Runaway (A Dice Changer Short Story)

"You can't run forever" Those were the final words spoken by Goldleaf's father before Goldleaf left to be a Chrissten paladin. Goldleaf had dreamed about how he would be a paladin to bring justice and mercy to all people. He had thought his elfish lifespan would be enough to evade those words. Now he was in the mind of a 16-year-old boy in a different world with technology and no magic. He felt like his connection with his powers shattered. Then the words rang in his head "You can't run forever" Had that been what he'd been doing and didn't even realize it. He hadn't been taking training seriously and now he knows why. He has been running away. Then the memory of when he became cursed into being trapped in the dice set came back. Cold sweat and chills ran down every part of his body. He had taken his power, his long life span, and his physical gifts for granted. Now he's here, trapped until needed to bail out of a situation his new master found himself in. Forever forced to fight all kinds of powerful enemies. But what will happen when he dies? What happens when Arron dies? Will he stay alive only for someone else to make him his master? Or will he die also and go to heaven? Will he even go to heaven? Had he run far enough and long enough out of heaven's reach? Then a figure appeared, he was tall, clad in shiny spikey armor. He dragged his scythe across the floor. His face was black and very horse-like. his mane was swirling in different directions, he had red eyes with a purple mist coming out of them. Goldleaf felt this presence before, this being was from the old world. "Do you not remember me?" the figure said in a deep hissing voice. "You're from my world. But I don't think I ever met you," replied Goldleaf. "Then let me remind you" The figure removed his spiked gloves and placed his hand on Goldleaf's forehead. Memories of the old world flooded Goldleaf's mind. His childhood, his family, the quests he went on, then he saw himself and his eyes were also sprouting the same purple mist the figure was. His past self was screaming with agony, he went from standing tall to being on the ground in the middle of a forest, alone. His present self was confused. Was this what he was running forever from? "You have forgotten, haven't you?" asked the figure. "Yes, I think it's because I've been running away, and I've kept running and I don't know why?" responded Goldleaf. "That's your elven pride leading you, it has made you lost, but know you're found, the True God gave you a calling. It was here that he gave it to you, and instead, you ran away, as you are now." said the figure. "So what was my calling? And who or what are you?" asked Goldleaf. "I am Sombres. The monster of the True God, or the True God's wrath. I am a spiritual being that purifies souls much like the True God's spirit. I am here because you have run away for so long that the True God himself sent me to find you. You are to help these because you refused to help those back home. That is why he allowed for the curse to take over. " responded Sombres. "How come I don't remember any of this?" asked Goldleaf. He had thought his memories returned years ago, but it seemed that many didn't. "You should know the answer already. You are a paladin of the True God after all," replied Sombres. Then it hit him, he knew why he was running, he figured it all out. In that moment he decided once and for all to stop running away, and run too, and he was going to run, even if it was forever. Sombres then disappeared into a could of purple and black smoke.

"You can't run forever" These were the words Sherren's old master told him. It was a warning not to rush into things, it was meant to show that strength, beauty, and intellect were all short-term gifts given to people to help them succeed in their quests or goals, but that they would eventually fade away. Then he got trapped in a set of dice, now in the mind of someone of similar goals, and ambition. His new master may only be 17 years old, but he had wisdom that rivaled his master's. He had convictions and moral standing that could go toe to toe with the most righteous warriors Sherren had ever known. This boy was special and he saw why he was chosen all those years ago. Then Sombres came. At first, Sherren didn't know who he was until the Sombres told his title to him. Then several memories came back. Much like Goldleaf Sherren had many questions about it. Sombres answered many, which only led to more questions, yet much of it made sense now. When enough time passed by Sombres disappeared into a cloud of purple and black smoke

"You can't run forever" The words crashed again and again in Wav-ta's mind. What was she running away from? The men who kidnapped her and Mia were either dead or in jail. Why does she feel this way? Why is this phrase stuck in her head? She could hear the phrase come from Mia, She felt the same thing happening to Sherren, Goldleaf, and even Kamoss. A presence was here, one she could've swore she felt in her time in the old world. But what was it doing here and why? Then the presence revealed itself to be Sombres. At first sight, she knew who he was, and it made her scared, and weak, vulnerable. Memories and thoughts began to overwhelm and she broke down crying. "Please don't hurt me." she wailed. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you," said Sombres. "With what?" she asked. "You, like the rest of your party, are running away, and you have been for too long. It's time to come back home," he answered. Now it all made sense. The phrase, the feelings, the atmosphere of the party. All of it was connected to Sombres. "For you, it's your past. The men, they took everything from you. Your freedom and purity were of the most valuable. the True God wishes to give that back, but you kept running away" he said. "How?" she asked. "By giving you Goldleaf," he responded. "Excuse me, but if I remember correctly, elves and mermaids don't exactly get along in the old world," she said. "Well this isn't the old world of Kolora is it?" responded he. Kolora, that was the name of the old world. How could she forget the name of her home world? "The True God planned for you and Goldleaf to be together however, you must let go of your traumas. They are preventing you from seeing the gifts the True God has given you. Only by letting go will you finally understand the greater plan at hand." and with that Sombres disappeared into a cloud of purple and black smoke.

