"Alright, settle in. My name's Zevion. And before you even ask—yes, this is my life story. No, I'm not delusional. Okay... maybe a little. But hey, who isn't? Just don't read this out loud unless you want your neighbor to know all my secrets. Which, trust me, you don't. Anyway, let's get this show on the road."
The streetlights blurred into streaks as I walked, each step echoing the dull monotony of days slipping through my fingers. My life felt like one long failure—like some cruel joke played on dreams too big for this tired world. I barely noticed the midnight chill until I looked up, drawn by the distant, indifferent sparkle of the stars.
They shone with a brilliance my dimming self could never hope to match. I'd always longed for something more—a life where happiness wasn't just a fleeting fantasy, but a constant companion. But the world? It didn't work that way.
sigh "Hey, stars," I whispered into the vast silence, "my life's a mess. Chaos. If I could just get a sliver of a chance… please. Just one."
It was a throwaway plea—absent-minded, but sincere. And, in hindsight, probably a huge mistake.
Why? Because that's when I saw it.
"…Huh? Is that star getting brighter? And… why does it look so much bigger? Oh, shit. It's coming right at me!"
Yep. A meteor. A small one, sure—but still a blazing chunk of death aimed directly at my face. You might wonder why I didn't run. Let's just say that even if I dodged the direct hit, the impact radius alone would've turned me into fine red mist. Physics. Annoying, isn't it?
At least I was in a relatively open area. Technically, I was on the roadside, but there were no cars or buildings in sight—just a wide, empty stretch of nothing. I found a tiny spark of dark humor in the idea that my death would cause some serious road damage. Take that, government infrastructure. Petty? Absolutely. But hey, if I was going down, I was taking a chunk of asphalt with me.
I watched the meteor descend, like a flaming fist ready to punch me out of existence. I spread my arms, inviting the hug of death. Heh, "the kiss of death"… sounded like something out of an old anime opening. Oh well.
"At least I'll have the most spectacular exit…" I thought, just as the world exploded.
The impact was instant. One moment I was there, the next—ash. Gone. Obliterated in a flash of blinding light. But the meteor didn't just crater. It began to pulse and shift, emitting a kaleidoscope of colors. Then it started breaking apart into shimmering particles that whirled into a mini tornado. That vortex condensed into a dark, pulsing void—then, impossibly, it inhaled.
My ashes, my soul, whatever was left of me—were all sucked into that swirling darkness.
After that, all that remained was a deep, smoking pit of magma.
The whole thing was caught on a hidden roadside camera and later dubbed a "natural miracle." The footage showed me, a lone figure, utterly erased by a celestial rock. I became incredibly famous for it—ironically, posthumously. Not that anyone really missed me. Honestly, I don't think they even noticed.
While all this was happening on Earth, far beyond, in the cosmic void…
At [Location Redacted], a colossal being stirred. Its aura radiated overwhelming, terrifying power. Its eyes—each the size of a galaxy—opened, staring down at Earth from the abyss.
[So, you have chosen, huh? I will accept your choice, no matter what it brings. But to choose a human… truly interesting, though probably a mistake, [Name Redacted]. I hope you won't regret this. After all… [Phrase Redacted]… [Numbers Redacted]… [More Redacted].]
Elsewhere, at [Another Location Redacted], a galactic entity made of swirling stars fixed its gaze on Earth, its form trembling with pure, unfiltered rage.
[You won't escape me, [Name Redacted]! I'll take you back at any cost! No matter what!! [More Redacted]...]
Similar scenes unfolded across unknown dimensions, watched by beings no mortal mind could comprehend. If I—Zevion—had known what was going on, even catching a glimpse of one of them would've scared me to death.
…again.
But down on Earth, people went about their lives, blissfully unaware of the things staring down at them from beyond. Ignorance really was bliss.
I opened my eyes.
I was… weird. Translucent. A ghostly outline of my old self.
"Well, I guess ghosts really do exist. And now I'm one of them. Or maybe I'm just a soul? Eh, doesn't matter."
New problem.
"…What now? Isn't this the part where some guide or ROB shows up? I can wait. Just… please don't let it take a century. Or worse, eternity. Seriously."
I floated in the empty void, trying to make sense of my surroundings. Nothing. No light. No sound. Just silence. Then a ridiculous thought popped up:
"Hey! Who are you calling stupid? That was a stroke of genius, not stupid!" I mentally shouted at myself. Great. Now I was arguing with my own narration. Classic Zevion.
I shook off the self-banter and tried sensing… anything. No luck. Just emptiness.
"Damn. I thought I could do it."
"Oh? Trying something peculiar, are we?"
A voice. At last. Honestly, I would've been disappointed if no one showed up.
I turned toward the sound.
There it was—a colorful hole in space. Literally.
"So, you're my ROB, huh?" I asked, maybe a little too casually.
"You're pretty rude, you know?" the hole replied. Its voice wasn't one sound but a symphony of them—harmonies that shouldn't exist together, yet somehow did. "I'm not a ROB. I'm a real end-being. Just… incredibly bored. Painfully bored. So I decided to try something new: pick a successor."
It pulsed, shifting colors like a living aurora.
"The only requirement? Someone who'll never stop being bored, no matter how strong they get. Someone who can love endlessly. And you, Zevion—with your impossible dreams and unshakable ambition—you fit the bill. I'm giving you everything I have. Not all at once, of course. But eventually… it's all yours. And with it comes the curse of eternal boredom. Finally, I can die."
The hole shimmered with relief.
"Tell me your name, successor. I am the end and the beginning, both at once. Many call me Regret… or something like it. My true name is Asgorath. And you?"
"…I'm Zevion," I said, still reeling. "So… you're giving me everything… and then vanishing?"
"Exactly. But not right away. First, you'll get a system of your choosing—complete with a wish-granting feature. And yes, I know you're thinking 'I wish for infinite wishes with no restrictions.' You can… eventually. But not right off the bat. Oh, and one more thing—you'll also inherit my main ability: [Omni-Creation]."
"Will we ever meet again?"
"No. Never. Once I'm gone, I'm truly gone. My existence will be erased. No higher being will interfere with you either—I made sure of that. I'm too different, too far beyond even the strongest of them. So just live however you want. Be kind, be cruel, whatever. Just be you."
"Thank you," I said, feeling something strange well up in my chest. Gratitude? Awe? Both? "I hope you find peace. And for what it's worth… I loved being with you. Not romantically or anything—more like… brothers, maybe? Anyway. Thank you. Really."
As I spoke, Asgorath shimmered—then dissolved into a cascade of glowing particles that flowed into me, merging with my ghostly form.
Then, a new voice echoed in my mind—resonant, clear, and powerful:
[Welcome to the system. I greet you, my Master.]