An intense mist took hold of my being. Strangely enough, when it forced me to breathe it in, it didn't suffocate me. In fact, I felt even better than before. I was invigorated, my soul was invigorated, and my Void was invigorated. I didn't know this mysterious energy, but it was almost the best feeling I'd ever had.

But the moment ended, and I soon looked across the mist at an unfamiliar landscape. I was disappointed, as the indoor environment had walls, corridors, doors, and lanterns. Expecting to contemplate an exotic and enigmatic landscape, I was rushed back to reality.

As I pondered my present boredom, I took the last few steps through the mist, preparing to enter a new space. And that was easier said than done, given the weight I was lugging around in the back, which was putting my body to the test. Instead of rambling on in my thoughts, I should have paid more attention to my surroundings.

Indeed, once I had taken my first step into this new place, I slipped on the step beneath me. I dragged the unconscious girl down with me, and she ended up landing on top of me with all her weight. Seeing that scene again makes me feel ashamed of myself and whoever reads this collection of memories. Well, let's get past that slight disappointment!

I rose slowly to my feet and surveyed my surroundings. To my delight, I noticed that the place was deserted, at least at that moment. I could stay there for a while until I could take care of this girl. Indeed, I had an idea of how to treat her. I wasn't too confident in my thinking, but it's not like I had any other choice. And I needed someone fast to flee or, at worst, fight the dangers with me. And to teach me about this world.

So I began to scan the surroundings more deeply, hoping to find a place to lay this beautiful girl to rest. I couldn't physically carry her everywhere. Especially if I didn't know how far it would take to find someone to get her back on her feet. Of course, that was only if I couldn't do it myself.

So, I thought about the cause of my current torment. First, the omnipresence of genuinely dehumanizing grayish hues in the surroundings. Secondly, an unbearable smell, a stench most certainly coming from toxic waste, although I could hardly see any around me. After that, a continuous infernal noise. And last but not least, an overwhelmingly bright light.

All these stimuli were driving me crazy; so much was torturing my mind. It was so bad that all I could do was cover my ears with my hands and breathe heavily in protest. All right, I screamed and cried, too, begging to be taken somewhere perfectly calm and stimulus-free.

During my confusion, I realized what was wrong in my rare bouts of lucidity. Perhaps it wasn't my environment but me. After all, even during my experience with the flashing lights and their unbearable background noise, I hadn't been drowned in that much stimulus, not that quickly, anyway.

I had to face the obvious. Recalling my memories, it had become clear that I wasn't as easily overwhelmed by my environment as I was now. The only possible cause was the care provided by the Void. After all, I didn't blame the Void - it was better than dying. Only, I had to use this power sparingly.

I looked at the girl. Did I really want to do this to her? What if the repercussions turned out to be worse than in my case? Were the consequences the same for everyone? Did they vary according to the number of times I used them? A thousand and one questions ran through my mind, and I could only conclude, helplessly, my ignorance of this power.

As I pondered my incompetence, I thought about my surroundings. Multiple corridors, staircases, and doors of all sizes, gray hues, shapes, and materials. I'd maligned the designer of my previous place, but I had to admit that this one broke all records! So, it really was a chaotic maze.

And to make matters worse, the floor was littered with incomprehensible tools in varying states of repair, more or less rusted and spoiled by time. The solitude of these tools was in total contradiction with this noisy, aggressive environment. And last but not least, they were all a disgusting shade of grey.

The same color as these walls where lanterns hung, threatening to reach the ground at any moment. But their light didn't prompt me to look at them any longer. A realization emerged in my mind. There was no geometric shape here. Not one, wherever I looked.

So I started walking among the rubble, looking for a place big enough to lay out some comfortable fabric supports and place my future comrade on them. After all, I wasn't going to wake her up on a hard, cold floor lined with sharp, blunt objects!

I had to gain her trust and, to do that, make the best possible first impressions! I had to show that, at least on the surface, I cared about her. And I would continue to care about her if it was for survival unless we couldn't extricate ourselves from danger together. I'll just have to abandon her when the time comes.

It's true; that's how I saw it, as atrocious as it may seem. You're probably wondering what I would have done with this girl if I couldn't care for her. Quite simply, I'd have got rid of her, even if it's hard for me to admit it now. It's not as if anyone would know or even care. You think I'm cruel, don't you?

You have to understand that I could hardly have carried her for an unknown and probably rather long distance. I wanted protection and information from her. At worst, it wasn't a big deal if she didn't have the information. But if she couldn't protect me, I'd have given up on her, maybe even killed her. I didn't want to be the protector, as my protection was already taking up all my energy.

After a short while, I saw an acceptable clear space. It took me longer, however, to find a cloth to protect me from the ground. This search also enabled me to observe the differences and similarities between the objects in greater detail. I was particularly surprised by the latter. All the objects had similar geometric shapes to those I'd already encountered. It was as if all the objects were imbued with this mysterious force.

