Reflection

[DoS Archive]

From: randaltan@aol.com (Rand alTan)
Date: 07 Jul 1998 03:04:53 EDT

::There wouldn't be any sleep for him tonight. He was too tired...no, too alone. Not that he needed anybody, he told himself for what must have been the hundreth time. "It's all just pre-challenge jitters," came the next line in the false litany. A hushed Annex did not welcome him, but seemed to want to push him away. The darkness hung oppressively, shadows clinging and menacing. He found himself wishing he could fade into it,
wishing he could just stop feeling and just be. The weight of his clothing, his sword, his very thoughts, told him otherwise. Strange to feel this way when everything seemed to be moving for the good. Rising suddenly in the ranks of Warlords, all the way to the top. No, the thought brought no joy. Challenging for the most sought-after title, a feat that had once been a dream. No happiness, only a sense of duty. Do this, give it your best shot,
it's time for all or nothing. This brought a slight shake of his head. The movement seemed to defy the darkness, the shadows jumping out as if to snuff any life at all. The weight of the darkness pushed him down, and he sank to his knees next to a ring. A quiet sob echoed through the empty space. "Was that me?" he thought, dropping from his knees to a sitting position, leaning against a post. Nothing answered. Staring at nothing, watching it
stare back at him, he wondered what it was all for.....and where she was::