Darkness.
Not the kind one sees when their eyes are closed, nor the absence of light in a room. This was something deeper—an absolute void, where even the concept of space didn't seem to exist.
At first, he felt nothing. No sound. No taste. No body. Just thought—or the faint potential for it.
Then came sensation.
A surface beneath him. Hard and cold. Not in the physical sense, but in the way an idea can echo through one's awareness. It was as though his mind was rebuilding itself from fragments, each piece of consciousness arriving one after the other.
Time passed—though how long, he couldn't say. There was no heartbeat. Nothing moved, inside or out. Only an abstract sensation of something pulling him forward, like a current drawing him toward existence.
Eventually, a thought formed.
"Senses... what was that again?"
The thought had meaning. Vocabulary. Identity. But where did it come from?
With that spark, others followed. One by one, his senses reawakened, rising from a bottomless ocean. Breathing. Stillness. He realized he had limbs—a body. He was lying down. He was human... or at least, he assumed so.
"I think... someone's touching me."
A warmth pressed gently against his shoulder. It was soft, reassuring.
"It feels... nice."
Then came the faintest sound—leaves rustling, water trickling nearby. A cool breeze brushed past.
"Huh. Calming. That's what this is. It feels... refreshing to hear again."
With that, a flood of questions surged.
"Who am I?"
"Why was I in the dark?"
"What is this place?"
He couldn't answer any of them. Not yet. But somehow, he knew one thing for certain—
He was going to wake up.
And so he did.
His eyes opened slowly. The first thing he saw was light. It stung. He winced and turned away, blinking through the brightness until his vision adjusted.
"Ugh... so bright," he muttered, voice dry and unfamiliar. "Whe... where am I?"
A small figure hovered above him—a girl. She had soft green hair and dark green eyes, wide with surprise and relief. Her bangs fell slightly over her pale forehead. Her clothes were worn: an oversized, faded sweater and grey trousers, both frayed and weathered. A faint green glow radiated from her palm, which rested gently on his shoulder.
He tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. His first attempt failed; his second came out as a weak whisper.
"Hey…"
The girl jumped slightly, startled by the sound, then blinked at him in awe.
"Oh—! Hello, mister…" she said shyly, her voice soft and hesitant.
He stared at her in confusion, then looked around. They were in the ruins of what seemed to be a stone building overtaken by nature. Purple ivy crawled up cracked walls, and trees pierced through what remained of the roof. Pale violet sunlight filtered through the gaps, scattering gentle rays across the moss-covered floor.
He slowly sat up from the circular stone platform beneath him—then froze.
Dark stains marred the stone beneath him. Deep red. Dried blood.
A chill crept down his spine. The sight made his chest tighten. Everything felt unfamiliar... and hostile.
"Was it mine?" he thought.
That anxiety grew sharper.
"That's strange... I don't recall being injured. Nor going to sleep. Wait—what's going on? I don't remember anything!"
His thoughts screamed in silence as panic welled up.
Turning toward the girl, who now stood beside the platform, he asked shakily, "Do you know where we are?"
She shook her head. "No... I don't know either. I woke up here too. I wandered around until I found you. You looked hurt... so I laid my hand on you because you seemed in a lot of pain, mister."
He softened. "What's your name?" he asked gently, resting his hand on her shoulder.
She hesitated. Her eyes drifted downward, as if searching for the answer in her memory.
"Alice."
"Alice?"
He nodded slowly. "Nice to meet you, Alice. And... thanks. I guess you saved me."
He paused.
"My name is..."
A blank space opened in his mind. His chest tightened.
"What... is my name?"
Nothing came. No memories either, not even the faintest recollection as silence was the only thing present in his mind.
"Huh. Classic amnesia... seen it in movies and TV all the time."
He let out a weak chuckle at his own irony.
"Wait... TV?"
The word made sense, but the meaning felt foreign—like a ghost of knowledge without origin.
Before he could think further, pain spiked through his skull. His vision blurred.
"Ugh—!" he groaned, pressing a hand against his forehead.
