John Philo just remembered that he was supposed to be in the protection bunker. But as far as his eyes could see, he just saw a white expanse unattainable like a blank canvas.

Oddly enough, this strange white realm did not bring him the feeling of utter hollow. This broad plain was as right as it was. His heart felt warmth and comfort. Based on his rational understanding, such an empty nirvana would have been monotonous, driving him mad, even. But his soul did not object. What would bore a soul if all it need was a sense of secure and true peace?

Perhaps John Philo was experiencing The Ever-sufficient, Silent Divine. It was quiet. A joyous serenity. The Eternal Peace. However, one’s spiritual journey could not be visualised and considered substantial knowledge.

Stunned by the ambiance, the blank canvas suddenly filled with defiling black ink. John Philo didn’t know who the ignorant artist was polluting the sacred vista. Gradually, his wicked feeling reappeared as the ink splatters grew, then merged into a dark, vacuum sky. Without any warning, the gigantic eyes emerged from the utter void! John Philo submitted again to his mundane wrath, but to whom would he wreak this time?

Between the dual nothingness of black and white, he heard a calling.

“Father, is that you?”

John recognised the voice. His eyes darted around, looking for the source of that sound. Just as he was about to give up, an unexpected delicate hand grabbed his palm. John saw the figure of a girl, as tall as his shoulder, shoulder-length of hair crown, staring at the man’s face. Her eyes radiated the affection of the universe.

Another pair of arms wrapped around John Philo’s neck, and a head rested on his shoulder. A woman his age also greeted him with a hug that had actually disappeared from his sense of touch many years ago.

John Philo could not hold back his overflowing tears. Nostalgia had overcome his hatred to the world when he reunited with his late daughter and wife. The daughter clung to her crying father.

“I miss all of you,” said John. “Years of longing felt like being held back for eons!”

“Your poetic speaking skills are still awful, dad. Even in the afterlife,” said Esmer, his daughter.

John Philo wasn’t sure whether to cry or laugh, making a muffled, incoherent sound that made himself burst out laughing.

In silence, he hugged them tight. “I’ve finally gathered with my wife and child once more. I won’t let you go again.”

His wife looked behind John’s vulnerable visage. “You’re still crying, dear.”

“Of course, I’m crying, love. How could I not express my feelings when I met you?”

The giant’s eyes seemed to be ignored by the man before a sinister roar terrified the three of them. The touching moment was once again interrupted. Those eyes continued to stare at them, filled with hatred and anger.

“Dad,” Esmer called John. John gazed at both of them and found their faces not hinting at the happiness he was experiencing.

“What is it, my dear?”

“Dad, you need to stop.”

John was confused. “Stop? What do you mean to stop?”

Esmer pointed her finger to the eyes in the sky. “It’s still here. You have to accept reality. Your deeds this whole time are not going to save us, instead, making that dark force stronger in the mortal realm. Please, dad. Don't let it make us more miserable!"

Her father did not understand his daughter’s words that made no sense. After everything he had done, he was still judged in the hereafter. By his own family.

“But I did this for you! I cannot leave you and your mother a second time!” John Philo said.

“You’ll leave us, anyway. Leave this realm,” answered Esmer. “You’re still bound to that black magic, dad. You will bring wreak more havoc on the world, and that helps us nothing to rest in peace.”

John Philo’s face went limp for a moment. What was the point of returning to the real world, if all he cared about was right before his eyes?”

“Then how can I set you free?”

“You cannot, my dear,” his wife answered. “We’re stuck in the realm beyond. Always has been.”

“What?”

“However, you could help prevent yourself and us from suffering even more,” the wife pointed back. John Philo turned his head and saw that the origin of the white world came from a figure some distance away. It turned out that the figure was trying hard to erase the jet black painting that marred the canvas.

That figure was none other than his former student, Alicia Crimsonmane, holding back Khaos’ power with her Orb. John was wondering what she was doing in here.

The wife told the art teacher, “This white expanse is your subconscious. Those giant eyes, the might of Khaos. Its dark influence is infesting you. It’s also the one who is holding us in the realm beyond.

“That girl is cleansing your soul from darkness. And for some reason, her power even allows us to be free from the world we are in, even if only temporarily!” Esmer explained. “This strength. It’s so calming, and refreshing. It’s been a long time since we did not feel this euphoria!”

Alicia Crimsonmane. Even though she was just a common student in the teacher’s eyes, for some reason she insisted on saving himself. It was only at that speck of time that John’s vision was clear. Divine inspiration began to spring up in his mind.

“Tell me what I must do,” said John.

The two of them started to show genuine smiles at him. His wife said to him, “Give up.”

“Give up?”

“You don’t have to suffer because of us anymore. That’s been torturing us enough. Let us go. Accept that we can no longer accompany you in the mortal world.”

“Take away your grief and hatred, dad,” said Esmer, his daughter. “Don’t worry about us anymore. The strength of that kind girl will surely strengthen us in the realm beyond.”

John Philo still had a heavy heart to leave his two loved ones. But John had to accept reality. He was still alive. Reality still asked him to. John Philo must turn over a new leaf and fight the torrent of torment offered by the world for another day, so when the time came, he would be a worthy man to reunite with his wife and daughter. This would be his conviction, no matter if he had to start over from prison. He had to surrender to reality, but not gave in to malice, as the evil eyes of darkness wanted.

