Ah… This life stank like shit right to the very end.
And now, what's waiting for me?
I guess it's time to test that old theory that goes — and I quote:
"When you die a good person, you go to heaven. When you die a bad one, it's straight to hell."
So logically, since I tried to follow in the footsteps of history's biggest bastards, hell should be rolling out the red carpet for me.
But… if I factor in the fact that I was born blind, that should at least tip the scale a little, right?
Maybe heaven'll take pity on me — who knows?
Ha… Haha.
The thought alone made me chuckle a little.
What a ridiculous idea… If heaven had even an ounce of compassion, it would've at least given me sight before cutting me down.
But no. As always — nothing but pure, thick, familiar darkness stretched out before me.
Almost comforting, in a way.
My eternal landscape.
"Even in the afterlife, I'm denied 'vision', huh… tsk."
A sigh. A pinch in the chest.
A mix of disappointment and resignation.
Time passed — or at least, it felt like it — while I waited, hoping maybe I'd be granted access to heaven...
Meh. Honestly, I don't care if it ends up being hell. Life already gave me a decent preview of it.
"Hey! Don't you think it's a bit much to keep a dead guy waiting? Gods, anyone?"
I shouted into the void, hoping a reaper, an angel, a demon — anything — would finally show up.
"Can you hear me?"
"It's not like I've got plans or anything, but I'm starting to get tired here…"
"Anyone?"
Nothing.
Just… a strange feeling. As if—
…Wait.
Don't tell me…
"…I'm stuck in this void? For eternity?"
A chill ran down my spine.
The thought alone was terrifying… and entirely possible.
And remembering Murphy's Law right now?
« Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. »
Yeah, not exactly comforting.
And then, finally...
A voice echoed in the darkness.
"No matter how you look at it... this is absurd."
A deep voice. Male.
Could it be him? The one meant to lead me to eternal rest?
"Why the hell would anyone put a blind rat in the VIP slave section?"
I hadn't really noticed it before, but now that I was listening more carefully…
Their language didn't resemble anything I'd ever heard on Earth.
And yet, I understood every word. Effortlessly.
"I get that capturing the fallen elf princess of Dureveland was a big win this time, but you can't afford to let your guard down, can you?"
Huh...? Princess? Dureveland?
What is this guy even talking about?
"Uh… excuse me, Mr. Reaper, sir? I don't really understand…" I tried to say.
At that exact moment, something strange washed over me.
Strange… but familiar. Like a chill. A pressure in the air.
If I've kept my blindness even in the afterlife…
Then that must mean my sharpened senses are still with me too.
Something's wrong. I feel a shift in the air. A subtle disturbance in the atmosphere.
The killing intent is unmistakable.
My reflexes tighten.
"Something's flying toward me."
"That little fucker looked me in the eye, didn't he?" growled the voice from earlier.
I can dodge. It's easy. Just a sidestep.
At least, that's what I wanted to do.
But my body — or maybe it's my soul — moves with agonizing slowness.
Like I'm not even connected to it.
Damn it…
I was stupid to think the afterlife played by the rules of the living world.
Bam.
A violent impact slammed into my cheek.
Ah… That wasn't an object.
I could clearly feel the shape — five fingers.
A punch.
A punch?
Seriously?
I was hurled backward at ridiculous speed, the air knocked clean out of me.
Then — my head slammed into what felt like a wall.
What the hell…
"Hey man, don't damage the merchandise. Do you even know how much he's worth?"
came another voice — calmer, colder.
"What? That little insect looked me dead in the eyes while insulting me."
"Arthur... stop. He's blind. How the hell do you expect him to look you in the eye?"
Wait... What's going on?
My senses—
Touch, smell...
Unlike earlier, they're working again. As if everything's gone back to normal. Like Earth.
Like... I'm alive.
The strangest part is, I know my head hit some kind of wall. I felt it.
But… there's no pain.
And now I can sense other presences.
Two people talking, and three more around them.
Five in total.
Those two voices from earlier are still chatting. Slavery… blindness…
If they're talking about slaves, then I guess I really did end up in hell.
Makes sense. And the blind one? That's probably me.
But all of this…
It's not at all what I imagined the afterlife would be like.
Turns out even damnation has a few surprises.
"Ah… my dear Arthur. You have no idea how much those greedy noble ladies would pay for a pretty boy like him."
Footsteps approach.
It's probably the one who just spoke.
But I can't move.
Can't react.
My body is frozen, numb — as if I'm sitting here… alive, but with no control. No pain, but everything feels... anesthetized.
A hand rests behind my head. A brief, precise motion.
Suddenly, I feel something slip away from my eyes.
A blindfold.
He just took off a blindfold.
I hadn't even noticed I was wearing one.
Tch... even here, they blindfold me? This is getting ridiculous.
"Look at those eyes... Even I have to admit, they're absolutely stunning."
