...Its dark...I cant see anything...
As i open my eyes i am met with nothing but darkness, there is no light in sight as if it doesn't exist
Complete darkness
In this world devoid of life where nothing seems to exist, a small muffled voice as if being blocked by a wall slowly sounded in the air
...im s..ry...I...first....see you
A woman's voice that seems to be slowly getting louder was heard
"Please-"
!!!
A voice so clear and full of complicated emotions i cant understand sounded, as if it was right next to my ear was suddenly stopped as if something forcefully blocked the sound before it reaches my ears any further
Silence returned once again making it as if the voice didn't exist
That voice...sounds familiar...
As i think about who that voice belonged to, something deep buried in my memories seems to slowly resurface
I am then met with a scene that is slowly reaching dawn, in a place i dont recognize, few unfamiliar towers seen in a not so far distance surrounding the area, beyond the towers is a blurry background of structures i cant seem to recognize
I look forward, in front of me, only a few steps away
A person's back wearing a white uniform and a black skirt reaching her knees is standing near a wheat field, holding a black notebook with blurred words on the cover, her hair as black as night reaching her back slowly sways with the wind creating a mesmerizing sight as the sky slowly dims with orange and red, slowly announcing the arival of night
Met with this unfamiliar scene that i dont recognize, the memory slowly plays by itself, like a recording being played
The woman, which became aware of my presence slightly turned her head to look at my direction and spoke
"You look pale, you should properly rest during rest hours instead of overworking you know"
"——————————?"
What?
My mouth, automatically moved and replied, but i heard nothing
I heard nothing, as if the signal on a radio was cut and giving only static
The woman, who heard what i said, looked forward and immediately started muttering in a low voice after i finished my words
The woman puts her thumb under her chin and pondered for a bit, still facing the approaching night
"New Mineral...Biological lifeform...Deep sea...Oh that?"
After reaching to a conclusion she puts her hand down and answered
"You mean our project in the sea right?, don't worry, its going well with only a few errors"
She then slowly turned towards me, her hair slightly swaying as she turns, putting both her hands on her back while holding the black notebook and said
"Did you know?, sometimes when talking with you, it feels like trying to answer puzzles and riddles?"
"——..."
"Its true, even our colleagues talk about it sometimes, some of them even finds it fun"
"——,————?"
"Shrugging it of just like that... aren't you even embarrassed? even a little bit?"
"—"
"Hmm...when it comes to work your always so strict on yourself, dont worry, the other projects are doing fine except two"
"———?"
"No, at this rate those two projects might be scraped, but dont worry, we can always think of a new one"
"————"
"We'll make it, definitely"
The woman then again faced the horizon, the sky already close to black, the clouds slowly parting and showing the beauty above
I walked towards her and stood at her side, while putting my hands at the pocket of my coat
"Isn't it beautiful? The night sky slowly falling?"
She asks me while looking up, and i slowly reply while i also look at the sky
"...Yes, it is"
A genuine filled voice was heard, no longer static, but a clear voice has sounded as i replied to her question, clear and distinct
"Right~?"
I continued to look up, not moving my gaze away for even a moment at the sky as it slowly falls revealing the first light
After a brief moment, i said to her
"...Lets go"
"Ok~"
Then i looked at her, her face blurred, as if a painter smudged a paintbrush dipped in water into a painting still wet with paint
Who...?
...
The scene then all turns to black in an instant, as if it never existed in the first place, like a television being turned of with the plug
Who...?
I quickly tried to recall what i just remembered, feeling like I'll forget the moment i stop thinking
Then the darkness which was enveloping my whole body slowly gave me the feeling of warmth, like floating in warm water, giving me the feeling of warmth and comfort making me forget to recall what i just remembered
...Its warm...
...I wouldn't mind...sleeping like this...
In this neverending darkness with no light, surrendering myself as a whole in its warm embrace
slowly sinking
slowly forgetting
slowly dissapearing
in this comfortable darkness
I finally closed my "eyes".
######
"Hey, Emma?"
"What?"
"Are we going on the right direction? Because i feel like I've seen that broken branch three times already"
The man who is equipped with armor with a dark blue jacket underneath and a black short sword tied to his waist, points at a nearby tree and says to the girl in front of him
Wearing a dark blue jacket and chest guard covering the location of the heart and shoulder guard, on her back is a black staff that is made of the same material like the black sword tied on the man's waist
"...What are you saying?"
The girl, Emma, steping on a rock with her wrist on her knees, turned her head and looked at the man with a furrowed brow, clearly expressing displeasure at stating the obvious
"Woah, dont look at me like that, your face is starting to turn red, like your hair"
"Tsk"
Clicking her tongue, she fixed her posture and crossed her arms, after thinking for a while she replied properly to the man who is slowly backing away from her
"We're lost, our compass isn't working properly, the map isn't doing it either, i tried climbing a tall tree we passed not too long ago to see where we are but... "
She stoped talking and crossed her arms, the man approached her by two steps and asks
"But what, did you see something unnatural?"
"No, i didn't see anything weird, we are definitely following the correct route but we keep going in circles"
"Could we be inside of a background distortion?"
"Maybe, but lets try a few more times before getting to a conclusion"
The two partners started walking, weapon in hand.