Gazing upon the majestic being, Luke felt minuscule and insignificant. Trembling with fear, he stammered, "Are you a god?"
The misty countenance responded with a serene smile, studying Luke as though contemplating not just an answer for him, but a revelation for itself.
After a brief pause, the entity replied, "I'm not." The revelation left Luke grappling with the realization that if this being wasn't a god, then what formidable force was he addressing? Though never considering himself religious, Luke found himself pondering, "This must be a dream. I must be dreaming." The surreal encounter blurred the lines between reality and imagination, leaving Luke questioning the very fabric of his existence.
In a melancholy tone, the foggy being spoke to himself, "Once, I dreamed of being one, but now it's just a dream."
Luke, grappling with a growing sense of unease, couldn't help but speculate on the nature of his surroundings. Was this a twisted afterlife, a fog-laden purgatory?
"Am I dead?" he questioned, a palpable anxiety lacing his words.
"I do not know," the being replied, echoing its earlier assertion. "As I said before, I'm not a god, only a sealed man who yearns to be free."
The notion of being sealed intrigued Luke, and thoughts raced through his mind. How could someone so immense be confined, and who could wield such power?
"So if I'm not dead, what is this place, and how did I get here?" Luke inquired, his curiosity mingling with a growing urgency to unravel the mysteries of this ethereal realm.
"That is a good question, my little friend," pondered the face, its colossal features contorting with the effort of solving the same mystery that plagued Luke. Having spent countless lives sealed in this prison, this encounter marked the first time the entity had laid eyes upon a soul.
"But don't worry," the face reassured, sensing Luke's unease, "I can feel your soul fading from this realm."
Luke recoiled in shock. "What do you mean, am I dying?"
The face responded with a serene smile, "Don't worry, you won't die. It's just that your existence in this realm is temporary." The enigmatic reassurance left Luke grappling with the ephemeral nature of his presence in this surreal domain, a realm intertwined with mysteries that seemed to transcend the boundaries of life and death.
As Luke sensed his essence fading, curiosity overcame him, and he asked with fading strength, "Who sealed you here?"
The mighty being's countenance turned serious, and he warned, "If I utter the real name, your soul will shatter, and you'll lose every shred of sanity. You'll become corrupted."
Amazed by this cryptic response, Luke refrained from voicing his next question, suppressing the urge to inquire about the being's true name. The entity, seemingly attuned to Luke's thoughts, smiled and divulged, "I was known by many names, but you can call me the Guardian of the Threshold."
Upon hearing that name, Luke felt an inexplicable weight on his soul, as if his very essence was accelerating its departure. Collapsing to his knees, the name "Guardian of the Threshold" echoed in his mind, intensifying the dissolution of his being until he ceased to exist in the foggy realm.
Observing this, the mighty being erupted into laughter. "After thousands of years, let's see if the winds of fate will bring change this time." The laughter reverberated through the empty expanse, leaving an eerie resonance as the fog settled into its timeless stillness.