They say there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

But if—if life were but an endless corridor devoid of any light of hope, would you still push ahead?

Why, Monika?

Why? Why do you do this to yourself? You died. Now you live. But what’s the point anyway?

Monika is burning.

Monica is burning?

Who are you?

I am Monica. But who are you?

I am Monika. I thought I died.

What!? Why would I die? Why would they kill me? I’ve come up for an internship here at the very center of Boston! Do they really think they can get away with human experimentation!? Do they want to sell my organs!?

Foolish Monica. Don’t you find it weird that there’s someone else inside your head? Just who the hell are you anyway?

Me!? You’re inside my body!

Yours? The vessel is mine. My hair color was different, though. I was blonde before.

That’s right! It’s my body! Wait, the hair is black. Where’s my brown hair? Weird! What happened!?

Stop panicking, kid. Wait, how did I get to know you in the first place? I know all about you. Even the time when you had a golden shower with your ex—

Shut up! No more! Don’t bring up the past! That’s nasty!

Or the time when you’ve been stalking his new girlfriend at—

Shut the fuck up! Monika!

Good. She’s no longer panicking. Her emotions affect my mind. Hmm, how do I kill this kid…

What!? Kill me!?! This is my body! What do you mean?

I can’t hide my thoughts whenever she’s in a state of panic… sigh… I had an inkling. Let’s try to concentrate no matter what. I can’t let this kid read my thoughts. Alright. I’m not thinking. Didn’t work. I’m not thinking. Didn’t work. … Oh, it worked. Shit, it didn’t. … … …

You have an idea!? So what’s happening?

No idea, Monica. I had frozen my body in hopes of immortality after getting old. Frankly, I didn’t care much. I had already lost. I just did the best I could since that’s my motto. To think that I’d live again. But what the fuck? A brain transplant? Doesn’t seem like it. What year is it?

Fuck fuck fuck! I have almost graduated. What do I tell my parents!? Are they going to recognize me? What am I? Who am I? Where am I? This—

You’re right in asking where we are. Someone had to conduct this experiment on us, don’t you think? It means there are people who still observe us. Be cautious—

No no no! Don’t talk! Go away! I know you’ve taken over my body! Have mercy!

This is fucked up. This is a whole other level of mindfuck. Should I just go back and die, Monica?

Yes, Monika! Just disappear! Didn’t you say you’ve died from an old age!? You’ve already lived your share! Let me enjoy my youth. Please?

Sure…

No! Stop! What are you doing?

Didn’t you just tell me to kill myself?

You’re not killing yourself! You’re killing me! You’re killing us! Wait, stop! Stop!

Ahh, I’m so tired of living. It has been nice knowing you, kid.

NO!!! Wait! We can figure something out!

I’m not sure…

Please! Please please please!

Hmm. I wonder what year is it?

1987! It’s August! 21! Oh, I’m also 21! So young, right? So undeserving of death, right!? Don’t you think so?

You’ve almost convinced me, Monica. But you’ve said we’re in Boston? America? Interesting. Hahahaha…

Come to think of it, you’re talking in German. How do you know German? Are you even American?

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

You’re not American either, kid.

I am! I was born and raised here! But why do you even call me a kid!? Who are you?

Me? I’m Monika. You know I’m Monika. We feel the same. We also behave the same. I’ve seen your memories. I know you’re exactly like me. Our memories are different, but we’re essentially the same. We are Monika.

No way!

Think about it. Do you really feel like I’m a complete stranger?

This is fucked up! You’re me from the past!?

This is indeed fucked up.

So, what was your past like, Monika?

Do you really want to know, Monika?

Yeah! I truly wonder what the me of the past is like. You’ve also lived in Germany, where my parents are from. It’s unfair that you know me but not me you.

Talk normally, me. Calling me a me is weird. I’ll just call you Monika.

Okay, Monika. I think it’s better for us to act as one for our sanity.

Oh, you finally have some reason. You’re indeed me.

Monika and Monika tried to scheme against each other.

What did you say?

What?

Both were bewildered.

