Chapter 3 - Immortality

In that moment of darkness, as the life force left my body, a surge of energy enveloped me. It was a force unlike anything I had ever experienced before - warm, comforting, and powerful. It felt as if something was pulling me back from the brink of death.

As the world around me faded away, I found myself in a surreal realm - a place between life and death, where time seemed to stand still. There, I saw a celestial figure radiating with dark energy surrounding her. The figure looked familiar, and as I squinted to see more clearly, I realized it was my mother. Her eyes were filled with concern and determination.

"Dante, my son," she spoke with a gentle yet commanding voice, "it's not your time to leave this world. You have a purpose, a destiny that awaits you. You must return."

"Mum, where have you been? I've been missing you so much. Where is Dad and my sister?" I screamed out, my voice echoing through the empty space. My heart raced as I desperately tried to run towards her, but with every step I took, the distance between us seemed to widen, like an insurmountable void.

"Mum, please don't go," I pleaded, my voice cracking with desperation. I started running towards her with all the strength I could gather but still, no matter how hard I tried, it was as if an invisible force was pulling her away from me, like an unbreakable tether.

She turned her head slightly, her gaze meeting mine for a fleeting moment. There was a mixture of sadness and determination in her eyes, a silent farewell. She continued to walk away, her figure gradually fading into the distance. My legs ached as I pushed myself to the limit, running as if my life depended on it.

The Space seemed to stretch infinitely, an endless expanse that mocked my efforts. The world around me began to warp and distort, as if reality itself was contorting to keep me from reaching her.

I could feel the darkness closing in on me, its cold, clammy embrace wrapping around me like a suffocating shroud. Panic clawed at my chest as I struggled against the encroaching abyss. I fought with every ounce of strength I had left, but it was as if I was trapped in a nightmare, a twisted reality that defied all reason.

The darkness consumed me, swallowing me whole. I could feel its icy tendrils slithering up my legs, inch by inch, as if trying to drag me into an eternal abyss. I thrashed and writhed, my desperate attempts to break free becoming more frantic with each passing moment.

I whispered to myself, my voice a fragile echo in the void. "So this is hell, an eternity of nothingness." The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, a sense of hopelessness washing over me. But just when I thought all was lost, a faint glimmer pierced through the darkness.

A dim light, barely visible, flickered in the distance. It was a beacon of hope, a lifeline amidst the void. I fixated on it, my heart pounding with a newfound determination. As I focused on the light, it began to grow, slowly at first, then steadily expanding until it enveloped the entire space.

The light was blinding, yet oddly comforting. It seemed to pull me in, its gentle embrace wrapping around me like a warm blanket. I felt weightless, as if I was floating in a sea of radiance. The fear and despair that had gripped me began to ebb away, replaced by a sense of tranquillity.

The light pulled me closer, its gentle tug guiding me towards its heart. I surrendered to its embrace, allowing myself to be carried away on its ethereal currents. The sensation was both exhilarating and soothing, like being cradled in the arms of an unseen presence.

And then, with a rush of energy and a burst of brilliance, I was pulled into the heart of the light. It was an explosion of sensation, a symphony of color and sound that enveloped my senses. I felt as though I was being reborn, emerging from the depths of despair into a realm of pure possibility.

As the blinding light gradually receded, I found myself sprawled on the cold, hard ground. Blood stained my torn clothes, remnants of the brutal encounter with the monsters that had left me scarred, both physically and emotionally. The gaping hole in my heart felt just as raw as the scratches and tears on my body. I managed to stand, my trembling hands running over my battered form, struggling to comprehend what had transpired. I should have died back there, crushed by the weight of despair. But I was alive, standing amidst the wreckage of my reality, questioning the very essence of my existence.

"Why am I alive? I was supposed to be dead," I pondered silently within my mind, unable to fathom the inexplicable turn of events. My gaze shifted to the shattered window beside me, a fragmented reflection of my own disarrayed visage staring back at me. Unable to resist, I reached out and traced the contours of my face, half-expecting the illusion to shatter like the glass beneath my fingertips. I pinched my cheek, and the jolt of pain that shot through me was almost reassuring confirmation that I wasn't lost in some endless nightmare that I was alive .

In that moment, it struck me like a bolt of lightning that this wasn't the end, that fate had given me another chance to continue my search for my missing dad,mum and sister. Before I could fully grasp the implications of this revelation, a low, menacing growl interrupted my thoughts. The sound emanated from my right, and instinctively, I turned my head to face the source.

There, looming before me, was the very embodiment of my darkest fears,the demon that had claimed my life. The tendrils of terror gripped me, rendering my limbs useless against the impending threat. Run, my mind screamed, but my legs remained rooted to the spot, paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of my fear. The demon advanced slowly, its predatory gaze fixated upon me. Fangs glinted in the dim light, saliva dripping from its gaping maw.

With a dry gulp, I fixated on the scene before me, my voice trembling as I whispered, "I am going to die again."