Cosmic Dominion: Rise Beyond Realms

The day began just like any other day in The Odyssey. The artificial lights in the crew quarters gradually brightened. I pulled myself out of bed and groaned as I stretched and tried to shake off the lingering haze of sleep. Joseph, predictably, was already complaining about the start of the day.

After a quick breakfast in the mess hall, Joseph headed straight to the logistics bay, where he spent the morning inspecting the latest inventory reports. Just like his usual self.

"Shin," he called me over the comms as I worked in the navigation hub, "you know what we need to improve morale? A talent show…"

I frowned, scanning the holographic star charts in front of me. "On a spaceship? What's your talent? Annoying people?"

"Hey, I'd win gold for that…" he replied with a laugh. "No, seriously. I'll host it. You can juggle star charts or whatever you navigation nerds do..."

I sighed. "Joseph, focus. I don't want you causing another alarm to go off because you decided to 'improve morale…'"

"You're no fun," he quipped before disconnecting.

By the end of the work shift, the day had gone by without any problems. I grabbed dinner with Joseph in the mess hall, and we traded jokes with a few other crew members before calling it a night. The day had been uneventful—routine tasks, a quick dinner with Joseph, and a brief chat with a few crew members.

After a long shift in the navigation hub, my body felt heavy with exhaustion, but my mind was unusually restless.

I returned to my quarter. Back in my quarters, the soft hum of the ship filled the silence. I changed into my sleepwear. The Odyssey's quarters were designed for comfort, with walls lined in calming shades of blue and grey and a bed that adjusted to gravity fluctuations.

I sat at my small desk and glanced at the holographic photo of Maki that floated above it. Her smile was warm, her eyes filled with the kind of light that could make even the darkest day seem brighter. I reached out to run my fingers through the projection. I felt a pang of longing tugging at my chest.

"Just a few more years…" I murmured to myself, my voice barely audible.

Finally, I climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over me as I adjusted the room's lighting. With a soft command, the lights dimmed, fading into a comforting twilight that mimicked Earth's dusk.

The glow of the stars through the viewport began to blur as my eyes grew heavy. My breathing slowed, and gradually, I slipped into unconsciousness.

That night, I had a strange dream. At first, the dream felt like nothing, a formless void that stretched endlessly. Then, suddenly, I was there, standing in a landscape that could only be described as hellish…

The ground beneath my feet was jagged and cracked. It was glowing with fiery red veins of molten lava that oozed and bubbled. The air was thick and acrid, each breath burning my lungs. The sky above was covered with black clouds. The endless swirls were illuminated by streaks of crimson lightning that cracked and sizzled with terrifying intensity.

All around me, volcanic eruptions erupted violently, spewing ash and fire into the oppressive sky. The heat was suffocating, the very air was alive with menace. I looked down at my hands and saw them trembling, not from the heat but from the sheer weight of the terror that gripped me.

In the far distance, hovering ominously above a molten volcanic sea, was a black box. At first glance, it seemed small, almost insignificant against the chaos of the hellish landscape.

But as I stared, it grew larger in my vision, not because it was moving, but because something about it demanded my attention.

The box was unlike anything I had ever seen. Its surface was flawlessly smooth, a reflective black that seemed to shimmer faintly with an eerie, unnatural light. Strange, faintly glowing symbols crawled across its edges, their patterns shifting in ways that defied logic. It didn't feel just like an ordinary object...

And then I felt it.

I felt a sudden pull towards it. It wasn't physical, but it was undeniable. Something deep inside me stirred, as though a piece of my very being was tethered to the box, and it was reeling me in.

It was like a whisper without sound, a call without words. Come closer, it seemed to urge…. the sensation bypassed my senses and spoke directly to my core.

My heartbeat quickened. I tried to resist, to stay where I was, but my feet began to move on their own. Each step felt heavier than the last as if I were walking through a thick, invisible force that simultaneously resisted and compelled me.

