Hello to those reading my story.
I am dying—yet I'm smiling.
Strange, isn't it? I should be terrified, but I'm not.
I'm… satisfied, in a way. Because I finally realized what my life was meant to be.
Most people never do. They just breathe instead of truly living.
I was betrayed by the person I trusted most.
Deep down, I knew I shouldn't have. But sometimes, the human part of us—the part that craves to be understood—leaves you no choice but to surrender to that craving.
Humans are social animals, after all.
HHHH, though sometimes calling them "animals" feels like an insult to actual animals.
So here I am, watching the last moments of my life flash before my eyes—the best and worst year all at once.
My name is Vita, from Morocco.
I'm twenty-three, a freshly graduated engineering student.
After years of misery, I finally thought I was free—free from college, from fake smiles, and from those disgusting classmates of mine. I rarely spoke to them unless I had to, and I can't even recall most of their names, even though we spent three years together.
I always knew I was different. I couldn't fit in, so I chose to be alone. I feared rejection from others, so I sought refuge in my lonely bedroom. Rejection from them made me reject myself. I won't go into the details now… maybe later.
Anyway, the day I decided to finally be healthy and happy—the day of my graduation—I felt like I'd been released from prison.
Both the physical prison of my school walls, and the mental one I'd built inside my head.
I took a few photos with my mother and sister, and as we laughed, a strange light appeared out of nowhere.
And then—he stepped out.
A man.
Long, jet-black hair that shimmered like silk under the strange light. His eyes were darker than night—so black they seemed to swallow the world itself. His voice, deep and calm, sent a chill through my spine.
His clothes were unlike anything I'd ever seen—ancient, almost divine—like something straight out of a Greek painting.
Everyone around me froze. Literally. Time itself stopped.
At first, I thought I was hallucinating. I've always had a wild imagination—the kind that builds worlds just to escape this miserable one. Maybe my brain finally broke after pretending to be "normal" for too long.
But… he was too real.
And honestly? I didn't mind looking. It's not every day you see a man that beautiful. My so-called classmates? Yeah, no comparison—sorry, not sorry. 😙
Then he smiled—sweet, angelic.
"Hello, my lady. My name is Angelino. Sorry for interrupting your graduation ceremony."
But in the next heartbeat, that angelic face twisted—innocence melting into something dark, cunning, almost demonic. His voice sharpened, cold yet oddly seductive.
"I and my friends are bored," he said. "You'll make a great show. I chose you. I'm busy, so I'll keep it short. Any questions?"
My throat went dry, but I managed to whisper, "Why me?"
That was the only thing that came to my mind.
Why would anyone choose me?
Am I special after all?
…Yes, I did have that kind of pathetic thought. 🙃
He chuckled softly. "Hahahaha… really? That's your question?"
He tilted his head, smiling as if I were a child asking something cute.
"Because I bet you'll grant me my wish."
"What wish?" I asked.
"The most poetic death I'll ever witness," he said, eyes gleaming.
"You're a lost soul, just like me. The only difference is… I can't die—for a few millennia, at least. So I'll just watch you die instead. Your death might be my peace."
I blinked, confused, my mind struggling to keep up.
Then, before I could even respond, the ground beneath my feet collapsed.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
When I opened my eyes…
I was lying in the middle of a massive forest. Towering trees blocked out the sunlight. The air was heavy, humid, alive.
People stood nearby—dressed exactly like me. My classmates. From graduation day.
This isn't a dream. It has to be. It must be.
Because how else would I end up here?
I've spent years in my imagination, but this… this is beyond anything I could have dreamed.
One of them, Joseph, approached me. We'd only exchanged a few words at school.
"Vita," he said, puzzled, "do you know what happened?"
"You're in my dream?" I muttered.
He shook his head frantically. "This is real! Look around. Look at me, look at you—can't you feel it? Did you meet someone? What did they tell you? What did they give you? My partner gave me a book."
My stomach sank. "What do you mean, they gave you a book?"
He explained, "I met a man called Zafar. He told me I was chosen to become a researcher, to save the world from demons. My power is knowledge, and I chose Alchemia as my secondary skill."
Before I could respond, another voice cut in—smooth, confident.
"Vita, you're here too? What did you get?"
It was Moona, the so-called "handsome" guy of our class. I won't deny—I had a tiny, tiny crush on him once. The kind you grow out of fast.
He's the type who pretends not to care but still aces everything. A social bully with a charming grin.
As he finished speaking about his sword and chosen powers, something hit me like a cold wave.
I wasn't just behind in school anymore…
I was behind even in this world.
Everyone else had been "chosen," given purpose, knowledge, and tools—and here I was… nothing. Left behind.
My biggest nightmare wasn't just a dream. It was happening right in front of me.
"I got nothing," I whispered. "The person who came to me… said nothing."
I couldn't tell them about Angelino and his words—about my death.
While I was drowning in my thoughts, a deafening roar shook the ground.
A tiger—huge, wild—leapt out from the trees.
This isn't exactly the poetic death Angelino promised me.
I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.
And then, a soft voice whispered near me.
A beautiful young woman knelt beside me and said:
"Welcome to Sylyncia, my lords."