Chapter 6 – Despair

What is true despair? Is it something sinister beyond the imagination of the ordinary, or is it something mundane. Common to the point of it occurring daily, but is chosen to be overlooked.

...….

Conversations and bickering of immortals were resounding through the consciousness of Adam's soul. He felt like a man trapped in a box with people talking all around him, but all he could decipher were muffled voices.

Soon, a warm feeling embraced him. It was an enveloping feeling which made one feel safe and secure.

However, before he could begin to enjoy it a 'plop' resounded through every crevice of his soul. Like the dropping of a huge stone into a small lake.

Excruciating pain. Unendurable pain that would leave a person writhing in agony, perforated every inch of his soul. His soul was being forcibly expanded because it could not accommodate whatever was dropped into it.

This was not the end of the suffering but just the beginning. The 'stone' began to dissolve and spread itself over every inch of the soul. It was like an acid that invaded. Eroding through the impurities of the soul.

Constantly filling the confines of his soul to the brink of explosion. The soul would expand to accommodate the 'acid' and then again be filled to the brim, constantly in a cycle.

It was easier at the start as his soul, which was being purified, was compressing.

Soon, that ended, and the only way left was for his soul to expand.

Tear! Rip!

Unable to keep up, his soul started tearing. But the acid from the stone was like a parasite that clung to his soul.

Just as his soul was about to begin dissipating beyond repair, the acid released waves of energy that began healing the soul faster than it could tear. Seeming to want the consciousness of the soul to go through unending pain.

A few moments passed.

As if in utter derision of the torture that Adam's soul was going through now…three more stones were dropped into his soul in sequence.

Realizing what was about to happen, Adam panicked. If one 'stone' was already able to send his consciousness teetering on the brink of extinguishing from the pain. What would these three more do to him?

What could he do though? All he had were his thoughts and he still hadn't figured out where he was or what his current situation was. With all of this confusion and suffering assaulting his mind, the stones began dissolving. 'Watching' this, Adam gritted his 'teeth' and prepared for the inevitable.

As if in response to his resolve, a pain unlike any before assaulted him. Enduring the pain for what seemed ages. He finally blanked out.

......

Complete darkness.

Two thin slits of light appeared in this boundless darkness. Slowly enlarging in an oval shape.

Adam opened his eyes.

A Pair of Shimmering green iris with diamond shaped cuts in it was on full display. His eyes could put even the most perfectly cut gemstones to shame.

Adam was still in shock from his previous hellish experience. "what was that? That most definitely wasn't a dream. The last thing I can remember before that is being hit by that joke of a bus."

"I must've been brought to a hospital. Maybe that's what the surgery to save my life felt like." He quickly came to the most logical conclusion.

His opened eyes, however, were about to tell him an entirely different story.

"Green skies? No. that's a canopy of many huge trees. I'm in a forest." crepuscular rays shone through the cracks in the leaves. The overgrown trees blocking the skies created an illusion of a green sky. It was a truly enchanting site.

Thump! Thump!

Rhythmic vibrations rocked his body. Pulling himself away from admiring the view, he realized that he was moving but his body was horizontal.

Turning his head, the upper torso of a giant woman came into view. She was clad in finely crafted royal blue leather armour. It was plain light armour but a single glance would be enough to realize the quality of it was exceptional.

A worried expression was playing on her beautiful face. She was fair like snow with an oval face. Her cheeks were slightly hollow, further accentuating her chiselled jawline and shapely cheekbones.

She had long eyelashes like the wings of a majestic bird. they gently fluttered along with the passing wind.

Mesmerising almond shaped eyes lay beneath those long eyelashes. Her hazel brown eyes radiated a stern stubbornness on the surface, but If one looked closely they would see a gentleness slowly emerging at its depths.

Her long slender and smooth arms were wrapped tightly around a bundle of cloth. This bundle of cloth was what encased Adam.

Noticing a gaze on herself the giant woman looked down at him. "Oh, little one. You have finally decided to wake up huh? I was beginning to wonder…..Ah!" she struck up a conversation with closed eyes and a smile. When she opened her eyes and their gazes met a slight yelp of surprise escaped her mouth and her face was warped into one of awe as well.

Seeing his own eyes might shock him half to death, so how could anyone else who saw him not be shocked as well?

However, as soon as the look of awe appeared it also vanished. Her ability to maintain her composure was almost absolute. "you are truly a gift from the gods." She let out a brief sigh.

