A smirk slowly drew over the curling lips; a hard face taken by the toll of despair, wrinkles amassing it; two black pupils sunken in their sockets, barely reflecting the dimmed light in the room. The man stood there silent for a moment… watching.
“Awake, finally!” a cold and harsh voice spoke, the very fabric of the words seems to coil as if twisted by insanity.
“Arrghh… wh-wh-where am… I?” a middle aged man swayed his head slowly trying to regain consciousness as he sat on a simple iron cold chair; with his wrests chained to the chair’s arms. He tilted his head tiredly while the almost alive lamp above him swirled its light over his face; light and soft still furbished with age. He tried to open his brown eyes but he couldn’t make anything as the light was directed on his face, he closed them instantly and waved his head to the other side.
The man continued to watch as the younger fellow kept struggling in his chains, the smirk grew over his face.
“Who are you? What is going on? Where am I?” the younger fellow asked as he finally was able to tilt his head away from the light and make something out of the shade standing before him.
Silence was the answer as the man kept looking straight at the younger fellow with no reaction but the smirk.
“Why am I in these chains? What happened here? Get me out please! Help!” the young fellow started to panic, flailing his hands trying to break free off the iron chains.
“It is of no use, I can tell you this” the young fellow sprang to cut in the conversation but the man went on “and before you ask, I don’t know why or how you are in them. I can only tell you that we are all bound in this place for the current time being.”
“You seem to know something...” hope was starting to fade away from the young fellow’s eyes.
“You don’t know? Can’t you remember? After all you are part of the reason why we are bound in this GOD forsaken place.” the man’s words came as a shock over the young fellow’s ear.
He gazed ahead trying to search through his memory for the face currently looking back at him. He couldn’t remember, yet the overall appearance… he saw it before, but he couldn’t make as to where or when.

“Let me make it easier for you, try to remember who you are.” The man’s lips curled to a small smile, almost content with himself.
The young fellow looked around him slowly trying to gather any clues as to who he is or what his identity might be from his surroundings but the darkness of the room didn’t help. What he could see is only the man standing before him so content with himself and what he knew or what he has done. He tried to look deeper into his memory, who is this man? He was quite sure that he is the answer to this riddle, who he is, where he is, all lies within this man’s identity.
He kept thinking hard, who is that man!

The lamp swayed and threw its shards of light around him, yet a small glint spread over the man’s eyes. Suddenly it came to him, like an avalanche all at once, speeding through his brain crowding the very paths of his thoughts. The young fellow’s eyes widened as the smile that drew over the man’s face expanded to a grin. He knew quite well that he remembered everything. The young fellow dropped his head, lowering it as if tired from the waterfall of memories.
“I never thought we would meet again, I thought I have vanquished you a long time ago.” The young fellow said with a strong voice; his fears faded, he knew who he was exactly.
“You thought that we wouldn’t meet again?”
“I did, but not so soon, what are you doing here?”
“Cleaning your mess, I am sure you know”
“What mess are you talking about?”

The man took a long look over the young fellow then he moved slowly to the left while expanding his right hand pointing over to the endless darkness before him. The young fellow gazed at the darkness but he couldn’t make anything out. Abruptly a small light appeared from within the darkness as a shape of a young man sitting on his knees before a mirror. His light brown eyes searching through his reflection trying to find an answer, he raised both of his hands and crossed them through his dark black hair in despair.
”Our meeting should have at least hinted that your grip over him is starting to loosen. You lost your touch my old friend.” the smile drew over his face slowly faded; he moved around lowering his hand and headed towards the back end of the chair and stopped just behind the young fellow and placed both of his hands over the chair’s back.

“He is perfectly fine, what are you talking about? He didn’t summon you, I have never left his side, when did this happen?” The young fellow gazed ahead trying to remember hard, when did he summon him, what happened that might have triggered this event; questions and more questions but with no answers, there is something wrong, he felt treachery.
“Then how do you explain my presence? You know perfectly well that the only way I can escape from where I was is through him and him alone.” The man lowered his head and approached the young fellow’s ears “why do you keep denying the truth?”
The man stood up straight and walked back to face the fellow sitting on the chair. “It has always been your weak point. Look at him, he is in pain, he is not at peace and seriously, seriously, his life is coming apart; look at him! And you are still denying it.” The man shook his head slowly.

“From the outside he may look like he is suffering. What he feels from the inside is a whole different matter, you should know this, you know that he is happy; you just don’t want to admit it either. I know what you are trying to do and simply I won’t let you.” The young fellow calmly replied, he started to regain some of his confidence with his memories.
“You had your chance with him, now it is mine, he summoned me and you have no choice. Look at yourself, your bound, tied, helpless. What can you do? Nothing!!”
“If he wanted you to win this battle, I believe he would have summoned me in a much worse state.” the young fellow smirked.
“True, quite true in fact. Yet, you are summoned in shackles; doesn’t that give you any hints?”
“It is merely a punishment or maybe you have persuaded him to do this. I don’t know how long I was out.”
“We were summoned at the same exact moment, only you had a worse condition than I do.”
“He is still undecided, the state I am in will not stop me. I still retain control over him, in some way”

“Not any more, or we wouldn’t be here… take a look at what you have done. You can’t deny that he goes to sleep every night in regret; he goes to sleep every night doubting himself, his own sanity. Last night, you saw what happened last night. Not only that, even the closest people to him, when he shows his love, his affection. No one bothers to see what he wants or needs, they just go to him when the need rises; your actions almost put him to tears. Why should he endure such a thing?” The man flailed his left hand in anger while fire of hatred ignited through his eyes.

