Calvin woke up in darkness.
Not the normal kind—this was a wide, endless dark space. There were no walls, no ceiling, no floor he could truly see. Just blackness stretching forever, thick and heavy, like it was pressing against his skin.
"Where… where am I?" he said.
His voice echoed back to him, bouncing around the dark space, twisting until it didn't even sound like his own anymore.
He stood up slowly, his legs shaking. Whatever he was standing on felt solid, yet wrong, like the ground didn't fully exist.
"Hello?!" he shouted. "Is anyone here?! Hello!!"
Nothing answered.
Then he felt it.
Warmth.
It started in his chest—slow at first, then spreading, deep and burning. Calvin grabbed his shirt, gasping.
"What the hell—?"
Light pushed through his skin.
A small glowing ball forced its way out of his chest, tearing through flesh without blood, floating in front of him. It shined softly, almost peacefully, like it didn't care what it had just done.
Calvin screamed. "Someone help me! Please!"
He tried to run, but his body wouldn't move. His legs refused to obey, like motion itself didn't exist in this place. The light drifted closer, calm and slow.
"No—no, stop—!"
The light pressed against his forehead.
Pain exploded.
It felt like his skull was being split open from the inside. Calvin screamed as the light pushed into his head, burning through his thoughts, his memories, his sanity.
Then—
CRACK.
Something tore its way out of his head.
A dark crimson crystal burst through his skull, ripping flesh and spraying blood. Calvin howled as warm liquid ran down his face and into his eyes. The crystal hovered in front of him, jagged and sharp, pulsing like it was alive.
His body shook violently.
Then the crystal slammed through his torso.
It ripped through skin, muscle, and bone, bursting out his back in a spray of blood. Calvin screamed until his throat burned raw. The pain was too much—far beyond anything a human body should feel.
His vision blurred.
His body gave out.
Darkness swallowed him.
Calvin woke up screaming.
His chest heaved as he gasped for air, his whole body shaking violently. Sweat soaked his clothes, and his heart felt like it was about to tear itself apart.
"I'm alive…?" he whispered.
With trembling hands, he touched his head.
No hole.
No crystal.
Instead, thick bandages were wrapped tightly around his skull. Pain flared the moment he touched them, sharp and deep.
Then the memories slammed into him.
The church.
The explosion.
The children screaming.
The rotten hand reaching for him through smoke and fire.
A sword.
Steel flashing.
Someone had saved him—but his mind refused to show him who.
Calvin looked down at his body.
More bandages, wrapped tightly around his chest. When he pressed against them, pain shot through him, and warmth spread beneath the cloth.
Blood.
"This isn't the church…" he muttered.
The bed wasn't his. The room smelled strange—like herbs, metal, and old stone. A dim light flickered nearby, barely pushing back the shadows.
Panic crawled up his spine.
"The door," he said quickly. "Where's the door?!"
He spotted it across the room. The door looked pale, almost blending into the wall, like it didn't belong there.
He stumbled out of bed and rushed toward it, pain tearing through his body with every step. He grabbed the handle and pulled.
It didn't open.
"Open!" he shouted, yanking harder.
The handle snapped off in his hand.
"No… no, no—!"
Desperation took over.
Calvin slammed his body against the door. Pain exploded through his chest, and fresh blood soaked into the bandages. He hit it again, and again, each impact stealing more of his strength.
Finally, his legs gave out.
He slid down the wall, leaving smeared blood behind him. His breathing came in broken gasps as pain flooded every inch of his body.
Tears burned his eyes.
"I can't… I can't do this…" he whispered.
Time passed—he didn't know how long.
Exhaustion dragged him under.
Footsteps echoed.
Keys rattled.
A lock clicked open.
The door creaked.
"Blood?" a woman's voice said sharply. "What happened here?"
Calvin barely stirred.
"This boy…" she muttered, moving closer. "He shouldn't be able to move at all."
A hand touched his shoulder.
"Hey," she said. "Are you awake?"
His mind slipped away again.
Maybe… maybe all of this is just a dream, he thought.
And then everything went dark.