I peeked through the door, trying to make sense of what lay beyond—when suddenly, a searing pain ripped through my stomach. My body froze, my breath hitched, and only then did I realize what had happened. One of the guards had crept up behind me. I looked down in horror, watching as his sword was buried deep in my gut.
Was this it?
I hadn't even lived to see fifteen. Had I truly no luck? I just wanted to survive.
The guard yanked his sword out, and I collapsed onto my knees, desperately trying to hold my insides together. My fingers trembled as they pressed against my torn flesh, warm blood pooling beneath me. Damn it—I was crying. It hurt. It hurt so much.
A voice rang out, though distant, like a muffled echo. The other guard had been alerted. I could see them talking, their figures shifting in my blurry vision, but I couldn't make out their words. I was too busy trying to stay conscious, too busy trying to do something but what could I even do?
My tears fell freely. My knife—where was it?
I tried to reach for it, but it had fallen too far. Even if I somehow grabbed it, what could I do against iron-clad men? Damn it. Damn it all.
Then, the door I had peeked through earlier creaked open.
A woman stepped inside, coated in pure silver armor. Her presence was overwhelming, suffocating even the atmosphere itelf changed. And her eyes—they glowed like a thousand burning suns.
A witch. There was no doubt about it. Witches were common but she was not any ordinary one.
She blinked. In that instant, the guards' bodies exploded into a sea of blood, their armor clattering to the ground, now mixed with my own. Their remains no longer resembled humans; they were nothing but shredded flesh and crimson puddles.
How? How did she do that?
I gasped for breath, my body weak, but somehow, I was still alive. No, that wasn't right—I should've been dead. My gut was torn open, my blood was everywhere, and yet...
"This is not your fate, child." her voice was so relaxing,warm and yet coated with sadness. Her voice echoed in my mind, yet her lips had not moved.
I shuddered.
This wasn't normal. None of this was normal. I wanted to ask something—anything—but how could I? For God's sake I am barley holding my own guts.
Her glowing eyes softened, her gaze filled with something I didn't recognize.
Pity.
"I pity you, Adamas."
She knew my name. My breath caught in my throat.
"I will bestow upon you my last engraving, the Engraving of the Tree of Good and Evil. I hope you find peace in another world. Many have met a fate similar to yours, but you..." she hesitated. "I pity you, for I have heard of what would of been your true fate. Perhaps, you will hear of me in the worlds beyond. May you do what is written in the book of life and not be corrupted as the rest have."
Her eyes. I wouldn't forget them. Whoever she was, she was unlike anyone I had ever met. I didn't understand her words, but for some reason... she reminded me of my mother. That same warmth.
My vision blurred. The sounds around me faded.
Darkness took me.
I opened my eyes—or at least, I thought I did.
The pain was gone. My wounds were gone. But something was wrong.
I reached out to touch my hands, but they weren't there.
Was I a ghost now? Was this it?
And where was I?
Endless orbs surrounded me, swirling like galaxies. Thousands, maybe millions, of them stretched infinitely in all directions. I floated within a space that defied reason—a vast white expanse with no up, down, left, or right. The orbs moved in a spiral pattern, an eternal dance of light and shadow.
Then, I felt it.
A pressure unlike anything I had ever known.
My entire being screamed. I wanted to run, to hide, to cry—but there was nowhere to escape.
The presence was everywhere.
It was suffocating. Petrifying. Overwhelming.
This... this wasn't human.
Was this the presence of a God?
I turned my head, desperate to find something—anything—but before I could make a full turn, reality itself cracked.
The space around me shattered like glass. Colors inverted, time twisted, the very fabric of existence tore apart at the seams.
I gasped awake.
Cold. My body felt so cold.
My eyes fluttered open, blurry shapes shifting around me. Voices murmured, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. My arms were numb. My legs refused to move.
It couldn't be.
Had I been reborn?
I gasped awake.
Cold. My body felt so cold.
My eyes fluttered open, blurry shapes shifting around me. Voices murmured, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. My arms were numb. My legs refused to move.
It couldn't be.
Had I been reborn?
There was no way in hell that I had been reborn but it would make sense. I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond. I could barely keep my eyes open. I was so sleepy. My head hurt and from what I could make out with my eyes, my body was incredibly small—oh man.
Yep. It's settled. I'm one hundred percent a newborn.
This was too much. Too overwhelming. My mind couldn't process everything that had happened. I was alive, but in a body that didn't feel like mine. Was this really my second chance, or was it just another cruel joke? I didn't know.
I was too tired to care.
Too much was happening.
I'm taking a nap, hopefully this is all just a weird nightmare.