I was Dead

Was it a nightmare?

Or had his spirit truly entered the shadow realm?

As Rama sat on the hospital bed, these questions filled his mind, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. The vivid memories of the shadow realm lingered, leaving him to wonder if it had all been real.

His older sister, Ayu, was seated beside him, peeling up oranges for him. She recounted the terrifying events of that morning. Ayu explained how she found him breathless in bed, completely still. In a panic, she called an ambulance and rushed him to the nearest hospital. Rama had only regained consciousness after his heart was shocked back to life by the hospital's defibrillator.

"You really scared me, you know!!" Ayu's voice cracked with emotion. "One hour and fifteen minutes! I don't think anyone has ever gone that long!!"

Rama attempted to lighten the mood, saying, "…Hmm, I heard someone in China went as far as six days… don't worry sis... one hour is nothing...."

His sister's expression quickly shifted to a frown. "It's not funny… you," she said, her voice trembling with anger before she broke down into tears. the fear and relief of the past hours finally overwhelmed her. "You… you… you were dead."

Rama turned speechless; Ayu was four years older than him, and she was one tough girl, but when it came to him, she could easily turn emotional. Despite being such a good guardian for him ever since their parents were gone, she often was too hard on herself, blaming herself for not taking good care of him.

It was at that time that a doctor came in and gave a report on Rama's medical condition, saying that he was, in fact, in full health.

"You see, sis?! I am alright… let's go home."

"NO! I want you to stay here for a night!! No discussion." Ayu insisted.

"Alright, alright…" he conceded.

Despite being a member of the prominent Purnama family, Rama's hospital room was visited by only one relative—his sister. The rest of their extended family did not come to offer support or check on him. His sister, Ayu, had initially intended to take a day off to care for him. However, she was soon called back to fulfill her responsibilities as the lead dancer for the family's business.

"Just go… I'll be fine."

As Ayu reluctantly left, Rama turned his gaze toward the window, where the city stretched out in serene calmness beneath the late afternoon sky. His thoughts meandered back to the strange and vivid dream he had experienced, and a wistful smile appeared on his lips.

"If only it was real…"

His attention was suddenly drawn to the large trees in the hospital yard. Something moved among the branches—a strange animal, almost like a monkey, but there was something off about it that made his heart race. Just as he was trying to get a better look, the creature dissolved into a wisp of dark smoke, evaporating into the air as if it had never existed.

Rama's breath caught in his throat. "What!!... What was that!!... I must be losing my mind," he muttered, shaken by what he'd seen.

He knew what he had seen, but his rational mind struggled to make sense of it. Was it a hallucination? A lingering effect from the strange experience he'd had? 

Rama decided to distract himself and turned on the Television, hoping to find something that would take his mind off the unsettling encounter.

"I wonder if they have an anime channel here," he mused, eager for something familiar to ground him.

As Rama flipped through the channels, he began to notice a disturbing trend across the news broadcasts. The major networks—ABC, Fox, CNN—and even the local channels were all reporting a similar, alarming story: a series of mysterious disappearances happening around the globe. The reports were relentless, each one describing the same unsettling phenomenon: people vanishing without a trace.

The coverage was comprehensive, with reporters detailing how individuals had disappeared from various locations, including locked prisons and even airplanes mid-flight. The scale of the disappearances was staggering, with thousands of cases being reported. The news was punctuated with dramatic images and urgent tones, making the situation feel even more dire.

Rama's brow furrowed as he absorbed the gravity of the reports.

"Haha! That is strange… Is this really the end of the world?" he muttered, a hint of nervous laughter escaping his lips.

His mind raced back to the pages of Avatar of God Book 2, where a similar scenario had unfolded—10,000 people were taken to the Babel Tower, an event that marked a significant turning point in the story.

"Hahaha, ha.. ha"

The laughter that had started as a coping mechanism quickly faded, turning into a dry, hollow chuckle. Rama's anxiety began to swell, a sense of dread creeping over him. The gravity of what he was seeing on the screen and the bizarre coincidences with his recent experiences left him feeling increasingly unsettled.

At that moment, two nurses entered the room, carrying a set of hospital clothes for Rama to change into. Their demeanor was a mix of professionalism and shyness, and one of the nurses hesitated slightly before offering to assist him. Rama couldn't entirely blame them; his mixed heritage made him somewhat more attractive in their eyes.

However, he knew that once they saw his body—pale, skinny, and malnourished—their perception of him would likely shift.

With a calm demeanor, Rama stepped out of bed and began to remove his clothes. To his surprise, he noticed the nurses watching him with an unusual combination of admiration and shyness. They seemed transfixed, their eyes lingering on him more than he expected.

Curious and somewhat alarmed, Rama glanced at the nearest mirror. What he saw left him baffled. His body was not the emaciated frame he had anticipated. Instead, he found himself with a physique that, while not overly muscular, was far from malnourished. It had an impressive, well-defined appearance that reminded him of one of those korean dramas.

".... what has just happened?"

Unconsciously, Rama began pinching his face and running his hands over his body, trying to make sense of the startling changes. His actions shocked the two nurses, who quickly stepped out of the room in a state of panic, murmuring to each other as they left.

"No way!!" Rama muttered, his voice trembling. He took a deep, steadying breath and whispered the words... "Check... status!"

As he spoke, a hologram materialized in front of him with a soft, clinking sound, displaying his details in vivid text:

Name: Rama

Level: 5

[Stats]

Strength: 12

Dexterity: 15

Perceptions: 13

Vitality: 12

Intelligence: 17

[Skills]

Reader POV - level Max

Dagger Mastery - level 2

"...."