As she steps from the hospital, the sound of a city alive and well resounds in her ears. Life has not waited for her, but with a new sense of purpose she approaches the curb, new cell phone in hand. It is the work of seconds to call for a taxi and it's not long before she hangs up, slipping the phone among her personal possessions. She nearly falls from the impact of a solid body against her. The arm that catches her with ease and pulls her back to safety; a car passes as she straightens.\n\n“Careful there, you almost caught your death. You look better then expected.” Kumi looks up at the one who spoke and freezes. Long red hair and yellow eyes laugh down at her. She is struck by the overwhelming sense of deja vu.\n\n“Do-do I know you?” He laughs and releases her. His deep cultured tones sending a shiver of recognition down her spine. The hairs on the back of her arm stand on end and she paces back from him a half a step.\n\n“I don't think so. Should you?” His tone is husky, but her answer never sounds as she is pushed lightly away from him, as a petite, black-haired girl slips between them, glaring up at the man. \n\n“I told you that you have to be careful. You're breaking rules again.” Kumi stiffens as the feminine voice registers in her mind, but she is given no time to react as the girl swings around to face her. Startling pale, violet eyes arrest Kumi; she knows those eyes. “I am sorry for him, he's clumsy. ” He chuckles and opens his mouth, but almost as if she has eyes in the back of her head she steps on his foot. Hard.\n\n“Ow!” He growls and shifts a pace or two away from her. \n\n“You should probably be getting ready to leave, hum? I mean, you get to begin again I think I see your taxi, just there.” Her bell-like voice is high but comforting. The girl waves a hand and Kumi turns, sighting the aforementioned taxi. She turns back to say goodbye, only to find herself alone. The Taxi beeps jarring her from her contemplative state and she stoops to grab her suitcase.\n\nThe trunk opens and she places her bag inside with ease before snapping it shut. She rounds the car to the passenger door and opens it. A breeze wafts towards her and she raises a hand to contain her flyway hair. As the breeze slows, voices travel over her and the hairs on the back of her neck prick again as the man and girl's voices wash over her in whisper.\n\n“We'll be watching.” \n\n[[What just happened?|Life Ending]]
Thanks \n\nThank you for your time and I hope that you enjoyed this experience. I would like to point out that I am in no way attempting to force my views on any person regarding life, death, or the afterlife. This is meant to be a supernatural and fictional experience.\n\n[[Play again?|Start]]
Kumi jerks as the smell of flame reaches her nostrils. With little though to the injuries incurred, she struggles to free herself from her seat belt. It is the work of several pain filled minutes before she is free, barely managing not to bang her head on the way out of her seat. Exhausted, she cowers for several seconds on the roof of her car. The truck driver's voice startles her into motion again. Heedless of her broken leg and wrist, she drags herself through the smashed passenger window. The cold hits her as soon as her torso is free of the car, causing her to hiss when pain floods her chest. Still, she drags herself forward and manages to reach a tree near her car. Panting, she struggles to sit up and takes stock of her injuries. Sirens echo in the distance and snow begins to fall. The last thing she sees before darkness takes her is a dear frozen on the other side of the clearing her car is in.\n-------- \nKumi awakes in a small garden surrounded by large stonewalls. Plants and statues of recognizable Grecian origin guard the edges, where as the centerpiece is a fountain. Before the fountain, sits two Grecian couches angled away from each other. On the couch to the left a man sits with a modern looking book open on his lap. His long red hair is a sharp contrast to the green of the sofa, white of his tunic, golden tone of skin. The couch on the right is fill of ledgers from different time periods, a set of scales and a diminutive, black-haired, copper-skinned, pixie of a girl. Her slim build is lounged gracefully against the arm of her sofa as she writes in the ledger propped on her knees. Behind the fountain, a pristine Grecian temple stands at odds against the vibrant blue drapes laced between each column. Eyes on the only two living people in the immediate