The piercing sound of a cracking wall jolted him up. Paul's eyes widened, followed by a splitting headache.
The memory he had just relived was sickening. Then a bright light caught his attention.
A lady stood on the shore of a river, her legs kicking the water with stunning white hair cascading down her back. She turned to him and smiled, "Come join me, Paul."
"Viv?" Paul whispered, captured by the image before him, as he rose. "Vivienne, I thought I lost you." He breathed a sigh of relief.
However, a rush of black fire swallowed the scene when he stepped forward, and his body turned cold.
"Viv! No!" A deafening roar escaped his lips, "Bring her back. Please…" His knees buckled beneath him, and he fell to the ground.
"I lost her twice." He slammed his fists on the floor. "Weak again and again." A dark fire grew from beneath, and with each hit, the fire gained height, threatening to swallow him whole as his body shook with regret.
A bright light shone ahead, surrounding a man who strode forward, his footsteps bringing a calm echo.
Paul raised his head, and his eyes narrowed, "What do you want? You let them take her away." Anger filled his thoughts. He knew who the man was, and it weakened him.
The man stared, and he didn't say a word.
Minutes passed, and Paul hung his head, unable to understand the look in the man's eyes.
"I'm sorry." Paul's voice came as a whisper, "I should have listened to you." He gripped his head, trying to silence his thoughts.
A touch brought him back, and the noises in his head vanished.
The man knelt beside Paul. "It's fine. I understand how it feels when the one person you love is taken away from you. You were taken away from me, Paul, but I'm happy you are back.
We'd get her, but see this." At the sound of his voice, a broken orb appeared.
Paul sighed when he recognized the orb. Half of the orb had been shattered, and the light it shone grew dimmer with each passing second.
"I made a grave mistake." Right before him was his Divine core. His recklessness had ruined his God-given gift.
The man turned to Paul. "You did, and with the principles of this world, every deed has a consequence. You would get what you need, but work harder to be at your full strength and above. I didn't want you to go now unless you would die." The man's voice was strangely comforting.
"But I was strong." Paul frowned. He was the strongest in the city, and no one had been able to beat him, even the foreigners.
The man nodded, "You are, and even more. However, the strength you possess is barely enough for the upcoming war. Good must battle with Evil, Paul." He said, his voice unnerving.
"To save Vivienne, you must save the world, and to save the world, you must learn to die. A time will come when the Heaven Stone will clash with the Stone of Hell."
Paul shook his head, "I don't understand…"
"You will soon, as time goes on. I just want you to grow." The man rose to his feet. "I hope you enjoy my little gifts. Remember, Paul, brute and power isn't strength alone."
Before Paul could reply, the image was sucked into the void, and he shot up from a bed.
An exotic fragrance wafted into his nose as he tried to make sense of what was happening, but a sentence appeared before he could generate a thought.
[User synchronization complete. Accessing User's status…]
Paul raised his brows, "The gift he left? A computer game?" He was confused.
"How will a game get me stronger?" He waved his hand in frustration, causing the panel before him to disappear.
"I need to find her. Where am I?" Paul's mind tried to recall everything that had happened, but it seemed like going through a thick hole of nothingness.
There was no explanation for how he ended up in a bed. He looked at his body and noticed that his whole chest was bandaged.
Paul tried to move his limbs, but a sharp pain went through his body, causing him to take a sharp breath.
"I can't believe this," he muttered, raising his hand.
Strangely, something felt different. No, something was wrong.
Why was his hand smaller than his face? His eyes widened as he focused on his arm.
"What the…" His palm looked younger. "You have to be kidding me. A game instead of a core, and I'm fifteen years old again." Paul let out a groan; his head throbbed painfully as he tried to make sense of what was going on.
The exotic scent filled the room once again, and Paul exhaled. He didn't understand, but the aroma did something to him, something he enjoyed.
A man stepped into the dimly lit room, slowly opening the door to avoid the creaking sound.
Paul squinted his eyes. He didn't know why, but there was a certain familiarity in the man's figure. He quietly watched as the person placed the tray on a dresser and cleaned the table with a cloth.
Unable to take the suspense, Paul spoke, "Who are you?" He frowned, realizing his voice no longer held the pressure he wanted.
The man turned back in fright, "You are awake?"
Paul rubbed his head. His memories were foggy, but he could remember what had happened. "I got hit pretty badly, but a few days are enough to improve me."
Reith looked at the young boy before him, shaken by the sudden event, but he knew he had to break the news. "You have been asleep for five years."
For a moment, Paul stared, until his eyes slowly widened in horror. He leaped out of the bed, ignoring the pain that racked through his body.
"You need to rest," Reith tried to speak, but he was ignored. Paul stumbled, pushing Reith out of the way as he pulled open the door, walked down the stairs and looked around.
"Where's the door? I need to go outside." He grunted, his hand clutching his side.
"Paul." Reith's voice came from above, but the boy was relentless. He frowned, finding the right door, and thankfully it was opened.
Paul heaved. There were other houses around, and his vision was getting heavier. "I need…" He took a deep breath and moved to the closest place in the house, banging heavily until it opened.
"What the… Don't you have no respect, kid?" An older woman stepped out of the house, her face frowning.
Paul smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry," He heaved, wondering why his lungs felt tighter, "What year is it, please?"
The woman gave him a dirty look before saying, "Year 3010."
Paul felt a cold punch hit him in the stomach, and his vision swirled. His body grew heavier with every breath.
"What's up with you? Weirdo." The old lady asked, and when Paul didn't answer, she stepped back into her house. "Weirdo." She snapped, shutting the door.
"Five years?" Paul inhaled, pain filling his chest. "What about Viv? How?" The world grew darker each minute, and his eyelids heavier.
"No, I have to find her, I need to know what's going on." His legs moved, but he didn't know where he was headed.
The faint sound of someone's voice reached his ears.
"Paul, wait," Reith yelled, he had expected the shock but not to this extent.
The air pressed on Paul's skin as his body swayed. There were so many questions, his heart was beating in pain, and his emotions gathered in a storm.
It was too late, a lot could have happened in five years. Would he even get to see Viv again?
Then amidst the storm, a voice appeared, "Sleep Paul," and he surrendered, letting the darkness claim him.