_________.____________ ____ __. _________ _____ ________ / _____/| \_ ___ \| |/ _| / _____/ / _ \ \______ \ \_____ \ | / \ \/| < \_____ \ / /_\ \ | | \ / \| \ \___| | \ / \/ | \| ` \ /_______ /|___|\______ /____|__ \ /_______ /\____|__ /_______ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ __ __________ __________.____ ________ / \ / \_____ \\______ \ | \______ \ \ \/\/ // | \| _/ | | | \ \ // | \ | \ |___ | ` \ \__/\ / \_______ /____|_ /_______ \/_______ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ .--. .-'. .--. .--. .--. .--. .`-. .--. :::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\ ' `--' `.-' `--' `--' `--' `-.' `--' ` ISSUE 10 .--. .-'. .--. .--. .--. .--. .`-. .--. :::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\ ' `--' `.-' `--' `--' `--' `-.' `--' ` oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo ->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> The Eternal Mega Mall Deep in the suburbs shrouded in perpetual twilight, there stood an abandoned behemoth of consumerism. Once a bustling hub of neon lights, cascading fountains, and a multitude of escalators, the mall had long since fallen into disrepair. Only the brave or the foolish ventured into its shadowy corridors. Julian and Mira had heard the rumors. Whispers of strange sounds, glimpses of flickering holograms, and the unshakeable feeling that the mall was watching. Equipped with cheap flashlights and a sense of adventure, they crossed the threshold into the dimly lit entrance. Quickly the outside world seemed to fade away, replaced by the eerie silence of the dead mall's interior. The once-vibrant neon signs still glowed, but now glowed faintly, casting a haunting vaporwave palette of pinks, blues, and purples across the walls. The escalators, frozen in mid-motion, formed eerie sculptures of modern decay. As they ventured deeper, they found themselves in an atrium dominated by a colossal fountain. Its waters had long since dried up, but the faint sound of trickling water somehow still echoed around them. "Do you hear that?" Mira whispered, her voice barely breaking the silence. "Yeah, it's like... water," Julian replied, his eyes scanning the shadows. The further they explored, the more disorienting the mall became. Stores seemed to shift locations, corridors led back to where they started, and time itself felt elastic. In one moment, it seemed like hours had passed; in the next, only minutes. They stumbled upon remnants of a forgotten era—CRT televisions playing static, entire shop floors filled with white noise visuals, forgotten arcades with screens that glowed with ghostly images, and mannequins dressed in fashions from decades past and beyond. Among the relics, they found a bookstore. Its shelves were filled with ancient tomes that looked out of place in an 80s mall. Mira picked up a book with a cover that shimmered unnaturally under their flashlights. "The Endless Chronicles," she read aloud. "What’s this olden days book doing here?" As they delved deeper into the labyrinthine corridors, they began to notice subtle changes. The air grew cooler, and the walls seemed to hum with a faint but organic energy. They found themselves in a section of the mall that defied logic — a sprawling food court with plants growing between the tiles, their leaves glowing with an ethereal light. In the center of the food court stood a fountain that was inexplicably still functioning. Crystal-clear water flowed from the mouths of stone faeries, filling the air with a soft, melodic tinkling. The scene was both beautiful and unsettling. Mira approached the fountain, drawn to its mesmerizing flow. "This place feels... different," she said, touching the water. It felt warmer than she expected, almost alive. Julian noticed something inscribed on the fountain’s edge. "Look at this," he said, pointing to the inscription. It was in a language neither of them recognized, but as they stared at it, the letters seemed to shift and change, forming words they could understand... "Those who linger here shall find themselves lost." They exchanged uneasy glances. "We should go," Julian suggested, but the way out had vanished. The corridors they had come through were no longer there. Days, or perhaps hours, passed. It was impossible to tell. They found sustenance in the form of fruits and nuts that grew in the oddest places, and water from fountains that never seemed to run dry. At night, they would hear music—soft, haunting melodies that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. One night, as they lay beneath the glow of neon signs that flickered like stars, Mira spoke of dreams filled with faerie dances and otherworldly gatherings. "It's like someone is calling to us," she said. Julian had similar dreams. In his, he saw glimpses of a world just beyond their own, a world of eternal twilight and ethereal beauty. The mall, he realized, was a gateway, a threshold between the familiar and the alien. Their captivity seemed eternal, but one day, they discovered an old service elevator that looked out of place. Its doors were ornate, with carvings of faeries and woodland creatures. With no other options, they stepped inside and pressed the only button. The descent was disorienting. The walls of the elevator shimmered with colors and patterns that defied comprehension. When the doors finally opened, they found themselves back at the mall's entrance. The world outside was unrecognizable. The city had changed — buildings were taller, drones flew through the air, and people moved with a purpose that seemed unnatural and robotic. It was as if they had stepped into a future that had left them behind. They looked at each other, realizing the mall had kept them longer than they had thought. "How long were we in there?" Mira asked, her voice trembling. Julian shook his head, "I don't know, but this isn't our world anymore." The Eternal Mega Mall still stood, its neon lights flickering in the twilight. It remained a place of mystery and magic, where time flowed differently, and the mundane and the magical intertwined. Julian and Mira never returned, but they carried the memories of their journey with them — a reminder of a world just beyond the veil of reality, where faeries danced and time stood seemingly still... ->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->- oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo .--. .-'. .--. .--. .--. .--. .`-. .--. :::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\ ' `--' `.-' `--' `--' `--' `-.' `--' ` ! Produced by I HATE IT HERE - https://www.tengushee.com/ihih ! | #FAEWAVE #ERIS .--. .-'. .--. .--. .--. .--. .`-. .--. :::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\ ' `--' `.-' `--' `--' `--' `-.' `--' ` EOF