The Queen's Shadow

Absolute Power

Warning This Chapter Contains depressing and disturbing content.

"I accept Zamiel." How can I go against her? What she was offering was something that I could never have. 'You know you won't get this emotion back right?' Her voice was almost painfully sad, but I knew it was all a facade. Zamiel did not care. To her, the ends will always justify the means. 'What of the reality engine?'

She had a point. The Reality Engine needed to be brought into the real world for it to work. It also must have a place in the mindscape, I knew what I had to do. Absolute power also came with a cost. I knew what I had to do to get the engine and into the real world. I walked to the Priscilla specter. It stood there and then tilted its head. Was it curiosity? Could an image of thoughts feel curiosity? T.R.E. I thought to myself.

It was no more time to waste. It was time to make my presence known. 'Do you want me to numb your pain?' She said in an almost sympathetic voice. I turned to her. "I just need a knife I said coldly." Zamiel pulled one out of nothing. I was nervous for a second. If I didn't do this right I could very well be a puddle of blood.  'No need for fear I will not let you die.' I knew that much, I just didn't want to come back again. I stab myself in the chest without thinking. I wasn't ready to let go, I knew this so I gave her what she wanted.  Absolute power will always have costs.

I plunged the knife deep into my chest. I felt the sharpness, I felt it going right into my rib cage. Yet I reminded myself this was not real. 'Oh, you're doing it without my help?' She had a smile of satisfaction. I dug in deep. This pain felt so intense, that I almost blacked out, I forced myself to stay conscious. As I fell on the floor I realized I could black out at any moment. It was then that the world began to fade. Everything that is here in this dream world... no, this white void began to drift. What was beyond these dreams? What was beyond this? I heard my son laughing for a moment. I found myself following the laughter.

'Daddy come stay with us.' I saw Adrian. This time he was untainted. by the nightmare of Wendy, he was just a regular kid. He was Untouched by the nightmares that had consumed my world. I reached for his hand forgetting the blade in my heart. 'Yes, Gabriel come and stay with us.' I saw her. Wendy's face I saw my wife. She was holding our two newborn babies. I looked down at the knife and it wasn't there, this was the world that Zamiel offering me. I walked to it, I walked into bliss.

I heard the term that ignorance is bliss, this must be the truest form of it. Can they forgive me? Can they forgive me for failing them? This world was so beautiful, I wanted it so much. 'Daddy, what's wrong?' I missed him calling me Dad. I missed him hugging me. I opened the door to see our house in perfect order. Our beautiful brown couch and my chair. It was comfortable and made to last, by my father who owned it before me. Lilith bought it for him. I saw how perfect this world was.

Feeling their warm touches on my skin only drove me deeper into it. Hearing my twins cry whenever their mother puts them down made me smile. I couldn't even see them get delivered. This world what's a lie. "Zamiel!" I called her. She needed to take me back to my mind. Not into this dream world.

I waited for a few seconds, nothing happened. 'Gabe is that a new friend of yours?' This world isn't real, this world isn't real. 'Daddy has more friends?' Adrian said. 'Don't be rude Adrian, you'll meet his other friend when he's ready.' I smiled and said: "Yes that is Daddy's friend." She's not going to respond. I'm on my own. 'Gabriel dinner's almost ready.' The smell... So familiar. It was mashed potatoes, chicken, and green beans. All of the smells wafted together. *Click.*

'Also Morgan and Nathan are coming.' I heard her say those names, I never told her. "How can I face them?" I said involuntarily. Wendy then made a curious face "How could you not face your best friends?" That's what they were my brothers in arms. I made some of the best friends on that battlefield.