The atmosphere of the place was oppressive.
So intense that it cut off Elior's breathing with ease.
His chest rose and fell with difficulty as his senses were crushed by that invisible pressure. Of everything surrounding him, he could only clearly distinguish the figure of Death, sitting carelessly in her seat, eating an apple with a cheerful expression, as if this were nothing more than a simple show.
The other three beings…
He could not see them.
From their bodies emanated a light so intense that it prevented him from distinguishing any features. No matter how much he strained his eyes, he could not hold his gaze for more than two seconds without a sharp pain burning them.
He clenched his teeth.
Tensed every muscle in his body.
And decided to speak.
"Are you going to tell me who you are… and what you want from me?" Elior exclaimed, looking downward, enduring the pressure crushing him.
"First, child," a female voice spoke, "you should show some respect."
A chill ran down Elior's spine.
"We will ask the questions here. You will listen… and answer only when instructed."
Elior immediately raised his head in defiance.
As he did, the light before him faded just enough to reveal the woman who had spoken.
She was beautiful.
A beauty impossible to describe with simple words.
Her skin was as pale as snow. Her green eyes, with subtle gray tones, reflected a light both serene and terrifying at the same time. Her light brown hair complemented that ethereal presence that seemed untouched by imperfection.
"Your situation here is abnormal above all else," she continued. "It is the first time, in the entire span of this universe's existence, that someone has even been able to see us."
Elior swallowed.
"To give you perspective, from us is born the existence of everything you know."
She paused briefly.
"So I would recommend that you release the dagger you are drawing from your left sleeve. As I said, we will only speak and evaluate your abnormal case."
Elior's heart lurched.
That could not be true.
They could not be the reason for the existence of everything.
But then…
How had she noticed the dagger?
Elior clenched his teeth and, without saying a word, released both daggers, letting them fall to the ground far from him.
"Perfect," the woman said. "That is progress."
She slightly turned her face.
"I have given the necessary warning. Does anyone else wish to speak?"
"I will."
The voice came from the center.
Deep. Absolute.
"Very well, Elior Blackwood. Look at me."
Elior held his gaze defiantly as the central figure slowly lost that blinding light, revealing his physical form.
He appeared to be around fifty years old. Massive. Every muscle in his body seemed capable of destroying any opponent with ease… and yet he emanated an unsettling calm.
"My name is Aros. The one who brought you here is Azriel."
"Azriel?" Elior thought. "And who is that…?"
"Heyyyyyyyyy!"
The voice echoed from the side.
"I had not told him my name! Why are you mentioning it just like that?"
Death threw half the apple at Aros.
"Hey, Azriel, calm down," a threatening voice came from the last figure still wrapped in light. "We are in the middle of a conversation."
"Pff… fine," Death grumbled, sitting back down.
Elior understood then.
Death's name was Azriel.
But…
Who was the being who had silenced her so instantly?
He did not have time to process it.
"Elior," Aros continued, "first of all, we need to see your life up to this point."
Elior frowned.
"For some reason, Azriel cannot fully access your memories. And that is practically impossible… well, until now."
"So I apologize. It will not be pleasant. It will be painful if you resist. But we need to see every angle that even we cannot perceive in your life. Only then can we understand why you are an abnormal case in this universe."
"No."
Elior's voice was dry.
"No one enters my mind. Not my memories. Not anything. No matter how strong you think you are… I will not make it easy."
"Oh no…" the woman sighed. "It would have been so simple if you had stayed quiet."
Elior looked away for barely a second.
It was enough.
The being still covered in light vanished… and reappeared behind Elior.
With complete confidence, he moved to knock him unconscious.
The blow descended.
But before it could land, Elior grabbed the man's hand and blocked the attack.
His palm burned instantly.
The intensity of the light scorched him.
But Elior's eyes locked onto a new target.
The being widened his eyes in surprise and stepped back immediately.
Everyone in the hall was shocked.
Everyone… except Death.
Well… she thought. He is much faster now than when he fought me. This will be interesting.
