Day 0: Lucis

Sally was participating in a competitive shooter tournament. The stadium vibrated with the crowd’s cheers; cameras captured every movement while well-known commentators narrated the intensity of the moment. Every victory her team achieved echoed in shouts and applause. The excitement floated in the air, electric and enveloping.

But the peak was brief.
The opposing team made a comeback and, with one final move, the defeat struck them like a sharp blow.

The fans erupted in celebration, though for Sally the sound became unbearable.

A high-pitched ringing pierced her ears. Her breathing grew unsteady. A familiar, stabbing pressure tightened in her chest.

"Why do I always lose...?"
"Why can’t I ever win...?"

This pain… it never leaves…

The crowd pulled away, as if hiding behind thick glass. The lights, the shouting, the cameras, everything blurred. Her mind disconnected. And she couldn’t bring it back.

When she regained some awareness, the atmosphere had changed. She didn’t know how, but the order was gone. Screams, hurried footsteps, people running in different directions. Faces twisted by fear. Something serious had happened… but her mind wouldn’t let her see it clearly. She could only feel her own hands shaking. Her vision was blurry. The sounds were distorted.

Amid the confusion, she heard voices telling her to do something. The words reached her warped, as if they were coming from the bottom of a lake.

A man approached. Someone called him Sergeant. His face showed no judgment, only a kind of understanding that hurt.

"I don’t want you to hurt yourself," his voice was calm, almost fragile. "You don’t have to carry this alone."

Sally looked at him, lost.

"I’m tired…" she murmured.
Tired of fighting something no one can see.
Tired of pretending it doesn’t hurt.

No one taught me what to do with this pain…
No one taught me how to live with it…

The Sergeant lowered his gaze. He understood. That understanding was as painful as the ringing in her ears.

But the world continued moving around her. Voices, orders, fear, tension.

Her mind began to fade again… like a light burning out.

A loud crash.
A sharp impact.
A cold that hurt.

A gentle rain began to fall, sounding like a faint melody.

I always feared this place inside me…
Maybe… now I can rest…

She fell to the ground, releasing her last breath.

Then, an imperceptible presence appeared in the sky.

A brilliant light engulfed everything at once.

Silent.
Warm.
Absolute.

And Sally woke up.