The Beast

This is a story I wrote based on a poem I wrote. I'm quite proud of this story so I could probably do with some constructive criticism. Anyway, enjoy the story folks. This one comes in at seven and a half thousand words (plus four) so strap yourselves in for the long run.
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The Mind Forest, as it was curiously named, was a beautiful sight. All around for miles one could see large green trees expanding in to the brilliantly bright sky, and flowers of all colours littered the grassy floor as if they would form a collage if seen from above. Pleasing and tantalizing smells would be carried on any light breeze that rustled the foliage and swept through the hair of any visitors. Truly, it was an immaculate sight for any who would behold it, and one they would not soon forget.

 Not everything in the forest was perfect however, and tales were told of a great and terrible Beast who lived in some dark corner of the green fields. It was said that all around him was darkness and despair, and nothing grew near him. He lived in a cave, away from the light and colour, and slowly spread the darkness around him. Every so often he would venture out of his cave, but only when enough darkness had spread. The bright light of the sun would occasionally shine throught the trees, and force the darkness back in to the cave, only for it to spread once more later. It was a seemingly eternal battle that neither entity could win, and it seemed like the Beast was no closer to a natural death than it had been when it first entered the forest, at a time no one was quite sure of. The Beast had arisen before living memory, and now only tales of it were told. Some would seek it out, for fame, glory, or wealth, but none had ever returned. This fact had never put anyone off trying, and people would still seek it out and try and conquer the Beast.

 Belua was one such person. Though he sought the Beast for neither fame, glory, or riches. He sought the Beast for revenge and, in his own mind at least, justice. The Beast had claimed the life of his closest, and truest, friend. Amica had journeyed a few years ago to try his luck with the Beast and even though Belua had tried to warn him against such a journey, and told him to not go, his pleas fell on deaf ears. Amica was a master of the sword, and a grand hunter, and sought out the greatest Beast of them all. He set off after giving Belua a fond farewell, and he was never heard from again. Belua had remained optimistic but after half a year it was proving harder and harder to deny the inevitable to himself. The journey to the forest only took a month from their town and after three months it was most probably Amicus would never return. After six it had become undeniable that he was lost forever. After another three months Belua had become determined in his plan to try and tackle the Beast himself in his friend's name. He had spent a year learning to fight, and to hunt, and now he felt that he was ready to kill the Beast, or die trying. He mounted his horse and, after ignoring the very same warnings from his family that he had given Amica, set off towards the woods, and to whatever fate had in store for him.

 During his journey to the Forest he passed a lodging town, and decided to spend the night instead of camping out by the roadside once more. He ventured in to the town and made his way towards the inn. It was a small town with a few stores and houses so the journey did not take very long. The inn was the largest building in the town, and stuck out even from the entrance. He ventured inside and after enquiring how much it would be to spend the night, handed over the money and ordered a drink of mead for himself. As he was drinking he got to talking to the bartender, a middle aged man with thick black hair that had grey roots, and a beard that covered half of his face.

                "So what brings you out here lad?" the bartender asked him as he cleaned glasses left by the other patrons.

                "I'm off to the Mind Forest." Belua replied, taking a large gulp of his drink and savouring the honeyed taste.

                "Plan to take on the Beast do you boy?" the bartender asked, not looking up from his work.

                "How did you guess?" Belua asked. The bartender set down his glass and looked up at Belua, taking him in.

                "Well you're covered in armour for a start, with a fairly impressive looking sword strapped to your back." the bartender said. Belua had indeed come prepared for what he was planning to do. He was wearing the finest and toughest mail armour that he could buy and the sword that was attached to his back was the largest and heaviest he could hold and still swing freely. He wanted to make sure he could damage the Beast, while still having his natural agility so he also had the ability to hit it in the first place. All in all he felt that he looked like an impressive sight and was sure that, in terms of weapons and armour, he stood a fighting chance against the Beast, and a chance was all he would need to take it down. "A lot of people come here on their way to the Mind Forest too, it became easier to assume that anyone who came here with a weapon was on their way there. Occasionally there's also a fool who comes by without one." the Bartender added.

