A few opening words: During the creation of this piece of writing, the story of Pious became very real in my head and as a writer, I was emotionally moved. I wish to express my respect to those out there suffering from any of the disorders below. Mother Love's Memorial to Christopher Reeves quotes him: "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles" and this has enlightened me, I have new found respect for the impaired.
***
Mer'de the Journere was shape-shifted as Professor John Endoson, a bearded old Caucasian in his late seventies, large in build and broad-shouldered. His age was written in wrinkles across the face and creases through his long grey hair. He was dressed smartly in an all-white suit and sat in a coffee shop with a single table between him and a young mutant boy, about the age of sixteen. The kid had short black hair and was dressed in casual blue denim trousers and a plain white vest. He was skinny and short compared to the professor but most notable however, was his burnt-red skin. A pair of round sunglasses lay folded on the table by the young boy's hand. The two were solemn, deep in conversation.
"So how old is he now Sinn?" Mer'de asked, in a low soft voice.
"Pious is only two years older than me. He's eighteen. To be honest with you mister, its been a long time since I saw him. How old does he look now?" asked Sinn.
"I'd say thirty. Thirty-four"
"Ouch"
A long silence followed. Mer'de couldn't help but feel sorry for the young boy. All he knew was that this was one of Pious' younger brothers, who had disowned him a few months back after his mental illness got out of hand.
"How is he? Last I heard he was trying to be a hero" asked Sinn.
"He's in good hands. Listen, Sinn, I need you to tell me everything you know about Nigus Falls State Asylum. What happened there, with Pious? How did it start?" Mer'de's tone was uncharacteristically soft and compassionate.
The young boy took several deep breaths before beginning his account.
"Pious' gift is relatively simple. He can manipulate and control the perception of reality, psychologically. Back in high-school, his mutation was pretty much dormant until he met Myrtyl Carpenter. They must have dated for about a year, they were happy. Always playing, laughing... but then Pious' problems started. We knew it was his mutations, but nothing could have prepared us for what came next.
"At about the age of sixteen, two years ago, Pious' mental state began to collapse as his powers emerged. He lost his own sanity and was admitted into a heavily secured mental asylum in Massachusetts. He spent two whole years in the asylum, suffering from Alzheimer's disease. It's a neurodegenerative disease caused by his inability to cope with his rapid genetic mutations.
"Over the following months, his conditions worsened. Dad gave up on hope and left us again. Mum..." The young boy suddenly stopped. He covered his eyes with his fingers, holding back the tears.
"Its okay" Mer'de whispered, encouraging the boy to speak on. "It's all in the past, Sinn. Come on, be strong"
Sinn took a couple more breaths, finding the strength to carry on.
"...Mum... Mum said Pious was cursed. She tried and tried to fix him, but her magic did nothing to help... then she prayed her last prayer, and offered her life for Pious' recovery." He could no longer hold back. Sinn cried, but the tears across his cheeks simply sizzled and evaporated.
He forced a strange smile. "Surprisingly, it worked. Pious started to get better. Jason, Dante and I were so happy... but a month later, Pious had an accident. He had been having another one of his nightmares. Usually, he would be mumbling the word 'Angelus' 'Nuntius Angelus' but this time, he was screaming at the top of his voice. Never before had he behaved so violently. 'Fear him, we must fear him' he screamed, before falling out of his bed. The weirdest thing is... he broke both his legs and severely fractured his skull as if he had fallen thirty feet, but the bed was hardly off the ground.
"Anyway, he developed craniocerebral trauma on top of his dementia. His bones healed soon enough, but the doctors said he would be paralysed forever. How wrong they were huh? Anyway, they stuck him in a stretch jacket and sat him in a wheelchair for over a year, under the same old routine of drugs and repeated examinations. July last year, Pious developed a severe 'accelerated ageing' disorder best described as the Werner syndrome. The doctors said his mutation had taken a turn for the worse. Jason and I couldn't put up with it anymore. We gave up on him and just left. Jason always agreed with mum, he said Pious' mutations would be the death of him and even suggested euthanasia before disappearing." Sinn sighed deeply. "I followed suit."
"You left him to die?" Mer'de asked solemnly.
"Mister, one minute my brother would just sit there, rocking like a retard, then the next minute he'd be completely motionless staring you straight in the eyes and for the next few weeks, you'll have nightmares. It was scary, borderline dangerous. Pious had to be secluded off after people he had made eye contact with began to spontaneously combust, choke, jump off rooftops; some were even killing each other."
"Is that what happened Sinn?" Mer'de pressed. "Nigus Falls State Asylum, Massachusetts. Less than a month ago, every living soul, staff and patient alike were diagnosed with dementia. Was it Pious' doing?" Sinn remained silent. "Sinn... is your brother... a threat?" Mer'de had pushed it too far. Sinn calmly collected his sunglasses and rose to his feet.
"Tell me where my brother is" he whispered. Mer'de thought for a second before speaking.
"He fell... this morning. He's broken both legs and fractured his skull. You'll find him at a private hospital near Gimry Ridge... he's in a coma."
***
A few closing words: An investigation shall follow on Pious' influence on the incidents at Nigus Falls State Asylum, Massachusetts. Before falling into the coma yesterday, he'd been seen in Paragon City acting as a member of the Militia and although he had recovered miraculously from the syndrome and his trauma prior to his release from the asylum, it is believed that he is still suffering from his delusions.
