36: Light and darkness

As Grey's face passed through the barrier of water, an invisible force completely pulled him inside. It wasn't hands, nor chains, nor anything material. It was a powerful energy that sucked him in the moment his head crossed the liquid threshold.

The scene before him was dazzling.

'Where am I? Am I still in my soul sea?'

The landscape around him was complete darkness, with an empty sky, devoid of the familiar core, but tinged with an unreal white light. Beneath his feet, or perhaps under the water, rose a thick black mist that stretched for several meters, blocking his view beyond his surroundings. However, the whiteness of the sky starkly contrasted with the dense darkness of the mist.

'I still feel like I'm in my soul,' he thought.

Grey, lying on the ground of this hidden place, cautiously stood up and began to walk through the black mist. Every step he took made no sound, as if silence itself ruled this space.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.

'What's that?'

Crouching, he touched the surface of the water with his hand, noticing a strange sensation. It was as if small ripples formed at the contact, subtly spreading through the water.

As he gazed at the water, his peripheral vision caught an anomaly in the mist.

'What the hell...?'

The water trembled again, and Grey saw, with disbelief, a small white point of pure light approaching at high speed. Alarmed, he tried to summon his weapon, stretching his hand toward the air as he hurriedly began to run to the side.

Sparks started to form in his hand, but the weapon would still take a few seconds to fully materialize. Meanwhile, the white point grew rapidly, getting closer and closer.

Just as his weapon was about to form, the point of light materialized in front of him, radiating a blinding glow.

Grey's eyes shut almost completely, blinded by the intense pure light emanating from the creature. In the brief moment that thing passed by him, he managed to make out a humanoid figure. The being seemed to have white wings composed of feathers made of light, hair as white as snow, and the appearance of a teenager.

'Did someone invade my soul?' was his first thought as his mind struggled to process what he had just seen.

Finally, his weapon fully summoned, and Grey stood on guard. However, he failed to notice the presence lurking behind him.

From the dense mist, a black hand, as dark as the very shadow, silently extended toward him. Its claws, the size of an entire finger, were sharp and menacing. The arm it belonged to was muscular and robust, covered in black scales that protected the skin.

Grey reacted a second too late. That hand violently grabbed his neck and hurled him dozens of meters forward. While flying, he desperately tried to activate the defensive mode of his aspect, but his body wouldn't respond.

'What!?'

Before he could comprehend what was happening, his body crashed harshly into the water, sending him rolling through the mist. The impact was so violent that he groaned in pain as his right arm collided and tangled with his spear, almost breaking his arm.

Despite the pain, he quickly got up, keeping his guard up, his eyes desperately searching for any sign of movement in the mist. However, it wasn't enough.

The same black hand emerged again from the darkness, this time in front of him, leaving him paralyzed for a crucial second. He couldn't understand how that creature had managed to get so close without his senses picking it up.

'Shit!'

Just as the creature's hand was about to close around his face, a light flared up behind him, revealing for an instant the appearance of his attacker. It was a humanoid figure, with a robust frame and thick arms. Its black skin camouflaged it perfectly in the darkness, while two pairs of horns encircled its head like a macabre crown.

The most terrifying thing of all was its face. Its eyes, two pits of absolute darkness, seemed to devour any trace of light, and its grimace of pain when touched by the pure light revealed a mouth full of sharp teeth.

'It's-'

But he didn't have time to think any further, because the source of the light had already arrived. Grey was thrown once again many meters away, and before losing control, he saw how the creature of light, with its beautiful wings of white feathers, struck the humanoid monster's face with tremendous force.

The dark being flew into the white sky, dragged by the speed of the light creature that took it to its own terrain. The sky, as white as the light creature itself, hid it perfectly in its purity.

It was as if both beings' domains were clashing, competing to see which of them would prevail and expand in this space.

The creature of darkness stopped the blow with its black-scaled arms, catching the attacking hand with brutal strength. The light being, now visible only because of its contact with the monster's shadows, spread its radiant feathered wings and wrapped itself around the dark being's body.

Grey stood frozen, not understanding any of what was happening.

At that moment, he felt his feet start to sink into the water.

He looked down, losing sight of the fight that was unfolding in the white sky. He tried to brace himself with his spear, but it, too, was swallowed by the water.

'Shit! What the hell is going on here!?'

And, in the blink of an eye, he was completely expelled from that place.

...

Grey was back on the white platform, sitting before his soul sea. His face showed no expression as he stared at the still water beneath him.

He reached out to touch it, but this time the water didn't sink under his touch; instead, it remained solid, as if he could no longer pass through it.

"It's still not working."

'How the hell do I get back there? It's my soul; I should be able to enter again.'

Time passed slowly as the sunlight emerged, driving away the dark sea that surrounded him. Grey allowed his consciousness to return to reality.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Sara's gaze, staring at him intently, as if she had been waiting all this time.

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Note: So, what do you think of this concept? I thought it was a good way to introduce this part of his aspect and soul hahaha