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nImmediately, the paths became shifting vistas that I had no control over the order in which they came. It was my choice to spend as much time as I wanted in each place, but I could have stayed for eternity in each one.

nI entered each of the scenes, having never been there before, but each of them made my heart race. My chest squeezed with emotion as not only the places but the things I saw touched me deeply.

nThe first was a jungle forest path that I must have walked countless times, as my feet remember the damp dirt path.

nAn old building loomed ahead of us. It was a large and very tall structure with a style that was oriental. As I gazed at the steps, something made me feel like something was pressing on my chest as it looked utterly out of place in this jungle scene.

nWhen I tried to recall the memory associated with each place that I traveled to. I always came up with the same thing: nothing.

nEach place would be locked up in every location I traveled to. Whatever the entrance, if I tried to gain access, I would find that something was preventing me, like the memories.

nAfter ten unsuccessful attempts, I finally gave up and settled on a beach with very bright white sand and purple waves.

nI started to walk and to test things out as I went along.

nMy initial goal was to create something as simple as possible. So, I started with a piece of steel that was an inch wide and three feet long.

nIt wasn't like I raised my hands or used strange motions; however, I did twist the band.

nUsing my imagination, I visualized spirals of hair growing in the same direction as the band twisted. I let the creation float farther out in front of me as stoneless sand pressed up around every one of my steps as I walked.

nHaving let the strands spread out farther from me, I stretched them up into the sky as they grew farther away from me. The threads had grown to create a thirty-foot radius when I stopped it at one hundred feet tall.

nThere was something familiar about going through the motions of this, and it felt very natural to me. As I let the dark grey threads fall down, Fireden walked up beside me, but he did not speak, just watched me as I let it fall.

nI let the threads weave themselves together in intricate patterns all the way to the bottom. I forced them to pull to the center and tied a knot to hold it all together.

nAt the exact moment I mentally let go of the knot, the entire structure fell apart, causing Fireden and me to take a step back in shock. The thing I had created had some sort of magic inside of it, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality that I witnessed.

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"Don't you think you're a bit full of yourself, don't you? The image does not look bad, in my opinion, but if you build anything, then why this, and why him as well? Didn't you think that I would look good up there with you?

" Fireden asked as he tilted his head to the side.

nHe was looking at me with a raised eyebrow as he asked.

nA flummoxed look crossed my face, and I was left with no choice but to shrug. From the waist up, the statue of me was golden and glittering, holding a globe that looked like Earth in my hand.

nLooking at the ten-foot, glittering statue, I explained,

"That's not my work.

"

nThe situation that I or my statue was in was making me feel highly uncomfortable. A man stood behind me with a knowing smile on his face but no visible face above it.

nThe grinning man was known to me; there was only one person who could be him. His golden body was leaning forward with his hand holding my wrist as he smiled.

nI could almost feel the pressure being applied to my statue's wrist, which prevented it from closing around the globe.

nSuddenly, my eyes were drawn upwards to the head that was facing me directly. Despite the head-turning between us, Fireden remained silent as I was frozen.

nThe body of my statue turned black, and I crumbled to dust as Helsin Zero said,

"I see, you got here without any help at all. Infuriating, as usual.

"

nAs the faceless golden half-body shrank, it took on the form of a man about the same height as me. He had a European look, with red hair, tan cargo shorts, and a flower-print button-up shirt... Was he Swedish?

nZero responded by waving his hand in the air and saying,

"Yes, but none of that matters.

"

nYou've got to be kidding me!

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"Why are you here? Is there anywhere I can go that you can't go and ** it up?

" I asked as I began to march over to him, but nothing was happening.

nAs much as I walked, and I know I did, I didn't get any closer to him, and Fireden was still next to me. Suddenly, I turned to look at my friend, but even the flames of his skin and hair had been frozen in time.

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"There is nowhere you can go, that I can't, and this is your fault! I Paid you to do a job, you agreed, but still interfered! Still pointless! You know nothing because you refuse to see the truth!

" Zero yelled at me, tossing his hands in the air.

nThere was something almost timeless about this.

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"Because it is!

" Zero raged, but I was getting tired of this.

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"Get out of my head!

" I growled, but that made Zero explode, literally.

nThe body of Zero exploded in a burst of tentacles painted with galaxies.. It was as if the world around me had been blown away, and I was alone with the monster that was Helsin Zero and all the darkness that surrounded me.

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