Ludi Vitae 

by Omega_to_Alpha [published on 13-07-2018, word count: 1473]

Stretching out, the bony hand clawed and ripped at the air, desperate to wrench him int the abyss. A simple slice and stab were all it took to shut up the owner of the said hand. Honestly, it was bothersome. Welp, the old man didn't need it anymore. His life, that is.

'This is boring...'

He wanted to get through this level as soon as possible. He wanted to know, what came next. Who was he to face next?

Curiosity overrode all logic.

"Welcome back, Lucio," A distant, distorted voice. It echoed throughout the otherwise still void. It was a sort of interval before the game escalated another level.

"How have you been doing?" A figure, blanketed by wisps of smoke or light (the composition was unknown), materialized.

Lucio stiffened, his adversary's gleaming eyes, that were the only distinguishable feature, peered directly into his own. "Off with your petty greetings! You're making it harder for me to show restraint every time!"

"Give it up then. Give up your life to me."

"That's likely to happen. I'm not a mere human!"

"Suit yourself." The wisps disappeared.

"...Whatever," Lucio moved on to the next stage.

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This level was set in an arena, with a pool of hot, bubbling lava as the ground. Perfect trap for his opposition. When he was done with them, there won't even be ashes left to bury. They would all drown in his fury.

Somewhere inside his body, Lucio felt his innards clench.

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"Well done, boy,"

At least the voice sounded much more human now, and much more familiar too. It stirred a not-so-foreign feeling of butterflies fluttering inside his stomach. Why? He didn't have an answer. Not that he needed one anyway. It would simply be a waste of time, trying to decipher emotions and feelings. He had better things to do now. He had a purpose. He had to complete this game, attain a diverse artillery of power-ups. It filled him with a newfound excitement, it drove him crazy.

It was something he lacked a while ago. It stirred something inside him.

Smelled like curiosity mixed with a load of SIN. He had a feeling, something had changed. Something had snapped inside him, a long time ago. But he took notice that day.

He felt different.

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"Why do you do it?" The wisps grew agitated.

"Pardon? I don't understand."

"Why do you kill them, without so much blinking?" The wisps now solidified to form a face, torso, and limbs but Lucio still couldn't snag a good look at its features. The voice, it seemed to belong to an old friend.

"Because I like to. It's my world, I can handle it however I want. You're no one to tell me what to do. You were also into this stuff a while ago, were you not? Sure, you hadn't explored all the possibilities or the thrill, but let me tell you, you did a great job finding this out. You were on the right track... I wonder why you didn't take a step toward it. We are the only ones who can do it right? I mean, nobody else has realized that this is the only choice.

It's not like I'm committing a crime, I'm only taking out some of the bad guys here. Honestly, this game of hiding, seek and kill is a therapy. Works like a charm!"

"Sicko. You have changed."

"So you noticed! Hmm... good for you. Anyway, I want you to fight me."

"Excuse me!" The creature was taken aback. Good.

Lucio liked to toy with his prey. He smirked.

"That's right. Not now though. Prepare first, I'm itching for a fair fight. You had promised me when we began, had you not? You even said you would never go back on your word. Now, either you fight or feel free to hand over all your control to me."

With a solemn expression, Lucio's adversary nodded, "If that's what you want. We shall settle this after you reach the ninth circle."

With a wide smile from both parties, for different reasons of course, they took off, not glancing at the other a second time.

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Level after level, stage after stage, things changed like the weather.

Lucio felt powerful.

With him were the Rains of Lust, Acid of Gluttony, Sands of Greed, Winds of Envy, Saplings of Sloth, Swords of Pride and the fire of wrath. He was enough to seize control. He was bound to see some physical changes too, it had been ages since he had seen himself in a proper mirror. Or had the time to reflect.

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"So we meet again..."

Lucio stood in a void. Dark, cold and just the way he liked it.

A lone figure, seated on an embellished throne, with crimson cushions, gleaming gemstones, and an intriguing iron frame, stood up and walked up to Lucio, eyes shut tight. Stopping within an arm's reach, it—no, he cracked one eye open. That was actually when Lucio first got a good look at his opponent, in the light of his own dull red flames.

Matted black hair, eerily bloodshot eyes that housed amber irises, a looming figure clothed in a ratty cloak from the neck down and an insane smile. Well, he got his wish. He was staring into a mirror. His enemy emerged from behind it. That was him too, albeit a bit less disheveled.

He was staring at himself; or what he used to be.

This would surely shake things up.

"Ready for this round? Good luck then, angel. You're going to need it."

"I was born ready."

"I've known you since birth..."

Wings spread out, the rivals clashed, both equally desperate.

This was their final gambit, both knew that very well. They could either use it or lose it. No second chances. No more spare lives.

No mercy.

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Each assault growing stronger than the last, revising strategies mid-way through execution.

Playing the game.

Conscience knew he was fighting a losing battle.

His adversary, Instinct, he had this look in his eyes that made you wonder just how many people he's killed.

And his grin that made you realize, he's probably lost count.

The fight dragged on, both parties shielding, attacking, unyielding.

No mercy.

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Conscience realized Lucio was a lost cause. He let himself slip, he let himself fall. He wouldn't rest easy though. if he was going down, he would bring down Lucio's twisted world with him.

"You realize what you have done, right? Hurt so many innocents, killed a bunch more."

"Most of them were guilty of something; don't go fooling yourself or pitying those... filthy creatures."

With his own twisted version of a grin, as a last-ditch effort, Conscience turned around stubs of limbs where his wings and arm would have been flailing uselessly. Something had to be done, he was losing his own sanity.

So much of keeping a balance.

If he succumbed to insanity, it would not be a pretty sight. Well, he was nearing that breaking point. Hell, even after repeating 'I'm the only hope Lucio's got' like a mantra, over and over, he was slipping. His own thoughts and feelings had become a contradiction.

Wait, that wasn't a new feature. It always had been this way. If one lost its way, the other would restore it.

What would happen if both lost it? Would they become the most perfect, single-minded being? Or would they be absolute savages, a cold-blooded abomination? Would they still be in the right? They most certainly would be right in their own minds. There would be no holding back.

"Well then, I shall pass my final judgment. I had been set astray before and it was my fault that you followed a similar path. The blame is on me, so I shall atone for it."

With his former demonic grin, a quirk he had developed in his short span of being the bad guy, Conscience was ready to attempt an emergency suicide mission.

He was hell-bent on having the last laugh he deserved.

They walked on a tightrope, Conscience understood that a long time ago. But somewhere down that line, he realized, the two had switched roles.

"Shh..."

"Heh. I've got nothing to lose now. So what if I couldn't cleanse this world of evil, someone else is sure to realize. The only way to do it is mass deleting."

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Lucio died the very next day he was caught and thrown into his very own special 'Containment Chamber'.

Nobody knows how it happened. They only heard him laughing for a whole hour, nobody dared to approach him. When his lifeless body was recovered, his face was stuck in a permanent grin that split his cheek from ear to ear. Chunks of flesh were found missing from his arm, shoulder blades, and back. Some wounds were also found along the temples.

Reports concluded with the reason of death being an excessive hemorrhage.

That marked the end to Lucio, the Giggling Murderer.

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Author's Note:

Honestly, this story was a rollcoaster ride.

I had soooo many ideas on how to make this a non-cliche story, considering how the first thing that struck my mind on reading the prompt was horror.

Besides I wanted to write something different. I usually write Fantasies, so this was new for me. I don't even know what genre this story fits in...

I wanted to write a psychological thriller so badly. Sigh...

But anyway, it most certainly was a great experience writing this piece, even though it turned out to be a disaster.

~Until next time!
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