A field of light.
An expansive field of different colours filled Kairen's view. The flowers had petals that glowed with gold and silver hues. It was a field of light.
He had never seen anything more beautiful.
He looked up at the sky, which shone beautifully with every bright colour imaginable, and yet it wasn't blinding. It was almost too beautiful to perceive.
Kairen didn't know when or how he got here, but it didn't matter; he was happy.
This place was the kind of place you could exist, not doing anything, not hoping for anything, just existing.
He ran through the field, laughing and running his hands through the flowers. They felt like sunshine, warm and soft.
Like a distant memory.
And then...
A ripple passed through the field. Kairen felt it from behind. When he turned around, the sky was darkening, dimming all the bright colours. The darkness seemed to envelop everything in its wake until nothing could be seen but darkness.
Kairen ran as fast as he could. But the faster he ran, the quicker the darkness spread.
The air was getting heavier, and breathing became more difficult. His chest felt like it would burst at any second. Then he realized he was suffocating.
Every breath he took felt restricted. The ground began to tremble, and he fell to his knees, clutching his chest. His heart was pounding in his ears.
The darkness was now a few feet away, its teeth bared at him, about to devour him.
"Kairen."
A voice came from inside the darkness, its tone in contrast with the environment.
It was distant.
Somehow, Kairen was no longer scared. In fact, he felt reassured. And as the darkness washed over him, the voice came again.
"Kairen."
This time, a little closer.
It felt—familiar.
---
Kairen's eyes fluttered open. The interface of a holographic screen filled his vision. Lines of data drifted across the interface, glowing with a soft blue light. He stared at the screen blankly until the familiarity of his environment settled in.
He remembered; he was in his office, at his desk. He was supposed to be redirecting the off-track temporal alignment back to the main stream system.
"Shit."
He smacked himself on the head.
When did he even fall asleep? He was going to be in deep trouble if he didn't think of something soon.
"Hey man! What's the status on the off-track T.A.?"
A man in his mid-twenties barged into his office holding a palmlet. He was wearing glasses and a lab coat.
He stared at Kairen expectantly.
"It's... not complete, Jean," Kairen said, scratching the back of his head.
"What the hell were you doing all this time?" Jean asked, folding the palmlet and slipping it into his pocket before sitting in a chair opposite Kairen.
"I might have... fallen asleep."
Jean stared at him blankly for a few seconds and then burst into laughter. Kairen joined him.
"Boss is going to be so pissed when he finds out."
"I know. That's why you won't tell him."
Kairen looked at Jean pleadingly.
Jean sighed.
"I won't, but you owe me a carton of fizzies."
Kairen punched the air in victory.
"Honestly, I don't blame you," Jean said, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was five minutes to ten.
"We've been working overtime this whole week, and it's just the two of us."
Kairen nodded in agreement.
"There have been more leakages recently. The Continuum is still unstable."
"I heard from the higher-ups that the CSD is considering working with the Order of Noctis to restore the Continuum," Jean said, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"Really? No way."
"Anyway, finish the alignment so we can both go home."
Jean stood up to leave.
"Oh, and close the door—"
Before Kairen could finish, Jean was already gone.
He, in fact, did not close the door.
Unbelievable.
Kairen groaned and stood up to close it.
Had everyone already left? he wondered.
Just as his hand reached for the handle, a crashing sound came from the hallway.
His eyes darted toward where the sound was coming from.
"Is anyone there?"
No answer.
He hesitantly stepped outside into the dimly lit hallway.
When he discovered the source, he sighed in relief.
It was just a trash can that had toppled over.
He picked it up and placed it back.
Probably those rats again, he thought, shaking his head.
As soon as he turned around to leave, the hallway lights went off.
When they came back on a few seconds later, there was a shadowy figure standing at the far end of the hallway.
"Jean?" he asked, squinting.
Kairen realized the person standing there was female. He couldn't make out her features from where he was standing, but she had a slim build and was wearing what seemed like a girl's school uniform. Her eyes looked like they were glowing.
[My, my. Looks like I finally found you.]
She giggled. Her voice seemed to be layered, like two instruments playing the same notes at the same time.
Kairen froze at the sound of her voice.
What was that? His mind raced as sweat covered his forehead.
He stared at her intensely, taking short, sharp breaths.
Her voice sent shivers down his spine.
Somehow, it seemed to illuminate the atmosphere and made the hallway a little brighter.
She giggled and removed something from her hair.
A hairpin.
Her hair, which had been in a bun, fell smoothly down her back. The hairpin had an unnatural gleam. Like it took up space of its own.
What the hell is that?
He couldn't utter a single word, and all attempts to calm himself were futile.
She pointed the pin at him, menacingly.
[Oh silver that shines under the brightest light, cast down that which defies you.]
The pin slowly grew larger, forming into a spear.
In that moment, maybe it was instinct or fear but every cell in Kairen screamed one thing.
Run away.
He turned to run, but before he could take a single step, the girl appeared right in front of him and swung the pin.
Almost like clockwork, he heard it in his mind, very clearly:
Duck.
He threw himself backward, and the tip grazed his cheek.
He hit the ground hard and groaned in pain.
[Oh, looks like the seal is coming undone.]
The girl licked her lips, pleased.
What...
Kairen's eyes widened in horror.
She's toying with me.
He tried to stand, but his legs gave way.
"No way," he muttered. "This can't be happening!"
He crawled backward, screaming in horror.
The girl began walking slowly toward him, savouring the moment.
She stood over him, her eyes cold yet playful.
She grinned.
[How the mighty have...]
Before she could finish, a fist landed squarely in her face, sending her flying into a wall.
Kairen looked up to see a shirtless Jean standing there.
"Hey man," Jean said, looking embarrassed.
He had runic markings all over his body.
Kairen had known Jean for almost seven years and had never seen anything like that on his skin before. By all definitions, Jean was his best friend. They met during an internship at this very company.
"You alright?" he asked, offering Kairen a hand.
Kairen was too stunned to speak, but he looked grateful.
Before they could do anything, the girl slowly got up from the floor.
[My, my. And who might you be?] she said, wiping blood from her lips.
Jean frowned and faced Kairen.
"I'm really sorry, man. I couldn't keep you hidden."
"Huh?"
"We'll meet again."
Before Kairen could react, Jean thrust his fist into Kairen's chest and whispered in his ear,
"Give him control."
Then he pulled his hand out.
Kairen stumbled to the ground as his vision blurred.
And just before he blacked out, he saw it—the darkness smiling at him.
This time, he didn't try to fight it. He didn't run away.
He just let it... take over.