Boundead

In a dark void, from a crack in the upper part of the space, light gushed out. The light created a platform in the endless darkness, and there, a wrecked spacecraft lay.

From within the ship, a faint cry of a child could be heard as you got closer to the light. It was the soft, trembling voice of a girl.

"The light was the last kindness, spilling through the crack to touch the wrecked ship in this forsaken place. It warmed the cold void, holding back the darkness that clawed to consume everything.

"..."

Nur had been walking for what felt like hours, though he wasn't sure. The desert had already drained him, and now, in this strange place, his unease was growing. His mind couldn't make sense of it.

The guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders, pressing him down as if it could crush him. Every step he took felt like it might be his last.

"I'm useless," he muttered under his breath. His voice cracked with exhaustion. He had thought he was traveling through time to save Miel, but no—he had crossed verses.

His mind raced with the burden of it all. Miel, dead in his world. Taliah, here with him, dragged along for a journey she never asked for.

"Why couldn't I have protected her then?" He stumbled but kept moving, hoping for some kind of sign.

Frustration boiled inside him, tightening his chest. He slammed his fist against the air, against the nothingness. His body ached from the effort of trying to keep up.

"If I had only—No. What am I even saying?" His words were sharp, but hollow. He let out a bitter laugh, knowing it meant nothing.

"Just... just keep her safe, Taliah. I promise, I won't fail you." His voice broke, barely more than a whisper.

The white void stretched out before him, endless, unchanging. His legs were losing strength. He collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. His body was done.

There was no more fight left in him. "I don't think I can go on," he muttered, and his words hung in the air like a confession.

He felt small. Alone. The endless nothingness swallowed him whole.

Then, as if out of nowhere, his eyes caught a movement—a distant black dot. It was far away, almost invisible, but it was there. His heart leapt, and he pulled himself to his feet, despite the trembling in his legs.

"What is that?" he muttered, blinking hard to make sure he wasn't imagining it.

He couldn't tell what it was. But he couldn't stay here. Not like this.

With what little strength he had left, he started moving toward it, each step heavier than the last. His body screamed for rest, but something pushed him forward. Something deep inside him refused to give up. The sweat on his brow, the burning in his lungs—none of it mattered. The dot was his only focus.

But the air felt thick, His legs ached, his arms got heavier, he felt like he was running underwater

And then—

Splash.

"..."

Nur was suddenly thrown into an ocean, underwater

His arms flailed, and he tried to break through the surface. His lungs burned for air, but when he finally emerged, he gasped, coughing violently.

"What the hell is this place?" he gasped, eyes wide as he looked around.

The water stretched endlessly in every direction, an ocean without end. The sky above was dull and gray, the sun hidden behind heavy clouds. The world felt... wrong.

Panic began to creep in. He was lost. The vastness of the ocean overwhelmed him, the depth of it threatening to drown him emotionally before anything physical could.

Despite the fear clawing at his insides, he forced himself underwater again, hoping for a clue—anything that could guide him.

As soon as his eyes opened, he froze.

Shapes.

Massive, dark shapes, moving beneath him, their eyes glowing, unblinking.

His heart pounded, his blood running cold as they drew closer. He jerked his head above the surface, gasping for air.

"No... no, no, no," he stammered. The terror gripped him as his limbs turned to jelly. His breath came in shallow, frantic gasps.

He swam, his arms flailing, pushing himself harder. He had to get away. Had to escape. But the water felt heavier the harder he fought, and his body grew weaker with each stroke.

"I can't... I can't do this," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the crashing waves in his chest. His muscles screamed in protest, and his limbs were losing strength faster than he could control them.

He stopped, floating on his back. The water was a gentle current now, the ocean carrying him aimlessly. He stared up at the sky, so far away, as if the distance between them was endless. "Maybe this is it," he thought.

But then, like a spark of life in a dying world, a flash of Taliah's face appeared in his mind. Her voice, her smile, her laughter.

"No," he muttered under his breath. "Not yet. I can't stop now."

He didn't know how. He didn't know why. But he turned onto his stomach and began to swim again. Slow. Clumsy. But with determination.

He had no idea where he was going, or if there was anywhere to go. But giving up wasn't an option.

"Where to?" he thought, his voice echoing in his mind. The ocean stretched out, and land seemed like a distant dream. He was adrift, stranded.

He floated, his body too exhausted to fight anymore. But the silence around him was strange, peaceful almost. For a moment, there was no looming danger.

But then his mind took over, calculating every grim possibility. "What if I swim? Does it matter?" His thoughts spiraled into despair. He knew if something in the deep wanted to kill him, it would do so in an instant.

But nothing came. The silence held.

The weight of everything finally sank in. His mind, having calculated every escape, was defeated. There was no way out. No hope.

All that was left was to wait for death. Just like before, in the desert.

He hesitated, dipping his head into the water again to confirm whether the eyes had followed him, whether the creatures were closing in.

He braced himself. He felt the tension in his chest and his heart beat painfully against it.

But when he opened his eyes again—nothing.

There were no eyes. No shadowy figures lurking just beneath the surface. No monsters.

Relief washed over him. He let out a shaky breath, breaking the surface once more. The water around him had brightened. It was now a light blue, like the tropical seas he had once heard about. It was almost... inviting.

For a moment, the world didn't feel so oppressive. He opened his eyes to the sky above him. It was vast, the clouds floating lazily in the distance. The sun broke through the clouds, its warmth touching his face.

It felt like a gift. A fleeting moment of peace.

He checked himself, his fingers moving over his coat, searching for the pen. His heart dropped when he realized it wasn't there.

It was gone.

The pen. The connection. The lifeline.

His fingers trembled, and he searched again, even though he knew it wouldn't be there. It was a lost part of him now.

He stared at the ocean, the weight of his failure sinking in.

Without the pen, he had no courage to move on, no way to control the world like he had before. He couldn't escape. Couldn't solve this mystery. He couldn't even go back to her.

"Now what?" he thought bitterly.

The thought gnawed at him, until something else took its place. Something darker.

His mind returned to the other option: drowning. Giving in. Letting the ocean take him.

But the thought of choking to death—the suffocation, the panic—it terrified him. He couldn't do it. Not yet.

With a sudden determination, he dove deep beneath the surface.

The water was cold. It numbed him, dragging him deeper into the abyss. His lungs screamed for air, but he didn't stop. He kept going, the pressure building.

And then, through the water's blur, something caught his eye. A glint, a faint glow.

The diamond light shining from the surface.

Curiosity surged in him, pulling him upward. His hand reached out, desperate to grab it. But his body couldn't take it anymore. The darkness overcame him before he could reach it.

...