"After you died. I first went to the underworld, searching for your soul. But it wasn't there. Then I checked the heavens, but there was no sign of you either. Finally, I ventured into the void, and that's where I found you… what are you, Alex? Some kind of Outer Being?"
Alex couldn't help but chuckle. He understood now. Death, for him, wasn't a journey to the afterlife. It was a return to his own world, a world with a computer screen, a notification, and a loving mother.
"Just seems I come back here when I die," he offered, a wry smile on his face.
Gariel tilted his head, a confused expression etched on his face. "Come back here? What do you mean?"
The weight of his secret – the connection to his world beyond the Colosseum – suddenly felt heavy on Alex's shoulders. He wasn't sure how much he could reveal, or if Gariel would even believe him. With a deep breath, he decided to play it safe for now.
