For as long as I can remember, I've been dreaming.
Floating in an endless void.
Sometimes, I wonder what it's like to wake up.
To shatter the shadows that hold me here.
But then again…
Let me sleep.
Let me stay in this long, dark dream.
Waking up… it just doesn't feel right.
Even if it's a nightmare, it's one I can accept.
•
It feels like I'm drifting in this space, endlessly.
•
And it's cold.
•
Lonely.
•
If only I had eyes.
If only I had a mouth.
If only I had a body.
•
Then, maybe it wouldn't be so lonely.
•
It's all just me, me and these endless thoughts.
•
How funny.
•
This is funny, isn't it?
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Or maybe… maybe it's just strange.
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Maybe I'm going crazy.
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How long has it been?
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This darkness—it's devouring me.
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But somehow… I don't hate it.
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It feels warm.
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Like someone's embracing me.
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Am I insane?
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Probably.
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Hahaha…
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Please.
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Someone.
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Save me.
•
[Be my salvation.]
***
-Crack… Crack…
Suddenly, a sharp noise echoed through the void.
The space around me trembled, cracks forming in the darkness.
Splinters of light pierced through, glimmering faintly as they dissolve.
Each fragment swallowed into nothingness, disappearing.
And with them, the warmth faded.
Now, only cold remained.
Lonelier than ever.
***
Chirp! Chirp!
Birdsong pulled me out of the darkness.
I opened my eyes, staring up at a golden chandelier.
It hanged above me, casting intricate patterns across the room.
[I… am alive.]
My eyes trembled, barely able to stay open.
[Where… am I?]
I lied on a bed, its sheets rumpled and twisted.
Dust floated in beams of light streaming from tall, stained-glass windows.
The colors painted the marble floor in shifting hues.
A bookshelf stood beside the bed, filled with books neatly organized.
Old leather bindings, velvet covers, titles etched in languages I can't remember.
The smell of paper and parchment filled the air.
In the corner, under the window, a table is cluttered with notes, quills, ink bottles, and books.
I felt the dampness around me, my clothes clinging to my skin.
Sweat soaked my shirt, wet patches spreading across the fabric.
The pillow beneath my head drenched, and uncomfortable.
My hair sticked to my face, a mess of damp strands.
I touched my face, then my chest, feeling the dampness.
Instinctively, I checked my lower body.
Strange.
A sigh escapes my lips, almost one of relief.
Why… why do I feel relieved?
But this… this doesn't feel like my body.
The size… it's different from before.
My mind felt unsettled.
Defiled.
"Haaaa," I exhaled, trying to steady my heartbeat.
But it didn't help.
Slowly, I rose, taking shaky steps toward a door.
My legs trembled with each step.
It felt like I haven't moved in years.
Frustration build inside me, yet I tried to stay calm.
"Did I… get shorter?"
My body ached, but it felt oddly unfamiliar.
And… muscles?
I do remember working out.
I was never one not for the gym.
But now, I cannot feel the strength in my frame.
So many questions race through my mind.
But strangely, I stay composed, as if nothing matters.
Maybe this was just… another vision.
I told myself that.
But it was too real.
I reached the door, opening it slowly.
Inside, I found a bathroom.
And there, a mirror.
A broken one.
And in the reflection…
***
Small, shaky steps brought him closer to the mirror.
He moved closer, until he was nearly touching it.
Crimson eyes.
[Synchronizing…]
A metallic sound hummed in his head.
Long, gray hair.
[Synchronization: 0%-->3%]
Dried, cracked lips.
[Synchronization: 3%-->5%]
Hollow cheeks, stained with dried blood.
[Synchronization: 5%-->7%]
A pale, gaunt body, bones jutting from thin skin.
[Synchronization: 7%-->10%]
He stared, his mind struggling to process the image.
It was… him.
His reflection.
A shudder ran through him, anger building inside.
His nose wrinkled, lips curling in disgust.
Slowly, he lifted his hand to his cheek.
The sensation was too real.
This… this was really him.
Rage built, boiling over.
He raised his right hand—Bam!
-Crack… Bam!
Blood splattered as his hand met the mirror.
Again. Bam!
Bam!
Fragments shattered, some embedding into his skin.
Finally, he stopped, his breath ragged.
Frustration gnawed at him, but slowly, he calmed down.
"Huuuuu."
He breathed deeply, trying to steady his heartbeat.
Sliding down, he sat with his back against the wall.
His long hair fell over his face, casting shadows across his expression.
His face held an otherworldly handsomeness, too perfect, almost surreal.
Something that would catch the eye of anyone.
Anyone.
His mind struggled to process.
[This… this wasn't my face.]
[I had gray hair, sure after whatever that thing controlled my body, but my eyes... they weren't crimson in nature.]
They were brown.
As much as he hated to admit it.
"I wasn't… this handsome."
"Just… what the hell is going on?"
Ba... Thump! Ba... thump!
My heartbeat pounded, echoing in my chest.
Each beat growing louder
-Gasp… Gasp…
His breath was shaky, filling the silence.
And then—a panel appeared in front of him.
---
「Quest—To Live」
[Requirement: Don't die]
[Time limit: 10 days]
[Reward: Fragment of Original Memories]
[Penalty: Death]