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[S]e[I][R][I]o[U][S]

"This is insane," he muttered. He saw his love struggle inside of a thick black forest. Though the forest was so thick that he shouldn't be able to see anything past the first few feet, he could see her clearly because nothing made sense here. He was in a mind. Her mind. Her.
She was his love, the person that he loved more than anyone else in the world. The person that he would die for, take any torture for, live in complete darkness for. And here he stood on the outskirts of the black woods watching her die slowly in a torturous death in the dark.
He could see her, though he couldn't see her, struggle against the vegetation, trying to escape, but she couldn't move. She was surrounded by black, formless figures that somehow had forms. They were there even though They weren't there. They were keeping her down, unable to move. They were everywhere and nowhere at the same time. She could feel them though. She could feel the crushing pain in her chest and head that she just wanted to end.
-Then let It end- said the formless figures. Their voice was one voice, and the voice was a deafening shout and a faint whisper at the same time. -Let it end, we'll leave you alone. Just *end* it.- They said "end" with a certain bloodlust that made him sick to his stomach. Like he would lose everything he had inside of him, even though he was empty. She was all that he had.
He closed his eyes in a wince, pain seeping into his body as he came to realize what the words meant. Death. He opened his eyes and looked to the black sky. Yes, the sky was completely black. Not a dark blue that usually colors the sky at night. The sky was a pitch black, void of light. And yet he could see too well. He could see everything as clearly as if it were day, but everything was colored as if it were night. Nothing made sense.
He looked to his right and saw a sight that he was much more accustomed to. There was a place in the pitch black sky where it suddenly faded into a blueish white sky, under which it was daytime. He was used to that place.
He had spent most of his days under that sky with her. They had both laughed without reason, smiled without their minds telling them to, and they had enjoyed life moment by moment. That place was miles away now. Even though he had just been there, he knew it was useless to try to return there. He could not be there unless she was there. The sky would not get any closer unless she took every step with him. Even if he could go there, he wouldn't. Not without her.
She was still fighting Them off without much success. They were still everywhere and nowhere. They were laughing a bloodcurdling laugh and screaming at the top of their lungs all at once with one voice. He wanted nothing more than to rush in there, take her in his arms and leave the forest and head to their sky. The sky where they could laugh again. But he couldn't. The dark forest was a place where only she could go. He couldn't go in there. He couldn't even try. It was impossible.
He looked back to her and his heart sank. She had pulled out a knife and was carving her arms. He cringed inwardly. He hated that. It killed him inside to see it, even though he couldn't see it. But it silenced Them for a short while. Just enough so she could have a moment's rest. But he knew it wasn't worth it. It wasn't. No. She couldn't keep it up for long. She had put down her blade and immediately They were back. This time They were closer to her then they were, but at the same time, they were still everywhere and nowhere and close to her at the same time. They were taunting him as much as they were killing her now.
-You can't save her- they said to him, but only in one monotone voice. Only one. One. -We will win eventually. She will die. And you will lose her-
He fell to his knees with pain. He felt no physical pain, but the words alone were enough for him to lose his mind. But he wasn't in his mind anyway. He was in hers.
He looked back to her and saw something in her eyes that killed him inside. Defeat. "It's never going to end, will it?" she asked, defeat flooding her voice as well. He put on a brave smile. Brave, but fake. "It's okay, love." he said, standing up, "They'll leave one day."
"Yes They will." she said, brokenness in her voice along with the defeat, "They will. Once I'm dead, they'll leave. I'll be free."
His heart stopped beating, yet it was pounding off of the charts at the same time, "No!" he said, "No! You can't think that! You'll live! They'll leave you alone and you will live!"
Everything seemed to lighten. Not much, but a little. Just a little. They didn't like that. They poured pain directly into her like a faucet pours water into a bowl. -You won't make it- They said, a little more aggressively this time, -You can't! There is no way. You're too weak! You can't fight Us off. You've been fighting Us for so long. Why don't you just give in?-
She considered that for a second, and then spoke. Pain still in her voice, as if she were speaking while burning in an inferno, "No. I won't. He still needs me."
