Chapter 217: Hesitation
Millions of eyes stared at Denzel.
He couldn't move.
The white room was gone.
The doors were gone.
Elena and the child were gone.
There was only darkness.
And the eyes.
They stretched in every direction, filling the space above, below, and around him. Some were human. Others were too large, too narrow, or shaped in ways Denzel couldn't understand.
But they all had one thing in common.
They were watching him.
Denzel slowly clenched his fists.
"What are you?"
The eyes blinked.
All at once.
A million tiny clicks echoed through the darkness.
Denzel's breathing became heavier.
Then one of the eyes moved closer.
It wasn't an eye.
It was part of a face.
A gigantic face emerged from the darkness, its features slowly becoming visible.
The black circle appeared between its eyes.
Denzel's expression hardened.
"That symbol again."
The creature didn't answer.
Instead, something pressed against Denzel's mind.
Memories flooded into him.
His childhood.
His first day at school.
His parents.
People he'd forgotten.
Places he hadn't thought about in years.
Then the memories changed.
He saw Elena.
She was crying.
He saw the child standing alone in an empty city.
He saw countless worlds collapsing into themselves.
He saw the older version of himself standing beneath a black sky.
Then he saw himself.
Older.
Exhausted.
Covered in blood.
Standing before thousands of doors.
Denzel staggered backward.
"What is this?"
A voice answered.
"You."
Denzel looked around.
The voice sounded exactly like his.
But it wasn't coming from anywhere.
It was coming from everywhere.
"You've already seen this."
"No."
"You simply don't remember."
Denzel's eyes narrowed.
"Then why show me?"
"Because you entered."
"Entered what?"
"The second world."
Denzel looked around.
"This is the second world?"
"No."
The voice paused.
"This is what exists between them."
Denzel's stomach tightened.
"Between what?"
The eyes blinked.
"Choices."
The word echoed through the darkness.
Denzel looked toward the place where Elena and the child had disappeared.
"Elena!"
No response.
"Where are they?"
"Where you left them."
"I didn't leave them."
"You chose yourself."
Denzel shook his head.
"No."
"You always do."
The darkness suddenly cracked.
A thin white line appeared beneath Denzel's feet.
Then another.
Then another.
The entire space began breaking apart.
Denzel looked down.
The floor was disappearing.
He fell.
"Denzel!"
Elena's voice.
Denzel looked upward.
She was falling too.
Her hand reached toward him.
He stretched out.
Their fingers touched.
Denzel grabbed her wrist.
"Hold on!"
She grabbed his arm.
The child appeared beside them.
He was falling faster.
Denzel reached out with his other hand.
"Give me your hand!"
The child grabbed him.
For a moment, all three hung together in the darkness.
Then something grabbed Denzel's ankle.
He looked down.
A black hand wrapped around his leg.
Another appeared.
Then another.
Denzel kicked violently.
"Let go!"
The hands tightened.
The child began slipping.
"Denzel!"
"Hold on!"
Elena pulled harder.
Denzel gritted his teeth.
His fingers were beginning to hurt.
The child's hand was sliding from his.
"Don't let go!"
"I won't!"
The darkness beneath them suddenly opened.
Inside it was a familiar sight.
The city.
But it was upside down.
Buildings hung from the sky.
Cars floated through the air.
People stood frozen in the streets.
And at the center of it all was the apartment building.
Apartment 206.
Denzel stared.
Then he saw someone standing outside it.
The older Denzel.
He looked upward.
Directly at them.
The older version raised his hand.
The black circle on his chest opened.
Denzel felt a violent pull.
"No!"
The older Denzel spoke.
"Wake up."
Denzel froze.
"What?"
"Wake up."
The voice changed.
It wasn't the older Denzel anymore.
It was Maria.
"Denzel."
The darkness trembled.
"Denzel!"
The world shattered.
Denzel woke up.
His eyes flew open.
He shot upright in bed.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
For several seconds, he didn't know where he was.
He looked around.
His chamber.
His bed.
His wooden desk.
The heavy curtains.
His clothes folded across a wooden chair.
Morning sunlight entered through the narrow castle window.
Denzel stayed completely still.
His heart was pounding.
He slowly looked at his hands.
Nothing.
He touched his chest.
Nothing.
He checked his arms.
Nothing.
No black marks.
No strange symbols.
No injuries.
Denzel let out a long breath.
"Just a dream."
The words sounded strange.
He leaned backward against the wooden headboard.
