\Chapter 2\

Again waking up to the unforgettable and frightening stench Dax finally came to realization that the line of events up until now are happening for real and not a nightmare he could wake upto. The smell breaking down his nostrils was now just a step away from him, he didn't want to open his eyes and see the monstrosity he clearly remembered again.

'I should already wake up from this nightmare, please god just wake me up and let it be a nightmare.'

As I keep praying for help I couldn't help but open my eyes and check, my eyes were finally adjusted to the lighting. Due to the constant echoing from before I believed it to be a cave but seeing the ceiling now all my assumptions fell face first, it was just a pitch black. It wasn't as simple as just black it was a sense of dept in that darkness, it stretched in like an endless pit. It was serene and frightening in itself, but the fear wasn't just limited to it all his hair stood up in face of the imminent danger. 

He felt cold touch from his left arm, he could do nothing except but to flinch being fear filled. It was an instinctive performance a prey animal performs when all other windows are closed, his heart beat was pounding out of his chest but the cold touch on his arm grew only firm. 

Unable to act dead any longer he flinched his neck to see what's holding him, even though he expected to see that zombie what he saw burst his fear and drove him to fight for his life. There was that zombie holding what seemed to be his left hand which was bloody and dissected from his arm. 

"Aaaaaaaaaah! Stay away from me! Go away! Don't eat me!" 

"Please! I beg you, Please! Don't eat me" 

*hic * hic

Dax was scared to the dept of his soul, ghosts always scared him from his childhood but now its a very different story a zombie is picking him apart and he somehow magically transformed into a young boy. This has to be a nightmare or else how is it even possible, but his raid pounding heart keeps telling him otherwise. 

"What are you yapping on about you brat"

Frowning the zombie looked at him and seeing him so scared it confused him.

"Are you alright? What's wrong with you murder boy."

"Please don't eat me! Please let me go" 

*hic *hic

His cries and pleadings only further confused the warrior ghoul. He's been with this kid for over 6 months now and he knows how tenacious and unwavering the boy in front of him was. For obvious reasons he is the one who should be scared of the boy but his seemingly harmless nature made him close to the boy. 

"Don't come near me! Don't eat me" 

The shouts and cries of the boy made him stop in his steps, unable to understand what the boy was so scared of and his weird behaviour only further confusing he scratched his head. 

As Dax went on crying and shouting zombie just waited for him to calm down. Among the frightening shouts and screams an awkwardly long time passed between the boy and the warrior ghoul. 

Finally Dax'es voice went shrill and exhausted, his throat was burning like hellfire and his tounge is quenching for taste of water. Maybe it was exhaustion or seeing the zombie meant no harm the primal fear was relieved. He was still afraid but his sense of reason was back in line. 

Recalling the previous words of the zombie and his actions and the torturous pain he felt from his left side of the body he finally put together pieces of information and understood that zombie only wanted to help him recover like before from the miraculous pond. 

As confusing as it was at this point Dax just gave up on things, one being frightened so much he got nothing to fear any longer and two whatever understanding of his logic isn't going to help him any longer from talking zombies to healing pond that saved him from brink of death. 

'What can I even say, at this point I'd believe if they say I'm transmigrated into a different world filled with unimaginable things.'

*sigh 

As I carefully inspect the zombie man in front of me, it was obvious that the stench was coming off from his rotten flesh but on a closer look there were worms dwindling in between bones and flesh. The scene made my stomach curl, lucky I'm on an empty stomach. I didn't want to inspect the disgusting spectacle any further but I gave in to my curiosity. 

His entire outfit was made monotonously of some kind of leather which is in a shade of dark blue, there were many holes punched through but the major one was on his left torso. There was absolutely no flesh displaying the brownish tainted bones. 

"Don't you know it's rude to stare at someone like that you punk" 

The hoarse voice broke my deep inspection, I can't be afraid like this he means no harm to me so it's fine. Your brave you can do this, trust yourself. 

"Yo... You wh... what are you?" 

"Eh!? " 

A quick rebuke came from the zombie. 

"What happened to you punk? Your acting so weird today. Should I inform the butler to check up on you a bit earlier than scheduled?" 

"wh.. What butler? Who ar.. are you and where am I?" 

"Now you have clearly gone insane something is definitely wrong with you. First you vanish for entire day and then you scream like a pesky bitch carrying your own dissected hand. On top of that your out of your own mind when I help you. This is clearly out of my hands, its an anomaly. It's not even your 4th month in the pot and you've already branched anomaly"

*sigh 

As the zombie frowned and turned around and started to walk of, it threw my hand towards me. 

"what are you waiting for you brat! Do you want a withered hand for rest of your life? I don't even care if you don't want your other hand too but why does it have to be only when I'm assigned.Go glue your hands in the tears of time"

Understanding the intentions of the zombie I picked up the hand and slowly moved towards the waters from before. Now that I notice it always felt strange and alien to me the way everything was lit. The sky was just pitch black abysmal giving no light, but everything in the surroundings is lit up perfectly well to naked eye. And that's when I finally realized it wasn't the sky that lit the surroundings but the ground. To be more precise it's the light-golden grass that emitted light, it was actually amazing to see such a wonderful sight. 

Unintentionally Dax stood in amazement and studied the grasses, however the study came to quick end under the scrutiny of the zombie I walk towards the pound. It was barley 5 meters wide, and looked like an ordinary water pond. But I clearly understand how amazing it actually is to cure me from such a critical condition to a near perfect state just within a span of few seconds. As I step in even though it's not very deep to my small stature I was submerged till my chest. Not knowing exactly how to fix my hand I just sticked to the closed wound on my left arm, without even a gap of millisecond it began fusing with my arm emitting a bright glow. 

It is not just magical but miraculous, cause it didn't just simply fuse the hand but made it seem like nothing ever happened in the first place. 

'Oh wait, I clearly recall the zombie calling the pond as  tears of time.  It can't be time travel right, it's impossible. It certainly seems like it but the principles must be different. This place is clearly not earth and certainly not Dax Greyson anymore. I don't know what's going to happen next but I should just be prepared for overwhelmingly high probability of unimaginable things which are definitely gonna be spooky.' 

As Dax was preparing himself to face all the things that gonna come his way in the future, a soft and dominant voice rang in his ears. 

"It's already time for your study young master. What's taking you so long." 

Hearing that the zombie stopped his scrutiny  shivering in his footsteps, just looked down and bowed and hesitantly mumbled 

"Hea..Head butler"