Splendor

Chapter 9: ???

*???'s POV*

Ashes twist and swivel around me, like dust in a gust of wind. I open my senses, my mind opening. My eyes are useless. My heart is broken. My brain is sharp as an axe. Or a machete, if you will. I rise from the fire and burnt wood. My work here is done. The crisped bodies lay around me, lifeless. I wipe my suit clean of the ash. I step out into the smoky street. Gold rises from the ground, surrounding my body. I say a few ritual words, and my eyes open, glowering in the sunlight. I see nothing. "Take me..." My voice croaks. I clear my throat, and boldly state, "Take me home." My body is covered in gold, and I vanish as the gold re-melts.

*A Few Moments Later*

I arise from the ground as gold in front of an old cottage, covered in moss and vines. The gold rolls off my suit, and disappears. I knock on the front door. I hear nothing. I knock again, a bi harder this time, and the peephole in the door slide open. The silhouette of a mans face shows through, and I see the lit fire inside.

"Who is it?" The man says.

I look him in the face. "You know who it is." The man gasps. The peephole closes, and the man opens the door. 

"Welcome home, master!" I walk in, brushing myself off. I look around. Everything is well kept. I look at the man. 

"Splendorman... Long time no see." I put out my hand for him to shake it.

Grasping my hand firmly, he responds, "Ditto!" He looks a little nervous, it seems.

"What's wrong, dear? Are you alright?" He beings to sweat a bit.

"Eh? Oh, yes!... Well... no..." He looks down. I tilt my head. He picks his head up, and looks at me dead in the eyes. "Jeff, he... Escaped..." I grin.

"I knew he would eventually."

"May I ask why you just put the endless hallway there?" He questions. I take a seat, and gold seeps from the countertop, turning into a glass full of hot tea.

Sipping it, I respond, "It was his choice to stay, not mine. He was the signal for the chosen one."

"Chosen one?"

I chuckle. "You'll see, love... you'll see..."