Light
Light fills my entire field of vision. It's so dazzling I can only squint. A deafening sound, like the collapse of space itself, reverberates in my ears. It sounds like the world is tearing apart. The light emanating from the crystal gradually shifts color, beginning to shine like a rainbow in seven hues, and eventually transforms into a single, enormous vortex. At the vortex's center, I feel a gravitational pull that threatens to suck me in.
“...This is...!” The librarian's low voice was faintly audible. His tone was complex, a mix of surprise, fear, and something else.
“The timeline... the distortion... is it... being repaired...?” The historian's words were barely more than a whisper. He stared intently at the device's movements. His face bore deep traces of exhaustion.
The vortex grew larger and larger, closing in with a force that threatened to pull me in. At its center, I glimpsed another space, or perhaps another timeline. A distorted landscape, strange lights, and an indescribably eerie atmosphere. It was a world so bizarre it defied words.
“Mitam... Hold on...” The librarian gripped my hand tightly. His fingers were cold and trembling. Yet he was trying to support me.
I clung to his hand. The vortex's pull was stronger than I'd imagined. My body was naturally drawn toward its center. To say I felt no fear would be a lie. But I couldn't give up here. To protect the librarian, the historian, and myself.
The moment I was sucked into the vortex's center, I nearly lost consciousness for an instant. But I regained it immediately. It was a completely different space.
The sky was shrouded in a purplish darkness, studded with stars like geometric patterns. The ground was covered in a crystal-like transparent substance, beneath which pulsating light could be seen. Strange plants grew thickly, emitting an ethereal glow. The air was clear, carrying a faintly nostalgic yet somehow unsettling sensation.
“...Where... exactly... am I...?” I murmured the question. A shock too profound for words and a dread of this unknown world dominated my heart.
The librarian and the historian stand beside me. They still haven't fully concealed their astonished expressions. Yet, a glimmer of hope seems to be beginning to shine in their eyes.
What exactly awaits us in this strange space? And how will we escape from it?
My adventure is far from over. Rather, it has only just begun.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
