up? You can't just sleep here, unless you are asking to get messed with."

 

[StarryKnights]

Nghhhh.
Annalise's eyes cracked open as she felt something moving her. And her head felt wet and heavy to. What was happening? What was going on. As her eyes opened all she saw was more murky darkness and for a second she thought she was still lost, drifting in that dark sea of nothingness.
It wasn't until she registered the voice of another that the girl stirred.
"W-where...?" she spoke, softly, her voice hoarse from lack of use. Her eyes widened as she realized she was nearly face down in what had to be water, judging from how cold it was and the fact it was gently moving around her.
The girl sat up and wiped at her face, staining the sleeve of her sweater dark with the murky water. "W-where am I...". the girl spoke softly, her eyes remained glued to the ground.

Her head felt like it was in a vice, moving it up or side to side just made her feel sick. Still though, she wasn't alone...she couldn't have imagined that voice. "Who's there...?".
She looked up slowly, her bangs fell into her eyes and stuck to her wet face, but she paid it no mind.
"W-what's going on?" her gaze settled on the figure at her side.
A figure she'd never seen before.
Her eyes went wide with fear as she registered this, and she scrambled back, away from the person.
"W-what do you want with me!?"

 

[Zaxs]

Oh the smile he had was about as wide as the one poorly drawn onto his mask. The girl suddenly scrambling back and away from Zaxs not only that she backed up into the water more so now her hands and back of her pants were now wet too. He couldn't contain it anymore and had to laugh, small spurts escaped his lips before he began to cackle. His head tilting back as he gazed up into the air still laughing, slowly it began to calm down and his gaze met the girls, as he made the gesture of wiping a tear from his mask and his laughter stopped.
"My my, it seems you are a very skittish girl if you got scared by a measly mask with a poor drawn smile.It is almost as if you have seen a monster."

Slowly he began to take small steps towards the girl.
"But let me tell you now, I am much worse then any monster you have seen or heard of. My very existence is to cause trouble to those I meet, so seeing as you are new to the...riverbed. I feel it is my obligation....to.."
He started to giggle a bit maliciously as he got closer and closer to the girl, his feet splashing as he began to take bigger steps to trudge through the shallow water. His laughter getting a bit louder as he approached. His mask began to look distorted, the eyes dripping with a dark liquid almost like ink. His smile becoming crooked and growing wider even begging to pass his eyes.
"Help you!"
Suddenly his face was back to normal and he stood in front of the girl holding his hand out, his laughter can still be heard. But it was more kept and less dastardly and malicious sounding then before. It sounded joyful now.

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise's eyes widened as the man spoke, his face contorting into something straight out a nightmare. She didn't scream though, she just closed her eyes and covered her head with her hands protectively, waiting for whatever this thing planned to do with her. her heart raced in her chest and for a few seconds she sat there, frozen, waiting for a blow that never came.
She cracked her eyes open and lowered her arms hesitantly as the...thing finished.
"...H-help me...?" she looked up at the figure with wide, confused eyes.
It laughed at her...and had a hand outstretched.
After a moment she took it, and stood. Her clothes were soaked now, and she shivered a little.

"...Y...you haven't answered my question". She spoke in a soft, meek voice. "Who are you...w-where am I...I don't...".
For the first time she looked around, and nothing she saw looked familiar. The muddled black river and its shore were a complete mystery. "how did I...get here...e-everything was just dark before...".
if she thought to hard about it he head would begin to ache, and that was the last thing she needed.
her gaze moved back to the strange thing before her.
She was fairly certain it was a person...a person with a strange mask with a face. Though the nightmarish display from before was still fresh in her mind, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
Though he was a stranger, it was just nice to see someone.
"My name is Annalise...what's yours?"

