Erin's mind raced as he tried to process the words of the terrifying being in front of him. What did it mean about me finally being awake? The absurdity of the situation made him chuckle nervously, but that didn't do anything to calm his nerves.
'Besides, how can I be awake while I'm dreaming? What kind of idiot is this being?'
These thoughts swirled in Erin's mind, but he kept them to himself, too scared to utter a single word. The creature before him was overwhelming, not just in size but in presence. Every instinct screamed at him to stay silent, to avoid provoking it further.
'Should I make a run for it?' Erin wondered, but the problem was, there was nowhere to run. The darkness stretched endlessly in every direction. But before he could decide, the being spoke again.
"You sure have a sharp mouth, don't you?" the creature's voice was like thunder, each word heavy and full of power. "I'm just a random stranger, yet you talk to me that way."
Erin swallowed hard. The being's words were simple, but they cut deep, leaving him feeling small and insignificant. Normally, Erin was the type who could talk back no matter who he was facing, but in front of this creature, he felt utterly powerless.
'I ain't doing this.'With this single thought, Erin bolted, sprinting as fast as his legs would carry him.
'You may be big, but that doesn't mean you're fast,' he told himself, hoping against hope that he could outrun the creature and its monstrous scythe. The thought of that weapon slicing through the air, possibly through him, sent a fresh wave of terror through him.
He didn't dare look back. His focus was solely on putting as much distance between himself and the creature as possible. This is just a dream, he reminded himself. *As long as something wakes me up from the outside world, I'll be safe. I just need to keep running until then.
But to Erin's surprise, the creature didn't chase him. Instead, it turned and started walking away in the opposite direction.
'Has it lost interest in me?' The thought gave him a small sliver of hope. Maybe he could escape after all. The hellish landscape stretched on endlessly, and Erin knew he had to keep moving. Even though the creature was no longer in sight, he didn't dare stop running.
But after what felt like hours of running, Erin stumbled upon something that left him shocked and horrified. He had come back to the creature. Somehow, despite running in what he thought was a straight line, he had ended up right where he started.
'Maybe there are just two of them,' he thought desperately. Refusing to believe he had been running in circles, Erin veered to the side, trying to bypass the creature. But no matter which direction he chose, he kept returning to the same spot, to the same terrifying figure.
"Aren't you tired of running?" the creature asked, its voice calm and almost amused. "Who do you think made this hell?"
Erin froze, his heart pounding in his chest. The creature's words echoed in his mind, filling him with a sense of dread. "You can't escape if you try and run because I control this place."
The being's words were absolute, crushing any hope Erin had of finding a way out. And then, as if sensing his fear, the creature added,
"It seems you're having trouble talking to me like this. Maybe I should change to a more appropriate form."
Before Erin's eyes, the massive figure began to shrink. The towering giant, larger than mountains, started to diminish in size. The transformation was rapid, yet unnerving. In a matter of moments, the being was no longer a colossal figure but rather the size of a regular human—still taller than Erin, but not by much.
"Are you happy now?" the creature asked, its voice no longer booming, but still deep and resonant.
"Yes," Erin replied automatically, though his voice trembled. *Its voice is still terrifying,* he thought, trying to steady his breathing.
"Is my voice too terrifying for you? Let me tune it down a bit," the creature said, its voice becoming softer, less intimidating, though still carrying an eerie undertone. Erin wondered how this being could read his thoughts so easily, as if it was privy to every single one.
*How can this guy read my mind?* Erin wondered, his unease growing with every second. Ever since he encountered the creature, it had been able to respond to his thoughts as if they were spoken aloud.
"I can read your mind," the creature confirmed.
"It was I who invited you to this place, but I wasn't expecting you to wake up this fast. I thought it would at least take a hundred years until then."
'A hundred years?' Erin's mind reeled at the thought. The creature had been prepared to wait that long, which made him wonder just how ancient and powerful it really was.
"I'm not telling you my age, by the way," the creature added and even though Erin couldn't see anything from the creatures face he felt as if it was smirking at him.
"I wasn't asking for it either," Erin shot back, surprised at his own boldness. It was the first full sentence he had managed to say since the encounter began.
"There is much I want to tell you, but time is running out," the creature said, its tone shifting to something almost regretful. "We could have talked longer if you hadn't tried to run."
Erin noticed his body was starting to fade, becoming transparent. He was waking up, slowly but surely, and the dream—or whatever it was—was coming to an end.
"So, because of that, I can only give you two gifts," the creature said, its voice echoing in the dark void around them.
'Gifts?*' Erin's curiosity piqued as his form continued to fade. "What are these gifts?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"First, in a few moments, you will wake up and find a gift that will excite you," the creature said.
Erin's body was now almost completely transparent, the world around him blurring as he began to slip back into reality. "What about the second gift?" he asked, his voice growing fainter.
"The second gift is a piece of advice," the creature said, its voice becoming softer as Erin drifted further away. "Trust no one."
Those were the last words Erin heard as he snapped awake, gasping for air. He wasn't sure if what he experienced was real or just a vivid dream, but what he saw before him was undeniably real.
A system screen hovered in front of him, glowing softly in the dim light of the room. It was simple, with only one word displayed across it.
[Initializing]