It was a dark and damp place; you could barely see anything at all.
Marcus realized that his eyes were closed. He tried to open them, but the blood seeping down his face had glued his eyelashes together. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage it.
His mind was foggy.
The last thing he remembered was throwing himself from the top of a skyscraper.
He coughed several times, trying to clear his throat. Blood from his eyes began to flow toward his mouth. When it slipped past his lips, he spat in disgust.
He tried to stand, but his knees trembled violently. He stumbled and collapsed to the ground instantly.
"Damn it…" he hissed.
He tried to wipe his face, but his hand was already soaked in blood. The pain in his knees was unbearable. The miserable state he was in pushed him to the edge of tears.
He was certain he had died. Absolutely certain.
Yet somehow… he was still alive.
The immense anger and disappointment he had once felt toward Morgan had disappeared. In its place remained a strange emptiness. Even hatred felt meaningless now.
He took a deep breath and tried to understand his surroundings.
This wasn't a hospital room.
It was a massive cave, where the sound of dripping water echoed from hanging stalactites.
When he finally managed to clean his eyes, he considered it a small victory. The only light came from a thin crack above, barely illuminating the space.
When he stood up, his entire body throbbed. It felt as if he had been beaten for hours. The pain suddenly intensified, and he collapsed again.
However, after about ten minutes, the pain slowly began to fade.
Breathing more steadily, he examined the cave. It looked nothing like any place he had ever seen before. Skeletons clearly human remains were scattered around, along with strange, unfamiliar plant species.
For a brief moment, his scientific curiosity tried to surface, but he quickly remembered the seriousness of his situation and forced himself to focus.
"I jumped from a skyscraper… How am I still alive?" he thought.
The only logical explanation was that this place was "Purgatory."
But it looked nothing like the Purgatory he had imagined.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he began to walk. His steps were slow and unsteady, almost like a zombie's. He noticed a small water source and approached it. Scooping water into his palm, he drank a few mouthfuls to quench his thirst.
The taste confirmed he was truly in a cave.
But the real shock came when he saw his reflection on the water's surface.
His physical appearance had completely changed.
Staring back at him was the reflection of a five year old child.
There was a pair of horns on his head. His hair and eyes were blood red. Blood from a deep wound on his forehead streamed down across his face.
This was some kind of reincarnation…
But he wasn't even sure he was human anymore.
His nails were longer than normal. His skin was pale, almost corpse like. The torn, ragged clothes on his body clearly showed that he had been attacked by something.
"What kind of human has horns?" he muttered.
This was definitely not Earth.
This new life could be some form of redemption for his past life but first, he had to survive.
There was something here that threatened his life.
There was nowhere to hide.
So he picked up a hard, blue colored object from the ground something that looked like a branch, but was heavier and denser. He didn't have time to think about what it was. As long as it worked as a weapon, it was enough.
As he moved deeper into the cave, the corridor began to narrow. He pushed aside spider webs while moving forward, when suddenly a loud roar echoed through the tunnels.
Marcus froze.
His feet wanted to move backward, but instead he rushed toward a beam of light at the end of the tunnel. When he reached it, he realized it wasn't an exit.
It was a massive hollow chamber.
At its center lay a gigantic winged reptile.
Marcus tried to retreat silently, stepping on his toes to avoid waking it but his foot caught on a protruding rock, and he fell to the ground.
"Damn it!"
He could feel the creature's hot breath behind him.
Then, an unexpected voice echoed through the cavern:
"What are you doing here, kid?"
Marcus went into shock.
The voice had come from the massive creature behind him.
Sensing the child's fear, the reptile added:
"Don't be afraid. I don't harm weak children."
Marcus was completely confused.
If this creature wasn't responsible for the severe injuries he had when he woke up… then what was?
The reptile continued:
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Vor. And I am a dragon."
Marcus was speechless.
The legendary creature he had only seen in comics and stories was standing right in front of him alive.
Vor looked at Marcus's open mouth and mocked him:
"Close your mouth. A fly might get in."
To make sure he wasn't dreaming, Marcus slapped himself hard.
The dragon asked:
"So, what's your name, little one?"
Marcus hesitated.
In his previous life, his name had been Marcus.
But this was a new beginning.
He didn't even know the real name of this body.
After about twenty seconds of inner struggle, he finally answered:
"Christopher."
Vor was surprised by the long pause, but he didn't comment. A child who couldn't even remember his own name stirred a quiet sadness within him though he didn't show it.