30 Days | (ONC 2022) ✓

Chapter 2: The True Beginning

December 1, 00XX

Light poured in through the windows. Elliot awoke to the familiar sight of the pristine white ceiling of his room. His head was heavy from what felt like sleeping for quite some time. He blinked back the haze covering his eyes and tried to remember how he had gotten here.

There were voices, he recalled. He could've sworn he heard someone speaking earlier. He sat up and looked around only to find he had been alone.

And a war... Angels were fighting against demons. He could still clearly remember the feel of his sword cutting and piercing through skin. That's right, they were winning. No, they had won.

A knock on the door jolted Elliot from his thoughts. He remembers a bright light, but then what happened after that? Had they fully won by then? Or was that another trick by the demons?

He looked at the door with trepidation and stood up uneasily on his feet. He summoned his sword in his right hand and carefully approached his mysterious guest.

"Come in," he said.

The door flew open, and Elliot raised his weapon. As soon as he saw the person behind it, he let his hand fall with a relieved sigh.

"Whoa there," Zaila stood before him, arms raised defensively. "Nightmare?"

"Zaila," Elliot breathed at the familiar sight of his friend. He noticed her confused expression and almost forgot about the sword in his hand. He moved to dismiss it. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"Well, I appreciate that it wasn't my head you intended to cut off," Zaila came inside, sidestepping his tall figure in the doorway and sitting down on the bed. She looked at him for an explanation as to who this 'someone' might be. Elliot, however, was too elated to give one.

"If you're here then..." he turned to her, a bright grin spread across his face. "We won the war!"

"War? What war? Don't tell me you hit your head on top of trying to kill me too?"

"Zaila, you can stop pretending to be stupid, and let's celebrate!"

She rolled her eyes. "You and your imagination. Well, if you look at it, a war doesn't seem too far off from the escalating arguments we've been having with the demons..."

"Demons... What are you talking about? Didn't we kill all of them already?"

"Elliot, whatever that was, it was a dream. Though given how you ended up here, it's not surprising you'd want to kill them."

He shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait-what happened? The war's over, so why are there still..."

"You and a few others ended up here after a surprise attack coordinated by some demons yesterday. I had almost thought you were a goner!" Zaila regarded me with a concerned expression. "From what I can see, it's good to see you're doing fine. Though those demons should be dealt with, word of this should be getting to the higher-ups anytime now."

Elliot stayed quiet, silently processing all the new information he already should've known. Something definitely wasn't right, and the pit in Elliot's stomach grew deeper with each passing second.

"...Zaila, what date is it?"

"You don't remember? It's December first."

Elliot paled, his eyebrows furrowed into a line. "What do you mean?"

Zaila snorted. "The day after November thirty? Did you really forget what happened to you?"

Elliot looked back; it's like he could never remember the events of yesterday, the day before, and the weeks before it. He tried to remember, but it only made his head ache.