As she leaves
Stelle felt cold, so cold like never before in her life. She opened her eyes and noticed herself floating in a void. Darkness was all around her, with absolutely no sound. Panic kicked into her system, but as fast as it kicked in, it also disappeared.
Her body was relaxed, or that would be the best way for her to describe it. She tried to find out where she was, but her brain wasn't working. She even tried to hunt for any memories but without any success. She could feel despair clawing at her heart, but it vanished.
Whatever this location was, wherever she was, it nullified all of her emotions. She felt empty as if something important was missing from her. It was gnawing at her, at her soul. Sudden desperation washed over her, and once again, it vanished.
Stelle held her head, trying to understand what was going on, numerous emotions erupting - irritation and determination with some less important ones.
Yet again, as if someone snapped their fingers, the feelings vanished.
"Stop it!" Stelle yelled into nothingness. She could feel all the emotions returning in waves of different intensities. It felt like she was flickering with a light switch. She kept turning her feelings on, while the place kept turning them off.
Is someone in here?
A powerful voice echoed through the place. Stelle felt like her entire body was crumbling as if all of her bones got crushed, it was so painful the girl couldn't keep standing, falling on the ground, or something similar to it. Whoever - whatever - spoke to her was now silent. Stelle took a shaky breath.
"I am here." She said into nothingness.
I can feel your presence, little one.
The voice spoke again. It sounded different - as if it was a group of people talking.
How odd.
"What's odd...?" Stelle had no clue what else could be more than this entire encounter.
What are you?
"I'm... Stelle? A human?" She was confused by the question.
No. Your presence is one of a mortal, but... You are not one.
Stelle looked around her. What was that supposed to mean? She was a human!
You are something incredible! I have seen so many things, yet here you are, something I have never seen before. Your presence is familiar to me. Familiar yet different.
"Alright then... Who are you then?"
I wish I could introduce myself, I am sorry little bird. I lost my name. Know that I don't want to hurt you. It's been so long since I have seen someone.
"Where... Where are we?"
We are currently nowhere. This place exists, but at the same time, it doesn't. This is a place that we all know, but we cannot visit. I have no clue how we got here, but perhaps we were destined to meet here if your presence is anything to go by.
Stelle was confused. She blinked a few more times. She could feel her emotions again!
Yes, your emotions are what woke us.
"Woke you up?"
I have been here for so long, that I have grown tired of waiting for someone. I've been asleep for who knows how long. Yet... I did wake up slightly from my slumber sometime ago.
Stelle nodded.
Do you remember why or how you got here?
Stelle just closed her eyes, trying to hold onto any memory she had, yet there were none. A name, that's all there was, yet even the name was fleeing away from her every time she reached to say. It made her heart warm but hurt at the same time.
So you lost your memories. I can feel your heart. You can forget, or lose them, but your heart rarely forgets... I'm sorry, little one.
Stelle sighed, then she felt something. She could feel... presence in front of her. Her eyes were still closed, yet she could see the silhouette of something. It looked like a--
Stelle felt her body tugged, and the void started to get brighter.
It appears your story isn't over. I wish to say let's not meet again, but I fear destiny has something else planned for us. Take care, little bird.
Stelle's body felt lighter, warmer. Then, everything turned white.
Stelle's eyes were closed. Her body felt weird. It felt like it didn't belong to her. She could hear buzzing in her brain. She wasn't a fan of it. She missed the silence of the void. She could feel something cold under her. Was it the floor?
She slowly opened her eyes, noticing two women. One had silver eyes with silver hair, and the other one had... unique eyes, for lack of a better word. Her brain wasn't working properly, it felt like mush, and that stupid buzzing wasn't helping.
Stelle's eyes kept staring at the unique eyed woman. The dark magenta hair... the sunglasses... Her brain hurt, but the woman was familiar, she could feel it.
The mysterious woman smiled at her softly, yet the smile didn't exactly reach her eyes. There was some sorrow behind them.
"K... Kafka...?" Stelle's voice was weak, hoarse, but it was the only thing she could think of. She was positive this was this woman's name. The woman's - Kafka's - smile just grew.
