In the pitch-black darkness, Dani woke up, feeling his body cold and weak. Thick fog surrounded the place, limiting his view. There was no sound, only a deafening silence. Dani tried to focus his thoughts, but his panic only grew.
He shouted, his voice echoing back to him like a mockery. "Is anyone there?! Help!" But there was no answer, only an echo that sounded increasingly terrifying.
"What is this? Hell? Am I dead?!" he thought in fear. He began running aimlessly, trying to find something that could give him answers. His breath was ragged, his body seemed to fight against itself to keep moving.
"I must be dead... That's it. Why did I die just like that? Am I so bad that I was thrown into an empty place like this?" Dani thought, confused. "Even God doesn't want to explain what happened to me."
Amid the fog, Dani saw something—a little girl curled up. Her crying was audible, so heart-wrenching that it made Dani stop.
---
Dani approached the girl, his knees trembling from a mix of fear and relief. "There's someone... There's someone here," he murmured. However, upon looking closer, something felt odd. The girl's clothing resembled medieval attire, like what he usually saw in movies.
"What is this? A cosplay world?" Dani thought, bewildered but also relieved.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked while squatting near the girl. But the girl kept crying without answering.
Dani tried to calm her. "It's okay, I'm here. We'll find a way out together," he said, trying to sound confident, though inside he was just as panicked.
The girl slowly stopped crying, then hugged Dani tightly. "I'm scared..." the girl's voice trembled.
Dani was startled, but he awkwardly returned the hug. "It's okay. I'm scared too, but we're together. We can figure out what's happening."
---
After a while, the girl finally calmed down. Dani, still sitting cross-legged, tried to ask for her name.
"My name is Neir," she answered, her voice hoarse from crying.
"I'm Dani," he introduced himself. "How did you end up here?"
Neir began to explain that she had suddenly felt immense pain, then woke up in this place. Dani listened in confusion, especially when Neir mentioned someone named Mr. Gharrick who was trying to help her before everything went dark.
Dani thought hard. "Who is Mr. Gharrick? What a strange name. Am I entering someone else's dream?" However, he chose not to voice his thoughts, trying to understand Neir's story.
It was Dani's turn to share. He explained that the last time he was at a retail store, about to pay for a drink. But suddenly, he felt excruciating pain in his left eye and ear, followed by blood flowing incessantly.
Neir listened with a surprised expression. "Retail store? What's that?" Neir thought to herself, but she didn't want to interrupt Dani's story.
---
When Dani tried to dig deeper into what Neir experienced before the incident, the girl seemed confused. "I... forgot. I only remember Mr. Gharrick..." Neir said.
However, before they could discuss further, a blinding white light suddenly appeared around them. The light was so dazzling that both of them couldn't open their eyes. Their bodies felt light, as if being pulled by something.
"Neir! What's happening?!" Dani shouted.
"I don't know either!" Neir replied, panicked.
Before any other words could be spoken, both their bodies began to fade, as if turning into specks of dust absorbed by the light.
---
Neir Wakes Up
Neir opened her eyes slowly. She was surprised to find herself lying in a familiar bed. Her mother Mariela's face was beside her, crying happily while hugging her tightly.
"Thank goodness, Neir! You're finally awake!" Mariela sobbed.
Neir was still disoriented but felt the warmth of her mother's embrace. "Mom... What happened?" she asked softly.
However, Mariela didn't answer, only continued hugging Neir, as if afraid of losing her again.
Neir opened her eyes slowly. The soft light from the candle on the table near her bed made her squint. She was surprised to find herself lying in her small, very familiar room. The scent of old wood mixed with spices from the distant kitchen calmed her heart a little, but her head still felt heavy, as if something was missing from her memory.
As she tried to get up, the sound of crying made her turn. Her mother Mariela's face, looking exhausted yet full of happiness, was beside her. Her mother's body trembled as she hugged Neir tightly, tears flowing unceasingly.
"Thank goodness, Neir! You're finally awake!" exclaimed Mariela, her voice raspy. She gripped Neir's hand tightly, as if unwilling to let go again.
Neir was still disoriented, her eyes searching for something around her. "Mom… What happened? Why am I..." her voice was weak, almost a whisper. But she didn't know how to finish that sentence. Her last memories felt jumbled—pain, darkness, and the unfamiliar voice of a young man.
Mariela only cried harder, shaking her head. "It's okay, sweetheart... It's okay now. You're home. You're safe." Those words were spoken with a tone of great relief, but the tremor in her voice couldn't be hidden.
Neir wanted to ask more, but there was a lingering fear inside her. Her body felt weak, and the green pendant she had previously held was no longer in her hand. However, she was too tired to question it at that moment.
---
Elsewhere, Dani jolted awake, his body feeling hot and sweaty. His breath was heavy, like someone just pulled from underwater. His eyes slowly opened, but the white light filling the room made him quickly close them again.
"I... where am I?" Dani thought, feeling confused. His head throbbed badly, as if being hammered by thousands of tiny mallets incessantly.
As he tried to move his hand, the sound of hurried footsteps came from a corner of the room. A young nurse who was checking a monitor near the bed turned, startled to see Dani conscious.
"Mr. Dani! You're awake?!" the nurse exclaimed, her voice full of surprise mixed with relief. She immediately left her medical equipment and ran out of the room without giving any explanation.
Dani could only stare at the clean white ceiling of the room, the scent of disinfectant stinging his nose. "Hospital...?" he thought. But his memory was hazy. Everything he saw and felt before this seemed like a nonsensical dream. The fog... That little girl... The white light...
He tried to speak, but his throat was dry and sore, only a hoarse sound coming out. With great effort, he forced his body to sit up, but he felt powerless.
"What happened to me?" he thought, furrowing his brow. He looked at his left hand, but nothing was strange—only trembling fingers. However, when he glanced at a small mirror in the corner of the room, he fell silent. His left eye felt odd, as if something was different, but he couldn't explain it.
Before he could process everything, the room door opened, and a doctor entered with the nurse from earlier. Their faces looked both shocked and relieved. "Mr. Dani, you are truly a miracle," the doctor said in a serious tone, but Dani couldn't grasp the meaning of that sentence.
All he knew was that something had changed, and that feeling made his heart beat fast.
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