Darkness.
It wrapped around Ochieng like a second skin, cold and suffocating. His mind felt like it was drifting between reality and something else, something far older than him. The voice from the shadowy figure still echoed in his head.
"Remember, Ochieng."
But remember what?
His vision swam as the darkness peeled away, revealing a vast landscape of destruction. A battlefield drenched in blood and fire stretched endlessly before him. Bodies lay scattered, warriors slain mid-battle, their weapons still clutched in lifeless hands.
At the center of it all stood a lone figure.
Tall. Cloaked in ancient black armor, its jagged edges resembling the fangs of a beast. The figure's face was hidden beneath a mask, the same silver glow radiating from its eyes.
Ochieng's breath hitched.
This was the same entity from before.
But now, he saw something different.
The figure wasn't an enemy.
It was a protector.
And then, like a hammer to his skull, the truth struck him.
This wasn't just some forgotten battlefield.
It was his past.
Somewhere, somehow, buried deep inside him, lay a memory that had been erased. A memory that would change everything.
The armored figure turned to him, lifting a charred sword that still burned with an eerie black flame.
"Ochieng," the figure spoke. "You have been running from yourself for too long."
Ochieng staggered back. His throat felt dry.
"I don't—" His voice caught. He felt as if something was choking him, holding back the words that wanted to escape.
"You do." The figure stepped closer, the weight of its presence crushing against Ochieng's soul. "You have always known. You were never meant to be just another pawn in this world."
Ochieng clenched his fists. His head throbbed with pain.
His memories—the fragments that had haunted him in dreams, the unexplainable strength he carried, the shadows that whispered his name—
It all made sense now.
But before he could grasp it fully—
A scream ripped through the air.
Cassandra.
Ochieng's body moved instinctively. The battlefield vanished, replaced by the real world. He found himself standing in the underground tunnels again, the echoes of the collapsing cave still ringing around him.
Lin Feng was up ahead, gripping his sword, his face pale.
Cassandra was on the ground, her body trembling.
And standing over her—
A monster.
Not the shadowy creatures from before.
Something worse.
Towering at ten feet tall, its body was covered in thick, blackened armor that pulsed as if alive. The face was hidden behind a featureless mask, except for its glowing red eyes that burned like twin suns.
It wasn't moving.
It was watching.
Ochieng took a slow step forward. His heartbeat slammed against his ribs.
The air around the creature felt… wrong.
Like reality itself was bending in its presence.
Then, it spoke.
Not in words.
But directly into his mind.
"You are not ready, but the game has begun."
Ochieng's blood ran cold.
Before he could react, the creature lifted its clawed hand—
And Cassandra vanished.
Just like that.
One second she was there, the next, she was gone.
Ochieng's scream tore through the tunnels.
And then, the creature turned its burning gaze on him.
The final words echoed in his mind:
"You will remember… soon."
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