"You can't run away forever." A phrase his older brother told when Kamoss left the Great Lion Gods. His brother was sure that once he realized how awful the Chrisstens were he would come back. Now he was in another world, one so far away from the temples of both the Lion God and True God. That was until Sombres appeared. Kamoss somehow in some way knew who he was. The monster of the True God was standing in front of him with just a hint of his divine powers being suppressed. "Good at least someone remembers." said Sombres "What do you want?" asked Kamoss. "For you to come back home," answered Sombres. "How? Aren't I cursed to be in a part of this dice set?" Kamoss asked. "I didn't mean literally, I mean that the True God has a plan and you are running away," replied Sombres. Now everything was clear. All the feelings, all the questions. They all make sense now. "You feel lost, ever since the cult disbanded. Even with your new brothers and sisters you still seem to be lost," said Sombres. "Is it because of my connections to the world?" asked Kamoss. "Yes, and no. Yes, in that your power is tied to it, no in the fact that you were cursed for a reason," answered Sombres. "This world needs strong morally driven people. There are tons in Kolora, but few in this one. Too many run and keep running. You have fallen into the same trap as everyone else. Now it is time to come back. To fulfill the will of the True God." he continued. "How do I do that?" asked Kamoss. "It's simple, repent, and never look back. Become the new creation you were always meant to be," replied Sombres. And just like that Kamoss repented. After that Sombres said "The True God that created this world is the same that created Kolora. Never forget that." and Sombres disappeared into a cloud of purple and black smoke.

"You can't run forever" the words rang in Jack's head. Even though it had been almost a year since his father's cult was raided by Nick and Arron's characters, he relived those moments. Those words brought heartache, because instead of saying "I love you," or "Remember what I taught you" His dad decided to say that right before he got hit by a divine smite by Arron's character. Jack couldn't let that memory go. At first, he trained harder than ever to get revenge for his father, only for an angel to tell him that he had been lied to his whole life. His whole worldview was shattered, broken, and dirty, now it had been replaced by true grace, true justice, true mercy, and true divine power. Then the words took on a whole new meaning when he found out about his heritage. He was the son of a witch and a man from another world. He saw what his real parents were like and it dealt blow after blow. "You can't run forever. not from your destiny, your heritage, your sins." said his real dad in a demonic, otherworldly voice. Why was born this way? What was God's grand plan in all of this? Many more questions had flooded his brain. yet he was at peace. Maybe this was the grand plan, to make sure Jack learned about who he really was so that down the line he could help others like him. That was the theory of course.

"You can't run forever" That was the last thing the sex traffickers said when to Mia as she was being taken away by Goldleaf. Those words haunt her every night. She always felt alone and exposed. Even in the company of Arron, Nick, and Jack, she felt like another group would come and kidnap her again. It was weird how even though the men couldn't harm her anymore now they still were able to torture her. Scar her, by violating her mind with the memories. She couldn't stand the sight of white clothes or bedsheets, she gagged anytime she smelled alcohol, and she winced anytime she passed by a hotel. Her heart sank seeing little girls getting off the school bus because she feared they might get kidnapped like she was. Then she would have a sign of relief whenever they would go into their houses. There were even times when she would be jealous of families when she was at the store because they had joy. She wanted that same joy, that same wholesomeness, but she would always feel that her whole life was ruined, and she wasn't even 18 yet. No matter what she did, she felt like she could never escape the dark shadows of her past, of the men, of the place that took her innocence, her soul, and more.

"You can't run forever" was a phrase carved into Nick's heart. He knew that someday he would need to stop fighting, and stop training, this is what drove him to help people, to stop the bad guys, to him, this wasn't just a warning, but a message of how fleeting his life was and that he needed to make every day count. To him they weren't words of fear, they were words of action, of discipline. Of course, he wouldn't be running forever, but gosh dang it he's going as far as he can, and with Sherren, that drive was amplified. He took his training even more seriously, even more intently. He went to class determined to get as high of a GPA as possible. He felt like nothing could stop him, except when it came to talking to his crush, then all the words, motivation, and discipline, were replaced by anxiety, and fear. Then the words became a ticking clock. His first semester of high school was almost over and he felt like had gotten nowhere with her. Even though they had little chats here and there. Nick felt like it wasn't enough, he didn't feel like he was enough. The same words that gave him strength were now making him feel weak. The words he tried so hard to push him to the top, were now pushing him down.

"You can't run forever" What did the cult leader mean by that? Was he trying to scare Arron, Goldleaf, or both? Shouldn't he have said, "You'll never catch me"? Also didn't the sex traffickers say something similar to Mia? Is there a connection between these two that I'm not seeing or am I just overthinking again? All these questions and more kept creeping into Arron's mind, whether it be in class when he was about to go to sleep, or even when he was with his friends, and especially when he was around Mia. Even though he and Nick had beaten both the cultist and the sex traffickers just a few weeks ago, there seemed to be more questions than answers. It's like they're taunting him from the grave because they managed to hide something that he missed. Or that they have a secret they'll forever keep in their graves. The more events like these happen the more it seems to Arron that they have a purpose, one that he can't run away from anymore. Then it hit him like a freight train, what would the next villain be? How powerful will they be? This struck something in Arron's gut. Fear began to show itself and somehow not even Goldleaf could help him. Then he realized what Nick meant years ago when they first started training. At some point, they wouldn't be able to rely on their characters, and that made him terrified. Maybe that is the next villain? One who has to be defeated without his character. So many questions, too many questions, and all of them running, and running, and running.