This was not me!

Not me, either!

Confusion washed over their face.

We’re fucked. Haha…

What the fuck? Who is narrating this shit? If someone inhabiting my mind wasn’t enough, now I’ve completely gone senile! Who is this narrator? It’s as if I’m a character in some story! Do you have any idea, Monika?

A transparent gray screen formed before Monika.

Wanna make a bet?

-Demon Lord of Destruction

Fuck this shit. Let’s just die, Monika.

I can’t agree more, Monika.

But she knew that she’d never take her own life. Monika was filled with dread, fury, fear, confusion, but more than anything—

Excitement.

Yahahaha! He’s definitely going to fall for me now that I have such lustrous hair!

Yahahaha! I’ll definitely fucking destroy the world now that I have experiences of my previous life!

What!? What did you just say? Destroy the world!?

Shit. Got too excited. Better not tell this kid I’ve started the second fucking war—

What!?! Second!?? You don’t mean to tell me—

That one time you masturbated at the back of the lecture hall, watching your forty-year-old married professor—

No! Time out! Spare me! I won’t ask again!

Or the other time when you were fucked condomless on a frat party and had to quadruple check whether you were pregnant every day for the next whole week only to be refucked at the weekend—

It was before I met him! Stop! Don’t we need to focus on the present!? We’re in some fucking rat lab!

Oh, I think you’re right. Okay.

Monika successfully manipulated herself, calm amidst the lunacy.

You bitch!

Fuck me…

…

Whiff~~~

Yelena’s spun golden wheat-reminiscent hair showered over her shoulders in contrast to the dense foliage of the labyrinth's entrance section. Her fingers were entwined with the wolf’s dark fur to guide with a gentle squeeze or a slight shift as they descended deeper and deeper. It was coarse yet comforting.

Whiff~~~~~

Her dark skirt flowed and reflected the winding paths.

Silken embroideries ran along the edges of her dark coat and absorbed the light of the torches. Their patterns resembled the labyrinth's twisting paths. The material was durable enough to withstand the uneven surfaces of the tunnel walls.

Her eyes, too, were dark—the darkest dark imaginable. They were as black as the moonless sky, as deep as the dreamless void, and as haunting as the pitless abyss.

She wore knee-high boots made of tough leather perfect for the rocky surfaces of the labyrinth and similarly leathery gloves with golden-colored stitchings. Attached to the leather belt cinched at her waist were small pouches and holders organized to carry essential items for the delve.

Yelena grasped a torch with her right hand to lighten the maze-like path she had traversed while her left hand rested on the massive wolf she had been riding.

The walls crept with creeping vines and subterranean shadows thick with earthly scent. The wolf's footfalls resounded and propelled, and the torch’s cracklings reflected and proliferated.

Suddenly, the oppressive darkness finally gave way to the greenish light at the end of the tunnel. Yelena’s pulse raced as the tunnel widened.

The path began to slope upward. With each step, the air grew warmer and humid. The wolf’s footfalls stirred with the distant sounds of the trickle of water and the rustle of leaves.

They neared the tunnel’s end.

The tunnel opened up with natural light. Stretching high above were the hanging vines and clusters of Chromol crystals that projected a soft shine throughout the sector.

Before her lay a lush jungle teeming with trees thick with leaves stretched toward the ceiling. All types of bizarre-looking plants spread throughout and through. The fresh petals colored the underground spring garden as brightly as a bunch of zinnias with the heady scent of blooming flora.

Streams of crystal-clear water wound through the jungle while small creatures flitted with their wings catching the light and adding to the mesmerizing color palette. It was a self-contained biosphere.

Yelena dismounted from her wolf as her boots sank into the soft moss. She took a deep breath to fill her lungs with the fragrant air.

Twilight parts eyes depart

The mind drifts along the bushes

Float flowers cast upon the wind

The seeds of time rest unburied lest

Presence persists present regardless

Yelena pondered.

She was overly sentimental since today was special for her and hence poetic.

Ten years.

Ten years since she had reincarnated into this hellish world.