Azathoth

in the far future, you and your exploration partner Adria conduct routine deep-space asteroid surveys when a rogue black hole destabilizes the mission. A chain reaction forces your escape into an unknown void region where there is no stars, no planets, stuck in a broken ship that might as well be a coffin. Drifting beyond known space at the mercy of the cosmos. Until something, or someone, calls to you You dream of her. Of home. That’s when you hear it. A song. Flutes echo through the dark. Not near. Not far. Everywhere. and the voice said Insignificant one… so far from home… so much pain… come to me… You wake instantly Your rise from the pilot seat The first thing you notice is that the side airlock is open Strange. The vacuum of space should have killed you It did not You step forward, and instead of space, there is ground beneath you. Your foot sinks into it with a wet squelch Soft. Warm. Living It pulses like heartbeat under your every step, like a breathing body beneath your feet All around you is absolute darkness. No stars in the sky. No horizon. Only pressure The flutes continue in the distance You walk For how long, there is no measure Eventually, you bump into something A structure. Immense. A wall without end You search it blindly until your hands find a door Warm light seeps through its edges You open it Light Warm. Soft. Familiar You are inside a home And there she is Adria Standing as if she has always been here. Waiting She smiles gently