After Events of Into the Dark:

The Temple told me I had to go to a therapist, and I don’t really know why. Therapists were for people with problems, and I had no problems. I had a mission. And I did that mission pretty damn well, I’d say. Nevertheless, I was getting sent to a carvation therapist in The Village to sort out whatever they thought I had wrong.

As I walked to the therapist’s office, I noticed a small rack full of pamphlets that was against the wall outside. A teenage-looking carvation was looking through a blue-colored one that said something about tan-genders I think. Whatever the hell that is. Probably another human thing, knowing them.

When I got in her office, the door closed behind me by itself. Just perfect, I knew therapy was a trap after all. There wasn’t even anyone in the room, but I took a seat. I looked around and saw there was a note on her desk that read “Coffee run, be back soon. Just wait.”

“Like hell I’m going to wait,” I said, getting up. As I crossed the room, I felt myself getting pulled back into the chair, and I was yanked across the floor back into the seat, and from the bottom of the chair leather straps held my lap down like a seatbelt. “So therapy is a trap!” I exclaimed, trying to get myself free with my magic talons.

“I said to just wait.”

In the chair behind the desk, a carvation teleported in with a coffee cup in her hand. I think she was a peacock variant, judging from the mesmerizing pattern on her tail feathers that were sticking up, and the rich blue color of her shrunken wings. Her hair was this green-ish teal color that flowed down a little past her shoulders in a set of twintails. On her face was also a pair of glasses, which was odd for carvations. She had bright eyes, a nice smile, and looked young. Heaven, why did I have to get the hopeful one? The restraints on my chair went away.

“I hope you weren’t waiting too long,” she said cheerily.

“No, not really,” I grumbled. “Why do you have glasses? Don’t we have perfect eyesight and everything?”

“They're for fashion,” she said, tapping the frame. “Glasses for fashion are all the rage down in the Living.”

“Another subject please.”

“My name is Doctor Mantis, and we have plenty of subjects to talk about, Gryft,” she said, taking out a few papers and glancing at them. “Hmm… the file says mostly anger issues and exhibiting behavior that align with an antisocial personality are your main problems.”

“I know what you all think is wrong with me,” I spat. “And I’m not interested in hearing how you’re going to fix me.”

“Oooh, so serious,” she sarcastically said, rolling her eyes. “You should come to the folk music festival with me after this. It’s a calming and enlightening experience, I promise.”

“The. What?”

“Ah, nothing. We can talk all about it later. After the session.” She stood up and started walking towards me, and I jumped to my feet. She furrowed her brow. “You signed the paperwork the lady at the front desk gave you, right?”

“I scribbled my name on some papers, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Ok, good,” she sighed, relieved. “You wouldn’t believe the number of people that come in here without signing the waiver first.”

“Waiver?”

She held out her hands, which were shining with light. Immediately, I was on high alert and took out my magic talons. She held her hands up.

“What’re you doing?” she asked.

“What're you doing?!”

“Didn’t you read the waver?”

“I said I signed it! I read nothing!”

“Then put your hands down,” she said. “I’m just going to link our minds with some magic, like all carvation therapists do!”

“So you can mind-jack me?” I growled. “Not gonna happen.”

“That’s not how this works,” she explained. “I’m not supposed to pry out your memories. I link us, and you show me your experiences as you please, and we can talk about them.”

“I’m in control?” I asked carefully.

“The whole time,” she nodded. “Any time it gets too much for you, I’ll pull us both out. Sounds good?”

“Fine…” I said distrustingly.

Doctor Mantis held her hands out again, which glowed with bright magic. Then she held them out and touched each of my temples.

“Let’s see what you’ve got hiding up there,” I heard her giggle before the world went dark and I faded from consciousness. 

*   *   *   *   *

I guess I didn’t really fade from consciousness. It was like the feeling of hitting the ground in a dream and waking up in your bed, but in reverse. The world slid out of focus, and when everything felt clear I was by myself in a kind of black void.

“Wow,” said Dr. Mantis, who appeared suddenly beside me and startled me. “I’ve had a lot of patients, but your mind is definitely the most empty of them all.”

I gave her a snarl.

“I’m joking,” she laughed, patting me on the back. “Though they are usually a bit… more decorated than nothing…”

“Are you trying to give commentary on my mindspace?”

“We can work on it later,” she giggled. “For now, let’s get started.”