area, she climbs to her feet\n\n“Um… excuse me.” Her whisper is rough in the courtyard. The coppered skinned girl closes her ledger with a snap and climbs from her couch slowly. She paces the space between them easily. Pale, violet eyes bore into her and Kumi tries to hide her instinctive fear. \n\n“I'm glad you are awake, are you feeling alright?” The kind greeting puts Kumi slightly at ease. \n\n“I think I'm ok.” Kumi looks around the garden, taking in the various statues. “But, where am I?” Before the girl can answer the red haired man steps over to the two girls. \n\n“Must you take so long, Isha? I'm hungry.” He slips his arm around Kumi and pulls her close, his red and gold eyes glowing with heat. “And aren't you just the tastiest looking-.”\n\nThe girl swiftly spins Kumi from his grasp\n\n“That's enough Videliam, you keep breaking rules and you'll be replaced. Scaring the girl will do nothing to hasten the events of today!” She turns back to Kumi and smiles sweetly. \n\n“He's an animal sometimes, but we don't need to pay any attention to him at the moment.” She loops her arm with Kumi and leads her around the fountain. “I know this may seem overwhelming, but you stand at a crossroads today. A bridge, if you will, between the living and the dead. Kumi shifts nervously and looks around, eyes large.\n\n“This has to be a hallucination, I... I'm not dead” Videliam shifts behind her in a blur of ethereal speed, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. \n\n“She's not wrong.” His cultured tones dance across her ear. Isha growls and loops her arm through Kumi's, her violet eyes shifting to silver. She turns, pulling Kumi after her.\n\n“You are in the In-between at the temple of Abbadon, and you have to decide whether you want to fight to return to life, or move beyond.” Kumi jerks from her grip. \n\n“I don't believe you.” Isha smiles and resumes her grip with Videliam close on Kumi's other side. Simultaneously, Viliam and Isha place their hands on Kumi's temples. Their touch is light, but the pain accompanied by the touch is nothing short of debilitating. Kumi cries out as darkness claims her again.\n--------\nShe opens her eyes to find herself in an obvious operating room. The pain is immense, but all she can do is whimper. A nurse nearby notices her alert state. \n\n“Doctor, I think she's waking up.” Her voice is foggy and barely discernable. A man with a masked face leans closer. Panic and pain curl in Kumi's chest and she is suddenly assaulted by loud beeps. The doctor's mouth moves, but she hears nothing as unconsciousness claims her again. \n------\nBright light hits her as Videliam and Isha drop their hands from her head. Kumi sways in place, as the lack of pain registers. Wide eyes take in both Videliam and Isha and suddenly parched, she licks her lips.\n\n“It's hard to argue with evidence like that.” Isha smiles and Videliam laughs before taking up the conversation. \n\n“I'll bet it is. So, now that you understand your predicament. What will you do?” It is only then that Kumi realizes that she is standing before two entrances into the temple. \n\n“What am I choosing exactly?” Isha smiles and explains. \n\n“You can choose to die now, and have your actions weighed and measured before potentially moving into your next life. Or you can take a group of tests to prove your desire to continue living your current life.”\n\nKumi nods her understanding responds….\n\nWith her fate in your hands, what will Kumi decide?\n\n[[Since I am dead, I'll just move on.|Afterlife]] <<set $dead = "op1">>\n[[Since I get a choice, you bet your ass i'll fight to live!|Test of Self Acceptance]]
Isha smiles, relieved and heads to a door on the opposite wall. \n\n“Let us continue then.” Her voice dances over her shoulder as she leaves through the doorway. Kumi moves after her, but when she reaches the couch Videliam reaches out and catches her wrist.\n\n“If you accepted my offer, I could bind to you instead of Isha.” Kumi attempts to twist her wrist free but his grip tightens. Kumi sighs and allows him to pull her closer. “I would never let you fall from grace. You would be a beautiful Guardian, and I would love you eternally.” Kumi studies his red and gold eyes. \n\n“You want me to take Isha's place?” Videliam smiles and releases her wrist to reach for her face. \n\n“You would be more than Isha could ever be.” Kumi pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. \n\nIt's up to you to make her decision, what will Kumi choose?”\n\n[[If I accept your deal now, would I still be a queen?|Afterlife]] <<set $dead = "op4">>\n[[ I refused you once, you think I wont again? It's not going to happen.|Test of Values]]
