What a beautiful day.
In an age of Change, a boy lying motionless on the cold floor opened his eyes for what felt like the first time, in an oppressive darkness. His skin was pale and his long black hair fell over his shoulders. He was of average height, his eyes black as ink, with dark circles beneath them, a testament to his exhaustion. On both of his hands were gloves marked with indistinguishable symbols.
He opened his eyes and tried to rise, only to fall back down. Frowning, he slowly placed his right hand against his forehead. A faint discomfort pulsed in his head, making him dizzy, clouding his vision. His whole body felt numb, as though he had just awakened from a long hibernation.
After a few seconds, his mind gradually cleared and his sight sharpened, allowing him to glimpse the scenery, or at least what little was visible in that moment. Everything was shrouded in darkness, save for a distant light glimmering far away. He had no idea where he was or who he was. His mind was utterly blank. The only thing he remembered was waking up in this place.
Gathering all his strength into his legs, he managed to push himself upright and stretched his stiff limbs before casting a glance at his surroundings. Everything seemed unreal. From the two massive moons suspended above his head to the distant tower casting its glow upon the horizon, the only source of light in sight. Even the air felt unnatural.
There was almost no wind, only a faint oppressive presence that occasionally brushed against his skin. Not cold, not warm, but just threatening... an inexplicable sensation. The ground beneath him was hard and perfectly flat, stretching endlessly in every direction, without any visible obstacle or variation. Aside from that tower, he doubted there was anything or anyone else to be found here.
"What is this place?"
And yet, despite his fragile state, he remained strangely calm. A slight discomfort lingered in his head from his awakening, but his senses were mostly clear. He wasn't sure if his calm stemmed from a complete lack of reason or simply having no concept of fear.
"Are you all right, sir?"
The trembling voice came suddenly from behind him, forcing him to turn reflexively. Just a few steps away stood a young girl with wide, anxious eyes, her body shaking slightly as she approached with cautious steps. She had black hair, wore a blue dress, and her gaze was full of incomprehension. But above all, her face seemed so similar to his own. She seemed like a younger, more fragile version of himself.
"Is she my sister? Someone from my family?"
"Yes," he replied, forcing a gentle smile.
"You really don't have the kind of face for smiling, sir," she muttered, still watching him warily.
He blinked, surprised at how quickly her fear seemed to fade. He slowly stepped closer, and she stopped backing away.
"Who are you? And you wouldn't happen to know where we are, by any chance?" he asked.
"I am Celestia, I think… I'm not sure. I just remember a blinding light and a white bird. Then I was here. I woke up a few minutes before you. But my mind is completely empty."
"Okay, okay, I get it," he interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. Either she was truly amnesiac like him, or she was not telling him the whole truth.
"Seems like you are just as lost as I am," he concluded.
"I'm sorry. Please don't leave me alone. I feel like I'll lose my sanity if I stay here by myself," she said, fists clenched.
He gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry. I won't leave you."
He didn't know why or how, but he felt a strong urge to protect her. It was more than just the resemblance. Something invisible pulled him toward her. That was the main reason he decided to trust what she just said for now.
"We should focus on getting out of here while we still can," he said firmly. "I think we should head toward that tower. If there's light, there must also be some kind of civilization."
She nodded. "Yeah. I think it's our best option. If we wander blindly in the dark without a landmark, we'd just get more lost."
He smiled. "Let's go, then."
She nodded again and stepped closer. Together, they began walking toward the distant glow, their first glimpse of hope in this strange, silent world.
After a moment, Celestia glanced at him and asked, "I nearly forgot my manners. What's your name?"
He raised an eyebrow as they walked, his mind in turmoil, searching for an identity he had never truly lost. "Good question."
He hadn't given it a thought since his awakening. Truthfully, it had been the least of his concerns until now. Yet, the moment he tried to recall that small detail, it came to him as if it were obvious.
"Ice," he said, taking a few steps forward, leaving Celestia rooted to the spot. She stared at him as if he were an alien before quickening her pace slightly to catch up, walking by his side, always a few steps behind in an odd silence. Ice glanced at her before letting out a small sigh and turning his gaze back to the horizon.
"It definitely sounded better in my head."
As soon as the name left his lips, it felt strangely more like a reflex than a memory, as if this place itself had named him. Even he couldn't help but think how ridiculous the name sounded. Celestia's name was also quite unusual, but his was literally the name of an object.
