I felt like I was floating in space.
Stars flickered all around me like tiny distant signals, and far away, whole galaxies spun in impossible colors.
It was so beautiful it hurt.
Like I was looking at something no human being was ever meant to see… at least not alive.
Somehow, I was breathing, but I didn't remember having lungs a few seconds ago, or waking up there. I didn't even remember how I ended up in that void.
The purple mist started to move—slow, thick, like smoke that refused to fade.
It condensed around me, mixing with the black backdrop of space and making the whole universe feel like it was… swallowing itself.
Then the stars started going out.
One by one.
Then in clusters.
Galaxies unraveled like ink dissolving in water, melting into the purple haze that now swallowed everything.
For a moment, the entire universe froze and time hit pause.
Something blinked in front of me.
A purple window. Cold and artificial.
---
SCENARIO CORRECTED
RESTARTING CYCLE RECONNECTION…
RESTARTING…
RESTARTING…
---
The screen started to shake, distorted, like it was glitching.
Then the sound tore through space—if that was even possible.
A sound that didn't come from anywhere. It came from everywhere.
It was a mix of everything.
Metal snapping, flesh being crushed, like the universe itself was being folded in half.
All of space twisted in on itself and broke.
Then it went black.
When I opened my eyes again, the scene was… too unfamiliar, but…
Familiar.
The damp air, the sound of boots hitting wet concrete, and those heavy, urgent breaths felt more like a blurry memory than something happening now.
A shiver crawled over my skin, even though I didn't know why.
I was on a subway staircase.
"Get down!"
The captain ordered, her firm voice echoing through the tunnel.
It was a command I'd heard before…
"Where?"
The others started moving.
The rhythm, the steps to their positions. It all felt like it was trying to remind me of something, even if I couldn't explain from where or what.
I stayed still, staring into the darkness below.
The déjà vu was so strong it felt like cold hands were gripping my stomach.
The man beside me smacked my shoulder, impatient.
"Move it, kid, or you want me to carry you?"
Same dry, irritated tone… that I'd heard before?
The shove made me stumble, and the cold air hit my face.
I shivered for no reason.
My T-shirt clung to my body and the damp air of the tunnel made everything worse.
The metallic smell, the yellowish light, the cold concrete…
It was like…
I'd gone down these stairs before.
"Come on…"
The captain said without looking back.
"We're almost there."
Even though my mind screamed I'd never been here, my body said I had. That this was repetition. A broken loop.
Water trickling down the walls, the cold draft coming from the tunnel, even the stained steps… everything felt far too familiar.
"Lights… We're almost there."
The last step appeared, and when my feet hit level ground, the corridor lit up in a pale glow, reflected in puddles on the floor.
And then…
A purple window appeared in front of me.
Hanging in the air, vibrating like an open wound.
---
SAVEPOINT
---
My eyes went wide and my heart stopped for no reason.
"Move it."
The man complained, shoving me again.
But no one, except me, seemed to see that thing floating inches from my face.
The purple square pulsed at the corners, like it was breathing.
I tried to speak. Nothing came out.
And as soon as I took the first step…
It vanished.
I stayed there, frozen, while the lights flickered.
My mind spun. It felt like I'd forgotten something important.
"What was it?"
But the only thing my head could latch onto were the fast breaths, the echo of dripping water.
Everything felt… wrong.
Something ached in my fingers, and when I looked down—
I was holding… a purple notebook against my chest.
"What is this?"
I was clutching it so tight it was almost like it was part of me.
I didn't remember picking it up.
But… the weight and the smooth texture felt so familiar.
When I squeezed it a little, one of the pages nicked my finger, and the vertigo hit me like a punch. My skull felt like it was splitting.
"Move."
The man said, impatient, shoving me again.
"Or you really want me to carry you?"
"He froze up…"
Said the skinny old guy behind us, coming down a step. His voice sounded gentler.
"Easy, breathe…"
"Breathe nothing."
The other one snapped back.
"Either get down there or I shove you all the way."
The sound of the others' boots echoed behind us.
The air felt colder, like some invisible door had opened further in.
"Hey!"
The captain called.
"Don't stop. Keep moving."
I blinked, trying to force the world back into focus.
"I…"
My voice came out like dust.
"I know this."
"Who doesn't know a staircase?"
The man sneered.
"Just go down, genius."
Josh… yeah, that was his name—even though he hadn't said it yet—looked at me, narrowed his eyes and asked:
"Know what? This place?"
"Yes… No…"
I shook my head, fighting the dizziness.
"You… Her voice. Her words… You're Raul."
