A loud bang echoed throughout the train cabin, waking me from my sleep. The sound startled me so much that I immediately panicked.
I opened the cabin window and looked outside, searching for the source of the explosion. I looked around, but found nothing. Where could that sound have come from? Was there a war going on here? That couldn't be, right?
Then, my gaze was drawn to a monument. It was a monument of one of this country's important figures, Huijches Wein. He was a war commander from the City of Rostov who defeated ten thousand invading soldiers with only a hundred of his own troops.
But what made him truly remarkable was his bravery in leading the war while battling a severe lung disease. A figure so strong and unyielding, even though he knew he could die at any moment.
I really admired him. He became my source of motivation when I was diagnosed with the same disease at the age of twelve. Since then, I could no longer attend school or go outside. My body became very weak, and the worsening disease made me suffer greatly. But the figure of Huijches Wein kept me strong in facing life.
Until the night of disaster came.
When I turned fifteen, both of my parents died in an accident, which made me extremely sad. Since then, I lived alone with my older sister.
But the nightmare didn't end there.
Our savings gradually ran out, while I had to keep taking expensive medications. My sister worked tirelessly here and there to earn money.
Slowly, my health started to improve. Now, at the age of seventeen, I could finally walk freely outside. I decided to look for a job to ease my sister's burden.
However, before I had the chance, another nightmare came.
My sister followed our parents. She died from exhaustion due to overworking. I felt so guilty that she had to go through that just for my sake, always sick and helpless.
Since then, my view of the world turned dark. I lost my motivation to live. The family I loved was now gone.
I was adrift in despair. But remembering how my family had fought so hard to keep me alive gave me the strength to rise again.
After that, I started working at a pastry shop. But after five months, I collapsed while delivering an order. I was immediately rushed to the hospital. When I regained consciousness, a doctor was sitting beside me. He had found out that I had been suffering from a severe lung disease all this time.
He then began a serious conversation with me.
"Your illness has gotten worse," he said softly.
He sighed and tried to speak to me again.
"Your body hasn't fully recovered, but you've kept pushing yourself to work. Now, your condition has reached a stage where it can no longer be treated. The disease has gotten out of control."
I swallowed bitterly, trying to hold back all the screams of pain that wanted to burst out of me. His words struck me so deeply that my mind instantly went blank.
I then tried to calm myself down and regain control.
Then, I slowly asked the doctor,
"How much longer do I have to live?"
The doctor sighed before answering,
"One or two months at most."
The world seemed to collapse before me. I wanted to cry, but no tears would come out of my eyes. I could only stay silent, letting the bitter reality slowly sink in.
And now, here I am. Using the money I saved from working—along with my sister's life insurance, which I never wanted to use—I traveled to another place to spend the rest of my life.
Just remembering all that is exhausting. Well then, maybe it's better if I start planning my schedule and the things I need to buy later?
Then the train entered a tunnel, and the entire cabin was instantly engulfed in darkness. Just as I was about to note down my schedule and supplies, a loud scream rang out, followed by other screams.
Shortly after, everything fell silent.
The screams and the people around me could no longer be heard.
What is happening? I thought to myself.
But what puzzled me most was—why wasn't the darkness ending? Just how long was this tunnel?
I waited and kept waiting, but everything remained dark. Panic started to creep in, and I reached into my jacket pocket for a lighter.
But suddenly, my mind went blank and my body froze. I was shocked to realize that my body was soaked in blood. The fresh blood flowed from my head downwards. I panicked and ran to ask for help from the other passengers, but I fell.
I couldn't move, and the darkness made my chest feel tight. Then I found myself falling into water.
Panic gripped me, and I quickly got up. I ran, my heart racing, muttering anxiously to myself, What is happening right now?
The unending darkness. My body drenched in blood. The train now turning into a body of water.
I ran, gasping for air and my chest tightening. Then I fell again.
Suddenly, a memory I didn't recognize surfaced in my mind.
A memory of a train crashing into mine head-on in the tunnel.
I froze.
Unable to believe what I had just remembered.
Does this mean I'm already dead? How could this happen? Even at the end of my life, I still suffered misfortune. Where does all this misfortune come from?
I bit my lip until it bled. My fists clenched tightly. Anger and frustration overwhelmed me. I hated this fate of mine—to the very end.
Now my rage slowly faded and emptiness began to take its place. In the midst of that emptiness, I remembered my life again. Though my life was full of endless misfortunes, there were moments of happiness within it.
My family's faces slowly appeared before me. First my father, then my mother, and finally my sister. They looked at me with joyful expressions.
I felt calm again.
But that calm didn't last long. Darkness crept in again and closed in around me. In an instant, the images of my family vanished from my sight.
The darkness slowly consumed my consciousness.
But in the midst of the darkness, I heard a melody.
Suddenly, the darkness began to retreat from me.
The music sounded like a flute, followed by a zither and a gentle whistle.
It was truly a calming tune.
Not long after, the water current grew stronger. The waves rose, slowly pulling my body under.
A whirlpool formed in the center, dragging me in.
I couldn't move. I could only surrender to this situation.
Inside the whirlpool, I was pulled deeper and deeper—until a glimmer of light appeared.
Now, I could see my surroundings again.
Then the light grew larger. What's inside there? I wondered.
The ocean current suddenly surged. I was pulled even faster than before. The light grew closer and bigger.
I screamed.
My consciousness faded.
---
The sound of birds chirping could be heard, followed by the laughter of children. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a village settlement with beautiful fields.
I found myself leaning against a tree, with a book on my lap. Suddenly, a woman's voice called my name.
"Vall, where are you? Uncle Rushell is looking for you."
Why is someone calling my name? Who is this woman? How does she know my name?
Suddenly, I was surprised as the woman ran up to me and hugged me from behind.
"I found you, Vall! ... Hehe."
Her familiar voice made me wonder.
I turned around to see her face.
My mind went blank the moment I saw her.
A woman with long black hair—sharp black eyes, fair skin, and a mole on her neck—startled me.
There was no way I didn't know who she was.
My eyes widened in disbelief.
My sister, who should have been dead, was now alive and standing before me.
Is this a dream?
She moved her face closer to mine and said,
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you seeing a ghost?"
"N-no, it's just—"
"If it's nothing, then let's go already."
She immediately grabbed my arm, pulling me along in a hurry.
"Come on, Vall! If not, Uncle Rushell will scold you."
Without asking questions, I followed her—with a heart full of happiness and emotion. Even if this is just a dream, I truly felt happy.
But then, confusion took over my mind. What confused me was—if this is just a dream—why can I feel my sister's warm touch so vividly, so real? Her voice and words echoed powerfully, shaking my soul. As if she was really speaking to me in person.
Though I still didn't know where I was, because this world felt completely unfamiliar to me.
What is really happening right now?