Darkness had enveloped all. In fact, it was not darkness; it was nothing at all. Seemingly, everything had gone. That's when I felt it. It was as if part of my head had an itch it could not scratch; this itch was so deep that it embedded itself within my skull, reaching into my brain. That's when I realised it, I had no arms or hands to scratch this itch, in fact, I had nothing at all.
I agonised over how to be rid of this feeling, despite there being nothing; the confusion was making it ache all the more. Then I noticed that I wasn't surrounded by nothing at all; there was something. Whatever it was, I decided to grasp it. Despite not having arms, I felt I could, whether that was due to instinct or some kind of hallucination. When I grasped it, nothing happened. Eventually, I gave up on simply holding it, and my impatience had grown, so I yanked it.
I felt endless space flow past me, so far that it felt like I was ageing just by feeling this. Then I heard it… a voice within the nothingness. I couldn't understand what it was saying to me. It sounded like a cacophony of noise, like the drills in a mine grinding stone. Loud, yet distant, and echoing throughout, telling everyone that, despite what you think, there was something beyond this nothingness. I concentrated as hard as I could to understand it. The itch had returned on my head as I tried to understand what I was hearing; once again, it was plaguing my existence. I tried to groan as I tried to be rid of it, but couldn't even manage that. Vertigo was now eating away at me. I was disoriented and felt like I was falling down a ravine. That is when I could finally hear the voice that I could only assume was the cause of all of this.
"Ah, so you can finally hear me."
The voice surrounded me, coming from all directions simultaneously.
"Well, I was not expecting to see this… I have never seen you in this form before. I guess it doesn't matter; it's actually reassuring to see you like this. It means that you are just like the rest of us. Not some sort of…"
I had finally rediscovered my voice.
"What the hell is happening to me? What in the actual fuck, what's yer fuckin' problem and what in the pits of Theia is going on?!"
I interrupted him, each sentence coming out more unsure than the last.
"I understand your confusion, so I'll answer as best I can. I'm sorry for this disorienting world, but it was the only way to keep the others out. If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about it."
His accent wasn't one that I recognised. His voice was measured and controlled despite the chaos of this place.
"So you meaning to tell me to not worry about what the fuck is wrong with me right now?! The fuck's wrong with ya! Of course, I'm worried about where I am, I'm in the middle of nowhere!"
My shouts were still aimed at nothing visually, but the voice and presence lingered.
"Ahh, how reassuring it is to feel that old rage emanating from you, albeit much more infantile. And yes, actually that's a very good name for this place; let's call it nowhere!"
"Are ya damaged in the head? Who even are you?!" I rushed out as soon as he'd finished his sentence.
"Oh, right, I forgot that you don't know who I am. My name is Blake Blacklight, but I go by many names. I guess you will come to know me as the Bloodviper."
Well, that name was definitely not ominous at all, now was it! As if I'm going to trust a man called the fucking Bloodviper, what's he going to do, leave me as bloody red as the rock that's usually beneath my feet.
Clearly sensing my hesitancy, he began to speak yet again.
"Look, I understand the position you're in; you are in a primordial state, but I can help you. The others are trying to stop me, though. You will have a difficult path, but we need you, or at least I think we do; the world that you live in is unknown to us, and we need answers in your absence, so can you…"
As he trails off, I'm flung once again far away, his voice drifts from me until it is unheard once again. It feels like aeons are passing me by as I travel despite no actual time passing. That is when my body slams against the ground, as it creates a disgusting thud. I am dazed by the fall, and once again, I was disoriented, unaware of where I was. I began to get up, and as I moved my arm to touch the ground, the mysterious ground partially gave way, causing me to fall forward again. Confused, I looked down. Beneath me was an unusual pure white surface. It had a granular, fluffy surface, yet a brittle crust atop it. I got up this time, noting that the ground may give slightly when I stand up. I looked around, noticing that this place was unrecognisable; long brown solids seemed to reach for the roof, surrounded by lush greens. It reminded me of the stories my grandfather told me about our old world, stories of old about where our people really came from, a planet called Earth. That's where I looked up and realised that there was no roof anymore, I could see what was truly above our heads, the sky, a sight that had not been seen for at least multiple centuries. I marvelled at its beauty. That's when a voice trembled from it, shaking the white substance from what looked like how I'd imagined trees looked in the stories.
"Welcome, child of the deep, it is an honour to make your acquaintance."
Now who the fuck is this guy! This voice was deeper, less friendly than the last. And when he began to speak, bright lights of green and purple began to light the sky; it was resplendent.
"You were once feeble and subhuman, but today you are not, and back then you were a mere pickaxe that chiselled away and now you are the metaphorical hypergolic fuel that will bring about a new"
What the fuck was happening today? Was this one of the "others" the so-called Bloodviper was talking about? I decided to try to find out.
"Who even are ya?" I asked with a hint of my frustration seeping through.
"I have no name"
"Bull fucking shit, you have no name, who are you?" I doubled down
He laughed in response. He actually laughed at me! "Why tell you my name, when it will mean nothing to you? Is that truly what matters? Besides, if one is defined by their name, is the name not the key to who they are as a very being, down to a single quark?"
"Just tell me something to call ya!"
He laughed again. "Well then, just call me Aurora Borealis"
"Why are ya speaking in fucking riddles? And why does nothing make any bleedin' sense? Even the last guy I could barely understand, and you're even worse then him!"
He paused at that, long enough to make me awkward, and the hairs on my neck stood, pulling the air closer to my skin; the cool air rushing into my lungs reminded me of what it would be like to be one with the stones.
"Who did you speak to last."
His voice was authoritative now; he didn't request, he commanded.
"He said to call him Bloodviper," I added honestly
Yet again, he paused, which made me suddenly realise how vulnerable I truly was.
"Our time here is over," He proclaimed
Once again, I was flung, and I closed my eyes. When I reopened them, I was in my room, clearly having just been awoken from sleep. My grandpa was sound asleep, snoring loudly, as he always did. I looked around, still confused at what had even happened. None of it made any sense. Was it really just a dream and nothing more. No, surely it couldn't be, could a dream really be that meticulous? At the same time, it felt real for some reason; in fact, it felt more real to me than my own life, and yet I knew it to be untrue.
There was no sky, there were no trees, and I knew everyone down in these caves like the rusty air I breathe, and not a single one of them had names like Bloodviper and Aurora Borealis. There was no way the rest of humanity could speak to me either.
I guess it must've been just that, a dream a mere scream into the wind. I decided I should just try to sleep the dream off and be ready for the hard labour of tomorrow.