Past in Flames

The doors he entered through closed as soon as he left, probably because Carolina tried to close the outer doors before, he could get out. It was already night outside. The park, which had been full of life earlier, was deserted. On the streets, however, there were still people walking back and forth. Some movement. It was a bit scary to be alone in this unfamiliar area.

Neo remembered returning from the party with his brother. The atmosphere was similar. Everything was so quiet, except for the total darkness. There were several clouds in the sky, covering the stars and the moon. Only where the light of some street lamps was present could the path be seen.

He walked until he came to a market. The white light it emitted in the midst of the darkness created a strange contrast. He asked for directions to the address he had seen in his dreams. The old man at the counter explained step by step how to get there. He warned that it would be a long journey and wrote everything down on a piece of paper in case he forgot.

Neo approached the address with his heart pounding. The place was surrounded by yellow and red tape. He swallowed hard, fighting the knot of fear that had formed in his throat.

With a shuddering sigh, Neo crossed the isolation tapes. The sound of plastic creaking echoed in the still air. The wreckage around him was desolate, as if time itself had frozen. The smell of smoke and burnt metal permeated the air. A shiver ran down his spine.

Step by step, Neo made his way through the dark and silent corridors. At every turn, he encountered twisted pieces of metal and shattered glass. Dark stains marked the floors and walls. His stomach turned when he saw dried drops of blood.

Step by step, the memories of that night returned to his mind. Every damaged piece of equipment, every scorched wall brought back flashes of memories. The voices of the victims echoed in his mind like ghostly whispers, recreating the scene he was trying to forget.

When he finally reached the main room, a large, spacious area, the ceiling was broken with an open space where the moonlight illuminated right in the middle of the room where the explosion had occurred. Neo's heart began to pound in his chest with unbridled force. This was where it had all begun.

The room was littered with charred debris. The walls were darkened by the fire, and the acrid smell of smoke permeated the air. Neo scanned the room, swallowing hard as he noticed the bloodstains. Monitors were destroyed, debris covered everything.

She had been there when it all happened. Neo felt his throat tighten and his hands begin to shake uncontrollably. His mind flashed back to the day it all happened.

They were researching something, something he couldn't quite remember. Everything was going well until there was an explosion that threw him off. And suddenly a faceless figure appeared and shot everyone in sight. Neo tried to crawl away with the other scientists, but it was impossible. Mia stepped forward to protect him and took several shots for him.

He screamed in agony as he saw her fall to the ground, the figure continuing to shoot relentlessly at the remaining people. His mother crawled over to him and held him in her arms, using her last ounce of strength to put her necklace around his neck.

"You are strong, Neo," he heard her say, as if speaking to him in the present. As if that gave him the strength to remember, he held the necklace tightly in the present, his fingers trembling as he fought back the tears that were welling up.

Neo then held his mother in his arms, tears streaming down his face. The murderer appeared before him.

Hatred boiled within Neo as his eyes fixed on the figure before him, wearing a mirrored mask. It was as if Neo was looking at himself, holding his mother, which only intensified his hatred.

The faceless figure pointed the gun at Neo's head; he knew it was his end, but he continued to curse him with all his might. The assassin pulled the trigger, the metallic click echoing in the air, but nothing happened.

Now out of bullets, Neo stared defiantly at the assassin. "It's over, isn't it?"

With a quick impulse, Neo pushed his mother's body aside and lunged at the assassin. With a decisive move, he knocked him to the ground and positioned himself over him.

He struck the mask repeatedly until it shattered. It reflected an image of himself broken, similar to his emotional state at that moment.

"Show your face, you damned coward!" he shouted as he continued to strike relentlessly.

But it didn't take long for the figure to react, throwing the boy away as he stood up and drew his sword, taking a stance with his hands over his head and the blade held horizontally.

The edge of the blade glowed with the light from the flames of the explosion, revealing a dragon engraved on the blade. Looking closely at the man in front of him, he was covered in blood and wounded all over. His breath was heavy.

Neo might have had the courage to face him if he hadn't been armed. With a sword in his hand, it would be impossible to get close and defeat him with his bare hands. That's why he looked at the next exit, which was on fire, and ran away.

The killer chased after him, fearless amidst the flames and falling debris from the ceiling. Several people trying to contain the fire were cut down by the killer to make way for him.

Neo continued to run, making his way out of the building as quickly as possible. When he reached the street, he ran as fast as he could. He looked back and saw the lion symbol of his family's workplace. The place was on fire.

From then on, his memories broke into pieces. Now the present Neo stood in front of the building. He had followed the footsteps of his past self to this point. The shock of the memories had been so intense that he staggered and his vision began to spin. Neo stumbled, the ground tilting beneath his unsteady feet. His body gave way and he fell to the cold floor with a thud. His head hit the cold floor.

Darkness enveloped him as consciousness faded, mingled with vivid and painful memories. The last thing Neo saw before losing the battle against unconsciousness was the image of someone reaching out to him as he fell to the ground.