What does being alive mean? Some may say that being happy is what makes you alive, but others may simply say living is enough to be alive.
Then what is one's purpose in life? Is being alive a purpose or a mere instinct? If living itself is just an instinct, then what truly is the meaning of life?
A shadow-like figure reached out to the sun like a moth seeking the warmth of fire, seeking an answer that would never come.
As the sun submerged itself under the clouds, the shadow-like figure flickered, a singular tendril still reaching out to the sun.
"M◾️ p◾️rpo◾️◾️" The shadow figure now fully vanished from the endless abyss where the sun used to shine.
Days, perhaps even years have passed by, no sight of the once radiant starlight that dwarfed the other stellar flames that exist beyond this lonely abyss.
The shadow figure has not shown itself again since the everlasting brilliance disappeared from the world.
Time passes by with no sign of stopping, yet the unchanging abyss makes the flow of time utterly irrelevant.
One breath, two breaths, three… three million, five hundred and twenty thousand breaths later. The warmth of the sunlight seems to be a foreign sensation that was washed away by the river of time.
Time passed by as usual, but something changed, a mere flicker of light, something so insignificant it might as well be comparing this tiny abyss to the glorious universe it resides in.
However, that seemingly insignificant change is different… Unlike the still abyss that never changes, that flicker of light very slowly became an imitation of the sole provider of a sensation that was long lost.
By the time anything in this desolate space could realize, it was no longer a mere imitation; it was-
"My purpose." The shadow figure materialized again, and its once formless figure slowly molded into something unbelonging in this abyss… Life.
It first started with their tendrils being molded into arms. Fingers grew out from the tip of the tendrils. The bottom tendrils soon became legs.
As the imita- No… The personification of the once brilliant star became brighter. The transformation grew more rapid until a person with long raven hair that reached their back and eyes that seemed to hold the golden rays of the sun replaced the once shadow figure.
"To serve you is my purpose." The raven-haired girl looked at the dazzling light that replaced the abyss with a beautiful field of flowers.
Yes… Being happy is what makes someone alive. But so does replicating the same light as my 'purpose' seems to bring upon the world. A light so dazzling, it chased away the abyss and created life.
"Then… Follow me, Ayla." The dazzling being set itself ablaze and burned the white glow away with its intense heat, and as the white glow flakes off of the entity, a girl who looks exactly like Ayla, except for her golden hair and a golden iris that eclipses the golden eyes Ayla possesses.
"Your journey starts here. No matter what, never forget that my light will always be there to embrace you. You are never alone." The golden-haired girl opened her arms and pulled Ayla into her embrace. The warmth of her skin seems to remind Ayla of the long-forgotten sensation.
Warm…
"May you find your purpose, and always remember me. My name is So-" The field of flowers fractured like glass. The warmth that once lingered on Ayla's skin vanished like a phantom. When the glass shards that contained the once beautiful field of flowers scattered like petals fluttering in the wind, they left behind an awakened Ayla lying on the greasy floor of a dusty and run-down house.
Home… No, hell is the better word.
The smell of alcohol lingered in the house, and the shattered bottle of liquor was littered on the floor like shattered ice.
Ayla is now back to the reality that she despised.
"I wish I had never woken up." Ayla's palm bled as her nails pierced through her skin as she clenched her fist.
Time started ticking again.