                "So a lot of people headed to the Mind Forest come by here?" Belua asked, as he suddenly got an idea.

                "Sure do." the bartender replied, eyeing Belua suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

                "A few years ago a friend of mine set out for the Mind Forest and I was wondering if he found his way here like I did." Belua replied.

                "A few years ago?" the bartender replied. "I'm not sure if I could help you, but I can try. What did he look like?" Belua began to describe Amica to the best of his ability. He took care to explain as many little details as he could remember, especially in his clothes and armour. He wanted to be as precise as he could so that the bartender wouldn't confuse him with someone else, and to help him remember. When Belua had finished describing Amica the bartender stood in thought for a few seconds before smiling.

                "I do remember a young lad named Amica who fits that description. You're right in your assumption that he stopped by here. It was nearly two years ago now but you tend not to forget someone as loud and brash as he was." the bartender said. Belua grimaced as the description the bartender had given  had given of Amica being loud and brash matched his own memories of his friend.

                "That sounds like him alright." Belua said, smiling at his memories. "Tell me, did he ever return here after he left?" Belua asked, though he already knew what the answer would be.

                "I'm afraid he didn't." the bartender said simply, his face becoming more sombre. "Despite how he was, he breathed some life in to the place while he stayed. I was hoping he would return, but he didn't. I've never seen anyone return in my time here." Belua's heart sank, but not too much as he was expecting the answer he had gotten.

                "That's what I thought." he said, taking another drink. "No harm in asking though."

                "None at all." the bartender agreed. After that the conversation moved on to more menial things as the inn was empty besides the two of them, and both of them were interested in having a little company and someone to talk to. A small part of Belua's mind was aware this was probably the last time he would talk to someone, so he was determined to make it a good conversation. After an hour or so of drinks and conversation Belua excused himself and headed towards the room he would be spending the night. Just as he was glad that the last time he spoke to someone was a good conversation, he was glad that the last bed he slept on was warm and soft to the touch. His sleep may have been slow to come, and fitful at best, but at least he was comfortable.

               

The next day Belua waved goodbye to the bartender after breakfast and set out on the road once more. He was tempted to stay another night but he knew that if he put off going to the Forest for longer, then he would probably never go in at all. A small part of him was beginning to see the folly of his plans, and thought he was being foolish, but he had enough determination to quash those thoughts, and to face the Beast. He knew even if he could not win, this was a fight that he had to face. To him it felt like he was trying to defeat his own inner demons, and he was left with a deeper understanding of why people went to face the Beast even if they knew they would never win. It was the greatest challenge imaginable, and if someone could actually defeat it, they would feel that there was nothing they could not do. He thought that perhaps someone people also saw it as he was beginning to see it. As a way to defeat their own inner Beasts. No matter who or what came his way before he got there, he was more determined than ever to see this through to the end, no matter what that end happened to be. It was becoming less about revenge and justice, and more about his own personal growth. In the time between the loss of Amica, and him setting out upon the journey himself, he had grown far more than he ever thought possible, and he was beginning to want to test that growth, and see just how far he had really come. He thought that people would likely try and tackle the Beast before doing something major such as proposing to their prospective wives, or hoping to impress a prospective woman. He spared a thought for all the people that were left without their loved ones as a result of the Beast, as well as wondering momentarily on how a Beast that never left the Forest could affect so many people, and change so many lives. With his mind still racing, he tapped his horse on its flanks, and set off down the road.

Belua didn't run in to many people on the road, but he did stop in a few more lodging towns on his way towards the Forest. The people there told him the same thing he had heard in the first town he visited. Amica had passed by the town, but he hadn't returned, and neither had anyone else who passed by on their way to the Forest. As beautiful as the Forest was, no one went there just to visit and see the scenery because of the Beast. He lived in the centre of the forest, but his darkness could spread far, and fear was an excellent deterrent. As he passed through one lodging town he saw a woman being accosted by a small gang of three men. He let go of his horses reins and charged at them, planting his armoured boot in to the back of one of them. Before the other two had time to react to their associate's cries of pain Belua grabbed their heads and brought them together with a harsh crack resounding as they collided.

