Neato found himself in a dark, empty void. "Where am I?" he called out, his voice echoing in the emptiness. As he looked around, he suddenly saw Kael and Nayan emerging from the shadows. Their faces were twisted with pain and anger.
"Why didn't you help me?" they cried in unison, their voices filled with accusation.
Neato stepped back, shaking his head. "What is this? What's happening?"
Kael and Nayan's faces began to melt, their eyes dripping down their cheeks like wax. "Why?" they repeated, their voices growing louder and more desperate.
Neato screamed and covered his eyes, trying to block out the horrifying sight. When he finally dared to uncover them, he found himself submerged in an ocean of blood. The thick, crimson liquid lapped at his body, making it difficult to move.
In the distance, he saw a man standing calmly on the surface of the blood. The man's face was hidden in shadow, but his presence was commanding and eerie.
"Your time is coming," the man said, his voice deep and foreboding.
Before Neato could react, the scene shifted abruptly. He was now standing over a man, repeatedly stabbing him with his sword. Each thrust brought a wave of visions—flashes of destruction, pain, and chaos.
Neato woke up with a jolt, his body drenched in sweat. It was morning, and the sun was beginning to rise. The vividness of the dream left him in shock. He stumbled away from his sleeping spot, falling to his knees and vomiting into the sand.
He looked around, but the witch, Astran, was nowhere to be seen. "Was it all a dream?" he wondered, still trembling. He walked over to his horse, who seemed calm and patient, waiting for him.
"Let's go," Neato said, trying to steady his voice. He climbed onto the horse and urged it to move. "Let's go."
As the horse began to trot away, Neato glanced back once more, half-expecting to see Astran again. From a distance, Astran watched him leave. Beside her stood a figure in black robes adorned with yellow ancient script. The figure's face was ghastly—burned and eyeless, with only a mouth full of teeth visible. He held a cane, which he tapped rhythmically against the ground.
"Astran, so he is the one from the prophecy?" the figure said, his voice cold and chilling.
"Yes, Messiah," Astran replied. "He is The Darkened One."
The Messiah grinned, a sinister expression on his mutilated face. "Oh, the Darkened One. If it truly is you, then the world will fall into darkness."
"Yes," Astran agreed, a dark gleam in her eyes. "Yes, it will, Messiah."
END OF CHAPTER 31