Kharon climbed into his large, dark bed as he lay down. His eyes moved lazily as he stared at the ceiling. As his eyes began to grow heavy, he took in a large breath as he yawned. Before he knew it, he had already drifted off into sleep. But as his eyes closed, a bright yet dim light seemed to appear above his head. It was a golden line; a string.
It hovered aimlessly above Kharon before it began to quickly dim. As it did, it floated closer to Kharon and embedded itself onto his head. Kharon's body shivered as his face contorted into a grimace.
...
Standing in a large, dark space was a spider. The spider was slowly creating a complex weave as it held onto several golden strings. Each of the strings seemed to shimmer except one which remained dull. As the spider did its work, it was suddenly interrupted by a faint voice.
Kharon, who had been standing immobile for a while was suddenly jolted. He carefully looked at his surroundings as he saw a spider. It was busy crafting a masterpiece which involved several glimmering golden strings. With slow steady steps, he moved closer to it. He could feel his very soul trying to dissuade him from drawing near, but he forced himself forward.
He kept pushing forward, the dark space warping and resisting with impossible physics... But Kharon didn't give up, he just knew that the answers he wanted lay with that spider and its strings.
'I need to reach it. No matter what, I must. The answers I want are definitely with her... Her? How do I know that the spider is female...? Did I know her in my previous life? Why would I know a spider though? There are too many questions and yet so little time. I will probably only get one or two answers. So I should make the most of it.'
Kharon pushed past the dark space as he finally reached his goal. He outstretched his hand as he tried gently touching the spider. But as he did, his mind was filled with all sorts of images and visions. He was young, he was old, he was a father, he was a mother, he was a child. He watched as he lived out several lives all at once. His mind began to seemingly unravel as his body began growing feathers and his lips slowly morphed into a beak.
Tears began to flow down Kharon's face as his body continued its transformation. When suddenly, a faint figure appeared in Kharon's eyes. It was the spider, but as he looked closer at it, it began to change. After a few seconds, standing in front of Kharon was a woman who possessed unimaginable beauty.
Despite Kharon not being able to see her fully, he knew that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her whole being seemed to be integrated into the dark space as it began to shift.
A bright light suddenly blinded Kharon as he tried to shield his eyes but to no avail. When his eyes fluttered open again, he was standing in a field covered in golden strings. The gorgeous woman smiled at him as his body was quickly reverted to its normal state.
Kharon knelt on one knee as he muttered, "T-t-thank you my lady." As he bowed his head, he felt soft, warm hands caress his face. His face was gently lifted as he looked up at the woman. But despite how hard he tried, he was unable to see beyond an invisible veil on her face.
'If I look at her, I will surely die. It's so similar to when I look at my winged self. His presence was always suppressed, but I never wondered why. Could it be that angelic beings and those above can't be looked at by mere mortals? But this woman's presence is so much stronger than my winged self... Is she a tier 1 demi-god?!'
A surge of powerlessness filled Kharon as he swallowed nervously. His eyes immediately looked downwards as he tried to avoid her gaze. The lady smiled at him once more as she spoke. Her voice sounded so powerful and yet so soft. It made Kharon yearn for her voice even more.
"Do not worry child. I mean you no harm. This is merely a dream which was preplanned by me. I knew I would surely forget, so I made sure this would happen at a destined moment after your awakening. Do not fear the world, as it already fears you. Become an angel, and then a demi-god. Then we shall once again reunite child."
She once again smiled at Kharon as he felt his body rising. He looked down at his feet as his legs floated midair. Kharon opened his mouth as he began to ask, "Who are-" But before he could finish his sentence, he had already woken up.
...
Gone was the feeling of warmth provided by the lady. Instead the cold breeze of a new day zoomed in through the window, hitting Kharon as he was reminded of the previous day.
Jumping up from his scattered bed, he ran into his bathroom and washed up. He quickly threw on his clothes before flying down to the pantry. Eating his breakfast without much enthusiasm, Kharon read up on a few monsters he may encounter. All the while thinking about his dream. His mind raced as his body trailed behind.
'I met an actual demi-god in my dream?! But how did I not die? She must have shielded me, but my mind was already in tatters. Well, that is what my winged self said. Or is the power of a demi-god that overwhelming and powerful that she negated any negative effects? What path does she belong to? It had to be the path of fate or chronos. I saw myself as so many different people. I have truly lived several lifetimes now. Though I have no recollection of specific memories...'
Kharon tottered through the corridor as he arrived at the lounge. In his reverie, he failed to notice the figure sitting on the couch. He was quickly torn from his thoughts as he heard Philip say, "Good morning Raven."
Kharon slightly jumped as he looked at him indifferently. Their eyes met briefly before Kharon looked away as he muttered, "Good morning Philip."
'That scared me a bit. What is going on with me? I am getting surprised almost everyday. Maybe I should learn to use True Sight subconsciously. It would stop me from constantly being frightened while deep in thought. Philip didn't do it on purpose anyway... But why is he here?'
Looking slowly back at him, Kharon's gaze met Philip's bright smile. An awkward silence passed as Kharon asked, "Why are you here?" He looked at his bracelet as he continued, "It's quite early. You should still be sleeping. If you don't receive enough sleep, then you won't be allowed to work. If you plan on coming with me then forget it."
Philip's smile dimmed as he asked, "But why? Didn't we plan to go together yesterday? I will be very useful. We wouldn't get lost if I come with you and in case of an emergency, you will have someone to fight with you."
"We didn't plan on going together. You helped me find the most likely spot on the map. And I am thankful for that. But I don't want you putting yourself in danger for me. This is something that I must do alone. If anything were to happen to you, I would blame myself."
"No one said you had to do it alone. You have the choice to choose. Will you keep following a predetermined path carved out for you, or will you stray from it? And what about your wellbeing? If you get hurt or even die, the Null Order will crumble and I would be responsible."
A long sigh escaped Kharon's mouth as he looked up at the ceiling. His grey eyes seemed to see right through it as he closed them. He lowered his head as he looked at Philip tenderly as he said, "The Null Order wouldn't crumble if I die. You are a talented arcana user who can easily maintain the Eclipse Sanctum. And even without me here, our cause still stands. I am not the Null Order, we are. And so are those who fight for a better future."
Philip looked dejectedly at Kharon before standing up. As he began walking away, Kharon held his hand as he said, "I will come back safely. Don't you trust me? I am the Architect for a reason. I will design a way for me to return if I have to. Not even death will stop me from carrying out my missions. For my life doesn't belong solely to me."
'I can't die unless I want my soul to be cursed. The Tombkeeper would not let me rest in peace otherwise. But regardless of whether or not I die, I will not fail in my mission. I will achieve all of my missions and fulfill all my promises...'