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Darkness.
I knew what light was, loved it even. The many stars emitting their soft warm glow, how I adored them. But now? All that faces me is the darkness. And I think it’s staring at me.
An eye opens. Its red iris intimidates me yet I feel a strange pull. Familiarity, maybe? Another eye shows itself, then another and another. Soon, what used to be a featureless black void felt like a room full of stares.
In the weirdest display, I saw the black flesh morph. Changing color, changing texture. Some parts of my surroundings now look to be spotted with hardened regions of white not unlike bone. Not unlike… a Remnant.
Instinctively, I drew out my multitool only to be met with no such thing. Noticing my hesitation, the walls pushed in and I could see more of its hideous appearance. No doubt about it, it was one of them. The space around me shrank and continued to do so until I was left with what could be described as a wardrobe sized space. Its eyes still held their place in the black gooey flesh even with the limited surface area it had left.
A warm sensation pricked my feet. The remnant’s skin turned a slight pink hue which slowly transitioned into a saturated red. I knew what this was, yet there was no escape. Warmth filled the space I stood in. It was heating up. Then, in a split second, pain.
The pain that you might feel when you bring your finger to a fire, except millions of times worse and coursing through your entire body. Pain so great that it could bring the strongest warriors to their knees. Thirty thousand Velkin, heat so intense that it causes you to evaporate. I cried, screamed, kicked my already scorched feet.
Then, I was awake.
Before I knew it, I was gasping for air. My breathing was rushed and panicked.
It’s just a dream.
It’s just another one of them.
I’m fine.
I’m here.
Taking deep breaths, my mind soon calmed and my lungs followed. A quick reality check. My eyes soon readjusted and I was back.
The dark green fabric of the tent, various equipment spread across the ground, and even my multitool next to me. A sliver of warm inviting light shone its way through the entrance flaps of the tent. I sat down on my sleeping bag, hands pressed on the cold dirt. A good way of keeping myself grounded, I thought.
I grabbed the multitool and pocketed it for safekeeping. Looking over the neat stack of clothing in the far side of the tent, my hand reached for a simple t-shirt and shorts. With no real wake-up routine, I exit the tent to be met with a familiar face.
“Rei?”
“Morning, Cyd. How’s progress?” I said, a hint of fatigue in my voice.
A nod. “Going good." She tapped on the multiple digital screens hovering around her. "I managed to extract clean drinkable water from the clouds and nearby springs. It took a while but with enough filters, I think it’s enough to last.”
“Finally some good news,”
Ever since the Starseed was destroyed, me and Cyd have been trying to live off the land in the Ultravoid. It’s not going too great; the lack of equipment and manpower was and still is a big problem. For now, I’m thankful to have access to clean water at the very least.
“Rei?” a very familiar voice asked.
“I’m listening.” I scooped some water to wash up.
“Are you ok?”
A slight pause. After splashing water onto my face and drying it with my t-shirt, I sat back down on the still chilly grass. “Nightmares, the usual. No problem, really,” I responded.
Her avatar frowned. “Nightmares being commonplace is not ‘no problem’, Rei.” Cyd crouched where we could see each other eye to eye. “We’ll get over this together, ok?”she said as she held her arm to hold me by the cheek. I couldn’t feel it. I wished I did. I touched said arm only for my fingers to pass through, disappointed. Nonetheless, I could sense the warmth in her gesture and that was enough.
“Thanks, Cyd.”