Coming to his senses, Victor looked around himself with vigilance and confusion.

Wasn’t I impaled by that fucking staff? And why Am I laying in my old bed? Yes. What Victor realized when he opened his eyes was the very same room he grew up in.

The bed, desk and even the curtains in the windows were exactly as he remembered.

Trying to figure out what the hell was going on, Victor rose from the bed and touched his abdomen carefully.

Nothing there, a dream? I seem to recall that in dreams the flow of time can be different. Have I been in some accident or in coma for all this time? No that can’t be possible…

Realizing that making wild guesses about his situation doesn’t help, he went on to put his old, nostalgic clothes on before heading out.

Stepping outside of his room Victor took a deep breath of the nostalgic smell of his home. ‘’Just as I remembered…’’ He muttered out loud.

‘’Vic, you are up! What are you muttering over there, just come for breakfast!’’ Familiar voice of Victor's adoptive mother resounded from downstairs.

Hearing the voice of his adoptive mother, Victor’s brain could not help but stop working. What the fuck is going on here? Am I really back home? He rushed top speed downstairs to the dining room.

Greeting him there was the kind smile of his mother fixing porridge and coffee, while his father sternly nodded towards Victor while reading his newspaper.

‘’Mom…Dad…Good morning.’’ Victor tried to hold out with his tears, ignored his own complicated thoughts and gave his mom an intense hug.

‘’Whats going on with you today Vic? Don’t you have to go to the university today?’’

Inconspicuously rubbing his eyes, Victor finally let go of his mom and explained. ‘’Today is a free day for me, the current plans has been canceled so I can spend time with you guys.’’

Feeling the warmth coming from his parents, Victor did not want to think about his situation anymore.

Even if this was just a dream or the actual reality, deep down he previously felt lonely and lost. Could he not just enjoy the warm ‘’reunion’’ with his parents?

Victor’s father finally put down the newspaper and sipped a gulp of coffee leisurely before standing up.

He walked next to Vic, he put his arm over his shoulder and lightly punched Vic in the chest.

‘’You are a grown-ass man already Vic. It’s not too good to escape responsibilities you have for others. There is someone waiting outside for you, it’s best to not make him wait for too long.’’ Vic’s dad pointed towards the door.

In daze, Victor turned his joyful gaze towards the exit and froze. The door itself was normal, but it was slowly opening on its own.

Beyond the door, the sight of an rainbow coloured stone road surrounded by swirling chaos greeted Vic’s eyes. An Abyss of nothingness.

With a trembling voice, Victor turned towards his smiling parents and asked. ‘’This is all…Just a dream after all?’’

Feeling lost, he did not realize the crystalline tears flowing down his somewhat manly jawbone and firmly stated that he would not leave.

Victor’s parents came to hug and console him before speaking out. ‘’It is not so bad to sometimes let go. You know, it might not be the last time we see each other. Never say never.’’

‘’But…But…I have already lost everything once before. My passion to discover new things, friends, career and you guys…’’ Vic desperately wanted to stay here, in times where he was filled with motivation and warmth of his family.

Seeing the grief stricken son of theirs, Vic’s mother and father shared a look before hugging him for a minute before separating.

Vic’s dad stood in front of Victor and looked into his eyes.

‘’Sometimes you just have to find something you have lost along the way. Even if you are not my flesh and blood, you will always be my son. What father would not want to see his son succeed in life. Now go on, and make me proud.’’

Victor saw the resolution and loss in his father’s eyes and cast a look on to the floor.

‘’I know, dad. I often regret how I did not have the time for you, who taught and raised me to be what I am today…Only after the golden moments have passed, you realize that you had been living in the best days of your life…’’

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Victor’s parents looked at each other and smiled. They truly had raised a good son.

‘’It’s okay son, I believe that we will meet once again someday. Now go, someone is waiting for you.’’ Victor’s dad gave him a bearhug and pushed him towards the exit.

