A man sat in a hospital bed, gazing out at the endless world before him. Dark circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes, and his hair, once obsidian, had long since faded into fragile gray strands. However, what stood out most were his eyes.
They lacked pupils entirely.
It was an eerie sight: a blind man staring out a window, looking as though he could see the world in perfect detail.
As his thoughts drifted aimlessly, a knock broke the silence.
"May I come in?"
"Sure."
The door opened, and a woman stepped inside, wearing a professional smile that never seemed to fade. "Are you feeling better, Zereth?"
Though it was a normal question, only one thought crossed Zereth's mind.
Is she messing with me?
Zereth was terminally ill. His condition was a one-way road towards death; he had only days left, each one accompanied by unbearable pain. Still, he mustered a weak smile.
"I'm feeling just as bad as ever," he replied. "Thanks for asking."
Her smile twitched for a moment before settling back into place. "I was just checking in. A miracle can always happen, can it not?"
"Miss," Zereth said calmly. "You know as well as I do that in a world like this, miracles don't exist. Especially not for someone like me. All that's waiting is death after this endless pain finally stops."
The room grew heavy, reality pressing down on them both.
Was that too harsh? Zereth wondered. I was only telling the truth.
The nurse paused, then stepped forward and gently took his arm to check the IV.
Is she going to console me?
There's no need.
"The weather is wonderful today, isn't it?" she said softly.
Huh?
Ah... right.
Zereth almost forgot. It was just part of her job. She had no reason to comfort him. This was only small talk.
As she ensured the needle was secure and the drip was flowing properly, Zereth turned his head back toward the window and replied mockingly, "Yeah. I can tell. Looks pretty sunny out there."
The nurse froze.
"Sunny...? Ah... I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to mock your condition. I have many patients, so it just slipped my mind..."
"It's fine," Zereth mumbled.
"I get it."
She looked at the young man with a pang of pity. To not even be able to see such a beautiful day...
...Huh?
She turned toward the window.
"Why... is it so dark?"
The sky outside had become something unrecognizable. What was once blue had turned into a suffocating black. The sun was gone, replaced by a massive black orb, its edges jagged with an unnatural white glow. It looked like an eclipse.
Then the darkness shattered.
Pure white flames began raining from the sky.
The nurse stumbled backward in horror, her shock lasting only a moment before one of the flames struck the hospital.
It was as if a miniature nuclear explosion had gone off.
If a single flame carried this much power, one could only imagine how the world could survive thousands of them falling at once.
Zereth never had the chance to process her words.
He was erased.
What just happened?
Just moments ago, the nurse had been talking about the weather. Then there was a deafening sound. Something violent. Something sudden.
That wasn't a terrorist attack... was it?
Wait.
Does that mean I'm dead?
Zereth tried to move, tried to feel his body, but realized he had no arms to move and no body to feel.
Ah. So that's it.
I died just like that.
After all that suffering... at least it was finally over.
That was the naive thought drifting through what remained of his consciousness.
"So... what now?" he wondered. "Do I just stay like this forever?"
A phantom shiver rippled through him. Only now did the weight of death truly sink in.
I don't want to be alone.
Panic surged. To exist in a void, endless, silent, and eternal, was more terrifying than any pain he had known in life.
At first, nothing happened.
To keep himself sane, Zereth spoke to himself, recounting memories, regrets, and anything to fill the emptiness. But words, no matter how many, were meaningless against eternity.
Time lost all meaning.
Eventually, even his thoughts began to fade. He felt hollow, as though his very soul were cracking and dissolving into nothingness.
"…"
There were no words left. No thoughts.
Just as his consciousness was about to shatter completely, a blinding light tore through the void.
What...?
When the light faded, Zereth was gone.
He was born anew.