                "Begone you damn fools!" Belua shouted at them and continued to scowl at them as they made their escape, cursing and threatening Belua as they did. Their threats fell on deaf ears and when they were gone Belua turned to the young lady. She was sat on the ground where she had been knocked and so Belua helped her to her feet.

                "Are you okay, mi-" was all he managed to say before she slapped him around the face.

                "You fool!" she chastised, hitting the other cheek for good measure. "You don't just threaten the men of the Prince of Thieves."

                "But they were hurting you" Belua protested, confused beyond belief by the woman's actions.

                "Yes, and now instead of hurting just me, they're going to hurt the entire town! I say, once more, you damnable fool!" she shouted.

                "Tell me, where can I find their Den?" Belua asked her, taking stock of the situation and just what he had done. He had angered one of the most notorious criminals in the land. The retribution visited upon the small town would be swift, brutal, and without mercy. He was going to everything he could do to prevent it, even if it meant that he never got to face the Beast. If this was as far as he was going to go, then he was never ready to face the Beast, and he would just die a little earlier than he intended. If he managed to win, then perhaps he would be able to beat the Beast after all.

                "You really are quite the fool aren't you?" the woman asked, but she had begun smiling at him now. "What, pray tell my gentle fool, do you intend to do?"

                "I intend to fix my mistake madam. I intend to save you, and your entire village, from that gang of beggars and thieves." Belua replied. He had been serious in his reply but from the look of suppressed laughter on the face of the woman, it was not being met with as much seriousness as he intended it to be.

                "You truly are a fool if you think you can do that. If you're really in such a hurry to die, then you can find them on the edge of the Mind Forest." she replied.

                "They live in the Forest?" Belua asked, confused as to why anyone would live there.

                "Right at the very edge, yes." the woman replied. "You see they know none dare enter it, but they themselves dare not enter it either. So they live right at the very edge. Even the most dangerous of thieves fears the most dangerous of Beasts."

                "I fear neither the forest, the thieves, or the Beast." replied Belua, but even he wasn't sure he believed those words. He was unafraid of the bandits at least. He chose to focus on that when he saw the woman actually laugh at his delcaration.

                "If you say so sir." she simply said.

                "I do say so." Belua replied, trying, but failing, to look indignant. He whistled for his horse, who appeared shortly, and climbed upon her back. "Now, in which part of the Forest can I find these men?" he asked the woman.

                "If you truly wish to go then just follow the path you would have took. It leads to the Forest and they live just beyond it. They use the path to come here and to other places further along it."

                "I just take the route I would have anyway? It almost sounds like the machinations of fate brought me here." he responded almost absently, lost in thought.

                "I think the only thing that brought you here, good sir, was the road you must still travel down." the woman replied.

                "I suppose so." Belua replied, snapped out of his thoughts. "Well anyway, I shall see you soon I believe." he said, tipping his head to the woman. "As I probably won't return from fighting the Beast, I shall endeavour to return here first before going back in, so you know that the Prince of Thieves and his men are defeated. What say you to that?"

                "I say once more, that you be a fool." she replied. "But a fool with a heart that is in the right place, don't you think?" she added, with a smile. Belua smiled back and nodded before kicking his horse in the flanks and setting off down the road towards the Forest.

                "I do hope he returns." the woman said to no one in particular as she watched him go.

               

The journey to the Forest took a further day of riding but soon enough Belua had arrived on the outskirts of his destination. His months of training, his month of riding, everything he had been through for nearly two years, had lead him at last to this one destination. He smiled as he took a look around the outskirts before he headed in. He could see naught but trees and not much between or beyond them. It was as if the forest itself was trying to fence people out and tell them to stay away. Given what he knew of the nature of the Beast within, and the way it's power seemed to influence the very nature of the Forest, he wouldn't have been too surprised to learn that was the case.

