Light woke up; it was dark, cold, and wet.
'What a strange dream…'
As he stood up, he looked ahead. To his left was a sacred golden door, adorned with gold and made of pure white quartz. It was warm, dry, and bright, illuminating the surrounding darkness.
He looked to the right, where a great blue beacon stretched into infinity. A blinding light emanated from it, but what was casting such a glow was impossible to distinguish from this distance. Light looked back at the white door.
"System, show me the challenge" he commanded, his voice echoing through the empty space. The system didn't exist… a dream… in it, he had been a warrior, traveled to another world, fought against dwarves, and was preparing to face a greater evil.
"What a joke" he muttered with a self-deprecating laugh, heading toward the darkness, which felt more comfortable to him. Countless eyes watched him from that side—black shadows with lifeless white eyes, varying in height, like people. Some were tall, others short, never as large as giants or as small as dwarves. They approached Light as he walked, slowly closing in on him.
"It's been a long time since I slept. What the hell is wrong with these dreams?" A shadow stood in front of him. Light, surprised by its reaction, just smiled and hugged it. There was no warmth in the gesture, yet both were satisfied.
"Do you miss it here?" A feminine voice came from behind, sweet and loving, full of sympathy and compassion. Light turned to confront the figure—a woman with silver hair who looked to be in her 30s. Her eyes were a bright golden, and her naked body was bound by red chains.
"Always" he replied with a deep gaze and a sincere face.
"It might sound strange, but humans have always been known for their adaptability. Won't you miss it when you leave?" Her laugh, one of the most beautiful ever heard, stopped as she looked at Light with a touch of sadness.
"I'll never leave here. I didn't come by choice, and I won't leave" he sighed.
"Never say never. Many things can happen. If I could do it, why couldn't you?" She began to form her arguments but stopped immediately. Their reunion would be brief; there was no point in being pessimistic. They both knew the truth of their chains.
"Does Azrael want something with me?" he pondered.
"The damned angel doesn't even want to look at your face! Let alone talk to you!" she proclaimed, snorting.
"You made your choices. If it weren't for your usefulness, you would have been torn into a thousand pieces already. When he's freed, it'll be the first thing he does—everything involving you will be erased from history" her voice was full of dissatisfaction.
"I figured, but I wouldn't have survived if I hadn't! Can anyone judge me for making that choice?" he protested against the heavens.
"I suppose not, but what can you do? That's the price of wanting to survive," she shrugged as she continued.
"Anyway… I came here to apologize" her tone slightly off, sounding bitterly regretful.
"For what?" Light wasn't sure she had done anything wrong and was calm.
"You know who I am and why I'm bound…" A brief insight hit him.
"Oh, right. Well, I don't mind if it means coming back here. I thought there was something worse after…" After thinking for a moment and rephrasing his words.
"You know, the one even the gods fear, the terrible death." He tried to lighten the mood.
"It's all in the past, just forget it and let's move on. We'll have each other's company for eternity, and we can curse the angel forever!"
"Unfortunately, you didn't die… it was just my selfishness to see you again." Light froze in place, his eyes widening.
"Tell me, what are you apologizing for…"
"I'm sorry, Light. It's just how things work," her head hung low, the regret deep. Chains appeared around him and began pulling him.
"Until next time, Light. I wish your path to be full of light…" Remembering how they both hated the light, she corrected herself.
"Darkness."
Light was dragged by chains toward the golden door, which opened. His memories of how he ended up there returned, and his hatred for the divine grew. With a thud, he woke up, lying in the Witch's house bed.
'What the hell was that?'
He immediately searched for the Witch and found her in the same place as before. She promptly handed him some mana crystals to help him recover. Thinking it had all been a vision of the future, he asked her to teach him about mana. The Witch didn't press too much and continued teaching until nightfall. Light began devising better plans, ready for the battle; this time, he wouldn't die and would save everyone.
"I'm going now to rescue Rorik. Wish me luck" he prepared to leave.
"Oh, my dear, he's resting at home." Light stopped.
"What?"
"Yesterday, you were struck down violently and died. Using a ritual, I sacrificed some soldiers in exchange for reviving you, something arranged by Rorik, who is now resting," Light, catching the nuances of her words, sprinted toward Rorik's house. Upon arriving, he saw several dwarves standing in front of the house; they parted and made way for him. In front of the house, a new grave had appeared—the grave of Rorik, the StoneHeart.
Falling to his knees, Light gazed at it with a heavy heart. The old dwarf had sacrificed himself to bring him back. He wasn't the only one. Looking around at those gathered, he quickly noticed that all had participated in the previous day's battle. He called one of the nearby soldiers.
"How many men do we have?"
"Around 15 men, sir. 10 gravely injured, and 5 with minor injuries."
How could they win against the enemy with only the wounded? He had dozens of disciples, and just two devastated the battlefield. Triss was captured, Rorik was dead, Ruari was the only one left who could be useful, along with a small group of soldiers. Their attack was already expected by the enemy…
What should he do? There was no way to face any of them! They would be killed as soon as they set foot in that ruined castle. Gathering all his strength, he stood up and cast a brief glance at the soldiers.
"Those who are in good condition, follow me!"