The jungle was completely still.
Still — not silent.
The branches of the trees were tangled so tightly with each other that very little moonlight was able to reach the ground. Deep inside this dense jungle, a body lay on the ground, unable to move.
A woman.
Her clothes were torn in several places. There were wounds all over her body, as if a wild animal had attacked her. Each breath she took was weaker and slower than the last.
"Haaa… haa… hhhh…"
She tried to speak, but her words could not leave her mouth. Her fingers were gripping the soil tightly, as if she did not want to let go.
The tall trees slowly began to blur and fade away, like shadows disappearing. She then took her final breath. Her body stopped moving.
The jungle remained silent.
The next morning, before the rays of the sun could touch the streets of NOTHING, a boy was already running with a bag full of newspapers hanging from his hand. He was breathing heavily as he ran, throwing newspapers near people's doors. Every newspaper landed right on the doorstep, thanks to his daily practice.
"Morning," someone said.
The boy waved his hand and said hello while continuing to run.
"Oii… Aarush! Watch where you're throwing the paper! Stop!"
"Sorry."
"Stop!"
And that's how Aarush's day begins.
After finishing all his deliveries, Aarush goes to a shop located at the corner of the town. The shop sells vegetables, newspapers, and books. It's quite strange, but this is where he earns his living.
At the doorstep of the shop—
Aarush stood bent over slightly, his hands resting on his knees, breathing heavily.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
"Oh, Aarush, you're here already. You came earlier than yesterday."
"Go sit with HIRO. I'll bring your breakfast."
"Okay, aunty."
Aarush goes into the room, where Hiro is sitting on the floor near the table. Sleep is clearly visible in his eyes as he rests his head on the table.
"Yo… Aarush, how are you so active early in the morning?"
"You have no idea how boring it is to go to school every morning."
Aarush sits down right across from him at the table. He stares at him for a moment before replying.
"How would I know?"
"Mom, please serve breakfast. I don't want to be late for school again."
As soon as the hot breakfast is served, Hiro's father also comes to sit at the table. In front of his father, Hiro doesn't talk much. He finishes his breakfast quickly and gets up.
"Okay, mom. I'm leaving."
"Bye, Aarush. We'll work together today. Wait for me."
Hiro leaves the shop. Aarush stands at the entrance, watching him from behind. As soon as Hiro leaves, the sound of the wind—which had been ignored until now—becomes clearly audible. Aarush keeps staring.
"Aarush…"
[Boring… hmm. Is going to school really that boring?]
"Aarush… are you listening?"
[Boring… my life is boring. Like a pendulum, like a clock. Every day is the same.]
[Maybe going to school isn't that boring.]
"Aarush."
"Umm… yes… sorry, I didn't notice."
"You've gotten very tired. Here, I've packed lunch for you. Go home, rest, and don't forget to eat it."
Aarush takes the cloth-wrapped lunch box, thanks Hiro's mom, and starts walking toward his home.
His house is on a hill away from the town. Its condition isn't very good, but it's livable. Aarush's house isn't very far from Hiro's shop. He lives with an old man, but they don't talk much. The old man leaves in the morning and only returns at night.
After reaching home, Aarush places the lunch box aside and starts washing some dishes. The sound of water is very loud. There is no emotion on Aarush's face at that moment. Everything feels very slow.
That day was hotter than the last two days. Because of the afternoon heat, no customers came to the shop.
The sound of the back door opening can be heard.
"I'm home."
Hiro takes off his shoes and walks straight toward Aarush inside the shop. He sits beside him. Aarush can smell sweat coming from him.
"Oh—wait, let me show you something."
Hiro goes to the shelf, picks up a newspaper, flips through its pages, and spreads it open on the floor.
"Look. Everyone at school has been talking about this today."
Until now, Aarush hadn't shown any expression, but now he shows interest.
"It says that a woman's body was found in the mountains near the capital."
"Hmm… hmm…"
"The plants and trees around the place where she was found have completely dried up."
"As if someone drained all the life energy from that place."
Aarush listens carefully, but doesn't react.
"You don't get it. People are saying that the woman wasn't from NOTHING."
"She was…um...from the outer world."
Hearing this, Aarush's eyes widen slightly.
"Outer world?"
"Shh… speak softly. Talking about the outer world is still forbidden."
Aarush leans forward slightly and speaks in a low voice.
"How is this news in the newspaper?"
"No idea… maybe by mistake."
Hiro looks around, then moves closer to Aarush and whispers.
"The people in the outer world aren't like us."
Aarush listens attentively.
"There are monsters that look like humans. People say they have powers—powers that could wipe us out in the blink of an eye."
"Only a few powerful people are allowed to make contact with them. The government keeps them under check, but barely."
Aarush's curiosity grows, but before he can say anything, Hiro's father arrives.
"What are you two gossiping about?"
Hiro quickly folds the newspaper and sets it aside.
"Go change your clothes and help Aarush in the shop."
Both Hiro and Aarush leave. Hiro's father looks at the newspaper for a few seconds, adjusts his glasses, and then walks away.
After finishing all the work with Hiro, Aarush heads home in the evening. His mood feels better after spending time with his friend.
He lies down in a corner of the room, one hand under his head, facing the table. Exhausted from the day's work, he is just about to close his eyes.
That's when he notices a crystal ball on the table, half-filled with some kind of blue liquid. He ignores it.
[Maybe it belongs to the old man.]
He turns his face away, but sleep doesn't come. After a while, still lying down, he picks up the ball with his fingers and slowly turns it in his hands.
He tosses the crystal ball up and catches it.
Then tosses it again and catches it.
[If this ball breaks in my hands, will the old man scold me?]
The third time, he throws the ball a bit harder, and it goes slightly out of reach.
Still lying down, he stretches his hands to catch it—but misses.
*SHATTER*
The ball breaks.
The liquid spills out and spreads across the floor.
Suddenly, blue smoke starts coming out of the ball. Within moments, it fills the entire room.
"What the…."
"Where did this smoke come from?"
Aarush covers his mouth with his left hand. The smoke becomes so thick that he can't see anything. Relying on instinct, he runs toward the main door of the house.
Inside the smoke, he feels something strange—as if his body is being pulled apart, piece by piece, by a vacuum.
Just as he reaches the door, the smoke disappears. His eyes are closed. He feels cold wind brushing against him, his hair blowing in all directions.
He opens his eyes.
And what he sees leaves him completely shocked.
That this place is not NOTHING.