The calm, orange sunset began to fade into a blood red canopy as the once-friendly ocean converted into a ferocious beast.
For the first time since his mind arrived at the lonely and windy island, Charlie lifted his head out of his legs. He watched as the color shift occurred in the sky.
“Oh… It’s begun. Someone’s hurt… It’s probably my fault.”
Charlie lowered his attention to his shoes. The beastly ocean water had flooded his feet and was up to his ankles.
“Not long… Before it ends…”
As the waves continued to crash into Charlie’s feet, he continued to watch the waves, waiting for the moment it all ends.
——
Savior: Original Story by OneSevenEight
Episode: Framed Perspective - Part 9
——
“Let’s get started, shall we?”
Dark, dreary clouds interrupted the sun’s path of light, which led to darker, more lifeless alley. As murky, repulsive water gently dripped down the grime-stained walls, Max held Charlie up by his shirt from behind. Charlie continued to persist in a state of self-defeat.
Back near the table, Tsuru frantically rushed to Anna’s side as she remained collapsed against the wall.
“Anna… Anna… Please… Say something.”
The sight that occupied Tsuru’s eyes caused her mind to descend into a state of panic and revolt.
Her face was smothered with bright and fresh blood. Her right eye was open, but her distinctive yellow-colored iris had lost its imbued life. The companion eye was closed.
Tsuru desperately plowed through her mind to find a way to assist Anna in returning from her untimely slumber, but then became distracted when Max began to interrogate Charlie.
“Hey, it’s time for you to wake up. I need to you face me, you damn womanizer.”
Max waited for a meaningful response or action from Charlie, but the boy in despair didn’t indicate that he had received the message at all.
“Hey, don’t screw around with me, WAKE THE HELL UP!”
A crow flew over the alleyway, crying out its signature squeal.
“Fine then. Be that way. If you’re not gonna start talking on your own, I’LL JUST HAVE TO MAKE YOU TALK!”
As Tsuru watched in complete consternation, Max reared his fist back, then thrusted it into Charlie’s back at maximum power. Charlie was forced forward into the wall on the other side, colliding head-first. As he slid down the wall with his forehead, Max approached him and pulled him straight back onto the pavement with moderate force. Charlie’s eyes remained foggy with anguish, now complemented with a newly-formed gash just above the bridge of his nose.
“Are you awake now? I’m getting bored talking to a living stick.”
Max towered above Charlie, closely examining his face for any sign of life. Max’s impatience grew exponentially within a minute amount of time.
“Why won’t this piece of shit wake up? You won’t even bother trying to defend your fragile ass. I hope you know that your really starting to piss me off. It’s not even funny.”
As Charlie’s mind remained vastly empty, the floodgates of Max’s rage were forced open.
“GAH, I’M SO OVER YOUR LAME ASS! I’LL KILL YOU BY BEATING THE EVER-LIVING SHIT OUT OF YOU. KISS YOUR PRETTY ASS GOODBYE FROM THIS WORLD!”
Tsuru snapped her head down and glued her eyes shut.
One, after another. After another. After another.
The red-eyed lustful assassin stomped his foot into Charlie’s chest repeatedly, nonstop. Charlie began to cough up extreme amounts of blood and audibly struggled to breath.
“I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL FREAKING KILL YOU!”
Max propped Charlie up by grabbing the front of his shirt, then proceeded to repeatedly bash the side of his head. Blood poured out like a geyser from a newly formed wound above his ear.
“YOU MIGHT DIE BEFORE YOU SNAP OUT OF IT! YOU MIGHT JUST DIE!”
Blood began to invade Charlie’s eyes, turning the soft blue hue into a red nightmare.
“WOW, YOU’RE BLEEDING OUT LIKE CRAZY! YOU’RE ALMOST FINISHED! DIE! DIE! DIE!”
“Why?”
Max paused the egregious assault on Charlie and turned his attention to the spoiler of his entertainment.
“Why… are you being… so… so… cruel?”
Tsuru’s question barreled through directly into Max’s mind scape. After momentarily pausing, he dropped Charlie to the ground.
“Cruel? I’m just here to give you guys a taste of the real world.”