"Mister—Mister!" her voice faded into the ringing that filled his head. His sight darkened, and within that darkness... something moved.
'What the—?'
White, shadow-like shapes twisted in the air before him, forming a rectangular frame as if urging him to read. Black letters began appearing, falling into place one by one.
His vision returned slowly as the pain subsided.
"Mister! Is everything okay?" Alice's voice snapped him back to reality.
He blinked, dazed.
"Am I... going crazy?" he thought.
But then, behind Alice, the white frame remained—floating, steady, its glow faint yet clear.
It read:
[ Title: ███████▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ]
[ Name: Lucid ]
[ Rank: Unknown ]
[ Soul Concentration: Latent ]
[ Trait: Unknown ]
[ Faith Essence: 0 / 6000 ]
[ Followed Path: None ]
[ Description: Marked by the gaze of a deity. Possesses clarity of mind and unyielding resolve. Faces adversity and hatred, yet continues along an unchosen, uncertain path without deviation. ]
"Enlightened... Latent... Essence?" he murmured.
Alice's voice trembled. "Is it... because of me?"
He looked up, confused.
'What's up with the title?' A flash of pain hit him once again as he winced and grit his teeth.
"I'm... I'm no good at making friends," she said softly, her voice cracking.
Lucid after recomposing himself once more, knelt to meet her eyes. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. My head hurt for a bit, but I'm fine now. Don't worry, alright?"
Her expression eased slightly. He glanced past her once more at the white frame. Whatever it was, it felt connected to him—like a whisper from something greater.
"Lucid," he said aloud, almost instinctively. "My name is Lucid."
It felt right. Familiar. Like muscle memory.
"Maybe it's real. Maybe not. But it'll do."
Alice brightened. "Lucid! I'm happy to meet you!"
He smiled faintly. "Same here."
After a moment of quiet, he asked softly, "You're pretty young. Isn't it dangerous to be out here alone? What about your parents?"
Her gaze dropped to her hands.
"I don't know, I woke up like you... I don't remember anything before that."
Lucid's chest tightened.
"So I'm not the only one lost," he murmured.
"Well," he said, forcing a small smile, "we'll figure it out together. Deal?"
She perked up instantly. "Deal!"
She extended her hand toward him. He hesitated for a moment—then reached out. Her hand was small and warm, fragile against his own. For some reason, that warmth filled him with both comfort and unease.
"Come on, Lucid! Let's take a look around!" she said brightly.
He stood, still feeling the faint tremor of unease beneath his calm.
"No clue where I am. No idea who I am. But for now..."
He smiled faintly, eyes softening. The thought of being responsible of a girl in an unknown environment whilst not having any memories of who he is, made him feel slightly worried of if he could even take care of her in the first place.
'No reason to feel anxious. Think of it as day-care.'
'...This strange little girl is all I've got. And somehow... I'm okay with that.'
They walked through the violet-lit forest for a while, hand in hand. The little girl seemed more at ease now, occasionally humming a soft, tuneless melody that floated in the air.
Lucid, however, couldn't share her calm. His expression remained distant, troubled, as a single question circled endlessly in his mind.
What the heck is this...?
A faint, white shimmer drifted above him—soft, almost weightless, like mist. It hovered just a few steps ahead, pulsing gently as if it were alive. Within the haze, dark black letters began to form, contrasting sharply against the glowing fog.
It read:
[ Welcome, travelling soul. ]
[ Your journey toward enlightenment has begun. You will be tested. ]
[ Any failure to complete the trial within the allotted time or conditions will result in the forfeit of one life. ]
[ Trial Rank: Divine ]
[ Objective: █▓▒░ERR░▒▓█
Σ¥$#@%!∑×∆
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[ M̸a̷y̶ y̴o̷u̵r̸ j̴o̷u̶r̶n̸e̶y̷ l̴e̷a̶d̵ y̸o̴u̶ t̶o̸w̶a̴r̶d̶s̴ E̷n̵l̵i̵g̸h̴t̵e̶n̵m̷e̷n̶t̷ ███████▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ]