The Power of Painting in Year 3000 Part F

Ako took a big leap forward and disappeared. The movement was so fast that our eyes could no longer follow him. All of a sudden, he appeared right behind Corvella.

Right as Corvella was about to speak, Ako slashes her with his horn-like energy daggers. Dazzling yellow light started to spew out of her gash.

Corvella pushes out a few words, “You… How did you get so fast? I promise that you will pay-“

Corvella was interrupted with a stab from one of Charlie’s claws. Ako then twists it reverse-clockwise.

Ako states in the most aggressive tone I’ve ever heard him speak in, “You see Patrick. Unfortunately, we must sacrifice before-hand; if not then we come across unnecessary sacrifices. Don’t worry though, Charlie is going to ride through this with me. Using her claws, I will continuously freeze the Cona Vight in time every time that I slash her down. I will make sure that she suffers thousand-fold for taking our beloved Charlie away from us.”

Corvella faced a never-ending agony, her pain was continuously elongated. She felt so much damage that she could no longer muster any strength to speak.

Ako continues to slash her with the light of the bull and gouges with Charlie’s claw.

With every passing milli-second, Corvella felt the same pain that millions of souls experienced at the fate given by the Cona Vights.

“No one hurts my family and gets away with a simple death. The Ancestors will gladly guide you to perdition,” Ako said with a gentle smile on his face.

Ako continued to slash and stab at Corvella for the next 3 hours.

A hallow shell of what was once a harpy made of darkness blew away like dust in the wind. Vincent sent out molecules of himself to devour the dust and began to stealthily ascend back into the sky.

At the end of the day we all worked together on creating a grave for Charlie.

I remembered 3.14’s unusual remark earlier and when I looked her way; she responded, “Yes. These were precisely for this moment. I was hoping that my numbers were off… but unfortunately the integers don’t lie.”

3.14 pulled out all of the marigold flowers from her interdimensional box and placed them on the ground. Everyone in our current group grabbed a bunch, walked them to her grave and we all mourned together in deep retrospective silence.

Ako spoke up, “She really was the most special out of all of us.”

It seems that our Master of Time knew about sacrifice the most.

Gloria was sobbing and said, “Thank you so much.”

I started bawling. If only I could listen to her voice just one more time, I thought… Who knew that a black widow spider squatting in my house would become so important to my life?

The waterworks started spewing out of all of us.

Good ole’ Grandma Italia cooked for everyone and baked a batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies. We all stuffed our faces and after experiencing an exhausting day like that it was time to go to bed. I closed my eyes and the awareness of my surroundings started to fade away.

Meanwhile, in the sky… Corvak was sitting was sitting on a grand abysmal dragon, Vincent.

Corvak said, “So how did you learn how to do all this, Vincent? We never see you move an inch.”

Vincent replied, “All it takes is a little bit of imagination. Being born first doesn’t mean one will grow the most. I’ve always found it most important to absorb, at least over destruction.”

Corvak laughed and remarked, “BAHAHA!! THAT SOUNDS LIKE TREACHERY. HAVE YOU BEEN PLOTTING AGAINST OUR ELDEST?”

Vincent stayed quiet for a moment. Thousands of hair-like tentacles popped up out of his body and hands started to grab Corvak from underneath.

The dragon smirked and thus spoke Vincent, “Yes. I have, and you two are going to help me do it. Or at least the matter in your genetic make-up will. Thank you for your contribution, Corvak.”

Corvak began to sink into Vincent and all of the tentacles closed in on him.

Corvak shouted as he was getting dragged into his demise, “HEY!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!”

The tentacles completely surrounded Corvak and a scream could no longer be heard. Within the next minute, Vincent grew larger and Corvak could no longer be found.

Ad interim…

Before me was a weird foggy, desert plane with banana peels all around...? The sky was so dark, but the ground was lit by the peels. There was something off in the distance, but I couldn’t see it well. I tried to take a step forward… but I couldn’t move?

Then I tried to speak…but no words would come out?

A weird yet familiar voice called out, “Don’t worry Patrick! I’ll come to you!”

The shape that was off in the distance instantaneously teleported in front of me. I was completely paralyzed in fear and my soul was quivering. Is this what sleep paralysis feels like?