I said, pointing to the man next to me.
"And you're Josh… She's Sofia… and she's… Mei."
Mei narrowed her eyes.
"Holy shit,"
Raul muttered, anger rising.
"Hey! Did you idiots tell him anything?"
They looked at each other. No one had said a word.
"How did you know that?"
Josh raised the crossbow, hand steady.
"We've never met."
"He's with the church!"
Raul exploded, pulling out his knife.
"Of course he is! Little infiltrated bastard!"
Weapons came out all around me and the metallic sound filled the tunnel.
"I'm not!"
My voice cracked.
"I'm not with the church… We've already met. I know we've already met…"
"Yeah?"
Raul pressed the blade against my neck.
"Then tell me. From where?"
"From where?"
I couldn't remember.
The more I tried, the more it felt like someone was ripping chunks out of my head.
Raul laughed—short and cruel.
"Look at that… couldn't even memorize his own lie."
I opened my mouth to deny it, but…
I couldn't.
I didn't know.
Or I didn't remember.
"Why can't I remember?"
Mei stepped closer, breaking the line between me and Raul's knife.
"Talk slowly,"
she ordered.
"What do you know?"
I took a deep breath, and even though the air felt like glass, I started talking.
"I… I know you. I swear. I just don't know from where…"
Raul snorted.
"Convenient as hell noticing us but not remembering from where."
He raised the knife.
"Let's take him in for interrogation."
I stumbled when he shoved me and fell on the wet floor.
The notebook slipped from my hands, hit the puddles and fell open…
And I saw it.
Two lines of text shimmered on the blank pages and the letters looked… alive.
"It wouldn't be good to walk around without a name. That draws attention. How about… Noah?"
"…Then it's settled. You'll be Noah."
My heart went wild.
"Noah…"
I muttered without realizing.
"My name is Noah."
Josh stopped.
"What did you say?"
"Noah…"
I repeated, slowly.
"That's my name."
Raul rolled his eyes.
"How cute. The amnesiac's got himself a name now."
Josh picked up the notebook, opened it, and flipped the pages.
Blank.
All blank.
"There's nothing here."
Raul grabbed the notebook and flipped it roughly.
"Nothing at all."
"Leave it, Raul."
Mei said, exhausted.
"If he wants to play, fine. He's Noah now."
She made a curt gesture.
"Get up."
Raul yanked me up by the arm, dragging me forward. Pain burned in my knees.
"Come on, 'Noah',"
he mocked.
"The Counselor will decide what to do with you."
The word sparked something else inside me.
Counselor.
"The Counselor… I need to talk to him!"
I blurted, urgent.
"He knows who I am!"
Mei turned slowly.
"What? Now you know the Counselor too?"
"I… I don't know!"
I answered too fast.
"But he… he knows me. I'm sure of it."
Raul laughed.
"Now we're talking."
"Where did you see the Counselor?"
Mei asked, serious.
The words hurt on the way out.
"A room… with a desk… he had a notebook just like this one. He said my name."
Josh and Mei traded glances.
Raul growled.
"Now he's delirious."
"I'm not…"
I tried to argue.
"He… he called me Noah."
Mei took a deep breath.
"We'll take him to the Counselor. He'll decide."
"That's it!"
Raul grinned, cruel.
"And if the Counselor doesn't want to listen, I'll do the honors."
"Shut up, Raul. You talk too much."
Josh muttered, and Raul turned his face away, furious, but didn't answer.
The tunnel stayed narrow, every step echoing too loud.
The notebook, now in Raul's hand, seemed to give off a faint warmth, a tiny pulse calling to me.
I could feel every beat, even from a distance.
And without noticing, I whispered:
"Noah…"
"What now?"
Raul snapped.
"It's my name."
I repeated and… I sounded happy?
"Congratulations!"
Raul mocked.
"You want cake too?"
"Enough,"
Mei cut in, and Josh came up to walk at my side.
"Noah, huh?"
he said, testing the name.
"If that's your name, hold on to it. Around here… names don't last very long."
Mei raised the light staff.
A side corridor opened up and, at the end, a crooked sign read:
PLATFORM B-2
"Straight ahead,"
Mei told everyone.
"The Counselor needs to know we found a stranger."
"A 'Noah'…"
Raul poked.
"A survivor,"
Josh corrected him, but Raul just let out a dry laugh.
I kept walking, whispering under my breath.
"Noah…"
"Noah…"
"Noah…"
Trying to make the sound feel… right. Trying to believe it was mine.
Because… I had the horrible feeling that the world knew exactly who I was.
And I didn't.