It's absolute chaos. You can barely form a coherent thought. Your mind, if it can even be called that—
Well, of course, what else could it be called? Its brain?
S-shut up—help me instead! Ahem! Your brain is desperately trying to understand the situation. Your first thoughts are a primordial soup: ideas emerge from the void and persist, some mingling with others to create slightly more complex ideas, and others are simply discarded back into the void. But after a second eternity and an endless stream of ideas, you finally bring order to your disorganized consciousness. And a wandering thought crosses your mind: if you think… therefore, you exist.
Ri~ight?
Anyway, your consciousness, armed with a primitive sense of being, looks outward. Toward the unknown. Of course, with the expectation that it will find something, if it can even find anything outside its immediate vicinity. It doesn't matter; any piece of information, however insignificant, is precious to your developing mind.
However! Not a moment has passed when a new sensation invades your nascent sense of being. It's a rather simple sensation: one of slowness, lifelessness, where everything freezes. And it quickly overwhelms you. You don't know why yet, but you simply know that if you let it do its thing, you'll return to nothingness. And that's something you really don't want. No sir!
Your consciousness fights against the strange sensation. But apparently, the strange enemy doesn't offer much resistance. Yet at the same time, you have difficulty gauging the resistance it offered, since you have no point of reference. Perhaps it's because of your will to exist, or your stubborn refusal to return to nothingness. You don't care about the why or the how, but you prevent it from overwhelming your sense of feeling and send it back to the hole it came from.
And perhaps the same hole from which you emerged…
In any case, now that you have a newfound sense of freedom from that strange sensation, your mind begins to explore the unknown. It's strange, your mind, timidly, takes a small step… another…
And finds a new and va~ast world! New sensations quickly assault your developing senses from all sides. Ah, it seems your mind has connected with your memories. How strange, they were right there beside you! Your mind mercilessly plunders the collection of memories, fully integrating them with your own. You don't know how much time has passed, nor do you care, and once you're sure you've taken every memory there was, you try to remember. It's an act that causes you great pain, since you never thought the simple act of remembering could hurt.
You move your hand, or what you think is your hand, to your forehead and give yourself a little massage. It doesn't completely solve your headache, which you think is a disguised migraine, but it's the only thing you can think of at the moment. Even so, it helps to calm it, although a part of you wants something to take it away.
With a slightly aching—but functional—head, you take stock of your situation. Your vision is blurry. Your whole body aches. And your brain still wants to kill itself. But you fight your ailments and stand up. You wobble for a few seconds but maintain your balance. Congratulations! You won't be food for animals or youkai in the next five minutes if you stay on your feet.
Battling your blurred vision, you take a few steps. It's difficult; your feet protest every movement, and your eyes refuse to focus. A noble act of resistance against a tyrant seeking to use every ounce of effort they can muster. This act is joined by your lungs, which, whether by mistake or malice, your brain hasn't yet decided, causing you to cough at the worst possible moment, sending you sprawling to the ground. It wasn't a clean landing; you'd swear you collided with something, but perhaps it's just your brain still recovering from your abrupt awakening.
You decide to lie down for a few moments, allowing your brain to work out a few remaining peculiarities. And once you think you can get up without any problem, you do. You're surprised that this time your body moves with certainty and fluidity, although, of course, you still feel you need to rest to fully recover.
Look! Your eyes finally decided to cooperate, focusing and revealing your surroundings. Muted, grayish, and brownish colors welcome you. They are everywhere: on the floor, on the walls, and even in the sky!
Except for one place. Your gaze focuses there, where the terrain is illuminated by a gap in the sky. You stand up and approach. Come on, come on, don't be afraid! There's no one else there but you (and the two of us!). And as you approach, you notice a small puddle of water at your feet. You're surprised by how clear and transparent it is. You kneel and stare at the puddle. And you're surprised yet again when someone looks back at you.