I had no time to investigate further. After all, I wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible. I quickly scanned the surrounding area for my cloth, found it, picked it up, and returned to the open space to spread it out on the floor.

Everything was ready... or almost. I remembered that I had to bring the girl here. I confess I felt a little demoralized by the task ahead. Nevertheless, I ended up doing it, not without some difficulty, having gained a few bruises, cuts, and other slightly painful but non-life-threatening wounds.

I only owe this to my clumsiness; dragging someone and navigating through garbage seems impossible for me. Had my coordination of my movements declined due to my recovery, or was it already faulty? Even now, I don't know.

Everything was now ready. All I had to do now was try to wake up the girl. I was tense, going to try and heal someone other than myself when I had virtually no knowledge of this power and no hindsight to judge the benefit of this action.

It was about time. I could only resign myself to moving ever closer to the girl's inert body. I stretched out my hands and placed them delicately on her belly. I knew that supernatural force could escape from my hands.

But was it due to my hands or because the latch and clasp were natural receptors for this power? I didn't know. Could my energy also escape from other parts of my body? I had so much to investigate, but that would have to wait until later. I had more pressing matters at the moment.

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All I could do was pray for it to work. But who to pray to, I didn't know. Only the Void came to mind, but it wasn't precisely a superior, inaccessible entity… So I could only pray to the only entity close to the divine: the System. I'm not proud today of the recipient of that prayer. Perhaps I'm being punished for this one prayer? Alas, you'll never answer me, will you, System?

I focused on my task and closed my eyes. I also tried to distance myself as far as possible from all other senses. This took some time, given all the external noises tormenting me. But as the seconds ticked by, I finally succeeded, contemplating my own soul and the gentle presence of the Void.

Yes, this Void wanted to be freed from its chains. It had to set my soul ablaze with all its destructive and saving power. I was ambivalent about my own feelings towards the Void.

I wished with all my heart that the Void would destroy my soul, and I knew instinctively that I shouldn't want its annihilation. But I could always reflect on those feelings later. Now, I had no choice but to put all my trust in the Void.

Unlike previous times, the Void wasn't coming out independently. The other two objects certainly attracted the Void somehow, but this was not the case for the girl. The only similarity between these two objects was their connection to a supernatural force, which this girl hardly seemed to possess.

I didn't give up and projected my will into my soul. But it wasn't the recipient; it was the Void. The Void had to listen to me, and I hoped for a positive response to my request. And I wasn't dissatisfied; the Void seemed to squirm in all directions. I was happy; I could influence the Void to answer my call!

However, this was hardly enough, as the Void began to retract into my soul. The Void was backing off, not looking for an opportunity to expand. Yet I was sure the Void would have wanted it to. But that didn't change my plans. I simply had to try harder! Harder and harder!

With my incessant calls, my Void had no choice but to grow ever faster. An ever-accelerating expansion that submerged the whole of my soul. Despite this, I kept pushing it on, again and again, because it was never enough. I had to get to the girl's body.

That was it! The Void reached the girl's body, slowly infiltrating it. But it wasn't enough; nothing happened. Maybe the healing wasn't automatic because she wasn't me? Should I tell the Void to heal her? I didn't know how to go on and felt my concentration waver, dragging the Void down. My Void separated itself from the girl and took refuge in my soul.

I opened my eyes again, realizing my bitter failure. I was powerless, and I knew it was normal. A girl with amnesia in an unfamiliar world couldn't logically expect to work miracles. I despaired of my incompetence, self-pity being the only action I could take.

I began to move away from the soon-to-be-dead body... or so I wished. In fact, a force prevented me from making the slightest movement. It was my own self-loathing.

I knew that if I didn't try harder, I'd run away from every situation, and dying was one of the things I wanted least. I didn't care about saving the girl; I was only proving to myself that I could take action and influence this world.

My mind raced to find an answer as quickly as possible. My instinct told me that the girl didn't have long to live. And after much reflection, I came to a realization. She must have a soul like me if she was a living being. And if so, could I connect with her soul? But was this even possible? If so, how could such an operation be carried out?

I didn't know any of these answers, but I had to try, at least to have the peace of mind of thoroughly trying. I closed my eyes, concentrated, and repeated the same operation. But this time, I had to direct my Void towards the girl's soul.

So, I tried to observe his soul. But how could I do this? I could see my soul with a bit of willpower and concentration, but it was mainly instinctive. What if I tried to tell myself that her soul was an extension of mine? What kind of nonsense was I talking about? In short, I was utterly lost.

Until I thought of using the vision of the Void. The idea seemed preposterous, but it was based on some astonishing observations. Whenever my Void touched something, I felt it.

When it was lodged in my soul, I felt a bit of my soul. But when the Void drowned it, I understood the contours of my soul much better. And above all, when the Void overflowed it, I felt everything in its path.

