Chapter 7

The True Enemy

“Life…...such a beautiful mystery we can never hope to understand.”

“I don’t intend to offer an explanation. Rather, I intend to introduce a solution.”

“Did you really think you could hide from yourself?”

“Or are you truly that lost in your own foolishness.”

“Well allow me to reacquaint you.”

Salem awoke with a violent gasp. Who did she hear speaking inside her head? This wouldn’t be the first time she lost her grasp on reality. But even still, she wasn’t used to being interrupted in her sleep by such things. Only moments ago she lay peacefully in her room at the observatory. Things had been calm for weeks, proving she was capable of withholding her violent tendencies. Life had grown easy, even boring at times. Anger never left Salem’s side, while Valor slipped away every chance he could get, intent on training with Korus. Once in a while, Salem would visit her dear friend Ina, who kept insisting that Salem had a role in society. But this supposed boredom began to wear on Salem’s heart. Something wasn’t right. She knew it, yet had no idea what kept bothering her. Unfortunately, the night she found herself all alone would prove to be the perfect opportunity for her hidden antagonizer.

“Hello.” Spoke a dark, echoing voice.

The unseen phantom had a masculine tone to its voice. It sounded confident and intimidating, yet genuinely caring and curious.

“Who-”

“Over here.”

Salem, now sitting upright on her bed, then noticed a white and red flower that lay before her. The delicate plant was similar, if not identical to the flowers Salem had encountered in Cora’s garden. But this paranormal figure had no place in Salem's bedroom. It was almost as if it had materialized out of thin air just to speak to the girl.

“What do you want?” Salem barked at the flower, not seeming to be frightened by its ghostly existence.

“You.” Replied the flower, with an icy snap.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

The flower then seemed to laugh as it began subverting Salem’s very perception of reality. The floor around her dissipated and reformed. Her bedroom was now an eerie void with nothing but the glow of a flowerbed entirely populated by the white plant. It’s voice now surrounded her entirely.

“I’m here to set you on track.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Did you think you could just sit around all your life and count the years? You have a purpose, and I intend to see it through.”

“What purpose?”

“A good question. So allow me to answer with a question of my own.

The flower then flooded the ground with blood of all types. The soft petals quickly became soaked, crumbling under their own weight. The murderer was now knee deep in the liquid she was so unusually fond of.

“What is the one thing you have always been good at?” Asked the flower.

“I…”

“Killing. You will always be good at that.”

“But...I’m no warrior. I….I’m broken. I rely on others to help me.” Salem replied with a saddened and regretful look on her face.”

“It’s not your skill in taking life that is so impressive. It’s your ability to snuff out one’s existence with so little hesitation. You can do it in a heartbeat, and feel nothing. No matter who takes that life, you will always be satisfied with the results.

Salem could not argue against the flower. It was right, and she knew it.

“Why...are you telling me this.”

“Because this is who you are!” The flower screamed.

The ear piercing scream summoned several appendages from the swamp of blood. All seemed to be Salem's victims. They did not attempt to grab her or harm her. Instead, they seemed to worship their savior. Not yet understanding the flower’s message, Salem began to question the aforementioned purpose.

“If I’m meant to take life. Then why do you keep haunting me with those I’ve slain!”

“I’m not haunting you. Look at them, you’ve saved them.”

“From what!?”

“Life.”

At this point, Salem began to lose her patience. All this time she had allowed this flower to meddle with her mind. But now, she would be the one in control.

“Enough!” Salem screamed as she broke the illusion. “You can’t control me, no one can!”

“You’re right. Which is why I’m right.”

“What?!”

“Ask me who I am.”

Hesitating for a moment, Salem decided to play along with the flower’s devious game.

“Who are you?”

“............You.”

