Chapter 297: A masked fool

When did it all begin? The moment I began hiding myself? The time I detached my own from my needless selves? Which in turn resulted in my dishonesty, shrouded in fakes, in the myriad of the selection masks for the events to come? Right… that time was it? It all began in that moment, when everything crumbled, and I became a fake and lost all my color

22 years ago

“It pains me to say this but your son has no sickness. His body… we’ve never seen anything like it,” The doctor carefully chose his words and uttered them in a monotone pitch to alleviate the parent’s worry

“Doctor what the fuck are you trying to say in front of my son,” Rosaline quickly covers her child’s ears to defend him from the doctor’s sorrowful news of his life

“Tell me doctor is there anything we could do? He was fine for a while back just what do you find? Or are you tricking us?”

Alan tugged the defenseless doctor’s coat and started menacingly but never retaliated and asked to hear him out. “Please calm down, I’m the only doctor in this town, and you think im plotting something? Well, it does sound suspicious without any context,”

Christoper’s parent realized that they lived in this small suburban town that only had this doctor so the odds of him lying was low. Upon coming back to their senses they sat down and heard what he was about to say which would leave a lasting mark on Christoper. That was the announcement of his medical results which at first glance were normal but upon a closer look there lies his issue

“The medical records show the overall performance of your son’s body. Lung capacity, heart rate, bodily functions, and many more. But what stuck out from the others was his muscles, they were below the average child,”

“What’s wrong with that? I realize that’s the case. That’s the reason why I invited him to one of my workouts,”

“Ma’am please, let me finish. I thought you’re child was suffering from Muscular dystrophy. An illness that gradually lowers a person’s muscles but looking back at his records that’s not the case. Your son is a special case, his muscles never increase or decrease this is the first I heard of such a thing,”

“Can I ask why he made it this long? If he has had this illness since birth how did he manage to build his muscle?”

“My little boy was weak and sickly when he was a kid. By the time he should be able to crawl, he couldn’t. I got restless and my husband even got worried and we were barely making a living at that time. So without any other way, I did what I thought might work I added some protein powder to his food,”

The doctor finished hearing her words and wrote a couple of lists that may prove to be vital as they went forward. “This is a list of medications that may prove to help in his recovery. I know it’s a lot but you need don’t to worry about the money, your son is a special case. I’ve already sent a message to my colleagues concerning his life and proposed your son should volunteer to further broaden our knowledge of his illness,”

From that day on Christoper Morris who was happy and content with his life came to leave his hometown for the city. He lost friends, his innocence, and the color of his life, and thus began the cycle of survival. Went to school then to the hospital, and back to his home over and over as if the actions he’d take were perceivable

’Although my body was weak it didn’t bother my parents because I was unique from everyone else. I had a disease yet to be known and was granted all the medication I wanted to further broaden the medical world’s knowledge. Moving was a hassle in itself and going home meant I’d suffer another grueling session of my mother’s intense workout,’

“Doctor… what’s the worth of living if I have no control over my life? I thought our purpose was to live but what is this?” Christoper paused as he heard the timer ringing which instinctively made him swallow some pills in his pocket

“Why am I even living? For what purpose? All I know is that I need to live. But never did I know why must I continue,”

The doctor halts in checking his medical records and sighs before walking to his bookshelf and saying. “Survival, I think you know exactly what that meant. Every time that timer rings… you feel your strength leaving. And that makes you act even when you don’t want to. Surviving in the world you’ve yet to know some might say its… meaningless? That’s the word I’ve been looking for, so why don’t you experience it? The world would like to?”

Christoper snickers and says. “What are you crazy? The both of us know I’m on a tight schedule. And if I could I’d done so by now, but I can’t- What the?”

Morris successfully catches the book the doctor threw. “Take something from a person and their capabilities are enhanced. Although you are weak your reflexes are sharp. You may not be blind but all your other senses in one way have sharpened and some might even improve. There are other ways to experience the world even if they’re not your own the experience remains does it not?”

“The life of a bum? Written by Alan Roth? Do you want me to read this? Spare me… I’m already fed up with studying,”

“I’ll have you know that is an autobiography. Alan Roth was once a bum before he struck big at his writing. So his experience lies in that book,” The doctor gently taps at the book’s title before cramming his entire bag with all sorts of books in his office

“I’m not gonna read it,”

“Did anybody tell you that you’re bad at lying? Your voice says no… but your bodily movement says otherwise,”

’That was the first time I’ve experienced the world not with my own but with someone else being my eyes and ears. To others, a book is nothing more than a device to record and display knowledge but to me, it was a gateway to the world. In those books, I learned about the world, human interaction, life, and also the sad reality thats waiting in the end,’

“What’s the matter loser can’t get up back up? Does little Morris need his pills? I don’t even know why a freak like you is here,”

’The stories I’ve read came with joy but also its counterparts lies waiting to pounce and paint the world black. Despair was oddly familiar to me though I became independent from the medication my body was weak compared to others. That’s when I realized I also have the possibility of joy, so I survived and don a mask to hide my vulnerability,’

“So you finally understand,” A voice familiar awakes him in his slumber of the pitch black sands which embodies his ever-devouring despair

“You… mother… fucker!!! Makino,” He tries to crawl from the pit of sand to strangle him but to no avail did he ever reach even the the tip of his foot

“I know I know… you’re angry. Even I wholeheartedly agree to have you punch my face. But now’s not the right time for that,”

“It’s the perfect time than ever! Come over here! Do you think I’ll let you off after betraying me for that piece of shit?”

“Betray you? Since when? Do you think a part of yourself is not your own? I simply did what I said. I’d fully support you,” Makino leans forward at the edge of the pit close enough for Morris to spit on his face along with throwing a handful of sand

“Please be reminded that I’m no more than a copied subconscious. I’m no soul… I simply lie dormant within the core,”

“Stop speaking in riddles you damn bastard! I asked you a question… if you’re a copy of his min then why did he antagonize me?” All the hardships he comes across, crises, and even defeats along the way it was all orchestrated by Makino

“Stop wearing that Mask… most of your life you’d worn that pretense that truth and lie was reversed. Am I right Masked fool?”

Christoper finally escapes the pit and lunges at Makino who vanishes near contact leaving him breathless. The monsters who lie dormant are awakened at the presence of their prey within the solid surface for them to feast. Colossal demonic sandworms burst forth revealing their mouths and approaching with the intent to kill

’The 76th floor and above is the sealed demonic plane? Well, I’ll be damned you just made this a lot easier. This doesn’t feel like a stage but the rest of the stages were connected and made this one big landmass. Guess that would explain how that fucker managed to where we were without being penalized by the system,’

“Masked fool huh? We’ll see about that. I’ll take control of my head just to prove you wrong. That im not fake…” His body then changes and is equipped with both weapon and armor that matches that of the hero

“Lookout Demon King the hero has arrived,”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep