Into the Light- Echoes of the Past

"Pale summer moonlight shimmers on the ocean floor.

An octopus, unaware that dawn will bring capture,

Rests within a trap, dreaming fleeting dreams…"

Will our main character succeed in getting to the Promised Land and discovering the echoes of his past, or will he die trying?

Chapter 1

You were running down a blank, empty corridor. It was like a ghost town, not even the sound of your rapid breathing registered. The lights would occasionally flicker, going bright one second, and the next almost turning off. 'C'mon, we're almost there.' a panicked, feminine voice panted. The grip of her hand around yours made you uncomfortable, but you knew you had to hold on- or else you'd be left behind.

Suddenly, something broke through the suffocating veil of silence. Alarms started blaring and red, warning lights started flashing. It only meant one thing...

You had been caught.

'ATTENTION, ATTENTION. SOLDIER 807 IS ESCAPING WITH TRAINEES 808 AND 809! SECURITY FORCES ARE REQUIRED IN SECTION A, WEST CORRIDOR!'

You suddenly stopped, the woman you were running with took off something that was attached to her chest and handed it to you quickly, yet gently. It was a baby sling, meant for a child aged at least 3 month's old. The woman slinged the charger that was attached to her back into her grasp, she looked into your eyes and placed a hand on your shoulder before saying 'Hibiki, listen to me. I need you to run. I don't care if you get tired, you need to keep going. Take your little sister and run, now go. RUN!' You saw a few armed guards about to burst through the doors of the long corridor, the baby sling that was in your hands was now wrapped around your chest; you held the sling securely as you started running.

You could hear shots and screams fade away as you ran further away, however one thing made you stop in your tracks. A loud thud and a deafening scream of pain came from a familiar voice, you looked behind you and saw the woman you were travelling with struggling to get up. She had been shot in the leg, with enemy ink on her hands and face, with her own seeping out of the open wound and onto the white floor.

She saw you looking at her, she gritted her teeth as her final words left her 'RUN, HIBIKI! GO NOW PLEASE, HURRY!' What else the woman was going to say was cut short, for she had been shot through the chest. All of her strength faded away, as her weapon dropped out of her hands and her ink painted the once white corridor, grimly. You just ran and ran, you don't remember how many soldiers were after you or how many tried to kill you.

You eventually heard your footsteps ring out onto what you assumed to be a concrete platform; you had grown so tired that your strength had suddenly given way- and you collapsed onto the floor. Your memories started to fade into static, flickers of it would appear every so often but would quickly vanish as they appeared, and a familiar song was playing in the distance. The song was being sung by two girls, or rather women, you could only make out the colours pink and green. They were singing, "You and me… Forever revolving around the moon and sun… We need to fuel the song… We need to give in… Give in to the one true heavenly melody… You need to hear our song…" At least that was what you remembered of it.

"Pale summer moonlight shimmers on the ocean floor.

An octopus, unaware that dawn will bring capture,

Rests within a trap, dreaming fleeting dreams…"

You heard a woman's voice tell you abruptly, 'Forgive me, Hibiki...'

You were suddenly awoken by a loud yell, the voice was of an old man and you started to regain consciousness. 'AHOY OCTOLING.'. An old man shouted, your eyes were slowly starting to open- as you saw the person the voice belonged to. He was a Cuttlefish, however similar to an Inkling- although he spoke to you in fluent Octolish- the Octarian dialect for Cephalish. He wore a white cap and glasses with a round rectangular frame; he wore what appeared to be a green and white tracksuit with war medals attached to them and white socks with grey slip on shoes. 'Up and at 'm, ya lazy whiffle-waffle.' You noticed his hands and body were shaking, his right hand held onto what looked like an old automatic Bamboosler from the past- that had since been turned into a walking cane.

'Last thing I remember, you were battling my protégé Agent 3 in Octo Valley... when suddenly both of you were attacked by someone.' The old man stated in recollection, as though the gears of his mind had become stiff and rusty, and needed the oil of memories to fix it. Your head pounded for an unknown reason, you gingerly reached a hand up to your forehead and touched it lightly. You winced slightly as you felt a small, but deep cut that would send sharp shocks of pain, if it was even touched with pressure as light as a feather. It dawned on you that you couldn't remember anything that happened previously, even the memories that you had since a young child were now blurry and static filled, like a tape that had been played so many times- that the footage reels had become worn with age.

'But where are my manners... I haven't even told you my name! I'm Cap'n Cuttlefish, leader of the legendary New Squidbeak Splatoon.'. It took you a few minutes to gather yourself, as you tried to remember what you could- your name began with an "H". "I know that, so I'm…"

'I'm... Hibiki...' you croaked out in a hoarse manner. "Yes, that's my name… At least, that's what the voice said...", you thought to yourself. Cap'n Cuttlefish looked at you, then at your chest. You let out a gasp filled with fright; you had forgotten your little sister was travelling with you. You looked down to see that your little sister was still contentedly asleep and wrapped up safely in the baby sling, how she didn't hear Cap'n Cuttlefish yelling at the top of his lungs- was a mystery to you. 'She doesn't have a name yet... we tend to give children names when they full open their eyes...' you said in an apologetic tone.

He looked at you with a look of understanding. He then held out his hand to help you up. Oddly enough, you took it. He didn't seem suspicious and he most likely had the same objective as you- get to the Promised Land.

Once you were on your feet and steady enough to walk, he offered to take the baby sling from you, but you decided to politely decline; he seemed to understand why and didn't press the matter any further. He instead focused on finding a way out of where you were both currently located and as he walked through an open ticket barrier, you followed behind him.

As you looked back- you saw a brief glimpse of a woman in a white burial kimono with white stockings and small wooden sandals, her hair was tied back with two front pieces curled at the ends and what looked like a golden hair accessory was kept neatly behind her ear. As you turned to face her, she vanished and you stared at the spot where she was standing for a few moments, before you were told by Cap'n Cuttlefish to hurry up.

You looked down at your sister, before looking forward and started to walk again, "I hope we can find a way out of here..." You thought to yourself, and as you walked, unbeknownst to you- the woman you caught a glimpse of a few seconds ago was floating right behind you. This time she had a charger strapped to her back, and had muttered to herself before completely vanishing.

'I will do my best to guide you... for I want you to go forth... and step into the light...'

Chapter 1, End.