I woke up today in this room with its pale yellow walls and continued my usual routine. I washed up, made my coffee, and read a bit from the book I recently bought. When I finished my cup, it was time to head out for my usual patrol. I prepared myself, took what I needed, and left the apartment – my stable little bubble amidst the chaos. I made sure the door was locked, though it didn't really matter, and decided to visit the nearest Eastern Emissions Pit to see if I could find anything useful.
No matter how many times I take this path, I can never get used to it. First, I must descend from the island I live on to the "Calm Sea" – a sea you can walk on. Yep, you heard that right. A sea you can walk on. Always find that strange. Isn't it?
Anyway, then I must pass through the herds of "Mok" – the empty humans. I read in a book once about similar creatures called zombies. The Calm Sea is rarely free of these delightful beings. Luckily, there weren't many today, and I managed to pass without them noticing me.
After that, I climb the hill that resembles a staircase leading to the opposing floating island. I can recognize the emission islands by their distinctive appearance, as if the mist devours them from above in an epic manner, giving the impression that a great beast resides there. However, they are actually the calmest places, in a way that stirs tension.
I entered the island, heading towards its center where I didn't expect to find anything, as usual. The center became visible before I reached it, and indeed, there was nothing. But I continued walking, hoping my sight had failed and there was something I hadn't seen.
Well, there really wasn't anything, or maybe there was something before I arrived. There were fresh tracks of someone who had been here not long ago. Well, who cares (assuming they didn't find anything valuable).
Although I shortened the trip to five hours round trip, I can't deny feeling a bit disappointed. And although this gray sky gives no impression of morning or evening, I feel that my day is already wasted. Anyway, I don't have much to do, so I'm not too worried (unless the person who preceded me found something valuable).
In fact, this isn't why I'm writing this. Rather, it's what I've been doing all this time – doing the same things for a long time, moving from place to place, facing almost nonsensical and random things, areas and places that seem no human should be in. I can't even know who I am. I don't know who I am, what I should do, and how long I'll continue like this.
What is this place? Who am I? How did I get here? And why do I feel that this isn't the first time I've asked these questions?
...
Recently, I read a book about a person tasked with a very important duty but found himself in a strange land, half of his memory lost and trapped in the body of a small boy no matter how many years passed. Ironically, he doesn't even remember what his important duty is. Anyway, it mentioned that he wrote down the most important things he wanted to remember to focus on them and not get distracted. I thought to myself, "this idea seems good to start with." So, before I headed to the cupboard where I keep my notebooks, my eyes fell on the desk to find that I had already placed one there, seemingly yesterday, and forgot.
And it seems it's not the only thing I forgot because as soon as I opened the notebook, I froze in place, my eyes widening as if I had seen a ghost. There was already writing in the notebook, and what I mean is that there was a list written in my handwriting titled "Things to Remember."
For a moment, I felt weak, like I was facing something bigger than I could comprehend, like pissing in the sand. I pulled myself together and decided to continue the plan, putting my hope in my past self. After all, it's me, so what's the difference?
It seems I wrote only five questions, and I thought I had many. Knowing myself, it seems after much thought, I decided to focus on the important ones only. The questions are as follows:
1. What is my name?
2. Where am I from?
3. Why am I here?
4. How do I get out of here?
5. What is this place?
"Alright, let's take them in order."
---
What is my name?
Isn't it strange to say that I don't remember my name?
"What?... Good heavens, what was my name? How can I not remember my own name?"
I mean, of course, I thought about it since it's written down, and of course, I didn't think about it before because there's no one here to call me by my name in the middle of nowhere. Actually, that would be scary if it happened. It's just taken for granted, and now I feel like a part of me is missing.
I don't think it's hard if I try to focus deeply to remember it... Man, I feel like my head is about to explode. Could it be that I don't have a name? No, that's impossible. I have a feeling that I was called something at some point, but ever since I came here, I've been alone. Or so I think? But I just said "since I came here" which means I wasn't always here?
"Ugh, this is giving me a headache. Next question."
---
Where am I from?
"Man, I couldn't remember my name, how will I remember where I'm from?"
That's what I said before I noticed the logo on my coffee cup and tea cups – it's the same logo on my clothes and other belongings. "Is it a brand logo for Nowhere Co.? Haha."(Not funny)
"Wait, I have a book with the same logo!"
I rushed to the bookshelf, Looks like I finally found a clue, I started searching intently, but it wasn't there because... well, the place is messy, books strewn everywhere. But I'm sure I saw it. "Oh wait, it's holding up the shelf! Haha, how silly of me." But at least we know a part of my memory is working.
I pulled out the book, which turned out to be about plant care, and felt a wave of disappointment wash over me. "Seriously? Plant care?" I muttered. But as I opened to a marked page, a sudden, random memory surged within me, causing a brief but intense bout of delirium. I stumbled, clutching my head, as a single phrase echoed in my mind: "By the name of the Sars family."
It took me about half an hour to clear my mind. The phrase "Sars family" was now etched in my thoughts – my first real lead. With renewed determination, I turned my attention to the next question.
---
Why am I here?
I began to ponder deeply, crafting scenarios and attempting to discern the most logical explanation. Yet, each theory felt incomplete, unsatisfactory. After about an hour of fruitless thinking, a peculiar feeling arose within me. It was as if one of the questions wasn't meant to be answered just yet. A voice inside seemed to say, "It's not time to plan your escape." Besides, it's not like I even knew how to leave this place. Reluctantly, I set that question aside.
---
What is this place?
Finally, I arrived at the last question, which felt like the key to unraveling all the others. The one that would mark the beginning of everything: "What is this place?"
With a mix of trepidation and hope, I knew that finding the answer to this question would be the start of my journey to uncover the truth. And so, I steeled myself for whatever lay ahead, ready to delve deeper into the mysteries that surrounded me.
---
Hah, sitting like this for hours makes me feel gross.
I'll take a shower to refresh myself.
The light flickers.
"Oh right, I forgot to charge the power supply."
I got so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't even exercise today.
The power goes out.
"Huh, that's new. Isn't it supposed to dim gradually?"
Heads towards the storage room door.
"Wait a minute, why was the question about how to escape before the question about what this place is?"
Reaches out to open the door.
"Maybe the questions aren't in the right ord—"
Freezes in place.
A body lies in the middle of the room.
"Is that a corpse?"
I didn't expect an answer this quickly.