GOODBYE, LOCH

LOCH.

A voice called out to him. He turned around indignantly. "What?" he hissed. "I'm busy."

But the light surrounding him was smothered and he was left only in a void of darkness.

LOCH.

"What?" he said, a bit more seriously this time. Sensory deprivation wasn't something he was oft subject to unless it was grievous. "What did I do this time?"

YOU DID NOTHING.

"Great. Can I get back to work then?"

THAT IS THE ISSUE. YOU DID NOTHING.

Loch huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Gonna keep me in time out then? I get it. I fucked up. Like I always d--"

SILENCE.

"I- Listen it won't happen ag--"

HOW MANY TIMES MUST I HEAR YOUR EXCUSES, LOCH.

"Th-they're not excuses, I'm going to--"

ENOUGH.

"Let me explain myself!"

ENOUGH!

The sound was enough to shatter his skull, but he instead fell down to his knees.

"Please, let me--"

SILENCE!

I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH. ENOUGH EXCUSES FOR A THOUSAND OF YOU.

I AM NO LONGER DEALING WITH YOUR EXCUSES, LOCH.

"I--"

SILENCE!

A cut slashed across his face and he could feel the blood begin to drip from the wound.

He felt as though he had lost control over his body. His wooden spear fell to the ground and he kneeled, hands feebly attempting to keep himself from falling completely.

I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH.

YOU ARE A FAILURE.

AND YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.

His wings unfolded though he did not will them to. They kept unfolding. They spread until they couldn't any longer and then they kept going.

"Wait, wait wait, just--"

With one motion, they were gone.

The pain was unimaginable. He could feel his blood gushing from him, the sickly black liquid pooling by his hands and coating his chest.

"No..." he moaned. "No, no, no, no..." his frail mumbling turned into sharp screeching in an attempt to cope with the realization.

He couldn't move. He could feel something trying to escape from his mouth, blood, vomit, he didn't know. He tried to move his head, to see if he could see them.

Agonizing seconds that felt like millenia later, he managed to slowly move his eyes from the ground to the pile of feathers he knew would be sitting next to him.

He vomited. It couldn't be real.

"You... they're... they're..."

GONE.

YOU HAVE LOST YOUR POSITION.

YOU ARE A FAILURE, LOCH.

"I'm... I'm in so much pain."

AS AM I, LOCH.

SEEING ONE OF MY CREATIONS AS DISGRACED AS YOU ARE.

"You... you're..."

YOU HAVE LOST EVERYTHING, LOCH.

AND I HAVE LOST YOU.

YOU ARE BANISHED FROM THIS PLANE.

"What...?"

YOU ARE LUCKY I DO NOT KILL YOU.

YOU ARE BEING CONDEMNED TO LIVE AMONG THE MORTALS.

"I w--" he spluttered out blood. "I wish you had killed me."

AH, BUT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MERCY ON YOU, LOCH.

MERCY IS BETTER THAN YOU DESERVE.

With one shaky arm, Loch reached out for his spear. Every movement felt like he was dying a thousand times over.

But at last, he got a grip on it. In a process that took several torturous minutes, he managed to stand on his feet.

"Pl-please... I can still do better..."

DO NOT LIE TO ME.

I CAN MAKE THIS WORSE, YOU KNOW.

Loch coughed violently. "I don't want to... I can't go."

IT IS NOT YOUR CHOICE TO MAKE.

GOODBYE, LOCH.