"You are insolent," the attacker finally said, revealing his form.
He was tall, nearly two meters. His silver hair was perfectly tied back. His blue eyes shone brighter than the moon. He wore an elegant, tailored suit.
"I only wanted to make it painless," he sighed. "Knock you out quickly."
"I will not let you render me unconscious," Elior interrupted. "I do not know who you are, but if I have to fight, I will."
He tensed his body and lunged forward.
His strikes were fast.
But the being dodged them easily.
A precise blow to the stomach knocked the air out of him.
"Boy," the man said. "Come on, I know that is not your true strength. You will not fool me so easily."
Azriel frowned.
She had fallen for that trick before.
The gap between us and a human is abysmal, she thought. You cannot fight beings like us. I told you from the beginning.
Think. Think. Think.
Elior felt his hand burning.
"Could you stop, please?" the being said. "This is insulting. And you will damage my suit."
He grabbed Elior and threw him far away.
"Enough."
Before Elior touched the ground, he vanished and reappeared in front of the being, delivering a precise strike.
The impact echoed throughout the domain.
But Elior's body could not endure it.
His arms and legs tore apart.
He could no longer move.
The being knelt before him.
"Here you cannot use the shadows with which you were chosen, boy," he said. "Your human body prevails over your strength and speed."
"When using brute force, your muscles generate more power than your bones can withstand. That is why you cannot move. And that speed likely damaged your organs and accelerated the burns already visible."
"That is why you were told not to fight here. But I see you do not think. You are irascible and your anger is uncontrollable. You should continue attending the therapists of your world."
The being returned to his place.
"Hey!" Mira intervened. "Teo! You were supposed to knock him out, were you not?"
"That was the idea," Teo replied. "But he became aggressive. He will lose consciousness from the pain. Do not worry."
"Hahaha," Death laughed. "I would not be so sure."
The other three looked at her.
"Why?" Azriel asked.
"His body is strange," she replied. "In minutes… or seconds… it will adapt to the pain."
They turned their gaze back.
"Well. Earlier than expected."
Elior was standing up.
Even with broken bones.
Even barely able to breathe.
"This is incredible," Aros said, resting both hands forward. "I have traveled across several universes and this is the second time I have seen something like this. And the first human with a body capable of it."
"You are insensitive," Mira said, levitating toward Elior. "Do not be stubborn. I told you what you had to do."
"I do not need you to tell me what to do," Elior replied with difficulty.
"Yes, yes, whatever you say, dear. Now please go to sleep."
Mira placed two fingers on his forehead.
Elior fell unconscious.
Before he hit the ground, she caught him and gently laid him down.
"There. Now you can see what you need."
The four beings approached.
They placed Elior on a small platform, laying him down.
They wanted to know his existence.
Nothing more.
That was how balance functioned.
Nothing and no one should disturb it.
And that boy…
Was an unknown anomaly.
Knowing his history would allow them to deduce his future.
And the role he would play in that universe.
"Alright, we must hurry.
We have other matters to attend to."
Teo's voice broke the silence of the chamber.
Without waiting for a response, he stepped toward Elior's unconscious body and, in a blink, submerged himself into his very existence.
The world changed.
Teo now walked along a thin, almost imperceptible thread that sustained the boy's life.
That thread…
Was not normal.
For any living being, that link should be thick, stable, uniform.
But Elior's was different.
Too thin.
And yet overflowing with nearly impossible colors.
Absolute black, like living shadows.
Pure white, celestial.
Intense red, infernal.
And beneath them all, the natural color of the thread a dull, tired gray… human.
The colors intertwined, overlapped, vibrated.
Teo looked around, searching for clues.
But found nothing.
Only fragmented flashes of memories floating without chronological order. Some incomplete. Others completely blocked.
That was impossible.
"This…" he murmured. "How…?"
A being like him should have no trouble accessing a human mind.
And yet…
Something stronger was blocking the boy's memories.
Teo extended his hand toward one of those fragments.
