The air was thick and ominous, as it always was in my dream. Despite that, every shadow felt as calm as it had when I slept in the infirmary.

As I walked through the darkness, I expected to be tortured—the chilling shadows would haunt me as they always did, before I could even take a step.

But to my surprise, there was nothing.

Only the sound of my own footsteps echoed through the void.

The calmness was a relief, yet at the same time, it unsettled me.

What was even stranger was that the shadows which usually held me captive were moving away with every step I took.

After wandering aimlessly for a while, I sat down in one spot, unsure of what to do.

On the bus, the shadows either forced me to relive fragments of my past or made me run endlessly. And in the infirmary, I—

Throb…

A sharp pain pierced my head, cutting off my thoughts.

Startled, I jumped to my feet and scanned the darkness, expecting any sign of being tortured by them.

Yet there was nothing. Only silence, heavy enough to press against my ears.

Then why did I feel that pain?

Moments passed as I tried to make sense of it. Eventually, I spoke aloud to the shadows.

“Why are you guys so calm today?”

I waited—hoping for an answer.

But—

Nothing came.

With a resigned sigh, I sank back down.

The riddle of my surroundings deepened with every passing second.

At some point, I began to hope I could either fall asleep or at least see the memory fragments the shadows sometimes showed me.

When silence answered me again, I let out a small chuckle.

“Is this the calm before the storm?”

I asked half-jokingly, hoping—once again—for a response.

But I was wrong.

Frustration bubbled over.

“AT LEAST SHOW ME SOME MEMORY FRAGMENTS.”

I already knew I wouldn’t receive an answer.

Accepting the silence, I stood up and prepared to resume my aimless walk.

But the moment my foot touched the ground—

zzzt—

The shadows glitched.

I froze, shock coursing through me as the darkness flickered like a malfunctioning projection.

Suddenly, an intense pain tore through my chest—a crushing pressure squeezing tighter with every breath.

It was so severe that my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.

Clutching my chest, I cried as the throbbing ache overwhelmed me. This pain—this suffering—was far worse than anything I had ever experienced here.

{Hnnn}

Before I could steady myself, another sound reached my ears.

Someone else was crying.

A heartbreaking wail echoed through the darkness.

{Ugh}

Confusion and fear tangled inside me as I realized something horrifying.

The pain—and the cries—weren’t mine.

Yet they resonated within me with a haunting familiarity, as though it were my own suffering, coming from somewhere else.

But I don’t remember this.

It’s not mine.

It’s unfamiliar.

Who is crying?

Questions flooded my mind as my body stiffened, frozen in place.

I had never heard any voice here other than my own.

Gathering my courage, I slowly looked up—

{Ahhhhh… No, don't do it… No, no… please, noooo.}

A raw, agonized plea tore through the darkness.

Each cry pierced my soul like a dagger, filling me with unbearable sorrow.

The sadness—the wails pressed down on me with crushing weight.

With trembling hands, I tried to cover my ears.

But the sheer depth of despair was too overwhelming.

My own emotions started to merge with the agony surrounding me.

Unable to contain it anymore, I broke down, sobbing, and screamed.

“STOP … STOP … PLEASE STOP THIS, whatever it is, stop this... STOOOOOOP …”

My voice echoed through the void, swallowed by the agonizing screams.

The cries only grew louder, tearing at my heart.

A chilling realization crept over me as I tried to see whose memory this was—what the shadows were trying to show me.

But—

My body went cold.

Yet, my terrified stare met nothing at all—just chaotic, glitching darkness.

What's happening?

I frantically searched for any clue—any fragment, any sign of the source of this pain—anything that could explain the wave of turmoil inside me.

However,— 

There was none.

All I could see was distorted shadows and unbearable chaos. 

At some point, slowly, the shadows began to close in.

The cries grew louder and more piercing.

I stood and ran.

My legs trembled—but fear forced them to move.

I ran as fast as I could, desperate to escape the anguish.

But no matter how far or how fast I went, the shadows ominously followed—closing in, refusing to let me leave.

My footsteps echoed hollowly, and the pain in my chest reminded me of the truth.

There was no escape.

No matter how much I ran, the shadows were always at my heels.

“Please… please let me wake up. Please… let this end.”

I prayed desperately, whispered the same plea over and over, my voice trembling with desperation.

“Please….. please let me escape from this menacing dream.”

Just as the shadows were about to consume me—

Something seized me.

An unseen force tore me away, dragging me through a vortex of twisting darkness and agonizing sound.

Gaasp…

My eyes flew open.

I was flung back into reality.

My breath came in ragged gasps, my heart pounding violently.

I looked around my surroundings and realised I was back in my room.

“I…I can't sleep now. I have to get out of my room.”

With urgency, I tried to sit up because the heavy shroud of those wails was still weighing me down.

But a sharp pain exploded in my head.

Clutching my temples, tears spilled down my face. 

The intensity of the pain was overwhelming.

The pain mirrored the cries, the suffering, the agony from my dream.

Confusion clouded my thoughts.

W..w..what is going on r..right now?

No matter how much I suffer in my dreams, it never carries over into reality.

The boundary between dream and reality was blurring.

I felt trapped—suspended in anguish and uncertainty.

Desperate, I reached out, grasping for something—anything.

But as the pain intensified, my strength failed.

My vision darkened—

And consciousness slipped away.