I stood stunned as I read the note, and nevously looked over to the dark armor that now held the shine of polished steel instead of 3D printed plastic, and the ridiculously huge sword that leaned against the wall behind it. Somehow it hadn't crushed the wall or the floor it rested on, thank god. The armor was what concerned me the most. Did I want to know what my darkest thoughts really were? I didn't have a goal worth literally tearing myself apart for, but I was dangerously, morbidly curious.

The helmet was in the shape of a skull, before Guts had put it on for the first time. Would it turn into a wolf again, or something else? I didn't necessarily have to do anything strenuous, I could just put it on and sit down. It would turn back into harmless decoration in a few hours anyway, I would only have this one chance to know what it felt like to wear. My curiosity won.

Piece by piece I put on the armor, leather belts snug against my underclothes. Piece by piece, I felt sensation vanish from my body parts. It was like my limbs had vanished even though I was looking at them. The sore back I didn't know I'd been dealing with suddenly didn't hurt, and I sharply reminded myself that it was still there. The gauntlets were next, and then I took a moment to stare into the eyeholes of the skull-like helmet. Everything below my neck was numb, this was the last piece. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I put the helmet on.

I walked up to the mirror on my closet door. The armor fit like a glove, why wouldn't it? I'd never looked scarier. A voice like wind hissing through grass and whistling through broken glass laughed in my ear, and I frantically looke around for the source.

"Why so jumpy? It's only you here. What, scared of your own shadow?" the voice taunted. I reached for the hemet, voices were NOT a good sign. "Running away? How predictable." I stopped. "Thaaaat's it. I'll only be here for a few hours anyway, right? We can get to know each other before then. Go ahead, ask those burning questions rattling away in your head."

"Fine." I took my hands away from the helmet and sat down. "I know you're some primal part of my psyche, the id if we go by Nietzsche's model."

"Spot on; I'm the lizard brain, the bedrock, the survival instinct, that last little bit of caveman we all push down," the voice agreed. "Surprisingly little divides the common man from a beast. Two missed meals and 24 hours are all that seperate us from the animals."

"If that's the case, it's no wonder why Guts was so dangerous in this thing," I thought aloud. "A life like his, where he shoved down all of the unpleasant things in his life, which was A LOT, and it all ended up where you're sitting."

"Mmhm," it hummed in agreement. "You may not be a Guts, but you shoved some garbage down here too. How about we take a trip down memory lane?" My eyes widened.

"Don't." I said quickly, holding my head in my hands. "Don't say another word."

"So quick to run away at every turn." It sounded like it pitied me, I could easily imagine a shaking head. "It's just your memories, your own history, your thoughts... especially your thoughts. What better therapy could you hope for than speaking directly to the garbage man in your head?" I was silent. I couldn't feel my pulse, but I could tell it was hammering at a mile a minute. Either I face this now or I prove this voice right and keep running away... I covered my eyes with my hands.

"Tell me what I put there." I said quietly. The voice chuckled.

"Heh heh heh, not much by any metric, but enough to bring so much shame to you. Let's get started!"

It listed off every thought I'd ever berated myself for even having. Guilty pleasures I hid behind locked doors, secrets I kept from even close friends, thoughts I had about the people around me, lies I told myself so many times I believed them. I had to constantly remind myself to not use any strength or risk breaking bones and tearing muscle with strength beyond what my body was built for. A few minutes later it ran out of things to say and I sighed in relief.

"So much clutter all aired out at last. Like I said, not much." I nodded. It was painful, but hearing the truth often was, and I could move forward from here. I looked in the mirror again, and did a double take. The helmet had changed from a skull to a face. My face, molded in dark steel. Every bump and tiny scar looked hammered with care into the metal. "You faced your own demons, allowed yourself to hear the truth. Now the inside matches the outside. Now you don't hide behind masks and armor. It's there for everyone to see."

I didn't know if I would be able to tell other people the truth like I had myself, but I could try. It was right: no more masks.