XIV
You enter a dark room, but its meticulous arrangement adds a mysterious tension. The furniture, perfectly placed, stands out unusually under the faint light creeping through the partially closed windows. The walls, covered in dark wallpaper with subtle patterns, seem to melt into the shadows.
The floor is covered with a deep-colored rug, immaculately clean, intensifying the heavy atmosphere that fills the room. In the center, a neatly made bed stands, its flat cover looking as though it hasn't been touched for a long time. Everything in the room is in its proper place, yet this perfect order strikes you as incredibly suspicious.
You turn toward the bed in the middle of the room, where Alex is sitting. His legs are drawn up to his chest, head tilted downward, in a curled-up position. The faint light slowly reveals his facial features, but his amber eyes, gleaming in the darkness, suddenly meet yours. There's something chilling in his gaze, as if it carries a painful story yet untold.
Alex murmurs in a deep, sorrowful voice, "I've been eagerly awaiting your arrival, dear reader. It's been a long time since we last spoke."
He looks at you with amber eyes, filled with an unsettling reassurance. "Don't worry, you can come closer," he says in a calm but eerie tone, trying to ease your racing emotions.
As you slowly step toward the bed, anxiety builds in your chest. Each step feels like it brings you deeper into the dark room, and every movement reverberates through the stillness. The air around you feels heavier, as if it's surrounding you with a dense touch, as though you're walking into the depths of darkness.
You reach the side of the bed where Alex sits, and he smiles at you in an unsettling way. "Go ahead, sit down. Don't be afraid, I won't lose control like I did with that nobody, Matthew."
You slowly sit on the edge of the bed, remaining silent as the quietness of the room envelops you. The heavy atmosphere makes it feel as though time has stopped. The silence deepens your sense of unease, while Alex's piercing gaze watches you, as if waiting for something to emerge from the depths of this stillness.
Alex continues, in a quiet tone as though reading your thoughts: "Oh, you think I'm depressed about what happened before? Naaah, not even a single chance ."
His words carry a sense of calm, but this sudden declaration adds a new layer of mystery to the atmosphere. The deep silence still lingers, as his gaze watches your reactions, trying to decipher the emotions swirling within you during this confusing moment.
Alex speaks again, with an unexpectedly serious tone: "Well, let's be honest, he deserved what happened to him."
Your expression shows surprise, clearly reflected in your eyes. Alex picks up on this change and continues: "What now? Don't pretend to be innocent. You knew exactly that this was his fate, didn't you?"
He adds, with a bit of sarcasm in his voice: "This isn't the first time this has happened. There's always an asshole who provokes the main character who's trying to keep being calm, but in the end, he can't control himself any longer and beat his ass...
That's the routine."
At that moment, you begin to think about the flawed nature of this hero, and you realize that Alex is accurately reading your thoughts. He says coldly, "Oh, don't act like you're dissatisfied now. You're the one who wanted this from the start. You wanted me to explode and destroy everything around me. Did you think I was putting on a show?"
You catch his sarcastic tone as he continues: "Yes, I gave you what you asked for. So, don't expect me to turn this into a sad drama now. You wanted this scenario, and I'm just like a fast-paced battle hero. Let's be honest, I'm not about to play the good guy now. You asked for this, and you got it."
Then he smiles with a twisted smirk, saying, "You think I'm in some children's show? No, I'm not going to radiate some strange energy thanks to the power of friendship, nor will I defeat my enemies with noble virtue. This is what you've brought upon yourself by entering my world, which, at least for me, is a real one. I won't mourn a scumbag who got what he deserved. He should've blamed himself for insulting my parents."
A chill runs down your spine, as those harsh words pierce deeply, revealing a darker side you hadn't expected. Alex looks at you with a mix of curiosity and amusement, then continues sharply: "So, what would you have done in my place? Losing your parents at a young age, being bullied, beaten, exploited, insulted, mocked for having a useless ability you can't even control—would you have become the noble hero of the story? That perfect figure who wins through the power of love and perseverance? If that's what you think, then I'm sorry... I don't have that kind of kindness. I can't be that kind of hero."
