The moment Jay's heart stopped,
the world didn't cry.
It just... paused.
As if something ancient had turned its head.
Something older than time,
Bigger than death.
Watching.
Waiting.
...
He didn't even get to scream.
Not really.
One breath. One flash—
And then,
A memory: her laugh in the rain.
He could still feel the wetness on his skin, the warmth of her smile. A fleeting moment, then... gone.
His last thought wasn't fear. It was... regret.
Then:
Darkness.
And then... something else.
Something cold.
Something watching.
But—
He didn't know it yet.
The universe already had:
Chosen him.
Or maybe—
Cursed him.
As if this wasn't the end—
but the echo of something older waking up.
His story was never meant to be ordinary.
This wasn't just the death of a boy—
It was the prologue to something far more terrifying.
A chain of events had begun—
One even the gods couldn't rewind.
"But this time…"
Chains of fate, long buried, began to stir.
And somewhere,
hidden in the shadows of destiny,
beyond the folds of reality—
Beyond the stars.
Beyond reason.
A throne sat in silence.
Massive. Ancient.
Empty of life, but heavy with presence.
Someone was there.
Watching.
"Smiling,"
A voice whispered into the void—
Silky. Slow.
A breath that curled like smoke:
The figure breathed,
voice dancing with wicked delight.
"Let's see how the pieces fall."
"How the threads unravel."
"And how the future reshapes itself... this time."
Elsewhere.
Far beyond Earth.
Even farther than that throne.
A place untouched by man—
A world beyond comprehension.
A realm where time twisted in spirals,
and light obeyed whispers instead of laws.
It looked like paradise:
Skies painted in impossible hues.
Clouds shimmered like cracked glass.
Mountains floated.
Islands hovered like fading memories.
Ethereal. Eternal.
But it wasn't heaven.
Not even close. Even hard to tell whether it's day or night.
Suspended in that stillness was a structure—
Ancient. Monolithic.
Breathing with a life no building should possess.
At its core:
A sealed room.
Cut off from time.
From everything.
Inside—
Silence.
Blackness.
Except for one thing:
A single candle,
placed perfectly in the center of a massive, circular table.
It's flame, impossibly small, barely alive in the endless darkness.
But it burned.
Steady. Silent. Eternal.
It wasn't just a candle.
It was memory.
It was soul.
It was all that remained of him.
Jay.
No longer flesh.
No longer a boy.
Just a flame,
A flame that once dreamed of something more.
Suspended in something far beyond his understanding.
The flame wavered.
As if it could feel eyes on it.
Four figures, sat around the table.
Shrouded in darkness.
Faces hidden.
Eyes glowing—inhuman. Unblinking.
One glowed blue—like cracked moonlight frozen in ice.Another, red—smoldering like the dying breath of a star.The third, green—ancient and calm, like a forest that forgot time.And the last, gold—sharp, regal, and cruel like wind that forgets mercy.
They said nothing at first.
They simply watched the flame.
And they waited.
Until—
The blue-eyed one leaned forward,
a smirk ghosting through shadow.
"So… it begins."
Their voice slithered with amusement.
"That boy... He's already stepped onto the board. Unpredictable. Even for me."
A low chuckle followed—smooth, satisfied.
The red-eyed figure rested their chin in one hand.
"He has no idea what he's walking into.
That's what makes it so... entertaining."
The green-eyed one stayed silent.
Eyes locked on the flame.
If he truly is unpredictable?
Then,
"Rise or break... it doesn't matter."
Their voice was quiet. Measured.
"The wheel turns either way."
The gold-eyed being spoke last—
Cold. Precise.
"He'll be useful. For now."
Silence again.
Tense. Heavy.
The candle flame pulsed.
Like it was breathing.
Or listening.
Then, the blue one grinned—
teeth like ghost-light in the dark.
"I will never get bored with this world."
They leaned back, voice curling with glee.
"It just keeps getting more interesting."
The red eyes narrowed.
"Careful," they murmured.
"If he goes off-script, we all lose something."
The green gaze sharpened.
"Then we make sure he doesn't."
Blue cutting in:
"Please. That's why it's fun."
After a few seconds of silence,
all four turned their gaze downward.
Not just down.
Through.
Through space.
Through time.
Through the folds of existence.
Peering into a distant world.
Into a boy's soul.
He didn't know he was being watched.
Didn't know his story had already begun.
Didn't know the cosmic board was set.
Didn't know gods were placing bets on his fate.
But they did.
And they were smiling.
Because—
They'd already made their move.
But then—
As the beings leaned back, staring at Jay's soul,
The flame wavered once more. This time, it was different.
A crack, like a fracture in reality, split the silence.
The gold-eyed being blinked—an unsettling flash of uncertainty in their cold gaze,
"What is this?" they muttered, looking down at their hands. The candle flickered again, casting shadows that weren't there before.
As if something stirred within.
A name.
A life.
A death...
Not his first.
And maybe—
Not his last.
Unchosen…
Yet chosen.
"This time, the board would burn.
And he would light the match."
TO BE CONTINUED...