Friendship is Home

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Rebirth...

Reincarnation...

The Afterlife...

Heaven...

Hell...

He'd be the first to admit that none of those things had any significant meaning to him. Religion was something he personally chose not to believe in; and so he paid the theories, ideas and other various things connected to it little attention. Could there really be an afterlife? Would the choices he made in life cause him to be sent to a different place once he died? Would he be judged on the decisions that had affected him and others?

To be perfectly frank, he honestly didn't care either way. If his choices affected him, that was fine; and if they didn't, then that was fine too. He chose not to believe in a single figure judging him once he died. But if you believed in those things, then good for you; and if you didn't, then good for you too. That was the right of any person who could think for themselves: the right to choose what they wanted to believe in and accept as truth.

All he asked in return was that you didn't attempt to force your opinion on anyone else. Sure, talking about it and discussing things with others was fine, just like teaching your religion to those who knew nothing about it. But if you started trying to shovel your beliefs down the throat of someone else, then he had a problem with what you believed in. No true God needed people to believe in it to be true, and its existence should speak for itself.

Damien Wick considered himself a pretty simple young adult. He lived his life by a simple set of rules. First: do unto others as you would wish upon yourself. Second: never stop moving forward. And third: life was what you made of it. Your decisions and choices were what mattered, and you should never let the beliefs and opinions of others force you to be someone other then yourself. Only you should be allowed to chose who you wanted to be and what you wanted to do.

That was his belief, and the rules by which he lived his life.

Those rules had served the young man well through his twenty-three years of life; leading him straight and true, and making sure he never regretted the choices he made. Despite the fact that he preferred to be on his own with the solitude of his own thoughts, the desire to be alone had never truly stopped him from living his life day-by-day however he desired. His faith had been destroyed multiple times, his friendships broken and his honest helpfulness taken advantage of, but he had never let it stop him, and had never regretted anything.

Over the years, though, the betrayals had built up upon each other, and he'd begun to spend more and more time alone in his solitude. Eventually the few who still knew him considered him a loner; someone who wanted others to respect his desire to be alone, but was still willing to be there for his friends if they needed him. Not that Damien really had many friends, more like a few acquaintances whom he spent time with every once and a while in order to say that he wasn't some depressed emo who never saw the light of day.

Sure, he might be depressed sometimes, and the way he'd closed his heart off from opening up to others might make his emotions difficult to notice when he expressed them, but that did not make him an Emo! Yes, he might like to be alone, prefer the dark to the light, enjoy clothes of darker shades, and could sometimes be rather silent and unnoticeable in a room full of people, but those were just traits that defined him. They didn't mean he was some super depressed self-destroyed dude who never wanted to have friends again.

Damien refused to be identified by anything other then who he truly was. His looks and his emotions were just a filler, his personality was more complex then a few stereotypes!

Anyways, you're probably wondering what this is all about. How is Damien Wick any more important then every other stereotypical human on the planet? Well, the fact of the matter was he was no more important. He was a perfectly boring male whose story wouldn't even be worth the cost of the book it was printed in, let alone something anyone would want to read. So why are you reading about him then? Well, isn't it obvious?

He died. . .

/ / / / /

“Well...that was super frick'n uncomfortable,” Damien mumbled, absently pressing his hand over the surprisingly wound-free section of his suddenly naked chest.

It was odd, due to the fact he could have sworn he'd been bleeding out from a bullet wound only a few moments ago, but now his skin was intact without even a trace of scarring.

He decided not to worry about it, and took a cursory glance at himself to see if the rest of his body was similarly healed. He wasn't too surprised to find that he was indeed healed of the various scraps, bruises and wounds he'd gained over the rather sudden assault he'd just been subjected to. However, the fact all his clothes had suddenly disappeared was a little confusing and awkward. Thankfully, though, he appeared to be alone, so he didn't need to be too worried about the display he was putting on.

Not that he considered it very much of a display, all things considered. For someone of his age who exercised frequently, he knew he wasn't much to look at. He ate good portions of food, and didn't overwork himself. Yet he had always retained a slightly underweight appearance. This was likely due to the combination of his slim frame and lean non-muscular build. Combined with the various small scars that covered his bare body, he was pretty boring to look at.

Having finished examining himself, Damien took a look around to see if he could understand whatever situation he'd managed to find himself in. The first thing he noticed was that wherever he was...was dark. A soul-crushing blackness surrounded him in all directions, stretching out in an endless void as far as the eye could see, but that the mind knew was endlessly vast. The only other detail was the small circle of light that he was standing in. Its weak warmth and glow was seemingly all that kept the surrounding void at bay.

Unconsciously lowering a hand towards his rather exposed maleness, Damien continued to look around, “So, if I was just shot...then I'm probably dead.” Damien sighed, “Bummer... Alright then, where am I?”

...In between...