“Wha-“
“What does killing you guys have to do with the real worlds? It’s pretty simple, actually If you piss the wrong person off, you might die. That’s the lesson that I want you guys to remember. I never really even cared about the plan. I just couldn’t resist the urge to accept the opportunity to kill a bunch of useless, annoying brats. Got it, weeping princess?”
“But can’t you… can’t you get your points across without hurting or killing people?”
Fresh pools of translucent, bashful tears began to form in Tsuru’s eyes.
“If… you think something’s wrong with a person’s mentality, then why can’t you just talk to them?”
Max formed a look of discontent and annoyance as he formulated a rage-filled response.
“What… the hell… do you think you know about talking to people? THAT DOESN’T WORK. THE ONLY WAY TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND CHANGE PEOPLE IS BY GIVING THEM NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES! THAT’S HOW I WAS RAISED!”
“What?… What do y-“
“SHUT UP! YOU’RE THE WORST OUT OF EVERYONE HERE! ALL YOU DO IS CRY FOR HELP AND EXPECT SOMEONE TO SAVE YOU! WHY DON’T YOU ACTUALLY TRY TO FIGHT FOR YOURSELF? I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU!”
Tsuru melted into a waterfall of tears as Max left Charlie’s location and marched his way towards the distraught girl.
Tsuru blinked her eyes. When she reopened her swollen eyelids, Max was obnoxiously leaning into her face.
“It’s time for you to understand just how much shit you’re in. I’m going to kill you and your friends, and there’s nothing you can do about it. So do me a favor and shut the hell up.”
As she bared witness to the man with red eyes preparing to punch her with full force, Tsuru closed her eyes and cowered in fear, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
A rush of wind. A booming crack. Eerie silence.
When the punch never came, Tsuru slowly reopened her eyes, expecting to see a sea of red or that she had passed into the next realm.
Instead, she was left in a state of suspended animation as she began to process the image that was in front of her.
A beaten, bloodied woman with brilliant yellow eyes stood in front of the shocked girl, blocking Max’s incoming punch with her long and nimble leg.
“Sorry Tsuru, it took me a few. But I’m back. Don’t worry.”
Through the blood and bruises, Anna formed a radiant smile that matched her sunny eyes.
“I’m gonna protect you.”
“Well now, look who decided to get up. You decided that you need more of an ass-beating?”“Please, that cheap shot was nothing.”Anna’s current appearance contradicted her retaliatory statement.Blood was exiting through a gash above the bridge of her nose and running in between her eyes. Her left eye had remained closed, and her nose appeared to be crooked.As Tsuru watched the standoff, she attempted to convince Anna to back down.“Stop, Anna! You need to sit down! You’re going to hurt yourself more-““Tsuru, it’s fine. I don’t want to see you, or that useless dork, die.”Max flashed a nauseating grin.“Look who decided to step up and play hero. I’ve gotta admit, I thought you were just relying on that wannabe for protection.”Anna responded with a face of conviction and determination.“I always thought I was stronger
Both Anna and Tsuru expected a fiery rampage from Max, but instead, he closed his eyes and grew quiet.Tsuru began to worry that he was going to blindside Anna.“Hey, please be careful, Anna. Don’t get yourself-““It’s fine. I know he’s up to something.”As Anna cautiously waited for Max to make his next move, he reopened his eyes and formed a conceited smile.“Wow, you truly are a worthy opponent. I haven’t had to fight this hard since I trained with my brother and the boss. You are one truly special person.”Max began to make his way towards Anna with a slow walk. His hands were in his pockets.“Huh, so you respect me as a worthy opponent now? No more ‘girl’ insults?”“I had my doubts, but you truly seem to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I have to acknowledge that fact and offer some respect to you. Let’s properly begin this
The fierce waters that were overtaking the island calmed down in an instant.The orange sky continued to radiate overhead as Charlie observed a woman who seemed to be standing on the ocean.“Wha… Wait…”“Get up already. I know I didn’t teach you to be such a dumbass wimp.”“Why…”The woman locked her glare with Charlie’s and formed a mischievous grin on her face.“Are you gonna get up, or am I gonna have to drag you up? Don’t make me start counting…”Charlie jerked away from his position as the woman started him down. Her bright blue eyes were a perfect match to Charlie’s gaze.“My dear son, I think I’m gonna kick your ass.”——Savior: Original Story by OneSevenEightEpisode: Framed Perspective - Part 12——“Anna… ANNA!!!”Tsuru
