Rhys: Goddamn bitch…
He’s taking a calming stroll down the streets of Solsidan to clear his nerves.
Wolf is accompanying him as well for obvious reasons.
He covered what seemed to be a horrified expression with his right hand over his mouth.
He thought Wolf didn’t notice, but she did.
Rhys: She crossed the line with the question, knowing what I went through firsthand!
I miss when her ass was a glorified guide…
Passers-by were petrified by Rhys’s face.
His eyes scrunched up and squinted as if he wanted to murder someone, anyone around him.
They just didn’t know who.
Rhys could feel their stares, but calling them out seemed too risky at the moment.
Rhys: [So!
What should we do first, Wolf?]
She seemed hesitant, but ended up picking some sort of restaurant with her left front paw.
He looked over and seemed super stoked, but then realized that they both had no money to their name.
Rhys: [Godammit!
What kind of currency would they even use…]
They stumbled their way over to the restaurant.
Reading the name: “Divine’s Finest!” written on a tacky billboard right above the door.
The whole vibe of this place seemed to be really sketchy compared to other spots right next to it.
Rhys: [Do we… go in?]
Wolf: [Woof?]
He was about to enter, but a sense of dread and despair washed over his fingertips the moment he placed them onto the doorknob.
Even with his gloves on.
He let go immediately and stepped back from the building.
Wolf could sense the lingering feeling on Rhys’s gloves and backed off on instinct.
Rhys: [Let’s… Go find some place else, right…?]
Wolf: [Woof…!]
They continue their hunt to find something to do.
How else is Rhys supposed to revert to normal?
People were quickly walking past the two of them as they both made their way through the winding maze of these streets.
Rhys’s anger and sadness grew inside him, with no way to stop it or hide.
Rhys: Fucking hell… these people piss me off so much!
They keep judging me for no reason!
What the hell did I do to any of you!
He started biting his thumbnail with his sharp teeth through his gloves.
Rhys: Why does everyone hate me?!
Why!!
He cluttered his mind with anything to stop this madness.
Every stare, every frightened face, every hesitant step.
It pissed him off to no end.
He couldn’t let Wolf see it though; how would she react coming to find out how fragile he truly was.
Then, he reached a breaking point.
*Bump
Stranger: [Hey!
Watch where you’re going you freak—]
Rhys grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the ground.
Making sure not to kill him.
He was just about to spit something out about how disrespectful that piece of shit was, but he caught himself just before anything else could escalate, but the damage was already done.
His level of natural strength horrified people around him.
They were all staring at him as if he were the devil in monkey’s flesh.
This feeling was horrible.
Worse than any pain he had ever felt.
Worse than that pain.
That pain…
Rhys: [AAAGHHH!!!!]
He let go of the man and screamed into the ground before running off deeper into the crowd.
Wolf watched as he tore through everyone in his way, just trying his hardest to find some place to put it all back together.
She then took off after him.
Rhys: I hate myself; I hate myself; I hate myself; I hate myself; I hate myself; I hate myself!
Keeping him wide awake throughout his manic episode.
Everything around him was fading, feeling numb, and having nothing to do with himself anymore.
He hated everything; why does he have to go through this?
What could he possibly have done in his past life for this to become his purgatory?
Rhys: Please! Someone just kill me!!
I don’t deserve to live in this world anymore!
Be fucking merciful and end me already!!
Everything felt like the end of the world to him.
Almost as if his entire body was shutting down because of reflex.
***
The cool, wet floor on his clothes felt like an electric shock.
His body jolted upward from the notable contrast.
Finding himself in a place he had never seen before.
The room was dark and grimy.
The air around him felt thick and putrid, making him almost vomit.
Moss covered the walls and ceiling in tiny splotches.
As if someone had thrown green paint all over the walls.
Rhys got up and checked to see if his sweater and pants got dirty.
Rhys: Godammit…
Wolf: [WOOF!!]
Her bark startled Rhys so much that he landed back onto his ass again.
Creating a loud thud throughout the room.
Rhys: [Ow… oh, hey Wolf…!
What’re you doing here…?]
She slowly strutted her way closer to the matted-up Rhys.
He backed away out of both fear and necessity.
The cold, wet floor stuck to his shoes like scorching, yet freezing glue.
Rhys: [Hey!
Can you give me some distance right now?
I probably stink anyway—]
Wolf: [WOOF!!]
Rhys: [Y-yes ma’am!]
She got within two inches of Rhys’s ankles and knocked him to the ground with considerable force.
She then got into his chest and used some magic to calm Rhys down the best she could.
Rhys held onto her, but he could also hear and feel the most desperate whimpers he had ever heard from a dog.
Rhys: [Oh, don’t worry about me Wolf!
I’ll be just fine!
Plus, Ms.
Hollow was just being a dickhead anyway!]
Wolf doesn’t believe a word that he was saying.
She was tired of his lies.
She wanted to say so desperately that: “Express yourself!” to the point of being hysterical herself.
His own psychosis is taking a huge toll on her as well.
Both figuratively and literally.
They both lay there, with Wolf in Rhys’s embrace.
Sitting wherever Rhys’s mental breakdown had taken him.
Luckily for both of them, Wolf could sense where they were they needed to go to get back.
Using magic, of course.
She truly wondered what could’ve happened to him, to make him have these episodic swings and aggravation, after everything bad.
Rhys: I know I’m in the right!
How dare she bring up something like that again!
She has no idea of the pain that I went through.
Nobody does!
They stayed there with each other for a good couple of hours.
Not daring to let go of one another ever.
He seemed to be fine with talking about such a taboo a while ago; I wondered what had happened?
Sometimes his hypocrisy and anger were truly frightening…