The street was icy now that the sun had set. Without my butcher's suit, I felt completely numb. I walked, stumbling through the streets, clutching my stomach. I didn't know if it was the viscera, the toxins, or the stone I had swallowed, but something was melting me from the inside.
Upon entering my shack, I didn't go to see my mother as usual. Instead, I rushed to the kitchen. I barely managed to grab a bucket before I started vomiting. The first thing that came out was a large green and red mass. The blood seemed completely coagulated, like jelly. Despite knowing nothing about medicine, I could tell this was really bad for my health. Desperate to get the stone out, I tried to stick my fingers down my throat, to press on my belly, but no solid object came out, only more green and black fluids and blood.
"Damn it…!" I whispered, kneeling by the bucket. My hopes of getting some money to help my mother vanished, leaving behind only a strong feeling of despair. The disappointment, after being so close to achieving something, hurt more than the blows I received from Uncle Hanes.
With tears in my eyes, I began to feel very drowsy, as if I were drugged. I tried to stand up, but all I managed was to fall face-first onto the floor, unable to brace myself. My consciousness blurred until everything turned to darkness.
When I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the kitchen floor. I was in the middle of a desolate wasteland. The sky was blood-red, giving it a terrifying appearance. The air felt dry, but it smelled of blood; after so long working in a butcher shop, I was very familiar with that smell.
The ground was just a black, cracked plain that stretched as far as my eye could see. There wasn't a single tree or blade of grass, just a complete, lifeless desert.
Not knowing where I was, I started walking. I don't know how much time passed; I just kept walking in this strange place. The sky had no stars or any other signs, so I didn't feel like I was making any progress. I couldn't give up, so I kept walking, and then I saw it in the distance: it was like the division between sea and land. This strange world was divided. The closer I got, the more noticeable this division became.
To my left, the same black, dry ground; while to the right, golden earth shone as if everything were made of gold. Both lands didn't mix; the line seemed perfect, with no trace of any ripple. From where I stood, I couldn't see the end of either side.
I stopped right at the line. One foot on each side, but nothing happened. I felt a bit depressed, and despair began to fill my heart. Panicking wouldn't help me, so I kept walking along that edge, as if the very fracture of the world was guiding me.
Time seemed to stand still, as everything I saw was exactly the same. No matter how long I walked, everything remained identical until I found it. In the distance, something was visible; I didn't know what it was, but I was sure something was there. I ran with all my might; my lungs burned, but I didn't want to stop. I ran and ran until I could see what it was.
A massive platform floated a few feet above the ground. From afar, it looked like a ceremonial altar. The closer I got, the more details I could notice: there was a throne made of a crystal so dark it seemed to absorb the light around it.
When I finally reached it, I could see it better: it was monstrous, immense, larger than anything I had ever seen. If someone could sit there, they would have to be over a hundred meters tall.
Behind it, growing directly from the platform, was a tree… so tall it ascended until it disappeared into the sky. Its trunk was gray, as if made of rock; it looked incredibly dry, as if it could break at any moment. Its branches were bare; there wasn't a single leaf on it. I don't know how I hadn't seen it before, but something seemed to make it invisible until I got close enough.
And to the sides of the throne… I saw them… two kneeling beings. They were gigantic, also seemingly made of stone, but they were cracked. Large fractures covered their entire bodies as if they were about to crumble. The closer I got, the better I could see the scene: both were entangled by the tree's branches, which seemed to be devouring them.
To my left was he. I don't know how I knew, but I knew his name without anyone telling me: "The Supreme Ruler of Creation." As I touched the statue, an image appeared in my head: it was him, but before he was in this state. His skin seemed to be made of gold, his hair floated as if unaffected by gravity. He wore robes made of light; his entire body was covered in colored light. He looked ethereal; saying I was looking at a god would be more accurate. But now his body was covered in cracks, and there wasn't even a trace of that divinity; he was like porcelain about to shatter.
Curious about the cracks, I leaned in, and through them, glimmers escaped… it seemed I could see stars; it was a beautiful landscape.
He had six wings. Or what was left of them. One was broken at his feet. Another hung like a broken arm; his hand extended towards the throne as if he wanted to touch it, while the other tried to contain a crack in his chest.
To the right was another being, looking just as imposing. Unable to contain my curiosity, I approached to touch it. As I touched it, its name appeared again: "The Supreme Ruler of the Void." More images entered my mind: its body was a spiral of shadows with some red runes drawn, showing an imposing demeanor. Where a face should have been, there was only a black mask; its face was just a swirling vortex of smoke with two violet lights where its eyes should have been.
Looking back at the statue, I could better see its wounds: from its chest gushed a fissure that was dripping… something. Not blood; it was more a black substance that didn't seem physical, but like a shadow. Nothingness in its purest form. From its back, spears protruded; only four remained, pointing towards the sky, while on the floor, there were several dozens broken.
The sound of something cracking startled me. The branches seemed to move, and when I looked up, two green eyes opened from the tree trunk. When I saw them, time seemed to stop. It was as if my presence was insignificant; just its gaze was enough to kill me, I knew it very well.