Under the sliver of a crescent moon, hanging over Arcion city, where towering architectures seemed to devour the fathomless night sky.
A figure, Neurysl, sat alone before a cold screen.
The soft neon light casts a glow on his contemplative face, illuminating a desk piled high with yellowed papers, like weary butterflies after a long day of welcoming countless unfinished ledgers and reports.
Neurysl, an office worker, was no stranger to the steady and cyclical rhythm of the sun and moon.
As dawn broke, he would melt into the tide of people on the packed subway, bound for his post, where he'd bow over pages, burying himself in letters, only to return to his home, tired as the sun set.
His life, if it could even be called that, was no more than a soulless machine, operating on a predetermined trajectory.
Suddenly there is a sharp and cold voice tore through the still air.
"Neurysl! Where's that financial report?!"
The icy tone like a sword slicing the wind, came from behind him, yanking him abruptly from his meandering thoughts.
Trembling, Neurysl's fingers flew across the keyboard, typing the final characters onto the cold screen.
A quiet sigh escaped him, as if releasing an invisible burden, the moment the "send" command was issued.
On the wall, the indifferent hands of the clock silently pointed to nine.
The office was eerily silent, save for the monotonous and steady hum of the air conditioner, spewing cold air.
Neurysl slowly stood up, his back arching slightly, knuckles cracking. He pulled on his frayed, wool coat, intending to leave this suffocating place, but his gaze fell upon a gloomy corner of the room.
There, an old, anachronistic mirror, a relic amidst the modern space, silently collected the dust of time.
"Huh, w-when did this mirror take up residence here?"
Neurysl's mind was a blur, his memories fading like morning mist. All he knew was that whenever he accidentally met its reflection, he was seized by a strange, indescribable feeling.
It was as if the inanimate object was quietly observing him, peering into the depths of his soul, and not simply reflecting his image.
And today, standing before himself, Neurysl was horrified to notice a bizarre sight.
Within the murky glass, a pale, ethereal light shimmered and flickered like a will-o'-the-wisp on a silent night.
"Perhaps… am i just too exhausted?"
He whispered to himself, his voice lost in the quiet space, trying to banish the creeping unease and ignore the discomfort.
He walked away, leaving the imposing doorway like a lost bird among a sea of people.
Neurysl plunged into the bustling city flow, but that strange echo clung to his heart.
The ethereal light in the mirror was a phantom thread, pulling his soul toward some distant, serene realm, like an echo from nothingness, making him unable to turn away.
When night drew its curtains over his small room, a sliver of moonlight shone through. Neurysl lay sprawled out like a starfish on his simple bed, an inexpressible loneliness rising in his heart.
Life, in that quiet moment, appeared raw and bland, an endless, shoreless cycle. The doubts he had so long buried now surged like a tidal wave, rolling through his mind.
"Why do i exist in this world? Is life merely a series of dull, repetitive days?"
His inner voice was like the sigh of the universe, echoing into the deep night, searching for an answer, a meaning hidden behind the hazy veil of human existence.
This torment felt like a needle pricking his heart, persistent and unending.
Darkness, a mystical silk, covered the world.
Suddenly, in that frightening silence, a deep, low voice resonated. It wasn't loud, but it was sharp like a sword to the listener's soul.
"Neurysl, i ask you, has the time come to break free from this prison?"
"Huh!?"
Neurysl started and his eyes widened in uncertain terror. He hastily scanned the room. But it remained the same dreary, coldly silent place, the pale, weak light from a distant street lamp outside the window only deepening the loneliness.
But that voice… it was too real to be a mere illusion.
An invisible chill like a dagger of ice, pierced his spine, threatening to shatter every bone.
An answer was lodged in his throat, waiting to be uttered, but the guy didn't know that the door to his destiny had long been silently ajar, beckoning him into an unpredictable vortex of fate.
Neurysl sat up, his eyes unfocused as if lost in a void, slowly turning toward the window.
Outside, the city of Arcion was still immersed in a clamorous dance, its myriad neon lights casting a grotesque glow upon the night sky, both opulent and profoundly lonely.
A breeze slipped through the casement window, rustling the faded silk curtain. But in Neurysl's heart, a maelstrom was silently roaring, on the verge of eruption.
"Are you ready to escape this prison?"
Again, the whisper echoed in his ears like a haunting melody, clinging to him relentlessly.
Neurysl's hand gently touched the lamp by his bed, its yellowing light casting a pallid glow over everything in the small room.
Besides the worn-out single bed, the desk piled high with books, and the chipped, white-painted wardrobe, there was nothing else of note.
It was all a still-life, capturing the heartbreaking monotony of the guy's existence.
