Memories overflowed from long ago, more than what Seven intended to share.
Something inside him snapped,
Before the darkness came, Seven's memories of his family were vague, like broken pieces of a once-whole puzzle, now lost in the sands of time.
He could recall fragments, his mother's soft laughter, his father's strong presence, the warmth of his sister's hug.
Their home had been filled with the simple joys of a peaceful life, a safe, predictable existence where every day was like the last, wrapped in a sense of security that only a family could provide.
He remembered the comforting aroma of dinner cooking, the hum of everyday life, and how his sister's voice, like a gentle songbird, would lift his spirits.
At night, his mother would sit beside him as they watched the evening sky, the colors stretching out in hues of pink and gold.
Life had been steady, calm, and uncomplicated, a rhythm of love and care that anchored him to the world around him.
But then, that world had shattered.
His memories of the moment when everything changed were foggy.
What had happened, exactly? The details eluded him, but the weight of the loss remained.
His family, gone, ripped away in an instant, leaving behind only an emptiness that swallowed him whole.
His parents were taken, leaving him and his sister alone, in a world that no longer made sense.
The days that followed had been a blur of grief until his Aunt Hannah took them in.
They lived with her temporarily, and though her kindness provided some comfort, it wasn't the same. The absence of their parents was a shadow that never left.
Seven and his sister learned to fend for themselves.
They grew up together in that small space, relying on each other for everything.
They found small joys in their shared solitude, but it was hard, Seven knew that.
His battles with addiction, particularly his gambling, were a constant weight he couldn't shake off.
But there was a reason to fight. His sister was now entering high school, and he was determined to turn his life around for her.
He had fought the darkness of addiction, slowly clawing his way out of that pit for her, for the future they could still have together.
Seven had worked hard to secure his first job as an editor.
He was about to begin a new chapter in his life, an opportunity to prove to his sister, to himself, that he was more than the sum of his past mistakes.
He woke early that day, preparing for his first day of work with a nervous excitement.
A morning jog had been his usual routine to start the day fresh.
It was on that jog, that everything had changed.
The world seemed to bend, to tear apart, as though reality itself had split open.
Seven felt himself pulled from the world he knew and cast into something else.
His body, once familiar, now felt alien, pulled in strange directions by forces beyond his comprehension.
His heart raced, panic rising as the world spun, and then, the darkness.
There was no transition, no warning.
The moment he stepped out of his normal life, the world he had once known was gone, replaced by a strange and hostile place that he couldn't understand.
Fear gripped him.
It was overwhelming, like being trapped, pulled from his life, from everything familiar, into a new world where he didn't belong.
When he had finally regained his senses, everything was different.
His body had felt cold, unrecognizable. There was fear, yes, so much fear.
His body had been taken over by something dark, a presence that had controlled him. For what felt like an eternity, he had been trapped, unable to stop the dark entity that sought to control him.
But he had fought.
He had fought with every ounce of strength he had left, pushing back against the terror, the presence that had tried to steal his body.
And when he had finally gained control again, he felt as though he had been torn apart. His body ached. His soul ached.
Survival became his only instinct. After the battle, there was no time to rest.
The world around him was brutal. He hunted a small rabbit beast, the thrill of the kill sending a surge of life through him.
But the victory was short-lived, beasts lurked in the shadows, chasing him relentlessly through the dark ruins.
Fear surged through him again as he fled, every step a desperate sprint.
The world had turned into a nightmare where danger was always lurking.
The exhaustion finally caught up with him, and in the midst of that terror, Seven had broken down, tears mingling with the dirt and sweat on his face.
Sleep had been his only escape, a fleeting moment of peace in a world where everything was a fight for survival.
He shared all of this with the lich, pouring out the emotions and memories, the rawness of his struggle.
The pain, the fear, the loneliness, it was all there. And with each memory shared, a strange weight lifted from his soul.
The lich absorbed it all in silence, its ancient presence lingering, taking in the full measure of Seven's journey.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, the lich's thoughts broke the silence.
"A world… another world?" the lich mused.
"One beyond this forsaken land? How curious… How… difficult to imagine."
There was a strange reverberation in the air as the lich's presence pulsed with what could only be described as fascination.
"To think such a place exists, filled with warmth, laughter, and peace. A life of simplicity, where the very air does not taste of decay… Truly, a world unlike anything mine own."
Its voice was filled with wonder, as if the idea of something so full of life was beyond comprehension. "What manner of magic brings forth such a world? How does it sustain such beauty, when this one… this world is but ruin?"
The lich's presence seemed to grow colder, the wind of ages stirring around them, heavy with its ancient wisdom.
"Thy memories… they speak of light, of life unmarred by time. I cannot say I understand, but I can… feel the weight of it. Yet, you speak of such things with longing and fear, as though torn from thy rightful place."
The lich seemed to grasp at the concept of what it meant for Seven, a soul torn from a life of warmth, thrust into a world of decay.
It couldn't fully comprehend it, but it recognized the agony of being torn away from the life one had known.
After a long moment of contemplation, the lich's tone shifted to one of understanding.
"Ah, now I see," it whispered, the realization dawning. "Yours truly understands the depth of thy journey. A mortal life, torn from its roots, cast into a world unknown, where the body, once familiar, is no longer thine own."
The lich's voice softened, its words tinged with empathy. "Thy emotions are raw, but they speak of a strength not often seen in those of thy kind. To battle not only the forces that seek to control thee but to retain thy humanity in such a place, truly remarkable."
It paused, and then with a warmth that felt almost like a touch, the lich added, "Fear not, little chimera. Yours truly shall guide thee through this world, as one who has seen many like thee come and go. But thou hast something they lacked, resilience."
Seven felt the shift in the air, the weight of the lich's words settling around him.
He was not alone in this world anymore, not entirely.
The lich's presence, once terrifying, now felt like something different, more like a guide, a companion in this strange world.
The lich's thoughts returned, quieter now, as if deep in contemplation. "I must ask, little chimera if you wish to return to this world you speak of, this world of yours. Can one who has tasted this strange magic ever find their way back? Or have the bonds of fate already twisted too much?"
There was a curiosity in the lich's voice, a fascination with the puzzle that was Seven's existence.
It seemed almost as lost in the idea of his old world as Seven had been when he first arrived in this one.
"You did well to fight the wraith," the lich continued, a rare note of approval in its voice.
"To battle an entity so powerful, to take back control of thy body… not all would have been able to. Truly, a testament to thy strength of will."
The lich's words hung heavy in the air, a rare moment of praise.
And with it, for the first time since his arrival in this strange world,
Seven felt a flicker of hope, a recognition that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as lost as he had thought.