"So you do remember me." There was something in that voice, was she proud? Why did it sound like she was proud?
Stelle's eyes darted toward the other woman. Girl? The silver-haired one just looked at Kafka, worry written on her face. Then, their eyes met, and Stelle couldn't understand why but her heart ached even more. Yet, the golden eyes fell back on Kafka.
"Listen: you are in a daze right now. You don't know who you are, why you're here, or what you're going to do next. You think I look familiar, but you're not sure if you should trust me." Her voice was hypnotizing. The buzzing in her head got louder.
N̵̡̲̈́̌o̷̟̘͛̀
Something spoke inside Stelle's head. It was painful. It was similar to the voice that spoke to her back in the void. Numerous voices speaking over each other, yet saying the same word, with bonus echo.
"None of that matters. All you need to know is that I'm leaving and you will be left all alone on this space station. From now on you needn't think about your past or doubt yourself." Stelle found herself listening, wishing to do what Kafka told her to do. She didn't need to think of her past...
The buzzing got stronger. No, she needed her memories!
C̵̢̚ ̸̢͌o̶̦͗ṇ̶͝ ̵̞̓ṱ̵̐r̸͙̈́ ̶̟̒o̵̱̍ ̴̙̉l̶̖͠
Stelle could have sworn she heard the voice again, yet this time it was impossible to understand. Whatever was helping her, she was grateful. Kafka was using some sort of mind-controlling technique, and she couldn't fight it.
Kafka's eyes furrowed slightly, a quick shock appeared on her face which caused the other one to look at Kafka confused.
"Listen: In the near future, you will encounter all kinds of perils, and hardships, but you will also have many wonderful experiences," Kafka spoke, a small gentle smile appearing on her lips, it warmed Stelle's heart.
"You'll meet companions who treat you like a family and embark on surreal adventures with them..." Her voice fell off, and a sad smile flashed on her face, but only for a second. If Stelle blinked, she would have missed it.
"At the end of your journey, all that perplexes you and troubles you will resolve. This is your future that Elio has foreseen. Do you like it?" Kafka smiled at her, with closed eyes. Stelle's heart ached once more, with even more intensity than the previous.
"No..." Stelle spoke without thinking, but she knew where it came from. As the mysterious friend in the void said, the heart doesn't forget. So whoever this Kafka was to her, she must have been very important for this heartache. "I don't want it...."
"This is also a lovely answer." Kafka smiled but continued. "Listen: Elio can foresee the future, but he can't make decisions for you. Use that will of yours to reach the end of your story." Kafka's hand gently rubbed Stelle's head. The young woman didn't know why, but she leaned into Kafka's touch, and her heart was sated a little bit. Yet she wanted more from the woman.
"That's the you I like," Kafka whispered as if it was for Stelle's ears only.
"H..." The other woman's voice cracked. She coughed a bit to clear it out. "How long do you think you need? According to the script, the Astral Express crew is arriving soon. We should avoid being seen by them." She says, her voice hiding sadness in it. Kafka's eyes turned slightly cold, as she stared at her... coworker?
"I know Silver Wolf. Just give me another minute." Kafka said, yet it felt like there were lots of unsaid words between the two. Silver Wolf's and Stelle's eyes met once more.
"I must leave." Kafka started, getting Stelle's attention once more. "Listen: someone will come and find you very soon, just go with them. You won't remember a thing except me."
"Kafka..." Stelle could feel tears forming in her eyes. The buzzing in her head only got louder and louder, the world started to get shaky. Kafka gently wiped the tears away and stood up.
"When you have a chance to make a choice, make one that you won't regret..."
She started to walk away, and Stelle's strength slowly started to fade away, just like her world.
s̷h̵e̴ ̴l̷e̷f̵t̸ ̵u̴s̴
She could hear the voice again, it hurt hearing it.
S̷͓̈Ḩ̵̈́E̶͍̓ ̴͓̕ L̸͋͜E̵̱͘F̴̡̒Ţ̷̈ ̶̳̋Ù̸̝S̶͚͑
The pain got too unbearable, to the point she couldn't handle it, the world faded away, and silence took over.
Little did she know how much her life was going to change once she opened her eyes again.