Belua wasn’t sure how to find the exact location of the bandit camp but he had a few ideas in his head of how to do it. The woman had told him that the bandits lived not far beyond the path so he continued in as straight a line as he could from the path in to the forest itself. He made sure to go slowly and deliberately. When he found it hard to see the path when he looked back he turned around and went back towards the edge of the forest. When he reached the edge of the forest and the start of the path away, he turned around and headed back in to the forest once more. He repeated this process a few times and branched further out on the left and right when he went in to the forest, making sure to always keep the edge of the forest in his sights and not head too deeply in to it. Eventually he got a sign that his plan was working as a blunt arrow struck his armour and bounced off it, flying in to the air.

                “The next one won’t be blunt, and it won’t be aimed at your armour.” A voice called from the trees. “Turn back lest you face naught but death.”

                “And why is that? I see nothing before me that may kill me.” Beluah shouted up at the trees in the direction the voice had come from. He heard laughter come from several of the trees surrounding him.

                “Ahead of you lays The Beast, and around you lays us, and we will kill you if you do not turn back and leave.” The voice replied.

                “I repeat, for you seem hard of hearing, that I see nothing before me that may kill me. You all hide away like the cowards you are. Only something before my eyes may kill me, and you are not.” Beluah replied. He heard the twang of a bow being snapped and quickly pulled his shield up to his face. A pang from the shield as an arrow bounced off of it told him he was right to do so.

                “An arrow will be before your face, and it shall kill you.” The voice in the trees said.

                “I saw no arrow, and it did not kill me. Nor shall you pathetic excuses for humanity. You hide away, and use fear and let me tell you now; I am not afraid of you.” Beluah called out once more. He heard the sounds of two more arrows being loosed and quickly rolled off of his horse as two arrows flew overhead. If he had reacted a second later they would have torn through his neck from the sides. This was something he had been waiting for. As he was leaning against the side of his horse he reached in to the saddle bags and pulled out a short bow and a few arrows. He quickly fired one where the voice had been coming from and two more where the other arrows had come from. He heard three thuds but only two bodies fell from the trees; one of the arrows had missed. The voice that called out from the trees was a different one and Beluah surmised he had managed to kill the original speaker.

                “You’ll pay for that.” Was all the voice said in a gruff tone before seven more men dropped out of the trees. “You will definitely pay for that.” One of the men said as he brandished two swords. 

                “I’m out of coin I’m afraid. I was hoping you could give me some.” Beluah replied as he threw his bow to the ground to draw his own sword.

                “The only thing we can offer you is a slow and painful death, which we shall now gladly give you.” The man said as he advanced on Beluah. The rest of the men advanced from all sides to cut off any potential escape routes.

