Somber silence enveloped the empty house once more. The darkness that populated its corners slowly creeping outwards as Yuki succumbed to the effects of the sleeping pill.
Still sprawled on the floor, he let out a small yawn, trying to blink away the bleariness in his eyes before he made his way onto a nearby couch.
It was a weird sensation—it always had been for him—falling asleep.
Insomnia was no small part of his life. The cursed disorder had consumed entire parts of it, sometimes almost driving him to the point of utter insanity.
It had, at some point, consumed him entirely.
But that was all in the past.
He was comfortable now, had his medicine, and his brother.
He settled into a comfortable position on the couch, covering his head with a small pillow as his consciousness drifted into the void.
Stillness reigned—and darkness took over, consuming anything and everything. His raging mind desperately tried to claw past the chilling clutches of oblivion, but it was only futile. For the tablet had already worked its way into his body.
Yet... Still...
Even falling asleep, there was still something...
Something in the serenity that held him, something in extremely wrong and unfamiliar, just like earlier.
He startled awake, sucking in a heavy gasp as he regained consiousness.
Strangely, nothing flowed into his lungs. No air, not even the smallest bit of it.
Instead the comfortable house, It was pristine darkness all around him, untouched and unblemished.
"What in the world" His surprised voice rang all around him, coming from nowhere and everywhere, all at once.
Cold dread seized his mind, and he descended into a moment of helpless panic. Being utterly unable to understand what was happening to him.
A moment passed by—one that felt like an eternity—before a soft chime rang, accompanied by an elusive voice.
[The Veil parts, welcoming you, Seeker]
Another beat of silence followed. Then the terrifying thing... voice... spoke again.
[Your trial will now begin]
In an instant, his surroundings sprang into life once more. Though instead of his house, a barren rocky land stretched before him. A moist, musty breeze flowed into his lungs, and he felt the absence of ground beneath his feet.
He had a split second to buckle before gravity pulled him down.
The hard rock bit into his sides, and a pained gasp escaped his lips before he started tumbling down the jagged slope.
He rolled once, then once more, then once more... the world tumbling around as he fell down the slope like a rag doll.
It was excrutiatingly painful.
It was so painful infact, that for a damning moment, all he knew and understood was pain.
All of his existence was just... pain.
Then, just as abruptly as he had fallen, he came to a stop.
Dazed and still in excruciating pain, he managed to let out a small groan, before his vision flickered and he lost consciousness.
***
The evening sun hung low on the horizon, it's beautiful crown illuminating the sky in a mesmerising shade of golden brown. Moist, musty air flowed through the desolate rocky landscape, no sound other than the monotonous crashing of waves breaking the delibarate silence.
It was a slightly eerie place.
And laying on the the cold hard ground, Yuki couldn't help but let a slow shiver run through his spine.
The pain had subsided enough by now for him to be atleast be able to form coherent thoughts.
The first thing that crossed his mind—obviously—was the question of what the hell had happened to him.
He was just sleeping in his couch.... and then there was a voice...?
...and then he was here?
He let out a low cough, blood gargling out of his mouth, the metallic stench of it a painful reminder that this was not a dream.
He took a moment to himself. Then slowly pushed his battered off the ground, groaning in pain as his battered body protested.
Yuki would have liked to just lay down there and do nothing as well, but he had a feeling that, being without cover when night fell wouldn't be the greatest of ideas. Especially in such an eerie place.
And his mind was already screaming at him, atleast with some reason this time.
He slowly limped to a large rock in the distance, wincing each time he took a step, but still stubbornly refusing to stop. Hoping to get some cover once night fell.
Once he was there, he checked his surroundings for anything, finding a stick he could use a support finding a sturdy stick in the process. Then he slowly lowered himself to the ground again, resting his back against the cool rock.
He was panting by now, and the pain had flared up once again. It was still unbearable, but not unreasonably so. The adrenaline coursing throw his body helped him bear some of the burden.
He looked around, searching for something, anything—anyone that could help him.
The land around still remained desolate and uncaring, and night was slowly encroaching.