Posted
Good writing. The dialogue is good and you have an eye for description. Yes, the issue is quite emotionally moving I think.
A few opening words: During the creation of this piece of writing, the story of Pious became very real in my head and as a writer, I was emotionally moved. I wish to express my respect to those out there suffering from any of the disorders below. Mother Love's Memorial to Christopher Reeves quotes him: "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles" and this has enlightened me, I have new found respect for the impaired.
***
Mer'de the Journere was shape-shifted as Professor John Endoson, a bearded old Caucasian in his late seventies, large in build and broad-shouldered. His age was written in wrinkles across the face and creases through his long grey hair. He was dressed smartly in an all-white suit and sat in a coffee shop with a single table between him and a young mutant boy, about the age of sixteen. The kid had short black hair and was dressed in casual blue denim trousers and a plain white vest. He was skinny and short compared to the professor but most notable however, was his burnt-red skin. A pair of round sunglasses lay folded on the table by the young boy's hand. The two were solemn, deep in conversation.
"So how old is he now Sinn?" Mer'de asked, in a low soft voice.
"Pious is only two years older than me. He's eighteen. To be honest with you mister, its been a long time since I saw him. How old does he look now?" asked Sinn.
"I'd say thirty. Thirty-four"
"Ouch"
A long silence followed. Mer'de couldn't help but feel sorry for the young boy. All he knew was that this was one of Pious' younger brothers, who had disowned him a few months back after his mental illness got out of hand.
"How is he? Last I heard he was trying to be a hero" asked Sinn.
"He's in good hands. Listen, Sinn, I need you to tell me everything you know about Nigus Falls State Asylum. What happened there, with Pious? How did it start?" Mer'de's tone was uncharacteristically soft and compassionate.
The young boy took several deep breaths before beginning his account.
"Pious' gift is relatively simple. He can manipulate and control the perception of reality, psychologically. Back in high-school, his mutation was pretty much dormant until he met Myrtyl Carpenter. They must have dated for about a year, they were happy. Always playing, laughing... but then Pious' problems started. We knew it was his mutations, but nothing could have prepared us for what came next.
"At about the age of sixteen, two years ago, Pious' mental state began to collapse as his powers emerged. He lost his own sanity and was admitted into a heavily secured mental asylum in Massachusetts. He spent two whole years in the asylum, suffering from Alzheimer's disease. It's a neurodegenerative disease caused by his inability to cope with his rapid genetic mutations.
"Over the following months, his conditions worsened. Dad gave up on hope and left us again. Mum..." The young boy suddenly stopped. He covered his eyes with his fingers, holding back the tears.
"Its okay" Mer'de whispered, encouraging the boy to speak on. "It's all in the past, Sinn. Come on, be strong"
Sinn took a couple more breaths, finding the strength to carry on.
"...Mum... Mum said Pious was cursed. She tried and tried to fix him, but her magic did nothing to help... then she prayed her last prayer, and offered her life for Pious' recovery." He could no longer hold back. Sinn cried, but the tears across his cheeks simply sizzled and evaporated.
He forced a strange smile. "Surprisingly, it worked. Pious started to get better. Jason, Dante and I were so happy... but a month later, Pious had an accident. He had been having another one of his nightmares. Usually, he would be mumbling the word 'Angelus' 'Nuntius Angelus' but this time, he was screaming at the top of his voice. Never before had he behaved so violently. 'Fear him, we must fear him' he screamed, before falling out of his bed. The weirdest thing is... he broke both his legs and severely fractured his skull as if he had fallen thirty feet, but the bed was hardly off the ground.
"Anyway, he developed craniocerebral trauma on top of his dementia. His bones healed soon enough, but the doctors said he would be paralysed forever. How wrong they were huh? Anyway, they stuck him in a stretch jacket and sat him in a wheelchair for over a year, under the same old routine of drugs and repeated examinations. July last year, Pious developed a severe 'accelerated ageing' disorder best described as the Werner syndrome. The doctors said his mutation had taken a turn for the worse. Jason and I couldn't put up with it anymore. We gave up on him and just left. Jason always agreed with mum, he said Pious' mutations would be the death of him and even suggested euthanasia before disappearing." Sinn sighed deeply. "I followed suit."
"You left him to die?" Mer'de asked solemnly.
"Mister, one minute my brother would just sit there, rocking like a retard, then the next minute he'd be completely motionless staring you straight in the eyes and for the next few weeks, you'll have nightmares. It was scary, borderline dangerous. Pious had to be secluded off after people he had made eye contact with began to spontaneously combust, choke, jump off rooftops; some were even killing each other."
"Is that what happened Sinn?" Mer'de pressed. "Nigus Falls State Asylum, Massachusetts. Less than a month ago, every living soul, staff and patient alike were diagnosed with dementia. Was it Pious' doing?" Sinn remained silent. "Sinn... is your brother... a threat?" Mer'de had pushed it too far. Sinn calmly collected his sunglasses and rose to his feet.
"Tell me where my brother is" he whispered. Mer'de thought for a second before speaking.
"He fell... this morning. He's broken both legs and fractured his skull. You'll find him at a private hospital near Gimry Ridge... he's in a coma."
***
A few closing words: An investigation shall follow on Pious' influence on the incidents at Nigus Falls State Asylum, Massachusetts. Before falling into the coma yesterday, he'd been seen in Paragon City acting as a member of the Militia and although he had recovered miraculously from the syndrome and his trauma prior to his release from the asylum, it is believed that he is still suffering from his delusions.