'I've gone mad, completely mad...'

  Around Glenn there was nothing, really nothing, in the distance he could see twinkling stars, sometimes he hit some. Most of the time it was meteorites that deviated him irremediably from his initial trajectory, not that he had a precise destination in mind though.

  After spending so much time drifting, well, how to say it ? He was bored, really bored, seeing the same cold and gloomy landscape every day, sometimes hot, very hot too.

  As if that wasn't bad enough, he was hurting, hurting so much that he had gotten used to it, not that it was really good news, for his body yes but not for his mind, pain was maybe the only thing that brought him closer to his humanity.

  'Bah ! It must be a few hundred thousand years since I lost my humanity anyway!'

  Long story short, he had gone mad. Drifting for so long in space without being able to freely control his body, this one completely swollen, crushed and frozen at the same time, without even being able to emit a single sound.

  How had he ended up there? Hm... Good question. Even he had forgotten after all this time. Well, no! He had forgotten everything indeed, except that! Except that stupid day, that day when he had discovered that damn seed, and just thinking about the emotion he had felt when he discovered it...

  A vein appeared on his forehead, well no, not really since the blood was not circulating properly. He was alone too, in an ocean of emptiness, trying to remember his past, this day though, and the few days around were the only things his brain had forced itself to remember. With a long sigh, well no, since he couldn't, he sighed, but internally this time.

  Let's get back to the facts.

  _________________________________________________________________________

  'Haaaa…It's finally over…'

  A long, heavy sigh echoed through the dark alley. For the thousandth time, Glenn was walking home, exhausted and almost lifeless. This time, however, it was the last for several long months.

  Walking home, Glenn tried to forget the past few weeks and months, the stress of classes, the exhaustion of the particularly horrible hours. Well, if his parents weren't paying for this school, he would have run away long ago! Or he would have dropped out too, probably.

  'Haaaaa... there's nothing fun and exciting here...'

  Sighing once more, Glenn couldn't help but reveal a small, shy, crooked smile as he thought about the next two months, the two months that would most likely be the most fun and exciting he'd ever experienced, the months he'd been looking forward to for the past three years.

  'Finally... finally I'll be happy!'

  After a few minutes, he arrived at the door of his house, his parent's house. It was rather small but looked warm with lots of flowers on the front and dozens of different colours on the floor. Her mother used to take care of them, as they were rather rare at that time.

  With a last sigh, hoping it would be the last, Glenn opened the door and went inside.

  Immediately, a voice too high-pitched to be a man's, but too low-pitched to be a little girl's echoed through the house.

  "Ha! You're home!"

  Closing the door behind him, Glenn turned to see a woman in the prime of life, neither old nor young, his mother. She definitely looked younger than her actual age, her hair was black and long, she had no wrinkles on her face and Glenn thought she could live another 100 years.

  "Hi Mom, I'm here."

  But keeping his thoughts to himself, he kicked off his shoes, put his bag on the floor, and walked slowly inside the small house. This one was just as warm as its exterior, with the beige walls and brown furniture, it wasn't modern, but not too old either.

  'Though...'

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Glenn could see old, old electronics. Half of them didn't even work anymore. Wallpaper in some places that looked like it was from another time, or an old music machine that his mother called a 'record player', which was its primary function indeed.

  They lived in an old town, like many in the world, each house stuck together, in short, a sort of human hive.

  As he approached, his mother patted him gently on the back. As he turned around, Glenn could see the look of concern on his mother's face, perhaps mixed with her usual joy. She continued to pat Glenn's back until he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

  "What is it?"

  His mother then asked a rather unexpected question, said like that, without context, well... It's confusing. Waiting a few more seconds, Glenn opened his mouth to speak but was immediately cut off.

  "You've got dark circles even more pronounced than yesterday, you look like a dead man with your skin so white! You need to get some rest, starting from today on its holiday, so take advantage of it instead of staying in bed all night reading!"