                “What a startling coincidence. I was going to offer you the same thing.” Beluah said, shouting the last word as he charged towards the bandit leader, his sword held high. The bandit struck out with his sword but Beluah used his shield to bat it aside as if it was nothing before bringing his sword down, forming a large cut on the man’s chest. Before the bandit had time to respond Beluah brought his shield about in the other direction, striking the bandit leader in the face. He cried out in pain as Beluah thrust his sword quickly in to his chest. Beluah was trying to take the bandits down one at a time as quickly as he could to prevent them from ganging up on him and overwhelming him with numbers. The bandits had other ideas and were not so keen to let him just pick them off one at a time. When their leader fell the other six men charged at him from all sides. Beluah reacted quickly by casting his shield aside, running back to his horse and vaulting over it to kick one of them in the head with his armoured boots. Beluah followed through on the jump and pulled out a dagger, sticking it deep in the bandits chest to take out another member of the gang. The remaining members of the gang were becoming nervous. Here was someone who it seemed would not be affected by numbers or by fear, their two greatest weapons. They were still determined to punish someone who had embarrassed them as much as Beluah had so they took up the charge once more.  Two men were ahead of the pack and they reached him first. Beluah blocked the attack of one of them with his shield, and blocked the other with his sword. He relaxed the arm holding the shield, causing the man he was blocking with it to fall forward slightly and be knocked off balance. Beluah kicked him hard in the shin to knock him to the floor and then stamped on his leg causing him to cry out in pain and taking him out of the fight. He let his shield fall off of his arm and using his sword with both hands pushed back at the other man he was blocking. He too was knocked off balance and Beluah struck out with his fist to the man’s face, knocking him to the ground. Beluah stomped on this man’s legs as well as a repeat of what he done to the other one and picked up his sword to prepare to fight off the last three men who were almost at him. He looked up at them with a fierce determination in his eyes and a lack of remorse over what he had just done. As they were about to strike him they stopped in fear found themselves surprised to see the man they were threatening earlier. The three men left alive were the ones who were responsible for everything happening in the first place. As the realisation hit, and the fear showed on their faces, they dropped their weapons in surrender. They had seen their comrades fall and had no desire to join them.

                “You’re choosing to surrender then I take it?” Beluah said, pointing a sword at each of the men on the left and right as the three men were now stood next to each other in a small line. “Wait, I remember you three…” Beluah added as realisation began to hit him. “You’re the ones who were attacking the village weren’t you? You’re the very reason I came here!” The three men nodded in reply. “Well then this is your lucky day. Do you know why?” Beluah asked them. They all shook their heads. “It’s your lucky day for if you go now to the village and apologise, I shall let you live.”

                “You would let us live?” The man in the middle said, the hope evident in his voice.

                “Aye, you may yet live. But if I hear that you did anything you shouldn’t, I’ll change my mind pretty quickly.” Beluah replied.

                “You plan on going back to the village then?” The man on the left asked.

                “After I kill The Beast yes, I shall return and I shall hope to find you there making up for your mistakes.” This response surprised the men. They would have laughed at Beluah’s bold declaration but didn’t want to push their luck. He was letting them live and there was no sense in potentially aggravating the man who had shown them mercy when he had shown their brethren none. Instead they nodded their heads and hurried out of the forest in silence. One of the men showed no such discretion and laughed heartily when the other three had disappeared.

                “The thought of you being slaughtered by that Beast will make my trip to the afterlife that much sweeter.” He remarked shortly before Beluah thrust a sword in to his back and silenced him.

                “And I shall send you there swifter.” Beluah remarked before collecting his shield, jumping atop his horse, and setting out in to the depths of the forest. The little extra quest he had taken on was done and he was keen to get back to his original one.

Beluah continued in to the forest, marvelling at how serene and peaceful it was despite the terror that lurked within. All around him he could see the most beautiful trees stretching high in to the air and flowers around them. He was sure he could even hear a bird calling out every so often although he never saw one. The beauty could only last so long however and after a few hours of gentle riding he began to see the corruption, and the true colours of the Forest. The grass began to vanish and be replaced by cracked and parched Earth. The trees were black too, and with no leaves upon them. It was as if everything had simply been burned away by a torrential fire. Given the dark and foreboding feeling that overcame Beluah when he entered the lair of the beast, he felt that if it was a fire, it’s purpose was not cleansing. If he stopped to look closely he could see the corruption shift and change ever so slightly as the Beast and Nature continued their fight for dominance of the Forest. A small part of him took hope that it seemed the Beast was losing the fight and Nature was seeping in to the dark parts of the forest floor. He had no real indication of which direction to head so he continued on in as straight a line as he could.

Eventually he found foot and hoof-prints in the soil and knew that he was close to the lair and heading in the right direction. He was now in the part of the Forest where Nature never came. He was in the part where the Beast was close, and would always hold dominance until someone came and took the Forest away from it. Beluah climbed off his horse at this point and tethered it to a tree. He was sure to tie it loose enough that it should be able to break free and run if he didn’t make it back alive and it needed to escape from the Beast. Beluah saw no reason for the horse to die alongside him if it came to it. There was no need for the horse to pay for his own foolishness.

