Lena's consciousness slowly, painfully, began to return, as if a loud, jarring sound had violently startled her awake from a deep, profound slumber. The sensation was disorienting, a sudden jolt back to awareness.
She attempted to push herself upright, but the overwhelming dizziness from the abrupt awakening gripped her, seizing her senses and threatening to pull her back into the abyss of unconsciousness. It forced her to instinctively close her eyes and breathe slowly, deeply, for a few agonizing minutes, waiting for the world to stabilize.
Eventually, the nauseating sensation began to recede, allowing her to half-open her eyes once more, blinking slowly as her vision gradually cleared.
She looked around, and despite the lingering confusion, she couldn't help but let out a soft, impressed whistle as her gaze became utterly dazed, widening in disbelief at the surreal landscape before her.
She found herself suspended on what appeared to be a large, irregularly shaped piece of floating land, suspended precariously in the middle of a vast, cosmic expanse that strangely resembled outer space. Curiously, there were also numerous other pieces of floating land, each of a uniquely different structure and composition, drifting aimlessly in this ethereal void. Some resembled a desolate desert, its fine, golden sand falling endlessly into the unseen abyss below, a perpetual hourglass. In another, she could clearly discern an inverted waterfall, its shimmering water defying gravity as it flowed upwards, vanishing into nothingness. Further away, a building engulfed in raging, green flames burned silently, a perpetual inferno, yet without consuming itself. And beyond that, countless other bewildering, impossible vistas stretched into the infinite.
It was a truly bewildering, awe-inspiring, and utterly inexplicable sight, a landscape that defied all known physics.
The strangest, most captivating aspect of all was the "black background" that served as the cosmic backdrop. It reminded her vaguely of the cold, infinite void of outer space, yet instead of a star-speckled emptiness, it looked more like some kind of vast, crystalline structure that expanded in all directions, constantly shifting and reforming its kaleidoscopic patterns every time she shifted her gaze even slightly. It was a living, breathing tapestry of light and shadow, constantly in flux.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" an amused, melodic voice replied, its unexpected presence causing Lena to jump backward in startled surprise, spinning around to identify the source of the uncanny sound. "Hehe, you look like a cute, little scaredy kitten, all startled and wide-eyed." The voice, though playful, seemed a little exhausted, as if it had traveled a great distance.
She turned her head to see a teenage girl, approximately her own height, looking at her with an expression of mild amusement. The girl was dressed in a short, dark blue hoodie, its fabric slightly worn and faded. She wore tight black sweatpants that meticulously outlined her slender curves, and on her hands, she sported a pair of black gloves. Her feet were clad in sleek, blue sneakers that looked remarkably comfortable.
The most curious, and unsettling, thing was that her face was completely hidden behind the hood of the hoodie and an orange gas mask, making it impossible to discern her features. Despite this concealment, Lena could notice a bit of brown hair, subtly peeking out from under the hood, falling down her neck. There was an air of mystery, almost of secrecy, about her.
'Is she some kind of anime protagonist or something with that mysterious, masked look?' Lena thought, an internal eye-roll escaping her, before her brow furrowed in sudden concern. 'Her clothes look pretty worn, though... there are numerous cuts and stained areas on them, as if she's been through a lot of hardship.'
"And... who exactly are you?" Lena asked cautiously, her voice firm despite the underlying confusion, while instinctively adopting a low, defensive stance, ready to spring into action in case the girl proved hostile. "You're not another villain, are you?"
"Um, interesting..." the girl murmured, her voice laced with a genuine, almost scientific interest, before shaking her head slightly, dismissing the immediate threat. "Nah, you could say I was just passing through, just out for a quiet stroll... and suddenly, you appeared out of nowhere, seemingly out of thin air. And like the good citizen I am, I took it upon myself to take care of sleeping beauty here without disturbing her nap." Her tone was light, playful.
That explanation caused Lena to let her guard down a little, but not enough for her to completely drop her defensive stance. A cautious optimism, a sliver of hope, was budding in her mind. "Do you know where we are, then?" she pressed, eager for answers.
"Maybe, maybe not, who knows?" replied the girl, her voice laced with playful teasing, before she casually sat down on the floating piece of land, seemingly unconcerned by their bizarre surroundings. "Life is a mystery meant to be solved, isn't it?"
