Ellie had just finished packing, waiting impatiently for her brother to be done so they could begin their journey. They were headed to another city to strengthen their Qi.
They weren't poor, yet far from wealthy. Their home was nothing extravagant; just a simple, functional space meant for survival. The walls bore faint cracks, remnants of a structure that had seen better days. A small kitchen occupied one corner, where an outdated food processor barely held itself together. The single couch in the living room sagged from years of use, its edges fraying, while a modest round table sat beside it, buried beneath stacks of cultivation manuals, most of them borrowed, since they could hardly afford their own.
"Lucas… I swear, if we miss the train because of you…" Ellie muttered, tapping her foot impatiently. Lucas was always particular about his belongings, yet somehow he still ended up forgetting one book or an expired chocolate bar he insisted on tossing out. That boy will be the end of me, she thought bitterly.
"We've got time," Lucas said with a smirk, adjusting his wrist communicator.
"Hah! Says the guy who nearly got us locked out of the last city because he was 'taking his time.'" She scoffed, though her lips curved into a reluctant smile. He chuckled, and for a fleeting moment, the tension lifted.
As cultivators, they stood near the bottom of the hierarchy; weak, barely above commoners. Their Qi reserves were too shallow to be considered true martyrs but Ellie believed they could change that. That was why they were going to another city: to gain knowledge, to be recognized, to finally rise above insignificance.
At the train station, sleek carriages hovered soundlessly, their polished bodies etched with glowing symbols of advanced Qi. Boarding their cabin, Ellie and Lucas found their assigned seats near the middle. The interior was clean and efficient, rows of cushioned seats, dim overhead lights, and massive windows showcasing the sprawling city outside.
"Maybe this city will be different," Ellie murmured, exhaling as she settled beside him.
"Maybe," Lucas replied, his voice quiet, uncertain. Together, they watched the skyline fade as the train began its ascent onto the elevated tracks.
Ellie wasn't as strong-willed as her brother. Lucas was her confidant, her anchor. With him, she felt she could still find her footing despite barely being able to cultivate at all.
"You ever wonder what it's like to be strong?" she whispered, almost afraid of her own words. "Really strong…..you know the kind of cultivators people actually respect?"
Lucas gave her a faint smile. "Yeah… all the time."
"One day, huh?" she pressed softly. But this time, he didn't answer. Ellie let it go. They had a long road ahead. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the cushion, imagining what life might hold for them.
Then,
BANG!
A deafening explosion ripped through the train. Ellie's eyes snapped open just as the cabin lurched violently to the side.
"LUCAS!" she screamed.
Chaos erupted. Passengers were hurled from their seats as sparks rained down from shattered circuits. Reinforced windows cracked under the force of another impact. The train screeched and twisted, metal grinding against rails as entire carriages tore away.
Through the smoke, she saw Lucas. His eyes were wide with terror.
"Ellie!!"
Their hands met for the briefest moment, a desperate grasp in the chaos. Another violent jolt tore them apart. She reached again, fingertips brushing his, before the world shattered into blackness.
And then–silence.
A hollow. A void.
She drifted in endless nothingness, her body weightless, dissolving into the abyss. There was no ground, no sky, just infinite black pressing against her mind.
"Lucas…" her voice slipped out, but no sound carried.
She reached for herself, her arms, her legs, yet her body was gone. She was thought without flesh, a spirit adrift. Panic clawed at her chest, but even that felt muffled, as though wrapped in thick, suffocating cloth.
Shadows stirred in the distance;shapes she couldn't define. They slithered and stretched, whispering in tones just beyond comprehension.
Ellie…
The voice was faint, stretched thin, like her brother's yet distorted, broken by echoes.
"Lucas?" Her mind screamed his name, but the void devoured it.
The whispers multiplied. Dozens, hundreds, circling her in the dark. They spoke in languages she didn't understand, their tones dripping with sorrow, hunger, rage. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, each beat echoing like a drum in the abyss.
Thump… thump…
It was the only sound that belonged to her, the single tether keeping her from unraveling completely.
Am I dead?
The thought pulsed raw and heavy. Her memories slipped—her home, the cracked walls, Lucas's smirk on the train. They unraveled like threads in the void. She clutched at them desperately, but the shadows pulled harder