.
My eyes suddenly burned.
Not with darkness—
with light.
A violent, searing brightness flooded my vision, forcing tears out of me against my will. My body reacted before my mind did. My skin felt like it was on fire, as if the light itself was scorching me from the inside. My head grew unbearably heavy, pressure building behind my temples.
I staggered.
"What… what is this now?" I whispered.
My hands flew to my head. I shook it violently, trying to clear the sensation, trying to wake myself up.
"Is this another joke?" I snapped, my voice trembling. "Seriously? On my birthday?"
I forced myself upright.
In front of me—
only darkness.
A vast, endless black door stood ahead, swallowing all light around it. And from somewhere deep within that void, a voice echoed.
"Master… this way."
My skull throbbed violently.
That voice.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't threatening.
Yet it felt like it was drilling straight into my brain.
"Stop it!" I shouted. "What kind of sick celebration is this? Beatings weren't enough, now this?"
I slapped my own head hard, trying to ground myself.
My body still burned.
I took a step forward.
The air changed instantly.
It was thick. Dense. Heavy. Every breath scratched my throat and vibrated painfully inside my ears. My nose stung, my hearing distorted, like pressure deep underwater.
"What did you mix into the air?" I growled. "Turn it off—whoever's sitting comfortably in some control room watching this."
My knees buckled.
The weight in my head intensified. My vision blurred, and I dropped to the ground on one knee.
Behind me—
CLANG.
The door slammed shut.
The sound echoed like a coffin sealing.
The fog began to thin.
I slammed my fist into the floor. "Dad! Is this funny to you?! Every damn time—it's always me!"
The haze disappeared.
Light returned.
I looked down.
Ice.
Pure, white ice beneath my feet.
Cold so sharp it felt hot.
I gasped as pain shot up my legs. My feet burned violently, nerves screaming as if stabbed by needles. I hopped instinctively, shifting weight desperately.
"It's freezing—!" I hissed.
Another voice echoed.
"Master… come forward."
Ahead of me—
A world unfolded.
Not a room.
Not a simulation screen.
A landscape.
Moonlight flooded everything. I realized I was standing on a glowing lunar surface, cold like death beneath me, while ahead—flowers bloomed, birds flew, water shimmered in the distance.
It was too perfect.
Too real.
"I just barely survived…" I muttered. "And now you start another joke?"
A butterfly fluttered toward me.
Instinctively, I reached out.
The moment my fingers touched it—
My breath caught.
It was warm.
Alive.
Soft wings brushed my skin. A faint, sweet scent filled the air.
"…What the hell?" I whispered.
My legs trembled.
"This… this is real?"
I laughed once—broken and disbelieving. "So my house has hell underground and heaven beneath that? Amazing architecture, Dad."
Birds chirped. Wind rustled. Water flowed somewhere far away.
I shouted into the open sky. "COME OUT! Stop hiding behind machines! Did you send another robot or are you brave enough to face me yourself?!"
I stepped forward.
The ice vanished.
Soil.
I knelt down and grabbed a handful.
It wasn't synthetic.
It wasn't sterile.
It was earth.
Warm. Soft. Slightly moist. It smelled… sweet.
Real.
The sensation overloaded me.
For a brief second—
Silence.
Peace.
Then—
Pain.
My head felt like it was splitting apart.
I screamed, slamming my palms into the ground. "STOP THIS! MY BODY IS ON FIRE!"
I laughed hysterically through the pain. "Dad! You'll burn in hell for this—if hell even accepts you!"
Rage consumed me. I smashed my forehead into the ground repeatedly.
"ENOUGH!"
A calm voice cut through the chaos.
"Veer… calm down."
I froze.
"…Don't preach to me," I hissed. "I want out. Now. That old man isn't even here, is he? Hiding again."
The voice remained steady. "Your hatred toward your father is… intense."
"Save the psychology lesson," I snapped. "Let me go."
Silence.
Then—
"Grab onto something."
I laughed bitterly. "What now? You hanging me upside down?"
I clutched onto instinct.
Reality broke.
The world twisted like a collapsing puzzle box. Gravity flipped. My body spun violently as I was yanked into the air, hanging upside down.
My grip slipped.
"WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THIS?!" I screamed. "KILL ME IF YOU WANT—JUST STOP THIS!"
My hands failed.
I fell.
Darkness swallowed me.
And then—
Nothing.
I woke up somewhere else.
Peace.
Unnatural peace.
Soft light. Sweet fragrance. Calm so deep it scared me more than pain.
A fairy-like figure stood nearby.
"Welcome," she said gently.
I sighed. "Great… now hallucinations. How much torture is left?"
I sat down heavily beside her, rubbing my temples.
This place was beautiful. Too beautiful. A paradise crafted to manipulate the mind.
"You're dangerous," I muttered. "Messing with someone's brain like this."
She offered me tea.
I stared at her.
She looked like my mother.
My chest tightened violently.
"DON'T," I shouted. "Don't use her face. I swear—I'll kill him."
She smiled softly. "Drink. Calm down."
The tea was warm.
Good.
Too good.
My mind struggled to keep up.
"I want to go back," I said quietly. "Stop controlling my head."
She smiled again.
That smile—
Beautiful.
Deadly.
Exactly like the princess from my dreams.
Chapter 4 End.