Adam stood at the precipice of Cloud Haven, the wind whipping his hair, carrying the scent of fading blue blossoms from the Tree of Life.
Beneath him, thick layers of clouds stretched out, concealing the poisoned world that awaited him below. He inhaled deeply, clutching Ibrahim's necklace which glowed with a faint blue light, a beacon of hope in a sea of darkness.
His descent began.
He climbed down the ropes hanging from the roots of the Tree of Life, moving from branch to branch, gradually leaving behind the faint lights of the village.
The further he descended, the more intense the wind became, and he began to hear strange whispers tearing through the silence.
They were frightening whispers, resembling the sounds of the monsters his grandmother used to tell him about in bedtime stories.
Adam paused at the edge of the clouds.
From here, he could only see a hazy whiteness that stretched endlessly.
It was like standing at the edge of a precipice, at the edge of an unknown world hiding death and life within its folds.
Jaber's words echoed in his mind: "Beware of the darkness! For in the darkness lies evil! And in evil… lies death!"
He closed his eyes for a moment, summoning memories of his childhood in Cloud Haven - playing with his friends among the branches of the Tree of Life, his mother singing to him before sleep, his grandmother telling him stories of the old world. These memories warmed him, giving him strength to face the unknown.
Opening his eyes, Adam resolved to continue his journey. He took a deep breath and leaped into the heart of the frightening whiteness. He felt his body tearing through the air, the cold penetrating his bones, fear gripping his heart. It was like Icarus falling from the sky, a terrible descent toward the abyss.
But Adam was not Icarus. He carried a hope that would not be extinguished, a necklace emitting a faint blue light, and the fate of an entire village resting on his shoulders.
Suddenly, Adam felt his body collide with something solid. He opened his eyes to find he had landed on a wooden platform suspended between the clouds.
The platform was dilapidated, resembling an old ship battling raging waves.
On the platform, he found an old man sitting on a worn chair, his eyes staring into the void.
"Who are you?" Adam asked, his voice trembling.
The old man looked at Adam, a strange smile gracing his wrinkled face.
"I am the gatekeeper," he said in a raspy voice, "I am the one who decides who enters and who leaves."
"Gate? What is this gate?"
"The gate to the underworld," replied the old man, "a gate to a world full of dangers and surprises."
Anxiety crept into Adam's heart.
Was this man Kai, his mysterious companion? Or was he someone else, someone hiding a dark secret?
Anxiety crept into Adam's heart.
Was this man Kai, his mysterious companion? Or was he someone else, someone hiding a dark secret?
Adam stared at the old man, his eyes boring into his. He tried to read his thoughts, to understand his motives.
But the old man was like a closed book, impossible to decipher.
"Why are you here?" asked the old man, his voice menacing.
"I am looking for the Mistflower," Adam answered, "a flower said to heal all diseases."