Wednesday.
I don't know why, but Wednesdays always feel heavier.
Like something is waiting to happen—
And never does.
The office felt suffocating today.
More than usual.
The lights buzzed overhead.
The screen in front of me blurred.
The air felt… dry.
Too dry.
I rubbed my eyes.
It didn't help.
Everything felt distant.
Muted.
"…You okay sora?"
Someone said something earlier.
I don't remember who.
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
My throat felt tight.
Not sick.
Not tired.
Just— Wrong.
I stood up suddenly.
The chair scraped against the floor.
Too loud.
I didn't look back.
I walked.
Out of the office.
Down the hallway.
Up the stairs.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Like something was pulling me— Up.
The rooftop door creaked open.
Cold air hit my face.
I stepped outside.
The city stretched in front of me.
Lights.
Buildings.
Noise.
But something felt off.
The wind brushed against my skin— Dry.
Too dry.
I pulled out a cigarette.
My fingers trembled slightly.
I lit it.
The flame flickered— Once.
Then steadied.
I took a drag.
It tasted— Strange.
Bitter.
Wrong.
I frowned.
The wind picked up.
For a moment— I thought I saw something.
Something strange, black sand?!..
Just for a second.
Blowing across the rooftop.
I blinked.
Nothing.
"…What the—"
My voice stopped.
The sound didn't carry.
The city noise— Was gone.
Completely.
Silence.
Not quiet.
Silence.
The kind that presses against your ears.
My heart started pounding.
Too loud.
Too real.
I turned slowly.
Something felt off.
Not the rooftop.
Not the city.
Reality.
The air shimmered.
Like heat rising from asphalt.
But colder.
Heavier.
My breath slowed.
Not by choice.
Like something was controlling it.
The cigarette slipped from my fingers.
I didn't notice it hit the ground.
The edge of the rooftop— Looked… wrong.
Not far.
Too deep.
Like it didn't end where it should.
My vision blurred.
The world tilted— Or maybe I did.
"No…"
My voice came out thin.
Distant.
My foot moved back— There was nothing behind me.
No edge.
No ground.
Just— Empty.
My body dropped.
I didn't jump.
I didn't slip.
I fell.
But— It wasn't normal.
There was no wind.
No rush of air.
No sense of speed.
Just— Falling.
Endlessly.
The city above me stretched.
Twisted.
Then— It broke.
Like glass.
Cracks spreading across everything.
Light fractured.
Sound shattered.
And behind it— Darkness.
Not empty.
Watching.
Something brushed against me.
Cold.
Not physical.
Deeper.
My thoughts began to scatter.
Slip.
Break apart.
And then— I saw it.
A surface.
No— A mirror.
Cracked.
Endless.
Reflecting something that wasn't me.
Then— Everything went black.
A breath.
Sharp.
Painful.
Air slammed into my lungs.
I coughed violently.
Dust filled my throat.
It burned.
My chest tightened.
I couldn't breathe properly.
I forced my eyes open.
Darkness.
Real darkness.
Cold ground beneath me.
Rough.
Dry.
My body felt weak.
Too weak.
My stomach twisted painfully.
Empty.
My limbs trembled as I tried to move.
Where…
Where am I?
I pushed myself up slightly.
The world spun.
My vision blurred.
The air felt heavy.
Dry.
Unforgiving.
A cave.
I was inside a cave.
I tried to stand— My legs shook.
I almost collapsed again
Something was wrong.
Not just this place.
Me.
My body felt like it hadn't eaten in days.
My throat burned with dryness.
Each breath felt incomplete.
Like the air wasn't enough.
I took a step.
The ground felt unstable.
Like it could disappear beneath me.
Then— A sound.
Behind me.
Wet.
Slow.
Breathing.
My entire body froze.
Cold spread through my spine.
No.
Not again.
Slowly—
Very slowly— I turned.
The darkness behind me shifted.
Something was there.