Kira's eyes opened to the sound of crashing waves.
Soft droplets fell like a melody, casting ripples across a body of water so vast she couldn't see its edges.
Floating orbs and spheres of light drifted around her. Some clung close, illuminating her face. The place was familiar.
She reached out and touched one of the orbs.
It shivered under her finger, vibrated, then blobbed like a drop of water before continuing on.
Uncoiling, she stood. Her shuffling steps sent new ripples skimming across the surface, breaking the steady rhythm already there. She walked forward.
The space had grown. The blooming lotus was farther than she remembered.
The crystalline lotus glowed, ethereal and unflawed. It stood nearly as tall as Kira — maybe taller — petals wide, clear liquid spilling from its heart like light made water.
It existed at the center of the expanse, waterfalls crashing from above and from below, feeding it, or born from it.
Kira circled the lotus, trying to see beyond. Her hand grazed the falling waters. No wetness. Only ripples that spread from her touch, outward, endless.
She walked farther. Then stopped.
Her palms hit something unseen. A barrier. The lotus, the orbs, the water — all of it reflected back at her, as if the realm ended where she stood. She tried the other side. Same. Boxed in.
She returned to the lotus.
For a long time she just stared. Then she touched a petal.
It flared, humming under her skin like it recognized her. Something flowed into her — ticklish at first. She giggled without meaning to.
Then her eyes slid shut as the sensation flooded her, warm and vast and too much, until there was nothing else.
Her eyes opened once more to shivering cold.
Clothes damp, sticking to her skin. Head on her knees, legs huddled tight, trying to hoard what little warmth she had while she drifted in and out of consciousness.
Endless dark surrounded her — deeper than it was before. The sky above wasn't white anymore. It was black, pricked with stars that gave no light to the crevice.
She was still stuck. No one had come.
The thought of going blind in the dark crawled over her skin. plus the countless small noises that erupted once in a while. It was one thing to be alone. Another to share the dark with something you couldn't see.
Then she hit something,
A scrape. Small.
Kira jolted, scrambling back until her shoulders hit stone. Throwing her hands over her head, waiting for teeth, for claws.
Nothing came.
She waited, breathing hard. Then, slowly, she lowered her hands and reached out.
Fabric. Bundled.
Curious, she picked it up and felt for the knot with numb fingers. It gave and the cloth fell open.
Kira brought it to her nose. Sniffed.
Food.
Her stomach knew before her mind did. It growled, low and loud, like it had just remembered what hunger meant.
Tears cut down her cheeks.
She didn't know who left the food. Didn't know when.
But she was grateful.
So grateful it hurt.
She tore into it, damp bread and cold meat, swallowing without chewing. It hit her stomach too fast and she gagged, choked, and vomited.
Then, hands shaking, she scooped it up and ate again. Slowly this time.
When it was gone, hunger left. Thirst took its place.
Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She pressed it to the rock wall and licked. The moisture was thin, metallic. Not enough.
Her mouth replaced her hand whenever she found wetness.
Tongue scraping stone, chasing every drop. She crawled, palm dragging along the wall, searching.
Then her fingers caught on something — a small rock wedged between cracks. It shifted. Fell.
Water.
Not much. A thin trickle, cold against her knuckles. She tracked it by ear, by touch, until she found the source: a fissure no wider than her thumb.
Kira pressed her mouth to it.
She drank. Slow. Careful. Making sure not to waste. The water tasted of iron and dust and life. She drank until her throat stopped burning, until the tremor in her hands eased.
Then she collapsed.
Flat on her back. Rolled to her sides as she breathed into cupped hands, curling tight, knees to chest, trying to fold herself small enough to keep the cold out.
It didn't work.
The stone leeched warmth straight through her damp clothes. Her teeth chattered. But her stomach was full. Her mouth was wet.
For now, that was enough.
Somewhere above, water kept dripping. One drop. Then another.
Counting time for her.
