ASA OF NEPTUNE

chapter 005 ⚘

CHAPTER 5:

Cosmic Dimension

Since that day in the Surface, two years had passed, but in the depth of Icyln's sleep, time felt endless.

In her dream, she stood in a place where the stars themselves seemed to whisper. The air was cold and thick, shimmering with strange energies that hummed beneath her skin. All around her, a vast cosmic expanse stretched out into the infinite, the colors of space swirling in vivid shades of purple, deep blues, and blinding whites. The stars above blinked slowly as if alive, pulsing with the breath of the universe.

Icyln's feet touched something solid, though it was not ground. It was as if she stood upon a sheet of glass, suspended above a city below. As her eyes drifted downward, the scene shifted. A once-majestic city lay in ruins beneath her, its towers shattered, broken pieces of stone and steel scattered like bones. It was not just destroyed—it had fallen into a strange, suspended state of decay. Some buildings floated aimlessly, tethered to nothing, while others crumbled, disappearing into the abyss. Purple tendrils of mist crawled through the streets, wrapping themselves around the crumbling structures as though feeding on the city's lifeblood.

There was something eerily familiar about this place. She could not place it, but her chest tightened with dread. The wind, cold and unnatural, carried faint voices, but none were clear. Then, cutting through the haze of confusion and cosmic dread, a voice emerged, soft and echoing.

"Icyln..."

The voice was distant yet near, a haunting melody laced with urgency. Icyln spun around, searching the endless space for the source. In the distance, she saw a figure—a girl, her form barely discernible, as if made of the same stardust that swirled around them. Her long hair shimmered, reflecting the cosmic colors, her eyes glowing like twin moons. She reached out, calling again.

"Icyln... you must see..."

Before Icyln could take a step towards her, the ground beneath her cracked. The once solid surface shattered into a thousand pieces. She plummeted down, down into the heart of the ruined city. The tendrils of mist reached for her, trying to pull her deeper into the abyss. She gasped, but no sound came from her throat. The city consumed her, the purple mist wrapping around her body like chains.

"Icyln..."

Her heart pounded in her chest, the weight of the unknown pressing in on her.