His brief silence adds to the heaviness of the moment, as if the words themselves linger in the air. Then he looks at you intently, cutting through your thoughts as he speaks in a calm but resolute tone: "Relax… relax… Of course, I don't aspire to be a villain, so rest assured. I don't have those wild dreams of world domination, wiping out humanity, or creating a world without powers… But, at the same time, I don't possess the kind-heartedness you imagine. I'm not the hero you're dreaming of."
The echo of his words reverberates in the room, and with it, you're drawn further into the complexity of the character Infront of you. He pulls you into his dark worlds, where the lines between good and evil are far blurrier than you ever imagined.
Alex begins to move slowly around the room, his steps calculated, as if he's inspecting every corner, as though each one hides a secret he doesn't want to uncover. The atmosphere is charged with tension, the air thick, as if you're at the heart of a calm storm waiting to erupt at any moment.
He stops at a small window, covered by a dark curtain that barely allows light to pass through. He looks through the narrow gap, then slowly turns toward you, his hazel eyes catching the dim light, making them gleam unnaturally.
"Do you know what's worse than losing everything?" he asks in a quiet voice, but one that carries unmistakable bitterness. "It's living in a world that doesn't give you a chance to do anything about it."
He approaches you step by step, and you feel the weight of each step as though it's crushing the air around you. "At first, I thought things could change one day, that there was something worth fighting for. But all I found was continuous disappointment."
You observe his eyes, which glimmer with a mix of sorrow and something else you can't quite identify. Perhaps anger, or maybe something deeper.
"Do you know what happens when you're deprived of everything?" he adds, stopping directly in front of you, lowering himself to your eye level, his gaze never leaving yours. "You stop trying. You stop believing. And you stop hoping."
His words resonate in your mind, weighing heavily on your heart. There's something unsettling in his tone, something that makes your thoughts race, wondering what could push someone to this level of indifference.
Then, suddenly, his expression changes, and he smiles with abrupt sarcasm, saying, "But don't worry, that's not what's happening here. I'm still here, still standing. I don't need pity, and I'm not seeking sympathy."
He runs a hand through his hair, which shifts between red and dark brown, his eyes following your every move with precision. "The only thing I want now is for you to see things from my perspective. Not everyone is born to be a hero, and not everyone is given the chance to choose between good and evil... and there's not just black and white."
He steps back a few paces, sighing deeply, as if a heavy burden has been lifted from his shoulders. "In the end, maybe none of it matters. Maybe I'm just another person trying to survive in this world... in my own way."
The words linger in your mind, and you wonder if there's a deeper meaning in what he said, or if it's just another attempt to manipulate you. But at that moment, you feel something strange growing inside you... a new understanding, perhaps? Or maybe just another chill creeping down your spine, pulling you back to the reality in front of you.
Alex steps back a few more paces, puts his hands in his pockets, and looks at you with eyes that hold a mix of calmness and boredom. Then, he smiles that mysterious smile that has become his trademark.
"I guess it's time for you to leave..." he says in a quiet voice, as if the words are cast into the air without any weight. You feel the gravity of the moment, as if something is ending, though you can't quite define what.
He turns toward the window again, gazing outside without looking back at you. "I'll be waiting for our next meeting... Oh, and send my regards to that stupid writer," he adds in a soft voice, as if the words are melting into the shadows filling the room.
Alex leaves you with a strange feeling, a mixture of anticipation and unease, as though something about this conversation is incomplete. Then, your hesitant steps begin to return toward the door, wondering what will happen in the next encounter and what Alex will reveal to you then.
Alex retreats to his bed, surrendering to the elegant sheets that seem as though they haven't been touched in a long time. He lays his head on the pillow and begins mumbling incoherent words, whispering into the surrounding silence.