"Don't wax poetic on me, please. Just tell me: where are we, and who are you, really?" Lena demanded, her patience wearing thin.
"Sheesh, and here I thought you were going to be more laid back and chill after what you just went through..." The girl sighed regretfully, a hint of genuine disappointment in her tone, before lifting her head and looking up at the constantly shifting, crystalline "sky." "You can call me Kairos."
"And where are we, Kairos?" Lena repeated, insistent.
"Pa pa pa," Kairos responded with a playful, mocking chuckle that, for some inexplicable reason, irritated Lena intensely because it sounded incredibly familiar, yet she was utterly unable to place where she had heard a similar laugh before. It was a frustrating, unsettling echo. "It's your turn to introduce yourself, isn't it? Don't they teach you any manners at that fancy hero school?"
Lena finally lowered her defensive posture and reluctantly sat down on the ground next to Kairos. The girl didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions, and her calm demeanor was somewhat reassuring. "My name is Lena, Lena Oxton. Nice to meet you, I guess."
"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Kairos said, spreading her arms wide with exaggerated, almost theatrical flair. "Now, my next question: what's the very last thing you remember before waking up here?"
"The last thing I remember?" Lena asked rhetorically, squinting her eyes, as if the physical act would somehow aid her memory. "I—"
Suddenly, a blinding, excruciating headache assaulted her, piercing through her skull with agonizing intensity. As quickly as it came, just as quickly it receded, leaving behind a dull, throbbing pain that lingered stubbornly in her head. It felt as if she had been brutally struck with a metal bat.
As she massaged her temples, trying to soothe the lingering ache, she turned her gaze to the ground in disbelief, her mind reeling. "I... I was in the USJ when some villains assaulted us, I went with... with who?" The memory was fragmented, a crucial piece missing, a void in her recollection.
"Take it easy, Lena. We literally have all the time in the world for you to remember," Kairos suggested, her voice soft with concern, as she gently tapped Lena's shoulder, a surprisingly comforting gesture.
Nodding at Kairos's suggestion, Lena tried again to access the missing pieces of her memory, but there were still crucial parts missing, as if someone had deliberately filled her head with static, obscuring vital details. She knew, deep down, that the missing person was someone incredibly important, someone she cherished, but she simply couldn't remember anything concrete about them, not even a name or a face. It was a terrifying blank.
She finally gave up with an exhausted sigh, the mental strain immense. "I can't remember... the last thing I remember is pushing someone away from getting shot directly in the head—"
"What's wrong, Lena?" Kairos asked, tilting her head to the side, her voice laced with genuine concern, as she observed Lena's expression abruptly shift to one of profound fear. "Are you feeling alright, really?"
Lena brought a trembling hand to her face, her breathing faltering with every second, becoming shallow and rapid, threatening to give way to full-blown panic.
"I... died?" The realization hit her with the crushing force of a speeding truck, a brutal, undeniable truth that slammed into her very core. She could feel the blood visibly draining from her face, leaving her skin abnormally pale, a ghost of her former self.
"That's... that's the afterlife, then? Is this what it feels like to be dead? I honestly thought it would be nicer, perhaps a bit more heavenly, haha..." Lena forced a nervous, high-pitched laugh, a desperate attempt at humor to mask the mounting terror. "Does that make you God or the Devil, then? No wait, this isn't going to be like one of those ridiculous Isekai novels where I get reincarnated with overpowered abilities, is it?"
A profound silence descended upon them, thick and heavy, before Kairos suddenly began to shake uncontrollably, her body convulsing with suppressed mirth, before she let out a giant, uninhibited laugh, booming across the crystalline landscape. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"What's so damn funny, Kairos?!" Lena demanded, her voice sharp with annoyance and a touch of lingering fear.
"Oh god, Lena, I think you're the version of Lena I like the absolute most so far! You're utterly hilarious!" Kairos replied between gasps of laughter, clutching her stomach. It took a few minutes before she half-calmed down, the echoes of her mirth still lingering.
"To answer your question, nah, I'm absolutely not some weird and edgy divine incarnation who will bestow upon you incredible powers because she felt a momentary pity for your predicament, or some other cliché nonsense like that. I'm just a completely normal, beautiful girl who's merely out for a stroll around here, enjoying the scenery." Kairos explained, her voice still laced with amusement, though now a hint of something more serious, more profound, entered her tone.