And in that moment, all became perfectly clear to Salem. She had never been in an intellectual debate with some sort of invading creature. She was simply in a battle of self denial. But now the real question had to be answered. Why was a part of her thinking this way? Who was she saving? Hungry for knowledge, Salem began to indulge herself. But the conversation had ended, leaving Salem with a flood of beliefs she could never disagree with.

Both voices spoke in tandem. “Life is an endless cycle of pain and misery.”

“No matter how hard we try, there will always be suffering.”

“When we leave ourselves without restrictions, we inflict horrible crimes against each other and ourselves.”

“But when we attempt to regulate all that could harm us. Our hearts ache for the pain that made us feel alive”

“We simply cannot exist without that which ultimately ends us.”

“There is no life without death. There is no light without dark. And there is certainly no comfort without pain.”

“No matter what we do. We will suffer. And the fear of suffering will never stop making us wish we never knew what comfort was to begin with.

“Life is a means to an end.”

“It’s pointless.”

“Meaningless.”

“But what does it mean?”

“Everything afterwards.”

“Why?”

“Because it is nothing. Therefore never imposing meaning upon anything.”

“Therefore…..the only solution to life is it’s end.”

“We will save them all…..”

“We will end them all….”

Salem began to devise her plan to carry out her final wish. Whether she knew it or not, this was the plan from the start. At some point during her long life of failure, her mind was permanently set on this goal. But if she were to ever be able to systematically exterminate life on a galactic scale, she would need an army. Fate itself had granted Salem the place, and the people to do this very thing. Perhaps she was smarter then she was letting on. Every step she had taken, from meeting Ina, to befriending the Valekry, was all on purpose.

“I WILL lead others on this path of truth.”

“I will lead them. As their queen.”

“I...Salem…..will end us all.”

A crimson glow began to emanate from Salem’s body. Books, blankets, and all manner of objects began losing their footing. The very structure itself began to shake at its seams. The old Salem was being systematically eradicated by this newfound power. The red light hardened and twisted until it became a horde of black blades. Whatever Salem had awakened inside of herself was more real than she could ever understand. There would be no more fear, timidness, and certainly no more foolishness. She was no longer the little girl lost in the world that never wanted her. Now she embraced her dark role. For as it is said, one can only love others once they learn to love themselves. Salem now had what all of Void’s Light had been lacking for years. And that was the purpose. She cared enough for her family to set them free.

“Purpose...I have a purpose.”

“My malice...My Anger...My Valor...My Sorrow…...My Regret…..My Exuberance...All has a purpose”

“I am a solution life has tried to fight since its inception. I tried before, but was foiled by those who would challenge the truth.”

“But now...I will not stop until this station is mine. And with it, I will save us all.”

Gathering her darkest ambitions, Salem began to set her eyes upon those who gave her emotions any meaning. As seen with Ina, malice was not the only emotion given divine power. The accursed flowers seemed to possess six of these pillars in total.

“You’ve conjured this image as well, haven't you Ina.” She muttered.

The image of a circular diagram revealed itself before the pale girl. Red was malice, and was placed close to insanity which bore a dark purple. Blue was love, while its orange counterpart symbolized faith. And green was envy, which lay in tandem with yellowish fear.

All this was of the utmost importance to the would be savior of the world. But one color in particular caught Salem’s red gaze. The power so eerily close to hers, was insanity. But who could possibly wield such a curse. Mustering the knowledge she felt with Ina, a detailed image of her fated rival came into view. What now lay before Salem truly terrified her.

She was never afraid of something unlike her, so much as she feared the prospect of similarity. But the girl that lay before her was certainly different. Salem squinted in disbelief at this girl’s strange beauty. She bore pitch black skin identical to her hair, and dark purple eyes with abyssal rims. Perhaps Salem was truly opposed to this girl from the start.

“You can’t be anything good, I’m sure of that.” Salem scoffed.

From that moment on the crimson witch felt an unstable amount of hostility against this new foe. It was not at all like the princess, who’s soothing love brought calm and serenity. But what more could be expected from the new wielder of malice.