He strode on, keeping to the prints on the ground, until he came across a cave. He knew that his quarry had to lay within.

                “Come out Beast! I have come for your hide for what you have done!” he yelled as he drew his sword and held it high. He heard a great and terrible roar rend the air and a bright flash caused him to close his eyes. When he opened them again he saw that a figure was standing at the mouth of the cave. He was face to face with his enemy at last. The sight of it was not one he was expecting, and one that stunned and shook him to his core. In front of him stood what could easily pass as a mirror image of him. Not who he was now, but who he had been back at the village. It was the same height as he was; the same build. It had the same length and colour hair and the same facial features. The eyes were what reminded him that he wasn’t looking at himself, and it was the eyes that snapped him back to reality. They were black as the void of space and without iris or pupil. It was as if someone had placed charcoal where the creature’s eyes should have been. The Beast held out it’s hand and darkness coalesced in the palm, forming a sword forged seemingly of darkness itself. The Beast roared once more and charged at Beluah, bringing the sword back to strike. Beluah barely had time to react but managed to get his shield held up in time to deflect the blow. The sword sliced through the shield like butter, narrowly missing Beluah’s arm. Beluah threw the shield to the ground and held his sword in both hands, hoping that it would be enough to stop the sword of his opponent when the shield had failed so miserably to do so. Beluah didn’t have to wonder long as the sword came down once more. Beluah swung his own sword and mentally sent out a prayer of thanks to whatever deity was watching over him as he managed to parry the blow. The Beast was momentarily stunned and Beluah took the chance to strike at it. He slashed it across the chest and let out a triumphant cheer as his sword pierced through it’s clothes and left a large cut across it. His moment of reverie was cut off however as the same darkness that had been used to create the sword now formed around the wound, sealing it. The Beast looked down at the sealing wound and let out a maniacal laugh before charging Beluah down once more. This time it attacked not with it’s sword, but with it’s hands. The Beast grabbed Beluah and tore away at his armour with inhuman strength. When it had finished tearing away all the armour that protected the top half of his body the Beast struck Beluah in the stomach with a fist, sending him to the ground. Beluah coughed and spluttered on the ground as he curled up in pain. Eventually Beluah rose to his feet once more but it was obvious he was battered. He was using his sword for support to allow him to stand. Instead of taking the chance to attack the Beast had watched him curiously, studied him almost. When Beluah was standing under his own power the Beast resumed it’s attack. It grabbed Beluah by the legs and knocked him to the ground once again. This time it tore at his leg armour and tore through it as easily as it had the chest plate. It was as if the armour was nothing to the creature. Beluah struggled to fight back and though he landed a few blows on it, the Beast didn’t stop in it’s task. When the Beast was done Beluah was left with nothing but the simple clothes he had worn under his armour. Not a scrap of it remained on his body. As inexplicably as it had started it’s work, the Beast stopped. Even more perplexingly it stood up to presumably admire it’s own handiwork with tearing off the armour. It was looking down at Beluah thoughtfully and waiting, once more, for him to stand up. It was actually waving it’s arms about, urging Beluah to stand up. Beluah suspected if it was capable of speech then it would have been shouting at him to get up.