Waiting for help seemed the smart idea. Given the fact that it's not like she could get out of her car, smashed as it was, anyway. The decision was taken from her hands, however, as darkness once again claimed her.\n--------------------- \nKumi awakes in a small garden surrounded by large stonewalls. Plants and statues of recognizable Grecian origin guard the edges, where as the centerpiece is a fountain. Before the fountain, sits two Grecian couches angled away from each other. On the couch to the left a man sits with a modern looking book open on his lap. His long red hair is a sharp contrast to the green of the sofa, white of his tunic, golden tone of skin. The couch on the right is fill of ledgers from different time periods, a set of scales and a diminutive, black-haired, copper-skinned, pixie of a girl. Her slim build is lounged gracefully against the arm of her sofa as she writes in the ledger propped on her knees. Behind the fountain, a pristine Grecian temple stands at odds against the vibrant blue drapes laced between each column. Eyes on the only two living people in the immediate area, she climbs to her feet.\n\n“Um… excuse me.” Her whisper echoes in the courtyard. Red and yellow eyes flick to her and the man climbs to his feet. \n\n“You took long enough, do you know how boring books can be?” He tosses his book aside and raises form the couch like a predator ready to hunt. In seconds, he is before her, the yellow fading into red as he sizes her up. “You don't look nearly as banged up as I expected. He raised a golden hand to her hair, threading his fingers through it. “Do you think, if I just -”\n\n“Videliam.” The warning in the bell-like cadence is unmistakable and the man sighs and steps back, releasing her. Kumi turns to find the copper-skinned, pixie moving towards them. Her pale violet eyes trail over Kumi and then return to the man as she continues.\n\n“You have to ignore him. You are here for a purpose and time is of the essence.” She pulls the man to her side and continues. “You can call me Isha, I am a guardian of sorts.” She gestures to the man beside. “This is-“\n\n“Videliam, and I am very anxious to get to know you, Kumi. After all, the afterlife can be lonely. Care to keep me company?” He winks and Isha shoves him aside. Kumi shifts nervously and looks around, eyes large.\n\n“This has to be a hallucination, I... I'm not dead” Videliam shifts behind her in a blur of ethereal speed, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. \n\n“She's not wrong.” His cultured tones dance across her ear. Isha growls and loops her arm through Kumi's, her violet eyes shifting to silver. She turns pulling Kumi after her.\n\n“You are in the In-between at the temple of Abbadon, Kumi, and you have to decide whether you want to fight to return to life, or move beyond.” Her voice is very matter of fact and Kumi jerks from her grip. \n\n“I don't believe you.” Isha smiles and resumes her grip with Videliam close on Kumi's other side. Simultaneously, Videliam and Isha place their hands on Kumi's temples. Their touch is light, but the pain accompanied by the touch is nothing short of debilitating. Kumi cries out as darkness claims her again.\n-------\nShe opens her eyes to find herself in an obvious operating room. The pain is immense, but all she can do is whimper. A nurse nearby notices her alert state. \n\n“Doctor, I think she's waking up.” Her voice is muffled and barely discernable. A man with a masked face leans closer. Panic and pain curl in Kumi's chest and she is suddenly assaulted by loud beeps. The doctor's mouth moves, but she hears nothing as unconsciousness claims her again. \n-----\nBright light hits her as Videliam and Isha drop their hands from her head. Kumi sways in place as the lack of pain registers. Wide eyes take in both Videliam and Isha and suddenly parched, she licks her lips.\n\n“It's hard to argue with evidence like that.” Isha smiles and Videliam laughs before taking up the conversation. \n\n“I'll bet it is. So, now that you understand your predicament. What will you do?” It is only then that Kumi realizes that she is standing before two entrances into the temple. \n\n“What am I choosing exactly?” Isha smiles and explains. \n\n“You can choose to die now, and have your actions weighed and measured before potentially moving into your next life. Or you can take a group of tests to prove your desire to continue living your current life.”\n\nKumi nods her understanding responds….\n\nWith her fate in your hands, what will Kumi decide?\n\n[[Since I am dead, I'll just move on.|Afterlife]] <<set $dead = "op1">>\n[[Since I get a choice, you bet your ass i'll fight to live!|Test of Self Acceptance]]