Dark, gloomy alleyways. Sky covered with gray clouds. The only sound that could be heard was the quiet rustle of a cat hunting a mouse.Just before the cat could pounce, it broke its stance and looked up. After staring for a brief moment, it bolted towards the nearest trash can.For a brief moment, everything was silent.Suddenly, a streak of lighting shot through the alley, sending trash cans flying in every direction. Just as fast as it appeared, the lighting was gone, leaving behind a ferocious thunderclap.After a few more moments, the cat reappeared from one of the tossed bins. It jumped onto the ground, shook, and began to look for its next prey.——Savior: Original Story by OneSevenEightEpisode: Framed Perspective - Part 13——“Oh, look who’s finally awake. How was your nap?”“Drop the knife.”“Or what?”Charlie closed his eyes
Darkened skies turned the alleyway into a grayscale landscape.“I’ll start by making you regret ever coming here today.”Unsteady scene.As Max began to shift his attention to his left shoulder, Charlie swung his left elbow towards Max’s face.The smooth and swift movement of the elbow was met with the quick action of Max’s hand.Max’s detailed eyes. Fiery rage.“Wow, you’re fast. But… I don’t need any fire to deal with you. I’ll end this quickly.”Charlie’s picturesque blue eyes.“Wow, you really think I’m gonna lose to you? In your dreams.”Charlie lifts his left knee and drives it into Max’s chest. Simultaneously, he shoves Max down with the hand he had on the shoulder.Falling backwards. Coughing blood.Moments before impact. Cocky smile.Max lands on his hands and swings his right leg out. Char
The day was unusually bright and sunny for an autumn day. Leaves danced through the air and collected on the grimy sidewalks and streets. The tender breeze that carried those leaves served as a deterrent to the minimal heat. There was a sense of calmness that swirled within the soft and gentle breeze. As Tamashi stepped out of the house, he turned his head to the sky, glaring at the cotton-like clouds against the cool blue sky. As his mind began to drift towards the clouds, one thought looped through his mind. ‘Charlie and Anna. I need to find them.’ —— Savior: Original Story by OneSevenEight Episode: Framed Perspective - Part 15 —— ‘I need to talk to Charlie and Anna, but how do I do that? I can’t go near the school and I don’t have a phone. So am I just gonna have to stand around in the streets and hope they pass by at some point?’ As Tamashi thought about his next steps, he began to approach an int
“Well, it’s not great to see you, you pile of dust.”Rai pointed at Tamashi as he spoke.“I’m currently spending my precious time plotting in Tamayo’s cozy mind space, so I’d appreciate it if you left me-““STOP CALLING ME TAMAYO!”Tamashi jumped to his feet and marched towards Rai and the old man.“Listen, I’ve had enough of your shit. I was just trying to stop someone from getting run over, and then you show up, and everything goes to hell, then WORST OF ALL-“Tamashi planted himself in front of Rai and grabbed his shirt.“-YOU WON’T STOP CALLING ME TAMAYO- Wait, this shirt… HOW ARE YOU WEARING THE SAME SHIRT AS ME?”“Oh, the shirt? I’m simply mimicking what you’re wearing. I’m not really a physical being, so part of my shape and appearance is determined by you. So, can you let go of-“&l
Tamashi remained planted on his knees, paralyzed by the pure force of the electricity flowing through the room.Rai towered over Tamashi. The electricity was causing his brilliant white hair to float as if it was being blasted by a sea breeze.Rai presented Tamashi with a devilish grin.“Come on, Tamayo, I’m waiting for you to make the first move!”Tamashi moved his left arm up to shield his face.‘Shit, what do I do? This is bad…’As he withstood the pressure in the room as if he wasn’t affected by the situation at all, Sensei continued to observe the situation.‘It’s unfortunate for Tamashi, considering he has to battle and win over the strongest of the five.’Sensei’s arm began to move outward.‘But… That doesn’t have to happen at this exact moment.’Rai reared back his fist.“If you’