A strange sound echoed in Selay's ears, which felt like a whisper in Fiona's voice
It felt distorted, haunting, almost like a memory being spoken through broken glass.
Then...
His body went still, and the world faded to darkness.
At first, there was nothing but black darkness.
He felt No pain, Hard No sound, Saw No light.
The only thing he felt was the cold weight of emptiness.
But slowly, the pain began to leave him . As it faded away in the emptiness , the darkness around him shifted...slowly at first, then all at once, as if the void itself were being peeled away and devolving , giving birth to something luminous.
He couldn't move. Couldn't feel his body.
His eyes, if they were still his,saw the darkness dissolve into radiant white.
Suddenly, he felt himself again as his weight dropped fast.
His body hit the ground hard, the cool softness of grass crushed him .
The scent of wildflowers surrounded him which felt warm and sweet.
Lying there, gazed , he opened his eyes and recognized the place.
That unknown garden... That unknown place.
The one from long ago..The one from the last time he saw his mother.
He pushed himself up slowly as his body shook . The garden stretched endlessly before him, painted in vibrant greens and soft petal hues.
It was just as he remembered from that day, except the sky wasn't black anymore. It was perfect blue, scattered with clouds made the place look impossibly peaceful.
Then he saw those glowing butterflies . The same kind of butterfly he had seen in that memory.
"I know this place... I know," Selay said softly as his eyes scanned the place .
"This is where I last talked with my mom... But what does it mean?" he asked aloud, breath trembling.
That's when he realized he was completely naked.
A butterfly fluttered toward him. Without thinking, he extended his hand. It landed gently on his finger. Then another approached. Then another.
"What's happening?" he whispered.
But before he could finish, the first butterfly's body glowed and a sharp, unnatural stinger growled from it which butterflies don't have.
It drove the stinger into his finger.
A bolt of agony shot through his arm. His skin burst open, as his blood spraying from the Place
"What the?! Ahh..." he screamed, reeling back but more butterflies were around him.
They stung.
One after another.
His body exploded inside and blood erupted from fresh wounds and slowly his eyes turned red as fire.
He tried to swat them away, but his limbs didn't obey him and were locked down by the pain.
And the sky was no longer blue.
It had turned black again… no, not black but dark red, like congealed blood.
Then something inside him ripped.
His spine arched back violently as a new kind of torment exploded through his body.
A glowing pattern burned into his back which was tattoo-like .
He howled in agony, blood filled the earth beneath him. His throat broke from the screaming, and every of his word stopped coming from his mouth.
The pain didn't let him think, or move.
All he had left to do was the raw broken sound of suffering.
His skin peeled. His body tore apart and rebuilt itself in cruel flashes, every atom breaking, twisting, reforging like a mechanism.
And yet, through it all his eyes stared forward. As if searching for something, hoping for someone.
And then.
He saw someone, not a random person but his mother.
His mother who looked at him . Dressed in a long white gown. She walked toward him with trembling grace, her face painted with both love and fear as if she could feel every ounce of his pain.
She knelt beside him and whispered gently, "It's going to be alright. Just hold on... a little longer."
He reached for her, but his body betrayed him.
His fingers twitched and his mouth opened, but no sound came.
No question. No cry. Just silent screams and the intention of trying to do something .
She pulled him into her arms.
And the pain didn't stop. But it mattered less.
Her warmth wrapped around him as well as her scent, her touch as his blood soaked her gown, but she didn't let go.
She held him tighter and let her fingers stroke the back of his head.
"I'm here," she whispered into his hair. "I'm always with you. No matter what."
His screams faded to trembling whimpers.
"Mom loves you."
Behind Selay, the burning tattoo on his back finally completed, it looked like a symbol of wings, glowed in an unknown white flame.
It pulsed once, glowing brighter than anything around him.
And then, in her arms, he slipped into sleep.
He felt peace for just a moment.
*৳&৳*#&#-#+৳&#-#&#-#*#*-#....
A male voice male, sounded urgent cutting through the quietness of his mind.
And with it, consciousness returned with a kick.
