Darkness.
The air felt thick, cold. It was hard to breathe. I couldn't move, like something was holding me in place. Below me, the water stretched out, endless. It swallowed the little light the moon tried to give. Everything felt heavy.
The land around me was empty. Jagged cliffs on both sides. Twisted trees reaching like hands. Everything felt frozen. No sounds, just silence. The water rippled quietly against the shore.
A small boat was in the middle of the water. It wasn't moving. A person was sitting in it. Their face was hidden. But something about them called to me. I wanted to go to them. But I couldn't move. My feet felt stuck. I was trapped.
I tried to move, but I couldn't.
Then, something changed. The stillness broke. Someone began to come up out of the water. Gradually. Like the world was making adjustments for him, like the world was vowing to him.
He looked like me. Older. Much older.
His face was familiar but worn by time. His eyes looked tired, like they had seen way too much. His hair was long, silver-streaked. His cloak blended with the mist, shimmering faintly. He rose higher, like the world bent to his will.
His presence was powerful. I felt small, weak. There was no doubt that he saw through me—every fear, every thought, all the things I had been hiding.
"Who… who are you?" I whispered.
He didn't answer right away. His eyes were locked on mine. The silence stretched. Finally, he spoke.
"I am… you."
I didn't understand. It didn't make sense. How could this be?
"Ethan," he said softly. His voice carried a weight. A secret.
He stepped closer. The air felt heavier. I wanted to move, to run, but I couldn't. I was stuck. I couldn't move.
He reached out, but he didn't touch me. His voice filled the space between us.
"Look behind you."
I turned.
The Cyclops was still fighting. I saw its eyes. Pain. It swatted at the birds, but it was losing. There were too many birds. They were too strong. I couldn't help. I couldn't move.
"You stand there, Ethan," the figure said. His voice was bitter. "Watching them die. Helpless. Useless. Is that okay with you?"
The words stung. I couldn't deny it. I was weak. Useless. And I couldn't save anyone.
"Do you feel that?" he asked. "Do you feel the weight of your failure? Every life you couldn't save?"
I swallowed hard. The tears threatened, but I held them back. I didn't know what to say.
"Are you going to make the same mistake I made?" His voice was full of regret. "Are you going to stand by while everyone you care about dies?"
I didn't know how to answer. The words didn't come.
He looked at me with anger, sorrow. "Do you want power, Ethan?"
I nodded. I hated it, but it was true. I needed it.
"Are you willing to pay any price?" His voice turned cold. "Because power comes with a cost."
"Yes," I whispered. I could feel the weight of my own answer.
He stepped closer. His gaze was heavy. The air around us thickened. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.
Then, he pulled out a dagger. Before I could even react, he thrust it into my chest.
Pain. Sharp, raw. It felt like my soul was being ripped apart. I gasped, struggling for air, but nothing happened. It pressed down on me; I felt suffocating. Everything around me blurred, spinning out of focus. I couldn't hold on to anything. The world was slipping further away.
"You now have the power, Ethan," the figure's voice was low, but it hit me like a punch. "But remember, do not trust the gods. They are your enemies. They will take everything away from you."
His words cut through the pain in my mind. They made everything worse. I couldn't stop it. No matter how badly I wanted to change things, I had already crossed the line. The truth, heavier than the pain, settled deep in me.
"Don't let them get their power back," he said, his voice colder now. "They'll take everything from you again if you do." Everything.
His words kept going over and over in my head, like a warning I couldn't get away from. I tried to hold on to anything, but my body wouldn't let me. I was completely enveloped by darkness. There was no way out. There was no way to stop it.
"When the time comes, Ethan… I'll come for my price. Until then… Goodbye."
His voice hung in the air, cold and final. A part of me wanted to scream, to fight back, but I knew there was nothing I could do. The silence around me grew heavy. Then, everything faded. The figure, the pain, the world—it all disappeared into nothing.