[u][h2]The Game[/h2][/u]
Location: Todder Manor, Room 13
Time: 3AM

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“Buried alive…”

The feeling one might associate with being buried alive is similar to the same helplessness Vaega felt, whilst drifting in the abyss of his own mental labyrinth. He was at a cross roads with himself, and the demon who invaded his essence. 

“Do not play with fire, unless you are willing to take the risk of being burned by it.”

A cardinal rule now etched in the fabric of Vaega’s being, a careless, reckless, adolescent who somehow managed to cling on what was left of a very thin thread. He was between worlds, the living, and the dead. When he first was pulled into this realm of limbo, it was terrifying, nearly crushed him, but it had grown into such a familiar place that he felt comfortable inside the rules from which it sprang.

“You are a stubborn little one, Mr. Vaega, it is quite delightful to have had the pleasure of being a part of this experience with you. I did not think such a little one could hold up to such pressures from the likes of me, yet here you stand or sit, I guess.” The voice came from the opposite end of the park bench; a charismatic voice at a low tone if explained in words. The pitches of sound were in all the right places, truly emphasizing on the emotion being conveyed, but still a hint of eerie subtlety behind it. Bael’s hood softly resting on the top of his head, fingers laced together while his hands were being covered by his sleeves, they slipped into one another, while his gaze directed attention toward the ground 6 feet in front of him.

Vaega leaned back on the park bench which now displayed flakes of green paint missing from their respective places. The sky was clear, and the sun illuminated the park that lied before both of them. There were no people present, no birds, no trees, no life, just inanimate objects constructed from the unconscious of Vaega’s mind and brought into conscious view within the rules of his new reality. There was a bench, a pond, a sun, and some grass, beyond those things were nothing but a void of black space. He had been in his own head for so long, that the necessity to escape had faded from thought. He no longer tried fighting his invader, no longer tried arguing, no longer tried resisting, or creating mazes to hide in. Nope, instead he came to the conclusion that all he could do was let go and accept what happened. The park, the bench, the pond, these were all little novelties to distract him and keep him in a state of peace as he wore out the days on the outside.

“Now you choose to no longer talk to me? Vaega, you poor thing, when will you realize, the only one who has something to lose in this game is you. You are running out of time, and time is something I have plenty of. Do we sit here until your body rots away in a room where no one visits?”

Vaega honestly had contemplated Bael’s proposition before, he knew Bael was going to make it again soon. If it were not for all the warnings his lineage had instilled in him through the generations of books he had the privilege of reading due to his father, he would have broken long ago. Then again, if it were not for the jewel that hung around his neck, he would not have been able to trap the wicked beast in the very place that the beast wishes to hijack. In Vaega’s perspective he was keeping Bael locked up, whereas Bael tried to convince Vaega that he was locked up. They both were playing the same game, and both deceiving themselves of the true nature behind the game they were playing.

It was in the best interest of civilized society that Vaega keep his creature chained, but it was in the best interest of Vaega to figure out a way to free himself, and defeat the invader inside himself, but to do so, might contradict his ability to chain him up. Oh, the tug of war about what to do, this is what kept him staring at the walls for what seemed like eternity.


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Location: Todder Manor, Dr. Todder's Office 
Time: 3AM

It is with great grief I am writing in this journal. We have yet been able to improve Mr. Grim-Maestri’s condition. The question is slowly transitioning from, “What can we do to help?” to, “When should we pull the plug?” 

We know the fight he is up against, and we cannot allow for his energy to be used as a conduit into our world for that thing’s pleasure. It is still unclear as to what has him, but nearly 6 years ago today; he was placed in that room, and has never stopped staring at the small barred window. Never once has he moved, never once has he blinked, never once has he shown signs of life. What he has shown is the ability to maintain stillness, which if I interpret it correctly; it means he has not lost himself to what is inside him. How long though will this boy last? When will we begin to see the manic behavior of the possessed?

I had known Vaega’s father for quite a long time, and to be the one to look after his child has been an honor, but I dare say, will I need to be the one to decide whether he is worth the risk? I hope not, I hope salvation for this young man comes soon, and I pray for Evelyn’s sake.

Journal Entry into the Chain of Thoughts
By, Dr. Jack Todder of Todder Manor Mental Health Clinics