Damien's eyes immediately narrowed, and he cast his gaze around the void to try and locate the voice that had just spoken, despite knowing on some level that it would likely do no good. The voice had both echoed from all around the darkness surrounding him, but also within his head. Still though, it was odd hearing a voice that he couldn't locate, not to mention that he'd have to talk back to something he couldn't see... heh, just like someone who prayed at their bedside every night.

. . .

Right, that had been a bit snarky. Apparently dying had done more to his emotional attitude then he'd first thought. It wasn't often that he took pot-shots at religion and the way those who practiced it acted. Taking a deep calming breath, he relaxed and let his mind focus once more; reinforcing the mental discipline that let him function day by day despite the bouts of depression he sometimes experienced.

. . . . Alright, there we go, much better.

“That didn't really answer my question,” he voiced calmly, pausing before asking somewhat curiously, “Mind telling me some more?”

...Time...Destiny...History...Truth...

Damien simply stood still for a moment, feeling his right eye twitch in annoyance at the completely useless answer of the disembodied voice. This was just his luck, getting attacked while shopping due to the t-shirt he'd chosen to wear of all things. Dying from being shot at point-black range after beating down half his attackers. And now he was stranded in some endless void of blackness with a voice spiting riddles like Dumbledore at him.

...was today Tuesday?

“Well...that was useless,” he mumbled, running a hand backwards through his hair as he took another calming breath, “Mind...maybe expanding on that thought?”

...All beings have a beginning and an end...this is not your end...

Well, that certainly set Damien's mind blazing. Did the voice mean he'd get resurrected back on Earth?

Was this the moment that all his denials of religion would be thrown aside by proof that such miracles existed and could happen!?

As his thoughts ran a mile a minute, Damien eventually opened his mouth to ask for some clarification, only to cut himself off as the void rippled and began to shake all around him. Bracing himself, he stayed standing through the thunderous rumbling of the dark realm, watching in awe and horror as the darkness around him pulsed and rippled more, cracks forming and instantly healing in the darkness around him.

He wasn't certain how he knew, but Damien knew without a doubt that the darkness around him was bad for his health, and if the realm was breaking apart it meant whatever was keeping him here was fading. In answer to that thought, the light surrounding the young man flickered for a moment. An icy cold whipped around his body and pierced into his soul, causing a single moment of intense agony unlike anything he'd ever felt before, before the light came back brighter than ever.

...Time...Short...Choose...

As the voice spoke, the void around him rippled once more, only this time without the shaking and cracking that had accompanied the action the first time.

He watched once more in awe as the aura of light around him brightened even more, spider-like lines shooting out across the floor of the void. Tiny dots formed every few feet, with orbs of light forming and hovering over the dots. Thousands upon thousands of orbs lit up the darkness surrounding him, stretching into eternity.

Damien didn't even hesitate as he took his first step, walking along the web of light towards the nearest orb, a rapid array of images flooding his mind and soul before vanishing as he stepped past. As he wandered along the spider-web of light, he was assaulted again and again by images and feelings, each different yet somehow similar in thousands of ways. The ocean of orbs each offering their own unique promise, calling out to him and beckoning him into their light.

and yet...

As he wandered the endless pathways of light, the void would ripple and shake without warning, orbs vanishing as they were swallowed by the darkness. It was a terrifying experience, watching the orbs ahead of him blinking out before he could approach, as the ones behind him were swallowed just the same by the darkness, crushing the light and extending the shadows of the void with each minute that passed as he wandered.

But Damien couldn't stop, passing orb after orb as an ache began to form in his heart and soul. All of them felt so similar, a simple welcoming warmth as they offered him another chance at life... but none of them felt right. He didn't quite know how to explain it, but none of these worlds were the right one for him. None of them contained whatever it was he needed, what his soul cried out for in the void as he wandered along.

“Wait...”

Halting his quick walk, Damien felt himself hesitating as he stood beside one of the thousands of orbs, a feeling he'd long since forgotten reaching out for him without an ounce of reluctance. It... It felt warm, welcoming, judging and comforting all at the same time, and Damien knew without a doubt that it was the most amazing warmth he'd ever experienced. Standing there, he barely noticed as his arm lifted, hand reaching out to press his palm against the orb, the warm surface of the light tickling his sensitive skin.

Breathing in deeply, Damien let his eyes close as he pushed his palm closer against the orb of light. As his eyes were closed, he didn't notice as the millions of lights flickered out all around him, leaving him in an ocean of darkness. The small orb he was touching was the only light in the darkness. It was somehow holding back the endless void all on its own, even as the darkness reached out to wrap its shadowy claws around Damien.

...This connection...I see...so it hass chosen you...

As his palm continued to rest on the orb of light, the faint images and feelings that he'd been experiencing as he passed by the other orbs was blown away by those that he experienced here. They were brighter, more colorful, thick with emotion and feeling, their details writing themselves across his mind, and flowing into his very soul. It was amazing. This world wasn't like the others he'd bypassed, it wasn't welcoming a stranger who needed somewhere to stay, it was like... family... family calling him home, to that home in his heart that he'd closed so long ago.