Here's an improved version of your scene with clearer narration, better grammar, emotional weight, and more natural dialogue. I kept the tone grounded and gave it a slightly heavier, more reflective feel:
"Oi. Sleeping shit... What the hell are you doing?" a familiar voice said sharply.
Selay's eyes snapped open.
He was lying next to his mother's grave, the place where the pain had started.
His chest ached, not from injury, but from something deeper. Something he couldn't explain.
He sat up quickly, clutching his head, confused. "Was it a dream?...but that pain felt super real..."
"The sun's already up," said the voice again, now more teasing. "I was starting to think some witch snatched you away to marry you. So I came to check."
Selay turned to see Doulong, now the same age as him, standing with a crooked grin.
"I… I don't know," Selay muttered, trying to find words. "There was pain. In my chest. Then… maybe I just passed out. I fell asleep, I guess."
Doulong raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like something you'd do."
He offered his hand.
"Come on, we've got stuff to handle before class."
Selay took it, but stumbled as he stood. Doulong grabbed his arm and steadied him.
"Whoa...dude. You alright? You look like a corpse."
"I'm fine," Selay said quickly. "Just… a bad dream. That's all."
"Same old nightmares, huh? things like that are normal for you i guess. Or something else had happened ?" Doulong asked, brushing it off. "By the way, what did you get today? Birthday gift or whatever. Must've been something cool."
Selay touched the pendant hanging from his neck. It wasn't glowing anymore.
"This?" Doulong asked, leaning closer.
"Yeah. It was in the pearl," Selay said quietly.
Doulong tapped it with a finger. "Looks quite a normal gift. Maybe the gem's rare or something."
Selay shook his head. "Doesn't matter. A gift is a gift. I'll protect it… for the rest of my life."
"Hey, don't get all dramatic," Doulong chuckled. "I was just curious."
"Whatever," Selay muttered, turning. "Let's head back."
They started walking down the narrow path between the jungle trees, horse tracks still fresh in the dirt.
"Your dad… Uncle Douzen. Has he come back yet?" Selay asked.
Doulong shrugged. "Not yet. Still on the rescue mission. You know how this side of earth is day and the other side of earth is not the same time as us. Other side of the earth in a different time zone. Makes everything harder. "
Selay nodded. "I can't wait to join the troop."
"Why? I mean why tho..." Doulong asked, glancing at him.
"Because people are suffering. Nios's rule is poison, especially in Jarama," Selay said, his voice calm.
Doulong stopped for a second. "You know you can't sign up for rescue ops until you're seventeen, right? Please tell me you haven't forgotten that."
"I haven't. But rescue missions, supply runs... they all help people. Doesn't matter which one I start with."
Just then, the sound of hooves approached. Three horses rode up, their bodies wrapped with faint traces of mana. A cart followed in the middle, hidden under tree leaves and thick fabric. Each rider wore a dark uniform.
As they passed, they slowed slightly.
"Young masters," one called out respectfully. "Good morning."
Selay who had looked at their faces for once and felt something off so he raised his hand. "Wait. Could you stop for a moment?"
The riders pulled the reins, halting. One turned back. "Is there something you need, young master?"
Doulong looked at Selay, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Selay stepped forward and asked, "Sorry, but… may I ask who you are?"
The first man replied calmly, "Us? We're just villagers. Civilians from around here."
Selay narrowed his eyes. "I don't think I've seen you before. Mind telling me where you're heading?"
The second man, clearly annoyed, said, "Just because we live in the same village doesn't mean you'll know everyone. There's over five thousand people in that place."
Selay didn't back down. "Yeah, I don't know everyone. But I do know I've never seen the three of you before."
The first man quickly cut in, trying to smooth things over. "Apologies for him. We moved here from the Village of Walls. We're woodcutters, heading into the jungle to gather timber."
Doulong stepped in, arms crossed. "Can I ask why you need wood from this jungle? You know the trees here are restricted. Only official personnel are allowed to use them for government work"
The third man answered with practiced ease, "It is official. We were sent to collect wood for the new settlers arriving on the island. They'll need materials to build their homes."
Doulong nodded slowly. "Alright. In that case, you guys can go ."
"Wait," Selay said, not convinced.
Doulong turned to him. "Come on, man. If it's official, it's official. Don't overthink it."