Shaking his head slightly, he tried to sort through his thoughts, slowing his steps to match Celestia's already leisurely pace. While keeping in mind the need to conserve their strength, their goal was simple: to find other people who could help them and perhaps explain just how desperate their situation was.
Ice walked in contemplative silence, marveling at the landscape that seemed utterly unreal. The landscape was surreal, as intriguing as it was frightening. The two gigantic moons dominated the sky with their light, yet seemed so distant from the dim surface. And then there was that unknown tower in the distance, as if it had stolen all the light for itself like an overly greedy firefly.
However, even though he seemed a little spaced out, lost in the scenery, his mind was still racing. Ice was struggling inside, trying to piece together every single fragment of information he had.
"I don't remember anything except waking up here not long ago. But that can't be right. I'm speaking a language, the same as Celestia, I'm obviously not a newborn. And then there's my name."
No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand how his mind could be so empty and yet still hold some basic knowledge.
"I don't even have any idea what I look like. So how was I so sure this girl looked like me the moment I saw her?"
"Ouch."
Lost in thought, he felt a sharp pain on his wrist, bringing him back from his fleeting thoughts. He looked down and saw the little girl frowning at him.
"I repeat, do you have any idea how we're connected? Like I said, my memory is pretty fuzzy…" she said, scrutinizing him. "And we do look strangely alike."
"I think we must be related by blood," he said, gently rubbing her hand. "Apart from your slightly annoying personality, we do look quite similar."
"Are you serious?" she asked, her voice full of irritation. "You're the one who's not exactly normal. Did you see the blank look you had earlier, fearless, like a ghost? What kind of normal person reacts so casually in darkness like this? And what kind of parents name their kid Ice, seriously?"
"She's got a sharp tongue too."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, glancing at Celestia, who had already raised her shoulders proudly, looking satisfied. "Not even counting that we likely have the same parents, you're not really in a position to judge with yours... Celestia."
They fell silent for a second, then both let out a small laugh, giving them brief relief, pulling them slightly away from their nearly hopeless situation. They might not have known each other just moments ago, but oddly, it already felt like they could face the world side by side. As if they had been acquainted for years... for ages.
They grew quiet again and kept walking in a darkness that no longer seemed absolute until Ice asked, "Don't you think it's getting less dark?" Even though it still seemed quite blurry, he felt his vision had already improved significantly after these few minutes.
"Yes, I thought so too. But I figured maybe it was just our eyes adjusting."
He looked around before answering, "Not just that."
Celestia suddenly stopped, frozen by a fear Ice couldn't quite grasp. And just as he was about to ask the reason for her halt, he froze too. Footsteps echoed nearby, silencing him with his own words.
They turned toward the sound and saw a strange silhouette wandering in the darkness. It was a creature with a humanoid shape, several meters tall, slightly hunched over, with long teeth hanging down. Its face was quite peculiar, with just two eyes and those two sharp teeth that seemed to protrude from nowhere.
Ice didn't need any special knowledge of his past to know that this thing would be utterly hostile to them.
"So that's fear," he thought, his gaze on his slightly trembling hand.
Observing the strange beast, he realized fear was far from an abstract concept to him. Perhaps when he just awoke, his emotions were still asleep too. But he could feel it at full force now, and it clouded his judgment like any other emotion could. His trembling hands and his heart threatening to burst in his chest were proof enough.
"Do not come this way," he pleaded.
As if responding to his silent prayer, the creature continued its path in the darkness without paying them the slightest attention, dragging its feet slightly, each step more unsettling than the last.
He glanced at Celestia, who seemed in complete shock, her arms trembling like a quake and her once-innocent eyes now filled with inexplicable fear. She was barely able to put one foot in front of the other to escape.
"I guess that's how a normal person would react."
She recovered quickly, however, and tried to quicken her pace to get away, the wisest choice, but Ice grabbed her arm firmly, stopping her abruptly. She turned toward him and saw him press a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay silent.
She didn't understand why he wanted her to stay still, but she chose to follow his words, even though they seemed insane.
Ice forced himself to ensure she didn't feel his hand trembling in hers. Looking at her with a relative calm he didn't quite think he'd find again, he whispered, "I don't think it noticed us."
She shot him a doubtful look and whispered back, "Why do you think so?"
He leaned closer. "If it saw us, it would've already come for us."
