Why?
Why?!
Why!?
Why is this happening to me?!
I screamed at the top of my lungs, the pain, it was too much. Unknown memories flooded my mind.
It was a memory where I was screaming, begging for whatever it was that was happening to stop. Blood tears flooded my eyes as pain that could literally enable a person to be brain-dead persisted.
I could somewhat see a hand resting on my head whilst I kneeled screaming as if my soul was getting sucked away.
Who am I? Who are you? Why are doing this? What is it that you want?
Questions after questions made my head ache a lot worse.
Questions existed, but no answer came.
Another different scene played out in my mind.
In a dark abyss, countless hands of faceless people tried to drag me down deeper. Their hands were on my arms and legs, and even on my clothes. I was helpless and in pain, my face was pale and ghastly. I could feel my feet sinking down as they dragged me deeper and deeper saying things I couldn't understand
Who were they?! I didn't know and it was driving me nuts.
The pain, my surroundings, the situation, everything felt like it came out of a nightmare.
How did this happen? I was living my life joyously in the city, having all that I ever wished for.
Until...the momentous day I started to doubt. At first it was nothing but a seed, but the doubt sprouted and grew until I reached my current age.
And I...started doubting again. In the past, it had been covered deep inside me by the luxury, the amazing life and accommodations the city offered me.
How did it come to this?
I tried to struggle but their grip on me was tight. I couldn't do anything, at this point, I felt my body go weak.
Maybe all this was just my hallucination?
I was dying of old age, this was probably deaths call for me.
It was cold, dark and very ominous.
As I was about to give in, and let death embrace me.
Out of nowhere, a light shone in the dark abyss.
In front of me was a silhouette that I could not quite discern its face for it was releasing blinding light. I looked up at the person infront, it was warm, unlike the cold hands of the faceless people trying to drag me down.
The faceless people tried to drag me down deeper, but since the figure appeared, they seemed to have grown weak and couldn't pull me as intense as before.
They screamed some gibberish words but they were all undermined by the light of the figure in front of me.
I trembled as I seemed to recognize the man, he was the person from the first scene, he was the one who was inducing me with pain that could enable a person to go brain-dead.
I saw his hand outstretch towards my head, my body shook unconsciously.
I dragged my breath and closed my eyes.
Right then, I heard him say, "From now on, your name shall be Neil."
Those words resounded throughout my very-being, canceling all my thoughts.
Neil...
Neil...
Neil...
All the pain in my mind vanished without a trace, everything came to a halt.
Th-that's...me?!
Memories flooded my mind, it hurt but not as much as the pain I was experiencing before. It was bearable.
Memories from the moment I woke up in the forest resurfaced deep within my mind. How I met Neph, how I journeyed to the village and how I ended up in the mountain, and even in the Labyrinth.
As well as the trials I passed.
Trials...
The word lingered on my mind.
I closed my mind to take in all the information.
Thats right! I was about to take the last and fourth trial.
Th-this was the fourth trial!!
Wa-was this...all fake? My life in the city...was it all just a simulation of what I wanted?
It would make sense, the house, the bed, the clothes, friends and even the city itself — it was all I desired back in the forest.
Was it all just a manifestation of what I desired? A place away from danger, a place of peace away from chaos unlike the forest I loathed?
This was all...a trial?
I opened my eyes yet again and looked at the man infront of me, questions waz evident in my eyes.
Then...who was this? Was this man a part of the trial or...was this something entirely different?
I felt that this man was something more than that. Someone who I have very deep connections with, he knew my name, he must know something about me then.
I wanted to ask him, ask him who I was.
I finally remembered and realized what I have been missing in my life in the city as a trial, what it was that was bugging me. It was my goal!
My ultimate goal of learning about myself.
That goal of mine had been undermined by the allure of the city and was deeply pushed back!
Upon the realization, cracks started to appear everywhere. I knew that the trial was ending, I gnashed my teeth.
My lips moved as I questioned the man infront of me, "Wh-who are you?"
My heart thumped hard and fast. I didn't care if this was a part of the trial, if this man was real or fake, I wanted to try, to try and ask the man who he was and how he was connected to my past life, it was the first step to my ultimate goal.
"I am your..."
The man opened his lips and blurted out something. I could barely hear him as the world around me shook and distorted.
Then, out of nowhere, everything vanished.