Darkness pervaded the room.
A candle burned on the table directly in front of the window, now almost completely melted and barely providing a faint light.
A chair sat next to the table, and a bed rested on one side of the table.
Raijin lay on the same bed.
His mind was still engrossed in the morning conversation. Zenn's questions, his words, and the attack... everything echoed within him.
Every few moments, a voice would break the silence—very faint, but clearly audible in the stillness of the night.
Raijin kept repeating the same thing over and over.
"Who am I...
What am I...
What was I before... and what am I now..."
He racked his brain, trying to remember.
What happened to him after Sora's sacrifice?
But the more he strained, the more his mind felt blank.
He couldn't remember anything clearly.
Just blurry images.
Fleeing from Lord's fortress, when countless monsters attacked him.
Some were wolf-like, some had enormous teeth and claws, bodies like animals but spoke like humans. And there were some that sent a chill down Raijin's spine just thinking about them.
Then escaping them all,
Falling wounded in the forest.
Meeting Sofia for the first time.
Then arriving in Eldhavn City and registering at the Adventure Guild.
After that—
After that—
After that, nothing.
A wave of confusion crossed Raijin's face.
All the memories after arriving in Eldhavn City... and until he woke up yesterday... couldn't remember a single thing, not a single thing.
"What is this... what is happening to me..."
"What is this happening to me..."
Raijin kept repeating this over and over.
The candle on the table had now completely burned out and melted.
The darkness had completely swallowed the light in the room.
Raijin didn't even realize when he fell asleep.
Just then—
"Raijin... wake up..."
"Raijin, wake up..."
"Wake up, Raijin..."
A voice echoed from all sides, entering his ears like the wind.
Raijin's eyes opened.
A sky filled with stars above. The stars pushed back the pitch-black darkness and illuminated the sky like morning light.
Below, green grass grew on the ground, a light layer of cold water forming on it.
Fireflies fluttered in the air, floating here and there with the cool breeze.
The sounds of crickets all around.
Raijin muttered softly,
"What kind of place is this..."
So peaceful...
So calm...
It felt as if he had been waiting for this place for ages.
And looking at this place, it felt as if it was made just for him.
"No... wait..."
Raijin became alert.
"How did I get here?"
"I was in my room..."
He was so lost in the beauty, silence, and tranquility of this place that he forgot he should be in his room.
Just then, a calm voice echoed—
"Calm down."
"Don't be afraid."
"Don't panic."
"No one will harm you here."
"Look ahead of you."
"Go to the tree you see."
"Don't waste time thinking. Time is short."
Raijin ran toward the tree without thinking much.
Strange—
His mind couldn't resist obeying the voice.
As if peace was spreading deep within him.
After running for a few moments, he reached the tree.
A figure emerged from behind the tree.
"Oh... you're here."
Raijin stopped.
"Sora...?"
"How are you here?"
His heart seemed to stop for a moment.
His eyes widened. He took a few steps forward... as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing was real.
"Sora..."
The name came out of his lips very slowly.
A slight moisture glistened in his eyes.
He suddenly remembered those moments—
Sora's laughter...
her fight with him...
And that last moment... when Sora had sacrificed his life to save him.
Raijin just stared at him for a few moments.
A strange sense of relief and pain rose within him simultaneously.
As if his heart was saying—
I wish you were always with me.
But the next moment—
Sora's face changed.
He was now... Raijin.
Raijin was stunned.
It felt like a dream.
"So... who are you—"
He spoke immediately,
But surprisingly, there was no panic in his heart or mind.
He was completely calm.
The fear was only in his voice, not within him.
The man said—
"Don't be afraid."
"I am you."
Raijin furrowed his brows.
"What does that mean... I am you?"
"I don't understand."
"I understand," the figure said.
"It means I am a part of you."
"I am within you."
"You can understand it this way—I am deep within your heart.
You could even call me a consciousness.
To put it more clearly, I am the consciousness that warns you of any danger."
Raijin took a deep breath.
"Okay... and what is this place?"
"And why have you taken my form?"
"Can't you change it? It feels strange to see yourself."
The figure said, "That was a bit of an odd question. But okay."
The next moment, he transformed into Sora.
"Now?"
"Is it okay now?"
"I've taken the form of your brother."
Raijin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes... okay."
"Stay in Sora."
"Seeing you gives me a strange feeling... as if I've found something lost."
Then he looked around.
"But what is this place?"
Sora smiled.
"This place... is nothing."
Confusion crossed Raijin's face again, but not as much as before.
"Nothing?" he said.
"Yes."
"This place doesn't exist."
"This place is something you created yourself—in your heart and mind."
"If you don't believe it..."
"Try changing it."
Raijin thought.
The next moment—
The scenery changed.
A calm lake.
Blue sky.
Fish swimming in the water.
Then—
Everything returned to normal.
Raijin asked, surprised,
"Why is it back to normal?"
Sora replied,
"Because this is the place you fantasize about the most."
"This is your peace."
Then he grew a little serious.
"If your doubts are clear now…"
"Can I say something?"
Raijin nodded with a slight smile.
"Yes."
"You've been meaning to say something all along."
"Sorry, I distracted you."
Sora's eyes deepened.
"Now listen to me carefully.
What I'm about to say may not be easy for you to hear."
.
.
.
Thank You For Reading This Chaptar.
Author: Mohammed Zaid Saifi