 

[Zaxs]

Annalise took Zaxs hand as he helped her stand on her two feet, her clothes soaked and the dry spots began to slowly become wet from the water dripping down. Her hair was a mess and now her clothes were. Zaxs began to take off his jacket revealing his grey undershirt as he handed it towards the girl, it was dry and still warm from his body. So it would at least keep her from freezing and help soak up a bit of the water.
"Who am I? Hmm good question I often wonder that myself, sometimes I feel like I am the scum of this earth and the...trick I pulled on you proves that. Though other times I feel like I am nice and can be genuinely caring. As me giving you my jacket and helping you up from the river has proven."
He tilted his head back and forth and placed his palm on his chin, to show him thinking. You'd guessed he is not one for expressions so he must make his actions loud so others might understand. He began to laugh again before taking his hand away.
"I guess you could say I am in between. As most people are, though some stray farther left then they do right and that causes calamity not just for themselves but for others. You will find this out soon."

Instead of a straight answer he gave Annalise a riddle, or something like a philosophy lesson?
"As for how did you get here, I assume from the river. The river is almost completely dark if you were to dive under you couldn't see past your nose. I heard it clears up every once in a while, but who knows when and why?"
He suddenly perked his head up and seemed to space out for a moment, before taking the girls hand and walking back the way he came, up the river bed.
"Me I do not matter, but my name is Zaxs if you are so curious to know. Though now that you know, I feel as though it is time for you to come with me and explore. Maybe you can even help me find something? As two heads are better then one, though two heads can take longer to make a decision then one can."
Again with the strange talk and the lesson? You assumed that is what he was telling you, a lesson or some kind of advice. Who knows with this strange guy.

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise cocked her head to the side, confused by this strange...man, and his mannerisms. At least, she assumed it was a man, he looked human...outside of the mask.
"Oh...t-thank you". she offered him a smile as she zipped the hoodie up over her wet clothes. It helped fend off her shivers as it was surprisingly warm. It seemed he wasn't going to give her a straight answer on who he was. Annalise didn't fully understand what he was talking about... Of course all people were capable of good...and evil. Annalise liked to believe people were inherently good...and would at least try to do the right thing. She couldn't help but smile at the strange man as he prattled on.
"...Well...given you've helped me...I suppose that means you lean more toward the uh..." she thought for a second. "The...right side?" she pointed to the right, that was the good side right?
She supposed it didn't really matter. She looked to the murky river waters with a frown. "...But...how did I end up in the river...I...I don't even like swimming".
She shook her head, confused. None of this made any sense...

She looked back to the man and smiled as he introduced himself. "Zaxs...? It's nice to meet you...oh...". she blinked in surprise as he took her hand and started leading her away.
"W-where are we going?" she spoke, looking to him confused. "...And what are you looking for?"
A part of her was worried, going off with some stranger was a less than good idea. But on the other half of things, she had no idea where she was, how she'd gotten here and how she was going to get home. Sticking with someone who might know at least one of those things was better than wandering around alone.
Zaxs was...eccentric to say the least, but he seemed harmless enough. Annalise got the feeling if he wanted to hurt her...he would've done it by now. Maybe it was the creepy face on his mask, but something about the man kept her on her toes.
But since there was no one else around to ask for help, the girl felt staying with him was her best course of action.
"Zaxs...where are we...where is...well...". she looked around and motioned to the area. "All of this?"

 

[Zaxs]

His grip tightened around the girls as they began to climb a small mountain of rocks, it was a bit hard which is why he held her hand tighter and helped her over the rocks.
"You speak a lot of questions, have you not formed answers from what you asked already? By now I would have given several as to how I ended up in the river. Then again I make everything into a question cause everything should have an answer."
He placed a finger on his chin again.
"Though I suppose miracles tend to lack answers, even magic has somewhat a reasonable reasoning."
He continued to question himself as mumbles and whispers can be heard from him. He began to slow his pace when he was trying to answer his own response. The two of them were walking down a dirt path which soon began to become paved with stone. It was winding across hills, behind rocks, and a few time through trees, where Zaxs insisted on following the path and climbing over the tree.

The path seemed to lead to know where as the girl looked over the horizon and not end was in sight. Though when she looked around and lost sight of the path ahead, suddenly they had arrived at a small town. Stone walls five stories high, a gate as high as the walls and once they were past the gate a market place with no one in it but a random sales man. He seemed to be selling...buttons? Though they looked a bit disturbed, with graphic images of peoples corpses so clear it also seemed to be dripping with blood! One of the buttons also had a torn piece of cloth on it.

