TBATE-REDEMPTION

Chapter 22

Two figures stood in the void. Identical in shape, one had a sharp, handsome face with black hair and piercing eyes, while the other's features were obscured, blurred in shadows as if reality itself rejected their form. For a long time, they stood in silence, staring at each other, their presence in the darkness the only thing that existed.

Nothing else.

Finally, the faceless figure spoke, his voice like the grinding of stones, raw and ancient.

"Everything. From your creation to your life... all of your battles, all of your deaths, every choice you made... it was all part of my plan."

The words carried a weight that seemed to fracture the very air around them. The void cracked, reality splintering like glass, shards of existence falling away into the endless dark.

And then, Sam opened his eyes.

He lay on his back, the cool stillness of the mind realm grounding him. Slowly, his vision adjusted to the soft, glowing darkness. Grey rested beside him, still in deep meditation, while Caera and Sera were talking in hushed tones a little ways off.

Sitting up, Sam's mind was clouded with the fading remnants of the strange vision. He clenched his jaw. 'The time is near.'

He stood, drawing the attention of the others. Caera looked over, her expression curious, while Grey's eyes barely fluttered open. Noticing their stares, Sam gave them a short nod. "I'm heading back to the physical world," he said, his voice calm but carrying an undercurrent of resolve. "There's something I need to take care of."

"Is everything okay?" Caera asked, though Sam could tell from her voice that she trusted him implicitly. She didn't pry, but the worry in her eyes was unmistakable. After spending so much time with Sam and Sera here in this mind realm, Caera had thought of Sam as a brotherly figure.

The time here was being manipulated by Sam. Hence slowing the time here significantly....it had been days....maybe even months  since Grey and Caera got here.

He smiled faintly at her concern but shook his head. "I'll be fine. In the meantime, you two can spar with Sera. Stay sharp."

Without another word, Sam extended his right hand, seemingly grabbing hold of thin air. In a single motion, as if pulling apart a curtain, he tore open the fabric of reality. A portal split into existence, swirling with ethereal colors and shadows. He stepped through, vanishing from the mind realm.

Sam emerged in the physical world, finding himself in Grey's room. Grey's physical body, which had been lying unconscious. The room was quiet, untouched, and still. But Sam didn't linger. In the next moment, he vanished again, flickering out of existence.

He reappeared in a dark alley, somewhere far from prying eyes. Immediately, a wave of pain surged through him, and he staggered, pressing a hand against his chest where his heart would be. He coughed, blood splattering the wall beside him, staining the stone in deep red. His breathing was labored, each gasp filled with agony.

Panting heavily, Sam leaned against the wall, steadying himself. His sharp gaze scanned the area, his mana senses flaring out in every direction. Nothing. No one was nearby, not within five kilometers at least.

"It's starting..." he muttered under his breath, wiping the blood from his lips. "I don't have much time."

Once certain the alley was isolated, he reached into his dimensional storage, retrieving his black mask. He slipped it over his face, and as he did, black threads of energy wove around him, engulfing him entirely. The transformation was instant. His black armor shimmered into place, the mask's green lines faintly glowing. His presence shifted, growing darker, more sinister — the embodiment of death itself.