He'd known since he began to wander the spider-web of light that each orb was a – a doorway, yes, a doorway to another world, a realm that existed out in the multiverse that he was being offered entry to. But this world, this doorway, this realm, it felt so warm and inviting, so different from the indifference that he remembered feeling back on Earth. It was almost like...like someone was calling out to him, welcoming him and promising him that everything would be okay.

'Can you hear me?'

“I...I can hear you,” Damien whispered in answer to the faint voice, a worried look slowly forming on his face.

He, he honestly couldn't remember how many years it had been since he'd felt worry so clearly, or any of the other emotions that he could feel welling up inside of him. This world, it was everything he'd ever wanted to feel. A world that welcomed him despite the darkness of his soul, despite the way he'd closed his heart and soul. This world was pushing it all aside and asking someone as broken as him if he wanted to belong.

But he...did he really deserve something like this?

The warmth of the welcome suddenly increased a thousand fold as Damien's thoughts darkened, shattering his dark thoughts before they could fully form, flooding him with like and warmth beyond even what he'd felt before. It was so intense, so amazing...Damien gasped weakly as he collapsed to his knees in front of the orb of light, no longer able to support himself as the warmth grew brighter and brighter, filling him and nudging at the doorway to his closed heart.

'Can you feel me Damien? Can you feel the promise of my soul?'

“Y-Yes, I...I can feel you,” he whispered, eyes wide as a few tears leaked from his watery eyes.

'All you have to do is reach out, reach out and take hold.'

Damien hesitated, hand trembling as it rested on the surface of the glowing orb, wondering if he had the strength to accept what he was being offered. Could he really embrace what he was so freely being given? He'd long ago locked away his emotions, refused to feel or open his heart again after being hurt so many times before. If he...if he accepted what this warmth promised, he'd change. He'd no longer be able to lock himself away like he'd done before.

Could he though, could he really try again?

'I promise, I'll be there for you.'

Damien's eyes sharpened, and he pushed aside all traces of hesitation and doubt that clouded his mind 'NEVER STOP MOVING FORWARD' and he plunged his hand into the light.

It happened in an instant. An explosion of light and warmth as the orb exploded outwards and blew away the darkness that surrounded him, chasing away the shadows that had begun to take hold, the light overwhelming every trace of the darkness and surrounding him in it's loving warmth. Damien choked, eyes still watering and a few more tears leaking down his cheeks. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel someone holding him, their arms wrapped around him as the light and warmth filled him, changed him...

Though he couldn't see what was going on, Damien knew he was changing. He could feel it both in his body and his soul. It terrified him, being changed...but he'd accepted the offer as it'd been given. He'd embraced it without an ounce of hesitation, letting the new feelings and light fill him and do as it wished. The warmth of whoever was holding him, of the world that was welcoming him, being all he needed in return.

'I've got you Damien,' the once faint voice whispered, echoing with an ageless kindness and warmth. 'I've got you, and I promise as long as you want it, that you'll be welcome.'

'My world hasn't existed for very long, it is new and young. Its trials and tribulations are just beginning, the danger is hidden just beneath the surface. Those that walk my surface aren't ready for it, Damien. They are just as young, just as inexperienced. They need you, Damien; just like you need them. Together you can learn more from each other then you'd ever be able to imagine.'

'Harmony...Chaos...Love...Light...Darkness...'

'Everything is equal, all of it. Embrace this truth, embrace those that open themselves to you, and open yourself in return. And then, Damien, you'll never be alone again.'

“W-Who are you?” he whispered out weakly in exhaustion.

He-He wanted to see her, to see whoever was speaking to him, who was embracing him so warmly. He wanted to know who she was, why she'd offered all of this so freely to him, why she thought he could possibly be the one who her world needed. He wasn't anyone special. He had no rare gifts, no special talents, but...but she sounded so certain, certain that he was everything he'd always thought he could never possibly be.

But the light was too bright, even with it's warmth he was being blinded by it's brilliance. He couldn't make out anything, and worse yet he felt the exhaustion beginning to take hold of him. The changes he'd undergone had worked his body past the point he could normally function. Yet he refused to let it take him, not until he'd seen her, this person who was giving him things he'd long since given up on. This person who was asking him to open his heart and soul to pain once more, to try all the things he'd given up on, to chance being hurt once again. He needed to see her, to look on her with his eyes and see her for himself.

It wasn't to be though, the white light brightened and the feeling of the figure holding him vanished in its all encompassing warmth. Slowly, the white light began to change. It twisted as colors began to flow into it, circling around each other and forming a vortex of color, a rainbow of light and promise that shone brighter than the sun of Earth ever had. Damien felt himself sway as the exhaustion finally proved too much, and as the rainbow surrounded and embraced him he felt a weight settle gently on his shoulder, a promise being formed as the words beckoned him into unconsciousness.

'Damien, Welcome Home...'