What happened...?
Deklan blinked, slowly realizing that he had lost all touch with his senses.
Even now, he could only hear his own thoughts.
He was still standing a few inches away from the curb, but the world seemed... wrong.
Its colors are not so bright anymore.
Just then, the sound of tires screeching against the road startled him, forcing him to look right.
Not too far away, a truck was frantically zooming away, its taillights disappearing into the distance under the watchful gaze of a few passersby. Deklan recalled the blunt force that struck him a few seconds ago, and as the memory came back, his eyes widened at the sight of blood.
Sprawled not too far away, body twisting in a grotesque and unnatural way, was himself.
Deklan covered his mouth with his trembling hand in horror.
I... died?
Instinctively, he looked across the road and found Paul heading inside the apartment building.
He hadn’t realized that his son was a victim of a hit-and-run.
Deklan took a step forward toward Paul, not knowing exactly what he wanted to do, but the moment he did, he felt the road becoming soft, like stepping on a marshmallow. He looked down and realized the ground was eating him.
He was sinking.
Damn it, am I going to hell?!
Before he could react, the ground swallowed him whole.
After that, silence.
Deklan lost all touch with his senses, and he couldn’t see anything.
But he supposed the gateway to Hell is a dark place—and pretty soon, he would feel the burn.
I just had to die there, didn’t I? When things are starting to change. Fuck.
What will happen now? I have lingering regrets, so will I be spat out of Hell and become a ghost?
Thoughts churned inside his mind.
He tried to look around—or at least, it felt like his eyes were moving.
But everywhere he looked was darkness.
Soon, he landed on something solid, and the momentum from falling forced him to crouch.
Hmm? My senses are back?
Just then, he heard the sound of a drop of water from behind.
It was eerie, and he was scared, but light began to shine from above like an opening scene from a game.
Deklan looked around—and found himself crouching on shallow water, and surrounding this spherical place was swirling shadow. Even so, his mind couldn’t process anything more as he pressed both hands against the water, veins bulging across his neck like worms.
"FUCK!!!"
His roar echoed inside this suffocating dimension.
But he didn’t care—anger swallowed him inside.
Just when everything was going smoothly, when his reputation in school changed, when Paul was now strong again, he had to die in the most clichéd way. If he were fated to die—then why not kill him when he was depressed a few months ago? Why did it have to be when he felt alive again?
"Fuck me. Fuck everyone. Fuck everything!"
Deklan struck the shallow water again and again, venting out his frustration.
He wanted to live. He wanted to see where life would bring him and Paul. But this had to happen.
Fate is playing a cruel prank on him.
Swish...
Deklan raised his gaze, sensing a presence inside this dimension.
Being a cemetery warden for a couple of months honed his senses to feel supernatural danger, and this, this presence is unlike anything he has ever sensed before. It was enormous, powerful, and clearly something that did not belong to his world.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" Deklan called, his voice echoing into the empty darkness.
But he quickly cursed inside, realizing he sounded like a typical main character in a horror movie.
Unlike before, he wasn’t fearful anymore.
He was too angry to care, frankly.
"If there’s someone here, show yourself. If not, then leave me the fuck alone."
"You have been chosen."
An astral, powerful voice replied from the darkness.
Deklan rose to his feet, his eyes turning cold as he stared at the darkness with sheer calmness.
"Are you the one who controlled the truck?" He asked directly.
"Hmm—you’re not afraid," the unknown entity muttered in amusement. "Aren’t you curious what you were chosen for? Does death feel that bitter for you?"
"Curiosity only led to death, and I value my life." Deklan crossed his arms. "But since I’m dead already, go on. Tell this chosen one what he’s chosen for. Seems like you’re dying to tell."
"I can’t tell you that. It’s going to ruin the fun."
"Wow... Then why bother asking?"
"Ekhmm... Anyway, you’re going to be sent into another world, and I... magnanimous and all-powerful as I am, will grant you three wishes. Come on, stop wearing that bitter face. Smile a little. I know this is like a fantasy come true for you."
This... Why does this piece of work sound like a bitch? Have fun mocking me, huh? We’ll fucking see.
Deklan’s eyes flickered with something close to malice.
And a smile, angelic enough to mistake him for an innocent person, curled on his lips.
"Hoho... See? Is it that hard to smile?"
"I don’t trust you. Since you’re all-powerful, create another entity specifically to grant my three wishes."
"And why do I have to do that?" the unknown being sounded confused.
Deklan smirked tauntingly, "I can’t have you backing down from my wishes, now, can I?"
"Back down? What can someone as puny as you even wish? I bet you’re going to wish for money like the brokey you are."
A vein bulged on Deklan’s forehead, but he swallowed his anger.
Patience is key. He’ll be the one laughing soon enough.
"So much for being all-powerful. Just say you can’t do it."
"Wha—?!"
