Chapter 45

The twilight dust filled his nostrils, and that forced it down his oesophagus. He sneezed thrice, and his eyes were forced open due to the violent wind.
Slowly, he started to raise his head, and the wind hit him back again. That made him cough up dust and sneeze multiple times.

He felt so weak, vulnerable, and useless. He tried placing his hand on the ground to support his body, but it was null. It was like his hand wasn't there. He couldn't feel any of his strength. Worst of all, he was sitting down in a stack of dust. Not just any dust, it's the combination of silicon and coal dust.

He was sure of it, and he could tell from the scent and colour of the dust. The silicon dust is almost pure quartz black sand. The coal dust is deep and intriguing, the perfect rich grey to compliment the earth. Both grains of sand stretched as far as his
eyes could see. Without being told, he knew this was desert land.

How did he get here? What was he doing here? What is the name of this strange and ancient place? he couldn't tell. All he knew was that this was a place for evil.
He could tell from the combination of the two strange grains of sand, the scent, and the evil aura that was radiating in the desert.

The sky was neither bright nor dark; it was blood blushing. He could feel the presence of evil on the land. He could also feel it from the strange whirlwind that was blowing across the whole place. The sight alone sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Like the primordial dwarfism that hadn't seen light for centuries, the wind hit his face again, and he gritted his teeth as the coldness of the gloomy desert ran down his body.
"Perhaps, this is the after life" He thought to himself while taking in the appearance.


Taking a deep breath, he gathered all the strength in his body and dragged his body up. He could hear all the bones in his body making a cracking sound.
He felt something licking the back of his leg, and he jumped back in fear. He looked down, and it was a dog. He had a wounded leg. What the the hell is a dog doing here in a strange glomming desert with a bloody sky.
Hearing the whinning of the dog,Oliver squatted down and picked the dog up. How can a dog be here?he wondered.

That could only mean one thing. He's was stuck somewhere between his physical realm and the void realm. It was his subconscious mind.
Instantly, Oliver knew he must find his way out or he would be held here forever. He decided to name the dog “Lucky”.

"Lucky," Oliver said while ruffling the hair of the dog, and the latter licked his cheek in return. "You know, we are stuck, aren't we?"

He could hear the dog letting out a melancholy whine. He took that as a sign that the dog could understand him. "We must find a way out of this strange realm, and you are the only one that can help. Lucky, let's do this together." Oliver concluded and ruffled the dog's hair, which had now turned grey due to the dust.

Slowly, he placed the dog down, and the latter leapt up happily. The dog looked left and right, front and back before it sniffed in the dust. Finally, the dog raced in the south direction.

Trusting in the instinct of the dog that she would never lead him in the wrong direction, Oliver dashed after the dog.
The dog led Oliver to a plain field which was full of carpet grass and stopped. Not wasting any time,he entered the forest. A tree swung to him and he bent down immediately to dodge it. A tree fell down on him but he pushed the tree back with one hand and he pushed Lucky out of harm's way.

Amassing all the strength his power could offer. Oliver threw the tree away. Immediately, he gets freed, a sharp object pierces his previous position. He had narrowly escaped death.

He rolled on the ground to avoid damaging his leg before he finally stood on his feet. He examined his surroundings.

He was now in a plain field which was full of carpet grass. In front of him stood a tall pulpit. On top of the pulpit was something Oliver had thought he would never see again. It's the undead book. It was shimmering brightly in its glory. Despite the daylight, the book still radiated a great light, and he could feel its aura. It was strong and attractive at the same time.

"What's the undead book doing here in an inexistent place?" He asked himself, "Perhaps it's one of my imaginations." He concluded.

However, a man's voice broke into his thoughts; "It's not your imagination, Son of Rey. It's real, and this is your final test to claim the title of a saviour."

For a while, thunder flashed in the sky, after which an old man appeared out of nowhere. He was dressed in an old white robe with a staff in his hand. Besides him stand three young men. They had a shimmering long blade in their hand, and they were also clad in white robes. Without being told, Oliver knew they were his apprentices.

"I was given the authority to answer three questions from you. I will advise you to choose wisely." The man explained.

Slowly, Oliver walked toward the man, and his dog followed closely behind him. He stood a few steps away from the man and stared directly into his eyes. He had already prepared a different question and was about to ask the old man.

He dragged in a deep breath before asking, "Tell me,Are my parents still alive?"

"Yes." The old man simply replied and kept quiet.
He asked the second question. “Will I see them again?"
"Yes." The man replied.

Olive sighs in relief at that.
"Now, to the last question." The old man said

Oliver ransacked his brain for the last question. He didn't want the last question to be meaningless. At After a few minutes of pondering, he finally decided on a question. “Will I succed In my mission?" The man opened his eyes in amazement as if he hadn't expected him to ask that question.

"Yes and No." The old man elaborated.

"What do you..." Oliver was asking, but the man's voice shunned him.

"Enough," he said, his voice now cold and rigid. The once friendly old man was gone, and he was now replaced by a fierce one. "You see the undead book over there?" The old man said while pointing to the undead book, which was now floating in the air.

"It's your way out of this realm. Get the book, and you'll have freedom. Don't forget, your friends are in danger. Without this book, you can't save them, and you will be stuck here forever." The old man clarified and stepped back.

Immediately after he does this, the three men who seem to be his apprentices move forward and block Oliver's path with their blades.

"This is cheating for goodness sake," he complained bitterly. "How did you expect me to fight these three men at once?”

The old man replied by letting out a crooked smile. "Why are you complaining when everything you need is within your grasp?"

"What did you mean?" he asked, bewildered.

"You are the great weapon of evil and good, dark and light, saviour and killer. You are the rose and thorn." The old man replied, which confused him more. "Son of Rey, trash them, go for the book, and return to your realm." The man said before fading away.


Seeing this, Oliver picked up his dog and rubbed her fur before whispering into her ear. "No matter what happens, don't let your guard down. Remember, we started this together, and we must end it together. We must trash them, retrieve that book, and then return to our realm."

Lucky whimpered happily to show that she understood what Oliver had just said. "Good girl," He said and dropped the dog.

Finally, he faced the three beings in front of him "Let's prom," he said happily and dashed to meet them.