The Sanctum

(For the author's note, click here.)

I pulled a to-go box from the top shelf and opened it. There were scarcely a few bites left. I turned to my roommate. "You ate my leftovers, Daichi? Hmph. I'll just have to eat your onigiri instead."

He sighed, flipping a page in whatever he was reading. "Sorry, Hatsuharu, I ate that too. I'm a growing boy and college makes me hungry."

"...You're only taking one class this semester," I muttered, snaking his pocky from the pantry and stepping out on the balcony to eat it. I plopped in a lawn chair that was facing the plants we had been growing, and noticed a vibrant pink packet leaning on a tomato plant's pot.

      

Curiously, I picked up the packet and examined it. How strange... it had unearthly symbols on it.

      

Daichi called me from inside. "What are you looking at?"  

      

I looked inside at him. "This isn't yours?"

      

Daichi put down his book and padded out to me. "Are they seeds?" he asked.

      

"I dond know," I mumbled through the mushed up food. "Letsh opun id und shee." I ripped my pinky through the flap and looked inside. There were two seeds; they were nickel-sized, black, and had random color splotches on them.

      

Daichi smiled and pondered, "I wonder what it is. Do you think we can get high off of what it grows?"

      

Ignoring him, I pressed the seed into the soil; Daichi grabbed my glass of water and dumped it on the dirt. Immediately we heard an overpowering, melodic ringing. The soil began to get a violet tinge and the pot began to rumble.

      

I looked at Daichi. "Get back," I said, shoving him inside.

      

We stood by our couch, staring at the phenomena from a safe distance. Suddenly, something huge emerged from the soil; a numinous, large flower quickly began to overtake the balcony. It thrust itself inside, bursting through the cheap glass doors.

      

"You're paying for that," I vaguely remember Daichi whispering.

      

The plant stopped its mass growth just a few feet from us. I stepped backwards, pulling Daichi with me. The ringing went from being overpowering to a dull rumble. We looked at each other, scared out of our minds. Usually flowers aren't frightening, but a large alien plant on a Saturday morning tends to make one uncomfortable.

      

The stem of the flower was as round as a tree trunk, and its fibers were clearly sticky. The huge bud at the end of the stem was the size of a tractor tire. Its petals were creamy white with strips of blue in purple in various shades. This thing appeared to be breathing; a sound of cells stretching as it "inhaled" was very eerie.

      

"Daichi, get me the golf club by my bed."

      

Without moving my gaze from the flower, I knew the face he was giving me. "Come on, I don't want to miss anything," He whined.

      

"Then run," I insisted.

      

I heard his bare feet quickly pad into the bedroom and back. I held out my hand and he slapped the metal club into it. I took it, prepared to poke the plant and run.

      

As soon as the metal tip touched the petal, it burst open into a stunningly gorgeous flower. Daichi screamed, and I jumped backwards. A purple-pink mist swirled in the center of this mess; and the last thing I expected was someone to pop out of it.

      

Suddenly, the plant became as still as a stone, and it even stopped "breathing". The overpowering ringing noise became a typhoon again, and Daichi screamed once more.

      

"Hatsuharu!" He yelled. "You made it mad!"

      

I waved my hand in his face, frantically. "Ssssh! Your yelling might upset it!"

      

Suddenly, the flower bent down towards the floor. It almost appeared to be trying to vomit. Strange ooze dripped out from somewhere.

      

"Ah, sick," Daichi gagged at the smell.

      

"What's it doing?"

      

I could tell Daichi was giving me that look annoying again. "Like I know."

      

Suddenly, we could see a humanoid arm reaching for the floor. I prepared to hit somebody, waiting for a complete body to crawl out. Two arms began to yank at the carpet, and then, we saw some ginger hair dangling. We watched a woman's body drag itself from the flower.

      

"Dude…"

      

The…person… stood up. Soft vines that were sprouting flowers grew around her body, covering only what was necessary. She had leafy ankle cuffs and bare, muddy feet.  Her heart shaped face had a snowy white spot on the upper right side that looked like a broken mask. Two vermillion petals stretched from her eyes down to her jaw. Her hair was big, curly, ginger, and beautiful.

      

Daichi and I looked at her, not sure what emotion to feel.

      

She looked at us, smiling. "Nouka ouh," She said.

      

Oh, great, she can't speak our language, either. Now what were we supposed to do?

      

"We only speak Japanese," I said, although I knew she wouldn't understand.

      

"Samwo altera due," she said, stepping closer to me. I tried to step away, but she grabbed my head.

      

Daichi gasped. "Dude, hit her! She's gonna eat your face!"

      

The woman giggled. Gently, she leaned into me. A pause. Then, he fiercely pressed her lips on mine, shoving her tongue in my mouth. She licked my teeth and lips, and then stepped back.

      

"Whoo hoo!" Daichi cheered, forever a horn dog.

      

I looked at her, shock and disgust on my face.

      

"Ah, sorry," she apologized. "I needed to learn the language. I hope you'll forgive me."

      

"Uh… sure?" I said with the same look on my face.

      

"What language are we speaking?" she asked, still smiling. "And what are the names of you?"

