Somewhere between consciousness and dream, my mind drifted into an abyss devoid of shape or sound. A space without walls. Without time.
And yet—familiar.
A shiver crawled down my spine.
"This place..." I muttered, rising slowly to my feet. "I know this place."
It was the same void I had once stood in. The one that greeted me the day I first met Lyndall.
Only now... it was different. Colder. Emptier. As if something had been ripped away.
My boots echoed on nothing. The air had no scent, no direction, no wind. I turned in every direction, but the world remained the same: a black canvas stretching into infinity.
And yet—
Somewhere in that suffocating darkness, a presence trembled. Weak. Flickering.
"Lyndall!" I called, my voice swallowing itself into the void.
Nothing.
No reply.
Just more stillness. More silence. More... absence.
I closed my eyes, pushing away the panic. I shut out the fear, the emptiness, the gnawing dread in my gut. And I reached—not with hands, not with voice—but with my soul.
A pulse answered.
Soft.
Frayed.
Like static in a broken frequency.
Lyndall was here.
Somewhere.
"Stop playing hide and seek and come out," I muttered, the plea curling into a command. "I know you're here. Come on out already."
Still no words. But something shifted. The space around me quivered, as though the void itself was listening.
Then, a whisper.
A thread-thin murmur in the dark:
"...Lil..."
I froze.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't confident.
But it was real.
"Lyndall?" I stepped forward, chasing the sound. "Is that you?"
The air thickened. Shapes began to crawl from the black, barely visible—like dying embers drifting upward.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
The blackness didn't recede. No outlines. No warmth. No sign of Lyndall.
"Hmm… Where could he be?"
I paused, one hand against my chin, forcing calm into my voice.
"I guess I'll have to go find him."
Frustration curled at the edge of my resolve, but I pressed forward.
Step.
Step.
My footsteps echoed unnaturally, like I was the only living thing in a world already dead.
Still—nothing.
No Lyndall.
No exit.
"Gosh, that brat." My mutter came out sharper than expected, laced with reluctant affection. "Where on Eden is he?"
Then—
Hick.
Sniff.
Sobs.
My body froze.
What is that sound? Is someone… crying?
I tilted my head, straining my ears. It was clearer now, pulling me in like a thread through the dark.
"That way."
I moved fast but careful, toward the noise. Shapes began to form. A hunched figure came into view—male, adult. Crying.
I didn't rush.
The dungeon—or whatever this place was—had already tricked me before. I wasn't making the same mistake twice.
Doesn't seem like a trap… but I better be cautious.
I edged closer, calculating the safe distance, then slowly extended a hand.
"Hey, are you okay?"
He jolted. So did I.
"WOAH! Don't tell me it's another monster?!"
My hand shot to my side instinctively—ready, just in case.
But the man turned. His face streaked with tears, his expression raw and human.
"Monster? No. Monsters don't exist."
That was… not the answer I expected.
Relieved—but still tense—I took a careful step back.
"Sorry. Thought you might be something else. Anyway… why are you crying?"
I studied him. His clothes were strange. Old. Threadbare.
Like he came from another time—or had been trapped here far too long.
His voice cracked as he spoke.
"They killed all of them. All of them. There's no one left but me."
Something heavy dropped into my stomach.
All of them…?
Who's 'they'?
I hesitated, then asked the question anyway.
"Who killed them?"
That's when his sobbing intensified. His pain felt so real, it leaked into the air itself, suffocating and bitter. I opened my mouth to apologize—
"THE SYSTEM."
His voice broke. "THE SYSTEM kills those who opposed them. None shall live, they said."
"THE SYSTEM? You mean the A.I.?"
My body tensed.
Wait. He knows about THE SYSTEM?
His brow furrowed in confusion.
"What is an Ay eye?"
…So it's not artificial intelligence?
"Is THE SYSTEM a human?" I asked, adjusting.
"Of course it is."
His words hit with conviction. "THE SYSTEM is a system ruled by multiple people."
So… not a machine.
A group.
A system of people.
The gears in my mind turned.
"They wield control over the system," I murmured, "oppressing those who dare to oppose them."
"Yes," he snarled. "They hide in the shadows, orchestrating their oppressive regime without facing any consequences."
Then—his eyes widened in horror. He looked over his shoulder, trembling.
"Oh no. They're here. THE SYSTEM has arrived."
My blood ran cold.
"There might not be hope for me anymore," he said, turning to me. "But you… you're different."
His voice shifted.
Serious. Deep.
Conviction burned in his gaze.
"I don't know how, but I can feel it. You're the one who will release us from this eternity."
What…?
"W-What?"
I could barely form the words.
"None of this makes sense. How could I possibly be the one to help? I don't even know what's going on."
He placed a firm hand on my shoulder. I didn't stop him.
"I know it's hard to understand. But sometimes, destiny has a way of bringing people together."
"Trust your instincts, and you will find the answers you seek."
"Answers?" I muttered. "I haven't even started listing my questions…"
Suddenly, his hands locked around my arms.
What the—
That grip is strong—too strong.
I tried pulling back, but I couldn't break free.
"You may not know now," he said, "but the future has plans for you. So go. Run. Escape. Don't let them capture you. Once they do…"
His grip tightened.
"…nothing can stop them anymore."
Then—he pushed me.
Hard.
I fell—backward—into a hole that hadn't been there before.
"I KNEW THIS WAS A TRAP—AGAIN!"
The scream tore from my lungs as I plunged into darkness.
The air rushed past me. Cold. Relentless.
No end in sight.
Not again—
Not again!
My arms flailed, grasping at nothing—until something caught in my hands.
I clung to it on instinct.
Opened my eyes.
And instantly regretted it.
"YUCK!"
An ugly man's face stared back at me—far too close for comfort.
I screamed.
Threw him to the wall as hard as I could.
He dropped like a sack of potatoes with a THUD.
Someone else screamed in response.
I sat up—dazed—blinking hard.
Is that… a hospital bed?
My body jolted with recognition.
"Wait. It's the lab again?"
I looked around. Cold steel. Strange equipment. People with unreadable faces.
One woman stood beside me, eyes wide with terror.
"Are you alright?" I asked, taking a cautious step toward her.
She didn't respond. Looked away.
Rude.
I scratched the back of my head and sighed.
Everyone here… looked ready to kill me.
Who are these people?
I grabbed the nearest one.
"Where am I?"
The instruments. The lighting. The sterile tension in the air—
No doubt about it. This is the lab.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Their glares weren't just cold—they were loaded.
They don't trust me. They look like they're about to throw me into another experiment… or worse.
I slowly let go, trying not to escalate things.
Smiled awkwardly.
Stay calm. Observe. Gather intel. Don't provoke them… yet.
I had questions.
But first—I needed to survive long enough to ask them.