Swooooooosh...
Swirling tides rose and fell upon the sea with a soundless rhythm. The sky was black and thick with darkness. The horizon was a void, with only a faint crimson light seeping into the space.
And at the centre of the sea...
...stood Code Weber.
His eyes were wide open, yet he saw nothing. He just looked ahead into the darkness beyond. He didn't move, neither did he breathe.
But strangely, he was whole. The injuries he had sustained earlier were absolutely gone, as if he had gotten a new body.
Swooooooosh!!
Another row of tides rose and fell, then suddenly...
Code snapped.
His eyes widened.
"Uh?" he exclaimed, blinking frantically as he tried to turn.
However, his legs didn't have a solid footing, and—
Splash!
He fell into the sea, but somehow, didn't sink. Instead, he balanced on the surface.
"Where am I?" Code whispered, but just like before he died, his voice only materialized in his head. No sound came out of his mouth.
He spun around on the surface of the sea, but everything beyond him was just void and darkness.
"What the hell's happening? I thought I died," Code muttered, squinting his eyes.
"And why does my body feel so numb and heavy, like I'm being crushed?" he gritted his teeth.
His body felt like it was being pressed upon by a massive force, so great that standing back up was very hard.
Swoosh...
Another tide roared alive, and fell into the sea.
"Is this heaven? Or hell?" Code asked himself. From what he could remember from the Aethric teachings, neither heaven nor hell looked or felt like this. Heaven was far better, with angels and flying babies welcoming you, while hell was the stark contrast—no one welcomes you; you welcome yourself...
...to doom.
"Eeeh!" That sent a chill down Code's spine. "I hope this place is neither of them," the thought rang through his head.
Then, his expression turned serious.
Clap!
He slapped his cheeks with both hands.
"For now, I should find out what this place is," he said to himself.
But as he brought his hands down...
He froze.
"Ugh?" His eyes widened.
His cheeks felt warm, as the liquid slowly flowed down them.
The liquid felt thick, more viscous, and different from water.
Code stared at his hands intently, fear and trepidation burning in his eyes.
He slowly shifted his gaze to the sea on which he sat.
His heart skipped.
"Is-is this?" Code stammered, breathing heavily.
"Blood?"
He was sitting on a sea of blood.
And in that instant, before he could think...
A strange, bright, and blinding white light suddenly appeared.
FLASH!!!
He was jolted back to reality.
Code's eyes snapped open as he jerked awake.
"Ah?!" he exclaimed, immediately sitting up. He looked at the ground—it was all sand, leaves, and many trees in the distance.
He slowly raised his head to the sky, and his eyes widened.
The sun's rays pierced his eyes, and he raised his hand to block them.
"Wait..." Code's mouth opened.
"I..." he muttered, as a smile slowly crept to his lips.
"I am alive?" he suddenly exclaimed, and this time, instead of being in his head, the voice came out of his mouth.
His voice box was fixed.
His gaze shifted to his arms.
They were intact!
His legs.
Complete.
His body was whole—no injuries, not even a scratch.
'But what was that gloomy place?' Code stopped to think, as he remembered the strange realm he was in just seconds ago.
"How the hell am I even alive? Is this a dream?" Code muttered, pinching himself to know if it was real or fake, and fortunately, the pinch hurt.
'I must've been given a second chance at life,' Code thought, as he stared into the skies.
A soft breeze blew against him, swirling his tattered clothes.
His lips curled into a smile.
"This time for sure!" he whispered.
And as he lowered his gaze, he noticed it.
A figure sat in the distance, his back to Code, and he looked like he was praying.
'Who's that?' Code asked himself, as he carefully stood up on shaky legs.
He slowly walked towards the figure. His legs and body felt slightly numb, as piercing aches ran through him.
As he got closer, the figure became clearer—it was a man, clad in black, with pure white hair.
"Isn't this...?" Code exclaimed, but immediately lowered his voice when he remembered the man was praying.
The memories of the demon's obliteration flashed through Code's mind. He had never met a human so strong...
