His mind drifted into an empty void of darkness, unable to see or hear anything but the constant heartbeat filling every corner of his consciousness. There was nothing except himself, drifting into the unknown, undisturbed by thoughts or memories.
And yet, he felt something so strange that Sunny couldn't place a finger on exactly what it was, but the feeling of being covered by a wet substance was beginning to slowly seep into his awareness. He doesn't know where he is or how he got here; only his heart beat echoed around him like a lonely ship lost at sea, searching for its way home.
"Wait..."
His consciousness slowly started to wake up from the deep slumber it had been trapped in for an eternity.
Suddenly, his eyes flashed open like lightning striking through a dark sky. He was lying on his bed, where Bubbles sat on top of him, licking his face continuously with excitement as if Sunny had just returned from the dead.
"Bubbles..."
Looking at his pet beagle, the young man felt the drenched saliva dripping down on his entire face. "Whatever, I forgive you," he said, not upset by being woken up so abruptly and covered in a dog's saliva but rather grateful to see a familiar face. "Come on, get out of my chest. I'm starting to suffocate."
The beagle immediately jumped off the bed before turning and sitting down in his owner's direction, his tail wagging furiously. He barked loudly whilst whining in demand of food as usual, reminding the owner of their responsibility in taking care of their pets, much to Sunny's, "Fine, fine, I'll get you breakfast!" he grumbled under his breath as he got out of his comfortable bed before sitting on the edge, using his sleeves to wipe away his drenched face from the constant kisses of his dog.
Hearing his agitated tone of voice, Bubbles fearfully whined in guilt at the thought of being hated, despite knowing that he never wanted to upset the family in any way, for he is extremely grateful to have been given another chance at life after no one had wanted him due to his lackluster appearance, as most people these days only care about appearance rather than the soul of an animal.
Regardless, Sunny understood his cue when the dog communicated with him through body language rather than words.
Noticing the dog's response, Sunny regretted making his beloved pet afraid and unwanted. "hey Bubbles! It's alright, I already forgive you," he said gently, reaching out his hand towards the beagle, who slowly approached him cautiously, sniffing his palm before finally allowing himself to be hugged tightly by his owner. "You just woke me up from my beauty sleep, but I still love you regardless."
Holding the dog within his grasp, he smiled kindly at the now relaxed beagle, who snuggled into his embrace as if nothing had ever happened before.
Caressing the dog's head with one hand, the young man's thoughts drifted elsewhere as he stared blankly ahead of him, where the bedroom door stood proudly open, revealing the bright morning sunshine streaming into the room.
"That girl..." In that dream, he remembered everything, from the smallest detail to the grandest moments of his life, which he had forgotten for some reason. The name of the girl who called herself 'U', her eyes, seemed familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.
"And the violin—why do I feel compelled to play it again?" He mused to himself, trying to recall any memory related to those fragments of dreams he had last night but only came back with a blank mind, "probably nothing more than a silly figment of my imagination," sighing resignedly at going overboard over a silly dream.
"Just move on with your life, Sunny, that is all you have to do," his own set of words echoed through the empty space of his consciousness as he slowly got out of bed with Bubbles jumping off in return.
Stretching his sore muscles from sleeping in an awkward position, Sunny massaged his back neck to relieve some pain coming from it as he walked towards the bathroom to start his daily routine of showering and getting ready for work.
But as he reached for his toothbrush, something caught his attention—on top of this ordinary sink is the reflection of a very confused, tired, and uncertain person staring back at him in the mirror, "This is me." With the glasses and shirt on, he can finally see the type of person he had become after he and his father had their lives drastically altered ever since the existence of angeloids came to be.
Turning on the facet, the first thing he would do was wash his face, but something made him want to look at himself and contemplate the choices he had made. Everything from the beginning, when humanity was at its normalcy, came crashing down.
Changing the entire world from a mysterious and dangerous global event that almost ended humanity in itself if it weren't for fate intervening and creating a new hope for survival through the creation of an advanced android race known as Angeloids.
Their existence brought both blessings and curses. For every action, there will always be consequences. But it seems the balance of power has shifted when man has to rely on everything under these machines, and he wonders about it ever since he has grown accustomed to living in this new, alien society they all made together.
A fact that still remained in his heart until the very end: life is always stranger than fiction, as a wise man would say in this type of situation.
Intently looking in the mirror and his own reflection, Sunny's thoughts wildly go everywhere: "Is this really the life I desired?" It would be crazy to assume anyone would prefer a world full of human suffering and pain, where unfairness and injustice have still run rampant until now.
But in a world where anything might be possible, it can or would eventually happen, as there are definitely going to be people who have suffered enough under the hands of those in power and the cruel world that they would choose the lifestyle they are now.
