...At first, it was dark; it felt like it was always that way.
...I don't know if it's just my eyes being shut or not but my thoughts are telling me I'm awake.
...I felt something sliding slowly coming out of my eyes.
...A cloudy feeling engulfs my chest.
...Is this sadness?
...Behind my ears, I can feel the caress of the damp grass that seemed to whisper inviting me to wake up.
...From there, I already knew I was lying myself down on the grass as both of my hands grasped the ground.
...Failed to stop my urges, soon my eyes slowly open. I don't know why but I guess knowing that I was already awake, my eyes inevitably sought some light.
...However, the sight I saw was just the same while I'm not awake.
...A drowning sky of obscurity seized my eyes. The more my eyes looked into it, the more it felt like I'm being drawn into it.
...It was so dark that nothing can be compared to its blackness.
...It was nothingness.
...But then a strange thought came to me.
...Is there something that used to hang around those skies?
...I don't know what it is exactly but it ought to be some sort of small buds of lights that supposedly scattered around somewhere, sparkling and flittering about. Yet, right now not even a single one can be seen.
...Wait, I just remembered something.
...Where's the sun? the moon? the stars?
...What am I thinking? What are those?
...Soon, a feeling of emptiness brewed inside me as I saw the black sky as if it was robbing the things within me.
...I can't recall nor look back on anything. From there, the fact arose that I have no memory of anything except what's 'now.
...It was as if I'm being bound to see only the present which is what my eyes are currently seeing.
...Even so from that emptiness, one thing remained inside me. It was the lingering fragments of regrets with no meaning behind them.
...It was some kind of pricking feeling in the depths of my heart with nothing backing it up and the more I focus on it, the more it felt like it had a meaning.
...Anyway, I lifted my body to sit then started looking around.
...Where am I? What is this place?
...I'm surrounded by a field of grass.
...Are those mountains? A group of them can be seen at my left decorating the landscape.
...They're so huge.
...The depth of distance is playing my eyes. It looks near but I'm guessing they're mad far away from me.
...It's not as dark as I thought it would be. I can see surprisingly well. Or maybe it's just my eyes adjusting to the place.
...It was surprisingly quiet, no, sounds are beginning to gather.
...It began from the rubbing leaves of grasses around, produced by the winds whistling.
...It made a harmony of tranquility.
...I was alone, or so I thought but not until it happened.
...Small buds of light began to glint a hint of color around me.
...It was only just a sudden and they're already everywhere wherever my eyes lay upon.
...As they slowly grow, a hint of the stem is hiding beneath the buds. From there, I knew they were some kind of glowing kind of plant.
...Then the colorful buds gradually bloomed into something.
..It sprouts glowing petals.
...Soon my surroundings were filled by the scent of the field of different shades of flowers of many kinds.
...What a sight to see.
...I was taken aback.
...Alone in this strange place, somehow my worries were satiated.
...However, it seems like I'm already about to face my first problem.
...This body is in pain.
...My stomach is aching.
...I just remembered something.
...I see.
...This is the feeling of hunger.
...How long was I sleeping?
...When my mind started to think I'm hungry, my mouth begins to salivate.
...With no particular goal in mind and following my instincts as well as the vague trail before me, I started to walk.
...I just realize that I'm just walking barefoot.
...Wait, can you even call these clothes?
...I can't even complain. It's what I only have right now.
...It's enough that I have something to wear in this chilly place.
...After walking a certain distance, something pricks my foot. Twigs and thorns on my path wound my feet.
...That's when I first saw blood.
...It's red just as I imagine it would be. I wonder where those memories come from?
...Once again, once I remember something, it soon fades until I can't remember them.
...Anyway, this must be another kind of pain. It hurts but the feeling seems nostalgic.
...There is a pain but it soon vanishes as the wound seemingly regenerates through a slow burst of steams until the wound is not recognizable.
...How does that works? I don't know. It just happened.
...How convenient. I thought this is just normal so I decided to move on.
...Even if I knew it would heal, I still decided to avoid sharp objects along the way. It still sucks feeling pain after all.
...The next thing caught my attention.
...What is that?
...I saw something.
...Something? No, someone!
...Someone is sleeping.
...Is that a girl?
...As I saw this mysterious girl, I was already walking towards her.
...She's just there lying and sleeping soundly surrounded by the different hues of flowers combined to compliment her innocence.
...I stared at her for a while only to be breathless.
...She and her mysterious glowing white one-piece dress mesmerize me.
...Despite along with those glowing flowers around her, her hair easily stood out that of which color of azalea.
...She was sleeping while I'm watching her quietly.
...I don't know why but I guess seeing someone other than myself here in this unknown place made me comfortable… or so I thought but that wasn't all.
...The regret I felt after seeing the dark sky grew even bigger when my eyes saw her. I don't know why but seeing her must've triggered something that made me think that way.
...Who is she? What are we doing alone at this place?
...Feeling completely off by the strange happenings around me one after another, I was overcome by worry.
...The questions are, what is this place? Where am I? Who is she? What are we doing here? Why am I here with her?
...Leaving her alone to innocently sleep forever in that lonely place seems interesting but I guess I'm a man after all.
...No matter how much she strangely fitted in that place, there's no way I'm leaving her behind. But then an immediate problem came which left me puzzled.
...I can't carry her. I'm weak.
...What's with this perspective? Why am I this short? My reach, is this my arms? I'm a boy?
