In a room far underneath the village
The room was cloaked in darkness, the only light coming from a few flickering candles scattered around. Their dim, wavering flames cast eerie shadows on the walls, making the room feel even more oppressive. The air was thick with the scent of melted wax and something metallic.
In the silence, the sound of chains rattling echoed ominously, each clink and clatter sending shivers down the spine. The chains seemed to come from every direction, their source hidden in the shadows.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air, raw and desperate. It was the scream of someone in unimaginable pain, their voice echoing off the cold, stone walls. The sound was haunting, lingering in the air long after the scream had faded, leaving an unsettling silence in its wake.
The room felt alive with fear and despair, every flicker of the candlelight revealing glimpses of the torment within.
Damian was bound in chains, his hands and legs shackled like an animal. Every few seconds, waves of excruciating pain wracked his body, forcing him to scream and beg for death. The relentless torment left him no chance to rest or recover, each moment a new descent into agony.
"How long are you going to keep this up? Just give up and break already," taunted the man in the white coat. His black hair framed piercing eyes that seemed to bore into Damian's soul. A crooked smile twisted his lips as he watched Damian writhe in agony, every moment of pain reflected in his tormented expression.body.
"Never!" Damian spat through gritted teeth.
"Ahhhhhh!" His scream echoed through the room, a testament to the unbearable pain coursing through his body. "Once I get out of here, I'll go straight to that village chief. I'll slaughter him, his family, and every single person there," he vowed, his breath ragged and heated, each word dripping with fury and desperation.
""Oh, how cute," the man in the white coat sneered. "Seeing how much determination you have, let me tell you something."
He leaned in closer, his eyes glinting with malice. "These chains bound to you are called Soul Crushers. They don't just bind your body; they drain your very essence, your soul. The more you struggle and resist the pain, the stronger they ge until you become a broken husk with no will of it's own."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "You see, there's no escape. The village chief made sure of that. Your screams, your determination, your anger— those things are all just fuel for the chains and only make the chains stronger than ever."
Damian's eyes widened in horror as the reality of his situation sank in. The man in the white coat chuckled darkly, savoring the fear that now mingled with Damian's pain.
Despair washed over him. 'He's right, there's nothing I can do. I can't even fight a beast without it feeling like suicide,' he thought, the weight of his helplessness crushing him. 'I'm just talk. When it comes down to it, there's nothing I can really do.'
With a heavy heart, Damian closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.
The man watched steadily as he saw Damian succumbing to his fate.
Damian's mind began to drift as he teetered on the edge of consciousness. The oppressive darkness seemed to close in, suffocating any last remnants of hope. Just as he was about to surrender completely, a faint voice echoed in his mind.
"So is this it? Is this how you want to die?"
The voice was familiar, so familiar that when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a white space. The expanse around him was endless, a vast void of pure white that seemed to stretch on forever. There were no walls, no ceiling, no floor—just an infinite, featureless whiteness that enveloped him completely.
The light was filled deep yet pervasive, casting no shadows and leaving no place to hide. The air was still and silent, amplifying the sense of isolation. It was as if time itself had stopped, leaving Damian suspended in this surreal, empty realm.
Is this how you want to die? To die again without seeking revenge on Emma for what she did to us?" the voice echoed, challenging him.
"What do you mean, us?" Damian asked, bewildered.
A figure materialized before him, and Damian's eyes widened in shock. It was himself, a reflection from another life.
"But how?" Damian stammered
"What do you mean, how? This is our mind space," the figure replied calmly. "I am you, and you are me."
The figure continued, "The me I know would never give up, not after what Emma did. The me I know doesn't confront challenges head-on; he uses every advantage to win, no matter the circumstances. Even in a hopeless situation, he would struggle until his last breath.
"But how do you know all this?" Damian asked, still in disbelief.
"Don't you remember? I am you, and you are me," the figure said, a cheerful smile spreading across his face. "The me I know is a fighter, a survivor. Now, let's rise together and take back what was stolen from us."
Damian felt a surge of determination.
"You're right. We won't give up. We'll fight, and we'll win."
Back in the real world, something extraordinary was unfolding. The screams echoing from Damian had ceased, replaced by a phenomenon beyond comprehension.
A bright white light enveloped the entire
room, pure and gentle, yet intense. Intertwined with this light was a red glow, growing stronger with each passing second, casting an eerie, otherworldly hue.
Damian's eyes snapped open, undergoing a terrifying transformation. One eye glowed a fierce red, the other a stark white, giving him the appearance of a supernatural being.
The man in the lab coat stood frozen, his face a mask of shock and horror. "How is this possible? His soul should be completely destroyed beyond repair by now. How can he be having a soul awakening?" he muttered, his voice trembling. The pressure in the room intensified, forcing him to his knees.
Snapped out of his thoughts, he looked up to see Damian standing before him, the chains that once bound him now shattered.
"Didn't I tell you? I'll kill you all," Damian
said, his voice unnaturally cold, like the chill of death. Before the man could react, Damian snapped his fingers, and the man's head was obliterated, leaving nothing but a gruesome stump.
"Now, it's time for you all to join him in hell," Damian declared, a hellish, creepy smile spreading across his face. "i'm coming for you."