In the profound silence, Neurysl felt the suffocation closing in on his soul. To him, the vibrant city outside was nothing but a gilded cage trapping his ambitions.
The dazzling lights only highlighted the loneliness and emptiness in his heart.
Would he find the courage to break free and seek a new horizon, or would he surrender, burying his youth in this mental prison?
The wind continued to blow, the curtain to sway, and in the deep of the night, only the turmoil of his heart remained.
He slowly approached the rough wooden desk which seemed to have witnessed countless ups and downs. With a trembling hand, he carefully pulled out a coarse piece of paper, where a long suppressed flood of emotions was about to pour out.
The black ink bled into the page like the dried tears of a withered heart.
"What have i arranged for this finite life? I ask myself, since the bloom of my youth faded, how many times have i truly smiled from the bottom of my heart? Is this world, with all its myriad forms and colors, ultimately just a cycle of joy, anger, love, and sorrow, destined to vanish like a drifting cloud?"
The pen suddenly stopped at the fourth line of the page, as if snagged by a boundless sorrow. Its owner couldn't explain why.
Those words seemed to be the most authentic echo from his inner self... Only the pitch-black silence and the cold moonlight bore witness to his unspoken grief.
The lonely guy's eyes settled on the old mirror, and he quietly retreated into the corner. It wasn't the strange glass found in offices but a time-worn heirloom, a precious memento left by his dear mother.
A Glimpse of the Past.
When he was a young boy of seven, Neurysl was unconcerned with the ways of the world. He babbled to his mother by her side, his schooling incomplete. During those peaceful days, there was one object quietly resided in their small home, it's the mirror his hardworking mother had bought from a small glass cutter's shop in the city. It wasn't a shiny, modern mirror but an antique piece with a time-stained wooden frame.
His mother, Lilanmiera, was 31 then, a late-blooming flower in the fading winter. Her beauty was mature yet undiminished. Her eyes were large and sky blue, and her slender frame seemed to have felt the toll of the years, yet every gesture held the refined grace of a lady from a bygone era. Dignified and poised, and with a touch of proud aloofness. Her black hair, long and flowing like the milky way against the night sky, was often held back by a hairpin with a purple stone at its end, a color found only in ancient dreams.
Every time she held the mirror, Lilanmiera seemed to gaze not just at her reflection but at her once-vibrant past as if her eyes pierced through the glass to search for the phantom of an old lover amidst the dust of memories. The large mirror and her small figure created a scene tinged with a delicate sadness, like a pear blossom in the rain pristine yet cold, it's breathtakingly beautiful.
But whenever his mother looked into the mirror, little Neurysl loved to watch her gentle reflection, engraving her every kind feature into his soul.
Time flew by, and his mother passed away from a heart condition when he was just nine, leaving Neurysl with an endless sorrow. The old mirror became a sacred relic, holding all the beautiful memories of her dear image. Every time he looked into it, Neurysl felt as though he could see her gentle smile and hear her warm voice again. The surge of poignant longing made the inanimate object invaluable, a priceless treasure rooted deep within his heart.
In that silent moment, a vague unease rose within him, rippling through his soul like a storm suddenly brewing on a calm autumn lake.
The old mirror reflected his image, but why did it seem so strange? The eyes in the reflection were deep and as cold as millennia-old ice, filled with a melancholy and secrets his finite mind couldn't comprehend.
"Am i going mad?"
A faint smile like a dying petal bloomed on his lips and vanished into the desolate space. He shook his head, trying to chase away the ephemeral illusion, telling himself it was just the aftermath of long, tiring days, his mind stretched taut like a wire.
But, alas, as he turned, intending to head for bed, a soft, cold sound echoed from behind, tearing through the silent night.
Clink!
The mirror trembled slightly without any physical contact. Suddenly, its surface wavered with a subtle, mystical vibration, as if an unseen spirit had just touched it.
Neurysl froze, his body rigid like a stone statue. His usually serene eyes widened, as utter terror seized every cell.
"No way..."
The sound choked in his throat, unable to form a complete word.
In that moment of mental chaos, Neurysl was like a sleepwalker, his steps slow as he approached the mirror. Each beat of his heart was a frantic drum, his throat dry, his breath caught. Then, an extraordinary sight, defying all logic, appeared before him.
The shimmering glass which had reflected the quiet room, was now completely transformed. In its place was an ethereal, hazy space, like a distant celestial realm.
A strange blue light like soft silk ribbons danced and writhed in a mystical mist, radiating a mesmerizing, breathtaking beauty. The place didn't seem to belong to this world, a profound mystery beckoned Neurysl into a dreamscape.
"Neurysl!"