 

[StarryKnights]

The two climbed up a large pile of rocks, Annalise managed to avoid slipping and falling thanks to Zaxs's help. She frowned as the masked man seemed to make fun of her.
"...I..." her gaze moved downward. "...I don't know...I can't think of any logical reason for me to be here...I;m sorry if I'm annoying you...".
Annalise had no idea where "here" even was. It clearly wasn't her hometown...it felt like she was in an entirely new dimension, where things were totally backwards. Her eyes widened as Zaxs mentioned magic.
Maybe that was what had brought her here? Normally that would've been silly, but given all that had happened...
"Magic...maybe that brought me here...I mean..." she sighed. "I have nothing else to go off of so...".
The two were walking along a strange path, which took them from unpaved, to stone and then over trees. Annalise had no clue where they were going, as she looked around she didn't see anything in the distance.

Or at least she didn't at first. As she turned back around she suddenly found the two of them were standing in a walled in town.
The sudden transition made her jump and she squeezed Zaxs's hand nervously.
"Where did all this come from...?"
She asked, looking around confused. Her gaze settled on the man and his buttons, she felt a shiver run down her spine as he turned and offered her a smile.
She moved to the Zaxs's other side, semi hiding behind him as they walked past.
"...Zaxs...what are we doing here...?".
Once again, Annalise had no idea where here was... but she did know she didn't like this place.

 

[Zaxs]

Reaching the walls he gave Annalise an answer.
"No you do not not annoy me. It is just that you falter in what I have practiced. I see everything outside the box or...I guess as if there were no borders. You see the river is tainted in black, perhaps as it is dirty with filth or worse. Maybe souls, then again it can be dye or even something as silly as black water naturally flowing from a source."
He began to laugh at the idea of colored water flowing down the river.
"Then again...this place doesn't seem to make sense, right Annalise?"
His palmed covered the mouth drawn onto his mask, and he can be heard spurting out air trying to contain his laugh you would assume. But that changed once she accepted the idea of magic possibly bringing her here.
"There we go! See now you are exploring realms that people dare not pass for they may be ridiculed, isolated, or worse."

Zaxs was so fixated on his question that he didn't even realize they were in the market area until Annalise step behind him.
"Hmm? Oh we are here? Well this is the market, where you can purchase some sense."
He began to laugh, unable to stop himself this time his loud cackle can be heard from outside the large walls if anyone was listening. Tears began to flow from under his mask and down his neck, as he continued. It took a good minute before he began to settle down and wipe the water marks that had formed on his skin.
"No but look around Annalise? Don't you see there is more to everything?"
As he said that the pins seemed to come together the disturbing images made a story of a peoples lives before they met the river, the one with the cloth was covering the button though the color seemed familiar as it matched Zax's jac.. before the thought can be processed Zaxs had bought the button and placed it in his pocket.
"Well that seemed like an easy deal. Want to look around more? I am sure there is more to find if you look hard enough and in the right places."

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise couldn't help but stare bewildered at Zaxs as he went on his little rant. To say this man was bouncing off the wall was an understatement, the more he talked, the more Annalise was convinced that he was completely mad. Mad or not though, he was the only person in this bizzare world she felt she could trust...though when he...acted out like this it made her question even that. As he burst into his laughter fit she took his advice and looked around, more to avoid gawking at him than anything.
Don't you see there is more to everything?
What was that even supposed to mean? Thing were the way they were...Annalise didn't often read between the lines. Things were fairly black and white for her...least they were back where she was from...which she was certain was a far simpler place.
But where...where was that place exactly? And why couldn't she remember...?
As her mind began to drift she caught sight of the buttons once again, she watched transfixed as the images on them seemed to play out the lives of the people they showed.
One in particular looked...so very familiar.

