He saw light in the distance. He looked down at his feet. On either side of the narrow path was darkness, splashing about. He felt like he would disappear without a trace if he fell into it. He looked back. The path he took was faintly glowing. There were two options ahead of him. He could either walk towards that intense light, or go back the path he came from.

Just as he was about to take a step towards the light, Maru put down his half-lifted left foot again. This was a dream he constantly had before he got enlisted. He always realized that it was a dream at the same point. He always came to himself in the middle of the narrow path where he could only walk forward or go back.

Light was the symbol of happiness. He would be able to endure anything as long as he could jump into that light.

Maru slowly looked down and looked at the path that led to the light. The intense light made him unable to see the end. He had no way of knowing what was there; whether there was a path, darkness, or nothing at all.

He ran towards the light several times. He tried walking, running, and even crawling. He even tried swimming in the darkness, but it always ended with him waking up from the dream. He had never once reached the light. The light turned from something he wanted to possess to a target he could feel satisfied with just looking.

Maru neither returned...