Finding the Eyes

The world was nothing but darkness, and a mist hung around him. His ribs on the left side still ached, and her words echoed in his mind.

"Why was I so stupid?" There was no explanation... or was there?

He had purposely ignored everything. The puncture on Nikki's body, that could only have come from a spear, and by that point, he already knew the students were under an illusion thanks to the sunlight.

"But those wounds should have been inflicted at night, Nikki wouldn't have survived a full day and night underwater... They wouldn't have been under the night illusion..."

And then came the writings from the underground. It was clear that only seven could ascend, and they were eight. Even so, Oliver trusted everyone. Samuel was clearly acting strange, he would never have cared about David.

"Unless he needed seven alive, and for some reason, I'm not on his 'strong ones' list..."

His mind kept spiraling into conflicts and judgment until he felt something wet enveloping his body.

"I thought hell was hot or cold... Of course I'm not going to heaven. Not with that angel waiting."

Oliver tried to move his body and unlike his nightmares, this time it obeyed. He started to rise, painfully lifting himself, his feet stuck in something sticky.

"Wait... I remember-" His words died in his mouth when a scene repeated itself again in front of him. But this time, it was real.

Two slits as dark as the void of space, framed by stars that revealed a cosmic infinity. There in front of him were... Those eyes! Those damn beautiful eyes!

"You." Oliver tried with all his might to shout, but all that came out was a low, thin groan.

"Hello, Anomaly!" His voice was strong and velvety, but it didn't carry that overwhelming power. From afar, it almost sounded... kind.

The world trembled and the starlight vanished, replaced by small orbs floating around him. They lit the space with a silvery glow and gave some context to Oliver.

Really, he didn't want to understand where he was. Because just imagining it made his heart want to stop and all his phobias return.

The light revealed wrinkled walls and furniture, all moving to the rhythm of a pulse. Everything around him was coated in a sticky liquid and smelled like a burp. And worse, the place seemed cylindrical.

"Don't tell me... that hissing..." His voice broke and he collapsed to the ground in panic. He expected anything, even some supernatural magic teleporting him. But BEING SWALLOWED ALIVE! That was beyond his expectations.

"Yes, as soon as you entered the mist, I swallowed you. I apologize for my manners. However, revealing my existence while still somewhat alive would've only brought hunters for my head." That voice was much more human now, but still heavy and velvety.

When Oliver turned to see him, instead of a pair of eyes, there was a man in front of him. He looked powerful and upright, but some instability gave him away.

He had black hair, a muscular but not bulky body, and his skin was alabaster-perfect, without a single hair or scar. He looked like a statue sculpted by the greatest artisans in the world, but what stood out the most were his eyes.

A pair of serpent-like slits, surrounded by a vast silver glow.

He wore a black overcoat that dragged on the sticky floor but somehow stayed clean.

"Has fear made you forget how to speak, or did you fall in love with what you saw, boy? I'll tell you right now I prefer females." He spoke with the most sarcastic and ironic tone possible. Something inside Oliver screamed that this man was going to be hell in his life.

"Are you human?" Oliver blurted out his biggest doubt with no shame. But who could blame him? Until now, he was dealing with a talking snake invading his dreams!

"Half-human, half-blood, but usually we're insulted as mongrels. I could explain more, but... you might not have much time."

Beep!

[00:30:00]

"30 minutes left until initialization ends!" Oliver shouted, looking at his forearm.

"Yes... You were already suffering from not sleeping the last day, and the damage that little devil did to you only made it worse. I tried to wake you, but you didn't seem eager for my illustrious company." Every word was laced with sarcasm, and Oliver could swear that damn snake had a smirk on the corner of his mouth.

"What do you want?" Now that Oliver's mind was stabilizing, he began to realize that someone like this must've been watching him for a long time not to want something.

"Many things! But for now, I want to live. Getting out of this artificial domain would be splendid!"

"Domain... No, wait! Why should I trust you? What if you're like that angel?! I'd be bringing a monstrous alien to my planet!" Oliver had been betrayed twice now and by the same human. He'd be a complete fool to blindly trust another alien.

"You're right. But I'm just a soul. There's not much I can do in this state. And please, Oliver... Don't compare me to that feathered egomaniac." His voice was deeply offended, but his face showed the opposite. He was clearly messing with Oliver...

"How not to?! The albino girl, okay. But all your snakes attacked us from the beginning of this damned hell! Nicolas died without even having a chance!" Oliver didn't know where he found the courage, but he shouted right in the bastard's face.

"Oh... Seems like you want to waste your little remaining time arguing. Not a wise decision, but fine. You're young..." His voice was like someone enjoying watching a child fall and get up while learning to walk. He was purely mocking Oliver.

"Bastard! Many died and—" Oliver's fury was cut short by a now stern voice.

"I didn't order a single snake to attack your friends, Oliver. They were only counterattacking. Think about it. You don't strike me as a completely idiotic human." There must've been a hidden insult in there, but Oliver let it slide.

"What do you mean? The moment we started, while the angel spoke, one of your snakes attacked us..."

"Think, Oliver, think... Was it really an attack?" His voice was low, with a tone of wisdom. It now felt like he was teaching a student biology. His tone reminded Oliver of old Antonio.

"It was... The angel was speaking, and when he looked..." Oliver's world froze and his pupils widened.

A wicked smile crept onto that man's face. Oliver understood. From the very beginning of it all... They were nothing more than characters being manipulated by a sadistic writer. And that writer... was the damned angel!