As Amon finished his story, the atmosphere in the room seemed to shift. Sunny felt an intense weight pressing on his chest, as if the very air had thickened with the truth. But just as he thought the story was over, Amon's voice took on a deeper, more ominous tone.
"Sunny," Amon began, his eyes locking with Sunny's, "there is something you need to understand about yourself. You are not who you think you are. You are not just a traveler of dreams, nor just a wanderer through time. There's more to your existence than you can imagine."
Sunny's brow furrowed as confusion settled in. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
Amon's eyes flickered with a knowing sadness. "You were once a ruler," he said quietly, as if testing the words before they hit the air. "Not just any ruler, but one who commanded an entire continent, a leader whose decisions shaped the world. You held great power, not just in strength, but in the respect and loyalty of those around you. People followed you because of who you were."
Sunny felt his heart race. A ruler? Him? The thought seemed impossible, a distant echo of a life he couldn't remember. He had always seen himself as someone insignificant, a mere pawn in a vast, unfeeling world. How could he have been a ruler?
Amon continued, oblivious to the shock that had spread across Sunny's face. "There's something else," he added, his voice tinged with regret. "You were asked a question by your people—one that seems trivial but in truth, changed everything. They asked you what religion you followed, what belief system guided your decisions. And you said something that no one ever expected. You told them that you didn't follow any religion. You had no need for one. That your strength and your power came from within, and that you weren't bound by the rules of any faith."
Sunny's breath caught in his throat. "I... I said that?" he murmured, barely able to comprehend the enormity of it. "But why?"
Amon nodded grimly. "To them, it was blasphemy. Religion was everything to your people. It defined their lives, their laws, their entire world. But you—your refusal to adhere to their beliefs, to bind yourself to their gods—was seen as a direct challenge. A challenge to their way of life. And they couldn't accept it."
Sunny's mind whirled. "But I didn't do anything wrong. I was just being true to myself. Why would they react like that?"
"Because," Amon said quietly, "people are terrified of what they don't understand. Religion, belief—it's a comfort to them. It gives them a reason for everything, a guide for how to live, even if it's flawed. When you rejected that, you didn't just reject their beliefs. You rejected their reality. And in their eyes, that was unforgivable."
Sunny's heart sank as he began to understand the gravity of it all. "So what happened?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"They turned against you," Amon replied. "You were no longer a leader. You became an outcast. And the very people who once followed you, who once believed in your vision, saw you as a threat. They were afraid of you, of the power you held—the power to think differently, to live outside the bounds of their religion. And in their fear, they condemned you."
Sunny closed his eyes, trying to process everything. "So, because I didn't follow their religion, they tried to destroy me?"
Amon nodded slowly, the sadness in his eyes deepening. "Yes. They wanted to erase you from existence because they couldn't control you. And in doing so, they killed what made you who you were—your autonomy, your freedom. The very things that made you strong."
Sunny's mind raced as he struggled to grasp the enormity of this revelation. In his past life, he had rejected the very thing that so many people held sacred. He had chosen a path of freedom, a path where his strength came from within, rather than from the chains of belief. But it had cost him everything.
Amon's voice broke through his thoughts. "But the truth is, Sunny, you were right. You didn't need religion to be powerful. You didn't need to follow anyone's rules but your own. And that's the lesson you need to carry forward with you. You can't let the world dictate who you are. Not now, not ever."
Sunny looked at Amon, his mind and heart in turmoil. "But how can I be sure? How can I know that my path is the right one?"
Amon gave him a solemn look. "Because, Sunny, in a world full of beliefs and dogma, the only thing that truly matters is the power to choose your own path. Never forget that."