John gazed at the two beautiful and pure faces. “Forgive me, because I failed to protect you. Forgive me, because I made you even more tormented by my deeds. I will not do the same with my life.”

The amiable smile of the wife thawed his heart. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. We’ll live well here. Now go, John Philo!”

“I love you. All of you!”

“I love you, John.”

“I love you too, dad!”

“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back.”

“We never do.”

John Philo let go of his family. The touch of the skin parting and drifting away only made the eyes above rage even more, thundering an ear-splitting uproar.

“I’m no longer afraid of you, deceiver!” said John Philo. “You will never take my soul!”

The eyes were getting more ferocious, while getting weaker at the same time. John had learned to surrender to things beyond his control. The further he was away from his family, the less Khaos’ eyes were corroding his soul. They were then destroyed, accompanied by a shrieking cry.

Before finally separating, John saw his family one last time, at least for now. Esmer and his beloved wife flashed the art teacher a farewell smile, then dissipated from his sight. John began to feel a strong pulling force behind him, so he let go of his self-control and allowed himself to be pulled back into the world of the living.

***

During her teacher’s purification process, Alicia seemed to see the vision of John Philo with his late family, as if she was a shadow bystander. ‘What is that? How could that be? Could this be Orb’s doing?’ Alicia could see John Philo’s eyes welling up in the real world, and at the same time she saw him crying because he had met what he believed in, as his family in his subliminal.

The pure Arcane vortex then shattered the entire room. All the people there could not see anything because of the glare. All of them could only snuggle behind desks and cupboards in the corner, hoping the floating concrete chunks would not land on each other’s heads.

The purification is almost complete. John Philo’s body had returned to its original state, minus the scars. His purple eyes were now the ocean blue. From his gaping mouth, black magic energy revolted, trying to escape. The Arcane stream pulled the Protos particle core out of his mouth and tore apart the Khaos magic. The room turned to the way it was, the electric outage was now restored.

Alicia and John Philo collapsed right away. Arcane flow also vanished. Alicia was covered in sweat and so exhausted, she might faint at any moment. The girl then grabbed the wall so she could lean on. She took the Orb, put it in her bag and seal it.

“Did you just give me a sweet dream, Alicia?” words that came out of a groaning voice, which turned out to be from her recovered art teacher.

Alicia just retorted, “No idea, Mister Philo. I saw what you saw. I don’t think it’s a dream.”

The perpetrators started swarming towards Alicia. “Miss, are you all right?”

Alicia goaded them away, warning them not to come any closer. In a tired voice, she told them, “Please don’t tell anyone what you just saw. I beg you, for your safety.”

The resonance of ‘I beg you, for your safety’ in their ears was more like a threat than a request, remembering all the trouble they had been through. They nodded in agreement to Alicia’s petition.

The wizards managed to gather in front of the bunker door, which was guarded by the two statues of their colleagues. They heard loud bangs on repeat before switching to utter silence. The silence made them frantic, the killer might have finished putting together his artwork. They quickly dispensed a vial of a special oil potion onto the door’s hinges, then invoked the spell.

“Ignis Scintila!”

The oil turned into sparks and lava. The hinges of the safe door exploded in no time. To their surprise, when the door collapsed, everyone was in tattered clothes and unexpectedly, healthy and fit. Not to mention they also found John Philo and Alicia lying limp.

***

The magic office was already bustling with civil guards and journalists. The magicians herded the perpetrators into the prison carriage. They would be escorted to the capital of Eidyn that very night. John Philo was on a medical train to undergo treatment. Soon, he will also be tried in the capital.

Alicia wrapped in a blanket sat at the medical carriage’s door while watching the swarm of people in the office’s front yard. They had covered her neck bandages after cutting and removing her altered skin area. Her eyes then fell on John Philo, who was being carried onto the carriage. John returned her distant gaze with a faint smile. But unlike before, his smile was warm and genuine, as if it implied a ‘thank you’, or ‘I’m sorry’. Whatever the meaning, Alicia replied with a smile and a nod.

Taylor saw the unusual interaction between the two and approached Alicia while holding a cup of coffee.

“He seems content. Mind if I ask you what was going on?”

“He lost his powers and came to his senses. That’s all I can say.”

“That so? Sounds short and boring for an incident to make such a mess of you.”

Alicia just smiled. “Well, what should I say, sir? Not everything’s as epic as we think.”

Taylor just keep staring at the suspicious girl, but he didn’t want to be direct with her just yet. “Ye said ye had another alternative to remove Protos’ influence. The problem is, it can only be done with particular power,” he said. “Are ye keeping something from us, Miss Alicia?”

“Of course, I’m keeping something from you,” she answered bluntly. “But I chose to keep it a secret until I tell papa first.”

“Donar, huh? Haha. Father and daughter are the same. Weird folks.”

Taylor started to hurry. “I don’t know what happened, but the prisoners survived, and John Philo didn’t have to die. That’s great. You, however, might be a little suspicious. I have a hunch you were behind all the things inside the bunker.”

Alicia didn’t say a word.

“But it’s getting late, and we’re all fair puckled as well. You should go back home and rest. This talk isn’t over yet, I assure ye. We’ll see you another time. Good evening, Miss.” Taylor left her alone again.

“Good evening, Mister Taylor!” []