He closes his eyes, and memories flood his mind like crashing waves. He recalls the moment he faced Matthew and how his anger erupted unexpectedly. The sensation of electricity surging through his body during the battle flashes in his mind, along with the disorientation he felt when he lost control. He realizes that his ability to inherit powers had activated on its own, as if some hidden force had pushed events to this point.
Thoughts race in his head as he tries to understand why he lost control. He had always possessed a rare coolness under pressure, so why did he explode with such unexpected force? He begins analyzing every detail, from the moment his powers started accelerating to the violent sensation that overtook him. Anxiety rises within him about his sudden transformations and the ability he doesn't fully comprehend.
As he sinks deeper into thought, drowsiness begins to creep into his mind, like gentle waves lulling the calm sea. His thoughts slow down, and the memories and anxiety melt away into the world of dreams, where the details become less clear, but the feeling of confusion lingers.
Sleep gradually overtakes him, until everything fades into the darkness of slumber, while his unanswered question remains floating in the depths of his mind.
Alex opens his eyes and finds himself something between a ghost and dust, non-material, floating in the distant space he first visited after acquiring the tattoo. The scene before him is of a desolate, ruined space, yet it holds an otherworldly beauty that draws the eye. It seems as though this space is not from this world but is a part of another dimension, perhaps a fusion of many dimensions, manifesting in an image that cannot be precisely defined.
The surrounding space is dark and still, with shimmering stars scattered here and there, appearing so distant as if they are fragments of another world beyond reach. There is a stark contrast between the entities drifting in the space: transparent, shadow-like forms move in undulating circles, merging with the ambient light to create a ghostly effect that enhances the sense of mystery. These entities take on undefined shapes, like hidden shadows crossing through the depths of space.
Alongside them are ethereal entities radiating calm colors ranging from light blue to transparent black. These beings resemble clouds of energy, moving fluidly as if dancing in the infinite space. The ethereal entities appear more vibrant and add a touch of life to the unique scene.
Despite the mystery surrounding this place, Alex feels calm. He has visited this place before, giving him a temporary sense of comfort, though he still senses something remains undisclosed. The atmosphere, though strange, evokes a deep curiosity rather than anxiety.
Alex observes this peculiar scene, feeling that these entities are part of everything happening to him, as if they represent something larger and deeper. He surveys the space, attempting to understand its meanings and purposes, as a scene of enigmatic and terrifying beauty unfolds before him.
Suddenly, the entities in space begin to move around Alex at an extraordinary speed, swirling around him as if in a frenzy. The atmosphere fills with incomprehensible whispers, which then abruptly quiet down and descend near him, surrounding him from all sides.
Alex stands amidst this chaos, his inner dialogue accelerating:
"Why this madness?" Alex wonders, drawn to the sound of the whispers. "Why have I been summoned here again?"
He tries to understand the reason behind the commotion, feeling anxious. "Is there something I need to know?" he questions. "Are these entities trying to deliver a message like last time?"
Alex tries to focus amidst the chaos, astonished and attempting to grasp what is happening. "There must be a reason for me being here . I need to understand what they want." The entities clear a path for Alex in the space, with one of them stepping forward to guide him. The entity gestures in a direction, and he realizes that they are asking him to follow them.
The surroundings here are unlike anything Alex has seen before; the trunks appear as if made of glowing rocks, and the leaves are not real leaves but resemble shimmering stardust. The ground is dark and dusty, with patches of sparkling dust here and there, adding a sense of mystery to the place.
Alex follows the entity guiding him until he reaches an open area where an ancient castle appears floating in the air. The castle looks majestic, with its tall towers and crumbling buildings, from which small rocky fragments float in the air, seemingly defying gravity.
Alex approaches the castle, trying to explore the details around him. "What is this place?" he asks the guiding entity but receives no response. "Why have you brought me here?"
He tries to communicate with the other entities hovering around him, but he gets no reaction. "Can you tell me about the castle? Is there something important I need to know?"
to be continued...