Chapter 1: Her Calling
Boundead
Nu… Nur….
Nur!, wake up!
As he slowly opened his eyes, his vision still clouded and hazy, he caught sight of a slender figure looming before him, their outline sharp against the blurred background.
A gentle yet resolute voice floated through the air, belonging to a young woman clad in a crisp white trench coat. Her long black hair, framing her face with delicate bangs, swayed softly as she spoke. There was an unmistakable warmth in her sweet tone, infused with hopefulness and quiet confidence. However, behind her expressionless gaze, a captivating glimmer of light danced in her eyes, hinting at stories untold and dreams yet to unfold.
After taking a moment to shake off the remnants of sleep, he became aware that he was seated in the cockpit of a spaceship, gliding through an unfamiliar region of the universe.
"Ah, so you've finally come to, Sir!"
The owner of the voice, a woman with long black hair, was right in front of him near the control panel of the spacecraft.
Her gaze pierced the darkness, fixating on the figure seated behind the ship. He lounged in a chair that exuded authority, a throne of sorts, designed for someone of high rank and undeniable majesty. The air was thick with tension as she tried to discern his intentions in the shadowy realm surrounding them.
Nur sat there, fully conscious, his gaze fixed on the slender girl.
"You know you don't have to call me that, don't you, Taliah?" He said with a calm low tone
"…"
Since you have awoken, I shall tell you that we will be exiting the tunnel soon. If my calculations are correct, we will arrive 13 years earlier.
Nur's gaze dropped suddenly, his features obscured by the shadows of the cockpit's rear, creating an air of mystery as he watched the scene unfold before
.…Finally," he murmured, as his eyes could hardly stay open due to the weight, "It felt like eternity!."
Taliah watched as she felt the weight the man in front of her was holding.
The control panel was mostly nonfunctional as they entered the mysterious space that seemed to stretch on endlessly.
As she turned around to face the view in front of her, her pupils were filled with vibrant colors and stars in the distance, sparkling in her eyes.
To her left sat a half-drunk cup of coffee, now cold and forgotten. Beneath it lay a notebook, and nearby was a black pen that seemed to hold many untold stories.
…
The ship glided effortlessly through a swirling rift, a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors illuminating the vast expanse of the universe around it. Distant stars sparkled like diamonds, their light twinkling against the cosmic canvas.
This spaceship was a marvel, reminiscent of a fantastical creation straight out of a comic book. Upon closer inspection, its sleek design hinted at advanced engineering, specifically crafted to endure the immense pressure of high-speed travel through the stars.
The ship appeared capable of accommodating a crew of 10 or more, yet only two occupants were aboard, poised at the brink of the vast unknown expanse of space.
The only sound breaking the silence of this space was the engine running to keep the ship's electronics working and the calm breath of the brave people inside the ship.
Suddenly, their hearts began to race. They could feel the tension building but chose not to share their worries.
In the vastness of space, things took a turn.
All at once, an eerie silence settled over the ship, plunging them into an unsettling quiet where even the hum of the engines faded away.
Nur sat at the ship's center, feeling a sudden vibration coursing through its structure. The table attached to his chair trembled beneath him, and the coffee cup resting on top rattled, the remnants of its contents sloshing as if anxious about the ominous unknown that lay ahead.
He could see the cup vibrating, shaking as though it shared in the trepidation of what was to come.
Rising to his feet, Nur resolved to check the engine. With each step, the tremors intensified.
Nearby in the cockpit, Taliah began to notice it, too. The coffee cup was quaking, its contents trembling violently, and she watched in disbelief as a pen slid horizontally from its resting place.
As Nur moved forward, the tremors escalated alarmingly.
Then, a chilling realization struck Taliah: the ship was disintegrating. Fragments were being flung away by some invisible force.
Nur felt an urgent instinct to rush to her side, but it was too late. A suffocating silence had enveloped space, drowning out even the vibrations that echoed through the ship.
"Nur!"
He turned, startled by the urgent voice that sliced through the void—the only sound that penetrated the vast emptiness.
As he spun around, a radiant light enveloped them, a brilliant glow that appeared at the end of the rift. It consumed everything in its path, and Nur could only see Taliah's silhouette, her form distorted as the light enveloped her.
As they were drawn into the brilliance, he caught Taliah's lips moving, as if she were trying to say something as they were pulled into the overwhelming glow.
…
He slowly regained consciousness, and the first thing he noticed was the overwhelming brightness surrounding him. The world was an expanse of pure white, blinding, and featureless.
"What is this place? Did I make a mistake? What happened?" Panic began to seep into his thoughts as he tried to piece together his fragmented memories.
As he calmed himself, he could feel the steady rhythm of his breath, a comforting reminder that he was indeed alive. With cautious determination, he attempted to move his hands, then his legs, meticulously checking to ensure that he was intact. Gritting his teeth against the uncertainty, he pushed himself up from the ground.
To his astonishment, he found himself in an endlessly stretching white space, an infinite canvas devoid of any landmarks or shadows, leaving him feeling utterly disoriented. The weight of his solitude pressed down on him as he looked around, searching for any sign of familiar surroundings, but all that met his gaze was the relentless expanse of whiteness.
…
On Earth, piercing the clouds, stands a tall tower, as if drawn from the pages of a game!
…