It's all a fake?
Kael's eyes snapped open. He began to sit up, his arms shaking as he did so. Finally, with great effort, he managed to get to his feet. The world spun, casting shadows in strange ways, and sounds muddled together. Nothing was distinct, except for one voice.
"Dad!"
The world was on fire. The buildings of Earth were collapsing; concrete was not enough to withstand the storm.
Kael did not care.
With unsteady steps, he began to make his way toward the voice. It called to him, pleading for his presence.
His eyes stung, and Kael squinted unconsciously. Soot and ash coated his entire body. Whenever he tried to focus, his vision lagged, sluggishly following his train of thought. Yet the voice still called to him. It beckoned, and he followed willingly.
"Dad!"
A terrified scream made Kael frantically quicken his pace. His heart raced, and his mind filled with wicked imaginings. The flames around him burned more fiercely than before. Every time he got closer to the voice, the raging inferno intensified.
Before he knew it, Kael's body melted under the blinding heat, suffocating him of oxygen. But a father is strong.
His pain did not deter him from his objective.
Step.
With excruciating difficulty, Kael kept moving. He could feel his muscles burning, almost sliding off his bones, but through strange resilience, they regrew, enveloping his body again.
"Dad!"
Kael didn't understand why this was happening; he just knew he needed to reach that voice.
So, even through the storm of flames, Kael continued. No matter how many times his body melted under the extreme heat, no matter how much his breath failed him, he stumbled, tripped, and made his way toward the voice.
The ground quaked, and Kael found himself on the floor.
Clawing at the cracked earth, he inched forward.
"Dad… dad, wha-what's happening?" He could hear it clearly—Kael's objective.
With renewed resolve, Kael summoned any remaining will and pushed himself forward. It wasn't long before he reached a room filled with beautiful white flames bursting forth with great speed. They danced and twirled in lovely ellipses, creating a mesmerizing display. If it weren't for the searing heat, the sight of the flames swirling around him would have been almost comforting.
Kael's form was almost completely gone, his bones barely withstanding the whirlwind of fire. Still, even amidst such excruciating pain, Kael strained to get up. His muscles reformed, only to disintegrate again under the intense heat.
One step at a time.
That was all Kael needed to do.
His eyes had long since been charred, but strangely, he could still see—well, sort of. Just like his muscles, his eyes kept regenerating. It was a torturous cycle that only the love of a father could endure.
And that was what Kael did.
Through his flickering vision, he caught a faint outline of a beaming boy. Heat waves distorted the child's figure, the flames flickering in sync with his breath.
"Dad?" The word softened Kael. At this point, he couldn't even tell if he had a real heart to feel with, but he didn't care.
"Dad, what's happening?" The fiery child looked at his glowing palms. "Mom… Mom disappeared," he said, his voice breaking. "Was it me?" The kid turned to face his father.
Kael was awestruck. The source of this flame was his son, and a great burden rested on his heart. He couldn't think clearly, but his son's pain was his pain. Without hesitation, he ran with all his might toward the beacon of light. His son might cause him death, but his son was everything to him. If he lost his son, what would be left?
"Dad? Is that you?" The child looked confused and walked closer to the figure that resembled more bones than flesh. The child's heart ached, and he approached. By now, the skeletal form had collapsed just before his feet.
In a panic, the child crouched down, his whole body aflame.
Hug.
He felt the bones wrap around him.
"Daniel, are you…?" a hoarse voice reached the child's ears. "You're okay now."
---
Mindlessly, Kael floated in suspended animation. He remembered his regrets. He remembered his death.
Daniel.
That was his son, the boy who had killed him.
Even still, Kael was not angry; he was not displeased—only regretful. He regretted not being strong enough to endure the flames.
Like a plague, guilt seeped through his mind.
He had promised to always be there for Daniel. He had resolved to never fail in protecting someone again. That was why he even decided to help the incarnations. He didn't know what was happening; hell, he didn't even understand where he was. But the moment he saw that child, filled with countless scars, Kael couldn't help but be reminded of his son.
That was why he felt immense regret. Kael regretted abandoning his only chance at reconciliation.
When push came to shove, Kael had abandoned his own principles. He had betrayed himself, and for what? Survival?
By surviving, he had killed himself. His body was alive, but his heart? His heart had died.
Perhaps that was why…
"Is it power you seek?"
When this strange voice called to him, it tempted him.
"You wish to save your son?"
Kael had no physical body, yet somehow, his intention was still heard by the strange entity.
"Join me."
The void deepened, and a massive tree appeared in Kael's vision. The bark wiggled and pulsed.
"Become a part of me."
A face formed on the bark. Long blonde hair cascaded down a chiseled face, and blue eyes pierced Kael's heart.
"Daniel!"
Kael rushed toward the tree. He had to—his son was alive.
Kael reached the tree, where his son was intertwined with the bark.
"Join me."
Daniel extended his hand. Surprised, Kael hesitated.
But only slightly.
This was his chance.
Kael stepped closer.
This was his opportunity.
Daniel's hand extended slightly more, reaching for his father.
This was his chance to finally fulfill his role as a father.
Kael grasped his son's hand.
The tree warped into a sinister shape, almost as if it was smiling.
---
As Eldest swung his sword at the countless trees surrounding him, he repeated the scenario of his plan.
The tree had one fatal weakness.
This world was fake.
Swoosh.
Eldest raised his sword high and then swung down, cleaving a fleshy tree in two.
For a while, Eldest had pondered the nature of his existence. The main body, in an effort to save his mind, had split his consciousness into three parts, each fragmented personality holding incredible power, yet all originating from one man.
Eldest noted the water flowing around his sword. It started as a trickle, and as his swing reached its apex, the water expanded, transforming into a pristine wave that cleaved anything in its path.
Not only could the incarnations transform their figurative bodies into real, tangible beings, but they also held the authority to summon manifestations. This was not the only thing that didn't make sense. In hindsight, everything in this world was illogical.
For instance, the witch had reset the world for two years straight, and never once had she exerted too much power. And the tree? Its size was simply unfathomable. Not only was it awe-inspiringly colossal, but the speed at which it grew defied all basic physical laws.
While still fighting hordes of monsters, Eldest reflected on the past. The markings on the trees—words warning against falling asleep. The main body had been in so much turmoil at that time, but why?
Perhaps it wasn't that he was warning himself, but rather…
He was already asleep.
At this realization, insanity clawed at his mind. He couldn't bear the weight of his discovery, and thus split his mind into three parts.
With this thought, Eldest began to formulate a plan. It all relied on finding the root. This realm had to originate somewhere. But where?
Eldest smiled as the water around his blade began to spin rapidly, three trees mangled in its wake.
This forest.
Why were there so many abominations here? Why did the world refuse entry? The only reason the manifestations had been able to take refuge in the forest before was due to Second casting an illusion, hiding them amid the greatest danger. The best hiding spot is the most obvious one.
The trees sensed Kid's presence when he first confronted the main body because Second had revealed the markings on the trees. He, being able to sense this, quickly found out and sent Lily to fetch the main body.
But now that Kid and Kael had stalled for such a long time, Eldest could steadily make his way deeper into the forest. The fleshy abominations were already dwindling.
Eldest couldn't even remember how many he had killed by now, but he knew that if he kept cleaving, he would reach the heart of this world. He would find a way to break this dream. He would do to this realm what he was doing to these trees—slice the root of this nightmare.
He would see beyond this lucid veil.