Prologue 2: Dark abyss

A humanoid figure descended from the sky at an incredible speed, landing on the store behind me with such force that it caused an explosion. The impact sent me flying, and I crashed into a car. I lost consciousness immediately.

When I started to regain consciousness, my chest ached intensely. The pain was so severe that I struggled to breathe. I gasped for air, but nothing happened. Panic began to set in. Everything was pitch black; I couldn't tell if my eyes were closed or if I was dead. But when I realized that my thoughts were still functioning, despite not breathing, I had to conclude that I was indeed dead.

The darkness persisted. Was this the heaven everyone talks about? If it was, then I felt sorry for those who believed in it—no, this was more likely hell. After all, heaven is supposed to be for those who did good deeds while they were alive. As far as I could recall, I hadn't done a single good thing in my life, so this must be hell.

I chuckled dryly, though I couldn't hear any sound. Still, I knew I had laughed.

Time passed, though I couldn't gauge it. I had a sense that time was moving quickly. I found it curious that I remained sane under these circumstances—no light, only darkness; no sound, no one to talk to. I was floating in a sea of nothingness. Yet, amidst all of this, I wasn't suffering. Could this truly be hell? I doubted it. Hell was supposed to be a place where terrible people suffer, or so I had been told. But there was no suffering here. In fact, I was enjoying the peace and quiet. My only issue was that I couldn't see anything.

This feeling… was it déjà vu? Yes, I had been in a place like this before.

It happened many years ago, around eleven years back, when I was in elementary school. I was part of the football club. I wasn't one of the best players, but I wasn't the worst either—just average, really, showing up when they needed me most during matches.

During a regional tournament, I was benched in favor of another kid. I won't lie; he was better than me, not just in football but in everything—grades, looks, conversation, and even with girls. Yes, even at the age of eight, he was already popular with the girls. How did he manage to pull them bitches at that age? I guess I'll never know now that I'm dead. I didn't hate him; I bore no ill will towards him. But that didn't mean he felt the same about me. He despised me and, because of his influence, many others at school did too… but that's all in the past now.

Eventually, as the match progressed, I was substituted in as a midfielder. Towards the end of the game, things got intense. We were facing a goalless draw, which would have led to extra time. With our last chance to win, we all pushed into the opposition's half for a corner kick. The ball was crossed into the penalty box, heading towards me. I jumped high—pretty high for an elementary kid—but instead of heading the ball, I collided with that other kid, Kimoto or something was his name.

Both of us were taken out of the match and treated. Unlike him, who woke up a few minutes later, I slept for an entire week. When I finally woke up and returned to school, I was blamed for everything that happened.

Heh, my messed-up life didn't just start recently.

But during that week when I was unconscious, I was in this same kind of state—peaceful, tranquil, no light, just pitch darkness. I had thought I was dead back then, but I eventually woke up. So maybe this situation is similar, right? What if I wake up again in a day, a week, or maybe a month? Well, all these are just speculations.

I let out a sigh, though I still couldn't hear anything.

Elementary school, huh? That was one of the worst times of my life growing up, though it was child's play compared to what I faced in middle school. In middle school, one moment I vividly remember was when…

'Huh… what's this? Is this light? Yes, it is! I'm waking up! I'm alive—I'm alive!'

I celebrated in my head. Now that I think about it, this was the first time I was ever happy to be alive. If I ever get back, I'm definitely going to celebrate this moment.

The light finally broke through the darkness, but what I saw next devastated me. I wished I was still in that dark abyss.

I was truly dead.

I was sitting on the ground, my back resting against a car. I couldn't see my waist because a huge metal platform was crushing it. I tried to move, but no muscles in my body responded. I used my eyes, which were somehow still functioning, to scan the area.

There was debris everywhere—stones, wood, and metal. As I looked further, I saw, lying a few meters away from the metal, the other half of my body. My blood, already dried and blackened, trailed from it. This was only half of the horror I witnessed.

I looked up at the sky, but I couldn't see it. The entire sky was obscured by dark smoke. While staring upwards, I noticed something on top of my head—something like a little alien. It had no solid shape or form, but it was feeding off my brain, or at least that's the conclusion I reached since I couldn't get a clear view of it.

'Get off me, you fucking bastard!'

I tried to shout, but nothing happened. That's when I realized I had lost almost all my senses—smell, touch, and hearing. I couldn't do any of them; only my sight remained functional.

'So, I'm just going to let this freaking bastard feed off me, huh? Haha, my life really was a mess, even to the end.'

While I laid on the car looking at the dark sky I saw a helicopter hover passed me,

I was somewhat glad but also deeply pained. Glad that humanity was still alive, but pained that I had to die. Why? I asked, but no answer ever came.