He moved to the door and tried to open it. But the door only shook slightly and did not open. He sighed as he stepped back and used his head now that it was not clouded. This was his dreamscape, but it was also what he believed a house would be.
So the house would obviously have locked doors. Which means he could not just walk inside the house. He would first have to find a way to unlock the door. Usually he would need a key to open a door. But at the moment he was in his mind.
There had to be something far more complex at play. Maybe the key was an idea or thought he needed to have. Those were the only things that would make sense.
Unless… It was just a basic locked door.
He stepped back and looked down. On the ground in front of the door on the porch sat a mat that had the word 'welcome' in black on it.
It could not be that simple… or could it?
He crouched down and lifted the mat. Sighing as he picked up the simple key that was sitting underneath it. He let go of the mat and stood up with the key. Putting it into the lock and turning it. The door opened inward and the darkness that clouded the inside began to disappear.
At least it mostly disappeared. There were still areas of the house that were covered in fog. Specifically it was the entrance to the backyard. The doorway that would lead to the guest bedroom. The door that would lead to the master bedroom. Then finally there was the door that would lead to Cho's bedroom.
All of those rooms and doorways had a layer of white and gray fog covering it. Jace could also not feel any particular interest in any of them. He could go toward them, but he just had this feeling that they were not ready yet. Nor was he ready yet. It was faint through the fog but he could see a scene through one of them. He did not yet want to relive this scene or the other ones.
He looked around the house and could see the kitchen, living room, and the dining room were all visible. But to his side was an additional doorway with a black fog covering it. That would lead down into the basement.
He walked toward the basement. He could feel the sense of danger was coming from down there. The fog covering the basement was more like what he encountered earlier. The door to the basement was open so he could just walk right into it.
Jace took a moment before he moved down the first step that he could barely see. As his foot stepped the first step his mind became clouded again. But this time instead of pressure he could hear whispers.
"You can't reach the bottom of the stairs." "You are a failure." "You are weak." Jace frowned as he listened to the whispers. He shook his head and focused on the task ahead. Going down these stairs one step at a time. Because apparently that was as far as the fog was not blocking him.
He began stepping down to the next step. "You are a criminal." "Murderer!" "Psycopath!" "Scum like you deserve to die!" That last one hit him as he began to realize he had heard all of these things before. These were things that people had told him before. They all shared the same thing, they were all told to him right before he killed someone.
The step before was just his stray thoughts. These steps were things people told him that wounded him on some mental level right before he killed them. These stairs had a theme just like the path to the porch put him under physical pressure. These steps seem to put a mental pressure on him.
Each one probably had their own thing. As he stepped down to the next one he flinched in pain as loud voices entered his mind. "Die!" "God Damn Kid!" "This is where you die!" "Finally!" "Throw him off the bridge!" "Just toss the body in the gutter!" All of them were screaming or yelling in some fashion. They were from moments in his life where he was injured and near death. All of them were moments where he was terrified and close to death.
Jace took a breath and calmed himself. That is the past and this is the present. There was no way he would end up in a similar situation again. If he was going to go down, he would go down fighting tooth and nail until he died.
He stepped down onto the next step. "Please no!" "I don't want to die!" "Why are you doing this?!?" "I can pay you double!" The begging, the begging of people he was about to kill. It was more annoying than damaging to his mind. What is the point in pleading to live, the few times in life he tried they just hit him harder.
He rolled his eyes as he stepped down onto the next step as his breath caught in his throat. "I am just associating with him because that is what they asked of me." That was Salem's voice. "I actually detest that orphan."
"He was just a one night stand that would not go away." Vana chuckled as she spoke. "I am happy I am getting this chance to get away from him."
"Do you remember that orphan who was Salem's roommate? What was his name again?" He remembered that voice, Jordan Hermes. He was in the Coble Squad back in the academy with Jace.
"Good I am rid of that annoying know it all." Taylor Hielo chuckled, "I am glad I no longer have to be compared with someone who thinks they are on my level."
"That headache is out of the way. I am thankful, I do not have to train talentless garbage like him. All he can do is punch an enemy. That is all he will ever be useful for." That voice was Director Fenrir.
Then a voice that Jace had not heard in a long time spoke. One he thought he would never hear before. "I am glad I got rid of that brat. I wanted nothing to do with him." Jace began crying as he heard his mother's voice.
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