Chapter 2 - The voice, the offer
What is darkness?
Darkness is not evil — merely the absence of light.
A realm where shadows breathe freely, painting the edges of existence in silence. It is the pause between heartbeats, the hush before dawn. Darkness still exists — it still belongs somewhere. It carries weight, texture, and you.
But the void...
The void is not absence. It is erasure.
It is that which devours the concept of existence itself, where even nothingness fears to linger. In the void, there are no shadows, for there is no light to cast them. No death, for there was never life. No time, for there was never a moment to begin—only a vast, unfeeling stillness — a wound in reality, breathing oblivion.
And within this void, seemingly impossible to others, floats a wisp of consciousness. Whose consciousness could it be?
"Fuck, my head hurts!"
It was none other than Noah.
The last thing he remembered was a giant tree log heading their way. Acting before he could think, he pushed down Ryan, who was in his own little world, only to get his own head impaled like a piece of kebab.
It was undoubtedly a painful experience.
Now he found himself in total darkness, unable to move—assuming his body was even still there. All he could do was float around, like a balloon or more akin to a cloud drifting in the sky.
Noah was quite sure he was dead, and surprisingly, he found it hard to believe. Wasn't someone like him supposed to go to hell?
"Wait, does God even exist?"
Now that he was dead and trapped in some void, the concepts of heaven and hell seemed increasingly untrue.
He shook off the thought - not out of peace, but out of hopelessness. What kind of use was there in wondering? What could he even do at this point? Float endlessly in this totally non-creepy-but-actually-terrifying void until his mind melted into oblivion?
He sighed - or what he at least thought he did.
The sound never came.
Nothing really mattered anymore. Not the pain. Not the past. Only a single thread of thought kept his mind from going insane - Ryan.
Did he survive?
Was his push - that split second of impulse - worth anything?
The questions hang still, gentle but posinous, and beneath them, something small and raw stirred within him.
Not sadness, not truly guilt.
Just... something empty.
Will I be mourned?
The question arrived uninvited, but it stuck in his head like a leech.
He almost laughed. Mourned? Him? The guy everyone avoided or hated? The asshole who couldn't even hold a normal conversation without being a douchy, sarcastic bastard?
His stepmother's face flashed in his mind - cold eyes, fake smile, he didn't need to even imagine her 'grief'; he already knew what would happen anyway.
Probably pop a wine bottle and toast to his death, ''Peace at last'' she'd say, already come to terms with his passing.
He drifted there in silence, realizing how small the people he truly interacted with were.
He could only think of Ryan, maybe him.
If there was even a funeral to begin with.
Then-
[???: You'd be quite surprised, many did attend your funeral.]
[???: You were quite the hero, you know- saving your friend like that]
A voice echoed throughout the void - feminine, calm, the voice shaking his very mind.
Every thought he had until that point froze.
The silence he'd grown used to suddenly broke.
'What-who's there??!'
He tried looking around, but how do you even do that when you have no eyes? How do you even search for something, where there's no up, no down, in a void where there's literally nothing for miles?
The void was no longer empty, and he was no longer alone.
The darkness shifted, almost amused.
[???: Now, now, calm down. I'm not here to hurt you.]
Her voice was soft, coaxing - the kind of tone that could convince any man to gladly jump off a bridge.
[???: If anything] she continued, [???: Im here to help you]
Help?
In a damn void?
Noah's instinct screamed louder than reason - no offer in a place like that boded any good.
He might be dead, but he wasn't stupid.
Still, he had nothing else, no direction, no sound, nor any visuals he could see. Just the voice.
So he gathered what courage he could and replied, his tone filled with false confidence and bravado.
'Oh? And here to help me? Then why don't you show yourself first?'
His voice trembled slightly from his nervousness, but he hid it well enough.
The voice laughed. Not mocking - No, it was something more humiliating. A mix of amusement and pity, like watching a child try to challenge a god.
And it was indeed what was happening.
[???: I would love to show myself] she said, her tone turning slightly regretful. [???: But sadly, a mortal like you would have his soul erased by just one look from me]
She said it as if it were a simple truth - as if the idea of destroying someone by just existing was mundane.
Noah shuddered at the thought, but he didn't focus on the threat.
He caught onto something else.
*Mortal*
Why did she say it like that? As if she was... *more*.
[???: Because I am] the voice answered softly. [Existences bound to time and death are mortals in my eyes]
[???: I'm a god after all]
His thoughts froze.
'Wait - you can read my mind?!'
Her laugh rang out again, this time fully amused. It rippled through the void like a stone plunged into water.
[???: Of course I can. Something like that is child's play for a god at my level]
Her tone shifted then - calm and serious. [???: Either way, I'm here with an offer, my dear Noah]
He didn't even hesitate.
