LUCEM
Chapter XL

Mr. Jhonatan let out a long sigh as his feet descended from the vehicle that led him towards the palace. He tidied up the black suit he was wearing and also his hat before he began to step foot into the palace, the goal was a red door room with gold carving patterns on the surface.

Once there, the door slowly opened. Mr. Jhonatan stepped in. Mr. Jhonatan bowed his body. "Greetings, Mom..."

The King Grimo turned his body slowly towards the owner of the voice that greeted him the mother. A smile rose on his pale face looking at the presence of the son he longed for. "My son" she said.

Mr. Jhonatan stepped closer to kiss the hand of the outstretched King Grimo. When their hands touched each other, the King Grimo's body twitched for a moment, swiftly catching the King Grimo's body that had drooped before touching the floor. The body now felt colder and paler than before. Lord Jhonatan laid down the King Grimo carefully.

"Why do you do it, it is very dangerous" said Mr. Jhonatan with a worried look on his face.

The figure of the woman in black robes looked at master Jhonatan with a gentle look in her eyes, a smile engraved on her face. The body that floated close to the ceiling of the room was slowly descending towards Lord Jhonatan. His hand stretched out to caress the face of the man he called the child, but it was only a few seconds before finally the woman's hand passed through the face of Lord Jhonatan like air. Then his figure was again drawn to the side of the ceiling.

"Is Mom okay?" Ask Mr. Jhonatan.

The woman just nodded slowly.

"Mother, I beg you to return to her body" asked Mr. Jhonatan.

The woman's face became mellow, but her figure slowly moved down towards the King Grimo's body lying down and slowly fused with it. The Grimo King's body jolted, a rapid pull and breath sounded from his mouth. Mr. Jhonatan hastened to approach.

"The pain I brought, the fear I should have left. I sag under the weight of loneliness, the chain of disappointment. My own heart weighs a thousand pounds. I was so heavy that I could no longer be lifted from the earth. I'm so heavy, I have no choice now but to be buried under it. I was very heavy, too heavy," tears escaped the eyes of the old King Grimo.

"Hold Mother, be patient" said Mr. Jhonatan to shed tears.

______________________

Gold in the distance.

Mars!

Someone called my name.

His voice was big, aggressive. The sound was dizzying in my head, expanding and shrinking. I can't guess it. "Who...., who's there!?"

Mars!

I exhaled as my body descended rapidly. The world suddenly became dark. My eyes blinked. A buzzing sound in my ear, something like blunt and stable electricity. Everything was drowning in darkness. Blackouts, blackouts in nature. Fear stuck to my skin. Encompass me.

Marbi, Marbi...... Marbi!!!!

Marbella didn't come for me. My tears are falling fast. A knife-like feeling hollowed out my bones that were quickly filled with sadness, grief that was so acute that it left me gasping for breath. "Marbi didn't come, Marbi didn't come."

I'm back floating.

Weightless but—terburdened, such as

destined to drown forever.

I was forced to catch my breath, forced to exhale. My own breath is loud and trembling.

Suddenly a dim light broke the darkness behind my eyes, and in the light, I saw water.

I heard something.

As it reverberated through the tank, the dull metal against the dull metal, arrived in my ear as if from outer space. I squinted at a new set of shapes and colors, a blurred shape. I clenched my fists but my flesh was soft, my bones were like fresh dough, my skin was peeling off in moist flakes. I was surrounded by water. My eyes were wide open, my breathing panicked.

"What the fuck?" I'm still trying to breathe. I look around. Heart racing. "What— is all this?"

A creeping and terrifying horror moved all over my body. A large figure of black fog was in my head. He wanted to see if he could make me kill myself.

The figure grinned, as if he wished that if I killed myself while he was in my head, I could somehow kill him as well.

"Marbi, help me..." I'm pasting. Despondent.