Chapter 1.2 - A Shadow

The present…

Adam was left by himself with his memories of the day before—his fight at the bar with a reporter trying to get a headline about his mother, accusing her of being the reason he was such a mess, and then the incident at the shop.

With burning eyes, Adam felt guilty for bringing her to that place. If they had gone home, nothing would have happened. He had failed her one last time.

But if he stayed, he could find a way to go back and check on her. She would probably be angry at him for pushing her, but at least she would know he was alright.

Setting his eyes on the cosmic body in front of him, Adam still couldn't believe this was really happening.

Inside him, the same feeling he had when Tellus told him he was dead was growing more intense. Adam was close to understanding it.

Maybe he was physically dead, but his soul wasn't, which meant he could still apologize for bringing her so much trouble.

Decided, he let go of his insecurities and reached out to the divine entity in front of him. From the tip of his finger came the name of the emotion: hope.

If what the bearded guy said was true, then he would go back with every bit of his soul.

At the same time his brain processed it, another deep experience overwhelmed him. His body was pulled by a crushing force that didn't allow him to move. The only thing he knew was that he was hurtling straight into Earth's atmosphere.

From movies, Adam knew anything entering Earth's orbit would be pulled toward it. He was aware that the speed he was moving was far too fast for a human body to endure. As he got closer, flames began to engulf him. The pressure was so strong he couldn't even flinch, though fire was taking over his body.

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. Adam was literally on fire, but he wasn't burning. With a nervous laugh, he looked ahead at the approaching landscape. It was getting closer and closer. He was like a missile aimed directly at the heart of the planet.

His speed was only increasing. The target was the ground of the Sahara. At first, it was fun, but as the ground got dangerously close, he lost his breath. The boy was like a reverse rocket, and it was going straight into the core of the planet.

Physics didn't exist at that moment. Adam could see the sand dancing on the dunes. He had never seen anything like it—such a beautiful image right before impact. There was no time to react; he could only hold his breath and brace for impact.

Eyes shut tight, he waited. But nothing happened.

Adam opened one eye, and what he saw was even crazier. He was still moving. There was no change of direction, no slowing down. His body just passed straight through the sand and the soil and kept diving deeper into the Earth.

His body was in flames, making him look like a firework. Compared to the vastness of space, Adam was feeling claustrophobic. The passage was narrow, literally as wide as his shoulders.

As he descended, the temperature began to rise. It wasn't from the fire on his body; it was like being inside an oven. Soon after the temperature changed, the walls around him melted, glowing red-hot like lava.

Strangely, Adam felt he was almost at his destination.

Around him, everything became molten rock. He was at the core of the planet. That spoiled playboy was swimming in magma. Not even in his wildest dreams had Adam imagined going through something like that.

It was terrifying yet strangely comforting.

Before he could process it further, he breached the magma barrier and was blinded by an intense light. While he couldn't see anything, he noticed his feet weren't touching the ground. Adam was suspended in the air, floating toward the center of the light.

Gradually, he opened his eyes and was surprised that he could do so. There was nothing around him but light, and he was at its heart. Fascinated by the purity of the color—a shimmering white that glinted with gold.

Looking closely, at the origin of the light, a portal was revealed. Looking back at him was a shadow.

Adam waved, and the dark reflection didn't respond. A moment passed, and it raised a hand in a form of greeting.

Scared to meet a living being in such a strange manner, the boy stepped back.

Examining the shadow from a distance, he noticed there were tiny white dots that covered the figure.

As Adam kept his stance, the creature unexpectedly crossed the mirror into the bright light.

Unable to control his heartbeat, the boy began to slowly enlarge the space between him and the being coming out of the portal.

Once it was completely out, it was revealed to be the exact same size and height as Adam. Intrigued, the boy stopped, and the shadow advanced peacefully.

Staring at the void that reminded Adam of space, he didn't retreat. He stood still and waited for it to reach him. If it were a threat, it would have jumped him already.

A few centimeters away, the shadow stopped. Adam was about to say something when it raised a finger.

Watching closely, the boy felt a rush of adrenaline in his body. His brain told him to run, but his heart knew he had to stay.

Moving calmly, the shadow extended its hand close to Adam's forehead. Petrified, all the boy could do was watch as the creature began to lose its shape, fading like smoke.

Right when there was nothing left other than a hand, the finger touched Adam's head.

An electric discharge ran through his body without harming him. Noticing it didn't hurt, Adam opened his eyes in time to see it enter the portal.

From afar, the boy thought it looked like a snake-dragon.

The creature left behind an opening, and somehow, Adam knew it was a passage he had to cross.

Adam glanced around; there was nothing else besides light.

Charged with a different kind of energy, he knew what he had to do.

Reflecting on the idea, the young man realized he wasn't afraid. Not because he was brave—he wasn't—but because it felt right, like something inside was drawing him to it.

Taking a deep breath to steady his heartbeat before the trip, Adam floated toward the passage and disappeared.