'Not taking it, give it to the next guy'
Every alarm bell in his mind was blaring, dealing with a mysterious being calling themselves a 'god', in an endless void? No fucking thank you.
[???: Now now, don't say that] she purred, unfazed. [???: You haven't even heard my offer yet]
'No thank you, you invisible doorsman,' Noah quipped, half to hide his fear, half out of pure habit.
A faint laugh was heard [???: You are a feisty one, aren't you? But I suggest you at least hear me out.
Then her tone cooled, ever so slightly.
[???: Or, if you prefer, I could simply leave. Let you float here in this void... all alone... forever]
That word struck him harder than he thought it would.
*Forever*
The thought clawed in his mind, floating in this void endlessly, thoughts fading into nothing, no warmth, no sound, no end in sight.
He faltered. Then, I sighed, defeated.
'Fine, tell me this offer of yours'
The voice rippled with something like delight.
[???: So you aren't completely dumb after all] she teased lightly. [???: Good. This will be easier]
Her tone deepened, carrying more seriousness than before.
And a little sadness.
[???: The offer I bring is not just for you, but for something far greater. You see, there is a world I've seen in a vision - a world destined for destruction and ruin]
Her voice dimmed, as though weighed by the memory of it all.
[???: Normally, I wouldn't mind this. Worlds are born, worlds die - it's a part of the natural rhythm of creation. But this... this is different. Something foul has infected it]
Her voice sharpened, almost trembling from anger.
[???: An evil not of mortal origin - a fallen god.]
A silence stretched, heavy and cold.
[???: This evil bastard, driven by greed and hunger for destruction, tried to overthrow the other gods. But he failed. Barely escaped - wounded, stripped of his godly power, hiding among one of the many ruined worlds that exist]
Noah listened, unsure of what to make of it all. It would be pure stupidity to believe her at face value - but something about her tone, the blend of wrath and sorrow, made it hard for him to believe it would be a lie.
It felt real.
She continued, voice bleeding into frustration.
[He's rebuilding now, gathering forces, corrupting people's minds, and slowly regaining his powers that he lost, and he found a dimensional break, a portal leading into another world - a higher realm world]
[???: And though we goods cannot intervene with worlds directly - for the balance of the universe forbids it - some have found... a loophole]
[???: A way to bless a person with a bit of their powers, a gift one might say]
A spark of realization bloomed in Noah's mind, the horror spreading through him like ink on a white canvas.
A chosen warrior.
A divine mission to save the world.
A fallen evil god.
'...I'm the warrior, aren't I?' he asked quietly.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then - laughter.
Pure, unfilleted laughter that carried both amusement and disbelief.
[???: Oh heaven's no!] she said between laughs. [???: You? No, no, my dear Noah. You are not chosen for something like that~] she said, teasing him.
The same hit instantly, his non-existent face reddening.
'Then what the hell was the point of the story? What do you even want?!'
Her laugh softened, fading into something tender.
[???: Patience, Noah.] She whispered. [???: I was getting there.]
Her voice turned wistful again.
[???: Some of the gods did indeed choose a warrior. He was kind. Noble to a fault. Something every hero should aspire to be. They gifted him with ridiculous powers - a blessing beyond mortal comprehension, and he fought bravely.]
A pause. The voice seemed to dim.
[???: But even heroes.] She murmured, [???: Are flawed.]
Noah felt the air - or the absence of it - change.
[??? : I saw it in a vision.] She said quietly, [???: The hero failed.]
The words came out like it was nothing more than a statement, a hollow truth.
[???: He failed his mission. The world was burned and destroyed, the evil, bastardly god rose once more, and countless lives were lost.]
[???: And in the end, the gods fell]
Even Noah - who didn't know any of these people, and someone who previously wouldn't care either - could feel the weight of her words. The grief wasn't something he thought a god would have; it felt heartbreakingly human.
[???: I tried warning them, I truly did] her tone breaking slightly, [???: But those who chose the warrior blindly believed that someone who had so many blessings by the gods themselves could never lose]
[???: And those who were neutral - those who didn't care, they ignored my pleas]
The silence returned, long and suffocating. Then - her voice again, softer yet unyielding.
[???: With no one listening, I was forced to take matters into my own hands]
He felt something stir in the void around him - pressure, vast and ancient - as her words reverberated throughout everywhere.
[???: This is why you're here, Noah. Why were you pulled from the cycle of reincarnation? Why did you bring me into nothingness to talk with you]
His thoughts screamed, his soul trembled - every instinct he honed throughout his life, begging him to run. Even though there was nowhere to run to.
Then came the words that even froze the void itself.
[???: I brought you here for one reason, Noah]
A pause.
And then, softly, like a plea.
[???: Please... save us]