Kumi turns from him and instead, enters the room that Isha entered previously. Isha smiles and loops her arm with Kumi's. \n\n“He's persistent, isn't he?” Relief is heavy in her voice. Kumi grimaces and looks away.\n\n“I'd go with annoying, but sure.” Isha laughs and tugs her further into the room.\n\n“He can't help it. Lucky for you, this is the last test, and while the last, I think you might find this one more palatable then the others.” Isha pushes Kumi into standing between large mirrors. Unlike the ones before these are identical and the subjects are the same. In the first, friends and family surround Kumi. The scene shifts to various points in Kumi's potential future. In the second, Kumi is alone. This too is followed by a potential future for Kumi, and while it is filled with wealth and success, it is clear that Kumi suffers from an empty life. Undeterred Kumi glances at Isha.\n\n“This is a test about what you want in life. It is simple, no?” Her brow puckers and she releases Kumi's arm. “The real question is what do you choose? Touch the glass when you decide.” Isha fades and Kumi is left alone with the mirrors.\n\nHer fate rests in your hands. Which mirror will she choose?\n\n[[The Mirror of wealth and prestige.|The Awakening Self]]\n[[The Mirror of friends and family.|The Awakening Service]] \n\n
<<if $dead is "op1">>\s\nVideliam smiles.\n\n“I'm so glad that you decided to make this quick. I didn't even have to cut any deals.” Videliam reaches for her and pulls her through the door on the left. Kumi follows willingly with barely a glance at the disappointed Isha. \n\nThe room is empty, excepting a large mosaic tub at the far end. Videliam leads Kumi closer and it is only as she looks away that she sees the tub is full of a silvery substance. With large eyes she looks up at Videliam.\n\n“What is that?” Her question is barely a whisper as fear takes hold. Videliam smiles, but his congenial visage has changed into one of intense hunger. He pulls her, now resisting, form up the steps to the tub before balancing her on the edge. He leans over from behind, his lips ghosting along her ear. \n\n“This is the fate that you chose.” He gives her no chance to respond as he pushes her into the silvery substance. The pool is deep and she fails and tries to swim to the surface only to feel her self weighed down and pulled under the otherworldly water. Her last sight is that of Videliam eating a golden that appeared from nowhere. His glowing red eyes bore into her. \n\n“Just like I thought, tasty.” His voice echoes in her mind and the world falls black; the sound of machines beeping and then flat-lining echo in the dark as fatigue takes over.\n<<elseif $dead is "op2">>\s\nVideliam appears, causing the room to turn white. Kumi is back in the garden.\n\n“That didn't take long at all. If you were going to give in that easily, you could have just chosen death.” He pulls Kumi to him, one hand forcing her head to the side and bearing her neck. “You know, the best part about starting the tests is that when you fail… I get your soul, and I am ravenous.” Kumi is given no chance to respond as Videliam bites deeply into her neck, quickly draining her soul as if it were a Vampire's libation. \n\nBack in the hospital room, Kumi jerks up and gasps, her eyes barely opening before falling silent. The doctor operating on her accidentally nicks a vital artery and Kumi bleeds out on the table as death claims her; the sound of flat lining echoes in the room.\n<<elseif $dead is "op3">>\s\n“You are absolutely right, Kumi.” Videliam touches his lips to hers and her eyes fall closed submitting to the kiss. He pulls her closer, breaking the kiss and sending his lips down to her neck. Kumi let's her head fall to the side and Videliam's eyes glow red as he bites into the flesh around her throat. At the sudden pain, Kumi pushes against him, but his grip holds her tightly. Slowly, he drains her soul via the bite on her neck. In her mind, before death claims her she hears his laugh. “I was right, Kumi, you taste delicious.”\n\nIn the hospital room, Kumi's corpse lays on the operating table. The surgeon stands with her parents, explaining that he did everything her could. However, it was too late.