Everything felt so calm, as if he were sinking into the depths of an ocean. The sensation of being surrounded by the darkness of the unknown was so... comforting.

Finally, thoughts began to emerge clearly in his mind, far from all that confusion, like a dive he must have experienced countless times before. The duality of peace and fear enveloped him; after all, he felt he had lived this before.

In any case, this feeling calmed him. His eyes opened, and all he perceived was the absence of light, as if he were swimming in an ocean of pitch. He wished to sink slowly deeper and deeper until one day he could finally disappear.

“Why try to swim?” He was lost in every sense: no memories, no affections, no identity. Not even his name appeared in his mind.

– So there you are...

He felt a gentle breath behind his ear that made his whole-body shudder. It was a sensation that should have irritated him, but in fact, he missed it. He would do anything to feel that again.

“Who are you?” Sometimes, he could hear that voice, a soft, feminine voice. It emerged like a dream amid his nightmares, an oasis in the desert that quenched his thirst and made him want to return. But to where, exactly?

The feeling of the free wind running over his skin and the water touching his bare feet surrounded him. He could almost smell the sea, and a smile formed on his face.

“Was this ever real?” He wasn’t sure, but did it matter? What is a life if you don’t remember anything you did before? Would you still be someone or just an empty shell? Was it still worth moving forward?

Questions and more questions... But no answers.

His mouth opened slowly; he wanted to feel the darkness filling his lungs. Thus, he would sink faster, faster and faster. But he felt revulsion at tasting it; it was nothing pleasurable; in fact, it was perverse.

His eyes widened, and he held his breath again. There was no more unknown; in fact, he recognized that color very well—the dark shade of that red.

Then came the overwhelming weight of pressure on his body, making him move desperately. His effort, however, did not propel him forward. It was too viscous, too heavy, too wrong. There was nothing to guide him; after all, where was the bottom, and where was the surface?

He was lost and hopeless. His whole body trembled, as there was no escape. Then he curled up like a child, hugging his legs and hiding his face.

“Is this the end?” he questioned, hugging himself with all his might. He closed his eyes, feeling his body slowly transform into part of it all.

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– You can’t just give up...

The feminine voice caused a sharp pain in his head, making him open his eyes. Desperately, he searched for the source of the voice, but the only thing he found was a glow. Like a star twinkling in the void of space, a faint orange light that seemed unreachable. But now he was no longer hopeless; he had a new option... a path.

“I won’t give up!” His arms began to move again with difficulty, and his teeth clenched from the effort. He slowly emerged, chasing the orange glow with all his strength.

– You’re tired...?

“I am! Tired of everything!” His arms trembled, and his legs barely had any strength left. It felt like hours had passed, and his head throbbed. He wanted to give up, but he needed that voice, which came from the direction of the increasingly close glow.

– Then let me help you... He noticed that the glow intensified, and then he extended his hand with all his might, breaking through a thin, transparent layer. Grasping it, he propelled his body outward, finally escaping.

Now he found himself coughing and vomiting a red liquid, slowly realizing he was not in an ocean but submerged in a desert. He was surrounded by an infinity of sand and demolished buildings, from which black smoke rose, obscuring the sun, allowing only a point of orange light to be visible in the sky.

Slowly, he rose, observing various figures that seemed human but were, in fact, forms of sand with distorted outlines and features. They were disfigured and dismembered, and a reddish liquid dripped from them, staining the sand, which slowly absorbed it.

“Where am I? What is this!?” He found himself catatonic, looking around in search of that voice while coughing and trying to catch his breath. “Where are you!?”

The figures began to emit agonizing screams, moans of pain, and cries of despair. His eyes widened as he realized they were no longer static; they were crawling toward him.

He quickly turned to run but spotted, in a destroyed house, a figure standing, hidden by the darkness of the place, about to enter the space.

His eyes watered, and his whole body trembled. He wanted to flee, but it was impossible. The figure slowly turned its head in his direction, staring at him over its shoulder while the sand figures clutched his legs, trying to pull him under again. He tried to cry out for help, but the sound of his voice wouldn’t come out; he only stared at the orange light in the sky.

– You know the sound of my voice...

With all his strength, he tried to break free while looking at the sun, but gradually the figures pulled him down. Perhaps this was his end; he was sinking deeper and deeper. Everything was getting dark again.

– If you ever feel lost or afraid, remember me and...

His vision was about to be covered by sand again, but the orange glow sparkled more intensely, and he could hear the voice very close to his ear:

– Wake up...

He felt as if a vibration coursed through his entire brain. Then, his vision slowly adjusted to the light, as if he were awakening from a long sleep. Gradually, he became aware of his surroundings: the table in front of him was now shattered on the floor, and Tyx was facing away, arms spread wide like a human shield. He seemed to be in a heated discussion with the other Defenders.

His head throbbed, as if his brain were about to explode at any moment. The buzzing gradually faded, and he looked at his fists, which were tightly clenched as he slowly crumpled to the ground, too weak to keep his body upright.

“Whose was that?” The voice was so familiar that he almost grasped that memory if only it weren't lost in the confusing vortex of his mind. Then he hit the ground, and darkness came again, but this time it was not the kind that drowned him; it was merely the comforting stillness of his closed eyes.