Seeing that there is nothing that he can do, Victor walked to the doorway and cast a longing gaze on his now sobbing parents. ‘’I too know in my heart that we will meet again. Until the next time…’’

Bracing himself, he stepped on to the rainbow road and swore that he would see them again in person.

Victor heard the sobbing sound of his parents coming from behind the closing door, and heard his mother say. ‘’I know this is just a dream, but I am really glad to see our son again, Martin…’’

Victor stopped right in his tracks and turned abruptly around.

He reached out towards the door and just before the door fully closed and started to phase out of existence, he heard his dad talking. ‘’I know Amanda, I know… I truly hope that he is doing well, wherever he is.’’

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Victor closed and opened his mouth as he stared at the now gone door with his scrawny hand reaching out to the now non-existent doorknob. Surrounded now only by the endless darkness with the rainbow road giving faint light in his way.

‘’This…Were they actually them?’’ Finding the last words he heard unbelievable, his brain short circuited.

Standing still for a few tens of minutes in deep reminiscence, Victor finally picked himself up and turned to look at the seemingly endless road.

Feeling grateful for the sudden but brief reunion, Victor smiled brightly, feeling the care of his parents.

That bright smile froze shortly after Victor looked at the road ahead: How long would it take to reach the end?

Finally putting these hesitations aside and grunted with frustration. Knowing what he had to do, Victor started to follow the road ahead of him.

At first the road was dull and mind numbing, but as he walked further and further Victor began to see the endless darkness change.

The space around him would warp and show him little snippets of visions.

War of the ancient races, morbid creatures swarming against humanoid creatures of different looks and beautiful angels fighting against hideous demons.

‘’What the hell is this? It’s like a 3D movie for guaranteed PTSD for the faint hearted?’’

Feeling trepidations in his heart, he continued to watch the visions as he walked along the road.

Victor had always been a fan of horror movies and was not afraid of gory themes.

Even when he had been dulled by the senseless horror industry back on Earth, it was a little difficult for him to adapt to the visions.

‘’Yep, this is just a cutscene movie. Don’t think too much of it.’’ He tried to comfort and protect his psyche when he started to feel nauseous.

Victor had no sense of time as he walked the seemingly endless road, gradually putting his full attention to the visions after adapting to the senseless violence displayed.

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Having no idea how long he had been walking, he did not question how he was not tired or hungry.

Putting a foot ahead of another, Victor walked endlessly and was absorbed in the visions until he stumbled on an obstacle.

‘’Huh? What the?’’ Extracting himself from the visions shown, Victor looked in amazement.

A staircase was in front of him, leading himself to a familiar building: His own little shop in Runa. Climbing the stairs, Victor opened the door as he usually does.

The old bronze doorbell sounded the same as usual, the furniture was all there and even the smell was perfectly replicated.

Only difference was a red robed figure standing with his back facing Victor in front of the fireplace.

‘’Who are…you?’’ Victor cautiously called out and nearly halted mid sentence.

The shadow of the person was strangely familiar to Victor and he felt like he found a long lost brother.

The man in front of the fireplace extended his hand and waved.

A small ball of fire lit up the wood in the fireplace, and a long shadow of the man flickered in the store. Seemingly satisfied, the man slowly turned around and smiled.

‘’It is nice to finally meet you face to face, Victor Wartell.’’

Victor could help but mumble in distress. ‘’This is a dream right? Nothing strange here…’’

The man in red had a dark hair, masculine face and bright blazing red eyes. The very same face Victor saw in the mirror every single day with the exception of the eye color.

The man in robes regally walked towards the couch and sat down. Waving his hand, Victor started to float through the air and landed in a seat opposite of him.

‘’We have been together a long time Victor, you could say... We are one.’’ The man in robes chuckled at the behavior of panicking Victor, and waved his hand once more. A cup of tea materialized in front of Victor.

‘’Drink and make yourself comfortable, we have a lot to talk.’’