Brand couldn't believe the sight in front of him.
The man before him knelt down and looked at him with eyes full of expectation.
There was no weakness in his eyes, even though the man knew this was the last time he could see his son.
"Brand." The man's voice echoed in the void.
'Dad…?'
This man was his father, who went missing twelve years ago.
What should have been a simple fire rescue mission had escalated to a full-blown crisis threatening the world.
Brand still remembers that day clearly, as that was the last time he heard his dad's voice.
"Take care of Brenda when I'm away, okay?" His father always had a low and deep voice that he admired. He was tall, muscular, kind, fearless, mighty, brave…
'Well, as many adjectives as I can to describe him.'
However, he was also a horrible dad for leaving them at such a young age.
He had been eight years old at that time, and his sister five. Their father had left their mother to raise them on her own.
His mother continuously reminded him to treasure their time together and that his dad had a heroic job that saved lives.
'You should take care of your family most.'
He wanted to say that to his father, even if it was just a fragment of memory.
'What do you expect from an eight-year-old back then?'
However, he listened.
But he listened.
He listened to everything his father told him.
Family bonds need to stay strong. That was the motto of the Smith family.
In his memory, this was the last time he heard his father's voice.
"Remember, Brand… during tough times. Very, very tough times," his father said. "You must build resilience and strengthen yourself mentally. Such strength can help you overcome adversity."
"The spirit of resilience runs through our family. Remember this, okay?" His father said with a smile.
Brand looked at the scene as if the memories were still fresh, because this was a core memory for him.
"I still remember it, Dad," He said to the fading memory. "I promise… and I'll see you on the other side someday."
***
"There are tears in your eyes?"
When Brand woke up, he saw Seraphine's face right in front of him, as if she was shoving her face onto him.
"I just had a strange dream." He confessed while nodding slightly, trying to gather his thoughts.
"Hmm… How long has it been?" He asked, as he felt oddly refreshed. Could he have slept for days?
"It's only six hours. You can have more rest, no worries." Seraphine replied.
"No, I've rested enough," he replied. He had enough rest to keep his mind collected. "You still owe me explanations."
"What did the mechanical eye, Seraphim, want from me?" He pressed for the question he had asked repeatedly. He believed this held the key to returning to his world.
"We'll start talking about the chamber you stumbled into." Seraphine started her explanation. "The chamber is not a place where a mortal like you can just barge in."
Seraphine looked dead serious when speaking, and Brand found it chilling. The little angel now wears a different expression.
"A human, living human being was not supposed to go into the chamber." Seraphine continued.
"But I'm clearly human, right?" Brand asked.
'Why am I worried for such an obvious answer? Of course I am!'
"Yes, and that's what's intriguing," Seraphine replied.
Brand felt relieved when Seraphine said that. However, what she said next was shocking.
"The ancient rule did not apply to you. This indicates that you are an exception to this rule."
"Seraphim was originally waiting for an entity to claim the power from her." She continued with her story. "But that entity never came."
"But that power was now injected into you, as she deemed you more fitting to wield it."
Brand pondered for a while. Several thoughts and scenarios went through his mind. He paused and stumbled a bit as he made up his conclusion.
"So you mean the serum that was injected into me was this so-called 'power'?" He asked for confirmation of his theory.
"Yes, and along with the power, you've also inherited the fate that accompanied it," Seraphine said. "Seraphim saw something in you and deemed you to hold the same qualification as the promised entity."
"The promised time has passed for about 10 years." She continued. "That's when Seraphim reaches the conclusion that fate has changed."
"This is now your destiny." She declared.
"That's just wrong!" Brand yelled. "I didn't even agree upon this!" He was not even given an explanation before being implanted with this 'GHOST.'
"Unfortunately, the manifestation time of Seraphim had come to an end, and she had to be swift in passing on the power."
"But how do you explain the torture?" He reminisces about all the pain he went through in the chamber. At some point, he even thinks that the mechanical eye was doing it out of spite.
"Those were mistakes, as she thought you were the promised entity." She explained. "You see, the entity had an ethereal form."
"Time was lacking at that time, and she had to imbue 'GHOST' in you in the shortest period of time." She continued. "She took an extreme measure to prepare your body to withstand the setback of the serum."
"This was done by heightening your senses before the injection."
The thought of his life turning upside down after entering the ruin was unbearable to him.
He clenched his fist so tightly that his nails bit into his skin.
"Now comes the crucial part, Brand." Seraphine continued, with a more serious tone than before. "The destiny you are about to fulfil is to retrieve an artifact in this world."
"God's Artifact, Nano-Machine." Seraphine declared.
"Retrieve the Nano-Machine in this world for Seraphim, and you'll be granted a wish," Seraphine said while smirking. "You can regain your human flesh body, and even return to your world."