As his eyelids opened, Krisna was shocked to find himself in an empty space.
A emptiness stretching as far as the eye could see.
No objects, no matter.
The place where he stood felt wet, the sky above him looked shallow.
A void that could fit the entire world if placed inside it.
Krisna touched his chest that wasn't beating. Had he died?
Krisna turned to his empty surroundings. As he inhaled, his nose caught a scent difficult to describe in words.
"A-am I dead?"
His voice echoed.
His hands lifted toward his face, checking his entire body, in case there was any change.
"Thank goodness, nothing…"
Turning slowly to his surroundings, "Am I… really dead? … Lis, are you here?"
Only suffocating silence answered him.
Slowly, the tips of Krisna's nails changed color into gray, rising up to his hips—
as if that place wanted to swallow him.
The color change reached his neck—black smoke burst from his body—
now, from the tips of his hair to his feet, Krisna had transformed.
His body had disappeared, replaced by thick black smoke covering him.
His eyes had become empty space, hollow without light.
Laziness—or heaviness—fell on him like iron dropping from above, making Krisna stagger and collapse onto the floor.
The floor felt watery; when it entered his mouth, it tasted salty like seawater.
Krisna sat, stunned by the situation around him. His chest felt tight, his mind chaotic.
He curled up, the smoke rising from his body trembling with his mental state.
"Hey, you."
Krisna lifted his head, seeing a bright white silhouette of a woman, a stark contrast in this world.
Her long hair draped down, her facial expression clearly visible.
With hollow eyes, Krisna looked at the woman with confusion and countless questions.
"Who are you?" Krisna asked.
The girl's silhouette smiled, "I am… later you will know who I am."
"What do you want from me? To mock me like they did?"
Krisna said, his legs spreading slightly.
The girl went silent for a moment, then said, "No… I'm here to give you something."
"You want to give me something? What is it?" Krisna paused.
"Are you the General Student Council President?"
"Oh wow, I got caught. Yes, I am the General Student Council President."
The girl took a breath.
"You know, you are an anomaly that pierced reality and the universe," she continued.
"Wow, cool… so, where am I?" Krisna asked.
Stepping toward Krisna, "This is the mental world. One of my powers, btw."
She sat beside Krisna, "Cool, right?" she continued with a smile.
"Yes, cool," Krisna praised.
"You know… I'm so tired of my job… this and that. Tired, I want to rest!"
For a moment, the girl continued talking, complaining about her exhausting and troublesome work.
Krisna could only listen to her complaints, occasionally nodding.
With lips feeling heavy to speak, "S-so, am I… I mean… can I live here?" he asked, his eyes slowly returning to normal.
"Yes, you can. But you might be hunted for research… you're lucky you're not being chased by Millennium already," the girl said.
The girl stood, stepping directly in front of Krisna.
Their gazes met.
The wind began to blow; the place where they stood changed into land filled with grass and flowers—
the sky began painting itself, the sun began to shine.
"Sorry for being late. But… can you save my world?"
She extended her hand.
Krisna reached her hand—
and instantly his form returned to normal.
"Yes, I will save your world."
The girl's eyes seemed to shed tears; her smile bloomed as she saw Krisna.
Her body slowly dissolved into particles of light.
Krisna lifted his hand toward the falling particles. A smile spread on his face.
"You said you'd give me something…"
Krisna muttered.
Still smiling, Krisna turned to the world that had turned into grassland stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Thank you… the gift is already here. See you later…"
a whisper sounded near Krisna's ear.
Breathing in the scent of fresh grass, Krisna said, "Alright."
Crack.
The horizon shattered, the grassland distorted.
The sunlight disappeared as the girl departed.
Slowly, Krisna's body turned into particles and vanished.
When Krisna returned to his body, that world had become an empty place again.
---
Krisna's eyelids opened—now he wasn't greeted by an empty sky,
but a wooden ceiling, with Alisa looking at him with a pout.
Seeing Krisna awake, Alisa's smile brightened.
"Krisna, you're awake!" Alisa shouted.
"Aiko! Qia! Krisna's awake!" Alisa continued yelling for the two who were outside.
Krisna slowly rose, his head still ringing. He rubbed his head.
"Where… am I?" Krisna asked, his voice slightly hoarse.
Turning to Krisna, Alisa answered quickly, "You're inside the house," and then ran to find Aiko.
He took a breath, exhaled. He looked at his rough palms, slightly calloused.
"That was… amazing and terrifying," Krisna whispered softly.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In the highest room of the General Student Council Tower—
A girl sat on a black office chair that looked soft.
Her hand supported her head as she slept.
Her hair wasn't long nor short, her body covered in a white-silver uniform with dark blue accents and a golden emblem.
Cold air from the AC brushed her gently.
The floor had elegant blue-and-white square patterns.
Papers were stacked on her desk, with a single black pen beside the pile.
The room felt comfortable; although the AC made the air cold, strangely it felt warm.
Clack.
With a straight posture, long black hair flowing,
Her outfit consisting of a black blazer with blue accents, a white shirt, a straight knee-length black skirt, low heels, and a GSC emblem—
"President… wake up," she said softly but firmly.
The girl who was sleeping woke from her deep sleep.
"Yes, what is it, Rin?" the president answered softly.
Adjusting her glasses, "If there's work to do, it's better to do it first."
"Alright, Rin, you're the boss."
She waved her hand.
"Do you know someone named Krisna?" she continued.
"Krisna… who is that?" Rin asked, slightly confused.
———
To be continued…
———