Vantias hesitated. The last question on his mind could completely change the course of his fate. He looked at the woman; the light cloak she wore hid her face, but her blue eyes seemed to grow brighter with every passing moment.
The surroundings were covered in snow and mist, and the gate beside them still shone in blue, like a star, matching the color of her eyes. It seemed that with the disappearance of each star, the gate grew brighter, making the ground more illuminated and the sky darker.
The woman gave a sly smile and said:
"The symbol of the Black Swallow... it means your being is tied to the pursuit of freedom..."
Then, her face briefly furrowed in curiosity before she continued:
"You seek freedom, but humans find meaning in life through limitation — like a limited lifespan, which makes them appreciate life and moments more when they are with their loved ones, or lack of awareness, which makes learning new things more attractive. But everything else finds meaning when limited, though the opposite can lead to destruction..."
She then let out a small laugh and said:
"There's a proverb that says: 'A man was given nothing, but he created heaven. Then, when everything was given to him, he created hell.'"
Then, with a threatening and sarcastic tone, while directly looking into Vantias's eyes, she said:
"But you seek complete freedom... that means you're also seeking your own destruction... Have you ever thought about why you want freedom so much? Why is it so important to you?"
Vantias felt an unusual calmness from this question. He smiled faintly and said in a soft, calm voice:
"Interesting idea... I was thinking the same thing... But... real freedom is not the absence of chains... It's peace when you know you're chained, but you don't hear the chains."
"And most people, throughout their lives, never realize those chains even exist."
And about destruction...
One of the quietest ways to destroy a person
is to give them complete freedom—
without giving them awareness, experience, or wisdom.
They'll choose the path to their own downfall with their own hands.
And no one gets blamed,
because everyone thinks: "It was their choice."
He paused, breathing out slowly. He glanced at the symbol on his hand. For a moment, all he could hear was the beating of his own heart...
"I want freedom because it was taken from me by my own choices..."
He then looked at the woman, gave a soft smile, and said:
"And I want to correct that mistake..."
Her eyes widened, and she smiled. It was a real smile, a hopeful smile, and yet, a cunning one. She didn't need to say anything.
Vantias now thought of the last question he wanted to ask, the most important question that had been on his mind. He had saved it for last, to gather more information about his situation and to better understand the woman in front of him.
With a calm but firm voice, he said:
"Who chose me?"
The sound echoed around the space. The woman didn't seem surprised by the question but didn't rush to answer it. In that moment, the last shining star slowly disappeared, but Vantias kept his eyes fixed on the woman, waiting for her answer.
The woman no longer smiled. It was as if for the first time, she was serious. She said, in a firm and calm voice:
"Place your hand on the orb and ask it your question... the orb will show you the answer."
Vantias thought:
"It's time to reveal the true face of the one behind all of this..."
He hesitated for a moment but slowly placed his hand on the orb. The woman seemed excited, almost as if she was also eager to uncover the true nature of "him."
Vantias touched the orb and quietly asked his question in his mind...
Vantias said to the orb:
"Who chose me?"
For a moment, the orb searched for an answer. Then, with a chilling, disturbing voice, it responded:
"Impossible!"
It began searching again, connecting to the very source of Vantias's soul, and then replied:
"Necessary information was rejected! Restarting search!"
...
"Failed! Restarting search!"
...
"Failed! Failed!"
The woman's face grew filled with confusion, and she thought:
"For the first time, the orb can't find the answer!"
The orb began analyzing millions of responses at once to uncover the true nature of the one who had chosen Vantias.
"Answer to this question is not possible! Restarting search!"
Suddenly, a deep "Krrrrkkk!" echoed through the room as the orb began to crack.
Vantias and the woman both widened their eyes in surprise, but the woman was even more astonished as this had never happened before. Then, in an angry tone, the woman yelled:
"Take your hand off the orb!"
Vantias quickly withdrew his hand. His face was disturbed as the woman, with sorrow, held the orb to her chest and said:
"No! Look at what you've done to my orb..."
Vantias apologized:
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Vantias thought:
"Why did this happen?... Now I can't ask it any more questions."
Vantias's face twisted, and he thought:
"I guess I can't ask it any more questions..."
He said, with a bit of hopelessness and calmness:
"I don't know why this happened..."
He then glanced at the woman to gauge her reaction. She was still upset, her face twisted, but she understood what Vantias meant and said:
"Perhaps the one who chose you... is greater than I thought... whoever chose you is several steps ahead of you."
Vantias thought:
"I was foolish to think that an orb could reveal its true nature to me."
Suddenly, the space around them became unstable, the sky grew darker, and the gate shone even brighter. The woman said:
"It seems like it's time to go... but..."
The woman, with a calm face and curiosity, asked:
"Now you're almost aware of your future paths... what are you going to do with that information?"
Vantias looked at the gate and walked closer, and in the final moment, he said:
"Everyone will die except for me... but... if only I die, there's no need for everyone to die."
With those last words, Vantias entered the gate. The light from the gate became so bright that nothing could be seen. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the real world, awakened from the dream. His breaths became deeper and quicker, and cold sweat poured down his forehead...