The deep voice resonated once more, this time not distant as before, but so close that each word seemed etched directly into his soul. It was like a cold wind passing through a memory, a call from the deepest abyss.
"Haah!? Who?! Who's there?!"
His voice trembled with a mix of terror and disbelief, as if his very soul was being shaken. His whole body shuddered, and in his eyes, the world seemed to pause for a moment.
The mirror began to change. Its surface rippled like disturbed water. And then, a dark figure appeared, indistinct but enough to make him feel breathless.
The ethereal voice, soft yet firm like a north wind piercing the heart, gently poured words into Neurysl's mind, words that sounded like the sigh of destiny.
"You know this world isn't everything. From the beginning, you've understood that truth."
The voice continued to swirl, free of any coercion, only carrying a profound understanding.
"You chose stability, a peaceful life, but now, your heart is no longer at ease. You long for change, don't you?"
Neurysl's body subtly shifted, unconsciously stepping back, trying to deny the words that echoed.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about. This... this is just a crazy dream!"
The reflection in the mirror smiled faintly, a smile filled with a thousand unfathomable secrets.
"You can't escape, Neurysl, get ready. Your loop in this world is about to end."
Suddenly, a brilliant light burst forth from the mirror, so blinding that he had to raise a hand to shield his eyes.
When he dared to peek again, the room was as silent as before. The mirror was now just an inanimate glass pane, quietly reflecting his haggard image.
He swayed, leaning on the edge of the bed and sitting down, his back drenched in a cold sweat. It felt as if a thousand needles were pricking his temples. For so long, he had believed this mundane world was flat and stable. Now, a sudden storm had risen, with an undercurrent surging, leaving his mind in turmoil.
When the clock struck midnight, Neurysl heavily laid his head on the pillow. His eyelids drooped, but peaceful sleep refused to visit. Deep in his heart, he vaguely sensed a cataclysmic event looming, but his feet hesitated, not daring to face it.
And tonight was the last moment he would savor the vestiges of normalcy in this world. Because the door to another world was about to open...
The next morning, the sunlight filtered through the curtain, but it didn't bring the usual sense of peace. Neurysl woke with a muddled mind and still haunted by the bizarre images from the night before.
And just like that, the loop continues... After a long night that felt like a century, while everything was still in a slumber, he had to force himself to get up and put on his weary body. After his morning routine, his feet, heavy as lead, shuffled out the familiar door toward the desolate train station.
It was the same fated train, carrying countless people back and forth every day.
The dry clang of the bell was like the mournful sigh of a traveler. The soulless crowd still jostled and pushed in the suffocating space like water hyacinths drifting aimlessly on the currents of life.
But today, everything seemed to be tinged with a different color. The air was thick and heavy, like a dark cloud pressing down on his soul. The eyes of the people around him, once so familiar, were now terrifyingly indifferent and alien.
They glided past him as if he were an invisible ghost, an outcast in the world he once considered home. In that moment, he felt like a withered leaf torn from its branch, suspended in the cold wind of life.
Loneliness and a sense of alienation enveloped his soul, gnawing away at every last bit of hope.
At the office, the mirror from yesterday was gone. Neurysl stood frozen, filled with bewilderment. He turned to his colleague next to him, his voice was soft, with a hint of a tremble.
"Uhmmm... The mirror in the corner, where did it go?"
The other person looked up, their eyes as clear as a placid autumn lake, and calmly replied.
"A mirror? Oh my friend, there has never been a mirror here."
The answer was like an invisible knife twisting into Neurysl's soul, making the world beneath his feet seem to crumble.
A feeling of hollow disorientation engulfed his senses. He fell silent, unable to utter a single word.
His thoughts were a tangled mess. The mystical mirror, the eerie voice echoing in his ears, the strange, flickering light, it was all a slow-motion film, constantly haunting his mind. Amidst the deluge of work, Neurysl saw only a thick fog, obscuring his thoughts and his attempts to concentrate.
Deep down, a great, unanswered question gnawed at him: what on earth was happening?
Night fell, painting the street home after the train ride in a dark purple hue. He wasn't working overtime tonight. Suddenly, rain began to fall from the void, pouring down as if releasing the heavens' own sorrow.
Neurysl hurried into a small alley, hoping to find shelter from the sudden downpour.
In his memory, this was just a familiar, mundane corner, but now an extraordinary sight appeared like a dream in a mortal world.
In the curtain of rain, a strange object stood tall. It wasn't a damp patch of darkness or crumbling, mossy wall, but the very mirror from the office, the one he had been sure had vanished without a trace this morning.
"What a bizarre thing!"
Neurysl thought to himself, a surge of shock rising from his depths. "How is this possible?"
