*
Pain. I am consumed by agony. Every inch of my body cries out in torment. These feelings are not my own, I am merely a spectator, a wordless watcher. Time passes. Seconds flow into hours, and then eons.
I am lost, and I know that there is no one who will come and find me.
The sky wheels overhead, the stars racing across the night sky, before being erased by the blinding sun. The scene flickers, one second I am standing in a lush clearing filled with birdsong, the next I am in a dilapidated city bereft of laughter. Time and space have unwound, leaving me to float aimlessly, lost in the timeless void.
I am lost, and he will not find me.
Finally, my surroundings stabilize. I am standing at the edge of a great chasm: a fault in the earth, a scar upon the land. On my side, there is nothing. No life, no sound, no colour, just an infinite nothingness. The void calls to me, beckoning me to join it, and become part of the mundane, unchanging darkness. It is a world where things like emotions and thoughts wither and die, and I can already feel my soul start to break down. This is a world of darkness and despair, perfect for someone like me. I will live in this realm of shadow, immobile and alone, until the day I die.
Here I will remain, lost forever, and he will not save me.
Suddenly, a voice cuts into the void, a voice made of compassion and joy. I raise my head, peering into the gloom. There, on the other side of the chasm, stands a man bathed in a soft light. Warmth seems to radiate from him, driving the void away. His now-emerald, now-sapphire eyes captivate me, drawing me into his world. There are others standing beside him, but he outshines them all, an inferno amongst a sea of sparks. He calls out once more, bridging the insurmountable gap with words of worry.
I am still lost, but he might be able to reach me.
His is a world of light and beauty, where emotions and thoughts run free and unrestrained. The light blinds me, bringing back the once-forgotten pain. His world is an anathema to mine, its natural enemy. Light and darkness collide as the rift between us shrinks. His world is filled to the brim with emotion, both good and bad. I can feel unbridled happiness swirl around me, locked in mortal combat with seething rage.
I am still lost, and I fear that he might find me.
“Stop! Don't come closer!” I scream, shying away from the burning light. But he continues on unabated, ignoring my desperate plea. Tendrils of darkness curl round him, striking his body with dark barbs which eagerly dig into his flesh. The red blood stands out amongst the static white and black, as more and more coats the ground. Pain grips his face, but he still walks forward.
He is Not Right. He is Dangerous. I have to get away!
He has found me. Gods have mercy, he has found me!
I turn and run, fleeing from the intense flame of his world. As I flee my realm of nothingness begins to shatter. His terrible, beautiful light destroys everything I have ever known, stripping me bare.
“Please, stay away!”
Still, he walks on, his world of light now encompassing my safe haven on all sides. There is nowhere left to run, nowhere left to hide. I can feel him drawing closer, dragging me into the light. The pain is becoming unbearable. I can feel myself dying, killed by his light! He will kill me, and whatever is left will be consumed by the light…
I have lost. I have lost to his light, and I will never again find the darkness…
Awakening Page 71