Warped Reality

I gasped and woke up. It was dark and cold. I moved and g.r.o.a.n.e.d at the pain all over my body. When I rolled to my side, I clutched dirt with my hands. Surprised, I jolted up from the ground before feeling the surface I was sitting on. Soil. A little damp. Where the hell was I?

"You're finally awake." A gritty voice echoed somewhere at the corners of the dark empty space.

I couldn't see anything through this darkness but I believed the sound came from my left. So I turned my head to that direction.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I hugged myself as if the gesture could somehow protect me from the person lurking in the shadows.

"You're in my place. I should light up a lamp, shouldn't I?" I heard shuffles, light unhurried footsteps and finally a match scratching through rough surface and the light came out. "I'm supposed to warn you not to be afraid. But I guess, the very thing youre so afraid to happen already had."

A tall man in all black was standing over the small table where the lamp was lit. He was so pale and thin with bony knuckles which was the only part of his body visible from his dark wardrobe aside from his face, of course. His irises were big dark circles that it almost blackened out the white. His chin had a divide, ordinary nose and hollowed cheeks under dark rimmed eyes. This man mustve sniffed too much shit or was just plainly sick.

"Who are you?" I repeated my question while my knuckles gripped the sheer dark robe I wore just like his.

"My name's not important. I've actually forgotten it being around for so long. I just picked up names from here and there. Doesn't matter, really. What matters is what I'm about to tell you, Ivano."

"W-what?; I gawked at him. "My name's not Ivano."

Jesus! Was this man blind? Couldn't he see that I'm not a man? What the hell was with his wardrobe anyway? It's so retro. He looked like someone that's going to a costume party. Well, both of us actually.

"I can see, you're still delirious. Coming from the dead always gives you that feeling. But you'll get past it. I only have tonight to live so I better hurry up explaining to you what will be your life from now on."

"Hold up!" I raised my hands up before I stood on wobbly legs. "I don't like this prank. I have to go home." I walked across the dark space and assumed the door I was heading was the exit. "Where's your damn door?" I snapped when I opened a closet full of bottle potions and some weird stuffs I couldn't understand.

"Calm down, Ivano."

"I'm not Ivano! My name's Stella! Can't you see I'm a girl?"

The old sickly man suddenly laughed so loud as if what I said was really hilarious. I wanted to smack him across the face to make him stop.

"I was in your situation once. I also lashed out, panicked and went crazy mad. But believe me, telling myself I'm a woman isn't one of them. But maybe that's your own phase of going crazy."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The man stopped chuckling and cast a serious gaze on me through the light of the dancing lamp just below his gut. His thin bony fingertips with purplish long nail tapped on the table in a deliberate manner while he studied my face. I suddenly wanted to run because I just realized I didn't know this man and that he looked dangerous enough to harm me no matter how fragile his frame looked like.

"Whatever you're going to say, say it now and fast. I want to get out a here."

"Your name is Ivano Lombardi. I have to advise you this early that you'll write that down before you'll forget your identity just as what happened to me. Time will come, your human memories will fade and you'll be left with an empty mind and heart. Plus, of course, since you're undead, you don't get a soul anymore."

"What?" It's me who laughed at him this time, so hard that it took me forever to stop. "Now you're the one being a joker. How much will YouTube pay you for this prank? You got quite a set here. I'm going out!"

"You can't get out. Not yet." The mystery man answered. "Wait until the new moon and you'd be able to step out of this dungeon."

"I'm so done with your riddles! Why don't you just tell me exactly what's going on? Are you a member of a cult? Are you going to recruit me or offer my v.i.r.g.i.n blood? What do you want? Just cut it out and spill it, damnit!"

"Such patience you have there, Lombardi." He sneered and I scowled even more before crossing my arms over my c.h.e.s.t. "I was a healer when I was living but after I came from the dead, I became a warlock. I walked across the world, well, more like fade away and appear again. I was called for a mission and came into town to find you. The whole place was destroyed. The city was in chaos and war was fought. It took me only little time to know the reason. You fell in love with the daughter of the Lord Matt who was supposed to marry Lord Lancelot for a pact of two great empires. The latter killed her and you. So the father declared war against them. A lot of blood was shed, people died and the two great leaders met their downfall."

"W-what..." I stammered in confusion and fear.

I uncrossed my arms and looked around. I couldn't find a mirror but the lamp had a plate made of stainless underneath. I pulled the plate beneath the lamp and put it in front of me to examine myself. Oh, my God! I have Ivano's face! What the hell!