The twisted slideshow was quick, it showed a young woman crossing the street...and then being ran over by a car. Seeing it play out made a light flash in Annalise's eyes, as the events that lead to her hospitalization hit her like a ton of bricks.
"...Accident...I...I..I was...". she pointed to the button, which was next to the button obscured by a familiar swatch of cloth.
"...I was in a car accident...I...was just trying to cross the street and...". she shook her head and then held it as pain shot through it. She didn't remember much after that...just...floating in the darkness...floating further and further away from everything. The girl was shaking again, as she opened her eyes she turned to the strange, masked man.
"...A-am I dead...is...is this place...some kind of...after life I...I don't understand...".
She didn't feel dead...she could feel her heart going a mile a minute in her chest.

 

[Zaxs]

The scene Zaxs had grabbed was his own though he did not bother to watch it he did know it was his own button that he tried to hide. He watched Annalise and saw her begin to shutter as though she was struck by a cold sinking feeling. He knew what had happened to her and he moved his hand to grab the button and placed it in his hooded pocket, he wanted take it with him for her sake.
"You were...Killed yes.."
It pained Zaxs to admit it, he remembered the first time he found out or rather he chose to forget but he remember the pain of realization. Coming to realize someones death is a hard burden especially if you cared for the person, so finding out your own death was a very curious emotion that he often wondered felt like again.

Zaxs did not answer and quickly picked the girl up holding her in her arms, he wanted to quickly erase the pain she was feeling so he held her in a bridal style kind of hold. As he began to dart off from the town he was sprinting even though he was weighed down by carrying Annalise. He seemed to run as though he was open armed, quickly the two of them were past the the gate and the walls and began to make there way towards a forest. It was still somewhat bright out so the path was clear even though the forest barely let any light through its leaves. He did not say a word and continued until they had reached what she could assume was the middle of the forest as it had branching paths leading left, right forward, back and a tunnel leading underground. When he finally set her down he began to pant, trying to control his breath before speaking.
"Uhm...so I carried you off to show that even in death someone can whisk you away like in fairy tales.." Zaxs was trying to cheer her up though he wasn't to sure how and spoke as though death were a fairy tale land. He sighed.
"But you are actually not dead, if you were you would be something like...a husk. Somewhat dead on the inside as the same outside. No Annalise you are...torn between the living and dead. So no need to feel distraught."
He was nervous as he began to scratch the back of his head and play with his messy hair.

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise's eyes widened as Zaxs confirmed her fears.
"But...I...I was...". she looked down to the ground, eyes wide with confusion and horror. "...I was just going to the store...i-it was...going to be a five minute trip...".
How had something so simple gotten her trapped here in this strange place. She looked to Zaxs, tears brimming in her eyes, she still had so many questions...but now more than anything she was scared.
She didn't get a chance to voice her concerns though, because Zaxs walked over, and in one swift motion he swept her off her feet.
"Eeep!" Annalise let out a squeak in alarm as she felt her feet leave the ground, reflexively she wrapped her arms around the mans neck in order to keep herself steady. She didn't know where she was being taken, but right then she didn't care. She just wanted to be far away from that dreadful market place.

They ran past the gate and back out into the forest, as far as Annalise was concerned they were hopelessly lost within seconds of moving outside the walled city.
Zaxs didn't set her down again until they were at a crossroads, as her feet touched the ground she wavered before sinking to her knees, sniffling.
She still couldn't believe she was dead...she felt so...alive.
Her heart was racing, tears ran down her cheeks...her stomach was in knots...these were not things that the dead could do or feel.
Her teary gaze shifted to the masked man as he panted, clearly running all the way out here had been tiring. His words made her blink in surprise.
"...I...I'm not...dead...?".
The idea of a soul being torn between life and death was something she'd seen in countless films, books and movies...but never something she thought she'd experience herself.
She sniffled and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, realizing too late that it wasn't her sweater she was dirtying. Unzipping the hoodie she offered it back to Zaxs.

"...H-here...s-sorry for wiping snot on it...". she spoke softly and sighed.
"...I-if my soul is torn...then...h-ow do I go back?"

