I couldn't help but feel fear and anxiety as I stood in the middle of the darkness. I could also feel my body trembling and my hands turning cold.
I took a deep breath and gathered my courage to speak.
"I-Is anyone there?"
Silence.
I swallowed hard and asked again, louder this time.
"Hello? Anyone?"
Only the echo of my own voice fading into nothingness.
I wanted to move, to run, to wake up—if this was even a dream—but my legs refused to obey.
Then something shifted.
My attention was caught by a small flicker of light from a distance. The light began to stretch across the darkness, slowly illuminating what lay around me—though I almost wished it hadn't.
And then I heard it.
A voice.
"Rhein!"
My name. Someone was calling me.
I turned toward the sound, heart thudding loudly in my chest. But I couldn't see anyone. Only that blinding light—reaching for me.
Without thinking, I squeezed my eyes shut.
And when I opened them again…
I did not expect to find myself standing in the middle of ruins.