Darkness.
Not the darkness of night.
Nor the darkness behind closed eyes.
It was an endless void where neither time nor space existed.
Countless stars drifted silently through the abyss.
Each one shimmered like a tiny moon, carrying fragments of memories that no longer belonged to anyone.
Among them floated five brighter lights.
They circled one another as though reluctant to part.
Suddenly—
The stars trembled.
A crack spread across the endless sky.
One...
Then another...
Until the entire void fractured like broken glass.
The five lights were torn apart.
They scattered toward different worlds.
A hand reached after them.
Long pale fingers stretched desperately through the darkness.
Too late.
One by one...
The lights disappeared beyond reach.
Silence returned.
Then a voice echoed softly through the void.
It was warm.
Playful.
As though smiling even now.
"Looks like we'll be separated again."
No answer came immediately.
After a long while...
Another voice spoke.
Cold.
Calm.
Steady.
"...I'll find you."
The first voice laughed quietly.
A laugh filled with absolute certainty.
"Of course you will."
"You always do."
The darkness rippled.
The stars faded.
The two voices disappeared as though they had never existed.
Only one sentence remained, lingering across the endless void.
Even if every memory is forgotten...
Some hearts never forget the way home.
Everything dissolved into white.
...
...
...
The faint scent of damp pine drifted through the silence.
Someone slowly opened his eyes.