Aphoria

Prologue

Aphoria...

Aphoria...

Aphoria!
I jolted awake, awake and disoriented. Where am I? Who am I? What... am I? Were the first thoughts that passed my mind.

"Aphoria!" Someone breathed a sigh of relief near me. "Are you alright?" They seemed worn-out, clearly exhausted as I instinctively reached out to place my hand on their cheek, not knowing why. They stopped me, and clasped my hand in theirs as they started to weep, softly. I felt a weird pang in my heart, as I tried to sit up, to no avail. I reached halfway before they loosened their grip on my hand and motioned me to lie back down. "Do you even know how worried I was," They said, "when you tried that deathly move? I told you not to, and yet you did it anyway..."

All at once, I knew that I did not know what they were talking about.

"I'm sorry, whoever you are... but I don't remember anything. Who am I.. and what am I?" I felt a surge of energy pulsing through my veins. It felt painful—very painful.

Their weeping came to a quiet end.

"W...what do you mean, you don't remember? You're Aphoria, my best friend, and I'm Evangeline, your (I hope) best friend." They looked at me, and I could sense, only then, that this "Evangeline" person meant me no harm. "This isn't a prank, is it?"

I shook my head.

"It's not."

Evangeline stood up, probably in disbelief. She had a look of pure sadness in her eyes.

"Y-you..." She fumbled with her words, "you... really don't remember?"

I shook my head again.

"I don't, honest." I breathed in a deep one. It smelled like... like I was in... ARGH. I just couldn't put my finger on it! I didn't know where I was or why I was here.

"Evangelina... or whatever your name is..."

"Evangeline..."

"Right... It's Evangeline." I say weakly. "...I've no idea what's happened, who I am, or where I am... care to elaborate?"

Evangeline cleared her throat.

"Well, that..." She took a deep breath, fumbled with a nearby object and placed it closer to me, sitting on it. "That's gonna be hard to explain."

"Why?"

"Well... You never told me that you had... a gift, I guess?" Evangeline pondered a bit, maybe to think about what she was to say, or trying to find the least offensive word choice. "You..."

"What exactly happened just before I woke up just now, Evangeline? You're killing me with this silence." I say, trying to not sound annoyed. "What gift?"

"W-well...!" She closed her eyes, "You... before you fell into a coma, you had told me that you had a secret ability."

I looked at her intently. I couldn't feel nor sense a "secret" ability—everything feels... normal.

"A-are you sure?"

"Yes—after you told me that you had a secret ability, I saw you as you lightly floated into the sky. You had no pupils and your entire body glowed a faint... uniquely sorta black aura?" She said, unsure. "A-and you chanted something... it seemed as if you were already in another world."

How would that even be possible, I thought, If that doesn't follow logic or Newton's Laws Of Physics?

But still, I listened. It seemed like such a fantasy that I eventually wandered off into space.

"...and it was like a black sun had taken over the sky. No, wait," Evangeline pondered once again, "you were the black sun..?" She looked to me, and I felt a cold stare. "Aphoria! Are you even listening?"

"Hm? What was that, Evangeline..?" I say, coming back to reality. I laughed a bit, easing the mood, "S-sorry, I was just thinking about how, uh. How this came to be."

"I understand... Would you like to listen to the rest, or maybe I should tell you about the present?"

"The present, if you don't mind."

"Alright."