A glint of respect flashed through Adam's eyes. He had seen how shocked the lady was at seeing something on him but still managed to maintain her sense of decorum. 'what a refined lady.' He thought to himself.

"I was always told the heavens were fair. I laughed at this. But today…today I believe. Even a broken woman like me wasn't forgotten. I have received you! young one. Thank the heavens! Truly! Truly…" Tears of grief, loneliness and a hint of loss started trickling down the face of this beautiful lady.

Adam didn't know why, but he could not bear to watch this woman cry. He felt a sourness appear in his heart and sadness well up in his throat.

He struggled and freed one of his hands from the cloth. The chubby hand of a toddler emerged.

Looking at it, all the pieces of the puzzle came into place in his mind. 'It wasn't the trees that were huge or the woman who was a giant! I am the one who is small. I have the body of an infant.'

Realizing his situation was one thing but finding a solution was another. For now, he put it aside and focused on the woman. Raising his hand he put it on her face. He didn't know if he could talk but he wouldn't even if he could. These situations would only turn worse the more you panic and retaliate. He decided to play along and learn as much as he could as time went by.

Feeling the soft and warm touch on her face the woman looked at the soft hand trying to wipe her tear's. A warmth surged in her heart that she thought had broken long ago. "will you stay by my side? Will you be able to love someone like me? Is it fine if someone like me loves you?" Contrary to Adam's efforts the woman began to cry harder.

Barraged with question's, which Adam had no way to verbally answer, he thought to himself 'why wouldn't I? you are such a nice lady. I would be ashamed of myself if I ever rejected and hurt her in the slightest.'

Thinking these thoughts he met the gaze of the bawling woman and gave a smile.

This innocent smile had sealed the bonds of fate between these two individuals.

This time she cried with a smile on her face and her eyes twinkling with joy. She faced the sky, dropped to her knees and cried silently in this forest. Wanting to let the world know of her joy.

After a few moments, she turned her gaze back to the confused infant in her embrace and said in the gentlest voice imaginable "From today onward you are my son till I die! I need no one to attest to this fact. The heavens have already blessed this unworthy Yuki Blackwing." Four enormous bat wings emerged from behind the woman and spread themselves wide as she proclaimed to the skies.

'this woman has wings. What's going on here?' Any other person would have been shocked silly in his position. Adam didn't realize it himself but his soul and consciousness themselves had undergone tempering of the highest level.

Wings on the back of this lady? Pfft! Even a meteor falling on his head right now would only cause his eyes to slightly widen.

This was one of the side effects of having undergone that excruciating torture to his soul.

'eh, not a big deal. She truly is a majestic woman though." The wings only further added to the feeling of unshakeable superiority that could not be challenged. She began exuding this aura as soon as she started proclaiming this 'decree' as though engraving it down in stone.

'well, at least now I know that I am not in my previous world. This is obviously not a dream and people who have wings don't exist where I come from so…' This turn of events had given him another clue. Leading to another discovery.

While he was distracted by his thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, the lady Yuki Blackwing had begun searching him. 'He should have some identification on him. Oh, what will I do if I find a family tag on him and have to return him! After acting all high and mighty like that… no no, stay positive Yuki! I'll never let him go!' A red tinge of embarrassment made its way to her cheeks and a frantic light gleamed in her eyes.

A cold wind brushed past the uncovered infant's body. A shiver ran through Adam's body, bringing him back to reality. Seeing himself naked and being searched by the frantic eyes of the lady, another shiver ran up his spine.

'what are you doing lady! I'm an infant you know? Why are you looking at me like that?' her current appearance brought Adam to only one conclusion and this scared even him. A soul that had been tempered, with no imperfections, trembled. 'is she into that kind of thing?'

"ah! So your name is Adam. From today you shall be called Adam Blackwing!" She pulled a piece of the cloth in front of him and smiled. A collection of words were written in a different language on the cloth. He could not read them but from the lady's words, he could tell that that was his name.

He instantly breathed a sigh of relief. 'if that's all you wanted to know, why would you scare me with that look!'

Not allowing his relief to last long a thought plagued the mind of Yuki 'is there something else that I'm missing? Let's check him properly. It's always better to be safe than sorry.' Following this line of thought, her two hands with her slender fingers began to slowly approach the newly named Adam Blackwing.

'Stranger danger! Stranger danger! Nooooo, save me, someone! All kids should be born with a danger whistle!' "Aaa! Gaa! Gaa! Guu!" this was how Adam realized his vocal cords had not developed yet.