Ugh, where am I?" I groaned, disoriented by my surroundings.
"FUCK!" The exclamation burst from me as a rush of fragmented images flooded my mind, like shards of a broken mirror reflecting my past experiences.
"Didn't I die?" Panic gripped me as my hands instinctively reached for my neck. It was intact, whole. And looking down, my hands showed no sign of bloodstains.
"Huh? What the hell?" Frustration mingled with a throbbing headache, and I winced.
Slowly, the world around me began to take shape, emerging from the shadows of my disorientation.
I found myself surrounded by darkness, not the kind of darkness that envelopes you, but more like a realm where darkness itself was tangible.
As I stood, the floor beneath me seemed to writhe, almost like the liquid swirl of water—every step I took left faint, concentric circles that expanded and faded like echoes. Oddly, my feet remained dry despite the water-like ripples.
Taking stock of myself, a sense of alarm gripped me. "Wait, where are my clothes?" The realization hit me that I was naked in this peculiar realm.
Examining my body, I noticed an ethereal glow emanating from my skin, covering my form like a gentle aura. Panic shifted to confusion, and then, embarrassment.
"Finally, taking a better look at myself" - I hesitated, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment - "I noticed my body was starting to glow, and I had no clothes on."
It was as if the darkness had stripped away my physical form, leaving a luminous essence behind. My thoughts raced a mix of bewilderment and a touch of amusement at the absurdity of the situation.
I instinctively brought my hands to my crotch, a futile attempt to reassure myself. Eyes closed, I waited for any sensation.
"Enough, I'm... I'm an eunuch, fuck!" The words escaped my lips in a mix of exasperation and disbelief. The echo of my frustration seemed to blend with the peculiar darkness of the realm, creating a surreal and almost comical atmosphere.
"Better than dying, no?" a familiar voice chimed in, interrupting my bewildered thoughts.
I looked around, searching for the source of the voice. "What?" I muttered, still grappling with the bizarre reality I found myself in.
"Better lose your... you know, then dying," the voice continued, a strange mix of nonchalance and sympathy in its tone.
"Shut up!" I retorted, frustration and confusion intertwining in my words. "I don't know what the fuck is happening, and don't try to console me by comparing losing my only pride on earth to dying!"
A pause followed, and then the voice replied, "Just trying to help."
"Help? You can help me by... by writing about how, how..." I struggled to find the right words to express my frustration and bewilderment.
"How it grows back magically?" The voice interjected again, and this time, there was a hint of amusement in its tone. "Sorry, you're never having kids again."
"NO!" I shouted, a mix of embarrassment, anger, and sheer disbelief surging through me.
Suddenly, a distinct plop sound echoed in the darkness behind me. I swiftly turned, my gaze fixated on the peculiar occurrence. To my astonishment, it was water—pitch-black water, cascading from the void above and splashing down in an eerie display.
"It's raining?" I murmured, both incredulous and intrigued. Each droplet that fell seemed to resonate in the dark realm, echoing like whispers in a cryptic symphony.
An unsettling premonition gripped me as I watched the dark waterfall. There was an instinctual understanding that being touched by these blackened droplets wouldn't lead to a favourable outcome.
What that outcome might be, I wasn't entirely sure, but the feeling was undeniable.
Surveying the realm around me, a sense of being truly lost settled in. The expanse, once a canvas of obscurity, now held an even deeper shade of blackness.
It was as if the very concept of colour had been stripped away, leaving me in a void of nothingness.
Amidst the engulfing darkness, my own ethereal glow served as a beacon of identity. A glowstick in the abyss.
It was both comforting and perplexing—a reminder of the presence I carried, even in this baffling situation. The warmth of that luminous aura seemed to wrap around me, creating a faint sense of familiarity.
"Home?" I murmured, the word escaping my lips like a whisper carried by the wind. Images of people, places, and emotions flickered in my mind like distant memories. Leah, Mom—names and faces that tugged at the fringes of my consciousness.
"Aito."
The name echoed in my mind like a call to action. The urgency it carried snapped me back to the immediate challenge at hand. Frustration mixed with determination as I realized that, even in this inexplicable void, my own will was a powerful force.
"Damn it," I muttered, the words underscored by a surge of resolve. "I need to get out of here, and fast!"
With each step, the swirling floor beneath me seemed to respond, altering its texture as if in tune with my intentions. A trail of fading echoes marked my progress, a reminder that even in this surreal darkness, I might have a way out of this....
