Leon's body felt too heavy to move, and he simply laid there in a starfish position, unable to budge.
The twilight moonlight cast an eerie glow upon his surroundings, revealing that he was amidst a desolate wasteland.
Someone in a hood peeped at his face, but before he could get a proper glimpse, he felt a tight slap across his cheek that jolted him back to his senses.
He jerked upright, instinctively rubbing his cheek, at a loss for words as he stared at the hooded man.
"Hello," the man said politely, his gaze fixed on a worn-out paper in his hands that stretched all the way to his feet.
"Are you Edmund, Son of Holland?"
"What? No."
Leon looked around, but the door he had entered through was nowhere to be found.
"Is this a dream within a dream?" he wondered out loud, scratching his head.
"Oh not at all, I slapped you to ensure that for you-- Human souls always tend to ask that for some reason," the man in the hood shrugged.
Leon felt a strange sensation. Although he had been talking to the hooded man, he couldn't see his lips moving or his face clearly. He moved closer to the man, thinking that the lack of light might be playing tricks on his eyes.
"Where the fuck is your face?!" Leon gasped.
He attempted to pull the hood down, hoping to reveal the man's face, but to his surprise, it wouldn't budge. In his eagerness, he almost knocked the man off balance.
"That--is rude," the man said calmly, still looking through his list.
"Oh."
Leon took a step back, realizing what he had done. He had overstepped, but he blamed it on the strange circumstances. The encounter with the hooded man had confused him.
After all, he believed he was still trapped in a dream.
"Are you Mason, Son of Drake?"
"No, what are you doing?" Leon asked, trying to make sense of his situation.
"What am I doing here?"
The hooded man sighed, "You died."
"And I'm searching for your name on the list. It's possible that you arrived a little early."
"I-- uh what?"
He looked at the man perplexed but that man simply shrugged.
"That thing--I escaped that limbo spirit, it almost caught me but I'm pretty sure I escaped!" Leon rambled, he didn't even know if that was real yet. Maybe this is a lucid dream?
"The spirit of Limbo? Tried to kill you?"
"Yes, Exactly."
Leon was slightly glad that this man knew what he was talking about.
"Ridiculous!You must be delusional, young man. Because the spirits of Limbo are the guards of purgatory, they care about the souls that enter, unless it's an intruder."
"I could be an Intruder! Although I don't really know how I got--"
Then it dawned on him. The memories flooded back with vivid clarity. He recalled the unsettling feeling of nausea that had overcome him, driving him to seek solace on the hospital rooftop, then tripping and falling off the building.
"I DIED?!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth.
"Yes, that's what I said earlier, young man." the man nodded.
"Ahh, is it Leon, son of Lou?"
"I'm Leon but don't know if that's my father."
"Quite."
Leon was cursing himself for ever going to the rooftop but then again he was going to die anyway.
"So what's this thing that tells me what to do and what not to do?" he signed in front of him trying to get the man to understand what he meant.
"And what's up with your face?" he hushed.
"...."
There was a dead silence, just then Leon noticed how quiet the place was, it was a barren land and had little lights seen from afar but there weren't even any crickets making noises when they stopped talking.
"I can forgive you since you just arrived here but don't make it a point to insult my race again," the man added impatiently.
"So Mr. No face, do I go to heaven?"
"No, you're staying here in purgatory----and it's Zac."
"Wait what?"
"Yes, you died before your fated death date so you are stuck here."
Leon stood there clueless processing what the hooded man just said. His bad luck had to come all the way to him even after he was dead?
Zac must've read his face as he said, "If you manage to survive the seven realms, maybe you could go back and live your due time with better luck."
"I can?"
All things considered, it wasn't a bad offer. If he could muster his strength and run as he did with the spirit of Limbo, he might be able to attain the life he desired and finally ascend to heaven.
"Yes, that's about it--now get going."
"But wait, what is this thing that te--"
"I believe you're describing your psyche."
"And what is-"
"You're wasting my time, I'm taking my leave."
The hooded man floated away, as he didn't have any legs as well.
Leon surveyed his surroundings, taking in the majestic sky adorned with countless galactic stars. On the horizon, he caught a glimpse of two planets and a sprawling galaxy to his right.
The sight was breathtaking, filling him with a sense of tranquility. However, the land beneath his feet appeared barren, with leafless trees scattered sparsely in the distance.
He took hesitant steps forward, a mixture of curiosity and anxiety flooding his mind. A peculiar sensation of being watched prompted him to scan his surroundings. Yet, he found nothing but the moonlit landscape, the rest engulfed in darkness.
However, his attention was drawn to the front, where he noticed faint flickering lights amidst the darkness. Intrigued, he made up his mind and chose to follow the beckoning lights, hoping they would lead him somewhere.
As he moved further, the trees became denser, their branches intertwining like a natural barrier. Suddenly, the bright red gradient screen materialized in front of him.
*ding*
[ You've entered the realm of stillness]
"Oh!"
He couldn't help but think that this place wasn't as daunting as he initially imagined. Perhaps he could embrace the journey through the seven realms at his own pace, savoring each experience along the way.
*ding*
[New Quest]
"Oh hell Nah!"
[The forest of silence: A peculiar place. Normally devoid of visitors, when someone does enter, it begins to trail their every move. It can be friendly at times, but it can also be unfriendly. What may be friendly to you might not be friendly to it.]
"I come at peace!" he looked around, wavering his hand and throwing a peace sign.
[ WARNING: They don't like sudden movements and will make it their mission to maintain the silent nature of them.]
"Oh no no no!"
[Quest Rewards: Unlocking the inner wisdom]
[Skills you will gain: Qi resonance]
[Quest failure: ????]
Leon was wondering what to do when he sensed something moving behind him. He turned to look, only to find nothing there. Despite the darkness of the night and the eerie silence, everything in the forest seemed harmless under the gentle glow of the moonlight.