kpwu
long
tale
Esgol was folded in half in the elevator, panting, trying to catch her breath. Next to her, FLAME-0-0 was standing still, trying to make itself small. Which, for a big ball of fire was somewhat hard to do. The elevator was going up. Up, up, and up, as if it would never stop, breaching the atmosphere and reaching the stars.
It wasn't, though, and after a few minutes of awkward and tense silence, the elevator reached a stop. The door opened with a chime. The numbers on the floor counter were still going up.
Esgol exited the elvator. In front of her, a gigantic hall stood. The floor, of black marble, held two rows of pillars, also of black marble, that stretched up to the ceiling and got lost in the grandeur. On the far wall, above an information desk that appeared meek in comparison, a mural of solid gold stood, depicting a man standing equal to god. From the mural to the elevator, a wide ret carpet lined with gold was extended. By looking above, Esgol could see the light of FLAME-0-0 reflecting and shimmering in a series of great chandeliers of crystal.
"This place... it... reminds me of somewhere." Esgol started to wander the hall, approaching the mural. FLAME-0-0 discreetely exited the elevator, but didn't seem to keen on advancing. Esgol had reached the mural and the desk. Some sheets of paper were strewn about on the desk, and she grabbed one. On it, although in the shape of paragraphs, undecipherable symbols were lined.
"I know ! This is what I imagined my grand-father's office was like as a kid..." FLAME-0-0 approached, finally. "The memorabilia... the memorabilia that should be here is a gun."
Esgol seemingly didn't hear them, and went around the desk, to a door in the back. She opened it, and went through.
Behind it, a dark hallway. It seemed to stretched, black and grimy, seemingly unending. FLAME-0-0 tried to reach Esgol, but she was far down the hallway and they couldn't see her. They rushed.
"Don't come," a voice ahead ordered. "I don't... particularly care about this world. Maybe this is selfish of me. But at the same time... When did this world care about me ? When did it do anything to me except take my dreams, crumple them, and then throw me in the mud ? Everytime I tried to do something, it felt as if everything was against me.
"So can you really blame me for wanting to let the world die ?"
FLAME-0-0 was silent. They couldn't respond to that. "But, I'll bite. I'll accept to bring your memorabilia. I'll accept to seal the dreamdevourer again. Sure. After all, what's the worse that could happen ?"