“Where the hell am I?” A traveler cursed under his breath as his fingers brushed the surface of the foreign floor. He was certainly in the wrong dimension… the portal through which he emerged shattered and dissipated as fast as it had appeared. The floor was smooth and laminated, reflecting a translucent and cloudy mirage of the ceiling. The panels shed light, which illuminated the hallway lined with red lockers. It was familiar, too familiar; almost identical… A shiver ran down his spine. He had been here before and he vowed to never return.
Colours drained from the world; the bright red paint from the lockers evaporated, leaving behind a dull shade of grey. The discolouration left the world in a single variation of colour, characterized by only light and dark. Frantically, the traveler pulled out the interdimensional orb that brought him here, fidgeting with it and pressing his intent upon it to activate. Nothing. The dimensional crossing strands did not relight and the stone lay dormant in his palm. His intent was too weak and lackluster due to his unconcentrated mind. The powers he collected would be useless without intent. The more he thought about it, the closer the possibility of being trapped in this horrid dimension of his past approached.
“Who alternated my dimension jump destination? Whoever it is definitely sent me to my past on purpose… to silence me by–”
A bell shrieked and echoed through the colourless hallway. Students poured out of the classrooms, their gloomy features and meaningless expressions indistinguishable under the shades. They marched akin to the undead, hanging on to dear sanity by a mere thread. Quickly stashing the dimension orb away, the traveler tore off his outer cloak; he had prepared it for a trip back in time but it would only be a nuisance that would catch unwanted gazes. He wore a school uniform underneath, aiding his disguise into the crowd.
‘That’s right, you also lived like this once; working and living towards no purpose.’ The hoard of students had advanced further into the school and the traveler was ushered along. Corridors raced by and he came across familiar sights. His old classrooms. He had walked out of those door frames, expecting nothing but disappointment and failure. Countless days and endless nights he had spent studying, fighting to improve. Yet, it was all in vain. In fact, the more time he poured into his studies, the more empty he felt, as if his spirit was being gradually consumed. Eventually, he felt like a walking dead, an empty and soulless existence like those who he now trod among.
He once escaped that reality by finding a greater purpose, a purpose to live for. He peered around and sighed. “I was fortunate that the Press had found me.” It had given him another shot at life, to not waste his years away and fight for something truly meaningful–to become a writer of the board and document the voices of those who were forgotten.
‘Meaningful? Forgotten? Have you no shame?’ A voice in the traveler’s mind snared with mockery. ‘You did nothing but flee like a coward… look around you! Take a look at the people who you’ve forgotten in this meaningless world.’
“Who are you? How do you know about me?” The traveler scanned the crowd; nothing. Receiving no reply, he pushed through the corpses and dashed for the exit. The students gave way without much resistance. This now concerned more than just his past: a threat had emerged that could endanger the entire dimension.
Even now the words of the strange voice echoed in his mind. He really did abandon this world. He was no doubt struggling and broken, but so was everyone else… and he had forgotten them. The realization of his hypocrisy stabbed him in the gut. Yet, the traveler fought his pain. If the threat captured his dimension orb, there would be no safe place. Thanks to the strange voice, his mind no longer dwelt upon the past but the present. Colour returned to his vision and the world was once again saturated.
The traveler halted his run as a dark figure materialized, blocking his path to escape.
“Who are you and what do you want?” the traveler demanded.
‘I am simply a purpose seeker,’ the figure mused, ‘and I will bring a purpose to all those who lack one. Just tell me how you arrived here, in MY world.’ The traveler laughed. “So predictable. I can’t let you leave this dimension.” The dark figure roared and dark spikes protruded from his body. The spikes raced towards the traveler with a great speed, cutting the long grass tips in its way. ‘I am your guilt! Your guilt of abandoning your world and running away! And now I will destroy you!’
“I am sorry for abandoning this place and forgetting about everyone else who suffered! But I can’t let you win.” Opening the notebook he held, the traveler poured his intent into a phrase written on the pages. The words glowed with a blinding light: … journey before destination. His body glowed and floated into the air, avoiding the dark spikes. “My turn.” he murmured while highlighting another phrase with his intent: dragon… flames. He opened his mouth and unleashed a wave of fiery flames from the air upon his guilt. His shadowy twin caught the hellish flames head on and let out a horrible scream. The traveler landed beside the burning figure.
“I’m sorry it had to end this way, but I promise I won’t forget ever again. Rest in peace now, I have a new purpose.” Pulling out his dimension orb, he poured his newly reforged intent upon the artifact. The stone ignited like a shining star and colourful threads of reality gracefully danced outward from the core of the orb. These threads collided in mid-air and a portal crystallized into reality.
“Never again will I forget those who are forgotten.” He whispered his oath to his old home. Then he stepped through the portal.