It’s been some time now, yet this question refuses to leave my mind: what’s the real purpose behind all of this? Or rather... I still can’t quite understand what exactly Eryanis hopes to achieve with all these games we’ve been playing against each other.
Of course, by now it’s not as if I’m completely in the dark — a few pieces have started to fall into place. Even so, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more than the obvious, a hidden intent behind every move she makes. Deep down, I have a hunch about her reasons for acting this way.
But honestly, I could never picture Eryanis competing with me over something like that. Given the way she’s been behaving until now, it seemed highly unlikely that this was really the reason. Either way, I pushed the thought aside and stopped worrying about it.
At the moment, we were walking through the silent corridors of the facility, heading toward the final testing site. As usual, reactions were mixed as we advanced down the hall. Scientists paused their notes, guards straightened their stance, and on every face there was the same blend of confusion and unease.
Even so, I shrugged it off. In the end, whatever — there wasn’t much here that could really harm me. While I was still lost in my thoughts, Eryanis passed by me with that same lofty gaze as always, brimming with an almost ethereal confidence.
Her steps touched the ground with uncommon grace, so soft they were barely audible, as if the world itself bent to silence her. There was something unreal about her presence — a contrast of strength and delicacy — that made me picture her like a fae drifting just above the floor, guided by a grace that didn’t quite belong to this world.
The next instant, the metal door began to open slowly. There was no loud clang to accompany its movement — in fact, hardly a sound at all. Despite the heavy, intimidating appearance of the facility’s doors, their mechanism slid open with surprising smoothness.
When it finally parted, Eryanis and I — standing closest — were the first to glimpse inside. To be honest, my first impression was disappointment: the place looked... ordinary.
Just a square room, like any other in the facility. The walls, however, were paler, almost excessively bleached, as if their color had been drained over time or deliberately erased.
Still, nothing jumped out at first glance, no striking detail. It was the kind of simplicity that, paradoxically, felt unsettling — like it was hiding something behind its plainness.
With that thought, I activated my “Eyes” in the next moment. My irises shifted, endlessly changing hues, like a spiral rainbow in constant motion. When I looked inside again, I was stunned: the entire space glowed with countless colors, a chaotic spectacle like a psychedelic mosaic pulsing with its own life.
The contrast, the intensity — it was so much that looking at it felt uncomfortable, almost painful, even for me. In short, the “Space” inside that square wasn’t just unusual — it was a true anomaly, something that seemed unwilling to obey any laws.
At the same time, I was completely lost, my mind flooded with questions. Before I could stop myself, one single thought slipped out, as if it had taken on a life of its own and hurled itself at Laura and Emily: (What is this place?)
The moment I said those words, I turned my gaze toward Emily and Laura. They both reacted immediately: their eyes narrowed, their brows lifted in surprise, as if trying to decode my intent. In unison, they turned back to the interior of the room, staring intently, as though something in there might answer questions that hadn’t yet been asked.
It was then that Emily’s voice broke the silence, heavy with hesitation: “Place? I’m not really sure what you mean by that... Anyway, whatever it is you’re seeing in there, to us it was just a peculiar cluster of light we found in a specific region deep in the ocean. We didn’t know exactly what it was, but it shone so brightly it could be seen for miles, even in the depths. We brought it here and kept it in this room. But...”
As she spoke, Emily seemed to pause, gathering her thoughts with effort, as if she wasn’t even sure how to continue. Her voice sounded restrained, almost hesitant: “The cluster of light we brought... it disappeared. We don’t know how, or why. What we do know is that it left marks—something changed inside the room. Since then, we’ve kept the place locked. No one has been able to understand what really happened in there, not with the strange effects that appear every time we enter”
I stayed silent for a long time after Emily’s words. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think about it. I mean... a cluster of light? The description was far too vague, almost enigmatic. Ambiguous enough to make my mind spin in circles. At least, that’s what I thought.
Eryanis, who had remained silent until then, seemed to carry very different thoughts. I noticed the faint furrow in her brow, as if she were piecing together an invisible puzzle. Then, in a whisper that sounded more like a reflection than a direct question, she murmured beside me: “Could it be a fragment?”
It didn’t seem like the humans around had heard Eryanis’ words. To be honest, I only caught them thanks to my exceptional hearing. Instantly, I looked back, focusing on Althea, Nyara, and Nekra. The three were staring into the room, each with a distinct expression etched across her face.
Still, there was something they all shared: they weren’t showing genuine curiosity, as you’d expect, but rather a strange familiarity. It was almost as if they already knew, in advance, what those words meant. “Fragment” The term echoed in my mind, heavy and mysterious. But what exactly was it supposed to mean? Honestly, I had no idea.
With those thoughts, I ended up following Eryanis into the space—or rather, I was practically forced to follow her, since she moved beyond the threshold without hesitation. The moment we crossed the entrance, I noticed something strange. The room before us was... white. Strangely white.
It was as if every surface had been painted with the very essence of light, so bright it blinded my eyes for a brief moment. I couldn’t explain why I felt that way, but as I looked around, the only word echoing in my mind was “white” White, pure and absolute, as if we were inside a luminous void that seemed to shine on its own.
Yeah. In the next instant, as my eyes roamed the surroundings, I noticed something too strange to ignore. First, the door we had entered through simply didn’t exist anymore—no trace of it remained, as if it had never been there.
Second, Eryanis had vanished. I’m absolutely certain we crossed that threshold together; I can still remember the sensation of her presence beside me... yet now, there was no sign of her.
Even after scanning the area, the only thing that could be perceived was the uniform, pale tone dominating the place, like the whole world was covered in a solid fog. I kept observing silently, letting my gaze drift through the void for a while longer, until something caught my attention just a few inches from where I was.
It floated gently in the air, at eye level, as if defying every natural law. At first glance, it seemed like nothing more than an extremely thin shard of glass, but I soon noticed the subtle glow emanating from it—a faint, almost ethereal shimmer that somehow stood out in the pale, washed-out environment.
I didn’t have much else to do in that place, so I simply started walking toward the glass—or whatever that surface actually was. But with every step, a new sensation hit me. The space, which had once seemed merely vast, now felt as if it were expanding.
I’m sure that when I had looked down the corridor before entering, it had already been fairly large... but now, it was as if the walls and ceiling were subtly stretching, lengthening before me, as if the place itself were breathing and adjusting to my advance.
Moments later, I stopped in front of the glass. I stood there, staring at my own reflection for a few moments before reaching out and touching it. The instant my fingertips brushed the cold surface, I blinked... and everything changed.
My first reaction was pure confusion. With every passing second, that feeling only grew stronger. The icy night wind cut across my cheeks, making my skin sting, while the sound of rustling leaves kept pace with the uneven movement of my hair.
The damp smell of earth and wood filled my nose, and only then did I realize where I was: a fairly dense forest, wrapped in shadows that seemed to sway along with the trees.
But the strangest part was the unsettling sense of familiarity. I knew this forest—or rather, I knew this place. Forgetting it would be impossible. Every tree, every shadow, even the damp smell of the soil brought me back to a moment I could never erase from memory.
After all, this was exactly where I woke up for the very first time, when I opened my eyes and realized I was living in this body. In a few words, this was where it all began—the day I stopped being just me and became an anomaly.