Death Is My Frenemy (Book Three)

Chapter 16: Mortified

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The mind is a powerful thing.

The brain has over 100 billion neurons which are working entirely every second of the day. It can absorb large quantities of information and retain it because of these working neurons. It controls your senses: taste, touch, smell, hearing.

The brain can also create something out of nothing at all. If you thoroughly believe you are sicker than you are, the brain can literally make you sicker. If you could have sworn you saw a shadow in the shape of a man on a wall, the brain tries to somewhat form the shadow into a man. When faced with drugs the brain can sometimes create hallucinations and falsehoods. It changes your reality.

You see, the brain meets your expectations, but it can also drive you insane. And when faced with trauma, the brain doesn't know exactly how to react right away.

You could say it goes through the stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Depression, and then finally Acceptance. This can show the brains weakness: acceptance. But there's also another great weakness of the brain. Within eight to ten seconds without blood and oxygen, the brain instantly shuts itself off.

The brain can be tampered with. It is one of the most fragile parts of the body. One hit in the right spot and you can suffer permanent brain damage or even die.

In the end, the brain was the ultimate, deadly weapon for someone like Death and I was starting to realize that. It is the perfect natural resource that can be easily manipulated to drive someone to the brink of insanity, and then the rest...well, the brain can take care of that, too.

I was starting to also think Death had a purpose to driving me so close to the edge of insanity. I was starting to think a lot more than I was before my mind was under his entire control. I was making progress. The clowns, the scarecrow, the drowning, the teasing and manipulation. There was some sort of game Death had been playing from the beginning. A game that I never wanted to be a part of and I was forcefully thrust into it; forcefully made to join in on the Angel of Death's usual match between himself and his prey.

Whether or not there was actually a purpose to the game, or whether it was a mystery in itself, I was still unsure. That man was simply a mystery, period. And nevertheless, the brain was simply a brain to the confused blonde man squatting in front of me.

Alexandru had stilled, the only movement coming from the water from the river, and sweat dripping bit by bit from the ends his mane. The golden god had completely forgotten I was in front of  him as a nearing bird continued to cry out.

Slowly, Alexandru looked down at me and his eyes were recognizable once again. Those emerald orbs had grown a shade darker, and his skin had grown a shade paler. Run, his eyes perfectly said. It must have taken a lot of will power to flash something across his eyes so clearly. Seconds after those green orbs glazed over again, and I knew that Death would never be able to contact me in the Unknown once more.

The only way I could free him from himself...was to free myself. Honestly, every fiber of my being wanted to stay. I wanted to learn more about the Unknown and about Death. Who wouldn't? The angel's life was abnormal.

Forcing myself to take a large intake of air and looking around my surroundings, I decided then was a good time to actually start listening to the bastard. It was definitely time to get the hell out of there.

ROK-ROK!

A shadow flew across the ground in the shape of wings, forcing my eyes upwards. It was perfect timing too, because had I not looked up, the  giant black mass gliding downwards from the sky would have hit me straight on.