Oscar awoke in a daise, everything around him was just darkness. He slowly got up from the cold dark floor stumbling to meet a wall right beside him and another less than an arms reach away.
"Maria!? Maria!? Guys!?", he called out but to no avail. After scanning around him a bit, he began walking. He walked for what felt like hours and hours and with each step the walls got narrower and narrower, and with each breath a wave of fatigue struck harder and harder.
Eventually though he saw a completely white door with a glossy green handle, it was made of fine wood with shiny paint and overall seemed rather expensive to produce. "Open it", a feint voice whispered.
Oscar jolted and turned back to see it but only saw the deep abyss from when he came. After much consideration, he reluctantly opened the door.
Inside the door was a very nostalgic sight, he saw himself at least a younger version of himself. He wore raggy clothes, he had messy hair, and dirt on his face. Beside him a younger Maria, also had raggy clothes and messy skin and they both looked rather skinny.
It was a very small apartment with only the living room being visible which housed a sofa and a television.
In front of them, a beautiful woman with brown hair, emerald green eyes and a huge smile on her face. She held a small chocolate birthday cake with a candle in it which read "Happy birthday Oscar".
His face lit up with happiness, he remembered his past. "We were poor, our dad left us at a very young age so we depended on our mom to help us. She worked two jobs and managed to make ends meet even though at times we didn't look good she did her best".
The young Oscar blew out his candle and they shared the cake, then the small Oscar walked over to him with a piece of cake. Oscar looked down at his younger self with confusion before muttering "So you can see me".
He took the cake which had a fork beside it on a beautiful emerald plate and looked up at Maria and his mum who were both staring back at him with his younger self looking at him with delight from below him.
He took a bite out the cake but it didn't taste like cake but rather blood, he blinked and everything around him changed.
Maria was nowhere to be found, he looked at his cake which was changed for a human heart with a chunk ripped out but was still beating. He saw his younger self in front of his mother who was nailed to the wall by her arms together, she was bleeding from head to toe with a hole where her heart was.
She had missing toe nails, fingers and her eyes were on the floor. Young Oscar stood in front of the body crying and then looked back at Oscar and bellowed "Why'd you kill my mom!!".
He dropped the plate and fork and the plate broke on impact, he fell to his knees and began shivering. Tears began flowing from his eyes then he looked at the heart which was still beating and began vomiting.
"What's this?! What's going on?!!". Young Oscar walked to him yelling out "You caused this!! It's your fault…it's always your fault!! Your weak, your too weak to protect anything!!".
"Shut up!!", Oscar yelled. "Weak! Weak!! Weak!!! Soon you'll be too weak to protect her!", he screamed.
The floor below him became transparent, everything was pitch black except Maisse who was on a floor with pale skin, by her sides and her throat was slit under her was a bed of roses which were stained due to the blood.
"No…i won't let that happen, I will protect her!!", Oscar proclaimed.
"Is that a promise?!", young Oscar asked.
"I…how are you…what if…, Yes! It's a promise!!!", he stated.
Young Oscar then says "I can't assure you mental freedom now you've made this promise, you will continue to see me…don't break my promise".
Oscar looked back up but no one was there, there was nothing anymore just pitch black. He got up and immediately felt hazy, he fell back down.
He felt the gravity increase a hundredfold, he couldn't move. From the darkness a young maisse walked over to him and crouched down and held his face.
"Come on big brother, I know you won't let me die…your strong! Keep pushing".
She then kissed his forehead and he woke up, he was outside the spirit tree. He was weak, too weak to even move a finger.
"What…where am I now?", Oscar thought.
"I feel tired, weak and sleepy…might as well just go". He then shut his eyes and fell asleep
Meanwhile, Rachel awoke to a pile of blood, dismembered bodies left and right, she was covered in blood, her hair was messy and her eyes were glowing.
She was still, she couldn't speak, she couldn't move, she wore a white robe which was dripping with blood. "Why this? Why am I reliving this of all things, this shit",
She blinked and everything changed, she was in a red room and in front of her a muscular man with pale skin, long grey, two black horns on his head and four arms.
He sat on a black chair with is legs crossed and his arms folded together, his eyes were a dark purple. "Rachel", the man spoke, the power in his voice was like thunder.
Rachel's body began shaking as she answered "Yes master". "I have a task for you to do…one not too difficult, the two twins in your team. My ruler needs them for his personal agenda, I need you to take advantage when possible".
"Do I make myself clear?", he finally said while gazing at Rachel.
Rachel stayed quiet, not even looking up to the beast. He hissed and clenched his fist, Rachel began gaggling and coughing.
She held her throat desperately trying to breathe, tears began flowing from her eyes and she began levitating from the floor.
"Child, you know you have no choice, your tears is in my hands, your breathe is in my hands and even your life is in the palm of my hand".
"Now do I make myself clear?!", the man finally spoke.
"Yes…ma…star", she said before dropping back to the floor coughing and finally catching her breath.
The man then began disappearing but says "And always remember, you belong to me".
END OF CHAPTER 22