The night is cold, and the wind is violent. In the high grass where I lie listening to my music, there has never been a sign of such haunting weather. At most, the wind would make the grass sway gently—but now, the entire landscape seems to perform a violent, sacrificial dance.
"Mother Nature isn't happy these days, is she?" I say aloud, half-expecting a response.
Silence is her only answer. The grass and trees go still, like stone. The local cats hiss, as if death has arrived at their doorstep. And it's not just them—every fiber of my being locks into place.
Then a flash of light tears through the night sky.
"What in the—?"
The stars suddenly shine brighter than galaxies. They aren't stars anymore—not the way we know them. The night sky loses its signature white dots and becomes blanketed in blinding brilliance.
It felt like all life in the universe had taken its final breath. And it didn't go out quietly. The sound of supernovas ruptured the stillness of space. The volume was overwhelming.
Before I could even think to close my eyes or cover my ears… the universe had died. No light. No sound. No life. Only the darkness remained.
Except… for the moon.
The moon bloomed like a peacock in full display, glowing a vivid blue—bluer than the Sea of Baltai.
I didn't feel physically harmed, but I felt something else: a loosening, as if the barrier between me and reality had cracked.
The world was slowly closing in on itself.
Gasp—
I woke up to the sound of my own heavy breathing, my body soaked in sweat.
The room around me was familiar. My room. The one I had grown to hate.
"What just happened?" I thought to myself.
I rushed to the window. The world outside looked unchanged—no cosmic terror, no celestial death. But something still felt off. The brightness of the day was… unnatural.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
I nervously snapped my fingers.
I needed clarity.
I decided on going to the edge of a nearby cliff.
When my mind spirals, it helps to look at the Sea of Baltai.
Its deep blue is said to come from the blood spilled during the Hundred-Year Slaughter of the Bludra, a millennia ago.
Legend says their "truth"—a metaphysical power rooted in identity, which allowed them to endlessly multiply their severed heads—was shared with the Sea of Baltai, dissolving into its depths and giving the water its ever-shifting nature.
The unique individual and collective truths that everyone holds form the foundation of the universe. These somewhat mystical abilities—which some have used to destroy mountains or simply cut down a tree—aren't easily obtained or wielded.
Collective truths, or species truths, underlie the genetic makeup of each species. The Bludra supposedly held multiplication as their truth, while humans supposedly possess intelligence.
What sets humans apart is our rare ability to wield more than one truth—an individual truth that distinguishes itself within the species. Although wielding more than two individual truths is uncommon, in some cases it comes with mental repercussions.
Well... actually, there are exceptions where other species can wield multiple individual truths as well.
Individual truths usually develop around the age of 17, and your genetic heritage heavily influences your ability to possess one at a usable level. For some, their truth manifests as a way of living, while others can bring their truth into tangible reality.
One's abilities can be seen as starting from a single tree trunk that then branches out into multiple roots.
The need for me to possess this knowledge is nonexistent—I've failed to show any sign of a truth within me. The path to wealth is closed.
All I have left is my violin. It hurts. Playing for those who possess truths and wealth almost always hurts deeply. The things I wish for are so close, yet so far away.
The only thing I have is music—to drown out all these thoughts.
"Ahhhhhh."
"These sorrowful thoughts are too much."
I bring my violin to my chin and start playing a melody.
Or at least, I think I do.
Silence is all I hear among the faint winds of the sea.
"What?" I say nervously.
I bow my violin again... Nothing. One more time...
Whoosh.
The deafening silence of the wind fills the space.
"What?"
Reality starts to sink in.
I can't hear my violin anymore.
It feels like a punch to the gut.
Fear and stress overwhelm me—I puke.
The sound of my breathing overwhelms the sound of everything else. The fear, the worry, and the loss are too much for me.
My world slowly grows dark.
…
"Young man, are you alright?"
My body was being shaken by someone—I didn't know who.
My eyes flutter open, only to be blinded by the harsh brightness of the sun.
"Aghhhh..."
"Are you alright?"
As my vision cleared, I saw an old woman standing over me, her face etched with worry.
The reality of my last memories was still present, but I couldn't let an old woman worry for me.
"I'm sorry that I worried you," I said.
"I was simply sleeping."
"Oh, thank God," she said with a sigh of relief.
"Do you know what time it is?"
"It's around 2:30."
The second punch to the gut doesn't always hurt as much.
"Thank you," I said before leaving.
I had missed my most important concert to date. Even if I couldn't hear my violin, I could still play.
"Well, my life is as good as over," I proclaimed.
…
It was three in the morning. Having accepted the reality of the situation, I simply "decided" to go on a "vacation."
Although I wasn't rich, I did have a good amount of money.
There had always been a place that I wanted to visit—a place my sister and I wanted to go before our fallout.
Sakalya. It was an island famous for its beautiful scenery and a blue river.
Its size was 948 km in length and 160 km in width. Nothing small or big.