He almost wanted to smile, but he couldn't. Not while watching the grotesque scene before him. His love was wearing black jeans that were run ragged all over, rips and tears were littering both legs, especially where the tree's roots grasped her ankles and held her to the ground. Her plain black tee shirt was covered with holes and blood stains. Her lower back was pinned to the ground with another tree root, but her arms were left unlatched so that she could use them to hurt herself. As much as she hacked away at the tree roots with her knives, they never seemed to be damaged. They never retreated until They left, knowing that They won't get Their way this time. It could take hours.
No, this had not been the first time this had happened to her. She had to deal with this long before she ever knew him. However, since he entered her world with her, They seemed to be weaker. He couldn't do much to help, really, but he gave her a reason to escape and not give Them Their way. It let her survive. She wouldn't have a great life, but she would live. She would live.
But he hated this life for her. They wanted nothing more than to kill her so They could leave her mind, but he loved nothing more than to be in there with her. He loved her mind. He hated this part where They were, but her sky was his haven. He stood there watching what he had seen dozens of times. He also was wearing black jeans, but they were unscathed. He too wore a black tee shirt, but it was void of bloodstains. It was unfair how little he had to suffer compared to her. While he stood there and did nothing but watch in silence, although he yelled with all of his strength at the same time, she was going through hell. And he could do nothing to help her. He couldn't stand by anymore.
"Love, let me in with you! Let me suffer with you! Let me fight Them with you! You gladly let me be in the light with you, but allow me to be in the dark with you too!"
She was appalled. Let him suffer like she did? He didn't understand what he was asking for. He didn't understand what she had to go through. She would die before she let him suffer in agony this way too, "No!" she yelled back, her voice giving way at parts. His request made her want to cry, "You cannot be in this dark with me. You can't help me from here. You cannot be my companion in the dark, but you can be my light at the end of it. You can give me reason to get through this. Please, stay out there."
He responded with silence. He wanted to say everything and nothing at the same time. She wanted him to stay out here. He understood though, he'd want the same for her.
He couldn't do much for her from there, but he did all that he could. He could try to console her pain and tell her that it will be all right. He could keep her from hurting herself and he could interrupt Their voices for a little while, but not for long. It was a feeble attempt at a rescue.
He could still see every feature of her face contorted with pain. He could see her beautiful face caked with dirt and blood. It was like looking at a DaVinci painting that someone had taken a knife too. Only she was much more beautiful than a painting. And she bled a lot more.
Hours passed. They continued to torture her, she would yell out in pain and he would try to console her. He felt helpless. All he could do was tell her that she'd be okay and that They would retreat after awhile, but it didn't make her feel any better.
He felt pain as he saw her pain. He loved her. So much. More than he loved anyone else and more than anyone had loved her. It was this love that kept him from turning around and walking away. He hated to see anyone in pain, but it was ten times worse seeing the most important person in his life go through hell. Make that one hundred times worse.
Then he noticed movement. She was struggling against the roots. He couldn't tell, but the formless figures seemed to look defeated, though they didn't look like anything. She struggled and she fought and she opened her eyes as if to say "Enough". She was done with Them and They could tell it. So could he.
Then he saw something that made his heart leap. It erased his pain even though his pain could never leave. She stood up. The roots had receded. She took a stance when she had finally gotten to her feet.
They looked at her, looking like an entire army but also a single person at the same time. She pointed her knife at Them, more as a proclamation than a threat, for she knew that she couldn't hurt them.
They were beaten for now. They had failed to kill her once again. They left and it seemed that they were gone in an instant, but at the same time it was as if it took an eternity for Them to leave.
Once they were gone, she collapsed. Her body hit the dirt without a sound. She was completely drained, but she had enough will left to collapse the forest, letting him in. As soon as he could, he ran at full speed towards her collapsed body without saying a word.
