The Liberal Lens: Finding Life in the Moment

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Jason’s girlfriend, Erica, had been a surprise halfway through the school year. She had awoken to her power all on her own, and they had met on the mountain.

He and Jason had exchanged a flurry of fire and ice against her, only to be met with electricity. They had mistaken her for one of Mnemosyne’s beings. After a quick apology, she introduced herself and they formed a group to climb her mountain.

In one of the many fights on that mountain, right before they had found the halls, Erica had been surprised by a lance from one of the beings. It was attuned to her weakness, wind, of course. Frank wasn’t able to react in time, but Jason was. He shielded her from the hit, taking it himself. It barely affected him.

The next day they had shown up at school with lovesick grins, Erica couldn’t stop leaning on his arm or hugging him. Still, their love had a special effect on their magic, and they rocketed to the halls and up the many staircases.

She had been heartbroken for a week when Jason had forgotten everything. She refused to come to school. Then a week later, she showed up for class as if nothing had happened. She didn’t recognize him at all.

Even she couldn’t escape her foggy curtain. She had been part of many who had forgotten about Frank.

—

He was reaching the top, he could feel her radiating presence just in the halls now. He could feel a writhing mass at the peripherals of his mind, but he didn’t falter. His indomitable will overcame.

He could feel his muscles tense, eager to unleash his fury. She had taken everyone from him. Everyone. He was not going to show mercy.

—

A few weeks ago, he had gone to fuse stronger persona for this day. He went to the usual door that stood impossibly in the middle of the sidewalk in front of his favorite tea shop, blue in nature. He used his key and opened it, entering the Velvet Room.

The first time he entered the room, it was through a dream — before his dreams had been flooded by the mountain. Her mountain. Igor, as he came to know him, was the host of the Velvet Room, and he had been given an attendant to help him with the process of fusing persona and offered other help. Her name was Agatha.

While she helped him with his persona, he helped her learn about humanity. He often brought her gifts and stuff from his time in the town. He even wrote her special little letters only for her.

For Igor, he had given a snow globe of his town. For her, his favorite gift he had given was a sapphire necklace.

When he entered the room a few weeks ago, it had its usual fixtures. But the host and the attendant never showed up.

It seems even the Velvet Room couldn’t escape her foggy curtain. They had been some of the last who had forgotten about Frank.

—

His heart hurt, thinking about his favorite memories with Agatha and all the cryptic quotes Igor had spouted off. He thought about Jason, he thought about Erica, he thought about his classmates, he thought about his friends in town, he thought about everyone.

They had forgotten about him.

—

He had been called sometime late in the night to rush to the hospital where his mom was being kept. It seemed the disease that had been plaguing her for a decade was now overtaking her ability to even survive.

He rushed over in his pajamas, he didn’t care. He called Jason, but he hadn’t picked up. Of course he wouldn’t have. Erica was still a mess, so he didn’t want to bother her with this. None of his classmates would have cared. His father was across the world so he would either be asleep or just waking up.

He got to the hospital and rushed to his mother’s room. The nurse had barely recognized him, but brought him to her anyway. His mom had demanded it.

There, with his mom’s hand in his hand, he pleaded, he begged her not to go. To live. To survive.

But it wouldn’t be so. His mother was simply at the end of her road.

“Frankie… I know it’s hard to be strong, but you must… we both know you’re meant for greatness… I love you.”

There had been other words shared, but those were that struck him at his soul. What fueled his will. She had passed away hours later, with his dad on the phone. As soon as she passed away, he had hung up to get ready for work as he was late.

Frank was too lost in his grief to even be disgusted. He merely dropped the phone and cried.

The hospital security kicked him out later, not knowing how he had gotten in there or who he was.

His dad forgot about him weeks later, whether that’s because he cared or because of Mnemosyne’s power.

His mother never forgot about him. She had managed to escape her foggy curtain.

—

There he was, at the doors that lead to the peak of the mountain. He could feel his indomitable will gnashing at his skin, ready to burst to destroy this unfair goddess.

Mnemosyne, a goddess of memory, who stole his bonds. Who erased his presence in the lives of everyone who he cared about, and everyone who didn’t.

Even the attendant nor the host could remember him. He had been forgotten by everyone.

Except himself. And his mother. He made a promise to her as she passed away. With that promise, he was set to destroy this goddess and lift this foggy curtain once and for all. No matter what it took.

For his classmates, for Jason, for Erica, for his dad (although he couldn’t care any less for him), for the Velvet Room, for everyone.

He opened the door, and readied his baseball bat for whatever was on the other side.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three