"We can continue this chat later. I need to get us through the gate and into Lunaris Haven. We obviously can't use the normal entrances, so we are going to get in another way."
"How exactly are we getting in? I thought we couldn't get in after a certain time."
Axel chuckled as he said, "Those rules don't apply to people like us. You will see."
Saying this, he quickened his pace as he ran towards the gates before turning and running at an angle from it. As he continued to run, Kharon asked, "Where are you going?"
"It's a secret for now. When we get there I will explain a bit more."
A long silence passed as Kharon listened to the little sounds in his surrounding: Axel's deep but quiet breathing, the light patter of his shoes. The more Kharon listened, the more relaxed he felt. His eyes began to slowly close as he drifted into sleep.
...
Kharon opened his eyes to see a winged figure sitting by a glistening lake. Taking slow, cautious steps, he walked towards the figure; his heart slowly beating faster as he walked closer. A heavy feeling seemed to weigh him down as he stopped a few feet behind the figure and gently placed his hand on their shoulder.
Suddenly, the figure's wings flapped open as Kharon was thrown back. He quickly regained his balance, landing safely on his feet. But as he looked back at the lake, the figure had vanished. Panicked, he used True Sight as he tried locating the mysterious winged man. But he quickly realised that he couldn't use aether. He attempted several times to feel the familiar sensation of energy flowing through himself, but couldn't.
He was suddenly filled with dread as he heard a cold, chilling voice whispering in his ears.
"You can't use what isn't yours."
Twisting his body as quickly as he could, Kharon looked back with haste as he broke into a cold sweat. His fingers twitched as he looked around the dark, quiet space. His eyes warily scanned the surroundings as he noticed something.
'This space isn't complete... It's like an incomplete painting, only parts of it have been painted. The rest of this place has yet to be created. Maybe I can create the rest.'
As this thought crossed his mind, the area around him began to collapse as the darkness warped and fell into itself. The bright, quiet lake slowly vanished and with its disappearance came something bigger. A large wave of burning hot lava flew towards Kharon as he sprinted away from it with all his might. Despite his efforts he failed to escape the massive, burning wave.
Before he could be melted by the searing heat of the lava, a winged figure appeared in front of him. With an outstretched hand, they made the wave freeze in place.
Kharon watched with awe as the figure flicked their finger. As they did, the whole suddenly dissipated as if it had never existed. Looking back at him, the figure smiled and Kharon's heart stopped.
'That is... me?!'
A cold, yet reassuring voice suddenly rang out as the winged Kharon said, "Don't be afraid. I mean you no harm imposter; even though you should be dead for your crimes."
Kharon looked at himself with a silent question as he got closer to himself. The winged Kharon wore a black robe with intricate patterns and designs which seemed to warp perception. As the robes flew in the wind, the world listened to their movement and made the space around them bend.
Feeling utterly lost Kharon asked, "What crimes have I committed?"
"You stole my identity. You were meant to be me. But you failed. You even stole feelings which were meant for me. It truly is despicable. But I will forgive you as you are still in essence still me."
The winged Kharon began walking with slowly steady steps which seemed to ring out across the infinite space which they currently resided in. As the other him got closer to himself, Kharon quickly stood up and noticed something was missing.
'Why can't I see the world?! I am sure that I was trying to identify this world. Did I forget what I was doing because of my other self...? My memories are being tampered with. This must be a passive effect from being so close to an angel. But was I really an angel? Who am I- No who was I?'
"Calm down imposter. You shouldn't overthink it. You are me and I am me. That's all you need to understand. It won't do you any good to complicate these matters. Maybe you will remember who you are after becoming an angel; though you will have to deal with 'Him' then."
"Deal with who? Can't you just tell me what I need to do to become my former self?"
The winged Kharon chuckled as he said, "Who said anything about becoming your former self? I only said you are meant to be me, but you aren't. You can't ever return to my former self. Keep moving forward from now on and try not to look back."
The winged Kharon stood in front of the other Kharon before tapping his fore head with two fingers. As he did, Kharon felt something in him change as his aether suddenly returned and he felt everything around him.
'This space is a facet of the ??? isn't it? But what exactly is the ???; it sounds so familiar.'
A quiet voice rang out in his ears as he heard his other self say, "I told you not to overthink it. Trying to remember will just make it harder. There is a time for everything; so bid your time and enjoy your life while you still can. Once you reach angelhood, everything will just get worse."
Kharon heard a quiet chuckle as he fell asleep once again.
...
With a bit of struggle, Kharon managed to move his eyelids as he eyes slowly opened; a faint teal colour was the only thing he could see. He gently tried to push himself up but noticed that he was in a tank of sorts. He began knocking against the wall as the container slowly opened, revealing Axel. He was wearing a cloak and looked quite haggard.
A flurry of faint sounds made their way to Kharon's eyes as he heard the muffled voice of Axel speaking to someone. Kharon was slowly pulled out from the tank, lost in thought.
"Was I in a Vitality Chamber...? I don't remember being in critical condition. Why does Axel look so tired; could it be that the Hollow King got angry at him and punished him?!"
Cold air swept through his entire body as Kharon noticed he had no clothes on save for a pair of pants. The cold sensation around him suddenly subsided as Axel draped a warm blanket over him.
In a slightly shaky and unfamiliar voice Kharon asked, "Are you ok Axel? You seem very tired."
"I am ok, don't worry. It's just that I have been working a lot ever since you fell in a coma."
Kharon froze when he heard the last word as his legs suddenly weakened. He began to fall when Axel caught him and gently guided him to a sofa.
"What is this place? And how long have I been out for?"
"You are in the Hollow Syndicate's medical ward. As for the coma... it's been a month."
'A month?! How is that even possible. I wasn't the one who fought a pseudo-tier 2 beast and sustained a complete domain for so long. If anything ,it should be Axel who fell into a coma. Maybe it has to do with my vision. I saw a direct image of the eye in the rift; I should have gone crazy for looking at an angelic being.'
Kharon clutched his head as he thought about the possible reasons for his coma. The room suddenly turned cold and a malicious aura slowly approached as Kharon shivered. As he looked towards the door, he saw a shadow under it as it slowly opened to reveal the Hollow King.
"You are finally awake, dear nephew. I was getting a bit worried that it would take you longer than a month. I hope your memories aren't too scrambled."
Feeling a sense of deja vu, Kharon's eyes widened as he realised the cause of his coma.
"My dream! That is the reason why I fell into a coma... I saw myself with wings. And I spoke to myself about... myself? This is all so confusing, my memories are even more chaotic than before. I have lost a few complete memories and now I am left with many incomplete ones. How am I meant to make sense of this?!"
"Calm down now. It isn't all bad. I altered some of your memories to keep you from going insane. Also you should view this as a negative."
"And why wouldn't I?! I went on a single mission as a hunter and I almost died!"
The Hollow King chuckled as he said, "Look at your essence core."
Kharon began to calm as he checked his core. He felt his aether flowing rapidly through it; as if it had rained and a dam had overflowed. His eyes slowly widened as he examined his core more closely.
"I have fully assimilated with my essence core?!"