As Code reached him, the man turned to face him.
"Uh," Code halted. Upon closer examination, the man looked far more handsome than Code could remember, but something felt strangely familiar.
'Where have I met him before?' Code asked himself, but soon after, the man cut into his thoughts.
"Yo!" he said, casually waving his hand.
"H-hey," Code replied with a nervous smile, as he walked to the man's side.
"Didn't think you were going to survive," the man said, as he shifted his gaze from Code back to his front.
Before him were rows of graves, and stones on top of each one.
"No one else survived," he added, as his tone darkened.
'No one?' Code repeated in his mind, as he carefully sat beside the man. He looked at the row of graves—they were eight in number.
"Arrgh," Code sighed.
'She escaped,' he thought, as a sense of relief washed over him.
But something still pained him—
He didn't get to collect his payment.
A cool and soothing breeze blew through the forest, creating a sense of ease.
The two of them—Code and the man—stared into the horizon, at the golden clouds.
A calm, peaceful silence filled the air, but for Code...
It was awkward.
His eyes kept flickering from the sky to the man, and back to the sky.
Many questions flooded Code's mind. "What do I say? How do I start a conversation? What if I say something awkward? Should I ask for his name?"
A lot of questions came, but not a single answer to even one.
Code slowly lowered his gaze, staring at the trees far in front, then he slowly tilted his head, turning to face the man. He wanted to get a closer look at his face.
But as Code looked at the man, he froze.
Something was strange.
"Uh?" Code's heart skipped. 'What the hell?' he whispered, as a bead of sweat slid down his face.
Truly, the man was looking far away, not at Code, but into the skies, at the clouds.
However...
He and Code were locked in gazes.
'How's this possible?' Code asked himself, his heart racing. The man was looking ahead, and at the same time, at him?
But that wasn't the only strange thing. Another was his eyes. For some reason, Code couldn't look away.
On the surface, the man's eyes looked like every other one. But for Code, he was looking at darkness. Unending and eternal void. The more he looked, the less light he saw.
A shiver ran down Code's spine. 'What is this power?' he asked himself. He could feel it and he could see it—the power in those eyes.
It wasn't ordinary.
But as it seemed like Code would get lost in the void, the man blinked.
And at that point, everything went back to normal.
"Argh," Code exhaled heavily. His body felt heavy and out of energy.
"You shouldn't look into the eyes of god," the man suddenly said, as he turned to face Code—this time, for real.
"A god?" Code repeated, calming his breath. "L-like Aethrauzon?" he asked.
The man looked into Code's eyes, as a cold silence passed.
"Don't think too much about it," the man replied with a smile beneath his mask.
Then, he narrowed his eyes.
"For now, shouldn't you bother about why you're alive?" the man asked, tilting his head.
"Hm?" Code's gaze raised.
"I mean, you were literally butchered yesterday," he added.
'That's true,' Code thought to himself. 'My body was dismembered, I died, but somehow, I'm alive and whole. Wait, was it...' Code raised his head up to face the man.
"Were you the one?" Code exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"Hmm, my presence alone could heal you..." the man answered, his tone filled with pride.
"Eh?" Code raised a brow.
"But sad as it is, it wasn't I," the man added.
'It wasn't him? Then who was it?' Code asked himself, furrowing his brows.
"Code Weber," the man's voice pierced through.
"Uh?" Code turned his eyes to the man in a mix of surprise and confusion.
'H-how did he know my name? I don't remember telling him,' Code said inwardly.
A sudden feeling of fear fell over him, as he gulped repeatedly.
"Who's this guy?" Code whispered, his eyes flickering with fear.
"...Something's strange about you," the man spoke again.
"Strange? What do you mean strange?" Code asked. 'If I remember clearly, you're the real strange,' Code thought to himself.
"You didn't heal, neither did you regenerate," the man said, facing Code.
"Hm?" Code's eyes narrowed. "Then how am I alive?" he asked.
Then the man's lips parted.
"...You became a zero."
***
To Be Continued...