I was exhausted and hungry. The only thing that kept my sore body going was the thirst for revenge. When I once again arrived at the same spot and thought I had finally lost my mind - perhaps I already had - I found myself confined in yet another trap.

"Who will it be this time?" At this point I didn't even care anymore. All I had to do was slash them.

But this time, something seemed different. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Mist shrouded everything around me, making me lose the little sense of direction I had left. The thick fog clung to my body, reminding me of an unpleasant feeling I had long forgotten, and never wanted to remember again. It felt like blood sticking to me, wanting to drown me in the red.

After a while the mist started to swirl, pushing me aside. It took on the shape of something closely resembling a human. The not-quite-human creature floated and stared at me. "Welcome, mortal, to the deepest part of this forest."

I felt an ominous magic radiating from them, magic that I had felt before, not that I could place where or when. "Are you the reason that I haven't been able to leave?"

It didn't answer my question, and pointed at a lake instead. No expression, no explanation, just a finger.

I looked at the direction his finger pointed at and squinted my eyes, trying to see through the mist. Only then, as if on cue, a ray of sunlight - albeit lacking the normal warmth of the sun - shone through. I could see that the surroundings had changed completely. No more thick forest with dim air, but instead an open space with a clear lake. The smell of the air had changed to a fresh leafy smell. The sound of animals had returned.

When I turned around to ask the creature a question, it had disappeared. Once again, leaving me alone. Since I didn't know what else to do, I decided to walk towards the lake. I put my finger into the water. It felt cold. My exhausted mind felt refreshed. It was clear and lacked any sickly-sweet scent, so I decided to drink from it. And even if it was poisonous, I doubted that it would be strong enough to kill me.

Out of nowhere, I heard a voice echoing through my head. "Cecilia."
There was no way I wouldn't recognize that voice.

"Enter the lake."

"Why?"

"..."

"That was not a request, it was an order."

Without me wanting to, my body started to move. I tried to resist. "Wait wait wait, do you want me to go with my clothes into the lake?"

My body stopped, causing me to lose my balance and fall on my ass. "Well you didn't want to listen."

I sighed. Who knew God would be this petty. "I'll go, just let me change first, okay?"

It stayed quiet in my head. I changed out of my armor and cape and walked towards the lake. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the feeling of cold and wet water against my skin. "Well, here I go..."

I took another deep breath, closed my eyes and dived into the water. Surprisingly, the water felt warm and welcoming. My eyes were met by the most stunning scenery I had ever witnessed.

On the bottom of the lake stood a magnificent building.Once again, I heard a voice in my head.

"Enter it."

My heart was pounding in my head, my lungs started to burn and my eyes were stinging, due to the lack of air. I hoped that inside the temple, I could find some air. I swam closer to the temple, admiring it in all its glory. Even though it was partially destroyed, its beauty could not be hidden. Pillars taller than houses, statues obviously built with passion, and runes engraved with gold. Truly, a temple of God.

I opened the giant door, and almost before I processed the dry air around me, I reflexively gasped for breath. "Never make me-" I coughed and sputtered- "do this again." My body was wracked with the pain and relief of dry air hitting my lungs as I hacked and tried to draw deep breaths.

"..."

No answer. I was annoyed. "And now?"

Again, no response. Just as my heart rate returned to normal after the strenuous swim, my blood started to race again. All that, and now no response? But since I was here anyways, I decided to follow my curiosity, and started to explore the place.

The outside had already looked grand, but the inside fell nothing short. It was built in a way that felt both imposing and warm. Like a stern mother watching over her children, a loving embrace. It was truly a beautiful craft.

While I wandered through the empty halls, I found myself curious about which kind of genius had worked on this building. Even under all the dirt and rotting, it was still apparent that the paintings hanging on the wall and the decorations were of the finest quality, chosen with great care.

My eye fell on a black sword behind a shattered vitrine. Despite all the dust it had collected, it still shone brightly. Next to it, lay a sheath without any decoration. I wondered if it would be alright to take it with me. I pondered for a while and ultimately decided to take both the sword and its sheath.

After I had explored all the halls, I went to the open place. The floor was decorated with mosaics, forming a tile painting. Above my head, I saw the reflection of the night through the water. The stars shone brightly.

In the middle of the square a big amount of energy started to gather.

It swirled chaotically, coming in high concentrations from all across the temple. Gushes of magic swirled around me, searching for the way towards the center.

A grandiose amount of magic had gathered, tightly sticking together, forming a pair of eyes and a mouth. The impact of their presence alone was enough to have me kneeling on the floor.

Out of the mouth came the voice I had until recently only heard in my head. Now, it clearly echoed through the open space. "You've come." Their voice resembled a thunderstorm, dark and heavy.

I wanted to say that I didn't have much of a choice, but my voice wouldn't leave my body. The big eyes floating in front of me with an all-knowing gaze sent shivers down my spine, making me swallow my thoughts.

Before this almighty being, I felt incredibly small. I swallowed and finally managed to ask the question that had been gnawing away at me. "Why did you bring me here?" I couldn't suppress the despair in my voice.

I feared God's silence. After a while, they finally answered. "To fulfill your fate, the world's fate."

I didn't get it. There was no way I would know what was going on inside God's mind. "What does this place have to do with that?"

"The sword you took, give it to me." I felt my body being crushed while I handed the sword over to God. A small part of magic started to gather around the sword.

I narrowed my eyes. The brightness surrounding the sword was too much.

Finally, the light started to dim and my sword returned to me. It was overflowing with magic energy.

The previous black sword had now turned white, with a subtle glow. While I admired the sword, I noticed a text, or rather a name, engraved on it. It seemed to be in the ancient language, a language I for some reason could read. Even without decoration, its sheath held a certain elegance.

I muttered its name. "Revenant". I found the name to be quite ironic.

Their voice sounded so much softer than before. "Use it wisely."

I raised the sword in front of me, repeating the oath I had made when I had returned in my head. "I will, thank you."

"Now, it's time to move on to the more pressing matter."

The giant eyes turned towards the peaceful sky. The water rippled and slowly started to turn into a giant mirror.

The blue night above me had become a red ocean of blood. 

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A/N : Partially beta'd :')