Annoyed, a snapping sound echoed as a bright blue light sparkled not too far from Deklan.
It formed a sphere made of a network of energy strands that pulsed violently as if it were a living being.
Seeing this, Deklan smirked.
Heh... All-powerful my ass. You can’t even read my mind, you damn fraud.
"There, happy?" the unknown being’s voice rang again. "Just what kind of wishes are you thinking? Nothing you wish will make me go back on my wo—"
"Hey, blue sphere, I wish to manifest this bitch—who I’m talking to, into a physical body. This physical manifestation has to be weaker than me—slower than me, can feel pain and every other sense like any normal person would, and cannot use any of its power."
"Eh...?"
For a moment, the silence was loud inside this void dimension.
Deklan thought that it didn’t work, but he was wrong.
"Affirmative. Granting your first wish." The blue sphere answered, its voice was monotone like an AI.
Swish!
Before any of them could react, a figure manifested through the void appeared before Deklan.
His entire body was black and outlined with glowing white light.
Deklan and the figure stared at each other for a good minute; the silence between them was deafening.
But then, a grin crept to Deklan’s face.
He approached slowly, cracking his knuckles and neck in preparation for the beatdown.
"Before I died, I was turning on a new page, becoming a more decent human being. Now that I’m here because of you, I don’t know..." Deklan’s smirk made him look like a demon incarnation, causing the figure to tremble in his spot. "My bullying side is itchy for a go again."
"Haha... I’m in trouble, am I?" the figure smiled sheepishly.
"Yes," Instead of Deklan, the monotone blue sphere answered.
In the next moment, it was a game of cat and mouse.
"Come back here, you motherfucker!"
"Get away from me, you freak!"
Deklan chased the figure around in a circle and tackled it from behind.
He flipped the figure around roughly, grabbed it by its neck, and raised his fist to strike.
"Wait, wait, wait...! Let me tell you something!" the figure raised its hands helplessly.
But a punch landed on its face hard.
"Send me back home!" Deklan roared, blood boiling at the thought of what would happen to Paul now that he was gone. Paul wouldn’t make it—hell, he might even do something stupid, and Deklan refused to let that happen. "You controlled that damn truck, right?! You’re supposed to be all-powerful, right?! Then send me back! Put my soul back, revive me, anything!"
"Out of all people, why does it have to be me?" He gritted his teeth hard. "Why?!"
"It doesn’t matter why," the figure answered, its face slightly swollen. "Now that we’re here, there’s no going back."
Hearing this, Deklan raised his fist again to continue the pummeling.
"I can compromise! Compromise!" the figure urgently said before the fist descended again.
"Compromise? How...?"
"I can stop time! I may have tampered with life and death, but I haven’t tampered with time, so it’s still on the table. I can stop the time until you grow strong enough to come back on your own."
Deklan paused for a second, contemplating.
Finally, he loosened his grip.
At least he’s going to hear this being out, as long as there’s a way to go back to Paul.
Deklan gets off the being and pauses, "Did you modify your body? I swear you’re a dude earlier."
He was confused when he saw the being’s manifestation now has womanly curves.
"I thought you wouldn’t hit a woman."
"I don’t, but in here... who’s going to judge me?"
"..."
"..."
"Makes sense."
Deklan and the being now stood on a chair opposite each other, getting down to business.
"First of all, let’s clarify some things," In an arrogant flair, the being crossed her legs and straightened up as if it were a business meeting. "I’m not the one who controlled the truck, it was fate that you died there. Instead, I am the one who snatches your soul. You should be thanking me—I basically saved you from being dragged to hell."
"Hell? Me? Pfftt... I’m a saint!"
"Bullying your classmates. Extorting money. Beating up students from other high schools. Stealing panti—"
"Okay, okay! You’re making me sound like the bad guy again... I mean, you’re not wrong, but stop!"
"Heh," the unknown being scoffed. "Alright, that’s enough playing around. I’m going to send you to another world where ghosts are real, and you’ll become a young master there. Perfect for you, don’t you think?"
"Perfect my as—"
"I’ll pause the time in your world; in exchange, you’re going to become invincible for me in the other world. Your means of achieving it is not a concern. What do you say?"
"Why do you wa—"
"Of course, you’re going to say yes."
"Hey... Aren’t you at least going to pretend to listen to my opinion?" Deklan stared at the unknown being, annoyed. "Did you even intend to give me an option?"
"Nope. Since you dared to hit me earlier, I’m going to extract one wish from you. Now, make your last wish and be on your way. Keeping this place up is straining, you know."
"Wait, I didn’t agree to any—"
"Time’s up. Goodbye!"
Before Deklan could even react, he suddenly plunged again into the darkness.
He looked up, only to find the unknown being waving at him cheekily.
"Fuck you! Fine, give me a system! I wish for a system! System! System! Systeeemhh!"