The Paradigm Demured: Part V- Vertigo

       

            Wide-eyed and frozen with revulsion, Natalie slowly looked up at the man, only to see that it was hardly a man at all.  What she saw would never leave her memory.  An inhuman face stared back at her, causing Natalie to lose any semblance of rational thought.  An uncharacteristically loud shriek slipped from Natalie’s mouth, which hung wide open.  In a frenzy of consternation, the rest of the clothes she was carrying exploded from her arms, spiraling haphazardly all over the floor.  The creature did not even flinch from the display.  The natural reflex would have been to automatically shield its eyes from contracting any unnecessary harm in a sudden outburst such as this one; but the long arms just remained suspended lifelessly, making no motion to shield its face. 

            The clothes landed around the inhuman form, creating a chaotic pile against the wall behind it.  Further stunned, Natalie grabbed Carol’s arm without thinking, and pulled her away from the ethereal creature.  Carol, bewildered by Natalie’s outburst, ran along with her in a state of panic.

The Paradigm Demurred: Part IV- "I love you. I always have, and I thought..you should know."

Brandon Cho’s family had held a traditional Korean funeral service for him north of King County, just outside of the city. His parents had never been fond of their relationship, being extremely locked into their ancient conventions, and learning only enough English to get by.  Nevertheless, Brandon had disobeyed them, and started seeing Natalie, much to their dismay.

The Paradigm Demurred: Part III- “Then I too will share in this disobedience.”

The universe is extremely complex, and seeps into many different dimensions, several of which are incompatible with one another.  Sometimes, the energy frequencies of two divergent dimensions begin to overlap, thus eradicating each.  To ensure the continued survival of all living things, the Vorae were created.  The Vorae exist as spiral points of energy, effectively separating our plane of existence with those lying pendulously over it.  Fueled by the energy of emotion, the energy of life itself, these perpetually sustained, spinning vortices are the only thing keeping the physical and nonphysical realms from slamming together in a cosmic cataclysm. 

Since before the evolution of the consciousness of man, it was realized that there would be those who would try and disrupt the natural balance, bringing universal chaos to all living things.  There arose a need for stability, and thus, the Savem were born out of this desire.  Beings sworn to ensure the natural order, they defend these universal pillars, sacrificing their own aspirations for the good of all that is.  They exist in both the physical and nonphysical planes, each set carrying out their own mission.    

The Paradigm Demurred: Part II- "Brandon Cho, I've come for your life."

           

 “Brandon Cho, I’ve come for your life.”

            Those words echoed inside Brandon’s skull, foreign intent overriding his own will.  He couldn’t accept what was happening and his mind had all but shut down.  Though he tried to fight it, his body seemed to be in compliance with what the being desired.  He couldn’t move, scream, or even communicate with this shadowy figure. 

            “A demon?”

            Having no idea what this thing was that had gotten into his apartment, he thought back to the stories of demons that his parents had told him about to scare him as a child.  In Korean folklore, they were usually tricksters that would occasionally take the form of humans, by wearing their skin, to plague the living.  His parents had called them “Agma”, the Korean term for demons.  There had been several instances in Korean mythology recording these demons speaking without moving their mouths.  The very same form of communication as the being standing before him.  So the stories were true, and the Agma had finally come for him. 

The Paradigm Demurred: Part I- "These people think you're crazy. Are you crazy, Brandon?"

Every day was the same mundane routine for Brandon Cho:  He would wake up at precisely 6:30 AM, hit the alarm on its third beep, and begin getting ready for another monotonous day of bean-counting busy-work at the Roosevelt & Barnes Financial Group of Seattle.  An easy existence that suited one such as himself.  But, today was different.  As he splashed through the damp streets, he could feel a presence drawing closer, gaining strength- it was a manifestation of pure darkness, and it was suffocating.