I opened my eyes to a world that defied logic.
Not because it was unfamiliar. Not because Iâd forgotten who I was, where Iâd come from, or why I was here. Noâthose were also true, but they werenât what shook me. What truly rattled me was the place itself.
It was bright and dark. Chaotic and calm. Terrifying and beautiful. A place so contradictory it made my nonexistent head spin. If this was a dream, then the dreamer was unhinged. If it was real... well, then reality needed therapy.
I tried to moveâa limb, a finger, anything. Nothing responded. No weight. No gravity. No body. I wasnât even floating; I was the float.
Then, from the static mist of this impossible place, a figure formed.
Humanoid in shape, young in appearance, with glowing orbs for eyes that pulsed like they knew too much. He wasnât there, not really. More like a suggestion of a person. A shadow someone had tried to forget.
And when he spoke, it wasnât sound. The words simply... appeared in my head.
-You had a very interesting story. A tragic one. It ended in failure. Not because of anyone else... but because of you. Or so it seemed.-
The word you echoed in my skull like a gavel. I didnât know who I was, but I suddenly felt like a failure. An impressive talent, really, to insult someone without even letting them remember what they did wrong.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
I tried to respond, but nothing came out. I couldnât even feel a mouth.
-I know what you're thinking. Who am I? Who were you? Were you even human? But Iâm not here to talk about your past.-
He leaned closerâor rather, reality bent so his face was closer.
-I'm here to talk about your future.-
What do you mean?-
-You're getting a second life. Donât ask who approved itâIâm the one talking, thatâs what matters.-
Wait, are you reading my mind?-
-No, no. I just wrote the script. Predictable character, predictable thoughts. Thatâs how it always goes... unless it doesnât-
Isnât that just admitting to reading my mind? -
-Letâs move on. Everyone gets reborn. Usually in their own world. But you? You get something special. Youâre going somewhere else. Because your old life was pointless. You had almost no control over your fate. Now, I'm giving you full control. Do with it what you will.-
I didnât know whether to be grateful or insulted.
But... why didnât I have control last time? -
His response came with zero shame and full punch.
-Entertainment.-
Wha-
-I was bored. You were mine. I played with your life. Like any good writer with a tragic backstory to deliver.-
He shrugged as though he'd just admitted to stealing cookies, not hijacking someoneâs entire existence.
-Now, Iâm not asking for forgiveness or pity. I did what I did. It amused me. Thatâs all. And now itâs time for you to go. Chop-chop.-
He waved.
And just like that, the weight of existence hit me like a falling star. Consciousness folded in on itself. Nightmares surgedâincoherent, shifting, vast. Then they vanished.
And I forgot them all.
For a moment, just before everything collapsed into darkness, I felt something else watching. Not him. Not me. Something... amused. Like the real audience had just arrived.