—Where am I? Why is everything so dark?
The atmosphere was suffocating. Everything was shadows, a void that seemed to stretch infinitely. My breath echoed heavily, and a shiver ran down my spine.
Suddenly, I heard it.
A deep, slow breath, as if something or someone were just out of my reach.
—Don't be afraid. I don't intend to hurt you.
The voice emerged from everywhere and nowhere at once. Mysterious. Deep. It felt like it came from something much bigger than me. But, despite what it said, the weight on my chest did not disappear.
"—What, not to be afraid? —I tried to sound firm, although my voice trembled a little—." I don't know where I am and I don't even know you. What do you want?
My muscles were tense, ready to run or fight. Although, to be honest, in this dark and formless place, it didn't seem like I could do either of those things.
—What do I want? —the voice replied, now with a mocking tone—. Well, I'll be direct. I need something from you.
Out of nowhere, a figure began to take shape in front of me, emerging from the shadows. He was tall, elegant, and his aura was so overwhelming that my skin prickled.
And his eyes... Red, burning, like embers. They looked at me with an intensity that left me frozen.
—Be my champion.
Those words echoed in my mind like an endless refrain. It was as if the shadows themselves were closing in around me.
"Your champion?" —I stepped back a pace, without realizing it—. Why me?
The figure smiled. A sharp, dangerous smile.
"I will give you what you have always desired, Orion."He leaned a little towards me, his eyes shining even more intensely—. The power to kill God.
My lungs stopped working for a moment.
Kill God? Was this guy serious?
Before I could process what I had just heard, I felt it.
He had approached. I don't know when or how, but now he was right in front of me. The heat emanating from him was almost unbearable.
—Moreover—, he continued, his tone becoming more solemn. —if you want to come out alive, you'll have to accept.
He said it as a warning, not as a threat. But did that make it any less terrifying?
—So, if I don't accept, you're going to kill me? —I growled, gritting my teeth—. What else could I expect from a dog of God?
I couldn't move.Was it fear? Or was he stopping me?I didn't know, but I was furious.
He let out a soft laugh, as if my anger amused him. —No, you're mistaken. I don't intend to kill you.
His tone had a hint of mockery, as if my life were so insignificant that it wasn't worth taking.
—We are in a dream, Orion. It's normal that you don't understand. But while we are here, the streets and the world out there have turned into a real hell.
A hell?There was something in his tone that sounded... genuine. Displeasure, even.
"What do you mean by saying it's a real hell?" I asked, trying to sound firm, although my voice betrayed my concern. — The streets have always been a mess, but I think you're referring to something more.The streets have always been a mess, but I think you're referring to something else. What's going on outside?
His red eyes locked onto mine, shining as if he were enjoying the moment.
—Ah, finally some curiosity. Very well, I'll tell you—. He paused, letting the silence fill the space between us. —The chaos has begun. God has unleashed the chains, and now the entire world is in the hands of the desperate and the ambitious.
He smiled again, revealing perfect but unsettling teeth.
—There are no rules, just survive.
My hands were trembling. It wasn't fear... it was something else. Something I didn't want to admit. A spark of anger mixed with something akin to curiosity.
"I'm not interested in playing any damn games," I said, clenching my fists.
—Oh! I see you're still resisting—. His tone was mocking, as if all of this were a game to him. — Fine, I'll let you see for yourself how the world is changing.Alright, I'll let you see with your own eyes how the world is changing.
Her laughter echoed like an endless chime, and before I could respond, everything began to crumble.
I woke up with a start, as if I had been torn from a dream too real. My heart was pounding, and my body was drenched in sweat.
But something wasn't right.
Outside my room, screams could be heard. Not ordinary screams, but heart-wrenching ones, as if the world were on the brink of breaking apart. The air was heavy, oppressive, and there was a faint smell of smoke that stung my throat.
I got up slowly, trying to calm my breathing, but then I saw him.
He was there.
The one I had seen in my dream.
He was standing right in front of the broken window of my room. His figure was exactly as I remembered: tall, elegant, with that aura that made my skin crawl. His red eyes shone brightly in the dim light, and his presence filled the room as if it were too big for this small space.
The memories of my dreams were blurry, I couldn't remember them clearly. But one thing I was sure of: he was not an ordinary person.
He could be a great ally or my worst enemy.
—You...— my voice came out weakly. —What are you doing here?What are you doing here?
He just smiled, as if he were enjoying watching me, waiting for me to do something. Seeing that he didn't respond and didn't move either, I decided to leave my room, searched for my mother throughout the house, and shouted her name:
—Bianca, MOM!
But there was no answer. It was all clear, she had left and abandoned me to my fate, what more could I expect from a mother who never cared about her son.
The screams wouldn't stop, they were becoming more and more heartbreaking, so I decided to go out into the street and saw everything.
Bodies strewn everywhere, not even a war would leave so many piles of corpses, it was all like an apocalypse, it wasn't just the corpses, The stench of smoke from the burning buildings mixed with the smell of blood.
It was all so repugnant. Something inside me surged, I couldn't say what I was feeling, it was a mix of fear, disgust, and something deeper. I found it hard to breathe, I felt a pressure in my chest, all because of this new sensation.
I was drowning, I fell to my knees, I couldn't keep my body upright, so I turned my head in search of help and he was there watching me with the same smile as always.
"Do you need help?" he said in a tone of arrogance and superiority.
I reached out my hand to him to say:
—HELP…—
I began to lose consciousness little by little, my vision started to blur, as he approached and said.
—What a nuisance...