\n<<elseif $dead is "op4">>\s\nVideliam smiles and stands. His height towers over her as he pulls her close. \n\n“You have my word, Kumi.” Kumi nods and Videliam smiles and lowers his mouth to her. A scream sounds from the other room and Isha falls through the door, her knees striking the ground.\n\n“What have you done?!” Panic echoes through her bell-like voice; slowly her luminescent glow fades and Kumi herself begins to glow, a new energy seeping into her being and lending solidness to her body. Kumi studies Isha as the pixie-like girl fades.\n\n“I'm not going to pretend to be sorry.” Kumi's voice is different, cold, like water droplets in a cave. Videliam smiles and kisses her again.\n\n“You have a lot to learn before the next soul comes for trial.” His voice is husky, and excited. Kumi smirks, her as newfound immortality courses though her. \n\n“I'm sure we will have time.” Her confidence is clear and Videliam smirks.\n\n“That we do, pet, that we do.” He draws her closer and hands her a golden apple. Kumi follows the silent directive and takes her first bite.\n\nIn the hospital, Isha's energy is forced into the comatose body of Kumi. The merge is unsuccessful and Kumi's earthly body dies.\n<<elseif $dead is "op5">>\s\n“I am sorry that you feel this way. You have come so far. You only have one test left. Are you sure you want to quit?” Kumi glares in all her anger and refuses to retract her statement. Isha's bearing drops and her eyes turn pleading. “Please reconsider.” Tears are easily heard in the crack of her bell-like voice.\n\n“I'm done. It's not like the world is worth fighting for anyway.” Kumi's eyes are hard, her voice implacable. Isha drops her head and waves a hand behind her.\n\n“As you wish. Videliam.” The whisper is barely heard and the male demon rises from the couch, his long red hair drifting around him. He raises a hand.\n\n“Come to me, Kumi. I will end this for you.” His commanding tone sends a shiver down kumis spine, but she shakes it away. Resolutely, she turns from Isha and approaches the Guardian's partner. Videliam threads his fingers with hers, and pulls her close. He smiles down at her, red eyes bright in excitement. “This was inevitable, you know? Death is every mortal's final destination.” His pitch is comforting as he draws Kumi into an intimate embrace and lowers his mouth to hers. “Give me your soul.” It is a barely heard demand. Kumi places her lips on his and Videliam sucks her soul from her non-corporeal body. Kumi fades into the air and Videliam lifts his face to the ceiling. “So sweet.”\n\nIn the hospital, Kumi dies in a coma having just recently come from a successful surgery. \n <<elseif $dead is "op6">>\s\nThe Scrape-thunk of earth continues it's ominous tattoo and the funeral carries on above her. Panic sets in and it isn't long before Kumi is breathing too deeply and too fast. The drone form the pastor continues and fear keeps its hold deep in Kumi's bones. It could be minutes or hours but soon, the air supply runs its course. In an act of desperation, Kumi begins to claw at the side of her neck. Through luck her nails are sharp enough to pierce her arteries. Blood sprays from the wounds and Kumi's last moments are filled with blood pain and a lack of air. \n\nAs her life fades a golden apple appears before Videliam and Isha. Isha sighs and waves it away. Videliam smirks and reaches for it reverently. He bites into it and pleasure suffuses his features. \n\n“Delicious.” His husky voice echoes throughout the room.\n\nIn the hospital, those same veins burst and Kumi bleeds out on the surgeon's table.\n<<endif>>\nYou have allowed Kumi to die and brought this game to an end.\n\n[[The End|Author's Note]]
Kumi's shadow self, growls in annoyance, but Isha appears and with a wave of her hand, it vanishes.\n\n“You did well.” She crosses over to Kumi and places her hand over Kumi's forehead. Kumi instantly feels calmness wash over her and she closes her eyes. The room shifts with a dream like quality. The mosaics fade and two ornate mirrors form and hover before Kumi's couch. Kumi opens her eyes and looks to Isha for direction. Isha smiles comfortingly. \n\n“This next test is one of sacrifice and mercy. If you had to give your soul for the survival of another, who would you choose?” Isha waves her hand and the mirrors come alive, much as a TV would. With a soft 'good luck' Isha fades and Kumi studies the mirrors. \n\nThe first one sits in a weathered frame as if time has worn away at it. The images consist of a woman posing as a prostitute and being arrested for her crimes at various stages in her life. It is clear, as the woman's story unfolds that everything she has done was done to take care of her three young children. The second mirror holds the story of a young child that is already slated to die due to terminal illness. It's frame is moldered. Videliam appears beside this second mirror. \n\n“The child will die, regardless of your sacrifice, a few months is all he will gain.” He smiles darkly. “Who will you save, Kumi; the convict, or the dying child?”