Even after Luca's body stilled, the crystal at his chest shone brighter. The same light spread through the stone tower, pulsing through its cracked walls. For a moment, the entire structure looked alive, glowing lines ran across the floor and climbed up the columns like veins.
Then, the energy started to move.
It flowed toward the crystal.
It all got pulled in from the walls, ground, and every inch of the tower. The crystal absorbed it all without pause.
Somewhere, deeper in the shadows, a figure screamed.
It was a low, warped cry, full of anger and fear. The shadow twisted, pulling back as if trying to escape. But no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't. The power that had kept it alive was leaving.
Bit by bit, the figure burned away. It writhed as the energy left it, turning to ash that scattered in the windless air.
And then, silence returned to the tower.
The tower's glow faded. The once grand, strange energy that had made the place feel like something from another world was gone. What remained was plain stone. It felt old and lifeless.
Only the crystal still held its glow.
A sudden shimmer surrounded Luca. Thin, clear structures grew from the ground, encasing him in a shell that looked like crystal. It rose slowly, covering his whole body from toe to head.
It didn't hurt him.
Instead, it hummed with a quiet rhythm, sending waves of energy into him.
And while his body remained inside that shell, Luca's soul was pulled elsewhere.
There were no walls here, with no floor or ceiling.
Luca floated in a space that had no end and no form
It felt like a dream.
But even dreams had noise.
Faint at first, soft, like wind brushing past.
Then, louder.
Crying.
A child's voice. "Brother… wake up…"
Luca winced. The sound dug into his skull like a needle.
"Stop…" he whispered, but no words came out.
More voices joined in.
He groaned, clutching his head, trying to shut them out. His whole body, or whatever part of him existed here, ached. It felt like a hammer had cracked his mind in two.
"I just want to sleep…"
But the voices didn't stop.
They kept calling him back.
With a sigh and a frown, Luca slowly opened his eyes.
He was no longer in the tower. It was hard to tell where he was. Everything around him was soft and white, like a faded memory. In front of him stood two small figures.
A little girl, maybe five. She had short, messy hair and wide, teary eyes. Next to her was a slightly older boy, maybe seven or eight, standing quietly with a serious expression. His fists were clenched at his sides.
When the girl saw him open his eyes, she rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"Brother… don't leave…"
Her voice cracked as she cried into his chest.
The boy followed, not saying anything, but his eyes said more than words could. They were full of fear.
Luca slowly raised his arms, unsure of what to do.
He looked at the two children, trying to understand what he was seeing.
Then, a question hit him like a blow to the chest.
"Who… are you?" he whispered.
Then he froze.
Wait.
"Who… am I?"
His breath caught.
The headache returned, sharper than before.