And then—
A hand grabbed his arm violently.
The world shattered.
Teo was ripped out of the trance instantly.
He returned to the domain with the others.
"What the hell just happened?" he exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "Why did you pull me out, Mia?"
Mia frowned at him.
Azriel and Aros watched, confused.
"While you were inside his mind," Azriel said gravely, "your body…"
Teo looked down.
His hand.
It had lost all its brilliance.
Elior's shadows had clung to him unnoticed, consuming his energy and transferring it directly into the unconscious boy lying on the platform.
Teo stared, utterly stunned.
"Did you find anything?" Azriel asked.
Teo took a few seconds to respond.
Aros stepped forward.
"Teo. Focus. What did you see?"
Teo slowly shook his head.
"Absolutely nothing… except the life thread."
They all listened closely.
"It is far too thin for someone alive," he continued. "And for the first time in my existence, I saw multiple colors anchored to the same thread. Black, red and white… layered over gray."
"That is certainly strange," Aros murmured, returning thoughtfully to his place.
Silence fell once more.
Meanwhile, Mia could not ignore the curiosity the boy awakened in her.
Mia, the very embodiment of life, needed to understand him.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward.
And entered.
The loop.
That space where the boy's happiest and most painful memories repeated over and over. A place similar to the brain's permanent storage.
"Let us see what we have here," she whispered calmly.
She walked through memories.
Until she saw him.
Elior.
A small child, about six years old, running through the village, laughing without worries.
The memory was so pure.
So beautiful.
That Mia smiled without realizing it.
But the world shattered.
The memory vanished.
And the loop threw her directly into tragedy.
The death of his family.
The screams.
The desperation.
The village surrounding him.
The pain was so real it shook the soul.
Mia felt everything.
Because within the loop, the observer experiences exactly what the bearer of the memory felt.
The grief.
The anger.
The confusion.
Everything collapsing over a fourteen-year-old boy sitting in a classroom while no one believed how his family had died.
A child who learned to hide his pain, to bury it within himself.
A child who turned anger into training.
Mia began to overflow.
Tears fell without her being able to stop them.
That boy, so young, carried an incomprehensible weight.
A pain that poisoned him from within.
And yet…
He was always willing to help anyone who asked.
Mia turned.
And then she saw him.
An older Elior.
But this…
This was not a memory.
It was a cage.
Elior was there, chained by his hands and feet, his gaze empty. Pale skin. Deep dark circles marked his face.
Mia's astral light reflected in his dull eyes.
He barely lifted his head.
"You should leave," he said in a tired voice. "The pain will corrupt you too."
Mia approached the cage.
"Why are you chained?" she asked softly.
"It is my job," he replied. "To maintain our balance."
Mia walked around the cage.
Then she noticed it.
A part of it was broken.
From there, a bluish-black smoke leaked out, mixing with the memories. She did not know whether it was infesting them… or absorbing something from them.
But what impacted her the most…
Was that Elior had the keys to free himself.
And he was not using them.
Mia understood.
She sighed.
"One day…" she said with a sad smile. "One day you will heal. And be happy."
"The life I chose will not allow that," Elior replied. "You know it. So please… leave."
The world faded.
Mia returned to the others.
"Did you find anything?" Aros asked.
"Nothing relevant," she replied. "Nothing we do not already know."
She sighed.
"The boy is a machine that feeds his own traumas in search of something. It is only suffering."
"Azriel, your turn," Teo said.
"Nope," she answered, sitting and eating an apple. "I am not interested in checking his mind again. I already did it before. I pass."
Aros looked at her with disdain.
"There are times when you are intolerable."
"I only need to discover the abnormal capacity of his strength," Aros continued. "If his body is truly that special."
"Why such insistence?" Teo asked.
"If the boy manages to adapt his human body to its maximum capacity," Aros replied, "and endure every blow voluntarily… no moderately normal being would be able to harm him."
He paused.
"And if one day he abandons his earthly body, the power his soul will carry will be enough to ascend wherever he wishes."
