Beginning of the Journey at the End of Time

When I opened my eyes, I was met with a world of white—a vast, endless expanse of snow. Nothing but snow stretched in every direction, swallowing the horizon in its cold, unyielding grasp.

Even the sky was strange. A pale blue dome loomed above, void of the sun or any familiar celestial marker. The emptiness around me was suffocating, yet oddly mesmerizing.

Where am I? The thought slammed into me like a freight train, bringing a wave of panic. My voice broke the silence, shaky and loud, as I yelled to no one, "Where the hell am I!?"

My chest tightened, and before I could stop myself, I began pinching my arms, desperate for sensation. Harder and harder I pressed, but no pain came. It was like my hands had no strength—or perhaps, I was no longer tethered to reality.

A sharp realization hit me. "This has to be a dream," I murmured, trying to calm the storm inside.

But something was wrong.

The air didn't feel like a dream. The weight of the snow under my feet felt too real. And then, there was this gnawing unease in the pit of my stomach. My instincts screamed that this place was far from ordinary.

"Alright, I just need to wake up," I said, trying to convince myself. Yet no matter how hard I willed it, my body refused to cooperate.

The panic returned with a vengeance. Should I move? Scream louder? Hit myself? None of it worked. The frustration boiled over. "What kind of shitty dream is this?"

And then it hit me like a slap to the face: I can't remember.

I tried recalling who I was, what I'd been doing before this, and most importantly, who I might've been waiting for. A face floated at the edges of my mind—a blurry silhouette. Someone important? Their name slipped through my thoughts like sand through my fingers.

Why can't I remember?

No matter how hard I focused, every memory felt just out of reach. Strangely, I wasn't upset. It was more of a dull ache, a void I couldn't quite grasp. Maybe it was better this way—maybe those memories were best left forgotten.

The snow around me didn't change, and time felt meaningless. Minutes? Hours? Days? I couldn't tell. Lost in thought, I didn't even notice the shift in the sky until it caught my breath.

Darkness crept in from the edges of the horizon, swallowing the light in every direction. It wasn't the slow crawl of dusk; it was more like ink spilling across a canvas. Yet, in the center of the sky, a stubborn patch of pale blue remained.

It was breathtaking.

"Wow..." The word slipped from my lips, unbidden, as I stared in awe.

But the night wasn't done with its tricks. The remaining blue faded, and the sky became an abyss—black and starless. Despite the darkness, I could still see the snow, its eerie glow untouched by the absence of light.

"So… does this mean I've been here an entire day?" My voice was small, swallowed by the expanse.

Questions piled on questions. Where was I? How had I ended up here? Why couldn't I remember anything?

But there were no answers. Just the snow, the dark sky, and an unbearable silence.

For the first time, I felt like a ghost—a wandering soul trapped in a place that defied reason.