As soon as I entered here, it felt like after a long darkness, my senses shook with a strange alertness — a shiver at the smell of heat, wind, and ruin.
Tears began to roll down unconsciously, and I understood — this was no longer the world I knew. This was a realm of ruin, where the word 'peace' lived only in the pages of history...
While falling from the sky, the sting of the wind felt like a mockery of survival. It reminded me of my life. If it weren't for that, I too would be stuck here forever, unable to experience this strange new sensation.
A huge ocean lay directly below the lake, and a shore was faintly visible ahead. But that wasn't the surprising part.
Right before my eyes floated a massive island suspended in the air. As if some unknown, holy force was cradling it upon its breath. Around this monstrous island floated several smaller pieces of land.
Those floating islands were beautiful and serene compared to the ruin below. Perhaps, being above, they had been saved from the wrath of time and the earth.
At the center of that massive, luminous island stood an impressive palace, as if built from pure marble and threads of gold. I thought I saw a few faint shadows moving within it. Perhaps it was just a trick of the mind.
This world was completely black and white — no color, no life, no happiness, no peace. Pure ruin.
I fell into the ocean. This feeling was nothing new, except this time, I floated to the surface unexpectedly.
For the first time, I hadn't been pulled under. Somehow, I came back with my life intact, and my whole body was soaked.
Then I noticed — I was still wearing my school uniform. Which meant…perhaps I had been at school right before arriving here?
Was it really so?
I tried to remember for a moment.
Most likely, this morning I had gone to school.
On the way back, one of my best friends, Amrita, called out to me.
"Hey Ishaan! Did you know? An old woman near our school sells intriguing, mysterious storybooks!" she said.
I replied, "I don't read storybooks, and you already know that! So why babble again?"
She smiled mischievously and said, "Hey boy, if it wouldn't benefit you, why would I tell you?"
Then I asked, "What do you mean?"
She winked and replied, "That shop has magic spell books too, bro!"
Delighted, I said, "Why didn't you say this earlier?"
Pouting, she said, "I was trying to, idiot!"
Then I had to treat her to an ice cream as a peace offering, and she waved a mysterious smile and said goodbye.
I think she acted this crazy just for that ice cream. What a glutton and chatterbox! Though if she ever heard this, she'd probably grind me like a mango paste with salt and chilies!
And now, standing in the ruins of death and devastation, I can only wonder — how those tiny moments of happiness felt immortally significant! Perhaps I didn't realize then that those tiny moments of joy were the very nectar of life.
After that, I returned home, listened to the usual nagging, and sat down in my room. Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming urge to read the mysterious book she spoke of. I promised myself I'd go and buy it the very next day, no matter the cost, just to find out if Amrita's words held any truth.
Then, lying in bed, surrounded by silence and loneliness, I thought — ah, if only someone like me existed in this world! Not necessarily like me, but at least with powers like mine… I'd walk any path to find such a person.
That's how I tried to justify my own strange thoughts.
After that, I must've fallen asleep. I remember nothing until I arrived here. Yet none of this made any sense.
If I were truly asleep, this should have been a dream. But this is no dream. Not at all!!
I shook myself out of those thoughts and started focusing on my surroundings. Straight ahead, the shore was quite a distance away — five or six hours, at least!
Uh… maybe I exaggerated a bit. At least an hour or so.
Around me floated countless wrecked ships upon the ocean, and I could spot some human corpses too. Yet some didn't appear to be human at all.
To my left, I noticed a small boat drifting nearby. Everything else was too ruined to be used. So I thought — why not take this boat to shore?
Reaching the boat, I noticed a bloody corpse upon it. The blood didn't seem like blood anymore, for this world was entirely black and white.
To be honest, the scariest things existed only in my own mind. I wasn't the sort to openly display my emotions, so others often mistook me for some heartless beast. They never truly knew how I felt.
It was the same here. Even if the dead man could speak, he'd probably say, "What a strange being!"
I didn't know what to do. Suddenly, an idea came — why not remove the body from the boat and use it myself?
To be honest, no sixteen-year-old boy would make such a decision.
But what other choice did I have? Bound by fate, I had no option but to step into the boat.
As I looked closer, a shiver ran down my spine. The being had horns and a monstrous face — the sort I had only read about in stories. Yet here it lay before me, a stranger claimed by death.
My voice quaked as I wondered — what truly separates the death of this beast from that of a human? In this strange land, we're all just names in the ledger of doom.
I checked for a pulse. Indeed, this being had long departed. But why hadn't its body decayed?
With no answer, I mustered the strength and courage to lift its body and drop it into the sea. The body sank face-up, its chest torn open, hinting at the brutal agony it had suffered. Somehow, I felt a twinge of pity for it.
I used seawater to wash the blood from the boat. Not that it looked like blood anymore — it was as black as coal. Yet the ocean shimmered with a mesmerizing beauty, as if infused with some ancient magic.