Lena lowered her head in defeat, her eyes closing in resignation. 'I had already thought of my wishes and everything... all those cool powers I was going to ask for, gone...' The disappointment was palpable.
"Mind you, I will help you a bit with your rather complicated situation, Lena..." Kairos replied, her voice now softening, becoming more serious. She then extended a single finger in Lena's direction, and Lena suddenly felt an overwhelming wave – no, a colossal tsunami – of raw, pure energy flood into her from Kairos's direction. The sheer force of it threatened to rip her apart. "I'll give you an extra boost because I haven't laughed this genuinely hard in years. Mind you, don't waste this second chance."
Lena desperately wanted to ask what Kairos was doing to her, what unimaginable power she was infusing her with, but the sheer, overwhelming tide of energy barely allowed her to formulate a coherent thought, much less speak. She felt the energy swirl and surge violently through her body, as if she were the very center of a furious, uncontrollable tornado, her cells vibrating with alien power.
After what seemed like an eternity, a dizzying span of years compressed into moments, the overwhelming sensation finally, gradually, stopped. As her vision began to blur, and a profound weariness washed over her, Lena felt herself quickly losing consciousness, slipping into the dark abyss.
Not before she realized that Kairos's hood, which had previously obscured her face, had fallen down her back, revealing her true features. Her eyes, which had looked so lively moments ago, now gave Lena an empty, profoundly tired, almost sorrowful look.
And in that fleeting instant, Lena finally understood why the laughter had sounded so incredibly familiar.
The laugh.
It was hers.
Before she could fully process this mind-bending, shocking revelation, everything went black, leaving her mind drifting into the silent void of unconsciousness.
"Whew, that cost more than expected..." Kairos sighed, a weary exhalation, as she wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from her brow, her hand making a sweeping gesture through the ethereal air. She then stitched herself, almost casually, onto the shimmering ground of the floating island, her body settling as if becoming one with the strange landscape. "And that, my dear, is Lena number 456..." Her voice was a low murmur, filled with a profound, almost ancient, exhaustion.
Kairos looked up at the crystalline sky, her gaze gloomy, watching as the vast, shifting crystals constantly changed their patterns, reflecting countless realities. The floating islands drifted aimlessly, their silent journey a testament to the endless, unpredictable nature of this place. Suddenly, the crystal patterns changed, shifting to show countless versions of Lena, each one engaged in a different scene: some talking animatedly to other people, their faces alight with joy; some locked in tender embraces with their Father or Mother, finding solace in family; some simply laughing freely while watching television, their lives unfolding in peaceful domesticity.
Staring longingly and yearningly at each and every version of Lena, Kairos couldn't help but feel a profound, aching emptiness settle within her, a void that seemed to echo the infinite expanse around them. It was a familiar, bitter companion.
Closing her eyes wearily, a deep sigh escaping her, Kairos let out a whisper, so soft it was barely audible even to her own ears. "I fervently hope this is the last time... the very last time I have to do this. Otherwise, I will finally put an end to it all. I wonder if, indeed, fate truly cannot be avoided, no matter how many times I try to alter it..."
The crystals changed again, shifting away from the idyllic scenes of Lena's lives, but this time, they displayed a stark, terrifying tableau: a world consumed by fire, buildings collapsed to their very foundations, their ruins smoking. Countless corpses lay strewn across the devastated ground, silent witnesses to a cataclysm.
Among the many horrifying versions of this grim future, several iterations could be seen where different versions of Lena, her face contorted in despair, held different, broken people in her arms, her tears of profound loss falling freely onto the charred earth. It was a vision of absolute, unmitigated tragedy, repeating endlessly.
"I guess I'll just go back to sleep now..." Opening her eyes, she watched as the crystals continued to change, now showing different versions of her own loved ones, living lives she could only dream of. "I'm sorry, but I simply cannot go through with this endless cycle, not anymore..."
At the very end, all the crystals shifted one final time, changing to display a single, ominous image: a black flag emblazoned with a stark, unsettling red symbol that resembled a jagged 'T.'
Kairos simply snorted, a sound devoid of humor, before letting out a hollow, bitter laugh that resonated with profound defeat. "I guess they won, after all... congratulations..." Her voice was laced with a chilling finality.
And without realizing it, Kairos succumbed to a deep, profound sleep once again, her own desperate journey paused, perhaps indefinitely, within the infinite tapestry of time.