Our Point of View:

"I woke up with the sensation of being both two and none at the same time, as if the weight of another life had been stitched to my soul, yet the echo of its presence remained indistinct." — I didn’t believe it — until I bathed in shadows. No matter how lonely we are, we grow increasingly bitter if it persists: Not even Existence tolerated living alone in the vastness of the Eternal Void — what about us? In the same way, life and everything that exists were created: so that solitude would never again cast its shadows upon the cosmos... And the sentence, of course, continues."

The voice resounded in cosmogenesis like a frequency, not a sound. It was deep, serene, echoing in the vastness of the darkness around me. A cold chill ran down my spine. Suddenly, I was back in that dark garden, the same place where I first experienced magic. “Who… Who said that?” I asked, my voice faltering in fear.

“Do not fear yourself, Kiel.”

In front of me, solitary, stood a single tree, black and imposing, defying the empty vastness around it. Its trunk seemed alive, but in a disturbing way, as if every curve and texture were somehow connected to me.

The leaves were thick and dark, but it wasn’t an ordinary darkness—they seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. The air around the tree was still, suffocating, and I felt an increasing pressure, as though something invisible was slowly crushing me.

I moved closer, almost unable to control my own movements, guided by a force I didn’t understand. The nearer I got, the heavier that presence felt. It wasn’t just a tree; it was the abyss. The roots spread deep into the earth, but it wasn’t ordinary earth—it was like a thick, black liquid swallowing everything around it.

I sighed, the icy coldness cutting through my shallow breaths. I touched the tree’s trunk, expecting something to happen.

Nothing.

Its texture was damp, almost sticky, as if it were constantly submerged in some dark, dense liquid. It spiraled upward in chaotic patterns, more like a mass of giant algae extending as far as I could see, disappearing into the void.

“It... It is the abyss.” The words escaped my lips before I could even think them. “The form of entropy... the opposite of creation.”

“That’s right, and also the power of our memory; able to mirror gifts and shape the environment, it enables the control of the absence of light and matter beyond Existence,” a voice said behind me.

I turned sharply, stumbling and pressing against the sticky trunk as I fell from the shock. There was a dark, shapeless figure floating just a few meters away, shifting like liquid.

The form gradually elongated, outlining an upright figure. At first, an indistinct shadow, but it soon began to imitate my body. Limbs emerged like smoke solidifying in the air, the contours becoming sharper with each passing moment. The black fluid swirled and contorted, forming arms, legs, and a torso, until it matched my exact height.

My own silhouette now stared back at me, sculpted from pure abyss. Every detail of my body manifested within it—head, shoulders, hands—everything perfectly reproduced. Then, the eyes appeared: two dark slits filled with a sinister purple glow, their pupils dilated like portals to the unknown.

The figure mirrored my every movement, its shadowy muscles adjusting as mine moved.

“This is our soul,” it declared, like a reflection of myself, directly inside my head.

“What... what are you?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“You. Us,” the creature replied, its voice echoing in my mind.

“I don’t understand!” I exclaimed, my anxiety growing.

“Memories, combinations, flesh and light. Imperfections fused with purity and art. Light and dark, a pure Eclipse born from the amalgamation of beings.”

The atmosphere around us began to pulse, as if the air vibrated with an invisible energy. The darkness seemed denser, closer.

“Time is running out,” it said, its voice now almost a whisper. “We must rebuild our mind, Kiel. Reflower this garden and embrace the light. I don’t need to remain alone...”

I stayed silent, the weight of those words resonating within me. I didn’t know how to respond. Maybe I already knew the answer, but I lacked the strength to say it out loud.

“Broooo! Wake up!”

I woke up with a start, almost having a heart attack from my sister’s loud, shrill scream. The sound shattered my slumber, leaving me deeply stressed. Not that I was too comfortable anyway—that dream was crazy.

“Evelyn, do you have to yell so loud?” I grumbled, frowning.

Rubbing my eyes as I sat up in bed, the images of that desolate place, the black tree, and especially the mysterious words still fresh in my mind. I looked around the room, trying to ground myself in reality, stretching to wake up.

