He sank into the depths of a white ocean, layered with deep, spectral shades of blurred black. Like the black mist that had engulfed him when he crossed the portal, it resembled smoke spreading across white clouds.
When he opened his eyes, he frowned in confusion.
'What is this?' Nova wondered, bewildered, as he realized he couldn't move. 'Where am I now?'
Nowhere in particular—that would be the correct answer, though a very ambiguous one at the same time. He thought he had returned to the same place where everything had begun, yet something felt different this time.
Nova felt death embrace him gently, its ethereal hands passing through his chest and probing deep into his soul. Those hands—cold, thin, and lonely—slowly pushed him toward the bottom of the ocean.
In the darkest depths of the mist, where white eyes of all shapes and sizes stared up toward the surface, faint and distant whispers could be heard; whispers spoken in thousands of different languages—men, women, children, and all kinds of mysterious creatures from the depths of the cosmos.
They cried.
They laughed.
They screamed in anger.
Or remained silent in the deep.
Such a mysterious and gloomy scene made him think of the only thing anyone could think of.
'Did I die already?'
Unbothered, he closed his eyes again, as dying didn't seem like such a big deal.
Nothing hurt anymore. Nothing worried him. Though… had anything ever truly worried him? That was complicated. Besides, claiming you're dead just because you're in an unfamiliar place isn't the best idea—and it's also pretty cliché.
'What's going to happen to me now?'
It was a natural question. The past few hours had been far too chaotic and desperate. Anything could happen at this point. From a portal opening out of nowhere to a desert-dwelling octopus monster that was absurdly fast and agile.
'Am I really going to stay here forever this time?'
With no way to know, he continued sinking deeper. Just as he was about to reach the ocean floor, a chill ran down his spine, and a voice spoke to him.
"Well, what a surprise. You're still intact."
It was a male voice—deep and hoarse. Surprisingly cordial and calm, considering the gloomy, almost ghostly atmosphere of the place.
Nova couldn't tell where the voice was coming from since he couldn't move his head, but from what he could hear, it spoke his language—the current language of the human race, a kind of hybrid mix of the most widely spoken tongues of ancient Earth.
Knowing he couldn't move his body, he tried to move his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Even that was beyond his limits. It almost felt as if someone had imposed these restrictions on this place.
The voice continued.
"Are you… scared?"
It paused.
"Worried?"
The voice hovered close to Nova.
"Confused?"
Despite everything, its friendliness still sounded unsettling.
Things worsened when, suddenly, an ironic chuckle echoed through the nonexistent water of the ocean. That laugh, of course, belonged to this mysterious man.
In an amused tone, he said:
"Doesn't seem like it. You're very calm, actually."
That sparked Nova's curiosity. Using all his strength, he tried to look to the sides, but to no avail.
'Can you read my mind? Where am I?'
Assuming this mysterious deep-voiced being could see his thoughts, Nova fired off two direct questions.
Just as the mysterious being had said, Nova remained calm despite everything.
"Whether I can read your mind? And where you are?" he let out a dry laugh before continuing. "Nah. It's not that I can read your mind. You're just so predictable that I can imagine what you're thinking. As for your second question…"
The voice paused again, leaving Nova hanging in suspense. Then it continued.
"You're in the place everyone will pass through someday. However, it's not your turn yet. No, no, no, no."
This time, the mysterious being sounded serious. He didn't laugh or act friendly like before.
Still, his cordial tone returned a second later.
"Though let me tell you something I find rather curious. You are… very skilled… You entered this place without knowing where you were truly stepping into. That's impressive. You have great talent."
'Talent…' Nova thought, reflecting. 'Wait. I—'
"Today's conversation is over, Nova Asmodai. It's time to say goodbye. But don't feel sad about this farewell, because I'll be waiting for you here. I'm not going anywhere—it will be you who comes to me of your own free will."
"What? I don't understand."
Nova tried to turn around. That was when he noticed something.
'Can I move?'
At last, he felt free. Still floating in the vast spectral whiteness, he turned around to look at his captor. What he saw made him feel something he had never thought possible.
Behind him stood a dark being staring at him ominously—like a shadow floating in water. Beautiful, light black cloaks drifted mystically around its thin, gaunt body, as if wind made it appear like a ghost.
It had large, branching black elk antlers atop its head and a white dog skull for a face. Its deep black eyes burned with a blue flame at their center. In its thin, skeletal hand, it held an old, unassuming staff made of the same black mist that filled the ocean.
Before he could figure out what emotion he felt, Nova fell into the dark void.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
He found himself staring up at the sky, where beautiful, cool blue leaves let cold snowflakes fall. The darkness was gone—replaced by a massive, scorching sun that burned everything outside the area covered in snow.
'I think I'm not understanding anything.'
As obvious as it was, Nova closed his eyes. He took his time to process everything before jumping to a hasty conclusion.
He rested silently beneath the snow covering his body. The heat of the blistering desert was eclipsed by the cold of the snow—enough that, this time, the ground didn't burn him.
Minutes later, he opened his eyes.
He looked at one of the fruits hanging from a branch, the blue leaves, and the frozen corpse of the Aberration trapped between the thick trunk of the majestic, cold tree.
White mist hovered above the ground, covering the entire tree and its surroundings. The sand had been buried beneath snow, and the whole area had been transformed into a small biome entirely different from the rest of the desert.
At last, he relaxed.
'It worked.'
He smiled calmly. The wounds on his body were red, staining the snow crimson, but that no longer mattered. Salvation loomed over him, releasing cold snow.
'I'm alive.'