He remembered everything.
The sphere.
The worlds.
Elena.
The child.
The older version of himself.
The doors.
The eyes.
The black circle.
It had all felt real.
Too real.
Denzel rubbed his face.
"Why would I even dream about something like that?"
A distant bell rang outside.
Once.
Then again.
Denzel turned toward the window.
Beyond the glass, the kingdom was already awake.
The castle courtyard was filling with movement.
Guards crossed between the stone buildings.
Servants carried baskets toward the kitchens.
Farmers and merchants were beginning to gather beyond the outer walls.
A wagon rolled through the castle gate.
The sound of horses echoed between the towers.
Everything was normal.
Ordinary.
Real.
Denzel watched for a moment.
No floating worlds.
No strange doors.
No black sphere hanging over the kingdom.
He exhaled.
"Definitely a dream."
He pushed the blankets aside and stood.
His bare feet touched the cold stone floor.
Denzel walked to the basin beside the window and splashed water across his face.
The water was freezing.
He looked at his reflection.
His hair was a mess.
His eyes were tired.
He looked completely ordinary.
Denzel leaned closer.
Nothing strange stared back.
No black circle.
No mysterious eyes.
Just him.
He straightened.
"Good."
A knock sounded at his door.
Denzel turned.
"Who?"
A servant's voice answered from outside.
"Lord Denzel, the morning meal will be served shortly."
"I'll be there."
"Yes, my lord."
The footsteps disappeared.
Denzel looked back at the mirror.
For some reason, the title still felt strange.
My lord.
A kingdom.
A castle.
People waiting for him to make decisions.
That was his real life.
Not whatever bizarre world his sleeping mind had created.
He changed into fresh clothes and tightened the belt around his waist.
As he did, his mind returned to the dream one last time.
The older Denzel.
The black circle.
The warning.
Wake up.
Denzel paused.
Then shook his head.
"No."
He finished dressing.
"I'm awake."
He opened his chamber door.
The corridor outside was already busy.
Two servants hurried past carrying folded cloth.
A pair of guards stood near the stairs.
Farther down the hall, a maid was arguing with another servant about breakfast.
Denzel almost smiled.
This was real.
He walked through the castle.
As he descended the stone staircase, he passed several people who bowed respectfully.
"Good morning, my lord."
"Morning."
"Lord Denzel."
He nodded.
The familiar routine slowly pushed the dream out of his mind.
By the time he reached the lower corridor, he was thinking about the kingdom again.
The northern farms needed more irrigation.
The blacksmiths had requested additional coal.
The western village wanted permission to expand its fields.
There was also the matter of the road connecting the castle to the eastern settlement.
Those were real problems.
Problems he could actually solve.
Denzel stepped outside.
The morning air was cool.
The castle courtyard was bright beneath the rising sun.
A soldier practiced with a wooden sword.
Two knights discussed patrol routes.
A group of children chased one another near the fountain until a guard told them to move aside.
Denzel watched them for a moment.
This was the world he knew.
He turned toward the main hall.
Then he remembered Maria.
She had messaged him earlier.
Denzel reached into his pocket.
His phone wasn't there.
He stopped.
Then remembered.
Of course.
There was no phone.
That had been part of the dream.
Denzel laughed quietly.
"I'm really mixing things up."
He continued toward the hall.
Halfway there, he stopped.
Something bothered him.
He couldn't explain what.
Denzel looked back toward the castle towers.
Nothing.
Everything was normal.
Still, the feeling remained.
Like he'd forgotten something important.
He frowned.
Then a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Denzel."
He turned.
Maria stood near the corridor entrance.
She was dressed for the morning, her hair still slightly messy as if she'd only recently gotten out of bed.
She looked at him.
"Were you planning to ignore me?"
Denzel blinked.
"No."
"Then come with me."
"Where?"
"My room."
Denzel raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Maria's cheeks colored slightly.
"I need to show you something."
She turned before he could ask anything else.
Denzel followed.
They climbed the stairs together.
The corridor became quieter as they reached the residential wing.
Maria walked ahead.
Denzel watched her for a moment.
Something about this felt familiar.
Too familiar.
He remembered the dream again.
The door.
The voice.
The warning.
He shook his head.
Just a dream.
Maria stopped.
Her chamber door was slightly open.
She pushed it wider.
Then looked back.
"Come in."
Denzel stepped toward the doorway.
He hesitated for half a second.
Then entered.
The first thing he saw was Maria's ass.