After a few minutes of painful struggling Beluah was able to stand up again under his own power. The Beast snickered and charged in for another attack. Beluah surprised even himself by being able to sidestep it at the last second. He knew his armour was heavy but he didn’t think it would have slowed him down that much. He looked around the clearing in an effort to find his sword. He found it laid on the ground a few metres away and dashed to pick it up. He surprised himself again with his speed. Even if the armour wasn’t slowing him down anymore, his injuries should have been. He felt free and unburdened as he grabbed the sword, held it high in the air, and charged down the Beast. The Beast was fast but now Beluah had somehow become faster even than it. He stuck his sword out as he ran past it, slicing it cleanly through the chest. Before the wound could heal Beluah spun around, raising his sword and cutting straight through the creature’s neck, decapitating it in in instant. He heard a resounding thud as the Beast’s head landed on the ground. It was followed shortly after by another dull thud as the body fell. Beluah looked down upon the corpse of the Beast and was happy to see that the wound on it’s chest was still there. The Beast was not going to heal any time soon, and was truly dead. Beluah had done it. He had done what none other before him, even his best friend, had been able to do. He had slain the Beast and freed the forest from it’s grasp. The effect on the forest was almost instantaneous as the darkness that was creeping through it began receding quickly. Beluah admired the sight for a few moments before collapsing on the ground. His injuries were finally starting to catch up to him and he needed rest. He passed out shortly after, feeling new grass and flowers sprout beneath him as the corruption wavered and was defeated. A smile formed on his face shortly before everything went black.

When Beluah awoke he wasn’t in the forest anymore. He seemed to be underwater, if he was anywhere at all. The world came in to focus and he could see that he was indeed in some kind of green liquid but he could still breathe. He was wearing a mask over his mouth that was passing oxygen in to him and allowing him to breathe. He still panicked at the thought he might die and panicked even more when he heard a loud sound as the liquid was drained away somehow. When the liquid had gone Beluah could see, barely, through some kind of glass that had been keeping the liquid inside with him. He couldn’t be sure of what he was inside though. The outside looked strange. He could make out a wall that was adorned with several large windows. He couldn’t be entirely sure of what laid beyond those windows but they looked almost like buildings to him. He heard the sound of pressure being released and there was an odd smell in the air. He passed out again shortly after smelling this unfamiliar gas.

Sebastian woke up and as the world came in to focus and stopped spinning he discovered he was on a couch in a very large room. Around the walls were countless certificates, degrees and diplomas that were proudly put on display by whoever owned the place.

                “What happened?” he said to no one in particular.

                “It was quite an experience, wasn’t it?” came the rather unexpected reply. Sebastian had thought he might have been alone.

                “What was an experience?” Sebastian asked. He turned to face where the voice had come from and saw a middle aged man with slicked back shoulder length brown hair and a moustache looking at him.

                “It takes a few minutes to adjust back so take it easy for now. I’ll explain everything in a minute.”

                “Adjust back to what? Where am I?”

                “Why back to reality of course.” The man said, as if he were trying to explain something to a child. “I’m Doctor Lawson and you have just been through some very intense psychotherapy. Just relax and let it all come back to you.”  Sebastian did as instructed. He laid back and closed his eyes, willing his mind to sort out everything for him. It took a minute or two but everything started to fall back in to place. He had been having difficulties dealing with his depression and the problems of his past that were still haunting him. He decided one day he’d had enough and had come to see Doctor Lawson for psychiatric help. The doctor had suggested something he had called Intense Regression. Instead of seeing a past life such as with Past Life Regression, Sebastian would see a visual representation of the innermost workings of his subconscious mind. He would become an avatar of himself within his own mind. After he made the decision to go through with it Doctor Lawson had placed him inside of a large machine and strapped a breathing mask over his face. He had begun to worry when it filled with a green liquid but the doctor had reassured him that everything would be fine. The liquid stimulated his mind and body to help create the effect and it helped keep him in the unconscious state necessary for the therapy to work. After that he didn’t remember anything until he woke up again on the couch. At least, he thought he couldn’t remember something else. He was sure that there was something else inbetween those two times and he focused as hard as h could on it. It was hard but his effort was rewarded as several more memories came flooding back to him. Memories of seemingly a whole other life spent in another world. He remembered setting out on a journey in to a forest to avenge a friend that he had lost. He remembered saving a girl in a small village and then going on to save the entire village by taking out a gang of thieves. It seemed incredibly fanciful but he remembered it all in very vivid detail.