He remembered clearly his eyes sweeping over the empty space where the mirror had stood in the office. Its disappearance had been a huge question mark, sowing so much doubt in his heart. And yet now in the middle of a deserted alley, it stood there defiantly, reflecting the blurred streetlights, like an eerie eye looking deep into his soul.
"Neurysl!"
The familiar voice rang out again, now no longer just a wisp in his mind but a resounding presence that filled the entire space.
"Now, i have driven you into a corner, with no way to retreat.
A faint blue light, like mist, quietly spread from within the glass, staining the small, empty alley with a mystical hue. Countless shimmering points of light, like fireflies in a summer night, danced gently in the air. A silent chill crept up Neurysl's spine making his soul tremble.
But strangely, he felt as if an invisible thread was pulling him, step by step, toward the silent mirror.
"What the... Wait! I don't want to... Ahhh!"
Neurysl's voice was a choked cry like a bird falling from a branch, as he struggled against the invisible force binding his body. But his limbs betrayed him, his struggle was in vain.
The strange mirror the let out a weird shriek like a vengeful spirit wailing in the long night. The glass surface violently trembled, and from its depths, a flash of blue light burst forth, transforming into a ferocious vortex that swept his figure into the boundless void before his consciousness could even register what was happening.
Annihilation. Darkness enveloped everything, swallowing all sound and light.
Neurysl felt himself falling.
There was no gravity, no direction, just an infinite void realm consuming him. His breathing became difficult, his body feeling as if it were being torn into pieces.
Then, a light flashed again...
The moment when his eyes fluttered open, Neurysl was stunned to find himself lying on a bed of tender grass, beneath a vast, boundless sky, pristine and dust free.
A gentle spring-like breeze caressed him, carrying the pure fragrance of a hundred exotic flowers and strange plants. A sun, ten thousand times larger than the one in the bustling city, hung overhead, its light gentle yet awe inspiring.
He propped himself up with his hands, his brows furrowed slightly as his hazy eyes surveyed the surroundings. This place... It wasn't his familiar city... There were no towering skyscrapers, no blaring car horns, and no rushing crowds. Instead, before him were mountain ranges, their peaks covered in eternal snow, and vast primeval forests, lush and green, stretching to the distant horizon.
"Finally... you have arrived."
The silent voice seemed to come from the ethereal realm. This time, it wasn't a vague echo in his mind but a real sound pouring into his ears, right before him. A figure, both illusory and real, emerged. The person was cloaked in a white robe, long enough to sweep the ground, exuding an otherworldly aura. Their eyes were deep as if they held the vast universe, and they looked into Neurysl's soul, making him shudder involuntarily.
"Where... where is this place?" Neurysl stammered, his throat tight, a mixture of utter astonishment and fear spread through him like a rising tide drowning all reason.
He wondered, Where is this place? Who is this person? Everything was as hazy as a thick fog.
"This is where your soul resides."
The man replied, his voice gentle as a spring breeze.
The man continues.
"You always thought the world you inhabited was vast and myriad, but you didn't know it was just an infinitesimal realm like a small dot in one of the infinite paintings that i have created."
Neurysl frowned, trying to reconcile these bizarre words with his limited frame of reference. Infinite paintings? Infinitesimal realms? These were concepts beyond his reach, like an ethereal illusion, both magical and distant...
"The one standing before you is merely a small part of me, a manifestation i painted, brought down to a lower level of reality than this place. But you, O chosen one among infinite destinies, bear the mission to break free from all shackles. And here... is where you will face the ultimate truths, where all the knots in your heart will be fully unraveled. But remember, the answer is a double edged sword: it can either completely transform you, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, or make you vanish like ash before the fire of impermanence."
Neurysl felt a cold current run down his spine as he took in so much information at once.
He thinks.
"A manifestation... brought down... to a lower level of reality... Wait, does that mean he is a god of creation?"
Each word was like a silent venomous insect crawling into his mind, gnawing away at his peace.
"I-i am the chosen one too? A mortal, living with the worries of daily life, suddenly burdened with such a grand mission... it was like a tiny ant trying to lift Mount Everest." He continued his thoughts, "All questions answered? Ultimate truths? They sound mystical, ehh?"
It sounded like the words of a deity in ancient tales. But behind the beautiful veneer, Neurysl vaguely sensed a potential danger, like a sharp blade lurking in the shadows, ready to take everything at any moment.
Lost in this strange place, Neurysl didn't know the way forward, his future as murky as the fog obscuring the path home. But deep in his heart, which he thought had grown numb, a small flame suddenly ignited, warm and wondrous. It stirred forgotten memories and awakened a belief buried beneath the dust of time. Perhaps, after so much suffering, this was the beginning his heart had always longed for, like a sprout craving to reach for the dawn.