[V1] Prologue

On a bustling and noisy night in a developed modern city stood a tall building of a multinational corporation. The building, which looked like a small skyscraper, stood there, adding to the city's already beautiful skyline.

Many workers and employees were working inside, some minding their own business and some chatting with others. One could hear the sound of repetitive keyboard clicks and soft murmurs almost everywhere.

Although the clock was hitting midnight, the atmosphere inside looked like this wasn't the time for the people to return home.

Although this one was considered one of the best. This was the situation of any average game development company that ambitiously started a project and forced its employees to complete the work before the announced deadline.

The building, which looked quite beautiful and sophisticated from the outside, was anything but that from the inside. Disheveled and depressed faces of people who were working there proved it.

If anyone could see it, the place would seem to be quite chaotic from the inside. Or, as the employees there liked to call it, a Hell hole.

A particular individual named James Carter could be seen working in the building, synonymous with all the workers there. Unless a person looks into his eyes, one cannot trace any difference in him from the rest of his surroundings.

There is a saying that a person's eyes show his deepest emotions. And his eyes looked dead as one could be, as if the person had given up the choice of living anymore, looking like a husk of a human that he once was.

— —

[James' POV]

"Ugh~" I stretched as I yawned on my office chair, only to see everyone working monotonously.

Every day is the same. My life has become this grayscale image where one can't find a point of interest anymore; everything looks the same.

Bored and uninterested in anything, that's how I was; just thinking about it gives me a severe headache and existential crisis.

*Ding* I checked the notification on my phone. It said 'Happy Birthday! -From FaceBook'

The clock showed midnight, November 28th. I realized I had been on this shift for more than 14 hours. Now that I know it, I no longer have any energy left.

I have no reason to celebrate my Birthday. I doubt anyone remembers it anymore because all my close ones either passed away or became distant over time.

I was in this company, working like a sheep, because I didn't have an actual reason to live. Working here for long hours fills my entire day and helps me not overthink and do something stupid.

"James, have you done your part?"

I woke up from my ongoing thoughts as a voice entered my head. I looked towards it and saw a tall blonde man staring at me with menacing eyes. He was Derek, my manager.

"Uh, No, Sir, I have some work left. I'll do it right now," I replied to the man.

"Do it quickly, don't just stare at nothing." He grumpily said and walked away.

I sighed and tried to refocus my mind on work. This man just doesn't waste any time making my life more miserable.

This was a regular salary simp job that I picked up after graduation. Although the pay was good, the amount of work here was exponential compared to other jobs.

The long hours didn't faze me that much; as I said, it helped me fill my reasonless life a little.

This all started when my dad died when I was eight. It was a gas hazard inside a poorly-infrastructure chemical factory. And because the company won in court, our family got little to no compensation.

That left my mom and me devastated, both emotionally and financially.

Then my mom supported me and worked her best to get me into a decent university; We were drowning in so much debt that even if I got the top company's pay, it would take years to pay it back.

My mom's health also worsened gradually from overwork, but she kept hiding it from me. And on my graduation day, when I thought that I could finally get a decent job and start paying the debt back, tragedy struck.

My mom got a heart attack due to over-exhaustion. That day became my worst nightmare, and that was the day when my final string broke, and my emotions died like a whisk of flame.

Although I had relationships in the past, now I was emotionally so tired that I didn't even lust for a hot girl.

I tried to recontinue my work… I didn't know what I was doing. It felt like I was in a dream. All the voices of my surroundings were echoing in my mind as an illusion.

My hand was moving on its own. It felt like I had no control over my body.

The surroundings were turning hazy, and my head was spinning. At first, I didn't notice it because everything seemed natural, but my least bit of consciousness told me that was not the case.

Suddenly, I felt a piercing pain in my chest. I tried to move my body, but I couldn't. I was struggling to even breathe properly. It was getting worse by the second.

My body wasn't listening to me. I used my last bit of strength to gasp for air, but the pain in my chest only continued to grow.

The world started blacking out. It felt like the world was telling me to sleep. I heard someone screaming my name and violently shaking my body.

(Let me sleep)

(So… com.. for.. ta~)

When I came to my senses, I was enshrouded with darkness. I panicked! I tried getting up. (Huh? I… can't move?) I didn't know what was happening.

After some time, I calmed down and tried thinking through it. (Am I in a coma? The last thing I remember is that I was in my office)

(Did something happen to me?)

(I can't even feel my body) Before this, it was only my emotions. But now, my fate even took my body from me?

I stayed in that weird state for an unknown amount of time. (I think I will get insane in this silence). It was hard to endure. My patience was thoroughly tested, and I persevered in that torture. (I never thought that living in silence was this much torture).

I started meditating while lying in one place. It helped me endure the silence, and I gradually started getting used to it. Like this, an unknown amount of time passed, which felt like an eternity to me.

Then, I saw a faint light that was getting bigger over time. I was ecstatic to see a change in my ever-black surroundings. The white orb of light kept getting bigger and bigger, enveloping my whole and swallowing me.

The white light gave me warmth that I had so dearly missed. It felt as if I was alive again. I felt glad to be alive again. I never thought I would say this word.

What I saw next shocked me to the core. I was so confused that my mind almost stopped working. The only thing I could think of was, (HUH?!, what the actual fuck is that?)