The streets were empty and silent, the only sound being the pounding of Alex's feet on the pavement as he ran through the night. His breath came in ragged gasps, his heart racing with a mix of emotions: shock, anger, and a deep sense of betrayal.
He didn't know where he was going, but he couldn't stay still. He had to keep moving, had to burn off the excess energy that was building up inside him. The contents of the letter still swirled in his mind, the words seared into his brain.
As he ran, the streets became a blur, the buildings and houses nothing more than fleeting shadows. He didn't notice the curious glances from the few people who were out and about, didn't hear the distant hum of a car driving by.
His world had narrowed down to a single focus: the truth. He had to know what had happened, had to uncover the secrets that had been hidden from him for so long.
The streets began to blend together, and Alex found himself running through a part of town he didn't recognize. The buildings grew older and more rundown, the streets narrower and darker.
And then, he saw it: the entrance to the cemetery, a pair of rusted iron gates that seemed to loom over him like skeletal fingers. Alex slowed to a stop, his chest heaving with exhaustion, and stared up at the gates.
'This is it' His destination.
The moon cast an eerie glow over the cemetery as he entered inside, a sense of purpose seemed to take hold of him. He slowed to a walk, his eyes scanning the rows of headstones, searching for one in particular.
And then, he saw it - a newly dug grave, the earth still fresh and unsettled. Alex's heart skipped a beat as he approached the grave, his eyes fixed on the name engraved on the headstone.
'Heroine Felicia'
A wave of grief washed over him as he knelt beside the grave, his fingers tracing the letters of his mother's name. He felt a lump form in his throat, and his eyes stung with unshed tears.
Why had he not known about her death? Why had no one told him?
The questions swirled in his mind, but he knew he had to push them aside for now. He had to focus on the truth, no matter how painful it might be.
As he knelt there, the silence of the cemetery seemed to close in around him, and Alex felt like he was drowning in a sea of secrets and lies. But he was determined to uncover the truth, no matter what it took.
With a newfound sense of ambition, Alex stood up, his eyes fixed on the grave. "I'll find out what happened to you and father, Mother," he whispered, his voice carried away by the wind. "I'll make sure justice is served. They must pay whether dead or alive."
After the promise has been made, Alex turned to leave the cemetery, his eyes scanning the darkened landscape one last time, then, he noticed something strange. The air around him seemed to be charged with an otherworldly energy, a faint hum that vibrated through every cell in his body.
At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but as he took a step forward, he felt it again - a gentle tug on his skin, as if the energy was trying to draw him back.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Alex turned to face the graves once more. As he did, he felt the energy surge around him, growing stronger with each passing moment.
It was as if the cemetery itself was alive, and it was calling to him. The energy began to swirl around him, tendrils of misty power that wrapped around his arms and legs, pulling him deeper into the heart of the cemetery.
Alex felt his body begin to glow with a soft, ethereal light. The energy was pouring into him, filling him with a sense of power and strength he had never known before.
He raised his hands, and to his amazement, the energy responded. It swirled around him, forming a vortex of power that seemed to be drawing in the very essence of the cemetery.
Graves, headstones, and mausoleums began to glow with a soft, blue light. The energy was being drawn out of them, pulled into Alex's body like a magnet.
As the energy reached a fever pitch, Alex felt his body begin to change. His cells were being rewritten, his DNA reshaped by the raw power of the cemetery.
As he stood there, surrounded by the swirling energy of the cemetery, he felt a sudden jolt, like an unseen force had grasped him by the ankles and was pulling him down.
Before he could even cry out, Alex was yanked off his feet and dragged towards an empty grave nearby. He tried to struggle, but it was no use — the force was too strong.
As he was pulled into the grave, Alex felt a sense of weightlessness, as if he was floating in mid-air. But it was a fleeting sensation, and soon he found himself being lowered into the cold, damp earth.
The last thing he saw was the dark sky above, growing smaller and smaller as he was pulled deeper into the grave. And then, everything went black.
Alex felt the earth closing in around him, the weight of the soil pressing down on his chest. He tried to breathe, but his lungs were compressed, unable to expand.
Just as he thought he was going to suffocate, Alex felt a strange sense of calm wash over him. The earth seemed to be embracing him, holding him close like a womb.
And then, everything went silent. Alex was surrounded by darkness, his body covered in the cold, damp earth of the grave. He was trapped, buried alive.
But as he lay there, something began to stir within him. A strange, tingling sensation, like his body was being rewritten at a cellular level.
Alex's mind was foggy, but he knew that something was happening to him.
He didn't know why all of these was happening to him but he was certain that it was happening for his own good. Even though there are consequences, he would still not care because this is what he wanted.
He had embraced the darkness that has been wanting to consume him snd he had become one with it. Whether the power was a curse or a blessing to him, none of it mattered as long as he stands on the top.
Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into hours.
The earth around Alex seemed to be alive, pulsing with a strange energy that coursed through his veins. Alex felt himself becoming one with the grave, his body merging with the soil and the decay.
And yet, despite the strangeness of it all, Alex felt a sense of peace wash over him. He was being remade, reborn into something new and strange.
Hours passed, or maybe it was days - Alex had lost all sense of time. But eventually, he felt the earth around him begin to shift and tremble. The soil was being dug away, and Alex felt himself being lifted out of the grave.
As he emerged into the bright sunlight, Alex blinked and shielded his eyes. He was disoriented, unsure of what was happening or where he was.
But as his vision cleared, he saw a figure standing over him, a shovel in hand. It was an old man, dressed in tattered robes, with eyes that seemed to see right through Alex.
The old man gazed at Alex with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "You're...different," he muttered, his voice low and gravelly. "I've never seen anyone come out of the grave like that before."
Alex tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse and barely audible. He cleared his throat, trying again. "W-what happened?" he stammered. "How did I get here?"
The old man's eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. "You don't remember?" he asked, his voice dripping with skepticism. "You don't remember what you did?"
"No, I don't," Alex lied.
He didn't know the man and did not know the consequences of letting his secrets known.
"Very well, you need to return to the academy," the old man said and walked away.
"Hold on! Who are you?" Alex asked the old man but the old man did not respond. Alex's vision blurred and he tried wiping his eyes but after that, he looked and did not see the old man again.
Even after looking around, he did not see anyone there again. It was just him and the graves.
Not wanting to linger around anymore, he turned and left the cemetery.