The inexorable encounter

- Excuse me, sir, but is there any water near here?

The man stopped and turned to me. I'm sure now that it was at that moment that my life was also taken away.

It took me a few seconds to understand what I was seeing, and again, as far as I could tell. Then, I recoiled in horror, the scream I was about to utter never making it out of my throat.

He looked at me with his bulging eyes, so yellow, eyes that were cursed and that carried on my person sordid intentions. His skin was covered with warts and stink, his clothes, without wanting to offend the dead, must have been in the same state as what the dead wear after several weeks of decomposition. But the most horrible thing was his stench, which almost made me fall into unconsciousness.

The closer he got, the more I realized that he was huge, and his limp made this vision of horror even worse. My last shred of reason ordered me to run away.

Awakened by this reprieve of consciousness I flew with all the power of my legs, the fear literally lifted my legs from the ground. I didn't turn around, I didn't have the courage, and then it wasn't necessary, I could already see his shadow growing in front of me, he was catching up with me at a speed that I preferred not to know. And it was in a sort of trance that I felt his hands cruelly seize my arms, his hands smelling of plague, his sharp nails digging into my flesh, I was overwhelmed with fear and disgust. He bent me to the ground, I screamed, imagining my time had come.

- Mom...! I cried one last time.

I could already see its mouth devouring me, and closed my eyes.

I should have died at that moment, if the world was limited to my understanding then I was destined to die, if the world was limited to the boundaries of human existence, to the image of my desires then, right, I should have died. If all existing beings were in my image then I could only die.

But my feelings were wrong. That is why what had to happen happened. The earth shook, it shook so much that the ground collapsed quickly and crumbled in a huge cascade of dust that became watery. Colossal hands came out of this bubbling sea of earth and grabbed my torturer and dragged him in turn into this nightmarish cataract of mud. For my part, my relief to be rid of him was only of short duration, because already I had to fight against another obstacle, undoubtedly, more frightening and more mortal. I tried to get out of this endless collapse. But my strength was already sorely lacking. And so I let myself finally be carried away in their painful blades, drained of all energy. My fall was inevitable. I closed my eyes, refusing to see my death, this was my second chance to die and join this monster in the world of the dead. But then again... nothing was ever meant to be as it seemed.

I was already feeling transported by death when hands reached out and supported me. Extraordinarily beautiful hands belonging to an even more beautiful body, and which carried me to a place out of any danger. My savior set me down on a platform protected from that ocean of putrid mud. I opened my eyes to look at him. I had to do it. That's all there is to it.

Lying on this makeshift bed I contemplated him, and understood...

I could not see his face yet. He was turned towards this chaos of which he was the author with evidence. Then he straightened up and let out a breath. The infinite waves of steam coming out of his mouth, having the appearance of a white smoke, covered with a frightening speed the whole space. Soon, the waterfall turned into a pure waterfall, and the atmosphere lit up. Satisfied with his work, he finally turned back to me. If I had been standing I would have probably recoiled at such greatness. For he was simply extraordinary. No, he was beyond words.

His incomparable green eyes, that green that I was sure would be reflected in the inaccessible vaults of nature if it were to be embodied in a single color, looked at me without seeming to see me. His skin was frighteningly white, whiter than snow I would have thought possible. And the hue of his hair blended into the clarity of his skin, moved lazily in the light wind that he himself had produced.

He wore a tunic around a pair of black pants, as grayish as the weather he had dissipated. But in spite of this, in all his manner of being, a certainty of absolute reign and majesty distinguished him. The depth of his eyes revealed to the world his immense power. If I were to limit myself to this description, others would have thought that they were embodying the perfect prince in him. But like me, they would never think so if they could see what I saw in his deep, unfathomable eyes. And what I saw, what I felt, I had to carry in two words - infinite mystery. How can one exist with such eyes, eyes that are empty of everything, deepened by darkness. It was not to be possible. His being was too icy, too detached as the feeling of a world without sun. As for his voice, at least it could not be worse.

- Hello," I whispered hesitantly.

But no answer.

- Thank you for saving my life. To whom am I speaking? I continued, trying not to let myself be crushed.

I wondered if he could speak or if he understood my language. Dania was sure of one thing, which was obvious: he was not human. So maybe my language was incomprehensible to him. But instead of answering me he turned his face away and smiled strangely.

- I speak your language, like thousands of others. I have this power.

- I see...the girl remarked, not knowing what to answer.

- And to answer the question that would inevitably come. You are no longer in the human world. And to return to it, you would have to fight... against me.

His voice was so frightening that I held back a cry of fear at the sound of it. The fear took hold of me again, stronger, more unbearable. He was someone who could not be beaten with courage. He was not even supposed to give any importance to the qualities or actions of others. He did not wait for any answer from me. Nonchalantly raising his hand, he distorted the space, and transported us without a single gesture through worlds, that is how she discovered with horror places where no soul existed. When he finally decided that the place of this battle was found, he stopped.