"I will get stronger," Alex said, his voice firm, though his body quivered with exhaustion.
"So strong that no one will ever be able to hurt me or the people I care about again.
I will find those responsible for this... and I will make them pay.
I will have my revenge."
The dream shattered like fragile glass, pieces of the nightmare dissolving into nothingness.
His chest ached, his heart still racing as he blinked and found himself once more in the garden within the ancient tree.
The calming glow of the grass and the sweet, earthy scent of the plants enveloped him, but it did little to calm the trembling in his limbs.
"That was... that was terrifying,"
Alex muttered under his breath, his voice shaking.
He placed a hand over his chest, trying to steady his frantic breathing.
"I thought I was going to die back there. It felt so real…"
"It was real, in a way," a calm voice interrupted.
Alex spun around, his knees nearly buckling beneath him as he faced the figure standing at the edge of the garden.
Their presence was as unnerving as ever, yet there was an odd warmth to their tone.
"Well done, Alex," the figure said, their voice steady and devoid of emotion, yet it seemed to carry an undertone of approval.
Alex's knees felt weak, and he almost sank to the ground, his body still reeling from the ordeal.
Despite his exhaustion, his mind burned with questions.
Frustration bubbled inside him, along with a growing need for answers.
"I... I've been meaning to ask you something,"
Alex stammered, forcing himself to stand straighter despite the trembling in his legs.
He swallowed hard, his voice breaking as he continued.
"How do you know me? How do you know my name?"
The figure remained silent for a long moment, their gaze unreadable.
Alex clenched his fists, his frustration spilling over.
"Just tell me!" he snapped. "How do you know who I am? Why am I here?"
The figure finally moved, stepping closer with an eerie grace.
Their presence seemed to fill the entire garden, their calmness both soothing and unsettling.
"You are more than you realize, Alex," they said, their voice carrying a weight that made Alex's chest tighten.
"That doesn't answer my question!" Alex snapped, his fear momentarily overshadowed by anger.
"Stop talking in riddles and just tell me how you know me!"
The figure tilted their head slightly, as if considering his outburst.
"All in time, Alex," they said, their tone unchanging.
"But know this—you are here for a reason, and your name is known because you are part of something greater than yourself."
Alex's frustration deepened, but the exhaustion in his body made it difficult to keep arguing.
Something greater than myself? What does that even mean?
"You are here because the path you were on led you here," the figure interrupted gently.
"Every choice you made, every step you took, brought you to this moment.
And I have been waiting for you."
"You are here because you were destined to be here," the figure finally said, their voice calm but carrying a weight that made Alex's breath hitch.
"Destined?"
"Waiting for me?" Alex asked, confusion mingling with his frustration.
His voice was shaky, but he pressed on.
"Why? What could you possibly want from me"?
"I want nothing from you," the person said, their tone unchanging.
"I am simply here to guide you.
Your purpose lies beyond this garden, in a world that is waiting for you to understand your true strength.
You have only just begun to see it."
Alex's fists tightened, his frustration boiling over.
"No! I don't want any of this!" he snapped, his voice breaking with the weight of his emotions.
"I want nothing to do with any of this! I just want to go back to my family and help them! I want to know if they're okay.
This... this destiny stuff, it's not what I asked for!"
The person's gaze remained calm, steady, and unmoved by Alex's outburst.
"I understand your pain," they said softly.
"I know what you have lost, and I know that you did not choose this path.
But sometimes, the path chooses us."
Alex shook his head, tears threatening to spill over again.
"No," he whispered. "I didn't ask for any of this.
I just want to go home... I just want things to be the way they were before."
The figure watched him in silence, their eyes eyes flicker maybe in understand.
"You may not have asked for this, Alex, but you cannot turn away from it now.
What you saw, what you felt—it was real, and it will continue to be real until you face what lies ahead.
Your destiny is not something you can escape."
Alex's hands dropped to his sides, and he looked away, his chest tightening with grief and rage.
He didn't want to hear about destiny or fate; he wanted answers, he wanted his family, he wanted to be anywhere but here.
"I don't even know who you are," he said, his voice barely a whisper, broken and raw.
"Why should I trust you?"
The person took a step closer, their presence both reassuring and unsettling.
"You do not have to trust me," they said gently.
"But you must trust yourself.
Your path is your own to walk, but I am here to guide you, to show you what you are capable of.
There is more at stake than you can yet understand, but know this: you were meant to survive, to stand where you stand now."
"I understand your anger. But you are here for a reason.
Your path was always meant to lead you to this place, to this moment. You cannot go back, Alex.
Not yet."
"Why?" Alex's voice was a raw whisper, his anger wavering with confusion.
"Why can't you at least explain what all of this is? Or give me a hint, anything!"
The person's eyes seemed to soften, and they took a step closer, the light of the garden reflecting in their gaze.
"Some answers must be found, not given.
If I were to tell you everything, it would mean nothing.
You have to discover the truth for yourself, and only then will you understand your purpose."