...Is he talking about me?
My eyes?
Stunning?
And then I feel it.
Five pairs of eyes staring straight at me.
"Shit…" Arthur growls, then adds:
"Whatever. The buyer for the princess is arriving at 11 PM — ten minutes from now. Get the operation done. This deal is vital for the organization's funding."
"Understood. Leave the rest to me, Mr. Arthur."
All this time, I've been silently listening.
But the more I hear, the less convinced I am that this is hell.
What exactly are they talking about?
Buyers? Transactions? Funding?
Are there… markets here?
After that, two of the five presences moved away.
I heard the jingle of keys, followed by the screech of metal… then the heavy thud of a door locking shut.
Only three remained.
But I could still feel their eyes on me — heavy, unmoving.
I'll try something. Maybe they'll respond.
"Um… hello?"
No reaction.
"Hello?!"
Still nothing.
"Can you hear me?"
Silence.
"I'm… talking to you."
"Please… just say something."
Nothing.
Not a single word. Not even a breath.
Are they ignoring me?
I can't even feel their stares anymore.
Or… maybe they just don't understand what I'm saying?
Earlier, Arthur — or whatever his name was — acted like I'd insulted him.
But I spoke in English… maybe he didn't understand me.
Oddly enough, I feel like I can speak their language. That strange tongue I've never learned — it's as if it just… slipped into my mind without warning.
Well… no harm in trying.
"Hello!" I called out, this time in their language.
"Tsk. Shut it, kid."
A woman's voice. Cold. Irritated.
Huh?
What was that tone?
And did she just call me kid?
Yeah, these people clearly aren't here for polite conversation.
Fine. Whatever.
Why am I even wasting my energy?
I started counting the minutes in my head.
There was nothing else to do, after all.
Maybe this really is how I'll spend eternity.
Honestly… it's starting to feel likely.
Ten minutes passed.
They mentioned a sale earlier… a princess, or something like that…
But before I could finish the thought, a strange sensation washed over me.
A tingling — soft, pleasant — on my eyelids.
What now…?
The tingling grew stronger, second by second.
Reflexively, I placed my hands over my eyes, trying to calm the feeling.
It didn't help.
And then… it happened.
A miracle.
The one I'd dreamed of since childhood.
A wish I had buried deep, convinced it would never come true.
Something unimaginable.
Tears.
They were falling. Freely. Silently.
No sobs, no sound — just… tears.
Endless, quiet tears, sliding down my face.
If this is a dream… please don't wake me. I'm begging you.
A whisper.
One I kept repeating to myself, over and over again.
This can't be real… damn it.
But the tears wouldn't stop.
And how could they?
Because I could see.
Yes. I'm seeing.
Three girls, seated on the ground.
Each had a different hairstyle — or maybe different hair colors? I wasn't sure.
To me, everything looked… confusing.
Until now, all I'd ever known — since birth — was darkness.
But now… their hair… their skin—
How do I even describe it?
Is this what they call… colors?
They were beautiful.
No—beyond beautiful. Otherworldly.
I had never seen anything — anyone — so radiant.
"Ha... hahaha..."
A small laugh escaped me, involuntarily.
It's not like I'd had much beauty in my life to compare.
They were staring at me.
It was the first time I had ever seen a gaze, but somehow, I understood exactly what their eyes were saying:
"Is he crazy?"
They shattered every mental image I had ever formed of girls—
And by a long shot.
"I can see."
The moment those words left my lips—
Everything changed.
The scene vanished.
And just like that, I was back in a world of black.
The joy vanished with it.
Replaced instantly by a deep, crushing despair.
I didn't want to move.
Didn't want to speak.
What the hell was I expecting…?
"My boy."
A voice. Deep.
Deeper than anything I'd heard before.
"Rei Tsukiko."
He said my name.
He knew my name.
Great.
Fuck!
"Prevent the destruction of this world."
I listened to him speak like a machine. Numb.
I was just… there.
A prisoner in someone else's vision.
What the hell is this guy talking about?
"In exchange, you'll be able to see every day — from 11 p.m. to midnight. That's the best I can offer you."
"What?"
The word slipped out of me unconsciously.
This whole time, I'd had this strange suspicion…
That this wasn't the afterlife.
And hearing that voice —
That thing —
Just violently confirmed it.
I get it now.
This isn't hell.
But then… where am I?
"Yes. And in exchange for this handicap… you'll receive great power."
"Hey—wait. What the hell are you—"
I didn't get to finish.
Suddenly, I felt it again—
The sensation of the ground beneath me.
Like I'd been slammed back into reality.
And more importantly—
"So it was real?"
My sight… was still here.
"We should save the princess," said the girl.
The same one who'd snapped at me earlier.
What the hell…
have I just gotten myself into?
A smile crept across my face.
One I couldn't even hide.