“Why would he be the cause of suffering to others? It is far better that one person be in misery -temporarily- while others regard him as the cause of their happiness than him being their cause of misery. While, yes, he was almost into tears yesterday, he knew deep down that he made them happy. Every moment he spent trying to locate that gift, trying to get the components. They knew how much he loves them, they knew how much he cares, they knew! That is what matters. Yes, it was hard how he was let down when finally it was proved that he is out of worth, but he knew deep down that they were happy. That is what matters, he should be happy for they are happy, if even it appears that he is neglected and uncared for!” The young fellow tried to rise off his seat in anger but the chains left him no path out.

“Is this your idea of happiness? Are you insane? Your bringing his life to an end, you are destroying him and saying he is happy!!”
“And exactly what is your idea of happiness?!!?”
“It is when he sleeps every night with a smile over his face. When he sleeps at night with no feeling of guilt or shame. When others know his true worth and fear him. Then he will be happy!”
“Yes, through fear, through bringing others misery and pain. Is that your idea of happiness? What happiness is this? You are a fool and you will destroy him!”
“And what are you do--”

“Bickering, bickering... that is all you two can do.” A cloaked man, entered the scene quietly, adjusting his spectacle calmly. As he marched into the room all eyes were directed at him, the stranger suddenly felt the attention directed at him “oh, don’t mind me, please continue. It is quite amusing how you two quarrel over negligible facts that do anyone nothing. Do continue, please.” The man fell silent as he crossed his arms and waited for them to continue.

“Who are you?” said the young fellow.
“What he said.” the man looked at the young fellow once and then at the cloaked man suspiciously.

