2 years later…
Bryce slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he felt was how weak his body was. He opened his eyes fully and looked around, but he couldn't recognize where he was, not even the bed he was lying on in this strange room.
The walls looked old and had cracks, the only things in the room were the bed he was lying on, a small window, and the door. He wondered what was happening and why he was here.
He slowly stood up, though it was difficult because of how weak he felt. Another thing he noticed was a strange sensation inside his body, like some kind of energy.
While he was still confused, the door knob began to turn. Someone was about to enter the room. Bryce wondered who it could be.
The door opened, and Father William walked in. Bryce was surprised to see him, though he didn't understand why he felt that way.
"Oh, you're awake," Father William said when he saw Bryce sitting up. "That is certainly good." He walked up to him.
Father William hadn't changed much from two years ago. He was still in his priest attire, but now he had a full beard and wore spectacles.
"Where am I? What is happening?" Bryce asked, confused.
Father William reached him and placed his hands behind his back. "So, you don't remember what happened that night at the mansion?"
As soon as he said that, all the memories of the night he went to the mansion with his friends returned. Bryce's whole expression shifted as flashes of how his friends died ran through his mind.
Father William saw the look on Bryce's face and knew he remembered. "Good. You didn't forget," he said.
Bryce didn't say anything, he couldn't. The guilt, the anger, the sadness all came back at once.
"What is happening now?" Bryce finally asked, his tone cold.
"You've been in a coma for two years since you passed out that night," Father William said.
Bryce was stunned. Two years had passed since the mansion incident. If anyone else had told him, he wouldn't have believed it.
"What I just told you is one of many things that have happened since that night," Father William said. He walked slowly to the small window and stood in front of it. "I will try my best to explain some things to you."
"What happened to the mansion?" Bryce asked in the same cold tone.
"The mansion… well, it disappeared that night. It was like it was never there."
Bryce remembered how the mansion had compressed into nothing and vanished before he passed out the first time.
"That night at the mansion, you and your friends did something that broke the wall separating our realm, the physical realm from the metaphysical realm."
Bryce remembered the chant his friends had been compelled to say.
"Because of that, creatures from outside, demons, began invading our world. They started causing havoc, trying to take over our realm," Father William explained.
Bryce was still trying to process everything, breaking the wall between realms, demons invading the world. But the thing he couldn't shake from his mind was the death of his friends.
"I'm surprised you haven't said a word. The Bryce I knew back at the orphanage wasn't like this. But I understand. Everything that has happened must be heavy on you, especially the death of your friends," Father William said. "The past two years have been hard for humanity. We were almost engulfed by those creatures."
Bryce was about to respond, but there was a knock on the door.
"You can come in," Father William said.
The door opened, and Ava walked into the room.
Ava stood near the door. When she saw Bryce awake, a small smile appeared on her face, showing that she was happy he was conscious again.
Bryce looked at Ava. She looked almost the same as she did two years ago, but her white hair had grown longer, her eyes looked brighter, and her beauty had sharpened. She wore a long blue gown.
"I will stop here for now," Father William said. "How are you feeling now?"
Bryce didn't reply, so Father William added, "I mean, how do you feel, health wise?"
Bryce lifted his head slightly. "I feel okay. Just a little weak."
"That is understandable, considering you just woke up after two years," Father William said. "You will need to leave this room, freshen up, and use your body so you can regain your strength. Ava here will assist you with that."
"I want to know more about the mansion," Bryce said.
"And with time, you will," Father William replied. "Ava will catch you up on our current situation and why you are here. Also, while you were asleep, Ava was the one who took care of you. It would be good to thank her."
After saying that, Father William walked to the door and opened it. Before leaving, he said, "I will still need to ask you more about what really happened inside the mansion. But that will be for another time, you need to get yourself together first."
As Father William said that, Bryce remembered the creature he saw in the mansion, the strange dark figure that smiled at him. He still didn't know what it was, but he knew it was connected to everything that happened that night.
"And again," Father William added, "these past two years, humanity has suffered great losses. So you will come to find that you are not the only one in pain from the demon invasion."
Father William left the room, leaving Bryce alone with Ava. She stood quietly while Bryce remained deep in his thoughts.
After a while, Bryce grew tired of lying down and tired of feeling weak. He slowly stood up from the bed and walked toward the door, passing Ava. All he wanted now was to understand everything happening, so he could know what to do next.
His hand rested on the door knob, but before opening it, he stopped and faced Ava, who stood beside him.
"Thank you, Ava," he said in a less cold tone.
Then he opened the door and walked out. Ava followed behind him.