Darkness.
That was all Malakai could see. All he could feel. Cold and endless.
It stretched beyond what he could see and it swallowed everything. Sight, sound and even thought.
But strangely, Malakai felt… peaceful.
All his burdens, his pain, his fears, they melted into the endless dark.
It was quiet. So quiet.
And soon, he started to forget.
His name.
His purpose.
His pain.
Even his parents…
It all began to fade.
But then, a pair of crimson eyes snapped open in the abyss.
Malakai’s senses returned like a blade cutting through fog.
‘That was close.’
His thoughts sharpened. He could feel it, something subtle, but insidious, trying to creep into his mind.
‘Don’t forget… don’t forget…’
He gritted his teeth, hardening his thoughts, pushing back against the force pressing in on his consciousness.
And as though that resistance triggered something, a flicker of light appeared in the corner of his vision.
He turned. And then, it ignited.
Blinding and radiant, swallowing him whole.
He shut his eyes instinctively, shielding them from the intensity. And when he opened them, he was surrounded by rapidly shifting visions.
Malakai saw a peaceful Earth. People laughing, walking, skyscrapers that rose to the sky, airplanes soaring above. It was life, vibrant and peaceful.
Then, chaos.
The sky darkened. Screams erupted. Darkness creatures descended, turning cities into wastelands. People died in waves. Civilization crumbled.
And amidst the chaos, a silhouette of a lone man stood.
He fought the darkness, even as others fled. His strength was incredible, pushing back the tide.
And when he killed the darkness, a brilliant energy burst into the air. Something started to change as humanity began to evolve.
They started fighting back. They started losing once more.
And the man’s final act, he sacrificed himself, and from that sacrifice, a glowing dome birthed to life, shielding what remained of humanity from the darkness.
‘The history of the Fall…’ Malakai realized, watching it unfold like a memory.
And then, the scene shattered. Everything blurred, receded, and spun rapidly.
And again, there was light. So intense he had to shield his eyes once more.
When he opened them, he saw that he was elsewhere.
Malakai felt it first, the coarse and grainy texture of the sand beneath him.
Then, the heat. Scorching, searing heat.
He shielded his eyes from the blazing sun beating down from above.
‘Where am I?’
He sat up slowly, his body adjusting to the hot temperature and bright light emanating from the sun.
His crimson gaze swept the horizon.
‘A desert.’
Endless dunes of golden brown sand, jagged black rocks protruding from the earth, withered bone-like structures scattered in the distance. The air shimmered with heat waves, and no vegetation was in sight.
A moment later, a voice rumbled, deep and heavy, as if spoken by the world itself.
“Walk.”
Malakai’s expression changed.
‘What the hell?’
The voice sounded human… but carried a weight like that of a god.
He scanned the area instinctively.
‘I can’t find its source…’
But he didn’t need to. Something inside him knew, this was an order, not a suggestion.
‘Is this where the other descendants were transported to?’ Malakai pondered.
He felt it was possible. But it didn’t matter. Not right now.
‘There’s no other option.’
He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and checked his body. His equipment was intact, weapons, utility belt, supplies.
Everything was still with him. He turned toward the horizon.
‘It didn’t say where to walk… just walk.’
So he chose a direction and he began walking.
The sun bore down mercilessly, its rays scorching his skin. His exposed flesh turned red within minutes, blisters forming and his skin cracking.
The loose sand gave way under his steps, which made movement harder, forcing him to expend more energy with each step.
Still, Malakai pressed forward.
Time passed, he didn’t know how long, but he knew the desert only grew hotter.
As he walked, the sand seemed to grip his legs more tightly. His movements slowed as he tried to adjust.
But then came thirst.
His throat burned. His lips cracked, parched and dry. He reached for his canteen, but then, as though something spoke to him, he stopped.
‘I can’t use it.’
He had water. He had food. He was unsure of what to expect in the Pit, so he had come prepared. But he chose not to use them.
‘It feels like a test.’
Everything about this place, first the darkness trying to make him forget, now this hellish desert, it felt orchestrated.
A trial.
Which meant, he was currently being tested.
And he had learned to trust his instincts.
‘If I take anything now… I might have to start all over again.’
Malakai didn’t want that. So, he endured.
As he moved, the sun rose higher. The heat grew unbearable, the sand hot enough to cook flesh. His lips bled. His vision blurred.
Yet he walked.
‘Walk. Walk. Walk.’
It became a mantra in his head.
His limbs screamed in pain. Each step sent jolts through his spine, through his entire body. But he did not stop.
Hours turned into something worse, something timeless. Malakai lost track.
There was no night in this world. The sun never set.
Malakai’s mind screamed for relief, begged him to stop. Still, he walked. He did not stop.
Until finally, he could no longer lift his leg.
His body collapsed, crashing into the hot sand.
“S-shit…”
Sizzling smoke rose from where his body touched the burning surface. His boots had shielded him till now, but his arms, his skin, began to burn.
Agony.
His muscles trembled. Every nerve in his body screamed.
But Malakai didn’t stop. He clenched his teeth, dragged one hand forward, then the other.
He crawled.
Each pull scorched his skin further. The sand seared his arms and face. His body writhed in pain, but he kept moving.
“Move. Move. Move.”
It echoed in his head like a war drum. Until even that faded. His vision blurred.
The edges of his sight darkened as his limbs refused to move, trembling as he urged them to move.
‘M-move!’
However, he was already at his limit. And just as darkness began to engulf his eyes, a light suddenly enveloped him.
And in the next instant, Malakai disappeared.