Year-round it was a warm place. Even when the volcano became active and spewed out snow, the warmth was not lessened.
It was soon that time of the year when the landscape becomes white, with red flowers making pathways look soaked in blood.
If the map my dad gave us when we were kids isn't lying, then my family has a house on this island.
It's not close to any cities or villages—just deep in the wilderness.
Yeah, the wilderness. It's not exactly smart to go out there, especially if you don't have an individual truth.
Most humans without one don't stand a chance against the animals—especially not those with strong collective truths, or worse, an individual one.
I wouldn't be here if I wasn't so desperate.
See, the concert I skipped? It wasn't just any concert. It was for the head of a really—and I mean really—important family.
We live in a society where those with truths and wealth sit at the pinnacle of power.
Because of this, the whole system is basically a monarchy where the king is just a puppet—or at least, that's my theory.
This family head? He's known for slaughtering people like cattle.
Worst part? I'd already taken the money for the solo concert.
My chances of surviving are far better off here than over there.
I took off as quickly as possible with all my money and the necessities I needed—the violin.
…
There isn't much of a reason for me to live.
All of my dreams lie shattered—possessing a truth, gaining wealth, uncovering ancient artifacts, and leaving a mark on this world.
I couldn't even hear music anymore.
…
Once I landed on the shores of the island, I hurriedly looked for a horse carriage.
The wind was kindly caressing my cheeks, though the slight saltiness in the air annoyed me.
I meet this guy named Murphy. Kind guy—he agreed to bring me to the location of the house.
It was a nice trip. The scenery was just as beautiful as they said it would be. Although, some of the flowers looked completely different from what I expected.
I reached my house half a day later.
"See you around, Lunov."
"Yeah."
I "excitedly" looked forward to my future. The amount of money I had would be enough for a year and a half. After that... well, I didn't know. The only thing I had to do was survive.
The walk to where my new house was wasn't easy. With the heavy bag of stuff I carried, a two-hour trip wasn't much fun—especially with the sun getting ready to set in the next few hours. But at last, I arrived.
My new house is... surprisingly good.
It looks very old, like it's been untouched for the past hundred years. Jagged petals of a dark purple plant—used for medicine—cover parts of the house. There are Joy of Sakalya flowers surrounding much of the entrance. Their rainbow-like petals turn red during the night.
…
I readied myself for the first step to a new future.
Making my way to the plant infested house.
Thankfully, the door isn't significantly barred or anything.
I take a deep breath and prepare for my new life.
To a new beginning.
I anxiously step into the house.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
The inside of the house was... unique.
The furniture was covered in a thin blue cloth. What surprised me most was the quality of it—very soft silk. But the real shock lay beneath.
Even more startling were the portraits that hung on the walls. They had nothing to do with my family. It wasn't just that I didn't recognize the faces—their very appearance was foreign.
Everyone in my family, myself included, has black hair and dark, lifeless eyes that resemble a void. But the people in these portraits… Their hair was as blue as the Sea of Baltai, and their eyes shimmered with a shade more violet than the golden petal trees that dominate the Volsoy Archipelago.
Why did my father say this was our place despite it clearly looking like it belonged to someone else? The place does look like it's been untouched for more than 100 years and all pathways leading here were overrun by nature.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
"This whole ordeal is making me tick," I thought to myself.
I decided to look around the house.
"No trace of anyone having ever visited the place."
Snap.
"Okay… Maybe no one will ever come here."
"Well, if that's that… I can unpack my stuff."
…
By the time I set up a place to sleep in this bedless house, night had already fallen.
I stepped outside to take in the beauty of the wilderness.
My new house was near a cliff—a pretty tall one at that. The fresh air was truly a blessing. In the capital city where I used to live, the air always felt polluted by factories. But here, I felt only rejuvenation.
The area around me was lit by the redness of dozens of flowers, which stood in stark contrast to the deep purples of the others.
Some trees pulsed faintly with pink and yellow hues, like distant heartbeats in the dark.
The moon felt... special. Its light was as bright as the sun and there was something elusive about it.
But the issue wasn't just the moon. Everything looked more alive. I could see things more clearly.
No—it was as if I could see everything for what it truly was.
Rustle.
The sound of tree branches snapping cut through even the noise of the crashing waves.
Suddenly, everything felt colder.
Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap.
My nervousness started to get the better of me.
Adrenaline made up my entirety.
Creeeeeek.
The sound came from deep in the woods.
I hurriedly and quietly ducked behind a large tree.
My breath was quick and hard to manage.
The sound was getting louder—and heavier.
CREeeeek.
The waves began to crash more violently with each passing second.
Everything around me felt wrong.
Just like in my dream...
It felt like death was seeping into the air around me.
Thump. Thump.
My heartbeat grew louder.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
THUMP.
A dark creature—one I recognized only from guidebooks—was now just inches from my face.
I held my breath.
The creature moved its ears as if searching for me.
It had no eyes. No nose.
Only a heart-wrenching smile carved into its face.