I wake once more to the sound of a steam engine chugging vigorously, and jump to my feet upon remembering where I am. A shooting pain sears across my head, but I instinctively grasp at my chest before staring in confusion at my hand, and moving it to my aching head.

“Ah! A-are you okay?” Mirei asks in a panic as she skirts through the doorway with two paper cups in her hand.

“Huh, yeah,” I respond, still dazed. “What’s that?”

“There was a coffeemaker in the hall, and I was hoping you would have some with me,” she says, an embarrassed smile shining amidst her weary face.

“Is it black?”

“Yeah, that was the only choice, really,” she chuckles, handing one of the cups to me.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I mumble through a yawn. “So, what were you doing outside anyway? What’s out there?”

“Oh, it’s just a plain hallway,” she answers. “When I went out there, JC was there getting coffee, so I talked to him for a bit.”

“Oh, what about?” I ask, exhaling after taking a swig of the moderately hot coffee.

“Well, um, I just wanted to ask if he knew anything about me that I didn’t know, since I still can’t remember how I got here or anything,” she says while nervously peeling a strip of paper off her cup.

“Well?”

“He said he doesn’t know anything either,” she answers, looking slightly dejected. “I guess he’s having a hard time remembering everything himself, though he knows he works with that- with Aku.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure we should trust that guy too much,” I declare, folding my arms.

“He seems nice to me,” she responds, looking unsure of something. “But this whole thing is so scary and hard to believe, so I wasn’t able to talk to him like I can talk to you.”

“Well, that’s good,” I reply with a weak smile. “At least you know I’m not connected with that devil in the fire… I feel the same though- this is so scary and surreal I don’t even know how I should be reacting.” Unable to maintain eye contact, I look out the window to see a purplish horizon beyond the blue sea with occasional spots of light dotted across it.

“You’re really scared?” she asks, genuine wonder in her expression. “I know I already asked you last night, but you just seem so stoic about it all…”

“Like I said, I don’t know how to react, so I guess the only thing I can do is to respond like I do in most situations,” I answer, glancing hesitantly at her.

“I thought you were just much stronger than me, so it’s kind of a relief to hear you say all that,” she says, her fragile smile bathed in so much warmth that it draws me away from the outlandish scenery outside.

I show her a modest smile in return. “Well I’m guessing that JC fellow is waiting for us, huh?”

“Yes, he did say we would be disembarking as soon as you’re ready,” she answers with a mixture of excitement and anxiousness.

“Thanks to the coffee, I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be,” I respond with a sigh, tossing my empty cup into the fireplace along with a disdainful glance.

As she reported, the short hallway consists of white walls, a few florescent lights, a grey glazed brick floor, and a few more abstract murals near the door to the room we’d come from. Other than that, it there’s no ornament or life to it, only two more doors on either side. The coffee station seems to have disappeared, but I figure it’s best to ignore that.

From the door on the left end of the hall, JC emerges in a hurry, wearing the same black suit as before.

“Alright ladies, if you’ll follow me outside this last door, we’ll be off to our first destination.” He rushes on, waiting for us at the door.

Mirei and I exchange a hesitant glance before following him. As he opens the door, white light bursts into the hallway, prompting all of us to shield our eyes. It’s almost akin to looking directly into the sun itself.

“Well, let’s just ignore this and go on through, shall we?” JC declares, before leading the way. I follow him, even though I can’t see anything on the other side.

Just as I begin to pass through the doorway, something tugs on my hand. I look back, and amidst the blinding light I see Mirei’s shriveling figure, succumbing to tears as she grasps onto my hand.

Even though she looks pathetic like this, the light cast onto her figure makes me realize how angelic she actually is. Fighting the urge to hug her thin frame tightly, I offer her a gentle smile before gripping her hand and pulling her through the doorway with me.

Together, we venture into the abyss of white light. Despite the clear uncertainty weighing on our hearts, we go with a firm hold on each other’s hand.