"Do you think he could reach our level?" Teo asked.
Aros shook his head.
"No. Our existence was born from the needs of the universe. We are pillars of balance.
The only one above us was God.
"And He disappeared."
He looked at Elior.
"The boy will not reach our level. He has limits. Earthly and astral."
"For our fortune… or misfortune," he added, "we cannot die.
But he can.
"Even a weapon from his world can be lethal to him."
Aros kept turning the matter over in his mind. Without a doubt, he was determined to discover what was happening with the boy.
"Perfect," Aros said.
The others looked at him without understanding.
"I have just restored the boy's line… and it is not the only one."
Those words were enough for all of them to approach immediately. Before them, the comprehension of Elior's line began to unfold, branching into countless universes. Like every existing being, Elior possessed different versions of himself in parallel realities.
The situation was clear… and devastating.
There was everything.
In many lines, Elior suffered the same tragedy: the loss of his family. Guilt took root in his heart, growing without control, until he carried too much weight on his shoulders.
In one of those universes, they watched an Elior walking down the street with a calm smile, talking to everyone as if nothing had happened. A warm light surrounded him, almost comforting. However, when he arrived home, that light vanished completely. There, when no one saw him, Elior collapsed into what he truly felt: guilt, anger and sadness.
He sighed in silence and walked to his room, fixing his gaze directly on a rope resting on the bed.
Just by seeing that, the beings understood what would happen… and quickly moved to another scene, another Elior.
Most of the lines revolved around the same problem: carrying guilt and pain that consumed him from within.
In those worlds, for some reason, Elior had no friends. Hina did not exist. Neither did Lia nor Aramis. Kael did not maintain a good relationship with him. Elior was completely alone.
And that loneliness led him to the same option over and over again: to end his suffering.
But there were other lines as well.
Lines where it was Elior who died in the childhood tragedy and his family survived.
In one of them, Elior managed to arrive in time and pull his family from the rubble. However, only he was struck by the white light of the archangel.
"Mom!" he managed to shout.
Hearing his voice, his father, mother and sister turned as they ran… only to see their son enveloped in light, extinguished instantly.
His father did not reach him in time.
In all those versions, the family, united, overcame the trauma with time and lived a moderately happy life in the city. Liora grew up and became a doctor, and every month she traveled to Velmira to visit the grave of Elior, her older brother.
The beings, especially Mia, knew something was wrong with the boy's line.
How was it possible that his very existence was based purely on pain?
As if he had been born to be the bearer of the world's suffering, absorbing it all for himself.
In every line where the family could live… Elior had to die.
And if they died… Elior drowned in suffering until reaching his own death.
This time, and only this time, this version of Elior had come so far.
He had escaped death.
He had acquired absolutely abnormal strength.
But why… Mia wondered silently. Why now?
Aros observed the tragedy carefully. He saw how the blood of that archangel and that demon entered the boy's body, altering his organism. Perhaps that had been the trigger. Perhaps that had granted him that excessive strength.
Aros reached the same conclusion as the council of Aetheris.
But too many edges remained unresolved.
He knew he had to watch that boy closely. Very closely.
If his existence ever became a danger to the balance of the world… he would have to be eliminated immediately.
The beings finished observing the boy's line and fully restored it, so they would not lose knowledge of it again. Although some memories remained blocked, they had enough to access what could become the future of this version of Elior.
However, only Mia and Aros could truly see that future.
Death… only knew the date on which the boy would definitively die.
"Well…" Azriel said. "Who would have thought. He does not have many years left."
She laughed softly.
Mia looked at her immediately.
"Azriel, behave."
"Oh, please… you are all so dramatic," Azriel said, returning to her chair.
"What can you deduce?" Aros asked.
"For me," Mia said, "it is likely the boy is a type of anchor… but one never seen before."
"What do you mean?" Teo and Aros asked at the same time.
"If you noticed, the boy's entire life has been surrounded by suffering. And when he spoke with others or helped them, their pain gradually faded… but Elior's only increased."
