Maybe it was a dream or just a mere thought of Noen Vale, where he found himself in an unknown space, walking forever. There was no object he could see, only the dark space and him. And in all of that, his footsteps echoed like a recurring voice; his breath, his heart, all felt lumped, and the air around him felt cold, passing through his bare skin.
It felt endless to him, yet he kept walking to find the end of it. Time didn't seem to pass by, but the space kept moving.
He walked and walked — sometimes in an inverted world, sometimes in a reflecting mirror. It all seemed like a loop, like a world of inverted mirrors, until everything shattered as he found himself stuck in front of a cliff.
In its depth, something was glowing.
Its shimmering light shone like jewels, brightening the dark void with its colourful light. Its purple shade flowed like water, and all of that created a stream that flowed endlessly.
He stood there at the cliff, looking below the depth, and without a moment of thought, he jumped. His legs pushed forward from the ground, and with a swift, he landed across it —
Or did he?
Crack
"…??"
He fell into the depths, and while he was in the air, his face felt emotionless like he was used to it, and without a question in his mind, he fell into it. The flowing waves of seemingly mystical water took him along with it.
***
Noen Vale stood beside the flowing river, and the darkness which covered the void like a devouring beast was now slowly lighting up with shades of pink and green.
He was standing still, looking at the sky like he was lost, as his eyes saw the mystical sky brightened with tiny little stars, and at its center, a crescent moon hung, shining in its bright moonlight.
The air was cold, yet it felt warm to him as his eyes noticed the life around — the trees, flowers, mystical beasts — all of them were around, scattered in this place.
He was confused about what this place was, but then, as he took a step forward, a series of film strips passed through both of his sides like a passing train.
Each frame was imprinted with one of his memories, from the day he was born to the end of his life; all of it slowly passed by him.
His gaze lightened a little when he saw his family in one of the frames. He moved closer to it, touching it with a gentle firmness, but then his gaze saddened when he saw his parents die. It was the day he regretted the most, the day when he cried the most. After that, his life became a misery.
The film slowly moved as he saw more of his past, his eyes downcast, looking at his childhood after his parents died —
This was the day when my uncle took me in, "heh, how naive I was."
"But what could a child have known? That in this world, kindness does not exist."
Behind those masks, people are always ready to stab you in the back.
I still remember, I was just eight at that time when they took care of me — until one day, they all changed. They started to exploit and use me so they could authorize my parents' property and the money they left. I still remember how many times I was beaten; I still feel that pain until this day, which I got numb to by the passing time.
When I was in high school, my only friend that I trusted the most betrayed me, turning me down to the bullies.
Because of that, my school life didn't go calmly.
And because of that, I stopped trusting others. But when I graduated, I met a friend and found a new hope again.
"How pathetic I was. Why did I always forget that kindness does not exist in this world?"
I started a business in which my friend helped me, and the effort I put in made me reach the top. But one day everything collapsed, everything that I wished for vanished when my own company went bankrupt. I took a loan — I don't know how many I took…
But it was too late when I came to know.
My company went bankrupt because of my friend that I trusted the most. And at the end, what happened?
"Hehe."
I was burned alive at my own house by the people sent by my two-sided friend.
". . ."
The film passed until it reached the end. Noen Vale stood motionless at the center, his face sad, more depressing than he was before.
But still, in all of that, his gaze landed on a frame standing alone in between the side-by strips. It was there, glitching like a bad TV. Its chroma made him feel uneasy.
Yet he moved closer, more closer, as the world started to tone down into something dull before it turned into black and white, glitching profusely in the space.
He stretched his hand, and like a fading black, the world vanished as his other memories shattered like mirrors.
And before he could touch it, a bright flashing light blinded his eyes. Everything went corrupt around him as it all turned black before he lost his consciousness, falling into the darkness.
***
His eyes opened with a jolt, perceiving the scenery around him. He was back to reality, confused, but his eyes soon turned back to normal — but more depressing.
He sat up, taking support from a nearby tree, looking at the bright sunset. As the time passed, he said in a deep murmur,
"What's the point of living now? This world already hates me."
"Hope doesn't exist for me; my hope to live had died long ago."
"I wish I could restart everything from the start… not suffer like this with my undying ability."
He sat, his depressed look was piercing the sky, and just like that, days passed, or months or even a year.
Noen Vale sat there alone. He saw the world burn — every war, everything, even the life changing around him — but he still didn't move from that place until he fell like a fallen corpse.
He was lifeless as the rain poured above him. Moss had long ago covered his body; his eyes had long gone pale.
The rain kept pouring harder until someone wearing a straw hat moved closer, and in the murmuring sound of tiny droplets, Noen Vale went unconscious.
***