In front of my eyes was a throne made of banana’s and I saw myself sitting on it? Except this version of myself had a mouth like 3.14’s and instead of the 0’s being before the 1’s it was the opposite? The 1’s were before the 0’s. He or the other me was barely clothed and sat in his throne in a very lax, nonchalant manner.

“You know Patrick… I quite like your face. I think I will take it and use it,” said the ominous familiar voice.

Oh god... this is making me cringe. His voice sounds exactly like mine and I hear him twice. Both out loud and in my thoughts.

The other me remarked, “Hahaha that’s right. You can hear me twice! I’m also listening in on your thoughts. How does it feel, Patrick? You know, I don’t show myself to many beings so you should feel lucky!”

I tried as much as I could to move, but the most that I could do is get my body to shake.

More fear began to sink into my blood. Who is this guy, I thought?

“Ah, I’m glad you asked! I go by many different names that multitudes of civilizations, cultures and religions have thought up for me. But for you Patrick, that does not matter. You may call me the ‘Monkey King’. All throughout time, humans have tried to come up with a name for me in order to understand what exactly I am,” the forbidding voice said in response to my thoughts.

The atmosphere and the tone of his speech grew more sinister by the second.

The Monkey King spoke again, “You know, Patrick… There’s a reason why I’m showing you myself right now. I believe you’ve been getting too cocky, thinking you can slay all darkness. I’m sure you’re ready to tear through those Cona Vights after the loss you just experienced. Oh… That’s right, I know in full detail every aspect to your lives. I’m always watching, Patrick. I have to say, I enjoyed watching that whole escapade with Charlie. In fact, I’m kind of glad that she’s gone. Ugh! She was always instilling so much hope in others...”

Terror started to shake me from within. Has he been watching from the very start?

The Monkey King replied, “Yes! Now you’re getting it. In fact, I watch all beings on this planet from the very second they’re born!”

My stomach felt like it was being flipped inside out and the banana peels started circling around me. The Monkey King levitated off his throne and his feet touched the ground. With every step that he took, a tremor was felt from within. I could feel every organ of mine tremble, my very being was captive to the tyrant.

“That’s the spirit, Patrick! Tell me, are you scared yet? Actually, no wait a moment. I think you’re better off the way you are right now. Your mind and body are being as honest as they need to be. You think you’re some protagonist that has the power to slay all evil, don’t you? Well, I’m here to give you a reality check Patrick. YOU ARE POWERLESS! And… guess what? We are deep inside your subconscious right now. This is my domain; the furthest part of your soul is ruled by me! Of course, that’s not to say that I don’t rule your external reality. I AM THE CAUSE OF EVERY HORRID THING THAT HAPPENS,” the Monkey King said with a menacing tone.

The Monkey King was standing right in front of me now and he snapped his fingers. A duplicate of himself appeared right behind me. The Monkey King closed in next to my ear and his clone moved to the other side.

The Monkey King spoke again and his clone joined in, “In my opinion these Cona Vights are giving darkness a bad rep. I mean, come on! What a lukewarm, over-the-top, grandiose darkness! Do they think real terror is in mass destruction? Don’t make me laugh! Real darkness is more conniving than that.”

I could hear the Monkey King’s voice three times now. He snapped his fingers again and another clone popped up now.

All three Monkey King’s continued, “You see, real darkness plots insidiously and skulks in every shadow. Everywhere the Sun shines, darkness lurks!!”

Not only did I feel fear, but sickness started to arise from the pit of my stomach. I started to hear a high-pitch ringing sound. If only I could move, I thought.

They replied, “Ah okay, No problem! You want to move? I will help you. Ask and you shall receive!”

Oh no. Me and my fat mouth, or thoughts for that matter.

The entire space flipped upside down and somehow my body was suspended in the air. My body started to rotate without my consent.

The tyrants continued, “Those Cona Vight pals of yours have no idea what real darkness looks like! Do they think slaughtering humans is enough to claim that title? How laughable! What a mediocre definition of darkness!”

The Monkey Kings snapped their fingers and summoned miniature Sun’s. My body was now spinning at a velocity that no human ever should. They began circling around me.

