I didn't exist, and then I did. I wasn't there, and then I was, like someone playing a game suddenly plopped down a game piece onto the field. I was laying on the floor in a crystal room with four exits, two of them leading to the cocoons my halves emerged out of.

I stood up, my stomach still cramping, but there was some pressure relieved for some reason. I managed to get my feet under me, though I still needed to support myself on the wall. When I put my hand on the wall, however, I noticed something in my other hand. 

I slid to the ground, now noticing I was still in the cropped top with the long sleeves that covered my hands and long pants that covered my feet. It was what I was wearing when the young man found me. The thing in my hand was the card, the one that spoke to me and presumably the new voice I was hearing in my head. The Numeron Code. Now, though, instead of disassembling and reassembling, it remained perfectly still. It still had a strange glow about it.

And then I noticed something red peeking up at me. Looking down at my midriff, the slit was finally opened. There was an eye looking up at me, half-lidded like it was sleepy. My mind blanked, my mouth opened in a silent scream. I couldn't breathe. I was taking gasping breaths, but none of them seemed to reach my lungs. My throat constricted.

What was this!? What the hell was an eye doing on my belly!? My mouth opened further, but before a scream could rip from my throat, the card spoke in my mind.

"Don't panic. That eye stores me. It is a part of you, as am I."

With those soothing words, I calmed down a bit and relaxed against the crystal wall. The throbbing pain started subsiding, so I figured that as soon as I was able to stand without cramping, I'd go outside to see what's changed. I had a feeling that I was right back at the beginning. In the meantime, I stored the card right back in the eye. It closed as soon as the Numeron Code was back in its home.

Half an hour later, I was able to stand without pain. I took a few steps to test the waters, then I began walking the halls of the temple to see if I could find the exit. However, just like when I first woke up, there seemed to be no exit other than the opening in the room with the waterfall. Not that finding an exit mattered. I knew how to summon the door, but I was more concerned about when I was, not where. 

The feeling that I was right back at the beginning intensified.

So I stood in front of the wall where the door would soon appear, my hands on the smooth crystal but my energy not calling the door to open. I was afraid. The people would be gone, but I would have this place to myself again. Was that a good thing? Would being alone again be good? 

What would being alone after being surrounded by people for so many years feel like?

I took a deep breath and called the door to open. Like the first time I woke up here, the door slid open and remained open, waiting for me to enter the world, just like the first time.

It was all so eerie.

I stepped out into the long grass, no longer flattened by the huts or by the people. The wind whistled, sounding lonely without the chattering and conversations of the people. But strangely enough, it felt much better this way. The air was sweeter, the grass softer, the forest fuller. Despite the emptiness, I felt great!

But despite feeling great, a part of me regretted turning back the clock. The people who once populated this place were gone, disappeared. I wondered what became of them, but of course, the card had the answer.

"They're in a separate timeline," it said from within my third eye. "To them, your presence merely disappeared, and they will continue to thrive without you. You are here, living your own life while they live theirs. They have not perished."

At this, I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to know," I replied out loud. There was no one else to talk to, but I figured staying silent all this time would be boring. I liked hearing the sound of my own voice; it sounded like an echoing mixture of Eliphas and Don Thousand, both who I loved very much. Knowing they were the rebellious and cautious voices, knowing they helped me make decisions and made up who I was, made me feel very warm inside. 

"Best get going then!" I told myself. "There's still more to see!"

I stepped out into the forest, now accustomed to making my way through the roots and trunks without any problems; it was refreshing to stay in the ring of trees for a few hours now that they were as thick as when I first woke up. 

When I emerged, I was back in the clearing with the scattered trees, shrubs, and animals, which I learned to call wolves and birds. As far as I knew, these were the only ones here in this clearing, but I knew there were more. Still, knowing there was a new abundance of these animals in my home clearing made me happy, if not a little sad.

I visited the den first; I hadn't really gone ever since I discovered the people living near my home. Crouching down, I was overwhelmed with joy when I saw the wolves as pups, looking somewhat different from the ones I once shooed away. Those ones had darker fur, bordering on a brown that almost matched the trees. These ones were orange, with no need to hide from anyone now.

They're safe, I thought with the biggest grin on my face. They have no need to hide because no one here is hunting them down!

The joy was too much to contain. I shot up from my crouching position, scaring the poor pups in the process, and began running across the fields with my arms out and my sleeves streaming behind me; I whooped for joy, and the sound echoed gleefully in the trees. The poor birds, scared out of their perches, fluttered up and out of the trees. I flopped down on the grass and watched them fly about in large masses for a few minutes before hiding back in the trees, chirping and squeaking away as though nothing happened.

But now the place was so empty. I sat up and looked around; the people once filled this little clearing, and though the forest was thinner, it was still much more lively. Where did they go...?

I wished them away. Turned back the clock. They're gone, living without me, probably advancing. It feels so empty...

I felt the tears I realized I was crying. Once I started, I couldn't stop. A wail ripped from my throat and once again scared the birds into scattering. I buried my face in my arms, my body trembling violently as I sobbed at the loss of my people.