1 The dream

A new reality shaped by terror and emotion emerged from the darkness. A challenge to those who will come to see the beginning and end of creation, the world is woven together by the forces of light and darkness.

A thought crossed someone's mind as the world gave birth to light, "But why did the gods have to make us, so we can be tormented for being like them?" A man watched in the shadows as two individuals were being hanged from their necks, and the sound of their breaking was echoed by the darkness.

He whimpered, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," with tears streaming from his hidden face beneath his hat. There's nothing I can do to undo what I did to you folks."

He raised his face to the two people, who were still hanging by their necks and staring at him with hollow, dejected eyes. When the man realized this, he sighed heavily and said, "How can I atone?" without flinching.

With shiver-inducing, terrifying smiles, the two entities turned to face Crawford and said, "Give up your soul. Then you'll receive forgiveness and be released from our servitude," the woman remarked.

This has, in fact, always been the same response. Crawford, who was completely enveloped in darkness, chuckled and remarked, "Looks like my time to wake up is now, times up." As he spoke, the darkness engulfed him like a bitter pill.

"Wake up Crow," a melancholic voice in the shadows uttered as he was being engulfed.

Crawford opened his eyes and lay there for a while before getting out of bed. "Different day, same dream. As he was saying this, he looked down and realized he was naked while sleeping. "I guess I still have to process that thing I did." Crawford realized this and turned to gaze out the window, seeing light attempting to peek over the mountains.

As soon as he realized this, he went to the storeroom, a little but roomy space filled with nothing but barrel after barrel stacked on top of one another. Judging by the lack of veins in his arm as he carried the barrel, he grasped the first one with no trouble.

He scurried around the corner to place the barrel next to a single-person, wooden bathing tub. A colorless liquid appeared when some droplets touched the floor, and he poured the barrel's contents into the tub.

He entered the water gradually, took a bath, and dried himself with a facecloth after using a tiny stone for cleaning. Crawford finished in a matter of seconds by using those two items.

He quickly and easily put on his underwear before putting on his clothes. He started by putting on some brown slacks with tassels at the ends of the legs. Wearing a brown jacket over a white vest, he proceeded to a neighboring closet and took out a belt bearing a symbol of a human skull smoking a cigarette and put it on.

Then he reached for two of them in his underarm holster. With a click, he grabbed two pistols and opened the chamber to check the remaining ammunition count.

Then, with another click, he closed it, grinning and adding, "4 bullets for 4 days, new record I believe." After putting the weapons back in their holsters, he moved to the full-length mirror by the bed and window.

There he stood, a hairless man with very dark skin and black eyes. People who see him would comment that he appears to be a gentleman. He let out a relieved sigh:

Tuesday morning, first thing on the agenda. Visit the breakfast bar to get some food.

He walked to his bed and, after looking through his pillowcase, he found a gold star that he pinned on the jacket next to his right shoulder and grabbed his spherical glasses and put them on.

He left the house without looking back as if he was walking away from the past.