"Alright, from now on this is your own room," said Hana with a gentle voice while slowly pushing the white wooden door until it opened completely.
Nova stepped in with careful steps, his unique white eyes observing closely every corner and detail of the room. The room was not too large but comfortable enough for a child, about 3x4 meters with a fairly high ceiling. In the corner of the room was a single bed with a light brown wooden frame, clean white sheets fitted neatly without a single wrinkle, and a fluffy pillow that still looked perfectly plump. A study desk made of dark brown solid wood stood firmly near the window, equipped with a matching chair and several small drawers for storing stationery. A medium-sized window with a white frame and white transparent curtains was tightly closed.
The room looked very neat and clean, as if it had just been carefully cleaned. Even though it hadn't been used at all for a long time.
"Sorry, for now you have to keep wearing those clothes," said Hana while looking with slight guilt at the white kimono-like clothing Nova was wearing. Those clothes were still exactly the same as what he wore when they first met, a thin white kimono that somehow always looked neat and never dirty.
"All my clothes are too big for you because of the difference in our body sizes. Tomorrow morning we'll go to the store to find some sets of clothes that fit your body size."
Nova nodded slowly with an expression that showed no objection at all.
"It's okay. These clothes are comfortable enough for me and I don't feel bothered," he answered.
"Alright then," Hana smiled with relief hearing Nova's understanding response. "If you need anything, whether it's drinking water, food, or other help, you can call me in the next room." She pointed to the right with a gentle chin gesture.
"We're now on the second floor. On this floor there are 3 rooms, my room and your room and one more empty room that's usually used as storage."
Nova nodded again with "I understand, thank you for giving me a place to live," he answered.
"Well then... good night, Nova. Sleep well," said Hana with a warm smile while stepping back toward the door. Her hand held the metal door knob, ready to close it and give Nova privacy.
"Good night too. Thank you for today," Nova replied. After that, his room door closed completely.
After Hana left and the sound of her footsteps faded in the corridor, Nova stood still for a moment in the middle of the room that was now his. He felt a strange but not frightening silence. He walked closer to the bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress, feeling the softness of the fluffy mattress under his body. Without much thought, Nova lay down in a comfortable position, his face still displaying the flat expression that had become his characteristic. Without realizing it, his eyelids began to feel heavy along with fatigue that began to attack his small body, and not long after, Nova fell asleep with regular and calm breathing.
◇◇◇
Absolute darkness.
That was the first thing Nova realized when his consciousness 'awakened' again. However, this was not awakening in the real sense, not like waking up from sleep in general. His body stood upright with perfect posture, no longer lying on the comfortable mattress like moments before. Around him was only boundless emptiness stretching in all directions. Black. Dark. Empty. There was nothing that could be seen, heard, or felt except absolute emptiness.
"Ah, where is this really?" Nova muttered with a voice that sounded strange in the absolute silence. His face still showed the same innocent expression, without a speck of fear or worry that would normally be felt by someone waking up in a completely strange and frightening place.
"Wasn't I just in the room Hana gave me?"
Nova looked left and right, trying to find any clues in the absolute darkness that enveloped him. There were no walls that could be touched, no ceiling that could be seen, no floor that was visible even though somehow his body could stand stably as if there was a solid surface under his feet. There was no light source at all, no twinkling stars, no shining moon, everything was submerged in perfect pitch darkness. The temperature around him couldn't be described in words, not biting cold, not scorching heat, as if the concept of temperature didn't apply or had no meaning in this strange dimension.
"What kind of place is this really? And why can I be here?"
Nova began to step with steps. Even though there was no surface visible to the eye, his feet felt like they were stepping on something solid and stable, as if there was an invisible floor supporting his body. One step. Two steps. Ten steps. Twenty steps. One hundred steps. No matter how far or how long he walked at a constant speed, the scenery around him remained exactly the same—absolute darkness without end stretching in all directions without any change at all.
Time felt irrelevant and meaningless in this mysterious place. Nova didn't know whether he had been walking for a few minutes, a few hours, or even a few days. The concept of time seemed not to apply in this dimension. What he knew for certain was that he kept walking without stopping, looking for a speck of light or anything that could be a clue or way out in the middle of this endless emptiness.
And at that moment—
◇◇◇
"Ah!"
Nova woke up startled with a sudden movement, his breathing slightly rapid from shock. His white eyes opened wide with a confused expression, staring at his familiar room ceiling with an empty gaze. Cold sweat slightly dampened his forehead, though he didn't feel any specific fear.
"What was that really?" he whispered softly to himself, his voice sounding hoarse from just waking up. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, trying hard to remember details from the dream he had just experienced. However, the more he tried to remember and reconstruct that dream, the more blurred and disappeared the fragments of memory about that strange experience became.
"I can't remember anything that happened at all. What kind of dream did I just have? Why did it feel so real but now it's just gone?"
Nova looked toward the round wall clock hanging on the room wall with a simple wooden frame. The short and long hands showed exactly ten in the morning.
Nova sat on the edge of the bed in a relaxed position, gathering his consciousness that was still slightly scattered from the strange dream earlier. *I really don't know what kind of dream I just experienced, but never mind. There's no point thinking about something I can't remember,* he thought with simple logic, deciding not to care too much about or analyze the dream he couldn't remember clearly. He tidied his white kimono that was slightly wrinkled and messy after being used to sleep all night.
Faint sounds of activity could be heard from outside the room—maybe footsteps, kitchen utensil sounds, or other morning activities. Most likely Hana was already awake and starting her usual morning routine.