As the orange light of the setting sun bathed the scene, a gray-skinned man dressed in medieval clothing wandered along a road. Surrounding him were old cars, majestic trees, cold concrete, and dense grass. However, David was oblivious to the life and objects around him; he was lost in his own thoughts.

  As the weight of his actions weighed heavily on him, he felt as if sin had wrapped him in dark layers of guilt. He paused mid-stride, unable to shake off his troubling thoughts. How could he have committed such terrible acts? He had terrorized innocent people and felt euphoric about it.

  With his body pointing straight ahead, David's head dares to turn, catching the last glimpses of the gym from which he had run. Suspended mid-air, pieces of red glass floated about, marking his passage. Absent mindedly wondering if they could repair the barrier.

  He had always considered himself a failure. There were worse things he had done in the past, but even in this changed world, he was still a no-good person down to his core.

  His head turned back towards the long path ahead. The road itself had cracked, and sprawling grass wormed its way through the concrete underneath, showing signs of new life.

  David needed to handle this better. A simple wrong assumption had triggered him. There was no excuse. He healed someone, and then anger overcame him. Why was he such a fool? How could he not overcome his own negative thoughts and truly empathize with another human being?

  With a chirp close by, his head zeroed in on the noise. Two pigeons were perched upon old black tile. They seemed connected and content; they took comfort from each other's presence just as the girl and kid took comfort from one another.

  David yearned for such a connection. With a start, he realized his mindset was flawed. Something needed to change. But what exactly is flawed? Could it be the way he sees others? Or maybe the way he sees himself?

  Green leaves filled with vitality and health entered his eyes, attached to a strong, thick brown trunk. Something clicked in his mind as he gazed at the roots leading into the trunk and the sprawling branches filled with leaves.

  The roots uphold the trunk. David did not have a good childhood. Was this maybe where his anger came from?

  Up ahead, David saw the old courthouse. Its symmetrical architecture, gable roof, and decorative design sung of old splendor. It was built to serve the people but made to line the pockets of folks who already had more than most would ever achieve.

  David visited the courthouse many times, but it never gave him the justice that should have been served. " Justice served, " he thought. David knew it wasn't his roots' fault that he neglected his self-growth.

  He had stepped close, and David touched the orange brick almost powerlessly. Trying as he might, he could not draw any power from it, magical or emotional.

  Long ago, he gave up seeing himself as anything good. He always appeared to be a bad person within the confines of himself. Why had this never occurred to him before, and why did he see himself so negatively?

  David's steps carried him further down the impressive courtyard of the colonial structure. At the next corner, a hedge bushed entered his sight.

  This negative spiral had happened before the Green had enveloped his world. The voice in his head, temporarily banished, was not to blame; he himself was.

  His gaze fixed on the bushes as flowers adorned them in a splash of color. The color scheme appeared odd to him. Some were traditional, but others had a vital feeling to them, almost visible to the eye.

  David knew the interaction with the kid and his mother, while meant to do good, had set him back. The struggle to free himself of self-destructive tendencies would worsen. But he also knew that perseverance was important.

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  Trees entered his eyes, long, slender, and flexible branches with a weeping form and narrow, pointed leaves. The trees appeared to struggle under the heavy weight of their leaves and fantastically colored flowers.

  Just as the trees needed to struggle to survive, David had to follow their example. Setbacks are an opportunity for growth, and growth is achieved by exposing oneself to the uncomfortable.

  As he swiveled his head, he exited the confines of the plaza. Leaving the old structure and the teeming life within behind.

  David needed to be open to the new— even embrace it. But how could he start? He hated himself for being impassive in the past and present, but he also knew that dwelling on these things wasn't beneficial.

  He stepped onto another road lined with old street signs and a traffic light that would never again work. Cars stopped in the middle of the road, appearing ancient. Rust and holes littered their once shiny or matt exteriors.

  Everything must constantly evolve or age, just as the old world filled with electric marvels was now making way for the mystical path. Just like the world, David needed to be new. He needed a mindset of growth and, better yet, to stop seeing himself as something broken and bad. With everything changing so rapidly, why could he not become new?

  The road divided in front of him, forming a circle around an old statue. David couldn't remember the name, but the statue represented a hero who had helped liberate slaves in the past.

  The general, with an unknown name, had led rebellion through the streets, so old could make way for new. Maybe David should do the same. Take a new path filled with liberation instead of shakling himself in chains.