"Uh. We're speaking Japanese," I explained. "And...my name is Hatsuharu Miyazaki. He's Daichi Fukuoka."

      

"I am Thymbel. Greetings."

      

"Hey, Thymbel-san," Daichi offered. "I'm studying some English, wanna learn that too?"

      

Clearly an innocent creature, she swung over to him, and said, "But of course. I thank you for letting me learn."

      

"No, no, no, no!" I protested, not wanting him to take advantage of this creature's innocence.

      

They both looked at me, and simultaneously asked, "Why not?"

      

"It's not right."

      

"Learning?" They both said, at the same time again.

      

Okay, fine. Clearly Daichi wouldn't feel guilty about it. So, I went down another route. "No, Daichi, you don't even know if she's a woman for sure!"

      

He pushed her back. "Oh, disgusting! I didn't think of that!"

      

"Are females not allowed to learn in your land?" She asked, frowning. "Did I do something wrong?"

      

I looked at her. She seemed so young, so unaware. Yet, on a totally different plane, I could tell she was much wiser than I. 

      

"No, why would you ask?" I said, trying to soothe her worries.

      

"Well, since I was just trying to learn, why would it matter if I am a female?"

      

"He wasn't just trying to teach."

      

Thymbel-san looked at us; confusion riddled her face. She dismissively rolled her eyes, and looked around. "So this is how you humans live," she said, beginning to walk around.

      

"This is just Tokyo," I corrected. "The world as a whole is very different."

      

"Very well," Thymbel-san said to herself. "There's no time to waste; I need your help. Just one of you is needed. Two will cause trouble. Which one of you is the least incompetent?"

      

Daichi snorted. "Work? Well, now that I know that I'm not going to have any fun, back to my hentai." With that, he plopped down on the couch, trying not to touch the flower's stem.

      

Thymbel-san turned to me, sighed, smiled, and then said, "Well then, let's get going! We mustn't be late, that would be poor etiquette."

      

I stared at her, and voiced my concern. "Okay, see, here's the thing: an alien plant just erupted on my deck, and vomited you up. You sexually assaulted me and now you're trying to take me home with you. This concerns me."

      

She cocked her head. "What about that concerns you?"

      

"Wow," Daichi muttered, not looking up from his pages. "Good luck, Hats."

      

"What are you? And are you a female?" I inquired.

Thymbel-san crouched on the ground as naturally as if she were sitting on a couch. "I can tell this is going to take quite a while. I'm female, although answering that question was just a waste of time. Our ancient origins are the same, so you could consider me a distant relative to your kind. I am a Realm Keeper for my planet." She then picked up the flower, which was still leaning towards the carpet.

      

I stopped her.  "No, no, I still need to know more, Thymbel-san. What's a Realm Keeper? Where are you taking me? What do I have to do? And what is this giant plant that spit you out?"

      

She breathed in deeply and began to explain, "A realm keeper, obviously, keeps realms. I'm a guardian. I'm taking you to the Sanctum; the sacred center of my world. You have to perform a ritual for the other realm keepers and me. The giant plant you're referring to is a bud port; a magical flower the realm keepers created."

      

"A…ritual? Why does it need a human?"

      

She grabbed my hand and yanked me towards the blood port. "You've wasted too much time. We must go now!"

      

Suddenly I was falling, spinning, and screaming. I could see nothing, only blackness. I tried to open my eyes only to realize they already were.

      

"Thymbel!" I screamed into the darkness, angrily dropping her honorific. "What have you done to me?"

      

I felt a cold hand grab mine. I heard an annoyed sigh--it was Thymbel-san. "It's alright," she breathed into my ear. "We're using the bud port. I'll answer the rest of your questions on the way."

      

And all at once I was no longer falling. I was gently floating into a mist of calmness and serenity. My bare feet met long, soft grass. I opened my eyes and saw nothing short of the Wonderland that Alice must have been in. I heard the giggling of a brook and the giggling of small children, although I saw no one other than Thymbel-san. The sky was a brilliant purple, with streaks of glittery fuchsia tearing through it. The sun seemed brilliant, but it gave off little light. Its flames stretched out for miles, looking like it was painted onto the horizon. Huge, glowing mushrooms as tall as buildings sprouted from the yellow grass, along with flowers that looked less aggressive than the one on my balcony. To top off these wonders, blue-green bubbles flowed with the breeze.

      

I looked at her. "Where are we?" I asked, breathless with shock and deeply impressed. 

      

She looked at me with a blank stare. "Weren't you listening? I told you we were going to the Sanctum in my world... remember? Come on, let's go."

      

I followed her, still awestruck by everything around me. "So… uh… tell me about, about this… um.."

      

She didn't look back at me when she said, "Don't talk if you don't know what you're saying. The plants don't like it."

      

I glared at her. "Look, I think you need a reminder. I'm here to help you. So I suggest you respect me; I can retract my offer anytime."

      

Thymbel-san whirled around to me, digging her fingers into my shoulder. "You never offered," she hissed at me through sharp teeth. "You are here because I came to your world and took you. You're not getting home without me, human."