The closer I got, the stronger the pull became. It wasn't just a feeling anymore…

It was a compulsion, an almost magnetic force that refused to let me turn away. My chest felt tight, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

"What are you?" I murmured aloud, though I wasn't expecting an answer. The box didn't need to speak to be heard. Its presence was overwhelming. It filled every corner of my mind with a mix of awe and dread.

The volcanic sea loomed right in front of me, its molten surface bubbling and hissing with terrifying intensity. As I approached the edge, the pull grew so strong that it felt like invisible hands were reaching into my chest, dragging me forward.

I stepped into the molten sea. I was expecting the heat to consume me, but it didn't. Instead, the sensation was alien—neither hot nor cold, but a strange, numbing energy that buzzed against my skin. Each step brought me closer to the black box, its presence now dominating every thought, every sense.

My mind felt divided, one part screaming at me to turn back, while the other part was utterly consumed by the need to reach the box.

As I neared the box, the pull transformed into something deeper…. a resonance…. a vibration that seemed to hum in harmony with my very being. It wasn't speaking in the traditional sense, but I could feel its intent.

"Come…."

The word wasn't spoken, but it echoed inside me, reverberating through my thoughts. It wasn't a command, but it wasn't a request either. It was inevitable, like gravity, pulling me toward an inescapable truth.

Finally, I stood before it, the molten sea churning beneath me as waves of lava splashed against my legs. The box hovered inches above the surface, its edges pulsating faintly with strange energy. It radiated a kind of cosmic weight as if the entire universe could be folded into its small form.

My hand trembled as I reached out, the pull now so strong that it felt like the box was inside me, drawing me closer with every passing second.

As my fingertips brushed against its surface, the symbols seemed to flare brighter, their shifting patterns locked into place.

Just as I touched the box, the world dissolved into chaos as an immense surge of energy coursed through my body, tearing through my nerves and shattering my every thought. Pain and power collided in a torrent, and the black box's presence consumed me completely.

It began with agonizing pain.

My body convulsed violently as the energy from the black box tore through me. I felt like my very soul was being ripped apart, my mind fragmented into shards...

I woke up with a sudden, violent shock, my chest heaving as I shot upright in my bed. The moment I opened my eyes, a scream erupted from my lungs, raw and primal, as though it was being ripped from the depths of my very being.

"ARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The scream tore from my throat.

Joseph's voice came instantly from the other side of the bed.

"Shin?! What the hell happened?!"

I was still panting, clutching my chest. "I… I had this very strange dream…"

Joseph scrambled out of bed, flicking on a low light. "Do you want some water?!"

"That would be… very helpful," I said, my voice hoarse.

He disappeared for a second and came back with a small bottle. I took it with shaking hands, drinking slowly.

"You good, man? What happened?!" Joseph asked, watching me closely.

I nodded slowly, wiping my mouth. "I had this very bad dream. I… I don't even know how to describe it. There was this place… No, it was more like hell. And there was this box…." My voice stuttering, "It... It felt… It felt like it was calling me. Like it knew me."

Joseph blinked. "A box?"

I replied. "Yes, a box. I touched it and…And strange energy started flowing inside of me…"

"And?"

"I felt like… it took something from me. Or maybe it gave me something. I don't know yet."

Joseph sat down on the edge of my bed, suddenly serious. "You've been pushing yourself too hard. Maybe this was just your brain's way of telling you to slow down."

"Maybe," I muttered, but I didn't believe it.

After a long pause, Joseph stood. "Alright, try to get some sleep. We've got another day of work tomorrow."

I gave a faint smile. "Thanks, Joseph."

He nodded and headed back to his bunk.

I lay back down, the room darkening once more. The stars outside sparkled. I stared at them for a long time, wondering if they had always looked that strange.

Then slowly, as my body relaxed, sleep began to creep over me again.

TO BE CONTINUED