Ryan's world went dark in an instant. One moment, he was standing, gun in hand, ready to face whatever lay ahead. The next, a searing pain coursed through his chest, and everything went silent.
He stumbled, his vision blurring, as the sound of gunfire echoed through the deserted alley. Ryan's mind raced, trying to comprehend the chaos unfolding around him. His eyes scanned the darkness, searching for the shooter, but there was only an eerie stillness.
Ryan's thoughts flashed back to his life, the memories he'd made, the loved ones he'd left behind. He recalled the laughter, the tears, the triumphs and the struggles. In this fleeting moment, he realized how precious life was.
The pain intensified, spreading through his torso like wildfire. Ryan's knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the cold, damp pavement. His gun slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the ground. As he gazed up at the night sky, stars twinkled like diamonds against the dark canvas.
A figure emerged from the shadows, footsteps echoing through the alley. Ryan's gaze locked onto the shooter, his eyes burning with a mix of anger and resignation. The figure approached, a mixture of emotions etched on their face. Ryan recognized the face of his younger brother, Alex.
Alex's voice whispered, "I'm sorry, Ryan. I had to."
Ryan's voice, barely above a whisper, replied, "Why?"
Alex's expression twisted in anguish. "You knew too much. You were a threat to our plans."
Ryan's vision began to fade, but his mind refused to surrender. He remembered the promise he'd made to himself: to protect others, to fight for what was right. His final thought was of his family, the life he'd left behind, and the destiny waiting to be fulfilled.
As the darkness closed in, Ryan's eyes locked onto Alex, a silent plea for understanding. The last sound he heard was Alex's whispered apology, echoing through the alley.
°°°°
Ryan felt himself drift away and assert a stated of nothingness. The pain, the wrath, the love... He felt all his emotions slowly separate from him.
As time passed in the place he had named the Abyssal World. Ryan eventually had forgotten himself only barely onto his sanity. Time had became a forgetten concept to him.
Days, weeks, months or maybe years have passed since Ryan had arrived at his Abyssal World. But then something unusual happened, for the first in this cold, dark wold he felt something warm caress his entire being.
Finally he felt subtle control over his body as he opened his eyes, to find a woman of divine beauty starring at him. The woman had marvelous, raven horns that protruded from her forehead. Her hair was rich, dark hue that cascaded down her back like a river of moonlight. With dark, burnished gold eyes that looked to be tainted by the darkness that emanated from her wings.
Her wings were a set that truly set her apart, majestic crimson wings with black tips that seemed to drink in the light around her. Her wingspan stretched over 12 feet, casting a long, ominous shadow on the ground below, commanding attention and exuding an aura of purple energy that seemed to sear the air around her.
"My baby has finally decided to hatch from his egg," Ryan understood no word that came out of her mouth, yet he couldn't help but smile at the soothingly beautiful voice the woman had.
"Who would've thought my baby would be this cute."
Ryan did nothing but gaze into the eyes of the woman, admiring her goth-like beauty. The woman staffed her hands in between Ryan's armpits and lifted him up.
"I can't believe I finally have a child... Ahh," The woman screamed out of excitement, Ryan couldn't comprehend what was happening.
"Awugi, gdfhsj." Ryan tried to voice his thoughts but only gibberish sounds came out of him. His admiration to the lady made him forget about the situation he was in, he finally noticed how different his environment was.
The place he was in was way different from the dark, abyssal world. It was a breath-taking environment, uniquely decorated and designed with a medieval dark-theme. The theme synced with the woman's Gothic looks. Ryan could easily tell that the room was hers.
Ryan felt his eyelids close as he struggled keeping them open. He felt an overwhelming amount of tiredness consume his entire being.
As the woman noticed Ryan had already fallen asleep, she carefully placed him onto the bed, though he baby had just been born Ryan looked more like a 1-year old infant rather than his actual age.
The woman undressed her seemingly beautifully drees. She walked up to her closet and picked out a comfortable night gown she had decided to wear.
'My first with my baby!!!' Lana internally exclaimed to herself, her voice shivering from excitement.
She climbed onto the bed, next to her son, Ryan. She gently stroked the top of his head while hummed a peaceful lullaby and envisioned a future filled with excitement together with her son.
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