Our room was relatively new. We’d gotten it a while ago, after several renovations to the house. The walls were made of dark wood, decorated with tree designs and geometric carvings that Evelyn and I had made together. Two coffins side by side, but hers was already tidied up, both with colorful quilts that Nina had sewn. Between the beds, a light green fluffy rug.

Evelyn bounced next to me, clearly excited and impatient. Her lavender-white, short hair was messy as always, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. “You promised you’d go to the spring with me today!”

I frowned, trying to remember any such promise. “Did I? I don’t remember promising anything,” I said, trying to sift through my memory still foggy from sleep while yawning.

She blinked a few times, her eyes starting to well up in frustration. “You promised!” Her voice was thin, almost a whine, and I saw the first tear forming at the corner of her eyes. She always played dirty when she started to cry. “Why do you always do this? You say you’ll do something and then change your mind! I can’t trust you with anything!”

Those words hit me in a strange way. I crossed my arms, trying to hold firm. “Evelyn, it’s just that… going up to the spring? It’s far, it’s cold, and I’m tired…”

But she wasn’t listening anymore. The tears came, and with them, a flood of hurt words. “You never want to spend time with me! You always make excuses! I just wanted it to be like... before you got weird...” Her voice broke at the end, and I felt her frustration leave a sour taste in my mouth.

"Don't talk to me anymore!" she said, sad about the situation.

I stood there, watching as she turned her back to me, her small shoulders trembling. It would’ve been easy to ignore. Easy to hold my ground and say she was overreacting.

But somehow, I couldn’t. It dawned on me that I really needed to go with her, step out of my comfort zone and that self-imposed loneliness. Breaking that was the first step; it wouldn’t cost anything to pay attention to family... Yes, that’s important.

“Alright, alright…” I sighed, finally giving in, very different from the other times. “I’ll take you to the spring.”

She immediately lit up with a radiant smile, her eyes gleaming again. “You’ll see, it’s going to be fun!” she said, jumping and clapping: showing she had put on a little act.

“Mom’s calling you to eat, you’re the only one missing,” she said, tugging at me.

“Yeah, let’s go then,” I replied, looking at the energetic 6-year-old.

We went downstairs together, the smell of fresh coffee and baked bread greeting us from below. The wood floor creaked beneath our feet, as it always did, and soon we were on the stairs. There was a table waiting for us outside, on the lawn.

Outside, our 'parents', Ari and Aidan, were already seated at the low table, next to the garden my father had planted. The smell of Shelis, wild berries from Gaelia, and hot pastries filled the air. The table was set with a blue linen cloth, metal plates, and a basket of grains, along with a jug of milk.

“Good morning, kids,” Ari greeted with a warm smile, waving her right hand. Her long hair was tied up in an impeccable bun, and the calmness in her face seemed eternal. “Sit down, breakfast is ready.”

Evelyn quickly sat down, her eyes sparkling with anticipation at the variety of flavors on the table. I sat down next to her, but as I looked at the options, nothing really appealed to me. I picked at the plates, trying to find something I liked, but I missed the meat. Time passed, and before I realized it, everyone was already eating.

Ari, always observant, noticed my hesitation. “Kiel, are you going to refuse again just because there’s no meat? We don’t always get meat in the mountains, son. It’s complicated in the morning…”

I sighed, knowing I should avoid conflict. “It’s not that, Mom. Look.” I grabbed a few Shelis with a resigned gesture and began to eat, their sweet and fresh taste good, but not better than ribs.

I chewed on the Shelis, trying to mask my lack of enthusiasm.

The taste was very sweet, and the texture was fine, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I confess I missed the meat.

I looked around the table and noticed that an unusual silence had settled among us. Even Evelyn had gone quiet while eating, which was very uncommon.

Aidan, my father, was focused on meticulously cutting the fruit on his plate. Evelyn, beside me, ate her carbohydrate-rich pastry in silence. The quiet felt heavy, and the sound of chewing was the only thing breaking it.

I sighed internally, wishing for something to break the monotony. The calm that would normally comfort me felt like just another weight today.

“Why is everyone so quiet?” I asked, trying to spark a conversation.

Aidan looked up for a moment, hesitating before responding. “I was waiting for someone else to talk.”