I simply had to use this power consciously! But the Void had to interact with the soul, not the body, to do that. I had to force the Void to stay on the same plane, although I didn't really understand what a "plane" was or the extent of the feat I'd achieved unaided. But that didn't stop me from trying the operation.

Once the Void had left my soul, I prevented it with all my might from passing through my hand. I longed to convey my will to it, to tell it to stay on this plane. Obviously, he didn't want to. At least, that's what I thought until I understood his instability.

It wasn't a lack of willpower; it was a lack of power. The Void couldn't be stable on this plane. Nevertheless, I wouldn't give in. I had hoped that the Void could become accustomed to this plane. And it took me considerable time and willpower to succeed in stabilizing it.

During the process, I experienced sensations of nausea, deep malaise, acute pain, strangulation, drowning, and tearing. And all this simultaneously, with a perception of time that seemed to lengthen.

I had to give everything I had not to faint, which exacerbated these disturbing sensations. However, it wasn't my body receiving them but my soul. Perhaps it was due to the connection between my soul and this Void?

In any case, I felt I was performing an unnatural action. And it wasn't just a feeling; I had no idea of this single action's long-term implications. I was forcing a state that could not persist forever in this plane.

I had no idea how dangerous what I was doing was. After all, I could have lost my soul in the process. I was undoubtedly talented or lucky... or both. Nevertheless, I'm not sorry I did it, after all, thanks to this, we... I'm rambling, so let's get on with it!

Once the Void had almost stabilized, I wasted no time. The previous sensations were fading, but not completely. And I still needed a great deal of concentration to maintain this state.

So I went for it, urging the Void to approach the girl. I'd done it! This time, I didn't feel her body but a soul-like substance. My intuition confirmed that I was right! And I set about investigating that soul. My Void connected to his soul and…

Nothing. It was a failure. The Void couldn't connect; some kind of barrier prevented it from doing so. I was close to my goal, thinking that all I had to do was destroy the barrier. And I was right, but I underestimated the magnitude of the task.

In fact, I needed more energy than was currently available. But that didn't stop me, forcing on and on for so long that I lost count. Failure after failure, all my willpower was insufficient to bend that barrier.

As despair and exhaustion engulfed me, I felt a torrent of energy pour over the passage between my soul and the Void. My soul had found additional energy from an unknown source. Although this last point worried me slightly, I had an obstacle to overcome.

At that moment, I felt lighter, livelier, and more powerful. My spirit exuded optimism. Anything was possible, and this little obstacle was nothing. As proof, I destroyed it with disconcerting ease.

Usually, I would have been shocked by my strength, but right now, I didn't think it was natural to have so much. It was just the natural order of things, and this barrier was bound to give way because that was my desire, intention, and order.

Suddenly, my Void poured into that soul, encompassing it with all its presence. Her soul was flooded and reshaped by the Void. Indeed, the soul's nature changed, but I couldn't say what.

I convinced myself it was just an unimportant detail. If only I'd known how wrong I was. Was this action good or bad? I am ambivalent on this point.

But the Void was already showing signs of increasing instability, even though the process was incomplete. I then broadcast my will, ordering the Void to remain stable and continually strengthen itself to maintain itself in this state.

Nothing thwarted my plans, not even this excruciating pain, which was worse than before. No, this torment was negligible and bearable. In fact, I felt even better. I felt as if I had the power to achieve anything. The borrowed energy in my soul was at its peak.

The Void finally bonded with the girl's soul. I was seized by a sensation of strangeness, my soul instinctively rejecting what seemed to be a graft. And it was the same with the girl. Only I couldn't intercede on their behalf. The souls had to endure the situation until it seemed natural to them.

However, as this would have taken time, I had no choice but to strengthen the Void, making it more potent than the two souls. With some difficulty, I succeeded in creating a perpetual reinforcement for the Void.

Thanks to this, the Void became more and more stable, the energy for this mechanism coming from my soul. I couldn't take the power from the girl's soul, having no idea how to do it. Happily, I contemplated my work. My intuition told me her soul had to remain connected to my Void for survival.

In fact, I had an odious feeling of déjà-vu and a certain bitterness and sadness. I had no idea why these feelings were manifesting themselves in me, but I did manage to understand that it had something to do with my lost past. However, everything has an end.

I was brutally reminded of this by the wrenching pain I was facing. I had the horrible impression that my mind was being torn apart, torn into smaller and smaller fragments until nothing remained. Each tear fragmented all thoughts, all reason, and finally, all consciousness.

And so I fell into unconsciousness, or to be more precise, coma. As my once vigorous energy atrophied, so did my exacerbated optimism. Fortunately, and unlike the after-effects, for a relatively short time.

This initiative will have left its mark on me in many ways and restricted many of my future choices, especially in the worst possible way. Nevertheless, I regret none of my actions that day because I gained an unbreakable bond.

And because it was the day we met, you became my soul mate forever and ever.