"You're lying. You know precisely what I'm talking about."
She was insistent that I understood precisely what she was talking about, but in truth, I had no idea what she was trying to imply. "I really have no idea what you're talking about." I said.
The girl's intense gaze felt like she was looking deep into my soul, causing me to look away.
"Well, if you insist that you don't have an inkling, then I suppose I have no choice but to take you at your word. At least, for the present moment," she replied, her smile still plastered on her face. "For now, I must request that you follow me."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and began to walk away, her footsteps so light and graceful that they seemed to disappear into thin air. I wasn't sure if there was anywhere to go beyond this white void, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to follow her.
"Where are we headed to?"
"You will soon find out," she replied with an enigmatic smile.
We continued to walk for what felt like an eternity, but surprisingly, my feet didn't hurt. They could still carry me, so I didn't complain or ask for a break. We pressed on, enveloped by the infinite white space with no end in sight. It was as if the entire world had been draped in a white veil, obscuring everything beyond it.
Despite walking for what felt like forever, the never-ending expanse of whiteness persisted, and I couldn't discern any landmarks or objects in the distance. We continued to forge ahead, our surroundings remaining the same.
As I walked behind her, the girl kept a steady pace, her gaze fixed ahead, and a faint smile on her face. However, the prolonged silence was starting to make me feel uneasy. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind.
Feeling a bit awkward, I mustered up the courage to speak up, "Uhm... Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"Uh, Yeah! Definitely ask away. We still have a long way to go before we get to our destination, so it would be great to have something to chat about along the way."
'We were still far away?' I thought to myself. 'I thought we were already close, considering how far we had walked. But oh well,' I shrugged. Now that I had her attention, I decided to ask the question that had been weighing on my mind.
"What is this place?"
The girl let out a soft giggle and replied, "This place, you see, is actually the world within you."
"The world... within me?"
I struggled to comprehend. I had no idea that a world could exist inside people.
"Yup, exactly that. It's kind of like a spiritual realm. Everything that makes you, well, you is here. Your happy moments, sad times, things that you wish you never did, things that scare you, and even the memories that you buried deep down inside, hoping to forget. All of them exist here, in this very place."
Her explanation sounded reasonable. I couldn't think of any other way to describe or explain this place.
"Uhm... If that's the case, can you explain what's happening here? Why was I brought to this place? And if this world is within me, then why are you here?" I asked the girl with a hint of confusion in my voice.
"My, my, you do seem to have a lot of questions, don't you?" The girl chuckled lightly before continuing, "But I suppose I can indulge you with some answers, starting with what happened to you before you arrived in this world."
She came to a stop and turned around, still smiling.
"You're dead, Leon," she said in a playful tone, which was a complete contrast to the terrifying implications of her words.
I froze in my tracks, stunned by what she had just said. I'm dead? I felt my blood drain from my face, or what was left of it if I was really dead. But her next words brought me a sense of relief.
"...Or to be more precise, you were nearly dead. Luckily, I was able to save you by tethering your soul back to your body. It took longer than expected, however. Your soul proved to be quite feisty, and in the process, you lost your memories temporarily."
She went on to explain, "As for why I'm here? Well, truthfully, I'm not really here. I'm communicating with you directly through your thoughts."
Communicating directly in my mind? Was she using some kind of telepathy?
"Do you have any more questions, dear Leon? I am more than happy to indulge you if you do."
"If it's not too much trouble, may I ask another question?"
"Of course, feel free to ask away."
"Why did you save me? I don't recall ever meeting or seeing you before, and I don't have any memories of someone like you. So, there was no reason for you to save me, was there? Why did you do it?"
The girl paused and placed a finger on her chin, pondering the question I had just asked her. After a moment of silence, she spoke up, "Hmm. That's a rather interesting question, but one that's difficult to answer at the moment. I apologize, but I can't give you a clear answer right now."
With a small shrug, she turned her back to me and resumed walking. "But don't you worry," she teased over her shoulder. "All shall be revealed soon enough, once we reach our destination. I do love a good surprise, don't you?"
I felt compelled to follow her and find out why she had saved me. With this burning question on my mind, I trailed behind her as we walked in silence. I didn't know what to say, and it seemed that she wouldn't speak unless I initiated the conversation. So we continued to walk, wordlessly. The silence felt heavy and awkward, but I was determined to learn the truth behind her actions.
As we walked on and on, the girl abruptly turned to me and posed a question that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Say, Leon," she began, a sly grin playing at the corners of her mouth. "Have you perchance heard whispers of the legendary battle between heroes that raged a thousand years ago? The one that nearly brought about the end of civilization in this world?"
Her question caught me off guard, but I quickly composed myself and replied, "Ah, yes, I do know a little something about it. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Leon, before we reach our destination, let me regale you with the real story. I assume you've only read about it in books, haven't you? Your enthusiasm for history is quite admirable for someone of your age. However, let me remind you that what's written in textbooks isn't always the gospel truth," with a grin as radiant as the sun, she uttered every word with such cheer that even the direst of circumstances sounded like a game "Most of the time, the histories written in those textbooks are as true as a fairy tale. The authors merely twisted the facts to suit their agenda and obscured what really happened during those times. So, my dear Leon, your knowledge about that war is probably a falsified truth."
I have this gut feeling that what she said to me might actually be true, or at least partially true. Textbooks could be partially true, but the writer may have mixed some lies in them. Even with the lies, they could still sound believable. I'm not sure why they would do that on purpose though. Maybe they want to keep the truth hidden so that no one can find out what really happened. But if that's the case, then why bother writing about it in the first place? It doesn't make sense to me.
"I believe the name of that war was World War, am I correct?" asked the girl.
"Yes, that's right," I replied.
"But did you know that there was another name for that war?" she inquired, a hint of amusement in her voice.
I felt a bit puzzled by her question. "Really? I had no idea," I admitted.
With a smile, the girl said, "That's right. But let's table that discussion for now and perhaps revisit it later, since we have arrived at our destination."
As she spoke those words, I instinctively looked around and gasped almost simultaneously. The sight before me was so surreal that only one word could do it justice: absurd. I couldn't think of any other word that would fit better.
Lost for words, I finally managed to ask, "Where...where are we?"
The girl's mischievous grin only grew as she spoke, "I mentioned it earlier, didn't I? This is the world that exists within you, the world that shapes and defines who you are."
At first, I thought her words were ridiculous. However, as I looked around, I realized that everything she said was true. Memories, some forgotten, others deliberately buried, were playing out in vivid detail all around me. Each one was surrounded by a distinct hue, which I instinctively knew represented the emotions I had felt at that particular moment.
"Oh, there he is!" The girl glided gleefully towards a figure in the distance.
As my gaze followed her, I was taken aback by what I saw, and my eyes widened in astonishment.