“Hahaha, you don’t cease to entertain! I? Well, I am a neutral entity, I am only here to assist the both of you settle down your quarrels fast. To prevent you two from deterring away from your main goals. I believe the both of you know quite well why you are here? Judging from the conversation going on between you two, I believe we might find a result really soon. Splendid, he thought it would take much longer than this. But I see it is coming to an end.” the man adjusted his spectacles a little.
The man sighed as he looked around him. “See what you did to him, now he brought help, as if we need any.”
“If he summoned him too, I would say we probably need him. In either case, in the end his presence or absence won’t really decide the outcome. If you noticed what he said, he is neutral; we don’t have to worry about him.”
The man with the spectacles nodded slowly.
The three men kept gazing at each other, exchanging looks, until both the young fellow and the man steadied their looks over each other.
At last, the man with the spectacles spoke “Uh! I seem to have killed the fun – again! Oh come on; please continue what you were doing.”
“He is right, bickering won’t get us anywhere, it will only prolong the time we are here like this.” Said the young fellow breaking the awkward silence.
The man stood there with his expressions unchanged waiting for the clarification coming after.
“We both appear to have the same goal – his happiness. Yet, our views differ. However, would it be possible that we could go around our hatreds and disbeliefs for a moment and focus on what is important? Focus on how to make him happy? How we can both collaborate to do that?”
The words crashed over the man’s ears, it was a complete surprise to him. Even the man with spectacles straightened his pose and adjusted the spectacles carefully as he paid full attention to what being said.
“What are you suggesting?”
“You are right about somethings, I will give you that. Today the world is different; ideality is no longer the correct route. I know that much I have been wrong in assuming. What used to work in the good old days doesn’t apply now. On the other hand, while being arrogant and self centered would get you far, it will be the downfall of one’s self. Not directly and not right away, gradually with time; you will lose yourself, you will become hated and many other things I do believe you and I know about quite well.” The young man paused a bit giving room for the man to disagree.            
The man moved his hand in a semi-circle gesturing to the young fellow to go on.
“What I am suggesting is simple –simple enough to achieve, but I can’t promise the same simplicity on how we will achieve it. It will need the both of us working together as one hand; putting aside our differences, our disagreements and focusing only to what we need to achieve.” The young man paused again; this time however, he didn’t wait for his listeners to react. He went on. “We will work together applying your theories and mine’s, with this, I believe we can stand fairly against the world. Neither of us will have to defy the other and no one will have to sacrifice; we would save ourselves a lot of battles.” The young fellow stopped.
The man in spectacles looked at the young fellow in amazement; he was astonished by the move, yet pleased that this would end so soon.
The man started to move to the left side and back again to the right as he stroke his chin carefully with his right hand resting it over his left. Moments passed by as if days. The young fellow spoke again, trying to persuade the man.
“In the end what we seek is his happiness, other people’s welfare and his image in front of them. I believe together we will bring him to this state where everyone is happy.”
“Why are you always looking after other people’s feelings and so vividly trying to protect it?” the man replied.
“Because he doesn’t live alone! Simply if we ignored the fact that whatever he does will affect others and they themselves will react upon that, we can’t ignore that without them he will remain alone. No one is happy alone; no one deserves to be alone.”
“You speak of lonesome as if it is a disease, a plague. Many of his happy moments he spent alone, he admitted it himself; more than once even!”
“I don’t deny that he did and maybe he felt that way, but we both know the actual truth. While he liked being alone, he never wanted that. Why would you think he spent so many years in a virtual world? Why did he make so many friends over the internet and more over chose to be the center of attention at many occasions?”
“Who wouldn’t like to be the center of attention?”
A quiet giggle could be heard from the left side of the room, curled lips and faintly gleaming eyes portrayed that the man with spectacles was pleased.
“Then I believe we have come to an agreement?” the young fellow urged.
“I don’t trust you.”
“Neither do I, you.”
“Then we do agree on something at the very least. Tell me what you intend to do?”
As the young fellow was about to explain the plan to the man, the chains around his wrists tightened, pulling him further down the chair; the man stood in silence as he watched the iron chains form another layer over the young fellow’s wrists, pulling them down to the chair; fixing them further. The man glared at the sight and straight through the young fellow’s eyes.
“What is happening? What have you done” panicked the young fellow.
“Nothing… nothing, I have no power over the chains, I wish I had.”
“Then why are the chains tightened?”
“Simply because he doesn’t approve of that; he doesn’t like the solution and how things are fairing. My say, he knows you two better than to let you collaborate. Maybe, or maybe worse; he knows that the two of you will never collaborate and end up scheming against each other. My guess –well they were all guesses so far, but this one I do hold as the more truthful, he knows your rivalry well, he knows that you won’t be able to overcome it. Furthermore, you won’t ever be able to collaborate and the product will be an abomination, to say the least.” The man with the spectacles interrupted as he walked across the room and rested his hands over the chair’s back.
The young fellow and the man exchanged looks of anger and hatred, as if all fires of hell have awakened inside them. The first strike landed successfully on the young fellow’s chin as the man aimed a heavy blow with his tightened fist. The force of the blow obliged the young fellow’s face to tilt abruptly to the left as the pain coursed through his bottom jaw.
“It is quite obvious that he had enough of your ways. Mankind has changed my friend, to adapt to today’s times you need to change not to apply the nobilities of ages passed. I have told you times over times, yet you never listen.” With the words finished, the man with the spectacles slowly moved away from the vicinity standing in a safe distance watching. The young fellow tried to regain his concentration, as anger started to boil through his veins. Suddenly he tried to rise from his chair and break the chains, but to no use. The chains were too strong.
“There was a time when nobilities ruled over a world of ideals a world of greatness. Now, look outside, the world is slowly coming to an end. If every man and woman succumbed to your beliefs, it won’t be a surprise if humanity perished.”
“Words of wisdom, as always, but it comes to no use now; he already decided!” As he finished his words a second blow aimed to the young fellow’s stomach made him arch his back in pain as he screamed in agony and started to cough heavily.
“Yet… there will always… be those who will stand to the darkness… if not him…others. You have always looked at what he thought… you never looked at what other people thought of him. You forgot… you… you forgot how many… how many people commended his ethics. How many… people praised him. How many people have looked up to him! You… forgot… when he was told… that… he is the last man of his kind. That he is a rare breed” the young fellow was out of breath and losing his strength gradually as the man grabbed his hair and pulled it upwards leveling his eyes with his own. The young fellow reluctantly gazed upon the coiled smirk on the wrinkly face, it had no life.
“Your words are of no use, he has al… no, no, no, NO, NO!” the screams came louder and louder as the scene dazzled the man.
To his amazement the chains around the young fellow’s wrists sprinkled into silvery dust – the young fellow was free! The young fellow in reaction ceased the moment and launched himself out of the chair striking the man through his abdomen with his shoulder as he retreated in astonishment.
The two of them fell to the floor with the young fellow over the man. Quickly he gathered some of his strength as he walked up and grapped the man’s coat with both of his hands and directed a blow to his chin. The blow wasn’t strong, but it was enough to tilt the man’s head to the other side stealing some of his strength.
“Truth isn’t… blind, it is always hidden.” The young fellow aimed another blow with his other hand, still fixing his opponent to the ground. “While it seems that nobility is not a luxury in a world like today, it is the only option to strike a string of hope over a web of dark—“
The young fellow didn’t finish his words as the man –all of a sudden- raised his hand, glowing with a shimmering red fire coating it from all sides and clutched the young fellow’s chest. A loud scream of pain broke the hissing sound resulted from the contact of both body parts; the young fellow grapped his chest in pain and rose to his feet retreating. He slowly and hesitantly moved his hands in swirly moves over the burn while a white light with sparkling green speckles chased after his movement clearing the wound and fixing it.