 

[Zaxs]

Zaxs shook his head and took his hand away from the back of his messy hair.
"No you are not dead, though you may be in time..."
He covered his mouth, he probably should've tried to be more sensitive and give her hope. As Annalise handed him his jacket he took it from her grasp and put it on throwing it around himself and fitting his arms through the sleeves before zipping it back up. Then his gaze shot to hers and he tilted his head in confusion as though she spoke a different language.
"How do you get back? Well that is not really your choice...if anyone could decide then many peoples wouldn't have died so early in their life."
He paused for a moment and placed a hand on his chin looking down at the ground.
"Though how else would you escape here..this strange place doesn't exactly have an exit. But people have came back to life when they were on the verge of death..hmm."
It was a hard for Zaxs mind not to go everywhere and think about this question that Annalise gave him, he would stand there for a few more minutes before taking his hand away and his gaze turning to Annalise.

"Well I have no true way to answer that. But let me ask you this, do you think you deserve to live?"
This was a strange response, even Zaxs found the question weird as most people would answer yes and if not answering no would be an easy way to give up, or to see that you are nothing special and you haven't done anything that made an impact in life.
"Hmm....maybe you shouldn't answer and we should see. But first how about we get out of this forest, now which way would you like to leave?"
There were many paths, the one that lead back to the market, the one that lead forward and seemed to go change to a paved path, the left and right seemed to lead to different parts of the forest and the tunnel...well it was to dark to see where that might lead. Zaxs sat on a nearby stump, he patted beside him.
"Feel free to sit and take your time if you need a moment to think."

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise blinked. She might soon be dead? What did that mean? Was she wasting away somewhere...was this all in her head? That didn't seem likely... No way she could make up someone as lively as Zaxs...
Even so...she couldn't make heads or tails of this situation. The idea of being stuck here was less than ideal. lowly, Annalise stood, sighing.
"...I'd...I'd like to go back...I'm sure my parents are worries sick...".
Zaxs's follow up question made her freeze in her tracks. "Do I...deserve to go back...I...". she looked down to the ground, contemplating that very thought. Did she deserve to live? She'd lived a quiet life and had never harmed anyone or anything. She was a good student and a hard worker and mostly kept her herself. Her life had been plain but not without it's challenges.
"...I...I'd like to think I deserve to live...then again...". she chuckled softly. "What person wouldn't?"
She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. She just needed to take a minute to calm down and process all of this information.

She also needed to decide how they were leaving.
"...i don't know where anything is...shouldn't you be the one picking?" she asked as she moved and sat beside the eccentric man. She looked to each of the paths, contemplating which one they should follow. They weren't going back to the market...nor were they going underground. Annalise had zero desire to be shrouded in darkness again. The paths on the left and right lead deeper into the forest...but the path ahead was paved and that seemed promising.
Slowly her thoughts shifted from their exit options to the man beside her. She stole a glance at him every now and again.
She wondered if Zaxs was like her...just another person lost in this bizarre world. She got the feeling he'd been here a while.

"Zaxs...a-are you...dead...?" she blurted out the question before really thinking about it. Immediately she looked away and stammered an apology.
"I'm sorry...t-that's a super personal question to ask and I...I'm sorry...".

 

[Zaxs]

The thought of deserving life was very rich to Zaxs as it made his mind wonder all over and think 'what makes a person deserve to live?' His head was swimming in the many branching ideas of good and bad as though he was passing judgement onto people and what made them worth of life again. He kind of zoned out, but when Annalise spoke it was like a ringing in his ear.
"Right? What person wouldn't enjoy life again, though what makes them worthy. Are they worthy if they haven't done a single thing wrong or if they have done more wrong then right. What if someone works hard in life in order to get into a position as oppose to someone who was carried through life and everything was made easy for them. Do people with bad luck not get to live due to not having the choice and merely there luck deciding or is it more complex?"
He rambled on about the many things that would make them deserving then the counters on how other people may not fit into those categories of worth living. He continued as he sat down on the stump.

