I seemed to be floating in space. The stars flickered around me, and in the distance I could see incredible galaxies.
Somehow, I was breathing, though I couldn't remember how I ended up there. As I looked around, a purple mist began to take form, and against the black background of space, it only deepened the feeling of endlessness.
Then the stars began to blink out, one by one.
The galaxies unraveled, dissolving into the violet fog that swallowed the void.
For a moment, everything froze as if time itself had taken a breath and then something flickered in front of me.
[SCENARIO CORRECTED]
[RESTARTING CYCLE RECONNECTION…]
[RESTARTING…]
]RESTARTING…]
Then the sound tore through space, and everything folded in on itself before turning pitch black.
When I opened my eyes again, the scene was familiar the damp air, the echo of boots striking wet concrete, and the sound of heavy breathing.
A chill crept across my skin.
An unknown yet familiar setting stretched before me.
The subway staircase.
"Move down!" ordered the captain, her firm voice echoing through the tunnel.
The others began to move in a way that felt… déjà vu.
I froze, staring into the darkness ahead.
A sharp, crawling fear seized me. That overwhelming sense of déjà vu as if I had already been there, already descended those stairs.
The man beside me shoved my shoulder impatiently.
"Come on, kid," he said, in that same dry tone. "Or do you want us to carry you?"
The push made me stumble. Cold air hit my face, sending a shiver through me. My hands trembled for no reason. My shirt clung to my body, soaked with sweat and humidity.
The metallic smell, the faint light, the yellowish glow slicing through the air…
"Let's go," said the captain without looking back. "We're almost there."
The sound of water trickling down the walls, the cold wind blowing from the tunnel ahead, the icy concrete beneath my boots everything repeated like a memory replaying itself. Yet I was certain I had never been there before.
"Lights…" the captain murmured. "We're almost there."
When my feet reached the final step, a dim glow lit the concrete corridor the same pale reflection dancing across puddles of stagnant water.
And then, it appeared.
A purple window, suspended in the air, vibrating like an open wound in space, flickered before my eyes.
[SAVEPOINT]
My eyes widened. My heart stopped for a second.
"Keep moving," the man barked again, shoving me forward.
But no one else seemed to see it the glowing square floating there, its edges pulsing like they were breathing.
I tried to speak, but no sound came out.
The moment I took a step forward, the window vanished.
The tunnel fell back into absolute silence, broken only by the rhythm of boots and breathing.
The faint lights flickered overhead, stretching long shadows across the walls.
The floor was littered with dust, shards of glass, and debris; the dripping water gave the place a claustrophobic echo.
Everything about it felt wrong too familiar, too rehearsed and that made my body refuse to move.
Then, pain shot through my fingers.
I was clutching a purple notebook to my chest.
I didn't remember having it. The cover felt soft almost warm but as I squeezed it, one of the pages sliced my finger.
A wave of dizziness hit me like a punch, and my head throbbed as if struck by a brick.
"Move," the man barked again, harder this time. "Or do you want me to carry you?"
"He's frozen," said the thin old man, stepping down a stair and closing the distance between us. "Easy, breathe."
"Breathe nothing," snapped the other. "He moves, or I shove him all the way down."
The sound of boots echoed behind us; two more silencers passed without a word.
The air grew colder, as if someone had opened an invisible door.
"Hey…" said the captain. "Don't stop. Keep going."
I blinked. My head pounded. The words lodged in my throat. I should've said something but I couldn't remember what.
It was as if something was missing like a hole where a thought used to be.
"I…" I tried, but my voice came out dry and cracked. "I know this."
"Who doesn't know a staircase?" the irritable man mocked. "You just go down, genius."
"Know what?" The old man's tone softened; he seemed to notice the sudden panic in my eyes. "This place? You've been here before, kid?"
"No." I shook my head, and the vertigo made the floor tilt beneath me. "You. Her voice. Your words. You're… you're Raul," I said, looking at the man beside me, then turned to the old one. "You're Josh… she's… she's Sofia… and" I pressed harder against the cold notebook, forcing my mind to work. "The captain… she's Mei."
Mei narrowed her eyes.
"Son of a" Raul swore, his expression twisting with a dangerous edge. "Hey, any of you say something to him?"
They exchanged glances and shook their heads and that made the tension snap even tighter.
"How the hell did you know that?" Josh raised his crossbow, his face unreadable. "We've never met."
"He's a damn church spy!" Raul shouted, pulling a knife from his belt. "It's one of those lunatics' traps, I'm telling you!"
That accusation ignited the air.
The metallic hiss of drawn weapons echoed through the tunnel like nails being hammered into steel.
"No! It's not that… I'm not from the church… We've met!" I stammered, more to myself than to them. "We've met before…"
"Oh yeah?" Raul stepped closer, the blade gleaming inches from my throat. "Then tell me where do you know us from?"
Where had I seen them?
I couldn't remember. The harder I tried, the more it felt like someone was tearing something out of me a hole in my memories widening with every second.
Raul laughed, short and cruel, as he saw the color drain from my face.
"Look at that the church's little pawn doesn't even have his story straight. You are one of them." He spat on the floor. "Thought you could just stroll in and fool us, huh?"
I opened my mouth the denial burned on my tongue but I couldn't say it.
I didn't know. Or worse… I couldn't remember.
Was I from the church?
"I…" I gasped. "I don't remember… but I know you. I don't remember being part of any church. I… I..."
"I what?" Mei stepped forward, standing between Raul and me, blocking his blade. "Speak. Slowly."
The silence that followed had weight. The faint light from her baton trembled in her grip, and the steady dripping water marked the rhythm of fear.