He knelt down beside her and took her in his arms. "I'm sorry," she said without opening her eyes, "I don't mean to hurt you like this. I should have made Them leave sooner. I shouldn't have let you come here. I should have let you know about any of this. I'm so sorry."
He buried his face in her chest and spoke himself, holding back tears, "Please don't apologize. It's my fault. I can't do anything. I can't fight them off. I'm useless, weak, powerless. I am so sorry that I can do nothing, love. I'm so-"
"Stop!" she said, "Please. Without you, They would still be here. If it weren't for you, I'd still be suffering."
"I can't imagine you suffering any longer."
"You don't have to," she said, opening her eyes, "At least, not for tonight. I think our sky is waiting."
He smiled, knowing that her pain was gone, but she was still too weak to walk on her own. If she wasn't, he was carrying her anyway. He stood up, keeping her in his arms, and he took his first step towards their sky. They talked more along the way.
"How did you finally get out?" he asked, "Why did They leave?"
"Because of you," she said, "Even though you couldn't make them leave, They couldn't make me go. Not with you here. They knew that as long as I have you, I'm not going anywhere, but they still try."
"So they just gave up?"
She hummed an "Mmhmm" and closed her eyes, nestling closer to him.
They crossed the boarder into the sky. Just like the forest, nothing made sense, but here, it was in a less threatening way. It was more like a Lewis Carroll story rather than an Edgar Allen Poe book. They were in a blueish white sky, but they were also on the ground. Nothing was too bright or happy or cheery, yet the place had a certain air that created smiles. Not the smiles that would come from a blissful, ignorant child, but smiles that would come from a soldier who had just returned home. One would think that crossing the boarder would change their appearance, but they still wore their black tee shirt and jeans. The pain had not left enough to change either of them that much yet.
He looked to the beautiful girl who was half asleep in his arms. Her scars were still there, but they had stopped bleeding. There was still too much blood for this scene though.
"C'mon," he said gently to her, "Let's get you cleaned up."
She smiled, knowing that the agony for the day had passed and she could be happy again. For awhile.
"Okay," she said weakly, as her mind, for a second, fell into order.

Description
[S]e[I][R][I]o[U][S]

"This is insane," he muttered. He saw his love struggle inside of a thick black forest. Though the forest was so thick that he shouldn't be able to see anything past the first few feet, he could see her clearly because nothing made sense here. He was in a mind. Her mind. Her.
She was his love, the person that he loved more than anyone else in the world. The person that he would die for, take any torture for, live in complete darkness for. And here he stood on the outskirts of the black woods watching her die slowly in a torturous death in the dark.
He could see her, though he couldn't see her, struggle against the vegetation, trying to escape, but she couldn't move. She was surrounded by black, formless figures that somehow had forms. They were there even though They weren't there. They were keeping her down, unable to move. They were everywhere and nowhere at the same time. She could feel them though. She could feel the crushing pain in her chest and head that she just wanted to end.
-Then let It end- said the formless figures. Their voice was one voice, and the voice was a deafening shout and a faint whisper at the same time. -Let it end, we'll leave you alone. Just *end* it.- They said "end" with a certain bloodlust that made him sick to his stomach. Like he would lose everything he had inside of him, even though he was empty. She was all that he had.
He closed his eyes in a wince, pain seeping into his body as he came to realize what the words meant. Death. He opened his eyes and looked to the black sky. Yes, the sky was completely black. Not a dark blue that usually colors the sky at night. The sky was a pitch black, void of light. And yet he could see too well. He could see everything as clearly as if it were day, but everything was colored as if it were night. Nothing made sense.
He looked to his right and saw a sight that he was much more accustomed to. There was a place in the pitch black sky where it suddenly faded into a blueish white sky, under which it was daytime. He was used to that place.
He had spent most of his days under that sky with her. They had both laughed without reason, smiled without their minds telling them to, and they had enjoyed life moment by moment. That place was miles away now. Even though he had just been there, he knew it was useless to try to return there. He could not be there unless she was there. The sky would not get any closer unless she took every step with him. Even if he could go there, he wouldn't. Not without her.
