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There was this.. bright flashing light that struck across Bowie’s vision. Colours at such a brightness he’d never seen before clashing, seeming to battle for his whole attention.
A kind of.. choppy effect.
His hearing popped and crackled.
It felt almost like he was falling- the panic.
which was impossible since he could’ve sworn he was just on the battlefield?
It felt like he was falling forever, but his instinct told him the opposite.
He shut his eyes and shielded his head from the eventual impact.
Something sharp snapped as he landed on his back, sending a jolt of new fright across his entire body. Bowie wheezed, taking a long time to gather himself.
He rubbed his eye-sockets, trying to adjust to the new, bright .. blue.
It stung, burning just to look at.
It was all around.
He’d never seen such a colour.. but it wasn’t time to think!
He pushed himself off the surface, lifting up-right. His eyes searched the area, but nothing particular stood out.
it was all flat.
There were no trees, no flowers thatched to the floor.. It was entirely blank.
There wasn’t even a breeze.
Bowie spun around, unsure of where he was. Illusion magic? Maybe.
“Is anyone here?” He called, shifting uncomfortably. Nothing responded— there were no footsteps.
He slowed his breathing, smudging his fingers across the crease of his brow.
Nothing here.
“Hey!” A voice made its appearance, startling Bowie out of his inner monologue.
He yelped, springing up onto his two feet.
It was at this point that he really hoped he was dreaming, despite how ridiculous it sounded.. falling asleep in battle.
It was the thought that crossed his mind, so it must’ve been the only true thing.
Bowie’s eyes darted around, shaken.
In a flick, a stranger appeared right in front of him.
They would’ve almost blended into the surroundings if their clothing wasn’t so.. disturbingly flashy.
They wore a purple coat that rippled pinks and magentas throughout its fabric, for Pete’s sake.. a neon-cyan turtleneck, which was also sparkling!
They were all SPARKLING.
Horribly sparkling.
He’d never seen something that.. fantastical in his life.
They wore a dark, deep blue cape, that seemed to also be the same level of showy-off-y-ness without being too much?
They were obviously wearing pants.
But they were short, like knee length.
Which only made him feel more “out-of-his-element.”
Nobody wore that unless they were a clown, and this monster looked SOMEWHAT like a clown.. but.
Lacked the singing and dancing.
They were shorter than him, their head aligning with his shoulders.
“Who.. what are you supposed to be??"
Was all Bowie could stumble out, and the strange, STRANGE stranger smiled. Flashing their bright, yellow teeth.
It’s not everyday you meet someone so bright, so sparkly, and so.. so??
He didn’t even know what else to describe it as.
“I guess I should introduce myself..” they hummed, snapping their fingers.
Immediately, the scene around them cut to trees.
White.. strange trees.
The sky was a bright, unusual red.
Though, he recognized the exact shade.
It was the colour that was plastered on the floors of the castle, a bright, fiery red.
Most importantly, he recognized what it meant. "Determination."
He wondered what it meant here- or if it even meant anything.
He couldn’t get stuck on it.
In front of him now splayed out was a round table, with two chairs on each side. it looked..
disturbingly real, unusual to the fake look of everything else.
Everything felt fuzzy and off.
“Have a seat!” The strange blue monster said, already trotting around the table.
He didn’t know where he was.. but maybe he could get some information from this person.
The sooner he’d get to know- he’d talk to this guy,
the faster he’d get home.
To fight for his kingdom, his rights— his family.
“Welcome to my home.. the. My. Bluescreen!”
Bowie squinted at the figure, whose body seemed so relaxed.. yet their smile seemed too big.
Too practiced.
The blue monster stared at him for a long, long few seconds.
He could hear the fake-breeze turning and twisting around the fake-trees, but it never hit him.
Bowie noticed that their face—
One side of their face was a melting mess, which felt strangely familiar.
“What.. are you?”
“I’m K1NG! K, ONE, ING!!”
K1ng shouted, their teeth motionless. They gestured erratically, their hands flipping around before they pointed directly to their chest.
“The real question is..” They leaned forward, grabbing the side of the summoned table and pushing themself up.
They pointed a finger toward his chest, his soul.
“WHO ARE YOU!”
Bowie pushed his chair back, purely surprised.
It was about time he’d noticed their eyes. Or.. the lack of eyes.
He hadn’t noticed this before, mostly he’d assumed they were very small.. since they wore a monocle.. but.
They had no eyes.
“Ah. Where are my manners?” K1ng sighed, slouching back.
They’d flipped before Bowie could even answer.
They were silent for a few seconds, their fingers tapped the table in an odd pattern.
It was hard for Bowie to keep track of his thoughts.
They raised a hand up to their teeth, brushing their gloves over the surface.
“Never finished that story, did I? Maybe it’s for the best.. how’d you want your life to end?”
K1ng asked, their monocle squinting back at him. He shook- did that gold just. BEND??
wait.
At first, Bowie panicked at that question. But the realization hit him that— of course, it was metaphorical!
He chuckled nervously, pulling his arms back to his knees.
“What?” He asked, claws digging into his pants uneasily.