“Started?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Started where?”

“Wherever you want.”

“You’re not ready to see anywhere in my mind,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You’re an undercooked dumpling who hasn’t seen death right in front of her.”

“I’ll make sure to put that in the report,” Mantis said, making a mental note. “But maybe your childhood would be less… extreme.”

“That’s what you think.” I glanced away from her. “Just pick a memory, I don’t really care either way.”

“Fine,” she said, closing her eyes and reaching out her glowing hands. Her eyes got a white glow to them too as she was presumably looking through my mind. “You’re still holding some memories back.”

“Well some of it isn’t for you to see,” I growled.

“Openly closed off… you’re not the first, but I’ll see what I can work with.”

The area around me changed from a black void to a familiar scene of my childhood home. It was like I was really there again. I was smart enough to know this was just one of my memories Dr. Mantis brought up though. She was beside me, glancing at the three figures in the memory. Two adult carvations, one a male hawk variant and the other a female scorpion variant, and a child carvation who looked to be about a toddler, who was me. My mother was reading a book, and my dad was trying to teach me magic, which I remember how that turned out.

“Keep your hands steady,” Dad said, making a sphere of white magic between his hands. The magic dissipated out and faded away.

“Dad, I can’t,” past me said, doing the same motions but failing to get any magic. “I can’t control it.”

“Don’t worry son, that’s why we’re training. Come on, let’s keep at it.”

“Dad, we’ve spent too much time on this,” I said, angrily stomping. “Don’t bother, I’m hopeless…”

“You’re not hopeless,” he smiled, patting my head. “You can learn anything you want to. Just put your mind to it.”

“I put my mind to everything,” the small past me said angrily. That one made Dad chuckle. “What? I do!”

“Then you’re going to learn it one day,” he said warmly. “Even if it’s in your own way.”

“Just don’t light another one of my dresses on fire,” said Mom from her rocking chair. “I like those. A lot.”

“Don’t worry, your dresses are safe,” Dad said.

“For now,” I said in a laugh/growl hybrid.

Deviously, I pounced on my dad, who swept me into a hug. He held me tight, and swung me around a bit. My mom just rolled her eyes and flipped a page in her novel. The scene faded away with the sounds of laughter as we returned to the black void of my mindspace. Dr. Mantis looked ready to cry.

“That was so sweet…” she adored.

“Don’t get teary-eyed on me, please,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“But that was adorable! You were adorable!”

“I was a toddler,” I said.

“You and your family were so happy!”

“It didn’t last forever,” I grimaced, turning my head. 

Mantis looked like she was about to ask a question, but quieted down when she felt something change. We were back in the room from the previous memory, but it was darker. The doctor and I saw my mother by herself, sobbing. Dr. Mantis held out a hand like she wanted to comfort her, but held her hand back, knowing it was just a memory.

“Where… when…” Mantis’ voice trailed off.

“My room,” I said, walking down the hall and to a familiar door, opening it. 

Inside, there my child self was laying on his bed, motionless. I took a glance at myself before moving my eyes to a picture on the dresser, which was my mom, dad, and I all together. I could even hear sniffles from myself on the bed, marking me crying.

“What… happened?” Mantis asked.

“Dad happened,” I said, clearing my throat. “He died unexpectedly when I was young. It doesn’t happen to carvations often, but apparently one of his organs failed. The vital kind. He and my mom never did any soul merging, so my mom and I were left with each other when he passed.”

I watched my younger self sob and scream into a pillow. He started throwing them too, until there was nothing else to toss. And finally, he swiped at the picture on the dresser, shattering the glass and leaving claw marks on the photo. 

I turned myself away as my younger version looked at his hand in wonder, having fingers that looked like bird talons. The scene faded away, and Mantis put her hand on my shoulder.

“Gryft… I think that’s enough for today.”

She snapped her fingers and I felt myself get hazy before coming to in my own body in reality. I could see the sun setting on the horizon through a window. Doctor Mantis went around and sat behind her desk, and started writing some things down on a clipboard.

“Today was a… surprisingly productive first day,” she said, almost looking startled. “But you’ll need to come back next week too.”

“Figures,” I grumbled.

“You can go now though,” she said, taking a piece of paper and handing it to me. “Here, there’s my business card in case you need to contact me.”

“I gotcha, doc,” I said, putting the card in my pocket. I stood up and walked out, not looking back. “See you next week.”