She paused.
"It is only a theory, but perhaps… and only perhaps… the boy is an anchor of pain. In a manner of speaking. His mere existence, and the fact that he reached this point breaking the course of his other lines, suggests that the pain he must carry is the price for the power he was granted."
Mia hesitated before adding,
"Perhaps he made a pact with some demon… Satan, maybe? Although the pact does not fully convince me."
She sighed.
"It is strange that he acquired so much power… and that all he feels because of it is pain."
The beings began to perceive it more clearly.
Chaos was already occurring in that universe. The entire mechanism of balance was being corrupted.
Not only in the human world, but in the very structure of reality. Invisible cracks were opening, anomalies were accumulating… and the origin of it all was the same.
Elior.
"This universe is entering chaos," Azriel said, breaking the silence. "And the world itself is beginning to collapse because of him."
The others listened carefully.
"His power is too great," she continued. "So great that unconsciously he is encouraging others to hunt him. Angels, demons… even beings who should not interfere. They all believe that if they defeat him, they will obtain his power."
She paused, then added coldly,
"But what they truly seek… is the flower."
Aros narrowed his eyes.
"The Flower of Life…"
"That is how you call it," Azriel replied. "And you are not wrong."
"How is that possible?" Teo and Mia asked almost simultaneously. "How did he obtain that flower?"
Death looked at them with a tired expression.
"No one should be able to obtain it. It disappeared more than a thousand years ago. Not even the angels possessed it. Only God… in His garden."
Silence grew heavy.
"But all of that disappeared with Him," she added.
"Then…" Teo murmured, "how does the boy have it?"
"He obtained it in purgatory," Death answered bluntly. "His family rescued him… giving him that flower."
Teo frowned, clearly concerned.
"We must take it from him."
They all looked at him.
"Too much power in a boy like him is a disaster waiting to happen. Now I understand why there are so many irregularities in the behavior of angels… and demons. Even beings from my dimension, perhaps even shadow demons… they will all want that flower."
Aros slowly shook his head.
"We cannot take it."
"What?" Teo said. "Why not?"
"Because once it is given," Aros explained, "the flower binds directly to the life of its bearer. If you attempt to take it without his voluntary surrender, you will suffer severe injuries… even us."
Aros closed his eyes briefly.
"That flower predates us."
Mia turned to Azriel.
"Why did you not say this earlier?"
Azriel shrugged and laughed.
"I forgot."
Mia clenched her teeth.
"You know how many things I must deal with," Azriel added. "I forget many insignificant details."
Death sighed, exhausted.
"So, if you do not mind… I will use the brat for my plans."
"Plans?" Mia asked sharply.
"Yes," she replied. "Because of him, I have chaos in purgatory. Vengeful souls are piling up… all because of that brat."
"And why send him?" Mia insisted. "Why not do it yourself?"
Death yawned.
"First, because I am lazy.
Second, because the boy wants to be stronger."
She smiled with amusement.
"And I like his stupidity. He says he wants to kill angels and demons… so I want to see him try."
"There is no dealing with you," Aros muttered, returning to his seat.
Teo intervened.
"We must do something else. Something is not right. The mere existence of this being is dangerous."
He looked at Elior.
"He has enough power to annihilate all beings in this universe…"
"Only if he fully awakens," Aros replied calmly. "Believe me, I know. But his power remains restrained by his human body. And above all, by his will not to become what he wishes to destroy."
Aros leaned back slightly.
"It will be his own decisions that define how his life ends."
Teo clenched his teeth, dissatisfied. He was about to argue when he looked at Mia.
Then he understood.
"You have already seen the boy's future… have you not?"
Mia did not answer. Aros did.
"Yes."
"Then if you choose not to eliminate him…" Teo swallowed. "It is because he has a purpose."
"Yes," Aros replied. "But it is a horrible purpose for a boy."
He paused.
"In the absence of his god… perhaps the universe's own energy granted him power. To sustain both evil and good. To achieve balance within himself."
