Chapter 158: Pitch-Black
When my eyes opened, I couldn’t see anything... but darkness? Where am I? Who am I? I don’t remember anything. With the empty space I am in, all I could look at was the reflection below me.
A pretty girl with long black hair and beautiful round eyes. She’s staring right at me, tilting her head as if confused. I moved closer and saw a heart-shaped mole below her left eye. When I tried to touch her, the reflection rippled away and I couldn’t see anything else. Was that me?
I have no memories of this place and no memories of myself. Am I dead? Who am I even?
With that, I didn’t bother standing up from where I was sitting. What’s the point? I don’t even remember myself, and no one’s trying to find me either. If I keep asking about my existence, would it hurt me in the end?
What if I’m here because I did a grave mistake in my life?
Even though I thought of that, I stood up from the ground and looked around. ’How will I know who I am if I don’t start questioning anything?’ I started walking, and every time I walk, the floor started rippling as if I’m walking on top of the water.
How did I even lose my memories? Do I even have one?
I stopped walking as I stared at my reflection on the floor. Am I even real? What am I? Questions filled my head, but there was no one to answer any of them.
Who am I? Why am I here?
Without knowing where I was going, I kept walking and walking. As I keep wandering, more questions filled my head. How did I end up in this place? Is this the afterlife?
I sighed after getting exhausted from walking too much. There’s nowhere to go. Sitting on the ground again doesn’t make my clothes wet at all. I guess the floor isn’t made of water, but that doesn’t explain anything.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
I tried screaming out of the blue but my voice only echoed throughout this dark and empty space. That felt embarrassing even though I’m the only one here.
I lay on the floor with my eyes wide open, staring at nothing above me. When I closed my eyes, there was really nothing different. All I could see were still plain darkness.
Is this how death feels like? If I am indeed dead, how did I die? "It sucks that I can’t remember anything." I thought while letting out a sigh.
"Now what?"
When I opened my eyes again, I saw some little things sparkling above me. ’What are those?’ The more I stare at them, the bigger they get, and when I shut my eyes again, I felt something moving on my back. It’s as if the floor keeps rippling despite no movements from me.
’Let’s keep calm.’ I repeatedly told myself as I was about to get up from the floor until...
"Noelle."
I heard a voice of a man. Noelle? Who is that? His voice sounded so melancholic that I didn’t know what to do. Why am I hearing such a voice? And from where?
"Please wake up." He said, causing me to roam my vision, still, there was nothing with me here. Nothing but darkness.
I waited and waited for the man to speak again, but I didn’t hear anything else after that. Just when I thought I could get some answers about anything, just anything, it was false hope.
I hugged my knees and rested my chin on them. I’m still full of questions, and none of them are getting answered. Who’s that man anyway?
As I was about to lose all hope, a light appeared in front of me and I was blinded by its brightness I immediately covered my eyes with the back of my hand. "What’s going on?" I thought as I heard a familiar melody coming somewhere.
"...llie."
There was a faint voice coming from the bright light in front of me. It’s like a door made out of brightness and my eyes might get blinded because it was too sudden. The darkness had already grown in me and now I’m suddenly in front of a light. ’Who wouldn’t get blind with that?’ I thought.
"Come here." A voice of a woman said coming from the door of light. "You’ll be safe here."
Despite not knowing who it was, I was fascinated by how soft and gentle her voice was and I didn’t even notice that I was already walking toward the door.
"Ellie."
I stopped walking after I heard a familiar voice from behind me. Ellie? Was that my name? Is someone trying to talk to me?
"Hello?" I talked back, but there was no response. "Is anyone there? Please talk to me!"
Before I could even move back into the darkness, I felt a hand grabbing my arm and I was pulled into the door of light without being able to resist.
I stumbled on the grassy ground and when I looked up, I saw a beautiful woman who was smiling at me from ear to ear. "Hello there." She greeted.
Even though I was clueless about who she is, I smiled and greeted her back. "My name is Naomi." She said, introducing herself with a bright and gentle smile. I don’t know if she’s older than me, but she looks really young.
"What is your name, dear?"
I gulped as I looked down. We’re both barefooted, but her feet look so pretty and her skin’s pure white. How will she react if I told her that I don’t remember my name?
"I... don’t remember."
Silence came after I said that. Is she weirded out? What do I do now?
"That’s okay. I’m sure you’ll remember soon." She said as she reached out to my hand. "Let’s go. It’s been so long since I got company, and I’m so excited." Naomi added with that bright smile.
We walked hand in hand above the grassy field with the sun high up in the sky. The clouds aren’t seen at all and I could see how blue the sky was. As we continued walking, the familiar sound of waves filled my ear causing me to look at Naomi in confusion.
"Is this heaven?"
Naomi looked at me after I asked that. "Why do you think so?"
I shrugged as I stared at the ground. "I just think that a heaven is a peaceful place, and this place reminds me of that."
Naomi giggled which caused me to look at her. "This isn’t heaven. After all, you’re not dead yet." She said.
Not dead... yet?
"Am I going to die soon?"
Naomi let go of my hand as she walked in front of me. She’s wearing a simple pure white dress and her hair fluttered by the wind. She looks like an angel.
"That’s actually up to you." She turned to me. "Would you want to remember who you are?"
Who I am? When I thought of it like this, what if god erased my memories because I did something really bad in my life and if I keep remembering it, I wouldn’t be able to move on?
"Am I some kind of criminal? Did I kill someone?"
Naomi couldn’t stop laughing after I asked her that. Did I say something funny to her?
"You’re really adorable." She said. "You don’t have to remember. You can just stay here with me forever."
The word ’forever’ somehow scares me. But being in a tranquil place like this doesn’t sound that bad—
"Noelle."
I looked behind after hearing the familiar voice of a man. ’Who does it belong to? And why does my heart ache just hearing that voice?’
"Did you hear that?"
Naomi tilted her head. "Hear what?"
Am I just hearing things? "A voice of a man calling another name."
Naomi just smiled. "It might be your name."
My name? Noelle? That sounds... pretty.
"You’re still sleeping like a princess." I looked up after hearing another voice but I got blinded by the sun instead.
Where are these voices coming from? Am I going insane?
"You complete me."
"I love you."
Hearing that man’s voice inside my head caused tears to come out of my eyes. Why does he say such words? I want to meet him... how does he look like? Does he know me? Am I someone important to him? Do I... love him?
"I want to know," I muttered.
As soon as I muttered that, I heard the loud sound of a gunshot and I felt a liquid coming out of my stomach. "W-What’s going on?"
Naomi vanished from my sight, and the paradise that we were stepping on crumbled, turning back into that pitch-black place. The ground cracked, and at that moment, I felt my whole body falling into the deep abyss with no end.
My head started hurting, memories flooded my brain and tears rushed out of my eyes.
’I need to go back. Night needs me.’ Those words echoed throughout this place. It was my voice.
"Night?" The moment I mentioned that name, the pitch-black place shattered and a bright light came from above me.
"It’s not your time yet, Noelle." It was Naomi’s voice. "Now go back, my dear."
The bright light caused me to squint, and when I fully opened them again, I heard a beeping sound and I’m lying on a bed. Instead of a pitch-black surrounding, I was surrounded by walls as white as lilies.
"E-Ellie. Oh my god! She’s awake!"
