I remember that day, when I woke up, I found myself locked in a strange crystal. “Ugh… What

happened? where am I " Orion questioned himself with a blurred vision. He looks around himself and he

is both quite confused and shocked as he found himself completely ***** in a peculiar crystal. He is

suspended in the air with multiple wires secured to his body, but instead of wires they look like white

hairs. “The hell it is, let me out”, saying that he strikes the crystal from inside but instead he injures

himself. " I remember that day I was with Arrina " saying that he reminisces about the past.

“Orion, come here look at that ride it looks so fun”, says Arrina pointing to a roller coaster. It is a bright

summer day with sun shining with all its might Orion along with Arrina are in Amaterasu amusement

park. Arrina looks pretty excited but Orion is in deep thought and he is doing it in a pretty funny pose.

“Orion, Orion are you listening to me” upon not getting any response she looks back and finds Orion

engrossed in thinking near an ice cream stand. Arrina, annoyed pinches Orion on his lower back. “Ouch…

what are you doing?!! is this how you treat your b… friend " he staggers a bit in between. “Just friends

or you meant boyfriend” she says in a playful tone. “Don’t tease me like that you naughty girl”, “He. . he.

you are as shy as ever but don’t think I forgave you just now”. “Forgive me? but for what?”. “It’s my

birthday and we haven’t done anything fun yet. Yes, you have brought me to Amaterasu but I don’t

think you are interested and it is only an obligation”, said Arrina in a downcast tone. Orion was discomposed earlier but he understands everything now.Arrina’s mother died while bringing her to this world and her father has been pretty much abusive to

her. Orion Knew Arrina since elementary school and she does not really have many friends other than

him. Orion, understanding the emotions of Arrina , puts his hands on her shoulder and leans towards

her. “O…Arrina why are you thinking like that, today is your birthday you shouldn’t be like that. Yes, I

was a bit preoccupied in thoughts but I promise now that I will give time to you,” said Orion. Upon

hearing Orion’s words Arrina was a bit comforted, " Orion do you like me?” she asked in a sweet tone.

“Yes, I do and for a long time", replied Orion. Upon hearing the reply, she hugged him tightly. She looks

into the eyes of Orion. They were as warm as fire but it was nice. They were about to kiss each other

but, unfortunately at the exact moment an explosion went off Orion was thrown to a great distance and

Arrina was lying unconscious. Orion, in extreme pain, heard sirens in the distance and groaned , “Arrina”before losing consciousness himself.

In present time Orion experiences a shrilling pain in his head due to the intensity of the thoughts, he

could hear a ringing sound in his head as a gong had gone off.

Panting he tries to recollect his thoughts, “that blast…that explosion…and Arrina,usually I should be in a

hospital but why am I here”, he thinks. Just as he was thinking what to do next, he heard a crackling

sound from behind. He turns his head and sees that the glass has broken.

Hearing the sound, he turns his head and sees that the crystal has shattered. Anxious to know all the

answers regarding his present and past, upon getting outside he finds himself in a deserted compound

with cars and tanks as a barricade. It is the time of dusk with a gigantic hardwood grows behind him,

with multitudes of leaves and flowers sprouting from its branches ranging from the colors of blue-violet

hue to dark purple and pink, the vines hanging from the hardwood were as thick as steel cables and the

upper part of the tree contains structures similar to a wasp's nest. but first of all, he notices his knuckles.

The wound that has been inflicted earlier has been pretty much healed out. “Now that’s peculiar” he

thinks.

On his left side he sees a carton which was strangely in a quite good condition compared to the

surroundings. “What is that?”, Orion thinks as he reaches the carton. “It seems that someone placed it deliberately”, when he opens the box, he finds an outfit and a weird talisman. “An outfit and a talisman,

I should don the outfit”. The outfit contains a white shirt with a black overcoat with trousers. But the

weird thing about the talisman is that it contains an intricate design with inscriptions written in an

unknown language. “Well at least it is a good fit", says Orion not thinking much about the talisman. A

ray of sunlight reaches the compound through an opening in the barricade.

It catches Orion's attention. “Hmm?”, he thinks and starts walking to the opening. Upon reaching there

he looks outside, the bright light outside blurs his vision for a second, but after that what he sees made

him wish he never had seen it. “No this can’t be true”, he drops to his knees due to the shock. “What the

hell? Is it really the place where I used to live?”.

What he was witnessing was the ruins of a once prosperous city. The streets that were once brimming

with people were now filled with ruins of fallen buildings and broken cars. They had a peculiar bright red

color with dark clouds in the atmosphere.“What could have happened here?, just what kind of disaster

struck this place”, he says. While clutching the talisman in his hands he thinks about Arrina while getting

engulfed by grief and sorrow. “I must unravel the mysteries of this place and find out what has

happened here. Arrina ,wait for me”. Saying this he looks up to the sky and witnesses the setting of the sun and the upcoming nightfall.

