I was sick and tired of this—sick of always coming back to this spot, sick of looking at the same things over and over again. Stuck here with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no memory whatsoever.
I got up and walked straight to the pond. I looked into it, but I saw no reflection this time. I reached in and touched the water. I didn't feel anything, and that only infuriated me. I couldn't figure out what was going on or why everything was happening. Being clueless and lonely was the worst thing I had experienced since I got here. Now more than ever, it truly felt like I had been abandoned.
I walked over to the flowers and plucked one, but nothing happened. They looked like regular flowers, and that made me angry as well. I pulled another one out, and then another. I kept pulling and thrashing the flowers around the pond until I calmed down a little. Then I walked back toward the pond and put my hand in, all the way up to my shoulder. Just as I couldn't see my reflection, I also couldn't see my arm as it went into the water. I yanked it out, took a step back, and leapt into the pond. It didn't feel deep, and I couldn't see under the water even though it was perfectly clear. Frustrated, I climbed back out and sat in front of it.
"I can't stop here," I thought to myself.
I picked up the flowers scattered on the ground and threw them into the pond, but they simply disappeared into the water. Nothing happened.
I stood up from where I had been sitting and walked toward the spot where I had seen the creatures. When I got there, I closed my eyes and forced myself to think about the dark side, the monsters, and the voices. But when I opened them, nothing had changed. I tried again and again, but still nothing. All I earned was a headache. I didn't feel anything following me—instead, I felt a strong sense of loneliness and emptiness. I could feel it: there was nothing left here, at least not anymore. It felt exactly like the first time I had opened my eyes in this place.
I started wandering through the forest, searching for something—anything—but there was nothing. It felt like I had been abandoned.
An idea came to mind, and I crouched down and began digging. I didn't know what I was looking for, and I didn't know what I wanted, but I kept digging and digging. There was nothing. Eventually, I stood up and continued walking. Over time, my frustration only grew worse.
I decided to go back to the starting point and sit there. I ran my fingers over the rough top of the tree stump and its equally rough sides. It looked like it had been there for a long time, yet at the same time it seemed freshly severed. Who had cut this tree? Why hadn't I noticed it before? None of that mattered. It was just a tree. Ordinary. Meaningless.
I walked back to the pond, scooped a handful of water, and drank. As usual, it felt refreshing. Suddenly, I heard my name again. This time it sounded closer, accompanied by the rustling of leaves, as though someone was approaching.
I stood up and turned. A woman stood there, about my height, dark-skinned like me. She was facing away, not swaying, not breathing—perfectly still, as if she had been waiting. Had she turned around after reaching that spot… or had she walked backward the whole way?
Cautiously, I approached her. I placed a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she turned to face me.
I stumbled back in shock. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. She had no face. There was a head, hair, a body—but no eyes, no mouth, no features at all. Nothing to suggest it had ever been covered. Yet somehow, I still heard my name. The voice wasn't muffled—it was clear, as though it spoke directly into my mind, a telepathic echo.
She felt so familiar. So close. Like I had known her all my life.
I took her left hand in mine and touched the side of her face with my right. The first word slipped out, shaky and desperate, more like a broken whisper than a shout.
"Mom."
She didn't move. But the voice stopped. She just stood there.
Tears streamed down my face. Finally—someone I knew. Someone that was mine.
"Mom," I called out again. But she didn't move. She didn't react. And then, I heard my name once more.
I shook her, desperate for a response, but she remained still. Confusion swallowed me. I didn't know what to do.
Then suddenly, she grabbed my shoulders. Before I could react, she pulled both of us into the pond.
It all happened so fast that I just shut my eyes. When I opened them again, I wasn't at the starting point. I was still in the water—and this time, I felt it. The chill clung to my skin. My clothes were soaked. I was truly wet.
But she wasn't there with me.
I looked around. There was only water—no ground beneath me, no living creatures around me. I tried to swim, but my limbs felt unbearably heavy. I couldn't move. I just kept sinking.
I ran out of air, slowly, desperately. How was this happening? I was drowning.
I hadn't felt anything like this since I had come here—but this was real. My chest ached, excruciating. My heart thundered, faster and faster. My eyes slid shut. All I felt was the darkness.
I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't move. My limbs were lead, and my chest screamed with pain. Then—suddenly—a jolt of electricity hit my chest. My body convulsed. Another shock ripped through me, surging all the way to my head.
The pain was overwhelming. My consciousness began to slip away.
And then—everything went blank.