Distorted World, Book 1: Uprising

Chapter 4 - Fate

I was floating.

Endlessly, in a sea of flickering lights.

I could hardly move. My consciousness was wavering as I continued to float toward a bright, blinding light. It blinked and dimmed briefly, as if it was beckoning me to join it. 

What was happening? Am I going to merge with the light?

My mind was blank. I felt like I was fading.

I decided to just relax and let whatever that was supposed to happen, happen. 

Then, it changed. I wasn't floating anymore. I was being cradled instead, by some unnameable entity that had no shape, scent or sound, just warm, pure energy.

As soft as the wind, taking me away.

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When I came to, I was standing alone in a void. There was nothing around me, and it was grey all around. A thick, heavy fog swirled around me, obscuring my vision. I shuddered at the emptiness. Am I dead? I asked myself.

I looked down. I noticed that I was much closer to the ground than I was used to, even though I was standing upright. My hands were small and soft, without all the scars from my sword training.

Had I become...a child?!

With no idea of what to do, I wandered around, hoping that I would find something or someone. Out of the blue, a woman and a young girl appeared in the fog, surprising me. I quickly ran forward, only to be surprised even more when I realised that they were Mother and Yumi.

"Mum! Yu-" Before I could finish, they abruptly cut me off.

"We're leaving, Sayaka. We're sorry about this, but this is the only way for us. We will come back to see you whenever we can. I promise," said Mother.

At that instant, my surroundings changed to a wide road in front of me, a horse-drawn carriage on it. Mother and Yumi were getting on it, bringing their belongings along. Stunned at the vision, I immediately fell speechless. I remember this. This was the day Mother and Yumi left us.

Mother and Yumi were one of the most important people in my life, and I loved them dearly. When they were gone, a part of me disappeared too. It was like a hole was carved in my heart, and the hole got bigger as I had to endure months, sometimes years, without seeing them. For over half a decade, I spent my life wondering about the real reason they left, yet nobody gave me the answer. As time flew by, I had learnt to suppress the pain and move on, but now that this vision was in front of me so vividly, the pain stabbed at my heart once more.

"Goodbye, Sayaka. We love you," said Yumi.

"No! Wai-" Tears welled up in my eyes.

But when I looked up, they were gone.

Then, the wide road disappeared, replaced by three of my childhood friends. One of them hugged me, and another gave me a small wooden box. All three of them had a sympathetic look on their faces.

This was the day I left my town and moved to the hills.

"Sayaka, we'll miss you..."

"We'll come to see you whenever we have time."

But you never did, I thought. I bit my lip to stop myself from crying. Hundreds of feelings converged into a lump in my heart until I didn't know what I was feeling anymore.

And then they vanished into thin air just like Mother and Yumi.

I wanted to ask them why they didn't come to visit, why they didn't even write me a letter, whether they actually cared about me, but it was too late.