“Me too,” Evelyn said while chewing.

“I’ve told you not to talk with your mouth full, Eve,” Aidan reprimanded her, though not harshly, just a reminder.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Okay, Dad,” she mumbled through her full mouth, earning another disapproving look from Aidan.

"And... Dear, remember the day Kiel fell out of bed as a baby and I almost lost it because of you? You hardly seem responsible, scolding your daughter… progress, right?" my 'mom' exclaimed.

Out of all the things she could bring up, she chooses that? I remember that day clearly—I tried to escape the bed, fell, got hurt, and was caught again. Aidan took the blame, as he always did. Before Aidan could say anything, I interjected with something I’d always wanted to know: “That’s not a good topic, Mom!” I continued, “A better one would be knowing about the future. How long are we staying here?”

“I don’t know, son. We’ve thought about it, but it’s not so simple. Maybe another year or two? Until you’re 10, perhaps,” she responded, adopting a questioning posture, her hand resting on her cheek.

“Oh, and remember the time when Kiel stepped in a Chorum plant and smelled so bad it took days for the stench to completely go away?” my playful 'dad' said, full of enthusiasm.

“Yes, I remember,” she replied, “I had to bathe him for hours,” she said, laughing and covering her mouth to hide her fervent laughter.

Very funny to you, Aidan, who doesn’t have a hypersensitive nose that nearly got fried from that stench.

“Has this breakfast turned into a roast of me?” I asked, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.

"Yees, and there was also that timee he brooke a Vispos neest,” Evelyn concluded.

Even you, little usurper of parents? This is blasphemy. Has this breakfast become an execution chamber?

“You too, Evelyn?” I asked, trying to hide my discomfort with a forced smile. “Am I just a joke? I have enough ammo to make you all cry!”

“Kiel, we’re just reminiscing about funny moments,” my ‘mom’ replied, still laughing. “It’s part of family memories.”

Aidan let out a short laugh, relaxing a bit more. “We need these moments to remind us we have reasons to smile.”

I sighed, realizing there was no escaping the embarrassing stories. “Alright, but maybe we can talk about something else now?”

Evelyn, still chewing, nodded in agreement. “Liike whaat?”

“Evelyn, don’t speak with your mouth full,” both of our ‘parents’ scolded simultaneously.

“How about we talk about what everyone wants to do in the future? What would you like to do when you grow up, Evelyn?” our ‘mom’ asked.

Evelyn swallowed her food and replied excitedly, “I want to be an adventurer, like the heroes in the stories Dad tells! I want to explore the world and find hidden treasures in ancient ruins, like that one over there,” she finished, pointing to the black tower on the horizon.

Ari looked uncomfortable, always displaying the same reactions, as if she didn’t want us going on these ventures like magic, danger, adventures, and other radical things. “Evelyn…” she paused for a moment and continued, “And you, Kiel? Have you thought about what you want to do when you grow up?”

I hesitated, never having thought much beyond the present. “I… I think I want…” I didn’t finish.

Aidan nodded, proud. “That’s a good goal, Kiel. With dedication, you can achieve great things,” he said, laughing sarcastically, which earned a disapproving look from Ari, who didn’t appreciate the joke.

The atmosphere around the table seemed lighter now, with everyone sharing their dreams and hopes. The embarrassing stories were forgotten, at least for the moment.

"So, Aidan," my 'mom' asked, a glint in her eyes, "what are your plans for the future?"

Aidan chuckled. "My future is simple: I want to keep taking care of you all and make sure you have everything you need."

My mom smiled, satisfied with the answer. "That sounds perfect to me."

And so, the conversation continued pleasantly, each of us sharing moments and memories of our life together, funny or disastrous, whatever they might be.

However, as we talked, a space seemed to grow between us. We seriously considered the future, but for me, it was still so uncertain: I’ve stayed alive in this world because of a lie; it was fear that kept me here, fear of the unknown, because I still lack an objective, a reason.

Even though you all keep winning me over more and more every day, I still have these feelings that make me want to end this cycle of life and death. But everything stops at fear.

Yet, you don’t know. The greatest fear I have now is abandoning or losing you. Causing you pain... because you’ll remain here.