      

I felt the color drain from my face. She let go of me and resumed walking. When she spoke again, it was as if it had never happened. "Now, when we get to the Sanctum, you're going to need to let everybody learn your language. Whatever they say, play along as if you already know what they're talking about. The other Realm Keepers and I will guide you through the ritual. Don't worry, nobody will be physically harmed. Unless you screw it up. Then you'll die. Nothing I can do to save you. Any questions?"

      

"Wait, what?! Why do I have to do this ritual?"

      

"The ritual provides us with a field of protection so we can keep the balance of the worlds. The ritual requires the presence of the newest sentient being in our universe. That's humankind"

      

As we walked, I realized that the calmness I felt upon arrival was a very thin veil over...something else. Again, I protested partaking in a life-threatening ritual. She ignored me, so I protested again. She continued to ignore me. I wanted to run.... but where would I go? Following her was my only chance at survival.

After a few hours of this, a huge, temple-like building appeared on the horizon.  Thymbel-san broke into a sprint towards it, and I followed her, pounding my soles into the grass. I croaked, "Is that the Sanctum?"

      

"Come on, human!"

      

She led me up a massive stone staircase and through a set of thick wooden doors leading inside. We were walking through a large stone corridor; it was dark, cold, and smelt of spiders. It felt deadly silent although we heard the cracking of burning wood and conversing voices in the distance. I felt a growing apprehension as I followed Thymbel-san; she was just a dark figure moving in front of me. I bumped into her when she stopped at an open doorway.

      

She leaned back and whispered to me, "Remember, just play along like you know what they're talking about. The first thing they're going to do is learn Japanese the way I did. Please.... stay calm, human."

      

The main room of the Sanctum, I learned, was called the Grand Chamber. There was a large horseshoe shape made of approximately twenty circular platforms, each with a realm keeper standing on them, save two on the left end. Two ramps curved up to an even taller platform that was in front of the horseshoe. A fire blazed in between.

      

The realm keepers' conversations ceased, and they silently stared at us. Thymbel-san smiled at them, and said, "Umbaawe, siloutete imihyaa. Kiloyte deku kah, fufufu!"

      

Then, under her breath, she said, "Hatsuharu, walk down the line and let everyone learn the language. Then go up to the tall ramp and play along. Stand there silently unless you need to say something. Play along with anything and everything; there will be things you don't expect, but don't worry. One mistake with this and you'll die here. Good luck."

      

She quickly moved onto to her platform-- the empty one further from the edge. While she was doing so, I walked to the realm keeper beside Thymbel-san and waited to be addressed. My feet sounded like explosions as I stepped up the ramp. I almost walked off the ledge, and gasped. Some of the realm keepers jumped. They didn't need their sacrificial cow to break a leg, I guess. I was felt a strange mixture of emotions; I felt high, depressed, confused, and nothing, all at the same time.

      

One of the darker looking realm keepers came off his little platform, and began to pace around the fire. It pointed at me and rasped. "Hatsuharu Miyazaki. This boy shall be my brother! For I am the keeper of the Death Realm. Are you, Hatsuharu-dono, prepared to take on your responsibilities?"

      

My stomach dropped, yet my mixture of emotions intensified; even the nice ones. I felt more feelings sweeping into me. …But what did this keeper mean? Why was he using -dono? Keeper of Death? It didn't matter, I had no time to ponder this, or what responsibilities he was speaking of. I must play along. 

      

"Hai." Was my mere, but very solemn, answer.

      

"Very good. You shall take on your kingdom, your realm. The Realm of Psychosis is yours to enjoy. Congratulations, my new brother. For from madness comes death," the keeper said, smiling at me as if I'd won a game show. "Please come down."

      

I almost panicked, but then I remembered I just had to play along. Strange enough, the emotions filled me up more, making my entire soul a psychotic paradox. I stepped down the ramp, scared to even say "hai" again.

      

I stood beside the Keeper of Death, letting the fire's warmth swirl on my skin. Weird enough, in some spots it felt like snowy air.  I tried to smile at him, but as my lips turned upward, I gasped desperately as if I had been weeping for days. I was successfully going insane within two minutes. It must've been temporary; when I'd get back to Japan, I'd be fine.

      

The keeper stroked his long appendages through the fire and rubbed his flaming fingers on my lips. I tried to scream afterwards, but was instead horrified to learn that he'd stolen my ability to speak and replaced it with some psychotic tongue that failed to make any sense, even to me. It was then I realized that I had been fooled; I really was the realm keeper of the Realm of Psychosis. I was indeed a sacrifice, one that was unlucky enough to stay alive.

      

I collapsed to the floor and shrieked with all my might.  I covered my face with my hands, and looked up to see that I was no longer in the Sanctum.

      

I was in a sick world; the sky was black, with blazes of red ripping through the sky. Screams and cackles rang out from all directions; some malicious, some the screams of victims. The dirt had strange symbols etched in it, and the gnarly plants looked as senseless and beaten as my new language. The random creatures, humanoid and animalistic, followed the same description. And there I stayed forever, unable to die, granted an unwelcome immortality.  

I should've made Daichi go with Thymbel-san instead.