Chapter One: Nuhaila's Shades
In a city that cannot be found on any map, I stepped outside with no clear direction in mind. I hadn't gone far when a young man approached and began speaking to me—only to suddenly erupt in anger, shouting in my face.
Moments later, we were walking side by side, though neither of us knew where we were going. Then, from the distance, a woman appeared.
He grabbed my hand, but his grip faltered, and we ran—each in a different direction.
I kept running until I found myself in a strange place, a battlefield of sorts, where people were hurling stones at each other. I ran endlessly, until I spotted an old house with its door wide open. I rushed inside, seeking shelter… but it wasn't an ordinary house. It felt like a labyrinth—one with no exit.
Inside, I met strangers whose faces I didn't recognize. A man was moving from room to room, planting bombs in each.
Suddenly, a phone rang.
It was him—the same young man.
He spoke gently, trying to calm me.
"Get away from the bomb," he pleaded.
But… I couldn't.
It exploded.
And everything went silent.
I lost consciousness, as though the entire world had been switched off.
> I felt like I was sinking into a sound that didn't belong to this world…
The echo of my footsteps… my breathing… and his voice…
The young man kept calling me, but everything felt distant. Like a fading echo.
Then, I felt warmth on my hand—like a soft, gentle breeze…
My eyes began to open slowly…
Where am I?
No more house. No more stones. No more sound.
Only him… sitting beside me, watching me carefully, and whispering:
— Nuhaila… do you know why the houses explode?