Who are you?

"Don't be afraid," a familiar childish voice whispered, the voice of the little girl he had heard twice before.

Panic surged within him. The passengers remained frozen like ice sculptures. He cautiously moved from his seat, fearful that any touch might shatter them. Inadvertently, he grazed the hand of the portly man seated next to Jane while trying to avoid her. To his surprise, the man's hand didn't break, filling him with relief.

With newfound confidence, he ventured from row to row, searching for any sign of life, any hint of movement, but all his efforts proved futile. He was the only one unaffected by the stasis. Eventually, he made his way to the first-class section, where affluent travelers enjoyed their journey. A flight attendant was attending to a child, his father engrossed in his iPad. Summoning courage, Alex made his way to the captain's chamber, only to find the door sealed shut. He desperately sought a way to discern what was happening but found nothing. Peering through the emergency door's window, he saw the plane almost touching down, frozen, just like everything inside.

"What is going on here?" he muttered to himself.

"You've finally returned," the voice whispered again, this time with a presence.

And there she stood, the girl with the pearl hair whom he had glimpsed before, real and eerie, the strangest girl he had ever seen.

"Finally, you're here," she exclaimed with childlike delight and a faint giggle.

"You know me?" Alex inquired hesitantly.

"We've been waiting for you," she replied, her voice infused with happiness.

"But I don't recall ever meeting you," Alex said, perplexed.

"Of course, you don't remember me; you were just a baby when I first held you." She moved gracefully between the seats, peering into passengers' eyes.

"I'll be turning eighteen in three months!" Alex retorted.

"And we've been waiting for you all this time," she said, her expression now tinged with sadness.

Alex struggled to comprehend her cryptic statements. "Who's 'we' that you keep mentioning?" he asked. Suddenly, the girl grew solemn and began speaking in an unfamiliar language, incomprehensible to him.

His head throbbed, and his chest ached. As the girl approached, he retreated, but no matter how fast he moved, she effortlessly matched his pace. He tried to run, but she kept up with a leisurely stroll, as though he weren't running at all. She reached him, embracing him from behind, and they seemed to levitate above the floor.

"You better hold on tight," she whispered.

"What?"

Suddenly, everything snapped back to normal, and the impact of the plane's tires touching down sent Alex hurtling through the aircraft's aisle. He collided with various surfaces, his head taking multiple blows until the plane came to a complete stop.

"ALEX!" Jane's voice echoed through the cabin as she frantically searched for her son.

Passengers gathered around him, and flight attendants rushed to his side. Jane clambered over seats to reach him. Blood dripped from his hand, though he couldn't discern whether it was his own or the girl's.

"Are you alright, son?" inquired a male flight attendant.

His head spun as he tried to keep up with the attendant's words. Alex glanced around, searching for the girl to ensure her safety. She stood nearby, untouched by the chaotic landing. He observed her movements, hovering above the ground like a ghost or an angel without wings. It appeared that no one else could see her or make contact with her; she was ethereal.

She drew closer to him, and despite his fatigue and dizziness, he watched her approach. Her long pearl hair cascaded around his head, casting a shadow over him. She leaned close, placing her mouth next to his right ear and her right hand on his chest. With a forceful push, she pressed on his chest. Her breath felt icy, while her hand seared his skin. He sensed his very soul departing from his body.

"It has begun," she whispered, her voice tinged with sadness. With the blink of an eye, she disappeared, leaving Alex in a state of disarray.

As the plane descended further into turmoil, passengers screamed, flight attendants rushed about, and Jane's voice pierced the chaos, calling out for her son. But for Alex, everything went dark, and he succumbed to unconsciousness.

In the abyss of darkness, Alex felt as though he were sinking, descending into a void of emptiness. He couldn't think, couldn't feel, as if his entire existence were unraveling.

Then, the girl's voice returned, echoing through the darkness. "Are you planning to stay like this?"

Alex tried to respond, but his voice remained trapped within him. The girl continued, "You don't know who you are, do you?"

The notion struck him, and he tried to form thoughts. "Of course, I know who I am," he thought. "I'm Alex Smith."

But the girl's enigmatic presence persisted. "Then let me show you."

A brilliant light pierced the darkness, drawing Alex toward it. Memories flooded back into his consciousness, scenes from his life, long-forgotten moments, people he had loved and lost. His entire existence unfolded before him.

As he reached the source of the light, a radiant crystal orb, his heart pounded with anticipation. The orb transformed into two butterflies—a white and blue one and another in shades of purple and black. They danced around him, their auras leaving trails of light in their wake.

More butterflies emerged from the darkness, each with fewer colors than his own. Alex reached out to touch one, but his hand passed through it. These butterflies weren't quite real, yet they filled him with a sense of wonder and purpose.

His body moved forward, and he couldn't resist. Memories resurfaced, and a strange sensation gripped him. He was both Alex Smith and something more—a part of a greater whole. The girl with the pearl hair, Annalina, whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid."

Alex's hand extended toward the crystal orb at the center of the light. He hesitated for a moment, then touched it. Overwhelming emotions surged within him, and the orb shone even brighter. He closed his eyes, feeling his soul intertwine with the brilliance.

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer sinking into darkness. Instead, he stood on solid ground, surrounded by a lush forest with towering trees and vibrant greenery. His surroundings were unfamiliar, but a breathtaking scene unfolded above—a purple sky adorned with shimmering stars and a white hole that consumed the brilliance around it.

