It was cold. With my first breath came a shiver as an overwhelming odor of burnt metal and gunpowder flooded my sinuses. Something hard, smooth, and cool graced my skin, but I couldn’t see; it was dark.

My eyes opened, and I saw stars. They lighted the infinite dark space, bold, bright, hypnotizing. I drifted through an endless void on a rock, past the specks of light, past large, colorful orbs.

They captivated me, beckoning me forward with their beauty. But, I kept close to the rock on which I awoke, sinking my thin fingers into its sturdy surface. A mistake. The rock carried through the void, passing the circles, continuing through the endless array of stars.

My chest ached passing the other rocks. They were calling to me. Biting the inside of my cheek, I reared the rock backwards, hoping to lead it in a different direction. My heart soured as I drifted towards one of the large circles.

It became clearer as I came close – a large, red circle. It was larger than I could have imagined. It looked as if it would take me ten years to walk all the way across it. It beckoned me forward, and I became heavy. Before I knew it, I was falling.

I held my rock close, as if it would shield me from the inevitable crash. The world became hot. A red ray of light surrounded me, cutting through my skin. My rock crumbled. Desperate, I pushed upward against the rock.

I stopped falling. My rock continued towards the ground, crumbling upon impact, but I stayed in the void. I looked around at myself; my limbs hovered over nothing, pulling myself away from the large rock’s pull, mimicking the pull of the endless dark void.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I lowered myself to the rock, answering its call. Eventually, my feet touched the surface, tingling at its warm touch – a stark contrast to the cold draft near my head. The smell of iron captivated me.

My mouth drooled.

I reached out, grabbed a piece of the red rock, and sank my teeth into it. A sweet, rich taste flooded my mouth. It warmed my belly as it slid down my throat. My mouth ached without the wonderful taste. I kept eating, and eating, and eating, until eventually, there was nothing left.

But it wasn’t enough. I was still hungry.

Hovering in the empty void, I looked around. A beautiful, green and blue rock caught my eye.