Looking back now, before the near extinction of his race, humanity was already on fire with mass hysteria, fear mongering, and the constant abuse from uncaring authorities, as well as many deaths still happening from conflict or natural causes, etc.
Now things are more peaceful and happier; barely anyone is killing or raping in the Ark, based on what he heard and the constant support of angeloids, but yet...something feels missing. He didn't know what it was exactly, but something deep inside him knew that there was something much greater than all of this.
"Are you stupid or something?" He watched his own reflection, speaking back at him, "Have you seen how miserable your life was? Being forced to be part of society just to keep up with the illusion of normalcy when all the while we are nothing but slaves to those in power!"
The voice raised in frustration: "Life is better now, in this very moment. You don't have to work; all services are free, and all you have to do is finish school to join the ranks of those who can safely use their Esper powers."
Sunny frowned at this, turning off the facet with his eyes still glued on the mirror. "It's everyday, repeating the same old thing over and over again...the constant feeling of being trapped in this never-ending loop of monotony," he said, shaking his head in disbelief at himself.
"I admit everything in the Ark is all I ever wanted and desired, yet..." trailing off, he sighed deeply, "There's something missing. There has to be more to life than just this. I know I'm sounding idiotic, foolish, and stupid to even think of going back to that old world, but..." He trailed off again, not finishing his thought as he stared blankly ahead of him, contemplating what was left unsaid.
His own reflection sighed exhaustively, shaking his head in disagreement, "But what? If you had this conversation in the time when the world was considered normal, you would be wishing for something else differently, wouldn't you say?" He challenged, "You need to accept it, Sunny. That world is gone forever. All we have now is this wonderful place we call home," the reflection said with an almost mocking tone, "and if you really want to change anything, you should start by changing yourself first before pointing fingers at everyone else around you."
"Shut up!" Sunny spat out furiously, "How dare you judge me? I am tired of living in this lie! I need to know what's out there; what is waiting for us outside that big wall!" His voice rising in anger from this turmoil: "I've had enough of this charade, this farce of a life! This is no way to live! Not in my terms!" Speaking with passion and conviction, he could feel the energy within him surging like a volcano, ready to erupt at any moment, as the reflection of himself could only stare and smile in pity.
"Out? Out where? To a dead planet humanity once called earth? There is nothing on the surface—not a single ounce of life anymore. It is all gone. Isn't that what the androids said to you?"
Tightening his fists into a ball, deep within his soul, there is a chance that there is still life there. "What if it was a lie? What if the Angeloids were just making everyone stay because of their programming? There is one thing that doesn't differentiate man and machine anymore, and that is sapience." He said with determination, his voice trembling slightly in fear but also filled with a newfound hope, "If they were programmed to hide the truth from us or did it out of their own choice, none of it mattered because it was a lie they were still holding onto."
"What's the harm, huh? If there is life on the surface, I'm sure it's comfortable and easy going like the Ark," sarcasm dripped heavily in his voice before turning serious. "Regardless, go along and think of what you should do, Sunny. Because we both know you hated the old life you once had," Sunny's reflection replied coldly. "Remember this one thing: never underestimate the power of the unknown. It can be your greatest friend or worst enemy if it ever decides to show itself to you."
With that final warning echoing in his mind, Sunny left the bathroom with his dog patiently waiting near the bedroom door. "Bubbles..." He watched the dog tilt its head in confusion after picking up the uncertainty of his owner's sullen tone.
"What should I do?" Within one sudden action, he fell down on his own knees, causing Bubbles to immediately run up and start to rub his own head against his owner's arm to comfort the saddening young man. "I want to leave this place, this home." Enveloping his dog with hug, he hears the sad, tearful whines coming from his pooch.
"I still cannot bring myself to do it when I'm leaving my own family behind," Sunny whispered softly into the morning air, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt and betrayal as he wrestled with his inner conflict: "I do love you and my family, as well as the new life I have. I'm stupid to say this, and I don't know why I still want to see what's outside of this box, but I just need to know what's out there," he breathed in deeply before sighing resignedly.
"For now, I will continue living this life like every other day. But one day...one day, I will find out and see if there is something more than just this."
Hugging bubbles tightly, "I'm so sorry, I just need to do it," tears streaming down his face as he made up his mind to escape from this never-ending cycle of life in the Ark. "Do you agree with me, buddy?" Retreating his own head, he looked down at the extremely saddening dog; his ears were down, and he could see a tear coming down from the poor dog's eye.
"Buddy...?" Sunny regretted everything he was about to do, but he knew it would be a matter of time for him break free from the chains of this artificial reality he has been living in for so long.
The dog barked in response, hesitantly agreeing with his own silent plea.