One Monkey King baring his claws at miniature Sun continued, “You see Pat… True horror lies in confusion! Death is not enough to stop you humans from reincarnating, in fact that’s just part of your cycle. I inject a part of myself in every being on this planet, at the very second of their birth! I am the enigma that gives every being the urge to hurt another! I am the reason why the food chain exists!! I am the anomaly that drives all humans towards war!!! I AM THE VOID THAT SURROUNDS THE SUN!!!”

Fatigue was about to hit, but then the ringing in my ears turned up higher; both in volume and pitch.

Another Monkey King that was giving a miniature Sun a noogie continued where the last one left off, “I EXISTED AMONGST THE STARS BEFORE A GALAXY FORMED FROM A BIG BANG! I AM THE REASON WHY OTHER ENTITIES FROM NEIGHBOR UNIVERSE’S DO NOT STEP FOOT IN OURS!! I AM BOTH THE IMMOVABLE AND THE SHADOW THAT MOVES ALL BEINGS!!!”

I spun faster than a top and when one Monkey King snapped his fingers, I finally came to a stop. It took a moment for all my marbles to recenter themselves. My surrounding space came to a stand still and I was now facing a Monkey King doing a balancing act on top of a miniature Sun. Instead of talking to me like the others, he decided to make a stupid-looking face. I felt so much pain that I wanted to scream. My soul wanted to cry for help but I was interrupted.

Four voices continued in unison, “No-No-No, Pat. Nobody can help you here. You want to know why I inflict all this confusion? Why I push all beings to the edge of malevolence? IT’S TO GET BACK AT THE SUN!! I make sure to keep an extra watchful eye on humans, because I know just how much the Sun loves you. I mean, seriously! Here I was minding my own business and then all of a sudden, the Sun wanted to start taking up space… Well, I will always make sure to come to the most despicable means of pay-back! You see, I could obliterate the Sun in an instant. BUT THAT WOULD BE SO BORING!!! No, in the crux of it, I am a showman by trade… One could call it cosmic entertainment! Hurting the Sun physically would be way too obvious. No, driving all of the Sun’s children mad seems to be more effective to me.”

The three Monkey Kings assimilated back to one and he snapped his fingers yet again. The space adjusted back to normal, and I was no longer upside down.

The Monkey King brought his tone down to a spine-chilling level and spoke again, “Every being on this planet is related to the Sun. All you humans are mere pawns in our war. So of course, I will target all of you… But enough of my rants. I brought you here for a different reason and you have no banana offering to boot. It’s time for me to show you what real darkness looks like. I will reveal a fate worse than death, just for you. Tell me, Pat. You sure loved your grandma, didn’t you?”

The Monkey King snapped his fingers again and I started to perceive a reel playing back memories of Grandma Marge in my head. White noise made from an ensemble of 1’s and 0’s would eat the memory of every scene after it played.

What…? Why can’t I remember that anymore, I thought?

The Monkey King snapped his fingers and shouted in glee, “GROVEL!!!”

My body immediately complied on it’s own and my face struggled to look up.

He bellowed triumphantly, “SAY GOOBYE TO YOUR GRANDMA, PAT!!!”

NO!! DON’T TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!!! Memories of Grandma Marge are all I have left of her, I thought…

Instantaneously, I regained enough power to look up and saw a giant crocodile swimming in the sky.

The Monkey King looked up and said, “Oh…? It seems that we’re not the only beings here…”

The crocodile let out a thunderous, yet majestic roar and the entire space started rumbling.

The Monkey King snapped, “This is not the last time you will see me!”

Green light beamed out of the crocodile’s mouth and the tyrant was struck by god-like lightning.

The sound of the crash woke me up and I regained all memory of Grandma Marge.

Thank the lands, that’s over. What a crazy nightmare, I thought.

My body started to follow the scent of freshly cooked tofurkey bacon. Italia set some plates out and the Sun was reflected in the glistening morning dew.

Italia looked concerned and said consolingly, “You look like a train-wreck. Is everything okay?”

I hesitantly replied, “I think I just came across one of the spirits you mentioned earlier…”