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As my eyes adjust to the light, I feel my body lying on the ground. I hold my head up and glance around, trees rising up in every direction. But that's to be expected, I am camping, however, the broken stone structures are anything but expected. My brain begins to think, where am I? What was that shooting star? Is anyone here with me? My ideas flutter and questions are ever present. I dust myself off before standing and am surprised by my clothes. Instead of my hiking pants and boots, I wear a simple robe with simple sandals. My first thought is being creeped out, however, I agree that there are more pressing matters. Am I safe? Are there any other people? Is there any food or water? For now, I need to figure out my surroundings. I begin to look around the structures, from what I can see, I am in a public square of some sort. A broken-looking fountain stands in the middle as I make my way past it. My ears soon adjust to the surroundings, but it is quiet and the only sounds are my very own walking. The stone structures blur past me, and I continue walking on what looks to be the main road. I keep checking my surroundings, looking for any people, but it is as if I am the only living creature within the world.
The sun slowly begins to fall as I make my way across the ruins, and soon darkness begins to spread. I begin to mutter to myself, "I need a fire." For this goal, I begin to gather sticks. After finding a pair of ruins with walls high enough to hide me, I begin the process. With my back to the wall, I begin spinning the sticks together. Time passes without a flame in sight, the sun once so high in the sky is nearly gone. My eyes adjust to the darkness, but my hands soon become too hard to see. With no choice in mind, I leave the sticks and huddle in the corner. Wrapping myself within the robes, I stare into the darkness... Just me within this world of black. Questions, thoughts, beliefs, they are meaningless within my very own world of darkness.
...
The darkness begins to fade as I stare into the distance. Soon the light begins to rise from across the land, as I stare, the outline of my hands soon becomes visible. When the outline of the distant ruins becomes visible, I stand up before staggering along the very same road. Ruins of buildings are passed, hungry and thirsty I am, but questions are asked. Who lived here? Why was it destroyed? Am I going to starve here? Some ruins have walls, others only foundations, but always similar stone bricks. Sound is irrelevant and so vision has become as well. The same stone structures dot the skyline in every single direction, soon I notice that some buildings look similar. Same broken walls, same cracks, copies, but with little choice, I continue moving. As I look ahead, what enters my sight leaves me in shambles. The same broken fountain stands in the very same square... I am going to die. I don't want to die. I need to find a way out. So I search instead of going in the same direction, I look around. The fountain is the first area I search, as I look, the water seems to have dried up long ago, but the carved details still remain. The details seem to represent stories, heroes fighting monsters. Yet the heroes seem to be using something to fight the monsters. Magic? I do not know, but in the end, for every story, the heroes remain while the monsters disappear. Without any details left to observe, I move on and start walking in a new direction. Ruins blur together as I walk in a straight line, observing the distance, and soon darkness begins to spread. I look for ruins to hide myself and soon find some. Instead of trying to make a fire, I crouch in the corner of the building and cover myself with my robes before letting darkness overtake me.
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I awake as the sun shines upon my skin, the same sight greets my eyes. I stand up and begin walking, as I come upon the fountain again, I am no longer surprised. My emotions are dull, my brain begins to slow... The cycle repeats, I let darkness overtake me before letting light shine on me. Walking is all that I can do, and soon the fountain will always greet my eyes before I continue on. Days begin to merge together in my memory, days to months to years. Time becomes irrelevant, it is a cycle and soon new thoughts appear. Not thoughts of escape, freedom, friends, or even family. Thoughts of nothingness, when everything becomes irrelevant I ask myself why I need to exist? What compels me? Is it worth it to continue? I believe it is no longer worth it, and when the darkness comes that night, I decide to embrace it and let it take me away
As I surrender to the darkness, my mind drifts away, releasing me from the endless cycle. The weight of existence dissipates, and I find solace in the void. No longer bound by questions and uncertainties, I am free from the burden of purpose. The world of ruins and eternal repetition fades away, replaced by a serene nothingness. Time ceases to exist as I am enveloped by tranquility.
In the absence of light and sound, I float in an abyss of pure emptiness. It is a state of liberation, where the boundaries of my being dissolve into nothingness. I embrace the stillness, letting go of the struggles and longings that once consumed me. There are no more fountains, no more ruins, no more questions. Just the blissful release of surrender.
In this state of profound peace, I find a strange comfort. The absence of existence becomes a sanctuary, a respite from the trials and tribulations of the world I once knew. It is a departure from the cycle of repetition, a departure from the relentless pursuit of answers that may never come.
As I drift further into the depths of nothingness, I feel a profound sense of relief. The weight of my existence, the burden of searching for meaning, dissipates entirely. In this absence of purpose, I discover a newfound freedom. A freedom to let go, to release myself from the shackles of a world that no longer holds meaning.
And so, I surrender to the darkness, allowing it to consume me completely. With each passing moment, I become one with the void, merging with the vast expanse of nothingness. In this final act, I find a strange kind of peace. And as the darkness engulfs me, I vanish into the eternal embrace of oblivion, leaving behind the ruins and questions that once plagued me.