15

The Sphere: Phase 2 Test

— AAHHHHHHHHH!

“Rayne, wake up. Rayne!

The young woman got up abruptly, trying to catch her breath and return to reality. Damn Sphere, she still couldn't see anything. It was difficult to come out of a nightmare, when the light of day remained inaccessible. She furiously wiped her eyes, and the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. Fortunately, Kieran wouldn't see those tears and that would be one less embarrassment.

She then realized the hand resting on her shoulder, slowly drawing circles there.

"I'm fine, I feel good," she whispered before pushing him away.

"I don't think you scream in your sleep when you're feeling good," he continued.

"Maybe I'm screaming because you're still meddling in what doesn't concern you," she retorted.

“But why do you always have to be so defensive? We're both in the same boat.

“That doesn't mean we should be friends, I'm not coming to cry on your shoulder anytime soon. The only thing that interests me is getting out of this prison alive.

“We agree on that,” Kieran said thoughtfully.

“We should take the remaining rations and get out of this hole,” Rayne suggested.

They explored the shelter again, hoping to find more supplies, to no avail. They only had two packets left which they would be forced to ration. They lacked much-needed water.

“I suggest we go find a water point. We ate this porridge, but we need to be hydrated if we are to survive this ordeal. We'll keep walking and hopefully we'll find water and new shelter, says Kieran.

Rayne couldn't find fault with this proposal, they couldn't stay safe and win the event. With their luck, they might find themselves in a room without oxygen by the end of the day.

The ascent was just as tricky as the descent and to their great relief, the storm had stopped. There was no trace left of the fire.

They resumed their journey, their bellies a little fuller than the day before, but their mouths increasingly dry.

"We have to find water today, or we won't hold out."

"This plain doesn't seem to have an end, I almost feel like we've been sent straight into the field of asphodels," Rayne said.

"The field of what? Kieran asked

"The field of asphodels is part of the underworld in Greek mythology. It is an in-between. We find there the souls of those who were not bad during their life, but did not do enough good to stand out from the rest. They are condemned to stay in these meadows for eternity, and have a meaningless existence" she explained.

“Home of Gray Souls…” he whispered.

"Yes, I think there's nothing worse than realizing that the time we were allotted was ultimately wasted. A useless existence..." Rayne said contemplatively.

"I don't think the Sphere will leave us on this plain for eternity," he said before stopping abruptly, causing Rayne to stumble.

"What's going on ?" she asked

"I see, he said smiling, I see again!" he repeated

With these simple words, their situation seemed to them to improve, their steps had become surer. They knew now that they were not going in circles. Rayne however still hadn't regained her sight and Kieran had only a blurry vision of the world. He perceived the contours, the colors, but not the details.

They had come up with a few hypotheses to explain Rayne's blindness, but hours later and unchanged, they were no further ahead.

However, their efforts were soon rewarded.

"There is something blue in front of us, I think it's water!" Kieran exclaimed.

He then began to run, dragging Rayne who was trying to follow him without falling.

Then he stopped.

'Impossible,' he said.

- What ? What's going on ? she asked, trying to catch her breath.

“Water… I can’t see the end of it. It is as if the landscape stops there, and there is only water as far as the eye can see, he said.

“Maybe the sphere created an ocean…” Rayne said hesitantly.

She felt Kieran kneel down, then straighten up.

"It's fresh water!" he said in a surprised tone

"We can at least cool off and then go along this lake," said Rayne.

"Shouldn't we check the potability of the water?" Kieran wondered.

"Do you see a saucepan somewhere to boil it?" Me no. You can drink or die of dehydration, it's your choice," she said, shrugging before taking a sip. Kieran sighed before doing the same.

They drank slowly, quenching their thirst for a few hours.

"I don't understand the purpose of this test," Rayne finally said.

"What do you mean ?" Kieran asked

"The meadow, the cries, the storm, the lake. For what purpose? Why have I still not regained my sight?" she exclaimed exasperated by the situation before throwing a pebble into the water.

"Survive…" Kieran whispered.

Rayne turned her head to him upon hearing that.

"Surviving is all we can do. We don't know what lies ahead and there's no point in panicking. Right now we just have to move on, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second. "We have to find food, drink, walk and persevere. I don't know what caused these cries or how many people managed to enter the sphere, but we can't stand still," he continued. he contemplating the blue immensity that stretched before him.

Rayne clenched her fists for a moment, trying, unsuccessfully, to contain her emotions.

"I didn't choose that…" she whispered.

"You didn't decide to touch the Sphere voluntarily?"

Rayne jumped. She hadn't realized she had been thinking out loud.

"Forget what you just heard" she replied dryly.

She then tried to stand up, but Kieran grabbed her wrist to hold her back.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," he said simply before letting go of her then standing up.

A moment of silence ensued before being broken by Kieran's distraught voice.

Rayne! We have a problem ! he exclaimed

The meadow behind them had disappeared under the water. They were now alone in the world, on a thin strip of land.