บท 1: An encounter with the night

A man sat up groggily, his head pounding as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. The air was thick and musty, and he could barely see anything in front of him because of the thick darkness.

Massaging his temples, he tried to recall anything that would help him understand how he arrived at his current location but despite his efforts, all he got was a bad headache.

"Ugh, what's going on?"

Hardly had he asked the question when he heard footsteps.

Before he could make out where it was coming from, a figure emerged from the shadows.

It was a dark entity, with a twisted smile as its only defining feature. The man felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked at it.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"I am the one who brought you here," the entity replied with a voice neither masculine nor feminine. "You may call me… Nyx."

The man raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to make of this strange creature.

"What are you?"

"... Whatever you may think I am. It doesn't matter much."

Despite the man's effort to stay calm, the strangeness of the entity was too much to take in stride.

"...Then what do you want from me?"

"I have taken your memories from you," Nyx continued. "But I can give them back to you if you help me with a mission."

The man felt a glimmer of hope. He had been so lost and confused without his memories. Perhaps this entity could help him regain his past.

"What mission?" he asked.

Nyx's smile widened. "Recover my heart. That is all I ask."

"What?" The man looked perplexed.

"I will send you to a new world, one different from the one you are familiar with and all you have to do is recover the pieces of my heart."

"Why can't you do this yourself?"

"... You shouldn't ask questions that might have answers greater than you can bear," Nyx warned. "Now then… Do you accept my offer?"

The man hesitated. He had no idea who this entity was, or what its intentions were. But the thought of regaining his memories was too tempting to resist.

At the moment, he felt like an empty husk, after all, what was a person without an identity?

"Fine," he said. "I'll help you. But you have to give me my memories back first."

Nyx nodded, and suddenly, the man felt a rush of memories flooding back into his mind. He remembered his name, his family, and his life before this dark place.

"My name is Alex… and I'm dead." The man… no, Alex muttered as he finally understood how he arrived at this dark place.

He had died in the line of duty.

It wasn't much of a surprise since his work life on Earth involved infiltration and espionage.

Such situations were bound to happen and should have come as no surprise to Alex, however, his heart ached as he recalled the faces of his wife and child that would have to go through life without him.

He teared up as he recalled the last words he said to his wife, Isabella before he left home.

Sighing heavily, he muttered. "...I guess I won't be coming home…"

"I can send you home if you want," Nyx spoke up, causing Alex to glance at him in confusion. "I can make everything go away, making it like it were a dream. You'd be back home with your wife and child, your teammates would still be alive… you can have a second chance."

With each word spoken, the deal grew more alluring but it made Alex all the more aware that it was too good to be true.

"Why are you willing to do so much for me?"

"... Because you have the potential to complete the mission."

Alex stared at Nyx.

For a moment, he was torn between returning to the family he left behind and moving on to the afterlife.

His yearning for his family had kept him going while alive and now dead, it remained ever strong.

Recalling the brilliance of his dear Isabella and the naughtiness of his lovely daughter, Mary-Jane, Alex realized that the choice was a no-brainer.

If it meant crossing the stars to return, he would do so.

As long as he got to see them once again.

Looking at Nyx, he compromised. "As long as you don't force me to do anything against my will and I am allowed to use my methods and stick to my boundaries… then I will do as you have said and retrieve your heart."

Nyx grinned widely. "Use whatever method you wish, all I care about is the endpoint."

"So we have a deal?" Alex asked.

"Indeed."

"... Good. So what does your heart look like?" If he was going to a new world, he needed as much information as possible.

Unfortunately, Nyx had other ideas. "You would die if you learned about them in your current state."

Alex's eyes shook at the information.

Just what was the heart Nyx wanted him to find?

"So…"

"Get accustomed to the world first… break the boundary… then return. I will be waiting for you." Nyx listed out methodically before adding. "Ah yes, I should let you know that if you die in the world I'm sending you to, that's the end… no third chance. You would be erased forever, so be careful down there… alright?"

Alex would have loved to get more information but before he could ask any more questions, Nyx disappeared, leaving him alone in the darkness.

Alex was left standing alone, still unsure of what happened. He still had no idea who Nyx truly was or what its intentions were. But he knew that to return home or at least to get a chance to return, he had to do as he was told.

It sounded cringe but it was for family.

With no other choice, Alex sighed helplessly.

Then he noticed that he was weightless only to look down and at that moment, realization dawned on him.

"I'm… falling?"