10/28: Control

At least in this set of long, never-ending hallways, the lighting color was different. ...What? I’ll take it, I mean, c’mon! It was getting boring and dull having to see the same lights over and over and over again.

The silence is killing me, I don’t get how this Djinn can’t just be normal and talk to me. What am I supposed to as we keep walking, do that deep thinking stuff I see Ery do a lot?

Out of sheer boredom, I take my metal arm and drag it along the wall, the noise of the gold scraping across the stone wall being the only thing that gave me some kinda laugh as we keep traveling down.

The Djinn didn't react--man, he has the patience of a tree--and so, I was left to keep making the noise and trying not to sigh too much since I know all that damn demon would do is just nag me. Though, I do have to say, it's pretty cool I'm leaving behind a steady line as I go along.

Come to think of it...

An old memory hits me; I'm at the beach, my swimwear showing every part off my body as it should, and while I'm standing in the sun, Ery's under the trees moving a stick around. At first, I'm thinking he's got all his attention onto me, but when I realize that he's busy doing something with the stick in the sand, I head over there and sit down.

"Eryyyy," I wave my hand at his face, trying to get his attention, "Wha're you doing? I was trying to show you my awesome skills earlier!"

"Xae, xae, I know Lushiyo," he nodded his head in reply, still focused on the stick, "But, I need to do this first, it is a daily practice I am trying to incorporate more into my life."

"Wha'..." I stared at him moving the stick across the sand, confused, "Wha're you doing, Ery? You're just drawing a buncha lines everywhere!"

"Xae, that is correct," he smiled at me, finally staring up, "It is a mental exercise, meant to help one be aligned with control."

"...Control?"

He gestured for me to come sit by him, "Come, try it."

I tilted my head at him, slowly making my way around the markings he'd made in the sand--they all looked like different circles, swirls, lines, squares ... it was all kinda simple, especially for Ery.

I sat down next to him and he handed me another stick as he started covering up the markings he'd made, "Just run the stick through the sand, and choose what feels natural to you. Let go of the urge to draw what you want, and let the stick choose for you instead."

I plopped the stick in the sand, staring at it before staring back at him, "...Uhhh, Ery?"

"Just move the stick, Lushiyo, and it'll come to you," he laughed, placing his wrist above mine like he was about to guide me, "Here, would you like me to help at first?"

I nodded at him, focusing on his soft, gentle hand as clasped my wrist and guided it to the right. I followed the gesture, feeling the sand loosely moving around as the small branch plowed through it effortlessly.

"See? Just follow where it feels most natural," he then guided my hand toward the left and I noticed it felt harder to move the stick, "And now, that is when you know that you cannot move that way, for it is not what nature wishes."

Ery then let go of my hand, beaming eagerly as he made himself comfortable in the sand, "So, I look forward to seeing you try now, Lutzokh."

I stare at my arm is doing against the stone wall, and the easy feeling from just letting my hand run along and draw one straight line ... yeah, it really is like that time at the beach; being okay with control, letting my ... um ... body control me and stuff. I'm already bored since the Djinn won't talk and thinking about Ery helps pass the time even if it hurt just a bit.

I slowly raise and lower my arm, watching the line trial I'm making go up and down and keep going at it until, the next thing I know, I've been drawing one giant ocean wave as the Djinn and I travel further down this green-lit hallway. What felt like a long hour now felt like ... I guess a walk around Vesuvia? Yeah, a walk around Vesuvia--classic Ery magic right there.

"Let us rest." the Djinn orders outta nowhere, and I finally see something else other than a long hallway--a giant stone wall! With weird symbols--again!

I groan in relief, collapsing onto the wall adjacent to the big picture with the funky-looking symbols, "I thought we'd never stop walking!"

"You act like a human child."

"Yeah, well," I huff at him with my face buried tiredly into my arms, "You act like a, uh ... rock!"

I stare up at the weird drawing that looked like what I'd draw if I was blindfolded, "...So, are we even there yet?"

"Almost," the Djinn floats down, "Based on your complaining until now, I thought it'd be best if we had a brief rest. This next part is going to require work on your end."

"...Are you sure this is all just one, giant 'protective measure' like you said earlier?"

"I did tell you that I didn't want 'you' repeating that little stunt you did a second time, Count."

"Ughhh..." I flopped over onto my stomach, briefly glancing back at the control exercise I made along the way, "...Guess that's not too bad, felt nice."

I shut my eyes, trying to see if maybe some shut-eye would help me out, but I can't sleep. I guess I'm too anxious, since I'm so, so close to finally coming back home and seeing Ery again. I wonder what he'd do? Is he gonna be hugging me tightly? Maybe he'll get vocal? Maybe I already wondered about all this with Phillis, but...

'Right,' I say in my head, 'Phillis is gone now, it's just you and the demon 'cause Scout...'

It hits hard on just how much of an evil ... creature H.A.E. is. To be messing with my friends like that and turning them against me? That's just ... I guess given the Ery--fake Ery--that I saw before maybe it's just natural.

He's angry and hurt and...

"Hey, Djinnie?" I ask aloud in the darkness.

No answer from the demon, but I continue anyway, "You think I made things worse by trying to talk it out with Ery? You know ... before our big escape and all?"

"That is not a question I can answer, human."

"...What do you mean?"

"You are asking something beyond me, the subjectivity of whether or not you should have tried to help Eridæus of Flesh, or not. That is not something I can answer for you."

Normally I would've said something but ... I dunno; for whatever reason, I just felt too tired and buried my face into my arms again, "...Fine, whatever."

At least, even though it feels so lonely without Scout, at least I didn't have to fight anyone. Hopefully ... hopefully, it stays that way, too.