The moment the world shattered around him, Ochieng felt as if he were being pulled through space itself. The abyss twisted and turned, bending reality into something unrecognizable. His body felt weightless, yet his mind was overwhelmed by an unbearable heaviness.
Then—silence.
He opened his eyes.
Gone was the dark corridor. Gone was Lin Feng.
He stood in a vast golden desert, the sands shimmering like molten metal beneath an endless sky. But this was no ordinary desert. The air hummed with energy, as if the land itself was alive.
A soft breeze brushed against his face, carrying whispers—voices from the past.
"Ochieng… do you remember?"
He turned sharply.
The woman in silver stood before him again. This time, her veil was gone.
And what lay beneath stole his breath away.
Her face was eerily familiar—beautiful, yet tragic. Her deep, piercing eyes held emotions that shook him to his core.
"I have waited for you," she said, stepping closer.
Ochieng felt something deep inside him stir, like a forgotten melody suddenly remembered. "Who… are you?"
She smiled softly. "Not who. What."
She raised a delicate hand, and suddenly—
The desert changed.
The golden sands shifted, forming towering ruins of an ancient civilization. Monuments of power and sorrow stretched endlessly before him.
Ochieng's heart pounded. He knew this place.
He had walked these ruins before.
"You were once the ruler of this land," the woman whispered, her voice a melody of both love and regret. "But you were betrayed."
The whispers in the air grew louder, swirling around him. Fragments of the past flashed in his mind—
A throne bathed in blood.
A war waged against the gods.
A promise broken.
Ochieng clutched his head as a sharp pain surged through him. "No… that's not possible."
The woman stepped closer. "Your enemies feared you so much, they erased your very existence from time itself."
His breath hitched.
"But they failed," she continued, her voice trembling. "Because I remembered."
She touched his face gently. "Ochieng… you are not just a man. You are a legend. A force that was never meant to return. But now, fate has brought you back."
The ruins trembled as if the earth itself recognized his presence.
He exhaled, his fingers curling into fists. Something inside him was awakening.
The whispers turned into chants. The desert wind howled.
And then—
Ochieng's body burned with power.
A forgotten energy surged through his veins, rekindling the essence of who he truly was.
The woman smiled through her tears.
"Welcome back… King of the Forsaken."