Chapter 1 — The Prelude To The Prelude (1)

Without the courage to move forward, greatness will remain out of reach. Take the step.

••••

I heard someone calling me, but the sound seemed muffled, as if it was coming from the depths of the ocean.

Despite someone shaking me to wake up, opening my eyes felt like a challenge. However, I managed to force them open, but everything was blurry.

There were indistinct figures around me, and I couldn't discern their faces clearly, but it was evident that they were calling my name.

I attempted to identify who they were, but an odd sensation overtook me, making me feel like I was sinking. It was a peculiar feeling that I couldn't quite describe.

'This is really, really not good,' I thought to myself.

Eventually, I lost consciousness.

*****

As I opened my eyes, I was immediately aware of a strange sensation—a feeling of weightlessness, as if I were floating in space. I looked around, but there was nothing to see—just an endless expanse of darkness in every direction.

I tried to look around in all directions, but there was no perception of anything, not even myself.

It was a stark blackness that extended as far as the eyes could see, giving me the feeling that I was moving with my eyes closed, or perhaps I was moving, but I couldn't be sure.

At first, I felt a sense of panic rising within me. The darkness was so complete that it felt like it was suffocating me, and I had no sense of up or down, or even if I was moving at all. I couldn't remember how I had gotten here, or where here even was.

But as I floated in the void, a strange sense of calm began to settle over me. The sight was surreal, but instead of feeling eerie, there was a strange sense of calm that enveloped me. It was similar to the peacefulness one might experience when reading a book in absolute silence.

It felt as though I had been in this place my whole life, or at least, that was the sensation.

I tried to think back to the moments before I arrived here, but my memory was hazy, like a dream that was slipping away. The last thing I could recall was falling asleep in my own bed, in my own room. Oh, right. I had laid in my bed, right? And then what? What happened after that?

My recollection was hazy, but I did remember experiencing a high fever. I had been tossing and turning in my bed, trying to find a comfortable position, but the heat was suffocating.

And then...unable to keep a grip on consciousness, I had found myself swallowed up by darkness.

Had I died? Was this what the afterlife was like? Was this some sort of fever-induced hallucination? I couldn't be sure.

Despite the circumstances that would normally evoke fear, I found it odd that I was completely numb to any emotions.

I couldn't even perceive anything through my senses—not even sight, smell, or touch. I wasn't even certain if I had a sense of taste.

I couldn't feel anything, not even fear or uneasiness. A momentary flash of anxiety went through me, but even that vanished soon enough. Even the recognition that I could be dead failed to elicit any fear within me.

There was no sound, no sensation of touch or smell, no distraction—just the pure emptiness of the void. It was like being in a sensory deprivation tank, and yet it was also strangely liberating.

As I floated in the endless expanse of space, I felt a strange sensation of detachment. My body was suspended in the void, completely motionless, while my consciousness swirled around it like a stream of mist.

It was like my body had been separated from my mind, leaving me in a state of limbo. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't feel anything except the weightlessness of my consciousness.

I attempted to move my body, but it did not respond to my will. My limbs refused to flail, and my mouth remained closed, producing no sound. Despite my repeated efforts to open and shut my eyes, I was unable to perceive anything at all.

I couldn't see, and I couldn't hear. I had no senses or physical body; only my consciousness remained intact.

So...now what?

For a moment, I thought that I should try to find a way out of this place, but then I remembered that I had no body to move with, no voice to call out for help. I was completely trapped, in a world where the only thing that existed was my mind.

So instead, I simply let myself drift, enjoying the sensation of being weightless and free from the stresses of the outside world. I didn't know how long I had been here, nor how long I would continue to float in the endless darkness, but for the time being, it didn't seem to matter.

All I could do was focus on the feeling of floating, allowing my thoughts to wander aimlessly. It was a strange sensation, being adrift in such a void, but for some reason, I found it comforting. The more I floated in the darkness, the more I accepted my situation and found peace in it.

Hours or maybe even days passed—I couldn't tell—as I floated in the void. And yet, I felt no hunger or thirst, no need for rest or stimulation. It was just me and the emptiness, and that was enough. I surrendered to the peacefulness and let time go by.

But as time passed, the sense of peacefulness began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of unease.

What if I was stuck here forever? What if there was no way out?

I couldn't tell how long I had been floating in this black void, but it felt like an eternity. The emptiness that had been so comforting moments ago now felt suffocating.

The lack of sensation and the complete absence of any visual stimuli began to wear on me, and the absence of any indication of the passage of time only added to the growing sense of panic.

How long had I been drifting? Was I moving at all? Wait. What if I was trapped here forever? What if there was no escape from this void? Had I really died in my sleep and this was some kind of purgatory I was stuck in? Or maybe I had slipped into a coma and this was all in my head?

My mind began to conjure up all sorts of fears and doubts, and I felt myself slipping into a state of despair. The thought of never waking up again was terrifying.

I tried to shake the thought from my head and focus on the present. I was still in this strange void, and for all I knew, I could be here for eternity. The sense of panic began to rise in my chest once more, and I struggled to keep it at bay.

But then, I felt a subtle movement—almost like a current. The sensation was disorienting and confusing, and I wasn't sure if it was real or just a figment of my imagination.

It was almost like I was slowly sinking deeper and deeper into a deep, dark ocean, swaying in the gentle currents that were taking me to its deepest depths. But since I couldn't move my body, all I could do was stay there and let the flow carry me down.

After some time, I began to regain control of my body, but only to a small extent. My movements were still limited, and it took a while for my senses to return. I first became aware of my sense of touch and gradually started to feel my limbs, hands, face, and other body parts. Despite the slow progress, I was relieved to be regaining control over my body.

Then, a glimmer of light caught my eye, far off in the distance. It was faint, but it was there. I kicked my legs and tried to swim towards it, but it felt like I was moving through thick syrup. It was as though an invisible force was holding me back, slowing down my progress toward the light. Despite the difficulty, I continued to kick my legs and push myself forward.

I swam through the darkness with a slow pace, not knowing my whereabouts or appearance. It was unclear what was happening or what lay ahead, but I was determined to discover the truth by continuing to move towards the light. I had no idea of my destination, but I was hopeful that I would find out soon enough.

As I swam towards the light, I couldn't help but feel a sense of uncertainty. The light was still impossibly far away, and I had no idea how long it would take to get there. It felt like I was treading water in the middle of an ocean, barely keeping my head above the surface, but never making any progress towards the shore.

Despite the passing of what seemed like hours, days, weeks, and even months, the light still appeared to be impossibly distant, and I had no way of knowing how much longer it would take to reach it.

But despite the uncertainty and the seemingly endless distance, I persisted in my efforts to reach the light, pushing my way through the darkness in the hope of eventually arriving at my destination.

Gradually, as I moved closer to the light, it grew in brightness and size until it was the only thing I could see. I swam towards it with renewed determination, my heart pounding in my chest.

After a long and arduous journey, after what felt like an eternity, I finally reached the light and reached out to touch it.

However, as soon as I made contact, a sudden and intense burst of blinding light enveloped me, causing me to reflexively shut my eyes.

The light was so intense that it was difficult to discern what was happening around me, but just as quickly as it appeared, the light dissipated, leaving me momentarily disoriented and unsure of my surroundings.

As my eyes adjusted to the sudden disappearance of the blinding light, I realized that I was now standing in a completely different place.