The sky was mottled, looking like rough charcoal strokes swept across a piece of coarse paper.

  I packed my bags as if I were merely going on a short trip, though I knew I might never return.

  To reach the tunnel, one had to walk a long way up a narrow uphill path next to a deserted waterway.

  I had often stood at the beginning of that path, staring only as far as my eyes could reach. I had never ventured past the curve, never reached the tunnel people whispered about.

  This dark, silent, and unfamiliar path stirred a strange longing for something unknown. A warmth, similar to the heat felt when drawing close to something...

  What is this feeling...?

  How long had I been walking? Finally, the tunnel Dr. O had mentioned came into view.

  I stopped for a moment before entering and looked back.

  I had wanted to leave this place so badly, yet the feeling that now clouded that desire was likely an anxiety—a sense that the very ground I stood on was shifting.

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  I reached into the pouch and scattered a pinch of Solet.

  The particles dispersed into the air, shimmering faintly like finely ground stardust.

  Like a command from the world to silence my tremors, they sparkled, carving a path through the darkness.

  For a brief moment, it allowed courage to stand by my side, helping me forget the fears of the future and the anxieties of the present.

  I took a deep breath and stepped into the tunnel.

  I looked back, but it was already so pitch-black that the path I had traveled was no longer visible.

  The air smelled of damp, cold concrete. I decided to keep walking with my eyes closed.

  Startled occasionally by things brushing against my feet, I soon felt a shallow dampness at my toes. I slowly opened my eyes.

  At the end of the tunnel, light was pouring out like a trapped radiance finally breaking free.

  I walked slowly through the final, thickest veil of darkness, and then... finally!

  The light enveloped my entire body.

  Before my eyes lay the Ivory-colored earth and lush green forests. An unknown radiance seeped from everything that held moisture.

  Fear and anxiety were pushed aside by an incomprehensible hope that rose to the back of my throat.

  Now... I am finally finding my true self!

  The journey had been as grueling as walking through deep water, driven by the thought that anywhere would be better than where I came from.

  But on this path, which was now my best and only option, I kept moving toward the light with small but firm steps.

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