I walked back toward the bonfire, even though I felt my body starting to get used to the pain running through it from head to toe.
It was strange. The pain was no longer a surprise. It wasn't something that made me stop.
It was there, constant, deep, as if every muscle, every bone and every part of me screamed at the same time… but in silence.
As if my own body had resigned itself to suffering.
Each step felt heavy. My boots scraped the ground with a dry sound.
I could hear my breathing, a bit irregular, but firm. Sometimes I wondered how much more I could endure.
It wasn't just the physical pain. It was the mental exhaustion. The feeling of being trapped in something I didn't understand.
Upon reaching the bonfire, that small point of light in the middle of nowhere, I tried to teleport.
As always.
As so many other times.
I closed my eyes and thought of a specific place. A safe spot. Some corner that would give me an answer.
Nothing happened.
I opened my eyes.
I tried again.
Nothing.
I felt a small pressure in my chest.
I concentrated again, this time thinking of different places. All the ones I knew. The castle. The forest. The destroyed city. The tower.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing worked.
It was as if the world itself was denying me the exit.
My breathing began to grow heavier. Not from physical effort, but from frustration.
"Why now?", I thought.
Then I remembered the enormous library.
That place had always been different. Strange. Almost as if it didn't quite belong to this world.
I thought of it clearly.
And this time it did happen.
Immediately I was teleported to that place.
But something was wrong.
I didn't appear in front of a bonfire, as I should have.
I was inside the enormous library.
The air was cold. Colder than normal. There wasn't that slight warmth that used to be felt near the save point.
I looked up.
The door leading to the exit—where the white rabbits should be—was closed.
Completely closed.
For no apparent reason.
I stood there watching it for a few seconds. I expected it to open on its own. For some sign to appear. Something.
Nothing.
The silence was so deep I could hear the faint echo of my own breathing.
I began to walk cautiously through that silent library. My steps echoed softly against the floor.
The place was darker than normal. The lamps barely illuminated the shelves. The shadows seemed longer. Denser.
It was as if the light had decided not to enter fully.
That's when I saw it.
A pool of blood.
I stopped.
It wasn't small.
It spread across the floor like a long red path marking a clear direction, as if someone had been dragged.
I felt a knot in my stomach.
My hands started trembling immediately.
I didn't know what was nearby.
I didn't know what surrounded me.
I didn't know if whatever had done that was still here.
I swallowed.
I could feel my heartbeat in my ears.
Even so, I began to walk following the trail.
Each step was heavier than the last.
The blood weakly reflected the light, forming a path that seemed to never end.
The silence was unbearable.
Until I heard it.
A woman humming a song.
I stopped dead.
The melody was cheerful.
Happy.
Repetitive.
Too happy for that place.
Too out of place.
—Is anyone there? —I asked, advancing slowly toward the sound.
My voice didn't sound as firm as I expected.
The voice responded calmly.
—Eh… is anyone around? Who is it? Are you someone I know or are you new?
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
There was something strange in her tone. It wasn't fear. It wasn't aggression.
It was… curiosity.
—Maybe you don't know me. I got here by mistake.
There was a small silence.
—Oh… I see. So you're lost. Mmm… do you know who I am?
My mind started working fast.
I didn't recognize that voice.
It wasn't someone I remembered.
A princess?
A survivor?
Someone trapped like me?
—No. Like I said, I don't know you.
Another pause.
Longer this time.
—Eh… really? Mmm… but… your voice… it sounds familiar…
I frowned.
A slight discomfort ran through my chest.
—What are you saying?
I didn't finish reacting.
Suddenly, a giant silhouette, completely black, lunged toward me stretching its enormous arms.
Everything happened in an instant.
The air became heavy.
I tried to grab my sword.
But I couldn't.
My arms didn't react in time.
It was as if my body had frozen.
The next thing I knew was that I was in the air.
My feet no longer touched the ground.
A brutal pressure wrapped around my head.
Her hands.
I felt how they crushed me with overwhelming force.
The pain was immediate.
Unbearable.
As if my skull was being compressed from all angles.
My eyes began to burn.
My mouth filled with a metallic taste.
Blood started flowing out uncontrollably.
I could feel it running down my face.
I tried to scream, but barely a sound came out.
I clenched my teeth with all my strength.
My hands tried to push hers away.
But it was useless.
Her strength was too great.
She kept squeezing.
Harder.
Harder.
—Again… again… again… again… you've forgotten it. When will you learn to change your destiny? When? When? When? When? When?
Her voice vibrated inside my head.
I didn't just hear it.
I felt it.
What was she talking about?
—Remember… remember how many times you've repeated the same thing. Over and over. And over again. The same steps. The same words. The same decisions.
Something inside me trembled.
Blurry images crossed my mind.
Fragments.
Conversations that seemed to repeat.
Looks I had seen before.
Deaths.
Mistakes.
—The people of this world are destroyed inside. Have you never realized that nothing has changed?
My breathing was getting weaker.
I felt like the air wasn't reaching my lungs.
—I'll help you. I'll help you remember. Even if just a little. So you can end this damn cycle that repeats over and over.
My heart beat violently.
Something in her words didn't sound like a threat.
It sounded… desperate.
—It's your only chance. You have to face it. You have to do it. When you recover part of your memories, you won't bear the burden. Maybe you'll lose a bit of your mental stability.
My vision began to blur.
The shelves deformed before my eyes.
—So hold on… please.
Please.
That word didn't sound cruel.
It sounded human.
Immediately I felt how my body became colder and colder.
As if something was draining the heat from inside.
My hands stopped responding.
My legs hung without strength.
The world started to fade.
The sounds grew distant.
The pressure increased.
And then…
My head was crushed like a grape.