Darkness...
The taste of iron still lingered fresh in his mouth, and the smell of blood hung heavily in the air. His body, trembling from an inexplicable cold, lay in what seemed like an endless void of darkness. The cold, rough ground pressed against his cheek as he tried to remember the last events.
"Argh!"
He screamed in agony.
His fingers moved involuntarily, searching for something solid as every memory returned at once. As if someone had poured too much water into a glass, too much information flooded into his mind simultaneously and overwhelmed his brain. His body had no choice but to shut down. His head roared, filled with images he still had to sort through.
It felt like a dream...
Tick... Tick... Tick... Tick.
The sound of a clock continuing to beat.
And finally...
Ding-dang-dong.
Ding-dang-dong.
The bell that announced the end of the school day.
"I don't know why they make school days this long. It's completely unnecessary."
He tapped his fingers against the desk and watched the seconds crawl by in painful slowness.
"I wish you all a wonderful weekend. Ah, and don't forget to finish the assignment!"
"Bitch-ass school. I was actually planning to relax this weekend."
With a sigh, he stuffed his notebooks into his bag, stood up, and pushed his way through the classroom door into the hallway.
The air was stuffy, filled with laughter, shouting, and the clattering of school bags. He wove through the crowd until he finally reached the large glass doors at the end of the corridor.
He pushed down the handle.
The moment the doors swung open, the light hit him.
Warm.
Bright.
Almost blinding.
"Haa..."
I exhaled.
"How beautiful."
It was late spring, and life stood at the height of its bloom.
Then I saw them.
My friends.
Antony and Tyron.
Antony was perched on the railing by the steps, legs swinging, his hair sticking up in every possible direction. The sunlight caught in his wild strands as if someone had scattered sparks through them.
Tyron stood beside him, his hands buried deep in his pockets, his expression exactly as always:
Grumpy.
Annoyed.
Classic resting-bitch-face.
"There you are at last!"
Antony shouted it as if he had been waiting forever.
"You tried to outsmart time again and lost, didn't you?"
"Very funny."
I groaned.
"I swear, this has to be ragebait."
"Sure."
Tyron and Antony said it in perfect unison.
Antony jumped down and slapped my shoulder far harder than necessary.
I nearly stumbled.
"Come on, Sammy! We've got plans. Big plans!"
"Big plans...?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"I hope nothing illegal this time."
The fresh spring air met them immediately.
Birds sang.
Cars hummed across the pavement.
And everything instantly felt freer than before.
They wandered through the city together.
Cobblestone streets beneath their feet.
Half-timbered houses lining both sides.
The scent of freshly baked bread mixed with a faint trace of exhaust fumes in the air.
Antony talked, as he always did.
"Latin is so dead."
He stretched dramatically.
"I survive solely by guessing words based on vibes."
"You're genuinely hopeless."
"Do you even understand anything, or are you just following the words?"
Tyron said it dryly.
"Understand?"
Antony laughed.
"Ha!"
They crossed a small bridge.
Below them, the water shimmered like liquid silver.
I took a deep breath.
"I could walk here forever," I murmured quietly.
"Just us three and the city..."
"Sounds like an epic adventure!"
Antony grinned.
"You can't really call that an adventure."
Tyron let out a short laugh.
We all laughed.
I couldn't help it.
As crazy as we were, it was the only thing that truly mattered.
I felt that these moments—even if they seemed ordinary—were valuable.
I would remember them forever.
Every gesture.
Every laugh.
Every teasing remark.
Eventually, Tyron led us purposefully into a small restaurant.
The signs outside were old and faded, but the smell of grilled meat and fresh bread drifted out through the windows and onto the street.
The interior was rustic.
Wooden chairs.
Rough tables.
Faded pictures of vineyards hanging on the walls.
The moment Antony entered, he noticed a lamp that, according to him, looked like an eye.
"I swear it's watching us."
"It actually does look like it."
I tried to stay serious.
"Maybe it really is watching us."
Tyron glanced up briefly.
We ordered and ate.
The conversation drifted toward video games.
"The new update is just pay-to-win."
Antony said it theatrically.
"Well, if you simply can't play well..."
I replied dryly.
Tyron nodded in agreement and laughed briefly.
I watched them.
How they laughed.
How they ate.
How they acted ridiculous.
How they were simply themselves.
Loud.
Chaotic.
Over-the-top.
And I thought about how rare it was to have people who truly knew you.
I could relax.
I didn't have to pretend.
After we finished eating, we stepped back onto the street.
The sun had sunk lower by then.
The light was warm and orange-gold.
The shadows of the old buildings stretched longer across the road.
Antony hopped onto every curb he could find and at one point ran an entire circle around a fountain.
Tyron merely shook his head and kept walking.
I followed them, laughing to myself.
Everything felt so simple.
So normal.
"It's getting pretty late."
I hesitated briefly.
"I should probably head home."
"Me too."
Tyron agreed.
Antony stopped and folded his arms behind his head.
"All right then."
He grinned before saying,
"See you tomorrow. For another day in this cycle."
And so, at the end of the day, we went our separate ways.
I watched them for a little while as they disappeared in different directions until the crowd swallowed them completely.
The city had grown quieter.
The sounds softer.
The colors gentler.
An entirely ordinary day.
And yet it felt as though I needed to remember every detail.
As if it mattered.
After that, I was on my way to...
Suddenly, an intense brightness exploded before his eyes.
As if he were staring directly into lightning.
It felt wrong.
Terrible.
I had never experienced such a dreadful feeling before.
Nausea surged through him.
"Bwueeh..."
There was a ticking in my head.
It would not stop.
It became worse.
And worse.
And worse.
I couldn't take it anymore.
My vision still had not returned, yet I repeatedly slammed my head against what I thought was the ground.
With one hand, I scratched relentlessly at my forehead until I felt something warm and thick running down my face.
The sounds grew louder.
More chaotic.
The smell of iron and dust suddenly intensified.
"What did I do to deserve this? What did I do?! Why does something like this have to happen to me?! What did I do wrong?!"
The dull, rhythmic pounding would not stop.
I was just...
Where was I?
With his other hand, he clawed at the ground until his fingers bled.
His vision constantly shifted between blinding light and darkness, interrupted only by flashing stars.
Crack!
He assumed the sound had come from his now-numb nose.
Then everything suddenly went silent.
And his vision became completely black once again.