His long monologue began to fade as he kept it in his head and only soft whispers could be heard from behind his mask. He ignored Annalise question as it was her choice where they went, he merely tagged along. His eyes shifted to Annalise's gaze whenever she looked at Zaxs she did it a few times and his eyes met hers though she couldn't tell from the mask hiding where his gaze wondered. Then Annalise asked a question, that made Zaxs shiver and his whispers stop all together.
"Hmm...I do not know..I did say those who were dead were husks here. Though I am as lively as any living person, or more lively then the average." He began to scratch at the nape of his neck and the turned his head so Annalise knew he was looking at her.
"No need to be sorry. It's a wonderful question, though it is the only one I seem to fail to answer in some way." His finger tips moved to the front of his mask and he began to tap them against his poorly drawn teeth.
"Well for now. I am your partner in limbo and somewhat your guide? Haha so lets focus on you and try and figure out the answer to the question, do you deserve to live?" Zaxs fingers stopped and his palm pressed against the bottom of his mask as he lifted up past his mouth but not any further then the top of his upper lip. He gave a very kind and soft smile to Annalise with very soft laugh to be heard through his teeth, before he let go and his mask covered his mouth again.

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise blinked and then sighed as Zaxs gave her another round about answer. Such an eccentric man surely couldn't be dead. He was anything but a husk...and for that she was grateful. Annalise wondered why he wore that mask...and about laid beneath. Given how personal that was...and how she didn't want to upset the man...so she decided not to ask. She wondered why he wanted to stick with her...given he could probably be doing anything else.
her eyes widened as a portion of the mask retracted, showing the lower half of the man's face. The smile he gave her was kind a sincere...so she knew despite his obvious...craziness...he'd meant what he'd said.
The girl blushed a little before looking away.

"...Why would you want to be my guide...?" she mused aloud before shaking her head. "Not that I'm complaining...if anything I'm...thankful".

She didn't think she could navigate this crazy place alone. "...I have a lot of questions about this place but...". She stood, and pointed down the paved path. "...I think for now...we should keep moving".
She looked back to the man and offered him a hand. "I get the feeling there's a lot more to see in this strange...wonderland...".
She chuckled as the thought of the old fairy tale about the girl who fell down the rabbit hole came to mind.

 

[Zaxs]

Zaxs saw Annalise's hand and firmly grasped it as he stood up from the stump and even helped Annalise from it. He didn't let go though, he continued to hold her hand without a second thought.
"Well being your guide means I can not only tell you what everything is, but also help you with your decisions."
He held her hand a bit tighter gently squeezing it, his palm began to grow warm too.
"I am also thankful, been kind of lonely here until you arrived."
Once she decided on a path Zaxs didn't hesitate to drag her along, as soon as she pointed down the paved path Zaxs was already walking that way their hands still interlocked as he gently pulled her towards the path.

He looked behind and asked Annalise.
"Are you sure, I mean we can always turn back and try another path?"
Even though they were already walking along it, there footsteps tapping against the stone and scratching against its rough terrain. The path went straight for a while but began to zig and zag and loop in circles, Zaxs again was insistent that the follow the path exactly even though they could cut across most of the way.
"We might be somewhat far into the path but there is always room to turn back, such as life. Though people see it as a straight path sometimes, you can always find a path that may lead you to the beginning or something greater."

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise blushed a little deeper as Zaxs kept hold of her hand, but she didn't really mind it. She certainly wasn't going to pull away, not that she thought she could. She offered the man a smile, and wondered what he was doing behind the mask.
"...Are there not other people here...I mean...there was that...creepy guy with the buttons...".
She thought back to the stand, shuddering. She wondered how that guy got a hold of those buttons in the first place. Then she thought if Zaxs had one...and remembered the man had pocketed one early on.
Maybe that had been his? Once again it seemed like a personal thing to ask someone she barely knew. She followed along as Zaxs gently pulled her down the path, she wondered where this road would lead. Perhaps they'd get out of the forest and find a town?

