My family…?
I had one, didn't I? On Earth. Somewhere. Surely. That's what we're supposed to have. An origin. A home. A line behind us. I must have known that. A mother. A father. A presence, at least. A name whispered with tenderness. A shared meal. A voice gently scolding me. Something. Someone.
And yet…
I saw nothing.
Nothing precise. Nothing warm. Nothing stable. Not even a blurry silhouette. Not even a scent. Not a room. Not a burst of laughter. Nothing came up. Even forcing it, even diving deep inside myself, there was only white. A wall without cracks. A silent screen.
Why?
Why did that particular void choke me? Why did that precise absence, that singular gap, that gaping hole at the center, freeze me more than all the nightmares endured, more than all the monsters faced, more than all the deaths dodged? Why did that hollow, that simple hollow, make me want to scream louder than blood, louder than fear?
I didn't understand.