                “Whoa…” he said simply when it had all come back to him.

                “I told you; it’s quite an experience isn’t it?” Doctor Lawson replied.

                “You’re telling me doc, but what does it all mean?”

                “I’ll tell you but I need you to tell me what happened first as the experience is different for everyone and every tiny detail can mean something. Don’t miss anything out.” Doctor Lawson replied and pulled out a clipboard. He was ready to take notes of Sebastian’s experiences and help him connect the dots and realise what it all meant.

Sebastian began at the best place to begin; the beginning. He explained the fantasy setting to Doctor Lawson, and the two worked out that when Sebastian allows himself to be happy and when he’s in a good mood, he can be quite a fanciful person. He had talked in the other world, as it felt far too real to be called a dream, in what his brain thought was a rather fantasy-ish manner. He had often dreamed of having adventures like the one his mind had given him. Him losing his best friend had been a symbol of everyone he had lost in his past, be it friends or lovers. He had set out to avenge every loss inflicted upon him by his own personal Beast. His own inner demons and to a degree even his mind. He had suffered from trust issues and anger issues that had meant during his life he had lost a few people along the way. He didn’t trust himself and he couldn’t believe others would either. This was one of the behaviours he had come to Doctor Lawson in an effort to stop. The Mind Forest had been called what it was because it was a representation of his actual mind. The battle between Nature and The Beast, and the corruption and restoration of it, had been a representation of his own struggles with his mind. As he had been travelling he had saved a girl in a village and then gone on to save her entire village by getting in to a fight where the odds certainly weren’t in his favour. He had gotten in to the fight in the first place by getting the wrong idea and doing, in the girl’s mind, the wrong thing. The girl represented all the people he felt he had let down or been unable to save. For once he did manage to save someone before something terrible happened. Saving the village was his want to save everyone he could. Sebastian was, in his heart of hearts, a very kind man who tried to help everyone he came across. It was also a step that was necessary to be taken before taking on the Beast itself. His mind was clouded and he was unsure, and he couldn’t do anything in that state. He needed to clear his mind and his conscience. He accidentally did the wrong thing because he was always afraid of doing that. He wanted to help people but he was afraid of doing the wrong thing. His brain was showing him that even if he did ever do the wrong thing, he could always make it up and do the right thing in the end. He did what he thought was right, and that was the most important thing. He had helped the girl, regardless of the consequences.

The fight with the Beast itself was something both Sebastian and Doctor Lawson were interested in. The Beast had looked like a shadowed version of himself because that was what it truly was. It was a representation of the dark depths of his mind. It had been able to heal it’s wounds because if it was that easy to defeat then Sebastian would have done it himself under his own power years ago. The loss of his armour was a necessary step to being able to defeat it. He needed to be free of his burdens to be able to do it. After the armour came off he was able to find the speed and strength necessary to overcome his past by unburdening himself of it. As for why it was the Beast itself that had torn the armour off and effectively allowed him to win; Doctor Lawson theorised that was his own inner desire to achieve success. He wanted so badly for the therapy to work and to win the fight came through. In the end he had managed to overcome the darkness of his mind and had set himself free of the burdens of his past. It would take a little longer for his mind to put everything in to place but he was effectively cured. He had personally ventured in to his own mind and taken matters in to his own hands. He had defeated representations of his problems and in the process had managed to defeat the actual problems.

                “I feel better already.” Sebastian said to Doctor Lawson when he had finished explaining everything and getting all of his answers.

                “Give it a few days and you’ll feel amazing.” Doctor Lawson replied. Sebastian chuckled and shook Doctor Lawson’s hand.

                “I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for everything doc.”

                “Happy to help. Good luck with everything.” Doctor Lawson replied as he shook Sebastian’s hand. The handshake ended and Sebastian made his way to the door of Doctor Lawson’s office.

                “Thanks doc, but something tells me I won’t be needing luck anymore.”

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P.S I'm aware there's barely any formatting.