Going back in circles

David struggled to his feet, the remnants of the fiery chains smoldering around him.

"Aria!" he called out, his voice raw and desperate as he scurried towards her. But the blue tempest raged around him. It was a whirlwind of chaotic energy that crackled and sparked, tearing through the darkness.

Aria's unconscious form was tossed about like a ragdoll within the storm. "Aria!" David yelled again, his heart pounding with fear. He took a step towards her, but the blue energy surged, wrapping around him and pulling him away.

“No!" he screamed, fighting against the force. But it was too strong. He was hurled across the void, slamming into the far side of the dimension.

The chaos had tangled all the threads in their vicinity. Apart from the prominent cracks in the dimension , there was now a tangle of all those threads of deals that formed a giant web looking like a trap of a monstrous spider.

It ensnared him, holding him in place as David got tossed right over it.

"Aria!" David's voice was a hoarse whisper now, his strength completely fading. He watched helplessly as Aria's body was flung through the air, the tempest swirling around her.

The blue light intensified, growing blindingly bright. David squinted, trying to make out Aria's form through the glare. "Aria, please! Wake up!"

But she didn't stir. She was falling, her body limp and lifeless. David's heart clenched with unexplainable fear. "Aria, no!" he cried, struggling against the web. The threads cut into his flesh, but he didn't care. All that mattered was reaching her.

"David…" a faint voice echoed through the void but it felt like it reverberated inside his ear.

His eyes widened as he saw Aria's lips move, a soft glow emanating from her. "Aria! I'm here!" he called, hope flaring in his chest.

"David… forgive me…" her voice was barely a whisper, carried on the winds of the storm.Then the tempest exploded outward, the energy dissipating into the void. David shielded his eyes from the brilliance.

Everything manifested one last time before plunging into the abyss of endlessness.

When the light faded, he looked up, his breath catching in his throat.

He knew he was looking for something. His eyes strained to search for what his heart yearned for.

The threads around his muscles slowly released him as he got back on his feet.

David looked around, trying to figure out where he was. And why he was there.

He looked around and found no answer. He looked at himself covered in unexplained wounds.

There was light seeping in from a distance.

He kept walking till he reached an opening. David looked back. Clearly he was leaving empty handed. He hadn't got what he had come for.

But… What was it?

“ David? ”

A voice called from beyond the light source.

David stepped out to find himself in front of his favorite inn, where the old lady served the best rum.

Standing in front of him was The Ragnar.

He still had shoulder length hair that he tied up in a ponytail .

“ Wanna race? Whoever finishes the barrel first, gets to sleep with the hottest chick!”

David flinched even though he had clearly done that before, plenty of times.

“ What happened, David? Are you chickening out? ”

The Ragnar poked his heart and it sent a strange electric current all over his senses but it was accompanied with pain.

“ Ow! Stop doing that! I am your son for the sake of the Goddess! At least have the dignity of not cheating on my mother in front of me! Get yourself another drinking buddy, father. I think I need to go somewhere! ”

Ragnar chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to vibrate through David's bones. "You've always been a strange one, David," he said, slapping David's back with a force that almost knocked him over. "Always talking about needing to go somewhere, do something. Well, where are you off to this time?”

David rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the lingering confusion and the echoes of Aria's voice. "I don't know, father. But I have to find out. There's something I need to remember. Someone I need to find.”

“ Go if you must…”

The barrels were already brought forth, “Well, you can always go after we are done! ”

And the crowd began to clap and chant.

David stared at Ragnar for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his face. "Alright, father. Let's do this!”

Ragnar's eyes gleamed with pride and mischief. "That's the spirit, boy! Let's see if you've still got what it takes.”

David pulled the chair and settled down as the claps grew louder.

"To victory," Ragnar toasted, and they both began to chug.

David felt the familiar burn of the rum slide down his throat, and for a moment, the weight of his worries lifted.

He focused on the task at hand, gulping down the liquor as quickly as he could. The crowd roared as they neared the bottom of their mugs, and with one final gulp, David slammed his empty mug on the table just a fraction of a second before Ragnar.

The inn erupted in cheers, and Ragnar clapped David on the back, laughing heartily. "Well done, son! Looks like you've still got it!"

Before David could catch his breath, a stunning brunette with piercing green eyes and a mischievous smile approached him. "Congratulations, David," she purred, looping her arm through his. "Let's go celebrate.”

The brunette led him upstairs to a private room. She closed the door behind them, turning to face him with a sultry smile.

"You were amazing down there," she said, running her fingers along his arm. "Let's see if you can keep up.”

Turning to him with a seductive smile, she began to undress him, her hands moving deftly as she removed his shirt.

She ran her fingers lightly over his chest, teasingly tracing the lines of his muscles. David felt a rush of heat and excitement, his breath quickening as her touch ignited his senses.

She continued, her hands exploring his body, her touch both gentle and insistent. David's thoughts started to blur, overwhelmed by the sensation and the allure of her presence.

She pressed herself against him, her lips brushing his neck as she whispered, "Let’s see how much stamina you really have.”

But just as the haze of desire began to envelop him, a sudden clarity pierced through. Aria's face flashed in his mind.

He shoved her away from himself and ran out of there, shaking his head, rubbing his eyes.

The sunlight was blinding as he stepped out of the inn, and for a moment, he was disoriented, the bustling village square was a stark contrast to the void he had been in moments before.

He shielded his eyes and looked around, trying to make sense of his surroundings."David!" Another voice called out, this one familiar but different from the inn. He turned to see a young woman running towards him.

"David, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!"

“Ester," he said, the name feeling foreign on his tongue yet deeply embedded in his memory. "I... I've been... somewhere else."

She frowned, concern etched on her face. "You've been missing for days. The whole village has been worried sick.”

“ Village? ”

Ester crossed her hands as she looked at him with her judgy eyes.

“ Yeah, village! Mother’s place. Or do you prefer your time with Father? "