Distorted, empty, cold— that's all he felt until he could see again. It was dark. The world around him seemed to swim in shadows, shapes barely forming at the edge of his vision. He saw a light, distant at first, flickering like a memory he couldn't quite reach. With effort, he tried to move toward it. His body was heavy; every muscle yelled for him to stop. Every breath felt like it echoed in the silence, thick with the chill of uncertainty. His finger lifted with strain; he could feel it dropping as he finally got up out of the water. The surface broke around him, sending ripples through the stillness. He touched the light, and suddenly his body was dry and no longer hurting. Warmth spread through him, gentle and unfamiliar. "This…feels nice?" he whispered, voice trembling. He couldn't believe how fast the aching pain went away, how quickly the emptiness faded, leaving only a quiet sense of wonder.
Now, in a forest green, fresh, and quiet, it was peaceful. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, painting shifting patterns on the mossy ground. The air was thick with the scent of star magnolia and damp earth, carrying with it the gentle hum of insects and the occasional call of a distant bird. It felt like the world had slowed down, every moment stretching out in a tranquil hush. The sound of the waterfall next to him reverberated in his head, soothing and rhythmic, as if the earth itself was breathing. The waves crashed against the rocks, gently guiding fish downstream into the pond. The water was crystal clear, and it mirrored the hot sun that beat down on his forehead as he sweated, tiny droplets forming at his temple and tracing down his cheek. A soft breeze rustled the leaves, and the warmth of the day wrapped around him like a comforting blanket.
He walked towards the water with a smile slithering its way onto his face, his eyes closing in hope. Each step felt deliberate, every footfall cushioned by the thick carpet of moss beneath him. He wanted to feel the warmth of the water and see the little koi fish nibbling at his skin. He crouched at the edge, stretching out his hand, and touched the water. It felt so warm, and the koi swarmed around his finger, nipping at his skin with playful curiosity. Their scales flashed like living jewels beneath the surface, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze in that perfect, gentle contact.
But then, as if fate had twisted, an unfortunate bad luck struck. The water turned dark and cold, the vibrant world vanishing in an instant. The fish died as the water turned black and murky, their bodies floating lifelessly to the surface. His once happy smile faded, replaced by a bewildered and horrified expression. He touched it, and it died. The water was dying, the fish were dying, and the peaceful forest seemed to draw in a collective, mournful breath.
The trees withered, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky as if in silent agony. Leaves, once lush, now crumpled and blackened, drifted downward, each one landing with a soundless, mournful sigh. Beneath his feet, the moss shriveled, its vibrant green replaced by a brittle, ashen crust that cracked like the bones of the dead with every hesitant step. Shadows thickened, pooling in the crevices between roots, and the air grew colder—the chill biting through to his marrow.
He inhaled sharply, but the breath caught in his throat. The once sparkling water had curdled into a luminous, radioactive blue, pulsing with unnatural light. An acrid stench of sulfur invaded his senses, burning his nose, scalding his lungs. His skin blanched, veins standing out beneath the pallor as the toxic mist crept closer. He realized, with dawning terror, that the water had become sulfuric acid—hissing, churning, eager to consume. Instinct screamed at him to run, and he stumbled backward, the gas slithering after him, twisting the world behind into a wasteland of desolation. The very earth seemed to writhe and collapse beneath his feet, a living nightmare unraveling at the seams of reality.
He glimpsed a yawning hole in the darkness—a gaping maw beckoning him to escape. With no other choice, he hurled himself forward. Sensation dissolved. Sight faded to formless, devouring black. He drifted, weightless and numb, in the suffocating embrace of nothingness. Somewhere deep inside, he recognized the presence: the Void, ancient and hungry, stretching out to swallow him whole.
The void was always watching. It swallowed and sucked the life out of anything that entered. Every creature was trapped and caged inside its darkness. Yet there were creatures that lived inside. Sometimes, those things knew how to escape. They would break out of the void hungry and hunting, seeking to wreak havoc upon Earth. He felt a crack open and desperately swam towards it, trying to leave.
He felt the void break around him. Crackling energy echoed, as if the void were collapsing all around him. Then—GASP.He woke up. Sweat beaded down his forehead; his heart raced. He could still feel the numbness, and the squeezing, and the fear. It was all real. His bed was dampened with sweat. "What…just happened?"