"Death isn't the end. Not in this world. Sometimes it's just... page one."
Unknown Dimension – The Edge of Oblivion
Dark.
Still.
Empty.
No sound, no color, just the memory of breath and a heartbeat that never came.
This was where Eve's soul had once wandered.
Drifting.
Broken.
She sat on a throne of stone under a sky that never turned, her body weightless, mind silent—except for a single question that echoed over and over again:
"Why me?"
The Goddess of the Abyss had found her here, bleeding light, surrounded by the shattered remnants of her old self. The goddess hadn't spoken—just extended a hand.
And Eve had taken it.
That was her second death.
Her second birth.
And the beginning of her slavery.
Present Day – Inside an Abandoned Train Tunnel, Sector 13
Rain poured through broken roof panels as Eve stood quietly beside the wall, staring at an old data screen flickering with corrupted relic records.
I—Kaito Ren, Supreme Idiot, Lord of Out-of-Place Comments—was leaning against a rusty vending machine trying to kick it open.
"C'mon, just give me one lemon soda and I'll forgive your sins," I muttered.
Eve turned.
"You're wasting energy."
"I'm making divine offerings," I said. "To the ancient and mighty God of Carbonated Beverages."
She blinked. No response.
Tough crowd.
She finally spoke, her voice calm but distant.
"I didn't choose my pact."
I turned. "Yeah, same. One moment I'm unemployed, the next I'm offered superpowers by a barefoot goddess who doesn't believe in personal space."
"She found me on the edge of death. I had been left behind."
I paused. "…Like in a war or something?"
"No. I was executed."
Well damn, alright.
I whistled low.
"That's heavy. So you were like, 'Order me a coffin, I'm done,' and the goddess just showed up like Nick Fury offering a job to the undead?"
She tilted her head. "…Nick who?"
"You know… 'I'm putting together a team,' kinda vibe? No?"
Silence.
"…Anyway. So what happened next?"
"She rewrote my soul. Reformed my body. Bound me in silence. And made me hunt the very kind of people I used to protect."
I leaned back and gave a dramatic gasp.
"Wait—are you Batman?!"
Eve slowly blinked.
"…What."
"Tragic past. Emotionally suppressed. Works alone. Wears black. Fights in abandoned places. Bro, you're literally two steps from saying 'I am vengeance.'"
She turned away.
"I was a mortal once. A guardian knight. I failed to protect my city. And they burned me for it."
I went quiet.
Until—
"…So like, a reincarnation but make it edgy?"
"Stop."
"Wait, wait! Are you the female version of Rudeus Greyrat? You died with regret and came back OP?"
Eve looked at me, exhausted. "…Who are you?"
I clapped my hands together. "Just a humble NEET trying to make life worse for those who take it too seriously."
She stepped closer, her voice softer now.
"When I woke up in this new body… I didn't know who I was. Just that I had orders. That I didn't feel hunger. Or warmth. Or joy."
I looked at her—really looked at her.
She was beautiful, yes—but empty in a way I hadn't noticed before. Like she'd forgotten how to exist.
She sat down on a broken bench. Rain dripped through the ceiling, collecting in puddles around her boots.
"I'm not alive," she said.
I plopped beside her, stretching my arms behind my head.
"Same. But in my case, it's just taxes and depression."
"…You're not helping."
"I'm not trying to."
A pause.
She actually smiled.
Just barely.
"…You're a moron."
"Guilty."
The silence returned, but it wasn't uncomfortable now.
I watched the rain. She watched nothing.
Then I said:
"Hey, if you ever do decide to come back to life for real, you should pick up a hobby. Like baking. Or karaoke. You got karaoke energy."
She slowly turned to me.
"Karaoke energy?"
"You look like the type who secretly sings like a goddess after three shots of divine liquor."
"…You're insane."
"But you're not alone."
She didn't say anything to that.
But she didn't walk away either.
And maybe… just maybe… that was enough for now.