"How long has it even been?" I mused, my voice swallowed by the surrounding darkness.
"I've been running around for who knows how long," I sighed, the sense of time and direction warped by the obscure realm.
"Jeez," I muttered under my breath, a mixture of frustration and exasperation bubbling up.
A while ago, as I navigated the darkness with no clear purpose, a curious discovery came my way. Each step I took left behind delicate water lilies, their petals shimmering like pearls in the shadows.
Amidst the bleakness, their presence brought a touch of ethereal beauty. Multitudes of pink and white lotus flowers adorned the lilies, their elegance a gentle reminder that even in the midst of the inexplicable, moments of beauty could emerge.
However, the most vexing aspect of this surreal place was the illusion of progress. No matter how many steps I ventured forth, a strange loop seemed to confine me.
Each stride felt as if I were retracing my path, a never-ending cycle of movement.
The ominous downpour of black rain persisted nearby, an ever-present reminder, but at least it maintained a consistent distance, a harbinger that didn't draw near.
"I give up," I uttered, my voice laced with defeat as I allowed my body to collapse onto the unseen ground, the very embodiment of exasperation.
"Ah, Kian, look at what you've gotten yourself into," I murmured as regret mingled with a sense of resignation, a reflection of my current state.
"But at least I have my water lilies here with me," I spoke softly, my eyes fixed on the delicate blooms that illuminated the darkness with their golden sparkles of light. Their presence, a reminder of beauty amidst the uncertainty, offered a flicker of solace.
The radiance emanating from my body had long intensified, casting a brilliant glow that bordered on blinding. It was as if the light within me sought to pierce through the darkness, its intensity almost painful to behold.
I extended my arms before me, observing how the glow intensified around them. The sensation bordered on discomfort, yet there was an odd acceptance that accompanied it.
"Am I going to turn into a sperm cell?" The thought slipped into my mind like a fleeting curiosity, a musing amidst the surreal situation.
I brought my hands to my face, braving the searing brightness. As I gazed at my hands, a realization struck me—their pallor.
They were so pale, almost white in this radiant illumination.
Fear and anger had given way to a profound sense of being lost, an acceptance of the inexplicable reality that enveloped me.
The initial urgency to escape had evolved into quiet contemplation, a surrender to the enigma that had become my existence.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the void, breaking the silence that had become my companion. "Hello? Who are you?"
"Huh?" I responded, bewildered. The unexpected sound sent a jolt of surprise through me.
My heart quickened, and a lingering sense of hope began to take root. Could this be a sign of help? A potential way out?
"Hey, hey! Are you still there?" I called out, my voice tinged with urgency. The presence of another voice was both baffling and reassuring. I wasn't alone.
"Hello? Who are you?" the voice repeated, a hint of childlike innocence coloring the words.
"Hey, I'm Kian," I replied, my tone eager as I tried to establish a connection. "And why are you here? Do you know a way out?"
"Hello? Who are you?" the voice echoed again, the words seemingly stuck in a loop.
Frustration tinged with confusion gnawed at me. It sounded like a child's voice, perhaps around six or seven years old, but it kept repeating the same question.
knitting my brows together I said. "Hey, look, I'm lost here too," I replied, my voice tinged with a mix of exasperation and desperation. "And where are you? I can't see you." I swiveled, my gaze sweeping across the landscape, only to be met by the same sights—water lilies, charcoal rain, and the haunting darkness.
Despite my efforts to engage in a conversation, the realm around me remained stubbornly empty. The water lilies, the inky rain, the shifting darkness—they were my only companions.
"Hello? Who are you?" The repetitive question grated on my nerves, a monotonous refrain that offered no further insight.
Annoyance flared within me, reaching a tipping point. The incessant repetition of the voice was like a persistent itch I couldn't scratch.
"FUCK!" I exploded in a burst of anger, the expletive reverberating through the darkness. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I forced myself to calm down.
Sitting down, I crossed my legs and addressed the unseen presence, my voice firm yet controlled.
"I like to play games too. And since you seem to enjoy playing games, let's play a game." The frustration lingered, but I channeled it into a challenge, hoping to redirect the situation into something productive.
"Game?" the child's voice echoed, curiosity tinged with innocence.
"What is a game?" it continued, its words hanging in the air like a fragile thread of connection.
A rush of relief washed over me. "It spoke, it finally spoke something else!" I thought, a mixture of astonishment and elation filling my being.
"I guess I wasn't going crazy after all," I murmured to myself, a self-assured smile forming on my lips.