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Hmm.

Interesting.

Despite the apparent peril of this situation, dangling above an eternal pit of non-existence, Hector remained calm. Unmoved.

The emotions were not going to win. He would not allow it. In this place, they were separate from himself. Unruly creations spawning haphazardly out of his mind, trying to wrest control away from him. Ferocious and demanding.

But they still belonged to him. And he still had to acknowledge them, too. Accept them. As part of himself. Pleasant or not, they were all part of him.

So in order to bring them back under control, Hector didn’t want to “command” them--though he did feel that he could. He knew that he could, in fact. But that would be the wrong approach, he felt. Not true to himself--to both who he was and who he hoped to be.

The right move here... was to bring them closer. To let them in.

As much as they seemed to be scratching and gnawing at him--behaving not entirely unlike monsters born of chaos--Hector knew that they were still his. And that he was still in control. And that ultimately, they couldn’t hurt him, despite all appearances to the contrary.

In some sense, it was like giving every turbulent emotion a big, warm, welcoming hug. Until they found their proper place within his mind again. Until they realized that they were where they were supposed to be.

It took a long time. Forever, seemingly. He had to allow himself to feel each emotion more deeply than perhaps ever before. He had to give them all the attention they deserved, like children.

But it also got gradually easier, too. With each one being brought home, being integrated, he felt... invigorated. Even more in control.

Heh.

This endless darkness. It wasn’t so scary. But it also wasn’t where he needed to be, right now.

Before he knew it, the rope from which he dangled was no longer binding him. Instead, he had it in his hands. And with a firm grip, hand over hand, he was climbing his way back out, toward that distant glimmer of light above.

It felt like moving at a snail’s pace, at first. Like the light was not getting closer. Like it never would.

And he felt like he was being watched now, too. Watched and judged. From a million angles at once. A dark, invisible crowd all around him, rooting both for and against him.

But he didn’t balk. And soon, the progress was clear. That light was growing nearer.