The first thing Kyle noticed was the light. Not the fire-and-ash glare of Hell, but a sterile, endless brightness stretching in every direction no shadows, no horizon, no scent of smoke.
"Where… am I?" his voice sounded small, swallowed instantly by the white expanse.
Then it hit him.
The memory tore through his mind Hell King's obsidian grin, the piercing agony as his chest was breached, the searing black fire licking at his very soul. His breathing turned ragged. For a split second, he felt the phantom burn inside him again.
His fists tightened. I'll rip his head off…
The thought burned hot then crumbled under reality's weight. His strength now? Pathetic. That clash had drained him to scraps. Even walking felt heavier than it should.
Disappointment settled over him like chains. The light didn't comfort him it mocked him.
Still, he started forward. Step after step into infinity. No wind. No scent. No sound but his own movements. Somewhere, anywhere in this eternity, he had to find something… or someone.
A shiver tore down Kyle's spine something was here.
Something that shouldn't be.
His eyes widened, pupils narrowing like a predator's. The air thickened, a crushing pressure slamming into him until his knees buckled. Every instinct screamed danger, yet deep inside, that power… he knew it.
Far ahead thousands of kilometers, a lone figure stood. Distant, blurred by the shimmering light, but that energy was unmistakable.
"Him…" Kyle breathed.
He forced his battered body to respond, drawing on what little energy remained. His muscles coiled, and he launched forward, each step devouring distance at the speed of sound. The white expanse blurred until agony ripped through him.
"GAHH!"
He hit the ground, clutching his side. The wound where Hell King's hand had punched through his core throbbed like molten lead. It wasn't healing. It wouldn't heal.
The pain swallowed his focus, dragging him under. The last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was that distant silhouette… still watching.
Kyle's eyes snapped open.
The first thing he felt was… nothing. No pain. No weakness. His core whole again, pulsing with steady power. Energy surged through his veins like wildfire, and for the first time since the fight, he could breathe without agony.
He pushed himself to his feet. The ground beneath him was stark white, stretching endlessly in all directions, as if the world had been stripped bare of color.
Then he saw him.
A lone figure stood a short distance ahead, his back to Kyle, gazing upward into the endless void above. He didn't move, didn't speak just stood there, as if lost in thought.
Kyle's lips trembled, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"…Father…"
The figure turned his head, slowly… and smiled.