16. Egregious

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(Egregious - outstandingly bad, shocking, terrible)

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I was back in those godforsaken pure white hallways. They seemed more diabolical than the actual Devil who chased me in the murky depths of my mind. Even though I was fully aware that once I break out from here, I will know it was all a dream, a nightmare; but still the short time I was forced to spend here seemed to prolong for a thousand minutes. And the thought that I wasn't allowed to escape only added to my plight.

Anyways, back to the present scene. I was treading forward sluggishly, trying to but time and save myself from the inevitable. As useless as it was, a human being can still only try. The neverending white path had absolutely no qualms in adding to my distress and anxiety as I was forced to keep walking against my free will.

At long last, when I thought I would collapse from exhaustion and finally succumb in the inviting arms of death, I was met with a face I saw so often that I had memorized the fine lines of his visage, the way he moves each and every muscle of his body, the sickly way in which his mind is convoluted and how sinisterly his countenance forms a bone chilling smile, making you shiver even on the hottest day on earth.

He came back to torment me, to taunt me and challenge me as he did every other night, knowing full well that I couldn't even move a muscle against him. I might have taken over the world, but this was the time I dreaded the most because this was when I felt the most vulnerable, and the most effete.

He stood in front of me in the same outfit I saw him in last night. He also sported the same wound from Bria's dagger and limped slightly while deep red blood gushed out of the wound freely, adding tincture to the mundane whiteness around us.

But that didn't deter him in the least. In reality, he might be just another human being, an awfully twisted kind of homo sapiens, but in my dreams, he was invincible - and that itself was frightening for me. He smirked at me, scoffing slightly as he spoke in a raspy tone,

"My boy, today you have committed a grave crime. But then, I can see that you failed miserably. Must have not thought about that."

Even in dreams, his words cut like true diamonds and pierced my already fragile heart.

"Is giving someone a taste of their own medicine a crime? Didn't know about that old man."

I couldn't keep the venom away from my voice. Not that it mattered, when every emotion, every intention was crystal clear between us.

"Tch tch, you have a lot of pent-up anger in you, little boy. It's not healthy for a small body like yours."

He said, taunting me again for my small size. He forgot that now, I was taller than him. Not only that, he also is oblivious to the fact that I have more power than him. Once he enters my den perfectly, I can crush him in the blinking of an eye.

"I will always be a little boy for you right?"

I seethed in anger.

"What are you taking about? You are a little boy!"

The man's brazenness knew no bounds.

"Well, we both will see that after some time. And that day, you will regret regarding me as just a little boy who seems to be powerless. You have caused irreversible damage to my family, and for that, I will keep coming at you. I don't care how many months, or years pass by, or what kind of mountains I will have to cross to get to you, but I will make sure that you too, live your whole life as a nightmare, and then die as insignificantly as a fly dies every hour."

"Is that a threat? Even after trying and failing? Even after what happened all those years ago?"

He taunted me again, successfully bringing fire to burn in every nook and corner of my body. I could see myself glowing as that fire emanated from my eyes in a hard menacing glare, but he didn't seem to pay heed to it. So, I shouted loudly,

"Don't you dare talk about what happened back then, you bastard!!"

But he continued with his monologue, as if my presence was either invisible or of no account.

"My dear Alesso, or should I call you Tiger? Well, let's respect the wishes of your late father and call you Tiger. My dear Tiger, don't you know not to come at me? I thought you were wise! Look at what happened to my friend George, poor guy! I told him not to cross me, but he-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP DUMBASS!!! YOU BETTER NOT TALK ABOUT MY FATHER-"

I was cut off again by his obnoxious laughter. It was so loud and rang in my ears continuously, making me feel sick. It was the kind of laughter that would make you want to die rather than endure that torture. He laughed with no remorse, as if what he did was a pleasurable game, and he was proud of it.

Tonight, no matter what I did, I couldn't stop him. I knew I wouldn't be able to. As his laughter started increasing in volume, I found my voice reducing to zilch as I animatedly opened my mouth shout and scream at him, but all was in vain. He seemed to be fading too, but his last words were going to remain in my ears and mind for a long, long time, I was sure of that.

His last words were,

"You should know this, that you can never bring me down. For every time you even think of such an idea, I will bring down one of your trusted people. This is not a game you should have entered in the first place - as you are still very innocent, just like a little boy."

He's right, I should have never entered this game.

I should have never entered this game.

I should have... never... entered this game...

I... this game... enter... I should have... never....

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