I have been walking down the road for almost a hour now, but still I cannot find any clue of the living here”, says Orion. Orion is now walking down the road witnessing the ruins of the civilization. The buildings are ruined and the streets are covered in weird vegetation. The prosperous civilization that inhabitant the cities is long gone. “The sun is almost at the horizon, I must find a place to stay at night”.

While moving a bit further he stumbles upon a garage. “I see some garages up there. Maybe I should search there”, he mutters to himself. Orion cautiously enters the dimly lit garage, its rusty door screeching as he pushed it open. His eyes scanned the cluttered space, and he spotted a pile of wood in one corner, a can of gasoline on a dusty shelf and some rags scattered nearby. “This might come in handy”, he mutters to himself.

He quickly gathered the wood, oil and rags, tucking them under his arms he made his way out of the garage. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting an orange glow across the desolate landscape.

Orion decided to check the house next door for food before darkness fully descended. As he entered, the fading light revealed a can of sardines on a dusty shelf and an old axe leaning against the wall.

As Orion was inside the house, night came unexpectedly quickly plunging the house into darkness. “I won’t be able to find anything in this darkness. I need to make a torch”. Orion takes out the rags and dipped them into gasoline, fashioning a makeshift torch. “That’s better. It’s not so dark and scary with a torch. Now I can keep looking.”

Just then, he heard a scuffling sound. He turned his torch to the direction of the sound. From the shadows emerged mutants rats, their eyes glinting in torchlight. Moreover, that was not the only point, they were no ordinary rats. The rats due unknown reason were as big as a bulldog with razor sharp incisors.

“Rats! Ginormous rats! They were probably attracted by my noise. I have to fight them off!” Orion thinks in his mind. One of the rats lunges at Orion with a snarl, Orion quickly doges the rat and strikes him down with the torch. The blow left the rat with a half burned face and wincing in pain. Seeing the opportunity Orion picks up the axe and strikes it down with a single blow.

Blood splattered all over the room, but he didn’t have any time to rest. Another rat attacks him and he blocks the rat’s jaws with the handle but is now knocked to the ground. “Hmph”, Orion grunts, with only the handle between the vicious creature and him, he rolls on the ground and with a push with the handle tosses the rat to the ground. Finally, with another swing of the axe he decapitates the creature.

Seeing the condition of his companions, the third one vanishes into the darkness. Orion is gasping with being covered in blood and sweat, but fortunately unharmed. “Filthy creatures! It’s too dangerous to stay here. I have to grab things and leave”, he says while wiping of the blood from his forehead.

After gathering his spoils- canned sardine, an axe and the torch, he exits the house. Feeling the weight of the encroaching night, he decided to make a camp in the nearby forest. “I have to leave this city. I think I can chop some wood and build some fire in the forest”, he thinks.

Orion, after the weary journey through the forest, finds a suitable clearing to make camp. He gathered some dry twigs and leaves, skillfully using the nearby flint ignite a comforting fire. The flames danced and crackled casting a warm glow in the midst of the night.

“Hah…looks like the survival shows I watched all summer weren’t a waste after all”, he thinks. As the fire flickered, Orion settled down, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. The sounds of the forest at night surrounding him, creating a soothing melody. Soon, sleep claimed him, and he drifted into a dreamscape..

In his dream, Orion found himself standing in a mesmerizing bioluminescent forest. Soft hues of green and blue emanated from the foliage, casting an ethereal glow. A bioluminescent butterfly fluttered before him, guiding him through the mystical grove.

Orion followed the ethereal creature until he reached a serene clearing, where a figure bathed in radiant light awaited. The luminous being was whispering something, her voice a delicate melody that seemed to resonate with the very essence of the forest. Orion, captivated by her surreal beauty, couldn’t help but ask. “Who…Who are you?”

Captivated by Orion’s question she turns to look at him. “Who I am? … Who I am not important the question is who are you”, she replies with a soothing tone.

“Oh that my name is Orion”, he replies in a confident tone.

“I am not asking about your name, Orion. I am asking about who you are”, she replies.

“Oh, well about that…”, as Orion was about to answer, the dream abruptly shifted. The serene bioluminescent forest transformed into a nightmarish landscape. The sky turned ashen, and molten rivers flowed through a desolate land. Darkened clouds loomed overhead, and fiery meteors fell like apocalyptic rain.

“Oh it looks like our time here has ended”, she says in a contempt tone. Orion looks and sees the destruction. “Listen Orion, before asking about the mysteries of the world, you must seek answers about yourself.”, she replies to Orion. “But wait I don’t understand…”, he quickly looks back, but finds that the spirit has long left leaving only a shadow

Orion felt a surge of anxiety as the dream unfolded, the tranquility shattered by the apocalyptic scene. He tried to think, to call her and ask about the meaning behind the transformation, but the dream offered no control.

Abruptly, Orion woke up, his heart pounding. The remnants of the dream clung to his thoughts, and as he stared into the fading embers of the campfire, he couldn't shake the feeling that Spirit’s whispers held a message, a warning perhaps, about the mysteries that lay ahead in the waking world.