\n\nIt is now up to you to decided Kumi's decision. Who will she save? \n\n[[She can't help a convict. Criminal's deserve no mercy, regardless.|Afterlife]]<<set $dead = "op2">>\n[[The child will die anyway, her soul would be wasted.|The First Temptation]]
“Wait! I'm alive!” her answer is another scrape-thunk followed by the sound of someone speaking in the distance. Though barely audible above the scrape-thunk tattoo she realizes that not only is she being buried, she is in fact, at her funeral. “I'm alive… let me out! I'm alive.” The funeral above continues. Realizing that shouting is doing her no favors she immediately start kicking her feet and trying to punch the coffin lid away. It is several minutes of the scrape-thunk and funeral drone later that the coffin door gives beneath her battering. As the wood splits, she falls forward her knees striking the stone floor of Abbadon's cella. There is a noticeable lack of funeral attendees and graveyards.\n\n“What the hell?!” Panting and angry Kumi struggles to her feet turning left and right her eyes large and panicked. \n\nIsha and Videliam occupy the single couch. Isha rises and crosses the room offering Kumi her hand. \n\n“You did well.” Her comforting tone dose nothing for Kumi, she bats her hand away and surges to her feet.\n\n“Oh! Did I? Are coffin prisons a frequent test or is this just a game to you people… demons… ghosts… whatever?” Kumi paces furiously in her anger and Videliam laughs. Isha moves into Kumi's path. \n\n“It is a test of survival, Kumi. You had to prove you want to live. You're three tests down Kumi. One more and you can return to life.” Kumi pauses in front of Isha. Her eyes flick between Isha's.\n\nShould she continue, or is this one step too far? As always, the choice is up to you.\n\nKumi takes a deep breathe and responds…\n\n[[No! This is asinine, I wont keep playing this demented game!|Afterlife]] <<set $dead = "op5">>\n[[Just one more?|The Second Temptation]]
Kumi places her hand on the Mirror of wealth and prestige. The mirror absorbs her essence and she vanishes from Abbadon. Isha and Videliam appear before the mirrors. Videliam smirks in amusement, Isha frowns and he glares at him.\n\n“She was supposed to be mine.” Her bell-like voice turns pouty and Videliam chuckles. \n\n“Clearly, she wasn't.” He holds out a hand expectantly. “Pay up.”\nIsha sighs and conjures a golden apple from nowhere.\n \n“Another soul...from me to you.” Her pout has vanished, but now she just sounds resigned to it. He glances at the mirrors as he takes the apple. \n\n“What are the chances of us getting to test her again?” His wishful tone is heard clearly. Isha smirks, but narrows her eyes, as he bites the apple.\n\n“If she comes back, it means she's meant to be one of us and not a soul.” The idea seems to bounce off of her as she crosses the room. Videliam looks contemplative.\n\n“If she is one of us, then I really can bind to her, some day.” His wistful tones draw Isha's eyes to him, they narrow in contemplation before she flashes smirk and turns from him. \n\n“Who knows, we have to make sure she doesn't remember, though. And don't forget. No contact.” Her bell-like voice is tinged in amusement, Videliam sighs and nods. The two fade from the inner sanctum.\n----\nKumi awakes in a hospital bed with no memory of Abbadon, Isha, or Videliam. The beeps and wheezes of machines surround her. Slowly, she opens her eyes. The first thing she sees is obligatory cards and gifts, other then that she is alone. An alert sounds and doctors rush into the room and begin check her vitals. \n\nThe healing process is long and tiresome, but ultimately empty. During this time lawyers come and go and a hefty settlement falls into Kumi's hands. When release arrives, she leaves alone and wealthy. \n \n[[The world is at her finger tips.|Moving On]]\n
