Chapter-02 Beyond the Veil of Reality

Alex's heart sank as he overheard the conversation between Serena and the boy next to her. The boy, with a sly grin, continued speaking.

"Babe, your body looked perfect last night. What are you worrying about gaining extra mass? If so, we can burn it during our nightly activities."

Serena responded with a gentle smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Ethan, you're too kind, but I need to focus on my studies right now."

Alex stood there, frozen in place, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within him.

He had imagined this reunion for years, hoping to see Serena again and rekindle their deep connection. But now, seeing her with someone else, he felt a mix of disappointment, confusion, and a tinge of jealousy.

As Serena and Ethan walked away, engrossed in their conversation, Alex's thoughts were in turmoil. He had believed in their promise, in the dreams they had shared as children. But seeing her with Ethan made him question everything.

Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that people change, circumstances shift, and promises, however sincere, could be left behind in the wake of life's unexpected turns.

He shook off his Initial shock and decided to focus on what he had come to college for—his education and the pursuit of his dreams. He had worked tirelessly to earn his place here, and he wouldn't let this unexpected encounter derail his ambitions.

Alex made his way to his first class, determined to immerse himself in his studies. The college campus buzzed with activity as students hurried to their respective classrooms. As he walked, he couldn't help but overhear snippets of conversations around him.

"Have you seen the new physics professor? They say he's a genius."

"The campus library is massive! I can't wait to explore it."

"I heard there's a club fair next week. We should check it out."

These words of excitement and anticipation filled the air, reminding Alex that college was not just about academics but also about forging new friendships and exploring new horizons.

His first class, an introductory physics lecture, was both fascinating and challenging. The professor's enthusiasm for the subject was contagious, and it reignited Alex's passion for learning. He took diligent notes, his mind absorbing the intricate concepts like a sponge.

As the day progressed, Alex attended various classes, met a few fellow students, and began to settle into his new routine. Each class presented an opportunity to learn and grow, and he approached his studies with renewed determination.

During a break between classes, he received a text message from his mother.

"Hope your first day is going well, sweetie. Remember to stay focused and enjoy the journey. Love, Mom."

The message brought a smile to Alex's face. Despite her cryptic words, he knew his mother was rooting for his success and happiness.

As the day drew to a close, Alex found himself in the library, poring over his textbooks and immersing himself in the world of academia. The library, a vast repository of knowledge, was a place where dreams could take shape and where he felt a connection to the promises he had made to himself.

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After studying in the library for an extended period and checking his watch, Alex realized that it had grown late, and he needed to head home. With his bag packed, he began his journey back, traversing the dimly lit streets of the hillside neighborhood. The late hour and the hilly terrain should have meant a few people were still out and about, but to his surprise, the streets were eerily deserted.

A growing sense of unease gnawed at him. He scanned the surroundings left and right, attempting to shake off the unsettling feeling.

Abruptly, he stopped in his tracks and cast a glance Into a nearby shop's glass window. What he saw sent chills down his spine. His reflection was not his own; it had transformed into that of a stranger. The stranger had silver hair and piercing silver eyes, a jarring contrast to his usual appearance.

Shaken and bewildered, he blinked and rubbed his eyes, but when he looked again, his reflection had returned to normal. He chalked it up to exhaustion from a grueling day at college and decided to continue his journey home. Yet, the sense of foreboding lingered.

As he pressed on, navigating the deserted streets, an unforeseen calamity struck. A car hurtled toward him with devastating force, plowing through him to the glass window of a shop. The impact was shattering, but the car didn't stop there and surging forward and backward, trapping Alex beneath its crushing weight and transform his body in to mincemeat his small flesh of body scattered all round the area .

Inexplicably, his head remained intact amidst the chaos, though his body,there was nothing left that anyone can even call a body.

For reasons unknown life is still left in his body but that was also for a few seconds because.

His vision started getting blurred, and his breaths grew shallow. Just as he felt his life slipping away, a familiar voice broke through the chaos.

"Enough! Stop it. He'll have die even if you stoped crushing him . There's was no need for you to turn him into mincemeat," the voice declared.

A softer, gentler voice, that of a girl, chimed in, "But I want every trace of him erased from "this" universe."

With his eyes closing and darkness encroaching Alex could see the figures of which the voices belong and it was undoubtedly,Serena and Ethan.

Alex couldn't help but wonder why Serena and Ethan had been in that car and what had driven them to this gruesome act. His final breath left him with a single haunting question: "Why?"

As he was drowning in the darkness of the Abyss , an ancient voice echoed, conveying enigmatic prophecy in cryptic symbols that Alex couldn't decipher.

"When realms collide and souls traverse,

In cycles of life, through realms diverse,

A dragon's essence, a timeless grace,

Shall awaken to a cosmic embrace.

But as cosmic tides and aeons entwine,

The hero must heed the cosmic sign,

For at the edge where universes blend,

A final stand against time's grasp shall rend."

Alex could not help but ask.

"Isn't the prophecy about four heroes and a dragon what is this prophecy about and what about the other one" in this moment he has even forgot that the he was talking about he had seen was all in his dream only.

As he tried asking multiple times what he means what is he trying to tell him but the ancient voice only tell him.

"you will understand the meaning of this prophecy and when that time came please don't forgot to help that child like you forgot to last time"

"help whom and what last time. Old man look here I am in no place to help anyone I am dea-" and before Alex could say anything else.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful pull, and his eyes shot open. He found himself sitting up on bed, his body still intact. However, as he glanced around his room, he realised that something was drastically different.

Glancing into the mirror on his wall, he encountered a bewildering sight. His face remained familiar, but his eyes had transformed into a mesmerizing silver hue. His once slender physique had undergone a remarkable metamorphosis, taking on a well-defined and fit appearance.

A notification sound broke the silence, and a translucent screen materialized before him. As he read the message, the gravity of his situation sank in, and he couldn't help but only mutter two words,"F**k seriously?"