...Were there even towns in this world?
All his talk about being able to turn back made the woman somewhat nervous. Was there something wrong with this path...was it dangerous and she just couldn't see it? She didn't notice anything off about the road...aside from the fact it was super loopy.
"...Which path would you have chosen?" she spoke, looking to the man curiously.
"...I know your my guide...so I suppose it might not matter but...I...I'd like o hear what you think". she smiled.
She imagined she couldn't really fathom all the thoughts floating around in his head..and that might have been for the best.

 

[Zaxs]

Zaxs turned towards her and bobbed his head back and forth.
"Hmm other people...well I guess you could call them that. But if you want normal then you are going to have to look else where Annalise, because everyone here is out of the ordinary and it is wonderful." He then pulled out from his pocket a small lighter, as they began to reach a dark patch in the woods. It seemed to be almost like a cut off where light no longer touched a certain point. Though when Zaxs had his lighter out it dimly illuminated there way, but barely enough so that they could see the road underneath them. He stopped just at the edge, and turned back towards Annalise.

His gaze met hers and he held her hand a bit tighter.
"Be sure to stay close to me. Never know what lurks in the darkness." He then gave a small laugh and began to slowly walk forward with Annalise still holding his hand, he only took a few steps before they were almost surrounded in darkness, nothing could be seen but the floor beneath them and there dim figures. Not only that, if Annalise were to turn around she could barely see the light from the cut off point where they came from.
"Me...I would've chosen this path too. But then again I am not the brightest person.."
He couldn't help but laugh trying to contain it, he let go of Annalise's hand and covered his mouth, which was a mistake in itself. As Annalise could now feel dread, despair, a cold chill washed over her as these very powerful and negative emotions began to fill her body to the brim until her thought became self deprecating, depressing, and almost suicidal. She could feel her thoughts change in an instant, as from her earlier mood of curiosity, security and bit of embarrassment. She could even feel herself get heavier as she began to slow down and fall behind, inch by inch.

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise frowned as Zaxs spoke. She didn't see how he found all this...strangeness to be wonderful. Maybe it was because he'd been here longer than her? That just made her wonder how long Zaxs had been here...alone. It was a sad thought to say the least. As the woods got darker Annalise stuck closer to the masked man, the pitch black crept in all at once, surrounding the two of them. If not for the lighter Zaxs held, they'd be completely blind. A shiver ran down her back as Zaxs squeezed her hand. She nodded as he warned To stick close. Annalise had a slight fear of the dark, the hair on the back of her neck stood up as the two of them pressed on.
She didn't want to think about what lurked in the dark...waiting for it's chance to pounce. She had the distinct feeling of being watched, it was an all to familiar sensation. Something lurking jut out of sight...hiding in the dark.
It stirred up unpleasant memories to say the least, ones that distracted the young woman.

"Huh...h-ha...". Annalise blinked back to reality as Zaxs laughed, though immediately she felt a heavy weight pressing against her shoulders. Zaxs continued moving forward but suddenly it felt like she was froze in place.
"Zaxs...?" she tried to call out, but her voice came out a squeak. her mind was weighed down by dark and eerie thoughts, one's that made the poor girl stop in her tracks.
We would be happier without you
The thoughts rang clear in her head, voiced by several familiar faces from a life that seemed like it as so long ago. The girl fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself.

"N-no I...I didn't...I never...". she whispered softly to herself and shook her head.
She hadn't done anything wrong...it...it wasn't her fault.
It had never been her fault...
The girl shook as the darkness swirled in her mind, twisting all of her thoughts so she relieved and replayed some of the worst moments in her young life.

 

[Zaxs]

Zaxs continued his fit of laughter before calming down in a minute, though he froze the same as Annalise as he realized the terrible thing he had done. He turned to see the girl now on her knees holding herself she looked like she was about to cry.
"Oh no! No no no no!"
Zaxs began to run back to Annalise he knelt down in front of her and quickly placed his hands on her lifting her head up so she could look at him. His mask wasn't really something you wanted to look at, but maybe it might provide comfort to Annalise. Which she needed, because when Zaxs placed his hands on her the feelings of despair, dread, and all the other horrible feelings didn't disappear in an instant but lingered until the girl found her own way of getting out of her mood. Which would be harder then she thought.