Isha smiles and leads Kumi through the door to the right. This room is like a cella, but tiled with mosaics depicting a starry night. Videliam passes both ladies and slips into a door on the other end of the room. Isha leads Kumi to the only couch in the room. \n\n“I'm glad you decided to fight for life, so many give up without any effort.” She pushes Kumi lightly onto the couch. “The first test is one of self-acceptance. You cannot move forward with regret for past mistakes. Do you understand?” Kumi nods and Isha straightens. “From this point you are on your own, Kumi. I will explain the challenge of each test, but form that point on, what ever happens is your responsibility.”\n\n “I suppose that's a fair stipulation. It is my life after all.” her tone is resolute and Isha smiles before crossing to the door that Videliam went through.\n\n“I hope you are successful.” Her whisper is barely heard as she slips through the door and it slides shut, the grating of the stone shattering the silence. It is several minutes of nothing when Kumi shifts in her seat looking around. A touch on her hand causes her to shift around. Round eyes meet the mirror image of herself. \n\n“You have been wasteful with our life Kumi.” The shadow's voice washes over her and Kumi recoils in horror as she realizes that she is facing herself.\n\n“I-I haven't been wasteful.” Her shadow self smiles darkly and leans forward forcing Kumi back.\n\n“But you have, drunk driving, selfishly living, impulsive behavior. How many of your decisions have hurt someone?” Her shadow self smiles, darkly and Kumi sits up forcing her shadow self back.\n\n“I'm human, I'm allowed to make mistakes!” The shadow smiles again.\n\n“And your mistakes have you in a hospital, in a coma, fighting for your life right now? Do you really deserve to continue living? I rather think you should give up.” Kumi's shadow self crosses its arms, a militant look in her eye. \n\nIt's up to you to decide how Kumi responds…\n\n[[You're right, I don't deserve life.|Afterlife]] <<set $dead = "op2">>\n\n[[The point of life, is to make mistakes and learn from them. I have!|Test of Sacrifice]]
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You just sent a child to his death. You are a bit more cold-blooded then I anticipated.” Videliam wave's his hand and the mirrors fade, amusement clear in his voice. Kumi's face pales and her eyes tear.\n\n“You told me the child would die regardless.” Panic is rift within her speech. Pleased, Videliam smiles and sits next to her, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her close.\n\n“And he would have, in six months, but most women would have spared the child. You are clearly more pragmatic.” He leans closer, his lips tracing her ear. “That could be very useful to me, especially if you quit this game now. Give me your soul and I'll make you my queen in the afterlife.” Kumi pulls back her face red and her eyes narrowed. \n\n“Is this a test?” Her voice is breathless but suspicion is clear in her gaze. Videliam smirks. \n\n“No, this is a side offer from me to you. A Queen Kumi, and immortal…death could never touch you again.” His voice is a husky cadence; Kumi bites her lip in indecision. Videliam smiles and lowers his mouth to hover over her lips. “Say yes, Kumi… become my bride.”\n\nKumi stands at a cross roads, its up to you to decide her response.\n\n\n[[The Queen of Demons...You have got to be kidding me!|Test of Survival]]\n[[I suppose...It's not like I could die again, right?|Afterlife]] <<set $dead = "op3">>
The skidding truck was unavoidable. Between the black ice, the darkness of the late hour, snow, and the hill with its correspondingly deep valley. A collision was inevitable. That was why Kumi took the hit on the narrow, icy country road; Especially, as the semi left little room for safe maneuverability. Well it was that, or the drunk driving and making a poor judgment call. The impact sent her little Volkswagen Beetle rolling, flipping, and the careening over the cliff that she tried to avoid. The impact stunned her and darkness took her by the time the near, totaled Beetle came to a stop in it's icy pit.\n\nThe semi above had managed to come to a stop and the truck driver was out of his cab with little care for the elements. He stood near the broken railway, cell in hand as he rotated shouting at the emergency responder and down into the ravine below. It was his shouting that called her back to consciousness. Panic hit first as she realized that she was good and trapped.\n\nWhatever sobriety was questionable before, she was sober now. Sober and in pain.\n\nYou hold her life in her hands, what will you have Kumi do? \n \n[[Wait for help.|Videliam Greeting]]\n[[Escape the car.|Isha Greeting]]
