Darkness…
It was all that could be seen, no matter where he looked. If you stretched out your hand, you would know where it was but wouldn’t be able to see it.
An immeasurable void—that was the place Gabriel found himself in. He couldn’t remember how he ended up there; it simply made no sense. But before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, a light appeared.
A faint light came from a candle nearby, resting atop a table with an old man behind it. His clothes were tattered, his face lined with prominent wrinkles, his sunken eyes revealing his age, and his skeletal frame teetered on the edge of his final breath.
Breaking the silence that had lingered until then, the old man spoke:
- “We are very unfair to God. We don't even allow him to sin.”
- "Excuse me?" – Gabriel replied, confused.
- “It’s Nietzsche... You must know him…” – said the old man
- “First, why don’t you sit down?” – he added, gesturing toward a chair.
Gabriel watched the man cautiously, hesitating before making any movement. The old man’s appearance and demeanor didn’t seem threatening, but Gabriel still felt unsure. Not understanding where he was or how to leave, Gabriel slowly approached, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he decided to sit down.
Before Gabriel could ask anything, the old man anticipated his question:
- “A dream... You will wake up soon; don’t worry. I just want to talk a bit, for now…” – The old man sighed calmly, then continued – “What do you think Nietzsche meant by that phrase?”
Gabriel pondered. Everything seemed illogical at the moment—questions without meaning, he thought. But the old man’s gaze encouraged him to answer.
- "It’s an ironic phrase, considering recent events..." – Gabriel mused, reflecting on all he had endured. – “This phrase just makes me think about how humans interpret everything to suit their convenience… Gods are supposed to be perfect—or so people believed—and we’ve conveniently molded that concept to fit our own moral limitations, dictating what they can or cannot do.”
Gabriel paused, looking at the old man, who seemed to read his mind and finished the monologue with him:
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- “God is not dead just because we are alive.”
The old man chuckled.
- “You’re on the right path… Just because the gods don’t favor humanity doesn’t mean life has no meaning…” – The old man stood up gently, smiling as he looked at Gabriel, who didn’t fully grasp what he was saying.
The old man raised his hands calmly, still smiling.
- "In that case, I don’t intend to disturb you, at least for now." – With a final smile, the old man clapped, and everything went dark once more.
Gabriel woke up. He was unexpectedly seated at a table in what seemed like a restaurant, or the ruins of one. His clothes were different from before—it made no sense. Gabriel had many questions but no one to answer them. And now wasn’t the time for contemplation.
Outside the small restaurant, there seemed to be some commotion. He heard people shouting.
- “Surround him and don’t let him escape!” – Gabriel could clearly hear the words, which felt oddly strange.
- “Aaaah, die, you damn mutt!” – someone shouted.
Gabriel left the restaurant and headed towards the sound of the commotion. It wasn’t close—he ran for about five minutes to get there. He arrived to see several people surrounding what looked like a white wolf. It was noticeably different from the wolves that had pursued him before; not only was it white, but it was also considerably smaller. On another side, Gabriel saw a woman wielding a traffic sign against another of the wolves. He stood there, static, questioning if he was seeing things right. The sign still had "Stop" written on one side—an unexpected sight, to say the least.
The woman fought the wolf, swinging the metal post as if it were an axe or something similar. The ease with which she wielded it was as impressive as the fact that she was using it as a weapon—something he hadn’t expected to see, even in an apocalypse. She was about a handspan shorter than Gabriel, who stood at 5’8”. Her crimson hair, an unnatural shade of red, highlighted her pale skin and full lips. Though she wore baggy clothing, Gabriel concluded she must be quite toned judging by her physical prowess.
Snapping Gabriel out of his trance, the woman missed one of her swings with the improvised weapon, and the wolf seized the opportunity to sprint toward its companion, breaking the circle and attacking the men surrounding it. The wolf now faced one last obstacle to reach its companion—Gabriel. Everything happened too quickly. Before he could react, the wolf had already bitten one of his hands clean off. Gabriel's scream was sharp, a shriek filled with pain so intense that anyone hearing it would feel it deeply. The woman, who had been fighting the wolf, witnessed the entire scene. She ran at the creature, taking advantage of its landing from the last attack, and before it could reach its companion, she swiftly finished it off. She gave Gabriel a quick glance, a look filled with remorse, then moved to confront the remaining wolf.
The pain from his severed hand had already lessened considerably, but it was still something beyond anything Gabriel had ever felt—even worse than being melted inside the Hydra’s head.
With the woman’s arrival, the wolf was 'easily' killed after about ten more minutes. During this time, Gabriel took the opportunity to flee. He didn’t understand what was happening. His hand, which had been bitten off, was slowly regenerating. The bone was growing back, followed by the ligaments, veins, and eventually, the flesh. Gabriel didn’t know what had happened while he was unconscious, but one thing was certain: he was no longer the same. He was no longer human.