She looked a bit pale as though the life was drained out of her for the few brief moments without Zaxs contact.
"I am so sorry..." He swore under his breath and slowly tears can be seen flowing from underneath his mask as they trickled down his neck.
"No no, you a-are fine. I-I am sure of it." He sniffled a bit and shook his head, trying to quickly calm himself instead of falling into a similar sorrow that Annalise was in. He Quickly slung the girls arm over his shoulder so she could walk with him, as he took slow and easy steps toward the exit of this forest. It was surely going to be hard, as Annalise felt like a ton of bricks and Zaxs was no help, he was becoming worried and in turn his head was filled with awful thoughts. So he tried to distract himself.
"S-so Annalise..uhm..u-uh...What is your family like? What made you happy to seem them, like I bet they are worried about you so I better help you get back fast..?

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise flinched as she felt a hand on her, reflexively her arms moved up to block her face as she expected a slap or punch to be coming her way. Instead her gaze was guided upward, her eyes widened in fear when she came face to face with the unsettling image drawn onto Zaxs's mask.
However, seeing it served to snap her back to reality for a moment.
If Zaxs was here then...she was as well. The girl sniffled, a few tears ran down her cheeks as she lowered her gaze. "I...I'm...s-s-sorry I don't know whats come over me...". she shook under his hand. Why was she thinking of all this now...? At a time like this...
even as she wondered though, the crummy feelings didn't go away. The sinking feeling of being unwanted...a cursed reminder of a life that once was. It was nearly too much to bear for Annalise.

Zaxs' voice helped to coax her out of her troubled thoughts though, as the man looped her arm around his shoulder she shook her head, trying to chase away all the terrible thoughts. She shuffled along side the man, and hoped that the end of the forest was near.
it took her a moment to reply to Zaxs's question.
"M-my family is...w-well...broken is probably the nicest way to describe it". She chuckled softly. "...My parents got divorced when I was young...and I grew up with my mother...s-she wasn't...well...".
The woman paused and took a breath.
"...I was living with my father when I...I got in my accident. He's a kind hearted man...I-I bet he's worried sick about me...".

 

[Zaxs]

Zaxs continued to trudge through the darkness holding out his lighter to illuminate there way. Though it was hard to see the tiniest glimpse of light can be seen a bit farther ahead of them. It was still going to be a long distance the two of them would have to travel, but Zaxs just had to help Annalise or else something might happen. He had to keep her positive, he had to.
"Broken..that does not seem broken to me. It is more so like..long strands. Though your family is no longer together they are together for you. Though you are dead there is nothing to stop the worrying of parents, just as I am worried about you they are ten times as worried after your accident."
He continued to listen to Annalise's tale about her family, even if it was somewhat vague he could piece it together.

"Not everyone is given a guide to raise a child nor to act like and adult, though they try and what shows that they try is that fact that the child did not end up here sooner. Believe me when I say that you rather be here later on in life rather then when you first began." Zaxs shuttered at the thought before holding Annalise close towards him.
"I am glad someone other then me is worried for you, though you better stop there worrying and help me find a way back so you can be in there loving caring again. I am sure with the two of us can find someone."

 

[StarryKnights]

Annalise chuckled at Zaxs's words.
"...My mother probably doesn't even know...and if she does...".
I never should've given birth to you.
The words rang clear in Annalise's mind, she'd never forget the day she heard them come out of her mom's mouth.
"...She probably doesn't care".
He was right though, her dad was probably super worried about her...thinking about him sitting at her side in a hospital made her move a little faster.
"I want to go home...I...I don't want to be stuck here I...".
She had a family waiting for her...at least she had half of one.

The second half of Zaxs's words confused the girl, she couldn't tell if it was him or her muddled mind. Either way, she didn't want to dwell on it too much. She caught a glimpse of what looked to be light flickering in the distance, and she hoped and prayed that they were nearing the exit. she wasn't sure how much more she could take of this suffocating darkness. If Zaxs hadn't stopped and turned around Annalise had no doubt she would've been swallowed by it.