9 Carlas void (1/2)

Darkness.

Carla stood in what seemed like an endless void, where she could not differentiate between up and down.

The last thing she could remember was the moment when she was about to open the door.

Remembering the feeling of reaching for the doorknob, she subconsciously looked at where her hand should have been. But nothing was there.

In a panic, Carla did a full sweep over where her body should have been but nothing but the dark void could be seen.

I... I can't feel my body...

The strangeness of the situation birthed fear within her heart.

Where am I!

She tried yelling, but no voice came out, and even if it did, would it even matter?

She was somewhere she has never been before, in a situation she never experienced in her life. She never even heard of something like this happening seemingly out of nowhere.

I need to get to Boros, he needs my help!

Alright, alright. Let's think about this clearly. My body is not with me, which means that only my soul somehow got trapped in this place. The first thing that comes to mind would be a powerful illusion. But they need some trigger to activate and require both a lot of time to set up and a massive amount of mana.

I'll see if I can sense mana around me...

Carla cleared her mind, focusing only on one thing, and that was feeling the flow of mana through the air.

But what she noticed scared her even further.

There is no mana?

No.

There is no energy whatsoever in this space.

Usually, one would be able to sense the traces of mana or Qi in the air, but this space simply has neither air nor light to be a medium for any kind of energy.

”C~a~r~l~a~...”

What was that?!

A shallow whispering sound could be heard within the void.

If Carla's body was here now, she would be full of goosebumps.

Why is it calling me?

Wait.

It almost sounded like... Boros?

Over here!

Boros!

Can you move to?

I can neither see nor move!

Carla desperately tried contacting Boros, but no sound could come out without her body.

After the whisper of her name had finished resonating in the void, no sound could be heard again.

This space felt so empty and so lonely that even the nothingness around Carla felt like it started moving if she looked at one point for too long.

It was so quiet that you could slowly hear the darkness talk to you, telling you sweet little secrets that only you yourself would know about.

Time felt like it was not moving, yet at the same time, Carla felt like it has been months since she ended up in this place.

Being unwilling to give in to the madness that was trying to claim her, Carla started counting seconds while trying to think about the way to get out of this place.

...30654321, 30654322, 30654323...

After a very long time, Carla started getting a feeling of movement. She couldn't really tell if she was moving since there was nothing around her as a point of reference, but whether she was moving or not, this feeling of supposed moving made her see hope.

Maybe if she manages to find an exit out of this place, then she could return to her body.

After moving forward for what seemed to be years, Carla's spirit was slowly getting crushed.

The endless void started taunting her, mocking her will to live. The dark figures started appearing more vividly, taking on forms that defied all reality. Their bodies were shifting and changing by each moment.

Carla began feeling tired.

She didn't care about the shadows mocking her, and she didn't care how grotesque the dark figures were.

The only thing that was on her mind now was her family.

Her parent that has always loved her. Her brother, who has always protected her.

But with the passage of time, even their figures started fading from her memory.

The flame of hope that once burned brilliantly was now reduced to the very last spark.

Why?

Why is this happening to me!

What did I do to deserve this?!

~that is right~

~give up give up~

~surrender~

Shut up!

I will, I will find a way... I must...

After so long, Carla already forgot what having a body felt like, the only feeling left inside her was a feeling of moving, but now she became sceptical if that was really the case.

Was she moving?

The weird sensation made it feel like she was, but she had nothing to prove it. The whispers around her always came from different directions as if they were moving, and the dark figures made it seem like she was sometimes completely still, while other times moving very fast.

But the more Carla thought about it, the more she felt like it was just the void taunting her.

- - -

Year 68 in the void

After 68 years of the void, Carla made peace with her destiny.

Her soul was to forever remain trapped within this dark void.

There were only a couple of things she regretted.

She regretted not saying goodbye to her family.

She regretted not knowing how they have been for all these years.

But most of all, she regretted not remembering their names, their faces, their smiles and the warmth she felt in her heart when they were around.

She no longer knew what that warmth felt like, or any kind of warmth or coldness for that matter.

The only thing she was sure about was the endless darkness that shrouded her, trying to consume all that makes her herself.

...

Year 99

Carla has been wandering the darkness in complete menta silence for a couple of years now.

She no longer remembers who she was before coming to this void.

The only thing she remembers was her name, which she would have forgotten as well if the shadowy whispers didn't use it to taunt her because of her helplessness.

She mindlessly drifted through the void, like a lonely cloud through the clear sky.

~poor little Carla~