For a fleeting moment, he lost track of his surroundings, captivated by the fantastical sky. However, the enchantment was soon broken as a haunting hymn emanated from within the forest. It wasn't a typical Sunday hymn; it bore an otherworldly quality, sung by strange voices that melded together in an eerie chorus. Although Alex couldn't comprehend the words, the hymn resonated deep within him. His body reacted to it as though he had heard it before, though he couldn't recall where.

His legs moved of their own accord, guiding him down the dirt road that led into the forest. With every step, the hymn grew clearer, and he found himself involuntarily singing along, his voice echoing the unfamiliar words. The sensation was peculiar, and an intense burning sensation welled up in his chest. The pain grew so unbearable that he felt as if his chest might explode at any moment.

He stopped in his tracks, the pain becoming paralyzing. His heart raced, and it felt as if it might burst from his chest. Then, from the very place where the girl had pushed him earlier, a radiant light burst forth. The light took on the form of a glowing sphere, which then transformed into the same two butterflies that guided him through the abyss. Each butterfly emitted an aura that left a trail of light in their wake as they gracefully fluttered before him. The pain that had gripped him moments ago had vanished entirely upon their emergence.

Soon, several more butterflies emerged from the forest, each with fewer colors than his own. He reached out to touch one, but his hand passed right through it. They seemed real, and yet, not quite. It was an enigmatic presence that surrounded him.

His body resumed its forward motion, and time seemed to blur as he continued walking. The hymn continued to echo in his head, causing his headache to intensify. He shut his eyes and covered his ears for a brief moment, momentarily silencing the hymn. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a new location, one unlike any he had encountered before. There were no trees, only a vast expanse of grass covering the ground. In the midst of it all stood a white altar.

The butterflies that had accompanied him earlier had vanished. He could hear the sound of water nearby, though there were no rivers in sight. Alex followed the sound and was met with a breathtaking view. The land he stood on was a floating island suspended in the air, its waterfalls cascading into swirling vortexes, pouring into a black ocean below. The black ocean had its vortex, drawing water from the floating islands.

Above the island stretched the majestic purple sky, with the white void that consumed stars, and below it, the black void that devoured the ocean. The island found itself trapped between the two.

"You will be safe there," a strange voice spoke, drawing Alex's attention. He turned to see a man standing on the edge of the island, holding something within a white towel.

The man wore a black raincoat that clung to his muscular frame, and his face remained obscured. Alex cautiously approached, driven by a need for answers about this bewildering place and a way to return home.

"Sir, can you help me?" Alex asked.

"What kind of help are you seeking?" the man responded, his back still turned.

"Can you tell me where we are?"

"We are in between. In nowhere. Where it all began and where it all shall end."

Alex wondered if the man was perhaps deranged, but in this surreal setting, he couldn't make such judgments. After all, he had witnessed two butterflies emerging from his own chest.

"Is there anyone here who can help me get back home?"

"Go to the shrine, there you will find the answer," the man advised.

Surveying the area, Alex spotted an altar in the middle of the island. He headed toward it, and as he did, the altar began to emit light toward the hole in the sky. The haunting hymn returned, but this time, it failed to evoke any sensation within him.

Upon reaching the altar, he found a pool of glowing water and a pair of swans swimming within—a black one and a white one. Nearby stood the girl who had initiated this bewildering journey.

"Hey, you," Alex called out to her. "Tell me, where am I?"

"You are here, yet you are not," she replied, her tone different from her previous responses.

"What do you mean, and who are you?"

"Your soul is here, while your body is not. And they call me Annalina."

"My soul is here? What? Like I'm dead?"

She puzzled him further with each word she spoke, seemingly nonchalant as she toyed with the white swan, dipping her legs into the water and regarding Alex.

"Your parents will tell you what you need to know," she remarked.

Despite her bewildering statements, Alex felt no surprise when she mentioned his mother. "You know my mom?"

She pointed to the man on the island's edge. "He knows. After all, he is the one who will set things right." She resumed singing the hymn, as though returning to a recording-like state.

Alex hesitated but decided to approach the man, despite his usual antisocial tendencies. As he got closer, with every step, he heard the faint cry of a baby. He examined what the man held wrapped in the blanket and realized it was the crying baby.

The man extended his hands as if to cast the baby away. Alex rushed to intervene, but he arrived too late. The man released the child, and Alex found himself unable to scream or react in any way. Dizziness overcame him as the island began to spin wildly. He closed his eyes and ran, desperate to save the baby, but then Annalina's voice reached him.

"Don't be afraid. Open your eyes," she whispered once more.

When he opened his eyes, he was plummeting from the island, the same white towel that had covered the baby now wrapped around his right hand. Alex searched frantically for the baby but found no one. He looked up to see Annalina standing beside the man. Alex was overwhelmed by a flood of confusion and uncertainty. He looked down to find himself in the midst of the black vortex, surrounded by dark waters that formed a tunnel around him. He extended his hand to touch the water, and it felt warm. The vortex enveloped him in darkness, but it was not a cold or lonely darkness. Rather, it was a comforting one.

Out of nowhere, the butterflies reappeared, illuminating the darkness and fluttering around him, guiding his way. The dark waters began to transform into a radiant white, and overwhelmed by the sensation, Alex closed his eyes. He could hear a persistent beeping sound, an annoyance that pulled him from his reverie. He struggled to keep his eyes shut, but they gradually fluttered open. He found himself lying in a bed, an ECG attached to his chest.