The first man gave a polite nod. "Thank you, young masters. May the gods bless you both."
With that, the three riders continued into the jungle, disappearing among the trees.
Selay watched them, silent for a moment. Then he muttered, "Dou… something's not right."
Doulong gave him a side glance and smirked. "I know, bro."
After a while deeper in the jungle, the three horses were tied to nearby trees. The men heaved something heavy, wrapped tightly in cloth, off the cart.
"Shit… this is heavy," the second man grunted as they dropped it onto the forest floor.
"Good thing those kids didn't push too hard," the first man said, wiping sweat from his brow. "We would've been screwed."
The second guy laughed coldly. "Screwed? Please. Those kids wouldn't stand a chance against three grown-ass men like us. We've been using power since we were teens."
The third man didn't laugh. "Still… They're sons of the world's most powerful Neobanes. You never know."
The second man unwrapped the cloth.. and what lay inside wasn't cargo. It was a woman. Her clothes were torn. Blood smeared her face and limbs. Her body was dead.
The first man looked away, grimacing. "I can't look at her. I still can't believe what we did…"
"This is all your damn fault," the third man snapped at the second.
"Shut the fuck up," the second guy barked back. "Don't act all holy now. You both joined in and we three raped and killed her not only me . Don't pretend like you didn't. We bury her and it's over."
"I checked...she's got no family. No one's coming for her," the first man said quietly. "We might actually get away with this…"
Then the second guy crouched beside her. His hands moved across her body,her chest, her lips. "You know what? I'm kinda turned on again."
"What the fuck, man?" the third guy hissed. "She's dead. Cold. You're fucking sick."
The second guy slowly started pulling his pants down, saying, "Hole is hole... only need two minutes to finish, wait."
"Man, you are fucking twisted," said the first guy. But before he could finish, a voice came from above.
"Stop right there," Doulong shouted from a tree branch. He jumped down and landed hard on the ground.
"Oh shit...those kids!" The first guy panicked.
The second guy tried to say something, but before he could react, Doulong dashed forward and slammed his fist into his chest. The punch was so strong, it sent the man flying backward, crashing into a huge tree several meters away with a sickening thud.
"I knew something was off," the third guy muttered and turned to run.
But he didn't get far.
Selay stood in his way, gripping his wooden sword. "You're not getting away with this," he said coldly, then struck.
Selay moved so fast his attack looked like a blur. His sword hit the man's core dead-on, knocking him back hard.
The man stomped the ground, and sharp stone spikes shot up to pierce Selay. But Selay dodged with ease.
The guy roared and pulled a massive chunk of soil from the earth, solidifying it mid-air and hurling it toward Selay again and again. Selay kept dodging, flipping and spinning through the barrage like a ghost.
Then he surged forward, boosting his speed, and with one fierce swing, slashed his wooden blade across the man's face, leaving a deep scar.
The man screamed, and before he could react, Selay leapt up and kicked him hard in the same spot, sending him crashing to the ground.
Meanwhile, Doulong was facing off against the first guy, who was forming sharp glass blades out of dirt particles in the air and throwing them fast.
They shattered against Doulong's body harmlessly.
Then the second guy, groaning as he got up from the tree impact, jumped into the air and created a massive fireball above his hand. He launched it toward Doulong.
Doulong directly punched the fire ball and most of the fire ball turned into smoke , but the remaining fireball particle hit the forest behind him, and flames started spreading across the trees.
Doulong's expression darkened.
Water began swirling around his right arm twisting into a drill shape. It spun rapidly, glowing blue from the speed.
"Water Drill high pressure hyperstring !" he shouted.
He launched a razorthin, high pressure jet of water with deadly force. The stream tore through the air and struck the second man straight in the chest.
The man screamed in pain as the water pierced his skin, drilling deeper until it hit his rib cage and shattered it.
Blood sprayed. The man fell to the ground, coughing and writhing in agony.
Behind Doulong was the first guy who created a sword made of glass and made it glow with his gray mana passing his mana into the sword and then striked Doulong's back which Doulong didn't see and that strike cut deep into Doulongs back causing him to bleed.
TBC