Author's Notes: You read the summary exactly right. The Gedō Mazō is the Japanese term for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. What can I say? This is what happens when I'm bored and have writer's block.

Chapter One:

Awakening

I.

Something screams.

Something tears.

The pain is immense.

Wailing.

Wailing.

Wailing.

II.

There is Silence.

Not silence, but.

Silence.

It deserves the Capital Letter.

III.

Breathe in, breathe out

breathe in

breathe out

breathe

in

breathe

out-

who…

who am I?

IV.

There is darkness and pain and nothing and I-

for I am truly an 'I', an existence beyond the darkness (I hope)

-can't

-move.

I scream.

But my mouth makes no sound.

V.

The air is cold.

Or maybe that's just me.

I am cold.

(just wishful thinking, wishful thoughts, when I do not even know if I am alive or dead-

if I even truly exist-)

The air is cold.

I wish I had a blanket.

VI.

Memories.

They flicker.

There are ones where I am great and powerful.

There are ones where I hold two children in my arms.

There are ones where I dance like death given human form.

But there are also ones where I sit, and watch people dance on a screen and laugh with friends I cannot see and put weird things in my mouth and chew them and-

I have a Mother and a Father who love me and I have words and I move-

The memories where there is no blood and death and screaming screaming screaming-

I prefer those.

VII.

I hear people.

A man.

No, not a man.

Mother, it says to me, with the reverence of a worshipper to their God.

I am not alone.

I am alive.

The other presence, it whispers endearments.

I'll free you, Mother.

The hope is staggering.

Let me feel the blue sky and taste the air and drink the stars let me breathe again I can't breathe it hurts I want to be free help me please Zetsu-

VIII.

It's gone.

I can't feel the other presence, and I want to wail.

Evil, something whispers to me. Evil. Black and White Zetsu.

Things danced on the screen, thousands of creatures, a plan made by a madwoman to come back to life-

The memories flicker and die like mayflies.

My son.

The longing is all I feel.

Set me free I want to be free-

IX.

Someone calls me.

I must answer.

Freedom taunts me.

Freedom, but not freedom.

I am chained.

This is worse than the void.

There, I was numb.

Here, freedom is just beyond my fingertips.

X.

There are more people.

I feel the energy – familiar, minemineminemine – but I care more for the spirits.

Children. So young. So hurting.

The first – blue fire like death, I was never anything more than a pawn, no one will mourn me when I'm gone – I reach out and grasp.

She flickers with her grief.

I would mourn, I whisper to her. Stay with me, little one. Stay with me.

There are others – fainter emanations of pink crackling stone, bubbles floating in the sky, red hot rage, cool wet energy, billows of wet heat, flickering wings than the other Spirits – and I take them all.

My children, as much as the other presence who left me alone in my chains.

I want to see them live.

Their lives, stolen.

By me.

By me.

By me.

(There is another voice, and I ram against it, I have broken it, but it still holds me, I cannot move, I cannot resist-)

Their bodies sink into the earth at my feet, and I cradle them in my roots.

When I am free, I promise them all, you will live again.

I promise.