"Talk, kid," Mei repeated, her voice lower now, sharper. "What do you know?"
My throat was dry. I tried to breathe, but the air refused to move. The words I wanted felt stolen.
"I… I know you," I said at last, weak, hoarse, barely a whisper. "I just don't know from where."
Raul gave that bitter laugh again. "Convenient. You 'know' us but not from where. What's next? 'I woke up with amnesia because God told me to'?"
"I don't know…" I managed. "But it's true."
"Truth?" he sneered. "Do you even know what that word means?" He stepped forward, the knife catching the pale light. "Your truth stinks like a lie."
Josh raised a hand, steady but firm. "Raul, enough. If he was church, he wouldn't have come alone."
"The church sends rats to test traps," Raul shot back. "He's a rat."
"I'm not your enemy," I said, desperate. "I just… don't know who I am."
"Sure. And I'm the Messiah," Raul muttered. "I'm done with this. Let's take him for questioning."
Josh hesitated but didn't protest. Sofia, still silent, nodded once. Mei exhaled, long and heavy, before giving a reluctant nod.
"Raul's right," she said finally. "We can't risk it."
"But..." I began, but Raul had already shoved me hard.
I stumbled, hit the wet ground. The impact knocked the air from my lungs; the taste of rust filled my mouth.
The notebook slipped from my hands, splashing open in the filthy water.
The pages fluttered and there, between the blank sheets, two trembling lines of glowing text appeared, burning softly:
> "Wouldn't be wise to walk around without a name. That draws attention," he said. "How about… Noah?"
"Then it's settled. You'll be Noah."
Those words…
I didn't know where they came from, but they rang inside me like a distant bell.
"Noah…" I whispered, barely hearing myself. "My name… is Noah."
Josh frowned. "What did you say?"
"Noah," I repeated, stronger this time. "That's my name."
Raul rolled his eyes. "Fantastic. The amnesiac's got a name now. Can we move on?"
Josh knelt, curiosity flickering in his eyes. He picked up the notebook, shook off the water, and opened it.
The pages were blank. Completely blank.
"There's nothing here," he said, flipping through them. "Not a word."
He showed it to the others clean, white pages, empty as bone.
Raul snatched it from him, flipping through violently, nearly tearing a page.
"Leave it," Mei said tiredly, then turned back to me. "If he wants to play along, fine. We'll call him Noah and deal with it later."
She made a sharp gesture. "Get up."
Raul grabbed my arm and yanked me upward with enough force to scrape my knees on the ground. Pain pulsed through my legs, but I didn't resist.
"Move, Noah," Raul said, mocking. "Let's see if the Counselor finds your story funny."
The word sparked something inside me. Counselor.
"Wait…" I stammered, struggling to stay on my feet. "The Counselor… I need to see him! He'll know who I am!"
"What?" Mei turned, her face tightening. "Don't tell me you know the Counselor too."
"I don't know," I said too quickly. "But he… he knows me. I'm sure of it."
Raul scoffed, shoving me again. "Don't listen to him. Every rat begs to see the Counselor before it burns."
"No, listen!" I shouted. "I'm not from the church! I just need to talk to him!"
No one answered. I was half-dragged forward, their grips strong and cold.
"The Counselor…" I gasped. "I saw him."
Mei stopped just one step, but it froze everyone.
"Where?" she asked. "Where did you see the Counselor?"
"In…" I swallowed hard. "Somewhere… a room, I think. There was a table. A notebook like this one. He said… he said my name."
Josh glanced at Mei; Raul laughed darkly.
"This just keeps getting better," Raul said, slapping my shoulder. "The rat's learning how to spin a tale."
"Raul, shut up," Mei snapped. "Keep going, Noah."
The words came heavy, dragging their way out. "I… I don't remember anything else. But… the Counselor must know."
No one replied.
Only footsteps.
Only echoes.
The tunnel narrowed as we descended. The walls, coated in rust and moss, sweated with condensation. The air grew thicker with the smell of oil and decay.
Raul shoved me again, harder this time.
"You want the Counselor?" he said. "Fine. What do you think, Captain?" He smirked. "Just don't cry when he tears what's left of your head apart."
Josh exhaled sharply. "Raul, enough."
"No, not enough!" Raul snapped. "This kid's playing games, thinking we're stupid."
Mei turned to face all of us. The light from her baton danced over her weary face, carving deeper shadows beneath her eyes.
"We're taking him," she said, her tone final. "If the Counselor wants to hear him, he will. If not…"
"He's mine," Raul muttered.
"Shut up, Raul," Josh shot back, his voice steady. "You talk too damn much."
Raul glared but fell silent.
We kept walking.
The notebook, now in Raul's hands, seemed to hum faintly a heat, a pulse calling out to me.
At some point, without realizing, I whispered,
"Noah…"
Raul glanced over his shoulder. "What now?"
"That's my name," I said quietly but firmly.
He smirked. "Congratulations. Want a cake too?"
"Raul," Mei warned. "Enough."
Josh walked beside me. "Noah, huh?" he said slowly, testing the sound. "If that's your name, hold on to it. Around here… names don't last long."
Ahead of us, Mei lifted her light baton. A side corridor opened up at its end, a crooked sign read:
PLATFORM B-2
"Straight ahead," Mei ordered. "The Counselor needs to know we found a stranger."
"A 'Noah,'" Raul mocked.
"A survivor," Josh corrected.
Raul snorted softly. "Or a church rat."
I kept walking, heart pounding, trying to ignore the overwhelming sense that I had lived this before.
From somewhere ahead came muffled voices frightened, whispering.
And in my mind, one word repeated like a heartbeat:
Noah. Noah. Noah.
Trying to sound like it truly belonged to me.