Teo frowned.
"That means…?"
"In simple terms," Aros continued, "this boy, Elior… is cursed by his own world."
"Cursed?" Teo repeated. "I do not understand."
"As Mia said," Aros replied, "the boy is an anchor. He carries the suffering of others. The world feeds his anger and rage."
He sighed.
"I will let him live in peace for whatever time he has left."
Teo widened his eyes.
"And what will happen?"
"Most likely, he will lose everything he has… even himself."
Teo turned his gaze to Elior.
The decision was made.
They would not intervene.
Only Death would use him for her own plans.
Teo lowered his eyes with displeasure.
"Even the very essence of this world has been corrupted in this universe… We will leave. I have seen enough."
He looked at Azriel.
"Return the boy where he belongs. He needs to heal his body."
"Yes, yes, whatever you say, old man," Azriel replied, lying on the ground.
Before leaving, Mia approached the unconscious boy. Moved, she placed her hand on his cheek.
"I hope one day we meet again…" she whispered. "I know you can help others without losing yourself."
She looked away.
"Even if I do not like to admit it… destiny can sometimes change. Especially in this universe."
"Mia," Aros called. "It is time."
The three beings prepared to depart.
"Inform me of any anomaly, Azriel," Aros ordered. "Immediately. Do not delay like this time."
Azriel did not respond. She simply made a peace sign.
When they left, Azriel began walking toward Elior. With each step, her domain slowly returned to normal: the house surrounded by beautiful plants, the stable sky… and Elior lying on the courtyard floor.
"Alright… time to wake the brat."
She approached and nudged him with her foot.
"Hey. Hey, brat."
Elior reacted slowly as Mia's power faded and his shadow finished restoring muscles and bones.
"Ah… no… you again…" Elior muttered, opening his eyes with difficulty.
"What do you mean, you again?" Azriel growled, kicking him harder and sending him crashing into a tree.
"Ahh! What is wrong with you, crazy woman?" Elior shouted in pain.
"You are in my domain," Azriel said coldly. "Do not speak to me like that again."
She crossed her arms.
"If you are healed, get out."
Elior stood slowly.
"I will leave… even though I do not understand anything that just happened. Whatever. I do not feel like looking at your ugly skeletal face."
"What did you call me?" Death shouted.
Azriel changed form, adopting overwhelming physical beauty. Her black hair shone intensely, and her green eyes held a depth capable of enchanting anyone.
Elior looked at her… and shrugged.
"I still think the same."
Azriel clenched her fists.
"Damned brat…"
"Ah, wait," Elior said. "I do not remember how to get out of here. Could you at least help me?"
Azriel sighed.
"You are a clumsy brat."
She opened a portal and threw him inside carelessly, entering afterward.
Elior rolled across the ground of his own domain, the Shadow Kingdom.
He sighed as he stood and brushed off his clothes.
"Elior!" Alice said, approaching worriedly.
"Hi," he replied.
"Are you alright?" she asked, checking him.
"Yes. Relax."
"Please, Alice," Death interrupted, stepping out of the portal. "If I wanted to hurt him, I would have already done so."
"Silence," Alice snapped.
"I cannot deal with you anymore," Azriel huffed. "You are all so disrespectful."
She turned around.
"And you, brat… for the help, you owe me a coffee and three lemon pies."
"What help?" Elior replied. "You did absolutely nothing."
"That is what you think," Azriel said. "Start saving."
And she left.
"Finally," Elior exclaimed. "Let us go, Alice. I need to train again."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "You should rest."
"Nah. I am fine. Just a little confused. I do not remember much of what happened earlier."
In her domain, Azriel closed a barrier after eliminating a monstrous beast.
"Disgusting creatures… they are advancing too fast."
She sighed.
"How annoying."
Back in her residence, she did not want to admit it… but there was something about that boy that made her feel strangely at ease.
"Poor brat…" she murmured. "You are condemned."
She closed her eyes.
"He is already cursed, according to Aros… there is nothing that can be done for you."