Chapter 11 Not Meant To Be...
Atlas opened his eyes, only to find himself standing in a dark space. No matter where he looked, he couldn't see anything. He couldn't even feel the ground under his feet. It was as if he was floating in midair with nothing to support him.
He could sense gentle winds brushing against his skin, giving him a cold sensation.
"Did I die already? Is this what the afterlife is supposed to be? Just endless darkness?"
Assuming he had died, Atlas felt slightly bad. He hadn't expected to die so soon without being able to get his sister back, but he also knew that he was too weak to live. Death was a bigger possibility than he would have liked.
"Death?" A mysterious voice came from an unknown direction. It was as if the voice was coming from all directions simultaneously. "Death… What a fascinating thing. Some people are scared of it, yet they can't avoid it. On the other hand, there are those who crave for it yet they can't get ...."
"Who is it? Is there anyone else here?" Atlas asked, hearing the mysterious voice.
No response came to his questions.
Something started changing in his surroundings though. Atlas felt as if he was falling at rapid speed. It was as if he had jumped from a high rise building.
Even though he felt like he was falling, Atlas didn't scream. He knew that he was either dreaming or dead already. There was no way he could die in this place again. Moreover, it wasn't as if screaming could help him. He did feel a little fear though.
After falling for five straight minutes, his body started slowing down before he ultimately stopped. Atlas felt soft grass under his feet which was slightly cold and wet as if there was some dew on it. He was finally standing on something solid instead of floating in the air.
The dark surroundings started to brighten up slowly. A beautiful sky appeared above the head of Atlas. However, the sky was different from the sky he had seen in the past.
He had known the sky to be blue; however, the sky here looked to be Crimson. There was a blood moon shining up in the sky. A few dark clouds could also be seen spread out.
Atlas looked at the sky in slight amazement. It had been years since he last saw the sky; however, he still remembered that it used to be blue. He didn't know how it turned red. Was it what was known as hell in stories?
Despite being red, the sky seemed beautiful and charming. There was just something very alluring about the sky and the moon.
After having enough of the sky, Atlas lowered his gaze and checked his surroundings. As he looked down, a weird look covered his face. His lips slightly opened.
He found himself standing in the middle of thousands of tombstones. It was as if he was standing in a graveyard.
Amidst the thousands of graves, he also noticed another person. It appeared to be a silver-haired man whose back was facing him. He couldn't see his face. The man stood before the tallest tombstone in the entire graveyard.
Atlas didn't know why, but there was a feeling in his heart that was telling him to stay away from the man. That feeling was telling him to run as far as he could.
It was an even worse feeling than what he had when he stood before the Vampires of Carlisle Clan. He didn't know what this feeling was. Why was he so scared even if he was dead?
He felt a bit of trembling in his arms. However, instead of running away, he chose to do something else entirely. He didn't even know where he was. He wanted answers, and if someone could answer him, it was the man whose back was facing him.
Gathering all his courage, Atlas started walking toward the silver-haired man. The man was wearing a black overcoat that covered most of his body. Other than the hands of the man, Atlas couldn't see anything. The hands of the man appeared to be pale as if they lacked blood.
"Was it you who talked to me before?" Atlas asked the man
The silver-haired man nodded his head, but he still didn't turn back. "You aren't supposed to be here."
"You mean I'm not supposed to be dead? Well, you should tell that to those bastard Vampires who killed me," Atlas responded, letting out a sigh.
"Bastard Vampires?" The man muttered as a smile formed on his lips. Unfortunately, Atlas couldn't see that smile that looked so beautiful on the charming face of the man.
The man responded. "I mean, you aren't supposed to be here. It wasn't supposed to be you… It wasn't meant to be you..."
Atlas didn't understand what the man was trying to say. He wasn't meant to be here?
"What do you mean?" he inquired.
Throughout the conversation, he didn't stop walking. From a distance, he walked past the man before turning around to look straight at the man.
While the silver-haired man stood on one end of the tombstone, Atlas stood on the other side of it, with the tombstone acting as the boundary between the two.
As Atlas saw the man, he grew slightly curious. The man had pale skin like that of the Vampires, but his eyes weren't red, meaning he wasn't a Vampire. He couldn't help but wonder why this man had pale skin then? Was he also a prisoner like him who had died because of loss of blood?
Despite the pale skin, the man still looked charming. His beautiful green eyes had the potential to drown anyone in their depths. Despite the charm, the eyes seemed to have many secrets hidden in them that were buried deep in all the grief that those beautiful eyes portrayed.
There was an aura around the man, which gave the feeling that the man could destroy the entire world if the man wished.
"Are we in hell?" Atlas asked, looking at his surroundings.
"Hell?" The man glanced at Atlas in slight amusement. "I guess you can call this place hell. I don't mind."
"Who are you?" Atlas asked again.
"It matters not who I am. What matters is who you are? How did you get here? Tell me more about yourself instead. How did you manage to come here?"
"Even though you're not supposed to be here, If I find you worthy, I'll let it go. However, if I find you unworthy of standing here, I'll destroy your soul this instant...."
Hearing the threat of the man, Atlas was stunned. This man was threatening to destroy his soul. However, for some reason, he didn't feel like the man was lying or exaggerating.