Chapter 8 The Bargain

The world around Silva seemed to dissolve as his body relaxed into the bed, his eyes closing. He had long ago grown accustomed to the vivid dreams that occasionally visited him. Yet tonight, something felt different. The air was thick with an otherworldly energy as he felt himself being pulled, a force beyond his control dragging him somewhere unfamiliar.

In an instant, the world shifted. He no longer felt the comfort of his warm bed beneath him. Instead, he stood in the presence of something far grander, far more powerful. He was surrounded by a darkness that seemed to pulse with energy, an ethereal vastness that stretched on infinitely. There was a quiet, unnerving stillness in the air, as if everything, including time itself, had paused.

His breath caught as figures began to materialise before him. They were not of this world. Dean recognized them immediately. The beings who maintained the delicate balance of life and death, time and fate. The Sacred six.

He looked around, trying to steady his nerves. He had not expected to find himself in their presence, not like this.

A figure stepped forward. "Dean Wolfenstein," a voice rang out, deep and resonant. The tone was cutting, clear, and unyielding. "You have come before us."

Dean's heart raced. He had no idea how he had arrived here, or why. He had only been a man—fighting, living, and striving for a purpose. And yet here he was, standing before these beings, these deities who controlled the very fabric of existence.

"You've defied us," one of the figures said, its voice stern and unwavering. "You've chosen a path that none of us foresaw."

Dean swallowed hard. "I— I only want to be with her. I don't want to live without her."

A shudder ran through him as the memory of her came rushing back. The woman he loved—his lover from another time, another world. In his heart, he could still hear the soft echo of her laughter, feel the warmth of her presence. He had lived a life before, a life full of pain, and in that life, she had been his light. And now, as he stood before the deities, he could not shake the feeling that she was still out there, waiting for him.

"You have chosen to go against the natural order," another voice spoke, softer now, filled with an understanding that contrasted with the severity of the others. "You've come to us with a plea. A plea to be reunited with your love."

"Yes," Dean whispered, his voice barely audible. "I want to be with her again. I want to love her. I want to live for her."

The first figure stepped forward, a presence so strong it made the very air tremble. "We will grant you your wish, but there will be conditions. We do not offer second chances lightly."

The others gathered around him, their attention fixed on him as they continued to speak. "You will live again," the same voice from earlier echoed. "But you will face trials. Trials that will test your will, your strength, and your loyalty. You will have to prove that your love for her is true, that you are willing to sacrifice everything for her. And in doing so, you will become a key figure in a battle that has yet to unfold."

Dean stood still, his heart pounding in his chest. The enormity of what was being asked of him was overwhelming, yet it did not falter his resolve. He had already defied fate once. He had already fought to be with her. But now, there was more at stake—more than he could have ever imagined.

"I will do whatever it takes," Dean said firmly, his voice unwavering, his chest tightening with the promise. "I will face any trial. I will endure any sacrifice."

A heavy silence settled over them. Dean felt as though the weight of their judgment was upon him, but there was something else there, too. Something comforting in their presence. Like a reassurance, a promise that he would not face this alone.

One of the figures smiled faintly, though there was no warmth in the expression. "So be it."

Dean felt a strange, intense energy surging around him as the deal was sealed. For a moment, everything seemed to blur. His surroundings faded, and then...

Silva woke up in his bed, gasping for air, his body covered in a cold sweat. His heart was pounding, and for a brief moment, he was disoriented, unsure of where he was. He sat up, his hand instinctively reaching for his chest. The dream—or vision—had been so real, so vivid. He could still feel the presence of the deities lingering in his mind.

It had been years since that moment. Years since he had been given the second chance. He had thought he had put it all behind him, but now, as he lay there in his bed, he understood that the promise he had made to them was still very much alive in his heart. It had been different from their first encounter that he remembered. But one thing remained the same, although he was here to reunite with his love, the reason for his second chance was to set right the natural order of this world. Almost as if the deities were warning him that this enemy was the one he needed to best. 

The strange and unsettling feeling was slowly starting to make sense. As a man who disrupted the flow of his own time, he asked with taking down someone who also did the same. As the saying goes, it takes a wolf to catch a wolf.

The journey was far from over.