The man observed Cael with critical eyes, a wicked grin playing on his lips. Finally, the eerie silence was broken.
"Before you ask a question, allow me to introduce my humble self. My name is Reynald Azazel. But you can call me anything."
He began to circle Cael like a predator sizing up its prey, his gaze never leaving him as he stood still, waiting for any sudden movement.
"Calm now friend, there's no need for tension."
His words hung in the air like a blade. Cael crossed his arms over his chest. That was when he noticed the book in his hand — identical to his. There was no mistaking it.
"The book you are holding... where did you find it?"
He raised an eyebrow; it seemed Cael's question had piqued his interest. Reynald leaned closer, until he could smell the faint scent of lavender and something darker woven into his robe, perhaps rust?
Then, he spoke.
"You mean this?" He holds up the book to Cael. "It's a family heritage, given to my father by his father and so on... but that's not important is it?"
He set the gospel aside. "Tell me, what do you know about it?"
Cael hesitated for a moment, torn between honesty and distrust of this person he had just met, yet knew his name.
But what was there to lose?
"I only know that whoever owns the tome will live through a life of constant nightmares and illusions. So I came to the conclusion that it must be the book's doing."
The man smiled, letting out a dry, humorless laugh before turning to face Cael with a nod of approval.
"Indeed, your observations were very precise, friend. But there is more to this gospel than that."
Reynald started pacing around the playground. "The so-called cursed tome is called the Book of Nyx by those folks in the white. But for us? It's a destiny changer."
He leaned back against the slide and pulled out a box of cigarettes, letting out a contented sigh.
"Friend, there are lots of secrets men were not meant to see. And that is the truth."
He took out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, and lit it with a flick of his lighter.
"After all, there are prices we pay for knowledge and language. Sometimes, you must sacrifice your own being to rewrite what has been—"
He dropped the cigarette onto the ground.
"—Ordained."
The moment it touched the earth, flames erupted, spreading violently like wildfire. Cael raised his arms to shield himself from the sparks. Yet amidst the growing blazes, he stood still, unfazed.
"I'm offering you a chance to be known, and not die with fleeting history. Accept our principle. We see, we write, we change."
The very fabric of reality cracked and shattered, and a faint white glow seeped through the fractures.
Then — an explosion of absolute white.
It consumed everything, and nothing was spared. Be it the past, present, or future. As if starting over the first cycle of a universal rebirth.
Cael was thrown into nothingness, drifting like a stone in the void. His body floated aimlessly through the emptiness, and his vision was fading as he was drowning in the abyssal sea.
Then... a hand reached out to him from above. He grasped it and held on to it like a lifeline, and it pulled him upward — through what felt like a swirling wormhole.
....
[Uncharted Territory/Unknown Date]
When he emerged from the abyss, he found himself in a place beyond mortals' comprehension. The world around him was strange, otherworldly — nothing as he had ever seen before.
The world around him was filled with stars and galaxies like nothing he had ever seen in a book. The ground below seemed like an endless space, yet solid to walk on. And the sounds were just a deafening silence.
"Where am I..? This is.. a dream..?"
Suddenly, he felt someone's presence near him, and he turned around to see Reynald standing behind him with a smirk etched on his face.
"My friend," he said with a knowing smile. "Welcome — to the Fourth Dimension."
Dizziness clouded his mind. Reynald offered his hand, helping him to his feet. They were surrounded by an endless sea of stars — everywhere, and nowhere.
Reynald didn't say anything, he began to walk. Cael, wanting to believe it was just a dream, was conflicted, but it would not benefit him if he stayed alone in an alien space. Without any other option, he decided to follow Reynald.
"You made a claim that this is the fourth dimension, or in other words.. the flow of time itself. Tell me how that is possible, and why bring me here?" Cael asked while trying to match his pace.
"Perhaps because we are the same," he replied. "Two people in a vast world of probability."
Cael frowned. "That doesn't answer my question."
Suddenly, Reynald stopped, turning to face him.
"What lies ahead will be the answer that will benefit both of us. So do yourself and me a favor, walk towards the answer we seek."
Cael looked toward the infinite path before them. The temptation of an answer was irrefutably strong...
But there was only a path of no return ahead.
—Penning a new chapter…