Then I set the boat in motion and started rowing toward the shore.
Around me, this world revealed itself like a scene from some forbidden chapter of time — a boy rowing across a vast expanse of black and white water, surrounded by countless wrecked ships and bloodied corpses, relics of some horrific tragedy.
In the distance, a huge ship lay broken cleanly in half.
Beyond the shore rose a sprawling jungle, its trees twisted and torn from some brutal force, littering the land like broken threads. At the edge of the path, a cave yawned darkly.
To the right was an active volcano, belching fire and smoke, merging with the edges of the forest. To the left, an icy Himalayan range rose, covered in glistening snow, merging seamlessly with the jungle.
Then, looking to the heavens, I witnessed a colossal storm gathering. The skies roared, launching countless lightning bolts like ancient curses. The wind surged with a force a hundred times stronger than any ordinary gale.
Suddenly, a massive tornado descended from the heavens, infused with lightning. Its impact upon the ocean shook the world.
As soon as the tornado touched the surface, the ocean revealed its true nature. This was no water — it was a Sea of Blood!
The lightning-lit tornado twisted violently, swirling the crimson waves into a monstrous dance. A terrible storm was being born — one that could destroy the world once more.
Yet I knew this would take some time, so I started rowing furiously, desperate to reach the shore.
In that moment, I noticed two more tornadoes forming. From the volcanic ridge came a fiery whirlwind, and from the icy mountains descended a tornado of ice. Together, these monstrous forces surged towards one another, as if warring gods destined to collide, shaping the final symphony of doom.
Both drew closer and closer, like predators poised to consume this insignificant life. Yet I felt a strange sense of relief knowing that the shore, the edge of the forest, was beyond the reach of their terror.
After roughly an hour, I finally reached the shore. Abandoning the boat, I stepped from the water onto the soft, dry sand.
Ah! At last!! Land!!
I sank down, exhausted, yet deeply comforted. My throat was parched, but the thought of drinking from that crimson ocean was unthinkable.
The world itself was a canvas of black and white — no hint of color, no warmth, no joy.
I sat upon the beach for a long moment, gazing out to where the ice and volcanic tornadoes would soon swallow the electric tempest upon the crimson sea.
Moments later, the three monstrous forces collided, merging into a massive shockwave that shook the planet itself. The blast was so intense it tore at my ears, drawing blood, burning with pain.
Through that agony, I noticed an enormous storm rushing toward me. I sprinted desperately for the forest, but it was too far. Before I could make it, the ferocious wind lifted me from the sand and hurled me deep into the woods.
Then, suddenly, I noticed a strange phenomenon. Above the monstrous tornado, the heavens appeared to crack like glass, revealing another world beyond. From this rupture emerged a mysterious, serpent-like entity.
The moment it appeared, everything stopped. I froze midair, unable to move a finger. Time itself came to a halt, as if a god possessed the moment.
Beside this being, the monstrous tornado dissipated completely, erased from existence. Not a trace remained, as if wiped from reality.
Through that crack in the heavens came another entity, just as magnificent, equally captivating, and equally fearsome. Together, they descended towards me, weaving a dance upon the air. I watched, unable to comprehend, unable to breathe.
They weren't snakes.
They weren't beasts.
They were dragons!!
Yes! Dragons!!
Mythical creatures of ancient flame!! Their sheer scale was unimaginable — I was smaller than the tip of their nose. Yet how captivating and mysterious they were, like gods upon the canvas of reality!
The first dragon shimmered in shades of white and gold, the second in shadow and gold. These weren't the winged dragons of Japanese, Chinese, or Bhutanese folklore. These were draconic forms beyond any earthly myth.
Pure, unfathomable wonder!
They stopped before me, and through a strange telepathy, spoke words that shook my very soul:-
"Time and Space - was creted by one, is being maintained by one and will be destroyed by That One."
"That One - was created by another one, being maintained by another one and will be destroyed by that Another One"
Their words, though strange and unfathomable, felt as if every character was etched upon my very being. Even if I didn't understand their language, it resonated deep within my core.
Time and wind held still upon their arrival, and upon their departure, it felt as if a new era of ruin and mystery had been announced.
No matter how learned I considered myself, true knowledge can never be complete.
Their telepathy — a force I had only read about in fantasy books — was one such miracle. A method used by great beings to communicate within the mind, beyond sound or speech.
The dragon of gold and white disappeared through the crack in the heavens, and as soon as it departed, time resumed its course, as if blessed by some god of eternity.
The wind swept me across the shore, yet as soon as I crossed the forest's edge, the gales disappeared. An unseen barrier held dominion over this place, warding away the forces of doom.
Then I truly understood.
This world is steeped in the essence of mystery.
The unimaginable dwells beyond the veil of human knowledge.
Here, lightning strikes under a cloudless sky.
Here, all is chaos.
Here, the threads of reality itself dissolve into mist.
What a wondrous realm! What a captivating fantasy!!