Videliam grows and his hand lowers to Kumi's neck. \n\n“You are an impertinent little chit. I can offer you the world and instead you throw it in my face. You are lucky Isha is such a good keeper, other wise-.”\n\n“Videliam, that's enough. She refused your offer now step away, time is against us here. As you know.” Her bell-like voice echoes in the room sending chills up Kumi's spine. His fingers tighten, the sharp claw-like nails biting into her neck before he pulls back from her and stomps from the room. Isha follows him with her eyes and when he exits, she relaxes her stance. Her violet eyes return to Kumi. “There are times, I really wish he and I were not bound. Are you ready for the next test?” Kumi nods and Isha crosses the room toward her. “This next test is survival.” She pauses in front of Kumi. “Good Luck.” Isha raises her hand and darkness consumes her.\n\nWhen she awakes, Kumi is surrounded by darkness. Panic seizes her, but before she can utter a sound, the scrape-thunk of gravel being scooped and then dropped sounds loudly above her. Hesitantly, she reaches out blindly only to meet a wood grain barrier less then a foot in front of her. Another scrape-thunk causes her to jump and blindly she sends her hands searching. It takes very little for her to realize that she is in a coffin. A second scrape-thunk sounds and Kumi realizes her choice. \n\nWill she stay and die or fight for her freedom; the choice is up to you.\n\n[[Listen to your funeral and stay.|Afterlife]]<<set $dead = "op6">>\n[[Struggle to get out!|Escape]]
Kumi places her hand on the Mirror of friends and family. The mirror absorbs her essence and she vanishes from Abbadon. Isha and Videliam appear before the mirrors. Isha smiles a cat that caught the canary smile. Videliam frowns and he glares at Isha.\n\n“You always win.” Isha smirks.\n\n“Not always, Videliam. Just today.” She holds out a hand expectantly. “Pay up.”\n\nVideliam sighs and conjures a golden apple from nowhere. “Another soul lost.” He glances at the mirrors as Isha takes the apple. “What are the chances of us getting to test her again?” Isha smiles and bites the apple.\n\n“If she comes back, it means she's meant o be one of us and not a soul.” The idea seems to bounce off of her as she continues to chew her apple. Videliam looks contemplative.\n\n“If she is one of us, then I really can bind to her, some day.” His wistful tones draw Isha's eyes to him, they narrow in contemplation before she flashes smirk and turns from him. \n\n“Who knows, we have to make sure she doesn't remember though. And don't forget. No contact.” Her bell-like voice is tinged in amusement, Videliam sighs and nods. The two fade from the inner sanctum.\n\nKumi awakes in a hospital bed with no memory of Abbadon, Isha, or Videliam. The beeps and wheezes of machines surround her. Slowly, she opens her eyes. The first thing she registers is her mother, hunched uncomfortably in a hospital chair. Kumi shifts uncomfortable, the tubes down her throat and nose making it hard to move or talk. She manages to make enough noise for her mother's eyes to fly open. \n\n“Kumi.” Her voice is rough with sleep and worry. Kumi blinks and her mother surges to her feet calling for doctors. \n\nThe healing process is long and arduous, but is made easier due to friends and families frequent visitations. After three months of recovery, Kumi is able to leave the hospital knowing that her life will be full of love and laughter. \n\n[[Life awaits!|Moving On]]
Inyo Dissonance
By Mary Herring \n\nWriting Workshop IV
Kumi glances one last time over her shoulder. She is alone. The feeling of deja vu has yet to leave her and even as she settles on the Taxi-cab seat she knows that she is being watched. The Taxi driver smiles and offers her his hand in greeting.\n\n“I'm Dietrich, Where're you headed?” She takes his hand and smiles shyly.\n\n“Do I really need a destination?” He looks confused and she smirks. “Never mind. I'm headed to Marsh Lane.” The Taxi pulls away from the curb and Kumi leans back. In the back of her mind a voice whispers, and she knows the message is for her and her alone. \n\n“The road of life is still before you; actions lead to reactions and the people around you can make or break you. It all comes down to what you want to put into it and get out of it. Chase the dream.”\n\n-End-\n\n\n[[Author's Note]]