In an indeterminate region of the cosmos, among an intricate labyrinthine web of dimensions and realities, there is the Void.
In the Void, where silence and darkness reign supreme, a small flame suddenly ignited.
Its undulating and rebellious shape announced its legitimacy as a flame, but not just any flame. Its milky white color contrasted with the dominant black of the surrounding void, its origin and purpose obscured to prying eyes.
The appearance of the flame did not disturb the peace of the Void. Its presence was so insignificant that it was barely noticeable, incapable of causing any stir.
However, even in its small form, it stood out as the only point of color in the midst of absolute black. Its glow, or lack of it, barely extended more than a few centimeters around itself, so faint that it was almost imperceptible.
After a long time since its arrival in the void, the small flame began to metamorphose, gradually taking on the shape of a human figure. The outline of the figure, from head to toe, was sculpted with precision and delicacy, as if every detail had been carefully planned amidst the vastness of the Void.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the humanoid figure moved slightly, looking as if it was about to wake up.
When it finally woke up, confused and cautious, the figure began to examine its core avidly, as if desperately trying to understand the situation.
"Where am I?" the figure asked aloud.
Its voice didn't seem to have much range, as if it had lost its strength in front of the Void, falling short of this infinite place, letting its question echo and dissipate into nothingness, without an answer.
----
"Where am I?" I asked aloud.
After a good night's sleep, I woke up in a strange, empty place. As far as my eyes could see, there was just a vast expanse of nothingness and a lot of black.
When I woke up, I was desperate and looked around frantically for anything that might give me a clue as to where this place was. Unfortunately my search proved fruitless, I couldn't find anything, not a single clue.
Finding nothing to tell me where I was, I looked at myself and was overcome with horror.
I was completely white and ethereal, like a specter. As I tried to touch myself, a chilling sensation of emptiness spread through me as my hands passed through my being.
As I tried to examine myself, I discovered the lack of any features. I couldn't feel my eyes, mouth, hair or anything else. I possessed none of them.
After painful minutes of despair, I forced myself to regain my composure. "Despairing now won't do any good. I need to gather what I remember from before I got here," I muttered, forcing myself to stay calm. I began to force myself to try and remember anything I could to understand how I got here.
No matter how hard I tried, it was as if my memories were locked away in a dark cell, inaccessible. "I can't remember anything!" I shouted into the void, my voice echoing with no response. Frustration grew inside me, threatening to shatter the false calm I had worked so hard to create.
But it wasn't all bad news, at least I still remembered my name. Jason, that was my name. Knowing that was good enough. I think...
Sigh. Who am I kidding? I'm completely lost, knowing my name doesn't help me at all. What can I do with just my name in this endless place? Damn it.
When I realized this, anxiety began to overwhelm me. I was in a completely strange place, in the middle of nowhere, floating in the void. Waves of despair and anguish began to threaten to eat away at my heart. There was something wrong with this situation and the answers were beyond my current capacity.
"Hm... so you've finally woken up." A voice snapped me out of my growing despair.
Turning with absurd speed towards it, I was elated, hoping to finally find someone who could help me.
But life sucks, at least for me, who has already died - I assume - it seems.
The voice, which I thought would be my salvation, came from a figure as dark as the very emptiness we were standing in. It seemed that he or she was transparent and merged completely with the environment. The only way to see him or her in this place was thanks to a slight glow in the outline of his or her silhouette, as if he or she were a shadow moving within an even deeper darkness.
If that was all it was, fine. The situation was strange enough and I could accept that, but what terrified me was a "mouth" right in the center of what should have been his face.
The mouth was large, with sharp, pointed teeth, torn at its edge like a macabre smile carved out of nightmares. The sinister arch of his lips seemed to have been plucked straight out of a horror movie, conveying a silent, disturbing menace.
"It's over," I said, resigning myself. "I died and came to hell, so that's it! Now I'll be tortured by this demon for all eternity."
If I had physical eyes, a tear would surely be falling from them right now.
When my words resounded in the void, the figure's smile immediately crumbled, replaced by an expression of fury.
"You!"