She was still fighting Them off without much success. They were still everywhere and nowhere. They were laughing a bloodcurdling laugh and screaming at the top of their lungs all at once with one voice. He wanted nothing more than to rush in there, take her in his arms and leave the forest and head to their sky. The sky where they could laugh again. But he couldn't. The dark forest was a place where only she could go. He couldn't go in there. He couldn't even try. It was impossible.
He looked back to her and his heart sank. She had pulled out a knife and was carving her arms. He cringed inwardly. He hated that. It killed him inside to see it, even though he couldn't see it. But it silenced Them for a short while. Just enough so she could have a moment's rest. But he knew it wasn't worth it. It wasn't. No. She couldn't keep it up for long. She had put down her blade and immediately They were back. This time They were closer to her then they were, but at the same time, they were still everywhere and nowhere and close to her at the same time. They were taunting him as much as they were killing her now.
-You can't save her- they said to him, but only in one monotone voice. Only one. One. -We will win eventually. She will die. And you will lose her-
He fell to his knees with pain. He felt no physical pain, but the words alone were enough for him to lose his mind. But he wasn't in his mind anyway. He was in hers.
He looked back to her and saw something in her eyes that killed him inside. Defeat. "It's never going to end, will it?" she asked, defeat flooding her voice as well. He put on a brave smile. Brave, but fake. "It's okay, love." he said, standing up, "They'll leave one day."
"Yes They will." she said, brokenness in her voice along with the defeat, "They will. Once I'm dead, they'll leave. I'll be free."
His heart stopped beating, yet it was pounding off of the charts at the same time, "No!" he said, "No! You can't think that! You'll live! They'll leave you alone and you will live!"
Everything seemed to lighten. Not much, but a little. Just a little. They didn't like that. They poured pain directly into her like a faucet pours water into a bowl. -You won't make it- They said, a little more aggressively this time, -You can't! There is no way. You're too weak! You can't fight Us off. You've been fighting Us for so long. Why don't you just give in?-
She considered that for a second, and then spoke. Pain still in her voice, as if she were speaking while burning in an inferno, "No. I won't. He still needs me."
He almost wanted to smile, but he couldn't. Not while watching the grotesque scene before him. His love was wearing black jeans that were run ragged all over, rips and tears were littering both legs, especially where the tree's roots grasped her ankles and held her to the ground. Her plain black tee shirt was covered with holes and blood stains. Her lower back was pinned to the ground with another tree root, but her arms were left unlatched so that she could use them to hurt herself. As much as she hacked away at the tree roots with her knives, they never seemed to be damaged. They never retreated until They left, knowing that They won't get Their way this time. It could take hours.
No, this had not been the first time this had happened to her. She had to deal with this long before she ever knew him. However, since he entered her world with her, They seemed to be weaker. He couldn't do much to help, really, but he gave her a reason to escape and not give Them Their way. It let her survive. She wouldn't have a great life, but she would live. She would live.
But he hated this life for her. They wanted nothing more than to kill her so They could leave her mind, but he loved nothing more than to be in there with her. He loved her mind. He hated this part where They were, but her sky was his haven. He stood there watching what he had seen dozens of times. He also was wearing black jeans, but they were unscathed. He too wore a black tee shirt, but it was void of bloodstains. It was unfair how little he had to suffer compared to her. While he stood there and did nothing but watch in silence, although he yelled with all of his strength at the same time, she was going through hell. And he could do nothing to help her. He couldn't stand by anymore.
"Love, let me in with you! Let me suffer with you! Let me fight Them with you! You gladly let me be in the light with you, but allow me to be in the dark with you too!"
She was appalled. Let him suffer like she did? He didn't understand what he was asking for. He didn't understand what she had to go through. She would die before she let him suffer in agony this way too, "No!" she yelled back, her voice giving way at parts. His request made her want to cry, "You cannot be in this dark with me. You can't help me from here. You cannot be my companion in the dark, but you can be my light at the end of it. You can give me reason to get through this. Please, stay out there."