"So we wait. If it keeps going, maybe we'll stay out of sight. With a little luck, it's even blind with those nearly closed eyes. That would explain why we're the only ones who see it."
She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again. She stayed quiet, staring at the beast as it got closer. She didn't like the direction this situation was heading, but if Ice and the monster were both antagonistic for, then she was done for. That much was certain.
She gave him one last look of resignation, then stopped, waiting too. Even if he seemed a little strange and detached, Ice didn't strike her as suicidal, nor as someone who would give up without a fight. Maybe someone who would give up on her… that she didn't yet know.
When it moved far enough away, they both held their breath, preparing to start moving again. But they stopped just as quickly. Already almost at the edge of the visible light, the monster slowed its steps slightly before turning its hideous head toward them in a motion that would break a normal being's neck.
Paradoxically, the beast's eyes were completely closed, but they were certain it was looking at them. It had no mouth either, yet they could see its face contort, forming words that would remain etched in their memory in an eerie voice that sounded more like a series of screeches.
"We shall reach the light."
They looked at each other for a brief instant before dashing as if their lives depended on it, because they did.
They didn't need to check the beast to know it was after them. They could hear its sharp, piercing cries getting closer and closer.
They bolted.
The beast lunged after them, its long legs carrying it forward in awkward strides. It was slower than Ice had expected, but it still kept up with them, showing no sign of tiring, while they were already almost out of breath.
Ice racked his brain for an idea, but the creature was gaining on them, and they were slowing down. No solution seemed possible.
They could split up. Maybe at least one of them would survive.
But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if it meant half a chance for both, he couldn't trust luck to protect her. He was almost reluctant to be the one the beast would ignore. And it wasn't because he didn't value his own life, not in the slightest, quite the contrary.
In fact, his desire to live was so intense it could almost burn their pursuer if he could manifest it. It was just that the girl he had just met had already become that important to him.
But if he was also the one to fall here, Celestia's already slim chances would drop to almost zero. She didn't seem ready to face whatever might be lurking in this place. Then again, who would be…
Just as the beast was about to reach them, Celestia tripped and fell, unable to keep up with Ice's pace as he pulled her along. He stopped immediately and threw himself over her without even thinking, shielding her with his body.
The beast's claw struck his back, sending them flying several meters away before it resumed its charge toward them, eliciting screams of unimaginable pain from him.
Ice lunged toward Celestia, who still hadn't gotten up, holding her tightly. He hugged her closer, hiding his shaking arm while he could feel Celestia's powerless little arms clinging to him with all her strength, awaiting their impending demise, a final blow that never came.
A high-pitched sound, like glass shattering, could be heard resonating in their ears like a call. It seemed almost insignificant, yet the beast slowed down, took a step toward them, then another, and stopped altogether, turned toward the noise, and, miraculously, overlooked them.
It moved away slowly until it vanished into the darkness, out of sight, repeating the same words.
They stayed frozen in shock, barely believing they were still alive. But they were. Ice was scratched up, his back burning with pain, but considering what had just happened, they were quite lucky to still be in a capacity to feel anything at all.
"Who was that?" he wondered, helping Celestia up.
"You okay?" he asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"Yeah… my foot just hurts a bit. I'm sorry for being such a burden," she said with teary eyes.
He managed a small smile and patted her head. "Don't worry. It was my choice. I don't know how, but I promise we'll get through this."
"Of course you will."
A voice answered from the darkness, approaching slowly. They turned to see someone step into the light—a boy about their age, carrying a torch in one hand and a sword in the other. He was pale, with blond hair and sharp red eyes.
"Who are you?" Ice's eyes narrowed. Savior or not, he couldn't let his guard down, not when he knew so little about this place.
"I'm Ray," the boy said. "You two don't seem to have any idea where you are, do you?"
"Yeah, absolutely no idea," Ice replied, his gaze on the sword.
"We're in hell," Ray said in a tone far too relaxed.
"You mean literally?" Ice asked, trying to sound as neutral as possible. But what he had just heard sent him into utter fear. He desperately wanted to get out of here; he had just made an unfounded promise that they would escape this place. But if those words were true… how does one escape hell?
"No, I wouldn't claim to be able to escape the real hell, but it's the most fitting description I could come up for this place."
He stepped a few paces closer to them before giving them a complicated smile, half hope, half madness.
"Welcome to the Prison time.''