  From the tone of her voice, she sounded really worried. Ha! She was his mother after all, what mother wouldn't be worried about her snow-white, dark-eyed son coming home every night looking like the living dead.

  "Don't worry Mum, I'm not going to go without a rest before we leave !"

  His mother looked at him doubtfully, not believing a word her own son was saying.

  After exchanging a few more words, everyone went about their business. Glenn, as usual, did nothing, but really nothing. Reading, at most, popular novels or manhwa.

  A few days later, Glenn and his family, consisting of a few members, his mother of course, his father and his sister, were ready, ready to go on an extraordinary holiday, the only holiday they could afford after three years, three whole years of hard work.

  Glenn's mother, Sophia, worked in a candy factory, sometimes bringing in candy. His father, Gerald, worked as a caretaker in a building containing the offices of several companies. In short, both were not very well paid, of course. To make up for this, Glenn, as the elder of the two siblings, worked as an after-school student.

  His sister Cassia, however, was too young to be able to work, having only started school a few years ago. Living in a family that couldn't offer her everything must have been, in many ways, frustrating. Not being able to have what others have, wearing the same clothes for days on end, and unfortunately, she was conditioned for that kind of life, she never asked for anything, even though she most certainly wanted things, toys or new clothes. Looking at her, a goofy smile appeared on her face.

  'Fufufu, I wonder what she'll look like when she grows up? But don't worry! You'll get everything you want, I'll give you everything! Hahaha'

  For him, the cuteness of his little sister could not be measured.

  After all this, after so much time, they were finally ready, ready for the most exciting adventure in the life of an ordinary family who could barely afford to support their own living.

  They were going to see the caves. Caves that, in the middle of a picturesque landscape, halfway around the world, miraculously appeared as a mysterious and captivating phenomenon. Without warning or explanation, massive galleries of caves sprang up from the earth near a majestic river. It was as if nature itself had decided to reveal a secret buried for centuries.

  The new underground formations seemed to defy the laws of geology, their rough rock walls standing proudly upright. Yawning openings opened into a complex maze of dark tunnels, offering tantalising glimpses of what lay within. Their sudden presence created an atmosphere that was both fascinating and disturbing.

  The river, which had meandered majestically through the region since time immemorial, seemed to have been chosen to witness this extraordinary event. Its glistening waters reflected the golden rays of the sun, while the new galleries of caves stood as silent sentinels, giving the impression of a portal to a mystical and unexplored world.

  Experts in geology, archaeology and speleology flocked from all corners of the globe to unravel the mystery of this unexpected apparition. Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and brimming with curiosity, they cautiously entered the bowels of these new caves in search of answers and discoveries.

  The appearance of the cave galleries near the river had become a major tourist phenomenon, attracting travellers eager for adventure and exploration. Visitors navigated the river to reach the cave entrances, imbuing each moment with excitement and awe for the power of nature and the richness of human history.

  However, the mystery of how the caves came to be remained. Scientists continued to explore, analyse and speculate on the causes of this geological wonder, feeding the public imagination with intriguing theories. Whatever the final explanation, the sudden appearance of these cave galleries had undeniably left its mark on the minds of all, leaving them with the possibility of discovering new ecosystems, objects, paintings and unique things during their travels.

  'At least that's what they say on TV...'

  To others, this trip might seem normal, in a way, many, many people, family and friends have been there, if only to visit and not to try to find something interesting. Most, however, went for the adventure, the excitement of discovering ways of life from another time.

  'Like us. Well, more like me.'

  After spending so much time in pain, Glenn was going to enjoy it, enjoy the pure nature that was so rare today. A smile appeared on his face, he was finally going to be free and feel the excitement he had been waiting for.

  "Kids! Let's go!"

  After announcing the departure, Glenn's mother quietly brought Cassia and settled her in the car, after which she herself got in; followed by her husband. Finally, Glenn approached the car and took one last look at the little house, its colourful plants and its warm appearance, neither too old nor too modern.

  Not knowing that this would be the last time he would see it in this way.