In the damp darkness of an underground dungeon Naren's face was barely lit up by a slight ember. His eyes shaking and his breath trembling.
"No...more...I can't..."
In front of him Cairo stood as his hair burned slightly from the heat radiating off his skin.
"What're ya talkin about?"
Naren leaned into Cairo's face, his voice unkempt and unnatural, cracking under the slightest pressure.
"We died Cairo...Over and over and over and over again. We just kept dying! Everytime it started over! Everytime nothing would change! We're here forever Cairo!"
Naren fell back to a seat, his solemn gaze returning to the floor as his voice trailed off:
"I'm tired of it...Of it all..."
Cairo didn't say anything. Instead his sharp grey eyes stayed locked on Naren as he continued listening to the boy's ramblings:
"I can't...They forgot about me...They don't know me...what's the point...Why am I even trying this hard? Just to be dissappointed? Just for the same cycle to happen over and over again?"
Naren always knew it, in the deepest corner of his soul, hidden and covered up, he always knew the reality: He was cursed. It was that plain and simple. He wasn't meant to go on a journey to find himself, he find people to see him for him.
No.
He was always meant to fail.
That's how it was written for him the moment the crimson scarf was wrapped around his neck. That was his purpose. To be forgotten.
Yet, he couldn't feel any anger towards the scarf. No matter how much he tried, he could never bear to get rid of it. It was the scarf of the witch who cursed him. The witch who cast him aside to a life of solitude.
"I never asked for this okay?...Never wanted to any of this...I never wanted to become a shaman..."
"You done?"
Cairo's voice cut sharp in the dim atmosphere.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
Naren slowly looked up just to see what kind of expression he was making at him. Just what was causing Cairo's heart to beat so fast.
But there was no pity or understanding on Cairo's face. Instead it was flush with disdain.
His grey eyes flickered and in the next second, his foot was digging into Naren's face. Naren coming crashing to the ground with a heavy thump.
Grimacing Naren tried freeing himself but eventually gave up. He was too tired to fight back.
Cairo continued grinded on his face with his foot, speaking through gritted teeth:
"You really piss me off, you know?...You tired? You scared? Sad?...Who the fuck gives a damn. You think you got any right? The hell have you done other than cry? Tell me...You didn't wanna be a shaman? Who the hell told you to?! Who's sorry ass gave you the shit-ass idea that you could be a shaman? You think this shit is a game? Somethin we all doin to kill time? If that's the case go kill yourself. And while your at it, bury that ugly ass scarf too!"
Naren snapped at the mention of his scarf. He didn't know why. He never understood just why he had felt that way towards the loose piece of fabric around his neck, but he never tried to understand either.
It just was.
Kicking up from the ground, Naren's foot exploded into a crescent arc digging into the back of Cairo's head, pushing him staggering back.
Naren shook his head, spitting out the blood from biting his own lips as he got to his feet.
"Fuck you...You one eyed freak!"
Cairo rolled his neck, cracking it in the process.
"I'll bury it myself...piss-eyed fuck!"
In the next second they were feeding into eachothers agression. Without any use of arms for fighting or balance, their scuffle turned into it's most primitive source.
Knees digging into kidneys, nails clipping off, biting, spitting, stomping, headbutting.
They were both a couple feet away from each other, blood trickling down from the bites and bruises.
Naren, even through his haggard breathing and pessimistic viewpoint was angry. His words gurgling through his already lost voice.
"The hell is your problem! You have so many fucking issues you freak!"
Cairo spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
"You're my problem, dickhead!"
Cairo lunged forward, leaning over to the side as if to shoot his right foot forward.
Naren responded by raising his left foot to check it.
But in the last minute, Cairo straightened up planting both legs and shooting up. His head smashing through Naren's chin sending him staggering to the ground with a pool of blood flowing from his gaping mouth.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
Cairo's breathing was starting to thin out as Naren could hear his heart beat louder and louder.
"Do you...know why you piss me off so much?"
Naren stared at him, golden eyes flickering in anger.
"Like I give a damn."
"You can't do this no more? You tired? You never wanted to be a shaman? All that jus feels like I'm eatin shit!...We not some heroes. We sell our souls to beasts jus to get a taste of power! We're not some fuckin lofty goal for you!...The second you start thinkin like that, the second everythin gets squashed! If you're a shaman you bite down on your tongue to stop crying! You gouge out your eyes to stop poison! You cut down any useless limbs! You.don't.stop."
Cairo squatted down, staring at Naren.
"An here I thought you was cool, Naren."
Naren. Who was that? It sounded familiar...Wait that was him. He was Naren. That was his name. Cairo remembered his name?
That's right. His name was remembered. That's what he wanted. That's all he wanted. For someone to remember his name.
But why does it matter so much. Why not just relax in this loop forever where Cairo would remember him forever.
'Why try?'
Naren stared, his eyelids struggling to stay up. Then, he slammed his head to the ground below him. Blood flowing out of his forhead.
He glared passed Cairo, the entire cell now illuminated by his crackling flames.
FWIP
In the next second, Naren's bare feet touched the cold hard ground on the opposite side of the white bars, looking back at Cairo.
"Fuck you, candle."