(Viewpoint: Roum)
I don't know how long I stay there, motionless at the edge of the platform.
The artificial wind glides over the uniform, slower now, almost lazy.
The dome beneath our feet changes hue. The gold becomes darker. A layer of red and twilight yellow settles in.
Was it night?
She is… bland
False
Dosed
But so beautiful
A warm, pulsating light appears in the distance.
Alive.
– That's a lot, isn't it?
– haha !
I jumped slightly
Ela's voice reaches me from behind me.
– yes… you could say that
– The camp.
I frown.
– the what?
– Never go there alone, it's the level closest to the outside but also the most dangerous for us
Ela rises slightly from the platform and extends her hand to me.
– I'm having trouble following you, I'm a bit suspicious.
The platform descended slowly beneath me the higher I went, like an open elevator.
Below, a circular space is revealed.
Low lights.
Simple structures.
People in the void
But in my mind we were the only ones
Finally… something that resembles it.
A pink, orange, irregular sky.
It crackles silently.
"It's peaceful," I murmured.
Ela puckered her lips in a smile.
– my clumsy one.
Distance disappears.
The uniform relaxes with me and my fingers intertwine with his, floating in absolute emptiness.
The air is different.
Heavier.
Charged with something invisible.
"What did they do?" I murmured.
- enjoy .
I look deep into her eyes.
My fingers move up and slide along her face
– Asmara is here.
I look away.
- Here ?
"It was a joke," Ela continued, "you seemed so serious."
– it wasn't funny
She looks at me.
– hum~.
A silence falls between us.
A little awkward.
Dense.
Then she laughed.
A short laugh. Almost nervous.
– let's look a little further, we might make some friends.
I grabbed her arm and she just pulled me along.
A girl I've never seen.
Short hair. Tired look.
She danced in the air like one of her shadows.
– I'm not pulling you too hard.
I approach slowly.
"Is everything alright?" I asked.
She blinks her eyes.
– Why a question like that all of a sudden?
–.... For nothing
The heat of the sky is not real.
But my body still reacts.
"And you, is everything alright?" she asked.
- I don't know ?
She smiled.
– You're looking at it like it's the end.
I shrug.
– This is the end, I've had that feeling ever since I arrived.
Hollow gaze.
The silence intensifies.
She starts tapping her finger
A slow pace.
Tac.
Tac.
Tac.
Then our hands detach.
My heart settles
Our silhouettes recede into the void
"What is it?" I murmured.
"Don't be afraid, seize every moment, because every mission means giving up hope," Ela said. "That's our motto, to remember we're still here."
The sky is changing color.
A deeper red.
Almost blood.
My stomach clenches.
I look away.
– we're going to die anyway
Ela watching me intently.
– You didn't understand
I lower my eyes.
– I am still… a burden, I did nothing to be here, I don't even remember.
Ela smiled gently.
I remain alone.
The Dome below me
My heart
The heartbeats have stopped.
Ela watches me come back.
She gets up and puts a hand on my shoulder.
But for the first time…
I don't want to leave.
And that,
Losing everything scares me even more.