"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I never paid attention to it before."
"I had thought of all the ways the world would end: climate warming, nuclear war, out-of-control AI, alien invasion. But who would have thought that it would end due to being swallowed?"
"Yeah," Alex responded robotically, his mind absent from the conversations around him.
In the 2027 calendar, the world was about to end.
Humanity stared blankly at the night sky. One by one, the light from distant stars faded away.
Their light was being blocked by an extraterrestrial creature the size of our home star, the sun. A creature of that scale even Jupiter was a light snack much less Earth.
Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter had already been gobbled up.
Next was Mars, but with this creature's speed, it would reach Earth in a matter of minutes.
There was no way anyone could escape from this calamity. The creature had already exceeded anything humanity could comprehend.
Stellar creatures who lived in space were once thought to be science fiction—mere entertainment.
Yet now they seemed to have been too narrow-minded. The universe wasn't as safe and empty as they imagined it to be.
Alex stared at the night sky with his friends and family. They stood on top of their apartment rooftop as a last gathering.
He stood by the railing with his childhood friend, Sammy. They hadn't spoken to each other in years, yet today they gathered back together.
"I'm going to spend the last moments with my wife and kids. You should do the same." Sammy said with a heavy sigh.
Alex watched him leave and only warily smiled. He would have done so if he had any.
Even at his age, he still wasn't married, much less had kids.
"Do you have any regrets?"
Hearing his coworker, Mike, speaking, Alex turned to him.
Mike was an upright man. He dressed up for every occasion and made sure that he looked professional and neat.
Yet now, his clothes were wrinkled and stained with wine. His face flushed, and the stench of the fruity drinks he had drunk tickled Alex's nose.
Alex paused and thought about his life.
He had lived thirty years and dreamed of becoming a star, someone whose history books would be studied and whose stories children would learn about. What had he accomplished?
He became an accountant.
He could have tried to become an actor. A friend of his had proposed to join him in making a short film back in his college days.
In the end, he turned it down.
He could have tried to become an influencer. With the rise of social media platforms, anyone has the chance to get their five minutes of fame.
He had his five minutes in his twenties, yet he didn't use that chance to launch his influencer career.
He let himself be forgotten.
He could have tried to become a politician.
The twenties were a chaotic period in the world. People wanted representatives, and anyone with a silver tongue could try.
But he was too afraid of what would happen if he did. So, he lowered his head and let others fill the role.
At every turn, he gave up every opportunity that had arrived at his doorstep.
Always convincing himself there was always tomorrow, he could try then.
He now had to face the reality that tomorrow wasn't coming. He had no more chances.
Did he have any regrets?
What didn't he regret?
He regrets it all.
Alex sighed softly and lifted his cup.
"I have a few," Alex forced himself to smile, which didn't reach his eyes.
"But compared to the grand universe, they are nothing. My life has been good to me, so I'm satisfied."
Mike nodded his head in agreement and drunkenly said, "Yes, in terms of this grand universe, our regrets are nothing. But..."
"I wish I had another chance. Don't you?"
Alex felt the back of his throat become sore. He wanted another chance, more than anything.
"Maybe in the afterlife, we can ask God for another chance," Alex said with hoarseness.
"Yeah, afterlife..." Mike said absent-mindedly and walked off without another word.
Alex thought about taking a sip from his cup filled with wine, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
He had no appetite, and nothing smelled or tasted good anymore, now that his fate was coming to a close.
Alex looked up at the sky again and witnessed the last star vanish. The entire sky was pitch black, and everything was growing dark.
The Earth was inside the creature's mouth at this point.
All it took was a single gulp, and the planet that could have existed for billions of additional years disappeared from this vast universe.
...
Kingdom of the Afterlife, royal palace.
"Your Majesty."
Sitting atop a throne carved from a single slab of marble, three steps rose between the king and the polished floor of the great hall.
Three steps above the commoners, two steps above the nobles, and one step above other royals.
A symbolic distance that reminded everyone of where power truly resided. Behind him, massive jade pillars held up a domed ceiling painted with scenes of ancient kings sitting on this exact same throne.
On that divine throne sat Ourdo Grithof, the ninth king of the kingdom.
Though barely in his thirties, he wore the weight of a lifetime on his broad shoulders. He had claimed the throne as a teenager, carving his right to rule through blood and fire—through betrayals, assassinations, and a civil war so brutal it left the kingdom nearly broken.
But war, like fire, destroys leaving nothing but ash for the next generation to use as fertile ground. In the end, it was Ourdo who climbed out of the ash and became king.
To say he was proud would be an understatement. Yet, despite the throne, the power, and the countless lives bent to his will, there was no joy in his eyes.
His square, firm jaw clenched as though holding back something more dangerous than anger. A faint gloom lingered in the depths of his gaze, like a shadow that refused to be banished by light.
Though there were plenty of rumors, only one could explain his feelings.
It went like this. He was cursed. In his journey to claim the throne, he had stumbled upon an Omen. A mysterious creature others hoped to never encounter in their lives. As stumbling upon one meant a fate worse than death.
The poor future king met such a horrific creature, and to save his life, he sacrificed the life of his first newborn.
Although the rumor wasn't quite accurate, it had plenty of truths and explained why Ourdo wasn't delighted. He was just about to witness his mistake first hand and see if it was coming to bite him in the ass.
If possible, he would see if he could kill this thing before it became a problem.
"It's time," Ourdo thought coldly, pushing himself up from the throne.
He didn't need to hear the servant's words to know what they meant. The heavy silence of the palace had already told him everything.
"Speak," he commanded, his voice echoing through the throne room like distant thunder.
"Th-thank you, Your Highness," the servant stammered, forehead pressed to the cold stone floor. "The queen… she is about to give birth any minute now."
Ourdo exhaled through his nose, a slow, measured sigh. Then, without a word, he descended from the throne, his boots striking each marble step like a hammer blow. Tonight, there would be no parade of guards, no procession of nobles, no midwives whispering blessings. Only shadows, silence, and secrets.
He had ordered it that way.
Two maids waited by the chamber doors, their trembling hands fumbling with the golden handles as he approached. Their faces were pale, eyes wide—not just with fear of their king, but with the unspoken knowledge of what was rumored to come.
The doors creaked open.
Inside, the queen's sleeping chamber was heavy with the scent of iron and herbs. Thick velvet curtains blocked out the night, allowing only the glow of silver lanterns to light the room.
On the grand silk-covered bed lay the queen—pale as fresh snow, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Her hands clawed at the sheets as pain rippled through her swollen belly. Every breath came out ragged and hoarse, every contraction twisting her face into a grimace of agony.
Between her legs knelt her personal milkmaid, hands steady despite the storm of emotion around her. She was the only one Ourdo trusted with this birth—a woman who would take this secret to the grave if needed.
"Push, Your Majesty," the milkmaid urged gently. "Just one more push. It's almost over. Push!"
The queen screamed, her voice cracking like shattering glass. "Argh! Get out of me!"
The room filled with the sound of one final, desperate push.
And then—silence.
"Success!" the milkmaid shouted, her voice breaking with relief. "It's a baby boy!"
For a moment, joy flickered in her eyes. But Ourdo did not smile. He stepped closer, the weight of the curse pressing down like chains around his chest.
His firstborn had arrived.