Beneath the Ashes

Then Scath spoke: "Well done! You've done it! You are now aware within the dream!"

Hazel was astonished by the presence of this enigmatic man beside him again and replied, "Wha… what? What do you mean?"

Scath replied coldly: "In our dreams, we are completely unaware and uncontrollable; it's impossible to do otherwise! But here you are, the first to break this rule. You managed to stop yourself and avoid death! Your fear compelled you to use all your mental strength, which is why you are now conscious in your dream and fully in control—you can do whatever you want!"

A wave of terror washed over Hazel at Scath's words. He remained suspended in the air for a moment, then straightened up to face Scath in an organized manner. Suddenly, rain began to fall heavily, strangely, and without warning.

Hazel spoke: "Um… you're right! I just thought of winter! And here comes the rain now! But what do we do now? What things will you tell me?!"

Scath paused for a moment before speaking: "I am you! I am you, Hazel, but I have come from the future to save you from that madman!"

Hazel recoiled in fear, then approached Scath and glared at him with angry features: "Listen… whatever your name is! Don't mess with me..."

Scath interrupted: "Don't play with me because I hate games, and I'm not in a position to joke… Isn't that what you were going to say? If I'm not you, how do I know your thoughts and what you would say?"

Hazel's fear and anxiety intensified as he tried to comprehend what Scath was saying, then he spoke: "If you are me, does that mean you've already gone through what I'm experiencing now?"

Scath replied: "Yes! I know, but I can't tell you! So we don't cause a temporal distortion!"

Hazel fell silent, then grasped the meaning of Scath's words, yet he asked: "What do you mean by temporal distortion?"

Scath responded: "I know you understood me! So there's no need for details!"

Hazel trembled and felt exposed, then he steadied his breath and asked: "So why did you come back from the future? What should I do?"

Scath replied: "As I told you! I came to save you or to save myself! What you need to know now is that you entered 'telepathy' and have already caused a tear in the time stream. This temporal tear is a lesser degree of temporal distortion, but you have indeed caused changes in space-time. However, what you have caused so far will only affect you, and you alone will bear the responsibility. But you are now on the brink of temporal distortion, and if you reach that degree, it will lead to tremendous and significant changes that will affect the entire world!"

Hazel's eyes widened as he fell to his knees, trembling in fear, and spoke in a shaky voice: "Wha… why… has this happened to me? What should I do… and here you are back from the future? Doesn't that mean I haven't reached the degree of temporal distortion?"

Scath lowered himself and sat beside Hazel, placing a hand on his shoulder, and spoke: "Don't worry! Everything will be fine! All you need to do now is to endure everything and resist the coming events!"

Hazel's terror intensified, and Scath interrupted: "Damn it! Is there more suffering to come? What will I face? Please tell me!"

Scath retorted: "Calm down! I told you everything will be alright! You will know everything in due time, but remember! You must not save that baby! Do not save it! Did you hear me? If you want to survive all this, you must let that baby die, no matter what!!!"

Before Hazel could ask about the baby Scath mentioned, Scath removed his hand from Hazel's shoulder and continued: "I know this is difficult for you! But listen, everything will pass peacefully. This will be the last time you see me. We will meet again after a long time, and when you return to reality, you will forget me and remember only my words—it's as if I never appeared in your life at all!"

Hazel lay back and stretched out on the ground, consumed by a world of deep thoughts and the surrounding tragedy that mercilessly bound him. Pain gradually devoured him, and the darkness of despair seeped into his soul as he realized that what lay ahead was worse, based on Scath's words. He glanced at Scath, and suddenly, without warning, Scath shattered like glass, as if he were something false! He broke apart into shards and then vanished, leaving only a dark void filled with fear and dark thoughts that clung to Hazel's mind.

Hazel closed his eyes, and when he opened them, everything around him had vanished! The ground he had been lying on disappeared, and the surrounding space faded as if it had never existed… Suddenly! He found himself trapped in front of a horrific scene—a room engulfed in devastating flames. The fire danced in every corner, and the inhabitants screamed as the flames consumed them, relentlessly hunting down the family members and devouring them without mercy! The cries of despair and death filled the air, saturated with the scent of burning and blood, while the flames devoured flesh and bone, melting away longing and affection.

Suddenly! One of the family members in that room thrust a small baby toward Hazel! He rushed forward to protect the baby, quickly scooping it up while seeking a way out of the fiery hell through the back door of the room! Just then, the blazing door collapsed! Enormous, searing flames lunged at them, beginning to consume them relentlessly from every side! They turned to glowing embers in a cunning dance of fire. Hazel and the baby screamed loudly as the flames engulfed them, igniting the candles of hell in a dark tragedy. Finally, the flames swallowed both darkness and light, leaving only the faint whispers of death.