I don't know how much time had passed since I lost consciousness, but when I regained my senses, I felt a strong pain. The pain was so intense that it felt like my heartbeat was echoing in my head. Each beat of my heart reverberated with an unbearable pulsating pain in my head. It was as if my head was being squeezed or pressed down.
As I resigned myself to the pain and tried to calm it down, I realized that I couldn't move. I felt paralyzed, unable to move anything, not even my eyes. The eyelids that I tried to open felt as heavy as several kilograms each. Being in such a position, unable to even open my eyes, plunged me into a abyss of fear. My already racing heart accelerated its pace, intensifying the pounding sensation in my head. With each passing second, my heart beat faster and faster, and consequently, the pain grew stronger and stronger.
I didn't want, or rather, I couldn't accept this. So, I exerted more strength to open my eyes and see what was happening. I couldn't believe that I was lying on the floor in my own room. If that were the case, someone should have found me, at least someone.
Suddenly, a thought about my parents crossed my mind. I hadn't seen them in a long time. Probably two or three years. A memory resurfaced in my mind of the last time we saw each other. I had a big argument with them because they were never home for years, and I couldn't understand it even though I was already an adult. But I could see unwillingness to leave and even love on their faces, yet, despite understanding that, I couldn't reconcile with their departure, which led to our parting on such a bad note.
A bad note? That's what struck me now. Is it possible that I'm dying right now? If that's the case, what about them? I can't die right now. If I die like this, they will be left with the memory that their son hated them, but that's not true. Thoughts of this made me shed tears. A few teardrops slowly rolled down my face.
Perhaps the feeling of wetness on my face and a strong desire not to leave them with such a memory gave me the strength to put more effort into opening my eyes. Applying all my strength, I managed to lift my eyelids, but only by a few millimeters. I merely opened them a crack, but through that opening, I saw the darkness surrounding me and a small bright spot right in front of me.
At that moment, two desires gave me the strength to fully open my eyes: the desire not to give up and the desire to understand. The desire not to give up was driven by the will to live, and the desire to understand was fueled by the hope to see, with the hope that it would turn out to be a hospital.
I don't know how long I struggled, maybe minutes, maybe several hours. The outcome of the battle was ultimately my victory. I managed to open my eyes, but the expectation was completely shattered. What I saw in the glimpse of my eyes turned out to be true. The truth that I couldn't accept, for I found myself surrounded by darkness, and there was something standing in front of me.
Focusing my vision, which seemed to be that of a drunkard, I still managed to see that something. It was bright, too bright. So bright that my eyes were literally seared by the light emanating from it. Apparently noticing my pain in my eyes, it spoke to me with a voice that was neither feminine nor masculine.
The voice seemed as if it were not of this world, simultaneously neither alive nor dead, but so enchanting that the words possessed a supernatural harmony and brightness, filling the space around them with light, bestowing peace and joy. The tone of the voice gently enveloped me, like an invisible feather, and delicately interwove with the very air, creating a magical combination of sound and ether.
The softness and smoothness of this voice captured attention, like the touch of silk fabric. It slowly and gracefully painted pictures, filled with the water of a river that flowed effortlessly and carefree, inviting my consciousness into its alluring depth. The sounds were melodies, caressing the ears and awakening dormant emotions, immersing me in a state of tranquility and serenity.
"You will feel better now," it said and brought its hand closer to my eyes. After the touch of its hand to my eyes, the pain in my eyes subsided, but the headache that was there before did not cease.
"Now, do you feel better?" it asked.
"I..." I managed to utter.
"I understand, do not be afraid," it said and brought its hand once again, but this time towards my head, saying, "I will take away your pain."
After the hand touched my head, I immediately felt a sensation that I could only describe as bliss. All the pain, weakness, and fear vanished instantly, leaving only tranquility that lasted for mere seconds before I heard the following words.
"You were summoned," it said.
These words caught me off guard. I already knew that I was not where I wanted to be and not where I thought I would be, but summoned. Summoned to where? Why? The questions resided solely in my mind, but something answered me.
"To another world. It runs parallel to yours, but it is dying. Your self died, here, without fulfilling its purpose. It was destined to fight for the people in its own land, but another power, stealing knowledge of the future, killed it."
"But I am not him," I said, almost crying. I was afraid that I could not return to where they took me from. Thoughts of the last visit of my parents back home and how I bid them farewell made me... regretful and...
"If you can save this world, then I will return you," it said.
"But how and when? When did you take me or after decades? I don't want this, return me," I began shouting like a little child whose parents left him against his wishes in a daycare.
"Everything has already been decided, you must be here. But... As it was mentioned before, I will return you when you succeed here. I will try to bring you back at the moment when I took you, which means you can continue living as if nothing happened," it said, but at the same moment, another voice sounded.
"If, of course, he succeeds," something said in the darkness.
I heard such a... repulsive... no, that word isn't strong enough. It is best described as a dreadful voice. It was so repulsive that my words cannot convey its full disgust and revulsion. Genderless, yet devoid of any grace, it pierced my ears as if it were metallic screeching or an unbearable screech, penetrating into my soul.
It permeated every cell of my body, causing a sense of complete repulsion and discomfort. The sounds it emitted seemed inhuman and maniacal, like black thorns piercing my soul and tearing it apart. When it resounded, I felt my skin covered in cold sweat, and shivers penetrated the deepest depths of my being.
Its resonance was like death, freezing the air itself and turning it into an icy void. It poisoned my thoughts, filling them with darkness and fear, making me a prisoner of its cruelty. I wanted to escape from it, to close my ears and forget that such horror existed.
This voice was unimaginably terrible; it struck my soul and left nothing but ruins. It was like a sinister melody playing in the darkness, making me feel as if no force could free me from its malevolent influence.
"Thou shalt not interfere," said the white figure.
"Indeed, I can, for I have granted thee permission, and thus I have the right to be here," it replied.
"Yes, but 'twas thou who killed my earthly self, and therefore thou hast no right to be here," said the white figure.
"But I have mended my ways. Now, he resides here, and thus the balance is restored," it said.
"No, the balance is not restored. I shall return unto him the power that belonged to the one thou killed," said the white figure.
"To thy dismay, thou canst not bestow that power. For it would disrupt the balance," said a voice from the darkness.
"Balance? Thou hast already disrupted it. I but seek restoration," said the white figure.
"Perhaps. But the decision is made. The power is bestowed upon one, not two. These were rules created not by us. Hast thou not forgotten them?" said the voice from the darkness.
"But how, then, shall he replace him?" asked the white figure.
"Hmm. Let me ponder," said the voice from the darkness. "I have decided. I believe it shall not disrupt the balance, for it shall be hastily created, hence feeble, posing no threat to the balance's integrity," it said, and added, "Thou shalt have two minutes to create a power akin to that possessed by others."
"Only two minutes, yet it is insufficient," said the white figure.
"Yes, therein lies the drawback, but it shall not be in vain," said the voice from the darkness, laughing.
Throughout this time, I could not utter a single sound. They seemed to have forgotten about my presence, engrossed in their own discourse. However, as the voice from the darkness finished speaking and began to laugh, the voice of the white figure turned to me.