“Your story. What makes YOU so special. You don’t know how it feels to be special? You must. It’s written in your programming!”
K1ng’s voice rose louder, calling his attention back toward themself.
“You’re nothing without your code— your strings, your soul.”
K1ng raised both their hands to their head, combing their fingers down their cheeks.
Their head swung around as if they were looking for something..
somebody.
Their cape, something Bowie hadn’t even realized was apart of them, divulged into a sick, dripping mess.
Bowie gulped, shifting in the chair-that-felt-like-nothing.
He tried to process what they were saying, but his brain couldn’t handle it all.
Like sand, it slipped through his fingers.
What did that even mean???
K1ng paused, perhaps realizing that Bowie was still there.
Their hands pulled away, carrying thick streams of sludge in passing.
Leaning over the table, they creased it along the surface, leaving a harsh blue mark.
The residue writhed, and twisted like it had a mind of its own.
Bowie shook, the mere sight of it was sickening enough.
The “K1ng” smeared it further, as if they weren’t playing with their own flesh and blood.
They tipped their head back, monocle sliding back against their eye.. or.. the space where their eye would be.
“speaking of.. strings. How many did you pull to see me?”
—
Bowie didn’t know that, either.
He didn’t know ANYTHING, about ANYONE, and most of all, he didn’t CARE.
He didn’t care what happened, he didn’t care what brought him here.
He wanted to get out.
Like a rat trapped in a maze, he wanted out, and he wanted out right then.
Bowie’d tracked all along the.. blue space, once the colours and shapes had faded away.
He tensed at the unnerving feeling of being watched, glancing over his shoulder.
There was a.. entirely new colour in the distance.
Once Bowie got closer, he realized it was a monster lying flat on it's face.
Without a second’s thought, he rushed over.
Though.. when he got close, it seemed like it was nothing but a choppy mess.
He knelt down, his eyes searching for any sign of life.
Monsters didn’t just drop.
K1ng followed beside him, staying worryingly close.
They were mumbling to themself.
He tried to ignore them.
They were nut-case.
..
Bowie nudged the pile, and it shuddered, much to his surprise.
He'd thought the monster would be dead- with no food to sustain it.
“That’s Mirae,” K1ng whispered, kneeling down beside him.
‘Mirae’ lifted her head, slowly, as if it drained her life away from her body.
One of her eyes blocked off, by a large blossoming red flower.
Vines wrapped across half of her face, spreading down to her arm and cutting through her thick winter coat.
She was a skeleton, like Bowie.
“it’s my blue screen! My special home!!” K1ng chirped, completely ignoring his clear irritation.
“Sometimes I draw, and sometimes I write! I love writing, but it’s tedious.. lining up plots, making sure there’s no holes..”
they continued to speak, and clog up his train of thought further.
“Most of my creations aren’t finished.. though. I don’t feel like finishing them! So much work!”
Bowie paused.
There were others.
He had been so caught up in the facts in their own world, that he hadn’t stopped to think that this could all be real.
Frankly, he didn’t want to.
All his life up to this point- going through school, having fun chats with his father, and feeling.
well.
Alive.
That it wasn’t real?
That those choices weren’t his and were just.. writing on paper?
That he wasn’t real?
…
K1ng seemed to catch onto his emotions, shifting from one foot to another.
“But something I CAN do,” they plopped down on the blue screen floor without any hesitation.
Their cape poofed out all around them, creating a distinct shape in the ground where they laid.
“Is nothing!”
Bowie paused, staring down at them.
They looked as relaxed as ever.
“Maybe it feels right to feel how you feel right now, but, in the end you’re just gonna hurt yourself more.”
Something in their voice felt more.. real.
“I guess.” Bowie sighed, glancing back at the pile of clothing far in the distance.
“Plus, I’ve revised your story many times, and you’ve always persevered!” They explained.
He squinted, beginning to recognize this tone as “hopeful/endearing.”
“What.. what happened in those other stories?”
He was curious.
The best time to ask about his life would probably be now.
“Oh, I uh. I don’t know.”
They reached up to scratch their head, and Bowie couldn’t help but frown.
"Never got that far." K1ng shrugged.
“Then why am I here? Why did you make me??"
“WELL. I created you when i first came here.." They admitted, their voice falling flat.
The world around them shifted, as well, to a dark cloudless sky.
“I’ve been alone so long— I’ve. I. I don’t know what happened to me.”
He wondered how that happened- how this world came to be.
“I made you so I could express myself more, but you’ve kinda been like. This entirely separate thing.” They said, staring up at the sky.
They waved a hand around the darkness, something entirely different than themself.
“Of course, you're still apart of me."
They casted a side glance over at Bowie.
Something in his expression must’ve caught their attention, since they scrambled to sit up.
The scenery around them snapped into blue once more.
“There’s nothing you can do. You’re just an extension of my mind!”
K1ng burst out, the fluff of their cape exploding into little spikes.
“I’m nothing special— in-fact, if you’re even still here tomorrow.. just ignore me!”
They seemed to joke, though nothing of it felt particularly funny.
“I’ll get out of your hair.”