______
Chains rattled. Children screamed. Laughter layered over it — too many voices, all wrong. It merged into one roar, beast-like and hungry. Colors flashed: sharp and vibrant, then dull and wrong. No full picture. Just fragments, cut and stitched like stop-motion. Someone had torn out the important parts and left the rest to bleed.
Sapphire stood before it, in the midst of it and among it. He was everywhere at once.
Now he was running, not as himself but as someone else. The person was fairly agile, running through the forest terrain as if it was in the back of his mind, heart racing. The scene cuts. Now he was falling, spikes tore through him as his body sank to meet the bottom.
Before he could digest what had happened, he was in another figure's perspective. He was in her — a girl's body, torn open on both sides — and he felt it all, saw all. The whole menacing laughter rang out. His vision was fading, distorting.
Rabid claws scarred the ground deep on very path
The scene changed again. This time Sapphire stood in his body. Everywhere dark before some spot lighting up before him. revealing what was there
The first reveal was a glass sword sharper than any other sword, partly embedded into the yellow eye of a thick book. Just after it, on the left. The space lit up to reveal a large swirling circle filled with colours. Wings sprouting from behind it on both sides. Spreading far and wide.
Another space lit up again farther than the initial, to the right let it to reveal a scythe, handled made up of bones clumped together, jagged. ghostly grey mist leaked from the ground caressing the blades.
Light then pulled from the revealed space pulling further, deeper until oblivion. dragging him along. Just when he thought the light was about to vanish it stopped.
And within the light, A white haired girl stood. Pale skin, her bare feet kneeling the soil. Her turquoise eyes stared at him.
From her eyes he saw a figure in his place, where he stood. From the center of its chest, a bright swirling as it spread to other regions of its body. like a milky way taking physical form.
Except, they were different light erupting from his body but the one at the center shine the brightest.
His view was interrupted, as darkness converged behind the small girl taking the shape of disfigured hands and claws. grabbing at her. One bigger than all, rose, covering girl's eyes leaving only her mouth visible.
From the darkness, A face emerged, one he had seen before. Long hair blonde, blood-red eyes, a dark streak cutting across. It first focused its attention on the girl before it looked up to look him in the eye.
Sapphire remained frozen, unable to make a sound. petrified like his will wasn't his. The face revealed an evil smile making him shiver involuntarily.
Sinister laughter, non human, of different frequency rang out. Followed by a ticking noise which rang behind him. Low then gradually increasing before it stopped.
Silence.
Nothing.
Then the ground gave out below him and blacked out.
In the healers tent, Famir had just finished reapplying medication and was cleaning up when Sapphire shot up on the bed. Famir jolted in surprise and disbelief. Sitting up. eyes wide, breath heaving like he had overworked himself. Sweat already began pooling on the front of his head.
"Kid, why do you have to scare someone?" Famir said, but Sapphire wasn't listening, holding his head, trying to shake the pain and headache he was feeling. Images were still fresh.
'Kira', "Kira!", in realization, he looked around as saw no one else
"Kid, are you hearing me?. can you understand what I am saying"
Sapphire ignored Famir's own question, asking his own, "Sir, have you seen Kira? She was injured too. Urgh" grabbing head as filtered through thought and memories
"Crevices. she fell into… punishment… Where is she?... Is she okay?"
"At least I know you're okay," Famir said as released himself from Sapphire's grip.
"Wait for yourself to heal before thinking of another person. Later you can… and where do you think you're going?" Famir asked as he saw Sapphire had come down, scouring around where his clothes were even with his bandaged arm.
"I need to find Kira"
"You block headed boy, do have filtered understanding. What did I just say?" Famir said but Sapphire ignored,
"You will mess up my work, kid" He complained.
Rip! right on time the sounds of bandages and gauze tearing rang loud. Famir's lips curved downward, he was silent.
Sapphire who was now struggling to put on his shirt with blood seeping out of his bandage felt a dull but heavy pain at his nape. Consciousness fading fast as he dropped across the bed. Behind him, Famir stood, fuming with anger, hand still up after delivering the blow.
"wake up peacefully this time" He said, before turning around to get supplies to rebandage the wound all the while cursing him.