Who am I?
The question felt hollow, as though shouting into a void where no answer had ever existed.
It lingered in his mind, heavy as stone. Eventually, he gave up trying to recall his name. No matter how hard he tried, nothing came.
Looking around, his eyes locked onto a particular arched doorway ahead.
Unlike the other corridors, which were half-buried under fallen beams and crumbling stone, this room still stood. The frame, though worn out, it still remained mostly intact. And more curious than the structure itself… was the faintest glimmer of light seeping from within.
It was barely visible — less than a candle's glow. For a moment, he thought it a trick of the eye.
But no. It shimmered again, just barely.
Hm. Let's take a look… maybe there's something to wear in there.
He looked down. While he couldn't see in the dark but he could feel the cold, damp air brushing against his skin.
shiver~
breathing warm air onto his hands, Walking around half-naked isn't exactly the best idea.
With little thought, he stood up without trouble.
The stone floor was icy against his soles. Each step echoed faintly in the ruined hall, loud in the silence. There was something wrong in the way he walked — as if the body remembered more than he did.
The sensation felt hollow. Off. His balance was fine, but the motion of standing on two feet felt… disconnected.
I can feel I'm barefoot, but—
He cut the thought short.
There was already enough wrong. No name. No memory. No clue where this place even was. He didn't need more reasons to panic.
He stomped his foot once. Then again. The feeling subsided. He adjusted. Walking eventually became natural with every step.
The intact room lay deeper inside, past the fractured remains of what must have once been the grand hall. The closer he approached, the more real that light became.
So I wasn't imagining it after all…
His pace quickened slightly. Curiosity overcame the weight of confusion. Whatever lay inside, it was real. That was enough.
He stepped through the archway.
The source of the glow revealed itself immediately.
Looking up.
Pale light spilled through a round, opaque skylight, shaped like an eye. Dust particles hung suspended in the air, dancing through the dim beam. The glass was clouded and worn with time, but through it, the scarce light of a moonless night filtered in, pale and weak.
The beam of light fell upon a single object in the room.
It was covered.
A threadbare cloth draped over something tall and human-sized.
He glanced around. The room was completely empty aside from that one form.
No furniture. No tapestries. Just stone and a eerie silence.
Drawn by instinct, he approached. Each step echoed faintly.
Standing before it, he hesitated for a moment.
Then, with one swift motion, he gripped the cloth and pulled.
The fabric slid down and dropped on the floor.
And there it stood.
A statue.
A woman carved in perfect marble, standing tall, her right arm outstretched. and her left hand holding a spear. The place where her face should be was blank and undefined. it might have been an unfinished art.
looking at how this was abandoned, the crafter might have left it here on purpose.
In that cold, broken temple, under the moonless night… something stirred.
[ ... ]
[ who are you? ]