Elios had a dream. In this dream, he was conscious.
He was falling into an empty void. At first, it was peaceful—it was just him and only him. There was nothing. A place where he could relax, where he could think about all his regrets, all the good times he had spent with the people he cared for.
But the longer he fell, the more memories surfaced—memories he didn't want to remember anymore. As time passed, tears welled in his eyes. Emotions he didn't want to deal with. Emotions he didn't want to see.
He may have solidified his conviction, but his heart was still human.
Every time he looked back, he could only see the vivid memories—the bodies he had found, the ruins of his once-home, the grave sites he had made. So many things, all filled with regret.
But as his emotions reached their peak, so did the world around him.
The endless black void turned pure white, blinding him momentarily. Beneath him, it felt as if there was nothing but air—yet, at the same time, as he opened his eyes and adjusted to the bright light, he saw water.
He was floating atop the water.
Looking up at the sky, he saw the sun and the moon moving incredibly fast. The world changed rapidly—night turned to day, weeks to months passed in mere minutes. And after five minutes, he saw a small island begin to form.
It started as a mound of sand—pale white sand. Familiar white sand.
As more time passed, small trees sprouted, growing into towering redwoods. Then came bushes and shrubbery, alongside patches of dirt that brought life to the barren island. Finally, insects and animals began to appear.
For a moment, everything stopped.
Only he was moving.
Looking around, he saw a world so empty—endless waters and a lone, singular island.
Then, space cracked—similar to the spatial rifts happening in the modern world.
From that rift emerged a shadowy figure. Its body was outlined in green, and its facial features were filled with glowing green lights.
Right now, the world was still. No creature dared to move.
Only he and the figure.
And then, as their gazes met, Elios felt his very being pulled—absorbed.
He tried to speak. He tried to scream.
But all that came out was air.
He couldn't speak—not in this world.
The shadowy creature reached out its hand and cupped his face. It mouthed words—words that could not be understood by the mortal mind. A language so ancient, so unheard of, that it could bring tears to people's eyes.
Letting go of Elios's face, the entity sighed.
Looking back into Elios's eyes, it moved both of its hands forward—
And pushed him from the dream.
---
In a burst of sweat, Elios jumped up from his makeshift bed, breathing heavily.
He looked around, as if trying to anchor himself to the world—disoriented and lost.
He didn't know what to do.
But he knew one thing for sure.
The time loop that had surrounded him was over.
Or at least—it was for him.
Was it even a real time loop?
No. He didn't have time for those useless questions.
Whatever it was—whatever that thing was—
It was strong. Too strong.
And it did not want him on this island.