...I have no memory to reflect on yet for some reason, a foggy sensation of melancholy disturbed me for a while.
"Makoto..."
...The soft word slips through the wind that made me doubt my ears if I'm hearing them right.
...The word unmistakably came out from her lips and judging from the sound alone, one would surely say it was from her.
...However, I can't help myself but look around to check if there's someone other than both of us are around.
...I immediately kneeled over to check on her. There may be more to that other than 'Makoto'.
...What does it mean? Still other than that one word, she never spoke again.
...It looks like she is dreaming of some sort.
...I was already checking her forehead and checking other things but none of any sort of symptoms of sickness.
...I was glad she's fine but why is she sleeping here in this flowery place, and with me?
...I don't know why this happened. I don't know either why I'm here with her. I don't even know her, or this place.
...The next thing I knew I was… Yeah, that's right. I manage to do it. I just can't leave a girl alone, especially in this strange place.
...I was carrying her out of that place to another.
...I was already walking knowing nothing where I'm heading with her by my arms. If there's something written in my mind back then, it would be to move forward.
...As for what made me think that way, it was her.
...Even unconscious, her grasp from my embrace somewhat felt like in a hurry urging me more to move with haste.
...This act alone made me ask myself, what is it that she wants to avoid so much enough to make her clung to me like that.
...Strange as it is, I didn't feel any doubt from what I selfishly interpreted.
...The field of glowing flowers is wide, wide enough that made me think once again if I'm actually moving forward.
...The scenery around just won't change which makes it more confusing and worrying.
...Suddenly, while I was busy moving away from the place we were before, her grasp from my shoulder became tense more than ever. I froze in place from the sudden act.
...What, is she awake?
"I shouldn't have agreed to lead you down here. This is madness. Now I'm stuck here with you." She muttered violently.
...Down here? Where is that? For some unknown reason, I can't speak.
...I can move my mouth yet words won't come out. What is happening?
"Wait, is this for real? Are my memories disappearing?" She let go of my arms while I'm trying all my hardest to carry her.
...She looks at me very intently from my feet up to my face.
...For someone who had just been awake, she is rather energetic.
"Average at best, I see. You manage to get a normal body at the very least. And a human one at that, I suppose you get a passing remark." She commented while folding her arms together still eyeing me intently.
"You look rather surprised? I see you're the same. You don't remember. I guess there's no exception. Even as I am, I still paid the price the same as you did."
...What is she talking about? I tried my hardest to gesture the words 'I can't speak'.
...She kept on blabbering about things I don't understand while looking around.
...Can't she see what state I'm in? I'm trying my hardest to communicate with her but she's ignoring me.
...She clicked her tongue.
...Those eyes are scary.
"Stop interfering with my train of thought. I know that you can't speak. That's just a temporary thing." She said as if almost forming a fist to punch me.
"This is bad. I'm forgetting things too fast. More than half of my memories are already gone." She said while biting her nail.
...I don't know what's happening but I can feel her impatience from her mannerisms.
...But then there's a long pause when her eyes met mine.
"It's strange. I thought I would never see you again." She softly said.
...Her eyes, how can I say this? Her lips are smiling but as soon as I hear those words, I feel her pain. Is that possible? Or I'm just assuming things?
...I didn't expect the next thing she did.
...Her arms surrounded my waist.
...She hugged me.
...This girl whom I didn't know, knew me.
"Any time soon I will forget everything. I can't tell you everything you need to know because I don't know how much will you remember. But remember this, I love you."
...What did she just say? Did I hear them right?
"Forget about that." She pushed me away.
...I don't get it.
"From now on, I'm your sister Risa."
...Is she smiling? Wait, are those tears?
...I tried to speak but words won't come out.
...There is so much I want to ask this girl but it seems like I can't.
"Something's here..."
...Those words changed the atmosphere around me.
...Whatever peace we have right now shattered.
...Her eyes glowed a little and flickered before turning pale red.
...Did she just pass out?
...What was that about?
...I immediately caught her and carry her unmoving body.
...Something is here? Who? I looked around frantically, turn around even, but none of anything can be seen except for... What is it? footsteps?
...They're picking up pace and a fast one to be exact; louder and louder until...
...A loud screech pierces my ears.
...A loud monstrous noise roared from our back, it was there, with massive bloody jaws aiming for us.
...Following only my instincts, in that flash of a moment, I manage to bring myself to turn and glance at it.
...It happened only a split second and yet I already regretted looking at it.
...It was unmistakably death itself.
...In those split seconds I no longer say I have control over my body.
...It's a miracle already that I didn't drop her from the shivering engulfing my body.
...Is this really how it's going to end? It's not even starting yet, isn't it?
...What will become of this girl whom I didn't even know? Will she die right here, right now?
...But before I can utter my final will, a shadow intersected between us and the beast. At the same time, a flash of fleeting light cuts between the beast's neck severing whatever ties it has on its body.
...The head flew right over us while the headless body crashes right before us exposing its smoothly severed surface.
...After that, blood came rushing out like a river. It was as if the beast's body forgets about being cut for a moment and only reacted a few seconds after the deed.
...The strength between my legs left inevitably made me surrender my knees on the ground. Are my eyes tricking me? I thought we were goners. What was that about? Who killed it?
...There's so much blood around me.
...I heard someone screaming.
...Wait, why am I wounded?
...I've been cut?
...My throat was aching.
...I see, it was me who was screaming.