*Broom! Broom!*
The car with the slight curve exited the parking spot and merged into the highway lane.
"Now you can tell me what's happening with you?" Mohan inquired with a straight face.
Shrugging his shoulders, Sam replied calmly, "I just need time to adjust to my condition."
"Really? Or are you hiding something?" Mohan raised his eyebrows, pressing for more information.
Brushing against Mohan's shoulder, Sam chuckled, "Come on, bro! You know me."
"I know, and that's why I'm asking," Mohan said with a faint smile, curling his lips as he sneered, "Still hiding from me? You need a serious beating, bro."
With a helpless and dejected expression, Sam said, "Yeah, something is happening with me," extending his right hand toward Mohan. "See the tattoo on my wrist?"
With narrowed eyes, Mohan inspected it. "Uh! Good tattoo, but what does that have to do with your health?"
*Smack!*
A light slap fell on Mohan's head, and Sam cursed, "Fool! I never ever had tattoo, so how could this have reasonably appeared on my wrist?"
Realization dawned on Mohan, and he smacked his lips. "Hiss! How could I forget such a minor detail?" Glancing in the rearview mirror, he asked, "I need the full details regarding this."
"Hmm," Sam nodded, replying, "Okay, first, let's go to my building. I have a lot to disclose to you."
"Alright," Mohan replied, then asked, "Are you tired? You should take a nap."
"Thanks for caring about me," Sam chuckled, laying his head back against the headrest as he drifted into sleep, his furrowed brows relaxing and a slight smile illuminating his face.
Seeing the rearview camera, Mohan shook his head. "Fool. How many times have I told him to get a good night's sleep?" With a straight face, he continued driving at the same pace.
.....
"Where am I? Wasn't I just lying down?" A sharp, confused voice echoed in the suffocating darkness.
"For God's sake! What's happening...?"
Suddenly, another anxious voice rang out. "Please... Please help me! I need your help!"
"Who are you? What is this place?" Sam's voice trembled as he asked, barely able to suppress his fear.
"I don't know. I'm trapped. Please, rescue me."
Suddenly, the oppressive blackness was pierced by a blinding light. Sam's eyes snapped toward the source, and what he saw made his stomach churn. The light was emanating from a figure—a statue: an impossible figure.
Staggering back, his voice cracked with disbelief, "Impos... Impossible!" He collapsed to the ground with a thud. "Ouch!" he muttered, rubbing his aching backside. Trembling, he forced himself to stand, his gaze locking onto a boy shackled by thick iron chains.
Seeing this bizarre scene, Sam could barely hold himself together. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "Who are..." His words faltered as his pupils dilated in shock. With a shaking hand, he pointed at the boy. "Your body... Something's wrong with your body!"
"I know," the boy whimpered, his voice quaking with fear and pain. "Please..."
The boy's desperate cries reverberated through the strange space. Sam, still trying to comprehend the gravity of the situation, slumped to the ground again. His mind was racing, and yet, all he could focus on was the source of that light.
His heart pounding, his mind was a blur. One thought kept surfacing through the chaos: "Tattoo...?"
"Wait... this figure... it looks like my tattoo!" Sam's left hand reflexively clutched his right wrist, nails digging into his skin. Red marks began to appear as his grip tightened. The adrenaline surged through him, yet his attention remained glued to the figure.
Trying to calm himself, he asked staring at the statue, his voice now hoarse, "Who are you? What is all of this?"
"AAAHHH!" A sudden scream tore through Sam's throat. His wrist was on fire. "It's burning!"
The veins on his forehead bulged as his face drained of color. His lips cracked and dry, sweat streamed down his pale face.
"I can't hold on much longer!" he gasped, trembling. "What the hell is happening?!"
Desperation surged through him. "No! I can't faint! I don't even know where I am!"
In a final, desperate attempt to stay conscious, Sam bit down on his lip with all his strength. Blood trickled down his chin, but even that pain felt distant compared to the searing fire in his wrist.
*Drip... drip...*
The hellish process continued until his body went limp, surrounded by blood. His eyes, still open, trembled, heavy with exhaustion as he fought the urge to faint.
With what little strength remained, he raised his pale, trembling hand and aggressively massaged his eyebrows. Pain shot through his eyes, causing him to wince but also help him to remain conscious. "Ouch!" he muttered, but he persisted.
His efforts paid off.
Crawling toward the figure with his hazy eyes, he whispered under his breath, "I... I can feel it."
"My strength... it's returning."
Despite his limp body and drowsy eyes, he couldn't see clearly, but something deep inside told him that his body was healing.
His instincts were right.
A pale green light radiated from a strange tattoo, flowing toward his body and forming a protective layer over him.
---
The young boy, who had witnessed everything, was paralyzed with fear. His hands trembled, and his lips quivered as he stammered, "Impossible!"
"That... that can't be!"
"How could I be so unlucky?"
His pupils constricted, and veins bulged on his forehead as panic took over. "I don't want to die!"
"I need to return to my world."
"This thing... it shouldn't exist here! Not now!"