The Original Realm

Having all the cards puts you in a position of power where you can do anything you want and have complete control over every action. It's an unbeatable advantage. Knowing everything isn't the only thing that matters, but knowledge is an essential component. It all comes down to control: being in charge of every circumstance and forcing others to follow your rules without realizing the game is rigged from the beginning.

It's the peaceful assurance of someone who has everything they need, or the means to get it, at their fingertips. Even though everything may not be within your reach right now, you can see the path clearly and confidently laid out in front of you, and you know that everything will eventually fall into place.

When you hold all the cards, you control the parameters of engagement, including the pace and stakes. Others can think they have a voice, but in practice, the options you give them limit what they can choose. It's a power that transcends mere ownership or understanding; it's the capacity to influence events and cause people to follow your lead even when they are unaware of your manipulations.

You take control of both your own and other people's destiny while you are in this mood. It is not only about what you already possess; it is also about what you will unavoidably obtain. You view things as they will be, formed by your hand and will, rather than as they are. It's a power that can be both seductive and solitary, as being the master of all the cards means walking a route that few people can follow and even fewer can question your rule.

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It was snowing—a slow, suffocating descent of icy specks that clung to my skin like the remains of a forgotten dream. A sharp reminder that this world was not mine, every breath I took felt like shards of glass scraping against my lungs. It wasn't just the cold that made me shiver; the cold penetrated into my bones. Something deeper and different was slipping away.

I had followed the humans into the vortex, following a warped and chaotic instinct. It was an error. Now I was aware of that. I could already feel their reality eating away at me, chewing like a beast at the limits of my sanity. Something important that I had lost in the climb was gone, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I realized that I was not alone when I regained consciousness. Despite the terror it contained, the scene in front of me seemed almost peaceful. A child, blond with green eyes full of tears, knelt in the snow, his parents' bodies lying lifeless at his feet. The man's face contorted in his last moment of panic, while the woman's hair was matted with blood.

Their blood was all over my hands, even though I couldn't really remember doing it. The sound of the child's sobs sliced like a knife through the storm. Shall I put an end to his suffering and remove his delicate life just as effortlessly as I had done the others? The thought made my fingers twitch, but then the youngster looked up at me, and something in his eyes cut through the fog that was obscuring my thoughts.

I experienced a brief feeling of queasy, as if my body was objecting to the abrupt realization. I couldn't quite understand the connection I saw—no, felt—in those emerald eyes. It dawned on me then: this child held the key. The secret to returning. The secret to rescuing her.

Her existence? Who was she? The concept vanished as quickly as it occurred to me, like attempting to hold water in my hands. I was seeing ghosts in the spaces left by my mind's games. Was there something else, or was the air up here, thin and intoxicating? Something much riskier?

All I needed was time, and I had plenty of it. After all, I was a patient man. My lips turned into a smile, but it didn't look natural on me. With my breath freezing in the chilly air between us, I drew closer to the child.

"Remember me well," I muttered, a curse and a promise.

I turned around and left him to his sorrow, certain that he would not forget. There would be no other option for him. I held onto the only certainty I had as I vanished into the storm: I would come back, and the child would guide me there.