He responded with silence. He wanted to say everything and nothing at the same time. She wanted him to stay out here. He understood though, he'd want the same for her.
He couldn't do much for her from there, but he did all that he could. He could try to console her pain and tell her that it will be all right. He could keep her from hurting herself and he could interrupt Their voices for a little while, but not for long. It was a feeble attempt at a rescue.
He could still see every feature of her face contorted with pain. He could see her beautiful face caked with dirt and blood. It was like looking at a DaVinci painting that someone had taken a knife too. Only she was much more beautiful than a painting. And she bled a lot more.
Hours passed. They continued to torture her, she would yell out in pain and he would try to console her. He felt helpless. All he could do was tell her that she'd be okay and that They would retreat after awhile, but it didn't make her feel any better.
He felt pain as he saw her pain. He loved her. So much. More than he loved anyone else and more than anyone had loved her. It was this love that kept him from turning around and walking away. He hated to see anyone in pain, but it was ten times worse seeing the most important person in his life go through hell. Make that one hundred times worse.
Then he noticed movement. She was struggling against the roots. He couldn't tell, but the formless figures seemed to look defeated, though they didn't look like anything. She struggled and she fought and she opened her eyes as if to say "Enough". She was done with Them and They could tell it. So could he.
Then he saw something that made his heart leap. It erased his pain even though his pain could never leave. She stood up. The roots had receded. She took a stance when she had finally gotten to her feet.
They looked at her, looking like an entire army but also a single person at the same time. She pointed her knife at Them, more as a proclamation than a threat, for she knew that she couldn't hurt them.
They were beaten for now. They had failed to kill her once again. They left and it seemed that they were gone in an instant, but at the same time it was as if it took an eternity for Them to leave.
Once they were gone, she collapsed. Her body hit the dirt without a sound. She was completely drained, but she had enough will left to collapse the forest, letting him in. As soon as he could, he ran at full speed towards her collapsed body without saying a word.
He knelt down beside her and took her in his arms. "I'm sorry," she said without opening her eyes, "I don't mean to hurt you like this. I should have made Them leave sooner. I shouldn't have let you come here. I should have let you know about any of this. I'm so sorry."
He buried his face in her chest and spoke himself, holding back tears, "Please don't apologize. It's my fault. I can't do anything. I can't fight them off. I'm useless, weak, powerless. I am so sorry that I can do nothing, love. I'm so-"
"Stop!" she said, "Please. Without you, They would still be here. If it weren't for you, I'd still be suffering."
"I can't imagine you suffering any longer."
"You don't have to," she said, opening her eyes, "At least, not for tonight. I think our sky is waiting."
He smiled, knowing that her pain was gone, but she was still too weak to walk on her own. If she wasn't, he was carrying her anyway. He stood up, keeping her in his arms, and he took his first step towards their sky. They talked more along the way.
"How did you finally get out?" he asked, "Why did They leave?"
"Because of you," she said, "Even though you couldn't make them leave, They couldn't make me go. Not with you here. They knew that as long as I have you, I'm not going anywhere, but they still try."
"So they just gave up?"
She hummed an "Mmhmm" and closed her eyes, nestling closer to him.
They crossed the boarder into the sky. Just like the forest, nothing made sense, but here, it was in a less threatening way. It was more like a Lewis Carroll story rather than an Edgar Allen Poe book. They were in a blueish white sky, but they were also on the ground. Nothing was too bright or happy or cheery, yet the place had a certain air that created smiles. Not the smiles that would come from a blissful, ignorant child, but smiles that would come from a soldier who had just returned home. One would think that crossing the boarder would change their appearance, but they still wore their black tee shirt and jeans. The pain had not left enough to change either of them that much yet.
He looked to the beautiful girl who was half asleep in his arms. Her scars were still there, but they had stopped bleeding. There was still too much blood for this scene though.
"C'mon," he said gently to her, "Let's get you cleaned up."
She smiled, knowing that the agony for the day had passed and she could be happy again. For awhile.
"Okay," she said weakly, as her mind, for a second, fell into order.