  His brisk pace quickly carried him to a park he had never visited before but always longed to see on his drive to work. Beautiful flowers, perfectly placed, created a serene atmosphere as they aligned along the shores of a small pond.

  Reflecting David's state of mind, the water that should have been calm, with only a whisper of wind blowing about, but instead, the surface was disturbed. Similar to David's mind.

  In the heart of the pond, a remarkable sight captured the imagination: a waterfall that defied all logic. Instead of cascading downwards, the water danced upwards, seemingly defying gravity itself. This enchanting liquid hurled itself onto a mysterious floating rock, suspended in the air as if by magic. The water gathered and pooled atop the rock, yet, in an even stranger twist, the pond’s water level remained perfectly steady, as if the very essence of the pond was in harmony with this surreal spectacle.

  The enchanting vision before David sparked a fierce resolve within him. Just as the world around him had transformed, he realized it was time for him to evolve as well. His greatest hurdle? None other than himself. It was a battle of self over self, and he was determined to rise to the challenge and conquer his inner doubts alone.

  HHe departed, leaving behind a breathtaking spectacle that felt enchanting. Deep in thought, he forgot to check where he was. Buildings lined both sides of the narrow alleyway, squeezing him as he walked. The sunlight refused to touch the shaded path, casting shadows that weighed heavy on David's heart.

  Anxiety filled his mind. What if David couldn't succeed? What if he struggled to overcome himself only to realize there was no fixing his broken self?

  As he rounded the next corner of the dark alleyway, the bleached remains of a human and some form of canine came into view. He quickened his steps, moving toward the disturbing sight. The remains of a dog lay pressed between the human and the wall, while the person—man or woman—was curled protectively over the pet.

  David sincerely wished that more people valued protection over destruction. But he knew he had to do the opposite. He needed to destroy his old self and create something new—something better, which aimed only to protect.

  Once he stepped out of the alley, David squeezed his eyes shut as the last rays of light blinded him momentarily. He soon recognized where his thoughts had led him when he saw the local grocery store casting long shadows on the ground.

  " Another mark of my failur. " David thought as memories beared their ugly heads. He had always avoided connecting with customers and coworkers, as well as the misdeeds he had committed against Craig. David had taken advantage of his old boss's altered state of mind to line his pockets with food.

  Absentmindedly, he wondered how the man was doing, but a quick cacophony of screeches filled his ears. David pressed himself to a corner, making himself as thin as possible as he scanned the place. Rats appeared on the corner a long ways down.

  His mind had temporarily put the quest for growth aside. Reflexively, he touched the hilt of his sword, hoping the rats would go away. Feeling warmth from the cold piece of steel appeared to lighten the burden on his mind.

  Clattering sounds filled the narrow alleys and wide-open parking lot as an aluminum can rolled about. The rats chased after it, screeching and hissing at one another.

  With a final roll, the can stopped. The rats clawed and bit at each other until only one remained. The rats had fought one another, just as David needed to fight with himself to emerge the victor in his own struggle.

  The rat was too distracted by the morsel it was presented with and didn't notice David's approach. With a quick stomp, the last of the rats was disposed of.

  His face was distorted in disgust, glancing at his boot. Too much blood and gore adorned the heel, and some splashed higher.

  The last rays of the sun kissed the parking lot's ground, and David knew he needed to find a place to camp out for the night—a spot easy to defend, where he could remain alone and at peace to rest his weary body and soul.

  He glanced at the store but shook his head. That was not a good option. The smell of food would attract nocturnal creatures, especially the rats he seemed to be encountering.

  With a confident stride that was opposite of his mind's turmoil, he set forth, ready to choose the next best option.

  He had a goal, not only a physical one but something of greater importance. A goal for his mind to be cast anew. He could stumble along the way, and he would. But even with failure, he had to dust off his proverbial knees and try again if he failed.

  With his back cast in shadows, the air seemed to lose its warmth. Frightening sounds emerged from all around, but David was unbothered as he broke down the door to a nearby house. He was ready to settle in, to hide himself away, like a caterpillar spinning itself a cocoon, waiting to emerge as a butterfly.

  The problems of hunger and thirst being the problems of another day, tonight he would cast himself anew, and then he would strengthen the steel that was him by tempering it with pressure that would never cease.