The Black Apple

Amidst the void, the black orb stood out with its shining white borders. Its appearance made me think of black holes.

Unable to understand the purpose of an orb in the middle of nothing, I decided to ignore it and head on. But, as I didn't know where I was heading, I sighed and decided to investigate the small black hole.

I walked closer to it, and nothing special happened. Since I assumed it to be a black hole, I expected a strong force from it, but it crushed my expectations.

"If this isn't a black hole, what is it?" I thought, closing my eyes. "Maybe I should touch it for clarity?"

I opened my eyes and moved my right hand forward to touch the orb, but before I reached it, the warning given by the apostle popped into my mind. "Don't touch anything suspicious."

I began to fret, unable to decide. "Does this orb look suspicious? It looks like something in a void, even though it's shining."

Pouring my intense stare into the orb while my hand stood near it, I couldn't help my curiosity to touch it. My heart advised me the words of the apostle while my brain continuously poured interest for the orb.

Eventually, my brain dominated my heart, and my hand touched the orb before I knew it.

"Is this how I'll meet my end before even getting a chance to reincarnate?" I thought, tension building up on my face.

The tense pressure around me due to the fear of the suspicious orb faded slowly as no change occurred.

"Haha, seems like there wasn't anything suspicious about this orb," I chuckled while my face was sweating buckets.

I removed my hand, and wicked thoughts of touching it again rampaged my mind.

"Since nothing happened, it's safe to touch it again, right?" I murmured, hesitating.

The wickedness took over me, and I touched it again several times. "Hehe, since I have nothing to do, this is entertaining!" I thought, smirking.

For several minutes, I practiced my homemade kung-fu on it until I exhausted myself and started huffing.

"Not bad for exercising!" I exclaimed.

I sat down for a minute to calm my nerves and then stood up again for another round.

"Hehe, time for round two," I grinned heinously.

Before my punch could fully reach the orb, it emanated black waves from it that seeped into my hand and made me feel nauseous.

My right hand had been filled with pressure that didn't hurt. Soon, the pressure spread evenly into my body, making my spine shiver with fear.

It was like someone used gravitation magic on me, forcing all of my body parts to get crushed while my sense of pain faded.

Suddenly, the pressure disappeared, and everything returned to normal. However, my mind was now filled with thoughts of food, specifically the fruit I missed the most.

Apple, I reflexively thought.

In the spur of a moment, the black orb changed its form into a black apple, and my lower jaw dropped from surprise.

The thought that instantly arose in my mind was, "This thing is definitely suspicious."

...

I immediately fixed my jaw and posture, then turned serious with a detective look in my eye. "What is this orb? Does it have any connection with this void? Or is it the operator of this void playing pranks on me?"

I couldn't reach any conclusion due to my lack of knowledge of this void and the suspicious orb, so I decided to give up, but then a thought popped into my head.

"Why does this apple look familiar to the one shown in the fairy tale: Snow White?" I stared into the center of the apple, analyzing it by moving in circles around it.

"Don't tell me that I've been influenced by the show that girl used to watch..." I looked down in disappointment.

The apple began to send a charming scent into the void, filling my nostrils. Even though the air was not present here, it somehow reached my nose, and I breathed it in.

The scent took control of my body, completely overwhelming the power of my brain. I extended my hands like a zombie and slowly walked towards the apple.

Meanwhile, my head was full of sarcastic thoughts. "Noo, why is this happening to me? This is surely the apple Snow Shite ate!" I tried to repulse myself but failed dramatically.

"No one wants to see a male Snow White! Besides, no prince is going to come and save me!" I shouted in my brain, unable to express it on my face.

Once I reached the apple, I took hold of it and moved it towards my mouth to take a bite. Although I desperately tried to resist, the scent had already taken complete control over my body.

My teeth sunk into the black apple, and the juices from it rushed into my mouth. Soon, I finished eating the entire apple.

"I hope this is a dream..." I cried internally.

After I ate the apple, my eyes began to roll, and my heartbeat loudened. After a moment, I lost consciousness and fell into the never-ending void.

...

Some hours passed by, and I regained my senses. Suddenly, I started to hear some strange and faint voices.

"Huh... Voices? I was in a void, right?" I thought, confused.

The voices gradually loudened, "Should we leave his dead body here, Mr. Z?" a soothing voice sharpened.

"Yes, since no one will be able to find his body here as this forest is filled with high-ranking monsters," a low-pitched voice answered.

"I really hoped that Mr. X would've come with us," the soothing voice fainted.

"Mr. X was busy with another task. Besides, we have completed our mission of assassination of this young boy, so we should take our leave before a high-ranked monster appears," the low-pitched voice mentioned.

While I was hearing the conversation with my eyes close, I wondered. "What are they talking about? Assassination? Young boy? Forest? Just where the hell am I?"

TO BE CONTINUED...